bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cluster analysis of commercial samples of Bauhinia spp. using HPLC‐UV/PDA and MCR‐ALS/PCA without peak alignment procedure
Authors: Ardila Jorge Armando , Funari Cristiano Soleo , Andrade André Marques , Cavalheiro Alberto José , Carneiro Renato Lajarim
Published: June 2015

Introduction

Bauhinia forficata Link. is recognised by the Brazilian Health Ministry as a treatment of hypoglycemia and diabetes. Analytical methods are useful to assess the plant identity due the similarities found in plants from Bauhinia spp. HPLC‐UV/PDA in combination with chemometric tools is an alternative widely used and suitable for authentication of plant material, however, the shifts of retention times for similar compounds in different samples is a problem.

Objective

To perform comparisons between the authentic medicinal plant (Bauhinia forficata Link.) and samples commercially available in drugstores claiming to be “Bauhinia spp. to treat diabetes” and to evaluate the performance of multivariate curve resolution – alternating least squares (MCR‐ALS) associated to principal component analysis (PCA) when compared to pure PCA.

Methodology

HPLC‐UV/PDA data obtained from extracts of leaves were evaluated employing a combination of MCR‐ALS and PCA, which allowed the use of the full chromatographic and spectrometric information without the need of peak alignment procedures.

Results

The use of MCR‐ALS/PCA showed better results than the conventional PCA using only one wavelength. Only two of nine commercial samples presented characteristics similar to the authentic Bauhinia forficata spp., considering the full HPLC‐UV/PDA data.

Conclusion

The combination of MCR‐ALS and PCA is very useful when applied to a group of samples where a general alignment procedure could not be applied due to the different chromatographic profiles. This work also demonstrates the need of more strict control from the health authorities regarding herbal products available on the market. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Laser Ignition of Various Pyrotechnic Mixtures – an Experimental Study
Authors: Sivan Jonathan , Haas Yehuda
Published: June 2015

Ignition of several pyrotechnic mixtures by diode‐laser was studied experimentally using a novel combustion chamber. The ignition delay times dependence on laser intensity could be fit by the expression tign=aI−n for all compositions, with I being the laser intensity at target and n=1.4–2.1. This is roughly in accordance with thermal ignition theories assuming a semi‐inert solid. Differences in ignition delay times did not depend on fuel alone or oxidizer alone. The temperature of oxidizer decomposition does not correlate with ignition delay time. Furthermore, the steady state combustion temperature, deduced from emission spectra of the composition products are not correlated with ignition delay time. It is proposed that chemical reactions, taking place in the gas‐phase or in the solid‐phase, play a significant role, but are not solely responsible for ignition delay time. The seemingly uncorrelated ignition delay results between pyrotechnics containing either the same fuel or oxidizer hamper the construction of a “unified theory” for laser ignition of pyrotechnic mixtures.
Electrophoretic displays driven by all‐oxide thin‐film transistor backplanes fabricated using a solution process
Authors: Inoue Satoshi , Phan Tue Trong , Hori Tomoko , Koyama Hiroaki , Shimoda Tatsuya
Published: June 2015

Precursor solutions and a solution process were developed for the fabrication of amorphous oxide thin‐film transistors (TFTs). All the layers of the TFTs comprised oxide films prepared from precursor solutions. The gate lines, gate insulator, and channel layer comprised ruthenium oxide, lanthanum zirconium oxide, and zirconium indium zinc oxide films. The polysilazane‐based silicon dioxide film was used for the channel stopper layer. The source‐line and drain electrode had a double‐layer structure comprising indium tin oxide and ruthenium oxide films. The silsesquioxane‐based silicon dioxide and ruthenium oxide films were used for the passivation layer and pixel electrodes, respectively. The TFTs exhibited a field effect mobility of 2.68 cm2 V−1 s−1, a sub‐threshold swing of 1.09 V/decade, a threshold voltage of 3.06 V, and an on/off ratio of 105. Active‐matrix electrophoretic displays (EPDs) with a resolution of 101.6 ppi were successfully fabricated using the all‐solution‐processed TFTs. Bi‐stable black/white images were confirmed in these TFT‐EPDs for the first time.
Atomic redistribution of implanted Fe and associated defects around moving SiO2/Si interfaces
Authors: De Luca Anthony , Burle Nelly , Portavoce Alain , Grosjean Catherine , Morata Stéphane , Texier Michaël
Published: June 2015

The behaviour of Fe atoms at the Si/SiO2 interface, as a modelisation of an involuntary Fe contamination before or during the oxidation process has been studied in Fe‐implanted wafers. As‐implanted and oxidized wafers were characterized by SIMS, APT, HR‐TEM and STEM‐HAADF. Successive steps of Fe segregation, iron‐silicide precipitation and dissolution were identified. As expected for such a temperature range, the iron‐silicide precipitates adopt the FeSi2 structure. Fe enriched phases were also identified in an advanced step of precipitation. Dynamic mechanisms are proposed, taking into account the competitive oxidizing of precipitates and silicon matrix, to understand the different steps and precipitation phases observed in the samples during the non‐equilibrium conditions due to the oxide layer growth. The correlation between the formation of characteristic pyramidal defects at the SiO2/Si interface and the presence of the Fe‐rich precipitates is explained. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Enhanced optical performance of APCVD zinc oxide via post growth plasma treatment at atmospheric pressure
Authors: Hodgkinson John L. , Yates Heather M. , Sheel David W.
Published: June 2015

The use of atmospheric pressure (AP) CVD to produce highly developed Transparent Conducting oxides (TCO) for thin film photovoltaic systems has significant potential to reduce manufacturing costs and increase the product scope via in‐line processing compared to off‐line, low pressure techniques. A further advantage of APCVD is the ability control surface morphology via growth parameters, a key factor in controlling the distribution of scattered light at the TCO/absorber interface. The nano‐scale features may be further optimised via post growth etching, for example, to round sharp vertices or induce or exaggerate texture in a film material that is intrinsically smooth. This is normally achieved via low pressure plasma treatments or wet chemical processes, hence the presented novel AP plasma approach here offers reduced capital costs combined with ease of scalability and process integration. In this work we describe the multi‐scale manipulation of an APCVD grown ZnO via surface morphological modification, achieved by the application of an atmospheric pressure plasma etch system. The modified surfaces are evaluated for optical and morphological properties. Initial research has shown that under the correct plasma etch conditions, optical haze can be increased by as much as 20%, with the crucial additional ability to also tailor the film surface features. The use of audio frequency and sub‐microsecond pulsed plasmas for etching are compared in terms of activity and control. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Effects of surface nature of different semiconductor substrates on the plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition growth of Al2O3 gate dielectric thin films
Authors: Schilirò Emanuela , Greco Giuseppe , Fiorenza Patrick , Tudisco Cristina , Condorelli Guglielmo Guido , Di Franco Salvatore , Roccaforte Fabrizio , Lo Nigro Raffaella
Published: June 2015

In this work, we present a systematic study on the effects of surface nature of two different substrates such as Si(100) and AlGaN/GaN (0001) before atomic layer deposition (ALD) growth of Al2O3 thin films. The Si and AlGaN/GaN surfaces were treated either with: H2O2:H2SO4 (1:3 piranha solution) for 10 minutes and H2O:HF (10:1) for 5 minutes. After surface pretreatment, Al2O3 was immediately deposited at 250 °C by Plasma Enhanced ALD from trimethylaluminum precursor. The film thicknesses were measured to be 28 nm using transmission electron microscopy and different structural evolution has been observed under electron beam analysis, rearraging from amorphous as‐deposited films to epitaxial films depending on the substrate type. Surface morphology obtained by atomic force microscopy in tapping mode shows scattered three‐dimensional nucleation of Al2O3 thin films on Si(001) substrate, while deposition on AlGaN/GaN(0001) resulted in smooth Al2O3 layers. Moreover, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy investigation demonstrated a different interfacial interaction between the Al2O3 films and the two different substrates. However, analogous dielectric properties have been evaluated for both films deposited on the two Si(100) and AlGaN/GaN (0001) substrates. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Thermal decomposition of tungsten hexacarbonyl: CVD of W‐containing films under Pd codeposition and VUV assistance
Authors: Krisyuk Vladislav V. , Koretskaya Tatyana P. , Turgambaeva Asiya E. , Trubin Sergey V. , Korolkov Ilya V. , Debieu Olivier , Duguet Thomas , Igumenov Igor K. , Vahlas Constantin
Published: June 2015

Experiments on chemical vapor deposition of W(CO)6‐derived films on silicon substrates were carried out at total pressure of 5‐10 Torr within the temperature range of 250‐350 °C; in Ar or H2 flow. Metallic, carbide and oxide phases composed the obtained films. Deposition in presence of hydrogen results in the increase of the metal content in the film. Sublimed palladium hexafluoracetylacetonate Pd(hfa)2 was used for Pd catalytic promotion of the deposition process. Codeposition with Pd(hfa)2 in hydrogen increases W‐metal fraction and oxygen content while the Pd content is up to 10 at.%. Influence of vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) radiation from Xe excimer lamp (λ ∼172 nm) on the quality of the obtained films was investigated. It was found that VUV irradiation can reduce the oxygen‐content in the film while W‐metal fraction slightly increases. In all films, oxygen was in the form of WO3 and carbon was mainly incorporated as a graphite metastable phase. The influence of other chemical additives is discussed. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
AACVD synthesis of catalytic gold nanoparticle‐modified cerium(IV) oxide thin films
Authors: Evans Meghan , Di Maggio Francesco , Blackman Chris , Sankar Gopinathan
Published: June 2015

Co‐deposition of Ce(dbm)4 and NH4AuCl4 precursors in acetone at 500 °C via AACVD results in deposition of crystalline CeO2 thin films containing/decorated with metallic gold. These particles are estimated to be ∼ 70 nm in size via optical methods. Preliminary testing of catalytic activity showed the materials were surprisingly catalytically active given the very small amounts of gold present and the large estimated particle size, although the presence of smaller catalytically active particles could not be discounted. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Quercus Suber L. Cork Extracts Induce Apoptosis in Human Myeloid Leukaemia HL‐60 Cells
Authors: Bejarano Ignacio , Godoy‐Cancho Belén , Franco Lourdes , Martínez‐Cañas Manuel A. , Tormo María A.
Published: June 2015

Quercus suber L. cork contains a diversity of phenolic compounds, mostly low molecular weight phenols. A rising number of reports support with convergent findings that polyphenols evoke pro‐apoptotic events in cancerous cells. However, the literature related to the anti‐cancer bioactivity of Q. suber L. cork extractives (QSE) is still limited. Herein, we aim to describe the antitumor potential displayed by cork extractives obtained by different extraction methods in the human promyelocytic leukaemia cells. In order to quantify the effects of QSE on cancer cells viability, phosphatidylserine exposure, caspase‐3 activity, mitochondrial membrane potential and cell cycle were evaluated. The results indicated that the QSE present a time‐dependent and dose‐dependent cytotoxicity in the human promyelocytic leukaemia cells. Such a noxious effect leads these leukaemia cells to their death through apoptotic processes by altering the mitochondrial outer membrane potential, activating caspase‐3 and externalizing phosphatidylserine. However, cells cycle progression was not affected by the treatments. This study contributes to open a new way to use this natural resource by exploiting its anti‐cancer properties. Moreover, it opens new possibilities of application of cork by‐products, being more efficient in the sector of cork‐based agriculture. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Multilayered Mapping and Navigation for Autonomous Micro Aerial Vehicles
Authors: Droeschel David , Nieuwenhuisen Matthias , Beul Marius , Holz Dirk , Stückler Jörg , Behnke Sven
Published: June 2015

Micro aerial vehicles, such as multirotors, are particularly well suited for the autonomous monitoring, inspection, and surveillance of buildings, e.g., for maintenance or disaster management. Key prerequisites for the fully autonomous operation of micro aerial vehicles are real‐time obstacle detection and planning of collision‐free trajectories. In this article, we propose a complete system with a multimodal sensor setup for omnidirectional obstacle perception consisting of a three‐dimensional (3D) laser scanner, two stereo camera pairs, and ultrasonic distance sensors. Detected obstacles are aggregated in egocentric local multiresolution grid maps. Local maps are efficiently merged in order to simultaneously build global maps of the environment and localize in these. For autonomous navigation, we generate trajectories in a multilayered approach: from mission planning over global and local trajectory planning to reactive obstacle avoidance. We evaluate our approach and the involved components in simulation and with the real autonomous micro aerial vehicle. Finally, we present the results of a complete mission for autonomously mapping a building and its surroundings.
A cheater identifiable multi‐secret sharing scheme based on the Chinese remainder theorem
Authors: Chen Zhenhua , Li Shundong , Zhu Youwen , Yan Jianhua , Xu Xinli
Published: June 2015

There are many researches on the polynomial‐based verifiable (k,n) multi‐secret sharing scheme (VMSSS), but none of them focuses on the Chinese remainder theorem (CRT)‐based VMSSS so far. For the first time, we provide a cheater identifiable multi‐secret sharing scheme based on CRT as an alternative method for VMSSS, which is unconditionally secure when the number of cheaters t≤(k − 1)/3. We adopt an encoding method, which makes multiple secrets to be transferred as a single one. In addition, we utilize a single keyed message authenticated code (MAC) to detect and identify cheaters in the reconstruction phase. Then, combine these two methods with a CRT‐based Asmuth‐Bloom's SSS to achieve our design goals. In our scheme, all participants share a single key of MAC rather than each participant possesses an independent key to check the validity of shares, and the size of share is independent in any of n,k, and t. Analyses show that our scheme is more efficient and secure than existing ones. Finally, as an example of the practical impact of our work, we present how our techniques can be applied to secure sum computation. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Emerging directions in predictive text mining
Authors: Indurkhya Nitin
Published: June 2015

In recent years, Text Mining has seen a tremendous spurt of growth as data scientists focus their attention on analyzing unstructured data. The main drivers for this growth have been big data as well as complex applications where the information in the text is often combined with other kinds of information in building predictive models. These applications require highly efficient and scalable algorithms to meet the overall performance demands. In this context, six main directions are identified where research in text mining is heading: Deep Learning, Topic Models, Graphical Modeling, Summarization, Sentiment Analysis, Learning from Unlabeled Text. Each direction has its own motivations and goals. There is some overlap of concepts because of the common themes of text and prediction. The predictive models involved are typically ones that involve meta‐information or tags that could be added to the text. These tags can then be used in other text processing tasks such as information extraction. While the boundary between the fields of Text Mining and Natural Language Processing is becoming increasingly blurry, the importance of predictive models for various applications involving text means there is still substantial growth potential within the traditional sub‐fields of text mining. These data‐centric directions are also likely to influence future research in Natural Language Processing, especially in resource‐poor languages and in multilingual texts. WIREs Data Mining Knowl Discov 2015, 5:155–164. doi: 10.1002/widm.1154

This article is categorized under:

Algorithmic Development > Text Mining

Technologies > Prediction

Technologies > Structure Discovery and Clustering
Rhf1 gene is involved in the fruiting body production of Cordyceps militaris fungus
Authors: Jiang Keqing , Han Richou
Published: June 2015

Cordyceps militaris is an important medicinal fungus. Commercialization of this fungus needs to improve the fruiting body production by molecular engineering. An improved Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation (ATMT) method was used to select an insertional mutant (g38) which exhibited fast stromatal differentiation and increased yield. The Rhf1 gene encoding filamentation protein was destroyed by a single T-DNA and no Rhf1 transcription was detected in mutant g38. To verify the function of the Rhf1 gene, RNA interference plasmid and overexpression vector of the Rhf1 gene were constructed and transferred to the wild-type JM4 by ATMT. Fast stromatal differentiation and larger fruiting bodies were found in the RNAi-Rhf1 mutants (JM-iRhf1). In the overexpression mutants (JM-OERhf1), neither stromata nor fruiting bodies appeared. The rescued strain (38-OERhf1) showed similar growth characteristics as JM4. These results indicated that the Rhf1 gene was involved in the stromatal differentiation and the shape formation of fruiting bodies.
Introduction to the Special Issue
Authors: Glynn Mark S.
Published: June 2015

The motivation behind this special issue is the growing interest in how firms and marketing practitioners can better manage their resources to improve firm performance and customer relationships. The special issue contains a range of theoretical and empirical articles that examine resource management from both the customer and supplier perspectives. The seven articles presented here address the topics of resource collaboration, social capital and resource dependency, accessing customer resources, resource mobilization, resource investment, the importance of social bonds, and inhibitors to resource collaboration.
Psychological Vulnerability of Residents of Communities Affected by the Hebei Spirit Oil Spill
Authors: Choi Kyung-Hwa , Lim Myung-Ho , Ha Mina , Sohn Jung Nam , Kang Jong-Won , Choi Young-Hyun , Cheong Hae-Kwan
Published: June 2015

Objective

Psychological health is an important issue after disasters. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of psychological symptoms among 993 residents of Taean District in South Korea after the Hebei Spirit oil spill and to examine determinants of vulnerability in residents’ psychological symptoms.

Methods

Symptoms of post-traumatic stress (PTS), depression, suicidal ideation, and anxiety were assessed by questionnaires, and the responses were analyzed by using the survey analysis considering the sampling frame.

Results

Among the study subjects, the symptom prevalences of PTS, depression, suicidal ideation, and anxiety were 19.5%, 22.0%, 2.3%, and 4.2%, respectively, and symptoms were higher in people who were female, were older, were less educated, and had lower family income. People with fishery or related occupations compared to those with unrelated livelihoods and people residing in the vicinity of the oil band in the contaminated coastline showed additively increased symptom risks of PTS. Risk of suicidal ideation was predominantly increased in people with fishery or related occupations compared with those with unrelated livelihoods.

Conclusions

Social supports, including compensation for income loss and community mental health programs, and longer follow-up studies are needed for residents in the communities affected by the Hebei Spirit oil spill. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:51-58)
Clostridium difficile Infection Among Veterans Health Administration Patients
Authors: Young-Xu Yinong , Kuntz Jennifer L , Gerding Dale N. , Neily Julia , Mills Peter , Dubberke Erik R. , Olsen Margaret A. , Kelly Ciarán P. , Mahé Cédric
Published: June 2015

OBJECTIVE

To report on the prevalence and incidence of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) from 2009 to 2013 among Veterans Healthcare Administration patients

DESIGN

A retrospective descriptive analysis of data extracted from a large electronic medical record (EMR) database

SETTING

Data were acquired from VHA healthcare records from 2009 to 2013 that included outpatient clinical visits, long-term care, and hospitalized care as well as pharmacy and laboratory information.

RESULTS

In 2009, there were 10,207 CDI episodes, and in 2013, there were 12,143 CDI episodes, an increase of 19.0%. The overall CDI rate increased by 8.4% from 193 episodes per 100,000 patient years in 2009 to 209 episodes per 100,000 patient years in 2013. Of the CDI episodes identified in 2009, 58% were identified during a hospitalization, and 42% were identified in an outpatient setting. In 2013, 44% of the CDI episodes were identified in an outpatient setting.

CONCLUSION

This is one of the largest studies that has utilized timely EMR data to describe the current CDI epidemiology at the VHA. Despite an aging population with greater burden of comorbidity than the general US population, our data show that VHA CDI rates stabilized between 2011 and 2013 following increases likely attributable to the introduction of the more sensitive nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs). The findings in this report will help establish an accurate benchmark against which both current and future VA CDI prevention initiatives can be measured.

Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol. 2015;36(9):1038–1045
Ruralism, Masculinity, and National Identity: The Rambling Clerk in Fiction, 1900–1940
Authors: Bishop Nicola
Published: June 2015

This article examines the place of the literary lower-middle-class clerk in the English landscape between ca. 1900 and 1940. It draws attention to “clerical literature”—as typified in works by Arnold Bennett, H. G. Wells, and Shan Bullock—and, more specifically, a subgenre that signposts the emergent interest in getting “back to the land.” At the heart of this subgenre of “rambling fiction,” the male clerical protagonist not only engages with the natural landscape on a journey through rural England but also explores notions of masculinity, heritage, and national identity. By focusing on middlebrow works, largely those written by former clerks themselves, this article argues that clerks were pioneers in drawing connections between a re-masculating exposure to the great outdoors—necessary for suburban, domesticated, office workers—and an appreciation of a particular palimpsest of England's history. In doing so, the clerk helped to popularize the continued association of medievalism, the South of England, and the rural “idyll.”
Reading, Writing, and Initialing: Female Literacy in Early Modern London
Authors: Hubbard Eleanor
Published: June 2015

This article reopens the vexed question of how many women in early modern England could read by calling attention to the precise ways in which women marked, initialed, and signed legal depositions in late sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century London. It shows that initialing and signing were closely correlated skills, and it argues that women who wrote their initials had begun to learn how to read. Using initials as a proxy for elementary reading literacy, it goes on to map female literacy in early modern London, showing that urban upbringings fostered female literacy and that reading literacy was far more broadly socially diffused than the ability to write. Changes in initialing patterns as women aged suggest that women found reading to be useful and relevant to their lives, and that literacy carried social prestige.
Caught between heredity and merit: the amir Qūṣūn and the legacy of al-Nāṣir Muḥammad b. Qalāwūn (d. 1341)
Authors: Van Steenbergen Jo
Published: June 2015

From medieval times until today ideas of heredity through lineage and of merit through slave status have jostled for pre-eminence as explanations for transitions of Mamluk royal authority. This article contributes to this debate through an analysis of events in late 1341 marking the transition from the reign of one of the sultanate's most successful rulers, al-Nāṣir Muḥammad b. Qalāwūn, to that of his sons. This is achieved by focusing on the whereabouts of one of al-Nāṣir Muḥammad's most powerful agents, Qūṣūn al-Sāqī al-Nāṣirī, and on how this amir monopolized power in Egypt and Syria in such a way that his accession to the sultanate seemed inevitable. The article then demonstrates how things went wrong for Qūṣūn and how his failed attempt to obtain the sultanate triggered a Qalāwūnid dynastic succession practice that was to remain dominant for many decades.
Floods and armed conflict
Authors: Ghimire Ramesh , Ferreira Susana
Published: June 2015

We estimate the impact of large, catastrophic floods on internal armed conflict using global data on large floods between 1985 and 2009. The results suggest that while large floods did not ignite new conflict, they fueled existing armed conflicts. Floods and armed conflict are endogenously determined, and we show that empirically addressing this endogeneity is important. The estimated effects of floods on conflict prevalence are substantially larger in specifications that control for the endogeneity of floods, suggesting that treating natural disasters as exogenous phenomena may underestimate their impacts on sociopolitical outcomes.
Matched Backprojection Operator for Combined Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy Tilt- and Focal Series
Authors: Dahmen Tim , Kohr Holger , de Jonge Niels , Slusallek Philipp
Published: June 2015

Combined tilt- and focal series scanning transmission electron microscopy is a recently developed method to obtain nanoscale three-dimensional (3D) information of thin specimens. In this study, we formulate the forward projection in this acquisition scheme as a linear operator and prove that it is a generalization of the Ray transform for parallel illumination. We analytically derive the corresponding backprojection operator as the adjoint of the forward projection. We further demonstrate that the matched backprojection operator drastically improves the convergence rate of iterative 3D reconstruction compared to the case where a backprojection based on heuristic weighting is used. In addition, we show that the 3D reconstruction is of better quality.
New Ionosphere Model Incorporates Solar Angles
Authors: Zastrow Mark
Published: June 2015

The decades-old theory of the layers of the Earth's ionosphere, which dates to 1931, has just received an update that takes into account the angle of the Sun.
Symbiosis with an endobacterium increases the fitness of a mycorrhizal fungus, raising its bioenergetic potential
Authors: Salvioli Alessandra , Ghignone Stefano , Novero Mara , Navazio Lorella , Venice Francesco , Bagnaresi Paolo , Bonfante Paola
Published: June 2015

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) occur in the rhizosphere and in plant tissues as obligate symbionts, having key roles in plant evolution and nutrition. AMF possess endobacteria, and genome sequencing of the endobacterium Candidatus Glomeribacter gigasporarum revealed a reduced genome and a dependence on the fungal host. To understand the effect of bacteria on fungal fitness, we used next-generation sequencing to analyse the transcriptional profile of Gigaspora margarita in the presence and in the absence of its endobacterium. Genomic data on AMF are limited; therefore, we first generated a gene catalogue for G. margarita. Transcriptome analysis revealed that the endobacterium has a stronger effect on the pre-symbiotic phase of the fungus. Coupling transcriptomics with cell biology and physiological approaches, we demonstrate that the bacterium increases the fungal sporulation success, raises the fungal bioenergetic capacity, increasing ATP production, and eliciting mechanisms to detoxify reactive oxygen species. By using TAT peptide to translocate the bioluminescent calcium reporter aequorin, we demonstrated that the line with endobacteria had a lower basal intracellular calcium concentration than the cured line. Lastly, the bacteria seem to enhance the fungal responsiveness to strigolactones, the plant molecules that AMF perceive as branching factors. Although the endobacterium exacts a nutritional cost on the AMF, endobacterial symbiosis improves the fungal ecological fitness by priming mitochondrial metabolic pathways and giving the AMF more tools to face environmental stresses. Thus, we hypothesise that, as described for the human microbiota, endobacteria may increase AMF innate immunity.
Deep-subwavelength imaging of both electric and magnetic localized optical fields by plasmonic campanile nanoantenna
Authors: Caselli Niccolò , La China Federico , Bao Wei , Riboli Francesco , Gerardino Annamaria , Li Lianhe , Linfield Edmund H. , Pagliano Francesco , Fiore Andrea , Schuck P. James , Cabrini Stefano , Weber-Bargioni Alexander , Gurioli Massimo , Intonti Francesca
Published: June 2015

Tailoring the electromagnetic field at the nanoscale has led to artificial materials exhibiting fascinating optical properties unavailable in naturally occurring substances. Besides having fundamental implications for classical and quantum optics, nanoscale metamaterials provide a platform for developing disruptive novel technologies, in which a combination of both the electric and magnetic radiation field components at optical frequencies is relevant to engineer the light-matter interaction. Thus, an experimental investigation of the spatial distribution of the photonic states at the nanoscale for both field components is of crucial importance. Here we experimentally demonstrate a concomitant deep-subwavelength near-field imaging of the electric and magnetic intensities of the optical modes localized in a photonic crystal nanocavity. We take advantage of the “campanile tip”, a plasmonic near-field probe that efficiently combines broadband field enhancement with strong far-field to near-field coupling. By exploiting the electric and magnetic polarizability components of the campanile tip along with the perturbation imaging method, we are able to map in a single measurement both the electric and magnetic localized near-field distributions.
Defective pollen wall contributes to male sterility in the male sterile line 1355A of cotton
Authors: Wu Yuanlong , Min Ling , Wu Zancheng , Yang Li , Zhu Longfu , Yang Xiyan , Yuan Daojun , Guo Xiaoping , Zhang Xianlong
Published: June 2015

To understand the mechanisms of male sterility in cotton (Gossypium spp.), combined histological, biochemical and transcription analysis using RNA-Seq was carried out in the anther of the single-gene recessive genic male sterility system of male sterile line 1355A and male fertile line 1355B, which are near-isogenic lines (NILs) differing only in the fertility trait. A total of 2,446 differentially expressed genes were identified between the anthers of 1355AB lines, at three different stages of development. Cluster analysis and functional assignment of differentially expressed genes revealed differences in transcription associated with pollen wall and anther development, including the metabolism of fatty acids, glucose, pectin and cellulose. Histological and biochemical analysis revealed that a major cellular defect in the 1355A was a thicker nexine, consistent with the RNA-seq data and further gene expression studies implicated differences in fatty acids synthesis and metabolism. This study provides insight into the phenotypic characteristics and gene regulatory network of the genic male sterile line 1355A in upland cotton.
Membrane proximal ectodomain cleavage of MUC16 occurs in the acidifyingGolgi/post-Golgi compartments
Authors: Das Srustidhar , Majhi Prabin D. , Al-Mugotir Mona H. , Rachagani Satyanarayana , Sorgen Paul , Batra Surinder K.
Published: June 2015

MUC16, precursor of the most widely used ovarian cancer biomarker CA125, is upregulated in multiple malignancies and is associated with poor prognosis. While thepro-tumorigenic and metastatic roles of MUC16 are ascribed to the cell-associatedcarboxyl-terminal MUC16 (MUC16-Cter), the exact biochemical nature of MUC16 cleavagegenerating MUC16-Cter has remained unknown. Using different lengths of dual-epitope(N-terminal FLAG- and C-terminal HA-Tag) tagged C-terminal MUC16 fragments, wedemonstrate that MUC16 cleavage takes place in the juxta-membrane ectodomain stretchof twelve amino acids that generates a ~17 kDa cleaved product and isdistinct from the predicted sites. This was further corroborated by domain swappingexperiment. Further, the cleavage of MUC16 was found to take place in theGolgi/post-Golgi compartments and is dependent on the acidic pH in the secretorypathway. A similar pattern of ~17 kDa cleaved MUC16 was observed inmultiple cell types eliminating the possibility of cell type specific phenomenon.MUC16-Cter translocates to the nucleus in a cleavage dependent manner and binds tothe chromatin suggesting its involvement in regulation of gene expression. Takentogether, we demonstrate for the first time the oft-predicted cleavage of MUC16 thatis critical in designing successful therapeutic interventions based on MUC16.
Controllable Synthesis and Tunable Photocatalytic Properties of Ti3+-doped TiO2
Authors: Ren Ren , Wen Zhenhai , Cui Shumao , Hou Yang , Guo Xiaoru , Chen Junhong
Published: June 2015

Photocatalysts show great potential in environmental remediation and water splitting using either artificial or natural light. Titanium dioxide (TiO2)-based photocatalysts are studied most frequently because they are stable, non-toxic, readily available and highly efficient. However, the relatively wide band gap of TiO2 significantly limits its use under visible light or solar light. We herein report a facile route for controllable synthesis of Ti3+-doped TiO2 with tunable photocatalytic properties using a hydrothermal method with varying amounts of reductant, i.e., sodium borohydride (NaBH4). The resulting TiO2 showed color changes from light yellow, light grey, to dark grey with the increasing amount of NaBH4. The present method can controllably and effectively reduce Ti4+ on the surface of TiO2 and induce partial transformation of anatase TiO2 to rutile TiO2, with the evolution of nanoparticles into hierarchical structures attributable to a high pressure and strong alkali environment in the synthesis atmosphere; in this way, the photocatalytic activity of Ti3+-doped TiO2 under visible-light can be tuned. The as-developed strategy may open up a new avenue for designing and functionalizing TiO2 materials for enhancing visible light absorption, narrowing band gap and improving photocatalytic activity.
Pharmacological Chaperones and Coenzyme Q10 Treatment Improves Mutant β-Glucocerebrosidase Activity and Mitochondrial Function in Neuronopathic Forms of Gaucher Disease
Authors: de la Mata Mario , Cotán David , Oropesa-Ávila Manuel , Garrido-Maraver Juan , Cordero Mario D. , Villanueva Paz Marina , Delgado Pavón Ana , Alcocer-Gómez Elizabet , de Lavera Isabel , Ybot-González Patricia , Paula Zaderenko Ana , Ortiz Mellet Carmen , Fernández José M. García , Sánchez-Alcázar José A.
Published: June 2015

Gaucher disease (GD) is caused by mutations in the GBA1 gene, which encodes lysosomal β-glucocerebrosidase. Homozygosity for the L444P mutation in GBA1 is associated with high risk of neurological manifestations which are not improved by enzyme replacement therapy. Alternatively, pharmacological chaperones (PCs) capable of restoring the correct folding and trafficking of the mutant enzyme represent promising alternative therapies.Here, we report on how the L444P mutation affects mitochondrial function in primary fibroblast derived from GD patients. Mitochondrial dysfunction was associated with reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, increased reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitophagy activation and impaired autophagic flux.Both abnormalities, mitochondrial dysfunction and deficient β-glucocerebrosidase activity, were partially restored by supplementation with coenzyme Q10 (CoQ) or a L-idonojirimycin derivative, N-[N’-(4-adamantan-1-ylcarboxamidobutyl)thiocarbamoyl]-1,6-anhydro-L-idonojirimycin (NAdBT-AIJ) and more markedly by the combination of both treatments. These data suggest that targeting both mitochondria function by CoQ and protein misfolding by PCs can be promising therapies in neurological forms of GD.
On the Formation of Nanobubbles in Vycor Porous Glass during the Desorption of Halogenated Hydrocarbons
Authors: Mitropoulos A. C. , Stefanopoulos K. L. , Favvas E. P. , Vansant E. , Hankins N. P.
Published: June 2015

Vycor porous glass has long served as a model mesoporous material. During the physical adsorption of halogenated hydrocarbon vapours, such as dibromomethane, the adsorption isotherm exhibits an hysteresis loop; a gradual ascent is observed at higher pressures during adsorption and a sharp drop is observed at lower pressures during desorption. For fully wetting fluids, an early hypothesis attributed the hysteresis to mechanistic differences between capillary condensation (adsorption) and evaporation (desorption) processes occurring in the wide bodies and narrow necks, respectively, of ‘ink-bottle’ pores. This was later recognized as oversimplified when the role of network percolation was included. For the first time, we present in-situ small angle x-ray scattering measurements on the hysteresis effect which indicate nanobubble formation during desorption and support an extended picture of network percolation. The desorption pattern can indeed result from network percolation; but this can sometimes be initiated by a local cavitation process without pore blocking, which is preceded by the temporary, heterogeneous formation of nanobubbles involving a change in wetting states. The capacity of the system to sustain such metastable states is governed by the steepness of the desorption boundary.
Mutual Information between Discrete Variables with Many Categories using Recursive Adaptive Partitioning
Authors: Seok Junhee , Seon Kang Yeong
Published: June 2015

Mutual information, a general measure of the relatedness between two random variables, has been actively used in the analysis of biomedical data. The mutual information between two discrete variables is conventionally calculated by their joint probabilities estimated from the frequency of observed samples in each combination of variable categories. However, this conventional approach is no longer efficient for discrete variables with many categories, which can be easily found in large-scale biomedical data such as diagnosis codes, drug compounds and genotypes. Here, we propose a method to provide stable estimations for the mutual information between discrete variables with many categories. Simulation studies showed that the proposed method reduced the estimation errors by 45 folds and improved the correlation coefficients with true values by 99 folds, compared with the conventional calculation of mutual information. The proposed method was also demonstrated through a case study for diagnostic data in electronic health records. This method is expected to be useful in the analysis of various biomedical data with discrete variables.
EGCG regulates the cross-talk between JWA and topoisomerase IIα in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells
Authors: Li Yuan , Shen Xin , Wang Xueming , Li Aiping , Wang Pengqi , Jiang Pan , Zhou Jianwei , Feng Qing
Published: June 2015

(-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is a well-known cancer chemopreventive agent. The potential mechanisms include regulation of multiple molecules. Carcinogenesis in lung cancer is related to the imbalance of tumor suppressor and oncogene. JWA is a structurally novel microtubule-binding protein and is a potential tumor suppressor. DNA topoisomerase IIα is a nuclear enzyme that governs DNA topology and is usually highly expressed in many types of cancer. It serves as a target of anticancer drugs. In the current study, the regulation of JWA and topoisomerase IIα by EGCG and thereafter the mutual interaction between them was investigated. The results revealed that EGCG up-regulated JWA while decreased topoisomerase IIα expression in both human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells and an NSCLC xenograft mice model. There was a negative correlation between JWA and topoisomerase IIα in NSCLC as well as in human NSCLC tissue specimens. Topoisomerase IIα overexpression reduced JWA at the translational level. Meanwhile, JWA-induced topoisomerase IIα degradation was regulated both in the transcriptional and post-translational level. Interestingly, JWA and topoisomerase IIα regulated each other in the cells arrested in G2/M. Furthermore, JWA and topoisomerase IIα synergistically affected NCI-H460 cells invasion. These results may serve a novel mechanism for cancer prevention.
Laser-induced thermoelastic effects can evoke tactile sensations
Authors: Jun Jae-Hoon , Park Jong-Rak , Kim Sung-Phil , Min Bae Young , Park Jang-Yeon , Kim Hyung-Sik , Choi Seungmoon , Jung Sung Jun , Hwa Park Seung , Yeom Dong-Il , Jung Gu-In , Kim Ji-Sun , Chung Soon-Cheol
Published: June 2015

Humans process a plethora of sensory information that is provided by various entities in the surrounding environment. Among the five major senses, technology for touch, haptics, is relatively young and has relatively limited applications largely due to its need for physical contact. In this article, we suggest a new way for non-contact haptic stimulation that uses laser, which has potential advantages such as mid-air stimulation, high spatial precision and long working distance. We demonstrate such tactile stimulation can be enabled by laser-induced thermoelastic effects by means of physical and perceptual studies, as well as simulations. In the physical study, the mechanical effect of laser on a human skin sample is detected using low-power radiation in accordance with safety guidelines. Limited increases (< ~2.5 °C) in temperature at the surface of the skin, examined by both thermal camera and the Monte Carlo simulation, indicate that laser does not evoke heat-induced nociceptive sensation. In the human EEG study, brain responses to both mechanical and laser stimulation are consistent, along with subjective reports of the non-nociceptive sensation of laser stimuli.
Better you lose than I do: neural networks involved in winning and losing in a real time strictly competitive game
Authors: Votinov Mikhail , Pripfl Juergen , Windischberger Christian , Sailer Uta , Lamm Claus
Published: June 2015

Many situations in daily life require competing with others for the same goal. In this case, the joy of winning is tied to the fact that the rival suffers. In this fMRI study participants played a competitive game against another player, in which every trial had opposite consequences for the two players (i.e., if one player won, the other lost, or vice versa). Our main aim was to disentangle brain activation for two different types of winning. Participants could either win a trial in a way that it increased their payoff; or they could win a trial in a way that it incurred a monetary loss to their opponent. Two distinct brain networks were engaged in these two types of winning. Wins with a monetary gain activated the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, an area associated with the processing of rewards. In contrast, avoidance of loss/other-related monetary loss evoked activation in areas related to mentalizing, such as the temporo-parietal junction and precuneus. However, both types of winnings shared activation in the striatum. Our findings extend recent evidence from neuroeconomics by suggesting that we consider our conspecifics’ payoff even when we directly compete with them.
Varied Probability of Staying Collapsed/Extended at the Conformational Equilibrium of Monomeric Aβ40 and Aβ42
Authors: Song Wanling , Wang Yuanyuan , Colletier Jacques-Philippe , Yang Huaiyu , Xu Yechun
Published: June 2015

In present study, we set out to investigate the conformation dynamics of Aβ40 and Aβ42 through exploring the impact of intra-molecular interactions on conformation dynamics using equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations. Our 40 microsecond-scale simulations reveal heterogeneous conformation ensembles of Aβ40 and Aβ42 that encompass ~35% β-strand and ~60% unstructured coils. Two conformational states were identified in both alloforms: a collapsed state (CS) that resembles the structural motif of face-to-face hydrophobic clustering in amyloid fibrils and an extended state (ES) that features the structural characteristics of anti-parallel β-sheets in amyloid oligomers. In Aβ40, the C-terminus remains unstructured and rarely interacts with other parts, thereof the hydrophobic clustering is in loose contact and the peptide assumes ES with high probability. In contrast, the C-terminus of Aβ42 adopts a β-strand structure that strongly interacts with segments E3-R5 and V18-A21. The active association leads to a more compact hydrophobic collapse and refrain the alloform from ES. Based on the structural characterization, we propose that the fibril and oligomer assembly pathways could respectively take off from CS and ES and their aggregation propensity may be governed by the probability of visiting the corresponding conformational states at the equilibrium.
The Tie2-agonist Vasculotide rescues mice from influenza virus infection
Authors: Sugiyama Michael G. , Armstrong Susan M. , Wang Changsen , Hwang David , Leong-Poi Howard , Advani Andrew , Advani Suzanne , Zhang Haibo , Szaszi Katalin , Tabuchi Arata , Kuebler Wolfgang M. , Van Slyke Paul , Dumont Dan J. , Lee Warren L.
Published: June 2015

Seasonal influenza virus infections cause hundreds of thousands of deaths annually while viral mutation raises the threat of a novel pandemic strain. Antiviral drugs exhibit limited efficacy unless administered early and may induce viral resistance. Thus, targeting the host response directly has been proposed as a novel therapeutic strategy with the added potential benefit of not eliciting viral resistance. Severe influenza virus infections are complicated by respiratory failure due to the development of lung microvascular leak and acute lung injury. We hypothesized that enhancing lung endothelial barrier integrity could improve the outcome. Here we demonstrate that the Tie2-agonist tetrameric peptide Vasculotide improves survival in murine models of severe influenza, even if administered as late as 72 hours after infection; the benefit was observed using three strains of the virus and two strains of mice. The effect required Tie2, was independent of viral replication and did not impair lung neutrophil recruitment. Administration of the drug decreased lung edema, arterial hypoxemia and lung endothelial apoptosis; importantly, Vasculotide is inexpensive to produce, is chemically stable and is unrelated to any Tie2 ligands. Thus, Vasculotide may represent a novel and practical therapy for severe infections with influenza.