Transiting Exoplanet Monitoring Project (TEMP). II. Refined System Parameters and Transit Timing Analysis of HAT-P-33b

Wang, Yong-Hao,Wang, Songhu,Liu, Hui-Gen,Hinse, Tobias C.,Laughlin, Gregory,Wu, Dong-Hong,Zhang, Xiaojia,Zhou, Xu,Wu, Zhenyu,Zhou, Ji-Lin,Wittenmyer, R. A.,Eastman, Jason,Zhang, Hui,Hori, Yasunori,Nar American Astronomical Society 2017 The Astronomical journal Vol.154 No.2

<P>We present 10. R-band photometric observations of eight different transits of the hot Jupiter HAT-P-33b, which has been targeted by our Transiting Exoplanet Monitoring Project. The data were obtained by two telescopes at the Xinglong Station of National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC) from 2013 December through 2016 January, and exhibit photometric scatter of 1.6-3.0 mmag. After jointly analyzing the previously published photometric data, radial-velocity (RV) measurements, and our new light curves, we revisit the system parameters and orbital ephemeris for the HAT-P-33b system. Our results are consistent with the published values except for the planet to. star radius ratio (RP/R-*), the ingress/egress duration (tau) and the total duration (T-14), which together indicate a slightly shallower and shorter transit shape. Our results are based on more complete light curves, whereas the previously published work had only one complete transit light curve. No significant anomalies in Transit Timing Variations (TTVs) are found, and we place upper mass limits on potential perturbers, largely supplanting the loose constraints provided by the extant RV data. The TTV limits are stronger near mean-motion resonances, especially for the low-order commensurabilities. We can exclude the existence of a perturber with mass larger than 0.6, 0.3, 0.5, 0.5, and 0.3 M-circle plus near the 1: 3, 1: 2, 2: 3, 3: 2, and 2: 1 resonances, respectively.</P>

Structural characterization of the pulmonary innate immune protein SPLUNC1 and identification of lipid ligands

Ning, Fangkun,Wang, Chao,Berry, Karin Zemski,Kandasamy, Pitchaimani,Liu, Haolin,Murphy, Robert C.,Voelker, Dennis R.,Nho, Chu Won,Pan, Choel-Ho,Dai, Shaodong,Niu, Liwen,Chu, Hong-Wei,Zhang, Gongyi The Federation of American Societies for Experimen 2014 The FASEB Journal Vol.28 No.12

<P>The short palate, lung and nasal epithelial clone 1 (SPLUNC1) protein is a member of the palate, lung, and nasal epithelium clone (PLUNC) family, also known as bactericidal/permeability-increasing (BPI) fold-containing protein, family A, member 1 (BPIFA1). SPLUNC1 is an abundant protein in human airways, but its function remains poorly understood. The lipid ligands of SPLUNC1 as well as other PLUNC family members are largely unknown, although some reports provide evidence that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) could be a lipid ligand. Unlike previous hypotheses, we found significant structural differences between SPLUNC1 and BPI. Recombinant SPLUNC1 produced in HEK 293 cells harbored several molecular species of sphingomyelin and phosphatidylcholine as its ligands. Significantly, <I>in vitro</I> lipid-binding studies failed to demonstrate interactions between SPLUNC1 and LPS, lipoteichoic acid, or polymyxin B. Instead, one of the major and most important pulmonary surfactant phospholipids, dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), bound to SPLUNC1 with high affinity and specificity. We found that SPLUNC1 could be the first protein receptor for DPPC. These discoveries provide insight into the specific determinants governing the interaction between SPLUNC1 and lipids and also shed light on novel functions that SPLUNC1 and other PLUNC family members perform in host defense.—Ning, F., Wang, C., Berry, K. Z., Kandasamy, P., Liu, H., Murphy, R. C., Voelker, D. R., Nho, C. W., Pan, C.-H., Dai, S., Niu, L., Chu, H.-W., Zhang, G. Structural characterization of the pulmonary innate immune protein SPLUNC1 and identification of lipid ligands.</P>

Effect of Oral Administration of Intact Casein on Gastrointestinal Hormone Secretion and Pancreatic α-Amylase Activity in Korean Native Steer

Lee, S.B.,Choi, C.W.,Jin, Y.C.,Wang, T.,Lee, K.H.,Ku, M.B.,Hwang, J.H.,Kim, K.H.,Vega, R.S.A.,Lee, H.G. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2013 Animal Bioscience Vol.26 No.5

Three Korean native steers ($779{\pm}24$ kg) fitted with duodenal cannulas were used in a $3{\times}3$ Latin square design to investigate the influence of oral administration of soluble proteins, intact casein (IC) and acid hydrolyzed casein (AHC), on gastro-intestinal hormone (GIH) secretion in the blood and pancreatic ${\alpha}$-amylase activity in the duodenum. Oral treatment consisted of a basic diet (control), IC (C+100% protein), or AHC (C+80% amino acid, 20% peptide) for 21 d. Blood and duodenum samples were collected for measurement of serum GI hormones, and pancreatic ${\alpha}$-amylase activity was determined at 900, 1030, 1330, 1630, and 1930 h after feeding on d 21 of treatment. The levels of serum cholecystokinin (CCK) and secretin in the IC treatment group were higher compared to the other treatment groups (p<0.05). In addition to the changes in CCK and secretin levels upon IC treatment, the pancreatic ${\alpha}$-amylase activity in the duodenum was higher in the IC group compared to the control diet group (p<0.05). The response of serum ghrelin to IC and AHC treatment was in accordance with the response of serum secretin. The level of peptide fragments flowing in the duodenum was higher in the IC treatment group than the other treatment groups (p<0.05). In conclusion, this study demonstrated that an increase in duodenal CCK and secretin upon IC oral administration increased pancreatic ${\alpha}$-amylase secretion. In addition, ghrelin may be associated with GI hormone secretion in Korean native steers.

Valorization of lignocellulosic fibres of paper waste into levulinic acid using solid and aqueous Brønsted acid

Chen, Season S.,Wang, Lei,Yu, Iris K.M.,Tsang, Daniel C.W.,Hunt, Andrew J.,Jé,rô,me, Franç,ois,Zhang, Shicheng,Ok, Yong Sik,Poon, Chi Sun Elsevier 2018 Bioresource technology Vol.247 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>This study aims to produce levulinic acid (LA) from paper towel waste in environment-friendly and economically feasible conditions, and evaluate the difference using solid and aqueous Brønsted acids. Direct dehydration of glucose to LA required sufficiently strong Brønsted acidity, where Amberlyst 36 demonstrated rapid production of approximately 30Cmol% of LA in 20min. However, the maximum yield of LA was limited by mass transfer. In contrast, the yield of LA gradually increased to over 40Cmol% in 1M H<SUB>2</SUB>SO<SUB>4</SUB> at 150°C in 60min. The SEM images revealed the conversion in dilute acids under microwave at 150°C resulting in swelling structures of cellulose, which were similar to the pre-treatment process with concentrated acids. Further increase in reaction temperature to 200°C significantly shortened the reaction time from 60 to 2.5min, which saved the energy cost as revealed in preliminary cost analysis.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> 30% of levulinic acid (LA) yielded from paper towel over Amberlyst 36 in 20min. </LI> <LI> Maximum yield of LA was comparable using dilute sulphuric acid at 150 and 200°C. </LI> <LI> Cellulose underwent swelling in dilute acid with microwave heating at 150°C. </LI> <LI> Conversion at 200°C shortened reaction time and reduced total energy consumption. </LI> </UL> </P> <P><B>Graphical abstract</B></P> <P>[DISPLAY OMISSION]</P>

Effect of Die-upset Process on Magnetic Properties and Deformation Behavior of Nanostructured Nd-Fe-B Magnets

R. Zhao,W. C. Zhang,J. J. Li,H. J. Wang,M. G. Zhu,W. Li 한국자기학회 2011 Journal of Magnetics Vol.16 No.3

Nd-Fe-B high performance magnets were prepared by die-upset forging. The effects of the deformation parameters on magnetic properties and flow stress were studied. Deformation temperatures in the range of 600~900 ℃ enable to achieve an effective anisotropy and temperature 800 ℃ proves to be suitable for deformation of Nd-Fe-B magnets. The amount of c-axis alignment along the press direction seems to depend on the amount of deformation and a saturation behavior is shown at deformation ratio of 75%. Magnetic properties are also related to strain rate, and maximum energy product is attained at an optimum strain rate of Φ= 1 × 10?² s?¹. By analyzing the relationship of stress and strain at different deformation temperature during die-upset forging process, deformation behavior of Nd-Fe-B magnets was studied and parameters for describing plastic deformation were obtained. Nd-rich boundary liquid phase, which is additionally decreasing the flow stress during deformation, is supposed to play the role of diffusion path and enhance the diffusion rate.

신경회로망을 이용한 ARS 장애음성의 식별에 관한 연구

조철우,김광인,김대현,권순복,김기련,김용주,전계록,왕수건 한국음성과학회 2001 음성과학 Vol.8 No.2

Speech material, which is collected from AR (Automatic Response System), was analyzed and classified into disease and non-disease state. The material include 11 different kinds of diseases. Along with AR speech, DA` (igital Audio Tape) speech is collected in parallel to give the bench mark. To analyze speech material, analysis tools, which is developed local laboratory, are used to provide an improved and robust performance to the obtained parameters. To classify speech into disease and non-disease class, multi-layered neural network was used. Three different combinations of 3, G, 1 parameters are tested to obtain the proper network size and to find the best performance. From the experiment, the classification rate of 92.5% was obtained.

Tyrosine nitration site specificity identified by LC/MS innitrite-modified collagen type IV

Zhen Wang,David C. Paik,James P. Dillon,Elizabeth R. Gaillard 생화학분자생물학회 2007 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.39 No.1

Non-enzymatic nitrite induced collagen cross-link-ing results in changes reminiscent of age-related damage and parallels the well-known model system, non-enzymatic glycation. We have recently ob-served that nitrite modification of basement mem-brane proteins can induce deleterious effects on overlying retinal pigment epithelial cells in studies relevant to age-related macular degeneration. The 3-nitro-tyrosine (3-NT) as a product of the reaction and to identify the site specificity of nitration in collagen IV, a major component of basement mem-branes. Human collagen type IV was modified via incubation with 200 mM NaNO2 (pH = 7.38) for one week at 37oC. The modified protein was prepared in 2 different ways, including acid hydrolysis and trypsin digestion for site specificity determination. The samples were analyzed by LC/MS using a C12 RP column. Site specificity was determined from tan-dem MS/MS data utilizing TurboSEQUEST software and the Swiss-Prot sequence database. 3-NT was detected in protein digests and acid hydrolysates of nitrite modified collagen IV. Positive identification with standard 3-NT was confirmed by identical Rt, λmax= 279 nm and 355 nm, and m/z= 227. Analyses of tryptic digests identified four sites of tyrosine ni-tration, α1(IV)Y348, α1(IV)Y534, α2(IV)Y327, and α2(IV)-Y1081. These sites are located in the triple- helical region of the protein and provide clues regarding potential sites for nitrite modification in collagen type IV.

Association between burnout and wellness culture among emergency medicine providers

Revathi Jyothindran,James P d’Etienne,Kevin Marcum,Amy F Ho,Richard D. Robinson,Aubre Tijerina,Clare Graca,Heidi C Knowles,Nestor R. Zenarosa,Hao Wang 대한응급의학회 2021 Clinical and Experimental Emergency Medicine Vol.8 No.1

Objective Burnout is a common occurrence among healthcare providers and has been associated with provider wellness culture. However, this association has not been extensively studied among emergency medicine (EM) providers. We aim to determine the association between EM provider burnout and their culture of wellness, and to elicit the independent wellness culture domains most predictive of burnout prevention. Methods This was a multi-center observational study. We enrolled EM physicians and advanced practice providers from sixteen different emergency departments (EDs). Provider wellness culture and burnout surveys were performed. The wellness culture domains included in this study are personal/organizational value alignment, provider appreciation, leadership quality, self-controlled scheduling, peer support, and family support. Correlations between each wellness culture domain and burnout were analyzed by Pearson correlation co-efficiency, and their associations were measured by multivariate logistic regression with adjustments of other confounders. Results A total of 242 ED provider surveys were entered for final analysis. The overall burnout rate was 54% (130/242). Moderate correlations were found between burnout and two wellness culture domains (value alignment: r=-0.43, P<0.001 and provider appreciation: r=-0.49, P<0.001). The adjusted odds ratio of provider appreciation associated with burnout was 0.44 (95% confidence interval, 0.25–0.77; P=0.004), adjusted odds ratio of family support was 0.67 (95% confidence interval, 0.48–0.95; P=0.025). Conclusion ED providers have a relatively high burnout rate. Provider burnout might have certain associations with wellness culture domains. Provider appreciation and family support seem to play important roles in burnout protection.

Genome-wide association study in a Chinese population identifies a susceptibility locus for type 2 diabetes at 7q32 near <i>PAX4</i>

Ma, R. C. W.,Hu, C.,Tam, C. H.,Zhang, R.,Kwan, P.,Leung, T. F.,Thomas, G. N.,Go, M. J.,Hara, K.,Sim, X.,Ho, J. S. K.,Wang, C.,Li, H.,Lu, L.,Wang, Y.,Li, J. W.,Wang, Y.,Lam, V. K. L.,Wang, J.,Yu, W.,Ki Springer-Verlag 2013 Diabetologia Vol.56 No.6

<P><B>Aims/hypothesis</B></P><P>Most genetic variants identified for type 2 diabetes have been discovered in European populations. We performed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in a Chinese population with the aim of identifying novel variants for type 2 diabetes in Asians.</P><P><B>Methods</B></P><P>We performed a meta-analysis of three GWAS comprising 684 patients with type 2 diabetes and 955 controls of Southern Han Chinese descent. We followed up the top signals in two independent Southern Han Chinese cohorts (totalling 10,383 cases and 6,974 controls), and performed in silico replication in multiple populations.</P><P><B>Results</B></P><P>We identified <I>CDKN2A/B</I> and four novel type 2 diabetes association signals with <I>p</I> < 1 × 10<SUP>−5</SUP> from the meta-analysis. Thirteen variants within these four loci were followed up in two independent Chinese cohorts, and rs10229583 at 7q32 was found to be associated with type 2 diabetes in a combined analysis of 11,067 cases and 7,929 controls (<I>p</I><SUB>meta</SUB> = 2.6 × 10<SUP>−8</SUP>; OR [95% CI] 1.18 [1.11, 1.25]). In silico replication revealed consistent associations across multiethnic groups, including five East Asian populations (<I>p</I><SUB>meta</SUB> = 2.3 × 10<SUP>−10</SUP>) and a population of European descent (<I>p</I> = 8.6 × 10<SUP>−3</SUP>). The rs10229583 risk variant was associated with elevated fasting plasma glucose, impaired beta cell function in controls, and an earlier age at diagnosis for the cases. The novel variant lies within an islet-selective cluster of open regulatory elements. There was significant heterogeneity of effect between Han Chinese and individuals of European descent, Malaysians and Indians.</P><P><B>Conclusions/interpretation</B></P><P>Our study identifies rs10229583 near <I>PAX4</I> as a novel locus for type 2 diabetes in Chinese and other populations and provides new insights into the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes.</P><P><B>Electronic supplementary material</B></P><P>The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00125-013-2874-4) contains peer-reviewed but unedited supplementary material, which is available to authorised users.</P>

External irradiation effect on the growth and evolution of in-flame soot species

Wang, C.,Chan, Q.N.,Kook, S.,Hawkes, E.R.,Lee, J.,Medwell, P.R. Pergamon Press ; Elsevier Science Ltd 2016 Carbon Vol.102 No.-

<P>External irradiation-soot species interaction is a subject that is of great interest due to its existing and future use in research diagnostics, nanomaterial synthesis and energy generation applications. An assessment of the influence of broadband radiation (ultraviolet to infrared wavelengths) on the evolution of soot species within a laminar ethylene-air flame is therefore performed to improve the fundamental understanding of the interaction process. Radiation at an average flux value of 120 kW/m(2) is provided by a solid-state plasma light to the lower region of the flame. Soot samples are collected thermophoretically at flame positions that are close to and downstream from the irradiation location, to assess the effect of external irradiation on the evolution of in-flame soot species. The soot samples are imaged using normal-resolution and high-resolution transmission electron microscopes and the images obtained are analyzed. The application of an external irradiation source is found to increase the soot loading of the flame, and have a pronounced impact on the soot morphology, and influence the in-flame soot growth processes/mechanisms. The effects are also found to persist downstream from the irradiation location. The effects are mainly attributed to the coupling of the broadband irradiation with the soot precursors, for the configurations used. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.</P>