Germanium ionization detectors with sensitivities as low as 100eVee (electron-equivalent energy) open new windows for studies on neutrino and dark matter physics. The relevant physics subjects are ...summarized. The detectors have to measure physics signals whose amplitude is comparable to that of pedestal electronic noise. To fully exploit this new detector technique, various experimental issues including quenching factors, energy reconstruction and calibration, signal triggering and selection as well as evaluation of their associated efficiencies have to be attended. The efforts and results of a research program to address these challenges are presented.
A recent model developed to predict the smallest grain sizes obtainable by severe plastic deformation has worked well for materials with medium to high stacking fault energies (SFEs) but not for ...those with low SFEs. To probe this issue, experiments were conducted using a Cu–30wt.% Zn alloy with a very low SFE of 7mJ/m2 as the model material. High-pressure torsion was used as the grain refinement technique. The results indicate that stacking faults and twin boundaries play a key role in the grain refinement process such that the smallest achievable grain size is determined by the highest stacking fault and twin density that the system is able to produce. An amorphization of grain boundaries was also observed in the final structure. These observations are very different from those reported for materials having medium to high SFEs and they confirm the operation of a different grain refinement mechanism.
This paper examines spatial variations of urban growth patterns in Chinese cities through a case study of Dongguan, a rapidly industrializing city characterized by a bottom-up pattern of development ...based on townships. We have employed both non-spatial and spatial logistic regression models to analyze urban land conversion. The non-spatial logistic regression has found the significance of accessibility, neighborhood conditions and socioeconomic factors for urban development. The logistic regression with spatially expanded coefficients significantly improves the orthodoxy logistic regression with lower levels of spatial autocorrelation of residuals and better goodness-of-fit. More importantly, the spatial logistic model reveals the spatially varying relationship between urban growth and its underlying factors, particularly the local influence of environment protection and urban development policies. The results of the spatial logistic model also provide clear clues for assessing environmental risks to take the local contexts into account.
Methanol is a potentially attractive substrate for bioproduction of chemicals because of the abundance of natural gas and biogas-derived methane. To move towards utilizing methanol as a sole carbon ...source, here we engineer an Escherichia coli strain to couple methanol utilization with growth on five-carbon (C5) sugars. By deleting essential genes in the pentose phosphate pathway for pentose utilization and expressing heterologous enzymes from the ribulose-monophosphate (RuMP) pathway, we constructed a strain that cannot grow on xylose or ribose minimal media unless methanol is utilized, creating a phenotype termed “synthetic methanol auxotrophy”. Our best strains were able to utilize methanol for growth at a rate of 0.17 ± 0.006 (h−1) with methanol and xylose co-assimilation at a molar ratio of approximately 1:1. Genome sequencing and reversion of mutations indicated that mutations on genes encoding for adenylate cyclase (cyaA) and the formaldehyde detoxification operon (frmRAB) were necessary for the growth phenotype. The methanol auxotrophic strain was further engineered to produce ethanol or 1-butanol to final titers of 4.6 g/L and 2.0 g/L, respectively. 13C tracing showed that 43% and 71% of ethanol and 1-butanol produced had labeled carbon derived from methanol, respectively.
•Methanol dependent growth and production with co-utilization of xylose.•Demonstration of E. coli as a biocatalyst for ethanol and 1-butanol production from methanol and xylose in minimal medium.•43% and 71% of ethanol and 1-butanol produced has labeled carbon derived from methanol.
Recently a dark matter-electron (DM-electron) paradigm has drawn much attention. Models beyond the standard halo model describing DM accelerated by high energy celestial bodies are under intense ...examination as well. In this Letter, a velocity components analysis (VCA) method dedicated to swift analysis of accelerated DM-electron interactions via semiconductor detectors is proposed and the first HPGe detector-based accelerated DM-electron analysis is realized. Utilizing the method, the first germanium based constraint on sub-GeV solar reflected DM-electron interaction is presented with the 205.4 kg·day dataset from the CDEX-10 experiment. In the heavy mediator scenario, our result excels in the mass range of 5-15 keV/c^{2}, achieving a 3 orders of magnitude improvement comparing with previous semiconductor experiments. In the light mediator scenario, the strongest laboratory constraint for DM lighter than 0.1 MeV/c^{2} is presented. The result proves the feasibility and demonstrates the vast potential of the VCA technique in future accelerated DM-electron analyses with semiconductor detectors.
Abstract
A novel isochronous mass spectrometry, termed as
$$B\rho $$
B
ρ
-defined IMS, has been established at the experimental cooler-storage ring CSRe in Lanzhou. Its potential has been studied ...through high precision mass measurements of
$$^{58}$$
58
Ni projectile fragments. Two time-of-flight detectors were installed in one of the straight sections of CSRe, thus enabling simultaneous measurements of the velocity and the revolution time of each stored short-lived ion. This allows for calculating the magnetic rigidity
$$B\rho $$
B
ρ
and the orbit length
C
of each ion. The accurate
$$B\rho (C)$$
B
ρ
(
C
)
function has been constructed, which is a universal calibration curve used to deduce the masses of the stored nuclides. The sensitivity to single stored ions, fast measurement time, and background-free characteristics of the method are ideally suited to address nuclides with very short lifetimes and smallest production yields. In the limiting case of just a single particle, the achieved mass resolving power allows one to determine its mass-over-charge ratio
m
/
q
with a remarkable precision of merely
$$\sim 5$$
∼
5
keV. Masses of
$$T_z=-3/2$$
T
z
=
-
3
/
2
fp
-shell nuclides are re-determined with high accuracy, and the validity of the isospin multiplet mass equation is tested up to the heaviest isospin quartet with
$$A=55$$
A
=
55
. The new masses are also used to investigate the mirror symmetry of empirical residual proton-neutron interactions.
Global warming is a challenge to animal health, because of increased heat stress, with subsequent induction of immunosuppression and increased susceptibility to disease. Toll-like receptors (TLR) are ...pattern recognition receptors that act as sentinels of pathogen invasion and tissue damage. Ligation of TLRs results in a signaling cascade and production of inflammatory cytokines, which eradicate pathogens and maintain the health of the host. We hypothesized that the TLR signaling pathway plays a role in immunosuppression in heat-stressed pigs. We explored the changes in the expression of TLR2, TLR4 and the concentration of acute inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-2, IL-8, IL-12 and IFN-γ in Bama miniature pigs subjected to 21 consecutive days of heat stress, both in vitro and in vivo models. The results showed that heat stress induced the upregulation of cortisol in the plasma of pigs (P<0.05); TLR4 mRNA was elevated, but IL-2 was reduced in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC, P<0.05). The white blood cell count and the percentage of granulocytes (eosinophilic+basophilic) decreased significantly in heat-stressed pigs (P<0.05). In the in vitro model (PBMC heat shocked for 1 h followed by a 9 h recovery period), TLR2 and TLR4 mRNA expression also increased, as did the concentration of IL-12 in supernatants. However, IFN-γ was significantly reduced in PBMC culture supernatants (P<0.05). We concluded that a consecutive heat stress period elevated the expression of TLR2 and TLR4 in PBMC and increased the plasma levels of inflammatory cytokines. These data indicate that TLR activation and dysregulation of cytokine expression in response to prolonged heat stress may be associated with immunosuppression and increased susceptibility to antigenic challenge in Bama miniature pigs.
Bulk ultrafine-grained (UFG) materials produced by severe plastic deformation (SPD) often have low ductility. A previous study demonstrated the possibility of lowering the stacking fault energy to ...simultaneously increase the strength and ductility. This paper demonstrates, there exists an optimal stacking fault energy for the best ductility in UFG Cu–Zn alloys processed by the same SPD processing. When the stacking fault energy is too low, the grain size lies below 15
nm after SPD processing and the stacking faults are saturated so that it is difficult to accumulate dislocations and deformation twins during the subsequent tensile testing. These results provide significant guidance for the future design of UFG and nanocrystalline alloys for achieving high ductilities.
Background
The transvaginal natural orifice specimen extraction (NOSE) approach for right-side colon surgery has been proven to exhibit favorable short-term outcomes. However, thus far, no study has ...reported the advantages of transrectal NOSE for right-side colon surgery. The aim of this study was to compare the technical feasibility, safety, and short-term outcomes of minimally invasive right hemicolectomy using the transrectal NOSE method and those of conventional mini-laparotomy specimen extraction.
Methods
A study was conducted on consecutive patients who had minimally invasive right hemicolectomy either for malignancy or benign disease at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan, between January 2017 and December 2018. The patients were divided into two groups: conventional surgery with specimen extraction using mini-laparotomy and NOSE surgery. Surgical outcomes, including complications, postoperative short-term recovery, and pain intensity, were analyzed.
Results
We enrolled 297 patients (151 males, mean age 64.9 ± 12.8 years) who had minimally invasive right hemicolectomy. Of these 297 patients, 272 patients had conventional surgery with specimen extraction through mini-laparotomy and 25 patients had NOSE surgery (23 transrectal, 2 transvaginal). The diagnosis of colon disease did not differ significantly between the conventional and NOSE groups. Postoperative morbidity and mortality rates were comparable. The postoperative hospital stay was significantly (
p
= 0.004) shorter in the NOSE group (median 5 days, range 3–17 days) than in the conventional group (median 7 days, range 3–45 days). Postoperative pain was significantly (
p
= 0.026 on postoperative day 1 and
p
= 0.002 on postoperative day 2) greater in the conventional group than in the NOSE group.
Conclusions
NOSE was associated with acceptable short-term surgical outcomes that were comparable to those of conventional surgery. NOSE results in less postoperative wound pain and a shorter hospital stay than conventional surgery. Larger studies are needed
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