bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High‐resolution 31P echo‐planar spectroscopic imaging in vivo at 7T
Authors: Korzowski Andreas , Bachert Peter
Published: June 2017

Purpose

Conventional 31P chemical shift imaging is time‐consuming and yields only limited spatial resolution. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate feasibility of 31P echo‐planar spectroscopic imaging (EPSI) in vivo at 7T.

Methods

A 3D 31P EPSI sequence with trapezoidal‐shaped gradient pulses was implemented on a 7T MR scanner. To increase spectral width with reduced demand on gradient performance, a multishot approach was chosen. Acquisition weighting and 31P–{1H} double resonance for nuclear Overhauser signal enhancement were applied to increase sensitivity.

Results

3D 31P–{1H} EPSI data from model solution and from human calf muscle and brain were obtained from voxels with effective sizes of 4.1 to 16.2 cm3 in measurement times of approximately 10 min. Individual spectra showed well‐resolved resonances of endogenous 31P‐metabolites without artifacts. Volumetric high‐resolution 31P‐metabolite maps in vivo showed metabolic heterogeneity of different tissues.

Conclusion

In vivo 31P EPSI at 7T yields high‐quality metabolic images. The proposed multishot EPSI technique reduces the measurement times for acquisition of volumetric high‐resolution maps of 31P‐metabolites or intracellular pH in human studies. Magn Reson Med 79:1251–1259, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
Quantifying long‐term impact of zoo and aquarium visits on biodiversity‐related learning outcomes
Authors: Jensen Eric A. , Moss Andrew , Gusset Markus
Published: June 2017

Zoos and aquariums aim to achieve lasting impact on their public audiences’ awareness of biodiversity, its value, and the steps they can take to conserve it. Here, we evaluate the long‐term educational impact of visits to zoos and aquariums on biodiversity understanding and knowledge of actions to help protect biodiversity. A minimum of two years after completing a repeated‐measures survey before and after visiting a zoo or aquarium, the same participants were invited to take part in a follow‐up online survey. Despite the small number of respondents (n = 161), our study may still represent the best available quantitative evidence pertaining to zoo and aquarium visits’ long‐term educational impact. We found that improvements in respondents’ biodiversity understanding from pre‐ to post‐visit leveled off, staying unchanged in the follow‐up survey. In contrast, the improved knowledge of actions to help protect biodiversity from pre‐ to post‐visit showed further improvement from post‐visit to delayed post‐visit follow‐up survey. These results suggest that the immediate positive effects of a zoo or aquarium visit on biodiversity‐related learning outcomes may be long lasting and even help lay the groundwork for further improvements over an extended period of time following the visit.
Age at the time of onset of psychosis: A marker of specific needs rather than a determinant of outcome?
Authors: Golay P. , Alameda L. , Mebdouhi N. , Baumann P. , Ferrari C. , Solida A. , Progin P. , Elowe J. , Conus P.
Published: June 2017

Background:

While there is suggestion that early onset of psychosis is a determinant of outcome; knowledge regarding correlates of later onset age is more limited. This study explores the characteristics of patients developing psychosis after age 26, towards the end of the usual age range of early intervention programs, in order to identify potential specific needs of such patients.

Methods:

Two hundred and fifty-six early psychosis patients aged 18–35 were followed-up prospectively over 36 months. Patients with onset after 26 (“later onset”, LO) were compared to the rest of the sample.

Results:

LO patients (32% of the sample) had shorter DUP, were less likely to be male, had better premorbid functioning and were more likely to have been exposed to trauma. They had greater insight at presentation and less negative symptoms overall. The trajectories for positive and depressive symptoms were similar in both groups. Evolution of functional level was similar in both groups, but while LO patients recovered faster, they were significantly less likely to return to premorbid functional level.

Conclusions:

Later psychosis onset correlates with better premorbid functioning and higher rate of trauma exposure; the latter should therefore be a treatment focus in such patients. LO patients were less likely to return to premorbid functional level, which suggests that current treatment strategies may not be efficient to help patients maintain employment. The possibility of distinct illness mechanisms according to onset age and the more central role for trauma in patients with onset after age 26 needs to be further explored.
Multitype infinite-allele branching processes in continuous time
Authors: McDonald Thomas O. , Kimmel Marek
Published: June 2017

We introduce extensions to an infinite-allele branching process that allows for multiple types to exist alongside labels. We consider a Markov branching process and general branching process under different assumptions, and show asymptotic results about the growth of the labels as well as the frequency spectrum. These results are motivated by two separate models. The Markov binary splitting results are motivated by a model of clonal evolution in cancer that considers the effect of both driver and passenger mutations on tumor growth. The general process has applications in viral reproduction and dynamics.
Ergodicity of Markov chain Monte Carlo with reversible proposal
Authors: Kamatani K.
Published: June 2017

We describe the ergodic properties of some Metropolis–Hastings algorithms for heavy-tailed target distributions. The results of these algorithms are usually analyzed under a subgeometric ergodic framework, but we prove that the mixed preconditioned Crank–Nicolson (MpCN) algorithm has geometric ergodicity even for heavy-tailed target distributions. This useful property comes from the fact that, under a suitable transformation, the MpCN algorithm becomes a random-walk Metropolis algorithm.
Maternal verbal responsiveness and directiveness: consistency, stability, and relations to child early linguistic development
Authors: PAAVOLA-RUOTSALAINEN LEILA , LEHTOSAARI JAANA , PALOMÄKI JOSEFINA , TERVO IMMI
Published: June 2017

Maternal responsive and directive speech to children at ages 0;10 and 2;0 was investigated by applying a procedure first introduced by Flynn and Masur (2007) to a new language community (Finnish). The issues examined were consistency and stability over time, and also the role of responsiveness and directiveness in child linguistic development at 1;0 and 2;6. The measures of maternal speech from each age were used to predict the results of the subsequent linguistic assessment. Negative correlations between responsive and directive utterances were found at both ages. The frequencies of responsive utterances and supportive directives increased over time. Responsiveness was positively, and intrusive directiveness negatively, related to child early comprehensive skills and the use of symbolic actions and communicative gestures. By contrast, no relations were found between responsiveness and directiveness and children's later linguistic capacities.
THE REGIME-SWITCHING VOLATILITY OF EURO AREA BUSINESS CYCLES
Authors: Lhuissier Stéphane
Published: June 2017

We document the strong evidence of time variation in the volatility of Euro Area business cycles since 1970. Then we provide the quantitative sources of these changes using a medium-scale DSGE model allowing time variation in structural disturbance variances. We show that (1) the size of different types of shock oscillates, in a synchronized manner, between two regimes over time, with the high-volatility regime prevailing predominantly in the 1970s, sporadically in the 1980s and 1990s, and during the Great Recession; (2) their relative importance remains, however, unchanged across regimes, where neutral technology shocks and marginal efficiency of investment shocks are the dominant sources of business cycle fluctuations; and 3) these investment shocks, which affect the transformation of savings into productive capital, can be interpreted as an indicator of credit conditions.
EFFICIENCY, INEFFICIENCY, AND THE MENA FRONTIER
Authors: Christopoulos Dimitris K. , McAdam Peter
Published: June 2017

We examine technical efficiency in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). In addition to economic indicators, political and social ones play a role in development and efficiency profiles. The MENA have been characterized by increasing economic efficiency over time but with marked polarization. We analyze and nest many key hypotheses, e.g., the contributions of religion, of natural resources, demographic pressures, human capital, etc. The originality of our contribution is the use of a large data set (including principal components), and extensive robustness checks. It should set a comprehensive benchmark and cross-check for related studies of development and technical efficiency.
MONETARY AND MACROPRUDENTIAL POLICIES UNDER FIXED AND VARIABLE INTEREST RATES
Authors: Rubio Margarita
Published: June 2017

In this paper, I analyze the ability of monetary policy to stabilize both the macroeconomy and financial markets under two different scenarios: fixed- and variable-rate mortgages. I develop and solve a new Keynesian dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model (DSGE) that features a housing market and a group of constrained individuals who need housing collateral to obtain loans. A given share of constrained households borrows at a variable rate, whereas the rest borrow at a fixed rate. I consider two alternative ways of introducing a macroprudential approach to enhancing financial stability: one in which monetary policy, using the interest rate as an instrument, responds to credit growth; and a second one in which the macroprudential instrument is instead the loan-to-value ratio (LTV). The results show that when rates are variable, a countercyclical LTV rule performs better in stabilizing financial markets than monetary policy. However, when rates are fixed, even though monetary policy is less effective in stabilizing the macroeconomy, it does a good job in promoting financial stability.
Poly(4-styrenesulfonate)-induced sulfur vacancy self-healing strategy for monolayer MoS2 homojunction photodiode
Authors: Zhang Xiankun , Liao Qingliang , Liu Shuo , Kang Zhuo , Zhang Zheng , Du Junli , Li Feng , Zhang Shuhao , Xiao Jiankun , Liu Baishan , Ou Yang , Liu Xiaozhi , Gu Lin , Zhang Yue
Published: June 2017

We establish a powerful poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS)-treated strategy for sulfur vacancy healing in monolayer MoS2 to precisely and steadily tune its electronic state. The self-healing mechanism, in which the sulfur vacancies are healed spontaneously by the sulfur adatom clusters on the MoS2 surface through a PSS-induced hydrogenation process, is proposed and demonstrated systematically. The electron concentration of the self-healed MoS2 dramatically decreased by 643 times, leading to a work function enhancement of ∼150 meV. This strategy is employed to fabricate a high performance lateral monolayer MoS2 homojunction which presents a perfect rectifying behaviour, excellent photoresponsivity of ∼308 mA W−1 and outstanding air-stability after two months. Unlike previous chemical doping, the lattice defect-induced local fields are eliminated during the process of the sulfur vacancy self-healing to largely improve the homojunction performance. Our findings demonstrate a promising and facile strategy in 2D material electronic state modulation for the development of next-generation electronics and optoelectronics.
HTLV-1-induced leukotriene B4 secretion by T cells promotes T cell recruitment and virus propagation
Authors: Percher Florent , Curis Céline , Pérès Eléonore , Artesi Maria , Rosewick Nicolas , Jeannin Patricia , Gessain Antoine , Gout Olivier , Mahieux Renaud , Ceccaldi Pierre-Emmanuel , Van den Broeke Anne , Duc Dodon Madeleine , Afonso Philippe V.
Published: June 2017

The human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is efficiently transmitted through cellular contacts. While the molecular mechanisms of viral cell-to-cell propagation have been extensively studiedin vitro, those facilitating the encounter between infected and target cells remain unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that HTLV-1-infected CD4 T cells secrete a potent chemoattractant, leukotriene B4 (LTB4). LTB4 secretion is dependent on Tax-induced transactivation of thepla2g4cgene, which encodes the cytosolic phospholipase A2 gamma. Inhibition of LTB4 secretion or LTB4 receptor knockdown on target cells reduces T-cell recruitment, cellular contact formation and virus propagationin vitro. Finally, blocking the synthesis of LTB4 in a humanized mouse model of HTLV-1 infection significantly reduces proviral load. This results from a decrease in the number of infected clones while their expansion is not impaired. This study shows the critical role of LTB4 secretion in HTLV-1 transmission bothin vitroandin vivo.
Adaptive and freeze-tolerant heteronetwork organohydrogels with enhanced mechanical stability over a wide temperature range
Authors: Gao Hainan , Zhao Ziguang , Cai Yudong , Zhou Jiajia , Hua Wenda , Chen Lie , Wang Li , Zhang Jianqi , Han Dong , Liu Mingjie , Jiang Lei
Published: June 2017

Many biological organisms with exceptional freezing tolerance can resist the damages to cells from extra-/intracellular ice crystals and thus maintain their mechanical stability at subzero temperatures. Inspired by the freezing tolerance mechanisms found in nature, here we report a strategy of combining hydrophilic/oleophilic heteronetworks to produce self-adaptive, freeze-tolerant and mechanically stable organohydrogels. The organohydrogels can simultaneously use water and oil as a dispersion medium, and quickly switch between hydrogel- and organogel-like behaviours in response to the nature of the surrounding phase. Accordingly, their surfaces display unusual adaptive dual superlyophobic in oil/water system (that is, they are superhydrophobic under oil and superoleophobic under water). Moreover, the organogel component can inhibit the ice crystallization of the hydrogel component, thus enhancing the mechanical stability of organohydrogel over a wide temperature range (−78 to 80 °C). The organohydrogels may have promising applications in complex and harsh environments.
Erratum: FRESH AIR: an implementation research project funded through Horizon 2020 exploring the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of chronic respiratory diseases in low-resource settings
Authors: Cragg Liza , Williams Siân , Chavannes Niels H ,   on behalf of the FRESH AIR Group
Published: June 2017

Correction to: npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine (2016) 26, 16035; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/npjpcrm.2016.35; published online 30 June 2016 The Funding section of this Article contained a typographical error, where: ‘Funding for the project is provided by the European Commission and the Global Alliance for Communicable Diseases through Horizon 2020’.
Inherited determinants of early recurrent somatic mutations in prostate cancer
Authors: Romanel Alessandro , Garritano Sonia , Stringa Blerta , Blattner Mirjam , Dalfovo Davide , Chakravarty Dimple , Soong David , Cotter Kellie A. , Petris Gianluca , Dhingra Priyanka , Gasperini Paola , Cereseto Anna , Elemento Olivier , Sboner Andrea , Khurana Ekta , Inga Alberto , Rubin Mark A. , Demichelis Francesca
Published: June 2017

Prostate cancer is a highly heritable molecularly and clinically heterogeneous disease. To discover germline events involved in prostate cancer predisposition, we develop a computational approach to nominate heritable facilitators of somatic genomic events in the context of the androgen receptor signaling. Here, we use a ranking score and benign prostate transcriptomes to identify a non-coding polymorphic regulatory element at 7p14.3 that associates with DNA repair and hormone-regulated transcript levels and with an early recurrent prostate cancer-specific somatic mutation in the Speckle-Type POZ protein (SPOP) gene. The locus shows allele-specific activity that is concomitantly modulated by androgen receptor and by CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) beta (CEBPB). Deletion of this locus via CRISPR-Cas9 leads to deregulation of the genes predicted to interact with the 7p14.3 locus by Hi-C chromosome conformation capture data. This study suggests that a polymorphism at 7p14.3 may predispose to SPOP mutant prostate cancer subclass through a hormone-dependent DNA damage response.
Macrophage responses to lipopolysaccharide are modulated by a feedback loop involving prostaglandin E2, dual specificity phosphatase 1 and tristetraprolin
Authors: Tang Tina , Scambler Thomas E. , Smallie Tim , Cunliffe Helen E. , Ross Ewan A. , Rosner Dalya R. , O’Neil John D. , Clark Andrew R.
Published: June 2017

In many different cell types, pro-inflammatory agonists induce the expression of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), an enzyme that catalyzes rate-limiting steps in the conversion of arachidonic acid to a variety of lipid signaling molecules, including prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). PGE2 has key roles in many early inflammatory events, such as the changes of vascular function that promote or facilitate leukocyte recruitment to sites of inflammation. Depending on context, it also exerts many important anti-inflammatory effects, for example increasing the expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin 10 (IL-10), and decreasing that of the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF). The tight control of both biosynthesis of, and cellular responses to, PGE2 are critical for the precise orchestration of the initiation and resolution of inflammatory responses. Here we describe evidence of a negative feedback loop, in which PGE2 augments the expression of dual specificity phosphatase 1, impairs the activity of mitogen-activated protein kinase p38, increases the activity of the mRNA-destabilizing factor tristetraprolin, and thereby inhibits the expression of COX-2. The same feedback mechanism contributes to PGE2-mediated suppression of TNF release. Engagement of the DUSP1-TTP regulatory axis by PGE2 is likely to contribute to the switch between initiation and resolution phases of inflammation.
Determination of Aspergillus pathogens in agricultural products by a specific nanobody-polyclonal antibody sandwich ELISA
Authors: Wang Ting , Li Peiwu , Zhang Qi , Zhang Wen , Zhang Zhaowei , Wang Tong , He Ting
Published: June 2017

Aspergillus and its poisonous mycotoxins are distributed worldwide throughout the environment and are of particular interest in agriculture and food safety. In order to develop a specific method for rapid detection of Aspergillus flavus to forecast diseases and control aflatoxins, a nanobody, PO8-VHH, highly reactive to A. flavus was isolated from an immunized alpaca nanobody library by phage display. The nanobody was verified to bind to the components of extracellular and intracellular antigen from both A. flavus and A. parasiticus. To construct a sandwich format immunoassay, polyclonal antibodies against Aspergillus were raised with rabbits. Finally, a highly selective nanobody-polyclonal antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was optimized and developed. The results revealed that the detection limits of the two fungi were as low as 1 μg mL−1, and that it is able to detect fungal concentrations below to 2 μg mg−1 of peanut and maize grains in both artificially and naturally contaminated samples. Therefore, we here provided a rapid and simple method for monitoring Aspergillus spp. contamination in agricultural products.
Comparative genetic, proteomic and phosphoproteomic analysis of C. elegans embryos with a focus on ham-1/STOX and pig-1/MELK in dopaminergic neuron development
Authors: Offenburger Sarah-Lena , Bensaddek Dalila , Murillo Alejandro Brenes , Lamond Angus I. , Gartner Anton
Published: June 2017

Asymmetric cell divisions are required for cellular diversity and defects can lead to altered daughter cell fates and numbers. In a genetic screen for C. elegans mutants with defects in dopaminergic head neuron specification or differentiation, we isolated a new allele of the transcription factor HAM-1 [HSN (Hermaphrodite-Specific Neurons) Abnormal Migration]. Loss of both HAM-1 and its target, the kinase PIG-1 [PAR-1(I)-like Gene], leads to abnormal dopaminergic head neuron numbers. We identified discrete genetic relationships between ham-1, pig-1 and apoptosis pathway genes in dopaminergic head neurons. We used an unbiased, quantitative mass spectrometry-based proteomics approach to characterise direct and indirect protein targets and pathways that mediate the effects of PIG-1 kinase loss in C. elegans embryos. Proteins showing changes in either abundance, or phosphorylation levels, between wild-type and pig-1 mutant embryos are predominantly connected with processes including cell cycle, asymmetric cell division, apoptosis and actomyosin-regulation. Several of these proteins play important roles in C. elegans development. Our data provide an in-depth characterisation of the C. elegans wild-type embryo proteome and phosphoproteome and can be explored via the Encyclopedia of Proteome Dynamics (EPD) – an open access, searchable online database.
Upregulation of arylsulfatase B in carotid atherosclerosis is associated with symptoms of cerebral embolization
Authors: Biros Erik , Moran Corey S. , Maguire Jane , Holliday Elizabeth , Levi Christopher , Golledge Jonathan
Published: June 2017

The aim of this study was to identify genes for which the expression within carotid atherosclerosis was reproducibly associated with the symptoms of cerebral embolization. Two publically available microarray datasets E-MEXP-2257 and GSE21545 were analysed using GeneSpring 11.5. The two datasets utilized a total of 22 and 126 carotid atherosclerosis samples, obtained from patients with and without symptoms of cerebral embolization, respectively. To assess whether the findings were reproducible we analysed carotid atherosclerosis samples from another 8 patients with and 7 patients without symptoms of cerebral embolization using real-time PCR. In vitro studies using VSMC were performed to assess the functional relevance of one of the validated genes. We identified 1624 and 135 differentially expressed genes within carotid atherosclerosis samples of symptomatic compared to asymptomatic patients using the E-MEXP-2257 and GSE21545 datasets, respectively (≥1.15-absolute fold-change, P < 0.05). Only 7 differentially expressed genes or 0.4% (7/1,752) were consistent between the datasets. We validated the differential expression of ARSB which was upregulated 1.15-fold (P = 0.029) in atherosclerosis from symptomatic patients. In vitro incubation of VSMCs with the ARSB inhibitor L-ascorbic acid resulted in marked upregulation of SIRT1 and AMPK. This study suggests that ARSB may represent a novel target to limit carotid embolization.
Free-standing plasmonic metal-dielectric-metal bandpass filter with high transmission efficiency
Authors: Liang Yuzhang , Zhang Si , Cao Xun , Lu Yanqing , Xu Ting
Published: June 2017

Plasmonic spectrum filtering devices based on metallic nanostructures have attracted wide attention due to their good reliability, ease of fabrication, and wideband tunability. However, the presence of thick substrate significantly limits the structure’s longitudinal size for further optoelectronic integration and reduces the devices’ performance. Here we propose and demonstrate an ultra-thin plasmonic bandpass filter based on free-standing periodic metal-dielectric-metal stack geometry working in the near-infrared wavelength range. The coupling between free-space electromagnetic waves and spatially confined plasmonic modes in the designed structure is systematically investigated. As demonstrated in the calculation and experiment, the free-standing plasmonic filters have more than 90% transmission efficiency and superior angular tolerance. The experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical calculations. These artificial nanostructured filtering devices may find potential applications in the extremely compact device architectures.
Long-Term Monitoring of Dolphin Biosonar Activity in Deep Pelagic Waters of the Mediterranean Sea
Authors: Caruso Francesco , Alonge Giuseppe , Bellia Giorgio , De Domenico Emilio , Grammauta Rosario , Larosa Giuseppina , Mazzola Salvatore , Riccobene Giorgio , Pavan Gianni , Papale Elena , Pellegrino Carmelo , Pulvirenti Sara , Sciacca Virginia , Simeone Francesco , Speziale Fabrizio , Viola Salvatore , Buscaino Giuseppa
Published: June 2017

Dolphins emit short ultrasonic pulses (clicks) to acquire information about the surrounding environment, prey and habitat features. We investigated Delphinidae activity over multiple temporal scales through the detection of their echolocation clicks, using long-term Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM). The Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare operates multidisciplinary seafloor observatories in a deep area of the Central Mediterranean Sea. The Ocean noise Detection Experiment collected data offshore the Gulf of Catania from January 2005 to November 2006, allowing the study of temporal patterns of dolphin activity in this deep pelagic zone for the first time. Nearly 5,500 five-minute recordings acquired over two years were examined using spectrogram analysis and through development and testing of an automatic detection algorithm. Echolocation activity of dolphins was mostly confined to nighttime and crepuscular hours, in contrast with communicative signals (whistles). Seasonal variation, with a peak number of clicks in August, was also evident, but no effect of lunar cycle was observed. Temporal trends in echolocation corresponded to environmental and trophic variability known in the deep pelagic waters of the Ionian Sea. Long-term PAM and the continued development of automatic analysis techniques are essential to advancing the study of pelagic marine mammal distribution and behaviour patterns.
Novel approaches for Spatial and Molecular Surveillance of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSv) in the United States
Authors: Alkhamis Moh A. , Arruda Andreia G. , Morrison Robert B. , Perez Andres M.
Published: June 2017

The US swine industry has been impaired over the last 25 years by the far-reaching financial losses caused by the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS). Here, we explored the relations between the spatial risk of PRRS outbreaks and its phylodynamic history in the U.S during 1998–2016 using ORF5 sequences collected from swine farms in the Midwest region. We used maximum entropy and Bayesian phylodynamic models to generate risk maps for PRRS outbreaks and reconstructed the evolutionary history of three selected phylogenetic clades (A, B and C). High-risk areas for PRRS were best-predicted by pig density and climate seasonality and included Minnesota, Iowa and South Dakota. Phylodynamic models demonstrated that the geographical spread of the three clades followed a heterogeneous spatial diffusion process. Furthermore, PRRS viruses were characterized by typical seasonality in their population size. However, endemic strains were characterized by a substantially slower population growth and evolutionary rates, as well as smaller spatial dispersal rates when compared to emerging strains. We demonstrated the prospects of combining inferences derived from two unique analytical methods to inform decisions related to risk-based interventions of an important pathogen affecting one of the largest food animal industries in the world.
Alcohol Recognition by Flexible, Transparent and Highly Sensitive Graphene-Based Thin-Film Sensors
Authors: Xu Xuezhu , Zhou Jian , Xin Yangyang , Lubineau Gilles , Ma Qian , Jiang Long
Published: June 2017

Chemical sensors detect a variety of chemicals across numerous fields, such as automobile, aerospace, safety, indoor air quality, environmental control, food, industrial production and medicine. We successfully assemble an alcohol-sensing device comprising a thin-film sensor made of graphene nanosheets (GNs) and bacterial cellulose nanofibers (BCNs). We show that the GN/BCN sensor has a high selectivity to ethanol by distinguishing liquid–phase or vapor–phase ethanol (C2H6O) from water (H2O) intelligently with accurate transformation into electrical signals in devices. The BCN component of the film amplifies the ethanol sensitivity of the film, whereby the GN/BCN sensor has 12400% sensitivity for vapor-phase ethanol compared to the pure GN sensor, which has only 21% sensitivity. Finally, GN/BCN sensors demonstrate fast response/recovery times and a wide range of alcohol detection (10–100%). The superior sensing ability of GN/BCN compared to GNs alone is due to the improved wettability of BCNs and the ionization of liquids. We prove a facile, green, low-cost route for the assembly of ethanol-sensing devices with potential for vast application.
Ultra-broadband enhancement of nonlinear optical processes from randomly patterned super absorbing metasurfaces
Authors: Zhang Nan , Ji Ziheng , Cheney Alec R. , Song Haomin , Ji Dengxin , Zeng Xie , Chen Borui , Zhang Tianmu , Cartwright Alexander N. , Shi Kebin , Gan Qiaoqiang
Published: June 2017

Broadband light trapping and field localization is highly desired in enhanced light-matter interaction, especially in harmonic generations. However, due to the limited resonant bandwidth, most periodic plasmonic nanostructures cannot cover both fundamental excitation wavelength and harmonic generation wavelength simultaneously. Therefore, most previously reported plasmonic nonlinear optical processes are low in conversion efficiency. Here, we report a strong enhancement of second harmonic generation based on a three-layered super absorbing metasurface structure consisting of a dielectric spacer layer sandwiched by an array of random metallic nanoantennas and a metal ground plate. Intriguingly, the strong light trapping band (e.g. >80%) was realized throughout the entire visible to near-infrared spectral regime (i.e., from 435 nm to 1100 nm), enabling plasmonically enhanced surface harmonic generation and frequency mixing across a broad range of excitation wavelengths, which cannot be achieved with narrow band periodic plasmonic structures. By introducing hybrid random antenna arrays with small metallic nanoparticles and ultra-thin nonlinear optical films (e.g. TiO2) into the nanogaps, the nonlinear optical process can be further enhanced. This broadband light-trapping metastructure shows its potential as a building block for emerging nonlinear optical meta-atoms.
Wall-thickness-dependent strength of nanotubular ZnO
Authors: Kang Na-Ri , Kim Young-Cheon , Jeon Hansol , Kim Seong Keun , Jang Jae-il , Han Heung Nam , Kim Ju-Young
Published: June 2017

We fabricate nanotubular ZnO with wall thickness of 45, 92, 123 nm using nanoporous gold (np-Au) with ligament diameter at necks of 1.43 μm as sacrificial template. Through micro-tensile and micro-compressive testing of nanotubular ZnO structures, we find that the exponent m in $$\bar{\sigma }\propto {\bar{\rho }}^{m}$$

σ
¯

∝

ρ
¯

m

, where $$\bar{\sigma }$$

σ
¯

is the relative strength and $$\bar{\rho }$$

ρ
¯

is the relative density, for tension is 1.09 and for compression is 0.63. Both exponents are lower than the value of 1.5 in the Gibson-Ashby model that describes the relation between relative strength and relative density where the strength of constituent material is independent of external size, which indicates that strength of constituent ZnO increases as wall thickness decreases. We find, based on hole-nanoindentation and glazing incidence X-ray diffraction, that this wall-thickness-dependent strength of nanotubular ZnO is not caused by strengthening of constituent ZnO by size reduction at the nanoscale. Finite element analysis suggests that the wall-thickness-dependent strength of nanotubular ZnO originates from nanotubular structures formed on ligaments of np-Au.
DACH1 suppresses breast cancer as a negative regulator of CD44
Authors: Xu Hanxiao , Yu Shengnan , Yuan Xun , Xiong Jing , Kuang Dong , Pestell Richard G. , Wu Kongming
Published: June 2017

Dachshund homolog 1 (DACH1), a key cell fate determination factor, contributes to tumorigenesis, invasion, metastasis of human breast neoplasm. However, the exact molecular mechanisms for the anti-tumor roles of DACH1 in breast carcinoma are still lack of extensive understanding. Herein, we utilized immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining and public microarray data analysis showing that DACH1 was higher in normal breast, low-grade and luminal-type cancer in comparison with breast carcinoma, high-grade and basal-like tumors respectively. Additionally, both correlation analysis of public databases of human breast carcinoma and IHC analysis of mice xenograft tumors demonstrated that DACH1 inversely related to cancer stem cells (CSCs) markers, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) inducers and basal-enriched molecules, while cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44) behaved in an opposite manner. Furthermore, mice transplanted tumor model indicated that breast cancer cells Met-1 with up-regulation of DACH1 were endowed with remarkably reduced potential of tumorigenesis. Importantly, meta-analysis of 19 Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases of breast cancer implicated that patients with higher DACH1 expression had prolonged time to death, recurrence and metastasis, while CD44 was a promising biomarker predicting worse overall survival (OS) and metastasis-free survival (MFS). Collectively, our study indicated that CD44 might be a novel target of DACH1 in breast carcinoma.
Mmm-derived lipid-associated membrane proteins activate IL-1β production through the NF-κB pathway via TLR2, MyD88, and IRAK4
Authors: Wang Yang , Wang Qi , Li Yuan , Chen Ying , Shao Jiari , Nick Nwankpa , Li Chunyan , Xin Jiuqing
Published: June 2017

Mycoplasma mycoides subsp.mycoides (Mmm) is a pathogen that causes pneumonia, otitis media, and arthritis in young calves. Its pathogenesis is attributed in part to excessive immune responses. Mmm-derived lipid-associated membrane proteins (LAMPs) are potent inducers of the host innate immune system; however, interactions between Mmm-derived LAMPs as pathogenic agents, toll-like receptors (TLRs), and the signaling pathways responsible for activating inflammation and nuclear factor (NF)-κB have not been fully elucidated. Here, we analyzed the expression kinetics of interleukin (IL)-1β in Mmm-derived LAMP-stimulated embryonic bovine lung (EBL) cells and found that Mmm-derived LAMPs induced IL-1β expression. Subcellular localization analysis revealed the nuclear translocation of the NF-κB p65 subunit after EBL cells were stimulated with Mmm-derived LAMPs. Furthermore, a specific inhibitor assay demonstrated that NF-κB is required for Mmm-derived LAMP-induced IL-1β expression. Additionally, overexpression of TLR2, myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88), and IL-1 receptor-associated kinase 4 (IRAK4) increased IL-1β expression during LAMP stimulation, and TLR2-neutralizing antibodies reduced IL-1β expression in EBL cells during LAMP stimulation. Furthermore, LAMPs inhibited IL-1β expression following transfection with dominant-negative MyD88 and IRAK4 variants. These results suggested that Mmm-derived LAMPs activate IL-1β production through the NF-κB pathway via TLR2, MyD88, and IRAK4.
Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of new thiazolo[5,4-d]pyrimidine derivatives as potent antiproliferative agents
Authors: Li Zhong-Hua , Liu Xue-Qi , Geng Peng-Fei , Ma Jin-Lian , Zhao Tao-Qian , Wei Hao-Ming , Yu Bin , Liu Hong-Min
Published: June 2017

The thiazolo[5,4-d]pyrimidine derivative 7i exhibited potent inhibition against MGC-803 and HGC-27 with IC50 values of 4.64 and 5.07 μM, respectively and around 12-fold selectivity between MGC-803 and GES-1.
Programming 2D/3D shape-shifting with hobbyist 3D printers
Authors: van Manen Teunis , Janbaz Shahram , Zadpoor Amir A.
Published: June 2017

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) enables simultaneous programming and production of thermo-responsive shape-shifting materials.
Halogenation dictates the architecture of amyloid peptide nanostructures
Authors: Pizzi Andrea , Pigliacelli Claudia , Gori Alessandro , Nonappa Nonappa , Ikkala Olli , Demitri Nicola , Terraneo Giancarlo , Castelletto Valeria , Hamley Ian W. , Baldelli Bombelli Francesca , Metrangolo Pierangelo
Published: June 2017

Upon changing the position, nature and number of the halogen atoms, the same amyloidogenic peptide self-assembles into different nanostructures.
Red-emitted electrochemiluminescence by yellow fluorescent thioglycol/glutathione dual thiolate co-coated Au nanoclusters
Authors: Jiang Hui , Liu Liu , Wang Xuemei
Published: June 2017

Red-emitted electrochemiluminescence was observed for yellow fluorescent thioglycol/glutathione co-coated Au nanoclusters, with a 50 nm shift in wavelength.
Cost-effective fabrication of graphene-like nanosheets from natural microcrystalline graphite minerals by liquid oxidation–reduction method
Authors: Xie Wei , Zhu Xukun , Xu Shang , Yi Shihe , Guo Zhanhu , Kuang Jiacai , Deng Yingjun
Published: June 2017

Graphene-like nanosheets were fabricated using natural microcrystalline graphite minerals (NMGM) instead of flake graphite (FG) using a liquid oxidation–reduction method.
iTRAQ-based proteomic technology revealed protein perturbations in intestinal mucosa from manganese exposure in rat models
Authors: Wang Hui , Wang Shengyi , Cui Dongan , Dong Shuwei , Tuo Xin , Liu Zhiqi , Liu Yongming
Published: June 2017

Manganese (Mn) is an essential metal ion as a biological cofactor, but in excess, it is toxic; however, the homeostatic mechanisms of Mn at the cellular level have not been identified.
High-performance method of carbon nanotubes modification by microwave plasma for thin composite films preparation
Authors: Dettlaff Anna , Sawczak Mirosław , Klugmann-Radziemska Ewa , Czylkowski Dariusz , Miotk Robert , Wilamowska-Zawłocka Monika
Published: June 2017

In this work we present a simple and efficient method of nitrogen plasma modification of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Nitrogen-doped CNTs and electroactive polymer were used for synthesis of nanocomposites.
Novel biomolecule-assisted interlayer anion-controlled layered double hydroxide as an efficient sorbent for arsenate removal
Authors: Koilraj Paulmanickam , Sasaki Keiko , Srinivasan Kannan
Published: June 2017

Novel amino acid functionalized and interlayer anion controlled layered double hydroxides were successfully obtained by a one pot synthesis, which showed enhanced arsenate adsorption capacity.
One-pot synthesis of highly efficient graphene based three-dimensional hybrids as catalyst supporting materials for electro-oxidation of liquid fuels
Authors: Gorle Demudu Babu , Kulandainathan Manickam Anbu
Published: June 2017

The electrocatalytic oxidative performance of fuels like methanol, ethylene glycol, formaldehyde and formic acid mainly depends on the electrode surface which in turn has applications in energy generating systems like fuel cells.
Preparation and evaluation of glycyrrhetinic acid-modified and honokiol-loaded acoustic nanodroplets for targeted tumor imaging and therapy with low-boiling-point phase-change perfluorocarbon
Authors: Zhang Ping , Cao Yang , Chen Huali , Zhou Bo , Hu Wenjing , Zhang Liangke
Published: June 2017

Glycyrrhetinic acid-modified and honokiol-loaded acoustic nanodroplets for targeted tumor imaging and therapy with low-boiling-point phase-change perfluorocarbon.
Natural extracted aerogels with inherent anisotropy and their 3D printing assisted biomedical applications
Authors: Dong Lina , Liu Chunzhuo , Yu Fen , Ding Xingwei , Li Ting , Hu Qipeng , Liu Miaoxing , Fang Fang , Xin Hongbo , Wang Xiaolei
Published: June 2017

Exemplified with jackfruit and sugarcane, natural extracted aerogels with inherent structural anisotropy were investigated for the first time.
NSCT‐based fusion method for forward‐looking sonar image mosaic
Authors: Zhang Jian , Sohel Ferdous , Bennamoun Mohammed , Bian Hongyu , An Senjian
Published: June 2017

To generate a seamless mosaic of a forward‐looking sonar (FLS) video sequence, this study proposes a novel fusion method for FLS image mosaic, which includes two main steps from coarse to fine. In the coarse fusion step, the source images are first decomposed into multi‐scale sub‐bands using the non‐subsampled contourlet transform (NSCT), then the sub‐bands of the source images are merged, based on the Gabor energy and the local contrast for low and high frequency sub‐bands, respectively, to generate the fused sub‐bands which are used to produce the fused image by inverse NSCT. In the fine fusion step, a decision map is used to choose the pixels of the fine fused image from the coarsely fused image or one of the source images. This decision map is first constructed by measuring the similarity of the coarsely fused image to the source images, and then processed by a morphological post‐processing technique to ensure its continuity and smoothness. Extensive experiments on FLS image fusion and mosaic have been conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness and the superiority of the proposed technique using both a subjective evaluation and objective metrics.
Mobile‐agent‐based distributed variational Bayesian algorithm for density estimation in sensor networks
Authors: Mozaffari Mohiyeddin , Safarinejadian Behrouz
Published: June 2017

This study considers the problem of probability density estimation and model order selection in distributed sensor networks. For this purpose, a mobile‐agent‐based distributed variational Bayesian algorithm is proposed. It is assumed that the measurements can be statistically modelled by a common Gaussian mixture model. In the proposed algorithm, the problems of model order selection and probability density estimation will be considered simultaneously using mobile agents and the variational concept. Initially, considering a component number greater than the true one, the variational Bayesian algorithm will be executed in different nodes. In other words, the mobile agents move through different routes in the network and compute the local sufficient statistics. Afterwards, the global sufficient statistics will be updated using these values and finally the parameters of the probability density function will be calculated. This procedure will be repeated until convergence is reached. At this moment, the component whose mixture probability is lower than a threshold value will be removed. The mentioned steps will continue until the true component number is reached. Convergence of the proposed method will also be analytically studied. Finally, the proposed algorithm will be applied to synthetic and also real‐world data sets to show its promising performance.
Time evolution of the spectral break in the high-energy extra component of GRB 090926A
Authors: Yassine M. , Piron F. , Mochkovitch R. , Daigne F.
Published: June 2017

Aims.The prompt light curve of the long GRB 090926A reveals a short pulse ~10 s after the beginning of the burst emission, which has been observed by theFermiobservatory from the keV to the GeV energy domain. During this bright spike, the high-energy emission from GRB 090926A underwent a sudden hardening above 10 MeV in the form of an additional power-law component exhibiting a spectral attenuation at a few hundreds of MeV. This high-energy break has been previously interpreted in terms of gamma-ray opacity to pair creation and has been used to estimate the bulk Lorentz factor of the outflow. In this article, we report on a new time-resolved analysis of the GRB 090926A broadband spectrum during its prompt phase and on its interpretation in the framework of prompt emission models.

Methods.We characterized the emission from GRB 090926A at the highest energies with Pass 8 data from theFermiLarge Area Telescope (LAT), which offer a greater sensitivity than any data set used in previous studies of this burst, particularly in the 30−100 MeV energy band. Then, we combined the LAT data with theFermiGamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) in joint spectral fits to characterize the time evolution of the broadband spectrum from keV to GeV energies. We paid careful attention to the systematic effects that arise from the uncertainties on the LAT response. Finally, we performed a temporal analysis of the light curves and we computed the variability timescales from keV to GeV energies during and after the bright spike.

Results.Our analysis confirms and better constrains the spectral break, which has been previously reported during the bright spike. Furthermore, it reveals that the spectral attenuation persists at later times with an increase of the break characteristic energy up to the GeV domain until the end of the prompt phase. We discuss these results in terms of keV−MeV synchroton radiation of electrons accelerated during the dissipation of the jet energy and inverse Compton emission at higher energies. We interpret the high-energy spectral break as caused by photon opacity to pair creation. Requiring that all emissions are produced above the photosphere of GRB 090926A, we compute the bulk Lorentz factor of the outflow, Γ. The latter decreases from 230 during the spike to 100 at the end of the prompt emission. Assuming, instead, that the spectral break reflects the natural curvature of the inverse Compton spectrum, lower limits corresponding to larger values of Γ are also derived. Combined with the extreme temporal variability of GRB 090926A, these Lorentz factors lead to emission radiiR~ 1014cm, which are consistent with an internal origin of both the keV−MeV and GeV prompt emissions.
Tournaisian (Early Carboniferous) foraminifers of the Kuznetsk Basin (South-West Siberia, Russia)
Authors: Colpaert Clémentine , Vachard Daniel , Monnet Claude , Clausen Sébastien , Timokhina Irina , Obut Olga , Izokh Nadezhda
Published: June 2017

The Taidon and Fomin formations of the Kuznetsk Basin (SW Siberia, Russia) were sampled in three sections, Old Belovo quarry, Artyshta village and Starobachaty village. The carbonate beds revealed microfacies of bioclastic wackestone and packstone, deposited in the distal parts of inner ramps and the proximal parts of mid ramps. Relatively rare plurilocular foraminifers occur in bioclastic neomicrosparitized wackestone deposited in the shallower parts of the carbonate ramp. The other microfacies only contain the bilocular foraminifer genus Earlandia. The plurilocular foraminifers permit the dating of the lower part of the Taidon Formation and the distinction of a biozone characterized by Tuberendothyra, Pseudoplanoendothyra, and Granuliferella. This local biozone can be correlated with the MFZ4 reference-biozone established in Belgium, which is late Hastarian (i.e., latest early Tournaisian) in age. Conodonts of the upper Siphonodella crenulata Zone in the lower part of Taidon Formation are consistent with this late Hastarian age. The Fomin Formation cannot be directly dated by its foraminifers Earlandia. As it is overlain by previously dated lower Visean beds, the Fomin Formation corresponds to all or part of the entire Ivorian (i.e., late Tournaisian) and of the MFZ5 to MFZ8 biozones. The same uncertainty on the late Tournaisian age exists with the conodonts, which belong to the lower Siphonodella crenulata Zone and isosticha-upper crenulata/typicus/anchoralis-latus zones, respectively. As a taxonomical result, Septabrunsiinoidea n. superfam. is introduced, in order to explain some poorly known lineages of the Tournaisian. Palaeobiogeographically, SW Siberia is proposed as the radiation centre of the Septabrunsiinoidea during the Tournaisian, and especially during the Hastarian, and their migration centre toward three directions: North America, South China and western Tethyan areas.