bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Social factors in informal cancer caregivers: The interrelationships among social stressors, relationship quality, and family functioning in the CanCORS data set
Authors: Litzelman Kristin , Kent Erin E. , Rowland Julia H.
Published: October 2015

BACKGROUND

Social and family factors can influence the health outcomes and quality of life of informal caregivers. Little is known about the distribution and correlates of such factors for caregivers of cancer patients. This study sought to fill this gap with data from the Cancer Care Outcomes Research and Surveillance consortium.

METHODS

Lung and colorectal cancer patients nominated an informal caregiver to participate in a caregiving survey. Caregivers reported their sociodemographic and caregiving characteristics, social stress, relationship quality with the patient, and family functioning. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlations were used to assess the distribution of caregivers' social factors. Multivariable linear regressions assessed the independent correlates of each social factor.

RESULTS

Most caregivers reported low to moderate levels of social stress and good relationship quality and family functioning. In multivariable analyses, older age was associated with less social stress and better family functioning but worse relationship quality, with effect sizes (Cohen's d) up to 0.40 (P < .05). Caring for a female patient was associated with less social stress and better relationship quality but worse family functioning (effect sizes ≤ 0.16, P < .05). Few caregiving characteristics were associated with social stress, whereas several were significant independent correlates of relationship quality. Finally, social factors were important independent correlates of one another.

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicate the importance of personal and caregiving‐related characteristics and the broader family context to social factors. Future work is needed to better understand these pathways and assess whether interventions targeting social factors can improve health or quality‐of‐life outcomes for informal cancer caregivers. Cancer 2016;122:278–286. © 2015 American Cancer Society.
Genetic heterogeneity in rhabdomyosarcoma revealed by SNP array analysis
Authors: Walther Charles , Mayrhofer Markus , Nilsson Jenny , Hofvander Jakob , Jonson Tord , Mandahl Nils , Øra Ingrid , Gisselsson David , Mertens Fredrik
Published: October 2015

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children and adolescents. Alveolar (ARMS) and embryonal (ERMS) histologies predominate, but rare cases are classified as spindle cell/sclerosing (SRMS). For treatment stratification, RMS is further subclassified as fusion‐positive (FP‐RMS) or fusion‐negative (FN‐RMS), depending on whether a gene fusion involving PAX3 or PAX7 is present or not. We investigated 19 cases of pediatric RMS using high resolution single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array. FP‐ARMS displayed, on average, more structural rearrangements than ERMS; the single FN‐ARMS had a genomic profile similar to ERMS. Apart from previously known amplification (e.g., MYCN, CDK4, and MIR17HG) and deletion (e.g., NF1, CDKN2A, and CDKN2B) targets, amplification of ERBB2 and homozygous loss of ASCC3 or ODZ3 were seen. Combining SNP array with cytogenetic data revealed that most cases were polyploid, with at least one case having started as a near‐haploid tumor. Further bioinformatic analysis of the SNP array data disclosed genetic heterogeneity, in the form of subclonal chromosomal imbalances, in five tumors. The outcome was worse for patients with FP‐ARMS than ERMS or FN‐ARMS (6/8 vs. 1/9 dead of disease), and the only children with ERMS showing intratumor diversity or with MYOD1 mutation‐positive SRMS also died of disease. High resolution SNP array can be useful in evaluating genomic imbalances in pediatric RMS. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Up‐regulation of histone methyltransferase SETDB1 by multiple mechanisms in hepatocellular carcinoma promotes cancer metastasis
Authors: Wong Chun‐Ming , Wei Lai , Law Cheuk‐Ting , Ho Daniel Wai‐Hung , Tsang Felice Ho‐Ching , Au Sandy Leung‐Kuen , Sze Karen Man‐Fong , Lee Joyce Man‐Fong , Wong Carmen Chak‐Lui , Ng Irene Oi‐Lin
Published: October 2015

Epigenetic deregulation plays an important role in liver carcinogenesis. Using transcriptome sequencing, we examined the expression of 591 epigenetic regulators in hepatitis B‐associated human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We found that aberrant expression of epigenetic regulators was a common event in HCC. We further identified SETDB1 (SET domain, bifurcated 1), an H3K9‐specific histone methyltransferase, as the most significantly up‐regulated epigenetic regulator in human HCCs. Up‐regulation of SETDB1 was significantly associated with HCC disease progression, cancer aggressiveness, and poorer prognosis of HCC patients. Functionally, we showed that knockdown of SETDB1 reduced HCC cell proliferation in vitro and suppressed orthotopic tumorigenicity in vivo. Inactivation of SETDB1 also impeded HCC cell migration and abolished lung metastasis in nude mice. Interestingly, SETDB1 protein was consistently up‐regulated in all metastatic foci found in different organs, suggesting that SETDB1 was essential for HCC metastatic progression. Mechanistically, we showed that the frequent up‐regulation of SETDB1 in human HCC was attributed to the recurrent SETDB1 gene copy gain at chromosome 1q21. In addition, hyperactivation of specificity protein 1 transcription factor in HCC enhanced SETDB1 expression at the transcriptional level. Furthermore, we identified miR‐29 as a negative regulator of SETDB1. Down‐regulation of miR‐29 expression in human HCC contributed to SETDB1 up‐regulation by relieving its post‐transcriptional regulation. Conclusion: SETDB1 is an oncogene that is frequently up‐regulated in human HCCs; the multiplicity of SETDB1 activating mechanisms at the chromosomal, transcriptional, and posttranscriptional levels together facilitates SETDB1 up‐regulation in human HCC. (Hepatology 2016;63:474–487)
Comparison of Spring Maize Root Water Uptake Models Under Water and Salinity Stress Validated with Field Experiment Data
Authors: Wang Qingming , Huo Zailin , Feng Shaoyuan , Yuan Chengfu , Wang Jianhua
Published: October 2015

Crop root water uptake has strong correlations with transpiration and yield. An accurate prediction of crop root water uptake can benefit understanding of the law of transpiration and soil water movement. Under water and salinity stress, maize root water uptake will decrease because of soil water pressure and osmotic head. Usually such reduction of water uptake can be expressed by models such as the additive model and the multiplicative model. Based on a field irrigation experiment, we calculated spring maize root water uptake in this study by setting different combinations of water amount and saline concentration based on the water balance method. One additive model and four multiplicative models of root water uptake were calibrated and verified in order to simulate the impact of water and salt stress on root water uptake. The result shows that multiplicative models are better than the additive model in simulating the experimental data from different treatments. Therefore, the multiplicative model is recommended as the optimal model of root water uptake of spring maize under water and salinity stress in the arid region of north‐west China. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Qualitative behavior of two systems of higher‐order difference equations
Authors: Khan A. Q. , Qureshi M. N.
Published: October 2015

In this paper, we study the qualitative behavior of following two systems of higher‐order difference equations:

urn:x-wiley:mma:media:mma3752:mma3752-math-0001
and

urn:x-wiley:mma:media:mma3752:mma3752-math-0002
where the parameters α,β,γ,α1,β1,γ1,a,b,c,a1,b1,andc1 and the initial conditions x0, x−1, ⋯, x−k, y0, y−1 ,⋯, y−k are positive real numbers. More precisely, we study the equilibrium points, local asymptotic stability, instability, global asymptotic stability of equilibrium points, and rate of convergence of positive solutions that converges to the equilibrium point P0=(0,0) of these systems. Some numerical examples are given to verify our theoretical results. These examples are experimental verification of our theoretical discussions. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Animal and cellular models of human disease
Authors: Arends Mark J , White Eric S , Whitelaw C Bruce A
Published: October 2015

In this eighteenth (2016) Annual Review Issue of The Journal of Pathology, we present a collection of 19 invited review articles that cover different aspects of cellular and animal models of disease. These include genetically‐engineered models, chemically‐induced models, naturally‐occurring models, and combinations thereof, with the focus on recent methodological and conceptual developments across a wide range of human diseases. Copyright © 2015 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Above‐Hg1−x Cdx Te‐bandgap photoluminescence and interfacial channels in Hg1−x Cdx Te–CdTe heterostructure
Authors: Zhu Liang , Chen Lu , Zhu Liangqing , Qi Zhen , Chen Xiren , Guo Shaoling , He Li , Shao Jun
Published: October 2015

HgCdTe–CdTe heterostructures are important for HgCdTe‐based low‐dimensional structures and infrared detectors. However, studies concerning parasitic heterostructure introduced by the passivation are very limited and within electrical characterizations. In this work, temperature‐dependent infrared photoluminescence (PL) measurements are performed on CdTe–passivated‐HgCdTe interfaces with 1064‐nm laser excitation. Besides the common HgCdTe band‐edge PL, abnormal PL features are observed about 100 meV above the HgCdTe band gap, which are active at low temperatures and accompanied by the quench of near‐band‐edge ones. Photoreflectance and temperature dependent PL analysis indicate that such abnormal features are from radiative recombinations between electrons in HgCdTe and holes in the passivation layer. Such channels compete severely with the near‐band‐edge ones, and may deteriorate the detector performance.
Energies for cyclic and acyclic aggregations of adamantane and diamantane units sharing vertices, edges, or six‐membered rings
Authors: Balaban Alexandru T. , Bhattacharya Debojit , Klein Douglas J. , Ortiz Yenni P.
Published: October 2015

Diamondoids are hydrocarbons having a carbon scaffold comprised from polymer‐like composites of adamantane cages. This article describes computed total energies and “SWB‐tension” energies (often referred to as “strain” energies) for species having n adamantane or diamantane units sharing pairwise: one carbon atom (spiro‐[n]adamantane or spiro‐[n]diamantane); one CC bond (one‐bond‐sharing‐[n]adamantane or one‐bond‐sharing‐[n]diamantane); or one chair‐shaped hexagon of carbon atoms (1234‐helical‐cata‐[n]diamantanes). Each of the five investigated polymer‐like types is considered either as an acyclic or a cyclic chain of adamantane‐ or diamantane‐unit cages. With increasing n values, SWB‐tension energies for acyclic aggregates are found to increase linearly, while the net SWB‐tension energies of cyclic aggregates often go thru a minimum at a suitable value of
. In all five cases, a limiting common energy per unit (
) is found to be approached by both cyclic and acyclic chains as
, as revealed from plots of
versus 1/n for acyclic chains and of
versus 1/n2 for cyclic chains. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Selecting the forecast interval of wind generations
Authors: Wei Wei , Liu Feng , Mei Shengwei
Published: October 2015

This letter proposes a data‐driven and optimization‐based approach for determining the interval of wind generation forecast without knowing the exact probability distribution of the forecast error. This method requires rough information and is easy to implement. Comparative tests show its potential of practical application. © 2015 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
An Integrated Model of Quality for Mass Services in the Context of the Ghanaian Retail Banking Sector
Authors: Boakye Kwabena G. , Prybutok Victor R. , Blankson Charles
Published: October 2015

This study draws upon the service literature and operationalizes the investment model in the services domain to examine factors that contribute to customers’ desire to maintain service relationships with firms (i.e., retail banks) in an emerging economy in sub‐Saharan Africa: Ghana. We empirically test the explanatory power and robustness of the investment model using 218 customers of various banking institutions in Ghana. Results from partial least squares—structural equation modeling (PLS‐SEM)—reveal that (1) service quality is positively associated with customer satisfaction, investment size, and customer commitment; and (2) while customer satisfaction is positively associated with customer commitment, both investment size and quality of attractive alternatives are not associated with customer commitment. Interestingly, we found investment size to have a positive association with customer commitment only when fully mediated by customer satisfaction. Our model reveals that service quality and customer satisfaction predict 79.3% of the variation in customer commitment toward maintaining a service relationship with their retail banks. Discussion and managerial implications conclude the article. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Un-real Deal: Financial Fiction, Fictional Finance, and the Financial Crisis
Authors: FINCH LAURA
Published: October 2015

The credit crisis of 2007–8 prompted a Manichean discourse that labeled finance the flighty and unreal other of the solidity of the real economy. Almost overnight the “speculative finance” shifted from a descriptive term to an evaluative one, with freewheeling finance singled out as the main cause of the crisis. The fictionality of finance is, of course, a fiction itself. Not only is finance a part of the real economy but since the 1970s it has played an increasingly significant part in it. This essay aligns with recent work in critical finance studies that puts pressure on the idea that finance can be separated from the real economy. Supplementing the world-historical scale at which this work often remains, this essay theorizes the real abstraction of finance through its lived social experience. The year 1973 was replete with financial events: the end of the Bretton Woods agreement and the gold standard, the Middle East oil crisis, the creation of the Chicago options exchange, and the invention of the Black–Scholes equation governing derivatives. It also saw the birth of the financial thriller with Paul Erdman’sThe Billion Dollar Sure Thing. Seizing upon a formulaic genre and opening it up to a flood of real events from the trading floor, the financial thriller acts as a dynamic interface and sensitive seismograph for theorizing the fictionality of finance. This essay opens with a reading of Bret Easton Ellis’sAmerican Psycho(1991) as an example of a work that renders real abstraction in an explicitly social way. Rather than viewing the novel as a hyperbolically postmodern reflection of abstract financial maneuvers, I argue that it is thickly embedded within the historically specific financial cityscape of 1980s Manhattan. I then turn to a comparative reading of recent financial thrillers written in response to the twenty-first-century credit collapse. Unlike Ellis’s novel, these thrillers strive to keep the unreality of finance segregated from the real economy at the level of plot, while also making use of generic strategies to do so at the level of form, pushing financial data into footnotes, descriptive asides, and a different tonal register of narrative. By reading these thrillers alongsideAmerican Psycho, a book written before the shock of terminal economic crisis, I offer a more historically nuanced reading of their attempts to salvage a workable economy out of the mess of the twenty-first-century American economy.
Self-similar two-electron temperature plasma expansion into vacuum
Authors: Bennaceur-Doumaz D. , Bara D. , Djebli M.
Published: October 2015

A theoretical model is developed to describe self-similar plasma expansion into vacuum with two different electron temperature distribution functions. The cold electrons are modeled with a Maxwellian distribution while the hot ones are supposed to be non-thermal obeying a kappa distribution function. It is shown that ion density and velocity profiles depend only on cold electron distribution in early stage of expansion whereas ion acceleration is mainly governed by the hot electrons at the ion front and is strongly enhanced with the proportion of kappa distributed electrons. It is also found that when the kappa index is decreasing, the critical value of temperature ratio Teh/Tec, limiting the application of quasi-neutrality, becomes larger than the $5 + \sqrt {24} \approx 9.9$ value obtained in the two-electron Maxwellian Bezzerides model [Bezzerides, B., Forslund, D. W. & Lindman, E. L. (1978). Phys. Fluids21, 2179–2185].
A sod-based cropping system for irrigation reductions
Authors: Dourte Daniel , Bartel R.L. , George S. , Marois J.J. , Wright D.L
Published: October 2015

Cotton and peanut grown under irrigation make up over 769,000 ha in the Southeast USA. The consumptive use of water for irrigation has significantly impacted groundwater resources, spring flows and streamflows in many parts of this region, particularly during severe droughts. This situation is further complicated with extreme weather events and climate variability. In this study, we compare yields and water use in a non-irrigated sod-based rotation system (SBR; bahiagrass–bahiagrass–peanut–cotton) to an irrigated conventional rotation system (ICR; peanut–cotton–cotton). Root mass of oat cover crop following peanut or cotton in a SBR and ICR system was also measured. A soil water assessment model (SWAT) was used to simulate irrigation water demands over a 34 yr period (1980–2013) under different soil types to quantify water saving potential of SBR. The average peanut yield in ICR from 2002 to 2013 was 4509 kg ha−1, while that in SBR was 4874 kg ha−1. Likewise the average cotton yield in ICR during the same period was 1237 kg ha−1, while that in SBR was 1339 kg ha−1. Oats had greater root mass in SBR than ICR. Simulation results indicate that crops in SBR consistently had substantially lower irrigation requirements (between 11 and 22 cm yr−1) than those in ICR in dry years. The water-saving potential of SBR varies positively with increasing sand content in soil.
A second species of Microtabella (Grammatophoraceae, Bacillariophyta) from Guam
Authors: Lobban Christopher S.
Published: October 2015

One species ofMicrotabella,Microtabella interrupta, is widespread and has been known since the 19th Century but it has a convoluted taxonomic history leaving it presently the only species in the genus. The nameinterruptaderives from the chain-forming habit and the plastids being confined to a portion of the cell by a set of distinctively distended septa. This character makes it very easy to identify and very easy to overlook similar species, especially because the tabulate frustules are most often seen in girdle view. I found specimens of a new taxon that had these characters and was distinguished with difficulty in girdle view by the coarser striae on the copulae and the recurved edges of the septa. However, in valve viewMicrotabella rhombican. sp. has a much broader, rhombic outline. Ultrastructural differences include a more elongated apical pore field with a prominent spine, biseriate striae on the copulae and a different form of the ligule (a raised bar on the last copula). LikeMicrotabella interrupta, the mature epitheca ofMicrotabella rhombicacomprises numerous copulae with nearly flat septa, two copulae with distended septa and four hyaline pleurae that lack septa. This species could well be widespread but, as with other monospecific genera in which there is a strong distinguishing character, care must be taken to look beyond the outstanding feature.
Decomposition of spontaneous fluctuations in tumour oxygenation using BOLD MRI and independent component analysis
Authors: Gonçalves Miguel R , Johnson S Peter , Ramasawmy Rajiv , Pedley R Barbara , Lythgoe Mark F , Walker-Samuel Simon
Published: October 2015

Background:

Solid tumours can undergo cycles of hypoxia, followed by reoxygenation, which can have significant implications for the success of anticancer therapies. A need therefore exists to develop methods to aid its detection and to further characterise its biological basis. We present here a novel method for decomposing systemic and tumour-specific contributions to fluctuations in tumour deoxyhaemoglobin concentration, based on magnetic resonance imaging measurements.

Methods:

Fluctuations in deoxyhaemoglobin concentration in two tumour xenograft models of colorectal carcinoma were decomposed into distinct contributions using independent component analysis. These components were then correlated with systemic pulse oximetry measurements to assess the influence of systemic variations in blood oxygenation in tumours, compared with those that arise within the tumour itself (tumour-specific). Immunohistochemical staining was used to assess the physiological basis of each source of fluctuation.

Results:

Systemic fluctuations in blood oxygenation were found to contribute to cycling hypoxia in tumours, but tumour-specific fluctuations were also evident. Moreover, the size of the tumours was found to influence the degree of systemic, but not tumour-specific, oscillations. The degree of vessel maturation was related to the amplitude of tumour-specific, but not systemic, oscillations.

Conclusions:

Our results provide further insights into the complexity of spontaneous fluctuations in tumour oxygenation and its relationship with tumour pathophysiology. These observations could be used to develop improved drug delivery strategies.
Erratum: High frequency of deficient consumption and low blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in HIV-1-infected adults from São Paulo city, Brazil
Authors: Hael Sales Stephanie , Maria Matta Sandra , da Silva Daniela Cardeal , Assone Tatiane , Fonseca Luiz Augusto M. , Duarte Alberto J. S. , Casseb Jorge
Published: October 2015

Micronutrient deficiency is common in patients with HIV/AIDS, usually caused by mal-absorption and/or drug interactions. 25-hydroxyvitamin D is of fundamental importance for the homeostasis of musculoskeletal health. The current study aimed to evaluate the nutritional status of HIV-infected subjects in order to make their nutritional diagnoses, including their vitamin D blood levels, and to estimate their consumption of vitamin D. The study included 98 HIV-1-infected subjects, followed at University of São Paulo Medical School - HC-FMUSP. We performed a nutritional evaluation, along with the determination of patients’ serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and calcium concentration, biochemical analyses, and an anthropometric assessment. In the medical interview a 24-hour food recall was used (R24) to estimate daily calorie intake, macronutrients, calcium, and vitamin D. A high level of vitamin D deficiency was observed in our patients: 83.4% of them had levels below 30 ng/ml; they also presented an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, along with a high consumption of dietary fat. Factors related to the virus itself and to the use of antiretroviral drugs may have contributed for the low vitamin D levels seen in our HIV-1-infected patients.
Correction: Corrigendum: Decoupling the role of stiffness from other hydroxyapatite signalling cues in periosteal derived stem cell differentiation
Authors: Mattei Giorgio , Ferretti Concetta , Tirella Annalisa , Ahluwalia Arti , Mattioli-Belmonte Monica
Published: October 2015

Bone extracellular matrix (ECM) is a natural composite made of collagen and mineral hydroxyapatite (HA). Dynamic cell-ECM interactions play a critical role in regulating cell differentiation and function. Understanding the principal ECM cues promoting osteogenic differentiation would be pivotal for both bone tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Altering the mineral content generally modifies the stiffness as well as other physicochemical cues provided by composite materials, complicating the “cause-effect” analysis of resultant cell behaviour. To isolate the contribution of mechanical cues from other HA-derived signals, we developed and characterised composite HA/gelatin scaffolds with different mineral contents along with a set of stiffness-matched HA-free gelatin scaffolds. Samples were seeded with human periosteal derived progenitor cells (PDPCs) and cultured over 7 days, analysing their resultant morphology and gene expression. Our results show that both stiffness and HA contribute to directing PDPC osteogenic differentiation, highlighting the role of stiffness in triggering the expression of osteogenic genes and of HA in accelerating the process, particularly at high concentrations.
Erratum: Martian outflow channels: How did their source aquifers form and why did they drain so rapidly?
Authors: Rodriguez J. Alexis P. , Kargel Jeffrey S. , Baker Victor R. , Gulick Virginia C. , Berman Daniel C. , Fairén Alberto G. , Linares Rogelio , Zarroca Mario , Yan Jianguo , Miyamoto Hideaki , Glines Natalie
Published: October 2015

Catastrophic floods generated ~3.2 Ga by rapid groundwater evacuation scoured the Solar System’s most voluminous channels, the southern circum-Chryse outflow channels. Based on Viking Orbiter data analysis, it was hypothesized that these outflows emanated from a global Hesperian cryosphere-confined aquifer that was infused by south polar meltwater infiltration into the planet’s upper crust. In this model, the outflow channels formed along zones of superlithostatic pressure generated by pronounced elevation differences around the Highland-Lowland Dichotomy Boundary. However, the restricted geographic location of the channels indicates that these conditions were not uniform. Furthermore, some outflow channel sources are too high to have been fed by south polar basal melting. Using more recent mission data, we argue that during the Late Noachian fluvial and glacial sediments were deposited into a clastic wedge within a paleo-basin located in the southern circum-Chryse region, which at the time was completely submerged under a primordial northern plains ocean. Subsequent Late Hesperian outflow channels were sourced from within these geologic materials and formed by gigantic groundwater outbursts driven by an elevated hydraulic head from the Valles Marineris region. Thus, our findings link the formation of the southern circum-Chryse outflow channels to ancient marine, glacial, and fluvial erosion and sedimentation.
Morphology-controlled construction of hierarchical hollow hybrid SnO2@TiO2 nanocapsules with outstanding lithium storage
Authors: Zhou Linzong , Guo Hong , Li Tingting , Chen Weiwei , Liu Lixiang , Qiao Jinli , Zhang Jiujun
Published: October 2015

A novel synthesis containing microwave-assisted HCl etching reaction and precipitating reaction is employed to prepare hierarchical hollow SnO2@TiO2 nanocapsules for anode materials of Li-ion batteries. The intrinsic hollow nanostructure can shorten the lengths for both ionic and electronic transport, enlarge the electrode surface areas and improving accommodation of the anode volume change during Li insertion/extraction cycling. The hybrid multi-elements in this material allow the volume change to take place in a stepwise manner during electrochemical cycling. In particular, the coating of TiO2 onto SnO2 can enhance the electronic conductivity of hollow SnO2 electrode. As a result, the as-prepared SnO2@TiO2 nanocapsule electrode exhibits a stably reversible capacity of 770 mA hg−1 at 1 C and the capacity retention can keep over 96.1% after 200 cycles even at high current rates. This approach may shed light on a new avenue for the fast synthesis of hierarchical hollow nanocapsule functional materials for energy storage, catalyst and other new applications.
Hydrodynamics of Normal Atomic Gases with Spin-orbit Coupling
Authors: Hou Yan-Hua , Yu Zhenhua
Published: October 2015

Successful realization of spin-orbit coupling in atomic gases by the NIST scheme opens the prospect of studying the effects of spin-orbit coupling on many-body physics in an unprecedentedly controllable way. Here we derive the linearized hydrodynamic equations for the normal atomic gases of the spin-orbit coupling by the NIST scheme with zero detuning. We show that the hydrodynamics of the system crucially depends on the momentum susceptibilities which can be modified by the spin-orbit coupling. We reveal the effects of the spin-orbit coupling on the sound velocities and the dipole mode frequency of the gases by applying our formalism to the ideal Fermi gas. We also discuss the generalization of our results to other situations.
Erratum: Whole genome and transcriptome sequencing of matched primary and peritoneal metastatic gastric carcinoma
Authors: Zhang J. , Huang J. Y. , Chen Y. N. , Yuan F. , Zhang H. , Yan F. H. , Wang M. J. , Wang G. , Su M. , Lu G , Huang Y. , Dai H. , Ji J. , Zhang J. , Zhang J. N. , Jiang Y. N. , Chen S. J. , Zhu Z. G. , Yu Y. Y.
Published: October 2015

Gastric cancer is one of the most aggressive cancers and is the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Approximately 40% of global gastric cancer cases occur in China, with peritoneal metastasis being the prevalent form of recurrence and metastasis in advanced disease. Currently, there are limited clinical approaches for predicting and treatment of peritoneal metastasis, resulting in a 6-month average survival time. By comprehensive genome analysis will uncover the pathogenesis of peritoneal metastasis. Here we describe a comprehensive whole-genome and transcriptome sequencing analysis of one advanced gastric cancer case, including non-cancerous mucosa, primary cancer and matched peritoneal metastatic cancer. The peripheral blood is used as normal control. We identified 27 mutated genes, of which 19 genes are reported in COSMIC database (ZNF208, CRNN, ATXN3, DCTN1, RP1L1, PRB4, PRB1, MUC4, HS6ST3, MUC17, JAM2, ITGAD, IREB2, IQUB, CORO1B, CCDC121, AKAP2, ACAN and ACADL), and eight genes have not previously been described in gastric cancer (CCDC178, ARMC4, TUBB6, PLIN4, PKLR, PDZD2, DMBT1and DAB1).Additionally,GPX4 and MPND in 19q13.3-13.4 region, is characterized as a novel fusion-gene. This study disclosed novel biological markers and tumorigenic pathways that would predict gastric cancer occurring peritoneal metastasis.
Erratum: Selective Connexin43 Inhibition Prevents Isoproterenol-Induced Arrhythmias and Lethality in Muscular Dystrophy Mice
Authors: Patrick Gonzalez J. , Ramachandran Jayalakshmi , Xie Lai-Hua , Contreras Jorge E. , Fraidenraich Diego
Published: October 2015

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is caused by an X-linked mutation that leads to the absence of dystrophin, resulting in life-threatening arrhythmogenesis and associated heart failure. We targeted the gap junction protein connexin43 (Cx43) responsible for maintaining cardiac conduction. In mild mdx and severe mdx:utr mouse models of DMD, and human DMD tissues, Cx43 was found to be pathologically mislocalized to lateral sides of cardiomyocytes. In addition, overall Cx43 protein levels were markedly increased in mouse and human DMD heart tissues examined. Electrocardiography on isoproterenol challenged mice showed that both models developed arrhythmias and died within 24 hours, while wild-type mice were free of pathology. Administering peptide mimetics to inhibit lateralized Cx43 function prior to challenge protected mdx mice from arrhythmogenesis and death, while mdx:utr mice displayed markedly improved ECG scores. These findings suggest that Cx43 lateralization contributes significantly to DMD arrhythmogenesis and that selective inhibition may provide substantial benefit.
Spatially extensive microbial biogeography of the Indian Ocean provides insights into the unique community structure of a pristine coral atoll
Authors: Jeffries Thomas C. , Ostrowski Martin , Williams Rohan B. , Xie Chao , Jensen Rachelle M. , Grzymski Joseph J. , Senstius Svend Jacob , Givskov Michael , Hoeke Ron , Philip Gayle K. , Neches Russell Y. , Drautz-Moses Daniela I. , Chénard Caroline , Paulsen Ian T. , Lauro Federico M.
Published: October 2015

Microorganisms act both as drivers and indicators of perturbations in the marine environment. In an effort to establish baselines to predict the response of marine habitats to environmental change, here we report a broad survey of microbial diversity across the Indian Ocean, including the first microbial samples collected in the pristine lagoon of Salomon Islands, Chagos Archipelago. This was the first large-scale ecogenomic survey aboard a private yacht employing a ‘citizen oceanography’ approach and tools and protocols easily adapted to ocean going sailboats. Our data highlighted biogeographic patterns in microbial community composition across the Indian Ocean. Samples from within the Salomon Islands lagoon contained a community which was different even from adjacent samples despite constant water exchange, driven by the dominance of the photosynthetic cyanobacterium Synechococcus. In the lagoon, Synechococcus was also responsible for driving shifts in the metatranscriptional profiles. Enrichment of transcripts related to photosynthesis and nutrient cycling indicated bottom-up controls of community structure. However a five-fold increase in viral transcripts within the lagoon during the day, suggested a concomitant top-down control by bacteriophages. Indeed, genome recruitment against Synechococcus reference genomes suggested a role of viruses in providing the ecological filter for determining the β-diversity patterns in this system.
A Plasmonic Spanner for Metal Particle Manipulation
Authors: Zhang Yuquan , Shi Wei , Shen Zhe , Man Zhongsheng , Min Changjun , Shen Junfeng , Zhu Siwei , Urbach H. Paul , Yuan Xiaocong
Published: October 2015

Typically, metal particles are difficult to manipulate with conventional optical vortex (OV) tweezers, because of their strong absorption and scattering. However, it has been shown that the vortex field of surface plasmonic polaritons, called plasmonic vortex (PV), is capable of stable trapping and dynamic rotation of metal particles, especially those of mesoscopic and Mie size. To uncover the different physical mechanisms of OV and PV tweezers, we investigated the force distribution and trapping potential of metal particles. In OV tweezers the stronger scattering force causes a positive potential barrier that repels particles, whereas in PV tweezers the dominant gradient force contributes to a negative potential well, resulting in stably trapped particles. Compared with OV, the orbital angular momentum of PV produces an azimuthal scattering force that rotates the trapped particles with more precise radius and position. Our results demonstrate that PV tweezers are superior in manipulation of metal particles.
Retrograde solubility of formamidinium and methylammonium lead halide perovskites enabling rapid single crystal growth
Authors: Saidaminov Makhsud I. , Abdelhady Ahmed L. , Maculan Giacomo , Bakr Osman M.
Published: October 2015

Based on the right choice of solvent(s), the retrograde solubility of hybrid perovskites can be achieved enabling rapid inverse temperature crystallization.
Self-assembly of the anti-fungal polyene amphotericin B into giant helically-twisted nanotapes
Authors: Hamley Ian William , Kirkham Steven , Kowalczyk Radoslaw M. , Castelletto Valeria , Reza Mehedi , Ruokolainen Janne
Published: October 2015

Amphotericin B self-assembles into giant nanotapes with an internal filament structure in pH 12 aqueous solution.
Theoretical evaluation of lanthanide binding tags as biomolecular handles for the organization of single ion magnets and spin qubits
Authors: Rosaleny Lorena E. , Gaita-Ariño Alejandro
Published: October 2015

A newly developed extension to the SIMPRE program allowed the estimation of the potential of 63 polypeptide-coordinated lanthanide structures as single ion magnets and as spin qubits.
Music Perception in Adult Users of Cochlear Implants: A Brief Review
Authors: Jensen Robert C. , Ferguson Sarah Hargus
Published: October 2015

Although cochlear implants (CIs) can provide good speech understanding in quiet, in general, users of CIs have shown poor music perception performance, particularly with regard to pitch (and hence melody). This is primarily due to the limited ability of CI processing strategies and electric stimulation to provide place pitch and fine structure information from the original input signal to the auditory nervous system of the user. Approaches such as current focusing, current steering, enhanced amplitude modulation cues, and optic stimulation have been shown or theorized to assist in music perception, as have musical training programs. This article is a brief review of research related to music perception in adults with CIs, specifically their rhythm, pitch, and melody perception performance; processing strategies that have been or are being developed which might improve their music perception performance; and music training programs that have been shown to improve their music perception performance.
Improvement of fluorescence intensity of nitrogen vacancy centers in self-formed diamond microstructures
Authors: Furuyama S. , Tahara K. , Iwasaki T. , Shimizu M. , Yaita J. , Kondo M. , Kodera T. , Hatano M.
Published: October 2015

We present umbrella-shaped diamond microstructures with metal mirrors at the bottom in order to improve the amount of collected photons from nitrogen vacancy centers. The metal mirrors at the bottom are self-aligned to the umbrella-shaped diamond microstructures which are selectively grown through holes created on a metal mask. By the finite-difference time-domain simulations, we found that the umbrella-shaped microstructures, which have an effect similar to solid immersion lens, could collect photons more efficiently than bulk or pillar-shaped microstructures. Improvement of the fluorescence intensity by factors of from 3 to 5 is shown experimentally.
Upgrade of the beam extraction system of the GTS-LHC electron cyclotron resonance ion source at CERN
Authors: Toivanen V. , Bellodi G. , Dimov V. , Küchler D. , Lombardi A. M. , Maintrot M.
Published: October 2015

Linac3 is the first accelerator in the heavy ion injector chain of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), providing multiply charged heavy ion beams for the CERN experimental program. The ion beams are produced with GTS-LHC, a 14.5 GHz electron cyclotron resonance ion source, operated in afterglow mode. Improvement of the GTS-LHC beam formation and beam transport along Linac3 is part of the upgrade program of the injector chain in preparation for the future high luminosity LHC. A mismatch between the ion beam properties in the ion source extraction region and the acceptance of the following Low Energy Beam Transport (LEBT) section has been identified as one of the factors limiting the Linac3 performance. The installation of a new focusing element, an einzel lens, into the GTS-LHC extraction region is foreseen as a part of the Linac3 upgrade, as well as a redesign of the first section of the LEBT. Details of the upgrade and results of a beam dynamics study of the extraction region and LEBT modifications will be presented.
Absence of carrier separation in ambipolar charge and spin drift in p+-GaAs
Authors: Cadiz F. , Paget D. , Rowe A. C. H. , Martinelli L. , Arscott S.
Published: October 2015

The electric field-induced modifications of the spatial distribution of photoelectrons, photoholes, and electronic spins in optically pumped p+ GaAs are investigated using a polarized luminescence imaging microscopy. At low pump intensity, application of an electric field reveals the tail of charge and spin density of drifting electrons. These tails disappear when the pump intensity is increased since a slight differential drift of photoelectrons and photoholes causes the buildup of a strong internal electric field. Spatial separation of photoholes and photoelectrons is very weak so that photoholes drift in the same direction as photoelectrons, thus exhibiting a negative effective mobility. In contrast, for a zero electric field, no significant ambipolar diffusive effects are found in the same sample.
Trap-assisted tunneling in aluminum-doped ZnO/indium oxynitride nanodot interlayer Ohmic contacts on p-GaN
Authors: Ke Wen-Cheng , Lee Fang-Wei , Yang Cheng-Yi , Chen Wei-Kuo , Huang Hao-Ping
Published: October 2015

This study developed an Ohmic contact formation method for a ZnO:Al (AZO) transparent conductive layer on p-GaN films involving the introduction of an indium oxynitride (InON) nanodot interlayer. An antisurfactant pretreatment was used to grow InON nanodots on p-GaN films in a RF magnetron sputtering system. A low specific contact resistance of 1.12 × 10−4 Ω cm2 was achieved for a sample annealed at 500 °C for 30 s in nitrogen ambient and embedded with an InON nanodot interlayer with a nanodot density of 6.5 × 108 cm−2. By contrast, a sample annealed in oxygen ambient exhibited non-Ohmic behavior. X-ray photoemission spectroscopy results showed that the oxygen vacancy (Vo) in the InON nanodots played a crucial role in carrier transport. The fitting I–V characteristic curves indicated that the hopping mechanism with an activation energy of 31.6 meV and trap site spacing of 1.1 nm dominated the carrier transport in the AZO/InON nanodot/p-GaN sample. Because of the high density of donor-like oxygen vacancy defects at the InON nanodot/p-GaN interface, positive charges from the underlying p-GaN films were absorbed at the interface. This led to positive charge accumulation, creating a narrow depletion layer; therefore, carriers from the AZO layer passed through InON nanodots by hopping transport, and subsequently tunneling through the interface to enter the p-GaN films. Thus, AZO Ohmic contact can be formed on p-GaN films by embedding an InON nanodot interlayer to facilitate trap-assisted tunneling.
Vectorial detection of sub-microscale capillary curvature by laser beam profile
Authors: Verma Gopal , Singh Kamal P.
Published: October 2015

We demonstrate a simple and non-invasive optical technique to detect direction and magnitude of long-range, sub-microscale capillary curvature of fluid interfaces in various situations. By analyzing magnitude and direction of the distorted spatial profile of the laser beam, following its weak Fresnel's reflection from the air-water interface, ultra-low curvature of 0.1 μm−1 caused by dipped slides, glass tubes, and microscopic twisted silk fibers was measured up to six capillary lengths away from the object. The flexibility of this technique allows us to measure curvature of remotely placed fluid-fluid interfaces and interaction between capillary curves of multiple objects. The high sensitivity of our technique is demonstrated in measuring magnetic susceptibility of water and the full spatial profile of deformation under weak magnetic field. This technique might find applications in precision measurements in optofluidics and interface physics.
Low frequency internal friction study on the ferroelectric perovskite Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3
Authors: Wang W. G. , Li X. Y. , Liu T. , Hao G. L.
Published: October 2015

Lead-free piezoelectric ceramic Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 was investigated by the internal friction method. The internal friction of the Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 ceramic at low frequency (0.5 ∼ 4Hz) was measured in the temperature range from room temperature to 900 K. Three prominent internal friction peaks were observed. The P1 peak is composed of three internal friction peaks. The lower temperature peaks (P1L1 and (P1L2) may be caused by the stress-induced motion of domain walls pinned by the oxygen vacancies and the oxygen ion diffusion in Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 sample, respectively. The higher temperature peak (P1H) may be related with the phase transition between the ferroelectric and anti-ferroelectric phase. The broader P2 peak shows that the phase transition between rhombohedral and tetragonal phase is a gradually changing process. The asymmetry of the P3 peak includes the two subpeaks (P3L and P3H peak). The two subpeaks are caused by the light Na ions diffusion by vacancies in NBT sample and the phase transition between the tetrahedral phase and the cubic phase, respectively. These results are helpful to understand the phase transition process and improve the ferroelectric and piezoelectric performance of Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3-based materials.
Spindle assembly checkpoint proteins regulate and monitor meiotic synapsis in C. elegans
Authors: Bohr Tisha , Nelson Christian R. , Klee Erin , Bhalla Needhi
Published: October 2015

Homologue synapsis is required for meiotic chromosome segregation, but how synapsis is initiated between chromosomes is poorly understood. In Caenorhabditis elegans, synapsis and a checkpoint that monitors synapsis depend on pairing centers (PCs), cis-acting loci that interact with nuclear envelope proteins, such as SUN-1, to access cytoplasmic microtubules. Here, we report that spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) components MAD-1, MAD-2, and BUB-3 are required to negatively regulate synapsis and promote the synapsis checkpoint response. Both of these roles are independent of a conserved component of the anaphase-promoting complex, indicating a unique role for these proteins in meiotic prophase. MAD-1 and MAD-2 localize to the periphery of meiotic nuclei and interact with SUN-1, suggesting a role at PCs. Consistent with this idea, MAD-1 and BUB-3 require full PC function to inhibit synapsis. We propose that SAC proteins monitor the stability of pairing, or tension, between homologues to regulate synapsis and elicit a checkpoint response.
A conserved polybasic domain mediates plasma membrane targeting of Lgl and its regulation by hypoxia
Authors: Dong Wei , Zhang Xuejing , Liu Weijie , Chen Yi-jiun , Huang Juan , Austin Erin , Celotto Alicia M. , Jiang Wendy Z. , Palladino Michael J. , Jiang Yu , Hammond Gerald R.V. , Hong Yang
Published: October 2015

Lethal giant larvae (Lgl) plays essential and conserved functions in regulating both cell polarity and tumorigenesis in Drosophila melanogaster and vertebrates. It is well recognized that plasma membrane (PM) or cell cortex localization is crucial for Lgl function in vivo, but its membrane-targeting mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we discovered that hypoxia acutely and reversibly inhibits Lgl PM targeting through a posttranslational mechanism that is independent of the well-characterized atypical protein kinase C (aPKC) or Aurora kinase–mediated phosphorylations. Instead, we identified an evolutionarily conserved polybasic (PB) domain that targets Lgl to the PM via electrostatic binding to membrane phosphatidylinositol phosphates. Such PB domain–mediated PM targeting is inhibited by hypoxia, which reduces inositol phospholipid levels on the PM through adenosine triphosphate depletion. Moreover, Lgl PB domain contains all the identified phosphorylation sites of aPKC and Aurora kinases, providing a molecular mechanism by which phosphorylations neutralize the positive charges on the PB domain to inhibit Lgl PM targeting.
Merlin casts its spell on the cortical cytoskeleton
Authors: Short Ben
Published: October 2015

The tumor suppressor Merlin/NF2 inhibits the proliferation of confluent cells by regulating tension at the apical cell cortex.