bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Market Orientation, Growth Strategy, and Firm Performance: The Moderating Effects of External Connections
Authors: Filatotchev Igor , Su Zhongfeng , Bruton Garry D.
Published: December 2016

This study examines the mediating effect of growth strategy (including market and product expansion strategies) on the linkage of market orientation (MO) to firm performance and the moderating effects of a firm's external connections (including political and business ties) on the relationship between MO and growth strategy. It finds that both market and product expansion strategies are key conduits through which MO improves firm performance. In addition, the relationship between MO and market expansion strategy is positively moderated by political ties but negatively moderated by business ties, while the linkage of MO to product expansion strategy is moderated negatively by political ties but positively by business ties. By combining mediating and moderating effects in a framework that integrates MO, growth strategy, external connections, and firm performance, this study enriches our knowledge on the implications of MO and provides insight into factors that facilitate firm growth.
Can Previous Pro-Environmental Behaviours Influence Subsequent Environmental Behaviours? The Licensing Effect of Pro-Environmental Behaviours
Authors: Geng Liuna , Cheng Xiao , Tang Zhuxuan , Zhou Kexin , Ye Lijuan
Published: December 2016

Methods for promoting individuals’ pro-environmental behaviours are becoming very important. Besides traditional factors relevant to pro-environmental actions, few studies have examined the licensing effect within this domain. Across three studies we have explored whether the licensing effect really exists in pro-environmental behaviours, how this effect actually works, and how to inhibit or even avoid this effect. Results have revealed that previous pro-environmental behaviours lead to a decrease in subsequent pro-environmental behaviours, indicating a licensing effect. Also, the licensing effect in pro-environmental behaviours can be explained by having individuals focus on goal progress and reduced by focusing on goal commitment. Furthermore, attributional recall could be an intervention for mitigating the licensing effect.
Evaluation of a Group-Based Resilience Intervention for Typhoon Haiyan Survivors
Authors: Hechanova Ma Regina M. , Waelde Lynn C. , Ramos Pia Anna P.
Published: December 2016

This study evaluated the impact of Katatagan, a culturally adapted, group-based, and mindfulness-informed resilience intervention developed for disaster survivors in the Philippines. The intervention aimed to teach six adaptive coping skills: harnessing strengths, managing physical reactions, managing thoughts and emotions, seeking solutions and support, identifying positive activities, and planning for the future. Pre- and post-intervention assessments were conducted with 163 Typhoon Haiyan survivors. Six-month follow-up assessments were obtained for 37 participants. Pre- and post-results showed improvements in participants’ self-efficacy on all six coping skills. The 6-month follow-up revealed significant improvements in four of the six coping skills. Focus group discussions conducted at follow-up revealed that mindfulness, self-care, strengths, and reframing were some of the topics that were most memorable to participants. Among these, participants identified mindfulness as a skill that they continued to use. Participants also shared that they felt stronger because of the intervention and have shared what they learned with others in their communities.
The Great War and popular modernism
Authors: Fotheringham Richard
Published: December 2016

Pat Hanna’s Famous Diggers, a professional vaudeville theatre troupe comprising ex-Great War Anzac soldiers (initially, mainly New Zealanders, as Hanna was himself) played for nearly two years (1923–24) at the old Cremorne Theatre in Brisbane. One item Hanna premiered at the Cremorne was Louis XI, a short (ten-minute) comic sketch he wrote himself. Modernism in the inter-war years, given its usual location within avant-garde aesthetics, high culture, internationalism and radical politics, is not — with the notable exception of Brecht’s cabaret work in the 1920s — usually associated with popular theatre. While one comic playlet hardly challenges that positioning, Louis XI was a direct result of the Great War’s profound reshaping of modern life. Many of the dramatised sketches performed by Hanna’s company, including Louis XI, were structured around a contrast between events as they had occurred in the trenches and as they were portrayed in a utopian or dystopian fantasy, sometimes triggered by shell shock or a dream. Several, again including Louis XI, involve the past, and express the curiosity and cultural dislocation Australian- and New Zealand-born soldiers felt as they moved for the first time through real-life landscapes and architecture they had known only from popular history and romance.
Sharon Faylene and the woman from the welfare
Authors: Birns Nicholas
Published: December 2016

Criena Rohan’s The Delinquents (1962) has always had a cult appeal — in 1989 it was made into a movie, starring Kylie Minogue as Lola and an unknown American as Brownie — and was recently reissued as a Text Classic. A short novel written by a writer who did not have a long career, and published between more commonly scrutinised periods of Australian fiction, The Delinquents is still, however, liminal. The Delinquents is very much a novel of rebellion and subversion, as its teenage protagonists, Brownie Hansen and Lola Lovell, pursue their love over the opposition of both sets of parents the police, the bourgeois consensus and everybody who is not them. By the fiery smoldering of its passion, though, their love sustains them and they emerge at the end, buffeted but united and resilient. This article argues that Rohan’s book represents a Queensland iteration of a ‘regional modernism’.
Levels of life
Authors: Ferres Kay
Published: December 2016

David Malouf’s novel Fly Away Peter (1982) uses modernist techniques to describe the impact of modernity on the emergent Australian nation. At its centre is the country lad Jim Saddler, who dies in the industrialised battlefield in France. His fate is entwined with that of his friend Ashley Crowther, who inherits his family’s property, and whose embrace of modernity includes a determination to preserve the land and its wildlife. Ashley recognises the value of Jim’s instinctive connection with the natural world, and his knowledge of, and fascination with, birds. This fascination aligns Jim with the photographer Imogen Harcourt. Miss Harcourt is a modern woman, using the new technologies of representation to record the natural world, its movement and change. At the novella’s end, it is Imogen who turns her lens towards a new future, as her grief for Jim is transfigured through an epiphanic vision of a surfer riding the waves to the beach.
John Blaxland, 'The Protest Years: The Official History of ASIO, 1963–1975', vol. 2
Authors: Finnane Mark
Published: December 2016

John Blaxland, The Protest Years: The Official History of ASIO, 1963–1975, vol. 2, Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 2015, ISBN 9 7819 2526 6931, 592 pp., $49.99
Recent progress in astrophysical plasma turbulence from solar wind observations
Authors: Chen C. H. K.
Published: December 2016

This paper summarises some of the recent progress that has been made in understanding astrophysical plasma turbulence in the solar wind, fromin situspacecraft observations. At large scales, where the turbulence is predominantly Alfvénic, measurements of critical balance, residual energy and three-dimensional structure are discussed, along with comparison to recent models of strong Alfvénic turbulence. At these scales, a few per cent of the energy is also in compressive fluctuations, and their nature, anisotropy and relation to the Alfvénic component is described. In the small-scale kinetic range, below the ion gyroscale, the turbulence becomes predominantly kinetic Alfvén in nature, and measurements of the spectra, anisotropy and intermittency of this turbulence are discussed with respect to recent cascade models. One of the major remaining questions is how the turbulent energy is dissipated, and some recent work on this question, in addition to future space missions which will help to answer it, are briefly discussed.
Frontier methods in coherent X-ray diffraction for high-resolution structure determination
Authors: Gallagher-Jones Marcus , Rodriguez Jose A. , Miao Jianwei
Published: December 2016

In 1912, Max von Laue and collaborators first observed diffraction spots from a millimeter-sized crystal of copper sulfate using an X-ray tube. Crystallography was born of this experiment, and since then, diffraction by both X-rays and electrons has revealed a myriad of inorganic and organic structures, including structures of complex protein assemblies. Advancements in X-ray sources have spurred a revolution in structure determination, facilitated by the development of new methods. This review explores some of the frontier methods that are shaping the future of X-ray diffraction, including coherent diffractive imaging, serial femtosecond X-ray crystallography and small-angle X-ray scattering. Collectively, these methods expand the current limits of structure determination in biological systems across multiple length and time scales.
Plasma scale length effects on protons generated in ultra-intense laser–plasmas
Authors: Culfa O. , Tallents G.J. , Korkmaz M.E. , Rossall A.K. , Wagenaars E. , Ridgers C.P. , Murphy C.D. , Booth N. , Carroll D.C. , Wilson L.A. , Lancaster K.L. , Woolsey N.C.
Published: December 2016

The energy spectra of protons generated by ultra-intense (1020 W cm−2) laser interactions with a preformed plasma of scale length measured by shadowgraphy are presented. The effects of the preformed plasma on the proton beam temperature and the number of protons are evaluated. Two-dimensional EPOCH particle-in-cell code simulations of the proton spectra are found to be in agreement with measurements over a range of experimental parameters.
Laser ion implantation of Ge in SiO2 using a post-ion acceleration system
Authors: Cutroneo M. , Mackova A. , Torrisi L. , Lavrentiev V.
Published: December 2016

This work reports a comparative study of laser ion implantation mainly performed at the Nuclear Physics Institute in Rez (Czech Republic), National Institute of Nuclear Physics (Italy), and the Plasma Physics Laboratory at the University of Messina (Italy) using different approaches. Thick metallic targets were irradiated in vacuum by a focused laser beam to generate plasma-producing multi-energy and multi-species ions. A post-acceleration system was employed in order to increase the energy of the produced ions and to generate ion beams suitable to be implanted in different substrates. The ion dose was controlled by the laser repetition rate and the time of irradiation. Rutherford backscattering analysis was carried out to evaluate the integral amount of implanted ion species, the concentration–depth profiles, the ion penetration depth, and the uniformity of depth profiles for ions laser implanted into monocrystalline substrates. The laser implantation under normal conditions and in post-acceleration configuration will be discussed on the basis of the characterization of the implanted substrates.
The RANTANPLAN planner: system description
Authors: Bofill Miquel , Espasa Joan , Villaret Mateu
Published: December 2016

RANTANPLAN is a numeric planning solver that takes advantage of recent advances in satisfiability modulo theories. It extends reduction to SAT approaches with an easy and efficient handling of numeric fluents using background theories. In this paper, we describe the design choices and features of RANTANPLAN, especially, how numeric reasoning is integrated in the system. We also provide experimental results showing that RANTANPLAN is competitive with existing exact numeric planners.
Age- and time-dependent prevalence and incidence of hepatitis C virus infection in drug users in France, 2004–2011: model-based estimation from two national cross-sectional serosurveys
Authors: LEON L. , KASEREKA S. , BARIN F. , LARSEN C. , WEILL-BARILLET L. , PASCAL X. , CHEVALIEZ S. , PILLONEL J. , JAUFFRET-ROUSTIDE M. , LE STRAT Y.
Published: December 2016

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a public health issue worldwide. Injecting drug use remains the major mode of transmission in developed countries. Monitoring the HCV transmission dynamic over time is crucial, especially to assess the effect of harm reduction measures in drug users (DU). Our objective was to estimate the prevalence and incidence of HCV infection in DU in France using data from a repeated cross-sectional survey conducted in 2004 and 2011. Age- and time-dependent HCV prevalence was estimated through logistic regression models adjusted for HIV serostatus or injecting practices. HCV incidence was estimated from a mathematical model linking prevalence and incidence. HCV prevalence decreased from 58·2% [95% confidence interval (CI) 49·7–66·8] in 2004 to 43·2% (95% CI 38·8–47·7) in 2011. HCV incidence decreased from 7·9/100 person-years (95% CI 6·4–9·4) in 2004 to 4·4/100 person-years (95% CI 3·3–5·9) in 2011. HCV prevalence and incidence were significantly associated with age, calendar time, HIV serostatus and injecting practices. In 2011, the highest estimated incidence was in active injecting DU (11·2/100 person-years). Given the forthcoming objective of generalizing access to new direct antiviral agents for HCV infection, our results contribute to decision-making and policy development regarding treatment scale-up and disease prevention in the DU population.
Augmentation of phenelzine with aripiprazole and quetiapine in a treatment-resistant patient with psychotic unipolar depression: case report and literature review
Authors: Meyer Jonathan M. , Cummings Michael A. , Proctor George
Published: December 2016

Irreversible monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) antidepressants have significant efficacy in treatment-resistant unipolar depression, but in some instances patients may not achieve remission. Among the adjunctive and augmentation strategies, certain second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) have approval for inadequate responders to antidepressant therapy, including aripiprazole, brexpiprazole, and quetiapine, with lurasidone and the olanzapine/fluoxetine combination indicated for bipolar depression. Clinicians may eschew SGA options in part due to the limited literature on SGA–MAOI combinations, with only one published case involving aripiprazole, and none for olanzapine, lurasidone, or brexpiprazole. In addition to the limited publication history on SGA–MAOI treatment, clinicians may also be deterred by uncertainty regarding SGA mechanisms and the risk of serotonin syndrome or other adverse outcomes. This paper describes the case of a 54-year-old male with a history of psychotic unipolar depression treated with a combination of phenelzine, aripiprazole, and quetiapine, and reviews the 12 published cases of SGA–MAOI combination therapy with a focus on the pharmacological basis for serotonin syndrome, and the SGA mechanisms that should not be associated with a risk for this syndrome.
Med Diet 4.0: the Mediterranean diet with four sustainable benefits
Authors: Dernini S , Berry EM , Serra-Majem L , La Vecchia C , Capone R , Medina FX , Aranceta-Bartrina J , Belahsen R , Burlingame B , Calabrese G , Corella D , Donini LM , Lairon D , Meybeck A , Pekcan AG , Piscopo S , Yngve A , Trichopoulou A
Published: December 2016

Objective

To characterize the multiple dimensions and benefits of the Mediterranean diet as a sustainable diet, in order to revitalize this intangible food heritage at the country level; and to develop a multidimensional framework – the Med Diet 4.0 – in which four sustainability benefits of the Mediterranean diet are presented in parallel: major health and nutrition benefits, low environmental impacts and richness in biodiversity, high sociocultural food values, and positive local economic returns.

Design

A narrative review was applied at the country level to highlight the multiple sustainable benefits of the Mediterranean diet into a single multidimensional framework: the Med Diet 4.0.

Setting/subjects

We included studies published in English in peer-reviewed journals that contained data on the characterization of sustainable diets and of the Mediterranean diet. The methodological framework approach was finalized through a series of meetings, workshops and conferences where the framework was presented, discussed and ultimately refined.

Results

The Med Diet 4.0 provides a conceptual multidimensional framework to characterize the Mediterranean diet as a sustainable diet model, by applying principles of sustainability to the Mediterranean diet.

Conclusions

By providing a broader understanding of the many sustainable benefits of the Mediterranean diet, the Med Diet 4.0 can contribute to the revitalization of the Mediterranean diet by improving its current perception not only as a healthy diet but also a sustainable lifestyle model, with country-specific and culturally appropriate variations. It also takes into account the identity and diversity of food cultures and systems, expressed within the notion of the Mediterranean diet, across the Mediterranean region and in other parts of the world. Further multidisciplinary studies are needed for the assessment of the sustainability of the Mediterranean diet to include these new dimensions.
White House Issues Ambitious Arctic Research Plan
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: December 2016

The plan focuses on improving the well-being of Arctic residents and better understanding the components of the Arctic system.
CAR T‐cell therapy of solid tumors
Authors: Yong Carmen S M , Dardalhon Valerie , Devaud Christel , Taylor Naomi , Darcy Phillip K , Kershaw Michael H
Published: December 2016

The potential for immunotherapy as a treatment option for cancer is clear from remarkable responses of some leukemia patients to adoptive cell transfer using autologous T cells genetically modified to express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). However, the vast majority of cancers, in particular the more common solid cancers, such as those of the breast, colon and lung, fail to respond significantly to infusions of CAR T cells. Solid cancers present some formidable barriers to adoptive cell transfer, including suppression of T‐cell function and inhibition of T‐cell localization. In this review, we discuss the current state of CAR T‐cell therapy in solid cancers, the variety of concepts being investigated to overcome these barriers as well as approaches aimed at increasing the specificity and safety of adoptive cell transfer.
Origin of stabilization and destabilization in solid-state redox reaction of oxide ions for lithium-ion batteries
Authors: Yabuuchi Naoaki , Nakayama Masanobu , Takeuchi Mitsue , Komaba Shinichi , Hashimoto Yu , Mukai Takahiro , Shiiba Hiromasa , Sato Kei , Kobayashi Yuki , Nakao Aiko , Yonemura Masao , Yamanaka Keisuke , Mitsuhara Kei , Ohta Toshiaki
Published: December 2016

Further increase in energy density of lithium batteries is needed for zero emission vehicles. However, energy density is restricted by unavoidable theoretical limits for positive electrodes used in commercial applications. One possibility towards energy densities exceeding these limits is to utilize anion (oxide ion) redox, instead of classical transition metal redox. Nevertheless, origin of activation of the oxide ion and its stabilization mechanism are not fully understood. Here we demonstrate that the suppression of formation of superoxide-like species on lithium extraction results in reversible redox for oxide ions, which is stabilized by the presence of relatively less covalent character of Mn4+ with oxide ions without the sacrifice of electronic conductivity. On the basis of these findings, we report an electrode material, whose metallic constituents consist only of 3d transition metal elements. The material delivers a reversible capacity of 300 mAh g−1 based on solid-state redox reaction of oxide ions.
Evidence for ion migration in hybrid perovskite solar cells with minimal hysteresis
Authors: Calado Philip , Telford Andrew M. , Bryant Daniel , Li Xiaoe , Nelson Jenny , O’Regan Brian C. , Barnes Piers R.F.
Published: December 2016

Ion migration has been proposed as a possible cause of photovoltaic current–voltage hysteresis in hybrid perovskite solar cells. A major objection to this hypothesis is that hysteresis can be reduced by changing the interfacial contact materials; however, this is unlikely to significantly influence the behaviour of mobile ionic charge within the perovskite phase. Here, we show that the primary effects of ion migration can be observed regardless of whether the contacts were changed to give devices with or without significant hysteresis. Transient optoelectronic measurements combined with device simulations indicate that electric-field screening, consistent with ion migration, is similar in both high and low hysteresis CH3NH3PbI3 cells. Simulation of the photovoltage and photocurrent transients shows that hysteresis requires the combination of both mobile ionic charge and recombination near the perovskite-contact interfaces. Passivating contact recombination results in higher photogenerated charge concentrations at forward bias which screen the ionic charge, reducing hysteresis.
SNHG5 promotes colorectal cancer cell survival by counteracting STAU1-mediated mRNA destabilization
Authors: Damas Nkerorema Djodji , Marcatti Michela , Côme Christophe , Christensen Lise Lotte , Nielsen Morten Muhlig , Baumgartner Roland , Gylling Helene Maria , Maglieri Giulia , Rundsten Carsten Friis , Seemann Stefan E. , Rapin Nicolas , Thézenas Simon , Vang Søren , Ørntoft Torben , Andersen Claus Lindbjerg , Pedersen Jakob Skou , Lund Anders H.
Published: December 2016

We currently have limited knowledge of the involvement of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in normal cellular processes and pathologies. Here, we identify and characterize SNHG5 as a stable cytoplasmic lncRNA with up-regulated expression in colorectal cancer. Depletion of SNHG5 induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in vitro and limits tumour outgrowth in vivo, whereas SNHG5 overexpression counteracts oxaliplatin-induced apoptosis. Using an unbiased approach, we identify 121 transcript sites interacting with SNHG5 in the cytoplasm. Importantly, knockdown of key SNHG5 target transcripts, including SPATS2, induces apoptosis and thus mimics the effect seen following SNHG5 depletion. Mechanistically, we suggest that SNHG5 stabilizes the target transcripts by blocking their degradation by STAU1. Accordingly, depletion of STAU1 rescues the apoptosis induced after SNHG5 knockdown. Hence, we characterize SNHG5 as a lncRNA promoting tumour cell survival in colorectal cancer and delineate a novel mechanism in which a cytoplasmic lncRNA functions through blocking the action of STAU1.
Reprogramming the immunological microenvironment through radiation and targeting Axl
Authors: Aguilera Todd A. , Rafat Marjan , Castellini Laura , Shehade Hussein , Kariolis Mihalis S. , Hui Angela Bik-Yu , Stehr Henning , von Eyben Rie , Jiang Dadi , Ellies Lesley G. , Koong Albert C. , Diehn Maximilian , Rankin Erinn B. , Graves Edward E. , Giaccia Amato J.
Published: December 2016

Increasing evidence suggests that ionizing radiation therapy (RT) in combination with checkpoint immunotherapy is highly effective in treating a subset of cancers. To better understand the limited responses to this combination we analysed the genetic, microenvironmental, and immune factors in tumours derived from a transgenic breast cancer model. We identified two tumours with similar growth characteristics but different RT responses primarily due to an antitumour immune response. The combination of RT and checkpoint immunotherapy resulted in cures in the responsive but not the unresponsive tumours. Profiling the tumours revealed that the Axl receptor tyrosine kinase is overexpressed in the unresponsive tumours, and Axl knockout resulted in slower growth and increased radiosensitivity. These changes were associated with a CD8+ T-cell response, which was improved in combination with checkpoint immunotherapy. These results suggest a novel role for Axl in suppressing antigen presentation through MHCI, and enhancing cytokine release, which promotes a suppressive myeloid microenvironment.
Environmental variation and the evolution of large brains in birds
Authors: Sayol Ferran , Maspons Joan , Lapiedra Oriol , Iwaniuk Andrew N. , Székely Tamás , Sol Daniel
Published: December 2016

Environmental variability has long been postulated as a major selective force in the evolution of large brains. However, assembling evidence for this hypothesis has proved difficult. Here, by combining brain size information for over 1,200 bird species with remote-sensing analyses to estimate temporal variation in ecosystem productivity, we show that larger brains (relative to body size) are more likely to occur in species exposed to larger environmental variation throughout their geographic range. Our reconstructions of evolutionary trajectories are consistent with the hypothesis that larger brains (relative to body size) evolved when the species invaded more seasonal regions. However, the alternative—that the species already possessed larger brains when they invaded more seasonal regions—cannot be completely ruled out. Regardless of the exact mechanism, our findings provide strong empirical support for the association between large brains and environmental variability.
First molecular and isotopic evidence of millet processing in prehistoric pottery vessels
Authors: Heron Carl , Shoda Shinya , Breu Barcons Adrià , Czebreszuk Janusz , Eley Yvette , Gorton Marise , Kirleis Wiebke , Kneisel Jutta , Lucquin Alexandre , Müller Johannes , Nishida Yastami , Son Joon-ho , Craig Oliver E.
Published: December 2016

Analysis of organic residues in pottery vessels has been successful in detecting a range of animal and plant products as indicators of food preparation and consumption in the past. However, the identification of plant remains, especially grain crops in pottery, has proved elusive. Extending the spectrum is highly desirable, not only to strengthen our understanding of the dispersal of crops from centres of domestication but also to determine modes of food processing, artefact function and the culinary significance of the crop. Here, we propose a new approach to identify millet in pottery vessels, a crop that spread throughout much of Eurasia during prehistory following its domestication, most likely in northern China. We report the successful identification of miliacin (olean-18-en-3β-ol methyl ether), a pentacyclic triterpene methyl ether that is enriched in grains of common/broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum), in Bronze Age pottery vessels from the Korean Peninsula and northern Europe. The presence of millet is supported by enriched carbon stable isotope values of bulk charred organic matter sampled from pottery vessel surfaces and extracted n-alkanoic acids, consistent with a C4 plant origin. These data represent the first identification of millet in archaeological ceramic vessels, providing a means to track the introduction, spread and consumption of this important crop.
Anisotropic optical response of optically opaque elastomers with conductive fillers as revealed by terahertz polarization spectroscopy
Authors: Okano Makoto , Watanabe Shinichi
Published: December 2016

Elastomers are one of the most important materials in modern society because of the inherent viscoelastic properties due to their cross-linked polymer chains. Their vibration-absorbing and adhesive properties are especially useful and thus utilized in various applications, for example, tires in automobiles and bicycles, seismic dampers in buildings, and seals in a space shuttle. Thus, the nondestructive inspection of their internal states such as the internal deformation is essential in safety. Generally, industrial elastomers include various kinds of additives, such as carbon blacks for reinforcing them. The additives make most of them opaque in a wide spectral range from visible to mid-infrared, resulting in that the nondestructive inspection of the internal deformation is quite difficult. Here, we demonstrate transmission terahertz polarization spectroscopy as a powerful technique for investigating the internal optical anisotropy in optically opaque elastomers with conductive additives, which are transparent only in the terahertz frequency region. The internal deformation can be probed through the polarization changes inside the material due to the anisotropic dielectric response of the conductive additives. Our study about the polarization-dependent terahertz response of elastomers with conductive additives provides novel knowledge forin situ, nondestructive evaluation of their internal deformation.
Long-Term Stable Organic Photodetectors with Ultra Low Dark Currents for High Detectivity Applications
Authors: Kielar Marcin , Dhez Olivier , Pecastaings Gilles , Curutchet Arnaud , Hirsch Lionel
Published: December 2016

Printed organic photodetectors can transform plastic, paper or glass into smart surfaces. This innovative technology is now growing exponentially due to the strong demand in human-machine interfaces. To date, only niche markets are targeted since organic sensors still present reduced performances in comparison with their inorganic counterparts. Here we demonstrate that it is possible to engineer a state-of-the-art organic photodetector approaching the performances of Si-based photodiodes in terms of dark current, responsivity and detectivity. Only three solution-processed layers and two low-temperature annealing steps are needed to achieve the performance that is significantly better than most of the organic photodetectors reported so far. We also perform a long-term ageing study. Lifetimes of over 14,000 hours under continuous operation are more than promising and demonstrate that organic photodetectors can reach a competitive level of stability for successful commercialization of this new and promising technology.
Spatially-Resolved Proteomics: Rapid Quantitative Analysis of Laser Capture Microdissected Alveolar Tissue Samples
Authors: Clair Geremy , Piehowski Paul D. , Nicola Teodora , Kitzmiller Joseph A. , Huang Eric L. , Zink Erika M. , Sontag Ryan L. , Orton Daniel J. , Moore Ronald J. , Carson James P. , Smith Richard D. , Whitsett Jeffrey A. , Corley Richard A. , Ambalavanan Namasivayam , Ansong Charles
Published: December 2016

Laser capture microdissection (LCM)-enabled region-specific tissue analyses are critical to better understand complex multicellular processes. However, current proteomics workflows entail several manual sample preparation steps and are challenged by the microscopic mass-limited samples generated by LCM, impacting measurement robustness, quantification and throughput. Here, we coupled LCM with a proteomics workflow that provides fully automated analysis of proteomes from microdissected tissues. Benchmarking against the current state-of-the-art in ultrasensitive global proteomics (FASP workflow), our approach demonstrated significant improvements in quantification (~2-fold lower variance) and throughput (>5 times faster). Using our approach we for the first time characterized, to a depth of >3,400 proteins, the ontogeny of protein changes during normal lung development in microdissected alveolar tissue containing only 4,000 cells. Our analysis revealed seven defined modules of coordinated transcription factor-signaling molecule expression patterns, suggesting a complex network of temporal regulatory control directs normal lung development with epigenetic regulation fine-tuning pre-natal developmental processes.
A combined reference panel from the 1000 Genomes and UK10K projects improved rare variant imputation in European and Chinese samples
Authors: Chou Wen-Chi , Zheng Hou-Feng , Cheng Chia-Ho , Yan Han , Wang Li , Han Fang , Richards J. Brent , Karasik David , Kiel Douglas P. , Hsu Yi-Hsiang
Published: December 2016

Imputation using the 1000 Genomes haplotype reference panel has been widely adapted to estimate genotypes in genome wide association studies. To evaluate imputation quality with a relatively larger reference panel and a reference panel composed of different ethnic populations, we conducted imputations in the Framingham Heart Study and the North Chinese Study using a combined reference panel from the 1000 Genomes (N = 1,092) and UK10K (N = 3,781) projects. For rare variants with 0.01% < MAF ≤ 0.5%, imputation in the Framingham Heart Study with the combined reference panel increased well-imputed genotypes (with imputation quality score ≥0.4) from 62.9% to 76.1% when compared to imputation with the 1000 Genomes. For the North Chinese samples, imputation of rare variants with 0.01% < MAF ≤ 0.5% with the combined reference panel increased well-imputed genotypes by from 49.8% to 61.8%. The predominant European ancestry of the UK10K and the combined reference panels may explain why there was less of an increase in imputation success in the North Chinese samples. Our results underscore the importance and potential of larger reference panels to impute rare variants, while recognizing that increasing ethnic specific variants in reference panels may result in better imputation for genotypes in some ethnic groups.
Self assembly of HIV-1 Gag protein on lipid membranes generates PI(4,5)P2/Cholesterol nanoclusters
Authors: Yandrapalli Naresh , Lubart Quentin , Tanwar Hanumant S. , Picart Catherine , Mak Johnson , Muriaux Delphine , Favard Cyril
Published: December 2016

The self-assembly of HIV-1 Gag polyprotein at the inner leaflet of the cell host plasma membrane is the key orchestrator of virus assembly. The binding between Gag and the plasma membrane is mediated by specific interaction of the Gag matrix domain and the PI(4,5)P2 lipid (PIP2). It is unknown whether this interaction could lead to local reorganization of the plasma membrane lipids. In this study, using model membranes, we examined the ability of Gag to segregate specific lipids upon self-assembly. We show for the first time that Gag self-assembly is responsible for the formation of PIP2 lipid nanoclusters, enriched in cholesterol but not in sphingomyelin. We also show that Gag mainly partition into liquid-disordered domains of these lipid membranes. Our work strongly suggests that, instead of targeting pre-existing plasma membrane lipid domains, Gag is more prone to generate PIP2/Cholesterol lipid nanodomains at the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane during early events of virus assembly.
Single-photon multi-ports router based on the coupled cavity optomechanical system
Authors: Li Xun , Zhang Wen-Zhao , Xiong Biao , Zhou Ling
Published: December 2016

A scheme of single-photon multi-port router is put forward by coupling two optomechanical cavities with waveguides. It is shown that the coupled two optomechanical cavities can exhibit photon blockade effect, which is generated from interference of three mode interaction. A single-photon travel along the system is calculated. The results show that the single photon can be controlled in the multi-port system because of the radiation pressure, which should be useful for constructing quantum network.
Bmi1-positive cells in the lingual epithelium could serve as cancer stem cells in tongue cancer
Authors: Tanaka Toshihiro , Atsumi Naho , Nakamura Naohiro , Yanai Hirotsugu , Komai Yoshihiro , Omachi Taichi , Tanaka Kiyomichi , Ishigaki Kazuhiko , Saiga Kazuho , Ohsugi Haruyuki , Tokuyama Yoko , Imahashi Yuki , Hisha Hiroko , Yoshida Naoko , Kumano Keiki , Okazaki Kazuichi , Ueno Hiroo
Published: December 2016

We recently reported that the polycomb complex protein Bmi1 is a marker for lingual epithelial stem cells (LESCs), which are involved in the long-term maintenance of lingual epithelial tissue in the physiological state. However, the precise role of LESCs in generating tongue tumors and Bmi1-positive cell lineage dynamics in tongue cancers are unclear. Here, using a mouse model of chemically (4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide: 4-NQO) induced tongue cancer and the multicolor lineage tracing method, we found that each unit of the tumor was generated by a single cell and that the assembly of such cells formed a polyclonal tumor. Although many Bmi1-positive cells within the tongue cancer specimens failed to proliferate, some proliferated continuously and supplied tumor cells to the surrounding area. This process eventually led to the formation of areas derived from single cells after 1–3 months, as determined using the multicolor lineage tracing method, indicating that such cells could serve as cancer stem cells. These results indicate that LESCs could serve as the origin for tongue cancer and that cancer stem cells are present in tongue tumors.
The isolation and characterization of resident yeasts from the phylloplane of Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Wang Kai , Sipilä Timo P. , Overmyer Kirk
Published: December 2016

The genetic model plant Arabidopsis thaliana (arabidopsis) has been instrumental to recent advances in our understanding of the molecular function of the plant immune system. However, this work has not yet included plant associated and phytopathogenic yeasts largely due to a lack of yeast species known to interact with arabidopsis. The plant phylloplane is a significant habitat for neutral-residents, plant-growth and health-promoting species, and latent-pathogenic species. However, yeast phylloplane residents of arabidopsis remain underexplored. To address this, resident yeasts from the phyllosphere of wild arabidopsis collected in field conditions have been isolated and characterized. A total of 95 yeast strains representing 23 species in 9 genera were discovered, including potentially psychrophilic and pathogenic strains. Physiological characterization revealed thermotolerance profiles, sensitivity to the arabidopsis phytoalexin camalexin, the production of indolic compounds, and the ability to activate auxin responses in planta. These results indicate a rich diversity of yeasts present in the arabidopsis phylloplane and have created culture resources and information useful in the development of model systems for arabidopsis-yeast interactions.
Multimodal Sensing Strategy Using pH Dependent Fluorescence Switchable System
Authors: Muthurasu A. , Ganesh V.
Published: December 2016

Biomolecules assisted preparation of fluorescent gold nanoparticles (FL–Au NPs) has been reported in this work usingglucose oxidaseenzyme as both reducing and stabilizing agent and demonstrated their application through multimodal sensing strategy for selective detection of cysteine (Cys). Three different methods namely fluorescence turn OFF–ON strategy, naked eye detection and electrochemical methods are used for Cys detection by employing FL–Au NPs as a common probe. In case of fluorescence turn–OFF method a strong interaction between Au NPs and thiol results in quenching of fluorescence due to replacement ofglucose oxidaseby Cys at neutral pH. Second mode is based on fluorescence switch–ON strategy where initial fluorescence is significantly quenched by either excess acid or base and further addition of Cys results in appearance of rosy-red and green fluorescence respectively. Visual colour change and fluorescence emission arises due to etching of Au atoms on the surface by thiol leading to formation of Au nanoclusters. Finally, electrochemical sensing of Cys is also carried out using cyclic voltammetry in 0.1 M PBS solution. These findings provide a suitable platform for Cys detection over a wide range of pH and concentration levels and hence the sensitivity can also be tuned accordingly.
Mitoxantrone and Analogues Bind and Stabilize i-Motif Forming DNA Sequences
Authors: Wright Elisé P. , Day Henry A. , Ibrahim Ali M. , Kumar Jeethendra , Boswell Leo J. E. , Huguin Camille , Stevenson Clare E. M. , Pors Klaus , Waller Zoë A. E.
Published: December 2016

There are hundreds of ligands which can interact with G-quadruplex DNA, yet very few which target i-motif. To appreciate an understanding between the dynamics between these structures and how they can be affected by intervention with small molecule ligands, more i-motif binding compounds are required. Herein we describe how the drug mitoxantrone can bind, induce folding of and stabilise i-motif forming DNA sequences, even at physiological pH. Additionally, mitoxantrone was found to bind i-motif forming sequences preferentially over double helical DNA. We also describe the stabilisation properties of analogues of mitoxantrone. This offers a new family of ligands with potential for use in experiments into the structure and function of i-motif forming DNA sequences.
Selective in vitro photothermal nano-therapy of MRSA infections mediated by IgG conjugated gold nanoparticles
Authors: Mocan Lucian , Matea Cristian , Tabaran Flaviu A. , Mosteanu Ofelia , Pop Teodora , Puia Cosmin , Agoston-Coldea Lucia , Gonciar Diana , Kalman Erszebet , Zaharie Gabriela , Iancu Cornel , Mocan Teodora
Published: December 2016

There are serious systemic infections associated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and several other types of bacteria leading to the deaths of millions of people globally. This type of mortality is generally caused by the increasing number of antibiotic-resistant organisms, a consequence of evolution via natural selection. After the synthesis of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) by wet chemistry, bio-functionalization with IgG molecules was performed. Following administration of IgG-GNPs to MRSA cultures at various concentrations and various incubation time laser irradiation was performed. To assess the selectivity and specificity of the proposed treatment the following methods were used: flow cytometry, contrast phase microscopy, and by fluorescence microscopy. The results in our study indicate that following administration of IgG-GNPs biomolecule an extended and selective bacterial death occurs following laser irradiation in a dose dependent manner. Therefore, the new findings might impel studies on these antibacterial nanomaterials and their biological and medical applications.
Analysis of CXCR5+Th17 cells in relation to disease activity and TNF inhibitor therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Singh Deepika , Henkel Matthew , Sendon Bernadette , Feng June , Fabio Anthony , Metes Diana , Moreland Larry W. , McGeachy Mandy J.
Published: December 2016

Th17 and TfH cells are thought to promote tissue inflammation and autoantibody production, respectively, in autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). TfH cells that co-express Th17 markers (CXCR5+Th17) encompass both of these pathogenic functions, and are increased in some human autoimmune settings including juvenile dermatomyositis. We investigated CXCR5+Th17 cells in RA subjects with stable or active disease and before and after TNF inhibitor therapy. CXCR5+Th17 cell frequency was increased in RA compared to healthy controls, but other helper T cell subsets were not different. CXCR5+Th17 cells correlated with disease activity in subjects with active RA prior to initiation of TNF inhibitor therapy. Baseline CXCR5+Th17 cells also correlated with numbers of swollen joints as late as one year post-therapy. CXCR5+Th17 cell frequencies were unaltered by TNF blockade and in fact remained remarkably stable within individuals. We conclude that CXCR5+Th17 cells are not a direct target of TNF blockade and therefore cannot serve as a biomarker of current disease activity. However, basal CXCR5+Th17 cell frequency may indicate underlying differences in disease phenotype between patients and predict ultimate success of TNF inhibitor therapy.
Gene expression differences in Longissimus muscle of Nelore steers genetically divergent for residual feed intake
Authors: Tizioto Polyana C. , Coutinho Luiz L. , Oliveira Priscila S. N. , Cesar Aline S. M. , Diniz Wellison J. S. , Lima Andressa O. , Rocha Marina I. , Decker Jared E. , Schnabel Robert D. , Mourão Gerson B. , Tullio Rymer R. , Zerlotini Adhemar , Taylor Jeremy F. , Regitano Luciana C. A.
Published: December 2016

Residual feed intake (RFI), a measure of feed efficiency (FE), is defined as the difference between the observed and the predictable feed intake considering size and growth of the animal. It is extremely important to beef production systems due to its impact on the allocation of land areas to alternative agricultural production, animal methane emissions, food demand and cost of production. Global differential gene expression analysis between high and low RFI groups (HRFI and LRFI: less and more efficient, respectively) revealed 73 differentially expressed (DE) annotated genes in Longissimus thoracis (LT) muscle of Nelore steers. These genes are involved in the overrepresented pathways Metabolism of Xenobiotics by Cytochrome P450 and Butanoate and Tryptophan Metabolism. Among the DE transcripts were several proteins related to mitochondrial function and the metabolism of lipids. Our findings indicate that observed gene expression differences are primarily related to metabolic processes underlying oxidative stress. Genes involved in the metabolism of xenobiotics and antioxidant mechanisms were primarily down-regulated, while genes responsible for lipid oxidation and ketogenesis were up-regulated in HRFI group. By using LT muscle, this study reinforces our previous findings using liver tissue and reveals new genes and likely tissue-specific regulators playing key-roles in these processes.
Fracture behaviors under pure shear loading in bulk metallic glasses
Authors: Chen Cen , Gao Meng , Wang Chao , Wang Wei-Hua , Wang Tzu-Chiang
Published: December 2016

Pure shear fracture test, as a special mechanical means, had been carried out extensively to obtain the critical information for traditional metallic crystalline materials and rocks, such as the intrinsic deformation behavior and fracture mechanism. However, for bulk metallic glasses (BMGs), the pure shear fracture behaviors have not been investigated systematically due to the lack of a suitable test method. Here, we specially introduce a unique antisymmetrical four-point bend shear test method to realize a uniform pure shear stress field and study the pure shear fracture behaviors of two kinds of BMGs, Zr-based and La-based BMGs. All kinds of fracture behaviors, the pure shear fracture strength, fracture angle and fracture surface morphology, are systematically analyzed and compared with those of the conventional compressive and tensile fracture. Our results indicate that both the Zr-based and La-based BMGs follow the same fracture mechanism under pure shear loading, which is significantly different from the situation of some previous research results. Our results might offer new enlightenment on the intrinsic deformation and fracture mechanism of BMGs and other amorphous materials.
Aromatic molecules on low-index coinage metal surfaces: Many-body dispersion effects
Authors: Jiang Yingda , Yang Sha , Li Shuang , Liu Wei
Published: December 2016

Understanding the binding mechanism for aromatic molecules on transition-metal surfaces in atomic scale is a major challenge in designing functional interfaces for to (opto)electronic devices. Here, we employ the state-of-the-art many-body dispersion (MBD) approach, coupled with density functional theory methods, to study the interactions of benzene with low-index coinage metal surfaces. The many-body effects contribute mostly to the (111) surface, and leastly to the (110) surface. This corresponds to the same sequence of planar atomic density of face-centered-cubic lattices,i.e., (111) > (100) > (110). The binding energy for benzene/Au(110) is even stronger than that for benzene/Ag(110), due to a larger broadening of molecular orbitals in the former case. On the other hand, our calculations show almost identical binding energies for benzene on Ag(111) and Au(111), which contradicts the classicd-band center theory that could well predict the trend in chemisorption energies for various small molecules on a number of metal surfaces. Our results provide important insight into the benchmark adsorption systems with opener surfaces, which could help in designing more complex functional interfaces.