bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Study on the mode-transition of nanosecond-pulsed dielectric barrier discharge between uniform and filamentary by controlling pressures and pulse repetition frequencies
Authors: Yu S. , Pei X. , Hasnain Q. , Nie L. , Lu X.
Published: February 2016

In this paper, we investigate the temporally resolved evolution of the nanosecond pulsed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) in a moderate 6 mm discharge gap under various pressures and pulse repetition frequencies (PRFs) by intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) images, using dry air and its components oxygen and nitrogen. It is found that the pressures are very different when the mode transits between uniform and filamentary in air, oxygen, and nitrogen. The PRFs can also obviously affect the mode-transition. The transition mechanism in the pulsed DBD is not Townsend-to-Streamer, which is dominant in the traditional alternating-voltage DBD. The pulsed DBD in a uniform mode develops in the form of plane ionization wave due to overlap of primary avalanches, while the increase in pressure disturbs the overlap and discharge develops in streamer, corresponding to the filamentary mode. Increasing the initial electron density by pre-ionization may contribute to discharge uniformity at higher pressures. We also found that the dependence of homogeneity upon PRF is a non-monotonic one.
Quantum Brownian motion induced by thermal noise in the presence of disorder
Authors: Fröhlich Jürg , Schenker Jeffrey
Published: February 2016

The motion of a quantum particle hopping on a simple cubic lattice under the influence of thermal noise and of a static random potential is expected to be diffusive, i.e., the particle is expected to exhibit “quantum Brownian motion,” no matter how weak the thermal noise is. This is shown to be true in a model where the dynamics of the particle is governed by a Lindblad equation for a one-particle density matrix. The generator appearing in this equation is the sum of two terms: a Liouvillian corresponding to a random Schrödinger operator and a Lindbladian describing the effect of thermal noise in the kinetic limit. Under suitable but rather general assumptions on the Lindbladian, the diffusion constant characterizing the asymptotics of the motion of the particle is proven to be strictly positive and finite. If the disorder in the random potential is so large that transport is completely suppressed in the limit where the thermal noise is turned off, then the diffusion constant tends to zero proportional to the coupling of the particle to the heat bath.
Impact of yttrium content and thermal annealing on the structural and sensing characteristics of YbYxOy sensing membranes
Authors: Pan Tung-Ming , Wang Chih-Wei , Chen Ching-Yi , Her Jim-Long
Published: February 2016

In this paper, we explore the impact of yttrium content and thermal annealing on the structural properties and sensing characteristics of YbYxOy sensing membranes deposited on Si substrates through reactive cosputtering for electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor (EIS) pH sensors. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy were used to study the compositional and morphological features of these membranes as functions of the growth conditions (Y plasma powers of 50, 100, and 150 W; temperatures ranging from 700 to 900 °C). The YbYxOy EIS device prepared under an Y plasma power of 100 W with subsequent annealing at 800 °C exhibited the best sensing characteristics (pH sensitivity, hysteresis voltage, and drift rate). We attribute this behavior to the optimal yttrium content in this sensing membrane improving the stoichiometry of YbYxOy membrane and its surface roughness.
Electric field mediated non-volatile tuning magnetism in CoPt/PMN-PT heterostructure for magnetoelectric memory devices
Authors: Yang Y. T. , Li J. , Peng X. L. , Wang X. Q. , Wang D. H. , Cao Q. Q. , Du Y. W.
Published: February 2016

We report a power efficient non-volatile magnetoelectric memory in the CoPt/(011)PMN-PT heterostructure. Two reversible and stable electric field induced coercivity states (i.e., high-HC or low-HC) are obtained due to the strain mediated converse magnetoelectric effect. The reading process of the different coercive field information written by electric fields is demonstrated by using a magnetoresistance read head. This result shows good prospects in the application of novel multiferroic devices.
Selective absorption and emission on magnetic transitions in low dimensional dielectric structures
Authors: Shugayev Roman , Bermel Peter
Published: February 2016

Solid-state systems have potential advantages as platforms for manipulating spin states in several applications, such as quantum computing. Here, it is most desirable to utilize the zero phonon line (ZPL), since its corresponding states are partially shielded from loss and dephasing, but it often directly overlaps in frequency with broadened phonon sidebands at room temperature. The ZPL in solid-state spin systems, such as xenon vacancy centers in diamond and transition metal ions in crystals, is often magnetic dipole (MD), whereas the broadened phonon sideband is predominantly electric dipole (ED). In this letter, we numerically demonstrate a nanorod system that efficiently suppresses ED absorption, and furthermore allows selective detection of emitted radiation originating from MD transitions. The factor of suppression of electric absorption is 1.3×104, while the factor of detected ED emission suppression is 20 in the plane. We also show that a nanoparticle suppresses ED emission by a factor of 12. This approach can allow nanoscale decoupling of ZPL from the phonon sidebands, thus facilitating the use of solid-state material systems with MD ZPL transitions for on-chip quantum applications.
Strain-tunable plasmonic crystal using elevated nanodisks with polarization-dependent characteristics
Authors: Wang Yifei , Liu Longju , Wang Qiugu , Han Weikun , Lu Meng , Dong Liang
Published: February 2016

This paper reports on the mechanical tuning of optical resonances of a flexible plasmonic crystal. The device is structured with a square lattice nanopost array standing out of an elastomer substrate and coated with a gold thin film. The gold nanodisks residing on top of the nanoposts support a surface plasmon polariton (SPP) Bloch wave mode at the gold-air interface. By applying a strain along a planar direction of the substrate, the period of the elevated nanodisk array changes, thus altering the SPP resonance wavelength. Because the applied strain breaks period symmetry of the nanodisk array, the original single resonance mode is split into two polarized resonance modes. For the incident light polarized parallel with and perpendicular to the direction of the applied strain, the corresponding resonance modes are shifted in opposite directions at a rate of 1.6 ± 0.1 nm for every 1% change in strain. During stretching and compressing the substrate, the applied strains only change the period between nearby nanodisks without affecting their shape and morphology. This has improved reliability and repeatability of resonance tuning of the device.
Reducing flicker noise in chemical vapor deposition graphene field-effect transistors
Authors: Arnold Heather N. , Sangwan Vinod K. , Schmucker Scott W. , Cress Cory D. , Luck Kyle A. , Friedman Adam L. , Robinson Jeremy T. , Marks Tobin J. , Hersam Mark C.
Published: February 2016

Single-layer graphene derived from chemical vapor deposition (CVD) holds promise for scalable radio frequency (RF) electronic applications. However, prevalent low-frequency flicker noise (1/f noise) in CVD graphene field-effect transistors is often up-converted to higher frequencies, thus limiting RF device performance. Here, we achieve an order of magnitude reduction in 1/f noise in field-effect transistors based on CVD graphene transferred onto silicon oxide substrates by utilizing a processing protocol that avoids aqueous chemistry after graphene transfer. Correspondingly, the normalized noise spectral density (10−7–10−8 μm2 Hz−1) and noise amplitude (4 × 10−8–10−7) in these devices are comparable to those of exfoliated and suspended graphene. We attribute the reduction in 1/f noise to a decrease in the contribution of fluctuations in the scattering cross-sections of carriers arising from dynamic redistribution of interfacial disorder.
Left-handed properties dependence versus the interwire distance in Fe-based microwires metastructures
Authors: Ababei Gabriel , Olariu Cristina Stefania , Lupu Nicoleta , Chiriac Horia
Published: February 2016

Experimental and theoretical investigations on the left-handed properties dependence versus the interwire distance of three new proposed Fe77.5Si7.5B15 glass coated microwires-based metastructures are presented. The left-handed characteristics of the metastructures were determined in the frequency range 8.2 ÷ 12 GHz and external d.c. magnetic fields ranging from 0 to 32 kA/m. The experimental results show that the electromagnetic losses of the metastructures increase with the decreasing of the interwire distance due to the increasing of the long-range dynamic dipole-dipole interaction within inter-wires in the presence of the microwave field. The numerical calculations using Nicolson–Weiss–Ross algorithm are in agreement with the experimental results. The variation of the interwire distance proves to be a useful tool to obtain metastructures with controlled left-handed characteristics.
Sheathless particle focusing in a microfluidic chamber by using the thermoplasmonic Marangoni effect
Authors: Namura Kyoko , Nakajima Kaoru , Kimura Kenji , Suzuki Motofumi
Published: February 2016

We experimentally investigated the modes of the Marangoni flow around a microbubble in a 50-μm-thick water chamber and found a transition flow mode that enables sheathless particle focusing. A temperature gradient was thermoplasmonically induced around the laser spot on a gold nanoisland film, and Marangoni flows were generated around the microbubble to drive submicron particles dispersed in the water. When the laser spot was slightly displaced from the bubble center, the particles were continuously collected by the bubble underneath and leaked in one direction to form a focused particle stream. The generation of the particle-focusing Marangoni flow was attributed to the appropriate balance of the temperature gradient in the perpendicular and horizontal directions of the chamber, which was controlled by the laser spot position against the bubble center. Temporally controlling this flow mode with laser power caused the periodic emission of clustered particles from the bubble underneath. This particle handling method with a thermoplasmonic Marangoni flow can be useful for improving the efficiency of reaction or sensing processes that take place in a microfluidic chamber.
Effects of dietary acidifier supplementation on broiler growth performance, digestive and immune function indices
Authors: Palamidi Irida , Paraskeuas Vasileios , Theodorou Georgios , Breitsma Renata , Schatzmayr Gerd , Theodoropoulos Georgios , Fegeros Konstantinos , Mountzouris Konstantinos C.
Published: February 2016

The effect of dietary acidifier (AC) supplementation in combination or not with avilamycin (AV) was evaluated on broiler performance, nutrient digestibility, gizzard pH, activity of digestive enzymes and relative expression of cytokines. A 2 × 2 factorial experimental design with inclusion of AC (0 and 1 g/kg of diet) and AV (0 and 2.5 mg/kg of diet) as the main factors was implemented. Subsequently, 544-day-old male Cobb broilers were allocated in four treatments (i.e. C – no additions, AC; AV and ACAV), each having eight replicates of 17 broilers, for 6 weeks. Overall bodyweight gain (BWG) was improved (PAC = 0.035) by AC addition. BWG and feed conversion ratio were improved (P ≤ 0.05) by AV addition in all growth periods and overall. Dry matter, organic matter digestibility and energy retention were improved by AC (PAC = 0.050, PAC = 0.045 and PAC = 0.020, respectively), or AV (PAV = 0.018, PAV = 0.013 and PAV = 0.012, respectively). In addition AV supplementation improved digestibility of ether extracts (PAV = 0.022) and crude protein (PAV = 0.042). Pancreatic trypsin activity was lower in AC (PAC = 0.027) or AV (PAV ≤ 0.001) supplemented diets. An AC × AV effect on gizzard pH (PAC × AV = 0.034) was noted. Expression of interferon-γ (PAV = 0.010), interleukin (IL) 18 (PAV = 0.048) and inducible nitric oxide synthase 2 (PAV = 0.035) in spleen were downregulated by AV. An upregulation of IL10 (PAC × AV = 0.018), IL18 (PAC × AV = 0.002) and IL22 (PAC × AV = 0.030) in the caecal tonsils was shown for the combined ACAV supplementation. In conclusion, dietary AC supplementation improved performance, nutrient digestibility and energy retention, irrespective of AV inclusion. This study has provided evidence for potential links between digestive and immune function indices with growth performance improvements.
The effects of feeding 3-nitrooxypropanol at two doses on milk production, rumen fermentation, plasma metabolites, nutrient digestibility, and methane emissions in lactating Holstein cows
Authors: Haisan Jennifer , Sun Yun , Guan Leluo , Beauchemin Karen A. , Iwaasa Allan , Duval Stephane , Kindermann Maik , Barreda Daniel R. , Oba Masahito
Published: February 2016

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of feeding 3-nitrooxypropanol (NOP) in the total mixed ration of lactating Holstein cows on rumen fermentation, ruminal microbial population, enteric methane production, milk production, nutrient digestibility, and blood metabolites. Fifteen ruminally cannulated Holstein cows in mid to late lactation were used in a 3 × 3 Latin square design study with 28-day periods. Cows were fed a 60%-forage diet (dry matter basis) with 2500 (HIGH), 1250 (LOW) or 0 (CON) mg/day of NOP. After a 20-day diet adaptation period, dry matter intake (DMI) and milk yield were recorded daily. Rumen digesta and rumen fluid were collected on Days 21 and 28 and ruminal pH was determined on Days 23–28. Methane emissions were measured on Days 23–27 using the sulfur hexafluoride tracer gas technique. Faecal and blood samples were taken on Days 25–27. Feeding NOP at either dose did not affect DMI, milk production or bodyweight gain. Total concentration of volatile fatty acids in rumen fluid did not differ; however, there was a decrease in molar proportion of acetate and increase in molar proportion of propionate with feeding NOP in a dose-dependent manner. Microbial profile and ruminal pH were not affected by treatment. Apparent total-tract digestibility of DM (62.7% vs 58.4%; P < 0.05) and neutral detergent fibre (38.0% vs 30.7%; P < 0.05) were increased with the HIGH dose compared with CON. Feeding NOP reduced methane yield from 19.9 to 15.3 g/kg DMI for CON versus LOW (P < 0.05) and from 19.9 to 12.6 for CON versus HIGH (P < 0.05). Feeding NOP at 1250 or 2500 mg/day reduced methane yield and affected ruminal volatile fatty acid profile without compromising DMI or apparent total-tract nutrient digestibility.
Dietary inclusion level effects of a phytogenic characterised by menthol and anethole on broiler growth performance, biochemical parameters including total antioxidant capacity and gene expression of immune-related biomarkers
Authors: Paraskeuas Vasileios , Fegeros Konstantinos , Hunger Christine , Theodorou Georgios , Mountzouris Konstantinos C.
Published: February 2016

The supplementation of a phytogenic feed additive (PFA) characterised by menthol and anethole was evaluated at three levels on broiler growth performance, nutrient digestibility, biochemical parameters, total antioxidant capacity of plasma, breast and thigh meat as well as on the relative gene expression of immune-related biomarkers. A total of 225 1-day-old male Cobb-500 were assigned into three treatments with five replicates of 15 chicks each. Wheat-soybean meal basal diets were formulated according to a three-phase (i.e. starter, grower and finisher) feeding program. Dietary treatments were: no PFA, PFA at 100 mg/kg diet and PFA at 150 mg/kg diet. Feed and water were available ad libitum. Performance parameters were monitored weekly and all other biological responses were determined at 42 days of broiler age. Increasing PFA level increased (P = 0.044) bodyweight gain at finisher period, decreased quadratically (P = 0.035) overall feed intake, and quadratically improved (P = 0.024) overall feed conversion ratio. Moreover, increasing PFA level increased plasma total antioxidant capacity linearly (P = 0.001) whereas linearly decreased (P = 0.005) triglyceride concentration. Thigh meat cholesterol decreased linearly (P = 0.016) with increasing PFA level. Expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-2 in caecal tonsils increased quadratically (P = 0.046) with increasing PFA level. In conclusion, PFA inclusion at 100 mg/kg diet affected positively performance whereas a stronger improvement mainly in plasma total antioxidant capacity and triglyceride as well as in meat cholesterol was noted for the 150 mg/kg diet level. Inclusion of PFA resulted in increasing pro-inflammatory biomarker IL-2 at local caecal level.
Anisotropic 2s2p Orbitals as Simple Descriptors of the Chirality of Carbon Centres
Authors: Xu Kunming
Published: February 2016

The traditional description of carbon chemistry in terms of hydrogenic 2s and isotropic 2p orbitals leads to simple descriptions of chemical bonding as well as to accurate quantitative methodologies but fails to provide a simple and intuitive description of chirality. An alternative simple qualitative description of carbon chemistry is presented using instead anisotropic 2s2p orbitals. These orbitals arise naturally from the mathematical description of geometries in four-dimensional space through the solution of the quaternity equation, and as solutions to the Schrödinger equation must take on the same fundamental form in spherical quantities, the orbitals provide simple molecular-bonding descriptors. For carbon, the appropriate orbitals are usually named 2s, 2px, 2py, and 2pz but here, only the 2s orbital is analogous to the similarly named spherical orbital; instead, 2pα refers to a linear radius, 2pβ to a semicircular arc, and 2pγ to a hemisphere. Each orbital represents space in a fundamentally different way. They may be combined to provide simple descriptions of the chemical bonding in methane, ethane, ethyne, and other organic compounds as well as providing a direct description of chiral centres. Their usefulness is demonstrated through successful prediction of the chirality of carbon centres where the density gradients of the anisotropic orbitals are preserved by four different substituents, considering how basic chemical effects such as substitution by electron-withdrawing and electron-donating groups modulate the molecular handedness.
Expression of nitrogen transporter genes in roots of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in response to soil drought with contrasting nitrogen supplies
Authors: Duan Jianfeng , Tian Hui , Gao Yajun
Published: February 2016

The expression of nitrate and ammonium transporter genes in the roots of winter wheat in response to drought stress is largely unknown. A greenhouse experiment was established to study the expression of five putative nitrate transporter (NRT) genes (TaNRT2.1, TaNRT2.2, TaNRT2.3, TaNRT1.1, TaNRT1.2) and three ammonium transporter (AMT) genes (TaAMT1.1, TaAMT1.2, TaAMT2.1) in the roots of winter wheat in response to soil drought under conditions of limited nitrogen (N) (no N added) and adequate N (addition of 0.3 g N kg–1 soil). Two wheat genotypes with low and high N-uptake efficiencies were used, and water-stress treatments were applied at the vegetative and reproductive growth stages of wheat. Expression of all of the genes was quantified using real-time reverse transcription PCR. The results indicated that wheat plants growing in the N-adequate soil were more sensitive to drought stress than those growing in the N-limited soil. The response of the expression of the NRT and AMT genes to soil drought largely depends on N application, wheat genotype and growth stage. The expression of the two low-affinity NRT genes (i.e. TaNRT1.1 and TaNRT1.2) in the N-inefficient genotype XY6 was mainly induced by drought stress, but the expression of the two genes in the N-efficient genotype XY107 was repressed by drought stress. The expression of the high-affinity NRT gene TaNRT2.1 was repressed by drought stress, but the expression of the other two high-affinity NRT genes, TaNRT2.2 and TaNRT2.3, was induced or repressed by soil drought depending on N application and growth stage. The expression of the genes TaAMT1.1 and TaAMT2.1 was mainly repressed by drought stress, whereas the expression of the gene TaAMT1.2 was induced by drought stress. The expression of TaNRT2.1 in XY107 was significantly higher than in XY6.
Translating identity
Authors: McKinnon Simon
Published: February 2016

The late-medieval French Débat des hérauts d’armes reinforces a sense of French collective identity within its readership by providing a comparison of France and England in which France is systematically presented as superior. This chapter will argue that the Debate Betwene the Heraldes, John Coke’s 1549 translation of the Débat, appropriates and manipulates the source material in order to make it acceptable to a patriotic English readership during a period of war between England and France. Nevertheless, by ‘rewriting’ his source, Coke retains its fundamental purpose: the promotion of positive collective self-identity against a largely negative representation of the cultural and political other. The chapter will therefore illustrate the important role played by translation in the imagining of collective identity.
National images in transit
Authors: Ingelbien Raphaël
Published: February 2016

Using a neglected case study, this essay questions the links between the rise and spread of historical fiction in nineteenth-century Europe, the use of national images, and the dissemination of an essentialist Romantic ideology of national character. It first examines various national stereotypes in Thomas Colley Grattan’s The Heiress of Bruges (1830), a novel set in the Low Countries around 1600. As they rely on different discourses on nationality and national character, Grattan’s national images turn out to be comparatively unstable. The essay then confirms this instability by contrasting the transformations of the novel’s hetero-images into auto-images in competing Belgian and Dutch translations, which appeared after the break-up of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands in the 1830s.
Italians in films
Authors: Mereu Carla
Published: February 2016

This chapter discusses a meaningful selection of US and British films that portray Italianness in order to show how these hetero-constructed images have been variously received in Italy throughout the 20th century. To convey images of their own ethnicity and national identity to a domestic audience, Italian film translators are presented with a series of challenges: what cultural and semiotic processes are at work in Italy at the moment of translating stereotypes of Italians? Are there images which have been traditionally considered unsuitable for projection in Italian cinemas? What translational options do the translators have at their disposal? Is there any political or social pressure which favours or discourages one particular translational solution over another? The chapter will show that cases of manipulation were frequent and that the translations were often influenced by issues of nationalism and by questions surrounding the use of the standard Italian language and of its regional varieties in films.
(Trans)forming national images in translation
Authors: Monticelli Daniele
Published: February 2016

The article explores the relations between translation, cultural identity and national self-image, focusing on a case study from early 20th century Estonia. The analysis of different aspects of the “Young Estonia” cultural movement’s project of literary and linguistic renewal reveals that the translational attitude adopted by the movement – well expressed in their slogan “Let us be Estonians, but let us become Europeans too” – does not describe a linear trajectory of “self-colonisation”, as some scholars have recently claimed. It points rather to the “processual inseparability” of translation, cultural renewal and national self-imagining that is studied in the article through an analysis of Young Estonian poet Vilem Ridala’s experiments with emotion vocabulary as a privileged place of cultural difference in his controversial 1913 translation of Gabriele D’Annunzio’s L’innocente.
The conceptualization of love in Persian creative and communicative language
Authors: Karshenas Najafabadi Hosna , Marín Arrese Juana Isabel
Published: February 2016

This paper is an attempt to study Kövecses’s (2000a) claim on the stability of emotion metaphors during time with regard to love metaphors in Persian language. In other words, the aim is to see whether love metaphorical expressions in Persian everyday language underlie the same conceptual metaphors in Persian creative language such as poetry. At the same time, we aim to see if similar conceptualization of love exists in English everyday language. Also the paper seeks to find the cognitive grounding of love metaphors in Persian according to Kövecses’s (2012) cognitive experiential basis of metaphors. The results of study indicate that both literary and ordinary love Persian expressions are built upon the same conceptual metaphors that account for love expressions in English everyday language too. Also, it was discovered that among four suggested ways of grounding conceptual metaphors, two of them were more likely to motivate love metaphors in Persian.
Conceptualizations of damâ, “temperature” in Persian
Authors: Sharifian Farzad , Jamarani Maryam
Published: February 2016

This paper examines conceptualizations of temperature in contemporary Persian, from the perspective of Cultural Linguistics. Several expressions in which temperature terms are used reflect cultural metaphors where temperature is used as a source domain for conceptual mapping to the domain of emotion. The paper also examines particular cultural (folk) categorizations of food, fruit, and human nature pertaining to the concept of ‘temperature’ in Persian, and traces back the root of these categorizations to Iranian Traditional Medicine. Temperature terms are also used to describe and categorize things such as color and smell. Overall, the observations made in this paper support the view that conceptualizations of temperature provide an interface for the interaction between sensory and bodily experiences, human conceptual faculties, and cultural conceptualizations.
Crystal plasticity-based modelling of grain size effects in dual phase steel
Authors: Verma R. K. , Biswas P.
Published: February 2016

With decreasing grain size, the strength of steel increases due to the well-known Hall–Petch type effects, which is generally neglected in the classical crystal plasticity-based models. In the present work, the classical crystal plasticity-based model has been modified to incorporate the grain size effect. Validation of the present model was carried out with the published experimental results of a dual phase steel and, it was found to be possible to predict the grain size effects quite accurately using the model. The proposed model was used to carry out a parametric study for effects of grain size and was further used to predict the influence of grain size on cross effects during orthogonal loading.
Unattached kinetochores rather than intrakinetochore tension arrest mitosis in taxol-treated cells
Authors: Magidson Valentin , He Jie , Ault Jeffrey G. , O’Connell Christopher B. , Yang Nachen , Tikhonenko Irina , McEwen Bruce F. , Sui Haixin , Khodjakov Alexey
Published: February 2016

Kinetochores attach chromosomes to the spindle microtubules and signal the spindle assembly checkpoint to delay mitotic exit until all chromosomes are attached. Light microscopy approaches aimed to indirectly determine distances between various proteins within the kinetochore (termed Delta) suggest that kinetochores become stretched by spindle forces and compact elastically when the force is suppressed. Low Delta is believed to arrest mitotic progression in taxol-treated cells. However, the structural basis of Delta remains unknown. By integrating same-kinetochore light microscopy and electron microscopy, we demonstrate that the value of Delta is affected by the variability in the shape and size of outer kinetochore domains. The outer kinetochore compacts when spindle forces are maximal during metaphase. When the forces are weakened by taxol treatment, the outer kinetochore expands radially and some kinetochores completely lose microtubule attachment, a condition known to arrest mitotic progression. These observations offer an alternative interpretation of intrakinetochore tension and question whether Delta plays a direct role in the control of mitotic progression.
Dynamics of the actin cytoskeleton mediates receptor cross talk: An emerging concept in tuning receptor signaling
Authors: Mattila Pieta K. , Batista Facundo D. , Treanor Bebhinn
Published: February 2016

Recent evidence implicates the actin cytoskeleton in the control of receptor signaling. This may be of particular importance in the context of immune receptors, such as the B cell receptor, where dysregulated signaling can result in autoimmunity and malignancy. Here, we discuss the role of the actin cytoskeleton in controlling receptor compartmentalization, dynamics, and clustering as a means to regulate receptor signaling through controlling the interactions with protein partners. We propose that the actin cytoskeleton is a point of integration for receptor cross talk through modulation of protein dynamics and clustering. We discuss the implication of this cross talk via the cytoskeleton for both ligand-induced and low-level constitutive (tonic) signaling necessary for immune cell survival.
Inducible fluorescent speckle microscopy
Authors: Pereira António J. , Aguiar Paulo , Belsley Michael , Maiato Helder
Published: February 2016

The understanding of cytoskeleton dynamics has benefited from the capacity to generate fluorescent fiducial marks on cytoskeleton components. Here we show that light-induced imprinting of three-dimensional (3D) fluorescent speckles significantly improves speckle signal and contrast relative to classic (random) fluorescent speckle microscopy. We predict theoretically that speckle imprinting using photobleaching is optimal when the laser energy and fluorophore responsivity are related by the golden ratio. This relation, which we confirm experimentally, translates into a 40% remaining signal after speckle imprinting and provides a rule of thumb in selecting the laser power required to optimally prepare the sample for imaging. This inducible speckle imaging (ISI) technique allows 3D speckle microscopy to be performed in readily available libraries of cell lines or primary tissues expressing fluorescent proteins and does not preclude conventional imaging before speckle imaging. As a proof of concept, we use ISI to measure metaphase spindle microtubule poleward flux in primary cells and explore a scaling relation connecting microtubule flux to metaphase duration.
Distinct requirements for intra-ER sorting and budding of peroxisomal membrane proteins from the ER
Authors: Agrawal Gaurav , Fassas Scott N. , Xia Zhi-Jie , Subramani Suresh
Published: February 2016

During de novo peroxisome biogenesis, importomer complex proteins sort via two preperoxisomal vesicles (ppVs). However, the sorting mechanisms segregating peroxisomal membrane proteins to the preperoxisomal endoplasmic reticulum (pER) and into ppVs are unknown. We report novel roles for Pex3 and Pex19 in intra–endoplasmic reticulum (ER) sorting and budding of the RING-domain peroxins (Pex2, Pex10, and Pex12). Pex19 bridged the interaction at the ER between Pex3 and RING-domain proteins, resulting in a ternary complex that was critical for the intra-ER sorting and subsequent budding of the RING-domain peroxins. Although the docking subcomplex proteins (Pex13, Pex14, and Pex17) also required Pex19 for budding from the ER, they sorted to the pER independently of Pex3 and Pex19 and were spatially segregated from the RING-domain proteins. We also discovered a unique role for Pex3 in sorting Pex10 and Pex12, but with the docking subcomplex. Our study describes an intra-ER sorting process that regulates segregation, packaging, and budding of peroxisomal importomer subcomplexes, thereby preventing their premature assembly at the ER.
Ndel1 suppresses ciliogenesis in proliferating cells by regulating the trichoplein–Aurora A pathway
Authors: Inaba Hironori , Goto Hidemasa , Kasahara Kousuke , Kumamoto Kanako , Yonemura Shigenobu , Inoko Akihito , Yamano Shotaro , Wanibuchi Hideki , He Dongwei , Goshima Naoki , Kiyono Tohru , Hirotsune Shinji , Inagaki Masaki
Published: February 2016

Primary cilia protrude from the surface of quiescent cells and disassemble at cell cycle reentry. We previously showed that ciliary reassembly is suppressed by trichoplein-mediated Aurora A activation pathway in growing cells. Here, we report that Ndel1, a well-known modulator of dynein activity, localizes at the subdistal appendage of the mother centriole, which nucleates a primary cilium. In the presence of serum, Ndel1 depletion reduces trichoplein at the mother centriole and induces unscheduled primary cilia formation, which is reverted by forced trichoplein expression or coknockdown of KCTD17 (an E3 ligase component protein for trichoplein). Serum starvation induced transient Ndel1 degradation, subsequent to the disappearance of trichoplein at the mother centriole. Forced expression of Ndel1 suppressed trichoplein degradation and axonemal microtubule extension during ciliogenesis, similar to trichoplein induction or KCTD17 knockdown. Most importantly, the proportion of ciliated and quiescent cells was increased in the kidney tubular epithelia of newborn Ndel1-hypomorphic mice. Thus, Ndel1 acts as a novel upstream regulator of the trichoplein–Aurora A pathway to inhibit primary cilia assembly.
Neuroligin 1 regulates spines and synaptic plasticity via LIMK1/cofilin-mediated actin reorganization
Authors: Liu An , Zhou Zikai , Dang Rui , Zhu Yuehua , Qi Junxia , He Guiqin , Leung Celeste , Pak Daniel , Jia Zhengping , Xie Wei
Published: February 2016

Neuroligin (NLG) 1 is important for synapse development and function, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. It is known that at least some aspects of NLG1 function are independent of the presynaptic neurexin, suggesting that the C-terminal domain (CTD) of NLG1 may be sufficient for synaptic regulation. In addition, NLG1 is subjected to activity-dependent proteolytic cleavage, generating a cytosolic CTD fragment, but the significance of this process remains unknown. In this study, we show that the CTD of NLG1 is sufficient to (a) enhance spine and synapse number, (b) modulate synaptic plasticity, and (c) exert these effects via its interaction with spine-associated Rap guanosine triphosphatase–activating protein and subsequent activation of LIM-domain protein kinase 1/cofilin–mediated actin reorganization. Our results provide a novel postsynaptic mechanism by which NLG1 regulates synapse development and function.
Lymphocytes shrink to stay fit
Authors: Short Ben
Published: February 2016

Researchers describe how immune cells quickly adapt to cytokine withdrawal and nutrient stress.
Elisabetta Dejana: Probing the vagaries of vessels
Authors: Powell Kendall
Published: February 2016

Dejana’s extensive tenure covers the depths of endothelial cells.
A Novel Member of the Leukocyte Receptor Complex Regulates Osteoclast Differentiation
Authors: Kim Nacksung , Takami Masamichi , Rho Jaerang , Josien Regis , Choi Yongwon
Published: February 2016

Osteoclasts (OCs) are multinucleated cells that resorb bone and are essential for bone homeostasis. They develop from hematopoietic cells of the myelomonocytic lineage. OC formation requires cell-to-cell interactions with osteoblasts and can be achieved by coculturing bone marrow precursor cells with osteoblasts/stromal cells. Two of the key factors mediating the osteoblast-induced osteoclastogenesis are macrophage–colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) and the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family member TNF–related activation-induced cytokine (TRANCE) that are produced by osteoblasts/stromal cells in response to various bone resorbing hormones. In addition, other factors produced by osteoblasts/stromal cells further influence osteoclastogenesis. Here we report the identification and characterization of OC-associated receptor (OSCAR), a novel member of the leukocyte receptor complex (LRC)-encoded family expressed specifically in OCs. Genes in the LRC produce immunoglobulin (Ig)-like surface receptors and play critical roles in the regulation of both innate and adaptive immune responses. Different from the previously characterized members of the LRC complex, OSCAR expression is detected specifically in preosteoclasts or mature OCs. Its putative–ligand (OSCAR-L) is expressed primarily in osteoblasts/stromal cells. Moreover, addition of a soluble form of OSCAR in coculture with osteoblasts inhibits the formation of OCs from bone marrow precursor cells in the presence of bone-resorbing factors, indicating that OSCAR may be an important bone-specific regulator of OC differentiation. In addition, this study suggests that LRC-encoded genes may have evolved to regulate the physiology of cells beyond those of the immune system.
A plasma cell differentiation quality control ablates B cell clones with biallelic Ig rearrangements and truncated Ig production
Authors: Srour Nivine , Chemin Guillaume , Tinguely Aurélien , Ashi Mohamad Omar , Oruc Zéliha , Péron Sophie , Sirac Christophe , Cogné Michel , Delpy Laurent
Published: February 2016

Aberrantly rearranged immunoglobulin (Ig) alleles are frequent. They are usually considered sterile and innocuous as a result of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. However, alternative splicing can yield internally deleted proteins from such nonproductively V(D)J-rearranged loci. We show that nonsense codons from variable (V) Igκ exons promote exon-skipping and synthesis of V domain-less κ light chains (ΔV-κLCs). Unexpectedly, such ΔV-κLCs inhibit plasma cell (PC) differentiation. Accordingly, in wild-type mice, rearrangements encoding ΔV-κLCs are rare in PCs, but frequent in B cells. Likewise, enforcing expression of ΔV-κLCs impaired PC differentiation and antibody responses without disturbing germinal center reactions. In addition, PCs expressing ΔV-κLCs synthesize low levels of Ig and are mostly found among short-lived plasmablasts. ΔV-κLCs have intrinsic toxic effects in PCs unrelated to Ig assembly, but mediated by ER stress–associated apoptosis, making PCs producing ΔV-κLCs highly sensitive to proteasome inhibitors. Altogether, these findings demonstrate a quality control checkpoint blunting terminal PC differentiation by eliminating those cells expressing nonfunctionally rearranged Igκ alleles. This truncated Ig exclusion (TIE) checkpoint ablates PC clones with ΔV-κLCs production and exacerbated ER stress response. The TIE checkpoint thus mediates selection of long-lived PCs with limited ER stress supporting high Ig secretion, but with a cost in terms of antigen-independent narrowing of the repertoire.
The density of shifted and affine Eisenstein polynomials
Authors: Micheli Giacomo , Schnyder Reto
Published: February 2016

In this paper we provide a complete answer to a question by Heyman and Shparlinski concerning the natural density of polynomials which are irreducible by Eisenstein’s criterion after applying some shift. The main tool we use is a local to global principle for density computations over a free

Z

\mathbb {Z}

-module of finite rank.
Quadrature identities for interlacing and orthogonal polynomials
Authors: Lubinsky D.
Published: February 2016

Let

S
S

be a real polynomial of degree

n
n

with real simple zeros

{

x

j

}

j
=
1

n

\left \{ x_{j}\right \} _{j=1}^{n}

. Let

R
R

be a real polynomial of degree

n
−
1

n-1

whose zeros interlace those of

S
S

. We prove the quadrature identity
<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="integral Subscript negative normal infinity Superscript normal infinity Baseline StartFraction upper P left-parenthesis t right-parenthesis Over upper S squared left-parenthesis t right-parenthesis EndFraction h left-parenthesis StartFraction upper R Over upper S EndFraction left-parenthesis t right-parenthesis right-parenthesis d t equals left-parenthesis integral Subscript negative normal infinity Superscript normal infinity Baseline h left-parenthesis t right-parenthesis d t right-parenthesis sigma-summation Underscript j equals 1 Overscript n Endscripts StartFraction upper P left-parenthesis x Subscript j Baseline right-parenthesis Over left-parenthesis upper R upper S Superscript prime Baseline right-parenthesis left-parenthesis x Subscript j Baseline right-parenthesis EndFraction comma">

∫

−
∞

∞

P
(
t
)

S

2

(
t
)

h

(

R
S

(
t
)

)

d
t
=

(

∫

−
∞

∞

h

(
t
)

d
t
)

∑

j
=
1

n

P

(

x

j

)

(
R

S

′

)

(

x

j

)

,

\begin{equation*} \int _{-\infty }^{\infty }\frac {P(t)}{S^{2}\left ( t\right ) }h\left ( \frac {R}{S }\left ( t\right ) \right ) dt=\left ( \int _{-\infty }^{\infty }h\left ( t\right ) dt\right ) \sum _{j=1}^{n}\frac {P\left ( x_{j}\right ) }{\left ( RS^{\prime }\right ) \left ( x_{j}\right ) }, \end{equation*}

valid for all polynomials

P
P

of degree

≤
2
n
−
2

\leq 2n-2

and any

h
∈

L

1

(

R

)

h\in L_{1}\left ( \mathbb {R}\right )

. We deduce identities involving orthogonal polynomials and weak convergence results involving orthogonal polynomials.
Not all finitely generated groups have universal acylindrical actions
Authors: Abbott Carolyn
Published: February 2016

The class of acylindrically hyperbolic groups, which are groups that admit a certain type of non-elementary action on a hyperbolic space, contains many interesting groups such as non-exceptional mapping class groups and

Out
⁡
(

F

n

)

\operatorname {Out}(\mathbb F_n)

for

n
≥
2

n\geq 2

. In such a group, a generalized loxodromic element is one that is loxodromic for some acylindrical action of the group on a hyperbolic space. Osin asks whether every finitely generated group has an acylindrical action on a hyperbolic space for which all generalized loxodromic elements are loxodromic. We answer this question in the negative, using Dunwoody’s example of an inaccessible group as a counterexample.
Elements of Pólya-Schur theory in the finite difference setting
Authors: Brändén Petter , Krasikov Ilia , Shapiro Boris
Published: February 2016

The Pólya-Schur theory describes the class of hyperbolicity preservers, i.e., the class of linear operators acting on univariate polynomials and preserving real-rootedness. We attempt to develop an analog of Pólya-Schur theory in the setting of linear finite difference operators. We study the class of linear finite difference operators preserving the set of real-rooted polynomials whose mesh (i.e., the minimal distance between the roots) is at least one. In particular, we prove a finite difference version of the classical Hermite-Poulain theorem and several results about discrete multiplier sequences.
Note about square function estimates and uniformly rectifiable measures
Authors: Martikainen Henri , Mourgoglou Mihalis
Published: February 2016

We generalise and offer a different proof of a recent

L
2

L^2

square function estimate on uniformly rectifiable sets by Hofmann, Mitrea, Mitrea and Morris. The proof is a short argument using the

α
\alpha

-numbers of Tolsa.
A ring-like concentration of mm-sized particles in Sz 91
Authors: Canovas H. , Caceres C. , Schreiber M. R. , Hardy A. , Cieza L. , Ménard F. , Hales A.
Published: February 2016

Models of planet formation and disc evolution predict a variety of observables in the dust structure of protoplanetary discs. Here, we present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) Band-6 and Band-7 observations of the transition disc Sz 91 showing that the continuum emission at 870 μm, which is dominated by emission from large dust grains, is localized in an optically thin narrow ring. We find that most of the emission (∼95 per cent) is concentrated in a ring located at 110 au from the central star that is only about 44 au wide. In contrast, the 12CO (2–1) emission peaks closer to the star and is detected up to ∼488 au from the star. The concentration of large grains in a ring-like structure while the gas disc extends much further in and further out is in qualitative agreement with predictions of hydrodynamical models of planet–disc interactions including radial drift and gas drag.
Does Magnesium Sulfate as an Adjuvant of Local Anesthetics Facilitate Better Effect of Perineural Nerve Blocks?
Authors: Li Mengzhu , Jin Shuqing , Zhao Xiang , Xu Zhendong , Ni Xiu , Zhang Lingling , Liu Zhiqiang
Published: February 2016

Objectives:

To investigate the efficacy and safety of magnesium sulfate as an adjuvant of local anesthetics in perineural nerve blocks.

Materials and Methods:

Randomized controlled trials studying the effect and safety of magnesium sulfate in perineural nerve blocks were retrieved from online databases. The mean difference (MD), risk ratio, and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using RevMan 5.3 statistical software.

Results:

Seven trials evaluating 493 patients were included. The pooled results from our meta-analysis showed that a combination of magnesium sulfate and local anesthetics in nerve blocks could result in longer postoperative duration time of analgesia (MD=124.66; 95% CI, 65.09-184.23; P<0.0001), longer duration time of sensory (MD=106.69; 95% CI, 60.93-152.45; P<0.00001) and motor block (MD=89.95; 95% CI, 50.89-129.00; P<0.0001). In addition, magnesium sulfate in nerve blocks was also associated with significantly quick onset of motor block (MD=−1.17; 95% CI, −1.73 to −0.60; P<0.0001). For onset time of sensory block, number of patients requiring supplementary analgesics, and incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting, no statistically differences were observed between the 2 groups.

Discussion:

The present study suggests that combined magnesium sulfate and local anesthetics in perineural nerve blocks provided better analgesic efficacy. For it prolongs the postoperative duration time of analgesia, sensory and motor block without increasing the short-term side effects. Magnesium sulfate may be a promising analgesic for perineural nerve blocks, but further studies are required to validate our results.
Assessing Pain Anxiety in Adolescents
Authors: Sánchez-Rodríguez Elisabet , Tomé-Pires Catarina , Castarlenas Elena , de la Vega Rocío , Galán Santiago , Jensen Mark P. , Miró Jordi
Published: February 2016

Objectives:

Emotional responses to pain are known to play an important role in the development and maintenance of pain. To better understand the role that pain anxiety plays in chronic pain, as well as to evaluate treatments that might treat it effectively, reliable and valid measures of pain anxiety are needed. Thus, the aim of this study was to provide additional evidence regarding the psychometric properties of the Child Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale (CPASS) in a sample of adolescents.

Methods:

A total of 357 adolescents ages 12 to 19 years completed measures of pain anxiety (CPASS), pain-related catastrophizing (PCS-C), anxiety sensitivity (CASI), and sleep quality (NRS-Sleep). We used confirmatory factor analyses to evaluate the factor structure of CPASS items. We also tested the reliability and the validity of CPASS scores.

Results:

Confirmatory factor analyses suggested a 4-factor structure with a single higher-order factor (CFI=0.91, TLI=0.95, RMSEA=0.078). The total score of CPASS showed good internal consistency (α=0.87) and adequate validity as evidenced by (1) moderate to high correlations between CPASS-PCS-C (r=0.74, P<0.001) and CPASS-CASI (r=0.48, P<0.001) and (2) the magnitude of the correlations between CPASS-PCS-C and CPASS-CASI being significantly greater than that between CPASS and NRS-Sleep (z=14.70 and 8.96, respectively; P<0.001).

Discussion:

The findings support the reliability and the validity of CPASS as a measure of pain-related anxiety in adolescents.