Study of High-Transverse-Momentum Higgs Boson Production in Association with a Vector Boson in the qqbb Final State with the ATLAS Detector

This Letter presents the first study of Higgs boson production in association with a vector boson (V=W or Z) in the fully hadronic qqbb final state using data recorded by the ATLAS detector at the LHC in proton-proton collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137  fb^{-1}. The vector bosons and Higgs bosons are each reconstructed as large-radius jets and tagged using jet substructure techniques. Dedicated tagging algorithms exploiting b-tagging properties are used to identify jets consistent with Higgs bosons decaying into bb[over ¯]. Dominant backgrounds from multijet production are determined directly from the data, and a likelihood fit to the jet mass distribution of Higgs boson candidates is used to extract the number of signal events. The VH production cross section is measured inclusively and differentially in several ranges of Higgs boson transverse momentum: 250-450, 450-650, and greater than 650 GeV. The inclusive signal yield relative to the standard model expectation is observed to be μ=1.4_{-0.9}^{+1.0} and the corresponding cross section is 3.1±1.3(stat)_{-1.4}^{+1.8}(syst)  pb.

Measurement of the Centrality Dependence of the Dijet Yield in p+Pb Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=8.16 TeV with the ATLAS Detector

ATLAS measured the centrality dependence of the dijet yield using 165  nb^{-1} of p+Pb data collected at sqrt[s_{NN}]=8.16  TeV in 2016. The event centrality, which reflects the p+Pb impact parameter, is characterized by the total transverse energy registered in the Pb-going side of the forward calorimeter. The central-to-peripheral ratio of the scaled dijet yields, R_{CP}, is evaluated, and the results are presented as a function of variables that reflect the kinematics of the initial hard parton scattering process. The R_{CP} shows a scaling with the Bjorken x of the parton originating from the proton, x_{p}, while no such trend is observed as a function of x_{Pb}. This analysis provides unique input to understanding the role of small proton spatial configurations in p+Pb collisions by covering parton momentum fractions from the valence region down to x_{p}∼10^{-3} and x_{Pb}∼4×10^{-4}.

Search for New Phenomena in Two-Body Invariant Mass Distributions Using Unsupervised Machine Learning for Anomaly Detection at sqrt[s]=13 TeV with the ATLAS Detector

Searches for new resonances are performed using an unsupervised anomaly-detection technique. Events with at least one electron or muon are selected from 140  fb^{-1} of pp collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV recorded by ATLAS at the Large Hadron Collider. The approach involves training an autoencoder on data, and subsequently defining anomalous regions based on the reconstruction loss of the decoder. Studies focus on nine invariant mass spectra that contain pairs of objects consisting of one light jet or b jet and either one lepton (e,μ), photon, or second light jet or b jet in the anomalous regions. No significant deviations from the background hypotheses are observed. Limits on contributions from generic Gaussian signals with various widths of the resonance mass are obtained for nine invariant masses in the anomalous regions.

Observation of WZγ Production in pp Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV with the ATLAS Detector

This Letter reports the observation of WZγ production and a measurement of its cross section using 140.1±1.2  fb^{-1} of proton-proton collision data recorded at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The WZγ production cross section, with both the W and Z bosons decaying leptonically, pp→WZγ→ℓ^{'}^{±}νℓ^{+}ℓ^{-}γ (ℓ^{(^{'})}=e, μ), is measured in a fiducial phase-space region defined such that the leptons and the photon have high transverse momentum and the photon is isolated. The cross section is found to be 2.01±0.30(stat)±0.16(syst)  fb. The corresponding standard model predicted cross section calculated at next-to-leading order in perturbative quantum chromodynamics and at leading order in the electroweak coupling constant is 1.50±0.06  fb. The observed significance of the WZγ signal is 6.3σ, compared with an expected significance of 5.0σ.

Growth and Physiological Responses of Magnoliaceae to NaCl Stress

The growth and physiological characteristics of four Magnoliaceae plants (Yulania biondii, Yulania denudata, and two varieties of Magnolia wufengensis (Jiaohong 1 and Jiaohong 2)) were investigated. Four Magnoliaceae plants were subjected to various concentrations of NaCl for 60 days: 0 mM, 60 mM, 120 mM, 180 mM, and 240 mM. The leaf water content (LWC), relative growth rate of plant height and stem diameter, photosynthetic pigments, and photosynthetic rate (Pn) decreased during the NaCl treatments, indicating slowed growth and photosynthesis. Malondialdehyde (MDA), Na+, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, peroxidase (POD) activity, ascorbic acid (AsA) content, and soluble sugar content all increased while K+ decreased. Ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity, glutathione (GSH), soluble protein, and proline first increased after decreasing with increasing NaCl concentration. Principal component 1 (PC1) had larger loading values for growth and photosynthesis indices, while principal component 2 (PC2) exhibited larger loading values for antioxidant substances and osmotic adjustment substances; the correlation analysis showed that PC1 and PC2 had negative correlations. The four Magnoliaceae plants exhibited largely variable growth and physiological activities in response to NaCl. Yulania denudata exhibited greater reductions in growth and photosynthesis and greater decreases in antioxidant enzyme activities and osmotic adjustment substances, which indicated poor tolerance to salt stress. Among the four Magnoliaceae plants, Jiaohong 1 exhibited the greatest salt tolerance, followed by Jiaohong 2, Yulania biondii, and Yulania denudata.

Combined Measurement of the Higgs Boson Mass from the H→γγ and H→ZZ^{*}→4ℓ Decay Channels with the ATLAS Detector Using sqrt[s]=7, 8, and 13 TeV pp Collision Data

A measurement of the mass of the Higgs boson combining the H→ZZ^{*}→4ℓ and H→γγ decay channels is presented. The result is based on 140  fb^{-1} of proton-proton collision data collected by the ATLAS detector during LHC run 2 at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV combined with the run 1 ATLAS mass measurement, performed at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, yielding a Higgs boson mass of 125.11±0.09(stat)±0.06(syst)=125.11±0.11  GeV. This corresponds to a 0.09% precision achieved on this fundamental parameter of the Standard Model of particle physics.

Search for Dark Photons in Rare Z Boson Decays with the ATLAS Detector

A search for events with a dark photon produced in association with a dark Higgs boson via rare decays of the standard model Z boson is presented, using 139  fb^{-1} of sqrt[s]=13  TeV proton-proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The dark boson decays into a pair of dark photons, and at least two of the three dark photons must each decay into a pair of electrons or muons, resulting in at least two same-flavor opposite-charge lepton pairs in the final state. The data are found to be consistent with the background prediction, and upper limits are set on the dark photon's coupling to the dark Higgs boson times the kinetic mixing between the standard model photon and the dark photon, α_{D}ϵ^{2}, in the dark photon mass range of [5, 40] GeV except for the ϒ mass window [8.8, 11.1] GeV. This search explores new parameter space not previously excluded by other experiments.

Observation of Single-Top-Quark Production in Association with a Photon Using the ATLAS Detector

This Letter reports the observation of single top quarks produced together with a photon, which directly probes the electroweak coupling of the top quark. The analysis uses 139  fb^{-1} of 13 TeV proton-proton collision data collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Requiring a photon with transverse momentum larger than 20 GeV and within the detector acceptance, the fiducial cross section is measured to be 688±23(stat) _{-71}^{+75}(syst)  fb, to be compared with the standard model prediction of 515_{-42}^{+36}  fb at next-to-leading order in QCD.

Measurement of Suppression of Large-Radius Jets and Its Dependence on Substructure in Pb+Pb Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV with the ATLAS Detector

This letter presents a measurement of the nuclear modification factor of large-radius jets in sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV Pb+Pb collisions by the ATLAS experiment. The measurement is performed using 1.72  nb^{-1} and 257  pb^{-1} of Pb+Pb and pp data, respectively. The large-radius jets are reconstructed with the anti-k_{t} algorithm using a radius parameter of R=1.0, by reclustering anti-k_{t} R=0.2 jets, and are measured over the transverse momentum (p_{T}) kinematic range of 158 Collapse

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Measurement of the Sensitivity of Two-Particle Correlations in pp Collisions to the Presence of Hard Scatterings

A key open question in the study of multiparticle production in high-energy pp collisions is the relationship between the "ridge"-i.e., the observed azimuthal correlations between particles in the underlying event that extend over all rapidities-and hard or semihard scattering processes. In particular, it is not known whether jets or their soft fragments are correlated with particles in the underlying event. To address this question, two-particle correlations are measured in pp collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV using data collected by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC, with an integrated luminosity of 15.8  pb^{-1}, in two different configurations. In the first case, charged particles associated with jets are excluded from the correlation analysis, while in the second case, correlations are measured between particles within jets and charged particles from the underlying event. Second-order flow coefficients, v_{2}, are presented as a function of event multiplicity and transverse momentum. These measurements show that excluding particles associated with jets does not affect the measured correlations. Moreover, particles associated with jets do not exhibit any significant azimuthal correlations with the underlying event, ruling out hard processes contributing to the ridge.

Observation of an Excess of Dicharmonium Events in the Four-Muon Final State with the ATLAS Detector

A search is made for potential ccc[over ¯]c[over ¯] tetraquarks decaying into a pair of charmonium states in the four muon final state using proton-proton collision data at sqrt[s]=13  TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 140  fb^{-1} recorded by the ATLAS experiment at LHC. Two decay channels, J/ψ+J/ψ→4μ and J/ψ+ψ(2S)→4μ, are studied. Backgrounds are estimated based on a hybrid approach involving Monte Carlo simulations and data-driven methods. Statistically significant excesses with respect to backgrounds dominated by the single parton scattering are seen in the di-J/ψ channel consistent with a narrow resonance at 6.9 GeV and a broader structure at lower mass. A statistically significant excess is also seen in the J/ψ+ψ(2S) channel. The fitted masses and decay widths of the structures are reported.

Observation of the γγ→ττ Process in Pb+Pb Collisions and Constraints on the τ-Lepton Anomalous Magnetic Moment with the ATLAS Detector

This Letter reports the observation of τ-lepton-pair production in ultraperipheral lead-lead collisions Pb+Pb→Pb(γγ→ττ)Pb and constraints on the τ-lepton anomalous magnetic moment a_{τ}. The dataset corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 1.44  nb^{-1} of LHC Pb+Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV recorded by the ATLAS experiment in 2018. Selected events contain one muon from a τ-lepton decay, an electron or charged-particle track(s) from the other τ-lepton decay, little additional central-detector activity, and no forward neutrons. The γγ→ττ process is observed in Pb+Pb collisions with a significance exceeding 5 standard deviations and a signal strength of μ_{ττ}=1.03_{-0.05}^{+0.06} assuming the standard model value for a_{τ}. To measure a_{τ}, a template fit to the muon transverse-momentum distribution from τ-lepton candidates is performed, using a dimuon (γγ→μμ) control sample to constrain systematic uncertainties. The observed 95% confidence-level interval for a_{τ} is -0.057 Collapse

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Risk factors for bloodstream infection in paediatric haematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), a standard treatment for paediatric haematological diseases, is highly associated with bloodstream infection (BSI), which may increase mortality.

AIM

To explore the risk factors for BSI in paediatric HSCT recipients.

METHODS

Three English databases and four Chinese databases were searched from inception to March 17th, 2022. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, and case-control studies that enrolled HSCT recipients aged ≤18 years and reported BSI risk factors. Two reviewers independently screened studies, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias. Using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE), certainty of body of evidence was assessed.

FINDINGS

Fourteen studies involving 4602 persons were included. The incidences of BSI and associated mortality in paediatric HSCT recipients were approximately 10-50% and 5-15%, respectively. Meta-analysis of all studies revealed that previous BSI before HSCT (relative effect (RE): 2.28; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.19-4.34, moderate certainty) and receiving an umbilical cord blood transplant (RE: 1.55; 95% CI: 1.22-1.97, moderate certainty) were probably associated with an increased risk of BSI. Meta-analysis of studies with low risk of bias reassured that previous BSI before HSCT probably increased the risk of BSI (RE: 2.28; 95% CI: 1.19-4.34, moderate certainty), and revealed that steroid use (RE: 2.72; 95% CI: 1.31-5.64, moderate certainty) was likely a risk factor whereas autologous HSCT was probably a protective factor of BSI (RE: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.45-0.94, moderate certainty).

CONCLUSION

These findings could inform the management of paediatric HSCT recipients, helping identify who may benefit from prophylactic antibiotics.

Strong Constraints on Jet Quenching in Centrality-Dependent p+Pb Collisions at 5.02 TeV from ATLAS

Jet quenching is the process of color-charged partons losing energy via interactions with quark-gluon plasma droplets created in heavy-ion collisions. The collective expansion of such droplets is well described by viscous hydrodynamics. Similar evidence of collectivity is consistently observed in smaller collision systems, including pp and p+Pb collisions. In contrast, while jet quenching is observed in Pb+Pb collisions, no evidence has been found in these small systems to date, raising fundamental questions about the nature of the system created in these collisions. The ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider has measured the yield of charged hadrons correlated with reconstructed jets in 0.36  nb^{-1} of p+Pb and 3.6  pb^{-1} of pp collisions at 5.02 TeV. The yields of charged hadrons with p_{T}^{ch}>0.5  GeV near and opposite in azimuth to jets with p_{T}^{jet}>30 or 60 GeV, and the ratios of these yields between p+Pb and pp collisions, I_{pPb}, are reported. The collision centrality of p+Pb events is categorized by the energy deposited by forward neutrons from the struck nucleus. The I_{pPb} values are consistent with unity within a few percent for hadrons with p_{T}^{ch}>4  GeV at all centralities. These data provide new, strong constraints that preclude almost any parton energy loss in central p+Pb collisions.

Search for Heavy Neutral Leptons in Decays of W Bosons Using a Dilepton Displaced Vertex in sqrt[s]=13 TeV pp Collisions with the ATLAS Detector

A search for a long-lived, heavy neutral lepton (N) in 139  fb^{-1} of sqrt[s]=13  TeV pp collision data collected by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider is reported. The N is produced via W→Nμ or W→Ne and decays into two charged leptons and a neutrino, forming a displaced vertex. The N mass is used to discriminate between signal and background. No signal is observed, and limits are set on the squared mixing parameters of the N with the left-handed neutrino states for the N mass range 3  GeV Collapse

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Test of CP Invariance in Higgs Boson Vector-Boson-Fusion Production Using the H→γγ Channel with the ATLAS Detector

A test of CP invariance in Higgs boson production via vector-boson fusion has been performed in the H→γγ channel using 139  fb^{-1} of proton-proton collision data at sqrt[s]=13  TeV collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The optimal observable method is used to probe the CP structure of interactions between the Higgs boson and electroweak gauge bosons, as described by an effective field theory. No sign of CP violation is observed in the data. Constraints are set on the parameters describing the strength of the CP-odd component in the coupling between the Higgs boson and the electroweak gauge bosons in two effective field theory bases: d[over ˜] in the HISZ basis and c_{HW[over ˜]} in the Warsaw basis. The results presented are the most stringent constraints on CP violation in the coupling between Higgs and weak bosons. The 95% C.L. constraint on d[over ˜] is derived for the first time and the 95% C.L. constraint on c_{HW[over ˜]} has been improved by a factor of 5 compared to the previous measurement.

Comparative effectiveness and safety of antibiotic prophylaxis during induction chemotherapy in children with acute leukaemia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Bacterial infections are common during induction therapy in children and adolescents with acute leukaemia and may cause infection-related mortality.

AIM

To determine the efficacy and safety of prophylactic antibiotics in paediatric patients with acute leukaemia receiving induction chemotherapy.

METHODS

From three English databases and four Chinese databases, we searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and cohort studies that compared prophylactic antibiotics to placebo, no prophylaxis, or that compared one antibiotic versus another in paediatric patients with acute leukaemia undergoing induction chemotherapy. Two reviewers independently screened the studies, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias using Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, and the certainty of evidence using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE).

FINDINGS

Two RCTs and ten cohort studies were finally included. For children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, antibiotic prophylaxis, including levofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, or other antibiotics, probably reduced bacteraemia (risk ratio (RR): 0.44; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.33-0.60; moderate certainty) without significantly increasing Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) or invasive fungal infection. Levofloxacin reduced the CDI rate (RR: 0.08; 95% CI: 0.01-0.62; high certainty). Ciprofloxacin prophylaxis probably reduced infection-related mortality (RR: 0.12; 95% CI: 0.01-0.97; moderate certainty). In children with acute myeloid leukaemia, ciprofloxacin plus vancomycin may reduce febrile neutropenia (RR: 0.79; 95% CI: 0.66-0.94; low certainty). Individual studies indicated that prophylaxis increased antibiotic exposure but reduced non-preventive antibiotic exposure.

CONCLUSION

In children with acute leukaemia undergoing induction therapy, antibiotic prophylaxis may improve the bacterial infection and mortality.

Probing the Cr3+ luminescence sensitization in β-Ga2O3 with ion-beam-induced luminescence and thermoluminescence

Ion-beam-induced luminescence (IBIL) measurements were performed in Cr-doped β-Ga₂O₃ using both protons and helium ions, showing a strong enhancement of the Cr³⁺ luminescence upon ion irradiation. Theoretical modelling of the IBIL intensity curves as a function of the fluence allowed estimating the effective cross-sections associated with the defect-induced IBIL enhancement and quenching processes. The results suggest that sensitizing the Cr³⁺ luminescence is more efficient for H⁺ than for He⁺ irradiation. Thermoluminescence (TL) studies were performed in the pristine sample, with no TL signal being observed in the spectral region corresponding to the Cr³⁺ emission. In agreement with the IBIL study, upon ion irradiation (with either protons or helium ions), this TL emission is activated. Moreover, it can be quenched by annealing at 923 K for 10 s, thus revealing the role played by the defects induced by the irradiation. These results show that the irradiation-induced defects play a major role in the activation of the Cr³⁺ luminescence, a fact that can be exploited for radiation sensing and dosimetry.

Integrating EM and Patch-seq data: Synaptic connectivity and target specificity of predicted Sst transcriptomic types

Neural circuit function is shaped both by the cell types that comprise the circuit and the connections between those cell types ¹ . Neural cell types have previously been defined by morphology ^{2, 3} , electrophysiology ^{4, 5} , transcriptomic expression ^6-8 , connectivity ^9-13 , or even a combination of such modalities ^14-16 . More recently, the Patch-seq technique has enabled the characterization of morphology (M), electrophysiology (E), and transcriptomic (T) properties from individual cells ^17-20 . Using this technique, these properties were integrated to define 28, inhibitory multimodal, MET-types in mouse primary visual cortex ²¹ . It is unknown how these MET-types connect within the broader cortical circuitry however. Here we show that we can predict the MET-type identity of inhibitory cells within a large-scale electron microscopy (EM) dataset and these MET-types have distinct ultrastructural features and synapse connectivity patterns. We found that EM Martinotti cells, a well defined morphological cell type ^{22, 23} known to be Somatostatin positive (Sst+) ^{24, 25} , were successfully predicted to belong to Sst+ MET-types. Each identified MET-type had distinct axon myelination patterns and synapsed onto specific excitatory targets. Our results demonstrate that morphological features can be used to link cell type identities across imaging modalities, which enables further comparison of connectivity in relation to transcriptomic or electrophysiological properties. Furthermore, our results show that MET-types have distinct connectivity patterns, supporting the use of MET-types and connectivity to meaningfully define cell types.

The compliance of digital exercise with smart tools in subjects with cardiac arrythmias

Background

The exercise has well-documented health benefits on cardiovascular disease, and the use of mobile health (mHealth) may promote physical activity to reduce the risk.

Objective

The present study aimed to investigate the compliance of exercise dose and pattern through wearables and mHealth in subjects with cardiac arrhythmia in a real-world setting.

Method

The photoplethysmography (PPG)-algorithms with wearables to detect the ectopic and AF have been developed in the HUAWE HEART STUDY. Using the PPG-based smart devices, the adult subjects with identified arrhythmia received the personalized App-based lifestyle and exercise package was proposed. The V̇O2 peak (mL kg–1 min–1)was estimated from a non-exercise prediction model. The metabolic equivalent (MET)/week and Borg scale were utilized for the assessment of intensity of exercise. All subjects followed up for 3 months for the compliance to the exercise package.

Results

There were 7419 subjects (mean age ± standard deviation, SD, 35±12 years old, 92.1% male) who identified with the arrhythmia between April 1, 2021 and Dec 31, 2021. Among them, there were 165 subjects with identified AF, and 5277 subjects with the ectopic. The obstructive sleep apnea was the most reported risk profile (2643, 35.6%), while 1326 (17.9%) subjects were overweight.

Upon the baseline assessment, the personalized exercise package for cardiovascular disease prevention were proposed for 2864 subjects, exercise package to control the weight for 2510 subjects, and exercise package to reduce the weight for 1886 subjects.

Among 6366 subjects who took the exercise packages, 1867 (29.3%) subjects achieved target exercise, 395 (6.2%) subjects over target exercise, and 4104 (64.5%) under target exercise. The V̇O2 peak (mL kg–1 min–1, SD)in subjects who achieved the target exercise package, under target exercise, and over target exercise were (47.36±5.12, 32.14±22.47, and 65.99±10.38, p<0.001).

For subjects who achieved target exercise, the intensity of exercise was as follows: 0.4% with low-intensity exercise, 95.8% with moderate-intensity exercise, and 3.7% with high-intensity exercise. Nonetheless, there were 37.7% of low-intensity, 60.6% of moderate-intensity exercise, and 1.7% with high-intensity exercise in subjects who didn't achieve exercise target.

77.9% subjects under target exercise had less than 1/week of physical activity, while there was only 12.9% in subjects with target exercise (p<0.001).

Compared to randomly selected 8000 subjects (mean age ± SD, 39±13 years, 80.8% male) without exercise package, the proportion of steps/day over 10000 of 20% was significantly increased in subjects (37±13 years, 91.3% male) receiving the personalized App-based exercise package (31.2%, vs. 12.2%, p<0.001).

Conclusion

The wearables facilitated the improvement of physical activity habit in subjects with cardiac arrhythmia, but subjects-centered self-management would be enhanced to the target exercise.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): National Natural Science Foundation of China

Observation of WWW Production in pp Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV with the ATLAS Detector

This Letter reports the observation of WWW production and a measurement of its cross section using 139  fb^{-1} of proton-proton collision data recorded at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Events with two same-sign leptons (electrons or muons) and at least two jets, as well as events with three charged leptons, are selected. A multivariate technique is then used to discriminate between signal and background events. Events from WWW production are observed with a significance of 8.0 standard deviations, where the expectation is 5.4 standard deviations. The inclusive WWW production cross section is measured to be 820±100 (stat)±80 (syst)  fb, approximately 2.6 standard deviations from the predicted cross section of 511±18  fb calculated at next-to-leading-order QCD and leading-order electroweak accuracy.

A detailed map of Higgs boson interactions by the ATLAS experiment ten years after the discovery

The standard model of particle physics1-4 describes the known fundamental particles and forces that make up our Universe, with the exception of gravity. One of the central features of the standard model is a field that permeates all of space and interacts with fundamental particles5-9. The quantum excitation of this field, known as the Higgs field, manifests itself as the Higgs boson, the only fundamental particle with no spin. In 2012, a particle with properties consistent with the Higgs boson of the standard model was observed by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN10,11. Since then, more than 30 times as many Higgs bosons have been recorded by the ATLAS experiment, enabling much more precise measurements and new tests of the theory. Here, on the basis of this larger dataset, we combine an unprecedented number of production and decay processes of the Higgs boson to scrutinize its interactions with elementary particles. Interactions with gluons, photons, and W and Z bosons-the carriers of the strong, electromagnetic and weak forces-are studied in detail. Interactions with three third-generation matter particles (bottom (b) and top (t) quarks, and tau leptons (τ)) are well measured and indications of interactions with a second-generation particle (muons, μ) are emerging. These tests reveal that the Higgs boson discovered ten years ago is remarkably consistent with the predictions of the theory and provide stringent constraints on many models of new phenomena beyond the standard model.

First report of Fusarium solani (FSSC 6) associated with the root rot of Magnolia denudata in China

Magnolia denudata (Lilytree or Yulan magnolia) is an important ornamental species of the genus Magnolia. It has considerable economical value because of its beautiful fragrant flowers and excellent tree structure (Wang et al. 2010). In Beijing, nurseries cultivate M. denudata as an ornamental plant and traditional medicine. In May 2020, patches of root rotted plants were observed in a field in Beijing, China, with an estimated incidence of approximately 31%. Early symptoms comprised leaves melanocratic shrunken, and the vascular tissue of roots turned brown. Progressively, the roots rotted and the whole plant died (Fig. 1 a-d). Infected roots tissue was surface disinfested and plated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium at 25±2 °C and incubated in the dark for 7 days. Pure cultures were obtained by hyphal tip excision (strain MFR1215.4). Fungal colonies were entire margins, and the aerial mycelium was copious, early white, and gradually developed into cream white. Colonies developed to 45.1 mm in 4 days at 25±2 °C on PDA media. On Spezieller Nährstoffarmer Agar (SNA) medium at 25±2 °C for 10 days. The morphological characteristics including macroconidia, microconidia, and chlamydospores were shown in Fig.1 (i-p). These morphological characteristics of the isolate corresponded to the description given for Fusarium solani sensu lato (Nelson et al. 1983, Summerell, 2003). Molecular identification was confirmed via amplification of translation elongation factor 1α (EF-1α), RNA polymerase I beta subunit gene (RPB1), and RNA polymerase II beta subunit gene (RPB2) regions using EF1/EF2, RPB1-Fa/G2R, RPB2-5f2/7cR, and RPB2-7cF/11aR primers (O'Donnell, 2010). Sequences were registered in GenBank. In the Fusarium-ID database, the EF-1α, RPB1, and RPB2 sequences showed 100% (677/677 bp), 99.8% (1568/1571 bp), and 100% (1457/1457 bp) identity with the F. solani species complex (FSSC). The same species-level identification was also found using Fusarium MLST. A best maximum likelihood tree was constructed using PhyloSuite v1.2.2 (Zhang et al. 2020), and the sequences of the MFR1215.4 isolation showed the same homology with FSSC 6. Pathogenicity tests were conducted on healthy one-year-old M. denudata potted seedlings. 200 ml spore suspension (1×106 spores/ml) was poured over the roots of twenty seedlings, and sterile distilled water was irrigated into twenty seedlings as controls in a greenhouse with 25/15°C day/night temperature and 80% relative humidity. The experiment was repeated three times. All inoculated seedlings showed similar symptoms to those in the field after 65 days, whereas the controls remained symptomless. The reisolating pathogens from symptomatic tissues were identical to the original isolates by morphology and EF-1α sequence identification. Based on morphological, molecular, and pathogenic characterization, the isolated pathogen was identified as FSSC 6. Fusarium species have been recorded in various places of the world and are known to be harmful to numerous plants (Trabelsi et al. 2017). It has been reported that FSSC has infected soybeans (Coleman, 2016, Nelson et al. 1989), oil palm (Hafizi et al. 2013), tobacco (Yang et al. 2020), resulting in sudden death syndrome, crown disease, and root rot. To our knowledge, this is the first report of FSSC-induced root rot in M. denudata in China. This research may contribute to the development of epidemiology and management strategies for root rot caused by FSSC on M. denudata.

First Report of Leaf Spot Caused by Colletotrichum fructicola on Magnolia wufengensis in Hubei, China

Magnolia wufengensis belongs to the Magnoliaceae family. Its variation-rich flowers (tepal number from 9 to 46, tepal color from pink to bright red) and excellent wood characteristics (strong, straight, texture) have important ornamental and economic value (Duan et al. 2019; Luyi et al. 2006). M. wufengensis is popularly cultivated in parks, courtyards, mountains, and along roadsides. In May 2020, leaf spot symptoms were observed on over 85% of M. wufengensis in Yuyangguan Township, Wufeng County, Hubei Province (110.60°E, 30.21°N). The damaged area was over 18.7 hectares. Early symptoms began as small brown spots with a light-yellow halo. Gradual lesions expanded, and the center was withered, gray, and necrotic with a dark brown border. Eventually, several spots combined with larger irregular lesions, turning the leaves yellow and causing them to fall off. The border of lesions and healthy tissues were cut into small pieces (5×5 mm), and surface sterilized with 1% sodium hypochlorite solution for three minutes, rinsed three times with sterile water, and plated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium at 25±2 °C with a 12h photoperiod under fluorescent lighting. Pure isolates (MCS1228.1, MCS1228.4, MCS1228.9) were gray to pale grayish, and their average growth rate was 10.5±1.23 mm/day. Conidiophores were hyaline, aseptate, branched. Conidia were hyaline, aseptate, cylindrical, and 14.00 to 25.17 × 4.74 to 6.56 μm in size (average 17.48 × 5.58 μm) (n=50). Appressoria were brown and showed multivariate shape. The morphological characteristics of the isolates corresponded to the description given for Colletotrichum fructicola (Liu et al. 2015). Molecular identification was accomplished through amplification of the internal transcribed spacer (IST), actin (ACT), calmodulin (CAL), chitin synthase (CHS-1) glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), and beta-tubulin (TUB2) genes (Fu et al. 2018). The ITS (OL800580.1, OL800581.1, OL800582.1), ACT (GenBank accession No. OL873155- OL873157), CAL (GenBank accession No. OL873158- OL873160), CHS-1 (GenBank accession No. OL873161- OL873163), GAPDH (GenBank accession No. OL873164- OL873166) and TUB2 (GenBank accession No. OL873167- OL873169) sequences were deposited in GenBank. A Bayesian inference phylogenetic tree based on multilocus sequences was constructed, and the sequences of the 3 isolations showed the same homology with C. fructicola (Fu et al. 2018). To fulfill Koch's postulates, 30 potted seedlings were inoculated with 1×10^6 conidia/ml suspension of each isolate by spraying the leaves, and 30 potted seedlings were sprayed with sterile distilled water as control. Inoculated and control plants were kept in a greenhouse with 25/15°C (day/night) temperature and 80% relative humidity. In addition, 30 healthy detached leaves free of pests and diseases were washed three times with sterile distilled water, air-dried, and artificially inoculated using a 6 mm (diameter) PDA medium (5 days incubation) with mycelium. 30 leaves were inoculated with sterile PDA medium as control. All leaves were sprayed with sterile water every 24 hours, covered with plastic wrap, and incubated at 25±2 °C, 100% humidity. The experiment was repeated three times. Similar symptoms to those found initially were both observed on all the inoculated potted seedlings and detached leaves after 14 days and 5 days post inoculation (dpi), respectively. Whereas the controls remained symptomless. The reisolated pathogens from symptomatic tissues were identical to the original isolates. In this study, isolated fungi associated with M. wufengensis leaf spot were identified as C. fructicola based on morphological and multiloci phylogenetic analyses, and Koch's postulates. Colletotrichum species are important plant pathogens and cause diseases in a wide variety of woody and herbaceous plants (Cannon et al. 2012). C. fructicola has been identified as a responsible pathogen for apple (Casanova et al. 2016), Fatsia japonica (Shi et al. 2017), and Rubus corchorifolius (Wu et al. 2021) leaf spot. To our knowledge, this is the first report of C. fructicola causing leaf spot in M. wufengensis in China. This research may contribute to the development of management strategies for this disease.

Search for Lepton-Flavor Violation in Z-Boson Decays with τ Leptons with the ATLAS Detector

A search for lepton-flavor-violating Z→eτ and Z→μτ decays with pp collision data recorded by the ATLAS detector at the LHC is presented. This analysis uses 139  fb^{-1} of Run 2 pp collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV and is combined with the results of a similar ATLAS search in the final state in which the τ lepton decays hadronically, using the same data set as well as Run 1 data. The addition of leptonically decaying τ leptons significantly improves the sensitivity reach for Z→ℓτ decays. The Z→ℓτ branching fractions are constrained in this analysis to B(Z→eτ)<7.0×10^{-6} and B(Z→μτ)<7.2×10^{-6} at 95% confidence level. The combination with the previously published analyses sets the strongest constraints to date: B(Z→eτ)<5.0×10^{-6} and B(Z→μτ)<6.5×10^{-6} at 95% confidence level.

Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals the Positive Role of Abscisic Acid in Endodormancy Maintenance of Leaf Buds of Magnolia wufengensis

Magnolia wufengensis (Magnoliaceae) is a deciduous landscape species, known for its ornamental value with uniquely shaped and coloured tepals. The species has been introduced to many cities in south China, but low temperatures limit the expansion of this species in cold regions. Bud dormancy is critical for plants to survive in cold environments during the winter. In this study, we performed transcriptomic analysis of leaf buds using RNA sequencing and compared their gene expression during endodormancy, endodormancy release, and ecodormancy. A total of 187,406 unigenes were generated with an average length of 621.82 bp (N50 = 895 bp). In the transcriptomic analysis, differentially expressed genes involved in metabolism and signal transduction of hormones especially abscisic acid (ABA) were substantially annotated during dormancy transition. Our results showed that ABA at a concentration of 100 μM promoted dormancy maintenance in buds of M. wufengensis. Furthermore, the expression of genes related to ABA biosynthesis, catabolism, and signalling pathway was analysed by qPCR. We found that the expression of MwCYP707A-1-2 was consistent with ABA content and the dormancy transition phase, indicating that MwCYP707A-1-2 played a role in endodormancy release. In addition, the upregulation of MwCBF1 during dormancy release highlighted the enhancement of cold resistance. This study provides new insights into the cold tolerance of M. wufengensis in the winter from bud dormancy based on RNA-sequencing and offers fundamental data for further research on breeding improvement of M. wufengensis.

Physiological and transcriptome analysis of Magnolia denudata leaf buds during long-term cold acclimation

BACKGROUND

Magonlia denudata is an important perennial tree species of the Magnoliaceae family, known for its ornamental value, resistance to smoke pollution and wind, role in air purification, and robust cold tolerance. In this study, a high-throughput transcriptome analysis of leaf buds was performed, and gene expression following artificial acclimation 22 °C, 4 °C and 0 °C, was compared by RNA sequencing.

RESULTS

Over 426 million clean reads were produced from three libraries (22 °C, 4 °C and 0 °C). A total of 74,503 non-redundant unigenes were generated, with an average length of 1173.7 bp (N50 = 1548). Based on transcriptional results, 357 and 235 unigenes were identified as being upregulated and downregulated under cold stress conditions, respectively. Differentially expressed genes were annotated using Gene Ontology and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses. The transcriptomic analysis focused on carbon metabolism and plant hormone signal transduction associated with cold acclimation. Transcription factors such as those in the basic helix-loop-helix and AP2/ERF families were found to play an important role in M. denudata cold acclimation.

CONCLUSION

M. denudata exhibits responses to non-freezing cold temperature (4 °C) to increase its cold tolerance. Cold resistance was further strengthened with cold acclimation under freezing conditions (0 °C). Cold tolerance genes, and cold signaling transcriptional pathways, and potential functional key components for the regulation of the cold response were identified in M. denudata. These results provide a basis for further studies, and the verification of key genes involved in cold acclimation responses in M. denudata lays a foundation for developing breeding programs for Magnoliaceae species.

Search for New Phenomena in Final States with Two Leptons and One or No b-Tagged Jets at sqrt[s]=13 TeV Using the ATLAS Detector

A search for new phenomena is presented in final states with two leptons and one or no b-tagged jets. The event selection requires the two leptons to have opposite charge, the same flavor (electrons or muons), and a large invariant mass. The analysis is based on the full run-2 proton-proton collision dataset recorded at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt[s]=13  TeV by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139  fb^{-1}. No significant deviation from the expected background is observed in the data. Inspired by the B-meson decay anomalies, a four-fermion contact interaction between two quarks (b, s) and two leptons (ee or μμ) is used as a benchmark signal model, which is characterized by the energy scale and coupling, Λ and g_{*}, respectively. Contact interactions with Λ/g_{*} lower than 2.0 (2.4) TeV are excluded for electrons (muons) at the 95% confidence level, still far below the value that is favored by the B-meson decay anomalies. Model-independent limits are set as a function of the minimum dilepton invariant mass, which allow the results to be reinterpreted in various signal scenarios.

Search for Displaced Leptons in sqrt[s]=13 TeV pp Collisions with the ATLAS Detector

A search for charged leptons with large impact parameters using 139  fb^{-1} of sqrt[s]=13  TeV pp collision data from the ATLAS detector at the LHC is presented, addressing a long-standing gap in coverage of possible new physics signatures. Results are consistent with the background prediction. This search provides unique sensitivity to long-lived scalar supersymmetric lepton partners (sleptons). For lifetimes of 0.1 ns, selectron, smuon, and stau masses up to 720, 680, and 340  GeV, respectively, are excluded at 95% confidence level, drastically improving on the previous best limits from LEP.

[LncRNA ASB16-AS1 regulates the proliferation, migration and invasion of esophageal cancer cells by targeting miR-1258]

Objective: To investigate the effects of long-chain non-coding RNA ASB16 antisense RNA1 (ASB16-AS1) on the proliferation, migration and invasion of esophageal cancer cells by targeting microRNA (miR )-1258. Methods: Forty pairs of esophageal cancer tissues and matched adjacent tissues (distance of tumor margin>3 cm) resected in Xinxiang Central Hospital from May 2016 to July 2017 were collected. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expressions of ASB16-AS1 and miR-1258 in esophageal cancer tissues and adjacent tissues. The small interfering RNA negative control (si-NC), ASB16-AS1 small interfering RNA (si-ASB16-AS1), miR-negative control mimics (miR-NC), miR-1258 mimics (miR-1258), si-ASB16-AS1 and anti-miR-NC, si-ASB16-AS1 and anti-miR-1258, si-ASB16-AS1 and anti-miR-1258 were transfected into Eca109 cells, respectively. Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) was utilized to detect the cell viability. Transwell assays were applied to detect cell migration and invasion. Double luciferase reporting experiment and qRT-PCR were used to confirm the relationship between ASB16-AS1 and miR-1258. Results: The expression levels of ASB16-AS1 and miR-1258 in esophageal cancer tissues were 2.95±0.27 and 0.62±0.06, respectively. Compared with 1.00±0.06 and 1.00±0.07 in adjacent tissues, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The cell viability of the si-NC group at 48 h and 72 h were 0.81±0.07 and 1.15±0.11, while those of si-ASB16-AS1 group were 0.46±0.04 and 0.62±0.06 (P<0.05). The numbers of cell migration and invasion in the si-NC group were 86.32±8.24 and 71.29±7.15, respectively, while those of si-ASB16-AS1 group were 43.22±4.31 and 32.36±3.58, respectively, the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). The cell viability of the miR-NC group at 48 h and 72 h were 0.84±0.08, 1.18±0.12, while those of miR-1258 group were 0.55±0.05, 0.71±0.07 (P<0.05). The migration and invasion numbers of the miR-NC group were (83.15±8.31) and (75.33±7.51), while those of miR-1258 group were (49.58±4.23) and (38.42±3.84), respectively, the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). The cell viability of the si-ASB16-AS1+ anti-miR-NC group at 48 h and 72 h were 0.45±0.04, 0.61±0.06, while those of si-ASB16-AS1+ anti-miR-1258 group were 0.72±0.07, 0.98±0.08; The migration and invasion numbers of cells in the si-ASB16-AS1+ anti-miR-NC group were 44.36±4.41 and 31.69±3.85, respectively, while those of si-ASB16-AS1+ anti-miR-1258 group were 72.65±7.27 and 61.22±6.14, respectively, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). ASB16-AS1 targeted negative regulation of miR-1258 expression. Conclusions: ASB16-AS1 upregulates in esophageal cancer. ASB16-AS1 promotes the proliferation, migration and invasion of esophageal cancer cells by targeting miR-1258.

Factors associated with long-term haemoptysis recurrence after transarterial embolisation for haemoptysis

OBJECTIVE: To assess factors associated with long-term haemoptysis recurrence after transarterial embolisation (TAE) for haemoptysis due to bronchiectasis.METHODS: Patients with haemoptysis due to bronchiectasis who underwent TAE between May 2010 and May 2019 were included in this retrospective study. Long-term haemoptysis recurrence was defined as the expectoration of >10 mL/day of fresh blood (for at least 1 day) 1 month after TAE. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify risk factors for long-term haemoptysis recurrence after TAE.RESULTS: A total of 197 patients (108 women; mean age, 61.0 ± 12.2 years) were included in the study. TAE was performed successfully in all patients. Side effects occurred in 43 (21.8%) patients, and all patients recovered uneventfully. During 37.6 ± 11.6 months of follow-up, long-term haemoptysis recurrence occurred in 41 (20.8%) patients; the mean interval between the TAE and haemoptysis recurrence was 21.4 ± 16.3 months. Long-term haemoptysis recurrence after TAE was associated with a history of haemoptysis (OR 3.483, 95% CI 1.373-8.836; P = 0.009).CONCLUSIONS: Approximately one fifth patients with bronchiectasis had long-term haemoptysis recurrence after TAE. Risk factor for long-term haemoptysis recurrence after TAE was a history of haemoptysis.

[Observation of effective dosage of remimazolam tosilate used for moderate-to-deep sedation in fiberoptic bronchoscopy]

Objective: To estimate the safety and efficacy of remimazolam tosilate used for moderate-to-deep sedation in fiberoptic bronchoscopy with its 50% effective dosage (ED50) and 95% effective dosage (ED95) calculated. Methods: A total of 50 patients aged from 18 to 65 years and classified as Class Ⅰ or Ⅱ according to the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Classification who underwent fiberoptic bronchoscopy in Hainan Cancer Hospital from April to August of 2020 were included in this study. For each patient, bronchoscopy was only started when the eyelash reflex disappeared and MOAA/S score was<1 after a trial dose of remimazolam tosilate combined with 0.1 μg/kg sufentanil was intravenously given. The dosage of remimazolam tosilate for the first patient was 0.18 mg/kg, based on which the dosages for the following patients were increased or decreased by 1∶1 times for one another, forming an equal ratio sequence. A maintenance dose of remimazolam tosilate was pumped intravenously in a rate of 1 mg/(kg·h) during the bronchoscopic examination and treatment. The result of the sequential trial, the time to achieve proper sedation, the analepsia time and the adverse effects were recorded. Results: All the 50 patients went through bronchoscopy completely. The regression function of the sequential trial was Y=12.589+16.593X, the ED50 and the ED95 of remimazolam tosilate were 0.174 (95%CI: 0.162-0.186) mg/kg and 0.219 (95%CI: 0.199-0.312) mg/kg, respectively. The time to achieve proper sedation was (50±11) s and the mean analepsia time after the use of flumazenil was (56±16) s. There was one patient with respiratory inhibition, one with headache and dizziness, one with fatigue among the 50 patients. Conclusions: The strategy of moderate-to-deep sedation based on remimazolam tosilate is safe and effective in bronchoscopic examination and treatment. When combined with 0.1 μg/kg sufentanil, the ED50 and the ED95 of remimazolam tosilate are 0.174 mg/kg and 0.219 mg/kg, respectively.

Search for Dark Matter Produced in Association with a Dark Higgs Boson Decaying into W^{±}W^{∓} or ZZ in Fully Hadronic Final States from sqrt[s]=13 TeV pp Collisions Recorded with the ATLAS Detector

Several extensions of the Standard Model predict the production of dark matter particles at the LHC. An uncharted signature of dark matter particles produced in association with VV=W^{±}W^{∓} or ZZ pairs from a decay of a dark Higgs boson s is searched for using 139  fb^{-1} of pp collisions recorded by the ATLAS detector at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The s→V(qq[over ¯])V(qq[over ¯]) decays are reconstructed with a novel technique aimed at resolving the dense topology from boosted VV pairs using jets in the calorimeter and tracking information. Dark Higgs scenarios with m_{s}>160  GeV are excluded.

Medium-Induced Modification of Z-Tagged Charged Particle Yields in Pb+Pb Collisions at 5.02 TeV with the ATLAS Detector

The yield of charged particles opposite to a Z boson with large transverse momentum (p_{T}) is measured in 260  pb^{-1} of pp and 1.7  nb^{-1} of Pb+Pb collision data at 5.02 TeV per nucleon pair recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The Z boson tag is used to select hard-scattered partons with specific kinematics, and to observe how their showers are modified as they propagate through the quark-gluon plasma created in Pb+Pb collisions. Compared with pp collisions, charged-particle yields in Pb+Pb collisions show significant modifications as a function of charged-particle p_{T} in a way that depends on event centrality and Z boson p_{T}. The data are compared with a variety of theoretical calculations and provide new information about the medium-induced energy loss of partons in a p_{T} regime difficult to measure through other channels.

Observation and Measurement of Forward Proton Scattering in Association with Lepton Pairs Produced via the Photon Fusion Mechanism at ATLAS

The observation of forward proton scattering in association with lepton pairs (e^{+}e^{-}+p or μ^{+}μ^{-}+p) produced via photon fusion is presented. The scattered proton is detected by the ATLAS Forward Proton spectrometer, while the leptons are reconstructed by the central ATLAS detector. Proton-proton collision data recorded in 2017 at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt[s]=13  TeV are analyzed, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 14.6  fb^{-1}. A total of 57 (123) candidates in the ee+p (μμ+p) final state are selected, allowing the background-only hypothesis to be rejected with a significance exceeding 5 standard deviations in each channel. Proton-tagging techniques are introduced for cross-section measurements in the fiducial detector acceptance, corresponding to σ_{ee+p}=11.0±2.6(stat)±1.2(syst)±0.3(lumi) and σ_{μμ+p}=7.2±1.6(stat)±0.9(syst)±0.2(lumi)  fb in the dielectron and dimuon channel, respectively.

Search for Heavy Resonances Decaying into a Photon and a Hadronically Decaying Higgs Boson in pp Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV with the ATLAS Detector

This Letter presents a search for the production of new heavy resonances decaying into a Higgs boson and a photon using proton-proton collision data at sqrt[s]=13  TeV collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 139  fb^{-1}. The analysis is performed by reconstructing hadronically decaying Higgs boson (H→bb[over ¯]) candidates as single large-radius jets. A novel algorithm using information about the jet constituents in the center-of-mass frame of the jet is implemented to identify the two b quarks in the single jet. No significant excess of events is observed above the expected background. Upper limits are set on the production cross-section times branching fraction for narrow spin-1 resonances decaying into a Higgs boson and a photon in the resonance mass range from 0.7 to 4 TeV, cross-section times branching fractions are excluded between 11.6 fb and 0.11 fb at a 95% confidence level.

Expressions and significance of calcitonin gene-related peptide and nerve growth factor in rabbit model of traumatic brain injury complicated with tibial fracture: preliminary results

OBJECTIVE

This paper aims to establish the rabbit model of traumatic brain injury (TBI) complicated with tibial fracture and to investigate the expressions and significance of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and nerve growth factor (NGF) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

60 rabbits were randomly divided into control group, TBI group, fracture group (F group), and TBI complicated with fracture group (TBI+F group), with 15 white rabbits in each group. After modeling, the expression levels of CGRP and NGF in the CSF, and serum were detected. At the 7th week after the operation, X-ray was used to evaluate the healing of fracture rabbits.

RESULTS

Serum NGF content was compared among groups at the same time point. TBI+F group had significantly higher serum NGF content than the other three groups at each time point after the operation (p<0.05). From the 3rd day after the operation, TBI group and F group had significantly higher serum NGF content than control group (p<0.05). On the 7th and 14th days after the operation, TBI group had significantly higher serum NGF content than the F group (p<0.05). The CSF NGF content in TBI group and TBI+F group showed an upward trend, and it was higher in TBI+F group and TBI group than that in F group and control group from the 7th day (p<0.05). On the 0th and 3rd days, TBI+F group had significantly higher serum NGF content than the other three groups (p<0.05). TBI+F group had a significantly higher healing number than F group on the 14th day (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

NGF and CGRP are mainly present in the CSF. When TBI complicated with F occurs, the serum NGF and CGRP increase, which may be involved in the fracture healing.

Effects of dexmedetomidine on sepsis-induced liver injury in rats

OBJECTIVE

To explore the effect of dexmedetomidine (DEX) on sepsis-induced liver injury in rats and the mechanism of action, providing certain references for the prevention and treatment of sepsis-induced liver injury in clinical practice.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 60 male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into 3 groups, namely sham operation group (Sham group, n=20), sepsis-induced liver injury group [lipopolysaccharides (LPS) group, n=20], and sepsis-induced liver injury + DEX group (LPS + DEX group, n=20) using a random number table. Rat models of sepsis-induced liver injury were established by intraperitoneal injection of LPS (10 mg/kg), and at the same time, DEX was intragastrically injected at a dose of 50 μg/kg. After 24 h, the survival analysis curves of each group of rats were plotted. Meanwhile, the levels of liver function indexes and oxidative stress markers were measured at 12 h in each group of rats. Hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining assay was carried out to detect the morphological changes of rat liver cells in each group. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate-biotin nick end-labeling (TUNEL) staining assay was performed to detect the apoptosis level in rat liver tissues in each group. In addition, the expression level of Caspase 3 in three groups of rats was measured through immunohistochemical staining assay. Lastly, the effect of DEX on the protein expression of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) in liver tissues was detected via Western blotting.

RESULTS

DEX significantly improved liver dysfunction induced by LPS and raised the 24 h-survival rates of rats (p<0.05). Besides, H&E staining results showed that DEX clearly relieved the pathological damage of rat liver cells caused by LPS. In comparison with LPS group, LPS + DEX group displayed more neatly arranged liver cells, less degradation and necrosis, and evidently attenuated cellular edema. Immunohistochemistry results revealed that DEX significantly reversed the increase in Caspase 3 expression resulting from LPS. The results of the TUNEL staining assay showed that DEX clearly inhibited the apoptosis of rat liver cells induced by LPS. The results of Western blotting revealed that DEX notably reversed the decrease of phosphorylated ERK1/2 (p-ERK1/2) in rat liver tissues compared with LPS group.

CONCLUSIONS

DEX is able to markedly relieve LPS-induced liver injury in rats and the underlying mechanism may be related to the activation of the ERK1/2 signaling pathway.

Effect of Light Intensity on the Free-Radical Photopolymerization Kinetics of 2-Hydroxyethyl Methacrylate: Experiments and Simulations

The effect of UV light intensity on the kinetics of free-radical polymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) triggered with the phenylbis(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)phosphine oxide (BAPO) photoinitiator was investigated experimentally and theoretically. The temporal evolution of the conversion yield and polymerization rate was followed by Raman spectroscopy. The experimental data were treated with a kinetic model, which takes into account significant diffusion-controlled processes and termination pathways including bimolecular reaction and primary radical termination. This model showed very good agreement with the experiment in a large range of UV light intensities and shed light on the termination process. In particular, it was shown that the primary radical termination is dominant for relatively low light intensities below 1 mW/cm², when the photoinitiator is weakly consumed during the polymerization process.

Noninvasive prenatal diagnosis for pregnancies at risk for β-thalassaemia: a retrospective study

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the clinical feasibility of noninvasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPD) for β-thalassaemia using circulating single molecule amplification and re-sequencing technology (cSMART).

DESIGN

Through carrier screening, 102 pregnant Chinese couples carrying pathogenic HBB gene variants were recruited to the study. Pregnancies were managed using traditional invasive prenatal diagnosis (IPD). Retrospectively, we evaluated the archived pregnancy plasma DNA by NIPD to evaluate the performance of our cSMART assay for fetal genotyping.

SETTING

Chinese prenatal diagnostic centres specialising in thalassaemia testing.

POPULATION

Chinese carrier couples at high genetic risk for β-thalassaemia.

METHODS

Fetal cell sampling was performed by amniocentesis and HBB genotypes were determined by reverse dot blot. NIPD was performed by a newly designed HBB cSMART assay and fetal genotypes were called by measuring the allelic ratios in the maternal cell-free DNA.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Concordance of HBB fetal genotyping between IPD and NIPD and the sensitivity and specificity of NIPD.

RESULTS

Invasive prenatal diagnosis identified 29 affected homozygotes or compound heterozygotes, 54 heterozygotes and 19 normal homozygotes. Compared with IPD results, 99 of 102 fetuses (97%) were correctly genotyped by our NIPD assay. Two of three discordant samples were false positives and the other sample involved an incorrect call of a heterozygote carrier as a homozygote normal. Overall, the sensitivity and specificity of our NIPD assay was 100% (95% CI 88.06-100.00%) and 97.26% (95% CI 90.45-99.67%), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates that our cSMART-based NIPD assay for β-thalassaemia has potential clinical utility as an alternative to IPD for pregnant HBB carrier couples.

TWEETABLE ABSTRACT

A new noninvasive test for pregnancies at risk for β-thalassaemia.

Ethnicity and health inequalities: an empirical study based on the 2010 China survey of social change (CSSC) in Western China

BACKGROUND

In China, ethnic minorities often live in frontier areas and have a relatively small population size, and tremendous social transitions have enlarged the gap between eastern and western China, with western China being home to 44 ethnic minority groups. These three disadvantages have health impacts. Examining ethnicity and health inequality in the context of western China is therefore essential.

METHODS

This paper is based on data from the 2010 China Survey of Social Change (CSSC2010), which was conducted in 12 provinces, autonomous regions and province-level municipalities in western China and had a sample size of 10,819. We examined self-rated health and disparities in self-rated health between ethnic minorities and Han Chinese in the context of western China. Self-rated health was coded as poor or good, and ethnicity was coded as ethnic minority or Han Chinese. Ethnic differences in self-rated health was examined by using binary logistic regression. Associations among sociodemographic variables, SES variable, health behaviour variable, health problem variables and self-rated health were also explored.

RESULTS

Fourteen percent of respondents reported their health to be poor. A total of 15.75% of ethnic minorities and 13.43% of Han Chinese respondents reported their health to be poor, indicating a difference in self-rated health between ethnic minorities and Han Chinese. Age, gender, marital status, education, alcohol, and health problems were the main factors that affected differences in self-rated health.

CONCLUSION

In western China, there were obvious ethnic disparities in self-rated health. Elderly ethnic minorities, non-partnered ethnic minorities, ethnic minorities with an educational level lower than middle school, and ethnic minorities with chronic disease had higher odds of poor self-rated health.

Characterising the morphological characters and carbohydrate metabolism of oat culms and their association with lodging resistance

Lodging resistance can be improved by enhancing the mechanical strength of culms, and culm carbohydrates could improve this mechanical strength. Culm carbohydrates can regulate development of the culm and affect its toughness. The present study determines the relationship between lodging and carbohydrate content in oat culms. Field experiments were conducted in alpine regions in 2017 and 2018 using three oat varieties with different lodging resistance. Lodging-related morphological characteristics were directly determined and culm carbohydrate content and enzyme activity related to cellulose synthesis and sucrose metabolism were evaluated with ultraviolet spectrophotometry. Results showed that the lower the gravity height or the lower ratio of gravity height to plant height, the stronger the lodging resistance of the varieties. Higher culm nonstructural (NSC) and structural (SC) carbohydrate content contributed to the ability of culms to resist lodging, especially the content of cellulose and sucrose. PCA showed that sucrose metabolism and SC content were closely related to lodging resistance. Correlation analysis showed that the lodging index (LI) was significantly negatively correlated with NSC. Sucrose content was highly and significantly positively correlated with NSC. Additionally, the activities of sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) and sucrose synthase (SS) were highly and significantly positively correlated with sucrose and cellulose content. The relationship between field characters and oat lodging, as well as the regulatory mechanism of carbohydrate content on lodging resistance of the culm are discussed.

Conservation and divergence of ancestral AGAMOUS/SEEDSTICK subfamily genes from the basal angiosperm Magnolia wufengensis

AGAMOUS/SEEDSTICK (AG/STK) subfamily genes play crucial roles in the reproductive development of plants. However, most of our current knowledge of AG/STK subfamily genes is restricted to core eudicots and grasses, and the knowledge of ancestral exon-intron structures, expression patterns, protein-protein interaction patterns and functions of AG/STK subfamily genes remains unclear. To determine these, we isolated AG/STK subfamily genes (MawuAG1, MawuAG2 and MawuSTK) from a woody basal angiosperm Magnolia wufengensis (Magnoliaceae). MawuSTK arose from the gene duplication event occurring before the diversification of extant angiosperms, and MawuAG1 and MawuAG2 may result from a gene duplication event occurring before the divergence of Magnoliaceae and Lauraceae. Gene duplication led to apparent diversification in their expression and interaction patterns. It revealed that expression in both stamens and carpels likely represents the ancestral expression profiles of AG lineage genes, and expression of STK-like genes in stamens may have been lost soon after the appearance of the STK lineage. Moreover, AG/STK subfamily proteins may have immediately established interactions with the SEPALLATA (SEP) subfamily proteins following the emergence of the SEP subfamily; however, their interactions with the APETALA1/FRUITFULL subfamily proteins or themselves differ from those found in monocots and basal and core eudicots. MawuAG1 plays highly conserved roles in the determinacy of stamen, carpel and ovule identity, while gene duplication contributed to the functional diversification of MawuAG2 and MawuSTK. In addition, we investigated the evolutionary history of exon-intron structural changes of the AG/STK subfamily, and a novel splice-acceptor mode (GUU-AU) and the convergent evolution of N-terminal extension in the euAG and PLE subclades were revealed for the first time. These results further advance our understanding of ancestral AG/STK subfamily genes in terms of phylogeny, exon-intron structures, expression and interaction patterns, and functions, and provide strong evidence for the significance of gene duplication in the expansion and evolution of the AG/STK subfamily.

Identification of two novel anti-HCV E2 412-423 epitope antibodies by screening a Chinese-specific phage library

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) E2 412-423 linear epitope has been found to be highly conserved across multiple HCV genotypes. The antibodies against this epitope have broadly neutralizing activity. Considering the poor immunogenicity of the epitope in humans and significant diversity in the global distribution of HCV genotypes, the aim of this study was to construct an anti-HCV phage library by using a series of optimal strategies to screen novel broadly neutralizing antibodies from Chinese donors. mRNA was isolated from peripheral blood samples of 39 patients who were anti-HCV positive. A phage library was constructed by inserting a single-chain variable fragment (scFv) gene repertoire into the T7Select10-3b vector. A synthetic peptide representing the HCV E2 N-terminal 412-423 region was used as "bait" for bio-panning. The binding affinities of phage clones to the synthetic peptide were evaluated through peptide-ELISA. Two scFv clones (R3-19 and R4-85) showing the strongest binding affinities were selected. The complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) of these clones were aligned with those of other previously reported broadly neutralizing anti-HCV antibodies, and multiple conserved amino acid sites were found. The optimized procedures ensured that two novel scFv antibodies were isolated from a constructed phage library and showed specific binding to the poorly immunogenic HCV E2 412-423 linear epitope. Keywords: phage antibody library; hepatitis C virus; broadly neutralizing antibody; synthetic peptide.