MODIS time series contribution for the estimation of nutritional properties of alpine grassland

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in European Journal of Remote Sensing on 17th February 2017, available online: https://doi.org/10.5721/EuJRS20164936Despite the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) has been used to make predictions on forage quality, its relationship with bromatological field data has not been widely tested. This relationship was investigated in alpine grasslands of the Gran Paradiso National Park (Italian Alps). Predictive models were built using remotely sensed derived variables (NDVI and phenological information computed from MODIS) in combination with geo-morphometric data as predictors of measured biomass, crude protein, fibre and fibre digestibility, obtained from 142 grass samples collected within 19 experimental plots every two weeks during the whole 2012 growing season. The models were both cross-validated and validated on an independent dataset (112 samples collected during 2013). A good predictability ability was found for the estimation of most of the bromatological measures, with a considerable relative importance of remotely sensed derived predictors; instead, a direct use of NDVI values as a proxy of bromatological variables appeared not to be supported

Disparities and risks of sexually transmissible infections among men who have sex with men in China: a meta-analysis and data synthesis.

BACKGROUND: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including Hepatitis B and C virus, are emerging public health risks in China, especially among men who have sex with men (MSM). This study aims to assess the magnitude and risks of STIs among Chinese MSM. METHODS: Chinese and English peer-reviewed articles were searched in five electronic databases from January 2000 to February 2013. Pooled prevalence estimates for each STI infection were calculated using meta-analysis. Infection risks of STIs in MSM, HIV-positive MSM and male sex workers (MSW) were obtained. This review followed the PRISMA guidelines and was registered in PROSPERO. RESULTS: Eighty-eight articles (11 in English and 77 in Chinese) investigating 35,203 MSM in 28 provinces were included in this review. The prevalence levels of STIs among MSM were 6.3% (95% CI: 3.5-11.0%) for chlamydia, 1.5% (0.7-2.9%) for genital wart, 1.9% (1.3-2.7%) for gonorrhoea, 8.9% (7.8-10.2%) for hepatitis B (HBV), 1.2% (1.0-1.6%) for hepatitis C (HCV), 66.3% (57.4-74.1%) for human papillomavirus (HPV), 10.6% (6.2-17.6%) for herpes simplex virus (HSV-2) and 4.3% (3.2-5.8%) for Ureaplasma urealyticum. HIV-positive MSM have consistently higher odds of all these infections than the broader MSM population. As a subgroup of MSM, MSW were 2.5 (1.4-4.7), 5.7 (2.7-12.3), and 2.2 (1.4-3.7) times more likely to be infected with chlamydia, gonorrhoea and HCV than the broader MSM population, respectively. CONCLUSION: Prevalence levels of STIs among MSW were significantly higher than the broader MSM population. Co-infection of HIV and STIs were prevalent among Chinese MSM. Integration of HIV and STIs healthcare and surveillance systems is essential in providing effective HIV/STIs preventive measures and treatments. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO NO: CRD42013003721

Inhibitory effects of (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate on melanogenesis in ultraviolet A-induced B16 murine melanoma cell

Purpose: To investigate the anti-melanogenesis effect of green tea compound, (-)-epigallocatechin-3- gallate (EGCG), on B16 murine melanoma cell irradiated by ultraviolet A (UVA) in the search for natural skin-lightening alternative agents.Methods: B16 murine melanoma cells by UVA (9.0 J/cm2) for 0 to 32 min and then incubated in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium (DMEM) with EGCG (0-200 μg/mL) for 2 days. Cell viability was determined by MTT method and cell protein was quantified using a PA102 Bradford protein assay kit. Activity of tyrosinase (TRY) was determined based on the oxidation rate of 3,4-dihydroxy phenylalanine (DOPA). The ultra-structure of the melanosomes was observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM).Results: TRY activity and melanin concentration were increased to 146.70 ± 10.28 % (p < 0.05) and 157.06 ± 6.37 % (p < 0.05), respectively, by 9.0 J/cm2 UVA irradiation for 8 min, compared to blank control without UV A and EGCG. EGCG inhibited the UV A induced increase in TRY activity and melanin level, and the optimum concentration of EGCG was 25 μg/mL. TRY activity and melanin concentration were decreased to 64.71 ± 4.41 (p < 0.05) and 86.24 ± 5.15 % (p < 0.05), respectively, compared to blank (control) which was neither treated by UVA nor by EGCG. TEM showed that UVA induced the formation of melanosomes while EGCG inhibited UVA-induced melanosome maturation.Conclusion: EGCG inhibits UVA-induced melanogenesis via suppression of TRY activity and melanosome maturation and is thus a potential alternative to melanogenesis inhibitor.Keywords: Green tea, Catechins, Melanin, Melanosome, Tyrosinase, Cell proliferatio

Induction of resistance in cucumber against seedling damping-off by plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) Bacillus megaterium strain L8

Bacillus megaterium L8, a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR), was isolated and evaluated for its ability to induce resistance in cucumber against seedling damping-off caused by Pythium aphanidermatum. Root-splitting challenge experiments showed that L8 treatment of cucumber roots more effectively suppressed seedling damping-off than did the control as judged by seedling survival rate (83.45 versus 31.68% at 28 days), indicating that strain L8 is capable of inducing systemic disease resistance in cucumber. To explore the potential mechanism underlying the induced systemic resistance (ISR) mediated by L8, the expression profile of several plant defense-related enzymes: superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) were monitored in the roots treated with L8 or P. aphanidermatum and untreated leaves in a time course of 13 days. Levels of SOD, POD, CAT, PPO and PAL activities in the treated roots and untreated leaves of cucumber seedlings were all significantly higher as compared with the control and respectively peaked in the roots at 3, 3, 5, 5 and 5 days and correspondingly in the leaves at 5, 3, 5, 5 and 5 days post-inoculation. The enhanced expression patterns of the above enzymes following L8 or P. aphanidermatum treatment suggested that systemic induction of plant defense enzymes by L8 might account for its ability to provide effective protection for cucumber from seedling damping-off caused by the soil-borne fungal pathogen P. aphanidermatum.Key words: Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), defense enzymes, damping-off of cucumber seedlings, induced resistance

Measurement of the inclusive and dijet cross-sections of b-jets in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The inclusive and dijet production cross-sections have been measured for jets containing b-hadrons (b-jets) in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 7 TeV, using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The measurements use data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 34 pb^-1. The b-jets are identified using either a lifetime-based method, where secondary decay vertices of b-hadrons in jets are reconstructed using information from the tracking detectors, or a muon-based method where the presence of a muon is used to identify semileptonic decays of b-hadrons inside jets. The inclusive b-jet cross-section is measured as a function of transverse momentum in the range 20 < pT < 400 GeV and rapidity in the range |y| < 2.1. The bbbar-dijet cross-section is measured as a function of the dijet invariant mass in the range 110 < m_jj < 760 GeV, the azimuthal angle difference between the two jets and the angular variable chi in two dijet mass regions. The results are compared with next-to-leading-order QCD predictions. Good agreement is observed between the measured cross-sections and the predictions obtained using POWHEG + Pythia. MC@NLO + Herwig shows good agreement with the measured bbbar-dijet cross-section. However, it does not reproduce the measured inclusive cross-section well, particularly for central b-jets with large transverse momenta.Comment: 10 pages plus author list (21 pages total), 8 figures, 1 table, final version published in European Physical Journal

Search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum in pp collisions at √ s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Results of a search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum are reported. The search uses 20.3 fb−1 of √ s = 8 TeV data collected in 2012 with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events are required to have at least one jet with pT > 120 GeV and no leptons. Nine signal regions are considered with increasing missing transverse momentum requirements between Emiss T > 150 GeV and Emiss T > 700 GeV. Good agreement is observed between the number of events in data and Standard Model expectations. The results are translated into exclusion limits on models with either large extra spatial dimensions, pair production of weakly interacting dark matter candidates, or production of very light gravitinos in a gauge-mediated supersymmetric model. In addition, limits on the production of an invisibly decaying Higgs-like boson leading to similar topologies in the final state are presente

Search for direct pair production of the top squark in all-hadronic final states in proton-proton collisions at s√=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The results of a search for direct pair production of the scalar partner to the top quark using an integrated luminosity of 20.1fb−1 of proton–proton collision data at √s = 8 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC are reported. The top squark is assumed to decay via t˜→tχ˜01 or t˜→ bχ˜±1 →bW(∗)χ˜01 , where χ˜01 (χ˜±1 ) denotes the lightest neutralino (chargino) in supersymmetric models. The search targets a fully-hadronic final state in events with four or more jets and large missing transverse momentum. No significant excess over the Standard Model background prediction is observed, and exclusion limits are reported in terms of the top squark and neutralino masses and as a function of the branching fraction of t˜ → tχ˜01 . For a branching fraction of 100%, top squark masses in the range 270–645 GeV are excluded for χ˜01 masses below 30 GeV. For a branching fraction of 50% to either t˜ → tχ˜01 or t˜ → bχ˜±1 , and assuming the χ˜±1 mass to be twice the χ˜01 mass, top squark masses in the range 250–550 GeV are excluded for χ˜01 masses below 60 GeV

Observation of associated near-side and away-side long-range correlations in √sNN=5.02 TeV proton-lead collisions with the ATLAS detector

Two-particle correlations in relative azimuthal angle (Δϕ) and pseudorapidity (Δη) are measured in √sNN=5.02  TeV p+Pb collisions using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The measurements are performed using approximately 1  μb-1 of data as a function of transverse momentum (pT) and the transverse energy (ΣETPb) summed over 3.1<η<4.9 in the direction of the Pb beam. The correlation function, constructed from charged particles, exhibits a long-range (2<|Δη|<5) “near-side” (Δϕ∼0) correlation that grows rapidly with increasing ΣETPb. A long-range “away-side” (Δϕ∼π) correlation, obtained by subtracting the expected contributions from recoiling dijets and other sources estimated using events with small ΣETPb, is found to match the near-side correlation in magnitude, shape (in Δη and Δϕ) and ΣETPb dependence. The resultant Δϕ correlation is approximately symmetric about π/2, and is consistent with a dominant cos⁡2Δϕ modulation for all ΣETPb ranges and particle pT

Observation of a ppb mass threshoud enhancement in \psi^\prime\to\pi^+\pi^-J/\psi(J/\psi\to\gamma p\bar{p}) decay

The decay channel $\psi^\prime\to\pi^+\pi^-J/\psi(J/\psi\to\gamma p\bar{p})$ is studied using a sample of $1.06\times 10^8$ $\psi^\prime$ events collected by the BESIII experiment at BEPCII. A strong enhancement at threshold is observed in the $p\bar{p}$ invariant mass spectrum. The enhancement can be fit with an $S$-wave Breit-Wigner resonance function with a resulting peak mass of $M=1861^{+6}_{-13} {\rm (stat)}^{+7}_{-26} {\rm (syst)} {\rm MeV/}c^2$ and a narrow width that is $\Gamma<38 {\rm MeV/}c^2$ at the 90% confidence level. These results are consistent with published BESII results. These mass and width values do not match with those of any known meson resonance.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Chinese Physics