bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Methodology to estimate rice genetic coefficients for the CSM-CERES-Rice model using GENCALC and GLUE genetic coefficient estimators
Authors: Buddhaboon Chitnucha , Jintrawet Attachai , Hoogenboom Gerrit
Published: July 2018

Prior to applying the cropping system model-CERES-Rice model to deep water rice (DWR), it is important to estimate the rice genetic coefficients (GC). The goal of the current study was to compare two methods for estimating GC using a GC calculator (GENCALC) and generalized likelihood uncertainty estimation (GLUE) for three flooded rice (FDR) varieties. Data from a field experiment on the effect of planting date and variety on FDR production was conducted in 2009 on a DWR area in Bang Taen His Majesty's Private Development Project, Prachin Buri, Thailand. The experimental design was split-plot with four main plots (planting dates) and three sub-plots (FDR varieties) with four replications. The simulated values for anthesis date, maturity date and grain weight using GENCALC produced normalized root mean square errors (RMSEn) of 3.97, 3.69 and 3.68, while using GLUE produced RMSEn of 3.67, 2.50 and 3.68, respectively. The simulated grain number and grain yield under GENCALC GC were not significantly different from the observed values but were higher than simulated values for GLUE GC. Simulated values of above-ground biomass for both GENCALC (11 727 kg/ha) and GLUE GC (11 544 kg/ha) were overestimated compared to observed values (8512 kg/ha). In addition, good agreements of leaf N values were found with D-index values of 0.94 and 0.96 using GENACALC and GLUE GC simulations, respectively. Therefore, the GENCALC and GLUE GC estimators of DSSAT can both be used for estimating GC of FDR in the DWR area in Thailand and similar agro-ecosystems in Southeast Asia.
State Ownership and Corporate Cash Holdings
Authors: Chen Ruiyuan (Ryan) , El Ghoul Sadok , Guedhami Omrane , Nash Robert
Published: July 2018

Using a unique sample of newly privatized firms from 59 countries, this article provides new evidence about the agency costs of state ownership and new insight into the corporate governance role of country-level institutions. Consistent with agency theory, we find strong and robust evidence that state ownership is positively related to corporate cash holdings. Moreover, we find that the strength of country-level institutions affects the relation between state ownership and the value of cash holdings. In particular, as state ownership increases, markets discount the value of cash holdings more in countries with weaker institutions.
The origins of new quotative expressions: the case of Paris French
Authors: CHESHIRE JENNY , SECOVA MARIA
Published: July 2018

We analysegenrein the speech of young people with multi-ethnic friendship groups in Paris in order to address the as yet unresolved question of whether new quotatives equivalent in meaning to English BE LIKE result from simultaneous independent parallel developments in languages other than English or from a process of calquing. We conclude that French quotativegenreresults from independent internal developments, but that it enters the French quotative system in the same way that BE LIKE entered the English system, driven by the meanings of ‘similarity’ or ‘approximation’ that are shared by the lexical itemgenrein a range of syntactic categories. We propose that in order for a new similarity quotative to emerge, a lexical item with a meaning of ‘similarity’ or ‘approximation’ must become syntactically multifunctional, and that the use of that lexical item must reach a critical frequency threshold. In the case ofgenrewe suggest that the necessary increase in frequency results from the development of the lexical item into a discourse marker. We also analyse another new French quotative, ETRE LA, a sequence that we find is used to highlight activity of many kinds (including, but not confined to, spoken behaviour). The trajectory followed by each of the new quotative expressions conforms to De Smet's proposals about how linguistic innovations spread through the grammar.
‘Il parle normal, il parle comme nous’: self-reported usage and attitudes in a banlieue
Authors: SECOVA MARIA , GARDNER-CHLOROS PENELOPE , ATANGANA FRÉDÉRIQUE
Published: July 2018

We report on a survey of language attitudes carried out as part of a project comparing youth language in Paris and London.1As in similar studies carried out in London (Cheshire et al., 2008), Berlin (Wiese, 2009) and elsewhere (Boyd et al., 2015), the focus was on features considered typical of ‘contemporary urban vernaculars’ (Rampton, 2015).

The respondents were pupils aged 15–18 in two secondary schools in a working-class northern suburb of Paris. The survey included (1) a written questionnaire containing examples of features potentially undergoing change in contemporary French; (2) an analysis of reactions to extracts from the project data: participants were asked to comment on the speakers and the features identified.

Quantitative analysis had shown that some of these features are more widespread than others and are used by certain categories of speaker more than others (Gardner-Chloros and Secova, this volume). This study provides a qualitative dimension, showing that different features have different degrees of perceptual salience and acceptability. It demonstrates that youth varieties do not involve characteristic features being used as a ‘package’, and that such changes interact in a complex manner with attitudinal factors. The study also provides material for reflection on the role of attitude studies within sociolinguistic surveys.
Introduction: Multicultural youth vernaculars in Paris and urban France
Authors: CHESHIRE JENNY , GARDNER-CHLOROS PENELOPE
Published: July 2018

The papers in this Special Issue present some of the results of theMulticultural London English/Multicultural Paris Frenchproject, supported by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) from October 2010 to December 2014 and by the FrenchAgence Nationale de la Recherche(ANR) from 2010–2012. The project compared language variation and change in multilingual areas of London and Paris, focusing on the language of young people of recent immigrant origin as well as that of young people whose families had lived in London or Paris for many generations. Similar projects in other European cities have documented the emergence of new ways of speaking and rapid language change in the dominant ‘host’ language, which are attributed to the direct and indirect effects of language contact; see, for example, Wiese 2009 on young people's language in Berlin, Quist 2008 on youth language in Copenhagen, and Svendsen and Røyneland 2008 on Norwegian). In London, young children from diverse linguistic backgrounds tend to acquire English in their peer groups at nursery school rather than from their parents, many of whom do not speak English or are in the early stages of learning English. Since their peers speak a wide range of different languages, the only language the young children have in common is English; and since many of their friends are also acquiring English, there is no clear target model, a high tolerance of linguistic variation, and plenty of scope for linguistic innovation. By the time they reach adolescence, young people's English has stabilized, and many innovations have become part of a new London dialect, now known as Multicultural London English (Cheshire et al., 2013). New urban dialects and language practices such as these have been termed ‘multiethnolects’: they contain a variable repertoire of innovative phonetic, grammatical, and discourse-pragmatic features. In multiethnic peer groups, where local children from many different linguistic backgrounds grow up together, the innovative features are used by speakers of all ethnicities, including those of local descent such as, in London, young monolingual English speakers from Cockney families. Nevertheless they tend to be more frequent in the speech of bilingual young people of recent immigrant origin, and by young speakers with highly multiethnic friendship groups (see further Quist 2008 for an account of the use of features associated with a multiethnolect in conjunction with nonlinguistic ‘markers’ of style, such as tastes in music and preferred ways of dressing). Our project aimed to determine whether a similar outcome had occurred in multicultural areas of Paris.
Between Szőke’s Sound Microscope and Messiaen’s Organ: The cultural realities of blackcap song
Authors: Loch Gergely
Published: July 2018

The song of the blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) has been a subject of fascination among Europeans for centuries. In the first half of the article, I present factors that influenced the evaluation of the bird’s song between the seventeenth and early twentieth centuries, and dedicate the second half to developments in the past sixty years. In the 1950s, two mutually exclusive interpretations of the bird’s song appeared: one connected to Péter Szőke and his sound microscope and the other to Olivier Messiaen and his organ. I draw a parallel between this duality and the ‘sound-based’–‘note-based’ dichotomy that has been naturalised in the discourse about sonic culture during the last decade. I examine what this dichotomy and the natural experience of the blackcap’s song can reveal about one other, shedding light on what may be viewed as the most influential source for this centuries-long fascination.
Orchestra Machines, Old and New
Authors: De Souza Jonathan
Published: July 2018

What is ‘orchestral’ about a networked laptop orchestra? And what is network-like about a classical orchestra? This article juxtaposes orchestras, nineteenth-century music machines and twenty-first-century network music projects. Drawing on organology and cybernetics, it asks how these systems connect people and instruments. It considers interaction and coordination in particular networks, from the panharmonicon to PLork, but also their abstract informational topologies. Ultimately, orchestra machines, old and new, involve both technical and social organisation – and, as such, they can be used to problematise the ontological separation of technology and society.
The Anthropomorphic Analogy: Humanising musical machines in the early modern and contemporary eras
Authors: Cypess Rebecca , Kemper Steven
Published: July 2018

Since the late twentieth century, the development of cybernetics, physical computing and robotics has led artists and researchers to create musical systems that explore the relationship between human bodies and mechanical systems. Anthropomorphic musical robots and bodily integrated ‘cyborg’ sensor interfaces explore complementary manifestations of what we call the ‘anthropomorphic analogy’, which probes the boundary between human artificer and artificial machine, encouraging listeners and viewers to humanise non-musical machines and understand the human body itself as a mechanical instrument.

These new approaches to the anthropomorphic analogy benefit from historical contextualisation. At numerous points in the history of Western art music, philosophers, critics, composers, performers and instrument designers have considered the relationship between human musician and musical instrument, often blurring the line between the two. Consideration of historical examples enriches understandings of anthropomorphism in contemporary music technology.

This article juxtaposes the anthropomorphic analogy in contemporary musical culture with manifestations of anthropomorphism in early seventeenth-century Europe. The first half of the seventeenth century witnessed a flourishing of instrumentality of all sorts. Musical instruments were linked with the telescope, the clock, the barometer, the paintbrush, and many other instruments and machines, and these came to be understood as vehicles for the creation of knowledge. This flourishing of instrumental culture created new opportunities for contemplation and aesthetic wonder, as theorists considered the line between human being and machine – between nature and artifice. Manifestations of the anthropomorphic analogy in seventeenth-century conceptions of musical instruments help to contextualise and explain similar articulations of the anthropomorphic analogy in the present day.
Unpacking the Musical and Technical Innovation of Knut Wiggen
Authors: Rudi Jøran
Published: July 2018

Knut Wiggen (1927–2016) is not a household name in music technology, despite the fact that he developed cutting-edge technology during the 1960s and early 1970s in Stockholm, as leader of both the concert organisation Fylkingen and the Electronic Music Studio (EMS). In the international literature on computer music, this development has only been mentioned in passing, if at all. However, EMS and the general development has been discussed in Scandinavian texts,1 but the links between Knut Wiggen’s technical achievements and his far-reaching ambitions for the music of the future, and how this vision aligned with philosophy and research at the time, have not been the focus. Hartenstein (2011) provides insights into Wiggen’s personal intentions and philosophy, and does not go much into technical detail, Groth (2010) focuses principally on the politics and aesthetic differences and subsequent conflicts at EMS, and although an overview of the EMS technology is provided, it is not always made clear how innovative it was. In Broman (2007), the broader lines of electroacoustic musical development are in focus.

Wiggen combined social and political concerns with technical insight, and his overarching conviction of how a new art was necessary as a counterweight to mute consumerism is unique in computer music. The aim of this article is to describe and explain the coherency of Wiggen’s achievements, his philosophy, his use of current technological advances and research and his development of a new method for composing the music of the future. In order to support this focus, mainly primary sources have been used,2 however, the literature mentioned above has been consulted due to its use of interview data and other personal communication not commonly available. A degree of duplication of information has been required for the narrative not to suffer.

The article will show that Wiggen was a visionary pioneer who has a natural place among such computer music luminaries as Max Mathews, Jean-Claude Risset, John Chowning, Iannis Xenakis, Peter Zinovieff and others from the same generation.
The Tone of Prime Unity
Authors: Schrimshaw Will
Published: July 2018

InThe Soundscape, R. Murray Schafer describes a tone of ‘prime unity’, a tonal centre conditioning an international sonic unconscious. Diverging from the bucolic image of nature readily associated with Schafer’s ethics and aesthetics, this tone is found in the ubiquitous hum of electrical infrastructure and appliances. A utopian potential is ascribed to this tone in Schafer’s writing whereby it constitutes the conditions for a unified international acoustic community of listening subjects.

This article outlines Schafer’s anomalous concept of the tone of prime unity and interrogates the contradictions it introduces into Schafer’s project of utopian soundscape design. Discussion of the correspondence between Schafer and Marshall McLuhan contextualises and identifies the source of Schafer’s concept of the tone of prime unity. Of particular interest is the processes of unconscious auditory influence this concept entails and its problematic relation to the politics of sonic warfare. Through discussion of contemporary artistic practices that engage with these problems, it is argued that the tone of prime unity nonetheless presents an opportunity to shift the focus of Schafer’s project from a telos of divine harmony towards collective self-determination through participatory intervention in the world around us.
Carbon‐Based Estimate of Nitrogen Fixation‐Derived Net Community Production in N‐Depleted Ocean Gyres
Authors: Ko Young Ho , Lee Kitack , Takahashi Taro , Karl David M. , Kang Sung‐Ho , Lee Eunil
Published: July 2018

Accurate estimation of net community production (NCP) in the ocean is important for determining the future trend for carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere and thus for understanding the global carbon cycle and climate change. Most methods for measuring NCP rely on analysis of dissolved fixed inorganic nitrogen species (N), which are believed to be limiting factors for NCP. However, in the vast areas of the ocean gyres only low levels of N are available for phytoplankton during much of the year. In this study the NCP was estimated by summing the seasonal reduction in the concentration of dissolved inorganic carbon (CT) in the surface mixed layer, corrected for changes associated with salinity variation, net air‐sea CO2 flux, horizontal C advection, non‐Redfield diffusive C and N fluxes (deviations from the C:N ratio of 7), and anthropogenic nitrogen deposition. The mixed layer reduction in CT was calculated from an annual CT cycle, deduced from comprehensive records of surface pCO2 and total alkalinity, using an established thermodynamic model. This method yielded a value of 0.6 ± 0.2 Pg of C, which represents the NCP that occurred during the warming period (approximately 8 months) in the nitrate‐depleted (<0.2 μmol/kg) ocean. Our estimate is broadly consistent with the global N2 fixation rate estimated using the 15N‐based method and suggests that N2 fixation by microorganisms is a major driver for this NCP.
A Prospectus for Constraining Rapid Cloud Adjustments in General Circulation Models
Authors: Nam Christine , Kühne Philipp , Salzmann Marc , Quaas Johannes
Published: July 2018

Rapid cloud adjustments are an important component of the atmosphere's total response to increased CO2 concentrations. Unfortunately, scientific understanding of rapid shortwave cloud adjustments is rather poor. State‐of‐the‐art 5th Coupled Model Intercomparison Project models showed large uncertainty in regard to rapid cloud adjustments. This study determines whether large‐eddy simulations may, in principle, be used as a reference, thanks to their ability to resolve cloud dynamics and thermodynamics, to constrain rapid shortwave cloud adjustments in general circulation models. This is an open question since large‐eddy models can only be run over limited domains, for a short period of time, and are influenced by boundary conditions. Using the Icosahedral Non‐hydrostatic global climate model—Atmospheric component (ICON‐A), we examine shortwave rapid cloud adjustments over central Europe, which is found to be representative of shortwave rapid cloud adjustments over Northern Hemispheric global continents in the 5th Coupled Model Intercomparison Project models. This work finds (i) a couple of days of simulation is sufficient to get a clear signal in the net top‐of‐atmosphere radiative balance to emerge after a 4xCO2 perturbation and (ii) use of present‐day meteorological and CO2 concentrations for boundary conditions in global simulations is not an issue for short lead times, up to ∼36 hr. We also found that atmospheric processes influencing shortwave rapid cloud adjustments over central Europe are largely thermodynamically driven changes in local cloud dynamics and are rather independent of the synoptic‐scale and circulation effects on short timescales (<2 days). These results imply that high‐resolved large‐eddy simulations over a limited area can be instructive for assessing and constraining global rapid cloud adjustments.
Just How Anomalous Is the Vast Baltic Sea Dead Zone?
Authors: Duncombe Jenessa
Published: July 2018

Newly drilled cores from the Baltic Sea reveal 1,500 years of deoxygenation history. The record sheds light on the dire state of the Baltic Sea today.
Real Time and Automatic Analysis Program for WASAVIES: Warning System for Aviation Exposure to Solar Energetic Particles
Authors: Sato Tatsuhiko , Kataoka Ryuho , Shiota Daikou , Kubo Yûki , Ishii Mamoru , Yasuda Hiroshi , Miyake Shoko , Park In Chun , Miyoshi Yoshizumi
Published: July 2018

A physics‐based warning system for aviation exposure to solar energetic particles, WASAVIES, is improved to be capable of real‐time and automatic analysis. In the improved system, the count rates of several neutron monitors at the ground level, as well as the proton fluxes measured by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES), are continuously downloaded at intervals of 5 min and used for checking the occurrence of ground level enhancement (GLE). When a GLE event is detected, the system automatically determines the model parameters for characterizing the profiles of each GLE event and nowcasts and forecasts the radiation dose rates all over the world up to 24 hr after the flare onset. The performance of WASAVIES is examined by analyzing the four major GLE events of the 21st century. The accuracy of the nowcast data obtained by the model is well validated by the reproducibility of the current neutron monitor count rates and GOES proton fluxes as well as the flight‐dose measurements. On the other hand, the forecast data are reliable only when the evaluated parameters are stable, as expected in the model. A Web interface of WASAVIES is also developed and will be released in the near future through the public server of National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT).
Acquisition of MACPF domain-encoding genes is the main contributor to LPS glycan diversity in gut Bacteroides species
Authors: McEneany Valentina Laclare , Coyne Michael J , Chatzidaki-Livanis Maria , Comstock Laurie E
Published: July 2018

The ability to antagonize competing strains and species is often important for bacterial fitness in microbial communities. The extent to which intra-species antagonism drives phenotypic diversity of bacterial species is rarely examined in a comprehensive manner at both the genetic and phenotypic levels. Here we show that for nine abundant human gut Bacteroides species examined, there are only a few LPS glycan genetic types. We show that for a given Bacteroides species, there is a predominant lipopolysaccharide (LPS) glycan locus present in the majority of strains. However, other strains have replacements of glycosyltransferase-encoding genes, in most cases, adjacent to a membrane attack/perforin (MACPF) domain-encoding gene not present in the predominant type. We show that the MACPF genes present in LPS glycan biosynthesis loci of four Bacteroides species encode antimicrobial proteins and in Bacteroides vulgatus and Bacteroides dorei, we show the MACPF toxin targets the LPS of strains with the predominant LPS glycan locus. By a combination of gene deletion and replacement, we converted a MACPF toxin-producing strain into a sensitive strain. Genetic diversity of LPS glycan biosynthesis regions in Bacteroides is similar to phage serotype conversion whereby the receptor is altered to render the strain immune to infection/toxicity, and is a rare example in bacteria of toxin immunity conferred to the toxin-producing strain by replacement of genetic material to modify the receptor rather than by a cognate immunity protein.
Circulating tumor DNA analysis depicts subclonal architecture and genomic evolution of small cell lung cancer
Authors: Nong Jingying , Gong Yuhua , Guan Yanfang , Yi Xin , Yi Yuting , Chang Lianpeng , Yang Ling , Lv Jialin , Guo Zhirong , Jia Hongyan , Chu Yuxing , Liu Tao , Chen Ming , Byers Lauren , Roarty Emily , Lam Vincent K. , Papadimitrakopoulou Vassiliki A. , Wistuba Ignacio , Heymach John V. , Glisson Bonnie , Liao Zhongxing , Lee J. Jack , Futreal P. Andrew , Zhang Shucai , Xia Xuefeng , Zhang Jianjun , Wang Jinghui
Published: July 2018

Subclonal architecture and genomic evolution of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) under treatment has not been well studied primarily due to lack of tumor specimens, particularly longitudinal samples acquired during treatment. SCLC is characterized by early hematogenous spread, which makes circulating cell-free tumor DNA (ctDNA) sequencing a promising modality for genomic profiling. Here, we perform targeted deep sequencing of 430 cancer genes on pre-treatment tumor biopsies, as well as on plasma samples collected prior to and during treatment from 22 SCLC patients. Similar subclonal architecture is observed between pre-treatment ctDNA and paired tumor DNA. Mean variant allele frequency of clonal mutations from pre-treatment ctDNA is associated with progression-free survival and overall survival. Pre- and post-treatment ctDNA mutational analysis demonstrate that mutations of DNA repair and NOTCH signaling pathways are enriched in post-treatment samples. These data suggest that ctDNA sequencing is promising to delineate genomic landscape, subclonal architecture, and genomic evolution of SCLC.
Structural insights into the gating of DNA passage by the topoisomerase II DNA-gate
Authors: Chen Shin-Fu , Huang Nan-Lan , Lin Jung-Hsin , Wu Chyuan-Chuan , Wang Ying-Ren , Yu Yu-Jen , Gilson Michael K. , Chan Nei-Li
Published: July 2018

Type IIA topoisomerases (Top2s) manipulate the handedness of DNA crossovers by introducing a transient and protein-linked double-strand break in one DNA duplex, termed the DNA-gate, whose opening allows another DNA segment to be transported through to change the DNA topology. Despite the central importance of this gate-opening event to Top2 function, the DNA-gate in all reported structures of Top2-DNA complexes is in the closed state. Here we present the crystal structure of a human Top2 DNA-gate in an open conformation, which not only reveals structural characteristics of its DNA-conducting path, but also uncovers unexpected yet functionally significant conformational changes associated with gate-opening. This structure further implicates Top2’s preference for a left-handed DNA braid and allows the construction of a model representing the initial entry of another DNA duplex into the DNA-gate. Steered molecular dynamics calculations suggests the Top2-catalyzed DNA passage may be achieved by a rocker-switch-type movement of the DNA-gate.
A novel environment-evoked transcriptional signature predicts reactivity in single dentate granule neurons
Authors: Jaeger Baptiste N. , Linker Sara B. , Parylak Sarah L. , Barron Jerika J. , Gallina Iryna S. , Saavedra Christian D. , Fitzpatrick Conor , Lim Christina K. , Schafer Simon T. , Lacar Benjamin , Jessberger Sebastian , Gage Fred H.
Published: July 2018

Activity-induced remodeling of neuronal circuits is critical for memory formation. This process relies in part on transcription, but neither the rate of activity nor baseline transcription is equal across neuronal cell types. In this study, we isolated mouse hippocampal populations with different activity levels and used single nucleus RNA-seq to compare their transcriptional responses to activation. One hour after novel environment exposure, sparsely active dentate granule (DG) neurons had a much stronger transcriptional response compared to more highly active CA1 pyramidal cells and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) interneurons. Activity continued to impact transcription in DG neurons up to 5 h, with increased heterogeneity. By re-exposing the mice to the same environment, we identified a unique transcriptional signature that selects DG neurons for reactivation upon re-exposure to the same environment. These results link transcriptional heterogeneity to functional heterogeneity and identify a transcriptional correlate of memory encoding in individual DG neurons.
Dipolar cations confer defect tolerance in wide-bandgap metal halide perovskites
Authors: Tan Hairen , Che Fanglin , Wei Mingyang , Zhao Yicheng , Saidaminov Makhsud I. , Todorović Petar , Broberg Danny , Walters Grant , Tan Furui , Zhuang Taotao , Sun Bin , Liang Zhiqin , Yuan Haifeng , Fron Eduard , Kim Junghwan , Yang Zhenyu , Voznyy Oleksandr , Asta Mark , Sargent Edward H.
Published: July 2018

Efficient wide-bandgap perovskite solar cells (PSCs) enable high-efficiency tandem photovoltaics when combined with crystalline silicon and other low-bandgap absorbers. However, wide-bandgap PSCs today exhibit performance far inferior to that of sub-1.6-eV bandgap PSCs due to their tendency to form a high density of deep traps. Here, we show that healing the deep traps in wide-bandgap perovskites—in effect, increasing the defect tolerance via cation engineering—enables further performance improvements in PSCs. We achieve a stabilized power conversion efficiency of 20.7% for 1.65-eV bandgap PSCs by incorporating dipolar cations, with a high open-circuit voltage of 1.22 V and a fill factor exceeding 80%. We also obtain a stabilized efficiency of 19.1% for 1.74-eV bandgap PSCs with a high open-circuit voltage of 1.25 V. From density functional theory calculations, we find that the presence and reorientation of the dipolar cation in mixed cation–halide perovskites heals the defects that introduce deep trap states.
Differential dynamics of cortical neuron dendritic trees revealed by long-term in vivo imaging in neonates
Authors: Nakazawa Shingo , Mizuno Hidenobu , Iwasato Takuji
Published: July 2018

Proper neuronal circuit function relies on precise dendritic projection, which is established through activity-dependent refinement during early postnatal development. Here we revealed dynamics of dendritic refinement in the mammalian brain by conducting long-term imaging of the neonatal mouse barrel cortex. By “retrospective” analyses, we identified “prospective” barrel-edge spiny stellate (SS) neurons in early neonates, which had an apical dendrite and primitive basal dendrites (BDs). These neurons retracted the apical dendrite gradually and established strong BD orientation bias through continuous “dendritic tree” turnover. A greater chance of survival was given to BD trees emerged in the barrel-center side, where thalamocortical axons (TCAs) cluster. When the spatial bias of TCA inputs to SS neurons was lost, BD tree turnover was suppressed, and most BD trees became stable and elaborated mildly. Thus, barrel-edge SS neurons could establish the characteristic BD projection pattern through differential dynamics of dendritic trees induced by spatially biased inputs.
Gating of miRNA movement at defined cell-cell interfaces governs their impact as positional signals
Authors: Skopelitis Damianos S. , Hill Kristine , Klesen Simon , Marco Cristina F. , von Born Patrick , Chitwood Daniel H. , Timmermans Marja C. P.
Published: July 2018

Mobile small RNAs serve as local positional signals in development and coordinate stress responses across the plant. Despite its central importance, an understanding of how the cell-to-cell movement of small RNAs is governed is lacking. Here, we show that miRNA mobility is precisely regulated through a gating mechanism polarised at defined cell–cell interfaces. This generates directional movement between neighbouring cells that limits long-distance shoot-to-root trafficking, and underpins domain-autonomous behaviours of small RNAs within stem cell niches. We further show that the gating of miRNA mobility occurs independent of mechanisms controlling protein movement, identifying the small RNA as the mobile unit. These findings reveal gate-keepers of cell-to-cell small RNA mobility generate selectivity in long-distance signalling, and help safeguard functional domains within dynamic stem cell niches while mitigating a ‘signalling gridlock’ in contexts where developmental patterning events occur in close spatial and temporal vicinity.
Control of Propionibacterium acnes by natural antimicrobial substances: Role of the bacteriocin AS-48 and lysozyme
Authors: Cebrián Rubén , Arévalo Sergio , Rubiño Susana , Arias-Santiago Salvador , Rojo María Dolores , Montalbán-López Manuel , Martínez-Bueno Manuel , Valdivia Eva , Maqueda Mercedes
Published: July 2018

We report the high susceptibility of several clinical isolates of Propionibacterium acnes from different sources (skin, bone, wound exudates, abscess or blood contamination) to the head-to-tail cyclized bacteriocin AS-48. This peptide is a feasible candidate for further pharmacological development against this bacterium, due to its physicochemical and biological characteristics, even when it is growing in a biofilm. Thus, the treatment of pre-formed biofilms with AS-48 resulted in a dose- and time-dependent disruption of the biofilm architecture beside the decrease of bacterial viability. Furthermore, we demonstrated the potential of lysozyme to bolster the inhibitory activity of AS-48 against P. acnes, rendering high reductions in the MIC values, even in matrix-growing cultures, according to the results obtained using a range of microscopy and bioassay techniques. The improvement of the activity of AS-48 through its co-formulation with lysozyme may be considered an alternative in the control of P. acnes, especially after proving the absence of cytotoxicity demonstrated by these natural compounds on relevant human skin cell lines. In summary, this study supports that compositions comprising the bacteriocin AS-48 plus lysozyme must be considered as promising candidates for topical applications with medical and pharmaceutical purposes against dermatological diseases such as acne vulgaris.
Author Correction: Buffalo nasal odorant-binding protein (bunOBP) and its structural evaluation with putative pheromones
Authors: Muthukumar Subramanian , Rajesh Durairaj , Selvam Ramu Muthu , Saibaba Ganesan , Suvaithenamudhan Suvaiyarasan , Akbarsha Mohammad Abdulkader , Padmanabhan Parasuraman , Gulyas Balazs , Archunan Govindaraju
Published: July 2018

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has been fixed in the paper.
Comprehensive profiling of transcriptional networks specific for lactogenic differentiation of HC11 mammary epithelial stem-like cells
Authors: Sornapudi Trinadha Rao , Nayak Rakhee , Guthikonda Prashanth Kumar , Pasupulati Anil Kumar , Kethavath Srinivas , Uppada Vanita , Mondal Sukalpa , Yellaboina Sailu , Kurukuti Sreenivasulu
Published: July 2018

The development of mammary gland as a lactogenic tissue is a highly coordinated multistep process. The epithelial cells of lactiferous tubules undergo profound changes during the developmental window of puberty, pregnancy, and lactation. Several hormones including estrogen, progesterone, glucocorticoids and prolactin act in concert, and orchestrate the development of mammary gland. Understanding the gene regulatory networks that coordinate proliferation and differentiation of HC11 Mammary Epithelial stem-like Cells (MEC) under the influence of lactogenic hormones is critical for elucidating the mechanism of lactogenesis in detail. In this study, we analyzed transcriptome profiles of undifferentiated MEC (normal) and compared them with Murine Embryonic Stem Cells (ESC) using next-generation mRNA sequencing. Further, we analyzed the transcriptome output during lactogenic differentiation of MEC following treatment with glucocorticoids (primed state) and both glucocorticoids and prolactin together (prolactin state). We established stage-specific gene regulatory networks in ESC and MEC (normal, priming and prolactin states). We validated the top up-and downregulated genes in each stage of differentiation of MEC by RT-PCR and found that they are comparable with that of RNA-seq data. HC11 MEC display decreased expression of Pou5f1 and Sox2, which is crucial for the differentiation of MEC, which otherwise ensure pluripotency to ESC. Cited4 is induced during priming and is involved in milk secretion. MEC upon exposure to both glucocorticoids and prolactin undergo terminal differentiation, which is associated with the expression of several genes, including Xbp1 and Cbp that are required for cell growth and differentiation. Our study also identified differential expression of transcription factors and epigenetic regulators in each stage of lactogenic differentiation. We also analyzed the transcriptome data for the pathways that are selectively activated during lactogenic differentiation. Further, we found that selective expression of chromatin modulators (Dnmt3l, Chd9) in response to glucocorticoids suggests a highly coordinated stage-specific lactogenic differentiation of MEC.
Correction: Corrigendum: Microarray profiling of miRNA and mRNA expression in Rag2 knockout and wild-type mouse spleens
Authors: Reza Abu Musa Md Talimur , Cho Seong-Keun , Choi Yun-Jung , Hong Kwonho , Kim Jin-Hoi
Published: July 2018

Scientific Data 5:170199 doi: 10.1038/sdata.2017.199 (2018); Published 9 January 2018; Updated 31 July 2018 The Data Descriptor incorrectly states that hybridization for the miRNA expression microarray analysis was performed with an Affymetrix 450 Fluidics Station. This step was performed using an Affymetrix GeneChip Hybridization Oven 645.
Electrochemical microfluidics techniques for heavy metal ion detection
Authors: Li Su , Zhang Chencheng , Wang Shengnan , Liu Qing , Feng Huanhuan , Ma Xing , Guo Jinhong
Published: July 2018

Heavy metals refer to metals with a density above 5 × 103 kg m−3, such as lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), and mercury (Hg).
HMGB1 binds to the KRAS promoter G-quadruplex: a new player in oncogene transcriptional regulation?
Authors: Amato Jussara , Madanayake Thushara W. , Iaccarino Nunzia , Novellino Ettore , Randazzo Antonio , Hurley Laurence H. , Pagano Bruno
Published: July 2018

Biophysical and biological data reveal that HMGB1 binds to the KRAS G-quadruplex and suggest that it is involved in oncogene transcriptional regulation.
Chiral separation of diastereomers of the cyclic nonapeptides vasopressin and desmopressin by uniform field ion mobility mass spectrometry
Authors: Phillips Shawn T. , Dodds James N. , Ellis Berkley M. , May Jody C. , McLean John A.
Published: July 2018

In this study ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) is used to distinguish chiral diastereomers of the nonapeptides desmopressin and vasopressin.
Efficient separation of C2hydrocarbons in a permanently porous hydrogen-bonded organic framework
Authors: Yoon Tae-Ung , Baek Seung Bin , Kim Dongwook , Kim Eun-Jung , Lee Wang-Geun , Singh Bhupendra Kumar , Lah Myoung Soo , Bae Youn-Sang , Kim Kwang S.
Published: July 2018

A microporous hydrogen-bonded organic framework HOF-BTB efficiently separates C2hydrocarbons from C2/CH4binary gas mixtures under dynamic mixture flow conditions.
A molecular basis to rare earth separations for recycling: tuning the TriNOx ligand properties for improved performance
Authors: Cole Bren E. , Falcones Ingemar B. , Cheisson Thibault , Manor Brian C. , Carroll Patrick J. , Schelter Eric J.
Published: July 2018

A methoxy-substituted tripodal hydroxylamine ligand, H3TriNOxOMe, was synthesized and coordinated to rare earth cations for separation purposes.
Synthesis of heteroaromatic trifluoromethyl ethers with trifluoromethyl triflate as the source of the trifluoromethoxy group
Authors: Zhang Qing-Wei , Hartwig John F.
Published: July 2018

A series of nitrogen-heterocycles have been transformed to the corresponding trifluoromethyl and higher perfluoroalkyl ethers by the reaction of the N-oxides with trifluoromethyl triflate as a bifunctional reagent.
Lanthanide-based tools for the investigation of cellular environments
Authors: Mathieu Emilie , Sipos Agnès , Demeyere Ellen , Phipps Dulcie , Sakaveli Dimitra , Borbas K. Eszter
Published: July 2018

Coordination complexes and supramolecules based on trivalent lanthanides for probing biological systems, in particular intracellular environments, are reviewed.
An electro-responsive imprinted biosensor with switchable affinity toward proteins
Authors: Wei Yubo , Zeng Qiang , Huang Jianzhi , Hu Qiong , Guo Xinrong , Wang Lishi
Published: July 2018

We combined electro-responsive materials with molecular imprinted polymers (MIPs) to develop an electro-responsive imprinted biosensor for the first time.
CBS extrapolation in electronic structure pushed to the end: a revival of minimal and sub-minimal basis sets
Authors: Varandas A. J. C.
Published: July 2018

The complete basis set (CBS) limit is secluded in calculations of electronic structure, and hence CBS extrapolation draws immediate attention.
Influence of hydrogen spillover on Pt-decorated carbon nanocones for enhancing hydrogen storage capacity: A DFT mechanistic study
Authors: Yodsin Nuttapon , Rungnim Chompoonut , Promarak Vinich , Namuangruk Supawadee , Kungwan Nawee , Rattanawan Rattanawalee , Jungsuttiwong Siriporn
Published: July 2018

The hydrogen adsorption on platinum (Pt)-decorated carbon nanocenes (CNCs) are investigated by DFT calculations. The Pt is an active site for hydrogen adsorption while curvature of CNC enhances hydrogen uptake via hydrogen migration/diffusion on the C–C surface.
Bimetallic Pd–Pt alloy nanocluster arrays on graphene/Rh(111): formation, stability, and dynamics
Authors: Düll Fabian , Bauer Udo , Späth Florian , Bachmann Philipp , Steinhauer Johann , Steinrück Hans-Peter , Papp Christian
Published: July 2018

We investigated the formation, stability, and dynamics of graphene-supported Pd–Pt alloy nanoclusters with in situ HR-XPS with CO as a probe molecule.
Dearomative cycloadditions of a silylene with pyrazine and quinoxaline
Authors: Ishida Shintaro , Tamura Tomofumi , Iwamoto Takeaki
Published: July 2018

The dearomative cycloaddition of a dialkylsilylene with pyrazine affords an eight-membered heterocyclic compound with a trans-cycloalkene moiety.
Measuring metaldehyde in surface waters in the UK using two monitoring approaches
Authors: Castle Glenn D. , Mills Graham A. , Bakir Adil , Gravell Anthony , Schumacher Melanie , Snow Kate , Fones Gary R.
Published: July 2018

Being able to effectively monitor the molluscicide metaldehyde in river catchments is now of major importance in the UK.
Iodine-catalyzed diamination of styrene in water with the oxidation of H2O2
Authors: Liu Liyan , Sun Qi , Yan Zicong , Liang Xinping , Zha Zhenggen , Yang Yu , Wang Zhiyong
Published: July 2018

An environmentally friendly diamination was developed in the presence of TMDAI/H2O2 with water as the only by-product.
Continuous removal of small nonviable suspended mammalian cells and debris from bioreactors using inertial microfluidics
Authors: Kwon Taehong , Yao Rujie , Hamel Jean-François P. , Han Jongyoon
Published: July 2018

We introduce a new application of spiral inertial microfluidics for removing small nonviable cells from a mammalian suspension culture.
A wearable patch for continuous monitoring of sweat electrolytes during exertion
Authors: Alizadeh Azar , Burns Andrew , Lenigk Ralf , Gettings Rachel , Ashe Jeffrey , Porter Adam , McCaul Margaret , Barrett Ruairi , Diamond Dermot , White Paddy , Skeath Perry , Tomczak Melanie
Published: July 2018

Implementation of wearable sweat sensors for continuous measurement of fluid based biochemical markers is an attractive alternative to common, yet intrusive and invasive, practices such as urine or blood analysis.
Self-assembled fibrillar networks induced by two methods: a new unmodified natural product gel
Authors: He Ning , Zhi Kangkang , Yang Xin , Zhao Haitian , Zhang Hua , Wang Jing , Wang Zhenyu
Published: July 2018

The discovery of new NPGs and the study of their self-assembing properties.
Selective synthesis of 5-aryl-10-(nitromethyl) substituted 15-azatripyrrane, 15-oxatripyrrane and 15-thiatripyrrane: access to nitromethyl functionalized A3B-porphyrins
Authors: Seyitdanlioglu Pinar , Altundal Gulberil , Cinar Seda , Unaleroglu Canan
Published: July 2018

A chemical strategy toward the selective synthesis of unsymmetrical tripyrranes was developed for the building of meso-aryl and -nitromethyl substituted A3B porphyrins.
Facile covalent bio-conjugation of hydroxyapatite
Authors: Jeon Minjeong , Jung Suhyun , Park Seongsoon
Published: July 2018

A facile covalent bio-conjugation of hydroxyapatite has been developed and employed for the conjugation of hydrophobic proteins.
Mitochondria-targeting nanoparticles for enhanced microwave ablation of cancer
Authors: Chen Xiaowei , Fu Changhui , Wang Yaqin , Wu Qirun , Meng Xianwei , Xu Ke
Published: July 2018

Mitochondria play a key role in tumor therapy, not only in chemotherapy and photothermal therapy, but also a key target in microwave thermotherapy.
Nano-imaging of an edge-excited plasmon mode in graphene
Authors: Cheng Guanghui , Wang Dongli , Dai Siyuan , Fan Xiaodong , Wu Fei , Li Xiaoguang , Zeng Changgan
Published: July 2018

Graphene plasmons launched directly from the edge are identified, revealing a convenient approach to initiate plasmons in nanophotonic applications.
New topological states in HgTe quantum wells from defect patterning
Authors: Fu Hua-Hua , Wu Ruqian
Published: July 2018

To explore new methods for the realization of the quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect in two-dimensional (2D) materials, we have constructed a honeycomb geometry (HG) by etching rows of hexagonal holes in HgTe quantum wells (QWs).
Synthesis and characterization of poly(ethene–ketone–arylene–ketone)s containing pendant methylthio groups via metal-free catalyzed copolymerization of aryldiynes with DMSO
Authors: Fu Weiqiang , Dong Lichao , Shi Jianbing , Tong Bin , Cai Zhengxu , Zhi Junge , Dong Yuping
Published: July 2018

A metal-free copolymerization of aryldiynes with DMSO as a monomer gave polyeneketones in good yields and high molecular weight.
Polyol derived Ni and NiFe alloys for effective shielding of electromagnetic interference
Authors: Dijith Kesavapillai Sreedeviamma , Aiswarya Remadevi , Praveen Mathew , Pillai Saju , Surendran Kuzhichalil Peethambharan
Published: July 2018

A shielding efficiency of 99.9% is achieved at a lower thickness of 1 mm for the polyol derived permalloy composition.
A facile and general approach for the direct fabrication of N-rGO–metal(metal oxides)–Pt composites as electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reactions
Authors: Chen Xiaohong , Ning Zhaoyang , Zhou Zongshang , Liu Xundao , Lei Jianlong , Pei Supeng , Zhang Yongming
Published: July 2018

We developed a facile, yet general approach to prepare N-rGO–M(MO)–Pt (M = Co, Fe and Mn) composites, which showed excellent electrocatalytic activity for the ORR in alkaline electrolytes.
Nitroxide radical-modified CuS nanoparticles for CT/MRI imaging-guided NIR-II laser responsive photothermal cancer therapy
Authors: Xia Chengwan , Xie Diya , Xiong Lang , Zhang Qian , Wang Yang , Wang Zezheng , Wang Yuxin , Li Bin , Zhang Chao
Published: July 2018

Herein, we reported nitroxide radical-modified CuS nanoparticles (CuS–NO˙ NPs), and they exhibited a typical absorption peak at 1182 nm.
Theoretical investigations on azole-fused tricyclic 1,2,3,4-tetrazine-2-oxides
Authors: Fei Teng , Du Yao , He Chunlin , Pang Siping
Published: July 2018

In this work, a series of novel non-hydrogen-containing 5/6/5 fused ring molecules with azoxy moiety were designed, some physicochemical or detonation properties of them were calculated.
Correction: Zr–Cu alloy filler metal for brazing SiC ceramic
Authors: Zhou Bofang , Feng Keqin
Published: July 2018

Correction for ‘Zr–Cu alloy filler metal for brazing SiC ceramic’ by Bofang Zhou et al., RSC Adv., 2018, 8, 26251–26254.
Correction: Oxygen diffusion dynamics in organic semiconductor films
Authors: Shoaee Safa , Durrant James R.
Published: July 2018

Correction for ‘Oxygen diffusion dynamics in organic semiconductor films’ by Safa Shoaee et al., J. Mater. Chem. C, 2015, 3, 10079–10084.