Single-ion anisotropy effects on the critical behaviors of quantum entanglement and correlation in the spin-1 Heisenberg chain.

Quantum entanglement and correlations in the spin-1 Heisenberg chain with single-ion anisotropy are investigated using the quantum renormalization group method. Negativity and quantum discord (QD) are calculated with various anisotropy parameters △ and single-ion anisotropy parametersD. We focus on the relations between two abovementioned physical quantities and on transitions between the Néel, Haldane, and large-Dphases. It is found that both negativity and QD exhibit step-like patterns in different phases as the size of the system increases. Interestingly, the single-ion anisotropy parameterD, which can be modulated using nuclear electric resonance (2020Nature579205), plays an important role in tuning the quantum phase transition (QPT) of the system. Both the first partial derivative of the negativity and QD with respect toDor △ exhibit nonanalytic behavior at the phase transition points, which corresponds directly to the divergence of the correlation length. The quantum correlation critical exponents derived from negativity and QD are equal, and are the reciprocal of the correlation length exponent at each critical point. This work extends the application of quantum entanglement and correlations as tools for depicting QPTs in spin-1 systems.

[High-risk factors for early failure of high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy in children].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the high-risk factors for early failure of high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) oxygen therapy in children with acute respiratory insufficiency (ARI). METHODS: The clinical data of 123 children with ARI were reviewed who received HFNC oxygen therapy in the pediatric intensive care unit from January to June, 2018. The children who did not require an upgrade of respiratory support during hospitalization and were successfully weaned from HFNC were classified as HFNC success group (69 cases). Of the remaining children (54 cases) who required an upgrade of their respiratory support during hospitalization, those that needed to upgrade their respiratory support within 48 hours of receiving HFNC were classified as early HFNC failure group (46 cases). Risk factors for early failure of HFNC were determined using multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The incidence rates of shock, sepsis, intracranial hypertension syndrome, and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome were significantly higher in the early HFNC failure group than in the HFNC success group (P<0.05). Before implementation of respiratory support, the early HFNC failure group had significantly lower Glasgow coma score, pH value, and oxygenation index and significantly higher Pediatric Risk of Mortality (PRISM) score and PaCO2/PaO2 ratio than the HFNC success group (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that PRISM score >4.5 and PaCO2/PaO2 ratio >0.64 were independent risk factors for early HFNC failure (OR=5.535 and 9.089 respectively; P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric ARI patients with PRISM score >4.5 or PaCO2/PaO2 ratio >0.64 have relatively high risk of early HFNC failure.

The geometry of hexagonal boron nitride clusters in the initial stages of chemical vapor deposition growth on a Cu(111) surface.

To understand the nucleation process in the growth of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) on transition metal substrates by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), the energy of formation and stability of h-BN clusters of different geometries on a pristine Cu(111) surface were systematically investigated using density functional theory calculations. We find that unlike carbon clusters, h-BN clusters on Cu supports can undergo two possible transformations of the minimum-energy structure at a critical size of 13. Different from freestanding h-BN clusters, on a Cu(111) surface, h-BN chains are more stable than h-BN rings and thus dominate the minimum-energy structure for cluster sizes lower than the critical size. Thus, depending on the experimental conditions of CVD, one-dimensional Bn-1Nn (N-rich environment) or BnNn-1 (B-rich) chains are first created, and they transform to two-dimensional sp2 networks or h-BN islands, but for a BnNn chain, the transformation to a two-dimensional sp2 network h-BN island does not occur. In contrast to carbon islands where pentagons are readily formed, odd-membered rings are extremely rare in h-BN islands, where the transformation to the most stable structure occurs through a combination of trapeziums and hexagons at the edges, so as to avoid B-B and N-N bonds. Moreover, on a Cu(111) surface, trapeziums are destabilized when the four edges are connected to other hexagons because of additional curvature energy, thus favoring the nucleation of planar nuclei. A deep insight into h-BN cluster formation on a Cu support is vital to understanding the growth mechanism of h-BN on a transition metal surface in CVD experiments to further improve experimental designs in the CVD growth of h-BN.

P2Y1 receptor antagonists mitigate oxygen and glucose deprivation­induced astrocyte injury.

The aim of the present study was to elucidate the effects of blocking the calcium signaling pathway of astrocytes (ASs) on oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD)­induced AS injury. The association between the changes in the concentrations of AS­derived transmitter ATP and glutamic acid, and the changes in calcium signaling under the challenge of OGD were investigated. The cortical ASs of Sprague Dawley rats were cultured to establish the OGD models of ASs. The extracellular concentrations of ATP and glutamic acid in the normal group and the OGD group were detected, and the intracellular concentration of calcium ions (Ca2+) was detected. The effects of 2'­deoxy­N6­methyl adenosine 3', 5'­diphosphate diammonium salt (MRS2179), a P2Y1 receptor antagonist, on the release of calcium and glutamic acid of ASs under the condition of OGD were observed. The OGD challenge induced the release of glutamic acid and ATP by ASs in a time­dependent manner, whereas elevation in the concentration of glutamic acid lagged behind that of the ATP and Ca2+. The concentration of Ca2+ inside ASs peaked 16 h after OGD, following which the concentration of Ca2+ was decreased. The effects of elevated release of glutamic acid by ASs when challenged by OGD may be blocked by MRS2179, a P2Y1 receptor antagonist. Furthermore, MRS2179 may significantly mitigate OGD­induced AS injury and increase cell survival. The ASs of rats cultured in vitro expressed P2Y1 receptors, which may inhibit excessive elevation in the concentration of intracellular Ca2+. Avoidance of intracellular calcium overload and the excessive release of glutamic acid may be an important reason why MRS2179 mitigates OGD­induced AS injury.

[Role of c-Jun N-terminal kinase-mediated FOXO3a nuclear translocation in neuronal apoptosis in neonatal rats with hypoxic-ischemic brain damage].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the mechanisms of neuroprotective effects of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)/FOXO3a transcription factor signaling pathway inhibition on hypoxic-ischemic neuronal apoptosis in neonatal rats with hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD). METHODS: Sixty-four 7-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups: hypoxia-ischemia (HI), sham-operated, JNK specific inhibitor AS601245-treated, and DMSO vehicle. Rats' cerebral cortexes were collected at 24 hours after HI. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of JNK, p-JNK, FOXO3a, nuclear and cytoplasmic FOXO3a, Bim, and CC3. TUNEL staining was used to detect the apoptotic cells. RESULTS: Compared with the sham-operated group, p-JNK protein increased (P<0.01), nuclear protein of FOXO3a increased (P<0.01), cytoplasmic protein decreased (P<0.01), and pro-apoptotic proteins Bim and CC3 increased 24 hours after HI (P<0.01). Compared with the HI and DMSO vehicle groups, p-JNK protein was reduced (P<0.01), nuclear protein of FOXO3a was also reduced (P<0.01), cytoplasmic protein increased (P<0.01), and Bim and CC3 proteins decreased (P<0.01) in the AS601245-treated group 24 hours after HI. TUNEL positive cells were reduced in the AS601245-treated rats compared with the HI and DMSO vehicle groups 24 hours after HI (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: JNK activity increases in the neonatal rat brain with HI damage. JNK activity inhibition can inhibit FOXO3a translocation from cytoplasm to nucleus and downregulate the levels of pro-apoptotic proteins Bim and CC3, leading to the reduction of neuronal apoptosis.

Exactly solvable antiferromagnetic Blume-Capel model on a sawtooth chain.

The geometrically frustrated spin-1 Blume-Capel model on an infinite sawtooth chain is exactly solved by the transfer matrix method. The magnetization, ground-state phase diagram, magnetocaloric properties, and specific heat of the system are investigated. The results indicate that: (i) Magnetization plateaus appear at zero temperature. Their number depends on the sign of the crystal field D. For D≥0 there are two magnetization plateaus; however, for D<0 five plateaus exist. At a finite temperature, thermal excitation will destroy these plateaus completely. (ii) Phase transition between any two long-range-ordered ground states, whose spin configurations are given in phase diagram, is the first-order one. The macroscopic degeneracy of the ground states described by the entropy only exists at phase coexistence points. (iii) As temperature approaches zero, magnetocaloric properties and entropy change sharply near phase coexistence points. (iv) The crossovers of the specific heat from a single-peak structure to double-peak ones can signal the phase coexistence points in ground-state phase diagram.

[Effect of NF-κB on proliferation of rat pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells inhibited by simvastatin].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of NF-κB on proliferation of rat pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC) inhibited by simvastatin. METHODS: PASMC isolated from rats and cultured in vitro were randomly divided into four groups (n=6 each): control, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) treatment, PDGF+simvastatin treatment, and PDGF+simvastatin+parthenolide (NF-κB inhibitor) treatment. MTT colorimetric assay and flow cytometry were performed to detect cell proliferation and cell cycle distribution. Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the expression of NF-κB protein. Real-Time PCR was performed to detect NF-κB mRNA expression. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, MTT values of PASMC at all time points, cell proportion at the S phase and G2+M phase, NF-κB protein and mRNA expression increased significantly in the PDGF group (P<0.05). With the intervention of simvastatin, the levels of above indexes decreased compared with the PDGF group (P<0.05). With the intervention of simvastatin and parthenolide, the levels of above indexes decreased more obviously, but were not significantly different from those in the simvastatin intervention group. CONCLUSIONS: Simvastatin can inhibit proliferation of PASMC and cell cycle process. NF-κB may play an important role in the inhibitory effect of simvastatin on the proliferation of PASMC.

[Risk factors of heart and lung failure in children with severe hand, foot and mouth disease and treatment experience].

OBJECTIVE: To study risk factors for severe hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) complicated by heart and lung failure and treatment experience. METHODS: A total of 198 children with severe HFMD between March and August in 2011 were enrolled. Univariate analysis and logistic regression model were used to analyze the risk factors severe HFMD complicated by heart and lung failure. The effects of combination therapy with immunoglobulin+dexamethasone+ribavirin were observed. RESULTS: Univariate analysis indicated that HFMD patients with heart and lung failure had higher proportions of consciousness, tachypnoea, abnormal hemodynamics, increased troponin and EV71 infection than HFMD patients without heart and lung failure (P<0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that tachypnoea, abnormal hemodynamics and EV71 infection were the main risk factors for heart and lung failure. Compared with combination therapy with dexamethasone+ribavirin, combination therapy with immunoglobulin+dexamethasone+ribavirin was more effective for preventing hemodynamic changes in children with severe HFMD (P<0.01). Compared with HFMD patients with heart and lung failure, the effect of the combination therapy with immunoglobulin+dexamethasone+ribavirin was better in HFMD patients without heart and lung failure (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The main risk factors for heart and lung failure in children with severe HFMD include tachypnoea, abnormal hemodynamics and EV71 infection. Early combination therapy with immunoglobulin+dexamethasone+ribavirin can reduce the incidence of heart and lung failure in children with severe HFMD.

Water film motor driven by alternating electric fields: its dynamical characteristics.

The "liquid film motor," a novel device with important implications for basic research and technology, is analyzed. It works perfectly with both direct current (dc) and alternating current (ac) fields. We develop a mathematical model describing electrohydrodynamical (EHD) motions induced by ac fields, which are more complex and have wider technological applications than those produced by dc fields. The main characteristics of these motions, derived in our paper and in full agreement with the experimental ones, are as follows: (i) Rotation of the film requires that the frequencies of the ac fields are exactly the same and their magnitudes surpass a threshold, which depends on their phase difference. (ii) Vibrations may be induced by fields with different frequencies. (iii) The EHD motions strongly depend on the polarization induced by the external electric field. However, these motions are little affected by the liquid's electrical conductivity, viscosity, dielectric constant, and density. Our model also predicts several features, which have yet to be experimentally verified.

[Decreased mRNA expressions of T-type channel alpha1H and alpha1G in the sperm of varicocele patients and their implication].

OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship of varicocele (VC) with the expressions of T-type channel alpha1H and alpha1G in the sperm of VC patients. METHODS: Based on the WHO criteria, we examined the semen samples by computer-aided sperm analysis (CASA), and divided the samples into groups A (normal semen from volunteers, n = 20), B (normal semen from VC patients, n = 16) and C (abnormal semen from VC patients, n = 44). We optimized the semen by discontinuous Percoll grade centrifugation, and determined the mRNA expressions of T-type channel alpha1H and alpha1G in the three groups using using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: Compared with group A, the mRNA expressions of alpha1H and alpha1G showed with no significant decrease in group B (P>0.05), but were remarkably reduced in group C (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The abnormal mRNA expressions of T-type channel alpha1H and alpha1G may be one of the causes of declined semen quality and consequently infertility in VC patients, which has pointed out a new direction for the studies of the causes and treatment of VC-related infertility.

Simvastatin has beneficial effect on pulmonary artery hypertension by inhibiting NF-κB expression.

Whether Simvastatin has beneficial effect on pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the effect of simvastatin on PAH and the underlying mechanism. Male SD rats were randomized into three groups: control group, PAH model group, and treatment group with the intervention of the Simvastatin (n = 10, each group). Rat PVSMCs were isolated from pulmonary artery, cultured in vitro, and subjected to different treatment with PDGF, and/or Simvastatin or parthenolide. The mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP), endomembrane proliferation in the pneumono-arteriole, and scores of the average angiemphraxis (VOS) were measured. The expression of NF-κB at mRNA and protein levels in the artery and PVSMCs was evaluated by fluorescent quantitative PCR, immunohistochemistry, and Western blot. Our results showed that mPAP, endomembrane proliferation in the pneumono-arteriole and VOS increased significantly in PAH model group compared with control group (P < 0.05). NF-κB expression was significantly higher in PAH model group than control group (P < 0.05), and also higher in the stimulated PVSMCs than control PVSMCs (P < 0.05). With the intervention of simvastatin, mPAP, endomembrane proliferation in the pneumono-arteriole and VOS decreased dramatically, compared with model group (P < 0.05). NF-κB expression was significantly decreased in both the artery and PVSMCs (P < 0.05). In conclusion, our study provides experimental evidence that NF-κB plays an important role in the occurrence of pulmonary artery hypertension and Simvastatin has beneficial effect on pulmonary artery hypertension by inhibiting the expression of NF-κB.

Dynamical mechanism of the liquid film motor.

The paper presents a simple dynamical model to systemically explain the rotation mechanism of the liquid film motor reported by experiments. The field-induced-plasticity effect of the liquid film is introduced into our model, in which the liquid film in crossed electric fields is considered as a Bingham plastic fluid with equivalent electric dipole moment. Several analytic results involving the torque of rotation, the scaling relation of the threshold fields, and the dynamics equation of a square film and its solution are obtained. We find that the rotation of the liquid film motor originates from the continuous competition between the destruction and the reestablishment of the polarization equilibrium maintained by the external electric field, which is free from the boundary effects. Most experimental phenomena observed in direct current electric fields are interpreted well.

[The influence of inhibiting notch signal on pulmonary vascular remodeling induced by PDGF].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the influence of inhibiting Notch signal on pulmonary vascular remodeling induced by PDGF. METHODS: Vessel strips taken from healthy Wistar rats were cultured together with extrogenous PDGF, the potent smooth muscle cell proliferation stimulators, for 7 days. Some vessel strips were cultured with PDGF and gamma-secretase inhibitor DAPT, a Notch signaling inhibitor for 7 days. Vascular wall thickness, PCNA and caspase-3 positive cell rate were examined in vessel strips. The alterations of Notch 1 to 4 receptor and HERP1, 2 mRNA were discerned by FQ-PCR to observe the influence of DAPT on Notch signal. At the same time, above indexes, which were related with pulmonary vascular remodeling, were measured too. RESULTS: PDGF stimulation in the cultured normal pulmonary arteries resulted in vascular medial thickness increase for about 50%, accompanied by significant increase in PCNA positive cell rate and decrease of caspase-3 positive cell rate. When DAPT were added to inhibit Notch signaling, the expression of HERP1, 2 mRNA decreased, the degrees of PDGF induced vascular medial thickness and PCNA positive cell rate increase as well as caspase-3 positive cell rate decrease were all attenuated notably. CONCLUSION: Inhibiting Notch signal induced by gamma-secretase inhibitor lead to the suppression of pulmonary vascular remodeling induced by PDGF, suggesting inhibition of Notch signal pathway might be a novel strategy in the intervention of pulmonary hypertension.

[Effects of endogenous carbon monoxide on gene expression profiles associated with the apoptosis of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells].

OBJECTIVE: To identify the gene expression profiles associated with the apoptosis of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells stimulated by carbon monoxide (CO). METHODS: Primary cultured Sprague-Dawley rat pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMC) were stimulated by platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF, 20 ng/mL) and hemin (20 µmol/L). Cells were harvested after 2 hrs and Affymetrix microarrays were used to detect the gene expression profile. RESULTS: Some genes associated with Map2k3 (P38) signal pathway, such as CyclinD1, CyclinH, CyclinL1, MAP2K3, Kras and Nras, were upregulated, but P27 expression was downregulated after PDGF treatment. After endogenous CO treatment, some genes associated with P53 pathway, such as Gadd45α, P21 and Trp53inp1, were upregulated. CONCLUSIONS: P53 pathway probably plays an important role in apoptosis of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells treated with endogenous CO.

[Promoting high-temperature hydrolysis under alkaline condition].

The effect of alkaline thermal hydrolysis method on excess sludge and its characteristic parameters(such as soluble chemical oxygen demand, volatile fatty acids, ammonia-nitrogen, pH value, sludge concentration, etc.) were investigated. The results show that the addition of alkali can reduce the resistance of the sludge cells to high temperature and enhance the release and the hydrolysis of organic materials from the sludge cells with the increase of temperature, pH value and reaction time. The concentration of SCOD reached 17,950 mg/L and SCOD/TCOD was 0.65 on the conditions of pH 13, 170 degrees C and 75 min. The maximal dissolving rate of suspended solids (SS) was 67% and 72% for volatile suspended solids (VSS) at pH 13 with 60 min. The concentration of SCOD after alkaline thermal hydrolysis treatment increased with the increase of sludge concentration, in which the nice linear relation was reached and the correlation coefficient (R2) was above 0.97. The increasing rate of the SCOD was improving with the increase of the pH value and the SCOD of unit sludge reached 672 mg/g at pH 13. The effect of three factors on the SCOD was investigated through orthogonal experiment at the temperature of 170 degrees C, the importance was sludge concentration,pH value and reaction time in turn.

A novel mutation in EXT2 gene in a Chinese family with hereditary multiple exostoses.

Hereditary multiple exostoses (HME) is an autosomal-dominant disorder characterized by the presence of bony outgrowths on the long bones. In this report, we describe a Chinese family with HME. Linkage analysis and mutation detection were performed. Linkage with the EXT2 was established in this family. A novel mutation, EXT2 c239-244delG, was identified. Mutation analysis in a family with HME allows for genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis.