bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of tapered magnetic field on expanding laser-produced plasma for heavy-ion inertial fusion
Authors: Kanesue T. , Ikeda S.
Published: December 2016

A laser ion source (LIS) is a promising candidate as an ion source for heavy-ion inertial fusion (HIF), where a pulsed ultra-intense and low-charged heavy ion beam is required. It is a key development for a LIS to transport laser-produced plasma with a magnetic field to achieve a high-current beam. The effect of a tapered magnetic field on laser-produced plasma is demonstrated by comparing the results with a straight solenoid magnet. The magnetic field of interest is a wider aperture on a target side and narrower aperture on an extraction side. Based on the experimentally obtained results, the performance of a scaled LIS for HIF was estimated.
Biotic interactions, climate and disturbance underlie the distribution of twoJulbernardiatree species in miombo woodlands of Africa
Authors: Chidumayo Emmanuel N.
Published: December 2016

Occurrence data forJulbernardia globifloraandJ. paniculataat 617 sites in the miombo woodland region of central, eastern and southern Africa and forest inventory data for 512 woodland plots in Zambia were used to determine species distribution and dominance. Distribution of the twoJulbernardiaspecies overlaps in the central region of the miombo woodland range while the eastern and western range regions are exclusively for only one of the two species. In the region of co-occurrence, there is a clear spatial separation in the dominance of the two species. In old-growth woodland a significant proportion of the variation in the dominance ofJ.globiflorawas explained by the dominance ofJ.paniculatawhile mean annual maximum temperature and tree species richness negatively affect the dominance ofJ.paniculata. Old-growth woodland clearing changes the local climatic conditions and alters the wayJulbernardiaspecies in re-growth stands respond to potential evapo-transpiration (PET). Climate change, especially global warming, may further reinforce the impacts of PET to differentially favourJ.globiflora. Because of this altered response ofJulbernardiaspecies in re-growth miombo, preserving old-growth miombo and preventing present human disturbances in designated areas, such as forest reserves and national parks, may be a useful climate adaptation strategy for these species.
Fruit-eating birds in experimental plantings in southern Mexico
Authors: Howe Henry F.
Published: December 2016

Maintenance of biodiversity in tropical agrarian landscapes is challenging in the face of anthropomorphic simplification of habitats. As part of an experiment testing influences of planting treatment on tree recruitment in southern Mexico, counts of bird species were made over 10 years in twenty-four 30 × 30-m fenced plots in over-grazed pasture. Plots were planted with native tree species or left as unplanted controls in 2006. Annual censuses of birds in the plots from 2007–2016 indicated statistically significant increases in the number of fruit-eating species and individuals as vegetation matured, but increases in non-frugivorous species and individuals over the decade were not significant. Among four species of planted animal-dispersed trees that bore fruit during this time,Cecropia obtusifoliaconsistently produced substantial crops after 2009. In 2015, all 53 planted or passively recruited female trees of mature size of this species bore fruit. The summed body masses of fruit-eating birds in each of 24 plots were significantly correlated with rank order of available fruit per plot. Differential use of habitat patches in an agrarian landscape suggested substantial value to frugivores, but less to non-frugivorous birds than expected.
Parallel heuristic search in forward partial-order planning
Authors: Sapena Oscar , Torreño Alejandro , Onaindía Eva
Published: December 2016

Most of the current top-performing planners are sequential planners that only handle total-order plans. Although this is a computationally efficient approach, the management of total-order plans restrict the choices of reasoning and thus the generation of flexible plans. In this paper, we present FLAP2, a forward-chaining planner that follows the principles of the classical POCL (Partial-Order Causal-Link Planning) paradigm. Working with partial-order plans allows FLAP2 to easily manage the parallelism of the plans, which brings several advantages: more flexible executions, shorter plan durations (makespan) and an easy adaptation to support new features like temporal or multi-agent planning. However, one of the limitations of POCL planners is that they require far more computational effort to deal with the interactions that arise among actions. FLAP2 minimizes this overhead by applying several techniques that improve its performance: the combination of different state-based heuristics and the use of parallel processes to diversify the search in different directions when a plateau is found. To evaluate the performance of FLAP2, we have made a comparison with four state-of-the-art planners: SGPlan, YAHSP2, Temporal Fast Downward and OPTIC. Experimental results show that FLAP2 presents a very acceptable trade-off between time and quality and a high coverage on the current planning benchmarks.
General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
Authors: Lingiah Jason
Published: December 2016

The General Assembly met in Edinburgh from 21 to 27 May with the Rt Revd Dr G Russell Barr BA BD MTh DMin, Minister of Cramond in the Presbytery of Edinburgh, installed as Moderator. This year's Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly was again Lord Hope of Craighead KT PC. Lord Hope served as Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General and was subsequently Deputy President of the Supreme Court. The most significant piece of business relating to the interface between church and civil law again related to same-sex relationships, as outlined below.
General Synod of the Scottish Episcopal Church
Authors: Stuart John F
Published: December 2016

The General Synod met at St Paul's and St George's Church in Edinburgh from 9 to 11 June 2016. In his charge to Synod, the Primus, the Most Revd David Chillingworth, reflected on the injunction of St Paul to ‘please God, who tests our hearts’. As the Synod prepared to consider canonical change in relation to marriage, he asked how the Church was to continue to express the love and unity to which it was called by God. During the preceding year, deep pain in relationships had been experienced both in the Anglican Communion and with the Church of Scotland and Church of England – and there was a need to explore whether the Scottish Episcopal Church itself might have contributed to that distress and to shape a response that ‘pleased God, who tests our hearts'. In the light of the (then) forthcoming referendum on the European Union, the Primus suggested that it was not the wish of many in Scotland to use national borders to protect economic privilege. If the referendum took the UK out of the European Union, it could have profound effects on the unfolding story of the new Scotland and of the UK as a whole.
General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada
Authors: Perry Alan T
Published: December 2016

The General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada normally meets every three years for a session lasting several days. It held its 41st session from 7 to 12 July 2016 in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Although much media attention focused on one particular motion, a lot of other work was accomplished during the session.
Treatment initiation in paediatric pulmonary hypertension: insights from a multinational registry
Authors: Humpl Tilman , Berger Rolf M. F. , Austin Eric D. , Fasnacht Boillat Margrit S. , Bonnet Damien , Ivy Dunbar D. , Zuk Malgorzata , Beghetti Maurice , Schulze-Neick Ingram
Published: December 2016

Different treatment options for pulmonary hypertension have emerged in recent years, and evidence-based management strategies have improved quality of life and survival in adults. In children with pulmonary vascular disease, therapeutic algorithms are not so clearly defined; this study determined current treatment initiation in children with pulmonary hypertension in participating centres of a registry.

Through the multinational Tracking Outcomes and Practice in Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension registry, patient demographics, diagnosis, and treatment as judged and executed by the local physician were collected. Inclusion criteria were >3 months and <18 years of age and diagnostic cardiac catheterisation consistent with pulmonary hypertension (mean pulmonary arterial pressure ⩾25 mmHg, pulmonary vascular resistance index ⩾3 Wood units×m2, and mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure ⩽12 mmHg).

At diagnostic catheterisation, 217/244 patients (88.9%) were treatment naïve for pulmonary hypertension-targeted therapy. Targeted therapy was initiated after catheterisation in 170 (78.3%) treatment-naïve patients. A total of 19 patients received supportive therapy, 28 patients were not started on therapy, and 26 patients (10.7%) were on targeted treatment before catheterisation. Among treatment-naïve subjects, treatment was initiated with one targeted drug (n=112, 51.6%), dual therapy (n=39, 18%) or triple-therapy (n=5, 2.3%), and calcium channel blockers with one targeted medication in one patient (0.5%). Phosphodiesterase inhibitors type 5 were used frequently; some patients with pulmonary hypertension related to lung disease received targeted therapy.

There is a diverse therapeutic approach for children with pulmonary hypertension with a need of better-defined treatment algorithms based on paediatric consensus for different aetiologies including the best possible diagnostic workup.
Evolution as Physics: The Human & Machine Species
Authors: Bejan Adrian
Published: December 2016

Humans and technology are not in symbiosis. They are one species, not two. Humans, enveloped in artefacts of many kinds and ages (from writing, to airplanes), are evolving as one species, the ‘human & machine species’. This evolution is visible and recorded in our lifetime. Here, I illustrate the evolution of the human & machine species by focusing on commercial aircraft, the cooling of electronics, and modern athletics, which is a special laboratory for witnessing the evolution of animal locomotion. I show that these evolutionary forms of flow organization are in accord with, and can be predicted based on the law of physics that governs evolution in nature, bio and non-bio: the constructal law. Evolution, life and the human & machine species are physics.
Household food insecurity in black-slaves descendant communities in Brazil: has the legacy of slavery truly ended?
Authors: Gubert Muriel B , Segall-Corrêa Anna Maria , Spaniol Ana Maria , Pedroso Jessica , Coelho Stefanie Eugênia dos Anjos Campos , Pérez-Escamilla Rafael
Published: December 2016

Objective

To identify the factors associated with food insecurity among Quilombolas communities in Brazil.

Design

An analysis of secondary data assessed in the 2011 Quilombolas Census was performed. The Brazilian Food Insecurity Measurement Scale (Escala Brasileira de Insegurança Alimentar, EBIA) was used to assess household food security status. Sociodemographic conditions and access to social programmes and benefits were also evaluated.

Setting

National survey census from recognized Quilombolas Brazilian territories.

Subjects

Quilombolas households (n 8846).

Results

About half (47·8 %) of the Quilombolas lived in severely food-insecure households, with the North and Northeast regions facing the most critical situation. Households located in North Brazil, whose head of the family had less than 4 years of education, with a monthly per capita income below $US 44, without adequate sanitation and without adequate water supply had the greatest chance of experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity. Households that had access to a water supply programme for dry regions (Programa Cisternas) and an agricultural harvest subsidy programme (Programa Garantia Safra) had less chance of experiencing moderate and severe food insecurity. Households that did not have access to health care (Programa Saúde da Família) had greater chance of suffering from moderate or severe food insecurity.

Conclusions

Interventions are urgently needed to strengthen and promote public policies aimed to improve living conditions and food security in Quilombolas communities.
Microwave Frequency Comb from a Semiconductor in a Scanning Tunneling Microscope
Authors: Hagmann Mark J. , Yarotski Dmitry A. , Mousa Marwan S.
Published: December 2016

Quasi-periodic excitation of the tunneling junction in a scanning tunneling microscope, by a mode-locked ultrafast laser, superimposes a regular sequence of 15 fs pulses on the DC tunneling current. In the frequency domain, this is a frequency comb with harmonics at integer multiples of the laser pulse repetition frequency. With a gold sample the 200th harmonic at 14.85 GHz has a signal-to-noise ratio of 25 dB, and the power at each harmonic varies inversely with the square of the frequency. Now we report the first measurements with a semiconductor where the laser photon energy must be less than the bandgap energy of the semiconductor; the microwave frequency comb must be measured within 200 μm of the tunneling junction; and the microwave power is 25 dB below that with a metal sample and falls off more rapidly at the higher harmonics. Our results suggest that the measured attenuation of the microwave harmonics is sensitive to the semiconductor spreading resistance within 1 nm of the tunneling junction. This approach may enable sub-nanometer carrier profiling of semiconductors without requiring the diamond nanoprobes in scanning spreading resistance microscopy.
Factors to consider for motor neurone disease carer intervention research: A narrative literature review
Authors: Gluyas Cathy , Mathers Susan , Hennessy Anderson Nicole , Ugalde Anna
Published: December 2016

Objective:

The experience of caregiving in the context of motor neurone disease (MND) is extremely challenging. Over the past 15 years, quantitative and qualitative studies have delineated the psychosocial aspects of this experience, exploring its impact on caregivers' quality of life, rates of depression, distress, anxiety, and burden. Our paper aimed to provide an overview of the lived experience of MND caregivers, identifying the variables that can influence MND caregiver functioning that are relevant to the development of an intervention.

Method:

A narrative review was conducted, synthesizing the findings of literature retrieved from 2000 to early 2016.

Results:

A total of 37 articles were included in the review. The articles varied considerably in terms of methodology and quality. The main influential aspects reported and identified were factors pertaining to the patient, factors intrinsic to the caregiver, relationship factors, and social support factors.

Significance of Results:

There is evidence to support the fact that caregivers have poorer outcomes when they care for patients with a more severe clinical profile, poorer emotional health or neurobehavioral concerns, or when the caregivers themselves struggle with adaptive problem-solving and coping skills. The availability and use of social support are also likely to be important for caregiver psychosocial outcomes. Further investigation is required to clarify the influence of changes in the relationship with the patient. Significant factors affecting the caregiver experience are considered in relation to their amenability to psychosocial intervention. Recommendations are made regarding the optimal features of future psychosocial intervention research.
Next steps for meeting the needs of people with severe mental illness in low- and middle-income countries
Authors: Hanlon C.
Published: December 2016

The explicit inclusion of mental health within the Sustainable Development Goals is a welcome development, borne out of powerful advocacy using public health, economic and human rights arguments. As funding comes on line for scale-up of evidence-based mental health care by task-sharing with primary care, it is time to take stock about care for people affected by severe mental illness (SMI). The existing evidence base for task shared care for SMI provides an imperative to get started, but is skewed towards relatively more affluent and urban populations in middle-income countries where specialist mental health professionals provide most of the care. Randomised, controlled trials and rigorous implementation research on task shared service models are underway which will go some way to improving understanding of the quality, safety, effectiveness and acceptability of more widely generalisable care for people with SMI. A sub-group of people with SMI have more complex and long-term needs for care, with a high risk of homelessness, imprisonment and human rights violations as family and social supports become overwhelmed. Case studies from non-governmental organisations provide examples of holistic approaches to rehabilitation, recovery and empowerment of people with SMI, but rigorous comparative studies are needed to identify the most efficient, effective and scalable approaches to care. Health system constraints are emerging as the over-riding barriers to successful task-sharing, highlighting a need to develop and evaluate chronic care models for people with SMI that succeed in reducing premature mortality, improving wellbeing and achieving better social outcomes. Addressing these evidence gaps is essential if task-sharing mental health care is going to deliver on its promise of promoting recovery for the full range of people affected by SMI.
Probing the Source Properties of Deep Earthquakes
Authors: Cook Terri
Published: December 2016

A global review of earthquake rupture parameters reveals that deep earthquakes have larger fracture energies and may have different rupture mechanisms than shallower seismic events.
Regional synchrony in full-scale activated sludge bioreactors due to deterministic microbial community assembly
Authors: Griffin James S , Wells George F
Published: December 2016

Seasonal community structure and regionally synchronous population dynamics have been observed in natural microbial ecosystems, but have not been well documented in wastewater treatment bioreactors. Few studies of community dynamics in full-scale activated sludge systems facing similar meteorological conditions have been done to compare the importance of deterministic and neutral community assembly mechanisms. We subjected weekly activated sludge samples from six regional full-scale bioreactors at four wastewater treatment plants obtained over 1 year to Illumina sequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA genes, resulting in a library of over 17 million sequences. All samples derived from reactors treating primarily municipal wastewater. Despite variation in operational characteristics and location, communities displayed temporal synchrony at the individual operational taxonomic unit (OTU), broad phylogenetic affiliation and community-wide scale. Bioreactor communities were dominated by 134 abundant and highly regionally synchronized OTU populations that accounted for over 50% of the total reads. Non-core OTUs displayed abundance-dependent population synchrony. Alpha diversity varied by reactor, but showed a highly reproducible and synchronous seasonal fluctuation. Community similarity was dominated by seasonal changes, but individual reactors maintained minor stable differences after 1 year. Finally, the impacts of mass migration driven by direct biomass transfers between reactors was investigated, but had no significant effect on community similarity or diversity in the sink community. Our results show that population dynamics in activated sludge bioreactors are consistent with niche-driven assembly guided by seasonal temperature fluctuations.
Rare disruptive mutations in ciliary function genes contribute to testicular cancer susceptibility
Authors: Litchfield Kevin , Levy Max , Dudakia Darshna , Proszek Paula , Shipley Claire , Basten Sander , Rapley Elizabeth , Bishop D. Timothy , Reid Alison , Huddart Robert , Broderick Peter , Castro David Gonzalez de , O'Connor Simon , Giles Rachel H. , Houlston Richard S. , Turnbull Clare
Published: December 2016

Testicular germ cell tumour (TGCT) is the most common cancer in young men. Here we sought to identify risk factors for TGCT by performing whole-exome sequencing on 328 TGCT cases from 153 families, 634 sporadic TGCT cases and 1,644 controls. We search for genes that are recurrently affected by rare variants (minor allele frequency <0.01) with potentially damaging effects and evidence of segregation in families. A total of 8.7% of TGCT families carry rare disruptive mutations in the cilia-microtubule genes (CMG) as compared with 0.5% of controls (P=2.1 × 10−8). The most significantly mutated CMG is DNAAF1 with biallelic inactivation and loss of DNAAF1 expression shown in tumours from carriers. DNAAF1 mutation as a cause of TGCT is supported by a dnaaf1hu255h(+/−) zebrafish model, which has a 94% risk of TGCT. Our data implicate cilia-microtubule inactivation as a cause of TGCT and provide evidence for CMGs as cancer susceptibility genes.
Astrocytes gate Hebbian synaptic plasticity in the striatum
Authors: Valtcheva Silvana , Venance Laurent
Published: December 2016

Astrocytes, via excitatory amino-acid transporter type-2 (EAAT2), are the major sink for released glutamate and contribute to set the strength and timing of synaptic inputs. The conditions required for the emergence of Hebbian plasticity from distributed neural activity remain elusive. Here, we investigate the role of EAAT2 in the expression of a major physiologically relevant form of Hebbian learning, spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP). We find that a transient blockade of EAAT2 disrupts the temporal contingency required for Hebbian synaptic plasticity. Indeed, STDP is replaced by aberrant non-timing-dependent plasticity occurring for uncorrelated events. Conversely, EAAT2 overexpression impairs the detection of correlated activity and precludes STDP expression. Our findings demonstrate that EAAT2 sets the appropriate glutamate dynamics for the optimal temporal contingency between pre- and postsynaptic activity required for STDP emergence, and highlight the role of astrocytes as gatekeepers for Hebbian synaptic plasticity.
The nature of prosociality in chimpanzees
Authors: Tennie Claudio , Jensen Keith , Call Josep
Published: December 2016

An important debate centres around the nature of prosociality in nonhuman primates. Chimpanzees help other individuals in some experimental settings, yet they do not readily share food. One solution to this paradox is that they are motivated to help others provided there are no competing interests. However, benefits to recipients could arise as by-products of testing. Here we report two studies that separate by-product from intended helping in chimpanzees using a GO/NO-GO paradigm. Actors in one group could help a recipient by releasing a food box, but the same action for another group prevented a recipient from being able to get food. We find no evidence for helping—chimpanzees engaged in the test regardless of the effects on their partners. Illusory prosocial behaviour could arise as a by-product of task design.
Potential New H1N1 Neuraminidase Inhibitors from Ferulic Acid and Vanillin: Molecular Modelling, Synthesis and in Vitro Assay
Authors: Hariono Maywan , Abdullah Nurshariza , Damodaran K.V. , Kamarulzaman Ezatul E. , Mohamed Nornisah , Hassan Sharifah Syed , Shamsuddin Shaharum , Wahab Habibah A.
Published: December 2016

We report the computational and experimental efforts in the design and synthesis of novel neuraminidase (NA) inhibitors from ferulic acid and vanillin. Two proposed ferulic acid analogues, MY7 and MY8 were predicted to inhibit H1N1 NA using molecular docking. From these two analogues, we designed, synthesised and evaluated the biological activities of a series of ferulic acid and vanillin derivatives. The enzymatic H1N1 NA inhibition assay showed MY21 (a vanillin derivative) has the lowest IC50 of 50 μM. In contrast, the virus inhibition assay showed MY15, a ferulic acid derivative has the best activity with the EC50 of ~0.95 μM. Modelling studies further suggest that these predicted activities might be due to the interactions with conserved and essential residues of NA with ΔGbind values comparable to those of oseltamivir and zanamivir, the two commercial NA inhibitors.
Survival strategies of citrus rootstocks subjected to drought
Authors: Santana-Vieira Dayse Drielly Souza , Freschi Luciano , Almeida Lucas Aragão da Hora , Moraes Diogo Henrique Santos de , Neves Diana Matos , Santos Liziane Marques dos , Bertolde Fabiana Zanelato , Soares Filho Walter dos Santos , Coelho Filho Maurício Antonio , Gesteira Abelmon da Silva
Published: December 2016

Two citrus rootstocks, Rangpur lime (RL) and Sunki Maravilha mandarin (SM), were analyzed either ungrafted or grafted with their reciprocal graft combinations or with shoot scions of two commercial citrus varieties: Valencia orange (VO) and Tahiti acid lime (TAL). All graft combinations were subjected to distinct watering regimes: well-watered, severe drought and rehydration. Growth and water relation parameters, gas exchange as well as sugar and hormone profiles were determined. Data indicated that RL adopted a dehydration avoidance strategy and maintained growth, whereas SM adopted a dehydration tolerance strategy focused on plant survival. Compared with RL, the leaves and roots of SM exhibited higher concentrations of abscisic acid and salicylic acid, which induced drought tolerance, and accumulation of carbohydrates such as trehalose and raffinose, which are important reactive oxygen species scavengers. SM rootstocks were able to transfer their survival strategy to the grafted shoot scions (RL, VO, TAL). Because of their contrasting survival strategies, RL reached the permanent wilting point more quickly than SM whereas SM recovered from prolonged droughts more efficiently than RL. This is one of the most complete studies of drought tolerance mechanisms in citrus crops and is the first to use reciprocal grafting to clarify scion/rootstock interactions.
Liver Enzymes and Risk of Ischemic Heart Disease and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Mendelian Randomization Study
Authors: Liu Junxi , Au Yeung Shiu Lun , Lin Shi Lin , Leung Gabriel M. , Schooling C. Mary
Published: December 2016

We used Mendelian randomization to estimate the causal effects of the liver enzymes, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT), on diabetes and cardiovascular disease, using genetic variants predicting these liver enzymes at genome wide significance applied to extensively genotyped case-control studies of diabetes (DIAGRAM) and coronary artery disease (CAD)/myocardial infarction (MI) (CARDIoGRAMplusC4D 1000 Genomes). Genetically higher ALT was associated with higher risk of diabetes, odds ratio (OR) 2.99 per 100% change in concentration (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.62 to 5.52) but ALP OR 0.92 (95% CI 0.71 to 1.19) and GGT OR 0.88 (95% CI 0.75 to 1.04) were not. Genetically predicted ALT, ALP and GGT were not clearly associated with CAD/MI (ALT OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.54 to 1.01, ALP OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.64 to 1.16 and GGT OR 1.08, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.19). We confirm observations of ALT increasing the risk of diabetes, but cannot exclude the possibility that higher ALT may protect against CAD/MI. We also cannot exclude the possibility that GGT increases the risk of CAD/MI and reduces the risk of diabetes. Informative explanations for these potentially contradictory associations should be sought.
Passive exposure to speech sounds induces long-term memory representations in the auditory cortex of adult rats
Authors: Kurkela Jari L. O. , Lipponen Arto , Hämäläinen Jarmo A. , Näätänen Risto , Astikainen Piia
Published: December 2016

Experience-induced changes in the functioning of the auditory cortex are prominent in early life, especially during a critical period. Although auditory perceptual learning takes place automatically during this critical period, it is thought to require active training in later life. Previous studies demonstrated rapid changes in single-cell responses of anesthetized adult animals while exposed to sounds presented in a statistical learning paradigm. However, whether passive exposure to sounds can form long-term memory representations remains to be demonstrated. To investigate this issue, we first exposed adult rats to human speech sounds for 3 consecutive days, 12 h/d. Two groups of rats exposed to either spectrotemporal or tonal changes in speech sounds served as controls for each other. Then, electrophysiological brain responses from the auditory cortex were recorded to the same stimuli. In both the exposure and test phase statistical learning paradigm, was applied. The exposure effect was found for the spectrotemporal sounds, but not for the tonal sounds. Only the animals exposed to spectrotemporal sounds differentiated subtle changes in these stimuli as indexed by the mismatch negativity response. The results point to the occurrence of long-term memory traces for the speech sounds due to passive exposure in adult animals.
Naa50/San-dependent N-terminal acetylation of Scc1 is potentially important for sister chromatid cohesion
Authors: Ribeiro Ana Luisa , Silva Rui D. , Foyn Håvard , Tiago Margarida N. , Rathore Om Singh , Arnesen Thomas , Martinho Rui Gonçalo
Published: December 2016

The gene separation anxiety (san) encodes Naa50/San, a N-terminal acetyltransferase required for chromosome segregation during mitosis. Although highly conserved among higher eukaryotes, the mitotic function of this enzyme is still poorly understood. Naa50/San was originally proposed to be required for centromeric sister chromatid cohesion in Drosophila and human cells, yet, more recently, it was also suggested to be a negative regulator of microtubule polymerization through internal acetylation of beta Tubulin. We used genetic and biochemical approaches to clarify the function of Naa50/San during development. Our work suggests that Naa50/San is required during tissue proliferation for the correct interaction between the cohesin subunits Scc1 and Smc3. Our results also suggest a working model where Naa50/San N-terminally acetylates the nascent Scc1 polypeptide, and that this co-translational modification is subsequently required for the establishment and/or maintenance of sister chromatid cohesion.
Nanofocusing of the free-space optical energy with plasmonic Tamm states
Authors: Niu Linyu , Xiang Yinxiao , Luo Weiwei , Cai Wei , Qi Jiwei , Zhang Xinzheng , Xu Jingjun
Published: December 2016

To achieve extreme electromagnetic enhancement, we propose a plasmonic Tamm states (PTSs) configuration based on the metal-insulator-metal Bragg reflector, which is realized by periodically modulating the width of the insulator. Both the thick (2D) and thin (3D) structures are discussed. Through optimization performed by the impedance-based transfer matrix method and the finite difference time domain method, we find that both the electric field and magnetic field intensities can be increased by three orders of magnitude. The field-enhancement inside the PTSs configuration is not limited to extremely sharp waveguide terminal, which can greatly reduce processing difficulties.
An Unbiased Analysis of Candidate Mechanisms for the Regulation of Drosophila Wing Disc Growth
Authors: Vollmer Jannik , Iber Dagmar
Published: December 2016

The control of organ size presents a fundamental open problem in biology. A declining growth rate is observed in all studied higher animals, and the growth limiting mechanism may therefore be evolutionary conserved. Most studies of organ growth control have been carried out in Drosophila imaginal discs. We have previously shown that the area growth rate in the Drosophila eye primordium declines inversely proportional to the increase in its area, which is consistent with a dilution mechanism for growth control. Here, we show that a dilution mechanism cannot explain growth control in the Drosophila wing disc. We computationally evaluate a range of alternative candidate mechanisms and show that the experimental data can be best explained by a biphasic growth law. However, also logistic growth and an exponentially declining growth rate fit the data very well. The three growth laws correspond to fundamentally different growth mechanisms that we discuss. Since, as we show, a fit to the available experimental growth kinetics is insufficient to define the underlying mechanism of growth control, future experimental studies must focus on the molecular mechanisms to define the mechanism of growth control.
Histone deacetylase inhibitors mediate DNA damage repair in ameliorating hemorrhagic cystitis
Authors: Haldar Subhash , Dru Christopher , Mishra Rajeev , Tripathi Manisha , Duong Frank , Angara Bryan , Fernandez Ana , Arditi Moshe , Bhowmick Neil A.
Published: December 2016

Hemorrhagic cystitis is an inflammatory and ulcerative bladder condition associated with systemic chemotherapeutics, like cyclophosphomide. Earlier, we reported reactive oxygen species resulting from cyclophosphamide metabolite, acrolein, causes global methylation followed by silencing of DNA damage repair genes. Ogg1 (8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase) is one such silenced base excision repair enzyme that can restore DNA integrity. The accumulation of DNA damage results in subsequent inflammation associated with pyroptotic death of bladder smooth muscle cells. We hypothesized that reversing inflammasome-induced imprinting in the bladder smooth muscle could prevent the inflammatory phenotype. Elevated recruitment of Dnmt1 and Dnmt3b to the Ogg1 promoter in acrolein treated bladder muscle cells was validated by the pattern of CpG methylation revealed by bisulfite sequencing. Knockout of Ogg1 in detrusor cells resulted in accumulation of reactive oxygen mediated 8-Oxo-dG and spontaneous pyroptotic signaling. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), restored Ogg1 expression in cells treated with acrolein and mice treated with cyclophosphamide superior to the standard of care, mesna or nicotinamide-induced DNA demethylation. SAHA restored cyclophosphamide-induced bladder pathology to that of untreated control mice. The observed epigenetic imprinting induced by inflammation suggests a new therapeutic target for the treatment of hemorrhagic cystitis.
Biodegradation of 3-methyldiphenylether (MDE) by Hydrogenophaga atypical strain QY7-2 and cloning of the methy-oxidation gene mdeABCD
Authors: Yang Qian , Cai Shu , Dong Shaowei , Chen Lulu , Chen Jifei , Cai Tianming
Published: December 2016

3-Methyldiphenylether (MDE) is an important alkyl-substituted diphenyl ether compound that is widely used as an intermediate in the synthesis of pyrethroid insecticides. An efficient MDE-degrading strain QY7-2, identified as Hydrogenophaga atypical, was isolated from activated sludge for the first time. Strain QY7-2 can utilize MDE as the sole carbon and energy source and completely mineralize MDE. The degradation pathway of MDE was proposed in the strain through metabolites identification. A gene cluster involving in methy-oxidation of MDE was cloned from QY7-2 and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3), and the products were purified by SDS-PAGE. The specific activities of the recombinant enzymes MdeAB, MdeC and MdeD were 113.8 ± 3.5, 274.5 ± 6.2 and 673.4 ± 8.7 nmol min−1 mg−1, respectively. These results provide the biochemical and genetic foundation of microbial degradation pathway of MDE and benefit the bioremediation of MDE-contaminated environments.
A novel FIKK kinase regulates the development of mosquito and liver stages of the malaria
Authors: Jaijyan Dabbu Kumar , Verma Praveen Kumar , Singh Agam Prasad
Published: December 2016

Protein phosphorylation is the most important post-translational event in the regulation of various essential signaling pathways in a cell. Here, we show the functional characterization of a FIKK family protein kinase of the rodent malaria parasite (PbMLFK), which is expressed only in mosquito and liver stages and contains two functional C-terminal PEXEL motifs. We demonstrate that this protein plays a role in mosquito and liver stages of parasite growth. The oocysts of PbMLFK-deficient parasites produced 4-fold fewer sporozoites. In the liver of infected mice, PbMLFK-deficient parasites grew 100-fold less than did wild type parasites. We also show that the C-terminal domain of this protein has a functional serine-threonine kinase and that its activity was inhibited by a known PKA inhibitor. Transcriptome analysis of infected host cells suggests that in absence of this protein expression of the 288 host mRNAs are perturbed which are primarily associated with the immune system, cell cycle and metabolism.
High resolution 3D imaging of living cells with sub-optical wavelength phonons
Authors: Pérez-Cota Fernando , Smith Richard J. , Moradi Emilia , Marques Leonel , Webb Kevin F. , Clark Matt
Published: December 2016

Label-free imaging of living cells below the optical diffraction limit poses great challenges for optical microscopy. Biologically relevant structural information remains below the Rayleigh limit and beyond the reach of conventional microscopes. Super-resolution techniques are typically based on the non-linear and stochastic response of fluorescent labels which can be toxic and interfere with cell function. In this paper we present, for the first time, imaging of live cells using sub-optical wavelength phonons. The axial imaging resolution of our system is determined by the acoustic wavelength (λa = λprobe/2n) and not on the NA of the optics allowing sub-optical wavelength acoustic sectioning of samples using the time of flight. The transverse resolution is currently limited to the optical spot size. The contrast mechanism is significantly determined by the mechanical properties of the cells and requires no additional contrast agent, stain or label to image the cell structure. The ability to breach the optical diffraction limit to image living cells acoustically promises to bring a new suite of imaging technologies to bear in answering exigent questions in cell biology and biomedicine.
Anisotropic magnetic coupling with a two-dimensional characteristic in noncentrosymmetric Cr11Ge19
Authors: Han Hui , Zhang Lei , Zhu Xiangde , Du Haifeng , Ge Min , Ling Langsheng , Pi Li , Zhang Changjin , Zhang Yuheng
Published: December 2016

In this work, we successfully synthesize the single crystal Cr11Ge19. The magnetism of the noncentrosymmetric Cr11Ge19 with itinerant ferromagnetic ground state is thoroughly investigated on the single crystal. Based on the variation measurements including the angular rotation, temperature, and magnetic field dependence of magnetization, we find that this material exhibits strong magnetic anisotropy along the c-axis. To clearly reveal the magnetic interactions, the critical behavior is studied using the modified Arrott plot, the Kouvel-Fisher method, and the critical isotherm technique. Combining these different methods, three main critical exponents (β, γ, and δ) are obtained. The critical exponent β is close to the theoretical prediction of a three-dimensional XY model with spin-dimensionality n = 2, indicating two-dimensional magnetic coupling. Meanwhile, the critical exponent γ suggests that the magnetic interaction is of long-range type with magnetic exchange distance decaying as J(r) ≈ r−4.61. We propose that the ferromagnetic ground state of Cr11Ge19 is formed by the polarized magnetic moments along the c-axis, while the long-range magnetic coupling is established within the ab plane.
The XBP1 Arm of the Unfolded Protein Response Induces Fibrogenic Activity in Hepatic Stellate Cells Through Autophagy
Authors: Kim Rosa S. , Hasegawa Daisuke , Goossens Nicolas , Tsuchida Takuma , Athwal Varinder , Sun Xiaochen , Robinson Christopher L. , Bhattacharya Dipankar , Chou Hsin-I , Zhang David Y. , Fuchs Bryan C. , Lee Youngmin , Hoshida Yujin , Friedman Scott L.
Published: December 2016

Autophagy and the unfolded protein response (UPR) both promote activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSC), however the link between the two stimuli remains unclear. Here we have explored the role of X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1), one of three UPR effector pathways and sought to establish the interdependence between autophagy and the UPR during HSC activation. XBP1 induction accompanied both culture-based HSC activation and ER stress induced by tunicamycin. Ectopic overexpression of XBP1 induced collagen 1-alpha expression in HSCs, which was inhibited by knockdown of ATG7, a critical autophagy mediator. Genome-wide transcriptomic profiling indicated an upregulation of collagen synthesis pathways, but not of the transforming growth factor (TGF)-b pathway, a canonical fibrogenic driver, suggesting that XBP1 activates a specific subset of fibrogenesis pathways independent of TGF-β1. XBP1 target gene signatures were significantly induced in rodent liver fibrosis models (n = 3–5) and in human samples of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) (n = 72–135). Thus, XBP1-mediated UPR contributes to fibrogenic HSC activation and is functionally linked to cellular autophagy.
In vitro synthesis of a Major Facilitator Transporter for specific active transport across Droplet Interface Bilayers
Authors: Findlay Heather E. , Harris Nicola J. , Booth Paula J.
Published: December 2016

Nature encapsulates reactions within membrane-bound compartments, affording sequential and spatial control over biochemical reactions. Droplet Interface Bilayers are evolving into a valuable platform to mimic this key biological feature in artificial systems. A major issue is manipulating flow across synthetic bilayers. Droplet Interface Bilayers must be functionalised, with seminal work using membrane-inserting toxins, ion channels and pumps illustrating the potential. Specific transport of biomolecules, and notably transport against a concentration gradient, across these bilayers has yet to be demonstrated. Here, we successfully incorporate the archetypal Major Facilitator Superfamily transporter, lactose permease, into Droplet Interface Bilayers and demonstrate both passive and active, uphill transport. This paves the way for controllable transport of sugars, metabolites and other essential biomolecular substrates of this ubiquitous transporter superfamily in DIB networks. Furthermore, cell-free synthesis of lactose permease during DIB formation also results in active transport across the interface bilayer. This adds a specific disaccharide transporter to the small list of integral membrane proteins that can be synthesised via in vitro transcription/translation for applications of DIB-based artificial cell systems. The introduction of a means to promote specific transport of molecules across Droplet Interface Bilayers against a concentration gradient gives a new facet to droplet networks.
Mild intrauterine hypoperfusion reproduces neurodevelopmental disorders observed in prematurity
Authors: Ohshima Makiko , Coq Jacques-Olivier , Otani Kentaro , Hattori Yorito , Ogawa Yuko , Sato Yoshiaki , Harada-Shiba Mariko , Ihara Masafumi , Tsuji Masahiro
Published: December 2016

Severe intrauterine ischemia is detrimental to the developing brain. The impact of mild intrauterine hypoperfusion on neurological development, however, is still unclear. We induced mild intrauterine hypoperfusion in rats on embryonic day 17 via arterial stenosis with metal microcoils wrapped around the uterine and ovarian arteries. All pups were born with significantly decreased birth weights. Decreased gray and white matter areas were observed without obvious tissue damage. Pups presented delayed newborn reflexes, muscle weakness, and altered spontaneous activity. The levels of proteins indicative of inflammation and stress in the vasculature, i.e., RANTES, vWF, VEGF, and adiponectin, were upregulated in the placenta. The levels of mRNA for proteins associated with axon and astrocyte development were downregulated in fetal brains. The present study demonstrates that even mild intrauterine hypoperfusion can alter neurological development, which mimics the clinical signs and symptoms of children with neurodevelopmental disorders born prematurely or with intrauterine growth restriction.
Localisation and origin of the bacteriochlorophyll-derived photosensitizer in the retina of the deep-sea dragon fish Malacosteus niger
Authors: Douglas Ronald H. , Genner Martin J. , Hudson Alan G. , Partridge Julian C. , Wagner Hans-Joachim
Published: December 2016

Most deep-sea fish have a single visual pigment maximally sensitive at short wavelengths, approximately matching the spectrum of both downwelling sunlight and bioluminescence. However, Malcosteus niger produces far-red bioluminescence and its longwave retinal sensitivity is enhanced by red-shifted visual pigments, a longwave reflecting tapetum and, uniquely, a bacteriochlorophyll-derived photosensitizer. The origin of the photosensitizer, however, remains unclear. We investigated whether the bacteriochlorophyll was produced by endosymbiotic bacteria within unusual structures adjacent to the photoreceptors that had previously been described in this species. However, microscopy, elemental analysis and SYTOX green staining provided no evidence for such localised retinal bacteria, instead the photosensitizer was shown to be distributed throughout the retina. Furthermore, comparison of mRNA from the retina of Malacosteus to that of the closely related Pachystomias microdon (which does not contain a bacterichlorophyll-derived photosensitzer) revealed no genes of bacterial origin that were specifically up-regulated in Malacosteus. Instead up-regulated Malacosteus genes were associated with photosensitivity and may relate to its unique visual ecology and the chlorophyll-based visual system. We also suggest that the unusual longwave-reflecting, astaxanthin-based, tapetum of Malacosteus may protect the retina from the potential cytotoxicity of such a system.
The Angiogenic Secretome in VEGF overexpressing Breast Cancer Xenografts
Authors: Dore-Savard Louis , Lee Esak , Kakkad Samata , Popel Aleksander S. , Bhujwalla Zaver M.
Published: December 2016

The plasticity of cancer cells and the fluidity of the tumor microenvironment continue to present major challenges in the comprehensive understanding of cancer that is essential to design effective treatments. The tumor interstitial fluid (TIF) encompasses the secretome and holds the key to several of the phenotypic characteristics of cancer. Difficulties in sampling this fluid have resulted in limited characterization of its components. Here we have sampled TIF from triple negative and estrogen receptor (ER)-positive human breast tumor xenografts with or without VEGF overexpression. Angiogenesis-related factors were characterized in the TIF and plasma, to understand the relationship between the TIF and plasma secretomes. Clear differences were observed between the TIF and plasma angiogenic secretomes in triple negative MDA-MB-231 breast cancer xenografts compared to ER-positive MCF-7 xenografts with or without VEGF overexpression that provide new insights into TIF components and the role of VEGF in modifying the angiogenic secretome.