bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New public management in Iran’s health complex: a management framework for primary health care system
Authors: Tabrizi Jafar Sadegh , HaghGoshayie Elaheh , Doshmangir Leila , Yousefi Mahmood
Published: January 2018

Background

New public management (NPM) was developed as a management reform to improve the efficiency and effectiveness in public organizations, especially in health sector. Using the features of private sector management, the managers of health organizations may try to implement the elements of NPM with the hope to improve the performance of their systems.

Aims

Our aim in the present study was to identify the elements and infrastructures suitable for implementing NPM in the Iranian health complex.

Method

In this qualitative study with conventional content analysis approach, we tried to explore the NPM elements and infrastructures in Iranian public health sector. A series of semi-structured interviews (n=48) were conducted in 2016 with a managers in public and private health complex. Three focus group discussions with nine faculty members were also conducted. A data collection form was used to collect the demographic characteristics and perspectives of the participants.

Findings

From the perspective of managers, managerialism, decentralization, using market mechanism, performance management, customer orientation and performance budgeting were the main elements of NPM in the Iranian context. The most important infrastructures for implementing this reform were as follows: education and training, information technology, the proper use of human resources, decision support systems, top management commitment, organizational culture, flexibility of rules, rehabilitating of the aging infrastructures, and expanding the coverage of services.

Conclusion

The NPM was generally identified to be an effective replacement for the traditional administration method. These reforms may be helpful in strengthening the public health complex and the management capacity, as well. NPM also seems to be useful in interacting the public health sector with the private sector in terms of personnel and resources, performance, reward structure, and methods of doing business.
ATHEISM AND POLYGENESIS IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY: CHARLES BRADLAUGH'S RACIAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Authors: ALEXANDER NATHAN G.
Published: January 2018

This article examines a previously unexplored chapter in the history of atheism: its close links with nineteenth-century racial anthropology. These links are apparent especially in many atheists’ interest in polygenesis, the theory that human races had separate origins, in contrast to the orthodox Christian doctrine of monogenesis that said all races descended from Adam and Eve. The article's focus is Charles Bradlaugh (1833–91), arguably the most important British atheist of the era, representing the radical working-class, secularist movement that emerged in mid-nineteenth-century Britain. The article charts the ways Bradlaugh and other atheists used the research on polygenesis from leading scientific racists in both Britain and the United States to critique Christianity. It also explores some of the contradictions of this use, namely the ways polygenesis clashed with Darwinism and a longer chronology of the age of the Earth. Finally, the article explores how polygenist ideas informed Bradlaugh's imperial worldview and notes that, despite his acceptance of polygenesis, Bradlaugh was a supporter of the rights of nonwhites in the British Empire, particularly in India.
First caddisflies (Trichoptera) in Lower Cretaceous Lebanese amber
Authors: Wichard Wilfried , Azar Dany
Published: January 2018

Lebanese amber contains a diverse biota from the Lower Cretaceous, and more than 150 families of arthropods have been reported as inclusions. Amongst these, caddisflies (Trichoptera) are very scarce inclusions, consisting of a few indeterminate fragments and only two inclusions that permit clear descriptions of new species. We describe the first two Trichoptera species from Lebanese amber, belonging respectively to Dipseudopsidae (Phylocentropus succinolebanensis n. sp.) and Ecnomidae (Ecnomus cretacia n. sp.). Previously, the oldest fossil representatives of both families were known from the Upper Cretaceous amber of New Jersey for Dipseudopsidae and from the Eocene Baltic amber for Ecnomidae.
Infrastructure in the Making: The Chao Phraya Dam and the Dance of Agency
Authors: Sangkhamanee Jakkrit
Published: January 2018

The article explores the process behind the construction of the Chao Phraya Dam, the first World Bank-funded water infrastructure project in Thailand, developed during the 1950s. Employing Andrew Pickering's ‘dance of agency’ concept in examining the process of turning financial and technical assistance into a workable project, I argue that development infrastructure, like the Chao Phraya Dam, provides a space to explore the dialectic operations – accommodation and resistance – of agency and the unstable associations among diverse actors, expertise, institutions, and materials, as well as practices. Recounting the history of the dam in the making, I explore a series of entanglements through different dances of agency, namely initiation, assessment, mobilisation, negotiation, adjustment, confrontation, and settlement. Such a multiplicity of dancesinsideandin the makingof infrastructure reflects the techno-political entanglement encompassing the manifold negotiation and adjustment of conflicting goals, interests, recognition, and cooperation among different agencies. The dam, often portrayed as an engineering achievement of the state, is in fact the result of unanticipated relations and the responses to the temporal emerging forms of practices.
Weed Communities in Semiarid Rainfed Croplands of Central Argentina: Comparison between Corn (Zea mays) and Soybean (Glycine max) Crops
Authors: Rauber Ruth B. , Demaría Manuel R. , Jobbágy Esteban G. , Arroyo Daniel N. , Poggio Santiago L.
Published: January 2018

The semiarid Espinal in central Argentina, being recently transformed from natural semiarid grasslands into agriculture, represents an interesting scenario to understand the early stages of weed community assembly and its relationship with crop identity and management. Our aim was to characterize the weed communities in corn (Zea maysL.) and soybean [Glycine max(L.) Merr.], the main crops of the Espinal region, under the dominant rainfed conditions. Weed surveys were carried out in 53 fields, and farmers were interviewed to collect information about crop management. Floristic composition was compared within and between crops by calculating the additive partition of the abundance-based Bray-Curtis dissimilarity. We compared the frequency and mean cover of functional groups between crops through generalized linear models. Finally, canonical correspondence analysis was carried out to analyze the associations between floristic composition and agronomic variables. Mean alpha and gamma diversity was greater in corn (10.0 and 80 species, respectively) than in soybean (7.6 and 46 species, respectively). Furthermore, species composition of weed communities was more similar among soybean fields than among either cornfields or fields of both crops. Hence, floristic differences between crops are potentially the result of different microenvironmental heterogeneity above- and belowground, with corn likely to be more permissive to weed establishment compared with soybean. The higher frequency of annual, dicotyledonous, and native species, and the high proportion of rare species, mostly native, suggest a strong legacy of the original vegetation that thrived in these recently cultivated systems. The functional composition was also affected by agronomic management, with sulfur, nitrogen, and grass herbicide application being the most important factors related to the floristic composition of weed communities. This early description can be used as a starting point for studies concerning trajectories, mechanisms, and processes of weed communities related to environment and management.
Sex Trafficking, Russian Infiltration, Birth Certificates, and Pedophilia: A Survey Experiment Correcting Fake News
Authors: Porter Ethan , Wood Thomas J. , Kirby David
Published: January 2018

Following the 2016 U.S. election, researchers and policymakers have become intensely concerned about the dissemination of “fake news,” or false news stories in circulation (Lazer et al., 2017). Research indicates that fake news is shared widely and has a pro-Republican tilt (Allcott and Gentzkow, 2017). Facebook now flags dubious stories as disputed and tries to block fake news publishers (Mosseri, 2016). While the typical misstatements of politicians can be corrected (Nyhan et al., 2017), the sheer depth of fake news’s conspiracizing may preclude correction. Can fake news be corrected?
Hippocampal dysfunction in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia: a selective review and hypothesis for early detection and intervention
Authors: Lieberman J A , Girgis R R , Brucato G , Moore H , Provenzano F , Kegeles L , Javitt D , Kantrowitz J , Wall M M , Corcoran C M , Schobel S A , Small S A
Published: January 2018

Scientists have long sought to characterize the pathophysiologic basis of schizophrenia and develop biomarkers that could identify the illness. Extensive postmortem and in vivo neuroimaging research has described the early involvement of the hippocampus in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. In this context, we have developed a hypothesis that describes the evolution of schizophrenia—from the premorbid through the prodromal stages to syndromal psychosis—and posits dysregulation of glutamate neurotransmission beginning in the CA1 region of the hippocampus as inducing attenuated psychotic symptoms and initiating the transition to syndromal psychosis. As the illness progresses, this pathological process expands to other regions of the hippocampal circuit and projection fields in other anatomic areas including the frontal cortex, and induces an atrophic process in which hippocampal neuropil is reduced and interneurons are lost. This paper will describe the studies of our group and other investigators supporting this pathophysiological hypothesis, as well as its implications for early detection and therapeutic intervention.
Gut microbiome populations are associated with structure-specific changes in white matter architecture
Authors: Ong Irene M. , Gonzalez Jose G. , McIlwain Sean J. , Sawin Emily A. , Schoen Andrew J. , Adluru Nagesh , Alexander Andrew L. , Yu John-Paul J.
Published: January 2018

Altered gut microbiome populations are associated with a broad range of neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorder and mood disorders. In animal models, modulation of gut microbiome populations via dietary manipulation influences brain function and behavior and has been shown to ameliorate behavioral symptoms. With striking differences in microbiome-driven behavior, we explored whether these behavioral changes are also accompanied by corresponding changes in neural tissue microstructure. Utilizing diffusion tensor imaging, we identified global changes in white matter structural integrity occurring in a diet-dependent manner. Analysis of 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing of gut bacteria also showed changes in bacterial populations as a function of diet. Changes in brain structure were found to be associated with diet-dependent changes in gut microbiome populations using a machine learning classifier for quantitative assessment of the strength of microbiome-brain region associations. These associations allow us to further test our understanding of the gut-brain-microbiota axis by revealing possible links between altered and dysbiotic gut microbiome populations and changes in brain structure, highlighting the potential impact of diet and metagenomic effects in neuroimaging.
Common basis for orofacial clefting and cortical interneuronopathy
Authors: Ansen-Wilson Lydia J. , Everson Joshua L. , Fink Dustin M. , Kietzman Henry W. , Sullivan Ruth , Lipinski Robert J.
Published: January 2018

Orofacial clefts (OFCs) of the lip and/or palate are among the most common human birth defects. Current treatment strategies focus on functional and cosmetic repair but even when this care is available, individuals born with OFCs are at high risk for persistent neurobehavioral problems. In addition to learning disabilities and reduced academic achievement, recent evidence associates OFCs with elevated risk for a constellation of psychiatric outcomes including anxiety disorders, autism spectrum disorder, and schizophrenia. The relationship between these outcomes and OFCs is poorly understood and controversial. Recent neuroimaging studies in humans and mice demonstrate subtle morphological brain abnormalities that co-occur with OFCs but specific molecular and cellular mechanisms have not been investigated. Here, we provide the first evidence directly linking OFC pathogenesis to abnormal development of GABAergic cortical interneurons (cINs). Lineage tracing revealed that the structures that form the upper lip and palate develop in molecular synchrony and spatiotemporal proximity to cINs, suggesting these populations may have shared sensitivity to genetic and/or teratogenic insult. Examination of cIN development in a mouse model of nonsyndromic OFCs revealed significant disruptions in cIN proliferation and migration, culminating in misspecification of the somatostatin-expressing subgroup. These findings reveal a unified developmental basis for orofacial clefting and disrupted cIN development, and may explain the significant overlap in neurobehavioral and psychiatric outcomes associated with OFCs and cIN dysfunction. This emerging mechanistic understanding for increased prevalence of adverse neurobehavioral outcomes in OFC patients is the entry-point for developing evidence-based therapies to improve patient outcomes.
Enriched expression of genes associated with autism spectrum disorders in human inhibitory neurons
Authors: Wang Ping , Zhao Dejian , Lachman Herbert M. , Zheng Deyou
Published: January 2018

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is highly heritable but genetically heterogeneous. The affected neural circuits and cell types remain unclear and may vary at different developmental stages. By analyzing multiple sets of human single cell transcriptome profiles, we found that ASD candidates showed relatively enriched gene expression in neurons, especially in inhibitory neurons. ASD candidates were also more likely to be the hubs of the co-expression gene module that is highly expressed in inhibitory neurons, a feature not detected for excitatory neurons. In addition, we found that upregulated genes in multiple ASD cortex samples were enriched with genes highly expressed in inhibitory neurons, suggesting a potential increase of inhibitory neurons and an imbalance in the ratio between excitatory and inhibitory neurons in ASD brains. Furthermore, the downstream targets of several ASD candidates, such as CHD8, EHMT1 and SATB2, also displayed enriched expression in inhibitory neurons. Taken together, our analyses of single cell transcriptomic data suggest that inhibitory neurons may be a major neuron subtype affected by the disruption of ASD gene networks, providing single cell functional evidence to support the excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) imbalance hypothesis.
Apolipoprotein-E (Apoe) ε4 and cognitive decline over the adult life course
Authors: Rawle Mark James , Davis Daniel , Bendayan Rebecca , Wong Andrew , Kuh Diana , Richards Marcus
Published: January 2018

We tested the association between APOE-ε4 and processing speed and memory between ages 43 and 69 in a population-based birth cohort. Analyses of processing speed (using a timed letter search task) and episodic memory (a 15-item word learning test) were conducted at ages 43, 53, 60–64 and 69 years using linear and multivariable regression, adjusting for gender and childhood cognition. Linear mixed models, with random intercepts and slopes, were conducted to test the association between APOE and the rate of decline in these cognitive scores from age 43 to 69. Model fit was assessed with the Bayesian Information Criterion. A cross-sectional association between APOE-ε4 and memory scores was detected at age 69 for both heterozygotes and homozygotes (β = −0.68 and β = −1.38, respectively, p = 0.03) with stronger associations in homozygotes; no associations were observed before this age. Homozygous carriers of APOE-ε4 had a faster rate of decline in memory between ages 43 and 69, when compared to non-carriers, after adjusting for gender and childhood cognition (β = −0.05, p = 0.04). There were no cross-sectional or longitudinal associations between APOE-ε4 and processing speed. We conclude that APOE-ε4 is associated with a subtly faster rate of memory decline from midlife to early old age; this may be due to effects of APOE-ε4 becoming manifest around the latter stage of life. Continuing follow-up will determine what proportion of this increase will become clinically significant.
Subcortical association with memory performance in schizophrenia: a structural magnetic resonance imaging study
Authors: Koshiyama Daisuke , Fukunaga Masaki , Okada Naohiro , Yamashita Fumio , Yamamori Hidenaga , Yasuda Yuka , Fujimoto Michiko , Ohi Kazutaka , Fujino Haruo , Watanabe Yoshiyuki , Kasai Kiyoto , Hashimoto Ryota
Published: January 2018

Memory performance is severely impaired in individuals with schizophrenia. Although several studies have reported a relationship between memory performance and hippocampal volume, only a few structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have investigated the relationship between memory performance and subcortical structures other than hippocampus in patients with schizophrenia. We investigated the relationship between memory performance and subcortical regional volumes in a large sample of patients with schizophrenia. Participants included 174 patients with schizophrenia and 638 healthy comparison subjects (HCS). The Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R) has three memory indices (verbal immediate recall, visual immediate recall, and delayed recall (verbal plus visual)) and one control neurocognitive index (attention/concentration). We obtained T1-weighted MRI data and measured the bilateral volumes of the hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus, nucleus accumbens (NA), caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus. Patients with schizophrenia had significantly lower scores for all of the indices of the WMS-R than the HCS. They had more severe impairments in verbal immediate recall and delayed recall than in visual immediate recall and attention/concentration. Verbal immediate recall/delayed recall scores in patients with schizophrenia were significantly correlated not only with hippocampal volume (left: r = 0.34; right: r = 0.28/left: r = 0.33; right: r = 0.31), but also with NA volume (left: r = 0.24; right: r = 0.25/left: r = 0.26; right: r = 0.27). The present investigation with a large sample size did not only replicate hippocampal volume and memory association, but also found that NA volume is associated with memory performances in schizophrenia.
Publisher Correction: Superplasticity in a lean Fe-Mn-Al steel
Authors: Han Jeongho , Kang Seok-Hyeon , Lee Seung-Joon , Kawasaki Megumi , Lee Han-Joo , Ponge Dirk , Raabe Dierk , Lee Young-Kook
Published: January 2018

The original PDF version of this Article omitted to state that “Jeongho Han and Seok-Hyeon Kang contributed equally to this work” in the affiliations section. This has now been corrected in the PDF version of the Article. The HTML version was correct from the time of publication.
Ligands with 1,10-phenanthroline scaffold for highly regioselective iron-catalyzed alkene hydrosilylation
Authors: Hu Meng-Yang , He Qiao , Fan Song-Jie , Wang Zi-Chen , Liu Luo-Yan , Mu Yi-Jiang , Peng Qian , Zhu Shou-Fei
Published: January 2018

Transition-metal-catalyzed alkene hydrosilylation is one of the most important homogeneous catalytic reactions, and the development of methods that use base metals, especially iron, as catalysts for this transformation is a growing area of research. However, the limited number of ligand scaffolds applicable for base-metal-catalyzed alkene hydrosilylation has seriously hindered advances in this area. Herein, we report the use of 1,10-phenanthroline ligands in base-metal catalysts for alkene hydrosilylation. In particular, iron catalysts with 2,9-diaryl-1,10-phenanthroline ligands exhibit unexpected reactivity and selectivity for hydrosilylation of alkenes, including unique benzylic selectivity with internal alkenes, Markovnikov selectivity with terminal styrenes and 1,3-dienes, and excellent activity toward aliphatic terminal alkenes. According to the mechanistic studies, the unusual benzylic selectivity of this hydrosilylation initiates from π–π interaction between the phenyl of the alkene and the phenanthroline of the ligand. This ligand scaffold and its unique catalytic model will open possibilities for base-metal-catalyzed hydrosilylation reactions.
Direct quantum process tomography via measuring sequential weak values of incompatible observables
Authors: Kim Yosep , Kim Yong-Su , Lee Sang-Yun , Han Sang-Wook , Moon Sung , Kim Yoon-Ho , Cho Young-Wook
Published: January 2018

The weak value concept has enabled fundamental studies of quantum measurement and, recently, found potential applications in quantum and classical metrology. However, most weak value experiments reported to date do not require quantum mechanical descriptions, as they only exploit the classical wave nature of the physical systems. In this work, we demonstrate measurement of the sequential weak value of two incompatible observables by making use of two-photon quantum interference so that the results can only be explained quantum physically. We then demonstrate that the sequential weak value measurement can be used to perform direct quantum process tomography of a qubit channel. Our work not only demonstrates the quantum nature of weak values but also presents potential new applications of weak values in analyzing quantum channels and operations.
Structural basis for chitin acquisition by marine Vibrio species
Authors: Aunkham Anuwat , Zahn Michael , Kesireddy Anusha , Pothula Karunakar Reddy , Schulte Albert , Baslé Arnaud , Kleinekathöfer Ulrich , Suginta Wipa , van den Berg Bert
Published: January 2018

Chitin, an insoluble polymer of N-acetylglucosamine, is one of the most abundant biopolymers on Earth. By degrading chitin, chitinolytic bacteria such as Vibrio harveyi are critical for chitin recycling and maintenance of carbon and nitrogen cycles in the world’s oceans. A decisive step in chitin degradation is the uptake of chito-oligosaccharides by an outer membrane protein channel named chitoporin (ChiP). Here, we report X-ray crystal structures of ChiP from V. harveyi in the presence and absence of chito-oligosaccharides. Structures without bound sugar reveal a trimeric assembly with an unprecedented closing of the transport pore by the N-terminus of a neighboring subunit. Substrate binding ejects the pore plug to open the transport channel. Together with molecular dynamics simulations, electrophysiology and in vitro transport assays our data provide an explanation for the exceptional affinity of ChiP for chito-oligosaccharides and point to an important role of the N-terminal gate in substrate transport.
Sub-kb Hi-C in D. melanogaster reveals conserved characteristics of TADs between insect and mammalian cells
Authors: Wang Qi , Sun Qiu , Czajkowsky Daniel M. , Shao Zhifeng
Published: January 2018

Topologically associating domains (TADs) are fundamental elements of the eukaryotic genomic structure. However, recent studies suggest that the insulating complexes, CTCF/cohesin, present at TAD borders in mammals are absent from those in Drosophila melanogaster, raising the possibility that border elements are not conserved among metazoans. Using in situ Hi-C with sub-kb resolution, here we show that the D. melanogaster genome is almost completely partitioned into >4000 TADs, nearly sevenfold more than previously identified. The overwhelming majority of these TADs are demarcated by the insulator complexes, BEAF-32/CP190, or BEAF-32/Chromator, indicating that these proteins may play an analogous role in flies as that of CTCF/cohesin in mammals. Moreover, extended regions previously thought to be unstructured are shown to consist of small contiguous TADs, a property also observed in mammals upon re-examination. Altogether, our work demonstrates that fundamental features associated with the higher-order folding of the genome are conserved from insects to mammals.
In situ single-shot diffractive fluence mapping for X-ray free-electron laser pulses
Authors: Schneider Michael , Günther Christian M. , Pfau Bastian , Capotondi Flavio , Manfredda Michele , Zangrando Marco , Mahne Nicola , Raimondi Lorenzo , Pedersoli Emanuele , Naumenko Denys , Eisebitt Stefan
Published: January 2018

Free-electron lasers (FELs) in the extreme ultraviolet (XUV) and X-ray regime opened up the possibility for experiments at high power densities, in particular allowing for fluence-dependent absorption and scattering experiments to reveal non-linear light–matter interactions at ever shorter wavelengths. Findings of such non-linear effects are met with tremendous interest, but prove difficult to understand and model due to the inherent shot-to-shot fluctuations in photon intensity and the often structured, non-Gaussian spatial intensity profile of a focused FEL beam. Presently, the focused beam is characterized and optimized separately from the actual experiment. Here, we present the simultaneous measurement of XUV diffraction signals from solid samples in tandem with the corresponding single-shot spatial fluence distribution on the actual sample. Our in situ characterization scheme enables direct monitoring of the sample illumination, providing a basis to optimize and quantitatively understand FEL experiments.
Pixelated spatial gene expression analysis from tissue
Authors: Ganguli A. , Ornob A. , Spegazzini N. , Liu Y. , Damhorst G. , Ghonge T. , Thornton B. , Konopka C. J. , Dobrucki W. , Clare S. E. , Bhargava R. , Smith A. M. , Kosari F. , Bashir R.
Published: January 2018

Here, we present a technique that performs on-chip picoliter real-time reverse transcriptase loop mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) reactions on a histological tissue section without any analyte purification while preserving the native spatial location of the nucleic acid molecules. We demonstrate this method by amplifying TOP2A messenger RNA (mRNA) in a prostate cancer xenograft with 100 µm spatial resolution and by visualizing the variation in threshold time of amplification across the tissue. The on-chip reaction was validated by mRNA fluorescence in situ hybridization (mFISH) from cells in the tissue section. The entire process, from tissue loading on microchip to results from RT-LAMP can be carried out in less than 2 h. We anticipate that this technique, with its ease of use, fast turnaround, and quantitative molecular outputs, would become an invaluable tissue analysis tool for researchers and clinicians in the biomedical arena.
Evolutionary history of Coleoptera revealed by extensive sampling of genes and species
Authors: Zhang Shao-Qian , Che Li-Heng , Li Yun , Dan Liang  , Pang Hong , Ślipiński Adam , Zhang Peng
Published: January 2018

Beetles (Coleoptera) are the most diverse and species-rich group of insects, and a robust, time-calibrated phylogeny is fundamental to understanding macroevolutionary processes that underlie their diversity. Here we infer the phylogeny and divergence times of all major lineages of Coleoptera by analyzing 95 protein-coding genes in 373 beetle species, including ~67% of the currently recognized families. The subordinal relationships are strongly supported as Polyphaga (Adephaga (Archostemata, Myxophaga)). The series and superfamilies of Polyphaga are mostly monophyletic. The species-poor Nosodendridae is robustly recovered in a novel position sister to Staphyliniformia, Bostrichiformia, and Cucujiformia. Our divergence time analyses suggest that the crown group of extant beetles occurred ~297 million years ago (Mya) and that ~64% of families originated in the Cretaceous. Most of the herbivorous families experienced a significant increase in diversification rate during the Cretaceous, thus suggesting that the rise of angiosperms in the Cretaceous may have been an ‘evolutionary impetus’ driving the hyperdiversity of herbivorous beetles.
Thermodynamic insight into stimuli-responsive behaviour of soft porous crystals
Authors: Vanduyfhuys L. , Rogge S. M. J. , Wieme J. , Vandenbrande S. , Maurin G. , Waroquier M. , Van Speybroeck V.
Published: January 2018

Knowledge of the thermodynamic potential in terms of the independent variables allows to characterize the macroscopic state of the system. However, in practice, it is difficult to access this potential experimentally due to irreversible transitions that occur between equilibrium states. A showcase example of sudden transitions between (meta)stable equilibrium states is observed for soft porous crystals possessing a network with long-range structural order, which can transform between various states upon external stimuli such as pressure, temperature and guest adsorption. Such phase transformations are typically characterized by large volume changes and may be followed experimentally by monitoring the volume change in terms of certain external triggers. Herein, we present a generalized thermodynamic approach to construct the underlying Helmholtz free energy as a function of the state variables that governs the observed behaviour based on microscopic simulations. This concept allows a unique identification of the conditions under which a material becomes flexible.
An equation-of-state-meter of quantum chromodynamics transition from deep learning
Authors: Pang Long-Gang , Zhou Kai , Su Nan , Petersen Hannah , Stöcker Horst , Wang Xin-Nian
Published: January 2018

A primordial state of matter consisting of free quarks and gluons that existed in the early universe a few microseconds after the Big Bang is also expected to form in high-energy heavy-ion collisions. Determining the equation of state (EoS) of such a primordial matter is the ultimate goal of high-energy heavy-ion experiments. Here we use supervised learning with a deep convolutional neural network to identify the EoS employed in the relativistic hydrodynamic simulations of heavy ion collisions. High-level correlations of particle spectra in transverse momentum and azimuthal angle learned by the network act as an effective EoS-meter in deciphering the nature of the phase transition in quantum chromodynamics. Such EoS-meter is model-independent and insensitive to other simulation inputs including the initial conditions for hydrodynamic simulations.
Strongly exchange-coupled and surface-state-modulated magnetization dynamics in Bi2Se3/yttrium iron garnet heterostructures
Authors: Fanchiang Y. T. , Chen K. H. M. , Tseng C. C. , Chen C. C. , Cheng C. K. , Yang S. R. , Wu C. N. , Lee S. F. , Hong M. , Kwo J.
Published: January 2018

Harnessing the spin–momentum locking of topological surface states in conjunction with magnetic materials is the first step to realize novel topological insulator-based devices. Here, we report strong interfacial coupling in Bi2Se3/yttrium iron garnet (YIG) bilayers manifested as large interfacial in-plane magnetic anisotropy (IMA) and enhancement of damping probed by ferromagnetic resonance. The interfacial IMA and damping enhancement reaches a maximum when the Bi2Se3film approaches its two-dimensional limit, indicating that topological surface states play an important role in the magnetization dynamics of YIG. Temperature-dependent ferromagnetic resonance of Bi2Se3/YIG reveals signatures of the magnetic proximity effect ofTCas high as 180 K, an emerging low-temperature perpendicular magnetic anisotropy competing the high-temperature IMA, and an increasing exchange effective field of YIG steadily increasing toward low temperature. Our study sheds light on the effects of topological insulators on magnetization dynamics, essential for the development of topological insulator-based spintronic devices.
Coastal urbanisation affects microbial communities on a dominant marine holobiont
Authors: Marzinelli Ezequiel M. , Qiu Zhiguang , Dafforn Katherine A. , Johnston Emma L. , Steinberg Peter D. , Mayer-Pinto Mariana
Published: January 2018

Host-associated microbial communities play a fundamental role in the life of eukaryotic hosts. It is increasingly argued that hosts and their microbiota must be studied together as 'holobionts' to better understand the effects of environmental stressors on host functioning. Disruptions of host–microbiota interactions by environmental stressors can negatively affect host performance and survival. Substantial ecological impacts are likely when the affected hosts are habitat-forming species (e.g., trees, kelps) that underpin local biodiversity. In marine systems, coastal urbanisation via the addition of artificial structures is a major source of stress to habitat formers, but its effect on their associated microbial communities is unknown. We characterised kelp-associated microbial communities in two of the most common and abundant artificial structures in Sydney Harbour—pier-pilings and seawalls—and in neighbouring natural rocky reefs. The kelpEcklonia radiatais the dominant habitat-forming species along 8000 km of the temperate Australian coast. Kelp-associated microbial communities on pilings differed significantly from those on seawalls and natural rocky reefs, possibly due to differences in abiotic (e.g., shade) and biotic (e.g., grazing) factors between habitats. Many bacteria that were more abundant on kelp on pilings belonged to taxa often associated with macroalgal diseases, including tissue bleaching inEcklonia. There were, however, no differences in kelp photosynthetic capacity between habitats. The observed differences in microbial communities may have negative effects on the host by promoting fouling by macroorganisms or by causing and spreading disease over time. This study demonstrates that urbanisation can alter the microbiota of key habitat-forming species with potential ecological consequences.
Temperature-driven topological transition in 1T'-MoTe2
Authors: Berger Ayelet Notis , Andrade Erick , Kerelsky Alexander , Edelberg Drew , Li Jian , Wang Zhijun , Zhang Lunyong , Kim Jaewook , Zaki Nader , Avila Jose , Chen Chaoyu , Asensio Maria C. , Cheong Sang-Wook , Bernevig Bogdan A. , Pasupathy Abhay N.
Published: January 2018

The topology of Weyl semimetals requires the existence of unique surface states. Surface states have been visualized in spectroscopy measurements, but their connection to the topological character of the material remains largely unexplored. 1T'-MoTe2, presents a unique opportunity to study this connection. This material undergoes a phase transition at 240 K that changes the structure from orthorhombic (putative Weyl semimetal) to monoclinic (trivial metal), while largely maintaining its bulk electronic structure. Here, we show from temperature-dependent quasiparticle interference measurements that this structural transition also acts as a topological switch for surface states in 1T'-MoTe2. At low temperature, we observe strong quasiparticle scattering, consistent with theoretical predictions and photoemission measurements for the surface states in this material. In contrast, measurements performed at room temperature show the complete absence of the scattering wavevectors associated with the trivial surface states. These distinct quasiparticle scattering behaviors show that 1T'-MoTe2 is ideal for separating topological and trivial electronic phenomena via temperature-dependent measurements.
Differential roles of NaV1.2 and NaV1.6 in regulating neuronal excitability at febrile temperature and distinct contributions to febrile seizures
Authors: Ye Mingyu , Yang Jun , Tian Cuiping , Zhu Qiyu , Yin Luping , Jiang Shan , Yang Mingpo , Shu Yousheng
Published: January 2018

Dysregulation of voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) is associated with multiple clinical disorders, including febrile seizures (FS). The contribution of different sodium channel subtypes to environmentally triggered seizures is not well understood. Here we demonstrate that somatic and axonal sodium channels primarily mediated through NaV1.2 and NaV1.6 subtypes, respectively, behave differentially at FT, and might play distinct roles in FS generation. In contrast to sodium channels on the main axonal trunk, somatic ones are more resistant to inactivation and display significantly augmented currents, faster gating rates and kinetics of recovery from inactivation at FT, features that promote neuronal excitabilities. Pharmacological inhibition of NaV1.2 by Phrixotoxin-3 (PTx3) suppressed FT-induced neuronal hyperexcitability in brain slice, while up-regulation of NaV1.2 as in NaV1.6 knockout mice showed an opposite effect. Consistently, NaV1.6 knockout mice were more susceptible to FS, exhibiting much lower temperature threshold and shorter onset latency than wildtype mice. Neuron modeling further suggests that NaV1.2 is the major subtype mediating FT-induced neuronal hyperexcitability, and predicts potential outcomes of alterations in sodium channel subtype composition. Together, these data reveal a role of native NaV1.2 on neuronal excitability at FT and its important contribution to FS pathogenesis.
Pilot study to assess visualization and therapy of inflammatory mechanisms after vessel reopening in a mouse stroke model
Authors: Beller Ebba , Reuter Laura , Kluge Anne , Preibisch Christine , Lindauer Ute , Bogdanov Alexei , Lämmer Friederike , Delbridge Claire , Matiasek Kaspar , Schwaiger Benedikt J. , Boeckh-Behrens Tobias , Zimmer Claus , Gersing Alexandra S.
Published: January 2018

After reperfusion therapy in stroke patients secondary inflammatory processes may increase cerebral damage. In this pilot study, effects of anti-inflammatory therapy were assessed in a middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) mouse model after reperfusion. 1 hour after MCAO, the artery was reopened and tacrolimus or NaCl were administered intra-arterially. Perfusion-weighted (PWI) and diffusion-weighted images (DWI) were obtained by MRI during MCAO. DWI, T2- and T1-weighted images with and without Bis-5HT-DTPA administration were obtained 24 hours after MCAO. Neutrophils, Myeloperoxidase-positive-(MPO+)-cells and microglia, including M1 and M2 phenotypes, were assessed immunohistochemically. Treatment with tacrolimus led to significantly smaller apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) lesion volume within 24 hours (median −55.6mm3, range −81.3 to −3.6, vs. median 8.0 mm3, range 1.2 to 41.0; P = 0.008) and significantly lower enhancement of Bis-5-HT-DTPA (median signal intensity (SI) ratiocortex, median 92.0%, range 82.8% to 97.1%, vs. median 103.1%, range 98.7% to 104.6%; P = 0.008) compared to the NaCl group. Immunohistochemical analysis showed no significant differences between both groups. Intra-arterially administered anti-inflammatory agents after mechanical thrombectomy may improve treatment efficiency in stroke by reducing infarct volume size and MPO activity.
Cell-type specific potent Wnt signaling blockade by bispecific antibody
Authors: Lee Nam-Kyung , Zhang Yafeng , Su Yang , Bidlingmaier Scott , Sherbenou Daniel W. , Ha Kevin D. , Liu Bin
Published: January 2018

Cell signaling pathways are often shared between normal and diseased cells. How to achieve cell type-specific, potent inhibition of signaling pathways is a major challenge with implications for therapeutic development. Using the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway as a model system, we report here a novel and generally applicable method to achieve cell type-selective signaling blockade. We constructed a bispecific antibody targeting the Wnt co-receptor LRP6 (the effector antigen) and a cell type-associated antigen (the guide antigen) that provides the targeting specificity. We found that the bispecific antibody inhibits Wnt-induced reporter activities with over one hundred-fold enhancement in potency, and in a cell type-selective manner. Potency enhancement is dependent on the expression level of the guide antigen on the target cell surface and the apparent affinity of the anti-guide antibody. Both internalizing and non-internalizing guide antigens can be used, with internalizing bispecific antibody being able to block signaling by all ligands binding to the target receptor due to its removal from the cell surface. It is thus feasible to develop bispecific-based therapeutic strategies that potently and selectively inhibit signaling pathways in a cell type-selective manner, creating opportunity for therapeutic targeting.
Transcriptomic signatures of cellular and humoral immune responses in older adults after seasonal influenza vaccination identified by data-driven clustering
Authors: Voigt Emily A. , Grill Diane E. , Zimmermann Michael T. , Simon Whitney L. , Ovsyannikova Inna G. , Kennedy Richard B. , Poland Gregory A.
Published: January 2018

PBMC transcriptomes after influenza vaccination contain valuable information about factors affecting vaccine responses. However, distilling meaningful knowledge out of these complex datasets is often difficult and requires advanced data mining algorithms. We investigated the use of the data-driven Weighted Gene Correlation Network Analysis (WGCNA) gene clustering method to identify vaccine response-related genes in PBMC transcriptomic datasets collected from 138 healthy older adults (ages 50–74) before and after 2010–2011 seasonal trivalent influenza vaccination. WGCNA separated the 14,197 gene dataset into 15 gene clusters based on observed gene expression patterns across subjects. Eight clusters were strongly enriched for genes involved in specific immune cell types and processes, including B cells, T cells, monocytes, platelets, NK cells, cytotoxic T cells, and antiviral signaling. Examination of gene cluster membership identified signatures of cellular and humoral responses to seasonal influenza vaccination, as well as pre-existing cellular immunity. The results of this study illustrate the utility of this publically available analysis methodology and highlight genes previously associated with influenza vaccine responses (e.g., CAMK4, CD19), genes with functions not previously identified in vaccine responses (e.g., SPON2, MATK, CST7), and previously uncharacterized genes (e.g. CORO1C, C8orf83) likely related to influenza vaccine-induced immunity due to their expression patterns.
Gender-specific association of early age-related macular degeneration with systemic and genetic factors in a Japanese population
Authors: Sasaki Mariko , Harada Sei , Kawasaki Yumiko , Watanabe Miki , Ito Hidemi , Tanaka Hideo , Takeuchi Ayano , Tsubota Kazuo , Takebayashi Toru , Nishiwaki Yuji , Kawasaki Ryo
Published: January 2018

The Tsuruoka Metabolomics Cohort Study included subjects aged 35–74 years from participants in annual health check-up programs in Tsuruoka, Japan. The gender-specific associations of early age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with systemic and genetic factors was assessed cross-sectionally. Of these, 3,988 subjects had fundus photographs of sufficient quality, and early AMD was present in 12.3% and 10.3% of men and women, respectively. In men, higher levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and lower levels of triglycerides were associated with increased odds of having early AMD after adjusting for potential risk factors (for each 1 mmol/L increase, odds ratio [OR]: 1.61 and 0.78, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.17–2.23 and 0.64–0.96, respectively). In women, higher levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were associated with increased risk of having early AMD (OR: 1.21 and 1.26, 95% CI: 1.01–1.44 and 1.03–1.53, respectively). Sub-analysis demonstrated that women with ARMS2 A69S polymorphisms had a stronger risk for early AMD (OR: 3.25, 95% CI: 2.10–5.04) than men (OR: 1.65, 95% CI: 1.02–2.69). Differential associations of early AMD with both systemic and genetic factors by sex were demonstrated in a Japanese cohort, which suggests that disease process of early AMD could be different by sex.
Europe’s lost forests: a pollen-based synthesis for the last 11,000 years
Authors: Roberts N. , Fyfe R. M. , Woodbridge J. , Gaillard M.-J. , Davis B. A. S. , Kaplan J. O. , Marquer L. , Mazier F. , Nielsen A. B. , Sugita S. , Trondman A.-K. , Leydet M.
Published: January 2018

8000 years ago, prior to Neolithic agriculture, Europe was mostly a wooded continent. Since then, its forest cover has been progressively fragmented, so that today it covers less than half of Europe’s land area, in many cases having been cleared to make way for fields and pasture-land. Establishing the origin of Europe’s current, more open land-cover mosaic requires a long-term perspective, for which pollen analysis offers a key tool. In this study we utilise and compare three numerical approaches to transforming pollen data into past forest cover, drawing on >100014C-dated site records. All reconstructions highlight the different histories of the mixed temperate and the northern boreal forests, with the former declining progressively since ~6000 years ago, linked to forest clearance for agriculture in later prehistory (especially in northwest Europe) and early historic times (e.g. in north central Europe). In contrast, extensive human impact on the needle-leaf forests of northern Europe only becomes detectable in the last two millennia and has left a larger area of forest in place. Forest loss has been a dominant feature of Europe’s landscape ecology in the second half of the current interglacial, with consequences for carbon cycling, ecosystem functioning and biodiversity.
Genome-wide identification and characterization of SPL transcription factor family and their evolution and expression profiling analysis in cotton
Authors: Cai Caiping , Guo Wangzhen , Zhang Baohong
Published: January 2018

Plant specific transcription factors, SQUAMOSA promoter-binding protein-like (SPL), are involved in many biological processes. However, no systematical study has been reported in cotton. In this study, a total of 177 SPL genes were identified, including 29, 30, 59 and 59 SPLs in Gossypium arboreum, G. raimondii, G. barbadense, and G. hirsutum, respectively. These SPL genes were classified into eight phylogenetical groups. The gene structure, conserved motif, and clustering were highly conserved within each orthologs. Two zinc finger-like structures (Cys3His and Cys2HisCys) and NLS segments were existed in all GrSPLs. Segmental duplications play important roles in SPL family expansion, with 20 genes involved in segmental duplications and 2 in tandem duplications, and ten ortholog pairs in syntenic regions between G. raimondii and A. thaliana. Several putative cis-elements, involved in light, stresses and phytohormones response, were found in the promoter regions of GhSPLs, suggesting that plant responses to those environmental changes may be induced through targeting SPL transcription factors. RNA-seq analysis shows that SPL genes were differentially expressed in cotton; some were highly expressed during fiber initiation and early development. Comparing with other plants, SPL genes show subfunctionalization, lost and/or gain functions in cotton during long-term domestication and evolution.