bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Teaching across Cultures: Student-Led Modules in a Human Rights Course
Authors: McBride Becca
Published: October 2017

Human rights, ethnic conflict, democratization, colonialism, and development—many upper-level political science courses contain content that is understood differently across cultural contexts. Equipping students to appreciate diverse perspectives on these issues is a challenge that requires creative pedagogical strategies, regardless of whether all students come from the same region of the United States or the class has more than half international students. Professors in both environments have the complex task of guiding students to navigate disparate viewpoints. This article demonstrates the pedagogical potential of an integrated approach to student-led class modules based on a two-semester experiment using a Global Politics of Human Rights course at a small liberal arts college with a large population of international students. One section of the same course was taught in each semester with identical course material but with two different sets of student participants. After situating the challenges and the strategy within the growing literature on active learning, the article provides basic details of the pedagogical approach and three examples of the modules. It concludes with methods for assessing the effectiveness of student-led class modules.
Creative Writing and the Study of Politics
Authors: McWilliams Susan
Published: October 2017

Creative writing is not part of professional training in political science. Scholars in other fields, though, testify to the benefits of creative writing assignments, and my experiences teaching an undergraduate course on Politics and Literature suggest that there may be value in adding creative writing into certain political science courses. As with other forms of non-academic writing that political scientists identify as enriching, creative writing allows students to consider politics from multiple perspectives and expands their communicative powers. Working at the craft of storytelling—as opposed to abstract argumentation—can help students to think through key claims in contemporary political thought. Moreover, in this age of “alternative facts,” doing creative writing in a politics course may help students hone a critical skill of citizenship: thinking about the news in terms of narrative. In this essay, I consider the advantages and challenges of bringing creative writing into the study of politics.
A Model on the Contribution of School Assets to the Achievement of Adolescents’ Well-Being and Academic Performance
Authors: Pertegal Miguel-Ángel , Oliva Alfredo
Published: October 2017

The aim of this study was to examine a model on the contribution of school assets on the development of adolescent´s well-being and school success. The sample comprised 1944 adolescents (893 girls and 1051 boys) aged between 12 and 17 years (M= 14.4;SD= 1.13), from secondary schools in Western Andalusia, which completed some self-report questionnaires. The results of structural equation modeling showed the goodness of fit of the initial theoretical model. This model confirmed the importance of school connectedness as a key factor in the relationships between other school assets (social climate; clarity of the rules and values, and positive opportunities and empowerment) and commitment to learning, academic performance and life satisfaction. However, the re-specification of the initial model considered two complementary paths with theoretical sense: first, a direct influence between clarity of the rules and values and commitment to learning, and second, between academic performance and life satisfaction. This model obtained better goodness of fit indices than the first one: χ2= 16.32;gl= 8;p= .038; χ2/gl= 2.04; SRMR = .018; RSMEA = .023 (95% C.I. = .005; 040); NNFI = .98; CFI = .99. From our study, the need to invest in initiatives focused on the promotion of adolescents’ links with their school emerges as a key goal to contribute towards, at the same time, both a good academic performance and a better life satisfaction.
Ocean Dynamics May Drive North Atlantic Temperature Anomalies
Authors: Stanley Sarah
Published: October 2017

A new analysis of sea surface temperature and salinity over several decades seeks to settle the debate on which of two mechanisms underlies the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation.
Administration Sets Moon as Destination
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2017

The U.S. National Space Council, an advisory body that has been dormant since 1993, focused on lunar travel, civil and commercial space opportunities, and national security when it met last week.
Landscape of X chromosome inactivation across human tissues
Authors:   GTEx Consortium, Tukiainen Taru , Villani Alexandra-Chloé , Yen Angela , Rivas Manuel A. , Marshall Jamie L. , Satija Rahul , Aguirre Matt , Gauthier Laura , Fleharty Mark , Kirby Andrew , Cummings Beryl B. , Castel Stephane E. , Karczewski Konrad J. , Aguet François , Byrnes Andrea , Lappalainen Tuuli , Regev Aviv , Ardlie Kristin G. , Hacohen Nir , MacArthur Daniel G.
Published: October 2017

X chromosome inactivation (XCI) silences transcription from one of the two X chromosomes in female mammalian cells to balance expression dosage between XX females and XY males. XCI is, however, incomplete in humans: up to one-third of X-chromosomal genes are expressed from both the active and inactive X chromosomes (Xa and Xi, respectively) in female cells, with the degree of ‘escape’ from inactivation varying between genes and individuals1,2. The extent to which XCI is shared between cells and tissues remains poorly characterized3,4, as does the degree to which incomplete XCI manifests as detectable sex differences in gene expression5and phenotypic traits6. Here we describe a systematic survey of XCI, integrating over 5,500 transcriptomes from 449 individuals spanning 29 tissues from GTEx (v6p release) and 940 single-cell transcriptomes, combined with genomic sequence data. We show that XCI at 683 X-chromosomal genes is generally uniform across human tissues, but identify examples of heterogeneity between tissues, individuals and cells. We show that incomplete XCI affects at least 23% of X-chromosomal genes, identify seven genes that escape XCI with support from multiple lines of evidence and demonstrate that escape from XCI results in sex biases in gene expression, establishing incomplete XCI as a mechanism that is likely to introduce phenotypic diversity6,7. Overall, this updated catalogue of XCI across human tissues helps to increase our understanding of the extent and impact of the incompleteness in the maintenance of XCI.
TRIM29 promotes DNA virus infections by inhibiting innate immune response
Authors: Xing Junji , Zhang Ao , Zhang Hua , Wang Jin , Li Xian Chang , Zeng Mu-Sheng , Zhang Zhiqiang
Published: October 2017

Many double-stranded DNA viruses, such as Epstein-Barr virus, can establish persistent infection, but the underlying virus–host interactions remain poorly understood. Here we report that in human airway epithelial cells Epstein-Barr virus induces TRIM29, a member of the TRIM family of proteins, to inhibit innate immune activation. Knockdown of TRIM29 in airway epithelial cells enhances type I interferon production, and in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells results in almost complete Epstein-Barr virus clearance. TRIM29 is also highly induced by cytosolic double-stranded DNA in myeloid dendritic cells. TRIM29−/− mice have lower adenovirus titers in the lung, and are resistant to lethal herpes simplex virus-1 infection due to enhanced production of type I interferon. Mechanistically, TRIM29 induces K48-linked ubiquitination of Stimulator of interferon genes, a key adaptor in double-stranded DNA-sensing pathway, followed by its rapid degradation. These data demonstrate that Epstein-Barr virus and possible other double-stranded DNA viruses use TRIM29 to suppress local innate immunity, leading to the persistence of DNA virus infections.
The Hsp70 homolog Ssb affects ribosome biogenesis via the TORC1-Sch9 signaling pathway
Authors: Mudholkar Kaivalya , Fitzke Edith , Prinz Claudia , Mayer Matthias P. , Rospert Sabine
Published: October 2017

The Hsp70 Ssb serves a dual role in de novo protein folding and ribosome biogenesis; however, the mechanism by which Ssb affects ribosome production is unclear. Here we establish that Ssb is causally linked to the regulation of ribosome biogenesis via the TORC1-Sch9 signaling pathway. Ssb is bound to Sch9 posttranslationally and required for the TORC1-dependent phosphorylation of Sch9 at T737. Also, Sch9 lacking phosphorylation at T737 displays significantly reduced kinase activity with respect to targets involved in the regulation of ribosome biogenesis. The absence of either Ssb or Sch9 causes enhanced ribosome aggregation. Particularly with respect to proper assembly of the small ribosomal subunit,SSBandSCH9display strong positive genetic interaction. In combination, the data indicate that Ssb promotes ribosome biogenesis not only via cotranslational protein folding, but also posttranslationally via interaction with natively folded Sch9, facilitating access of the upstream kinase TORC1 to Sch9-T737.
Direct measurement of discrete valley and orbital quantum numbers in bilayer graphene
Authors: Hunt B. M. , Li J. I. A. , Zibrov A. A. , Wang L. , Taniguchi T. , Watanabe K. , Hone J. , Dean C. R. , Zaletel M. , Ashoori R. C. , Young A. F.
Published: October 2017

The high magnetic field electronic structure of bilayer graphene is enhanced by the spin, valley isospin, and an accidental orbital degeneracy, leading to a complex phase diagram of broken symmetry states. Here, we present a technique for measuring the layer-resolved charge density, from which we directly determine the valley and orbital polarization within the zero energy Landau level. Layer polarization evolves in discrete steps across 32 electric field-tuned phase transitions between states of different valley, spin, and orbital order, including previously unobserved orbitally polarized states stabilized by skew interlayer hopping. We fit our data to a model that captures both single-particle and interaction-induced anisotropies, providing a complete picture of this correlated electron system. The resulting roadmap to symmetry breaking paves the way for deterministic engineering of fractional quantum Hall states, while our layer-resolved technique is readily extendable to other two-dimensional materials where layer polarization maps to the valley or spin quantum numbers.
Signatures of a time-reversal symmetric Weyl semimetal with only four Weyl points
Authors: Belopolski Ilya , Yu Peng , Sanchez Daniel S. , Ishida Yukiaki , Chang Tay-Rong , Zhang Songtian S. , Xu Su-Yang , Zheng Hao , Chang Guoqing , Bian Guang , Jeng Horng-Tay , Kondo Takeshi , Lin Hsin , Liu Zheng , Shin Shik , Hasan M. Zahid
Published: October 2017

Through intense research on Weyl semimetals during the past few years, we have come to appreciate that typical Weyl semimetals host many Weyl points. Nonetheless, the minimum nonzero number of Weyl points allowed in a time-reversal invariant Weyl semimetal is four. Realizing such a system is of fundamental interest and may simplify transport experiments. Recently, it was predicted that TaIrTe4 realizes a minimal Weyl semimetal. However, the Weyl points and Fermi arcs live entirely above the Fermi level, making them inaccessible to conventional angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). Here, we use pump-probe ARPES to directly access the band structure above the Fermi level in TaIrTe4. We observe signatures of Weyl points and topological Fermi arcs. Combined with ab initio calculation, our results show that TaIrTe4 is a Weyl semimetal with the minimum number of four Weyl points. Our work provides a simpler platform for accessing exotic transport phenomena arising in Weyl semimetals.
Barley SIX-ROWED SPIKE3 encodes a putative Jumonji C-type H3K9me2/me3 demethylase that represses lateral spikelet fertility
Authors: Bull Hazel , Casao M. Cristina , Zwirek Monika , Flavell Andrew J. , Thomas William T. B. , Guo Wenbin , Zhang Runxuan , Rapazote-Flores Paulo , Kyriakidis Stylianos , Russell Joanne , Druka Arnis , McKim Sarah M. , Waugh Robbie
Published: October 2017

The barley inflorescence (spike) comprises a multi-noded central stalk (rachis) with tri-partite clusters of uni-floretted spikelets attached alternately along its length. Relative fertility of lateral spikelets within each cluster leads to spikes with two or six rows of grain, or an intermediate morphology. Understanding the mechanisms controlling this key developmental step could provide novel solutions to enhanced grain yield. Classical genetic studies identified five majorSIX-ROWED SPIKE(VRS) genes, with four now known to encode transcription factors. Here we identify and characterise the remaining majorVRSgene,VRS3, as encoding a putative Jumonji C-type H3K9me2/me3 demethylase, a regulator of chromatin state. Exploring the expression network modulated byVRS3reveals specific interactions, both with otherVRSgenes and genes involved in stress, hormone and sugar metabolism. We show that combining avrs3mutant allele with natural six-rowed alleles ofVRS1andVRS5leads to increased lateral grain size and greater grain uniformity.
Electro-osmotic capture and ionic discrimination of peptide and protein biomarkers with FraC nanopores
Authors: Huang Gang , Willems Kherim , Soskine Misha , Wloka Carsten , Maglia Giovanni
Published: October 2017

Biological nanopores are nanoscale sensors employed for high-throughput, low-cost, and long read-length DNA sequencing applications. The analysis and sequencing of proteins, however, is complicated by their folded structure and non-uniform charge. Here we show that an electro-osmotic flow through Fragaceatoxin C (FraC) nanopores can be engineered to allow the entry of polypeptides at a fixed potential regardless of the charge composition of the polypeptide. We further use the nanopore currents to discriminate peptide and protein biomarkers from 25 kDa down to 1.2 kDa including polypeptides differing by one amino acid. On the road to nanopore proteomics, our findings represent a rationale for amino-acid analysis of folded and unfolded polypeptides with nanopores.
Transcriptional repression of Plxnc1 by Lmx1a and Lmx1b directs topographic dopaminergic circuit formation
Authors: Chabrat Audrey , Brisson Guillaume , Doucet-Beaupré Hélène , Salesse Charleen , Schaan Profes Marcos , Dovonou Axelle , Akitegetse Cléophace , Charest Julien , Lemstra Suzanne , Côté Daniel , Pasterkamp R. Jeroen , Abrudan Monica I. , Metzakopian Emmanouil , Ang Siew-Lan , Lévesque Martin
Published: October 2017

Mesodiencephalic dopamine neurons play central roles in the regulation of a wide range of brain functions, including voluntary movement and behavioral processes. These functions are served by distinct subtypes of mesodiencephalic dopamine neurons located in the substantia nigra pars compacta and the ventral tegmental area, which form the nigrostriatal, mesolimbic, and mesocortical pathways. Until now, mechanisms involved in dopaminergic circuit formation remained largely unknown. Here, we show that Lmx1a, Lmx1b, and Otx2 transcription factors control subtype-specific mesodiencephalic dopamine neurons and their appropriate axon innervation. Our results revealed that the expression of Plxnc1, an axon guidance receptor, is repressed by Lmx1a/b and enhanced by Otx2. We also found that Sema7a/Plxnc1 interactions are responsible for the segregation of nigrostriatal and mesolimbic dopaminergic pathways. These findings identify Lmx1a/b, Otx2, and Plxnc1 as determinants of dopaminergic circuit formation and should assist in engineering mesodiencephalic dopamine neurons capable of regenerating appropriate connections for cell therapy.
Phage-assisted continuous evolution of proteases with altered substrate specificity
Authors: Packer Michael S. , Rees Holly A. , Liu David R.
Published: October 2017

Here we perform phage-assisted continuous evolution (PACE) of TEV protease, which canonically cleaves ENLYFQS, to cleave a very different target sequence, HPLVGHM, that is present in human IL-23. A protease emerging from ∼2500 generations of PACE contains 20 non-silent mutations, cleaves human IL-23 at the target peptide bond, and when pre-mixed with IL-23 in primary cultures of murine splenocytes inhibits IL-23-mediated immune signaling. We characterize the substrate specificity of this evolved enzyme, revealing shifted and broadened specificity changes at the six positions in which the target amino acid sequence differed. Mutational dissection and additional protease specificity profiling reveal the molecular basis of some of these changes. This work establishes the capability of changing the substrate specificity of a protease at many positions in a practical time scale and provides a foundation for the development of custom proteases that catalytically alter or destroy target proteins for biotechnological and therapeutic applications.
Two-dimensional metallic tantalum disulfide as a hydrogen evolution catalyst
Authors: Shi Jianping , Wang Xina , Zhang Shuai , Xiao Lingfeng , Huan Yahuan , Gong Yue , Zhang Zhepeng , Li Yuanchang , Zhou Xiebo , Hong Min , Fang Qiyi , Zhang Qing , Liu Xinfeng , Gu Lin , Liu Zhongfan , Zhang Yanfeng
Published: October 2017

Two-dimensional metallic transition metal dichalcogenides are emerging as prototypes for uncovering fundamental physical phenomena, such as superconductivity and charge-density waves, as well as for engineering-related applications. However, the batch production of such envisioned transition metal dichalcogenides remains challenging, which has hindered the aforementioned explorations. Herein, we fabricate thickness-tunable tantalum disulfide flakes and centimetre-sized ultrathin films on an electrode material of gold foil via a facile chemical vapour deposition route. Through temperature-dependent Raman characterization, we observe the transition from nearly commensurate to commensurate charge-density wave phases with our ultrathin tantalum disulfide flakes. We have obtained high hydrogen evolution reaction efficiency with the as-grown tantalum disulfide flakes directly synthesized on gold foils comparable to traditional platinum catalysts. This work could promote further efforts for exploring new efficient catalysts in the large materials family of metallic transition metal dichalcogenides, as well as exploiting their applications towards more versatile applications.
Mechanical on-chip microwave circulator
Authors: Barzanjeh S. , Wulf M. , Peruzzo M. , Kalaee M. , Dieterle P. B. , Painter O. , Fink J. M.
Published: October 2017

Nonreciprocal circuit elements form an integral part of modern measurement and communication systems. Mathematically they require breaking of time-reversal symmetry, typically achieved using magnetic materials and more recently using the quantum Hall effect, parametric permittivity modulation or Josephson nonlinearities. Here we demonstrate an on-chip magnetic-free circulator based on reservoir-engineered electromechanic interactions. Directional circulation is achieved with controlled phase-sensitive interference of six distinct electro-mechanical signal conversion paths. The presented circulator is compact, its silicon-on-insulator platform is compatible with both superconducting qubits and silicon photonics, and its noise performance is close to the quantum limit. With a high dynamic range, a tunable bandwidth of up to 30 MHz and an in situ reconfigurability as beam splitter or wavelength converter, it could pave the way for superconducting qubit processors with multiplexed on-chip signal processing and readout.
Investigating spatiotemporal changes of the land-surface processes in Xinjiang using high-resolution CLM3.5 and CLDAS: Soil temperature
Authors: Meng Xianyong , Wang Hao , Wu Yiping , Long Aihua , Wang Jianhua , Shi Chunxiang , Ji Xiaonan
Published: October 2017

Soil temperature plays a key role in the land surface processes because this parameter affects a series of physical, chemical, and biological processes in the soil, such as water and heat fluxes. However, observation of soil temperature is quite limited, especially at the regional scale. Therefore, this study is to investigate the spatiotemporal features of soil temperature in Xinjiang, China, using the Community Land model 3.5 (CLM3.5) with the atmospheric near-surface forcing data of the China Meteorological Administration Land Data Assimilation System (CLDAS). We use the observed soil temperature data collected from 105 national automatic stations during 2009 through 2012 in the study area to verify the simulation capability. The comparison results indicate that the CLM3.5 with the CLDAS driving field could well simulate the spatiotemporal patterns of the soil temperature at hourly, daily, and monthly time scales and at three depths (5 cm, 20 cm, and 80 cm). We also produce a soil temperature database of the region that is continuous both in time and space with high resolution (about 6.25 km). Overall, this study could help understand the regional and vertical characteristics of the soil temperature and provide an important scientific basis for other land-surface processes.
In vivo imaging of lung inflammation with neutrophil-specific 68Ga nano-radiotracer
Authors: Pellico Juan , Lechuga-Vieco Ana V. , Almarza Elena , Hidalgo Andrés , Mesa-Nuñez Cristina , Fernández-Barahona Irene , Quintana Juan A. , Bueren Juan , Enríquez Jose A. , Ruiz-Cabello Jesús , Herranz Fernando
Published: October 2017

In vivo detection and quantification of inflammation is a major goal in molecular imaging. Furthermore, cell-specific detection of inflammation would be a tremendous advantage in the characterization of many diseases. Here, we show how this goal can be achieved through the synergistic combination of nanotechnology and nuclear imaging. One of the most remarkable features of this hybrid approach is the possibility to tailor the pharmacokinetics of the nanomaterial-incorporated biomolecule and radionuclide. A good example of this approach is the covalent binding of a large amount of a neutrophil-specific, hydrophobic peptide on the surface of 68Ga core-doped nanoparticles. This new nano-radiotracer has been used for non-invasive in vivo detection of acute inflammation with very high in vivo labelling efficiency, i.e. a large percentage of labelled neutrophils. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the tracer is neutrophil-specific and yields images of neutrophil recruitment of unprecedented quality. Finally, the nano-radiotracer was successfully detected in chronic inflammation in atherosclerosis-prone ApoE−/− mice after several weeks on a high-fat diet.
Trios—promising in silico biomarkers for differentiating the effect of disease on the human microbiome network
Authors: Ma Zhanshan , Ye Dandan
Published: October 2017

Recent advances in the HMP (human microbiome project) research have revealed profound implications of the human microbiome to our health and diseases. We postulated that there should be distinctive features associated with healthy and/or diseased microbiome networks. Following Occam’s razor principle, we further hypothesized that triangle motifs or trios, arguably the simplest motif in a complex network of the human microbiome, should be sufficient to detect changes that occurred in the diseased microbiome. Here we test our hypothesis with six HMP datasets that cover five major human microbiome sites (gut, lung, oral, skin, and vaginal). The tests confirm our hypothesis and demonstrate that the trios involving the special nodes (e.g., most abundant OTU or MAO, and most dominant OTU or MDO, etc.) and interactions types (positive vs. negative) can be a powerful tool to differentiate between healthy and diseased microbiome samples. Our findings suggest that 12 kinds of trios (especially, dominantly inhibitive trio with mixed strategy, dominantly inhibitive trio with pure strategy, and fully facilitative strategy) may be utilized as in silico biomarkers for detecting disease-associated changes in the human microbiome, and may play an important role in personalized precision diagnosis of the human microbiome associated diseases.
Impact of Coulomb Correlations on Magnetic Anisotropy in Mn3Ga Ferrimagnet
Authors: Saha Srijan Kumar , Liu Zhen , Dutta Gargi
Published: October 2017

Traditional density functional theory (DFT) miserably fails to reproduce the experimental volume and magnetic anisotropy of D022 Mn3Ga, which has recently become one of the most sought-after materials in order to achieve a stable spin switching at low current density. Despite great progress over the last 10 years, this issue has hitherto remained unsolved. Here, taking into account the effects of strong electronic correlations beyond what is included in standard DFT, we show by comparison with the experiment that the DFT+U method is capable of quantitatively describing the volume and the magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE) in this alloy with physically meaningful choice of onsite Coulomb-U parameter. For the first time using a plane-wave code, we decompose MAE into spin channel-resolved components in order to determine spin-flip and spin-conserving contributions. The Mn atom at the tetrahedral site is identified as the primary source of the high perpendicular MAE with the most dominant spin-orbit coupling (SOC) occurring between its two orbital pairs: ↑↑ coupling and ↓↓ coupling between $${{\boldsymbol{d}}}_{{{\boldsymbol{x}}}^{{\bf{2}}}-{{\boldsymbol{y}}}^{{\bf{2}}}}$$

d

x

2

−

y

2

and d
xy
, and ↑↓ coupling between d
yz
and $${{\boldsymbol{d}}}_{{{\boldsymbol{z}}}^{{\bf{2}}}}$$

d

z

2

. Using the SOC-perturbation theory model, we provide interpretation of our numerical results. These results are important for quantitative microscopic understanding of the large perpendicular MAE observed in this material, and should assist in harnessing its potential for applications in futuristic spintronic devices.
Dual-Drug Containing Core-Shell Nanoparticles for Lung Cancer Therapy
Authors: Menon Jyothi U. , Kuriakose Aneetta , Iyer Roshni , Hernandez Elizabeth , Gandee Leah , Zhang Shanrong , Takahashi Masaya , Zhang Zhang , Saha Debabrata , Nguyen Kytai T.
Published: October 2017

Late-stage diagnosis of lung cancer occurs ~95% of the time due to late manifestation of its symptoms, necessitating rigorous treatment following diagnosis. Existing treatment methods are limited by lack of specificity, systemic toxicity, temporary remission, and radio-resistance in lung cancer cells. In this research, we have developed a folate receptor-targeting multifunctional dual drug-loaded nanoparticle (MDNP) containing a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-carboxymethyl chitosan shell and poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) core for enhancing localized chemo-radiotherapy to effectively treat lung cancers. The formulation provided controlled releases of the encapsulated therapeutic compounds, NU7441 - a potent radiosensitizer, and gemcitabine - an FDA approved chemotherapeutic drug for lung cancer chemo-radiotherapy. The MDNPs showed biphasic NU7441 release and pH-dependent release of gemcitabine. These nanoparticles also demonstrated good stability, excellent hemocompatibility, outstandingin vitrocytocompatibility with alveolar Type I cells, and dose-dependent caveolae-mediatedin vitrouptake by lung cancer cells. In addition, they could be encapsulated with superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles and visualized by MRIin vivo. Preliminaryin vivoresults demonstrated the low toxicity of these particles and their use in chemo-radiotherapy to effectively reduce lung tumors. These results indicate that MDNPs can potentially be used as nano-vehicles to provide simultaneous chemotherapy and radiation sensitization for lung cancer treatment.
Experimental verification of the rotational type of chiral spin spiral structures by spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy
Authors: Haze Masahiro , Yoshida Yasuo , Hasegawa Yukio
Published: October 2017

We report on experimental verification of the rotational type of chiral spin spirals in Mn thin films on a W(110) substrate using spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy (SP-STM) with a double-axis superconducting vector magnet. From SP-STM images using Fe-coated W tips magnetized to the out-of-plane and [001] directions, we found that both Mn mono- and double-layers exhibit cycloidal rotation whose spins rotate in the planes normal to the propagating directions. Our results agree with the theoretical prediction based on the symmetry of the system, supporting that the magnetic structures are driven by the interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction.
Facile Solution Synthesis of Tungsten Trioxide Doped with Nanocrystalline Molybdenum Trioxide for Electrochromic Devices
Authors: Hasani Amirhossein , Le Quyet Van , Nguyen Thang Phan , Choi Kyoung Soon , Sohn Woonbae , Kim Jang-Kyo , Jang Ho Won , Kim Soo Young
Published: October 2017

A facile, highly efficient approach to obtain molybdenum trioxide (MoO3)-doped tungsten trioxide (WO3) is reported. An annealing process was used to transform ammonium tetrathiotungstate [(NH4)2WS4] to WO3in the presence of oxygen. Ammonium tetrathiomolybdate [(NH4)2MoS4] was used as a dopant to improve the film for use in an electrochromic (EC) cell. (NH4)2MoS4at different concentrations (10, 20, 30, and 40 mM) was added to the (NH4)2WS4precursor by sonication and the samples were annealed at 500 °C in air. Raman, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements confirmed that the (NH4)2WS4precursor decomposed to WO3and the (NH4)2MoS4–(NH4)2WS4precursor was transformed to MoO3-doped WO3after annealing at 500 °C. It is shown that the MoO3-doped WO3film is more uniform and porous than pure WO3, confirming the doping quality and the privileges of the proposed method. The optimal MoO3-doped WO3used as an EC layer exhibited a high coloration efficiency of 128.1 cm2/C, which is larger than that of pure WO3(74.5 cm2/C). Therefore, MoO3-doped WO3synthesized by the reported method is a promising candidate for high-efficiency and low-cost smart windows.
Long non-coding HCG18 promotes intervertebral disc degeneration by sponging miR-146a-5p and regulating TRAF6 expression
Authors: Xi Yanhai , Jiang Tingwang , Wang Weiheng , Yu Jiangming , Wang Yang , Wu Xueming , He Yunfei
Published: October 2017

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is associated with the deterioration of nucleus pulposus (NP) cells due to hypertrophic differentiation and calcification. Emerging studies have shown that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play critical roles in the development of IDD. Using bioinformatics prediction, we hereby sought to identify the lncRNAs that regulate the expression of microRNA-146a-5p (miR-146a-5p), an IDD-related inflammatory factor. Our study demonstrated that lncRNA HCG18 acted as an endogenous sponge to down-regulate miR-146a-5p expression in the NP cells by directly binding to miR-146a-5p. In addition, HCG18 expression was up-regulated in the patients with IDD, bulging or herniated discs, and its level was positively correlated with the disc degeneration grade. In vitro, miR-146a-5p up-regulation HCG18 retarded the growth of NP cells by decreasing S phase of cell cycle, inducing cell apoptosis, recruitment of macrophages and hypercalcification. Conversely, down-regulation of miR-146a-5p exerted opposite effects. Furthermore, we elucidated that TRAF6, a target gene by miR-146a-5p, was modulated by HCG18 expression. Restore of TRAF6 expression by virus infection reserved the effect of HCG18 on the NP cells. Altogether, our data indicated that HCG18 suppressed the growth of NP cells and promoted the IDD development via the miR-146a-5p/TRAF6/NFκB axis.
Three-dimensional Layered Water-Soluble Cellulose Acetate/Polyacrylamide Composites with Ultrahigh Ductility and Stretchability
Authors: Pang Jinhui , Wu Miao , Liu Xin , Wang Bo , Yang Jun , Xu Feng , Ma Mingguo , Zhang Xueming
Published: October 2017

Water-soluble cellulose acetate (WSCA), one of the most important cellulose derivatives, possesses biocompatibility, biodegradability and broad chemical modifying capacities. In this work, highly polymerized WSCA was firstly synthesized and used as cross-linker to fabricate highly ductile, tough and resilient WSCA/polyacrylamide (PAM) composite hydrogels. The results showed that the WSCA/PAM nanocomposite hydrogels exhibited extraordinary toughness and ductility with a tensile strength of 297 kPa and elongation at break of about 4020%. The enhancement of mechanical properties and stretchability were due to the synergistic effect from the hydrogen bonding and physical entanglement between the composite matrixes. Under stretching conditions, hydrogen bonds and the dense entanglement between WSCA chains and PAM could dynamically break and rearrange to dissipate energy. At the same time, the filaments of PAM embedded in layered WSCA matrix became unfolded or fractured to dissipate energy and maintained the conformation of hydrogels. It was envisioned that the introduction of WSCA into polymeric matrix would generate a facile method to fabricate multiple layered hybrid hydrogel network and significantly widen the WSCA applications in the preparation of high performance supramolecular systems.
RNA-Seq transcriptome profiling of mouse oocytes after in vitro maturation and/or vitrification
Authors: Gao Lei , Jia Gongxue , Li Ai , Ma Haojia , Huang Zhengyuan , Zhu Shien , Hou Yunpeng , Fu Xiangwei
Published: October 2017

In vitro maturation (IVM) and vitrification have been widely used to prepare oocytes before fertilization; however, potential effects of these procedures, such as expression profile changes, are poorly understood. In this study, mouse oocytes were divided into four groups and subjected to combinations of in vitro maturation and/or vitrification treatments. RNA-seq and in silico pathway analysis were used to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that may be involved in oocyte viability after in vitro maturation and/or vitrification. Our results showed that 1) 69 genes were differentially expressed after IVM, 66 of which were up-regulated. Atp5e and Atp5o were enriched in the most significant gene ontology term “mitochondrial membrane part”; thus, these genes may be promising candidate biomarkers for oocyte viability after IVM. 2) The influence of vitrification on the transcriptome of oocytes was negligible, as no DEGs were found between vitrified and fresh oocytes. 3) The MII stage is more suitable for oocyte vitrification with respect to the transcriptome. This study provides a valuable new theoretical basis to further improve the efficiency of in vitro maturation and/or oocyte vitrification.
Elevated serum alkaline phosphatase and cardiovascular or all-cause mortality risk in dialysis patients: A meta-analysis
Authors: Fan Yu , Jin Xin , Jiang Menglin , Fang Na
Published: October 2017

Studies on serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and mortality risk in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing dialysis have yielded conflicting results. This meta-analysis was designed to assess the association of serum ALP levels with cardiovascular or all-cause mortality risk among patients on dialysis. PubMed and Embase databases were searched until March 2017 for studies evaluating the association of serum ALP levels and cardiovascular or all-cause mortality risk in adult patients with ESRD undergoing maintenance hemodialysis or chronic peritoneal dialysis. Twelve studies enrolling 393,200 patients on dialysis were included. Compared with the reference low serum ALP category, pooled adjusted hazard risk (HR) of all-cause mortality was 1.46 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.30–1.65) for patients on hemodialysis and 1.93 (95% CI 1.71–2.17) for peritoneal patients on dialysis. In addition, elevated serum ALP significantly increased cardiovascular mortality among patients on peritoneal dialysis (HR 2.39; 95% CI 1.23–4.65) but not in patients on hemodialysis (HR 1.08; 95% CI 0.84–1.40). Elevated serum ALP was an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality among patients on hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. Further well-designed prospective studies are needed to investigate the association of high serum ALP levels with cardiovascular mortality among patients on dialysis.
Highly sensitive and specific Alu-based quantification of human cells among rodent cells
Authors: Funakoshi Kodai , Bagheri Mozhdeh , Zhou Ming , Suzuki Ryoji , Abe Hiroshi , Akashi Hideo
Published: October 2017

Alu elements are primate-specific short interspersed elements (SINEs), over 1 million copies of which are present in the human genome; thus, Alu elements are useful targets for detecting human cells. However, previous Alu-based techniques for detecting human genomic DNA do not reach the theoretical limits of sensitivity and specificity. In this study, we developed a highly sensitive and specific Alu-based real-time PCR method for discriminating human cells from rodent cells, using a primer and probe set carefully designed to avoid possible cross-reactions with rodent genomes. From 100 ng of mixed human and rodent genomes, 1 fg of human genome, equivalent to 1 human cell in 100 million rodent cells, was detectable. Furthermore, in vivo mouse subrenal capsule xenotransplantation assays revealed that 10 human cells per mouse organ were detectable. In addition, after intravenous injection of human mesenchymal stem cells into NOD/SCID mice via tail vein, the biodistribution of human cells was trackable in the mouse lungs and kidneys for at least 1 week. Our findings indicate that our primer and probe set is applicable for the quantitative detection of tiny amounts of human cells, such as xenotransplanted human cancer or stem cells, in rodents.
EEG topographies provide subject-specific correlates of motor control
Authors: Pirondini Elvira , Coscia Martina , Minguillon Jesus , Millán José del R. , Van De Ville Dimitri , Micera Silvestro
Published: October 2017

Electroencephalography (EEG) of brain activity can be represented in terms of dynamically changing topographies (microstates). Notably, spontaneous brain activity recorded at rest can be characterized by four distinctive topographies. Despite their well-established role during resting state, their implication in the generation of motor behavior is debated. Evidence of such a functional role of spontaneous brain activity would provide support for the design of novel and sensitive biomarkers in neurological disorders. Here we examined whether and to what extent intrinsic brain activity contributes and plays a functional role during natural motor behaviors. For this we first extracted subject-specific EEG microstates and muscle synergies during reaching-and-grasping movements in healthy volunteers. We show that, in every subject, well-known resting-state microstates persist during movement execution with similar topographies and temporal characteristics, but are supplemented by novel task-related microstates. We then show that the subject-specific microstates’ dynamical organization correlates with the activation of muscle synergies and can be used to decode individual grasping movements with high accuracy. These findings provide first evidence that spontaneous brain activity encodes detailed information about motor control, offering as such the prospect of a novel tool for the definition of subject-specific biomarkers of brain plasticity and recovery in neuro-motor disorders.
Interacting Learning Processes during Skill Acquisition: Learning to control with gradually changing system dynamics
Authors: Ludolph Nicolas , Giese Martin A. , Ilg Winfried
Published: October 2017

There is increasing evidence that sensorimotor learning under real-life conditions relies on a composition of several learning processes. Nevertheless, most studies examine learning behaviour in relation to one specific learning mechanism. In this study, we examined the interaction between reward-based skill acquisition and motor adaptation to changes of object dynamics. Thirty healthy subjects, split into two groups, acquired the skill of balancing a pole on a cart in virtual reality. In one group, we gradually increased the gravity, making the task easier in the beginning and more difficult towards the end. In the second group, subjects had to acquire the skill on the maximum, most difficult gravity level. We hypothesized that the gradual increase in gravity during skill acquisition supports learning despite the necessary adjustments to changes in cart-pole dynamics. We found that the gradual group benefits from the slow increment, although overall improvement was interrupted by the changes in gravity and resulting system dynamics, which caused short-term degradations in performance and timing of actions. In conclusion, our results deliver evidence for an interaction of reward-based skill acquisition and motor adaptation processes, which indicates the importance of both processes for the development of optimized skill acquisition schedules.
Overexpression of OSM and IL-6 impacts the polarization of pro-fibrotic macrophages and the development of bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis
Authors: Ayaub Ehab A. , Dubey Anisha , Imani Jewel , Botelho Fernando , Kolb Martin R. J. , Richards Carl D. , Ask Kjetil
Published: October 2017

Although recent evidence indicates that gp130 cytokines, Oncostatin M (OSM) and IL-6 are involved in alternative programming of macrophages, their role in lung fibrogenesis is poorly understood. Here, we investigated the effect of transient adenoviral overexpression of OSM or IL-6 in mice during bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis. Lung fibrosis and M2-like macrophage accumulation were assessed by immunohistochemistry, western blotting, gene expression and flow cytometry.Ex-vivoisolated alveolar and bone marrow-derived macrophages were examined for M2-like programming and signalling. Airway physiology measurements at day 21 demonstrated that overexpression of OSM or IL-6 exacerbated bleomycin-induced lung elastance, consistent with histopathological assessment of extracellular matrix and myofibroblast accumulation. Flow cytometry analysis at day 7 showed increased numbers of M2-like macrophages in lungs of mice exposed to bleomycin and OSM or IL-6. These macrophages expressed the IL-6Rα, but were deficient for OSMRβ, suggesting that IL-6, but not OSM, may directly induce alternative macrophage activation. In conclusion, the gp130 cytokines IL-6 and OSM contribute to the accumulation of profibrotic macrophages and enhancement of bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis. This study suggests that therapeutic strategies targeting these cytokines or their receptors may be beneficial to prevent the accumulation of M2-like macrophages and the progression of fibrotic lung disease.
A versatile pretargeting approach for tumour-selective delivery and activation of TNF superfamily members
Authors: He Yuan , van Bommel Peter E. , Samplonius Douwe F. , Bremer Edwin , Helfrich Wijnand
Published: October 2017

TNFR superfamily (TNFRSF) members have important immunoregulatory functions and are of clear interest for cancer immunotherapy. Various TNFRSF agonists have been clinically evaluated, but have met with limited efficacy and/or toxicity. Recent insights indicate that ‘first-generation’ TNFRSF agonists lack efficacy as they do not effectively cross-link their corresponding receptor. Reversely, ubiquitous TNFRSF receptor(s) cross-linking by CD40 and Fas agonistic antibodies resulted in dose-limiting liver toxicity. To overcome these issues, we developed a novel pretargeting strategy exploiting recombinant fusion proteins in which a soluble form of TRAIL, FasL or CD40L is genetically fused to a high-affinity anti-fluorescein scFv antibody fragment (scFvFITC). Fusion proteins scFvFITC:sTRAIL and scFvFITC:sFasL induced potent target antigen-restricted apoptosis in a panel of cancer lines and in primary patient-derived cancer cells, but only when pretargeted with a relevant FITC-labelled antitumour antibody. In a similar pretargeting setting, fusion protein scFvFITC:sCD40L promoted tumour-directed maturation of immature monocyte-derived dendritic cells (iDCs). This novel tumour-selective pretargeting approach may be used to improve efficacy and/or reduce possible off-target toxicity of TNFSF ligands for cancer immunotherapy.
External Quality Assurance for Laboratory Identification and Capsular Typing of Streptococcus pneumoniae
Authors: Slotved Hans-Christian , Sheppard Carmen L. , Dalby Tine , van der Ende Arie , Fry Norman K. , Morfeldt Eva , Nyholm Outi , Rokney Assaf , Ron Merav , Siira Lotta , Scott Kevin J. , Smith Andrew , Thom Louise , Toropainen Maija , Vestrheim Didrik F.
Published: October 2017

An external quality assessment (EQA) scheme for pneumococcal serotype identification has been performed over a period of 11 years, by a network of European pneumococcal reference laboratories. We report the results from the EQA, and present an assessment of the acceptability and utility of the EQA scheme. Reports from 22 EQA panels distributed in 2005–2016 were analysed. Each EQA panel consisted of seven isolates. A questionnaire including seven questions related to the acceptability and utility of the EQA scheme was distributed to all participating laboratories. Altogether, 154 pneumococcal isolates were tested. Of the 92 serologically distinct serotypes currently defined, 49 serotypes were included in the rounds. Discrepant results were observed in eight EQA rounds, involving 11 isolates (7.1%, 95% CI: 4% to 12%). All participating laboratories reported that the EQA scheme was useful for quality assurance purposes. Our results show that comparable serotyping data can be obtained in different laboratories. The EQA participation helps to keep the typing procedures at a high standard and provides data for accreditation purposes. The EQA is helpful when new technologies are introduced, and reveal limitations of both genotypic and phenotypic methods. Continuation of the presented EQA scheme is planned.
Enantiomeric excess by magnetic circular dichroism in Archaean atmosphere
Authors: Sharma A.
Published: October 2017

Evolution of homochirality requires an initial enantiomeric excess (EE) between right and left-handed biomolecules. We show that magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) of sun’s ultraviolet C light by oxygen in Archaean earth’s anoxic atmosphere followed by chirally selective damage of biomolecules due to circular dichroism (CD) can generate EE of correct handedness. Our calculation of EE uses published data for CD of biomolecules and accepted magnitude for Archaean earth’s magnetic field. Independent of atmospheric oxygen concentration calculated EE has the same sign for all pyrimidine nucleosides which is opposite to that for amino-acids. Purine nucleosides have smaller EE values with opposite sign to pyrimidines but are less susceptible to UV damage. Homochirality is explained by origin of prebiotic life in one hemisphere of earth and its evolution to EE ~ ± 1 before reversal of terrestrial magnetic field. Chirality of biomolecules is decided by the direction of magnetic field where prebiotic life originated on Archaean earth.