bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Crucial Role of NLRP3 Inflammasome in the Development of Peritoneal Dialysis-related Peritoneal Fibrosis
Authors: Hishida Erika , Ito Homare , Komada Takanori , Karasawa Tadayoshi , Kimura Hiroaki , Watanabe Sachiko , Kamata Ryo , Aizawa Emi , Kasahara Tadashi , Morishita Yoshiyuki , Akimoto Tetsu , Nagata Daisuke , Takahashi Masafumi
Published: July 2019

Long-term peritoneal dialysis (PD) therapy leads to peritoneal inflammation and fibrosis. However, the mechanism underlying PD-related peritoneal inflammation and fibrosis remains unclear. NLRP3 inflammasome regulates the caspase-1-dependent release of interleukin-1β and mediates inflammation in various diseases. Here, we investigated the role of NLRP3 inflammasome in a murine model of PD-related peritoneal fibrosis induced by methylglyoxal (MGO). Inflammasome-related proteins were upregulated in the peritoneum of MGO-treated mice. MGO induced parietal and visceral peritoneal fibrosis in wild-type mice, which was significantly reduced in mice deficient in NLRP3, ASC, and interleukin-1β (IL-1β). ASC deficiency reduced the expression of inflammatory cytokines and fibrotic factors, and the infiltration of macrophages. However, myeloid cell-specific ASC deficiency failed to inhibit MGO-induced peritoneal fibrosis. MGO caused hemorrhagic ascites, fibrin deposition, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 upregulation, but all of these manifestations were inhibited by ASC deficiency. Furthermore, in vitro experiments showed that MGO induced cell death via the generation of reactive oxygen species in vascular endothelial cells, which was inhibited by ASC deficiency. Our results showed that endothelial NLRP3 inflammasome contributes to PD-related peritoneal inflammation and fibrosis, and provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of this disorder.
Quantifying hexagonal stacking in diamond
Authors: Murri Mara , Smith Rachael L. , McColl Kit , Hart Martin , Alvaro Matteo , Jones Adrian P. , Németh Péter , Salzmann Christoph G. , Corà Furio , Domeneghetti Maria C. , Nestola Fabrizio , Sobolev Nikolay V. , Vishnevsky Sergey A. , Logvinova Alla M. , McMillan Paul F.
Published: July 2019

Diamond is a material of immense technological importance and an ancient signifier for wealth and societal status. In geology, diamond forms as part of the deep carbon cycle and typically displays a highly ordered cubic crystal structure. Impact diamonds, however, often exhibit structural disorder in the form of complex combinations of cubic and hexagonal stacking motifs. The structural characterization of such diamonds remains a challenge. Here, impact diamonds from the Popigai crater were characterized with a range of techniques. Using the MCDIFFaX approach for analysing X-ray diffraction data, hexagonality indices up to 40% were found. The effects of increasing amounts of hexagonal stacking on the Raman spectra of diamond were investigated computationally and found to be in excellent agreement with trends in the experimental spectra. Electron microscopy revealed nanoscale twinning within the cubic diamond structure. Our analyses lead us to propose a systematic protocol for assigning specific hexagonality attributes to the mineral designated as lonsdaleite among natural and synthetic samples.
Eye tracking in an everyday environment reveals the interpersonal distance that affords infant-parent gaze communication
Authors: Yamamoto Hiroki , Sato Atsushi , Itakura Shoji
Published: July 2019

The unique morphology of human eyes enables gaze communication at various ranges of interpersonal distance. Although gaze communication contributes to infants’ social development, little is known about how infant-parent distance affects infants’ visual experience in daily gaze communication. The present study conducted longitudinal observations of infant-parent face-to-face interactions in the home environment as 5 infants aged from 10 to 15.5 months. Using head-mounted eye trackers worn by parents, we evaluated infants’ daily visual experience of 3138 eye contact scenes recorded from the infants’ second-person perspective. The results of a hierarchical Bayesian statistical analysis suggest that certain levels of interpersonal distance afforded smooth interaction with eye contact. Eye contacts were not likely to be exchanged when the infant and parent were too close or too far apart. The number of continuing eye contacts showed an inverse U-shaped pattern with interpersonal distance, regardless of whether the eye contact was initiated by the infant or the parent. However, the interpersonal distance was larger when the infant initiated the eye contact than when the parent initiated it, suggesting that interpersonal distance affects the infant’s and parent’s social look differently. Overall, the present study indicates that interpersonal distance modulates infant-parent gaze communication.
Hypoxia-induced Downregulation of SRC-3 Suppresses Trophoblastic Invasion and Migration Through Inhibition of the AKT/mTOR Pathway: Implications for the Pathogenesis of Preeclampsia
Authors: He Chengjin , Shan Nan , Xu Ping , Ge Huisheng , Yuan Yu , Liu Yangming , Zhang Pu , Wen Li , Zhang Fumei , Xiong Liling , Peng Chuan , Qi Hongbo , Tong Chao , Baker Philip N.
Published: July 2019

Preeclampsia (PE) is characterized by poor placentation, consequent on aberrant extravillous trophoblast (EVT) cell function during placental development. The SRC family of proteins is important during pregnancy, especially SRC-3, which regulates placental morphogenesis and embryo survival. Although SRC-3 expression in mouse trophoblast giant cells has been documented, its role in the functional regulation of extravillous trophoblasts and the development of PE remains unknown. This study found that SRC-3 expression was significantly lower in placentas from PE pregnancies as compared to uncomplicated pregnancies. Additionally, both CoCl2-mimicked hypoxia and suppression of endogenous SRC-3 expression by lentivirus short hairpin RNA attenuated the migration and invasion abilities of HTR-8/SVneo cells. Moreover, we demonstrated that SRC-3 physically interacts with AKT to regulate the migration and invasion of HTR-8 cells, via the AKT/mTOR pathway. We also found that the inhibition of HTR-8 cell migration and invasion by CoCl2-mimicked hypoxia was through the SRC-3/AKT/mTOR axis. Our findings indicate that, in early gestation, accumulation of HIF-1α inhibits the expression of SRC-3, which impairs extravillous trophoblastic invasion and migration by directly interacting with AKT. This potentially leads to insufficient uterine spiral artery remodeling and placental hypoperfusion, and thus the development of PE.
Knockout of glucosidase II beta subunit inhibits growth and metastatic potential of lung cancer cells by inhibiting receptor tyrosine kinase activities
Authors: Khaodee Worapong , Udomsom Suruk , Kunnaja Phraepakaporn , Cressey Ratchada
Published: July 2019

Glucosidase II (GluII) plays a major role in regulating post-translation modification of N-linked glycoproteins. We have previously reported that the expression of glucosidase II beta subunit (GluIIβ) was significantly increased in lung tumor tissues and its suppression triggers autophagy and/or apoptosis. Here, we investigated the role of GluIIβ in cell growth, metastatic potential, and receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) signaling activity in lung carcinoma cell lines. CRISPR-CAS9 technology was used to knockout the GluIIβ encoding gene (PRKSH) in lung carcinoma cells. GluIIβ knockout cells exhibited drastically slower growth rates in comparison to non-target transfected cells, particularly with lower concentrations of fetal bovine serum, indicating impairment of their ability to survive under nutritional deprivation. Cell migration and anchorage-independent growth, the fundamental components of cancer cell metastasis, were significantly decreased in GluIIβ knockout cells. Knockout of GluIIβ increased the sensitivity of lung cancer cells to cisplatin but reduced their sensitivity to gefitinib. Interestingly, knocking out of GluIIβ lowered overall RTK signaling activities to less than half of those in non-target transfected cells, which could represent a novel strategy for blocking multiple RTKs in tumor cells in an effort to improve lung cancer treatment.
Discrete Changes in Glucose Metabolism Define Aging
Authors: Ravera Silvia , Podestà Marina , Sabatini Federica , Dagnino Monica , Cilloni Daniela , Fiorini Samuele , Barla Annalisa , Frassoni Francesco
Published: July 2019

Aging is a physiological process in which multifactorial processes determine a progressive decline. Several alterations contribute to the aging process, including telomere shortening, oxidative stress, deregulated autophagy and epigenetic modifications. In some cases, these alterations are so linked with the aging process that it is possible predict the age of a person on the basis of the modification of one specific pathway, as proposed by Horwath and his aging clock based on DNA methylation. Because the energy metabolism changes are involved in the aging process, in this work, we propose a new aging clock based on the modifications of glucose catabolism. The biochemical analyses were performed on mononuclear cells isolated from peripheral blood, obtained from a healthy population with an age between 5 and 106 years. In particular, we have evaluated the oxidative phosphorylation function and efficiency, the ATP/AMP ratio, the lactate dehydrogenase activity and the malondialdehyde content. Further, based on these biochemical markers, we developed a machine learning-based mathematical model able to predict the age of an individual with a mean absolute error of approximately 9.7 years. This mathematical model represents a new non-invasive tool to evaluate and define the age of individuals and could be used to evaluate the effects of drugs or other treatments on the early aging or the rejuvenation.
IL-17C-mediated innate inflammation decreases the response to PD-1 blockade in a model of Kras-driven lung cancer
Authors: Ritzmann Felix , Jungnickel Christopher , Vella Giovanna , Kamyschnikow Andreas , Herr Christian , Li Dong , Menger Michael M. , Angenendt Adrian , Hoth Markus , Lis Annette , Bals Robert , Beisswenger C.
Published: July 2019

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with neutrophilic lung inflammation and CD8 T cell exhaustion and is an important risk factor for the development of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The clinical response to programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) blockade in NSCLC patients is variable and likely affected by a coexisting COPD. The pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-17C (IL-17C) promotes lung inflammation and is present in human lung tumors. Here, we used a Kras-driven lung cancer model to examine the function of IL-17C in inflammation-promoted tumor growth. Genetic ablation of Il-17c resulted in a decreased recruitment of inflammatory cells into the tumor microenvironment, a decreased expression of tumor-promoting cytokines (e.g. interleukin-6 (IL-6)), and a reduced tumor proliferation in the presence of Haemophilus influenzae- (NTHi) induced COPD-like lung inflammation. Chronic COPD-like inflammation was associated with the expression of PD-1 in CD8 lymphocytes and the membrane expression of the programmed death ligand (PD-L1) independent of IL-17C. Tumor growth was decreased in Il-17c deficient mice but not in wildtype mice after anti-PD-1 treatment. Our results suggest that strategies targeting innate immune mechanisms, such as blocking of IL-17C, may improve the response to anti-PD-1 treatment in lung cancer patients.
Author Correction: Summertime Primary and Secondary Contributions to Southern Ocean Cloud Condensation Nuclei
Authors: Fossum Kirsten N. , Ovadnevaite Jurgita , Ceburnis Darius , Dall’Osto Manuel , Marullo Salvatore , Bellacicco Marco , Simó Rafel , Liu Dantong , Flynn Michael , Zuend Andreas , O’Dowd Colin
Published: July 2019

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.
Notch Inhibition Prevents Differentiation of Human Limbal Stem/Progenitor Cells in vitro
Authors: González Sheyla , Uhm Heui , Deng Sophie X.
Published: July 2019

Notch signaling has been shown to regulate the homeostasis and wound healing of the corneal epithelium. We investigated the effect of Notch inhibition in the human limbal stem/progenitor cells (LSCs) in vitro by using small molecules. Treatment of the LSCs with DAPT and SAHM1 reduced the proliferation rate and maintained the undifferentiated state of the LSCs in a concentration dependent manner. Stratification and differentiation of the corneal epithelium were not reduced after Notch inhibition, indicating that the function of the corneal basal cells is retained. Our findings suggest that Notch signaling plays a role in the proliferation and maintenance of LSCs.
Improved detection of common variants in coronary artery disease and blood pressure using a pleiotropy cFDR method
Authors: Mao Xiang-Jie , Zhang Qiang , Xu Fei , Gao Pan , Sun Nan , Wang Bo , Tang Qi-Xin , Hao Yi-Bin , Sun Chang-Qing
Published: July 2019

Plenty of genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified numerous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for coronary artery disease (CAD) and blood pressure (BP). However, these SNPs only explain a small proportion of the heritability of two traits/diseases. Although high BP is a major risk factor for CAD, the genetic intercommunity between them remain largely unknown. To recognize novel loci associated with CAD and BP, a genetic-pleiotropy-informed conditional false discovery rate (cFDR) method was applied on two summary statistics of CAD and BP from existing GWASs. Stratified Q-Q and fold enrichment plots showed a high pleiotropic enrichment of SNPs associated with two traits. Adopting a cFDR of 0.05 as a threshold, 55 CAD-associated loci (25 variants being novel) and 47 BP loci (18 variants being novel) were identified, 25 of which were pleiotropic loci (13 variants being novel) for both traits. Among the 32 genes these 25 SNPs were annotated to, 20 genes were newly detected compared to previous GWASs. This study showed the cFDR approach could improve gene discovery by incorporating GWAS datasets of two related traits. These findings may provide novel understanding of etiology relationships between CAD and BP.
Measuring vision using innate behaviours in mice with intact and impaired retina function
Authors: Storchi R. , Rodgers J. , Gracey M. , Martial F. P. , Wynne J. , Ryan S. , Twining C. J. , Cootes T. F. , Killick R. , Lucas R. J.
Published: July 2019

Measuring vision in rodents is a critical step for understanding vision, improving models of human disease, and developing therapies. Established behavioural tests for perceptual vision, such as the visual water task, rely on learning. The learning process, while effective for sighted animals, can be laborious and stressful in animals with impaired vision, requiring long periods of training. Current tests that that do not require training are based on sub-conscious, reflex responses (e.g. optokinetic nystagmus) that don’t require involvement of visual cortex and higher order thalamic nuclei. A potential alternative for measuring vision relies on using visually guided innate defensive responses, such as escape or freeze, that involve cortical and thalamic circuits. In this study we address this possibility in mice with intact and degenerate retinas. We first develop automatic methods to detect behavioural responses based on high dimensional tracking and changepoint detection of behavioural time series. Using those methods, we show that visually guided innate responses can be elicited using parametisable stimuli, and applied to describing the limits of visual acuity in healthy animals and discriminating degrees of visual dysfunction in mouse models of retinal degeneration.
Plant growth regulators interact with elevated temperature to alter heat stress signaling via the Unfolded Protein Response in maize
Authors: Neill Elena M. , Byrd Michael C. R. , Billman Thomas , Brandizzi Federica , Stapleton Ann E.
Published: July 2019

Plants are increasingly exposed to high temperatures, which can cause accumulation of unfolded protein in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). This condition, known as ER stress, evokes the unfolded protein response (UPR), a cytoprotective signaling pathway. One important branch of the UPR is regulated by splicing of bZIP60 mRNA by the IRE1 stress sensor. There is increasing evidence that commercial plant growth regulators may protect against abiotic stressors including heat stress and drought, but there is very little mechanistic information about these effects or about the regulatory pathways involved. We evaluated evidence in the B73 Zea mays inbred for differences in the activity of the UPR between permissive and elevated temperature in conjunction with plant growth regulator application. Treatment with elevated temperature and plant growth regulators increased UPR activation, as assessed by an increase in splicing of the mRNA of the IRE1 target bZIP60 following paclobutrazol treatment. We propose that plant growth regulator treatment induces bZIP60 mRNA splicing which ‘primes’ plants for rapid adaptive response to subsequent endoplasmic reticulum-stress inducing conditions.
Effect of cover crops on the yield and nutrient concentration of organic kale (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala)
Authors: Thavarajah Dil , Siva Niroshan , Johnson Nathan , McGee Rebecca , Thavarajah Pushparajah
Published: July 2019

Kale is a leafy green vegetable regularly grown using non-organic agricultural systems. In recent years, organic kale demand has increased at near-doubling rates in the USA due to its perceived nutritional value. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of organic cover cropping systems on subsequent kale biomass production and nutrient composition (protein, mineral, and prebiotic carbohydrate concentrations) and to assess organic kale as a potential whole food source of daily essential mineral micronutrients and prebiotic carbohydrates. A single 100-g serving of fresh organic kale can provide mineral micronutrients (43–438 mg Ca; 11–60 mg Mg; 28–102 mg P; 0.5–3.3 mg Fe; 0.3–1.3 mg Mn; 1–136 µg Cu; and 0–35 µg Se) as well as 5.7–8.7 g of total prebiotic carbohydrates, including sugar alcohols (0.4–6.6 mg), simple sugars (6–1507 mg), raffinose and fructooligosaccharides (0.8–169 mg), hemicellulose (77–763 mg), lignin (0–90 mg), and unknown dietary fiber (5–6 g). Fresh organic kale has low to moderate concentrations of protein (1.3–6.0 g/100 g). Study results indicate that Starbor and Red Russian are the most suitable kale cultivars for organic production without considerable biomass and nutrient composition losses. Among the cover crops, faba bean results in the highest mineral, protein, and prebiotic carbohydrate concentrations in subsequent kale crops but ryegrass increases kale biomass production. Results also demonstrated a significant interaction between kale variety and organic cover crop with respect to biomass and nutrient concentration. Future organic nutritional breeding of kale is possible by selecting cultivars that perform well following different cover crops.
No impact of transgenic cry1Ie maize on the diversity, abundance and composition of soil fauna in a 2-year field trial
Authors: Fan Chunmiao , Wu Fengci , Dong Jinye , Wang Baifeng , Yin Junqi , Song Xinyuan
Published: July 2019

Soil fauna play an essential role in the soil ecosystem, but they may be influenced by insecticidal Cry proteins derived from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) maize. In this study, a 2-year field trial was conducted to study the effects of transgenic cry1Ie maize, a type of Bt maize (Event IE09S034), on soil fauna, with the near-isogenic line non-Bt maize (Zong 31) as a control. The soil animals were collected with Macfadyen heat extractor and hand-sorting methods, respectively, and their diversity, abundance and community composition were calculated. Then, the effects of maize type, year, sampling time and soil environmental factors on the soil fauna were evaluated by repeated-measures ANOVA, redundancy analysis (RDA) and nonmetric multidimensional scaling (nMDS). Repeated-measures ANOVA showed that the diversity and abundance of the soil fauna were not affected by maize type, while they were significantly influenced by year and sampling time. Furthermore, for both the Macfadyen and hand-sorting methods, RDA indicated that soil fauna community composition was not correlated with maize type (Bt and non-Bt maize) but was significantly correlated with year, sampling time and root biomass. In addition, it was significantly related to soil pH according to the hand-sorting method. nMDS indicated that soil fauna community composition was significantly correlated with year and sampling time; however, it was not associated with maize type. In this study, we collected soil faunal samples according to the Macfadyen and hand-sorting methods and processed the obtained data with ANOVA, RDA, and nMDS in three ways, and our data indicate that transgenic cry1Ie maize (Event IE09S034) had no substantial influence on the diversity, abundance or community composition of the soil fauna.
Optical nonlinearities in ultra-silicon-rich nitride characterized using z-scan measurements
Authors: Sohn Byoung-Uk , Choi Ju Won , Ng Doris K. T. , Tan Dawn T. H.
Published: July 2019

The dispersive nonlinear refractive index of ultra-silicon-rich nitride, and its two-photon and three-photon absorption coefficients are measured in the wavelength range between 0.8 µm–1.6 µm, covering the O- to L – telecommunications bands. In the two-photon absorption range, the measured nonlinear coefficients are compared to theoretically calculated values with a simple parabolic band structure. Two-photon absorption is observed to exist only at wavelengths lower than 1.2 μm. The criterion for all-optical switching through the material is investigated and it is shown that ultra-silicon-rich nitride is a good material in the three-photon absorption region, which spans the entire O- to L- telecommunications bands.
A Universal Strategy for Stretchable Polymer Nonvolatile Memory via Tailoring Nanostructured Surfaces
Authors: Ban Chaoyi , Wang Xiangjing , Zhou Zhe , Mao Huiwu , Cheng Shuai , Zhang Zepu , Liu Zhengdong , Li Hai , Liu Juqing , Huang Wei
Published: July 2019

Building stretchable memory is an effective strategy for developing next-generation memory technologies toward stretchable and wearable electronics. Here we demonstrate a universal strategy for the fabrication of high performance stretchable polymer memory via tailoring surface morphology, in which common conjugated polymers and sharp reduced graphene oxide (r-rGO) films are used as active memristive layers and conductive electrodes, respectively. The fabricated devices feature write-once-read-many-times (WORM) memory, with a low switching voltage of 1.1 V, high ON/OFF current ratio of 104, and an ideal long retention time over 12000 s. Sharp surface-induced resistive switching behavior has been proposed to explore the electrical transition. Moreover, the polymer memory show reliable electrical bistable properties with a stretchability up to 30%, demonstrating their great potential candidates as high performance stretchable memory in soft electronics.
RNA sequencing analysis revealed the induction of CCL3 expression in human intracranial aneurysms
Authors: Aoki Tomohiro , Koseki Hirokazu , Miyata Haruka , Itoh Masayoshi , Kawaji Hideya , Takizawa Katsumi , Kawashima Akitsugu , Ujiie Hiroshi , Higa Takashi , Minamimura Kenzo , Kimura Toshikazu , Kasuya Hidetoshi , Nozaki Kazuhiko , Morita Akio , Sano Hirotoshi , Narumiya Shuh
Published: July 2019

Intracranial aneurysm (IA) is a socially important disease as a major cause of subarachnoid hemorrhage. Recent experimental studies mainly using animal models have revealed a crucial role of macrophage-mediated chronic inflammatory responses in its pathogenesis. However, as findings from comprehensive analysis of unruptured human IAs are limited, factors regulating progression and rupture of IAs in humans remain unclear. Using surgically dissected human unruptured IA lesions and control arterial walls, gene expression profiles were obtained by RNA sequence analysis. RNA sequencing analysis was done with read count about 60~100 million which yielded 6~10 billion bases per sample. 79 over-expressed and 329 under-expressed genes in IA lesions were identified. Through Gene Ontology analysis, ‘chemokine activity’, ‘defense response’ and ‘extracellular region’ were picked up as over-represented terms which included CCL3 and CCL4 in common. Among these genes, quantitative RT-PCR analysis using another set of samples reproduced the above result. Finally, increase of CCL3 protein compared with that in control arterial walls was clarified in IA lesions. Findings of the present study again highlight importance of macrophage recruitment via CCL3 in the pathogenesis of IA progression.
A novel N/Au co-doped carbon dot probe for continuous detection of silicate and phosphate by resonance Rayleigh scattering
Authors: Li Jiao , Li Chongning , Zhang Zhihao , Wang Xiyin , Liang Aihui , Wen Guiqing , Jiang Zhiliang
Published: July 2019

Co-doped carbon dots are new multifunctional carbon nanomaterials.
A simple camphor based AIE fluorescent probe for highly specific and sensitive detection of hydrazine and its application in living cells
Authors: Zhang Yan , Wang Zhonglong , Song Jie , Li Mingxin , Yang Yiqin , Xu Xu , Xu Haijun , Wang Shifa
Published: July 2019

The probe DN exhibited excellent selectivity and sensitivity towards ClO−, and it was successfully used for fluorescence imaging of ClO− in living cells.
Robust supramolecular nanocylinders of naphthalene diimide in water
Authors: Choisnet Thomas , Canevet David , Sallé Marc , Nicol Erwan , Niepceron Frédérick , Jestin Jacques , Colombani Olivier
Published: July 2019

Long and robust NDI-containing nanocylinders formed by supramolecular self-assembly via hydrogen bonds and aromatic interactions in aqueous medium.
In situ DRIFT spectroscopy insights into the reaction mechanism of CO and toluene co-oxidation over Pt-based catalysts
Authors: Zhang Qi , Mo Shengpeng , Li Jiaqi , Sun Yuhai , Zhang Mingyuan , Chen Peirong , Fu Mingli , Wu Junliang , Chen Limin , Ye Daiqi
Published: July 2019

The Pt–CeO2 catalyst with adsorption sites and oxygen-rich vacancies exhibited outstanding activity towards CO and toluene co-oxidation.
Spin state solvomorphism in a series of rare S = 1 manganese(iii) complexes
Authors: Barker Andrew , Kelly Conor T. , Kühne Irina A. , Hill Stephen , Krzystek J. , Wix Paul , Esien Kane , Felton Solveig , Müller-Bunz Helge , Morgan Grace G.
Published: July 2019

Structural, magnetic and spectroscopic data on four new spin triplet Mn3+ complexes reveals a large magnetic anisotropy. Spin state is sensitive to lattice contents as the spin quintet ground state is stabilized on co-crystallization with ethanol.
Mobile imaging platform for digital influenza virus counting
Authors: Minagawa Yoshihiro , Ueno Hiroshi , Tabata Kazuhito V. , Noji Hiroyuki
Published: July 2019

A compact and simple smartphone-based mobile imaging platform realized swift single influenza virus counting of clinical samples.
Engineering immunity with quantitative tools
Authors: Jewell Christopher M. , Gray Jeffrey J.
Published: July 2019

Guest Editors Chris Jewell and Jeff Gray introduce this themed collection of papers showcasing the latest research that leverages quantitative tools and technologies to decipher and control immune function.
An effective route for manufacturing a mushroom-derived carbon/SnO2/C functional composite
Authors: Han Qigang , Li Yao , Han Zhiwu , Zhang Wenqiang , Li Xiang , Geng Di , Zhang Xu
Published: July 2019

Biomass materials have attracted much attention among functional composites, due to the unique bio-mesopore structure as well as the excellent environmentally friendly and electrochemical properties.
Structural diversity of the complexes of monovalent metal d10 ions with macrocyclic aggregates of iso-tellurazole N-oxides
Authors: Wang Jin , Ho Peter C. , Britten James F. , Tomassetti Valerie , Vargas-Baca Ignacio
Published: July 2019

Iso-tellurazole N-oxides yield a remarkable variety of structures with coinage-metal monocations.
The reaction of phenoxatellurine with single-electron oxidizers revisited
Authors: Mostaghimi Farzin , Lork Enno , Hong Intek , Roemmele Tracey L. , Boeré René T. , Mebs Stefan , Beckmann Jens
Published: July 2019

Baking Pancakes: Dicationic products of the single-electron oxidation of phenoxatellurine.
The origin of the electronic transitions of mixed valence polyoxovanadoborates [V12B18O60]: from an experimental to a theoretical understanding
Authors: Hermosilla-Ibáñez Patricio , Wrighton-Araneda Kerry , Scarpetta-Pizo Laura , Cañón-Mancisidor Walter , Gutierrez-Cutiño Marlen , Le Fur Eric , Paredes-García Verónica , Venegas-Yazigi Diego
Published: July 2019

New insights in the electronic properties of mixed-valence polyoxovanadoborate clusters.
Direct growth of oriented nanocrystals of gamma-iron on graphene oxide substrates. Detailed analysis of the factors affecting unexpected formation of the gamma-iron phase
Authors: Khannanov Artur , Kiiamov Airat , Valimukhametova Alina , Vagizov Farit G. , Dimiev Ayrat M.
Published: July 2019

Substrate-oriented nanocrystals of room-temperature-stable gamma-iron have been synthesized by a two-step impregnation/annealing method on a graphene oxide surface.
Atomic localization of quantum emitters in multilayer hexagonal boron nitride
Authors: Vogl Tobias , Doherty Marcus W. , Buchler Ben C. , Lu Yuerui , Lam Ping Koy
Published: July 2019

The atomic plasma etching removes one hBN monolayer at a time. After some etching step, the quantum emitter disappears.
Recent advances in ultra-small fluorescent Au nanoclusters toward oncological research
Authors: Yang Jingjing , Wang Fenglong , Yuan Huiqing , Zhang Lishu , Jiang Yanyan , Zhang Xue , Liu Chao , Chai Li , Li Hui , Stenzel Martina
Published: July 2019

The structure, properties of gold nanoclusters and their applications in targeting anti-cancer fields have been reviewed.
Gold(i)-catalyzed Nicholas reaction with aromatic molecules utilizing a bifunctional propargyl dicobalt hexacarbonyl complex
Authors: Okamura Toshitaka , Fujiki Shogo , Iwabuchi Yoshiharu , Kanoh Naoki
Published: July 2019

A benchtop-stable reagent for the catalytic Nicholas reaction with aromatic molecules was developed.
Asymmetric total synthesis of paecilomycin C through intramolecular nucleophilic ring opening of an epoxide
Authors: Chakraborty Joy , Nanda Samik
Published: July 2019

An efficient asymmetric total synthesis of naturally occurring resorcylic acid lactone (RAL) paecilomycin C was achieved by employing carboxylate assisted 5-exo-tet ring opening of an epoxide as a key reaction.
Utilization of nitriles as the nitrogen source: practical and economical construction of 4-aminopyrimidine and β-enaminonitrile skeletons
Authors: Zhu Yingzu , Li Yinghua , Xiang Shiqun , Fan Weibin , Jin Jiang , Huang Deguang
Published: July 2019

A highly practical and economical method for the synthesis of 4-aminopyrimidines and β-enaminonitriles from mixed organonitriles is reported.
Lignin valorization process control under feedstock uncertainty through a dynamic stochastic programming approach
Authors: Bao Hanxi , Zhou Zhiqiang , Kotsalis Georgios , Lan Guanghui , Tong Zhaohui
Published: July 2019

Herein we address the feedstock uncertainty for a robust lignin valorization process through a dynamic stochastic programming approach.
Inner structure and dynamics of microgels with low and medium crosslinker content prepared via surfactant-free precipitation polymerization and continuous monomer feeding approach
Authors: Kyrey Tetyana , Witte Judith , Feoktystov Artem , Pipich Vitaliy , Wu Baohu , Pasini Stefano , Radulescu Aurel , Witt Marcus U. , Kruteva Margarita , von Klitzing Regine , Wellert Stefan , Holderer Olaf
Published: July 2019

Structure and dynamics of polymer network in microgels prepared via different polymerization routes is studied with small angle neutron scattering and neutron spin echo spectroscopy and compared for the cases of low and medium crosslinker content.
Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy as a performance indicator of water dissociation in bipolar membranes
Authors: Blommaert Marijn A. , Vermaas David A. , Izelaar Boaz , in ’t Veen Ben , Smith Wilson A.
Published: July 2019

Using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, we observed the rate of water dissociation decrease in the presence of salt ions while observing the transport of these salt ions, showing a clear link between the peaks observed in EIS and ion crossover.
Emerging chitin nanogels/rectorite nanocomposites for safe and effective hemorrhage control
Authors: Zhang Jianwei , Xue Shuai , Zhu Xinyi , Zhao Yanan , Chen Yun , Tong Jun , Shi Xiaowen , Du Yumin , Zhong Zibiao , Ye Qifa
Published: July 2019

Chitin nanogels/rectorite nanocomposites could absorb plasma quickly and aggregate red blood cells and platelets.
RIPK1 inhibitor Cpd-71 attenuates renal dysfunction in cisplatin-treated mice via attenuating necroptosis, inflammation and oxidative stress
Authors: Wang Jia-nan , Liu Ming-ming , Wang Fang , Wei Biao , Yang Qin , Cai Yu-ting , Chen Xin , Liu Xue-qi , Jiang Ling , Li Chao , Hu Xiao-wei , Yu Ju-tao , Ma Tao-tao , Jin Juan , Wu Yong-gui , Li Jun , Meng Xiao-ming
Published: July 2019

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a destructive clinical condition induced by multiple insults including ischemic reperfusion, nephrotoxic drugs and sepsis. It is characterized by a sudden decline in renal function, in addition to excessive inflammation, oxidative stress and programmed cell death of renal tubular epithelial cells. RIPK1-mediated necroptosis plays an important role in AKI. In the present study, we evaluated the treatment effects of Compound-71 (Cpd-71), a novel RIPK1 inhibitor, by comparing with Necrostatin-1 (Nec-1), a classic RIPK1 inhibitor, which has several drawbacks like the narrow structure–activity relationship (SAR) profile, moderate potency and non-ideal pharmacokinetic properties, in vivo and in vitro. Our results showed that pretreatment of Cpd-71 attenuated cisplatin-induced renal injury, restored renal function and suppressed renal inflammation, oxidative stress and cell necroptosis. In addition, Cpd-71 inhibited renal damage while reducing the up-regulated serum creatinine (Cr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels in established AKI mice model. Consistently, we confirmed that Cpd-71 exhibited more effectively suppressive effect on cisplatin-induced renal tubular cell necroptosis than Nec-1, by physically binding to the allosteric type III ligand binding site of RIPK1, thereby reduced RIPK1 kinase activity, RIPK1/RIPK3 complex formation and phosphor-MLKL membrane translocation by molecular docking, Western blot, co-immunoprecipitation and cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA). Taken together, we currently showed that targeting RIPK1 with Cpd-71 may serve as a promising clinical candidate for AKI treatment.
New construction of optimal aperiodic Z‐complementary sequence sets of odd‐lengths
Authors: Adhikary A.R. , Majhi S.
Published: July 2019

In this Letter, a new construction of aperiodic Z‐complementary sequence sets (ZCSSs) is proposed. The constituent sequences of ZCSSs have odd‐length of the form (where , and are non‐negative integers). The resultant ZCSSs are optimal with respect to the Welch bound.
Input impedance of a microstrip antenna with a chiral substrate based on left‐handed spirals
Authors: Abramov Vladimir Y. , Klyuev Dmitriy S. , Neshcheret Anatoly M. , Osipov Oleg V. , Potapov Alexander A.
Published: July 2019

This study proposes a mathematical model and a technique for the electrodynamic analysis of a microstrip antenna with a chiral substrate based on the left‐handed spirals. It describes the design of such an antenna and presents its impedance characteristics for various parameters. It has been shown that the use of a chiral substrate improves the mass‐dimensional characteristics of the microstrip antennas.
Dense cores and star formation in the giant molecular cloud Vela C
Authors: Massi F. , Weiss A. , Elia D. , Csengeri T. , Schisano E. , Giannini T. , Hill T. , Lorenzetti D. , Menten K. , Olmi L. , Schuller F. , Strafella F. , De Luca M. , Motte F. , Wyrowski F.
Published: July 2019

Context. The Vela Molecular Ridge is one of the nearest (700 pc) giant molecular cloud (GMC) complexes hosting intermediate-mass (up to early B, late O stars) star formation, and is located in the outer Galaxy, inside the Galactic plane. Vela C is one of the GMCs making up the Vela Molecular Ridge, and exhibits both sub-regions of robust and sub-regions of more quiescent star formation activity, with both low- and intermediate(high)-mass star formation in progress.

Aims. We aim to study the individual and global properties of dense dust cores in Vela C, and aim to search for spatial variations in these properties which could be related to different environmental properties and/or evolutionary stages in the various sub-regions of Vela C.

Methods. We mapped the submillimetre (345 GHz) emission from vela C with LABOCA (beam size ~19′′2, spatial resolution ~0.07 pc at 700 pc) at the APEX telescope. We used the clump-finding algorithm CuTEx to identify the compact submillimetre sources. We also used SIMBA (250 GHz) observations, and Herschel and WISE ancillary data. The association with WISE red sources allowed the protostellar and starless cores to be separated, whereas the Herschel dataset allowed the dust temperature to be derived for a fraction of cores. The protostellar and starless core mass functions (CMFs) were constructed following two different approaches, achieving a mass completeness limit of 3.7 M⊙.

Results. We retrieved 549 submillimetre cores, 316 of which are starless and mostly gravitationally bound (therefore prestellar in nature). Both the protostellar and the starless CMFs are consistent with the shape of a Salpeter initial mass function in the high-mass part of the distribution. Clustering of cores at scales of 1–6 pc is also found, hinting at fractionation of magnetised, turbulent gas.
Flaring stellar disk in the low surface brightness galaxy UGC 7321
Authors: Sarkar S. , Jog C. J.
Published: July 2019

We theoretically study the vertical structure of the edge-on low surface brightness (LSB) galaxy UGC 7321. This is one of the few well-observed LSBs. We modeled it as a gravitationally coupled disk system of stars and atomic hydrogen gas in the potential of the dark matter halo and treated the realistic case where the rotation velocity varies with radius. We used a dense and compact halo as implied by the observed rotation curve in this model. We calculated the thickness of stellar and HI disks in terms of the half-width at half-maximum of the vertical density distribution in a region ofR = 0–12 kpc using input parameters constrained by observations. We obtain a mildly increasing disk thickness up toR = 6 kpc, in a good agreement with the observed trend, and predict a strong flaring beyond this. To obtain this trend, the stellar velocity dispersion has to fall exponentially at a rate of 3.2RD, while the standard value of 2RDgives a decreasing thickness with radius. Interestingly, both stellar and HI disks show flaring in the outer disk region although they are dynamically dominated by the dark matter halo from the very inner radii. The resulting vertical stellar density distribution cannot be fit by a single sech2/nfunction, in agreement with observations, which show wings at larger distances above the mid-plane. Invoking a double-disk model to explain the vertical structure of LSBs as done in the literature may therefore not be necessary.
Improved seismic model of the pulsating DB white dwarf KIC 08626021 corrected from the effects of neutrino cooling
Authors: Charpinet S. , Brassard P. , Giammichele N. , Fontaine G.
Published: July 2019

Asteroseismology is a powerful tool to unravel the chemical composition and stratification inside white dwarfs, as recently achieved by Giammichele et al. (2018, Nature, 554, 73) for the pulsating DB star KIC 08626021. However, Timmes et al. (2018, ApJ, 867, L30) pointed out that neglecting the effects of neutrino cooling, such as in the models used in Giammichele et al. study, could significantly impact the derived seismic solution and compromise conclusions drawn upon it. In this context, we perform a complete reevaluation of the seismic solution uncovered for KIC 08626021, using improved static models which incorporate more realistic luminosity profiles that reflect the still significant energy losses induced by neutrino emission mechanisms in hot DB white dwarfs. We find that including (or neglecting) neutrino cooling for the specific case of KIC 08626021 induces frequency differences of ∼35 μHz on average (with variations up to ∼84 μHz) for the relevant g-modes, that is, similar to the frequency shifts estimated in Timmes et al. study. However, we show that the propagation of these variations into the derived seismic model properties remain limited and mainly trigger changes of the C/O and C/He composition ratio in the intermediate layers of the seismic model, while other important parameters are only slightly affected. In particular, the derived central oxygen mass fraction and extent of the homogeneous inner part of the core are essentially unchanged. Hence, as found by Timmes et al., seismic investigations of hot pulsating DB white dwarfs that rely on parameterized static models should include the non-negligible effects of neutrino cooling to provide more accurate solutions, but all the important conclusions brought by Giammichele et al. from the analysis of KIC 08626021 remain entirely valid.
Neutral hydrogen gas within and around NGC 1316
Authors: Serra P. , Maccagni F. M. , Kleiner D. , de Blok W. J. G. , van Gorkom J. H. , Hugo B. , Iodice E. , Józsa G. I. G. , Kamphuis P. , Kraan-Korteweg R. , Loni A. , Makhathini S. , Molnár D. , Oosterloo T. , Peletier R. , Ramaila A. , Ramatsoku M. , Smirnov O. , Smith M. , Spavone M. , Thorat K. , Trager S. C. , Venhola A.
Published: July 2019

We present MeerKAT observations of neutral hydrogen gas (H I) in the nearby merger remnant NGC 1316 (Fornax A), the brightest member of a galaxy group which is falling into the Fornax cluster. We find H I on a variety of scales, from the galaxy centre to its large-scale environment. For the first time we detect H I at large radii (70–150 kpc in projection), mostly distributed on two long tails associated with the galaxy. Gas in the tails dominates the H I mass of NGC 1316: 7 × 108 M⊙– 14 times more than in previous observations. The total H I mass is comparable to the amount of neutral gas found inside the stellar body, mostly in molecular form. The H I tails are associated with faint optical tidal features thought to be the remnant of a galaxy merger occurred a few billion years ago. They demonstrate that the merger was gas-rich. During the merger, tidal forces pulled some gas and stars out to large radii, where we now detect them in the form of optical tails and, thanks to our new data, H I tails; while torques caused the remaining gas to flow towards the centre of the remnant, where it was converted into molecular gas and fuelled the starburst revealed by the galaxy’s stellar populations. Several of the observed properties of NGC 1316 can be reproduced by a ∼10:1 merger between a dominant, gas-poor early-type galaxy and a smaller, gas-rich spiral occurred 1–3 Gyr ago, likely followed by subsequent accretion of satellite galaxies.
S’instrumenter pour évaluer
Authors: Loye Nathalie , Fontaine Sylvie
Published: July 2019

Problématique :  La démarche d’évaluation nécessite de planifier, de collecter des données, de les interpréter et de porter un jugement avant de prendre une décision. Elle repose toujours sur des instruments d’évaluation qui peuvent prendre une variété de formes.Objectif : Cet article a pour but de présenter et d’illustrer plusieurs instruments d’évaluation, et de les mettre en perspective avec la démarche évaluative. Les instruments sont présentés de façon indépendante ; ils permettent de collecter des données quantitatives et qualitatives. La possibilité de combiner ces données pour porter un jugement évaluatif est abordée, mais n’est pas détaillée.Exégèse : Nous présentons d’abord la démarche évaluative constituée de cinq étapes. Après quelques considérations sur les nuances qui existent entre évaluer et mesurer, nous nous intéressons aux objets à évaluer à partir de la définition de la compétence et de la pyramide de Miller. Par la suite, nous proposons deux modèles visant à accompagner le développement d’instruments d’évaluation, ce qui nous amène à présenter deux catégories d’instruments d’évaluation. La première catégorie regroupe les instruments que nous qualifions de classiques comme les tests. La seconde catégorie rassemble quelques instruments associés à l’évaluation des compétences et qui sont largement utilisés dans le domaine de la pédagogie médicale.
Psychometrische Evaluation und Normwerte einer Ultrakurzform der Sense of Coherence Scale “SOC-3”
Authors: Schmalbach Bjarne , Tibubos Ana Nanette , Zenger Markus , Hinz Andreas , Brähler Elmar
Published: July 2019

Kohärenzsinn ist eine psychische Ressource, die maßgeblich zu einem adaptiven Coping im Umgang mit belastenden Situationen beiträgt. In der vorliegenden Studie untersuchen wir eine Ultrakurzform der Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC-3) in einer repräsentativen Stichprobe der deutschen Bevölkerung (N=2.018). Das 3-Item-Modell wies exzellente Gütekriterien sowie eine akzeptable Reliabilität auf. Über Altersgruppen und Geschlecht konnte partielle strikte Messinvarianz des Modells nachgewiesen werden. In Bezug auf Konstruktvalidität demonstrierten unsere Analysen starke Überschneidungen der SOC-3 mit längeren SOC-Versionen (−9 und−29). Analog zu den SOC-Langversionen wurden erwartungsgemäße Zusammenhänge der SOC-3 mit verwandten Konstrukten wie Bindungstypen, körperlicher und mentaler Gesundheit und Lebenszufriedenheit repliziert. Erstmalig werden Normwerte der SOC-3 für die deutsche Bevölkerung präsentiert, um die Einordnung individueller Scores zu ermöglichen. Wir empfehlen die SOC-3 als Screener für angewandte Forschung und insbesondere für Befragungen mit großen Stichproben.
Synthesis of Tetrahydroisoquinolines by Visible-Light-Mediated 6-exo-trig Cyclization of α-Aminoalkyl Radicals
Authors: Grübel Michael , Jandl Christian , Bach Thorsten
Published: July 2019

Starting from the respective tertiary α-silylmethyl amines, the intramolecular cyclization of α-aminoalkyl radicals to Michael acceptors produced tetrahydroisoquinolines. The reaction conditions included the use of 5 mol% of an iridium photoredox catalyst, dimethylformamide as the solvent, and equimolar amounts of water and cesium carbonate as the additives. 13 substrates were synthesized from ortho-alkylbenzaldehydes in a three-step procedure involving a carbonyl condensation, a radical bromination, and a substitution by a secondary α-silylmethyl amine. After optimization of the photocyclization, the reaction delivered tetrahydroisoquinolines in moderate to high yields (41–83%). A facial diastereoselectivity (dr ≅ 80:20) was observed with chiral substrates and a crystal structure provided evidence for the relative configuration of the major diastereoisomer. A catalytic cycle with direct electron transfer to the photoexcited metal catalyst is proposed.