bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
DAF-16/FOXO and HLH-30/TFEB function as combinatorial transcription factors to promote stress resistance and longevity
Authors: Lin Xin-Xuan , Sen Ilke , Janssens Georges E. , Zhou Xin , Fonslow Bryan R. , Edgar Daniel , Stroustrup Nicholas , Swoboda Peter , Yates John R. , Ruvkun Gary , Riedel Christian G.
Published: October 2018

The ability to perceive and respond to harmful conditions is crucial for the survival of any organism. The transcription factor DAF-16/FOXO is central to these responses, relaying distress signals into the expression of stress resistance and longevity promoting genes. However, its sufficiency in fulfilling this complex task has remained unclear. Using C. elegans, we show that DAF-16 does not function alone but as part of a transcriptional regulatory module, together with the transcription factor HLH-30/TFEB. Under harmful conditions, both transcription factors translocate into the nucleus, where they often form a complex, co-occupy target promoters, and co-regulate many target genes. Interestingly though, their synergy is stimulus-dependent: They rely on each other, functioning in the same pathway, to promote longevity or resistance to oxidative stress, but they elicit heat stress responses independently, and they even oppose each other during dauer formation. We propose that this module of DAF-16 and HLH-30 acts by combinatorial gene regulation to relay distress signals into the expression of specific target gene sets, ensuring optimal survival under each given threat.
Raising the redox potential in carboxyphenolate-based positive organic materials via cation substitution
Authors: Jouhara Alia , Dupré Nicolas , Gaillot Anne-Claire , Guyomard Dominique , Dolhem Franck , Poizot Philippe
Published: October 2018

Meeting the ever-growing demand for electrical storage devices requires both superior and “greener” battery technologies. Nearly 40 years after the discovery of conductive polymers, long cycling stability in lithium organic batteries has now been achieved. However, the synthesis of high-voltage lithiated organic cathode materials is rather challenging, so very few examples of all-organic lithium-ion cells currently exist. Herein, we present an inventive chemical approach leading to a significant increase of the redox potential of lithiated organic electrode materials. This is achieved by tuning the electronic effects in the redox-active organic skeleton thanks to the permanent presence of a spectator cation in the host structure exhibiting a high ionic potential (or electronegativity). Thus, substituting magnesium (2,5-dilithium-oxy)-terephthalate for lithium (2,5-dilithium-oxy)-terephthalate enables a voltage gain of nearly +800 mV. This compound being also able to act as negative electrode via the carboxylate functional groups, an all-organic symmetric lithium-ion cell exhibiting an output voltage of 2.5 V is demonstrated.
Physical reality of the Preisach model for organic ferroelectrics
Authors: Urbanavičiūtė Indrė , Cornelissen Tim D. , Meng Xiao , Sijbesma Rint P. , Kemerink Martijn
Published: October 2018

The Preisach model has been a cornerstone in the fields of ferromagnetism and ferroelectricity since its inception. It describes a real, non-ideal, ferroic material as the sum of a distribution of ideal ‘hysterons’. However, the physical reality of the model in ferroelectrics has been hard to establish. Here, we experimentally determine the Preisach (hysteron) distribution for two ferroelectric systems and show how its broadening directly relates to the materials’ morphology. We connect the Preisach distribution to measured microscopic switching kinetics that underlay the macroscopic dispersive switching kinetics as commonly observed for practical ferroelectrics. The presented results reveal that the in principle mathematical construct of the Preisach model has a strong physical basis and is a powerful tool to explain polarization switching at all time scales in different types of ferroelectrics. These insights lead to guidelines for further advancement of the ferroelectric materials both for conventional and multi-bit data storage applications.
Slc7a5 regulates Kv1.2 channels and modifies functional outcomes of epilepsy-linked channel mutations
Authors: Baronas Victoria A. , Yang Runying Y. , Morales Luis Carlos , Sipione Simonetta , Kurata Harley T.
Published: October 2018

Kv1.2 is a prominent voltage-gated potassium channel that influences action potential generation and propagation in the central nervous system. We explored multi-protein complexes containing Kv1.2 using mass spectrometry followed by screening for effects on Kv1.2. We report that Slc7a5, a neutral amino acid transporter, has a profound impact on Kv1.2. Co-expression with Slc7a5 reduces total Kv1.2 protein, and dramatically hyperpolarizes the voltage-dependence of activation by −47 mV. These effects are attenuated by expression of Slc3a2, a known binding partner of Slc7a5. The profound Slc7a5-mediated current suppression is partly explained by a combination of gating effects including accelerated inactivation and a hyperpolarizing shift of channel activation, causing channels to accumulate in a non-conducting state. Two recently reported Slc7a5 mutations linked to neurodevelopmental delay exhibit a localization defect and have attenuated effects on Kv1.2. In addition, epilepsy-linked gain-of-function Kv1.2 mutants exhibit enhanced sensitivity to Slc7a5.
Inherent potential of steelmaking to contribute to decarbonisation targets via industrial carbon capture and storage
Authors: Tian Sicong , Jiang Jianguo , Zhang Zuotai , Manovic Vasilije
Published: October 2018

Accounting for ~8% of annual global CO2 emissions, the iron and steel industry is expected to undertake the largest contribution to industrial decarbonisation. Despite the launch of several national and regional programmes for low-carbon steelmaking, the techno-economically feasible options are still lacking. Here, based on the carbon capture and storage (CCS) strategy, we propose a new decarbonisation concept which exploits the inherent potential of the iron and steel industry through calcium-looping lime production. We find that this concept allows steel mills to reach the 2050 decarbonisation target by 2030. Moreover, only this concept is revealed to exhibit a CO2 avoidance cost (12.5–15.8 €2010/t) lower than the projected CO2 trading price in 2020, whilst the other considered options are not expected to be economically feasible until 2030. We conclude that the proposed concept is the best available option for decarbonisation of this industrial sector in the mid- to long-term.
Measuring macromolecular size distributions and interactions at high concentrations by sedimentation velocity
Authors: Chaturvedi Sumit K. , Ma Jia , Brown Patrick H. , Zhao Huaying , Schuck P.
Published: October 2018

In concentrated macromolecular solutions, weak physical interactions control the solution behavior including particle size distribution, aggregation, liquid-liquid phase separation, or crystallization. This is central to many fields ranging from colloid chemistry to cell biology and pharmaceutical protein engineering. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to determine macromolecular assembly states and polydispersity at high concentrations in solution, since all motion is coupled through long-range hydrodynamic, electrostatic, steric, and other interactions, and scattering techniques report on the solution structure when average interparticle distances are comparable to macromolecular dimensions. Here we present a sedimentation velocity technique that, for the first time, can resolve macromolecular size distributions at high concentrations, by simultaneously accounting for average mutual hydrodynamic and thermodynamic interactions. It offers high resolution and sensitivity of protein solutions up to 50 mg/ml, extending studies of macromolecular solution state closer to the concentration range of therapeutic formulations, serum, or intracellular conditions.
Publisher Correction: Liquid phase blending of metal-organic frameworks
Authors: Longley Louis , Collins Sean M. , Zhou Chao , Smales Glen J. , Norman Sarah E. , Brownbill Nick J. , Ashling Christopher W. , Chater Philip A. , Tovey Robert , Schönlieb Carola-Bibiane , Headen Thomas F. , Terrill Nicholas J. , Yue Yuanzheng , Smith Andrew J. , Blanc Frédéric , Keen David A. , Midgley Paul A. , Bennett Thomas D.
Published: October 2018

The original version of this Article contained an error in Figure 1b, where the blue ‘(ZIF-4-Zn)0.5 (ZIF-62)0.5 blend’ data curve was omitted from the enthalpy response plot. This has now been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.
Expression-based analyses indicate a central role for hypoxia in driving tumor plasticity through microenvironment remodeling and chromosomal instability
Authors: Jing Anqi , Vizeacoumar Frederick S. , Parameswaran Sreejit , Haave Bjorn , Cunningham Chelsea E. , Wu Yuliang , Arnold Roland , Bonham Keith , Freywald Andrew , Han Jie , Vizeacoumar Franco J.
Published: October 2018

Can transcriptomic alterations drive the evolution of tumors? We asked if changes in gene expression found in all patients arise earlier in tumor development and can be relevant to tumor progression. Our analyses of non-mutated genes from the non-amplified regions of the genome of 158 triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cases identified 219 exclusively expression-altered (EEA) genes that may play important role in TNBC. Phylogenetic analyses of these genes predict a “punctuated burst” of multiple gene upregulation events occurring at early stages of tumor development, followed by minimal subsequent changes later in tumor progression. Remarkably, this punctuated burst of expressional changes is instigated by hypoxia-related molecular events, predominantly in two groups of genes that control chromosomal instability (CIN) and those that remodel tumor microenvironment (TME). We conclude that alterations in the transcriptome are not stochastic and that early-stage hypoxia induces CIN and TME remodeling to permit further tumor evolution.
Entropy Measures of Human Communication Dynamics
Authors: Kulisiewicz Marcin , Kazienko Przemysław , Szymanski Boleslaw K. , Michalski Radosław
Published: October 2018

Human communication is commonly represented as a temporal social network, and evaluated in terms of its uniqueness. We propose a set of new entropy-based measures for human communication dynamics represented within the temporal social network as event sequences. Using real world datasets and random interaction series of different types we find that real human contact events always significantly differ from random ones. This human distinctiveness increases over time and by means of the proposed entropy measures, we can observe sociological processes that take place within dynamic communities.
Interplay between correlations and Majorana mode in proximitized quantum dot
Authors: Górski G. , Barański J. , Weymann I. , Domański T.
Published: October 2018

We study the low energy spectrum and transport properties of a correlated quantum dot coupled between normal and superconducting reservoirs and additionally hybridized with a topological superconducting nanowire, hosting the Majorana end-modes. In this setup the Majorana quasiparticle leaking into the quantum dot can be confronted simultaneously with the on-dot pairing and correlations. We study this interplay, focusing on the quantum phase transition from the spinless (BCS-type) to the spinful (singly occupied) configuration, where the subgap Kondo effect may arise. Using the selfconsistent perturbative treatment for correlations and the unbiased numerical renormalization group calculations we find that the Majorana mode has either constructive or destructive effect on the low-energy transport behavior of the quantum dot, depending on its spin. This spin-selective influence could be verified by means of the polarized STM spectroscopy.
Contribution of hurricane-induced sediment resuspension to coastal oxygen dynamics
Authors: Bianucci Laura , Balaguru Karthik , Smith Richard W. , Leung L. Ruby , Moriarty Julia M.
Published: October 2018

Hurricanes passing over the ocean can mix the water column down to great depths and resuspend massive volumes of sediments on the continental shelves. Consequently, organic carbon and reduced inorganic compounds associated with these sediments can be resuspended from anaerobic portions of the seabed and re-exposed to dissolved oxygen (DO) in the water column. This process can drive DO consumption as sediments become oxidized. Previous studies have investigated the effect of hurricanes on DO in different coastal regions of the world, highlighting the alleviation of hypoxic conditions by extreme winds, which drive vertical mixing and re-aeration of the water column. However, the effect of hurricane-induced resuspended sediments on DO has been neglected. Here, using a diverse suite of datasets for the northern Gulf of Mexico, we find that in the few days after a hurricane passage, decomposition of resuspended shelf sediments consumes up to a fifth of the DO added to the bottom of the water column during vertical mixing. Despite uncertainty in this value, we highlight the potential significance of this mechanism for DO dynamics. Overall, sediment resuspension likely occurs over all continental shelves affected by tropical cyclones, potentially impacting global cycles of marine DO and carbon.
The association between heart rhythm complexity and the severity of abdominal aorta calcification in peritoneal dialysis patients
Authors: Tsai Cheng-Hsuan , Lin Chen , Ho Yi-Heng , Lo Men-Tzung , Liu Li-Yu Daisy , Lin Chih-Ting , Huang Jenq-Wen , Peng Chung-Kang , Lin Yen-Hung
Published: October 2018

Abdominal aorta calcification (AAC) has been associated with clinical outcomes in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Heart rhythm complexity analysis has been shown to be a promising tool to predict outcomes in patients with cardiovascular disease. In this study, we aimed to analyze the association between heart rhythm complexity and AAC in PD patients. We prospectively analyzed 133 PD patients. Heart rhythm complexity including detrended fluctuation analysis and multiscale entropy was performed. In linear analysis, the patients in the higher AAC group (AAC ≥15%) had a significantly lower standard deviation of normal RR intervals, very low frequency, low frequency, high frequency and low/high frequency ratio. In non-linear analysis, DFAα1, slope 1–5, scale 5 and area 6–20 were significantly lower in the patients with higher AAC. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that DFAα1 had the greatest discriminatory power to differentiate these two groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that DFAα1 and HbA1c were significantly associated with higher AAC ratio. Adding DFAα1 significantly improved the discriminatory power of the linear parameters in both net reclassification improvement and integrated discrimination improvement models. In conclusion, DFAα1 is highly associated with AAC and a potential cardiovascular marker in PD patients.
Analysis of the relationship between the KRAS G12V oncogene and the Hippo effector YAP1 in embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma
Authors: Mohamed Abdalla D. , Shah Nupur , Hettmer Simone , Vargesson Neil , Wackerhage Henning
Published: October 2018

Persistent hyperactivity of the Hippo effector YAP in activated satellite cells is sufficient to cause embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS) in mice. In humans, YAP is abundant and nuclear in the majority of ERMS cases, and high YAP expression is associated with poor survival. However, YAP1 is rarely mutated in human ERMS. Instead, the most common mutations in ERMS are oncogenic RAS mutations. First, to compare YAP1S127A and KRASG12V-driven rhabdomyosarcomas, we re-analysed gene expression microarray datasets from mouse rhabdomyosarcomas caused by these genes. This revealed that only 20% of the up or downregulated genes are identical, suggesting substantial differences in gene expression between YAP and KRAS-driven rhabdomyosarcomas. As oncogenic RAS has been linked to YAP in other types of cancer, we also tested whether KRAS G12V alone or in combination with loss of p53 and p16 activates YAP in myoblasts. We found that neither KRAS G12V alone nor KRAS G12V combined with loss of p53 and p16 activated Yap or Yap/Taz-Tead1–4 transcriptional activity in C2C12 myoblasts or U57810 cells. In conclusion, whilst oncogenic KRAS mutation might activate Yap in other cell types, we could find no evidence for this in myoblasts because the expression of KRAS G12V expression did not change Yap/Taz activity in myoblasts and there was a limited overlap in gene expression between KRAS G12V and YAP1 S127A-driven tumours.
Population estimates of Bornean orang-utans using Bayesian analysis at the greater Batang Ai-Lanjak-Entimau landscape in Sarawak, Malaysia
Authors: Pandong Joshua , Gumal Melvin , Alen Lukmann , Sidu Ailyn , Ng Sylvia , Koh Lian Pin
Published: October 2018

The integration of Bayesian analysis into existing great ape survey methods could be used to generate precise and reliable population estimates of Bornean orang-utans. We used the Marked Nest Count (MNC) method to count new orang-utan nests at seven previously undocumented study sites in Sarawak, Malaysia. Our survey teams marked new nests on the first survey and revisited the plots on two more occasions; after about 21 and 42 days respectively. We used theN-mixture models to integrate suitability, abundance and detection models which account for zero inflation and imperfect detection for the analysis. The result was a combined estimate of 355 orang-utans with the 95% highest density interval (HDI) of 135 to 602 individuals. We visually inspected the posterior distributions of our parameters and compared precisions between study sites. We subsequently assess the strength or reliability of the generated estimates using identifiability tests. Only three out of the seven estimates had <35% overlap to indicate strong reliability. We discussed the limitations and advantages of our study design, and made recommendations to improve the sampling scheme. Over the course of this research, two of the study sites were gazetted as extensions to the Lanjak-Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary for orang-utan conservation.
Fisetin targets YB-1/RSK axis independent of its effect on ERK signaling: insights from in vitro and in vivo melanoma models
Authors: Sechi Mario , Lall Rahul K. , Afolabi Saheed O , Singh Anant , Joshi Dinesh C. , Chiu Shing-Yan , Mukhtar Hasan , Syed Deeba N.
Published: October 2018

The anti-proliferative activity of dietary flavonoid fisetin has been validated in various cancer models. Establishing its precise mechanism of action has proved somewhat challenging given the multiplicity of its targets. We demonstrated that YB-1 promotes epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and its inhibition suppressed tumor cell proliferation and invasion. The p90 ribosomal S6 kinase (RSK), an important ERK effector, activates YB-1 to drive melanoma growth. We found that fisetin treatment of monolayer/3-D melanoma cultures resulted in YB-1 dephosphorylation and reduced transcript levels. In parallel, fisetin suppressed mesenchymal markers and matrix-metalloproteinases in melanoma cells. Data from cell-free/cell-based systems indicated that fisetin inhibited RSK activity through binding to the kinase. Affinity studies for RSK isoforms evaluated stronger interaction for RSK2 than RSK1. Competition assays performed to monitor binding responses revealed that YB-1 and RSK2 do not compete, rather binding of fisetin to RSK2 promotes its binding to YB-1. Fisetin suppressed YB-1/RSK signaling independent of its effect on ERK, and reduced MDR1 levels. Comparable efficacy of fisetin and vemurafenib for inhibiting melanoma growth was noted albeit through divergent modulation of ERK. Our studies provide insight into additional modes of regulation through which fisetin interferes with melanoma growth underscoring its potential therapeutic efficacy in disease progression.
Enrichment and Quantification of Epitope-specific CD4+ T Lymphocytes using Ferromagnetic Iron-gold and Nickel Nanowires
Authors: Shore Daniel E. , Dileepan Thamotharampillai , Modiano Jaime F. , Jenkins Marc K. , Stadler Bethanie J. H.
Published: October 2018

Epitope-specific CD4+ T lymphocytes were magnetically enriched using ferromagnetic Ni and Fe-Au nanowires coated with a monomer containing a major histocompatibility complex class II-bound peptide epitope (pMHCII). The enriched lymphocytes were subsequently quantified using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). This was the first use of magnetic nanowires for cell sorting using FACS, and improvements in both specificity and fluorescent signal strength were predicted due to higher particle moments and lengths than conventional paramagnetic beads. Three different types of nanowires (Ni, Fe with Au tip and Fe-Au multilayers) were made by electrodeposition. Ni nanowires separated fewer T cells than Au tipped Fe nanowires, likely because Ni has a lower magnetic moment than Fe. Fe-Au multilayer nanowires separated more T cells than Au-tipped Fe nanowires because there was more monomer per nanowire. Also, increasing the amount of monomer increased the number of CD4+ cells separated. Compared to conventional paramagnetic beads, the nanowires had lower specificity for CD4+ T cells, but had stronger fluorescent signals due to more fluorophores per particle. This results in broader FACS baseline separation between the positive and negative cells, which is useful to detect T cells, even those with lower binding affinity for pMHCII ligands.
Prediction of high anti-angiogenic activity peptides in silico using a generalized linear model and feature selection
Authors: Blanco Jose Liñares , Porto-Pazos Ana B. , Pazos Alejandro , Fernandez-Lozano Carlos
Published: October 2018

Screening and in silico modeling are critical activities for the reduction of experimental costs. They also speed up research notably and strengthen the theoretical framework, thus allowing researchers to numerically quantify the importance of a particular subset of information. For example, in fields such as cancer and other highly prevalent diseases, having a reliable prediction method is crucial. The objective of this paper is to classify peptide sequences according to their anti-angiogenic activity to understand the underlying principles via machine learning. First, the peptide sequences were converted into three types of numerical molecular descriptors based on the amino acid composition. We performed different experiments with the descriptors and merged them to obtain baseline results for the performance of the models, particularly of each molecular descriptor subset. A feature selection process was applied to reduce the dimensionality of the problem and remove noisy features – which are highly present in biological problems. After a robust machine learning experimental design under equal conditions (nested resampling, cross-validation, hyperparameter tuning and different runs), we statistically and significantly outperformed the best previously published anti-angiogenic model with a generalized linear model via coordinate descent (glmnet), achieving a mean AUC value greater than 0.96 and with an accuracy of 0.86 with 200 molecular descriptors, mixed from the three groups. A final analysis with the top-40 discriminative anti-angiogenic activity peptides is presented along with a discussion of the feature selection process and the individual importance of each molecular descriptors According to our findings, anti-angiogenic activity peptides are strongly associated with amino acid sequences SP, LSL, PF, DIT, PC, GH, RQ, QD, TC, SC, AS, CLD, ST, MF, GRE, IQ, CQ and HG.
Culture conditions and nutrition requirements for the mycelial growth of Isaria farinosa (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae) and the altitude effect on its growth and metabolome
Authors: Liu Fei , Xiang Meichun , Guo Yanlei , Wu Xiaoli , Lu Guangxin , Yang Yong , Liu Xingzhong , Chen Shijiang , Zhang Guozhen , Shi Wangpeng
Published: October 2018

Isaria farinosa is a pathogen of alpine Thitarodes larvae that are hosts for the Chinese medicinal fungus, Ophiocordyceps sinensis. A matrix analysis indicated that the optimal culture conditions for the mycelial growth of I. farinosa are a 50-mL liquid broth in a 250-mL flask at more than 100-rpm rotation and 15–25 °C. Illumination does not affect the mycelial growth. The optimal nutrition requirements are D-(+)-galactose and D-(−)-fructose as carbon resources and D-cysteine as well as yeast powder, peptone, and beef extract as nitrogen resources at a carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of 1:1 to 1:7. The mineral component and vitamins also significantly increase the mycelial growth of I. farinosa. Based on the optimal culture conditions and nutrition requirements for the mycelial growth of I. farinosa, the effects of altitude on mycelial growth and its metabolome were evaluated using quadrupole-time-of-flight/mass spectrometry, principal component analysis and partial least squares discriminant analysis. The altitude did not affect the mycelial production but significantly regulated its metabolome. The study presents a new approach to better select a method for producing more useful metabolites and highlights the necessity of establishing standards for culturing methods related to altitude to preserve fungal quality; additionally, the results indicate that the use of a fermenter may meet the demands of large-scale mycelial production.
Attenuated lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory bladder hypersensitivity in mice deficient of transient receptor potential ankilin1
Authors: Kamei Jun , Aizawa Naoki , Nakagawa Takayuki , Kaneko Shuji , Kume Haruki , Homma Yukio , Igawa Yasuhiko
Published: October 2018

Transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) channel expressed by urothelial cells and bladder sensory nerve fibers might act as a bladder mechanosensor and nociceptive transducer. To disclose the role of TRPA1 in bladder function and inflammation-associated hypersensitivity, we evaluated in vitro and in vivo bladder function and inflammatory mechanosensory and nociceptive responses to intravesical lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-instillation in wild type (WT) and TRPA1-knock out (KO) mice. At baseline before treatment, no significant differences were observed in frequency volume variables, in vitro detrusor contractility, and cystometric parameters between the two groups in either sex. LPS-instillation significantly increased voiding frequency and decreased mean voided volume at 24–48 hours after instillation in WT but not in TRPA1-KO mice. LPS-instillation also significantly increased the number of pain-like behavior at 24 hours after instillation in WT mice, but not in TRPA1-KO mice. Cystometry 24 hours after LPS-instillation revealed shorter inter-contraction intervals in the WT mice compared with TRPA1-KO mice. In contrast, inflammatory cell infiltration in the bladder suburothelial layer was not significantly different between the two groups. These results indicate that TRPA1 channels are involved in bladder mechanosensory and nociceptive hypersensitivity accompanied with inflammation but not in physiological bladder function or development of bladder inflammation.
An open quantum system approach to the radical pair mechanism
Authors: Adams Betony , Sinayskiy Ilya , Petruccione Francesco
Published: October 2018

The development of the radical pair mechanism has allowed for theoretical explanation of the fact that magnetic fields are observed to have an effect on chemical reactions. The mechanism describes how an external magnetic field can alter chemical yields by interacting with the spin state of a pair of radicals. In the field of quantum biology, there has been some interest in the application of the mechanism to biological systems. This paper takes an open quantum systems approach to a model of the radical pair mechanism in order to derive a master equation in the Born-Markov approximation for the case of two electrons, each interacting with an environment of nuclear spins as well as the external magnetic field, then placed in a dissipative bosonic bath. This model is used to investigate two different cases relating to radical pair dynamics. The first uses a collective coupling approach to simplify calculations for larger numbers of nuclei interacting with the radical pair. The second looks at the effects of different hyperfine configurations of the radical pair model, for instance the case in which one of the electrons interact with two nuclei with different hyperfine coupling constants. The results of these investigations are analysed to see if they offer any insights into the biological application of the radical pair mechanism in avian magnetoreception.
Characterizing Deformability of Drug Resistant Patient-Derived Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) Cells Using Acoustic Tweezers
Authors: Liu Hsiao-Chuan , Gang Eun Ji , Kim Hye Na , Lim Hae Gyun , Jung Hayong , Chen Ruimin , Abdel-Azim Hisham , Shung K. Kirk , Kim Yong-Mi
Published: October 2018

The role of cell mechanics in cancer cells is a novel research area that has resulted in the identification of new mechanisms of therapy resistance. Single beam acoustic (SBA) tweezers are a promising technology for the quantification of the mechanical phenotype of cells. Our previous study showed that SBA tweezers can be used to quantify the deformability of adherent breast cancer cell lines. The physical properties of patient-derived (primary) pre-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells involved in chemotherapeutic resistance have not been widely investigated. Here, we demonstrate the feasibility of analyzing primary pre-B ALL cells from four cases using SBA tweezers. ALL cells showed increased deformability with increasing acoustic pressure of the SBA tweezers. Moreover, ALL cells that are resistant to chemotherapeutic drugs were more deformable than were untreated ALL cells. We demonstrated that SBA tweezers can quantify the deformability of nonadherent leukemia cells and discriminate this mechanical phenotype in chemotherapy-resistant leukemia cells in a contact- and label-free manner.
Successful cryopreservation of coral larvae using vitrification and laser warming
Authors: Daly Jonathan , Zuchowicz Nikolas , Nuñez Lendo C. Isabel , Khosla Kanav , Lager Claire , Henley E. Michael , Bischof John , Kleinhans F. W. , Lin Chiahsin , Peters Esther C. , Hagedorn Mary
Published: October 2018

Climate change has increased the incidence of coral bleaching events, resulting in the loss of ecosystem function and biodiversity on reefs around the world. As reef degradation accelerates, the need for innovative restoration tools has become acute. Despite past successes with ultra-low temperature storage of coral sperm to conserve genetic diversity, cryopreservation of larvae has remained elusive due to their large volume, membrane complexity, and sensitivity to chilling injury. Here we show for the first time that coral larvae can survive cryopreservation and resume swimming after warming. Vitrification in a 3.5 M cryoprotectant solution (10% v/v propylene glycol, 5% v/v dimethyl sulfoxide, and 1 M trehalose in phosphate buffered saline) followed by warming at a rate of approximately 4,500,000 °C/min with an infrared laser resulted in up to 43% survival of Fungia scutaria larvae on day 2 post-fertilization. Surviving larvae swam and continued to develop for at least 12 hours after laser-warming. This technology will enable biobanking of coral larvae to secure biodiversity, and, if managed in a high-throughput manner where millions of larvae in a species are frozen at one time, could become an invaluable research and conservation tool to help restore and diversify wild reef habitats.
Haze smoke impacts survival and development of butterflies
Authors: Tan Yue Qian , Dion Emilie , Monteiro Antónia
Published: October 2018

The Southeast Asian transboundary haze contains a mixture of gases and particles from forest fires and negatively impacts people’s health and local economies. However, the effect of the haze on organisms other than humans has not yet been sufficiently studied. Insects are important members of food webs and environmental disturbances that affect insects may impact whole ecosystems. Here we studied how haze directly and indirectly affects the survival, growth, and development of insects by rearing Bicyclus anynana butterflies under artificially generated smoke as well as reared in clean air but fed on plants previously exposed to smoke. Direct haze exposure significantly increased the mortality of caterpillars, increased larval development time, and decreased pupal weight, while indirect haze exposure, via ingestion of haze-exposed food plants, also affected development time and pupal weight. No smoke particles were found in the tracheae of subjects from the smoke treatment suggesting that the increase in development time and mortality of B. anynana under smoke conditions might be due to toxic smoke gases and toxic food, rather than particulate matter. These results document significant deleterious effect of haze smoke to the development, adult size, and survival of insects, key players in food-webs.
Confidence is higher in touch than in vision in cases of perceptual ambiguity
Authors: Fairhurst Merle T. , Travers Eoin , Hayward Vincent , Deroy Ophelia
Published: October 2018

The inclination to touch objects that we can see is a surprising behaviour, given that vision often supplies relevant and sufficiently accurate sensory evidence. Here we suggest that this ‘fact-checking’ phenomenon could be explained if touch provides a higher level of perceptual certainty than vision. Testing this hypothesis, observers explored inverted T-shaped stimuli eliciting the Vertical-horizontal illusion in vision and touch, which included clear-cut and ambiguous cases. In separate blocks, observers judged whether the vertical bar was shorter or longer than the horizontal bar and rated the confidence in their judgments. Decisions reached by vision were objectively more accurate than those reached by touch with higher overall confidence ratings. However, while confidence was higher for vision rather than for touch in clear-cut cases, observers were more confident in touch when the stimuli were ambiguous. This relative bias as a function of ambiguity qualifies the view that confidence tracks objective accuracy and uses a comparable mapping across sensory modalities. Employing a perceptual illusion, our method disentangles objective and subjective accuracy showing how the latter is tracked by confidence and point towards possible origins for ‘fact checking’ by touch.
Genetic divergence of HIV-1 B subtype in Italy over the years 2003–2016 and impact on CTL escape prevalence
Authors: Alteri Claudia , Fabeni Lavinia , Scutari Rossana , Berno Giulia , Di Carlo Domenico , Gori Caterina , Bertoli Ada , Vergori Alessandra , Mastrorosa Ilaria , Bellagamba Rita , Mussini Cristina , Colafigli Manuela , Montella Francesco , Pennica Alfredo , Mastroianni Claudio Maria , Girardi Enrico , Andreoni Massimo , Antinori Andrea , Svicher Valentina , Ceccherini-Silberstein Francesca , Perno Carlo Federico , Santoro Maria Mercedes
Published: October 2018

HIV-1 is characterized by high genetic variability, with implications for spread, and immune-escape selection. Here, the genetic modification of HIV-1 B subtype over time was evaluated on 3,328poland 1,152V3sequences belonging to B subtype and collected from individuals diagnosed in Italy between 2003 and 2016. Sequences were analyzed for genetic-distance from consensus-B (Tajima-Nei), non-synonymous and synonymous rates (dN and dS), CTL escapes, and intra-host evolution over four time-spans (2003–2006, 2007–2009, 2010–2012, 2013–2016). Genetic-distance increased over time for bothpolandV3sequences (P < 0.0001 and 0.0003). Similar results were obtained for dN and dS. Entropy-value significantly increased at 16poland twoV3amino acid positions. Seven of them were CTL escape positions (protease: 71; reverse-transcriptase: 35, 162, 177, 202, 207, 211). Sequences with ≥3 CTL escapes increased from 36.1% in 2003–2006 to 54.0% in 2013–2016 (P < 0.0001), and showed better intra-host adaptation than those containing ≤2 CTL escapes (intra-host evolution: 3.0 × 10−3[2.9 × 10−3–3.1 × 10−3] vs. 4.3 × 10−3[4.0 × 10−3–5.0 × 10−3], P[LRT] < 0.0001[21.09]). These data provide evidence of still ongoing modifications, involving CTL escape mutations, in circulating HIV-1 B subtype in Italy. These modifications might affect the process of HIV-1 adaptation to the host, as suggested by the slow intra-host evolution characterizing viruses with a high number of CTL escapes.
A striking new species of leaf warbler from the Lesser Sundas as uncovered through morphology and genomics
Authors: Ng Nathaniel. S. R. , Prawiradilaga Dewi. M. , Ng Elize. Y. X. , Suparno  , Ashari Hidayat , Trainor Colin , Verbelen Philippe , Rheindt Frank. E.
Published: October 2018

Leaf warblers (Aves; Phylloscopidae) are a diverse clade of insectivorous, canopy-dwelling songbirds widespread across the Old World. The taxonomy of Australasian leaf warblers is particularly complex, with multiple species-level divergences between island taxa in the region requiring further scrutiny. We use a combination of morphology, bioacoustics, and analysis of thousands of genome-wide markers to investigate and describe a new species of Phylloscopus leaf warbler from the island of Rote in the Lesser Sundas, Indonesia. We show that this new Rote Leaf Warbler is morphologically and genomically highly distinct from its congenerics, but do not find vocal differentiation between different island taxa. We discuss the behaviour and ecology of this highly distinctive new species, and make recommendations about its conservation status. We believe this constitutes the first description of a novel bird species that is partly based on insights from massive amounts of genome-wide DNA markers.
A role for calcium in resistin transcriptional activation in diabetic hearts
Authors: Singh Rajvir , Moreno Pedro , Hajjar Roger J. , Lebeche Djamel
Published: October 2018

The adipokine resistin has been proposed to link obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes. We have previously reported that diabetic hearts express high levels of resistin while overexpression of resistin in adult rat hearts gives rise to a phenotype resembling diabetic cardiomyopathy. The transcriptional regulation of resistin in diabetic cardiac tissue is currently unknown. This study investigated the mechanism of resistin upregulation and the role of Serca2a in its transcriptional suppression. We demonstrate that restoration of Ca2+ homeostasis in diabetic hearts, through normalization of Serca2a function genetically and pharmacologically, suppressed resistin expression via inhibition of NFATc. H9c2 myocytes stimulated with high-glucose concentration or Ca2+ time-dependently increased NFATc and resistin expression while addition of the Ca2+ chelator BAPTA-AM attenuated this effect. NFATc expression was enhanced in hearts from ob/ob diabetic and from cardiac-specific Serca2a−/− mice. Similarly, NFATc increased resistin expression in myocytes cultured in low glucose while the NFATc inhibitor VIVIT blocked glucose-induced resistin expression, suggesting that hyperglycemia/diabetes induces resistin expression possibly through NFATc activation. Interestingly, overexpression of Serca2a or VIVIT mitigated glucose-stimulated resistin and NFATc expression and enhanced AMPK activity, a downstream target of resistin signaling. NFATc direct activation of resistin was verified by resistin promoter luciferase activity and chromatin-immunoprecipitation analysis. Interestingly, activation of Serca2a by a novel agonist, CDN1163, mirrored the effects of AAV9-Serca2a gene transfer on resistin expression and its promoter activity and AMPK signaling in diabetic mice. These findings parse a role for Ca2+ in resistin transactivation and provide support that manipulation of Serca2a-NFATc-Resistin axis might be useful in hyper-resistinemic conditions.
Argonaute2 attenuates active transcription by limiting RNA Polymerase II elongation in Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Nazer Ezequiel , Dale Ryan K. , Palmer Cameron , Lei Elissa P.
Published: October 2018

Increasing lines of evidence support that Argonaute2 (AGO2) harbors several nuclear functions in metazoa. In particular, Drosophila AGO2 modulates transcription of developmentally regulated genes; however, the molecular mechanisms behind AGO2 recruitment into chromatin and its function in transcription have not been deeply explored. In this study, we show that Drosophila AGO2 chromatin association depends on active transcription. In order to gain insight into how AGO2 controls transcription, we performed differential ChIP-seq analysis for RNA Polymerase II (Pol II) upon depletion of AGO2. Remarkably, we find specific accumulation of the elongating but not initiating form of Pol II after AGO2 knockdown, suggesting that AGO2 impairs transcription elongation. Finally, AGO2 also affects Negative Elongation Factor (NELF) chromatin association but not the Cyclin Dependent Kinase 9 (CDK9). Altogether, these results provide key insights into the molecular role of AGO2 in attenuating elongation of certain actively transcribed genes.
Readily Functionalizable and Stabilizable Polymeric Particles with Controlled Size and Morphology by Electrospray
Authors: Lee Hoik , An Sol , Kim Sukjoo , Jeon Bokyoung , Kim Myungwoong , Kim Ick Soo
Published: October 2018

Electrospraying is an effective and facile technique for the production of micro- or nanoparticles with tailored sizes, shapes, morphologies, and microstructures. We synthesized functionalizable poly(styrene-random-glycidyl methacrylate) copolymers and used them to fabricate microparticles via the electrospray technique. The sizes and morphologies of the electrosprayed particles are controlled by altering the process parameters (feed rate and applied voltage), and the composition and thermodynamic properties of the polymer (i.e., compatibility of the polymer with the solvent). We further investigated modifying the surfaces of the electrosprayed particles with 3-mercaptopropionic acid by a simple and efficient thiol-epoxy “click” reaction as a proof-of-concept demonstration that desired functionality can be introduced onto the surfaces of these particles; the outcome was confirmed by various spectroscopic techniques. In addition, the epoxides within the particles easily undergo crosslinking reactions, enabling further effective particle stabilization. The results reveal that the structure and properties of the polymer can be used to fine-tune the structural parameters of the electrosprayed particles, such as their sizes and morphologies, which opens up the possibility of imparting a variety of desired chemical functionalities into the structures of stable organic materials via post-electrospray modification processes.
Pore geometry control of apparent wetting in porous media
Authors: Rabbani Harris Sajjad , Zhao Benzhong , Juanes Ruben , Shokri Nima
Published: October 2018

Wettability, or preferential affinity of a fluid to a solid substrate in the presence of another fluid, plays a critical role in the statics and dynamics of fluid-fluid displacement in porous media. The complex confined geometry of porous media, however, makes upscaling of microscopic wettability to the macroscale a nontrivial task. Here, we elucidate the contribution of pore geometry in controlling the apparent wettability characteristics of a porous medium. Using direct numerical simulations of fluid-fluid displacement, we study the reversal of interface curvature in a single converging-diverging capillary, and demonstrate the co-existence of concave and convex interfaces in a porous medium—a phenomenon that we also observe in laboratory micromodel experiments. We show that under intermediate contact angles the sign of interface curvature is strongly influenced by the pore geometry. We capture the interplay between surface chemical properties and pore geometry in the form of a dimensionless quantity, the apparent wettability number, which predicts the conditions under which concave and convex interfaces co-exist. Our findings advance the fundamental understanding of wettability in confined geometries, with implications to macroscopic multiphase-flow processes in porous media, from fuel cells to enhanced oil recovery.
Business Opportunities and the Regulatory Framework
Authors: Madlener Reinhard , Specht Jan Martin
Published: October 2018

This chapter focuses on existing and emerging business opportunities and the role of regulatory frameworks for energy storage. First, an overview is provided of the technoeconomic characteristics of the most relevant energy storage options available in the market today, highlighting the complementarity and competition among these technologies and the increasingly important role of energy storage in the globally ongoing sustainable energy transition. Second, the manifold, but sometimes mutually exclusive, value-creating potentials of energy storage units are pointed out. Third, some of the major barriers to the wider adoption and diffusion of storage technologies that go beyond economic viability and cost competitiveness (both between the different energy storage alternatives and, one level above, between the various flexibility options competing with each other) are discussed. The numerous uncertainties related to the growth of variable renewable energy as part of the sustainable energy transition in this rapidly evolving field are also discussed. Decision makers in the energy storage business are well advised to study carefully the market and regulatory conditions and also underlying uncertainties, as business models may erode over time, thus jeopardizing the anticipated desired return on investment. In light of the potentially disruptive nature of some energy storage technologies, such as those installed in e-cars and homes, i.e. distributed ones where millions of units may be adopted quickly, especially investors in large-scale and long-lived storage solutions must be cautious. Finally, the issue that energy storage is only one among a number of flexibility options to balance supply and demand in an intertemporal and/or spatial manner, and not necessarily the least-cost option, is discussed.
Sensitive detection of bisphenol A in drinking water and river water using an upconversion nanoparticles-based fluorescence immunoassay in combination with magnetic separation
Authors: Sheng Wei , Duan Wenxia , Shi Yingjie , Chang Qing , Zhang Yan , Lu Yang , Wang Shuo
Published: October 2018

NaYF4:Yb/Tm upconversion nanoparticles-based fluorescence immunoassay in combination with magnetic separation for detecting bisphenol A in drinking and river water samples.
Na3B7O11F2: a new sodium-rich fluorooxoborate with a unique [B14O24F4] ring and a short ultraviolet absorption edge
Authors: Tang Changcheng , Jiang XingXing , Yin Wenlong , Liu Lijuan , Xia Mingjun , Huang Qian , Song Gaomin , Wang Xiaoyang , Lin Zheshuai , Chen Chuangtian
Published: October 2018

A new sodium-rich fluorooxoborate Na3B7O11F2 features a novel large [B14O24F4] ring formed by two corner-shared [B7O13F2] groups, each containing two [B3O7] anionic units linked by a [BO2F2] group.
Helical cobalt borophosphates to master durable overall water-splitting
Authors: Menezes Prashanth W. , Indra Arindam , Zaharieva Ivelina , Walter Carsten , Loos Stefan , Hoffmann Stefan , Schlögl Robert , Dau Holger , Driess Matthias
Published: October 2018

A unique class of bifunctional robust materials was discovered which not only facilitates both the electrocatalytic oxidation and reduction of water to oxygen and hydrogen but also combines outstanding performance and energetic efficiency with remarkable long-term stability.
A novel multi-flaw MoS2 nanosheet piezocatalyst with superhigh degradation efficiency for ciprofloxacin
Authors: Ma Wei , Yao Binghua , Zhang Wen , He Yangqing , Yu Yan , Niu Jinfen , Wang Cheng
Published: October 2018

A novel MoS2 piezoelectric nanocatalyst with multiple flaws exhibited ultrafast degradation of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin.