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Zixia Wu,1,* Weibo Xia,1,* Liling Ou,1 Ling Zheng,1 Bingying Hou,1 Tonghe Pan,2 Wenjie Sun,1 Leo H Koole,1 Yongqing Shao,2 Lei Qi1 1National Engineering Research Center of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, the People’s Republic of China; 2Ningbo Eye Hospital, Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 310000, the People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yongqing Shao, Ningbo Eye Hospital, Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 310000, the People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-574 87862193, Email sunniesyq@163.com Lei Qi, School of Ophthalmology & Optometry and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, the People’s Republic of China, 325027, Tel +86-577-88067973, Email imdoll@163.comPurpose: Patients afflicted with dry eye disease (DED) experience significant discomfort. The underlying cause of DED is the excessive accumulation of ROS on the ocular surface. Here, we investigated the nitrogen doped-graphene quantum dots (NGQDs), known for their ROS-scavenging capabilities, as a treatment for DED.Methods: NGQDs were prepared by using citric acid and urea as precursors through hydrothermal method. The antioxidant abilities of NGQDs were evaluated through: scavenging the ROS both extracellular and intracellular, regulating the nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf2) antioxidant pathway of human corneal epithelial cells (HCECs) and their transcription of inflammation related genes. Furthermore, NGQDs were modified by Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser (RGDS) peptides to obtain RGDS@NGQDs. In vivo, both the NGQDs and RGDS@NGQDs were suspended in 0.1% Pluronic F127 (w/v) and delivered as eye drops in the scopolamine hydrobromide-induced DED mouse model. Preclinical efficacy was compared to the healthy and DPBS treated DED mice.Results: These NGQDs demonstrated pronounced antioxidant properties, efficiently neutralizing free radicals and activating the intracellular Nrf2 pathway. In vitro studies revealed that treatment of H2O2-exposed HCECs with NGQDs induced a preservation in cell viability. Additionally, there was a reduction in the transcription of inflammation-associated genes. To prolong the corneal residence time of NGQDs, they were further modified with RGDS peptides and suspended in 0.1% Pluronic F127 (w/v) to create RGDS@NGQDs F127 eye drops. RGDS@NGQDs exhibited superior intracellular antioxidant activity even at low concentrations (10 μg/mL). Subsequent in vivo studies revealed that RGDS@NGQDs F127 eye drops notably mitigated the symptoms of DED mouse model, primarily by reducing ocular ROS levels.Conclusion: Our findings underscore the enhanced antioxidant benefits achieved by modifying GQDs through nitrogen doping and RGDS peptide tethering. Importantly, in a mouse model, our novel eye drops formulation effectively ameliorated DED symptoms, thereby representing a novel therapeutic pathway for DED management.Keywords: dry eye disease, antioxidant, nitrogen doped graphene quantum dots, Nrf2 antioxidant pathway

Lijing Guo,1,2,* Shihua Chen,1,2,* Liping Ou,1,2,* Shangmei Li,1 Zhen-Nan Ye,1,2 Hua-Feng Liu1,2 1Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Autophagy and Major Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, 524001, People’s Republic of China; 2Institute of Nephrology, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, 524001, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Zhen-Nan Ye; Hua-Feng Liu, Email yezhennan12@mails.ucas.ac.cn; hf-liu@263.netAbstract: Alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG) is a key intermediate of various metabolic pathways including tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, anabolic and catabolic reactions of amino acids, and collagen biosynthesis. Meanwhile, AKG also participates in multiple signaling pathways related to cellular redox regulation, epigenetic processes, and inflammation response. Emerging evidence has shown that kidney diseases like diabetic nephropathy and renal ischemia/reperfusion injury are associated with metabolic disorders. In consistence with metabolic role of AKG, further metabolomics study demonstrated a dysregulated AKG level in kidney diseases. Intriguingly, earlier studies during the years of 1980s and 1990s indicated that AKG may benefit wound healing and surgery recovery. Recently, interests on AKG are arising again due to its protective roles on healthy ageing, which may shed light on developing novel therapeutic strategies against age-related diseases including renal diseases. This review will summarize the physiological and pathological properties of AKG, as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms, with a special emphasis on kidney diseases.Keywords: alpha-ketoglutarate, kidney diseases, metabolism, diabetic nephropathy, acute kidney injury

Ou L, Lin H, Song Y, et al. Int J Nanomedicine. 2020;15:5131–5146. The Editor and Publisher of International Journal of Nanomedicine are retracting the published article. The authors requested to correct the image used for Figure 8D, p-PTEN, Inhibitor, however it was found the image had been duplicated with that from Figure 7E, p-PTEN, inhibitor from Ou L, Sun T, Liu M, et al. Efficient miRNA Inhibitor Delivery with Graphene Oxide-Polyethylenimine to Inhibit Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Int J Nanomedicine. 2020;15:1569–1583. https://doi.org/10.2147/IJN.S220057. The authors cooperated with our queries and provided some data from their study, but they were unable to provide a satisfactory explanation for the image duplication. As the findings could not be adequately verified the Editor and Publisher made the decision to retract the article. The authors did not agree with this decision. We have been informed in our decision-making by our editorial policies and the COPE guidelines. The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as “Retracted”.

Lingling Ou,1 Haiyingjie Lin,2 Yuwei Song,1 Guoqiang Tan,1 Xiujuan Gui,1 Jinyuan Li,1 Xiaoting Chen,3 Zhendong Deng,3 Shaoqiang Lin1,3 1Department of Stomatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Orthopedics, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510630, People’s Republic of China; 3Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine Research Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510000, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Lingling OuThe First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, No. 613 West Huangpu Avenue, Guangzhou 510632, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail oulingling123@126.comShaoqiang LinIntegrated Traditional and Western Medicine Research Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, No. 19 Nonglinxia Road, Guangzhou 510000, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail tlshq@jnu.edu.cnBackground: Gene therapy is considered a novel way to treat osteosarcoma, and microRNAs are potential therapeutic targets for osteosarcoma. miR-214 has been found to promote osteosarcoma aggression and metastasis. Graphene oxide (GO) is widely used for gene delivery for the distinct physiochemical properties and minimal cytotoxicity.Methods: Polyethyleneimine (PEI)-functionalized GO complex was well-prepared and loaded with miR-214 inhibitor at different concentrations. The load efficacy was tested by gel retardation assay and the cy3-labeled fluorescence of cellular uptake. The experiments of wound healing, immunofluorescence staining, Western blot, qRT-PCR and immunohistochemical staining were performed to measure the inhibitory effect of the miR-214 inhibitor systematically released from the complexes against MG63, U2OS cells and xenograft tumors.Results: The systematic mechanistic elucidation of the efficient delivery of the miR-214 inhibitor by GO-PEI indicated that the inhibition of cellular miR-214 caused a decrease in osteosarcoma cell invasion and migration and an increase in apoptosis by targeting phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN). The synergistic combination of the GO-PEI-miR-214 inhibitor and CDDP chemotherapy showed significant cell death. In a xenograft mouse model, the GO-PEI-miR-214 inhibitor significantly inhibited tumor volume growth.Conclusion: This study indicates the potential of functionalized GO-PEI as a vehicle for miRNA inhibitor delivery to treat osteosarcoma with low toxicity and miR-214 can be a good target for osteosarcoma therapy.Keywords: osteosarcoma, GO-PEI-miR-214 inhibitor, tumor suppression

Lingling Ou,1 Ting Sun,1 Minyi Liu,1 Ye Zhang,1 Zhiying Zhou,1 Xiaozhen Zhan,1 Lihong Lu,1 Qingtong Zhao,1 Renfa Lai,1 Longquan Shao2 1The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Department of Stomatology, Guangzhou 510632, People’s Republic of China; 2Stomatological Hospital of Southern Medical University, Department of Prosthodontics, Guangzhou 510260, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Renfa LaiThe First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, No.613 West Huangpu Avenue, Guangzhou 510632, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail Prof.Dr.Lai@163.comLongquan ShaoStomatological Hospital of Southern Medical University, No. 366 South Jiangnan Avenue, Guangzhou 510260, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail shaolongquan@smu.edu.cnBackground: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are widely believed to be promising targets for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) gene therapy. miR-214 has been identified as a promoter of OSCC aggression and metastasis.Methods: Graphene oxide-polyethylenimine (GO-PEI) complexes were prepared and loaded with a miRNA inhibitor at different N/P ratios. The transfection efficiency of GO-PEI-inhibitor was tested in Cal27 and SCC9 cells. Moreover, the tumor inhibition ability of GO-PEI-inhibitor was measured in an OSCC xenograft mouse model by intratumoral injection.Results: Here, we show that a GO-PEI complex efficiently delivers a miR-214 inhibitor into OSCC cells and controls the intracellular release of the miR-214 inhibitor. These results indicate that the GO-PEI-miR-214 inhibitor complex efficiently inhibited cellular miR-214, resulting in a decrease in OSCC cell invasion and migration and an increase in cell apoptosis by targeting PTEN and p53. In the xenograft mouse model, the GO-PEI-miR-214 inhibitor complex significantly prevented tumor volume growth.Conclusion: This study indicates that functionalized GO-PEI with low toxicity has promising potential for miRNA delivery for the treatment of OSCC.Keywords: oral squamous cell carcinoma, GO-PEI, miR-214 inhibitor, gene therapy

Mengchen Li,1 Qiaoli Liu,1 Yanli Teng,1 Liuyang Ou,1 Yuanlin Xi,1 Shuaiyin Chen,1,* Guangcai Duan1,2,* 1Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China; 2Henan Collaborative Innovation Center of Molecular Diagnosis and Laboratory Medicine, Xinxiang Medical College, Xinxiang, Henan, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Shuaiyin Chen; Guangcai DuanDepartment of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, No.100 Kexue Avenue, Zhengzhou, Henan 450001, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 1 352 340 8394Fax +86 6 778 1453Email sychen@zzu.edu.cn; gcduan@yeah.netBackground: Multi-drug-resistant Escherichia coli poses a great threat to human health, especially resistant to ampicillin (AMP), but the mechanism of drug resistance is not very clear.Purpose: To understand the mechanism of resistance of E. coli to beta-lactam antibiotics by inducing drug resistance of sensitive bacteria in laboratory.Methods: Clinical sensitive E. coli strain was induced into resistance strain by 1/2 minimum inhibitive concentration (MIC) induced trails of AMP. The drug resistance spectrum was measured by modified K-B susceptibility test. Whole-genome sequencing analysis was used to analyze primary sensitive strain, and resequencing was used to analyze induced strains. Protein tertiary structure encoded by the gene containing single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was analyzed by bioinformatics.Results: After 315 hrs induced, the MIC value of E. coli 15743 reached to 256 μg/mL, 64 times higher than that of the sensitive bacteria. During the induction process, the bacterial resistance process is divided into two stages. The rate of drug resistance occurs rapidly before reaching the critical concentration of 32 μg/mL, and then the resistance rate slows down. Sequencing of the genome of resistant strain showed that E. coli 15743 drug-resistant strain with the MIC values of 32 and 256 μg/mL contained four and eight non-synonymous SNPs, respectively. These non-synonymous SNPs were distributed in the genes of frdD, ftsI, acrB, OmpD, marR, VgrG, and envZ.Conclusion: These studies will improve our understanding of the molecular mechanism of AMP resistance of E. coli, and may provide the basis for prevention and control of multi-drug-resistant bacteria and generation of new antibiotics to treat E. coli infection.Keywords: Escherichia coli, ampicillin, drug resistance

The electromagnetic form factors of the proton and neutron encode information on the spatial structure of their charge and magnetization distributions. While measurements of the proton are relatively straightforward, the lack of a free neutron target makes measurements of the neutron's electromagnetic structure more challenging and more sensitive to experimental or model-dependent uncertainties. Various experiments have attempted to extract the neutron form factors from scattering from the neutron in deuterium, with different techniques providing different, and sometimes large, systematic uncertainties. We present results from a novel measurement of the neutron magnetic form factor using quasielastic scattering from the mirror nuclei ^{3}H and ^{3}He, where the nuclear effects are larger than for deuterium but expected to largely cancel in the cross-section ratios. We extracted values of the neutron magnetic form factor for low-to-modest momentum transfer, 0.6

Lingling Ou,1,2 Shaoqiang Lin,2 Bin Song,1 Jia Liu,1 Renfa Lai,2 Longquan Shao1 1Department of Stomatology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Stomatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China Abstract: Graphene-based materials (GBMs) are widely used in many fields, including biomedicine. To date, much attention had been paid to the potential unexpected toxic effects of GBMs. Here, we review the recent literature regarding the impact of GBMs on programmed cell death (PCD). Apoptosis, autophagy, and programmed necrosis are three major PCDs. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that the mitochondrial pathways and MAPKs (JNK, ERK, and p38)- and TGF-β-related signaling pathways are implicated in GBMs-induced apoptosis. Autophagy, unlike apoptosis and necroptosis which are already clear cell death types, plays a vital pro-survival role in cell homeostasis, so its role in cell death should be carefully considered. However, GBMs always induce unrestrained autophagy accelerating cell death. GBMs trigger autophagy through inducing autophagosome accumulation and lysosome impairment. Mitochondrial dysfunction, ER stress, TLRs signaling pathways, and p38 MAPK and NF-κB pathways participate in GBMs-induced autophagy. Programmed necrosis can be activated by RIP kinases, PARP, and TLR-4 signaling in macrophages after GBMs exposure. Though apoptosis, autophagy, and necroptosis are distinguished by some characteristics, their numerous signaling pathways comprise an interconnected network and correlate with each other, such as the TLRs, p53 signaling pathways, and the Beclin-1 and Bcl-2 interaction. A better understanding of the mechanisms of PCD induced by GBMs may allow for a thorough study of the toxicology of GBMs and a more precise determination of the consequences of human exposure to GBMs. These determinations will also benefit safety assessments of the biomedical and therapeutic applications of GBMs. Keywords: graphene based materials, cell toxicity, programmed cell death, mechanisms

The E12-14-012 experiment, performed in Jefferson Lab Hall A, has measured the (e,e′p) cross section in parallel kinematics using a natural titanium target. In this paper, we report the analysis of the dataset obtained in different kinematics for our solid natural titanium target. Data were obtained in a range of missing momentum and missing energy between 15?pm?250 MeV/c and 12?Em?80 MeV, respectively, and using an electron beam energy of 2.2 GeV. We measured the reduced cross section with ∼7% accuracy as a function of both missing momentum and missing energy. Our Monte Carlo simulation, including both a model spectral function and the effects of final-state interactions, satisfactorily reproduces the data.

When protons and neutrons (nucleons) are bound into atomic nuclei, they are close enough to feel significant attraction, or repulsion, from the strong, short-distance part of the nucleon-nucleon interaction. These strong interactions lead to hard collisions between nucleons, generating pairs of highly energetic nucleons referred to as short-range correlations (SRCs). SRCs are an important but relatively poorly understood part of nuclear structure1-3, and mapping out the strength and the isospin structure (neutron-proton (np) versus proton-proton (pp) pairs) of these virtual excitations is thus critical input for modelling a range of nuclear, particle and astrophysics measurements3-5. Two-nucleon knockout or 'triple coincidence' reactions have been used to measure the relative contribution of np-SRCs and pp-SRCs by knocking out a proton from the SRC and detecting its partner nucleon (proton or neutron). These measurements6-8 have shown that SRCs are almost exclusively np pairs, but they had limited statistics and required large model-dependent final-state interaction corrections. Here we report on measurements using inclusive scattering from the mirror nuclei hydrogen-3 and helium-3 to extract the np/pp ratio of SRCs in systems with a mass number of three. We obtain a measure of the np/pp SRC ratio that is an order of magnitude more precise than previous experiments, and find a marked deviation from the near-total np dominance observed in heavy nuclei. This result implies an unexpected structure in the high-momentum wavefunction for hydrogen-3 and helium-3. Understanding these results will improve our understanding of the short-range part of the nucleon-nucleon interaction.

The E12-14-012 experiment, performed in Jefferson Lab Hall A, has measured the (e,e′p) cross section in parallel kinematics using a natural argon target. Here, we report the full results of the analysis of the data set corresponding to beam energy 2.222 GeV, and spanning the missing momentum and missing energy range 1 pm 300 MeV/c and 12 Em 80 MeV. The reduced cross section, determined as a function of pm and Em with ≈4% accuracy, has been fitted using the results of Monte Carlo simulations involving a model spectral function and including the effects of final state interactions. The overall agreement between data and simulations turns out to be quite satisfactory (χ2/d.o.f.=1.9). The resulting spectral function will provide valuable new information, needed for the interpretation of neutrino interactions in liquid argon detectors.

We present new precision measurements of the elastic electron-proton scattering cross section for momentum transfer (Q^{2}) up to 15.75  (GeV/c)^{2}. Combined with existing data, these provide an improved extraction of the proton magnetic form factor at high Q^{2} and double the range over which a longitudinal or transverse separation of the cross section can be performed. The difference between our results and polarization data agrees with that observed at lower Q^{2} and attributed to hard two-photon exchange (TPE) effects, extending to 8  (GeV/c)^{2} the range of Q^{2} for which a discrepancy is established at >95% confidence. We use the discrepancy to quantify the size of TPE contributions needed to explain the cross section at high Q^{2}.

We present new precision measurements of the elastic electron-protonscattering cross section for momentum transfer (Q$^2$) up to 15.75~\gevsq.Combined with existing data, these provide an improved extraction of the protonmagnetic form factor at high Q$^2$ and double the range over which alongitudinal/transverse separation of the cross section can be performed. Thedifference between our results and polarization data agrees with that observedat lower Q$^2$ and attributed to hard two-photon exchange (TPE) effects,extending to 8~(GeV/c)$^2$ the range of Q$^2$ for which a discrepancy isestablished at $>$95\% confidence. We use the discrepancy to quantify the sizeof TPE contributions needed to explain the cross section at high Q$^2$.

The E12-14-012 experiment, performed in Jefferson Lab Hall A, has collected exclusive electron-scattering data (e,e′p) in parallel kinematics using natural argon and natural titanium targets. Here we report the first results of the analysis of the data set corresponding to beam energy 2222 GeV, electron scattering angle 21.5∘, and proton emission angle -50∘. The differential cross sections, measured with ≈4% uncertainty, have been studied as a function of missing energy and missing momentum, and compared to the results of Monte Carlo simulations, obtained from a model based on the distorted-wave impulse approximation.

We report the first measurement of the (e,e^{'}p) three-body breakup reaction cross sections in helium-3 (^{3}He) and tritium (^{3}H) at large momentum transfer [⟨Q^{2}⟩≈1.9  (GeV/c)^{2}] and x_{B}>1 kinematics, where the cross section should be sensitive to quasielastic (QE) scattering from single nucleons. The data cover missing momenta 40≤p_{miss}≤500  MeV/c that, in the QE limit with no rescattering, equals the initial momentum of the probed nucleon. The measured cross sections are compared with state-of-the-art ab initio calculations. Overall good agreement, within ±20%, is observed between data and calculations for the full p_{miss} range for ^{3}H and for 100≤p_{miss}≤350  MeV/c for ^{3}He. Including the effects of rescattering of the outgoing nucleon improves agreement with the data at p_{miss}>250  MeV/c and suggests contributions from charge-exchange (SCX) rescattering. The isoscalar sum of ^{3}He plus ^{3}H, which is largely insensitive to SCX, is described by calculations to within the accuracy of the data over the entire p_{miss} range. This validates current models of the ground state of the three-nucleon system up to very high initial nucleon momenta of 500  MeV/c.

We report the first measurement of the (e,e^{'}p) three-body breakup reaction cross sections in helium-3 (^{3}He) and tritium (^{3}H) at large momentum transfer [⟨Q^{2}⟩≈1.9  (GeV/c)^{2}] and x_{B}>1 kinematics, where the cross section should be sensitive to quasielastic (QE) scattering from single nucleons. The data cover missing momenta 40≤p_{miss}≤500  MeV/c that, in the QE limit with no rescattering, equals the initial momentum of the probed nucleon. The measured cross sections are compared with state-of-the-art ab initio calculations. Overall good agreement, within ±20%, is observed between data and calculations for the full p_{miss} range for ^{3}H and for 100≤p_{miss}≤350  MeV/c for ^{3}He. Including the effects of rescattering of the outgoing nucleon improves agreement with the data at p_{miss}>250  MeV/c and suggests contributions from charge-exchange (SCX) rescattering. The isoscalar sum of ^{3}He plus ^{3}H, which is largely insensitive to SCX, is described by calculations to within the accuracy of the data over the entire p_{miss} range. This validates current models of the ground state of the three-nucleon system up to very high initial nucleon momenta of 500  MeV/c.

The E12-14-012 experiment performed at Jefferson Lab Hall A has collected inclusive electron-scattering data for different targets at the kinematics corresponding to beam energy 2.222 GeV and scattering angle 15.54. Here we present a comprehensive analysis of the collected data and compare the double-differential cross sections for inclusive scattering of electrons, extracted using solid targets (aluminum, carbon, and titanium) and a closed argon-gas cell. The data extend over broad range of energy transfer, where quasielastic interaction, Δ-resonance excitation, and inelastic scattering yield contributions to the cross section. The double-differential cross sections are reported with high precision (∼3%) for all targets over the covered kinematic range.

We report the first measurement of the (e,e′p) reaction cross-section ratios for Helium-3 (He3), Tritium (H3), and Deuterium (d). The measurement covered a missing momentum range of 40≤pmiss≤550MeV/c, at large momentum transfer (〈Q2〉≈1.9 (GeV/c)2) and xB>1, which minimized contributions from non quasi-elastic (QE) reaction mechanisms. The data is compared with plane-wave impulse approximation (PWIA) calculations using realistic spectral functions and momentum distributions. The measured and PWIA-calculated cross-section ratios for He3/d and H3/d extend to just above the typical nucleon Fermi-momentum (kF≈250 MeV/c) and differ from each other by ∼20%, while for He3/H3 they agree within the measurement accuracy of about 3%. At momenta above kF, the measured He3/H3 ratios differ from the calculation by 20%−50%. Final state interaction (FSI) calculations using the generalized Eikonal Approximation indicate that FSI should change the He3/H3 cross-section ratio for this measurement by less than 5%. If these calculations are correct, then the differences at large missing momenta between the He3/H3 experimental and calculated ratios could be due to the underlying NN interaction, and thus could provide new constraints on the previously loosely-constrained short-distance parts of the NN interaction.

We report the first measurement of the (e,e′p) reaction cross-section ratios for Helium-3 (He3), Tritium (H3), and Deuterium (d). The measurement covered a missing momentum range of 40≤pmiss≤550MeV/c, at large momentum transfer (〈Q2〉≈1.9 (GeV/c)2) and xB>1, which minimized contributions from non quasi-elastic (QE) reaction mechanisms. The data is compared with plane-wave impulse approximation (PWIA) calculations using realistic spectral functions and momentum distributions. The measured and PWIA-calculated cross-section ratios for He3/d and H3/d extend to just above the typical nucleon Fermi-momentum (kF≈250 MeV/c) and differ from each other by ∼20%, while for He3/H3 they agree within the measurement accuracy of about 3%. At momenta above kF, the measured He3/H3 ratios differ from the calculation by 20%−50%. Final state interaction (FSI) calculations using the generalized Eikonal Approximation indicate that FSI should change the He3/H3 cross-section ratio for this measurement by less than 5%. If these calculations are correct, then the differences at large missing momenta between the He3/H3 experimental and calculated ratios could be due to the underlying NN interaction, and thus could provide new constraints on the previously loosely-constrained short-distance parts of the NN interaction.

The success of the ambitious programs of both long- and short-baseline neutrino-oscillation experiments employing liquid-argon time-projection chambers will greatly rely on the precision with which the weak response of the argon nucleus can be estimated. In the E12-14-012 experiment at Jefferson Lab Hall A, we studied the properties of the argon nucleus by scattering a high-quality electron beam off a high-pressure gaseous argon target. Here, we present the measured Ar40(e,e′) double differential cross section at incident electron energy E=2.222 GeV and scattering angle θ=15.54â. The data cover a broad range of energy transfers, where quasielastic scattering and delta production are the dominant reaction mechanisms. The result for argon is compared to our previously reported cross sections for titanium and carbon, obtained in the same kinematical setup.

[Objective] Carbon content is one of the key factors when estimating carbon storage. Accurate measurement of carbon content and finding its influencing factors can improve the accuracy of the prediction of carbon storage. [Method]Tree cores collected in the plots of mature forests in the broardleaved Korean pine forest of Jiaohe, northeastern China were taken as samples in this study. Carbon content of frozen, oven-dried and natural air drying samples of Pinus koraiensis from 1987 to 2016 were attained in order to qualify the volatile carbon content and to compare the characteristics of the interannual variation of the carbon content attained by different drying methods. In this passage, volatile carbon content was qualified with frozen and oven-dried carbon content considering the relative stability of them. The relationship between volatile carbon content and three climate factors as well as size class and annual growth was developed. [Result](1)The results showed that significant difference among carbon content of different drying methods was only found in trees of large diameter class.(2)The fluctuation characteristics of volatile carbon contribution differed in small and large class and the interannual variations were more remarkable in small class. The volatile carbon contribution reached 24.46% in small class and 9.72% in large class. Also, the volatile carbon contribution in large class lagged behind that of small class. (3)The volatile carbon contribution was mainly limited by the temperature in winter. In small class, the volatile carbon contribution showed negative response to temperature in December of that very year, while in large class, it responsed negatively to the temperature in last December. (4)The precipitation of this January had positive influence in volatile carbon contribution of large class and the volatile carbon contribution of small class showed positive response to PDSI of this June, which inspired us that the effect of volatile carbon may be related to trees' dormancy or other defensive mechanisms. [Conclusion]Therefore, it is necessary to take volatile carbon content into account while estimating the forest carbon storage without ignoring the influence of size class. It is also necessary to make a deep analysis of the influencing factors of volatile carbon contribution.

To probe CP violation in the leptonic sector using GeV energy neutrino beams in current and future experiments using argon detectors, precise models of the complex underlying neutrino and antineutrino interactions are needed. The E12-14-012 experiment at Jefferson Lab Hall A was designed to perform a combined analysis of inclusive and exclusive electron scatterings on both argon (N=22) and titanium (Z=22) nuclei using GeV-energy electron beams. The measurement on titanium nucleus provides essential information to understand the neutrino scattering on argon, large contribution to which comes from scattering off neutrons. Here we report the first experimental study of electron-titanium scattering as double-differential cross section at beam energy E=2.222 GeV and electron-scattering angle θ=15.541, measured over a broad range of energy transfer, spanning the kinematical regions in which quasielastic scattering and delta production are the dominant reaction mechanisms. The data provide valuable new information needed to develop accurate theoretical models of the electromagnetic and weak cross sections of these complex nuclei in the kinematic regime of interest to neutrino experiments.