bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Potential Interplay between Dietary Saturated Fats and Genetic Variants of the NLRP3 Inflammasome to Modulate Insulin Resistance and Diabetes Risk: Insights from a Meta‐Analysis of 19 005 Individuals
Authors: Murphy Aoife M. , Smith Caren E. , Murphy Leanne M. , Follis Jack L. , Tanaka Toshiko , Richardson Kris , Noordam Raymond , Lemaitre Rozenn N. , Kähönen Mika , Dupuis Josée , Voortman Trudy , Marouli Eirini , Mook‐Kanamori Dennis O. , Raitakari Olli T. , Hong Jaeyoung , Dehghan Abbas , Dedoussis George , de Mutsert Renée , Lehtimäki Terho , Liu Ching‐Ti , Rivadeneira Fernando , Deloukas Panagiotis , Mikkilä Vera , Meigs James B. , Uitterlinden Andre , Ikram Mohammad A. , Franco Oscar H. , Hughes Maria , O' Gaora Peadar , Ordovás José M. , Roche Helen M.
Published: August 2019

Scope

Insulin resistance (IR) and inflammation are hallmarks of type 2 diabetes (T2D). The nod‐like receptor pyrin domain containing‐3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is a metabolic sensor activated by saturated fatty acids (SFA) initiating IL‐1β inflammation and IR. Interactions between SFA intake and NLRP3‐related genetic variants may alter T2D risk factors.

Methods

Meta‐analyses of six Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology Consortium (n = 19 005) tested interactions between SFA and NLRP3‐related single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and modulation of fasting insulin, fasting glucose, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance.

Results

SFA interacted with rs12143966, wherein each 1% increase in SFA intake increased insulin by 0.0063 IU mL−1 (SE ± 0.002, p = 0.001) per each major (G) allele copy. rs4925663, interacted with SFA (β ± SE = −0.0058 ± 0.002, p = 0.004) to increase insulin by 0.0058 IU mL−1, per additional copy of the major (C) allele. Both associations are close to the significance threshold (p < 0.0001). rs4925663 causes a missense mutation affecting NLRP3 expression.

Conclusion

Two NLRP3‐related SNPs showed potential interaction with SFA to modulate fasting insulin. Greater dietary SFA intake accentuates T2D risk, which, subject to functional validation, may be further elaborated depending on NLRP3‐related genetic variants.
Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium Improves Physiological Function and Cognitive Ability in Aged Mice by the Regulation of Gut Microbiota
Authors: Ni Yinhua , Yang Xin , Zheng Liujie , Wang Zhe , Wu Lianxin , Jiang Jinlu , Yang Tianqi , Ma Lingyan , Fu Zhengwei
Published: August 2019

Scope

Age‐related degeneration is associated with imbalances of gut microbiota and its related immune system, thus gut microbiota dysbiosis is considered to be a key target to improve senescence. The potential roles of probiotics on physiological function and cognitive ability in aged mice are investigated in this study.

Methods and results

Lactobacillus casei LC122 or Bifidobacterium longum BL986, are orally administrated for 12 weeks, and the anti‐aging effects, as well as the composition and function of gut microbiota, are investigated in aged mice. Probiotics supplementation ameliorates hepatic lipid accumulation, enhances muscle strength and function, attenuates oxidative stress and inflammation in peripheral tissues, and improves gut barrier function. These results are associated with improved learning and memory ability as assessed by behavioral tests and upregulation of neurodegenerative and neurotrophic factors expressions in hippocampus. Moreover, the diversity and composition of gut microbiota are altered in aged mice, and both probiotics treatment display distinguished features of gut microbiota. Comparisons of two probiotic strains reveal significant differences in the taxa at family and genus level, leading to the functional profile change of the microbial community.

Conclusion

L. casei LC122 and B. longum BL986 might be used as novel and promising anti‐aging agents in human.
Growth of Hatchery-Reared Chinook Salmon in Lakes Michigan and Huron Exhibits Limited Spatial Variation but Is Temporally Linked to Alewife Abundance
Authors: Kornis Matthew S. , Simpkins Darin G. , Lane Allen A. , Warner David M. , Bronte Charles R.
Published: August 2019

Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha were introduced into Lakes Michigan and Huron in the 1960s to diversify recreational fisheries and reduce overabundant, nonnative Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus. Alewife remain the primary prey of Chinook Salmon but have experienced substantial declines in abundance due to reduced food resources and salmonine predation pressure. The movements of Chinook Salmon have been linked to the density and spatial distribution of Alewife, but spatial patterns in Chinook Salmon growth have not been well documented and the temporal relationship between growth and Alewife density has not been evaluated during the current period of low Alewife abundance. We evaluated spatial and temporal variation in growth of Chinook Salmon in Lake Michigan and the U.S. waters of Lake Huron and explored linkages with Alewife density. Von Bertalanffy growth parameters were generally similar for recaptured coded-wire-tagged Chinook Salmon from different stocking locations and different recovery locations. Only a few small differences among stocking and recovery regions were evident, with regions divided into two subtly different groups with shared growth parameters. The small regional differences may be attributable to unique habitat and/or stocking characteristics of specific regions. In Lake Michigan average Chinook Salmon length at age also varied across years and was tightly coupled with annual lakewide densities of age-1 and older Alewife, suggesting that Chinook Salmon growth from 2012 to 2016 was constrained by Alewife density. Our findings are consistent with evidence of lakewide movements associated with foraging and support continued management of Chinook Salmon in Lake Michigan as a single population. Furthermore, similar growth in Chinook Salmon from Lakes Michigan and Huron corroborates evidence that Chinook Salmon move from U.S. waters of Lake Huron to Lake Michigan to feed and reinforces the recent decision to include most fish stocked in northwestern Lake Huron in the Lake Michigan population when managing for predator–prey balance.
Erosive wear characteristics of E‐glass fiber reinforced silica fume and zinc oxide‐filled epoxy resin composites
Authors: Öztürk Bülent , Gedikli Hasan , Kılıçarslan Yavuz S.
Published: August 2019

In the present study, the effect of addition of silica fume, also known as microsilica, and zinc oxide fillers on the erosive wear behavior of bidirectional E‐glass fiber‐based epoxy resin composites has been investigated. The amount of silica fume and zinc oxide fillers in the composites was changed in the interval from 0 to 16 wt.%. The erosive wear of the composites has been evaluated at different impingement angles from 20° to 90° and at four different impact velocities of 70, 100, 150, and 200 m/s. The erodent particles used were silicon carbide (SiC) with the average particle sizes of 72 μm, 175 μm, and 348 μm, respectively. The results show that the erosion rate increases with increasing impingement angle, impact velocity, exposure time, and erodent particle size in all the composites. By comparing the two types of fillers, the composites filled with silica fume showed better erosion resistance than those of zinc oxide‐filled composites at the same filler loading. The composite filled with 16 wt.% silica fume presented the best erosion resistant while the highest erosion rate was obtained at the composite filled with 16 wt.% zinc oxide. The morphology of eroded surfaces was examined by using scanning electron microscopy, and possible erosion mechanisms were discussed.
A brief report and analysis on the July 19, 2019, explosion in the Yima gasification plant in Sanmenxia, China
Authors: Wang Bing , Zhu Zhaozhen
Published: August 2019

This short article presents some basic facts related to the explosion accident that occurred on July 19, 2019, in the Yima gasification plant located in Sanmenxia City, Henan Province, China. This huge explosion killed 15 people and seriously injured 16. The article introduces the background, scenes, and possible causes of this explosion. Moreover, this study proposes some measures to prevent and control similar accidents. This article can provide some basic information for a further investigation and analysis on this explosion.
Nonclassical Longitudinal Magnetoresistance in Anisotropic Black Phosphorus
Authors: Telesio Francesca , Hemsworth Nicholas , Dickerson William , Petrescu Matei , Tayari Vahid , Yu Oulin , Graf David , Serrano-Ruiz Manuel , Caporali Maria , Peruzzini Maurizio , Carrega Matteo , Szkopek Thomas , Heun Stefan , Gervais Guillaume
Published: August 2019

Resistivity measurements of a black phosphorus (bP) field‐effect transistor 16 nm thick in parallel magnetic fields up to 45 T are reported as a function of the angle between the in‐plane field and the source–drain (S–D) axis of the device. The crystallographic directions of the bP crystal are determined by Raman spectroscopy, with the zigzag axis found to be within 5° of the S–D axis and the armchair axis in the orthogonal planar direction. A transverse magnetoresistance (TMR) as well as a classically forbidden longitudinal magnetoresistance (LMR) are observed. Both are found to be strongly anisotropic and nonmonotonic with increasing in‐plane field. Surprisingly, the relative magnitude (in %) of the positive LMR is larger than the TMR above ≈32 T. Considering the known anisotropy of bP whose zigzag and armchair effective masses differ by a factor of ≈7, the experiment strongly suggests this LMR to be a consequence of the anisotropic Fermi surface of bP.
Two Well‐Compatible Acceptors with Efficient Energy Transfer Enable Ternary Organic Photovoltaics Exhibiting a 13.36% Efficiency
Authors: Wang Jianxiao , Ma Xiaoling , Wang Jian , Ming Ruijie , An Qiaoshi , Zhang Jian , Yang Chuluo , Zhang Fujun
Published: August 2019

Organic photovoltaics (OPVs) are fabricated with PM6 as donor and T6Me, IT‐2F, or their mixture as acceptor. A 13.36% power conversion efficiency (PCE) is achieved from the optimized ternary OPVs with 50 wt% IT‐2F in acceptors, which is attributed to the enhanced photon harvesting of ternary active layers and improved exciton utilization efficiency through energy transfer from IT‐2F to T6Me. The efficient energy transfer from IT‐2F to T6Me can be confirmed from the photoluminescence spectra of neat and blend films, which may provide additional channels to enhance exciton utilization efficiency for achieving short‐circuit current density (JSC) improvement of ternary OPVs. It should be highlighted that the fill factor (FF) of ternary OPVs can be monotonously increased along with the incorporation of IT‐2F, indicating the gradually optimized phase separation degree of ternary active layers. The third component IT‐2F plays a key role in optimizing phase separation as a morphology regulator. Over 8% PCE improvement is achieved in the optimized ternary OPVs compared with the over 12% PCEs of the corresponding binary OPVs, respectively. This work indicates that the performance of ternary OPVs can be well optimized by carefully picking materials with good compatibility and complementary absorption spectra, as well as the appropriate energy levels.
New Concepts for Production of Scalable Single Layer Oxidized Regions by Local Anodic Oxidation of Graphene
Authors: Quesada Sergio J. , Borrás Fernando , García‐Vélez Miguel , Coya Carmen , Climent Esteban , Munuera Carmen , Villar Ignacio , de la Peña O'Shea Víctor A. , de Andrés Alicia , Álvarez Ángel L.
Published: August 2019

A deep comprehension of the local anodic oxidation process in 2D materials is achieved thanks to an extensive experimental and theoretical study of this phenomenon in graphene. This requires to arrange a novel instrumental device capable to generate separated regions of monolayer graphene oxide (GO) over graphene, with any desired size, from micrometers to unprecedented mm2, in minutes, a milestone in GO monolayer production. GO regions are manufactured by overlapping lots of individual oxide spots of thousands µm2 area. The high reproducibility and circular size of the spots allows not only an exhaustive experimental characterization inside, but also establishing an original model for oxide expansion which, from classical first principles, overcomes the traditional paradigm of the water bridge, and is applicable to any 2D‐material. This tool predicts the oxidation behavior with voltage and exposure time, as well as the expected electrical current along the process. The hitherto unreported transient current is measured during oxidation, gaining insight on its components, electrochemical and transport. Just combining electrical measurements and optical imaging estimating carrier mobility and degree of oxidation is possible. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals a graphene oxidation about 30%, somewhat lower to that obtained by Hummers' method.
Agricultural waste
Authors: Chang Chein‐Chi , Li Rundong
Published: August 2019

The management of agricultural waste has become very important because the inappropriate disposal yields negative effects on the environment. The resource recovery from agricultural waste which converts waste into available resources can reduce the waste and new resource consumption. This review summarizes the 2018 researches of over three hundred scholar papers from several aspects: agricultural waste, and, waste chemical characterization, agricultural waste material, adsorption, waste energy, composting, waste biogas, agricultural waste management, and others.
Unequal Access to Support and Privileges
Authors: Sandoz Laure
Published: August 2019

This chapter discusses the interplay between institutional practices and individual experiences and identifies specific “migration channels” through which immigrants obtain access to the Swiss territory and labour market. The first section draws on survey data to analyse the kind of support that recently arrived immigrants from certain countries receive when relocating to Switzerland. Employers play a major role in attracting workers to Switzerland. Yet, their relocation practices tend to favour certain nationalities, in particular workers from rich anglophone countries, while disadvantaging married women and citizens of non-EU/EFTA countries. In the second section, a qualitative analysis of the experiences of individuals moving through different migration channels reveals how the legal framework regulating each channel, as well as the support structures available to immigrants in these channels, create different resource environments associated with specific obstacles and opportunities. Being highly skilled means something very different depending on whether one comes to Switzerland as a refugee, an employee, a spouse, or a student. Yet, migrants’ stories show that individuals are not restricted to just one of these environments: given certain conditions, individuals have the agency to develop strategies in order to improve their situation, which sometimes involves navigating between channels to access new opportunities.
Conclusion
Authors: Sandoz Laure
Published: August 2019

This chapter concludes the analysis by discussing the main findings of this research and contrasting them with current debates on highly skilled migration. Although skill-based migration policies tend to be praised as contributing to a country’s economic development and enabling the smooth liberalisation of national border regimes, this research shows that the definition of a migrant’s value is complex and subjective, even from an economic perspective. Far from being meritocratic, the attraction, selection, and retention of migrants is a highly politicised process which involves a variety of actors with competing interests. Migration intermediaries tend to construct the legitimacy of highly skilled migrants based on powerful economic narratives, which can overshadow issues related to social justice and discrimination. Moreover, the processes of selecting highly skilled migrants tend to withdraw certain practices from the public sphere, and therefore depoliticise them. These observations call for the recognition that immigration policies based on demand, economic interests, and vague criteria favour relationships of dependence and control between immigrants and those who support them. “Highly skilled migrant” might thus not be the best term to describe a mobile person in a privileged position. Beyond skills, other elements need to be considered, such as forms of capital, nationality, legal status, gender, ethnicity, and class. Research needs to situate individuals within institutional environments and deconstruct static representations of skills and merit. Moreover, the crucial importance of borders must be taken into account, as well as the strategies that some people develop in order to cross them.
Particle-vortex duality and theta terms in AdS/CMT applications
Authors: Alejo Luis , Nastase Horatiu
Published: August 2019

Abstract

In this paper we study particle-vortex duality and the effect of theta terms from the point of view of AdS/CMT constructions. We can construct the duality in 2+1 dimensional field theories with or without a Chern-Simons term, and derive an effect on conductivities, when the action is viewed as a response action. We can find its effect on 3+1 dimensional theories, with or without a theta term, coupled to gravity in asymptotically AdS space, and derive the resulting effect on conductivities defined in the spirit of AdS/CFT. AdS/CFT then relates the 2+1 dimensional and the 3+1 dimensional cases naturally. Quantum gravity corrections, as well as more general effective actions for the abelian vector, can be treated similarly. We can use the fluid/gravity correspondence, and the membrane paradigm, to define shear and bulk viscosities η and ζ for a gravity plus abelian vector plus scalar system near a black hole, and define the effect of the S-duality on it.
Evaluating the influences of temperature, primary production, and evolutionary history on bivalve growth rates
Authors: Saulsbury James , Moss David K. , Ivany Linda C. , Kowalewski Michał , Lindberg David R. , Gillooly James F. , Heim Noel A. , McClain Craig R. , Payne Jonathan L. , Roopnarine Peter D. , Schöne Bernd R. , Goodwin David , Finnegan Seth
Published: August 2019

Organismal metabolic rates reflect the interaction of environmental and physiological factors. Thus, calcifying organisms that record growth history can provide insight into both the ancient environments in which they lived and their own physiology and life history. However, interpreting them requires understanding which environmental factors have the greatest influence on growth rate and the extent to which evolutionary history constrains growth rates across lineages. We integrated satellite measurements of sea-surface temperature and chlorophyll-a concentration with a database of growth coefficients, body sizes, and life spans for 692 populations of living marine bivalves in 195 species, set within the context of a new maximum-likelihood phylogeny of bivalves. We find that environmental predictors overall explain only a small proportion of variation in growth coefficient across all species; temperature is a better predictor of growth coefficient than food supply, and growth coefficient is somewhat more variable at higher summer temperatures. Growth coefficients exhibit moderate phylogenetic signal, and taxonomic membership is a stronger predictor of growth coefficient than any environmental predictor, but phylogenetic inertia cannot fully explain the disjunction between our findings and the extensive body of work demonstrating strong environmental control on growth rates within taxa. Accounting for evolutionary history is critical when considering shells as historical archives. The weak relationship between variation in food supply and variation in growth coefficient in our data set is inconsistent with the hypothesis that the increase in mean body size through the Phanerozoic was driven by increasing productivity enabling faster growth rates.
Israel as homotopia: Language, space, and vicious belonging
Authors: Milani Tommaso M. , Levon Erez
Published: August 2019

Israel has recently succeeded in presenting itself as an attractive haven for LGBT constituencies. In this article, we investigate how this affective traction operates in practice, along with the ambiguous entanglement of normativity and antinormativity as expressed in the agency of some gay Palestinian Israelis vis-à-vis the Israeli homonationalist project. For this purpose, we analyze the documentaryOriented(2015), produced by the British director Jake Witzenfeld together with the Palestinian collective Qambuta Productions. More specifically, the aim of the article is twofold. From a theoretical perspective, we seek to demonstrate how Foucault's notion of heterotopia provides a useful framework for understanding the spatial component of Palestinian Israeli experience, and the push and pull of conflicted identity projects more generally. Empirically, we illustrate how Israel is a homotopia, an inherently ambivalent place that is simultaneously utopian and dystopian, and that generates what we call vicious belonging. (Code-switching, heterotopia, homonationalism, normativity, pinkwashing, sexuality, space)*
What Phoenix'sjoteríais saying: Identity, normativity, resistance
Authors: Cashman Holly R.
Published: August 2019

This article questions queer theory's investment in antinormativity and anti-identitarianism by applying a queer multimodal discourse analytic approach to the ethnographic context of queer, bilingual Mexicans/Latinxs in the US Southwest. The article explores the complexity of ways that norms are taken up and resisted (or not) in discourse, with particular attention to the activist use of discourses about community and identity. A close analysis of several texts illuminates how language practices and social practices—as seen, for example, in advertising strategies, participation in annual LGBTQ Pride festivals, and activism surrounding the undocuqueer movement—become invested with social meaning among queer Mexicans/Latinxs. (Antinormativity, queer theory, bilingual, sexual identity, community, Latinx, jotería)*
Language, normativity, and sexual orientation obsessive-compulsive disorder (SO-OCD): A corpus-assisted discourse analysis
Authors: Coimbra-Gomes Elvis , Motschenbacher Heiko
Published: August 2019

This article presents a case study of the discursive construction of sexual orientation obsessive-compulsive disorder (SO-OCD) as it surfaces in posts to an online mental health forum. SO-OCD is an anxiety disorder that involves having unwanted, intrusive thoughts as a consequence of conflict with normative sexual beliefs. The study focuses on the way normativity regulates communication about sexual identities, desires, and practices in a corpus of online posts by heterosexual men who pathologically doubt their sexual identity. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative corpus linguistic methods, we investigate how writers linguistically orient to normativity in their posts. More specifically, analyses of keywords, n-grams, and concordances are used to uncover linguistic mechanisms that play a central role in users’ orientation to normativity and in the obsessive-compulsive behaviours associated with SO-OCD. (Sexual orientation obsessive-compulsive disorder (SO-OCD), heterosexuality, masculinity, normativity, heteronormativity, critical discourse analysis, corpus linguistics)
A Discussion of Jessica Blatt'sRace and the Making of American Political Science
Authors: Farr James
Published: August 2019

InRace and the Making of American Political Science, Jessica Blatt argues that the professionalization of the discipline was deeply entwined with ideas about racial difference, and the concomitant attempt by leading scholars to define and defend a system of racial hierarchy in the United States and beyond. Although it focuses on the period from the late nineteenth century through the 1930s, the book also raises fundamental questions about the historical legacy of racialist arguments for professional political science, the extent of their continuing resonance, and contemporary implications for both academic and broader civic discourse. We have asked a range of leading political scientists to consider and respond to Professor Blatt’s important call for scholarly self-reflexivity.
A Discussion of Jessica Blatt's Race and the Making of American Political Science
Authors: Smith Rogers M.
Published: August 2019

In Race and the Making of American Political Science, Jessica Blatt argues that the professionalization of the discipline was deeply entwined with ideas about racial difference, and the concomitant attempt by leading scholars to define and defend a system of racial hierarchy in the United States and beyond. Although it focuses on the period from the late nineteenth century through the 1930s, the book also raises fundamental questions about the historical legacy of racialist arguments for professional political science, the extent of their continuing resonance, and contemporary implications for both academic and broader civic discourse. We have asked a range of leading political scientists to consider and respond to Professor Blatt’s important call for scholarly self-reflexivity.
A Discussion of Kathryn Sikkink'sEvidence for Hope: Making Human Rights Work in the 21stCentury
Authors: Hafner-Burton Emilie
Published: August 2019

Since their emergence in the late eighteenth century, doctrines of universal individual rights have been variously criticized as philosophically confused, politically inefficacious, ideologically particular, and Eurocentric. Nevertheless, today the discourse of universal human rights is more internationally widespread and influential than ever. InEvidence for Hope, leading international relations scholar Kathryn Sikkink argues that this is because human rights laws and institutions work. Sikkink rejects the notion that human rights are a Western imposition and points to a wide range of evidence that she claims demonstrates the effectiveness of human rights in bringing about a world that is appreciably improved in many ways from what it was previously. We have invited a broad range of scholars to assess Sikkink’s challenging claims.
No association between zinc and thyroid activity in obese women
Authors: Beserra Jéssica Batista , Morais Jennifer Beatriz Silva , Severo Juliana Soares , Cruz Kyria Jayanne Clímaco , de Oliveira Ana Raquel Soares , de Oliveira Francisco Erasmo , de Matos Neto Emídio Marques , Henriques Gilberto Simeone , Marreiro Dilina do Nascimento
Published: August 2019

Abstract. Obesity is characterized by changes in the metabolism of zinc and thyroid hormones. Studies have also shown the role of zinc in the function and metabolism of thyroid. The present study aimed to evaluate the relationship between serum concentrations of thyroid hormones, dietary zinc intake and zinc distribution in obese women. A case-control study was conducted enrolling 98 women aged between 20 and 50 years old who were divided into case group (BMI ≥ 35 kg/m2) and control group (BMI = 18.5–24.9 kg/m2). Patients underwent anthropometric measurements and analysis of dietary zinc intake, which was performed by a three-day food record. Zinc concentrations in plasma and erythrocytes were determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. Serum concentrations of thyroid hormones and antibodies were determined by chemiluminescence. Mean values of dietary zinc intake were higher than recommended (10.37 ± 3.12 mg/day and 11.37 ± 4.36 mg/day for control and obeses, respectively). Obese women had reduced plasma (67.22 ± 5.96 μg/dL) and erythrocyte (37.16 ± 3.64 μg Zn/gHb) zinc concentrations when compared to the control group (plasma: 89.71 ± 13.33 μg/dL; erythrocyte: 42.68 ± 3.73 μg Zn/gHb) (p < 0.001). Serum TSH (control: 2.62 ± 1.29 μIU/mL; obeses: 3.08 ± 1.13 μIU/mL), Free T3 (control: 2.19 ± 0.63 pg/dL; obeses: 2.09 ± 0.34 pg/dL), and Free T4 (control: 1.12 ± 0.31 ng/dL; obeses: 1.09 ± 0.19 ng/dL) concentrations were within the normal range in both groups, without significant difference between them (p > 0.05). There was no correlation between thyroid hormone concentrations and zinc parameters (p > 0.05). Although obese women presented hypozincemia, they had normal levels of thyroid hormones and no correlation was found between the studied parameters.
Isolating and Suppressing the Spurious Non‐Diffuse Contributions to Ambient Seismic Field Correlations
Authors: Liu Xin , Beroza Gregory C. , Nakata Nori
Published: August 2019

Cross correlation of fully diffuse wavefields averaged over time should converge to the Green's function; however, the ambient seismic field in the real Earth is not fully diffuse, which interferes with that convergence. We apply blind signal separation to reduce the effect of spurious non‐diffuse components on the cross‐correlation tensor of the ambient seismic field. We describe the diffuse component as having uncorrelated neighboring frequencies and equal intensity at all azimuths and an independent (i.e., statistically uncorrelated) non‐diffuse component arising from a spatially isolated point source for which neighboring frequencies are correlated. Under the assumption of linear independence of the spurious non‐diffuse wave outside the stationary phase zone and the constructive interference of noise waves within that zone, we can suppress the spurious non‐diffuse component from the noise interferometry. Our numerical simulations show good separation of one spurious non‐diffuse noise source component for either non‐diffuse Rayleigh or Love waves. We apply this separation to the Rayleigh wave component of the Green's function for 136 cross‐correlation pairs from 17 stations in Southern California. We perform beamforming over different frequency bands for the cross correlations before and after the separation and find that the reconstructed Rayleigh waves are more coherent. We also estimate the bias in Rayleigh wave phase velocity for each receiver pair due to the spurious non‐diffuse contribution.
GIGANTEA recruits the UBP12 and UBP13 deubiquitylases to regulate accumulation of the ZTL photoreceptor complex
Authors: Lee Chin-Mei , Li Man-Wah , Feke Ann , Liu Wei , Saffer Adam M. , Gendron Joshua M.
Published: August 2019

ZEITLUPE (ZTL), a photoreceptor with E3 ubiquitin ligase activity, communicates end-of-day light conditions to the plant circadian clock. It still remains unclear how ZTL protein accumulates in the light but does not destabilize target proteins before dusk. Two deubiquitylating enzymes, UBIQUITIN-SPECIFIC PROTEASE 12 and 13 (UBP12 and UBP13), which regulate clock period and protein ubiquitylation in a manner opposite to ZTL, associate with the ZTL protein complex. Here we demonstrate that the ZTL interacting partner, GIGANTEA (GI), recruits UBP12 and UBP13 to the ZTL photoreceptor complex. We show that loss of UBP12 and UBP13 reduces ZTL and GI protein levels through a post-transcriptional mechanism. Furthermore, a ZTL target protein is unable to accumulate to normal levels in ubp mutants. This demonstrates that the ZTL photoreceptor complex contains both ubiquitin-conjugating and -deconjugating enzymes, and that these two opposing enzyme types are necessary for circadian clock pacing. This shows that deubiquitylating enzymes are a core element of circadian clocks, conserved from plants to animals.
Inertial cavitation of lyophilized and rehydrated nanoparticles of poly(L-lactic acid) at 835 kHz and 1.8 MPa ultrasound
Authors: Hiltl Pia , Grebner Alexander , Fink Michael , Rupitsch Stefan , Ermert Helmut , Lee Geoffrey
Published: August 2019

Nanoparticles of poly-L-lactic acid dispersed in water and of approximately 120 nm diameter were prepared by a nanoprecipitation method followed by lyophilization together with trehalose. After rehydration, the nanodispersion was exposed to ultrasound at 835 kHz frequency and 1.8 MPa peak negative sound pressure. Substantial levels of broadband noise were surprisingly detected which are attributed to the occurance of inertial cavitation of bubbles present in the dispersion. Inertial cavitation encompasses the formation and growth of gas cavities in the rarefaction pressure cycle which collapse in the compression cycle because of the inwardly-acting inertia of the contracting gas-liquid interface. The intensity of this inertial cavitation over 600 s was similar to that produced by Optison microbubbles used as contrast agents for diagnostic ultrasound. Non-lyophilized nanodispersions produced negligible broadband noise showing that lyophilization and rehydration are requirements for broadband activity of the nanoparticles. Photon correlation spectroscopy indicates that the nanoparticles are not highly aggregated in the nanodispersion and this is supported by scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron micrographs. TEM visualized non-spherical nanoparticles with a degree of irregular, non-smooth surfaces. Although the presence of small aggregates with inter-particulate gas pockets cannot be ruled out, the inertial cavitation activity can be explained by incomplete wetting of the nanoparticle surface during rehydration of the lyophilizate. Nano-scale gas pockets may be trapped in the surface roughness of the nanoparticles and may be released and coalesce to the size required to nucleate inertial cavitation on insonation at 835 kHz/1.8 MPa.
Two-dimensional simulation of optical coherence tomography images
Authors: Brenner Thomas , Munro Peter R. T. , Krüger Benjamin , Kienle Alwin
Published: August 2019

An algorithm for the simulation of two-dimensional spectral domain optical coherence tomography images based on Maxwell’s equations is presented. A recently developed and modified time-harmonic numerical solution of Maxwell’s equations is used to obtain scattered far fields for many wave numbers contained in the calculated spectrum. The interferometer setup with its lenses is included rigorously with Fresnel integrals and the Debye-Wolf integral. The implemented model is validated with an existing FDTD algorithm by comparing simulated tomograms of single and multiple cylindrical scatterers for perpendicular and parallel polarisation of the incident light. Tomograms are presented for different realisations of multiple cylindrical scatterers. Furthermore, simulated tomograms of a ziggurat-shaped scatterer and of dentin slabs, with varying scatterer concentrations, are investigated. It is shown that the tomograms do not represent the physical structures present within the sample.
Prolonged exposure to multi-walled carbon nanotubes dysregulates intestinal mir-35 and its direct target MAB-3 in nematode Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Zhao Yunli , Jin Ling , Wang Yuan , Kong Yan , Wang Dayong
Published: August 2019

In nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, some microRNAs (miRNAs) could be dysregulated by multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), suggesting their involvement in regulating the response of nematodes to MWCNTs. Among these dysregulated miRNAs induced by MWCNT exposure, prolonged exposure to MWCNTs increased mir-35 expression. mir-35 further acted in the intestine to regulate the response to MWCNTs. In the intestine, a transcription factor MAB-3 was identified as its target in regulating the response to MWCNTs. Moreover, during the control of response to MWCNTs, MAB-3 acted upstream of DAF-16, a fork head transcriptional factor in insulin signaling pathway. Therefore, MWCNTs exposure potentially dysregulates intestinal mir-35 and its direct target MAB-3, which may activate a protective intestinal response of nematodes against the MWCNTs toxicity.
Different influences of facial attractiveness on judgments of moral beauty and moral goodness
Authors: Cui Xuan , Cheng Qiuping , Lin Wuji , Lin Jiabao , Mo Lei
Published: August 2019

Are beauty and goodness the same? The relationship between beauty and goodness has long been a controversial issue in the fields of philosophy, aesthetics, ethics and psychology. Although many empirical studies have explored moral judgment and aesthetic judgment separately, only a few studies have compared the two. Whether these two judgments are two different processes or the same process with two different labels remains unclear. To answer this question, the present study directly compared the influence of facial attractiveness on judgments of moral goodness and moral beauty and revealed distinct contributions of imaging perceptions to these two judgments. The results showed that in the moral beauty judgment task, participants gave higher scores to characters with attractive faces compared with characters with unattractive faces, and larger P200 and LPP were elicited in the unattractive-face condition compared with the attractive-face condition; while in the moral goodness judgment task, there was no significant difference between the two conditions of either behaviour or ERP data. These findings offer important insights into the understanding and comparison of the processes of moral judgment and aesthetic judgment.
Direct measurements of semi-volatile organic compound dynamics show near-unity mass accommodation coefficients for diverse aerosols
Authors: Liu Xiaoxi , Day Douglas A. , Krechmer Jordan E. , Brown Wyatt , Peng Zhe , Ziemann Paul J. , Jimenez Jose L.
Published: August 2019

The partitioning of low- and semi-volatile organic compounds into and out of particles significantly influences secondary organic aerosol formation and evolution. Most atmospheric models treat partitioning as an equilibrium between gas and particle phases, despite few direct measurements and a large range of uncertain mass accommodation coefficients (α). Here we directly measure the dynamic, isothermal partitioning of specific organic compounds using mass spectrometry in a Teflon chamber. Measurements are conducted under dry and humid conditions using seeds of different properties that are atmospherically relevant. α values determined independently from gas- and particle-phase observations are consistent and average 0.88 ± 0.33 for all the studied seeds and probe gases. Our results also imply fast mixing, within ~200 s, between dry α-pinene/O3 SOA and the oxidized compounds. These results indicate that mass transfer limitations in the atmosphere may be less important than some recent studies suggest.
Immunosensing With Electro-active Photonic Devices
Authors: Ghithan J. H. , Qatamin A. H. , Moreno M. , Nunn B. M. , Keynton R. S. , O'Toole M. G. , Mendes S. B.
Published: August 2019

The field of immunosensors, in which an affinity ligand-based immunochemical reaction is coupled to a highly responsive transducer, is growing rapidly. In this chapter we describe the development of two novel photonic strategies for label-free human viral pathogen immunosensing. Two electrically-modulated photonic technologies, named single-mode electro-active integrated optical waveguide (SM-EA-IOW) and electrochemical surface plasmon resonance (EC-SPR) have been developed for specific immunosensing detection. Both sensing photonic strategies are based on incorporating a sandwich immunoassay onto the surfaces of the electro-active photonic devices. To do so, the electro-active photonic platforms are mounted in a micro-electrochemical flow cell where it is functionalized with a monoclonal antibody aimed at a specific target pathogen antigen. Once the target is bound to the device surface, it promotes the capturing of a secondary polyclonal antibody conjugated with a redox-active methylene blue (MB) dye. The methylene blue displays a reversible change in optical absorption throughout a reduction–oxidation transition, which provides an optical signal that can be driven electrically and interrogated with high sensitivity by spectroelectrochemical responses. As a proof of principle, the strategy was applied for the detection of hemagglutinin (HA) protein from the H5N1 avian influenza A virus onto two electro-active photonic devices, the SM-EA-IOW and EC-SPR platforms. The experimental results of the electro-active based immunosensors showed a remarkable limit of detection, ensuring a promising future for these emerging technologies. Their experimental benefits and their intrinsic trade-offs are discussed here.
Graphene Based Immunosensors
Authors: Zhang Yong
Published: August 2019

As a “star” material, graphene has been a focus of attention in the scientific research field. Due to its special properties with different morphologies of large specific surface area, such as high catalytic activity, good conductivity and biocompatibility, graphene has become one of the most effective materials in the preparation of immunosensors. Furthermore, graphene compounded with other functional materials can result in new or superior properties in these compounds, and so these graphene based compounds can be used for developing different kinds of immunosensors, which are divided according to different detecting technologies. In this chapter, the properties of graphene with different morphologies is firstly discussed. Then, based on the different properties of graphene or graphene based compounds, the application of graphene in fabricating various kinds of immunosensors is demonstrated. Lastly, the challenge and perspective of graphene based immunosensors is made.
Nanocomposite-based Electrochemiluminescence Immunosensors
Authors: Rizwan Mohammad , Adhikari Juthi , Mohd-Naim Noor Faizah , Ahmed Minhaz Uddin
Published: August 2019

The present era has witnessed an incredible rise in the utilization of different nanomaterials (NMs), nanostructured materials (NSMs), nanoparticles (NPs), nanofibers (NFs), nanotubes (NTs), nanosphere (NS), nanorods (NRs), metal nanoclusters (MNCs) and quantum dots (QDs) based nanocomposites (NCs) in various applications. Notably, great strides have been made in the development of NC-based immunosensors, in particular in the fabrication of NC-based electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunosensors. This chapter, therefore, will illustrate (a) the advantages of ECL, (b) the significance of NMs, NSMs, NPs, NFs, NTs, NS, NRs, MNCs and QDs nanocomposites in the fabrication of ECL-based immunosensors, and (c) the importance of currently available ECL instruments and devices.
Advance Engineered Nanomaterials in Point-of-care Immunosensing for Biomedical Diagnostics
Authors: Kumar Ashutosh , Purohit Budhhadev , Mahato Kuldeep , Chandra Pranjal
Published: August 2019

In the last few years, immunosensors have become critical research endeavours in research studies across the globe. Scientists worldwide are focusing on harnessing the exceptional atomic and molecular properties of engineered nanomaterials and their composites for better biological applications. Engineering nanomaterials to develop multiple functionalities into a single or combined nanoscale entity can pave the way towards a new aspect in the realm of modern immunosensors. The significant role of these materials in nano-biotechnology is going to be evident in the journey of this revolution in the scope of bio-interfacing and the fabrication of efficient detection probes. There is a need to document the relevant and exciting methodologies used in developing engineered functional nanomaterials and their possible applications in the discipline of biomedical engineering. Realising the fact that the journey of nanomaterials and their composites in the biomedical diagnostic area is going to attract the interest of readers of interdisciplinary intellectual space, we aim to encompass in the content of this chapter almost every important aspect of nanomaterials in the biomedical area starting from synthesis, characterisation, design, functionalisation, and bio-interfacing to the use of nanomaterials in designing efficient diagnostic platforms. We will also include an explanation of the substantial role of engineered nanomaterials in miniaturisation of the technology and the effect on the commercial aspects of biosensors. This chapter will also provide the vision of future prospects of engineered nanomaterials in advanced futuristic biosensors.
Multiplex isolation and profiling of extracellular vesicles using a microfluidic DICE device
Authors: Kang Yoon-Tae , Purcell Emma , Hadlock Thomas , Lo Ting-Wen , Mutukuri Anusha , Jolly Shruti , Nagrath Sunitha
Published: August 2019

We present a simple strategy to immobilize and analyze extracellular vesicles for multiple markers on a microfluidic device, called DICE.
Metalated carbon nitrides as base catalysts for efficient catalytic hydrolysis of carbonyl sulfide
Authors: Guo Fangsong , Li Shanrong , Hou Yidong , Xu Junkang , Lin Sen , Wang Xinchen
Published: August 2019

Metalated carbon nitrides were designed and prepared by metalation of carbon nitrides with alkali metal ions, and the metalated carbon nitrides with potassium act as efficient base catalysts for hydrolysis of COS at low temperature.
Relative stability of the cis and trans isomers of octahedral cobalt(iii) complexes of the type [Co(N2O2)X2] with tetradentate salen type Schiff bases: a combined theoretical and experimental study
Authors: Ghosh Kousik , Banerjee Snehasis , Chattopadhyay Shouvik
Published: August 2019

Energies of cis and trans isomers of a series of octahedral cobalt(iii) complexes with salen type Schiff bases have been estimated by DFT calculations.
Molecular dynamics study of natural rubber–fullerene composites: connecting microscopic properties to macroscopic behavior
Authors: Khuntawee Wasinee , Sutthibutpong Thana , Phongphanphanee Saree , Karttunen Mikko , Wong-ekkabut Jirasak
Published: August 2019

Confinement effect ofcis-PI at high C60concentrations.
Revealing working mechanisms of PFN as a cathode interlayer in conventional and inverted polymer solar cells
Authors: Zhang Hongwei , Zhou Weilong , Yu Chengzhuo , Guo Jianhua , Li Fenghong
Published: August 2019

The working mechanisms of PFN as a cathode interlayer in conventional and inverted polymer solar cells have been revealed mainly using ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy.
Antiproliferative activity of vanadium compounds: effects on the major malignant melanoma molecular pathways
Authors: Pisano Marina , Arru Claudia , Serra Maria , Galleri Grazia , Sanna Daniele , Garribba Eugenio , Palmieri Giuseppe , Rozzo Carla
Published: August 2019

Malignant melanoma (MM) is the most fatal skin cancer, whose incidence has critically increased in the last decades. Recent molecular therapies are giving excellent results in the remission of melanoma but often they induce drug resistance in patients limiting their therapeutic efficacy. The search for new compounds able to overcome drug resistance is therefore essential. Vanadium has recently been cited for its anticancer properties against several tumors, but only a few data regard its effect against MM. In a previous work we demonstrated the anticancer activity of four different vanadium species towards MM cell lines. The inorganic anion vanadate(v) (VN) and the oxidovanadium(iv) complex [VO(dhp)2] (VS2), where dhp is 1,2-dimethyl-3-hydroxy-4(1H)-pyridinonate, showed IC50 values of 4.7 and 2.6 μM, respectively, against the A375 MM cell line, causing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Here we demonstrate the involvement of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) production in the pro-apoptotic effect of these two V species and evaluate the activation of different cell cycle regulators, to investigate the molecular mechanisms involved in their antitumor activity. We establish that VN and VS2 treatments reduce the phosphorylation of extracellular-signal regulated kinase (ERK) by about 80%, causing the deactivation of the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway in A375 cells. VN and VS2 also induce dephosphorylation of the retinoblastoma protein (Rb) (VN 100% and VS2 90%), together with a pronounced increase of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1 p21 (p21Cip1) protein expression up to 1800%. Taken together, our results confirm the antitumor properties of vanadium against melanoma cells, highlighting its ability to induce apoptosis through generation of ROS and cell cycle arrest by counteracting MAPK pathway activation and strongly inducing p21Cip1 expression and Rb hypo-phosphorylation.