bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Superplasticity in a lean Fe-Mn-Al steel
Authors: Han Jeongho , Kang Seok-Hyeon , Lee Seung-Joon , Kawasaki Megumi , Lee Han-Joo , Ponge Dirk , Raabe Dierk , Lee Young-Kook
Published: September 2017

Superplastic alloys exhibit extremely high ductility (>300%) without cracks when tensile-strained at temperatures above half of their melting point. Superplasticity, which resembles the flow behavior of honey, is caused by grain boundary sliding in metals. Although several non-ferrous and ferrous superplastic alloys are reported, their practical applications are limited due to high material cost, low strength after forming, high deformation temperature, and complicated fabrication process. Here we introduce a new compositionally lean (Fe-6.6Mn-2.3Al, wt.%) superplastic medium Mn steel that resolves these limitations. The medium Mn steel is characterized by ultrafine grains, low material costs, simple fabrication, i.e., conventional hot and cold rolling, low deformation temperature (ca. 650 °C) and superior ductility above 1300% at 850 °C. We suggest that this ultrafine-grained medium Mn steel may accelerate the commercialization of superplastic ferrous alloys.
Using chirality to probe the conformational dynamics and assembly of intrinsically disordered amyloid proteins
Authors: Raskatov Jevgenij A. , Teplow David B.
Published: September 2017

Intrinsically disordered protein (IDP) conformers occupy large regions of conformational space and display relatively flat energy surfaces. Amyloid-forming IDPs, unlike natively folded proteins, have folding trajectories that frequently involve movements up shallow energy gradients prior to the “downhill” folding leading to fibril formation. We suggest that structural perturbations caused by chiral inversions of amino acid side-chains may be especially valuable in elucidating these pathways of IDP folding. Chiral inversions are subtle in that they do not change side-chain size, flexibility, hydropathy, charge, or polarizability. They allow focus to be placed solely on the question of how changes in amino acid side-chain orientation, and the resultant alterations in peptide backbone structure, affect a peptide’s conformational landscape (Ramachandran space). If specific inversions affect folding and assembly, then the sites involved likely are important in mediating these processes. We suggest here a “focused chiral mutant library” approach for the unbiased study of amyloid-forming IDPs.
Human Amniotic Membrane Mesenchymal Stem Cells inhibit Neutrophil Extracellular Traps through TSG-6
Authors: Magaña-Guerrero Fátima Sofía , Domínguez-López Alfredo , Martínez-Aboytes Pamela , Buentello-Volante Beatriz , Garfias Yonathan
Published: September 2017

The mesenchymal stem cells obtained from human amniotic membrane (hAMSC) possess immunosuppressive functions through soluble factors such as prostanoids and proteins; thus, they have been proposed to ameliorate inflammatory processes. On the other hand, activated neutrophils are cells of the first line of immune defense that are able to release extracellular traps (NETs). NETs are formed of DNA and granular components; however, the excessive release of NETs is associated with the development of autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases. In this study, we identified that conditioned medium (CM) from hAMSC was able to diminish NETs release, as well as the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the mitochondrial membrane potential from LPS-stimulated mouse bone marrow-derived neutrophils (BMN). Interestingly, NETs inhibition, ROS levels decrease and mitochondrial membrane potential loss were reverted when LPS-stimulated murine derived BMN were exposed to the CM from hAMSC transfected with TSG-6-siRNA. Finally, rhTSG6 was able to significantly diminish NETs release in BMN. These data suggest an inhibition mechanism of NETs ROS-dependent in which TSG-6 participates. Consequently, we propose the hAMSC use as a therapeutic candidate in the treatment of inflammatory diseases in which NETs are involved.
Pathways of DNA unlinking: A story of stepwise simplification
Authors: Stolz Robert , Yoshida Masaaki , Brasher Reuben , Flanner Michelle , Ishihara Kai , Sherratt David J. , Shimokawa Koya , Vazquez Mariel
Published: September 2017

In Escherichia coli DNA replication yields interlinked chromosomes. Controlling topological changes associated with replication and returning the newly replicated chromosomes to an unlinked monomeric state is essential to cell survival. In the absence of the topoisomerase topoIV, the site-specific recombination complex XerCD- dif-FtsK can remove replication links by local reconnection. We previously showed mathematically that there is a unique minimal pathway of unlinking replication links by reconnection while stepwise reducing the topological complexity. However, the possibility that reconnection preserves or increases topological complexity is biologically plausible. In this case, are there other unlinking pathways? Which is the most probable? We consider these questions in an analytical and numerical study of minimal unlinking pathways. We use a Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm with Multiple Markov Chain sampling to model local reconnection on 491 different substrate topologies, 166 knots and 325 links, and distinguish between pathways connecting a total of 881 different topologies. We conclude that the minimal pathway of unlinking replication links that was found under more stringent assumptions is the most probable. We also present exact results on unlinking a 6-crossing replication link. These results point to a general process of topology simplification by local reconnection, with applications going beyond DNA.
The use of innovative and efficient nanocomposite (magnetic graphene oxide) for the reduction on of Fusarium mycotoxins in palm kernel cake
Authors: Pirouz A. A. , Selamat J. , Iqbal S. Z. , Mirhosseini H. , Karjiban R. Abedi , Bakar F. Abu
Published: September 2017

Adsorption plays an important role in the removal of mycotoxins from feedstuffs. The main objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of using magnetic graphene oxide nanocomposites (MGO) as an adsorbent for the reduction of Fusarium mycotoxins in naturally contaminated palm kernel cake (PKC). Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to assess the mycotoxins in animal feed. Target mycotoxins included the zearalenone (ZEA), the fumonisins (FB1 and FB2) and trichothecenes (deoxynivalenol (DON), HT-2 and T-2 toxin). Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to investigate the effects of time (3–7 h), temperature (30–50 °C) and pH (3–7) on the reduction. The response surface models with (R2 = 0.94–0.99) were significantly fitted to predict mycotoxins in contaminated PKC. Furthermore, the method ensured a satisfactory adjustment of the polynomial regression models with the experimental data except for fumonisin B1 and B2, which decrease the adsorption of magnetic graphene oxide (MGO). The optimum reduction was performed at pH 6.2 for 5.2 h at of 40.6 °C. Under these optimum conditions, reduced levels of 69.57, 67.28, 57.40 and 37.17%, were achieved for DON, ZEA, HT-2, and T-2, respectively.
Tunable long persistent luminescence in the second near-infrared window via crystal field control
Authors: Nie Jianmin , Li Yang , Liu Shanshan , Chen Qiuqun , Xu Qi , Qiu Jianrong
Published: September 2017

Construction of an active composite as a biomarker with deeper tissue penetration and higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is of great importance for the application in bioimaging. Here, we report a strategy for tuning the emission bandwidth and intensity via crystal field control in long persistent phosphors (LPPs). Ni2+-doped Zn1+ySnyGa2−x−2yO4 phosphors, with a tunable emission band peaking from 1270 to 1430 nm in the second near-infrared (NIR) window, have been successfully prepared. Such featured materials have the advantages of low absorption and scattering as well as more efficient tissue penetration. The emission spectra can be controlled by tailoring the local crystal field around the activator precisely via substitution of Zn and Sn for Ga. Moreover, with high resolution and weak light disturbance, these developed multi-band afterglow phosphors exhibit great application potential in advanced optical imaging.
Entropy production and non-Markovian dynamical maps
Authors: Marcantoni S. , Alipour S. , Benatti F. , Floreanini R. , Rezakhani A. T.
Published: September 2017

In the weak-coupling limit approach to open quantum systems, the presence of the bath is eliminated and accounted for by a master equation that introduces dissipative contributions to the system reduced dynamics: within this framework, there are no bath entropy contributions to the entropy balance. We show that, as a consequence, the entropy production fails to be positive for a class of physically legitimate, that is completely positive and trace preserving, non-Markovian dynamical maps. Moreover, in absence of the semigroup property, if the reduced dynamics has a thermal asymptotic state, this need not be stationary. Then even the integrated entropy production becomes negative. These observations imply that, when the conditions leading to reduced dynamics of semigroup type are relaxed, a consistent formulation of the second law of thermodynamics requires that the environment contribution to the entropy balance be explicitly taken into account.
Preferential sensing and response to microenvironment stiffness of human dermal fibroblast cultured on protein micropatterns fabricated by 3D multiphoton biofabrication
Authors: Tong Ming Hui , Huang Nan , Ngan Alfonso Hing Wan , Du Yanan , Chan Barbara Pui
Published: September 2017

While cells are known to sense and respond to their niche including the matrix and the mechanical microenvironment, whether they preferentially sense and react to the stiffness of their microenvironment regardless of its intrinsic material properties is unknown. In this work, protein micropillar arrays with independently controllable stiffness via alterations in pillar height and elastic modulus via laser power used during photochemical cross-linking, were fabricated using a recently developed multiphoton-based 3D protein micro-patterning technology. Human dermal fibroblasts were cultured on these micropillar arrays and the specific interactions between cells and the protein micropatterns particularly on the formation and maturation of the cell-matrix adhesions, were investigated via immunofluorescence staining of the major molecular markers of the adhesions and the measurement of their cluster size, respectively. Our results showed that the cluster size of focal adhesions increased as the stiffness of the micropillar arrays increased, but it was insensitive to the elastic modulus of the protein micropillars that is one of the intrinsic material properties. This finding provides evidence to the notion that cells preferentially sense and react to the stiffness, but not the elastic modulus of their microenvironment.
Sequence composition predicts immunoglobulin superfamily members that could share the intrinsically disordered properties of antibody CH1 domains
Authors: Hebditch Max , Curtis Robin , Warwicker Jim
Published: September 2017

Antibodies are central to the growing sector of protein therapeutics, and increasingly they are being manipulated as fragments and combinations. An improved understanding of the properties of antibody domains in isolation would aid in their engineering. We have conducted an analysis of sequence and domain interactions for IgG antibodies and Fab fragments in the structural database. Of sequence-related properties studied, relative lysine to arginine content was found to be higher in CH1 and CL than in variable domains. As earlier work shows that lysine is favoured over arginine in more soluble proteins, this suggests that individual domains may not be optimised for greater solubility, giving scope for fragment engineering. Across other sequence-based features, CH1 is anomalous. A sequence-based scheme predicts CH1 to be folded, although it is known that CH1 folding is linked to IgG assembly and secretion. Calculations indicate that charge interactions in CH1 domains contribute less to folded state stability than in other Fab domains. Expanding to the immunoglobulin superfamily reveals that a subset of non-antibody domains shares sequence composition properties with CH1, leading us to suggest that some of these may also couple folding, assembly and secretion.
Systemic corticosteroids improve tendon healing when given after the early inflammatory phase
Authors: Blomgran Parmis , Hammerman Malin , Aspenberg Per
Published: September 2017

Inflammation initiates tendon healing and then normally resolves more or less completely. Unresolved inflammation might disturb the remodeling process. We hypothesized that suppression of inflammation during the early remodeling phase by systemic dexamethasone treatment can improve healing. 36 rats underwent Achilles tendon transection and were randomized to dexamethasone or saline on days 0–4 after surgery (early inflammatory phase), and euthanasia day 7. Another 54 rats received injections days 5–9 (early remodeling phase) and were euthanized day 12 for mechanical, histological and flow cytometric evaluation. Dexamethasone treatment days 0–4 reduced the cross-sectional area, peak force and stiffness by day 7 to less than half (p < 0.001 for all), while material properties (peak stress and elastic modulus) were not significantly affected. In contrast, dexamethasone treatment days 5–9 increased peak force by 39% (p = 0.002) and stiffness by 58% (p < 0.001). The cross-sectional area was reduced by 42% (p < 0.001). Peak stress and elastic modulus were more than doubled (p < 0.001 for both). Semi-quantitative histology at day 12 showed that late dexamethasone treatment improved collagen alignment, and flow cytometry revealed reduced numbers of CD8a+ cytotoxic T cells in the tendon callus. These results suggest that downregulation of lingering inflammation during the early remodeling phase can improve healing.
Association between exposure to air pollution during pregnancy and false positives in fetal heart rate monitoring
Authors: Morokuma Seiichi , Michikawa Takehiro , Yamazaki Shin , Nitta Hiroshi , Kato Kiyoko
Published: September 2017

Fetal heart rate (FHR) monitoring is essential for fetal management during pregnancy and delivery but results in many false-positive diagnoses. Air pollution affects the uterine environment; thus, air pollution may change FHR reactivity. This study assessed the association between exposure to air pollution during pregnancy and FHR monitoring abnormalities using 2005–2010 data from the Japan Perinatal Registry Network database. Participants were 23,782 singleton pregnant women with FHR monitoring, without acidemia or fetal asphyxia. We assessed exposure to air pollutants, including particulate matter (PM), ozone, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and sulfur dioxide (SO2). In a multi-trimester model, first-trimester PM exposure was associated with false positives in FHR monitoring (odds ratio [OR] per interquartile range (10.7 μg/m3) increase = 1.20; 95% CI: 1.05–1.37), but not second-trimester exposure (OR = 1.05; 95% CI: 0.91–1.21) and third-trimester exposure (OR = 1.06; 95% CI: 0.96-1.17). The association with first-trimester PM exposure persisted after adjustment for exposure to ozone, NO2, and SO2; however, ozone, NO2, and SO2 exposure was not associated with false positives in FHR monitoring. First-trimester PM exposure may alter fetal cardiac response and lead to false positives in FHR monitoring.
Enhanced HIF2α expression during human trophoblast differentiation into syncytiotrophoblast suppresses transcription of placental growth factor
Authors: Fujii Tatsuya , Nagamatsu Takeshi , Morita Kazuki , Schust Danny J. , Iriyama Takayuki , Komatsu Atsushi , Osuga Yutaka , Fujii Tomoyuki
Published: September 2017

Placental growth factor (PlGF), abundantly produced from trophoblasts is involved in placental angiogenesis. The regulatory mechanism of its expression is poorly understood. Hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs) are centrally involved in the modulation of cellular function in response to low oxygen conditions. This study aimed to clarify HIF1α and HIF2α expression patterns during cytotrophoblast differentiation into syncytiotrophoblast and the impact of any changes on PlGF expression. HIF proteins were induced remarkably under low oxygen condition (2%). HIF1α expression decreased and HIF2α expression increased when syncytialization of cultured cytotrophoblasts is progressed. Those expression changes of HIF proteins in the process of in-vitro syncytialization was congruent with the immunohistochemical findings in preeclamptic placenta as well as uncomplicated placenta. Low oxygen condition was also associated with reduced PlGF production in syncytializing primary cells and BeWo choriocarcinoma cells. Small interfering RNA-mediated HIF2α knockdown in BeWo cells abrogated hypoxia-associated decreases in PlGF secretion; HIF1α silencing had no significant effect on PlGF secretion. In summary, HIF2α, rather than HIF1α, is most affected by reduced oxygen level during syncytialization and increases in HIF2α trigger a reduction of PlGF production. Our findings suggest new and important connections between HIF proteins and PlGF pathways in the regulation of placental angiogenesis.
Global network random walk for predicting potential human lncRNA-disease associations
Authors: Gu Changlong , Liao Bo , Li Xiaoying , Cai Lijun , Li Zejun , Li Keqin , Yang Jialiang
Published: September 2017

There is more and more evidence that the mutation and dysregulation of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) are associated with numerous diseases, including cancers. However, experimental methods to identify associations between lncRNAs and diseases are expensive and time-consuming. Effective computational approaches to identify disease-related lncRNAs are in high demand; and would benefit the detection of lncRNA biomarkers for disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. In light of some limitations of existing computational methods, we developed a global network random walk model for predicting lncRNA-disease associations (GrwLDA) to reveal the potential associations between lncRNAs and diseases. GrwLDA is a universal network-based method and does not require negative samples. This method can be applied to a disease with no known associated lncRNA (isolated disease) and to lncRNA with no known associated disease (novel lncRNA). The leave-one-out cross validation (LOOCV) method was implemented to evaluate the predicted performance of GrwLDA. As a result, GrwLDA obtained reliable AUCs of 0.9449, 0.8562, and 0.8374 for overall, novel lncRNA and isolated disease prediction, respectively, significantly outperforming previous methods. Case studies of colon, gastric, and kidney cancers were also implemented, and the top 5 disease-lncRNA associations were reported for each disease. Interestingly, 13 (out of the 15) associations were confirmed by literature mining.
Identification of 7-(4′-Cyanophenyl)indoline-1-benzenesulfonamide as a mitotic inhibitor to induce apoptotic cell death and inhibit autophagy in human colorectal cancer cells
Authors: Wu Tung-Yun , Cho Ting-Yu , Lu Chung-Kuang , Liou Jing-Ping , Chen Mei-Chuan
Published: September 2017

Targeting cellular mitosis in tumor cells is an attractive cancer treatment strategy. Here, we report that B220, a synthetic benzenesulfonamide compound, could represent a new mitotic inhibitor for the treatment of colorectal cancer. We examined the action mechanism of B220 in the colorectal carcinoma HCT116 cell line, and found that treatment of cells with B220 caused cells to accumulate in G2/M phase, with a concomitant induction of the mitotic phase markers, MPM2 and cyclin B1. After 48 h of B220 treatment, cells underwent apoptotic cell death via caspase-3 activation and poly(ADP ribose) polymerase (PARP) cleavage. In addition, B220 inhibits autophagy by blocking conversion of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3-I) to LC3-II and inhibiting autophagic flux. Notably, blockade of autophagy by pharmacological inhibition or using an Atg5-targeting shRNA reduced B220-induced cytotoxicity. Conversely, the autophagy inducer NVP-BEZ235 shows a synergistic interaction with B220 in HCT116 cells, indicating autophagy was required for the observed cell death. In summary, these results indicate B220 combined with the induction of autophagy using the dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor, NVP-BEZ235, might be an attractive strategy for cancer therapy, and provides a framework for further development of B220 as a new therapeutic agent for colon cancer treatment.
An impedimetric response study for the efficient detection of breast cancer specific biomarker CA 15-3 using a tin oxide thin film based immunoelectrode
Authors: Arora Kashima , Tomar Monika , Gupta Vinay
Published: September 2017

A novel and sensitive RF magnetron sputtered tin oxide (SnO2) thin film based breast cancer immunosensor that combines exquisite sensitivity, rapid determination and specificity with a simple, inexpensive and easy-to-use technology has been realized.
Platinum(iv) oxaliplatin–peptide conjugates targeting memHsp70+ phenotype in colorectal cancer cells
Authors: McKeon A. M. , Noonan J. , Devocelle M. , Murphy B. M. , Griffith D. M.
Published: September 2017

Novel Pt(iv) tumour penetrating peptide (TPP) conjugates are reported.
Retracted Article: Tri-s-triazine (s-heptazine), a novel electron-deficient core for soft self-assembled supramolecular structures
Authors: Siva Kumar Irla , Kumar Sandeep
Published: September 2017

Tri-s-triazine (s-heptazine) is discovered as the core fragment for a new family of discotic liquid crystals.
Hollow CuxO (x = 2, 1) micro/nanostructures: synthesis, fundamental properties and applications
Authors: Sun Shaodong , Yang Qing , Liang Shuhua , Yang Zhimao
Published: September 2017

In this review, we comprehensively summarize the important advances in hollow CuxO micro/nanostructures, including the universal synthesis strategies, the interfacial Cu–O atomic structures as well as the intrinsic properties, and potential applications. Remarks on emerging issues and promising research directions are also discussed.
Role of halogen⋯halogen interactions in the 2D crystallization of n-semiconductors at the liquid–solid interface
Authors: Guo Zongxia , Yu Ping , Sun Kai , Lei Shengbin , Yi Yuanping , Li Zhibo
Published: September 2017

The impact of X⋯X interactions on the 2D crystallization of perylene-based n-semiconductors at the liquid–solid interface was investigated.
Upgrading of oxygenated compounds present in aqueous biomass-derived feedstocks over NbOx-based catalysts
Authors: Fernández-Arroyo A. , Delgado D. , Domine M. E. , López-Nieto J. M.
Published: September 2017

Oxygenated organic compounds in biorefinery aqueous effluents are transformed into a mixture of hydrocarbon fuel precursors by using a Nb oxide catalyst.
Selective hydrogenation of alkynes over ppm-level Pd/boehmite/Al2O3 beads in a continuous-flow reactor
Authors: Wu Zhilin , Calcio Gaudino Emanuela , Manzoli Maela , Martina Katia , Drobot Maxime , Krtschil Ulrich , Cravotto Giancarlo
Published: September 2017

High activity and selectivity to the semi-hydrogenated products for alkyne hydrogenation over ppm-level Pd/boehmite/Al2O3 beads in a safe continuous-flow reactor.
Synthesis, structure, and excited state kinetics of heteroleptic Cu(i) complexes with a new sterically demanding phenanthroline ligand
Authors: Kohler Lars , Hadt Ryan G. , Hayes Dugan , Chen Lin X. , Mulfort Karen L.
Published: September 2017

In this report we describe the synthesis of a new phenanthroline ligand, 2,9-di(2,4,6-tri-isopropyl-phenyl)-1,10-phenanthroline (bL2) and its use as the blocking ligand in the preparation of two new heteroleptic Cu(i)diimine complexes.
Bismuth-rhodamine: a new red light-excitable photosensitizer
Authors: Hirayama Tasuku , Mukaimine Akari , Nishigaki Kenta , Tsuboi Hitomi , Hirosawa Shusaku , Okuda Kensuke , Ebihara Masahiro , Nagasawa Hideko
Published: September 2017

A new red light-excitable photosensitizer, Bi-rhodamine, was developed.
β-Sitosterol and stigmasterol ameliorate dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in mice fed a high fat Western-style diet
Authors: Feng Simin , Dai Zhuqing , Liu Anna , Wang Hong , Chen Jayson , Luo Zisheng , Yang Chung S.
Published: September 2017

Stigmasterol and β-sitosterol ameliorate DSS-induced colitis in mice by suppressing the activation of NF-κB; stigmasterol also downregulates COX-2 and CSF-1.
Characterization of fecal fat composition and gut derived fecal microbiota in high-fat diet fed rats following intervention with chito-oligosaccharide and resistant starch complexes
Authors: Shang Wenting , Si Xu , Zhou Zhongkai , Li Ying , Strappe Padraig , Blanchard Chris
Published: September 2017

The current study analyzed the different effects of intervention in high-fat diet fed rats using chito-oligosaccharides (CO group), resistant starch (RS group) and their complexes (CO–RS group), respectively.
Potassium fertilizer via hydrothermal alteration of K-feldspar ore
Authors: Ciceri Davide , de Oliveira Marcelo , Allanore Antoine
Published: September 2017

A novel potassium fertilizer material is obtainedviahydrothermal processing of K-feldspar ore in alkaline conditions.
Synthetic versatility of 2-substituted-6-methyl 2,3-dihydropyridinones in the synthesis of polyfunctional piperidine-based compounds and related β amino acid derivatives
Authors: Yang Yang , Hardman Clayton
Published: September 2017

Synthetic versatility of chiral 2-substituted-6-methyl 2,3-dihydropyridinones in the synthesis of chiral polyfunctional piperidine and β amino acid derivatives.
Pseudouridine modifications influence binding of aminoglycosides to helix 69 of bacterial ribosomes
Authors: Sakakibara Yogo , Chow Christine S.
Published: September 2017

Pseudouridine modifications in helix 69 of bacterial ribosomes impact aminoglycoside interactions by altering the RNA conformational states and accessibility to chemical probes.
Manipulation of polymer branching density in phosphine-sulfonate palladium and nickel catalyzed ethylene polymerization
Authors: Yang Bangpei , Xiong Shuoyan , Chen Changle
Published: September 2017

A series of palladium and nickel catalysts bearing heteroaryl-aryl moieties were prepared and applied to ethylene polymerization and copolymerization reactions.
Photo-responsive bio-inspired adhesives: facile control of adhesion strength via a photocleavable crosslinker
Authors: Kim Minkyu , Chung Hoyong
Published: September 2017

A photo-responsive bio-inspired terpolymer adhesives consisting of a zwitterionic polymer, catechol moiety, and nitrobenzyl crosslinker was synthesized for convenient control of adhesion strength under UV irradiation.
Microwave-assisted seed preparation for producing easily phase-transformed anatase to rutile
Authors: Tang Siyang , Zhang Yaowen , Yuan Shaojun , Yue Hairong , Liu Changjun , Li Chun , Liang Bin
Published: September 2017

Microwave heating seeds were used for dilute titanyl sulfate hydrolyzing. The uniform metatitanic acid particles could transform to rutile easily.
Theoretical insights into the structural, relative stable, electronic, and gas sensing properties of PbnAun (n = 2–12) clusters: a DFT study
Authors: Li Gaofeng , Chen Xiumin , Zhou Zhiqiang , Wang Fei , Yang Hongwei , Yang Jia , Xu Baoqiang , Yang Bin , Liu Dachun
Published: September 2017

The structural, relative stable and electronic properties of PbnAun (n = 2–12) clusters are the first time to be reported, and PbnAun (n = 4, 6, 8) clusters may serve as gas sensors.
Polydopamine as a bridge to decorate monodisperse gold nanoparticles on Fe3O4 nanoclusters for the catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol
Authors: Liu Shili , Qileng Aori , Huang Junying , Gao Qiongzhi , Liu Yingju
Published: September 2017

The in situ assembly of Au nanoparticles on Fe3O4@PDA showed excellent recyclability and good stability for the catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol.
Impact of multiple quaternary ammonium salts on dynamic properties of BSA adsorption layer at different pH values
Authors: Mei Qi-Xiang , Lai Lu , Zhou Zhi-Qiang , Mei Ping , Ren Zhao-Hua , Zheng Yan-Cheng , Liu Yi
Published: September 2017

The mechanism of interaction between MQAS and BSA at different pH values.
Lysozyme-mediated fabrication of well-defined core–shell nanoparticle@metal–organic framework nanocomposites
Authors: Wang Ke , Li Nan , Hai Xiaoman , Dang Fuquan
Published: September 2017

We report a versatile strategy based on self-assembled lysozymes (LYZs) to prepare core–shell nanocomposites with nanoparticles (NPs) in metal–organic frameworks (MOFs).
Low-cost highly sensitive strain sensors for wearable electronics
Authors: Chen Fengling , Gu Yousong , Cao Shiyao , Li Yong , Li Feng , Zhang Xiankun , Xu Minxuan , Zhang Yue
Published: September 2017

Novel, flexible and highly sensitive strain sensors were fabricated using graphite granular films by low-cost carbon-evaporation.
Mass spectrometry techniques for studying the ubiquitin system
Authors: Heap Rachel E. , Gant Megan S. , Lamoliatte Frederic , Peltier Julien , Trost Matthias
Published: September 2017

Post-translational control of proteins through covalent attachment of ubiquitin plays important roles in all eukaryotic cell functions. The ubiquitin system in humans consists of 2 E1, 35 E2 and >600 E3 ubiquitin ligases as well as hundreds of deubiquitylases, which reverse ubiquitin attachment. Moreover, there are hundreds of proteins with ubiquitin-binding domains that bind one of the eight possible polyubiquitin chains. Dysfunction of the ubiquitin system is associated with many diseases such as cancer, autoimmunity and neurodegeneration, demonstrating the importance of ubiquitylation. Therefore, enzymes of the ubiquitin system are considered highly attractive drug targets. In recent years, mass spectrometry (MS)-based techniques have become increasingly important in the deciphering of the ubiquitin system. This short review addresses the state-of-the-art MS techniques for the identification of ubiquitylated proteins and their ubiquitylation sites. We also discuss the identification and quantitation of ubiquitin chain topologies and highlight how the activity of enzymes in the ubiquitin pathway can be measured. Finally, we present current MS tools that can be used for drug discovery in the ubiquitin space.
G-quadruplex unwinding helicases and their function in vivo
Authors: Sauer Markus , Paeschke Katrin
Published: September 2017

The concept that G-quadruplex (G4) structures can form within DNA or RNA in vitro has been long known and extensively discussed. In recent years, accumulating evidences imply that G-quadruplex structures form in vivo. Initially, inefficient regulation of G-quadruplex structures was mainly associated with genome instability. However, due to the location of G-quadruplex motifs and their evolutionary conservation, different cellular functions of these structures have been postulated (e.g. in telomere maintenance, DNA replication, transcription, and translation). Regardless of their function, efficient and controlled formation and unwinding are very important, because ‘mis’-regulated G-quadruplex structures are detrimental for a given process, causing genome instability and diseases. Several helicases have been shown to target and regulate specific G-quadruplex structures. This mini-review focuses on the biological consequences of G4 disruption by different helicases in vivo.
Multi‐objective generation dispatch considering the trade‐off between economy and security
Authors: Qiu Jing , Zhao Junhua , Wang Dongxiao
Published: September 2017

This study presents a multi‐objective generation dispatch model based on security‐constrained optimal power flow, in order to handle the contradictory economic and security objectives. In addition to the deterministic N −1 security criterion, a risk index is proposed to quantify the system security degree on a probabilistic basis. The risk index is defined as the summation of the products of the contingency probability and the associated severity function. Moreover, the cost of interruptible load is added into the generation cost, formulating the economic objective. In the meantime, wind power outputs and load variations are considered as uncertainties in the dispatch process. Furthermore, a multi‐objective evolutionary algorithm is employed and developed to provide a set of trade‐off solutions. The proposed approach is verified by the 4‐bus and IEEE 24‐bus systems. Numerical results show that the proposed approach can effectively investigate the impacts of demand response on system economy and security. The obtained Pareto optimal solutions are less likely to incur insecurity risk and are robust to the studied stochastic variations.
Fe I in the β Pictoris circumstellar gas disk
Authors: Vidal-Madjar A. , Kiefer F. , Lecavelier des Etangs A. , Bourrier V. , Ehrenreich D. , Ferlet R. , Hébrard G. , Wilson P. A.
Published: September 2017

The young planetary system β Pictoris is surrounded by a circumstellar disk of dust and gas. Because both dust and gas have a lifetime shorter than the system age, they need to be replenished continuously. The gas composition is partly known, but its location and its origin are still a puzzle. The gas source could be the exocomets (or so-called falling and evaporating bodies, FEBs), which are observed as transient features in absorption lines of refractory elements (Mg, Ca, and Fe) when they transit in front of the star at several tens of stellar radii. Nearly 1700 high-resolution spectra of β Pictoris have been obtained from 2003 to 2015 using the HARPS spectrograph. In these spectra, the circumstellar disk is always detected as a stable component among the numerous variable absorption signatures of transiting exocomets. Summing all the 1700 spectra allowed us to reach a signal-to-noise ratio higher than 1000, which is an unprecedentedly high number for a β Pictoris spectrum. It revealed many weak Fe I absorption lines of the circumstellar gas in more than ten excited states. These weak lines bring new information on the physical properties of the neutral iron gas in the circumstellar disk. The population of the first excited levels follows a Boltzmann distribution with a slope consistent with a gas temperature of about 1300 K; this temperature corresponds to a distance to the star of ~38 RStar and implies a turbulence of ξ ~ 0.8 km s-1.
TANAMI: Tracking Active Galactic Nuclei with Austral Milliarcsecond Interferometry
Authors: Müller C. , Kadler M. , Ojha R. , Schulz R. , Trüstedt J. , Edwards P. G. , Ros E. , Carpenter B. , Angioni R. , Blanchard J. , Böck M. , Burd P. R. , Dörr M. , Dutka M. S. , Eberl T. , Gulyaev S. , Hase H. , Horiuchi S. , Katz U. , Krauß F. , Lovell J. E. J. , Natusch T. , Nesci R. , Phillips C. , Plötz C. , Pursimo T. , Quick J. F. H. , Stevens J. , Thompson D. J. , Tingay S. J. , Tzioumis A. K. , Weston S. , Wilms J. , Zensus J. A.
Published: September 2017

Context. TANAMI is a multiwavelength program monitoring active galactic nuclei (AGN) south of − 30° declination including high-resolution very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) imaging, radio, optical/UV, X-ray, and γ-ray studies. We have previously published first-epoch8.4 GHz VLBI images of the parsec-scale structure of the initial sample. In this paper, we present images of 39 additional sources. The full sample comprises most of the radio- and γ-ray brightest AGN in the southern quarter of the sky, overlapping with the region from which high-energy (> 100 TeV) neutrino events have been found.

Aims. We characterize the parsec-scale radio properties of the jets and compare them with the quasi-simultaneous Fermi/LAT γ-ray data. Furthermore, we study the jet properties of sources which are in positional coincidence with high-energy neutrino events compared to the full sample. We test the positional agreement of high-energy neutrino events with various AGN samples.

Methods. TANAMI VLBI observations at 8.4 GHz are made with southern hemisphere radio telescopes located in Australia, Antarctica, Chile, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Results. Our observations yield the first images of many jets below − 30° declination at milliarcsecond resolution. We find that γ-ray loud TANAMI sources tend to be more compact on parsec-scales and have higher core brightness temperatures than γ-ray faint jets, indicating higher Doppler factors. No significant structural difference is found between sources in positional coincidence with high-energy neutrino events and other TANAMI jets. The 22 γ-ray brightest AGN in the TANAMI sky show only a weak positional agreement with high-energy neutrinos demonstrating that the > 100 TeV IceCube signal is not simply dominated by a small number of the γ-ray brightest blazars. Instead, a larger number of sources have to contribute to the signal with each individual source having only a small Poisson probability for producing an event in multi-year integrations of current neutrino detectors.
A Multipronged Intervention for Treatment of Psychotic Symptoms from Post-football Traumatic Brain Injury in an Adolescent Male: A Case Report
Authors: Ashish Dev , Stickel Ariana , Kaszniak Alfred , Shisslak Catherine
Published: September 2017

Introduction Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is common in adolescents. TBI can result in impaired cognitive functioning and mood disturbance. In some cases, TBI results in psychotic symptoms. There is little documentation for treatment of psychotic symptoms resulting from TBI.

Case presentation The present case study reviews an adolescent male who was seen in an outpatient behavioral health clinic, following a football-related TBI. The TBI resulted in postconcussive syndrome including psychotic symptoms (i.e., visual and auditory hallucinations) and increased anxiety.

Management and Outcome The adolescent underwent 12 individual sessions of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and 7 sessions of family therapy for his anxiety and psychotic symptoms. He also underwent Vestibulo-Ocular Therapy. At the end of treatment, the patient's anxiety symptoms and those related to post-concussive syndrome were in remission with no hallucinations experienced for >6 months.

Discussion The results provide encouragement for systematic randomized controlled trials of individual and family behavioral interventions as part of an integrated treatment approach for mild TBI.
Venous and Arterial Thromboses: Two Sides of the Same Coin?
Authors: Lippi Giuseppe , Favaloro Emmanuel
Published: September 2017

Arterial and venous thromboses are sustained by development of intraluminal thrombi, respectively, within the venous and arterial systems. The composition and structure of arterial and venous thrombi have been historically considered as being very different. Arterial thrombi (conventionally defined as “white”) have been traditionally proposed to be composed mainly of fibrin and platelet aggregates, whilst venous thrombi (conventionally defined as “red”) have been proposed as mostly being enriched in fibrin and erythrocytes. This archaic dichotomy seems ever more questionable, since it barely reflects the pathophysiology of thrombus formation in vivo. Both types of thrombi are actually composed of a complex fibrin network but, importantly, also contain essentially the same blood-borne cells (i.e., red blood cells, leukocytes, and platelets), and it is only the relative content of these individual elements that differ between venous and arterial clots or, otherwise, between thrombi generated under different conditions of blood flow and shear stress. Convincing evidence now suggests that either white or red intracoronary thrombi may be present in patients with myocardial infarction and, even more importantly, red thrombi may be more prone to distal embolization during percutaneous coronary intervention than those with lower content of erythrocytes. Conversely, it is now accepted that components traditionally considered to be involved “only” in arterial thrombosis are also represented in venous thrombosis. Thus, platelets comprise important components of venous clots, although they may be present in lower amounts here than in arterial thrombi, and von Willebrand factor is also represented in both arterial and venous thrombi. Of importance, such evidence thus supports the concept that adjunctive treatment normally associated to prevention of arterial thrombosis (e.g., aspirin) may have a role also in prevention and treatment of venous thrombosis.
Electron-transfer-induced and phononic heat transport in molecular environments
Authors: Chen Renai , Craven Galen T. , Nitzan Abraham
Published: September 2017

A unified theory of heat transport in environments that sustain intersite phononic coupling and electron hopping is developed. The heat currents generated by both phononic transport and electron transfer between sites characterized by different local temperatures are calculated and compared. Using typical molecular parameters we find that the electron-transfer-induced heat current can be comparable to that of the standard phononic transport for donor-acceptor pairs with efficient bidirectional electron transfer rates (relatively small intersite distance and favorable free-energy difference). In most other situations, phononic transport is the dominant heat transfer mechanism.
Rectifying and ultraviolet photovoltage characteristics of La0.9Na0.1MnO3/SrTiO3-Nb heterostructures
Authors: Wang Jianyuan , Luo Bingcheng , Wang Shuanhu , Shao Qian , Zhao Jinbo , Guo Zhanhu
Published: September 2017

Rectifying and photovoltaic properties of a La0.9Na0.1MnO3/SrTiO3-Nb (LNMO/STON) heterostructure have been experimentally studied. The heterostructure exhibited abnormal rectifying behavior, i.e., the threshold voltage increased with the increasing temperature in a wide range of 40 to 300 K. A temperature dependent photovoltaic response was observed when the heterostructure was excited by a 248 nm ultraviolet laser with a duration of 30 ns. The increased photovoltage was found to result from two distinctive carrier accumulation processes (from the edge of the depletion layer to the surface electrodes in LNMO and STON). The two characteristic times τ1 and τ2 were determined by the hole and electron mobility in the LNMO and STON. The significant temperature-dependent τ1 resulted from different transportation mechanisms in the metallic and insulator states of LNMO. The very short τ2 was related to the high electron mobility in STON. The lifetime of the nonequilibrium carrier was determined to be ∼10 ms by the analysis on the decaying process, indicating a relatively longer charge diffusion length as compared with that in other doped manganite p-n junctions.
Effect of Cl2 plasma treatment and annealing on vanadium based metal contacts to Si-doped Al0.75Ga0.25N
Authors: Lapeyrade Mickael , Alamé Sabine , Glaab Johannes , Mogilatenko Anna , Unger Ralph-Stephan , Kuhn Christian , Wernicke Tim , Vogt Patrick , Knauer Arne , Zeimer Ute , Einfeldt Sven , Weyers Markus , Kneissl Michael
Published: September 2017

In order to understand the electrical properties of V/Al/Ni/Au metal contacts to Si-doped Al0.75Ga0.25N layers, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis was performed on differently treated AlGaN:Si surfaces before metal deposition, and transmission electron microscopy was used to study the semiconductor-metal interface after contact annealing at 900 °C. Cl2 plasma etching of AlGaN increases the aluminum/nitrogen ratio at the surface, and Al oxide or oxynitride is always formed by any surface treatment applied after etching. After contact annealing, a complex interface structure including amorphous AlOx and different metal phases such as Al-Au-Ni, V-Al, and V2N were found. The electrical properties of the contacts were determined by thermionic emission and/or thermionic field emission in the low voltage regime. Nearly ohmic contacts on AlGaN surfaces exposed to a Cl2 plasma were only obtained by annealing the sample at a temperature of 815 °C under N2/NH3 prior to metallization. By this treatment, the oxygen contamination on the surface could be minimized, resulting in a larger semiconductor area to be in direct contact with metal phases such as Al-rich Al-Au-Ni or V-Al and leading to a contact resistivity of 2.5 × 10−2 Ω cm2. This treatment can be used to significantly reduce the operating voltage of current deep ultraviolet light emitting diodes which will increase their wall plug efficiency and lower the thermal stress during their operation.
Design and fabrication of a new compound probe for plasma flux measurement in IR-T1 tokamak
Authors: Alipour R. , Ghoranneviss M. , Salar Elahi A.
Published: September 2017

A new compound probe is designed, built, and installed on an IR-T1 tokamak to flow measurements in the plasma edge region. The first results of using this probe on the IR-T1 tokamak are presented. The plasma parameters such as plasma current, loop voltage, floating potential, ion and electron saturation currents, electron temperature, plasma potential, and plasma flow velocities are measured in this work. The results show that the electron temperature and the plasma potential in the edge area are 14 eV and 44 V, respectively. The results indicate that the mean value of a parallel Mach number is 0.5 while the mean value of a perpendicular Mach number is almost zero. The large parallel flow velocity (about 17 km/s) and the negligible perpendicular flow velocity are also seen in this work. The most important advantage of using this compound probe is that it can not only save space and vacuum ports but also measure more physical quantities at the same time, contributing to further physical analysis.
Scattering of a single photon on a two-qubit structure with resonators
Authors: Sultanov A. N. , Karpov D. S. , Greenberg Y. S. , Shevchenko S. N. , Shtygashev A. A.
Published: September 2017

In this paper, the scattering of a single photon in a waveguide–resonator–qubit system is studied. An open waveguide is connected to two resonators, located at an arbitrary distance from each other and containing a single qubit each. The scattering of a single photon makes it possible to describe the behavior of the system completely quantum mechanically. We show the existence of Fano resonance, which is a direct manifestation of the interference between the incident photon and virtual photons associated with transitions between the states of the system. The obtained expressions for the transmission coefficients allowed us to take into account the influence of the incident photon frequency on the resonances and their widths.
Origin of high open-circuit voltage in a planar heterojunction solar cell containing a non-fullerene acceptor
Authors: Cheng Nongyi , Peng Yuelin , Andrew Trisha L.
Published: September 2017

Vapor-deposited, planar heterojunction organic solar cells containing a periflanthene donor and either a fullerene or non-fullerene acceptor are investigated. A high VOC of 1.16 V is observed in devices containing the non-fullerene, pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-dione, 3,6-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-2,5-dihydro acceptor, whereas analogous devices containing C60 only result in a VOC of 0.8 V. The measured band energy levels of the two different acceptors do not readily explain the observed difference. Small-perturbation transient photovoltage and transient photocurrent measurements reveal that interfacial charge recombination is comparatively slower for the non-fullerene acceptor, resulting in relatively higher Voc values.