bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Review of Ice Particle Shapes in Cirrus formed In Situ and in Anvils
Authors: Lawson R. P. , Woods S. , Jensen E. , Erfani E. , Gurganus C. , Gallagher M. , Connolly P. , Whiteway J. , Baran A. J. , May P. , Heymsfield A. , Schmitt C. G. , McFarquhar G. , Um J. , Protat A. , Bailey M. , Lance S. , Muehlbauer A. , Stith J. , Korolev A. , Toon O. B. , Krämer M.
Published: July 2019

Results from 22 airborne field campaigns, including more than 10 million high‐resolution particle images collected in cirrus formed in situ and in convective anvils, are interpreted in terms of particle shapes and their potential impact on radiative transfer. Emphasis is placed on characterizing ice particle shapes in tropical maritime and midlatitude continental anvil cirrus, as well as in cirrus formed in situ in the upper troposphere, and subvisible cirrus in the upper tropical troposphere layer. There is a distinctive difference in cirrus ice particle shapes formed in situ compared to those in anvils that are generated in close proximity to convection. More than half the mass in cirrus formed in situ are rosette shapes (polycrystals and bullet rosettes). Cirrus formed from fresh convective anvils is mostly devoid of rosette‐shaped particles. However, small frozen drops may experience regrowth downwind of an aged anvil in a regime with RHice > ~120% and then grow into rosette shapes. Identifiable particle shapes in tropical maritime anvils that have not been impacted by continental influences typically contain mostly single plate‐like and columnar crystals and aggregates. Midlatitude continental anvils contain single‐rimed particles, more and larger aggregates with riming, and chains of small ice particles when in a highly electrified environment. The particles in subvisible cirrus are < ~100 μm and quasi‐spherical with some plates and rare trigonal shapes. Percentages of particle shapes and power laws relating mean particle area and mass to dimension are provided to improve parameterization of remote retrievals and numerical simulations.
Are the Observed Changes in Heat Extremes Associated With a Half‐Degree Warming Increment Analogues for Future Projections?
Authors: Zhao Siyao , Zhou Tianjun
Published: July 2019

Projecting climate impacts of a half‐degree warming increment is of high priority on post Paris Agreement science agendas. As the real world has already witnessed a 0.5°C global mean surface temperature warming increment, the observed climate changes associated with the half‐degree warming may be analogues for future projections. This hypothesis is examined by comparing the heat extreme changes in China derived from the observational records to projections of the Community Earth System Model (CESM) low‐warming experiment, which is the first short‐term stabilized simulation dedicated for the 1.5 and 2°C warming targets. The results of the CESM historical simulations are also evaluated. From the perspective of spatially aggregated, the heat extreme changes in China under the historical 0.5°C warming are detectable in observations. The nighttime extremes manifest more significant increase than daytime extremes. Heat extreme changes under the past half‐degree warming increment are reasonably captured in the historical simulations with slightly weaker magnitudes. The changes in the intensity indices in observations are better reproduced by the historical simulations than the frequency and duration indices. For the heat extreme changes in the future 0.5°C warming, the observational records can serve as conservative analogues in daytime extremes, while the nighttime extreme indices show comparable or weaker changes. The future reduction of anthropogenic aerosol emissions will amplify the increase of heat extremes in comparison to present day especially during daytime in China. Given the possibly intensified extremes associated with future aerosol reductions, more attention should be paid to the currently heavy polluted regions.
One Step Closer to a Milestone in Climate Modeling
Authors: Shultz David
Published: July 2019

A pair of revisions to the Energy Exascale Earth System Model improves its ability to capture late afternoon and nocturnal rainfall as well as the timing and movement of convection.
Alexander R. “Mac” McBirney (1924–2019)
Authors: Johnston Dana , Geist Dennis , Morse Tony , Sparks R.
Published: July 2019

This former West Point graduate and coffee grower transformed igneous petrology and volcanology.
House Committee Calls for Zero Greenhouse Gas Pollution by 2050
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: July 2019

Democrats on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce plan to introduce comprehensive legislation later this year to deal with climate change.
Interactions Between Nonlinear Internal Ocean Waves and the Atmosphere
Authors: Ortiz‐Suslow David G. , Wang Qing , Kalogiros John , Yamaguchi Ryan , de Paolo Tony , Terrill Eric , Shearman R. Kipp , Welch Pat , Savelyev Ivan
Published: July 2019

The heterogeneity in surface roughness caused by transient, nonlinear internal ocean waves is readily observed in coastal waters. However, the quantifiable impact this heterogeneity has on the marine atmospheric surface layer has not been documented. A comprehensive data set collected from a unique ocean platform provided a novel opportunity to investigate the interaction between this internal ocean process and the atmosphere. Relative to the background atmospheric flow, the presence of internal waves drove wind velocity and stress variance. Furthermore, it is shown that the wind gradient adjusts across individual wave fronts, setting up localized shear that enhanced the air‐sea momentum flux over the internal wave packet. This process was largely mechanical, though secondary impacts on the bulk humidity variance and gradient were observed. This study provides the first quantitative analysis of this phenomenon and provides insights into submesoscale air‐sea interactions over a transient, internal ocean feature.
Comment on “The Dominant Role of Energetic Ions in Solar Wind Interaction With the Moon” by Omidi et al.
Authors: Poppe A. R.
Published: July 2019

Omidi et al. (2019) recently published a case study analysis of the lunar wake crossing by the ARTEMIS P2 spacecraft that occurred on 24 June 2015 by comparing P2 observations of plasma and magnetic fields in the lunar wake with a hybrid plasma model using upstream plasma conditions measured by ARTEMIS P1. As presented in Omidi et al., the ARTEMIS P2 ion moments during the lunar wake crossing show anomalously high temperatures and low velocities. This is due to both the lack of subtraction of background counts from penetrating radiation and the application of moment analysis during times when no ion flux was observed by ARTEMIS P2. Additionally, the hybrid results show large discrepancies with the ARTEMIS data, from which Omidi et al. concluded that an additional smaller population of suprathermal ions was required to accurately reproduce the ARTEMIS observations. This conclusion is at odds with previous investigations and, thus, deserves further study. Here we have used the Amitis hybrid plasma model to simulate the lunar wake with upstream plasma conditions determined from the ARTEMIS P1 reference observations, identical to those used in the Omidi et al. “Run‐0” hybrid model. We found that the Amitis hybrid model can successfully reproduce the structure of the lunar wake and the ARTEMIS P2 observations with good fidelity, without the inclusion of any additional high energy ion populations. We therefore conclude that energetic ions do not dominate the structure and behavior of the lunar wake, in contrast to the conclusions of Omidi et al.
Medium‐Term Forecasting of Loop Current Eddy Cameron and Eddy Darwin Formation in the Gulf of Mexico With a Divide‐and‐Conquer Machine Learning Approach
Authors: Wang Justin L. , Zhuang Hanqi , Chérubin Laurent M. , Ibrahim Ali K. , Muhamed Ali Ali
Published: July 2019

The Loop Current (LC) is the dominant circulation system in the Gulf of Mexico. A long‐term prediction of the LC system (LCS) behavior is critical for understanding the Gulf of Mexico oceanography and ecosystem, and for mitigating outcomes of anthropogenic and natural disasters. In early 2018, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine posed a challenge to the research community to develop systems that can forecast the movement of the LCS over longer periods of time than the current state of art. In this paper, a Recurrent Neural Network, the Long Short‐Term Memory (LSTM) network, is applied to predict the LC evolution and the LC ring formation. The LSTM model is trained to learn patterns hidden in sea surface height (SSH) time series. To reduce the memory demand owing to the use of high spatial resolution SSH data set, the region of interest is partitioned into nonoverlapping subregions. After partitioning, an LSTM network is trained to predict the SSH in each subregion. A smoothing function is then applied to reduce discontinuities of the SSH predictions across the partition boundaries, hence error propagation. It is shown that such a machine learning model is capable of predicting the LCS SSH evolution 9 weeks in advance within 40 km in terms of the LCS frontal distance errors. Furthermore, it is shown that the model predicted the timing and general location of eddy Darwin's shedding event 12 weeks in advance, and eddy Cameron's detachment and reattachment 8 weeks in advance.
Accelerating an Adaptive Mesh Refinement Code for Depth‐Averaged Flows Using GPUs
Authors: Qin Xinsheng , LeVeque Randall J. , Motley Michael R.
Published: July 2019

Solving the shallow water equations efficiently is critical to the study of natural hazards induced by tsunami and storm surge, since it provides more response time in an early warning system and allows more runs to be done for probabilistic assessment where thousands of runs may be required. Using adaptive mesh refinement speeds up the process by greatly reducing computational demands while accelerating the code using the graphics processing unit (GPU) does so through using faster hardware. Combining both, we present an efficient CUDA implementation of GeoClaw, an open source Godunov‐type high‐resolution finite volume numerical scheme on adaptive grids for shallow water system with varying topography. The use of adaptive mesh refinement and spherical coordinates allows modeling transoceanic tsunami simulation. Numerical experiments on the 2011 Japan tsunami and a local tsunami triggered by a hypothetical Mw 7.3 earthquake on the Seattle Fault illustrate the correctness and efficiency of the code, which implements a simplified dimensionally split version of the algorithms. Both numerical simulations are conducted on subregions on a sphere with adaptive grids that adequately resolve the propagating waves. The implementation is shown to be accurate and faster than the original when using Central Processing Units (CPUs) alone. The GPU implementation, when running on a single GPU, is observed to be 3.6 to 6.4 times faster than the original model running in parallel on a 16‐core CPU. Three metrics are proposed to evaluate relative performance of the model, which shows efficient usage of hardware resources.
Glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper “quantifies” stressors and increases male susceptibility to PTSD
Authors: Lebow Maya A. , Schroeder Mariana , Tsoory Michael , Holzman-Karniel Dorin , Mehta Divya , Ben-Dor Shifra , Gil Shosh , Bradley Bekh , Smith Alicia K. , Jovanovic Tanja , Ressler Kerry J. , Binder Elisabeth B. , Chen Alon
Published: July 2019

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) selectively develops in some individuals exposed to a traumatic event. Genetic and epigenetic changes in glucocorticoid pathway sensitivity may be essential for understanding individual susceptibility to PTSD. This study focuses on PTSD markers in the glucocorticoid pathway, spotlighting glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper (GILZ), a transcription factor encoded by the gene Tsc22d3 on the X chromosome. We propose that GILZ uniquely “quantifies” exposure to stressors experienced from late gestation to adulthood and that low levels of GILZ predispose individuals to PTSD in males only. GILZ mRNA and methylation were measured in 396 male and female human blood samples from the Grady Trauma Project cohort (exposed to multiple traumatic events). In mice, changes in glucocorticoid pathway genes were assessed following exposure to stressors at distinct time points: (i) CRF-induced prenatal stress (CRF-inducedPNS) with, or without, additional exposure to (ii) PTSD induction protocol in adulthood, which induces PTSD-like behaviors in a subset of mice. In humans, the number of traumatic events correlated negatively with GILZ mRNA levels and positively with % methylation of GILZ in males only. In male mice, we observed a threefold increase in the number of offspring exhibiting PTSD-like behaviors in those exposed to both CRF-inducedPNS and PTSD induction. This susceptibility was associated with reduced GILZ mRNA levels and epigenetic changes, not found in females. Furthermore, virus-mediated shRNA knockdown of amygdalar GILZ increased susceptibility to PTSD. Mouse and human data confirm that dramatic alterations in GILZ occur in those exposed to a stressor in early life, adulthood or both. Therefore, GILZ levels may help identify at-risk populations for PTSD prior to additional traumatic exposures.
Menthol-modified BSA nanoparticles for glioma targeting therapy using an energy restriction strategy
Authors: Liang Jianming , Zhu Ying , Gao Caifang , Ling Chengli , Qin Jing , Wang Qi , Huang Yongzhuo , Lu Weigen , Wang Jianxin
Published: July 2019

Current chemotherapeutics for glioma are not sufficiently effective due to their low tolerance and poor blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability. Energy restriction based on co-delivery of albendazole (Abz) and nano-silver has been proven to suppress tumor growth without adverse effects. Accordingly, menthol was conjugated to BSA (MeB) to overcome the BBB-permeability issue. In this study, Abz-loaded MeB-silver nanoparticles (MBS-Abz) were developed by self-assembly of MeB, albendazole and nano silver for glioma targeting therapy. The nanoparticle entered the brain across the BBB and specifically accumulated in the glioma region. MeB delivered the nanoparticles across the brain capillary endothelial cell monolayer by promoting internalization and BBB disruption. MBS-Abz hindered ATP generation via the inhibition of glycolytic and mitochondrial pathways both in vitro and in vivo. The anti-glioma mechanisms of energy restriction were related to the cytotoxicity, proliferation inhibition, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis induced by ATP exhaustion, and the effects of MBS-Abz were significantly better than those induced by monotherapy nanoparticles or unmodified nanoparticles. These results demonstrated that by combining the energy restriction effect of albendazole and nano silver, as well as the BBB penetration ability of menthol, MBS-Abz achieves superior anti-glioma efficacy and can be an effective strategy for glioma therapy.
The impact of vacancies on the stability of cubic phases in Sb–Te binary compounds
Authors: Chen Xin , Liu Xianqiang , Cheng Yan , Song Zhitang
Published: July 2019

Data retention ability and number of cycles are key properties of phase change materials in applications. Combining in situ heating transmission electron microscopy with ab initial calculations, we investigated the phase transitions of binary Sb–Te compounds. The calculations indicated that the vacancies in Te sites destroyed the framework of the cubic phase, which agrees well with the absence of cubic phases observed during in situ heating experiments when the Sb concentration exceeded 50%. In contrast, the vacancies in Sb sites stabilized the cubic structure. Further analysis of the charge density maps revealed that the distribution of antibonding electrons may be the origin of the driving force for structural transitions. Furthermore, our results also showed that reducing the vacancies greatly increased the phase transition temperatures of both the amorphous-cubic and cubic-trigonal phases and therefore may improve the data retention ability and cyclability of phase change materials. This result also implies that doping Sb–Te compounds may provide an approach to discover novel phase change materials by reducing the amount of vacancies.
Three-dimensional character of the deformation twin in magnesium
Authors: Liu Y. , Tang P. Z. , Gong M. Y. , McCabe R. J. , Wang J. , Tomé C. N.
Published: July 2019

Deformation twins are three-dimensional domains, traditionally viewed as ellipsoids because of their two-dimensional lenticular sections. In this work, we performed statistical analysis of twin shapes viewing along three orthogonal directions: the ‘dark side’ (DS) view along the twin shear direction (η1), the twinning plane normal (TPN) view (k1) and the ‘bright side’ (BS) view along the direction λ(=k1 × η1). Our electron back-scatter diffraction results show that twins in the DS and BS views normally exhibit a lenticular shape, whereas they show an irregular shape in the TPN view. Moreover, the findings in the TPN view revealed that twins grow faster along λ the lateral direction than along η1 the forward propagation direction at the initial stages of twin growth. These twin sections are irregular, indicating that growth is locally controlled and the overall shape is not perfectly ellipsoidal. We explain these findings using atomistic models, and ascribe them to differences in the mobility of the edge and screw components of the twinning dislocations.
Artificial morphogen-mediated differentiation in synthetic protocells
Authors: Tian Liangfei , Li Mei , Patil Avinash J. , Drinkwater Bruce W. , Mann Stephen
Published: July 2019

The design and assembly of artificial protocell consortia displaying dynamical behaviours and systems-based properties are emerging challenges in bottom-up synthetic biology. Cellular processes such as morphogenesis and differentiation rely in part on reaction-diffusion gradients, and the ability to mimic rudimentary aspects of these non-equilibrium processes in communities of artificial cells could provide a step to life-like systems capable of complex spatiotemporal transformations. Here we expose acoustically formed arrays of initially identical coacervate micro-droplets to uni-directional or counter-directional reaction-diffusion gradients of artificial morphogens to induce morphological differentiation and spatial patterning in single populations of model protocells. Dynamic reconfiguration of the droplets in the morphogen gradients produces a diversity of membrane-bounded vesicles that are spontaneously segregated into multimodal populations with differentiated enzyme activities. Our results highlight the opportunities for constructing protocell arrays with graded structure and functionality and provide a step towards the development of artificial cell platforms capable of multiple operations.
MerMAIDs: a family of metagenomically discovered marine anion-conducting and intensely desensitizing channelrhodopsins
Authors: Oppermann Johannes , Fischer Paul , Silapetere Arita , Liepe Bernhard , Rodriguez-Rozada Silvia , Flores-Uribe José , Schiewer Enrico , Keidel Anke , Vierock Johannes , Kaufmann Joel , Broser Matthias , Luck Meike , Bartl Franz , Hildebrandt Peter , Wiegert J. Simon , Béjà Oded , Hegemann Peter , Wietek Jonas
Published: July 2019

Channelrhodopsins (ChRs) are algal light-gated ion channels widely used as optogenetic tools for manipulating neuronal activity. ChRs desensitize under continuous bright-light illumination, resulting in a significant decline of photocurrents. Here we describe a metagenomically identified family of phylogenetically distinct anion-conducting ChRs (designated MerMAIDs). MerMAIDs almost completely desensitize during continuous illumination due to accumulation of a late non-conducting photointermediate that disrupts the ion permeation pathway. MerMAID desensitization can be fully explained by a single photocycle in which a long-lived desensitized state follows the short-lived conducting state. A conserved cysteine is the critical factor in desensitization, as its mutation results in recovery of large stationary photocurrents. The rapid desensitization of MerMAIDs enables their use as optogenetic silencers for transient suppression of individual action potentials without affecting subsequent spiking during continuous illumination. Our results could facilitate the development of optogenetic tools from metagenomic databases and enhance general understanding of ChR function.
Inverse-designed diamond photonics
Authors: Dory Constantin , Vercruysse Dries , Yang Ki Youl , Sapra Neil V. , Rugar Alison E. , Sun Shuo , Lukin Daniil M. , Piggott Alexander Y. , Zhang Jingyuan L. , Radulaski Marina , Lagoudakis Konstantinos G. , Su Logan , Vučković Jelena
Published: July 2019

Diamond hosts optically active color centers with great promise in quantum computation, networking, and sensing. Realization of such applications is contingent upon the integration of color centers into photonic circuits. However, current diamond quantum optics experiments are restricted to single devices and few quantum emitters because fabrication constraints limit device functionalities, thus precluding color center integrated photonic circuits. In this work, we utilize inverse design methods to overcome constraints of cutting-edge diamond nanofabrication methods and fabricate compact and robust diamond devices with unique specifications. Our design method leverages advanced optimization techniques to search the full parameter space for fabricable device designs. We experimentally demonstrate inverse-designed photonic free-space interfaces as well as their scalable integration with two vastly different devices: classical photonic crystal cavities and inverse-designed waveguide-splitters. The multi-device integration capability and performance of our inverse-designed diamond platform represents a critical advancement toward integrated diamond quantum optical circuits.
A spatial database of health facilities managed by the public health sector in sub Saharan Africa
Authors: Maina Joseph , Ouma Paul O. , Macharia Peter M. , Alegana Victor A. , Mitto Benard , Fall Ibrahima Socé , Noor Abdisalan M. , Snow Robert W. , Okiro Emelda A.
Published: July 2019

Health facilities form a central component of health systems, providing curative and preventative services and structured to allow referral through a pyramid of increasingly complex service provision. Access to health care is a complex and multidimensional concept, however, in its most narrow sense, it refers to geographic availability. Linking health facilities to populations has been a traditional per capita index of heath care coverage, however, with locations of health facilities and higher resolution population data, Geographic Information Systems allow for a more refined metric of health access, define geographic inequalities in service provision and inform planning. Maximizing the value of spatial heath access requires a complete census of providers and their locations. To-date there has not been a single, geo-referenced and comprehensive public health facility database for sub-Saharan Africa. We have assembled national master health facility lists from a variety of government and non-government sources from 50 countries and islands in sub Saharan Africa and used multiple geocoding methods to provide a comprehensive spatial inventory of 98,745 public health facilities.
Reversible, Electric-Field Induced Magneto-Ionic Control of Magnetism in Mesoporous Cobalt Ferrite Thin Films
Authors: Robbennolt Shauna , Menéndez Enric , Quintana Alberto , Gómez Andrés , Auffret Stéphane , Baltz Vincent , Pellicer Eva , Sort Jordi
Published: July 2019

The magnetic properties of mesoporous cobalt ferrite films can be largely tuned by the application of an electric field using a liquid dielectric electrolyte. By applying a negative voltage, the cobalt ferrite becomes reduced, leading to an increase in saturation magnetization of 15% (MS) and reduction in coercivity (HC) between 5–28%, depending on the voltage applied (−10 V to −50 V). These changes are mainly non-volatile so after removal of −10 V MS remains 12% higher (and HC 5% smaller) than the pristine sample. All changes can then be reversed with a positive voltage to recover the initial properties even after the application of −50 V. Similar studies were done on analogous films without induced porosity and the effects were much smaller, underscoring the importance of nanoporosity in our system. The different mechanisms possibly responsible for the observed effects are discussed and we conclude that our observations are compatible with voltage-driven oxygen migration (i.e., the magneto-ionic effect).
Focused very high-energy electron beams as a novel radiotherapy modality for producing high-dose volumetric elements
Authors: Kokurewicz K. , Brunetti E. , Welsh G. H. , Wiggins S. M. , Boyd M. , Sorensen A. , Chalmers A. J. , Schettino G. , Subiel A. , DesRosiers C. , Jaroszynski D. A.
Published: July 2019

The increased inertia of very high-energy electrons (VHEEs) due to relativistic effects reduces scattering and enables irradiation of deep-seated tumours. However, entrance and exit doses are high for collimated or diverging beams. Here, we perform a study based on Monte Carlo simulations of focused VHEE beams in a water phantom, showing that dose can be concentrated into a small, well-defined volumetric element, which can be shaped or scanned to treat deep-seated tumours. The dose to surrounding tissue is distributed over a larger volume, which reduces peak surface and exit doses for a single beam by more than one order of magnitude compared with a collimated beam.
Rotavirus Calcium Dysregulation Manifests as Dynamic Calcium Signaling in the Cytoplasm and Endoplasmic Reticulum
Authors: Chang-Graham Alexandra L. , Perry Jacob L. , Strtak Alicia C. , Ramachandran Nina K. , Criglar Jeanette M. , Philip Asha A. , Patton John T. , Estes Mary K. , Hyser Joseph M.
Published: July 2019

Like many viruses, rotavirus (RV) dysregulates calcium homeostasis by elevating cytosolic calcium ([Ca2+]cyt) and decreasing endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stores. While an overall, monophasic increase in [Ca2+]cyt during RV infection has been shown, the nature of the RV-induced aberrant calcium signals and how they manifest over time at the single-cell level have not been characterized. Thus, we generated cell lines and human intestinal enteroids (HIEs) stably expressing cytosolic and/or ER-targeted genetically-encoded calcium indicators to characterize calcium signaling throughout RV infection by time-lapse imaging. We found that RV induces highly dynamic [Ca2+]cyt signaling that manifest as hundreds of discrete [Ca2+]cyt spikes, which increase during peak infection. Knockdown of nonstructural protein 4 (NSP4) attenuates the [Ca2+]cyt spikes, consistent with its role in dysregulating calcium homeostasis. RV-induced [Ca2+]cyt spikes were primarily from ER calcium release and were attenuated by inhibiting the store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) channel Orai1. RV-infected HIEs also exhibited prominent [Ca2+]cyt spikes that were attenuated by inhibiting SOCE, underlining the relevance of these [Ca2+]cyt spikes to gastrointestinal physiology and role of SOCE in RV pathophysiology. Thus, our discovery that RV increases [Ca2+]cyt by dynamic calcium signaling, establishes a new, paradigm-shifting understanding of the spatial and temporal complexity of virus-induced calcium signaling.
Septins organize endoplasmic reticulum-plasma membrane junctions for STIM1-ORAI1 calcium signalling
Authors: Katz Zachary B. , Zhang Chen , Quintana Ariel , Lillemeier Björn F. , Hogan Patrick G.
Published: July 2019

ORAI1 Ca2+ channels in the plasma membrane (PM) are gated by STIM1 at endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-PM junctions to effect store-dependent Ca2+ entry into cells, but little is known about how local STIM-ORAI signalling at junctions is coordinated with overall cellular architecture. Filamentous septins can specify cytoskeletal rearrangements and have been found recently to modulate STIM-ORAI signalling. Here we show by super-resolution imaging of ORAI1, STIM1, and septin 4 in living cells that septins facilitate Ca2+ signalling indirectly. Septin 4 does not colocalize preferentially with ORAI1 in resting or stimulated cells, assemble stably at ER-PM junctions, or specify a boundary that directs or confines ORAI1 to junctions. Rather, ORAI1 is recruited to junctions solely through interaction with STIM proteins, while septins regulate the number of ER-PM junctions and enhance STIM1-ORAI1 interactions within junctions. Thus septins communicate with STIM1 and ORAI1 through protein or lipid intermediaries, and are favorably positioned to coordinate Ca2+ signalling with rearrangements in cellular architecture.
Field-Dependent Heat Dissipation of Carbon Nanotube Electric Currents
Authors: Voskanian Norvik , Olsson Eva , Cumings John
Published: July 2019

We study heat dissipation of a multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) device fabricated from two crossed nanotubes on a SiNx substrate under the influence of a constant (DC) electric bias. By monitoring the temperature of the substrate, we observe negligible Joule heating within the nanotube lattice itself and instead heating occurs in the insulating substrate directly via a remote-scattering heating effect. Using finite element analysis, we estimate a remote heating parameter, β, as the ratio of the power dissipated directly in the substrate to the total power applied. The extracted parameters show two distinct bias ranges; a low bias regime where about 85% of the power is dissipated directly into the substrate and a high bias regime where β decreases, indicating the onset of traditional Joule heating within the nanotube. Analysis shows that this reduction is consistent with enhanced scattering of charge carriers by optical phonons within the nanotube. The results provide insights into heat dissipation mechanisms of Joule heated nanotube devices that are more complex than a simple heat dissipation mechanism dominated by acoustic phonons, which opens new possibilities for engineering nanoelectronics with improved thermal management.
Genetic mutations in NF-κB pathway genes were associated with the protection from hepatitis C virus infection among Chinese Han population
Authors: Yue Ming , Tian Ting , Wang Chunhui , Fan Haozhi , Wu Jingjing , Wang Jinke , Li Jun , Xia Xueshan , Zhang Amei , Yu Rongbin , Zhang Yun , Huang Peng
Published: July 2019

Host genetic polymorphism is one of major unalterable major factors for HCV infection. NF-κB proteins play multiple roles in immune response and involve in HCV infection and progression. This study was conducted to explore the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in NF-κB pathway and the susceptibility as well as resolution of HCV infection. A total of 1642 Chinese subjects were enrolled in the study, including 963 uninfected control cases, 231 cases with spontaneous viral clearance and 448 cases with persistent HCV infection, and four SNPs (Rel rs842647, NF-κB2 rs12769316, RelA rs7101916, RelB rs28372683) were genotyped by TaqMan assay among them. Potentially functional polymorphisms were analyzed using online bioinformatics tools. The logistic analyses results indicated that RelA rs7101916 T allele (PBonferroni = 0.016) and RelB rs28372683 A allele (PBonferroni = 4.8e-5) were associated with an decreased risk of the susceptibility to HCV infection among Chinese Han population, which were consistent with the results of cumulative effects and haplotype analysis. The silico analysis of SNPs function suggested that the genetic variation of rs7101916 and rs28372683 could influence gene transcriptional regulation and expression, subsequently affecting NF-κB pathway activation and the susceptibility to HCV infection. This study firstly reported that the carriage of RelA rs7101916 T or RelB rs28372683 A was the potential protective factor against HCV infection among the Chinese population.
Mantle fluids associated with crustal-scale faulting in a continental subduction setting, Taiwan
Authors: Chen Ai-Ti , Shen Chuan-Chou , Byrne Timothy B. , Sano Yuji , Takahata Naoto , Yang Tsanyao Frank , Wang Yunshuen
Published: July 2019

We report noble gas signatures of groundwater, hot springs, and bedrock samples from a major fault system that separates regional-scale blocks of accreted, continental materials in southern Taiwan. Despite the continental setting, the isotopic signatures argue for the presence of mantle derived fluids, suggesting that the active fault system is deep-seated. This is consistent with deep, non-volcanic tremors identified in the same area. We speculate that the mantle fluids are escaping along a crustal-scale fault marked by clusters of non-volcanic tremors directly beneath the southern Central Range. The evidence of these tremors and electrical conductivity anomalies along the strike of the fault recognized previously correlated up dip with the surface trace of a major active fault support the hypothesis.
The effect of high pressure on the NMDA receptor: molecular dynamics simulations
Authors: Bliznyuk Alice , Grossman Yoram , Moskovitz Yevgeny
Published: July 2019

Professional divers exposed to ambient pressures above 11 bar develop the high pressure neurological syndrome (HPNS), manifesting as central nervous system (CNS) hyperexcitability, motor disturbances, sensory impairment, and cognitive deficits. The glutamate-type N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) has been implicated in the CNS hyperexcitability of HPNS. NMDARs containing different subunits exhibited varying degrees of increased/decreased current at high pressure. The mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain unclear. We performed 100 ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the NMDAR structure embedded in a dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) lipid bilayer solvated in water at 1 bar, hydrostatic 25 bar, and in helium at 25 bar. MD simulations showed that in contrast to hydrostatic pressure, high pressure helium causes substantial distortion of the DOPC membrane due to its accumulation between the two monolayers: reduction of the Sn-1 and Sn-2 DOPC chains and helium-dependent dehydration of the NMDAR pore. Further analysis of important regions of the NMDAR protein such as pore surface (M2 α-helix), Mg2+ binding site, and TMD-M4 α-helix revealed significant effects of helium. In contrast with previous models, these and our earlier results suggest that high pressure helium, not hydrostatic pressure per se, alters the receptor tertiary structure via protein-lipid interactions. Helium in divers’ breathing mixtures may partially contribute to HPNS symptoms.
3D β-Ni(OH)2 nanowires/RGO composite prepared by phase transformation method for superior electrochemical performance
Authors: He Wenxiu , Li Xingsheng , An Shengli , Li Tongjun , Zhang Yongqiang , Cui Jinlong
Published: July 2019

In order to improve the capacity and rate performance of nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) batteries, we proposed a simple phase transformation method to synthesis 3D β-nickel hydroxide nanowires/reduced graphene oxide (β-Ni(OH)2 NWs/RGO) composite. β-Ni(OH)2 nanowires with diameters of 20–30 nm and lengths up to several micrometers were decorated on RGO layers, forming 3D network structure. The 3D β-Ni(OH)2 NWs/RGO composite displayed a discharge capacity of 343.2 mAh/g at 0.2C, and the capacity values has almost no loss after 100th cycles. When the discharge rate was at 5C, the capacity reached a value of 272.7 mAh/g, and its capacity retention was 79.5%. It showed good capacity and rate performance as a positive material for Ni-MH batteries.
Synergy of therapeutic heterologous prime-boost hepatitis B vaccination with CpG-application to improve immune control of persistent HBV infection
Authors: Kosinska Anna D. , Moeed Abdul , Kallin Nina , Festag Julia , Su Jinpeng , Steiger Katja , Michel Marie-Louise , Protzer Ulrike , Knolle Percy A.
Published: July 2019

Therapeutic vaccination against chronic hepatitis B must overcome high viral antigen load and local regulatory mechanisms that promote immune-tolerance in the liver and curtail hepatitis B virus (HBV)-specific CD8 T cell immunity. Here, we report that therapeutic heterologous HBcore-protein-prime/Modified-Vaccinia-Virus-Ankara (MVA-HBcore) boost vaccination followed by CpG-application augmented vaccine-induced HBcAg-specific CD8 T cell-function in the liver. In HBV-transgenic as well as AAV-HBV-transduced mice with persistent high-level HBV-replication, the combination of therapeutic vaccination with subsequent CpG-application was synergistic to generate more potent HBV-specific CD8 T cell immunity that improved control of hepatocytes replicating HBV.
White LED Light Exposure Inhibits the Development and Xanthophore Pigmentation of Zebrafish Embryo
Authors: Üstündağ Ünsal Veli , Çalıskan-Ak E. , Ateş Perihan Seda , Ünal İsmail , Eğilmezer Gizem , Yiğitbaşı Türkan , Ata Alturfan A. , Emekli-Alturfan Ebru
Published: July 2019

Circadian rhythm in all living organisms is disturbed continuously by artificial light sources and artificial lighting has become a hazard for public health. Circadian rhythm of melatonin maintains high levels of melatonin during the night and low levels during the day. N-acetyltransferase (arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase, AANAT) is one of the four enzymes required for melatonin synthesis and mtnr1ba is a melatonin receptor-encoding mRNA that is expressed widely in the embryonic brain. Pax7 has important roles during neural crest development and especially xanthophore pigmentation. Due to its diurnal nature, zebrafish provide a special opportunity for research on circadian rhythms that are regulated by melatonin. Here in this study, we showed that when compared with the white light control group, white LED light exposure resulted in loss of yellow pigmentation, decreased body length and locomotor activity, oxidant-antioxidant imbalance and decreased expressions of aanat2, mtnr1ba, and pax7 in zebrafish embryos. Histological analysis of this group revealed disorganization of the spaces among photoreceptor cells, decreased total retinal thickness and photoreceptor cell layer thickness compared with the control group. Artificial lighting pollution has the potential to become an important risk factor for different diseases including cancer especially for industrialized countries, therefore, more studies should be performed and necessary regulations should be made regarding this risk factor.
Lower levels of α-Klotho in serum are associated with decreased lung function in individuals with interstitial lung abnormalities
Authors: Buendia-Roldan Ivette , Machuca Nancy , Mejía Mayra , Maldonado Mariel , Pardo Annie , Selman Moises
Published: July 2019

Interstitial lung abnormalities (ILA) represent aging-associated bilateral interstitial abnormalities in nondependent areas of the lung. However, the aging mechanisms associated with ILA remain uncertain. α-Klotho is an anti-aging molecule that decreases progressively with age, and abnormally low circulating levels of this protein have been revealed in several chronic-degenerative diseases. In this study, we evaluated α-Klotho serum concentrations in individuals with ILA, and examined whether its levels were associated with pulmonary function decline. α-Klotho was measured by ELISA in 50 respiratory asymptomatic adults with ILA and 150 healthy individuals over 60 years. Compared with controls, ILA subjects were predominantly older males, and showed lower lung diffusing capacity (DLCO), higher desaturation after exercise, and higher concentrations of serum matrix metalloprotease-7 (6.24 ± 4.1 versus 4.3 ± 1.7 ng/ml; p = 0.002). No differences were found in serum concentrations of α-Klotho. However, lower levels of this protein in ILA significantly correlated with lower values of forced vital capacity (Rho = 0.39; p = 0.005), forced expiratory volume in one second (Rho = 0.39; p = 0.005), and DLCO (Rho = 0.29, p = 0.04). These findings suggest that decreased concentrations of α-Klotho may be a predictive biomarker of accelerated decline of lung function in individuals with ILA.
Pharmacological Profiling of Purified Human Stem Cell-Derived and Primary Mouse Motor Neurons
Authors: Moakley Daniel , Koh Joan , Pereira Joao D. , DuBreuil Daniel M. , Devlin Anna-Claire , Berezovski Eugene , Zhu Kevin , Wainger Brian J.
Published: July 2019

Directed differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) has enabled the generation of specific neuronal subtypes that approximate the intended primary mammalian cells on both the RNA and protein levels. These cells offer unique opportunities, including insights into mechanistic understanding of the early driving events in neurodegenerative disease, replacement of degenerating cell populations, and compound identification and evaluation in the context of precision medicine. However, whether the derived neurons indeed recapitulate the physiological features of the desired bona fide neuronal subgroups remains an unanswered question and one important for validating stem cell models as accurate functional representations of the primary cell types. Here, we purified both hPSC-derived and primary mouse spinal motor neurons in parallel and used extracellular multi-electrode array (MEA) recording to compare the pharmacological sensitivity of neuronal excitability and network function. We observed similar effects for most receptor and channel agonists and antagonists, supporting the consistency between human PSC-derived and mouse primary spinal motor neuron models from a physiological perspective.
Structural Entropy: Monitoring Correlation-Based Networks Over Time With Application To Financial Markets
Authors: Almog Assaf , Shmueli Erez
Published: July 2019

The concept of “Structural Diversity” of a network refers to the level of dissimilarity between the various agents acting in the system, and it is typically interpreted as the number of connected components in the network. This key property of networks has been studied in multiple settings, including diffusion of ideas in social networks and functional diversity of regions in brain networks. Here, we propose a new measure, “Structural Entropy”, as a revised interpretation to “Structural Diversity”. The proposed measure relies on the finer-grained network communities (in contrast to the network’s connected components), and takes into consideration both the number of communities and their sizes, generating a single representative value. We then propose an approach for monitoring the structure of correlation-based networks over time, which relies on the newly suggested measure. Finally, we illustrate the usefulness of the new approach, by applying it to the particular case of emergent organization of financial markets. This provides us a way to explore their underlying structural changes, revealing a remarkably high linear correlation between the new measure and the volatility of the assets’ prices over time.
A low-cost hyperspectral scanner for natural imaging and the study of animal colour vision above and under water
Authors: Nevala N. E. , Baden T.
Published: July 2019

Hyperspectral imaging is a widely used technology for industrial and scientific purposes, but the high cost and large size of commercial setups have made them impractical for most basic research. Here, we designed and implemented a fully open source and low-cost hyperspectral scanner based on a commercial spectrometer coupled to custom optical, mechanical and electronic components. We demonstrate our scanner’s utility for natural imaging in both terrestrial and underwater environments. Our design provides sub-nm spectral resolution between 350–950 nm, including the UV part of the light spectrum which has been mostly absent from commercial solutions and previous natural imaging studies. By comparing the full light spectra from natural scenes to the spectral sensitivity of animals, we show how our system can be used to identify subtle variations in chromatic details detectable by different species. In addition, we have created an open access database for hyperspectral datasets collected from natural scenes in the UK and India. Together with comprehensive online build- and use-instructions, our setup provides an inexpensive and customisable solution to gather and share hyperspectral imaging data.
Efficacy of Type 2 PRRSV vaccine against challenge with the Chinese lineage 1 (NADC30-like) PRRSVs in pigs
Authors: Wei Chunhua , Dai Ailing , Fan Jialin , Li Yan , Chen Anni , Zhou Xia , Luo Manlin , Yang Xiaoyan , Liu Jiankui
Published: July 2019

The objective of the present study was to determine the cross-protection of Ingelvac PRRS MLV against challenge with the new lineage 1 PRRSV emerged in China in pigs. Two lineage 1 PRRSV strains (FJZ03 and FJWQ16 originated from recombination event between NADC30 and JXA1-like strain). We found that pigs vaccinated with the vaccine were protected against challenge with the FJZ03 as shown by fewer days of clinical fever, reduced lung pathology scores, lower PRRS virus load in the blood and developed broadly neutralizing antibodies with high titers to FJZ03. In contrast, vaccine provided limited protection against challenge with FJWQ16 with higher fever, lower antibody titers, lower neutralizing antibodies and higher viral loads in blood. These results demonstrate PRRSV-MLV provides incomplete protection against new lineage 1 PRRSVs.
Juvenile Hormone receptor Met is essential for ovarian maturation in the Desert Locust, Schistocerca gregaria
Authors: Gijbels Marijke , Lenaerts Cynthia , Vanden Broeck Jozef , Marchal Elisabeth
Published: July 2019

Juvenile hormones (JH) are key endocrine regulators produced by the corpora allata (CA) of insects. Together with ecdysteroids, as well as nutritional cues, JH coordinates different aspects of insect postembryonic development and reproduction. The function of the recently characterized JH receptor, Methoprene-tolerant (Met), appears to be conserved in different processes regulated by JH. However, its functional interactions with other hormonal signalling pathways seem highly dependent on the feeding habits and on the developmental and reproductive strategies employed by the insect species investigated. Here we report on the effects of RNA interference (RNAi) mediated SgMet knockdown during the first gonadotrophic cycle in female desert locusts (Schistocerca gregaria). This voracious, phytophagous pest species can form migrating swarms that devastate field crops and harvests in several of the world’s poorest countries. A better knowledge of the JH signalling pathway may contribute to the development of novel, more target-specific insecticides to combat this very harmful swarming pest. Using RNAi, we show that the JH receptor Met is essential for ovarian maturation, vitellogenesis and associated ecdysteroid biosynthesis in adult female S. gregaria. Interestingly, knockdown of SgMet also resulted in a significant decrease of insulin-related peptide (SgIRP) and increase of neuroparsin (SgNP) 3 and 4 transcript levels in the fat body, illustrating the existence of an intricate regulatory interplay between different hormonal factors. In addition, SgMet knockdown in females resulted in delayed display of copulation behaviour with virgin males, when compared with dsGFP injected control animals. Moreover, we observed an incapacity of adult dsSgMet injected female locusts to oviposit during the time of the experimental setup. As such, SgMet is an essential gene playing crucial roles in the endocrine communication necessary for successful reproduction of the desert locust.