bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Profunda artery perforator based V‐Y rotation advancement flap for total vulvectomy defect reconstruction—A case report and literature review
Authors: Chen Yen‐Chou , Scaglioni Mario F. , Kuo Yur‐Ren
Published: September 2015

Reconstruction of total vulvectomy defect represents a challenge, and reconstructive methods include skin graft, local skin flap, musculocutanous flap, and pedicled perforator flap. We report a case of a 63‐year‐old patient affected by extramammary Paget's disease of vulva who underwent total vulvectomy receiving reconstruction with bilateral profunda artery perforator based V‐Y rotation advancement flap. The literature about vulva reconstruction was reviewed. This innovative flap design combined the classic rotation flap and V‐Y advancement flap with inclusion of the profunda artery perforators to augment the flap blood supply. Besides, the internal pudendal nerve was preserved to maintain the sensation of the neo‐uvula. The flap survived completely without major post‐operative complications with 9‐months follow‐up. Profunda artery perforator based V‐Y rotation advancement flap may represent a valuable option in total vulvectomy defect reconstruction. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microsurgery 35:668–671, 2015.
Virtual population‐based assessment of the impact of 3 Tesla radiofrequency shimming and thermoregulation on safety and B1+ uniformity
Authors: Murbach Manuel , Neufeld Esra , Cabot Eugenia , Zastrow Earl , Córcoles Juan , Kainz Wolfgang , Kuster Niels
Published: September 2015

Purpose

To assess the effect of radiofrequency (RF) shimming of a 3 Tesla (T) two‐port body coil on B1+ uniformity, the local specific absorption rate (SAR), and the local temperature increase as a function of the thermoregulatory response.

Methods

RF shimming alters induced current distribution, which may result in large changes in the level and location of absorbed RF energy. We investigated this effect with six anatomical human models from the Virtual Population in 10 imaging landmarks and four RF coils. Three thermoregulation models were applied to estimate potential local temperature increases, including a newly proposed model for impaired thermoregulation.

Results

Two‐port RF shimming, compared to circular polarization mode, can increase the B1+ uniformity on average by +32%. Worst‐case SAR excitations increase the local RF power deposition on average by +39%. In the first level controlled operating mode, induced peak temperatures reach 42.5°C and 45.6°C in patients with normal and impaired thermoregulation, respectively.

Conclusion

Image quality with 3T body coils can be significantly increased by RF shimming. Exposure in realistic scan scenarios within guideline limits can be considered safe for a broad patient population with normal thermoregulation. Patients with impaired thermoregulation should not be scanned outside of the normal operating mode. Magn Reson Med 76:986–997, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Managing perturbations during handover meetings: a joint activity framework
Authors: Mayor Eric , Bangerter Adrian
Published: September 2015

Aim

To document the prevalence of perturbations of handover meetings and understand how nurses manage temporal, physical and social meeting boundaries in response to perturbations.

Background

Handovers are joint activities performed collaboratively by participating nurses. Perturbations of handover are frequent and may potentially threaten continuity of care.

Design

We observed and videotaped handovers during five successive days in four nursing care units in two Swiss hospitals in 2009.

Methods

Videorecordings were transcribed. All perturbations during the handovers were noted. We performed content analysis of the sources of perturbations from the notes and interactional micro‐analyses of handover interactions based on video and transcripts.

Results

Nurses are the most frequent sources of perturbations during handovers. Perturbations are collaboratively managed. A tacit division of labour is enacted via multimodal communication strategies, whereby perturbations are dealt with using both linguistic and bodily signals.
The influence of typical layered inorganic compounds on the improved thermal stability and fire resistance properties of polystyrene nanocomposites
Authors: Liu Jiajia , Tao Youji , Zhou Keqing , Shi Yongqian , Feng Xiaming , Jie Ganxin , Yuen Richard K. K. , Hu Yuan
Published: September 2015

Organic‐modified montmorillonite (OMMT), organic‐modified layered double hydroxide (SDS‐LDH) and graphene (GNS) were three typical layered inorganic compounds. The polystyrene (PS) nanocomposites were prepared using in situ polymerization method. X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and microscale combustion calorimeter were used to investigate the morphology and microstructure, thermal stability, and combustion performance of the PS nanocomposites. It was evident that the addition of the typical layered inorganic compounds could improve thermal stability and flame retardancy of PS. The results revealed that organic‐modified layered double hydroxide and graphene were dispersed in PS matrix with mainly exfoliated structure, whereas OMMT distribution with intercalated and few exfoliated structure. The PS/OMMT nanocomposites exhibited superior flame retardance over PS/SDS‐LDH and PS/GNS. Compared to pure PS, a 25% decrease in the peak heat release rate value was obtained for PS nanocomposites containing 3.0 wt% OMMT. The thermogravimetric analysis results demonstrated that the addition of OMMT led to the improvements in the thermal stability and char residues of the PS nanocomposites, especially the T−50% and Tmax of the PS/5.0 wt% OMMT nanocomposites had improved by 38°C and 63°C, respectively, compared to those of pure PS. The improvement of thermal stability and fire resistance properties was primarily attributed to the physical barrier effect of layered inorganic nanosheets and the catalytic carbonization behavior of layered double hydroxide. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:E320–E330, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers
Transition absorption as a mechanism of surface photoelectron emission from metals
Authors: Zhukovsky Sergei V. , Protsenko Igor E. , Ikhsanov Renat Sh. , Smetanin Igor V. , Babicheva Viktoriia E. , Uskov Alexander V.
Published: September 2015

Transition absorption of a photon by an electron passing through a boundary between two media with different permittivities is described both classically and quantum mechanically. Transition absorption is shown to make a substantial contribution to photoelectron emission at a metal/semicon‐ductor interface in nanoplasmonic systems, and is put forth as a possible microscopic mechanism of the surface photoelectric effect in photodetectors and solar cells containing plasmonic nanoparticles.

magnified image

(© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Exploring New Physics Frontiers Through Numerical Relativity
Authors: Cardoso Vitor , Gualtieri Leonardo , Herdeiro Carlos , Sperhake Ulrich
Published: September 2015

The demand to obtain answers to highly complex problems within strong-field gravity has been met with significant progress in the numerical solution of Einstein’s equations — along with some spectacular results — in various setups.

We review techniques for solving Einstein’s equations in generic spacetimes, focusing on fully nonlinear evolutions but also on how to benchmark those results with perturbative approaches. The results address problems in high-energy physics, holography, mathematical physics, fundamental physics, astrophysics and cosmology.
Mentorship as Experienced by Women Surgeons in Japan
Authors: Yorozuya Kyoko , Kawase Kazumi , Akashi‐Tanaka Sadako , Kanbayashi Chizuko , Nomura Sachiyo , Tomizawa Yasuko
Published: September 2015

Background

Women have accounted for over 30 % of new medical students since 1995 in Japan. Establishing support systems for women surgeons to continue their work is a major issue in Japan. Mentorship can be one of the most effective means to help women surgeons to continue their work. The purpose of this study was to clarify the current status of mentorship among Japanese women surgeons and to discuss the role of mentors for women surgeons.

Methods

Invitation letters were sent to all female members of the Japan Association of Women Surgeons in April 2011. An 84‐item questionnaire survey was sent to those who agreed to participate in this study via the internet.

Results

Fifty‐five surgeons participated in this study, a response rate of 48.7 %. Sixty‐seven percent of respondents found it difficult to continue in their job; 85 % thought mentorship was necessary for women surgeons to progress in their careers; and 84 % reported that they already had a mentor. Respondents thought that a mentor helped them to advance their clinical career, to stay in their job, and to provide moral support. However, mentors appeared to be less useful in helping them to advance their research career, to network, to increase their status, and to achieve a work–life balance.

Conclusions

This study revealed areas where mentors appeared to be less helpful to women surgeons. The survey gave an indication of how to help improve and develop the career and personal life of women surgeons in Japan.
Effects of heterologous expression of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase on organic acid production in Aspergillus carbonarius
Authors: Yang Lei , Lübeck Mette , Lübeck Peter S
Published: September 2015

Aspergillus carbonarius has a potential as a cell factory for production of various organic acids. In this study, the organic acid profile of A. carbonarius was investigated under different cultivation conditions. Moreover, two heterologous genes, pepck and ppc, which encode phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase in Actinobacillus succinogenes and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase in Escherichia coli, were inserted individually and in combination in A. carbonarius to enhance the carbon flux toward the reductive TCA branch. Results of transcription analysis and measurement of enzyme activities of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase in the corresponding single and double transformants demonstrated that the two heterologous genes were successfully expressed in A. carbonarius. The production of citric acid increased in all the transformants in both glucose- and xylose-based media at pH higher than 3 but did not increase in the pH non-buffered cultivation compared with the wild type.
The Complex Epidemiology of Carbapenem-ResistantEnterobacterInfections: A Multicenter Descriptive Analysis
Authors: Lazarovitch Tsilia , Amity Keren , Coyle Joseph R. , Ackerman Benjamin , Tal-Jasper Ruthy , Ofer-Friedman Hadas , Hayakawa Kayoko , Bogan Christopher , Lephart Paul R. , Kaplansky Tamir , Maskit Moran , Azouri Tal , Zaidenstein Ronit , Perez Federico , Bonomo Robert A. , Kaye Keith S. , Marchaim Dror
Published: September 2015

BACKGROUND

The pandemic of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) was primarily due to clonal spread ofblaKPCproducingKlebsiella pneumoniae. Thus, thoroughly studied CRE cohorts have consisted mostly ofK. pneumoniae.

OBJECTIVE

To conduct an extensive epidemiologic analysis of carbapenem-resistantEnterobacterspp. (CREn) from 2 endemic and geographically distinct centers.

METHODS

CREn were investigated at an Israeli center (Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, January 2007 to July 2012) and at a US center (Detroit Medical Center, September 2008 to September 2009).blaKPCgenes were queried by polymerase chain reaction. Repetitive extragenic palindromic polymerase chain reaction and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis were used to determine genetic relatedness.

RESULTS

In this analysis, 68 unique patients with CREn were enrolled. Sixteen isolates (24%) were from wounds, and 33 (48%) represented colonization only. All isolates exhibited a positive Modified Hodge Test, but only 93% (27 of 29) containedblaKPC. Forty-three isolates (63%) were from elderly adults, and 5 (7.4%) were from neonates. Twenty-seven patients died in hospital (40.3% of infected patients).Enterobacterstrains consisted of 4 separate clones from Assaf Harofeh Medical Center and of 4 distinct clones from Detroit Medical Center.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study conducted at 2 distinct CRE endemic regions, there were unique epidemiologic features to CREn: (i) polyclonality, (ii) neonates accounting for more than 7% of cohort, and (iii) high rate of colonization (almost one-half of all cases represented colonization). Since false-positive Modified Hodge Tests inEnterobacterspp. are common, close monitoring of carbapenem resistance mechanisms (particularly carbapenemase production) amongEnterobacterspp. is important.

Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol.2015;36(11):1283–1291
Could the beneficial effects of dietary calcium on obesity and diabetes control be mediated by changes in intestinal microbiota and integrity?
Authors: Gomes J. M. G. , Costa J. A. , Alfenas R. C.
Published: September 2015

Evidence from animal and human studies has associated gut microbiota, increased translocation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and reduced intestinal integrity (II) with the inflammatory state that occurs in obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Consumption of Ca may favour body weight reduction and glycaemic control, but its influence on II and gut microbiota is not well understood. Considering the impact of metabolic diseases on public health and the role of Ca on the pathophysiology of these diseases, this review critically discusses possible mechanisms by which high-Ca diets could affect gut microbiota and II. Published studies from 1993 to 2015 about this topic were searched and selected from Medline/PubMed, Scielo and Lilacs databases. High-Ca diets seem to favour the growth of lactobacilli, maintain II (especially in the colon), reduce translocation of LPS and regulate tight-junction gene expression. We conclude that dietary Ca might interfere with gut microbiota and II modulations and it can partly explain the effect of Ca on obesity and T2DM control. However, further research is required to define the supplementation period, the dose and the type of Ca supplement (milk or salt) required for more effective results. As Ca interacts with other components of the diet, these interactions must also be considered in future studies. We believe that more complex mechanisms involving extraintestinal disorders (hormones, cytokines and other biomarkers) also need to be studied.
The role of models in translating within-host dynamics to parasite evolution
Authors: GREISCHAR MEGAN A. , REECE SARAH E. , MIDEO NICOLE
Published: September 2015

Mathematical modelling provides an effective way to challenge conventional wisdom about parasite evolution and investigate why parasites ‘do what they do’ within the host. Models can reveal when intuition cannot explain observed patterns, when more complicated biology must be considered, and when experimental and statistical methods are likely to mislead. We describe how models of within-host infection dynamics can refine experimental design, and focus on the case study of malaria to highlight how integration between models and data can guide understanding of parasite fitness in three areas: (1) the adaptive significance of chronic infections; (2) the potential for tradeoffs between virulence and transmission; and (3) the implications of within-vector dynamics. We emphasize that models are often useful when they highlight unexpected patterns in parasite evolution, revealing instead why intuition yields the wrong answer and what combination of theory and data are needed to advance understanding.
‘Spoken language is a prison’: ways of belonging and speaking in northwest Greenland
Authors: Leonard Stephen Pax
Published: September 2015

‘Speaking’ and ‘belonging’ have a particular salience as indices of intimacy in a remote corner of northwest Greenland where connectedness is constantly reinforced through a distinct commonality of expression and certain social practices, such as very frequent visiting of one another, story-telling, recycling of names and a shared monistic philosophy. The Inugguit define themselves by a repertoire of communicative and behavioural strategies which are used to ensure that one is accepted in a supportive kin group: the perennial social and personal imperative for each member of the group. This article shows how despite social and climatic upheaval, these practices remain, but that the hunters’ ‘symbiotic’ relationship with nature is eroding as the loss of sea ice means they can no longer live like the animals they hunt.
Organizing Puerto Rican Domestics: Resistance and Household Labor Reform in the Puerto Rican Diaspora after 1930
Authors: Amador Emma
Published: September 2015

On November 28, 1946, a group of Puerto Rican women picketed the Chicago offices of Castle, Barton, and Associates, a private employment agency that had brought them to the city to become domestic workers. They protested low wages, long hours, and deductions from their pay for transportation and other costs. Their resistance challenged the Puerto Rican and United States governments to both recognize local labor exploitation and grapple with Puerto Rican rights as those of migrant United States citizens. These women made demands on the Puerto Rican state to regulate migrant contract work and sponsor training programs for domestic work. They would succeed as colonial subjects to gain recognition as workers. Nonetheless, they failed to win well-paid, safe, and desirable jobs. This history of Puerto Rican women's domestic work and their struggle for regulation illuminates a formative moment in the history of Puerto Rican women's organizing and activism for labor rights.
Wages of Intimacy: Domestic Workers Disputing Wages in the Higher Courts of Nineteenth-Century Brazil
Authors: Lima Henrique Espada
Published: September 2015

Exploring the legal context and arguments put forth by women who sued for their wages, this article illustrates how contested definitions of “work” and “intimacy” played a fundamental role in the arguments that both domestic workers and those whom they challenged in court made. It discusses a sample of legal complaints concerning labor arrangements (specifically, wage contracts, or contratos de soldada) from the Brazilian National Archives involving women working in the households of single men or widowers in nineteenth-century Brazil. Brought by both former slaves and Portuguese immigrants and other “free” women, domestic workers advanced demands for compensation, claiming wages and entitlements that clearly defined their connection to their masters as “work,” even when personal intimacy and sex were also present. The article also considers the place occupied by “free” domestic work in a slave society, relating it to the changing legal and social context of nineteenth-century Brazil.
Breaking the “Harness of Household Slavery”: Domestic Workers, the Women's Division of the St. Louis Urban League, and the Politics of Labor Reform during the Great Depression
Authors: Ervin Keona K.
Published: September 2015

Largely denied membership in organized labor and access to basic labor protections, black domestic workers of St. Louis employed the local chapter of the Urban League's Women's Division to carve out a space for themselves in a growing, predominantly white, male labor movement and in the multiple coalitions that configured the New Deal. Domestics used household employment reform codes to lay the groundwork for dignity to manifest itself in their labor and contractual agreements. From the Household Workers Mass Meeting of 1933 to the close of the St. Louis Urban League's first phase in the late 1940s, black working-class women joined forces with progressive black women who led the Urban League's Women's Division to reform domestic employment through negotiation, enforcement, collective action, and everyday resistance. A border city with a large and settled black working class located within its core, St. Louis had acute class, gender, and racial divisions that shaped the terms of black women's economic activism. The Gateway City's mix of urban Midwestern-, northern-, and southern-style geopolitics propelled domestics’ mobilization, offering space for dissident women to call for changes to the social, political, and economic order.
Masculinity and Organized Resistance in Domestic Service in Colonial Dar es Salaam, 1919–1961
Authors: Pariser Robyn
Published: September 2015

This article analyzes the relationship between masculinity and domestic service by exploring how servants resisted the changing culture and realities of their work in colonial Dar es Salaam, the capital of British colonial Tanganyika. Domestic servants formed nearly half the working class in the city, and ninety-seven percent of servants were African men. Considered during the early decades of colonialism to be a well-paid, skilled, and respectable occupation, domestic service transformed in the 1940s and 1950s, due to the World War II economic crisis, soaring urban population, and introduction of new labor regulations. The primary threats to servants’ masculinity during the latter half of the colonial era were the growing limitations the occupation placed on men's abilities to achieve the financial and social capital required to achieve senior status and respect within their families and the African community. In response to rising exploitation and declining wages, servants formed Tanganyika's first African labor union.
“Strike Strike, We Strike”: Making Aboriginal Domestic Labor Visible in the Pilbara Pastoral Workers’ Strike, Western Australia, 1946–1952
Authors: Haskins Victoria , Scrimgeour Anne
Published: September 2015

Between 1946 and 1949, the Pilbara Walk-Off of Aboriginal pastoral workers in the Northwest of Western Australia came to symbolize the demand for Aboriginal rights and independence and is now recognized as a key event in the Aboriginal land rights movement. While the Pilbara strike has received attention from many historians, the involvement of Aboriginal domestic workers in the action has not. But the strike provided an unprecedented opportunity for Aboriginal domestic workers to mobilize and organize. This article examines the historical role and impact of Aboriginal domestic workers in the Pilbara strike. Drawing upon Aboriginal oral histories and correspondence of employers at the time as well as official records, this study argues that the involvement of the domestic workers made Aboriginal domestic labor visible, and in doing so challenged the racial and gender foundations of hierarchy and power that underpinned the pastoral economy of colonization.
Domestic Worker Organizing in the United States: Reports from the Field
Authors: Goldberg Harmony
Published: September 2015

Most efforts of the current domestic workers’ rights movement in the United States have focused on ending the exclusion of domestic workers from employment protections that were institutionalized during the New Deal in the 1930s. These victories have been significant in both policy and culture. They have brought public attention to the invisibilized world of domestic work, and state recognition has validated this often-degraded occupation as “real work.” However, enforcement has been a problem. As domestic worker organizing has matured, it has expanded to include pushing the boundaries of state-ensured minimum standards as well as raising standards in the industry through direct intervention in the relationship between workers and employers. These programs are significant in that they reflect a different strategic approach—often with the goal of base building—than the earlier model of domestic worker advocacy and organizing.
A meaning potential perspective on lexical meaning: the case ofbit
Authors: HARTMAN JENNY
Published: September 2015

This article offers a description of a particular lexical item, the English wordbit, from a meaning potential perspective making use of the frameworklexical meaning as ontologies and construals(LOC). The lexical semantics forbitis described not in terms of meanings per se, but rather in terms of potential for cueing conceptual structures of varying schematicity, put to use through a range of cognitive processes, or construals. The article concludes that some conceptual structures are quite fundamental tobit’s use and that their construal is highly flexible and contextually sensitive. The semantic structures evoked bybitare realized through particular communicative and discursive settings, and these semantic structures provide the raw material for all its situated meanings in response to communicative demands. Ultimately, a meaning potential perspective, in particular the model for describing and explaining lexical meaning adopted in this article, facilitates a rich and explicatory description ofbit, both as regards its fundamental structures and their construal in attested language use.
Design methodology for a switching-mode RF CMOS power amplifier with an output transformer
Authors: Lee Changhyun , Park Changkun
Published: September 2015

In this study, we propose a design methodology for a switching-mode RF CMOS power amplifier with an output transformer. For a given supply voltage, output power, and target efficiency, the initial values of the transistor size, output inductance, and capacitance can be sequentially determined during the design of the power amplifier. The breakdown voltage of the power transistor is considered in the design methodology. To prove the feasibility of the proposed design methodology, we provide the design example of a 2.4-GHz switching-mode CMOS power amplifier with 180-nm RF CMOS technology. From the measured results, the feasibility of the proposed design methodology is proved.
Cohesion as a Principle for Perceiving Objecthood
Authors: Cacchione Trix , Amici Federica
Published: September 2015

Abstract. Previous research found that cohesion manipulations (e.g., splitting an object into two parts) may have deleterious effects on infants’ object representation. The present study investigated whether the cohesion principle is relevant only when assessing the continuity of inanimate objects, or whether it is equally fundamental for the perception and representation of animate agents. In two experiments, we assessed 8-month-old infants’ tracking behavior in events in which an agent (an animated snail) was either split in half, fused together, or simply changed its shape. Infants managed to individuate fused snails and snails that had changed their shape, but failed to track split snails, even in a perception-based paradigm. This suggests that the effects of cohesion manipulation apply to animate agents as well as inanimate objects. Moreover, these results suggest that infants’ inability to track split snails is not a consequence of a violation of core principles, but rather a consequence of the increased processing demands that arise when they are tracking multiple entities moving in different directions.
Rice Receives 2015 Ocean Sciences Award
Authors:   AGU
Published: September 2015

Donald Rice will receive the 2015 Ocean Sciences Award at the 2015 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, to be held 14–18 December in San Francisco, Calif. The award is given in recognition of outstanding and long-standing service to the ocean sciences.
Bub1 autophosphorylation feeds back to regulate kinetochore docking and promote localized substrate phosphorylation
Authors: Asghar Adeel , Lajeunesse Audrey , Dulla Kalyan , Combes Guillaume , Thebault Philippe , Nigg Erich A. , Elowe Sabine
Published: September 2015

During mitosis, Bub1 kinase phosphorylates histone H2A-T120 to promote centromere sister chromatid cohesion through recruitment of shugoshin (Sgo) proteins. The regulation and dynamics of H2A-T120 phosphorylation are poorly understood. Using quantitative phosphoproteomics we show that Bub1 is autophosphorylated at numerous sites. We confirm mitosis-specific autophosphorylation of a several residues and show that Bub1 activation is primed in interphase but fully achieved only in mitosis. Mutation of a single autophosphorylation site T589 alters kinetochore turnover of Bub1 and results in uniform H2A-T120 phosphorylation and Sgo recruitment along chromosome arms. Consequently, improper sister chromatid resolution and chromosome segregation errors are observed. Kinetochore tethering of Bub1-T589A refocuses H2A-T120 phosphorylation and Sgo1 to centromeres. Recruitment of the Bub1-Bub3-BubR1 axis to kinetochores has recently been extensively studied. Our data provide novel insight into the regulation and kinetochore residency of Bub1 and indicate that its localization is dynamic and tightly controlled through feedback autophosphorylation.
Diffusional spread and confinement of newly exocytosed synaptic vesicle proteins
Authors: Gimber Niclas , Tadeus Georgi , Maritzen Tanja , Schmoranzer Jan , Haucke Volker
Published: September 2015

Neurotransmission relies on the calcium-triggered exocytic fusion of non-peptide neurotransmitter-containing small synaptic vesicles (SVs) with the presynaptic membrane at active zones (AZs) followed by compensatory endocytic retrieval of SV membranes. Here, we study the diffusional fate of newly exocytosed SV proteins in hippocampal neurons by high-resolution time-lapse imaging. Newly exocytosed SV proteins rapidly disperse within the first seconds post fusion until confined within the presynaptic bouton. Rapid diffusional spread and confinement is followed by slow reclustering of SV proteins at the periactive endocytic zone. Confinement within the presynaptic bouton is mediated in part by SV protein association with the clathrin-based endocytic machinery to limit diffusional spread of newly exocytosed SV proteins. These data suggest that diffusion, and axonal escape of newly exocytosed vesicle proteins, are counteracted by the clathrin-based endocytic machinery together with a presynaptic diffusion barrier.
HIV–tuberculosis-associated immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome is characterized by Toll-like receptor and inflammasome signalling
Authors: Lai Rachel P. J. , Meintjes Graeme , Wilkinson Katalin A. , Graham Christine M. , Marais Suzaan , Van der Plas Helen , Deffur Armin , Schutz Charlotte , Bloom Chloe , Munagala Indira , Anguiano Esperanza , Goliath Rene , Maartens Gary , Banchereau Jacques , Chaussabel Damien , O’Garra Anne , Wilkinson Robert J.
Published: September 2015

Patients with HIV-associated tuberculosis (TB) initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) may develop immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (TB-IRIS). No biomarkers for TB-IRIS have been identified and the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here we perform transcriptomic profiling of the blood samples of patients with HIV-associated TB. We identify differentially abundant transcripts as early as week 0.5 post ART initiation that predict downstream activation of proinflammatory cytokines in patients who progress to TB-IRIS. At the characteristic time of TB-IRIS onset (week 2), the signature is characterized by over-representation of innate immune mediators including TLR signalling and TREM-1 activation of the inflammasome. In keeping with the transcriptional data, concentrations of plasma cytokines and caspase-1/5 are elevated in TB-IRIS. Inhibition of MyD88 adaptor and group 1 caspases reduces secretion of cytokines including IL-1 in TB-IRIS patients. These data provide insight on the pathogenesis of TB-IRIS and may assist the development of specific therapies.
Regional microbial signatures positively correlate with differential wine phenotypes: evidence for a microbial aspect to terroir
Authors: Knight Sarah , Klaere Steffen , Fedrizzi Bruno , Goddard Matthew R.
Published: September 2015

Many crops display differential geographic phenotypes and sensorial signatures, encapsulated by the concept of terroir. The drivers behind these differences remain elusive and the potential contribution of microbes has been ignored until recently. Significant genetic differentiation between microbial communities and populations from different geographic locations has been demonstrated, but crucially it has not been shown whether this correlates with differential agricultural phenotypes or not. Using wine as a model system, we utilize the regionally genetically differentiated population of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in New Zealand and objectively demonstrate that these populations differentially affect wine phenotype, which is driven by a complex mix of chemicals. These findings reveal the importance of microbial populations for the regional identity of wine and potentially extend to other important agricultural commodities. Moreover, this suggests that long-term implementation of methods maintaining differential biodiversity may have tangible economic imperatives as well as being desirable in terms of employing agricultural practices that increase responsible environmental stewardship.
Inhibitory luminopsins: genetically-encoded bioluminescent opsins for versatile, scalable and hardware-independent optogenetic inhibition
Authors: Tung Jack K. , Gutekunst Claire-Anne , Gross Robert E.
Published: September 2015

Optogenetic techniques provide an unprecedented ability to precisely manipulate neural activity in the context of complex neural circuitry. Although the toolbox of optogenetic probes continues to expand at a rapid pace with more efficient and responsive reagents, hardware-based light delivery is still a major hurdle that limits its practical usein vivo. We have bypassed the challenges of external light delivery by directly coupling a bioluminescent light source (a genetically encoded luciferase) to an inhibitory opsin, which we term an inhibitory luminopsin (iLMO). iLMO was shown to suppress action potential firing and synchronous bursting activityin vitroin response to both external light and luciferase substrate. iLMO was further shown to suppress single-unit firing rate and local field potentials in the hippocampus of anesthetized rats. Finally, expression of iLMO was scaled up to multiple structures of the basal ganglia to modulate rotational behavior of freely moving animals in a hardware-independent fashion. This novel class of optogenetic probes demonstrates how non-invasive inhibition of neural activity can be achieved, which adds to the versatility, scalability and practicality of optogenetic applications in freely behaving animals.
Layer matching epitaxy of NiO thin films on atomically stepped sapphire (0001) substrates
Authors: Yamauchi Ryosuke , Hamasaki Yosuke , Shibuya Takuto , Saito Akira , Tsuchimine Nobuo , Koyama Koji , Matsuda Akifumi , Yoshimoto Mamoru
Published: September 2015

Thin-film epitaxy is critical for investigating the original properties of materials. To obtain epitaxial films, careful consideration of the external conditions, i.e. single-crystal substrate, temperature, deposition pressure and fabrication method, is significantly important. In particular, selection of the single-crystal substrate is the first step towards fabrication of a high-quality film. Sapphire (single-crystalline α-Al2O3) is commonly used in industry as a thin-film crystal-growth substrate and functional thin-film materials deposited on sapphire substrates have found industrial applications. However, while sapphire is a single crystal, two types of atomic planes exist in accordance with step height. Here we discuss the need to consider the lattice mismatch for each of the sapphire atomic layers. Furthermore, through cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy analysis, we demonstrate the uniepitaxial growth of cubic crystalline thin films on bistepped sapphire (0001) substrates.
A Sustainable Substitute for Ivory: the Jarina Seed from the Amazon
Authors: Chu Yinghao , Meyers A Marc A. , Wang Bin , Yang Wen , Jung Jae-Young , Coimbra Carlos F. M.
Published: September 2015

The dried endosperm of the seed of Phytelephas sp is widely used for artisanal work in the Amazon region due to its favorable mechanical properties and pleasant appearance that resemble elephant ivory. While the seeds have enjoyed popularity and limited use by selected industries (e.g., military uniform buttons and piano keys) and handicraft applications, little is known about the mechanical properties and structure of this sustainable material. This work is the first to characterize the dried Jarina endosperm and to investigate its functionality as a viable substitute for elephant ivory. Structural analysis of typical seeds reveals the prevalence of tubules that align in rings and radiate from the (usually hollow) core of the seed. This seed, in the absence of a reinforcement structure or mineral phase, possesses mechanical properties slightly inferior to elephant ivory and selected plastics, while retaining the visual appeal of a naturally occurring material. A synthetic structure inspired on the seed is created and suggestions for further development are discussed.
Intense, carrier frequency and bandwidth tunable quasi single-cycle pulses from an organic emitter covering the Terahertz frequency gap
Authors: Vicario C. , Monoszlai B. , Jazbinsek M. , Lee S. -H. , Kwon O. -P. , Hauri C. P.
Published: September 2015

In Terahertz (THz) science, one of the long-standing challenges has been the formation of spectrally dense, single-cycle pulses with tunable duration and spectrum across the frequency range of 0.1–15 THz (THz gap). This frequency band, lying between the electronically and optically accessible spectra hosts important molecular fingerprints and collective modes which cannot be fully controlled by present strong-field THz sources. We present a method that provides powerful single-cycle THz pulses in the THz gap with a stable absolute phase whose duration can be continuously selected between 68 fs and 1100 fs. The loss-free and chirp-free technique is based on optical rectification of a wavelength-tunable pump pulse in the organic emitter HMQ-TMS that allows for tuning of the spectral bandwidth from 1 to more than 7 octaves over the entire THz gap. The presented source tunability of the temporal carrier frequency and spectrum expands the scope of spectrally dense THz sources to time-resolved nonlinear THz spectroscopy in the entire THz gap. This opens new opportunities towards ultrafast coherent control over matter and light.
Anomalous Structural Transition and Electrical Transport Behaviors in Compressed Zn2SnO4: Effect of Interface
Authors: Zhang Haiwa , Ke Feng , Li Yan , Wang Li , Liu Cailong , Zeng Yi , Yao Mingguang , Han Yonghao , Ma Yanzhang , Gao Chunxiao
Published: September 2015

The interface effect is one of the most important factors that strongly affect the structural transformations and the properties of nano-/submicro-crystals under pressure. However, characterization of the granular boundary changes in materials is always challenging. Here, using tetrakaidecahedral Zn2SnO4microcrystals as an example, we employed alternating current impedance, X-ray diffraction methods and transmission electron microscopy to elucidate the effect of the interface on the structure and electrical transport behavior of the Zn2SnO4material under pressure. We clearly show that grain refinement of the initial microcrystals into nanocrystals (approximately 5 nm) occurs at above 12.5 GPa and is characterized by an anomalous resistance variation without a structural phase transition. A new phase transition pathway from the cubic to hexagonal structure occurs at approximately 29.8 GPa in Zn2SnO4. The unexpected grain refinement may explain the new structural transition in Zn2SnO4, which is different from the previous theoretical prediction. Our results provide new insights into the link between the structural transition, interface changes and electrical transport properties of Zn2SnO4.
Low Expression of Slit2 and Robo1 is Associated with Poor Prognosis and Brain-specific Metastasis of Breast Cancer Patients
Authors: Qin Fengxia , Zhang Huikun , Ma Li , Liu Xiaoli , Dai Kun , Li Wenliang , Gu Feng , Fu Li , Ma Yongjie
Published: September 2015

Brain metastasis is a significant unmet clinical problem in breast cancer treatment. It is always associated with poor prognosis and high morbidity. Recently, Slit2/Robo1 pathway has been demonstrated to be involved in the progression of breast carcinoma. However, until present, there are no convincing reports that suggest whether the Slit2/Robo1 axis has any role in brain metastasis of breast cancer. In this study, we investigated the correlation between Slit2/Robo1 signaling and breast cancer brain metastasis for the first time. Our results demonstrated that (1) Invasive ductal carcinoma patients with low expression of Slit2 or Robo1 exhibited worse prognosis and brain-specific metastasis, but not liver, bone or lung. (2) Lower expression of Slit2 and Robo1 were observed in patients with brain metastasis, especially in their brain metastasis tumors, compared with patients without brain metastasis. (3) The interval from diagnosis of breast cancer to brain metastasis and brain metastasis to death were both much shorter in patients with low expression of Slit2 or Robo1 compared with the high expression group. Overall, our findings indicated that Slit2/Robo1 axis possibly be regarded as a significant clinical parameter for predicting brain metastasis in breast cancer patients.
Visual detection of thrombin using a strip biosensor through aptamer-cleavage reaction with enzyme catalytic amplification
Authors: Qin Chunyan , Wen Wei , Zhang Xiuhua , Gu Haoshuang , Wang Shengfu
Published: September 2015

Combining the aptamer-cleavage reaction with the enzyme catalytic amplification system for visual thrombin detection.
Design of a Brønsted acid with two different acidic sites: synthesis and application of aryl phosphinic acid–phosphoric acid as a Brønsted acid catalyst
Authors: Momiyama N. , Narumi T. , Terada M.
Published: September 2015

A Brønsted acid with two different acidic sites, aryl phosphinic acid–phosphoric acid, was synthesized and its catalytic performance was assessed.
Symmetry breaking in the planar configurations of disilicon tetrahalides: Pseudo-Jahn–Teller effect parameters, hardness and electronegativity
Authors: Kouchakzadeh Ghazaleh , Nori-Shargh Davood
Published: September 2015

The correlations between the Pseudo-Jahn–Teller Effect (PJTE) parameters (i.e. F, Δ and K0), structural and configurational properties, global hardness and global electronegativities in disilicon tetrahalides were investigated by means of ab initio and hybrid-DFT methods.
Multiple coupled landscapes and non-adiabatic dynamics with applications to self-activating genes
Authors: Chen Cong , Zhang Kun , Feng Haidong , Sasai Masaki , Wang Jin
Published: September 2015

Many physical, chemical and biochemical systems are governed by continuous stochastic processes (e.g. protein (gene product) synthesis) coupled with discrete processes (e.g. on and off switching of genes).
In-house-made capillary electrophoresis instruments coupled with contactless conductivity detection as a simple and inexpensive solution for water analysis: a case study in Vietnam
Authors: Duong Hong Anh , Le Minh Duc , Mai Nguyen Kim Diem , Hauser Peter C. , Pham Hung Viet , Mai Thanh Duc
Published: September 2015

A simple and inexpensive approach for the determination of ionic species is reported. Various inorganic cations and anions in different water matrices in Vietnam were determined using purpose-made CE-C4D instruments.
Redox-sensitive hyaluronic acid–paclitaxel conjugate micelles with high physical drug loading for efficient tumor therapy
Authors: Yin Tingjie , Wang Jing , Yin Lifang , Shen Linjia , Zhou Jianping , Huo Meirong
Published: September 2015

Characterization of targeted redox-sensitive micelles self-assembled from polymer–drug conjugates exhibiting conspicuous drug loading capabilities, selective cellular uptake, rapid intracellular disassembly and drug release is presented.
Graphene-covered perovskites: an effective strategy to enhance light absorption and resist moisture degradation
Authors: Jiao Yalong , Ma Fengxian , Gao Guoping , Wang Hongxia , Bell John , Frauenheim Thomas , Du Aijun
Published: September 2015

The graphene-coated strategy can effectively protect MAPbI3 from the reaction with water, thus maintaining the long-term stability of MAPbI3 in the moist environment.
TM atoms on B/N doped defective graphene as a catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction: a theoretical study
Authors: Zhang Xiaoming , Yu Shansheng , Chen Hong , Zheng Weitao
Published: September 2015

N-doping can effectively improve the binding strength of metal atoms with divacancies and some TM–VN2 serve as promising ORR catalysts.
Performance of palladium and platinum supported on alumina pillared clays in the catalytic combustion of propene
Authors: Aznárez A. , Gil A. , Korili S. A.
Published: September 2015

The effect that the metal content of various pillared-clay-supported catalysts may have on the oxidation of propene was studied in this work.
Biocomposites for wound-healing based on sol–gel magnetite
Authors: Drozdov Andrey S. , Volodina Katerina V. , Vinogradov Vasiliy V. , Vinogradov Vladimir V.
Published: September 2015

New nanocomposite material based on sol–gel magnetite for wound healing is described. Composition and drug release profile provides 1.5 fold acceleration wound healing rate and 2 fold lesser scar size.
Tuning the photodynamic efficiency of TiO2 nanotubes against HeLa cancer cells by Fe-doping
Authors: Flak Dorota , Coy Emerson , Nowaczyk Grzegorz , Yate Luis , Jurga Stefan
Published: September 2015

The photodynamic efficiency of TiO2 nanotubes against cervical cancer cells (HeLa) driven by near-visible light was successfully tuned by Fe-doping.
Theory of colloid depletion stabilization by unattached and adsorbed polymers
Authors: Semenov A. N. , Shvets A. A.
Published: September 2015

The enhanced colloidal stabilization by unattached polymer chains is predicted if they are not too long compared to adsorbed chains.
Efficient multicolor and white light emission from Zr-based MOF composites: spectral and dynamic properties
Authors: Gutiérrez Mario , Sánchez Félix , Douhal Abderrazzak
Published: September 2015

Nanocomposites of a Zr-based MOF containing Coumarin 153 and Nile Red show efficient multicolor and white light emission.
The activating role of phospho-(Tyr)-calmodulin on the epidermal growth factor receptor
Authors: Stateva Silviya R. , Salas Valentina , Benguría Alberto , Cossío Itziar , Anguita Estefanía , Martín-Nieto José , Benaim Gustavo , Villalobo Antonio
Published: September 2015

The activity of calmodulin (CaM) is modulated not only by oscillations in the cytosolic concentration of free Ca2+, but also by its phosphorylation status. In the present study, the role of tyrosine-phosphorylated CaM [P-(Tyr)-CaM] on the regulation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has been examined using in vitro assay systems. We show that phosphorylation of CaM by rat liver solubilized EGFR leads to a dramatic increase in the subsequent phosphorylation of poly-L-(Glu:Tyr) (PGT) by the receptor in the presence of ligand, both in the absence and in the presence of Ca2+. This occurred in contrast with assays where P-(Tyr)-CaM accumulation was prevented by the presence of Ca2+, absence of a basic cofactor required for CaM phosphorylation and/or absence of CaM itself. Moreover, an antibody against CaM, which inhibits its phosphorylation, prevented the extra ligand-dependent EGFR activation. Addition of purified P-(Tyr)-CaM, phosphorylated by recombinant c-Src (cellular sarcoma kinase) and free of non-phosphorylated CaM, obtained by affinity-chromatography using an immobilized anti-phospho-(Tyr)-antibody, also increased the ligand-dependent tyrosine kinase activity of the isolated EGFR toward PGT. Also a CaM(Y99D/Y138D) mutant mimicked the effect of P-(Tyr)-CaM on ligand-dependent EGFR activation. Finally, we demonstrate that P-(Tyr)-CaM binds to the same site (645R-R-R-H-I-V-R-K-R-T-L-R-R-L-L-Q660) as non-phosphorylated CaM, located at the cytosolic juxtamembrane region of the EGFR. These results show that P-(Tyr)-CaM is an activator of the EGFR and suggest that it could contribute to the CaM-mediated ligand-dependent activation of the receptor that we previously reported in living cells.