We report As75 NMR measurements on the new quasi-one-dimensional superconductor K2Cr3As3 (Tc~6.1 K) J. K. Bao et al., Rhys. Rev. X 5, 011013 (2015). We feund evidence far strong enhancement of Cr ...spin fluctuations above Tc in the Cr3As3infinity double-walled subnanotubes based on the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate 1/T1. The power-law temperature dependence, 1/T1T~T- gamma ( gamma ~0.25), is consistent with the Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid. Moreover, absence of the Hebel-Slichter coherence peak of 1/T1 just below Tc suggests an unconventional nature of superconductivity.
Activated T cells, B cells, plasma cells, and related cytokines play central roles in the production of pathogenic autoantibodies in myasthenia gravis (MG). T helper 17 (Th17) cells, follicular Th ...(Tfh) cells, and related cytokines are upregulated, whereas regulatory T (Treg) cells and related cytokines are downregulated. Chronic inflammation by Th17 cells, the promotion of autoantibody production from B cells and plasma cells by Tfh cells or B‐cell‐related cytokines, and the activation of the immune response by dysfunction of Treg cells may be involved in the pathogenesis of MG.
Summary
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is characterized by muscle weakness and fatigue caused by the presence of autoantibodies against the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) or the muscle‐specific tyrosine kinase (MuSK). Activated T, B and plasma cells, as well as cytokines, play important roles in the production of pathogenic autoantibodies and the induction of inflammation at the neuromuscular junction in MG. Many studies have focused on the role of cytokines and lymphocytes in anti‐AChR antibody‐positive MG. Chronic inflammation mediated by T helper type 17 (Th17) cells, the promotion of autoantibody production from B cells and plasma cells by follicular Th (Tfh) cells and the activation of the immune response by dysfunction of regulatory T (Treg) cells may contribute to the exacerbation of the MG pathogenesis. In fact, an increased number of Th17 cells and Tfh cells and dysfunction of Treg cells have been reported in patients with anti‐AChR antibody‐positive MG; moreover, the number of these cells was correlated with clinical parameters in patients with MG. Regarding cytokines, interleukin (IL)‐17; a Th17‐related cytokine, IL‐21 (a Tfh‐related cytokine), the B‐cell‐activating factor (BAFF; a B cell‐related cytokine) and a proliferation‐inducing ligand (APRIL; a B cell‐related cytokine) have been reported to be up‐regulated and associated with clinical parameters of MG. This review focuses on the current understanding of the involvement of cytokines and lymphocytes in the immunological pathogenesis of MG, which may lead to the development of novel therapies for this disease in the near future.
Unlike the parent phases of the iron-arsenide high-Tc superconductors, undoped FeSe is not magnetically ordered and exhibits superconductivity with Tc approximately 9 K. Equally surprising is the ...fact that applied pressure dramatically enhances the modest Tc to approximately 37 K. We investigate the electronic properties of FeSe using 77Se NMR to search for the key to the superconducting mechanism. We demonstrate that the electronic properties of FeSe are very similar to those of electron-doped FeAs superconductors, and that antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations are strongly enhanced near Tc. Furthermore, applied pressure enhances spin fluctuations. Our findings suggest a link between spin fluctuations and the superconducting mechanism in FeSe.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Fixed-bed column has been considered an industrially feasible technique for phosphate removal from water. Besides the adsorption capacity, the effectiveness of an adsorbent ...is also determined by its reusability efficiency. In this study, phosphate removal by a synthesized amorphous zirconium (hydr)oxide/MgFe layered double hydroxides composite in a fixed-bed column system was examined. METHODS: The effects of flow rate, bed height, phosphate concentration, solution pH, and adsorbent particle size on the phosphate adsorption ability were examined through a series of continuous adsorption experiments. The appropriate breakthrough curve models, phosphate adsorption from real anaerobic sludge and synthetic seawater, column regeneration and reusability, and adsorption mechanism were also investigated for practical application feasibility. FINDINGS: The results showed that the increased bed height and phosphate concentration, and reduced flow rate, pH, and adsorbent particle size were found to increase the column adsorption capacity. The optimum adsorption capacity of 25.15 mg-P/g was obtained at pH 4. The coexistence of seawater ions had a positive effect on the phosphate adsorption capacity of the composite. Nearly complete phosphate desorption, with a desorption efficiency of 91.7%, could be effectively achieved by 0.1 N NaOH for an hour. Moreover, the initial adsorption capacity was maintained at approximately 83% even after eight adsorption-desorption cycles, indicating that the composite is economically feasible. The high phosphate adsorption capacity of the composite involves three main adsorption mechanisms, which are electrostatic attraction, inner-sphere complexation, and anion exchange, where the amorphous zirconium hydr(oxide) on the surface of the layered double hydroxides likely increased the number of active binding sites and surface area for adsorption. CONCLUSION: The amorphous zirconium (hydr)oxide/MgFe layered double hydroxides composite, with its high adsorption capacity and superior reusability, has the potential to be utilized as an adsorbent for phosphorus removal in practical wastewater treatment. This study provides insights into the design of amorphous zirconium (hydr)oxide/MgFe layered double hydroxides composite for phosphorus removal and recovery in a practical system.
Abstract
The enhancement of functionality of perovskite ferroelectrics by local structure is one of current interests. By the Li-doping to KTa
1−
x
Nb
x
O
3
(KTN), the large piezoelectric and ...electro-optic effects were reported. In order to give new insights into the mechanism of doping, the microscopic origin of the Fano resonance induced by the local structure was investigated in 5%Li-doped KTN single crystals by Raman scattering. The coupling between the continuum states and the transverse optical phonon near 196 cm
−1
(Slater mode) caused a Fano resonance. In the vicinity of the cubic-tetragonal phase transition temperature,
T
C-T
= 31 °C, the almost disappearance of the Fano resonance and the remarkable change of the central peak (CP) intensity were observed upon heating. The local symmetry of the polar nanoregions (PNRs), which was responsible for the symmetry breaking in the cubic phase, was determined to
E
(
x
,
y
) symmetry by the angular dependence of Raman scattering. The electric field induced the significant change in the intensity of both CP and Fano resonance. From these experimental results, it is concluded that the origin of the Fano resonance in Li-doped KTN crystals is the coupling between polarization fluctuations of PNRs and the Slater mode, both belong to the
E
(
x
,
y
) symmetry.
We report a (75)As single crystal NMR investigation of LaFeAsO, the parent phase of a pnictide high T(c) superconductor. We demonstrate that spin dynamics develop a strong twofold anisotropy within ...each orthorhombic domain below the tetragonal-orthorhombic structural phase transition at T(TO) ≈ 156 K. This intermediate state with a dynamical breaking of the rotational symmetry freezes progressively into a spin density wave below T(SDW) ≈ 142 K. Our findings are consistent with the presence of a spin nematic state below T(TO) with an incipient magnetic order.
Molecules essential for the induction of immunogenic cell death (ICD) are called damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). The effects of oncolytic herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) on the ...production of DAMPs were examined in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cells. The cytopathic effects of HSV-1 RH2 were observed in mouse SCCVII cells infected at a high multiplicity of infection (MOI), and the amounts of viable cells were decreased. After being infected with RH2, ATP and high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) were released extracellulary, while calreticulin (CRT) translocated to the cell membrane. A flow-cytometric analysis revealed an increase in the number of annexin-V and propidium iodide (PI)-stained cells; and the amount of cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) was increased. The killing effect of RH2 was reduced by pan-caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk and the caspase-1 inhibitor z-YVAD-fmk, suggesting the involvement of apoptosis and pyroptosis. In C3H mice bearing synergic SCCVII tumors, the growth of tumors injected with the supernatant of RH2-infected cells was less than that of tumors injected with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). These results indicate that oncolytic HSV-1 RH2 produces DAMPs from SCC cells to induce cell death. This may contribute to the enhancement of tumor immunity by oncolytic HSV-1.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced people to change many behaviours, including physical distancing, hygiene measures and lifestyles. This study aimed to evaluate the indirect impact of the COVID-19 ...pandemic on the incidence of non–COVID-19 infections and medical care costs/visits using health insurance claims.
This was an observational study using patient-based administrative claims covering approximately 800,000 insured persons and their dependents in the Mie Prefecture in Japan.
This study identified non–COVID-19 infectious disease incidences, number of outpatient visits and healthcare costs between 2017 and 2021. Each year was divided into quarters. The adjusted incidence rate ratios (IRRs) during the pandemic (January 2020 to September 2021) and during the prepandemic period (January 2017 to December 2019) were determined using Poisson regression.
The adjusted influenza IRRs from April 2020 were close to zero. The incidence of upper respiratory tract infections and bacterial pneumonia was significantly reduced (IRRs range: 0.39–0.73 and 0.43–0.84, respectively). Gastrointestinal and urinary tract infection incidences decreased by approximately 30% and 10%, respectively. In contrast, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including syphilis, gonococcal infection and Chlamydia trachomatis infection, did not decrease during the pandemic but increased significantly between April and June 2021 (adjusted IRR, 1.37; 95% confidence interval, 1.18–1.60). The adjusted IRRs for outpatient visits and healthcare costs were 0.86–0.93 and 0.91–0.97, respectively.
In contrast to other infections, STIs did not decrease during the COVID-19 pandemic. The IRR of STIs during the pandemic period is an area of public health concern. Appropriate screening and medical consultations are strongly recommended.
The transverse field Ising chain model is ideally suited for testing the fundamental ideas of quantum phase transitions because its well-known T=0 ground state can be extrapolated to finite ...temperatures. Nonetheless, the lack of appropriate model materials hindered the past effort to test the theoretical predictions. Here, we map the evolution of quantum fluctuations in the transverse field Ising chain based on nuclear magnetic resonance measurements of CoNb2O6 , and we demonstrate the finite-temperature effects on quantum criticality for the first time. From the temperature dependence of the Nb93 longitudinal relaxation rate 1/T1 , we identify the renormalized classical, quantum critical, and quantum disordered scaling regimes in the temperature (T ) vs transverse magnetic field (h⊥ ) phase diagram. Precisely at the critical field h⊥c=5.25±0.15T , we observe a power-law behavior, 1/T1∼T−3/4 , as predicted by quantum critical scaling. Our parameter-free comparison between the data and theory reveals that quantum fluctuations persist up to as high as T∼0.4J , where the intrachain exchange interaction J is the only energy scale of the problem.
Abstract
Global phosphorus scarcity implies the importance of phosphorus recovery. Desorption is an essential process in phosphate removal by adsorption technique by enabling two crucial aspects: the ...reusability of adsorbent and the recovery of phosphorus. In this study, phosphate desorption by NaOH for composite reusability and phosphorus recovery by CaCl
2
were investigated. Based on the cost analysis, the uncalcined amorphous zirconium hydroxide/MgFe layered double hydroxides composite (am-Zr/MgFe-LDH) with Zr to Fe molar ratio of 1.5 was effective in reducing cost for phosphate adsorption compared to amorphous zirconium hydroxide (am-Zr) and MgFe layered double hydroxide (LDH). The XRD analysis indicated that phosphate desorption was preferably performed by stripping adsorbed phosphate on the composite surface using NaOH solution. The reuse of 2 N NaOH for composite regeneration could effectively maintain a higher adsorption ability (86%) than 1 N NaOH, and additionally, could be considered as an economic regeneration agent. The composite was chemically stable in maintaining its structure during eight adsorption-desorption cycles. The mechanisms involved during phosphate desorption by NaOH were mainly ligand exchange and electrostatic repulsion. The phosphorus recovery showed that the optimum recovery (~95%) was obtained by adding CaCl
2
at pH 13 and calcium to phosphorus molar ratio of 3.5.
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