bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Jarmo: A Village Early Farmers in Iraq
Authors: Braidwood Robert J. , Braidwood Linda
Published: August 2016

There is a body of theory, most clearly delineated in recent years by V. Gordon Childe, concerning the importance of the appearance of Food-Production as a basic economic revolution. The domestication of plants and animals assured a stable food supply. Proper village life now came into being, and with it a completely new kind of technology. This latter depends on the fact that time now became available for pursuits other than that of simply collecting food. The theory holds it to be no coincidence that such crafts as architecture, pottery, weaving, and presently metallurgy make their appearance with the establishment of Food-production. These crafts make use of materials constructively, and in some cases actually change the physical or chemical properties of the materials. Such a technology was not characteristic of the preceding Food-gathering stage. The Food-producing revolution and the type of technology which attended it were at least the economic prerequisite for the appearance of civilization (in any useful sense of that word).
Greek Records in the Minoan Script
Authors: Chadwick John
Published: August 2016

It was in July 1952 that Mr Michael Ventris announced his solution of the fifty-year-old puzzle of the Minoan Linear B script. The announcement was at first received with proper scepticism, for many ‘solutions’ had already been published, none of which had proved convincing upon closer inspection. Most of them had been based upon quite inadequate collections of material, for it was not until the spring of 1952 that all the inscriptions in that script then known were published. Mr Ventris' theory, the first to be built upon broad enough foundations, has now withstood more than a year's testing, and its essential correctness has been vindicated by its successful application to new and unpublished material. Mr Ventris has generously made his work available to interested scholars, and an international group is now collaborating with him in pressing forward the decipherment of the tablets along the lines he has laid down. Although much remains to be done, the basis of the solution is no longer in doubt, and we can now offer a preliminary summary of the results of this remarkable discovery.
Worms and Weathering
Authors: Atkinson R. J. C.
Published: August 2016

It is a little surprising that in spite of the relatively high standard of excavation techniques current in Britain today so little attention has been paid by practical excavators to the processes of formation of the sites which they dig.

All of us recognize, of course, that a site consists of a sequence of deposits, some formed deliberately and usually rapidly by man, and others more slowly by nature; and that some processes of formation, such as erosion and filling by the plough, are still continuing today. But there seems to be a widespread assumption (though it is difficult to be sure of this, since such things are seldom discussed) that once a constituent layer of a site has been formed, and sealed by another layer above it, it becomes immediately fossilized and remains unchanged until examined by the excavator, perhaps several millennia later. It is equally widely supposed that once an object, large or small, has come to rest in or upon a deposit it will remain in that position for all time. In short, the tacit assumption is that once formed the nexus of finds and deposits which constitutes a site is almost wholly static, and that change, if it occurs at all, occurs only at the surface.
Greeks, Italians and the Earliest Balkan Iron Age
Authors: Alexander John
Published: August 2016

The discovery of an Early Geometric (9th century B.c.) grave containing an array of iron objects at Athens has led to a quickening of interest in the beginnings of ironusing in South Eastern Europe. Two main theories about this have, for lack of conclusive evidence, been current for decades and while all admit iron was known earlier in the Near East than in Europe, the route by which that knowledge reached Central Europe has been hotly debated.

Dr Foltiny has recently restated the case for iron-using being brought to Hungary by horsemen from further east and has added to it the suggestion that not only did the knowledge then spread into Central Europe but also southwards into Greece. If he is correct and iron was known in Central and Eastern Europe before 900 B.C. then a major alteration to our ideas of the events of that period becomes necessary. Any theory must, at present, rely on the correlation of the Central European evidence with the better known and closer dated events of the east Mediterranean so that the interpretation of the objects in the Athenian grave mentioned above is vital to Dr Foltiny's theory. It is hoped to show elsewhere that their evidence is ambiguous and in this paper another body of material, from Jugoslavia, a region contiguous to Dr Foltiny's early iron-using centre in Hungary and athwart its communications with Greece, will be considered. The conclusions to be drawn from it are quite different from those which might be expected if Dr Foltiny is correct, for they are that much of Jugoslavia gained its knowledge of iron through trade connexions with Eastern Italy in the 8th–7th centuries B.C. and that Hungary and Greece played little part in the event.
The Late Bronze Age Chronology of Central Europe: Some Reflections
Authors: Cowen J. D.
Published: August 2016

At a classic meeting of the Prehistoric Society, held during April 1948 in the old home of the Institute of Archaeology of London University, V. G. Childe and C. F. C. Hawkes presented two papers, each complementary to the other, on the chronology of the Late Bronze Age in Europe. This joint approach was focussed on the relative and absolute dating of the Urnfields of the North Alpine foreland, whence Hawkes applied the results to the West, and pre-eminently to Britain; but, by arrangement, Childe approached the crucial area from Hither Asia by way of the Danube corridor, and from Greece through the Balkans, while Hawkes worked his way forward from the Aegean up the length of Italy, and so northwards over the Alps.

It is worth recollecting that this was the first time that British archaeologists had formally addressed themselves to this most difficult set of problems in detail, and on Central European territory. Furthermore both papers suffered, one feels, from being among the first essays in archaeological synthesis to be attempted in this country after the war, with all that is implied in that. At all events within a year of publication Childe was saying that he no longer had any confidence in his derivation of the flange-hilted bronze sword from Hither Asia; and he had also by then become less assured of some of his other Asiatic derivations. While in the course of the international discussion which followed, Hawkes felt obliged to revise a number of his dates, chiefly in the direction of a longer chronology. Nevertheless, both essays commanded a splendid range of material, and were fortified by a sufficient exposition of the history of research in this field to give a sound sense of perspective. If today they have been outmoded in many particulars by the work of a small army of scholars working in half a dozen countries, they remain for English-speaking students an indispensable starting-point, and an admirable introduction to their subject.
Aspects of Palaeolithic Art
Authors: McBurney Charles
Published: August 2016

It is a curious reflection that although palaeolithic art has been known and recognized as such for over a century, and despite the fact that during this time an enormous volume of literature has accumulated on the subject, yet the publications consist almost exclusively of articles dealing with limited aspects. These comprise descriptions of individual finds, or particular sites, but there are virtually no works on any scale to present the art as a whole in its so-called ‘mobiliary’ manifestations (that is to say, the decoration of loose and individual objects), together with the decorations found on the walls of caves. There have of course been many contributions of significance to certain general issues, such as chronology and correlation with the cultural succession; among the most important early works on the mobiliary art for instance is Piette’s L’art pendant l’âge du renne of 1906. Again, in his magnificent pioneering studies on the sites of Altamira, Font de Gaume, and Les Combarelles, the Abbé Breuil devoted a number of chapters to general discussion of fundamental importance; many of these deal with all sides of the evidence in connexion with different problems, such as representation of different types of animals. But in no case has the archaeological public been rewarded with a full-scale work on the art as a whole by the greatest living authority. Although in his introduction the author of the work under review disclaims any intention to provide either a treatise or a complete corpus of the artistic achievements of the Palaeolithic, and describes his work rather as a ‘panoramic view of that prodigious phenomenon which is the birth and development of the most ancient art in the history of man‘, yet he has in fact gone some considerable way to fill this important gap.
Early Bronze Age Colonists in Iberia
Authors: Blance Beatrice
Published: August 2016

The object of this paper is to show that certain Early Bronze Age sites in the Iberian Peninsula are actually colonies established by people coming from the Eastern Mediterranean.

The term ‘colony’ is used here in contrast to the term ‘culture’. It is selected because, besides being the term used by Siret, who believed that Los Millares was a Phoenician colony, and the Leisners (Factorei), it is the term which best describes these sites. The following account will demonstrate that they were solitary, heavily-defended settlements situated in a culturally foreign environment. Their best parallels are to be found in the East Mediterranean area, where, from very early times politically independent city states which owed their existence to either a rich hinterland or to trade and commerce, are known. These sites in the Peninsula may, in fact, be regarded as primitive examples of the types of colonies established later by the Phoenicians and the Greeks.
The Neolithic in Anatolia and the Balkans
Authors: Garašanin M. V.
Published: August 2016

Since 1907 when Professor M. M. Vasić first posed the question of the south-eastem connexions of the Neolithic culture of Serbia, the investigation of this problem over a wider field and on a broader chronological footing has made material advances in the whole area from the Near East to the Lower Danube. It even proved possible to provide this problem with a more or less exact historical outline. These results have been produced by exceptionally fruitful but unco-ordinated, local research: uncertainties and apparent contradictions have still to be resolved.
Recent Work in Rome
Authors: Ward-Perkins J. B.
Published: August 2016

After the feverish archaeological activity of the Fascist era, the postwar years in Rome have been a period of relative calm. There have been a few major discoveries, such as the Vatican cemetery and the new catacomb of the Via Latina, the recently published account of which is unfortunately marred by the poor quality of the colour-plates, inexcusable in a volume of this price. On the whole, however, excavation has very sensibly been diverted to clearing up specific problems, notably in the Forum and Palatine, and students of Roman topography and monuments have had a chance to pause and take stock. The results of this much-needed stock-taking are just beginning to appear, and very valuable they are proving to be.

One of the most important and remarkable monuments of classical antiquity to have come down to us, at any rate in part, is the great marble plan of Rome which Septimius Severus set up on the end wall of a large room opening off the south-west corner of the Forum of Peace, a wall which is now the outer south wall of the church of SS Cosmas and Damian. The fragments recovered since their first recognition in 1562 represent barely a tenth of the total inscribed surface, and many of these were lost before, in 1741, the collection passed from the Farnese family into the safe-keeping of the city authorities, and are known to us only from drawings. But what has survived is fundamental for the reconstruction of the topography of classical Rome and for the study of its lost monuments.
“Things That Make Me Go Hmmm. …”
Authors: Carpenter Faedra Chatard
Published: August 2016

There are many things related to the practice of theatre research (both scholarly and creative) that are presently pulling at my psyche. These matters, predominantly concerned with issues of diversity and inclusion, are not new or novel. Rather, they are ever lingering; frequently talked about, but still requiring a talking through. Inspired by public discourse and practice, my ruminations are also informed by my own politics of location (as a dramaturg/scholar of color), and thus contestable—yet potentially consequential. Given the time and space allotted, here are a couple of “things that make me go hmmm”:
My Actor Alibi
Authors: Herrera Brian Eugenio
Published: August 2016

I study the history of actors, emphasizing the historical conditions of their working and creative lives amid the ever shifting cultural and performance conventions guiding which bodies are privileged in the telling of which stories. My research expeditions have routinely prompted me to follow a given actor from the stage, often to screens large and small and, just as frequently, to the ostensibly nontheatrical realms of politics, community organizing, or education. Sometimes these actors return to the theatrical stage, but not always. But I go where actors go, no matter the industry, enterprise, or discipline. If they're an actor, and they're up to something, I'm interested. That's what I call my actor alibi.
Lessons learned: how parents respond to school mandates and sanctions
Authors: Lavery Lesley
Published: August 2016

Over the past three decades, a reform movement bent on improving schools and educational outcomes through standards-based accountability systems and market-like competitive pressures has dominated policy debates. Many have examined reform policies’ effects on academic outcomes, but few have explored these policies’ influence on citizens’ political orientations. In this study, using data from an original survey, I examine whether and how No Child Left Behind’s accountability-based architecture influences parents’ attitudes towards the government and federal involvement in education. I find little evidence that diversity in parents’ lived policy experiences shapes their political orientations. However, the results of a survey experiment suggest that information linking school experience to policy and government action may increase parents’ confidence in their ability to contribute to the political process. Understanding whether and under what conditions parents use public school experiences to inform orientations towards the government can improve the design of future reforms.
Maintenance of the EBV‐specific CD8+ TCRαβ repertoire in immunosuppressed lung transplant recipients
Authors: Nguyen Thi HO , Bird Nicola L , Grant Emma J , Miles John J , Thomas Paul G , Kotsimbos Tom C , Mifsud Nicole A , Kedzierska Katherine
Published: August 2016

Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) is one of the most common viruses in humans, capable of causing life‐threatening infections and cancers in immunocompromised individuals. Although CD8+ T cells provide key protection against EBV, the persistence and dynamics of specific T‐cell receptor (TCR) clones during immunosuppression in transplant patients is largely unknown. For the first time, we used a novel single‐cell TCRαβ multiplex‐nested reverse transcriptase PCR to dissect TCRαβ clonal diversity within GLCTLVAML (GLC)‐specific CD8+ T cells in healthy individuals and immunocompromised lung transplant recipients. The GLC peptide presented by HLA‐A*02:01 is one of the most immunogenic T‐cell targets from the EBV proteome. We found that the GLC‐specific TCRαβ repertoire was heavily biased toward TRAV5 and encompassed five classes of public TCRαβs, suggesting that these clonotypes are preferentially utilized following infection. We identified that a common TRAV5 was diversely paired with different TRAJ and TRBV/TRBJ genes, in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals, with an average of 12 different TCRαβ clonotypes/donor. Moreover, pre‐transplant GLC‐specific TCRαβ repertoires were relatively stable over 1 year post transplant under immunosuppression in the absence or presence of EBV reactivation. In addition, we provide the first evidence of early GLC‐specific CD8+ T cells at 87 days post transplant, which preceded clinical EBV detection at 242 days in an EBV‐seronegative patient receiving a lung allograft from an EBV‐seropositive donor. This was associated with a relatively stable TCRαβ repertoire after CD8+ T‐cell expansion. Our findings provide insights into the composition and temporal dynamics of the EBV‐specific TCRαβ repertoire in immunocompromised transplant patients and suggest that the early detection of EBV‐specific T cells might be a predictor of ensuing EBV blood viremia.
The Spectrum of Mitochondrial Ultrastructural Defects in Mitochondrial Myopathy
Authors: Vincent Amy E. , Ng Yi Shiau , White Kathryn , Davey Tracey , Mannella Carmen , Falkous Gavin , Feeney Catherine , Schaefer Andrew M. , McFarland Robert , Gorman Grainne S. , Taylor Robert W. , Turnbull Doug M. , Picard Martin
Published: August 2016

Mitochondrial functions are intrinsically linked to their morphology and membrane ultrastructure. Characterizing abnormal mitochondrial structural features may thus provide insight into the underlying pathogenesis of inherited and acquired mitochondrial diseases. Following a systematic literature review on ultrastructural defects in mitochondrial myopathy, we investigated skeletal muscle biopsies from seven subjects with genetically defined mtDNA mutations. Mitochondrial ultrastructure and morphology were characterized using two complimentary approaches: transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and serial block face scanning EM (SBF-SEM) with 3D reconstruction. Six ultrastructural abnormalities were identified including i) paracrystalline inclusions, ii) linearization of cristae and abnormal angular features, iii) concentric layering of cristae membranes, iv) matrix compartmentalization, v) nanotunelling and vi) donut-shaped mitochondria. In light of recent molecular advances in mitochondrial biology, these findings reveal novel aspects of mitochondrial ultrastructure and morphology in human tissues with implications for understanding the mechanisms linking mitochondrial dysfunction to disease.
Normal tissue radioprotection by amifostine via Warburg-type effects
Authors: Koukourakis Michael I. , Giatromanolaki Alexandra , Zois Christos E. , Kalamida Dimitra , Pouliliou Stamatia , Karagounis Ilias V. , Yeh Tzu-Lan , Abboud Martine I. , Claridge Timothy D. W. , Schofield Christopher J. , Sivridis Efthimios , Simopoulos Costantinos , Tokmakidis Savvas P. , Harris Adrian L.
Published: August 2016

The mechanism of Amifostine (WR-2721) mediated radioprotection is poorly understood. The effects of amifostine on human basal metabolism, mouse liver metabolism and on normal and tumor hepatic cells were studied. Indirect calorimetric canopy tests showed significant reductions in oxygen consumption and of carbon dioxide emission in cancer patients receiving amifostine. Glucose levels significantly decreased and lactate levels increased in patient venous blood. Although amifostine in vitro did not inhibit the activity of the prolyl-hydroxylase PHD2, experiments with mouse liver showed that on a short timescale WR-1065 induced expression of the Hypoxia Inducible Factor HIF1α, lactate dehydrogenase LDH5, glucose transporter GLUT2, phosphorylated pyruvate dehydrogenase pPDH and PDH-kinase. This effect was confirmed on normal mouse NCTC hepatocytes, but not on hepatoma cells. A sharp reduction of acetyl-CoA and ATP levels in NCTC cells indicated reduced mitochondrial usage of pyruvate. Transient changes of mitochondrial membrane potential and reactive oxygen species ROS production were evident. Amifostine selectively protects NCTC cells against radiation, whilst HepG2 neoplastic cells are sensitized. The radiation protection was correlates with HIF levels. These findings shed new light on the mechanism of amifostine cytoprotection and encourage clinical research with this agent for the treatment of primary and metastatic liver cancer.
Wiring up pre-characterized single-photon emitters by laser lithography
Authors: Shi Q. , Sontheimer B. , Nikolay N. , Schell A. W. , Fischer J. , Naber A. , Benson O. , Wegener M.
Published: August 2016

Future quantum optical chips will likely be hybrid in nature and include many single-photon emitters, waveguides, filters, as well as single-photon detectors. Here, we introduce a scalable optical localization-selection-lithography procedure for wiring up a large number of single-photon emitters via polymeric photonic wire bonds in three dimensions. First, we localize and characterize nitrogen vacancies in nanodiamonds inside a solid photoresist exhibiting low background fluorescence. Next, without intermediate steps and using the same optical instrument, we perform aligned three-dimensional laser lithography. As a proof of concept, we design, fabricate and characterize three-dimensional functional waveguide elements on an optical chip. Each element consists of one single-photon emitter centered in a crossed-arc waveguide configuration, allowing for integrated optical excitation and efficient background suppression at the same time.
On characterizing protein spatial clusters with correlation approaches
Authors: Shivanandan Arun , Unnikrishnan Jayakrishnan , Radenovic Aleksandra
Published: August 2016

Spatial aggregation of proteins might have functional importance, e.g., in signaling, and nano-imaging can be used to study them. Such studies require accurate characterization of clusters based on noisy data. A set of spatial correlation approaches free of underlying cluster processes and input parameters have been widely used for this purpose. They include the radius of maximal aggregation ra obtained from Ripley’s L(r) − r function as an estimator of cluster size, and the estimation of various cluster parameters based on an exponential model of the Pair Correlation Function(PCF). While convenient, the accuracy of these methods is not clear: e.g., does it depend on how the molecules are distributed within the clusters, or on cluster parameters? We analyze these methods for a variety of cluster models. We find that ra relates to true cluster size by a factor that is nonlinearly dependent on parameters and that can be arbitrarily large. For the PCF method, for the models analyzed, we obtain linear relationships between the estimators and true parameters, and the estimators were found to be within ±100% of true parameters, depending on the model. Our results, based on an extendable general framework, point to the need for caution in applying these methods.
Gradient moduli lens models: how material properties and application of forces can affect deformation and distributions of stress
Authors: Wang Kehao , Venetsanos Demetrios , Wang Jian , Pierscionek Barbara K.
Published: August 2016

The human lens provides one-third of the ocular focussing power and is responsible for altering focus over a range of distances. This ability, termed accommodation, defines the process by which the lens alters shape to increase or decrease ocular refractive power; this is mediated by the ciliary muscle through the zonule. This ability decreases with age such that around the sixth decade of life it is lost rendering the eye unable to focus on near objects. There are two opponent theories that provide an explanation for the mechanism of accommodation; definitive support for either of these requires investigation. This work aims to elucidate how material properties can affect accommodation using Finite Element models based on interferometric measurements of refractive index. Gradients of moduli are created in three models from representative lenses, aged 16, 35 and 48 years. Different forms of zonular attachments are studied to determine which may most closely mimic the physiological form by comparing stress and displacement fields with simulated shape changes to accommodation in living lenses. The results indicate that for models to mimic accommodation in living eyes, the anterior and posterior parts of the zonule need independent force directions. Choice of material properties affects which theory of accommodation is supported.
Functional lignocellulosic materials prepared by ATRP from a wood scaffold
Authors: Cabane Etienne , Keplinger Tobias , Künniger Tina , Merk Vivian , Burgert Ingo
Published: August 2016

Wood, a natural and abundant source of organic polymers, has been used as a scaffold to develop novel wood-polymer hybrid materials. Through a two-step surface-initiated Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization (ATRP), the porous wood structure can be effectively modified with polymer chains of various nature. In the present study, polystyrene and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) were used. As shown with various characterization techniques including confocal Raman microscopy, FTIR and SEM/EDX, the native wood ultrastructure and features are retained and the polymer chains can be introduced deep within the wood, i.e. inside the wood cell walls. The physical properties of the new materials have been studied and results indicate that the insertion of polymer chains inside the wood cell wall alters the intrinsic properties of wood to yield a hybrid composite material with new functionalities. This approach to the functionalization of wood could lead to the fabrication of a new class of interesting functional materials and promote innovative utilizations of the renewable resource wood.
Protective Effects of Arginine on Saccharomyces cerevisiae Against Ethanol Stress
Authors: Cheng Yanfei , Du Zhaoli , Zhu Hui , Guo Xuena , He Xiuping
Published: August 2016

Yeast cells are challenged by various environmental stresses in the process of industrial fermentation. As the currently main organism for bio-ethanol production, Saccharomyces cerevisiae suffers from ethanol stress. Some amino acids have been reported to be related to yeast tolerance to stresses. Here the relationship between arginine and yeast response to ethanol stress was investigated. Marked inhibitions of ethanol on cell growth, expression of genes involved in arginine biosynthesis and intracellular accumulation of arginine were observed. Furthermore, extracellular addition of arginine can abate the ethanol damage largely. To further confirm the protective effects of arginine on yeast cells, yeast strains with different levels of arginine content were constructed by overexpression of ARG4 involved in arginine biosynthesis or CAR1 encoding arginase. Intracellular arginine was increased by 18.9% or 13.1% respectively by overexpression of ARG4 or disruption of CAR1, which enhanced yeast tolerance to ethanol stress. Moreover, a 41.1% decrease of intracellular arginine was observed in CAR1 overexpressing strain, which made yeast cells keenly sensitive to ethanol. Further investigations indicated that arginine protected yeast cells from ethanol damage by maintaining the integrity of cell wall and cytoplasma membrane, stabilizing the morphology and function of organellae due to low ROS generation.
NaGd(MoO4)2 nanocrystals with diverse morphologies: controlled synthesis, growth mechanism, photoluminescence and thermometric properties
Authors: Li Anming , Xu Dekang , Lin Hao , Yang Shenghong , Shao Yuanzhi , Zhang Yueli
Published: August 2016

Pure tetragonal phase, uniform and well-crystallized sodium gadolinium molybdate (NaGd(MoO4)2) nanocrystals with diverse morphologies, e.g. nanocylinders, nanocubes and square nanoplates have been selectively synthesized via oleic acid-mediated hydrothermal method. The phase, structure, morphology and composition of the as-synthesized products are studied. Contents of both sodium molybdate and oleic acid of the precursor solutions are found to affect the morphologies of the products significantly and oleic acid plays a key role in the morphology-controlled synthesis of NaGd(MoO4)2 nanocrystals with diverse morphologies. Growth mechanism of NaGd(MoO4)2 nanocrystals is proposed based on time-dependent morphology evolution and X-ray diffraction analysis. Morphology-dependent down-shifting photoluminescence properties of NaGd(MoO4)2: Eu3+ nanocrystals and upconversion photoluminescence properties of NaGd(MoO4)2: Yb3+/Er3+ and Yb3+/Tm3+ nanoplates are investigated in detail. Charge transfer band in the down-shifting excitation spectra shows a slight blue-shift and the luminescence intensities and lifetimes of Eu3+ are decreased gradually with the morphology of the nanocrystals varying from nanocubes to thin square nanoplates. Upconversion energy transfer mechanisms of NaGd(MoO4)2: Yb3+/Er3+, Yb3+/Tm3+ nanoplates are proposed based on the energy level scheme and power dependence of upconversion emissions. Thermometric properties of NaGd(MoO4)2: Yb3+/Er3+ nanoplates are investigated and the maximum sensitivity is determined to be 0.01333 K−1 at 285 K.
Controllable in-situ cell electroporation with cell positioning and impedance monitoring using micro electrode array
Authors: Guo Xiaoliang , Zhu Rong
Published: August 2016

This paper reports a novel microarray chip for in-situ, real-time and selective electroporation on individual cells integrated with cell positioning and impedance monitoring. An array of quadrupole-electrode units (termed positioning electrodes) and pairs of planar center electrodes located at the centers of each quadrupole-electrode unit were fabricated on the chip. The positioning electrodes are used to trap and position living cells onto the center electrodes based on negative dielectrophoresis (nDEP). The center electrodes are used for in-situ cell electroporation and also used to measure cell impedance for monitoring cellular dynamics in real time. Controllably selective electroporation and electrical measurement on the cells in array are realized. We present an evidence of selective electroporation through use of fluorescent dyes. Subsequently we use in-situ and real-time impedance measurement to monitor the process, which demonstrates the dynamic behavior of the cell electroporation. Finally, we show the use of this device to perform successful transfection onto individual HeLa cells with vector DNA encoding a green fluorescent.
Detection of inflammatory cell function using 13C magnetic resonance spectroscopy of hyperpolarized [6-13C]-arginine
Authors: Najac Chloé , Chaumeil Myriam M. , Kohanbash Gary , Guglielmetti Caroline , Gordon Jeremy W. , Okada Hideho , Ronen Sabrina M.
Published: August 2016

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are highly prevalent inflammatory cells that play a key role in tumor development and are considered therapeutic targets. MDSCs promote tumor growth by blocking T-cell-mediated anti-tumoral immune response through depletion of arginine that is essential for T-cell proliferation. To deplete arginine, MDSCs express high levels of arginase, which catalyzes the breakdown of arginine into urea and ornithine. Here, we developed a new hyperpolarized 13C probe, [6-13C]-arginine, to image arginase activity. We show that [6-13C]-arginine can be hyperpolarized and hyperpolarized [13C]-urea production from [6-13C]-arginine is linearly correlated with arginase concentration in vitro. Furthermore we show that we can detect a statistically significant increase in hyperpolarized [13C]-urea production in MDSCs when compared to control bone marrow cells. This increase was associated with an increase in intracellular arginase concentration detected using a spectrophotometric assay. Hyperpolarized [6-13C]-arginine could therefore serve to image tumoral MDSC function and more broadly M2-like macrophages.
The secret life of Pickering emulsions: particle exchange revealed using two colours of particle
Authors: French David J. , Brown Aidan T. , Schofield Andrew B. , Fowler Jeff , Taylor Phil , Clegg Paul S.
Published: August 2016

Emulsion droplets stabilised by colloidal particles (Pickering emulsions) can be highly stable, so it is unsurprising that they are beginning to be exploited industrially. The individual colloidal particles have interfacial attachment energies that are vastly larger than the thermal energy, hence they are usually thought of as being irreversibly adsorbed. Here we show, for the first time, particles being exchanged between droplets in a Pickering emulsion. This occurs when the emulsion contains droplets that share particles, often called bridging. By starting with two emulsions showing bridging, each stabilised by a different colour of particle, the dynamics can be studied as they are gently mixed together on a roller bank. We find that particle exchange occurs by two routes: firstly, during a period of unbridging and rebridging whose duration can be tuned by varying the wettability of the particles and secondly, during very rare events when particles are ejected from one droplet and re-adsorbed onto another.
Fine mapping of a dominant gene conferring chlorophyll-deficiency in Brassica napus
Authors: Wang Yankun , He Yongjun , Yang Mao , He Jianbo , Xu Pan , Shao Mingquan , Chu Pu , Guan Rongzhan
Published: August 2016

Leaf colour regulation is important in photosynthesis and dry material production. Most of the reported chlorophyll-deficient loci are recessive. The dominant locus is rarely reported, although it may be more important than the recessive locus in the regulation of photosynthesis efficiency. During the present study, we mapped a chlorophyll-deficient dominant locus (CDE1) from the ethyl methanesulfonate-mutagenized Brassica napus line NJ7982. Using an F2 population derived from the chlorophyll-deficient mutant (cde1) and the canola variety ‘zhongshuang11’, a high-density linkage map was constructed, consisting of 19 linkage groups with 2,878 bins containing 13,347 SNP markers, with a total linkage map length of 1,968.6 cM. Next, the CDE1 locus was mapped in a 0.9-cM interval of chromosome C08 of B. napus, co-segregating with nine SNP markers. In the following fine-mapping of the gene using the inherited F2:3 populations of 620 individuals, the locus was identified in an interval with a length of 311 kb. A bioinformatics analysis revealed that the mapping interval contained 22 genes. These results produced a good foundation for continued research on the dominant locus involved in chlorophyll content regulation.
Fine-mapping analysis revealed complex pleiotropic effect and tissue-specific regulatory mechanism of TNFSF15 in primary biliary cholangitis, Crohn’s disease and leprosy
Authors: Sun Yonghu , Irwanto Astrid , Toyo-oka Licht , Hong Myunghee , Liu Hong , Andiappan Anand Kumar , Choi Hyunchul , Hitomi Yuki , Yu Gongqi , Yu Yongxiang , Bao Fangfang , Wang Chuan , Fu Xian , Yue Zhenhua , Wang Honglei , Zhang Huimin , Kawashima Minae , Kojima Kaname , Nagasaki Masao , Nakamura Minoru , Yang Suk-Kyun , Ye Byong Duk , Denise Yosua , Rotzschke Olaf , Song Kyuyoung , Tokunaga Katsushi , Zhang Furen , Liu Jianjun
Published: August 2016

Genetic polymorphism within the 9q32 locus is linked with increased risk of several diseases, including Crohn’s disease (CD), primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and leprosy. The most likely disease-causing gene within 9q32 is TNFSF15, which encodes the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF super-family member 15, but it was unknown whether these disparate diseases were associated with the same genetic variance in 9q32, and how variance within this locus might contribute to pathology. Using genetic data from published studies on CD, PBC and leprosy we revealed that bearing a T allele at rs6478108/rs6478109 (r2 = 1) or rs4979462 was significantly associated with increased risk of CD and decreased risk of leprosy, while the T allele at rs4979462 was associated with significantly increased risk of PBC. In vitro analyses showed that the rs6478109 genotype significantly affected TNFSF15 expression in cells from whole blood of controls, while functional annotation using publicly-available data revealed the broad cell type/tissue-specific regulatory potential of variance at rs6478109 or rs4979462. In summary, we provide evidence that variance within TNFSF15 has the potential to affect cytokine expression across a range of tissues and thereby contribute to protection from infectious diseases such as leprosy, while increasing the risk of immune-mediated diseases including CD and PBC.
Large-scale molecular dynamics simulation: Effect of polarization on thrombin-ligand binding energy
Authors: Duan Li L. , Feng Guo Q. , Zhang Qing G.
Published: August 2016

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations lasting 500 ns were performed in explicit water to investigate the effect of polarization on the binding of ligands to human α-thrombin based on the standard nonpolarizable AMBER force field and the quantum-derived polarized protein-specific charge (PPC). The PPC includes the electronic polarization effect of the thrombin-ligand complex, which is absent in the standard force field. A detailed analysis and comparison of the results of the MD simulation with experimental data provided strong evidence that intra-protein, protein-ligand hydrogen bonds and the root-mean-square deviation of backbone atoms were significantly stabilized through electronic polarization. Specifically, two critical hydrogen bonds between thrombin and the ligand were broken at approximately 190 ns when AMBER force field was used and the number of intra-protein backbone hydrogen bonds was higher under PPC than under AMBER. The thrombin-ligand binding energy was computed using the molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann surface area (MM/PBSA) method, and the results were consistent with the experimental value obtained using PPC. Because hydrogen bonds were unstable, it was failed to predict the binding affinity under the AMBER force field. Furthermore, the results of the present study revealed that differences in the binding free energy between AMBER and PPC almost comes from the electrostatic interaction. Thus, this study provides evidence that protein polarization is critical to accurately describe protein-ligand binding.
Thin-layer voltammetry of soluble species on screen-printed electrodes: proof of concept
Authors: Botasini S. , Martí A. C. , Méndez E.
Published: August 2016

Thin-layer diffusion conditions were accomplished on screen-printed electrodes by placing a controlled-weight onto the cast solution and allowing for its natural spreading.
A sensing smartphone and its portable accessory for on-site rapid biochemical detection of marine toxins
Authors: Fang Jiaru , Qiu Xianxin , Wan Zijian , Zou Quchao , Su Kaiqi , Hu Ning , Wang Ping
Published: August 2016

A strip system including a smartphone, homemade APP – iStrip, 3D printed accessory and test strip has been developed.
Rhodium(i), rhodium(iii) and iridium(iii) carbaporphyrins
Authors: Adiraju Venkata A. K. , Ferrence Gregory M. , Lash Timothy D.
Published: August 2016

Reaction of a benzocarbaporphyrin with [Rh(CO)2Cl]2 or [Ir(COD)Cl]2 gave a rhodium(i) dicarbonyl complex and rhodium(iii) or iridium(iii) organometallic derivatives.
The steps of activating a prospective CO2 hydrogenation catalyst with combined CO2 capture and reduction
Authors: Lao D. B. , Galan B. R. , Linehan J. C. , Heldebrant D. J.
Published: August 2016

Combining carbon capture and reduction is an efficient strategy to alleviate the high energy requirements for processing CO2 prior to reduction.
Synthesis, structure, photophysical, electrochemical properties and antibacterial activity of brominated BODIPYs
Authors: Prasannan Dijo , Raghav Darpan , Sujatha Subramaniam , Hareendrakrishna kumar Haritha , Rathinasamy Krishnan , Arunkumar Chellaiah
Published: August 2016

The unusual di-bromo product, 5b, confirmed by spectral analysis, showed the most potency with the lowest IC50 and MIC values, with excellent activity comparable to the standard antibacterial drug, tetracycline.
High performance alternating polymers based on two-dimensional conjugated benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene and fluorinated dithienylbenzothiadiazole for solar cells
Authors: Cong Zhiyuan , Liu Shuo , Zhao Baofeng , Wang Weiping , Liu Hongli , Su Jin , Guo Zhaoqi , Wei Wei , Gao Chao , An Zhongwei
Published: August 2016

Three D–A polymers based on alkylthienyl substituted benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene (BDTT) and fluorinated 4,7-dialkylthienyl-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole (DTBT) derivatives were synthesized and applied as donors in BHJ solar cells.
Janus particle synthesis via aligned non-concentric angular nozzles and electrohydrodynamic co-flow for tunable drug release
Authors: Zhang Chunchen , Chang Ming-Wei , Li Yudong , Qi Yuankai , Wu Jingwen , Ahmad Zeeshan , Li Jing-Song
Published: August 2016

A novel non-concentric tilted angle nozzle was designed and manufactured to enable the synthesis of tunable Janus particles. The effect of processing parameters and device configurations on particle structure and dual drug release were explored.
Immobilization of Au nanoparticles on graphite tunnels through nanocapillarity
Authors: de la Rosa-Abad J. A. , Soldano G. J. , Mejía-Rosales S. J. , Mariscal M. M.
Published: August 2016

Atomistic computer simulations on the generation of nanotunnels on graphite and the subsequent immobilization of gold nanoparticles are presented in this work.
BiFeO3(00l)/LaNiO3/Si thin films with enhanced polarization: an all-solution approach
Authors: Jin Linghua , Tang Xianwu , Wei Renhuai , Yang Bingbing , Yang Jie , Song Wenhai , Dai Jianming , Zhu Xuebin , Sun Yuping
Published: August 2016

Multiferroic BiFeO3(BFO) thin films with a thickness larger than 400 nm are grown on solution-derived LaNiO3coated Si substratesviachemical solution deposition.
Temperature-dependent photoluminescence of inorganic perovskite nanocrystal films
Authors: Li Jiaming , Yuan Xi , Jing Pengtao , Li Ji , Wei Maobin , Hua Jie , Zhao Jialong , Tian Lianhua
Published: August 2016

The photoluminescence stability of all-inorganic perovskite nanocrystals (CsPbBr3) with different size is studied.
Site-selective growth of metal–organic frameworks using an interfacial growth approach combined with VUV photolithography
Authors: Tsuruoka Takaaki , Matsuyama Tetsuhiro , Miyanaga Ayumi , Ohhashi Takashi , Takashima Yohei , Akamatsu Kensuke
Published: August 2016

A novel approach combined with interfacial growth and photolithography has been developed for the site-selective growth of MOF crystals.
Facile synthesis of porous CuO polyhedron from Cu-based metal organic framework (MOF-199) for electrocatalytic water oxidation
Authors: Li Ting-Ting , Qian Jinjie , Zheng Yue-Qing
Published: August 2016

Metal–organic frameworks have been demonstrated as suitable metal sources and sacrificial templates for preparation of porous transition-metal oxide nanomaterials.
Efficient free radical generation against cancer cells by low-dose X-ray irradiation with a functional SPC delivery nanosystem
Authors: Shao Yiran , Wang Liyao , Fu Jingke , Shi Chao , Xu Jiaqiang , Zhu Yingchun
Published: August 2016

SPC@HMSNs–PAA can provide oxygen, which induce overproduction of radicals to kill cancer cells even under low energy X-ray irradiation.
Synthesis of a multifunctional manganese(ii)–carbon dots hybrid and its application as an efficient magnetic-fluorescent imaging probe for ovarian cancer cell imaging
Authors: Han Cuiping , Xu Huiting , Wang Ru , Wang Keying , Dai Yue , Liu Qi , Guo Mengxue , Li Jingjing , Xu Kai
Published: August 2016

A magnetic-fluorescent manganese(ii)–carbon dots hybrid nanoprobe was successfully prepared for ovarian cancer cell targeting and bifunctional MRI and optical imaging.
Gold nanoparticle superlattices: correlating chemiresistive responses with analyte sorption and swelling
Authors: Olichwer Natalia , Meyer Andreas , Yesilmen Mazlum , Vossmeyer Tobias
Published: August 2016

In this study the chemiresistive responses of gold nanoparticle superlattices are investigated by GISAXS and microgravimetry.
Characterization of a P-type photomechanical molecular crystal based on the E → Z photoisomerization of 9-divinylanthracene malonitrile
Authors: Zhu Lingyan , Tong Fei , Zaghloul Norhan , Baz Omar , Bardeen Christopher J. , Al-Kaysi Rabih O.
Published: August 2016

Anthracene derivatives with a 1,3-butadiene group attached to the 9-position can undergo reversible E ↔ Z (trans ↔ cis) photoisomerization reactions, providing a route to new photomechanical materials.
Mechanoluminescence properties of Mn2+-doped BaZnOS phosphor
Authors: Li Lejing , Wong Ka-Leung , Li Pengfei , Peng Mingying
Published: August 2016

In this study, a novel Mn2+-doped wide band gap semiconductor, BaZnOS, demonstrates intense elastico-mechanoluminescence (EML) under pressure and friction, and the intensity of emission peaks is proportional to the applied compressive stress.
Al2O3–YAG:Ce composite phosphor ceramic: a thermally robust and efficient color converter for solid state laser lighting
Authors: Li Shuxing , Zhu Qiangqiang , Tang Daiming , Liu Xuejian , Ouyang George , Cao Liangliang , Hirosaki Naoto , Nishimura Toshiyuki , Huang Zhengren , Xie Rong-Jun
Published: August 2016

Al2O3–YAG:Ce phosphor ceramic shows excellent luminescence, thermal performance, and thus great suitability for use in solid-state laser lighting.
Data Science Meets the Clinician: Challenges and Future Directions
Authors: Wilbring Manuel , Treede Hendrik , Charitos Efstratios
Published: August 2016

In the last three decades a profound transformation of the medical profession has taken place. The modern clinician is required to consume vast amounts of information from clinical studies, critically reviewing evidence that may or may not lead to changes in clinical practice. The present article presents some challenges that this era of information poses to clinicians and patients.
Radiation pressure induced difference-sideband generation beyond linearized description
Authors: Xiong Hao , Fan Yu-Wan , Yang Xiaoxue , Wu Ying
Published: August 2016

We investigate radiation-pressure induced generation of the frequency components at the difference-sideband in an optomechanical system, which beyond the conventional linearized description of optomechanical interactions between cavity fields and the mechanical oscillation. We analytically calculate amplitudes of these signals, and identify a simple square-root law for both the upper and lower difference-sideband generation which can describe the dependence of the intensities of these signals on the pump power. Further calculation shows that difference-sideband generation can be greatly enhanced via achieving the matching conditions. The effect of difference-sideband generation, which may have potential application for manipulation of light, is especially suited for on-chip optomechanical devices, where nonlinear optomechanical interaction in the weak coupling regime is within current experimental reach.