bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Solvent Dependent Luminescence Sensing of Nitro‐Explosives by a Terbium‐Based Metal‐Organic Complex
Authors: Majee Prakash , Singha Debal Kanti , Mondal Sudip Kumar , Mahata Partha
Published: January 2018

Powder sample of a terbium based metal‐organic complex (MOC) [Tb2(pydcH)6]⋅3H2O {H2pydc= 2,6‐Pyridinedicarboxylic acid}, 1, were synthesized by simple solvent evaporation method in water medium. Powder X‐ray diffraction data of complex 1 confirmed a molecular complex of tricapped trigonal prismatic Tb3+ ion with a free carboxylic acid site of each H2pydc ligands by comparing with the single crystal X‐ray diffraction data of isomorphous europium based compound, [Eu2(pydcH)6]⋅3H2O. Compound 1 showed very strong visible green luminescence which was sensitive towards nitro explosives; and interestingly, the sensitivity was dependent on the solvent used. The luminescence was emitted by ligand sensitized Tb metal centre of compound 1 and was quenched so quickly and efficiently that an instant colour change from visible green to colourless was observed by naked eye. The experiments were done for the detection of nitro‐explosive materials such as 2,4,6‐trinitrophenol (TNP), 2,4‐dinitrophenol (2,4‐DNP), 2,4‐dinitro toluene (DNT), 1,3‐dinitro benzene (DNB), 4‐nitrotoluene (NT) and nitro benzene (NB) in water (H2O), methanol (MeOH), acetonitrile (CH3CN), and tetrahydrofuran (THF) solvents. Mechanism of the luminescence quenching behaviour in different solvents was successfully explained by combined effect of resonance energy transfer, absorption of excitation light and the possibility of electron transfer. Experimental results were also supported by DFT calculations.
Ligand Assisted Rhodium Catalyzed Selective Semi‐hydrogenation of Alkynes Using Syngas and Molecular Hydrogen
Authors: Jagtap Samadhan A. , Bhanage Bhalchandra M.
Published: January 2018

This work reports the Rhodium catalyzed selective semi‐hydrogenation of alkynes to (E) and (Z)‐alkenes in the presence of various Buchwald phosphine ligands such as S‐Phos (L1), t‐Bu XPhos (L2), Ru‐Phos (L3), Johnphos (L4) and DavePhos (L5). Selective formation of E‐alkenes in high activity with use of H2 gas (5 bar) is an alternative method for conventional Birch reduction. High selectivity obtained towards Z‐alkenes with use of syngas (10 bar) is an alternative method for Lindlar reaction. (E)‐alkenes were obtained in high yield due to the steric crowding present in L4 ligand. The carbon monoxide present in syngas controls over‐hydrogenation of alkynes and (Z)‐alkenes were obtained as major product due to cis addition of molecular hydrogen to alkynes. The use of additives, base, co‐catalyst and excess use of chemicals is prevented with this protocol for semi‐hydrogenation reaction. With this simple and effective catalyst system and mild reaction conditions, internal as well as terminal alkynes were smoothly converted to respective alkenes in high yield (>90%).
Stakeholder value appropriation: The case of labor in the worldwide mining industry
Authors: Ramírez Cristian , Tarziján Jorge
Published: January 2018

Research Summary: We evaluate how the value appropriated by employees varies in response to an exogenous shock to the price of the firm's product and how this variation depends on institutional and ownership structures. Institutional and ownership structures that favor employees can influence firms’ location decisions and shareholders’ incentives to invest. Using data from the main copper mines in the world, we show that the value appropriated by employees rises in response to an exogenous increase in the price of minerals. Our results indicate that the magnitude of the increment in the value captured by employees is larger in stated‐owned companies, when labor regulations promote productivity‐based payments, when wages are determined through a centralized bargaining process, and when regulations associated with hiring and firing are more flexible.

Managerial Summary: We show how labor regulations and state ownership affect the value appropriated by employees when there are exogenous changes in the price of the firm's products. Since the value generated by a firm is distributed among different stakeholders, a higher appropriation of value by employees results in lower appropriation by another party. Therefore, by changing the distribution of value, managerial decisions about location and entry could be affected. For instance, shareholders of firms with positive future expectations about the prices of their products might prefer to enter markets in which salary negotiations are not centralized or where partnership with the local government is not mandatory. Overall, our analysis calls for the consideration of the external environment when evaluating value appropriation by different types of stakeholders.
Laser‐Patterned n‐Type Front‐Junction Silicon Solar Cell With Tantalum Oxide/Silicon Nitride Passivation and Antireflection
Authors: Wan Yimao , Hsiao Pei‐Chieh , Zhang Wei , Lennon Alison , Chen Yifeng , Feng Zhiqiang , Verlinden Pierre , Samundsett Christian , Cui Jie , Yan Di , Cuevas Andres
Published: January 2018

This work demonstrates, for the first time, a tantalum oxide/silicon nitride (Ta2O5/SiNx) stack as a combined passivation and antireflection coating deposited on the boron‐diffused front surface of n‐type silicon solar cells. Due to the high chemical resistance of Ta2O5, the patterning of the films is realized via picosecond laser ablation, followed by a field‐induced metal plating of nickel and copper to form the front metal grid electrode. A solar cell conversion efficiency of 19.3% is achieved, and further improvements are anticipated from the optimization of the laser ablation process and the tuning of the thickness of the individual layers of the dielectric stack.
Enrichment of intact phosphoproteins using immobilized titanium(IV) affinity chromatography microspheres
Authors: Wang Hao , Zhong Jinqiang , Xiao Kaijie , Tian Zhixin
Published: January 2018

Approximately a third of eukaryotic proteins are estimated to be phosphorylated, and the protein phosphorylation is significant in regulating almost all aspects of cell life. Due to low stoichiometry of phosphorylation, efficient enrichment is often an essential step in phosphoproteomics study. Over the decades, lots of enrichment materials have been successfully developed and widely used for intact phosphoproeins. One of these materials is immobilized titanium(IV) affinity chromatography (Ti4+‐IMAC) microspheres, which has been widely studied and used for phosphopeptides enrichment. Application of Ti4+‐IMAC for intact phosphoprotein enrichment has also proven possible, where intact phosphoproteins (α‐casein and β‐casein) were successfully enrichment out of their mixture with BSA (1:1:10, w/w). Here we report our detailed investigation of intact phosphoprotein enrichment using Ti4+‐IMAC. With BSA and standard intact phosphoprotein β‐casein, selectivity with a wide range of mixing ratios of 1:1, 1:100, 1:500, 1:1000 and 1:2000 (β‐casein:BSA, w/w) and binding capacity were investigated; the enrichment capability of Ti4+‐IMAC was further investigated with real biological systems, including non‐fat milk, egg white and swine liver tissue extract. The results show that Ti4+‐IMAC is a promising material for intact phosphoprotein enrichment.
System reliability analysis of retrial machine repair systems with warm standbys and a single server of working breakdown and recovery policy
Authors: Chen Wu‐Lin
Published: January 2018

Reliability analysis plays an important role in the machine repair systems. The purpose of this study is to propose reliability analysis of retrial machine repair systems with M operating units, W warm standby units, and a single repair server with recovery policy. Failure times, repair times, and retrial times for all units are assumed to follow exponential distributions. The single repair server is subject to breakdown, and failure times and repair times for the single server are also assumed to follow exponential distributions. The recovery policy is considered in this study to efficiently utilize the single repair server. Based on the transition rate diagram, the probability differential equations are derived, and Laplace transforms are then taken on these equations to derive system reliability and the mean time to system failure (MTTF). Both sensitivity analyses and relative sensitivity analyses are also performed. Some numerical experiments are designed and executed. The important results are outlined below. The failure rate of an operating unit (λ) significantly influences system reliability. Threshold of the recovery policy (q), the service rate of the working server (μ1), and the breakdown rate of the server (α) affect system reliability moderately. The service rate of the broken down server (μ2), the retrial rate (θ), and the repair rate to repair the broken down server (β) affect system reliability slightly; the failure rate of a standby unit (η) rarely influences system reliability. Furthermore, λ affects MTTF significantly, influence MTTF moderately, slightly affect MTTF, and η rarely affects MTTF.
Understand the relationship between school officials and legitimate educational interest
Authors: Rainsberger Richard
Published: January 2018

Old Blue Eyes had it right! I never thought I would be using this analogy in any FERPA Doc® column. But it fits naturally here.
Closure, deduction and hinge commitments
Authors: Zhang Xiaoxing
Published: January 2018

Duncan Pritchard recently proposed a Wittgensteinian solution to closure-based skepticism. According to Wittgenstein, all epistemic systems assume certain truths. The notions that we are not disembodied brains, that the Earth has existed for a long time and that one’s name is such-and-such all function as “hinge commitments.” Pritchard views a hinge commitment as a positive propositional attitude that is not a belief. Because closure principles concern only knowledge-apt beliefs, they do not apply to hinge commitments. Thus, from the fact that a subject knows that he is sitting in a room, and the fact that the subject’s sitting in a room entails his bodily existence, it does not follow that the subject also knows that he is not an envatted brain. This paper rejects Pritchard’s non-belief reading of hinge commitments. I start by showing that the non-belief reading fails to solve the skeptical paradox because the reasons that Pritchard uses to support the non-belief reading do not exempt hinge propositions from closure principles. I then proceed to argue that the non-belief reading is false as it claims that hinge commitments, unlike ordinary beliefs, are rationally unresponsive—with the help of a scenario in which a subject’s experience is internally chaotic, we can safely conclude that the hinge commitment that one is not systematically mistaken about the world is equally responsive to one’s evidential situations.
Regionale Unterschiede der Verteilung von Personen mit unternehmerischem Persönlichkeitsprofil in Deutschland – ein Überblick
Authors: Fritsch Michael , Obschonka Martin , Wyrwich Michael , Gosling Samuel D. , Rentfrow Peter J. , Potter Jeff
Published: January 2018

Recent research has found clear indications of regional differences in the personality traits of the population. Such regional differences may significantly contribute to explaining regional development. We provide an overview of regional differences in entrepreneurial personality traits among the population in Germany. There are a number of highly significant regional differences but the strength of the effects is relatively small. The empirical evidence suggests that the regional differences found are due to selective migration and also to socialization.
Whole‐exome sequencing and microRNA profiling reveal PI3K/AKT pathway’s involvement in juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia
Authors: Khan Saad M , Denney Jason E , Wang Michael X , Xu Dong
Published: January 2018

Background

Clinical studies and genetic analyses have revealed that juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) is caused by somatic and/or germline mutations of genes involved in the RAS/MAPK signalling pathway. Given the vastly different clinical prognosis among individual patients that have had this disease, mutations in genes of other pathways may be involved.

Methods

In this study, we conducted whole‐exome and cancer‐panel sequencing analyses on a bone marrow sample from a 2‐year old juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia patient. We also measured the microRNA profile of the same patient’s bone marrow sample and the results were compared with the normal mature monocytic cells from the pooled peripheral blood.

Results

We identified additional novel mutations in the PI3K/AKT pathway and verified with a cancer panel targeted sequencing. We have confirmed the previously tested PTPN11 gene mutation (exon 3 181G>T) in the same sample and identified new nonsynonymous mutations in NTRK1, HMGA2, MLH3, MYH9 and AKT1 genes. Many of the microRNAs found to be differentially expressed are known to act as oncogenic MicroRNAs (onco‐MicroRNAs or oncomiRs), whose target genes are enriched in the PI3K/AKT signalling pathway.

Conclusions

Our study suggests an alternative mechanism for JMML pathogenesis in addition to RAS/MAPK pathway. This discovery may provide new genetic markers for diagnosis and new therapeutic targets for JMML patients in the future.
Facing the future: the impact of Apple FaceID
Authors: Bud Andrew
Published: January 2018

Oh, how they sniggered. When a colossus like Apple unveils an epoch-making product in front of millions and it goes wrong, who can resist a wry smile and a caustic tweet? Yet Craig Federighi's embarrassing glitch with Apple's facial verification system at the launch of the iPhone X cannot obscure the importance of this watershed product to the whole industry, nor the positive effect it will have on the future of face biometrics.
Non-localized boundary layer instabilities resulting from leading edge receptivity at moderate supersonic Mach numbers
Authors: Goldstein M. E. , Ricco Pierre
Published: January 2018

This paper uses matched asymptotic expansions to study the non-localized (which we refer to as global) boundary layer instabilities generated by free-stream acoustic and vortical disturbances at moderate supersonic Mach numbers. The vortical disturbances produce an unsteady boundary layer flow that develops into oblique instability waves with a viscous triple-deck structure in the downstream region. The acoustic disturbances (which for reasons given herein are assumed to have obliqueness angles that are close to a certain critical angle) generate slow boundary layer disturbances which eventually develop into oblique stable disturbances with an inviscid triple-deck structure in a region that lies downstream of the viscous triple-deck region. The paper shows that both the vortically generated instabilities and the acoustically generated oblique disturbances ultimately develop into modified Rayleigh-type instabilities (which can either grow or decay) further downstream.
Free and Unfree Labor in the Nineteenth-Century Brazilian Amazon
Authors: Paz Adalberto
Published: January 2018

The nineteenth-century Brazilian Amazon was characterized by a wide variety of unfree labor performed by Indians,mestiços, free blacks, freedpersons, and slaves. Since the mid-eighteenth century, the Portuguese Crown’s failure to promote the mass influx of enslaved Africans resulted in legislation that successively institutionalized and regularized coerced labor, limiting the mobility of individuals in the lower classes and obligating them to work against their will. Initially, this was restricted to Indians, but the measures were eventually applied to the entire free population of color. This article discusses the conditions under which these laws emerged and their impact on the living conditions of the population subject to them, placing the nineteenth-century Amazonian experience within wider historiographical debates about free and unfree labor.
Stentless mirrored L-shaped septonasal flap versus stented flapless technique for endoscopic endonasal repair of bilateral congenital choanal atresia: a prospective randomised controlled study
Authors: Tomoum M O , Askar M H , Mandour M F , Amer M A , Saafan M E
Published: January 2018

Objectives:

To compare the outcomes of endoscopic repair of bilateral congenital choanal atresia using a flap technique without stenting versus endoscopic repair using stenting without a flap.

Methods:

A prospective randomised controlled study was conducted, comprising 72 patients with bilateral congenital choanal atresia. The patients were randomised into two groups. Group A (42 patients) underwent endoscopic repair using a mirrored L-shaped flap without stenting, and group B (30 patients) underwent endoscopic repair using stenting without a flap.

Results:

At a mean follow-up period of 18.2 months, endoscopic assessment revealed a patent posterior choana in 81 per cent and 83.33 per cent of patients in group A and group B respectively. Choanal stenosis occurred in 21.40 per cent and 33.33 per cent of patients in group A and group B respectively. Granulation tissue was observed in 28.6 per cent and 53.3 per cent of patients in group A and group B respectively.

Conclusion:

The endoscopic approach utilising a flap without stenting is safe and effective, with a high success rate.
“The Ghosts Are Watching”: The Globe's Battlefield Performances ofHenry VI
Authors: Ball Joyelle
Published: January 2018

In the summer of 2013, Shakespeare's Globe, the company based at the Globe reconstruction in London, mounted productions of the three parts of Shakespeare'sHenry VIat Wars of the Roses battlefield sites. The battlefield as performance space, with its rolling hills and buried corpses, mediated the temporal overlap of past and present, as contemporary bodies engaged with the construction of a historical narrative in the fictional play and the actual historical moments of the Wars of the Roses. The associations entrenched in the soil of these sites, the physical remains and histories of the past, encode a connective experience for the contemporary participants interacting with it. The battlefield site, then, is not just a site of historical significance—it is also a site of historical reenactment, where present bodies meet absent ones in the Globe's attempt to converge separated temporalities. The Globe framed the battlefield performances as a way of enlivening history by grounding well-worn Shakespearean texts in the places they represent. But the Globe, in collaboration with The Space, an online arts collective, also filmed the ten-hour marathon event at the Barnet battlefield, live-streamed, and then saved the performance to a digital archive. So the Globe displaced the site of their site-specific experience. Virtual spectatorship, a result of the Globe's efforts to increase access to their battlefield performances by making them available online, adds another layer of absence to the battlefield. The virtual spectator as absent spectator challenges the privileging of a physical viewing experience that the Globe's “open-air” project promotes. The displacement of site disrupts the relationships grounded in the material performance space and its geographical connections, and expands the understanding ofsite-specificby demonstrating how a specific relationship to place might be produced and maintained without physical access to a geographical location. Together with their placement at the historical sites and transmission into virtual spaces, the battlefieldHenry VIs generate a multiplicity of shared viewing experiences. These shared experiences mediate the continuation of a (re)constructed historical and collective memory and highlight the role of spectatorship, both physical and virtual, in the formation of communal and national identity.
Hand to the Heart: Authenticity in Preacher and Player Portraiture
Authors: McKee Patricia J.
Published: January 2018

No discussion of antitheatrical polemics can escape mention of Stephen Gosson. His characterization of theatre as the “doctrine of the devil” is found in his last of a succession of pamphlets attacking the theatre. His polemics comprise one of the most theologically nuanced arguments against the Elizabethan stage—euphuistic though they may be. Indeed, others were far more concise. The preacher William Holbrooke, for instance, made his case with efficiency when he branded stage players “scumme of the world.”
Monochromatic trees in random graphs
Authors: KOHAYAKAWA YOSHIHARU , MOTA GUILHERME OLIVEIRA , SCHACHT MATHIAS
Published: January 2018

Bal and DeBiasio [Partitioning random graphs into monochromatic components, Electron. J. Combin.24(2017), Paper 1.18] put forward a conjecture concerning the threshold for the following Ramsey-type property for graphsG: everyk-colouring of the edge set ofGyieldskpairwise vertex disjoint monochromatic trees that partition the whole vertex set ofG. We determine the threshold for this property for two colours.
Parental Determinism in the Swedish Strategy for Parenting Support
Authors: Widding Ulrika
Published: January 2018

This article analyses and problematises central assumptions in Sweden's National Strategy for Developing Parenting Support, a document that addresses children's deteriorating psychological health. The analysis was performed with Bacchi's (2009) approach to policy analysis. The results show how parental determinism is expressed; psychological ill health among school-aged children is described as an individualised problem caused by insecure parents, who are represented as the most important persons in a child's life and, therefore, are considered to be risk factors that require continuous support. Evidence-based parenting support programmes in particular are described as a central tool for improving parents’ sense of responsibility and parenting skills. While the strategy aims to offer all Swedish parents support, it underlines ideals that have been related to gendered, middle-class notions of parenting. The issue concerning children's psychological health is problematised and discussed in relation to parental determinism, the risk society, equality, equity and psychological health.
Distributor intermediation in the farm to food service value chain
Authors: Givens Graham , Dunning Rebecca
Published: January 2018

Short food supply chains, such as those of fruit and vegetable farmers delivering fresh product directly to restaurants, promise potentially higher returns to primary producers by avoiding the expense of intermediary distributors. Direct farm-to-chef supply chains also present a lower barrier to entry for small and beginning farmers, who are often scaled-out of the restaurant market by the volume requirements of food service distributors. High transactions costs for direct exchange, however, impede growth in this type of market channel. This From the Field paper describes an ongoing initiative by a regional food service distributor to play an active and collaborative role in the farm to food service supply chain, acting as a value chain partner to identify produce items desired by chefs, supply this market intelligence to growers and to garner commitments from farmers to grow and chefs to buy these products in upcoming seasons. By the eighth month of the effort, the distributor had assigned one of its produce buyers to act as a local specialist, working directly with chefs and local growers; and had initiated a series of mini local food shows to provide chefs and growers opportunities for face-to-face communication. The ultimate objective—to garner product-specific commitments from chefs and from growers—remains a work in progress.
Plantations, Peddlers, and Nature Protection: The Transnational Origins of Indonesia's Orangutan Crisis, 1910–1930
Authors: Minarchek Matthew
Published: January 2018

This article examines the geographies and politics of the global trade in orangutans in the name of science and entertainment in the first half of the twentieth century, along the background of the growing international nature protection movement. In doing so, it draws attention to historical processes that led to environmental conservation in northern Sumatra. It looks at some of the causes of the wildlife trade, linking animal-human engagement in northern Sumatra in the early twentieth century to large-scale agricultural development. During this period, wildlife traders brought shipments of orangutans from northern Sumatra to Europe and elsewhere around the world. The orangutan trade and the arrival of large numbers of apes in Europe broadly influenced material practices and decisions central to the colonial project. This included the tightening of borders and surveillance in the ports and on land, as well as the creation of wildlife protection laws and policies that regulated human relationships with the environment in colonial Indonesia.
Ecotropic viral integration site 1 promotes metastasis independent of epithelial mesenchymal transition in colon cancer cells
Authors: Nayak Kasturi Bala , Sajitha I. S. , Kumar T. R. Santhosh , Chakraborty Soumen
Published: January 2018

The most indecipherable component of solid cancer is the development of metastasis which accounts for more than 90% of cancer-related mortalities. A developmental program termed epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has also been shown to play a critical role in promoting metastasis in epithelium-derived solid tumors. By analyzing publicly available microarray datasets, we observed that ecotropic viral integration site 1 (EVI1) correlates negatively with SLUG, a master regulator of EMT. This correlation was found to be relevant as we demonstrated that EVI1 binds to SLUG promoter element directly through the distal set of zinc fingers and downregulates its expression. Many studies have shown that the primary role of SLUG during EMT and EMT-like processes is the regulation of cell motility in most of the cancer cells. Knockdown of EVI1 in metastatic colon cancer cell and subsequent passage through matrigel not only increased the invading capacity but also induced an EMT-like morphological feature of the cells, such as spindle-shaped appearance and led to a significant reduction in the expression of the epithelial marker, E-CADHERIN and increase in the expression of the mesenchymal marker, N-CADHERIN. The cells, when injected into immunocompromised mice, failed to show any metastatic foci in distant organs however the ones with EVI1, metastasized in the intraperitoneal layer and also showed multiple micro metastatic foci in the lungs and spleen. These findings suggest that in colon cancer EVI1 is dispensable for epithelial-mesenchymal transition, however, is required for metastasis.
Raman spectroscopy of graphene under ultrafast laser excitation
Authors: Ferrante C. , Virga A. , Benfatto L. , Martinati M. , De Fazio D. , Sassi U. , Fasolato C. , Ott A. K. , Postorino P. , Yoon D. , Cerullo G. , Mauri F. , Ferrari A. C. , Scopigno T.
Published: January 2018

The equilibrium optical phonons of graphene are well characterized in terms of anharmonicity and electron–phonon interactions; however, their non-equilibrium properties in the presence of hot charge carriers are still not fully explored. Here we study the Raman spectrum of graphene under ultrafast laser excitation with 3 ps pulses, which trade off between impulsive stimulation and spectral resolution. We localize energy into hot carriers, generating non-equilibrium temperatures in the ~1700–3100 K range, far exceeding that of the phonon bath, while simultaneously detecting the Raman response. The linewidths of both G and 2D peaks show an increase as function of the electronic temperature. We explain this as a result of the Dirac cones’ broadening and electron–phonon scattering in the highly excited transient regime, important for the emerging field of graphene-based photonics and optoelectronics.
An integrated multi-layer 3D-fabrication of PDA/RGD coated graphene loaded PCL nanoscaffold for peripheral nerve restoration
Authors: Qian Yun , Zhao Xiaotian , Han Qixin , Chen Wei , Li Hui , Yuan Weien
Published: January 2018

As a conductive nanomaterial, graphene has huge potentials in nerve function restoration by promoting electrical signal transduction and metabolic activities with unique topological properties. Polydopamine (PDA) and arginylglycylaspartic acid (RGD) can improve cell adhesion in tissue engineering. Here we report an integrated 3D printing and layer-by-layer casting (LBLC) method in multi-layered porous scaffold fabrication. The scaffold is composed of single-layered graphene (SG) or multi-layered graphene (MG) and polycaprolactone (PCL). The electrically conductive 3D graphene scaffold can significantly improve neural expression both in vitro and in vivo. It promotes successful axonal regrowth and remyelination after peripheral nerve injury. These findings implicate that graphene-based nanotechnology have great potentials in peripheral nerve restoration in preclinical and clinical application.
Quantitative proteomics identifies redox switches for global translation modulation by mitochondrially produced reactive oxygen species
Authors: Topf Ulrike , Suppanz Ida , Samluk Lukasz , Wrobel Lidia , Böser Alexander , Sakowska Paulina , Knapp Bettina , Pietrzyk Martyna K. , Chacinska Agnieszka , Warscheid Bettina
Published: January 2018

The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is inevitably linked to life. However, the precise role of ROS in signalling and specific targets is largely unknown. We perform a global proteomic analysis to delineate the yeast redoxome to a depth of more than 4,300 unique cysteine residues in over 2,200 proteins. Mapping of redox-active thiols in proteins exposed to exogenous or endogenous mitochondria-derived oxidative stress reveals ROS-sensitive sites in several components of the translation apparatus. Mitochondria are the major source of cellular ROS. We demonstrate that increased levels of intracellular ROS caused by dysfunctional mitochondria serve as a signal to attenuate global protein synthesis. Hence, we propose a universal mechanism that controls protein synthesis by inducing reversible changes in the translation machinery upon modulating the redox status of proteins involved in translation. This crosstalk between mitochondria and protein synthesis may have an important contribution to pathologies caused by dysfunctional mitochondria.
Functional genomics study of acute heat stress response in the small yellow follicles of layer-type chickens
Authors: Cheng Chuen-Yu , Tu Wei-Lin , Chen Chao-Jung , Chan Hong-Lin , Chen Chih-Feng , Chen Hsin-Hsin , Tang Pin-Chi , Lee Yen-Pai , Chen Shuen-Ei , Huang San-Yuan
Published: January 2018

This study investigated global gene and protein expression in the small yellow follicle (SYF; 6–8 mm in diameter) tissues of chickens in response to acute heat stress. Twelve 30-week-old layer-type hens were divided into four groups: control hens were maintained at 25 °C while treatment hens were subjected to acute heat stress at 36 °C for 4 h without recovery, with 2-h recovery, and with 6-h recovery. SYFs were collected at each time point for mRNA and protein analyses. A total of 176 genes and 93 distinct proteins with differential expressions were identified, mainly associated with the molecular functions of catalytic activity and binding. The upregulated expression of heat shock proteins and peroxiredoxin family after acute heat stress is suggestive of responsive machineries to protect cells from apoptosis and oxidative insults. In conclusion, both the transcripts and proteins associated with apoptosis, stress response, and antioxidative defense were upregulated in the SYFs of layer-type hens to alleviate the detrimental effects by acute heat stress. However, the genomic regulations of specific cell type in response to acute heat stress of SYFs require further investigation.
Publisher Correction: Bacillus SEVA siblings: A Golden Gate-based toolbox to create personalized integrative vectors for Bacillus subtilis
Authors: Radeck Jara , Meyer Daniel , Lautenschläger Nina , Mascher Thorsten
Published: January 2018

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML version of this paper. The error has been fixed in the paper.
Characterization of Carbon-Contaminated B4C-Coated Optics after Chemically Selective Cleaning with Low-Pressure RF Plasma
Authors: Moreno Fernández H. , Rogler D. , Sauthier G. , Thomasset M. , Dietsch R. , Carlino V. , Pellegrin E.
Published: January 2018

Boron carbide (B4C) is one of the few materials that is expected to be most resilient with respect to the extremely high brilliance of the photon beam generated by free electron lasers (FELs) and is thus of considerable interest for optical applications in this field. However, as in the case of many other optics operated at light source facilities, B4C-coated optics are subject to ubiquitous carbon contaminations. Carbon contaminations represent a serious issue for the operation of FEL beamlines due to severe reduction of photon flux, beam coherence, creation of destructive interference, and scattering losses. A variety of B4C cleaning technologies were developed at different laboratories with varying success. We present a study regarding the low-pressure RF plasma cleaning of carbon contaminated B4C test samples via inductively coupled O2/Ar, H2/Ar, and pure O2 RF plasma produced following previous studies using the same ibss GV10x downstream plasma source. Results regarding the chemistry, morphology as well as other aspects of the B4C optical coating before and after the plasma cleaning are reported. We conclude that among the above plasma processes only plasma based on pure O2 feedstock gas exhibits the required chemical selectivity for maintaining the integrity of the B4C optical coatings.
PI3K induces B-cell development and regulates B cell identity
Authors: Abdelrasoul Hend , Werner Markus , Setz Corinna S. , Okkenhaug Klaus , Jumaa Hassan
Published: January 2018

Phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3K) signaling is important for the survival of numerous cell types and class IA of PI3K is specifically required for the development of B cells but not for T cell development. Here, we show that class IA PI3K-mediated signals induce the expression of the transcription factor Pax5, which plays a central role in B cell commitment and differentiation by activating the expression of central B cell-specific signaling proteins such as SLP-65 and CD19. Defective class IA PI3K function leads to reduction in Pax5 expression and prevents B cell development beyond the stage expressing the precursor B cell receptor (pre-BCR). Investigating the mechanism of PI3K-induced Pax5 expression revealed that it involves a network of transcription factors including FoxO1 and Irf4 that directly binds to the Pax5 gene. Together, our results suggest that PI3K signaling links survival and differentiation of developing B cells with B cell identity and that decreased PI3K activity in pre-B cells results in reduced Pax5 expression and lineage plasticity.
Core promoter information content correlates with optimal growth temperature
Authors: Aptekmann Ariel A. , Nadra Alejandro D.
Published: January 2018

The subtle mechanisms by which protein-DNA interactions remain functional across a wide range of temperatures are largely unknown. In this work, we manually curated available information relating fully sequenced archaeal genomes with organism growth temperatures. We built a motif that represents the core promoter of each species and calculated its information content. We then studied the relation between optimal growth temperature (OGT) and information content (IC) in the promoter region.We found a positive correlation between G + C content and OGT in tRNA regions and not in overall genome. Furthermore, we found that there is a positive correlation between information content and optimal growth temperatures in Archaea. This can’t be explained by an increased C+G composition nor by other obvious mechanisms. These findings suggest that increased information content could produce a positive fitness in organisms living at high temperatures. We suggest that molecular information theory may need to be adapted for hyperthermophiles.
New Insight into Mixing Fluoride and Chloride in Bioactive Silicate Glasses
Authors: Chen Xiaojing , Chen Xiaohui , Pedone Alfonso , Apperley David , Hill Robert G. , Karpukhina Natalia
Published: January 2018

Adding fluoride into bioactive glasses leads to fluorapatite formation and a decrease in glass transition temperature. Recently, chloride has been introduced into glasses as an alternative to fluoride. The presence of the large chloride ion lowers glass crystallisation tendency and increases glass molar volume, which effectively facilitates glass degradation and bone-bonding apatite-like layer formation. However, there is no information regarding the effect of mixing fluoride and chloride on the glass structure and properties. This study aims to synthesize mixed fluoride and chloride containing bioactive glasses; investigate the structural role of fluoride and chloride and their effects on glass properties. The chloride content measurements reveal that 77–90% of chloride was retained in these Q2 type glasses. Glass transition temperature reduced markedly with an increase in CaX2 (X = F + Cl) content, while the glass molar volume increased. 29Si MAS-NMR results show that the incorporation of mixed fluoride and chloride did not cause significant change in the polymerization of the silicate network and no detectable concentration of Si-F/Cl bands were present. This agrees with 19F NMR spectra showing that F existed as F-Ca(n) species.
Emergence of a substrate-temperature-dependent dielectric process in a prototypical vapor deposited hole-transport glass
Authors: Rodríguez-Tinoco Cristian , Rams-Baron Marzena , Rodríguez-Viejo Javier , Paluch Marian
Published: January 2018

Since the discovery of ultrastability, vapor deposition has emerged as a relevant tool to further understand the nature of glasses. By this route, the density and average orientation of glasses can be tuned by selecting the proper deposition conditions. Dielectric spectroscopy, on the other hand, is a basic technique to study the properties of glasses at a molecular level, probing the dynamics of dipoles or charge carriers. Here, and for the first time, we explore the dielectric behavior of vapor deposited N,N-Diphenyl-N,N’bis(methylphenyl)-1,1′-biphenyl-4,4′-diamines (TPD), a prototypical hole-transport material, prepared at different deposition temperatures. We report the emergence of a new relaxation process which is not present in the ordinary glass. We associate this process to the Maxwell-Wagner polarization observed in heterogeneous systems, and induced by the enhanced mobility of charge carriers in the more ordered vapor deposited glasses. Furthermore, the associated activation energy establishes a clear distinction between two families of glasses, depending on the selected substrate-temperature range. This finding positions dielectric spectroscopy as a unique tool to investigate the structural and electronic properties of charge transport materials and remarks the importance of controlling the deposition conditions, historically forgotten in the preparation of optoelectronic devices.
Network of proteins, enzymes and genes linked to biomass degradation shared by Trichoderma species
Authors: Horta Maria Augusta Crivelente , Filho Jaire Alves Ferreira , Murad Natália Faraj , de Oliveira Santos Eidy , dos Santos Clelton Aparecido , Mendes Juliano Sales , Brandão Marcelo Mendes , Azzoni Sindelia Freitas , de Souza Anete Pereira
Published: January 2018

Understanding relationships between genes responsible for enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose and synergistic reactions is fundamental for improving biomass biodegradation technologies. To reveal synergistic reactions, the transcriptome, exoproteome, and enzymatic activities of extracts from Trichoderma harzianum, Trichoderma reesei and Trichoderma atroviride under biodegradation conditions were examined. This work revealed co-regulatory networks across carbohydrate-active enzyme (CAZy) genes and secreted proteins in extracts. A set of 80 proteins and respective genes that might correspond to a common system for biodegradation from the studied species were evaluated to elucidate new co-regulated genes. Differences such as one unique base pair between fungal genomes might influence enzyme-substrate binding sites and alter fungal gene expression responses, explaining the enzymatic activities specific to each species observed in the corresponding extracts. These differences are also responsible for the different architectures observed in the co-expression networks.
Aminode: Identification of Evolutionary Constraints in the Human Proteome
Authors: Chang Kevin T. , Guo Junyan , di Ronza Alberto , Sardiello Marco
Published: January 2018

Evolutionarily constrained regions (ECRs) are a hallmark for sites of critical importance for a protein’s structure or function. ECRs can be inferred by comparing the amino acid sequences from multiple protein homologs in the context of the evolutionary relationships that link the analyzed proteins. The compilation and analysis of the datasets required to infer ECRs, however, are time consuming and require skills in coding and bioinformatics, which can limit the use of ECR analysis in the biomedical community. Here, we developed Aminode, a user-friendly webtool for the routine and rapid inference of ECRs. Aminode is pre-loaded with the results of the analysis of the whole human proteome compared with proteomes from 62 additional vertebrate species. Profiles of the relative rates of amino acid substitution and ECR maps of human proteins are available for immediate search and download on the Aminode website. Aminode can also be used for custom analyses of protein families of interest. Interestingly, mapping of known missense variants shows great enrichment of pathogenic variants and depletion of non-pathogenic variants in Aminode-generated ECRs, suggesting that ECR analysis may help evaluate the potential pathogenicity of variants of unknown significance. Aminode is freely available at http://www.aminode.org.
Volcanic dust veils from sixth century tree-ring isotopes linked to reduced irradiance, primary production and human health
Authors: Helama Samuli , Arppe Laura , Uusitalo Joonas , Holopainen Jari , Mäkelä Hanna M. , Mäkinen Harri , Mielikäinen Kari , Nöjd Pekka , Sutinen Raimo , Taavitsainen Jussi-Pekka , Timonen Mauri , Oinonen Markku
Published: January 2018

The large volcanic eruptions of AD 536 and 540 led to climate cooling and contributed to hardships of Late Antiquity societies throughout Eurasia, and triggered a major environmental event in the historical Roman Empire. Our set of stable carbon isotope records from subfossil tree rings demonstrates a strong negative excursion in AD 536 and 541–544. Modern data from these sites show that carbon isotope variations are driven by solar radiation. A model based on sixth century isotopes reconstruct an irradiance anomaly for AD 536 and 541–544 of nearly three standard deviations below the mean value based on modern data. This anomaly can be explained by a volcanic dust veil reducing solar radiation and thus primary production threatening food security over a multitude of years. We offer a hypothesis that persistently low irradiance contributed to remarkably simultaneous outbreaks of famine and Justinianic plague in the eastern Roman Empire with adverse effects on crop production and photosynthesis of the vitamin D in human skin and thus, collectively, human health. Our results provide a hitherto unstudied proxy for exploring the mechanisms of ‘volcanic summers’ to demonstrate the post-eruption deficiencies in sunlight and to explain the human consequences during such calamity years.
Impact of a motivational resistance-training programme on adherence and body composition in the elderly
Authors: Marcos-Pardo Pablo Jorge , Martínez-Rodríguez Alejandro , Gil-Arias Alexander
Published: January 2018

Lack of physical activity is one of the major causes for obesity and functional disability in the elderly. Including regular exercise in the elderly’s lifestyle is not an easy task. The main objective was to analyse the effect of a motivational resistance-training programme on satisfying the individual’s psychological needs, level of self-determination and body composition. A quasi-experimental study was performed with 47 volunteers (29 females, 18 males) of 67–75 years of age, divided into two groups: experimental (n = 27) and control (n = 20). A 12-week intervention programme was performed, with a total of 36 sessions. The results of the inter-group analysis indicated significant differences in the post-test measurement between the experimental group and the control group (in favour of the experimental group) regarding basic psychological needs. The experimental group, in comparison to the control group, significantly decreased their percentage of fat mass and increased muscle mass. Body weight and BMI values increased in the control group, while significantly decreasing in the experimental group. In conclusion, the motivational resistance-training programme in the elderly gave rise to positive significant changes at the physical, psychological and social levels, according to the definition of health by the World Health Organization.
Four-week individual caging of male ICR mice alters body composition without change in body mass
Authors: Shin Jisu , Woo Jiwan , Cho Yakdol , Choi Yoon Hee , Shin Naewoo Neo , Kim YoungSoo
Published: January 2018

Understanding the physiological implications of caging conditions for mice is crucial in improving the replicability and reliability of animal research. Individual caging of mice is known to alter mouse psychology, such as triggering depression-like symptoms in mice, suggesting that caging conditions could have negative effects on mice. Therefore, we hypothesized that individual caging could affect the physical composition of outbred mice. To investigate this, dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was used to compare the mass, bone mineral content (BMC), bone mineral density (BMD), lean tissue percentage and fat tissue percentage between group and individual caged mice. We also conducted open field test to compare mouse activities in different caging conditions. Our results showed significantly reduced BMD and lean tissue percentage and significantly increased fat tissue percentage in individually-caged male mice. Furthermore, there were no differences in body mass and activity between the grouped and individual mice, suggesting that these physical alterations were not induced by group-related activity. In this study, we conclude that individual caging could alter the body composition of mice without affecting external morphology.
Development of matrix metalloproteinase-targeted probes for lung inflammation detection with positron emission tomography
Authors: Kondo Naoya , Temma Takashi , Aita Kazuki , Shimochi Saeka , Koshino Kazuhiro , Senda Michio , Iida Hidehiro
Published: January 2018

As matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), especially MMP-9 and MMP-12 are involved in the pathological processes associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), we developed a novel radiofluorinated probe, 18F-IPFP, for MMPs-targeted positron emission tomography (PET). 18F-IPFP was designed by iodination of MMP inhibitor to enhance the affinity, and labelled with a compact prosthetic agent, 4-nitrophenyl 2-18F-fluoropropionate (18F-NFP). As a result, IPFP demonstrated the highest affinity toward MMP-12 (IC50 = 1.5 nM) among existing PET probes. A COPD model was employed by exposing mice to cigarette smoke and the expression levels of MMP-9 and MMP-12 were significantly increased in the lungs. Radioactivity accumulation in the lungs 90 min after administration of 18F-IPFP was 4× higher in COPD mice than normal mice, and 10× higher than in the heart, muscle, and blood. Ex vivo PET confirmed the radioactivity distribution in the tissues and autoradiography analysis demonstrated that accumulation differences in the lungs of COPD mice were 2× higher than those of normal mice. These results suggest that 18F-IPFP is a promising probe for pulmonary imaging and expected to be applied to various MMP-related diseases for early diagnosis, tracking of therapeutic effects, and new drug development in both preclinical and clinical applications.