bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Recent Progress in the Preparation of Horizontally Ordered Carbon Nanotube Assemblies from Solution
Authors: Zhang Jianwei , Cui Jianlei , Wang Xuewen , Wang Wenjun , Mei Xuesong , Yi Peiyun , Yang Xinju , He Xiaoqiao
Published: January 2018

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been reported for nearly 30 years, but commercial applications is rarely reported. Some reasons for this are related to the CNT properties, especially the electronic properties. Approximately 67% of semiconducting CNTs and 33% of metallic CNTs is usually achieved via a normal synthesis. However, it is difficult to implement a large‐scale, ordered assembly of the CNTs. Currently, there are two mainstream methods for obtaining CNTs arrays. Although great progress has been made with direct growth methods using special techniques, there is still room to simultaneously increase both the density and purity. With the development of purification technology, solution assembly methods has attracted tremendous attention because of their ease of processability, low cost of fabrication, and ability to cover large areas at room temperature. In this review, we highlight solution assembly methods and divide the existing methods into three categories. In each category, we give a detailed description of the specific method including the mechanism, an illustration of the process, achievements, advantages, and disadvantages. Finally, the development trends and the research frontier according to our own understanding is described. In this review, a valuable reference for scholars engaged in related research is provided.
Tobit regression for modeling mean survival time using data subject to multiple sources of censoring
Authors: Gong Qi , Schaubel Douglas E.
Published: January 2018

Mean survival time is often of inherent interest in medical and epidemiologic studies. In the presence of censoring and when covariate effects are of interest, Cox regression is the strong default, but mostly due to convenience and familiarity. When survival times are uncensored, covariate effects can be estimated as differences in mean survival through linear regression. Tobit regression can validly be performed through maximum likelihood when the censoring times are fixed (ie, known for each subject, even in cases where the outcome is observed). However, Tobit regression is generally inapplicable when the response is subject to random right censoring. We propose Tobit regression methods based on weighted maximum likelihood which are applicable to survival times subject to both fixed and random censoring times. Under the proposed approach, known right censoring is handled naturally through the Tobit model, with inverse probability of censoring weighting used to overcome random censoring. Essentially, the re‐weighting data are intended to represent those that would have been observed in the absence of random censoring. We develop methods for estimating the Tobit regression parameter, then the population mean survival time. A closed form large‐sample variance estimator is proposed for the regression parameter estimator, with a semiparametric bootstrap standard error estimator derived for the population mean. The proposed methods are easily implementable using standard software. Finite‐sample properties are assessed through simulation. The methods are applied to a large cohort of patients wait‐listed for kidney transplantation.
Migration studies and chemical characterization of low molecular weight cyclic polyester oligomers from food packaging lamination adhesives
Authors: Zhang Nan , Kenion Grant , Bankmann Dennis , Mezouari Samia , Hartman Thomas G.
Published: January 2018

Laminate structures are widely used for food packaging applications. Polyester urethane‐based adhesives are very common materials for bonding the layers of such laminates together. Unintended by‐products of polyester synthesis include low molecular weight cyclic polyester oligomers (cyclic oligoesters) that lack the required hydroxyl functionality to react with isocyanates to form the intended high molecular weight polyurethane polymer and remain as impurities with high migration potential. Our investigation conducted migration studies of 537 commercial and/or developmental food packaging laminate structures by using food simulants with gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry analyses of the extracts. A subset of the extracts were also analysed by high‐performance liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry and gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry with chemical ionization. Migration of cyclic oligoesters of diverse chemical structure was observed in nearly all of the samples analysed. Aside from migrants originating directly from polyolefin sealant films on the food‐contact side of the laminates, cyclic oligoesters were the migrants detected at next highest concentration. This report presents electron ionization mass spectra and molecular structures of 106 cyclic oligoesters including a series of novel as well as previously identified species. Fifty‐six cyclic oligoesters migrated from the 537 laminate samples analysed were evaluated for frequency of occurrence and migration concentration range. The most commonly observed cyclic oligoester migrants were those derived from combinations of the polyhydric alcohols, diethylene glycol, and neopentyl glycol and the dibasic acids, adipic, and phthalic/isophthalic.
Ride‐Sharing, Fatal Crashes, and Crime
Authors: Dills Angela K. , Mulholland Sean E.
Published: January 2018

The advent of smart‐phone based, ride‐sharing applications has revolutionized the vehicle for hire market. Advocates point to the ease of use, lower prices, and shorter wait times compared to hailing a taxi or prearranging limousine service. Others argue that proper government oversight is necessary to protect ride‐share passengers from driver error or vehicle parts failures and violence from unlicensed strangers. Using U.S. county‐level data from 2007 through 2015, we investigate whether the introduction of the ride‐sharing service Uber is associated with changes in fatal vehicle crashes and crime. We find that Uber's entry lowers the rate of DUIs and fatal accidents. For some specifications, we also find declines in arrests for assault and disorderly conduct. Conversely, we observe an increase in vehicle thefts.
Low‐Temperature Processed, Efficient, and Highly Reproducible Cesium‐Doped Triple Cation Perovskite Planar Heterojunction Solar Cells
Authors: Wang Chunhua , Zhang Chujun , Wang Shitan , Liu Gang , Xia Huayan , Tong Sichao , He Jun , Niu Dongmei , Zhou Conghua , Ding Kongxian , Gao Yongli , Yang Junliang
Published: January 2018

Highly efficient and reproducible cesium (Cs) doped triple cation (Cs, methylammonium (MA) and formamidinium (FA)) lead trihalide perovskite planar heterojunction (PHJ) solar cells are fabricated via low‐temperature process with a simple architecture of ITO/SnO2/Perovskite/Spiro‐OMeTAD/Ag, of which the power conversion efficiency (PCE) up to 20.51% with negligible hysteresis and a steady output PCE of 20.22% can be achieved. Cs‐intercalation is useful for forming high‐quality Cs‐doped triple cation perovskite films with larger gains and band gap as compared with perovskite films without Cs doping, leading to impressively enhanced photoluminescence lifetime and open circuit voltage (Voc). Meanwhile, incorporating Cs+ into perovskite structure can result in lower charge‐extraction time and prolonged charge‐recombination lifetime, which are advantageous to improve the device performance. More importantly, Cs‐doped triple cation PHJ perovskite solar cells (PSCs) exhibit better stability. They could maintain about 80% original PCE even exposed to air environments (humidity ≈40%) for over 500 hr without any encapsulation, while similar ones without Cs‐doping only maintain about 60% original PCE. The research work demonstrates that triple or multiple cation mixture is an effective strategy for structuring highly‐efficient and stable PHJ‐PSCs via low‐temperature process, which may accelerate the commercialization of PSCs fabricated via large‐scale printing techniques.
Activity‐dependent plasticity of presynaptic GABAB receptors at parallel fiber synapses
Authors: Orts‐Del'Immagine Adeline , Pugh Jason R.
Published: January 2018

Parallel fiber synapses in the cerebellum express a wide range of presynaptic receptors. However, presynaptic receptor expression at individual parallel fiber synapses is quite heterogeneous, suggesting physiological mechanisms regulate presynaptic receptor expression. We investigated changes in presynaptic GABAB receptors at parallel fiber‐stellate cell synapses in acute cerebellar slices from juvenile mice. GABAB receptor‐mediated inhibition of excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) is remarkably diverse at these synapses, with transmitter release at some synapses inhibited by >50% and little or no inhibition at others. GABAB receptor‐mediated inhibition was significantly reduced following 4 Hz parallel fiber stimulation but not after stimulation at other frequencies. The reduction in GABAB receptor‐mediated inhibition was replicated by bath application of forskolin and blocked by application of a PKA inhibitor, suggesting activation of adenylyl cyclase and PKA are required. Immunolabeling for an extracellular domain of the GABAB2 subunit revealed reduced surface expression in the molecular layer after exposure to forskolin. GABAB receptor‐mediated inhibition of action potential evoked calcium transients in parallel fiber varicosities was also reduced following bath application of forskolin, confirming presynaptic receptors are responsible for the reduced EPSC inhibition. These data demonstrate that presynaptic GABAB receptor expression can be a plastic property of synapses, which may compliment other forms of synaptic plasticity. This opens the door to novel forms of receptor plasticity previously confined primarily to postsynaptic receptors.
Seismic behavior of tall buildings using steel–concrete composite columns and shear walls
Authors: Ren Xiaodan , Bai Qiong , Yang Chengdong , Li Jie
Published: January 2018

For the seismic design of tall building structures, the behavior under severe earthquakes should be carefully considered and the upper limit of inter‐story deformations are often defined by the design codes. To improve the performance of structures under severe earthquakes, composite structural members, including steel reinforced column and steel plate reinforced shear wall, are often adopted. In the present work, the seismic behavior of tall buildings using steel–concrete composite columns and shear walls is investigated numerically. Fiber beam–column element models and multilayer shell models are adopted to establish the finite element model of structure, and the material nonlinearities are described by the plasticity and damage models. The accuracy of the developed models is verified by the experimental results of a single shear wall. Systematic numerical simulations are performed for the tall building structures subjected to different earthquakes. The comparative study indicates that the nonlinear redistribution of internal forces plays a very important role for the performance of tall buildings under severe earthquakes.
The role of the clinician in the multi‐omics era: are you ready?
Authors: van Karnebeek Clara D. M. , Wortmann Saskia B. , Tarailo‐Graovac Maja , Langeveld Mirjam , Ferreira Carlos R. , van de Kamp Jiddeke M. , Hollak Carla E. , Wasserman Wyeth W. , Waterham Hans R. , Wevers Ron A. , Haack Tobias B. , Wanders Ronald J.A. , Boycott Kym M.
Published: January 2018

Since Garrod's first description of alkaptonuria in 1902, and newborn screening for phenylketonuria introduced in the 1960s, P4 medicine (preventive, predictive, personalized, and participatory) has been a reality for the clinician serving patients with inherited metabolic diseases. The era of high‐throughput technologies promises to accelerate its scale dramatically. Genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, proteomics, glycomics, metabolomics, and lipidomics offer an amazing opportunity for holistic investigation and contextual pathophysiologic understanding of inherited metabolic diseases for precise diagnosis and tailored treatment. While each of the ‐omics technologies is important to systems biology, some are more mature than others. Exome sequencing is emerging as a reimbursed test in clinics around the world, and untargeted metabolomics has the potential to serve as a single biochemical testing platform. The challenge lies in the integration and cautious interpretation of these big data, with translation into clinically meaningful information and/or action for our patients. A daunting but exciting task for the clinician; we provide clinical cases to illustrate the importance of his/her role as the connector between physicians, laboratory experts and researchers in the basic, computer, and clinical sciences. Open collaborations, data sharing, functional assays, and model organisms play a key role in the validation of ‐omics discoveries. Having all the right expertise at the table when discussing the diagnostic approach and individualized management plan according to the information yielded by ‐omics investigations (e.g., actionable mutations, novel therapeutic interventions), is the stepping stone of P4 medicine. Patient participation and the adjustment of the medical team's plan to his/her and the family's wishes most certainly is the capstone. Are you ready?
Understanding Organisational Ability and Self-Regulation in Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder
Authors: Green Dido , Payne Sally
Published: January 2018

Purpose of the Review

This paper examines physical and emotional coherence in young people with developmental coordination disorder (DCD). Specifically, the transactional relationship between motor and non-motor/executive dysfunction in children with DCD and its impact on psychosocial functioning is explored.

Recent Findings

This paper integrates the subjective reported experiences of young people with DCD with objective measurements and findings from neuroimaging studies.

Consideration of the transactional relationship between the person, the activity and the environment, whether these factors be physical, social, attitudinal or virtual, will be fundamental to our understanding of the mechanisms underpinning organisational and emotional issues presenting in DCD. Integrating the experiences of young people with research evidence will be essential to improve outcomes for young people with DCD in clinical practice.
The Great Uprising
Authors: Levy Peter B.
Published: January 2018

Between 1963 and 1972 America experienced over 750 urban revolts. Considered collectively, they comprise what Peter Levy terms a 'Great Uprising'. Levy examines these uprisings over the arc of the entire decade, in various cities across America. He challenges both conservative and liberal interpretations, emphasizing that these riots must be placed within historical context to be properly understood. By focusing on three specific cities as case studies - Cambridge and Baltimore, Maryland, and York, Pennsylvania - Levy demonstrates the impact which these uprisings had on millions of ordinary Americans. He shows how conservatives profited politically by constructing a misleading narrative of their causes, and also suggests that the riots did not represent a sharp break or rupture from the civil rights movement. Finally, Levy presents a cautionary tale by challenging us to consider if the conditions that produced this 'Great Uprising' are still predominant in American culture today.
Double sequential cardioversion for refractory ventricular tachycardia: A case report
Authors: Sheikh Hasan , Xie Edward , Austin Emily
Published: January 2018

Sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (VT) can result in hypoperfusion or devolve into more dangerous rhythms such as ventricular fibrillation. In an unstable patient with VT and a pulse, synchronized cardioversion is the first-line treatment. When the VT is refractory to standard cardioversion, the next step is to add an antiarrhythmic, such as amiodarone, that carries with it the risk of lowering blood pressure in the already hypotensive patient. Here we describe a case of double sequential synchronized cardioversion of a patient with unstable VT refractory to standard direct current cardioversion, resulting in a rapid conversion to sinus rhythm and return to hemodynamic stability. The benefit of this technique is that it may obviate the need for rapid infusion of medications, such as amiodarone, in the acute setting that may worsen hypotension in the already unstable patient.
Temporal evolution of the degree distribution of alters in growing networks
Authors: FOTOUHI BABAK , RABBAT MICHAEL
Published: January 2018

The degree distribution of the neighbors of nodes in a network is a theoretically important tool that is invoked in diverse studies in network science, such as epidemics, network resilience, network search and observability, network synchronization, random walks, opinion dynamics, and other dynamical systems on networks. Many real networks grow, and their properties pertaining to the said phenomena evolve. There is a paucity of theoretical research on how the evolution of these properties depend upon time and upon the structure of the initial network. This paper addresses this problem by providing the first theoretical study of the temporal evolution of the nearest-neighbor degree distribution for arbitrary networks (with any size) in arbitrary times. The posited results enable the analysis of the structural properties of growing networks in the short-time and intermediary time regimes, which are typically ignored in favor of the steady state. We corroborate the solutions via Monte Carlo simulations on various topologies. As a byproduct of the obtained solutions, we also demonstrate that the existing result in the literature on the asymptotic behavior of the Pearson coefficient of growing networks under the preferential attachment mechanism is incorrect, and we present the correct solution.
Justice and Mercy: An Enigmatic Yet Crucial Relationship for the Application of Canon Law
Authors: Schüller Thomas
Published: January 2018

Not a single day goes by without Pope Francis making charity and mercy – central characteristic traits of any Christian – the pivot of his sermons, exhortations and proclamations, formal and informal alike. The last holy year, concluding in November 2016, which explicitly featured the motto of mercy, offers a welcome opportunity for the canonist to contemplate the relationship between mercy and justice. Certainly, there is no lack of warning speeches and auguries against the oversimplification of the canonical norms through invoking a false understanding of an imperative of indefinite mercy. To do so would be to neglect the crucial and central commandment of justice, which ensures both legal certainty and an equal treatment of similar cases. The papal address given to the Tribunal of the Roman Rota in 2009 may serve as an eloquent example. In his address Benedict XVI emphasised the interrelation of love (caritas) and justice (iustitia), but at the same time explicitly cautioned against over-pastorally motivated charity as far as the application of the law is concerned:

Charity without justice is not charity, but a counterfeit, because charity itself requires that objectivity which is typical of justice and which must not be confused with inhuman coldness. In this regard, as my Predecessor, Venerable Pope John Paul II, said in his Address on the relationship between pastoral care and the law: ‘The judge … must always guard against the risk of misplaced compassion, which could degenerate into sentimentality, itself pastoral only in appearance.’

There is sufficient reason, therefore, to consider once more how mercy and justice relate to one another.
Government and Parliamentary Report
Authors: Cranmer Frank
Published: January 2018

As foreshadowed in the previous report for February to May, in June the Conservatives concluded a ‘Confidence and Supply’ agreement with the Democratic Unionist Party in order to give them a small working majority in the Commons. The Queen duly delivered the Gracious Speech on 21 June, outlining the legislative programme for a Parliamentary session that, unusually, will run from 2017 to 2019. In July, the new Government published the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill and in September it was given a second reading by 326 votes to 290 and committed to the Committee of the whole House for eight days of detailed debate.
General Synod of the Church of England
Authors: Slack Stephen
Published: January 2018

This report covers the groups of sessions held in February 2017 and July 2017. Both groups of sessions saw significant amounts of legislative business, with earlier items being completed and new items being introduced. A number of them gave effect to proposals emerging from the simplification strand of the Archbishops’ Council's ‘Renewal and Reform’ programme or were in other ways intended to simplify or streamline the Church's substantial body of statute law; in a related area, one was directed towards simplifying the procedures for changing that law.
Governing Body of the Church in Wales
Authors: Chandler Lynette
Published: January 2018

Archbishop Dr Barry Morgan having retired, the presidential address at the April meeting was given by the Senior Bishop, the Rt Revd John Davies, Bishop of Swansea and Brecon, on behalf of all of the bishops of the Church, with the emphasis on evangelism – which set the tone for the rest of the Governing Body meeting.
General Synod of the Scottish Episcopal Church
Authors: Stuart John F
Published: January 2018

The General Synod met at St Paul's and St George's Church in Edinburgh from 8 to 10 June. In his charge to Synod the Primus, the Most Revd David Chillingworth, called the Church to unity as it debated its understanding of marriage. He suggested that God privileged agreement: ‘if two or three agree on earth about anything in my name, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven’. The converse was that the inability to agree closed off blessing and the challenge was whether the Church's oneness in Christ could sustain unity in the face of the diversity of views.
Decryption of messages from extraterrestrial intelligence using the power of social media – The SETI Decrypt Challenge
Authors: Heller René
Published: January 2018

With the advent of modern astronomy, humans might now have acquired the technological and intellectual requirements to communicate with other intelligent beings beyond the solar system, if they exist. Radio signals have been identified as a means for interstellar communication about 60 years ago. And the Square Kilometer Array will be capable of detecting extrasolar radio sources analogous to terrestrial high-power radars out to several tens of light years. The ultimate question is: will we be able to understand the message or, vice versa, if we submit a message to extraterrestrial intelligence first, how can we make sure that they will understand us? Here I report on the largest blind experiment of a pretend radio message received on Earth from beyond the solar system. I posted a sequence of about two million binary digits (‘0’ and ‘1’) to the social media that encoded a configuration frame, two slides with mathematical content and four images along with spatial and temporal information about their contents. Six questions were asked that would need to be answered to document the successful decryption of the message. Within a month after the posting, over 300 replies were received in total, including comments and requests for hints, 66 of which contained the correct solutions. About half of the solutions were derived fully independently, the other half profited from public online discussions and spoilers. This experiment demonstrates the power of the world wide web to help interpreting possible future messages from extraterrestrial intelligence and to test the decryptability of our own deliberate interstellar messages.
Deposition rates of viruses and bacteria above the atmospheric boundary layer
Authors: Reche Isabel , D’Orta Gaetano , Mladenov Natalie , Winget Danielle M , Suttle Curtis A
Published: January 2018

Aerosolization of soil-dust and organic aggregates in sea spray facilitates the long-range transport of bacteria, and likely viruses across the free atmosphere. Although long-distance transport occurs, there are many uncertainties associated with their deposition rates. Here, we demonstrate that even in pristine environments, above the atmospheric boundary layer, the downward flux of viruses ranged from 0.26 × 109 to >7 × 109 m−2 per day. These deposition rates were 9–461 times greater than the rates for bacteria, which ranged from 0.3 × 107 to >8 × 107 m−2 per day. The highest relative deposition rates for viruses were associated with atmospheric transport from marine rather than terrestrial sources. Deposition rates of bacteria were significantly higher during rain events and Saharan dust intrusions, whereas, rainfall did not significantly influence virus deposition. Virus deposition rates were positively correlated with organic aerosols <0.7 μm, whereas, bacteria were primarily associated with organic aerosols >0.7 μm, implying that viruses could have longer residence times in the atmosphere and, consequently, will be dispersed further. These results provide an explanation for enigmatic observations that viruses with very high genetic identity can be found in very distant and different environments.
A caspase-2-RFXANK interaction and its implication for MHC class II expression
Authors: Forsberg Jeremy , Li Xinge , Akpinar Birce , Salvatori Roger , Ott Martin , Zhivotovsky Boris , Olsson Magnus
Published: January 2018

Despite recent achievements implicating caspase-2 in tumor suppression, the enzyme stands out from the apoptotic caspase family as a factor whose function requires further clarification. To specify enzyme characteristics through the definition of interacting proteins in apoptotic or non-apoptotic settings, a yeast 2-hybrid (Y2H) screen was performed using the full-length protein as bait. The current report describes the analysis of a captured prey and putative novel caspase-2 interacting factor, the regulatory factor X-associated ankyrin-containing protein (RFXANK), previously associated with CIITA, the transactivator regulating cell-type specificity and inducibility of MHC class II gene expression. The interaction between caspase-2 and RFXANK was verified by co-immunoprecipitations using both exogenous and endogenous proteins, where the latter approach suggested that binding of the components occurs in the cytoplasm. Cellular co-localization was confirmed by transfection of fluorescently conjugated proteins. Enhanced caspase-2 processing in RFXANK-overexpressing HEK293T cells treated with chemotherapeutic agents further supported Y2H data. Yet, no distinct differences with respect to MHC class II expression were observed in plasma membranes of antigen-presenting cells derived from wild type and caspase-2−/− mice. In contrast, increased levels of the total MHC class II protein was evident in protein lysates from caspase-2 RNAi-silenced leukemia cell lines and B-cells isolated from gene-targeted mice. Together, these data identify a novel caspase-2-interacting factor, RFXANK, and indicate a potential non-apoptotic role for the enzyme in the control of MHC class II gene regulation.
Mitochondria are transported along microtubules in membrane nanotubes to rescue distressed cardiomyocytes from apoptosis
Authors: Shen Jing , Zhang Jiang-Hui , Xiao Han , Wu Ji-Min , He Kang-Min , Lv Zhi-Zhen , Li Zi-Jian , Xu Ming , Zhang You-Yi
Published: January 2018

Membrane nanotubes (MNTs) act as “highways” between cells to facilitate the transfer of multiple signals and play an important role in many diseases. Our previous work reported on the transfer of mitochondria via MNTs between cardiomyocytes (CMs) and cardiac myofibroblasts (MFs); however, the elucidation of the underlying mechanism and pathophysiological significance of this transfer requires additional study. In this study, we determined that the mean movement velocity of mitochondria in MNTs between CMs and MFs was approximately 17.5 ± 2.1 nm/s. Meanwhile, treatment with microtubule polymerisation inhibitors nocodazole or colcemid in cell culture decreased mitochondrial velocity, and knockdown of the microtubule motor protein kinesin family member 5B (KIF5B) led to a similar effect, indicating that mitochondrial movement was dependent on microtubules and the motor protein KIF5B. Furthermore, we showed that hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced CM apoptosis was attenuated by coculture with intact or hypoxia/reoxygenation-treated MFs, which transferred mitochondria to CMs. This rescue was prevented either by separating the cells using Transwell culture or by impairing mitochondrial transfer with nocodazole or colcemid treatment. In conclusion, as a novel means of intercellular communication, MNTs rescue distressed CMs from apoptosis by transporting mitochondria along microtubules via KIF5B.
Long non-coding RNA MT1DP shunts the cellular defense to cytotoxicity through crosstalk with MT1H and RhoC in cadmium stress
Authors: Gao Ming , Chen Minjun , Li Changying , Xu Ming , Liu Yun , Cong Min , Sang Nan , Liu Sijin
Published: January 2018

Metallothioneins (MTs) are known to protect cells against oxidative stress, especially providing protection against cadmium (Cd) toxicity in hepatocytes. There are various gene variants and pseudogenes for MTs; however, there is little understanding on the functions of those non-coding MT members that are known to be expressed as long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) nowadays. Different from most protein-coding MT members, MT1DP was here found that remarkably induced to provoke cytotoxicity in hepatocytes in response to Cd treatment. MT1DP exerted such a pro-apoptotic function in Cd-treated hepatocytes through interacting with two partners: RhoC and MT1H. On one hand, MT1DP interacted with RhoC protein to increase the latter’s stability by preventing lysosome-dependent protein degradation. Therefore, upon Cd stress, MT1DP/RhoC complex was quickly reinforced to activate RhoC-CCN1/2-AKT signaling and potentiate Ca2+ influx, leading to enhanced Cd uptake and elevated Cd toxicity. On the other hand, MT1H, a protein-coding member of the MT family with little known function, was found to quickly respond to Cd exposure along with MT1DP. Mechanistically, MT1H and MT1DP were uncovered to mutually protect each other through a reciprocal ceRNA mechanism, building up a positive feedback loop to enforce MT1DP-conducted signaling upon Cd exposure. Moreover, MT1DP was found to contribute much more to the activation of RhoC-CCN1/2-AKT signaling than MT1H. Considered together, we here unveiled a mystery whether a pseudogene within the MT family, MT1DP, has actual biological functions in regulating Cd-induced cellular defense. Our findings unearthed an important role of pseudogene MT1DP in calibrating the cellular machinery to switch the cellular defense to cytotoxicity through crosslinking an interplay between its two partners, namely MT1H and RhoC, under cadmium stress.
Membrane bending occurs at all stages of clathrin-coat assembly and defines endocytic dynamics
Authors: Scott Brandon L. , Sochacki Kem A. , Low-Nam Shalini T. , Bailey Elizabeth M. , Luu QuocAhn , Hor Amy , Dickey Andrea M. , Smith Steve , Kerkvliet Jason G. , Taraska Justin W. , Hoppe Adam D.
Published: January 2018

Clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) internalizes plasma membrane by reshaping small regions of the cell surface into spherical vesicles. The key mechanistic question of how coat assembly produces membrane curvature has been studied with molecular and cellular structural biology approaches, without direct visualization of the process in living cells; resulting in two competing models for membrane bending. Here we use polarized total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (pol-TIRF) combined with electron, atomic force, and super-resolution optical microscopy to measure membrane curvature during CME. Surprisingly, coat assembly accommodates membrane bending concurrent with or after the assembly of the clathrin lattice. Once curvature began, CME proceeded to scission with robust timing. Four color pol-TIRF showed that CALM accumulated at high levels during membrane bending, implicating its auxiliary role in curvature generation. We conclude that clathrin-coat assembly is versatile and that multiple membrane-bending trajectories likely reflect the energetics of coat assembly relative to competing forces.
Anderson localization of a one-dimensional quantum walker
Authors: Derevyanko Stanislav
Published: January 2018

We study the evolution of a system performing a one-dimensional quantum walk in the presence of static phase disorder. The same model also describes the propagation of classical light pulses in photonic mesh lattices. We study the interplay between the coupling (i.e. the bias of the “quantum coin”) and disorder. We provide an exact analytical expression for the localization length for two limiting cases of strong and weak phase disorder. In all the cases of interest we supply numerical simulations for participation ratio, Lyapunov exponent and the return probability as functions of the coupling parameter.
Antimicrobial activity of apple cider vinegar against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans; downregulating cytokine and microbial protein expression
Authors: Yagnik Darshna , Serafin Vlad , J. Shah Ajit
Published: January 2018

The global escalation in antibiotic resistance cases means alternative antimicrobials are essential. The aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial capacity of apple cider vinegar (ACV) against E. coli, S. aureus and C. albicans. The minimum dilution of ACV required for growth inhibition varied for each microbial species. For C. albicans, a 1/2 ACV had the strongest effect, S. aureus, a 1/25 dilution ACV was required, whereas for E-coli cultures, a 1/50 ACV dilution was required (p < 0.05). Monocyte co-culture with microbes alongside ACV resulted in dose dependent downregulation of inflammatory cytokines (TNFα, IL-6). Results are expressed as percentage decreases in cytokine secretion comparing ACV treated with non-ACV treated monocytes cultured with E-coli (TNFα, 99.2%; IL-6, 98%), S. aureus (TNFα, 90%; IL-6, 83%) and C. albicans (TNFα, 83.3%; IL-6, 90.1%) respectively. Proteomic analyses of microbes demonstrated that ACV impaired cell integrity, organelles and protein expression. ACV treatment resulted in an absence in expression of DNA starvation protein, citrate synthase, isocitrate and malate dehydrogenases in E-coli; chaperone protein DNak and ftsz in S. aureus and pyruvate kinase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, fructose bisphosphate were among the enzymes absent in C.albican cultures. The results demonstrate ACV has multiple antimicrobial potential with clinical therapeutic implications.
Detection of time-, frequency- and direction-resolved communication within brain networks
Authors: Crouch Barry , Sommerlade Linda , Veselcic Peter , Riedel Gernot , Schelter Björn , Platt Bettina
Published: January 2018

Electroencephalography (EEG) records fast-changing neuronal signalling and communication and thus can offer a deep understanding of cognitive processes. However, traditional data analyses which employ the Fast-Fourier Transform (FFT) have been of limited use as they do not allow time- and frequency-resolved tracking of brain activity and detection of directional connectivity. Here, we applied advanced qEEG tools using autoregressive (AR) modelling, alongside traditional approaches, to murine data sets from common research scenarios: (a) the effect of age on resting EEG; (b) drug actions on non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep EEG (pharmaco-EEG); and (c) dynamic EEG profiles during correct vs incorrect spontaneous alternation responses in the Y-maze. AR analyses of short data strips reliably detected age- and drug-induced spectral EEG changes, while renormalized partial directed coherence (rPDC) reported direction- and time-resolved connectivity dynamics in mice. Our approach allows for the first time inference of behaviour- and stage-dependent data in a time- and frequency-resolved manner, and offers insights into brain networks that underlie working memory processing beyond what can be achieved with traditional methods.
Malignancy dominated with rheumatic manifestations: A retrospective single-center analysis
Authors: Wen Jian , Ouyang Han , Yang Ru , Bo Lin , Zhang Yi , Tang Mei , Liu Zhichun
Published: January 2018

Paraneoplastic rheumatic syndromes comprise a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by typical rheumatic manifestations but without direct invasion by the tumor or metastases. The clinical features and malignancy-associated risk factors of 21 patients with paraneoplastic rheumatic syndromes, including 11 men and 10 women with a mean age of 56.3 ± 13.1 years, were characterized by a retrospective review. All patients were diagnosed with malignancy within 2 years of rheumatism diagnosis. Patients suffering from solid malignancies accounted for the majority (62%); hematological malignancies were observed in the remainder. Arthritis (48%), lymph node enlargement (38%), skin rash (38%), weight loss (29%), fever/chills (24%), fatigue (24%), muscle soreness (24%) and smoking history (29%) were common findings. Except for 8 patients (38%) who tested positive for anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) and 9 positive for rheumatoid factor (RF), all patients tested negative for anti-extractable nuclear antigen (ENA) antibodies. Rheumatic disorders with a typical clinical presentation in older patients and nonspecific systemic features should alert clinicians to search for an occult malignancy. Patients with rheumatic disease must be closely followed to screen for malignancies, particularly within 2 years of rheumatism diagnosis.
Diversity Modification and Structure-Activity Relationships of Two Natural Products 1β-hydroxy Alantolactone and Ivangustin as Potent Cytotoxic Agents
Authors: Tang Jiang-Jiang , He Qiu-Rui , Dong Shuai , Guo Xin , Wang Yu-Gong , Lei Bei-Lei , Tian Jun-Mian , Gao Jin-Ming
Published: January 2018

Sesquiterpene lactones (STLs) are a class of plant secondary metabolites widely found in nature with potent antitumor activities. In this work, two isolated STLs 1β-hydroxy alantolactone (1) and ivangustin (2) were derivatized through diversity-oriented strategy, and in vitro cytotoxic activity assessments were conducted against six cell lines including HeLa, PC-3, HEp-2, HepG2, CHO and HUVEC. The cytotoxic structure-activity relationship showed that the double bond between C5 and C6 was beneficial to improve activity; C1-OH oxidized derivatives showed a slight stronger activity, comparable to the positive drug etoposide (VP-16). Yet, C1-OH esterified derivatives decreased the potency which were different from those of 1-O-acetylbritannilactone (ABL) reported previously by us, and C13-methylene reductive and spiro derivatives resulted in almost complete ablation of cytotoxic activity. Mechanistic basis of cytotoxicity of the representative compound 1i was assayed to relate with apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Furthermore, 1i inhibited TNF-α-induced canonical NF-κB signaling in PC-3 cells. Molecular modeling studies exhibited additional hydrogen bond interaction between 1i and the residue Lys37 of p65, indicating that 1i could form covalent protein adducts with Cys38 on p65.
Developmental Maturation and Alpha-1 Adrenergic Receptors-Mediated Gene Expression Changes in Ovine Middle Cerebral Arteries
Authors: Goyal Dipali , Goyal Ravi
Published: January 2018

The Alpha Adrenergic Signaling Pathway is one of the chief regulators of cerebrovascular tone and cerebral blood flow (CBF), mediating its effects in the arteries through alpha1-adrenergic receptors (Alpha1AR). In the ovine middle cerebral artery (MCA), with development from a fetus to an adult, others and we have shown that Alpha1AR play a key role in contractile responses, vascular development, remodeling, and angiogenesis. Importantly, Alpha1AR play a significant role in CBF autoregulation, which is incompletely developed in a premature fetus as compared to a near-term fetus. However, the mechanistic pathways are not completely known. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that as a function of maturation and in response to Alpha1AR stimulation there is a differential gene expression in the ovine MCA. We conducted microarray analysis on transcripts from MCAs of premature fetuses (96-day), near-term fetuses (145-day), newborn lambs, and non-pregnant adult sheep (2-year) following stimulation of Alpha1AR with phenylephrine (a specific agonist). We observed several genes which belonged to pro-inflammatory and vascular development/angiogenesis pathway significantly altered in all of the four age groups. We also observed age-specific changes in gene expression–mediated by Alpha1AR stimulation in the different developmental age groups. These findings imply complex regulatory mechanisms of cerebrovascular development.
A new method using Raman spectroscopy for in vivo targeted brain cancer tissue biopsy
Authors: Desroches Joannie , Jermyn Michael , Pinto Michael , Picot Fabien , Tremblay Marie-Andrée , Obaid Sami , Marple Eric , Urmey Kirk , Trudel Dominique , Soulez Gilles , Guiot Marie-Christine , Wilson Brian C. , Petrecca Kevin , Leblond Frédéric
Published: January 2018

Modern cancer diagnosis requires histological, molecular, and genomic tumor analyses. Tumor sampling is often achieved using a targeted needle biopsy approach. Targeting errors and cancer heterogeneity causing inaccurate sampling are important limitations of this blind technique leading to non-diagnostic or poor quality samples, and the need for repeated biopsies pose elevated patient risk. An optical technology that can analyze the molecular nature of the tissue prior to harvesting could improve cancer targeting and mitigate patient risk. Here we report on the design, development, and validation of an in situ intraoperative, label-free, cancer detection system based on high wavenumber Raman spectroscopy. This optical detection device was engineered into a commercially available biopsy system allowing tumor analysis prior to tissue harvesting without disrupting workflow. Using a dual validation approach we show that high wavenumber Raman spectroscopy can detect human dense cancer with >60% cancer cells in situ during surgery with a sensitivity and specificity of 80% and 90%, respectively. We also demonstrate for the first time the use of this system in a swine brain biopsy model. These studies set the stage for the clinical translation of this optical molecular imaging method for high yield and safe targeted biopsy.
Neglected nano-effects of nanoparticles in the interpretation of their toxicity
Authors: Mionić Ebersold M. , Bonvin D. , Hofmann H.
Published: January 2018

Considering the traditional mass, concentration, or surface area of nanoparticles can affect the conclusions drawn from cell viability tests about the toxicity of nanoparticles.
A rapid and specific bacterial detection method based on cell-imprinted microplates
Authors: Shan Xueling , Yamauchi Takuya , Yamamoto Yojiro , Shiigi Hiroshi , Nagaoka Tsutomu
Published: January 2018

A rapid, convenient and high throughput bacterial detection method based on the co-working of a cell-imprinted polymer and fluroescence probe.
Sex determination from fingermarks using fluorescentin situhybridization
Authors: van Dam Annemieke , van Weert Angela , Falkena Kim , Weymans Chantal , Kloosterman Ate D. , Lambrechts Saskia A. G. , van Leeuwen Ton G. , Aalders Maurice C. G.
Published: January 2018

When fingermarks are not suited for automated fingerprint identification, caused by for instance, poor development or when no match can be found in the fingerprint database, the chemical composition can be used to extract additional information about the donor of the fingermark.
Super-resolution imaging of lysosomes with a nitroso-caged rhodamine
Authors: He Haihong , Ye Zhiwei , Zheng Ying , Xu Xiu , Guo Chunlei , Xiao Yi , Yang Wei , Qian Xuhong , Yang Youjun
Published: January 2018

N,N′-Dinitroso caged rhodamine are potentially suitable for photo-activated localization microscopy (PALM) of lysosomes.
N terminal N-methylation modulates chiral centre induced helical (CIH) peptides’ biophysical properties
Authors: Li Wenjun , Hu Kuan , Zhang Qingzhou , Wang Dongyuan , Ma Yue , Hou Zhanfeng , Yin Feng , Li Zigang
Published: January 2018

The effects of N-methylation on CIH peptides’ biophysical properties were systematically studied.
A gold nanoparticle-based four-color proximity immunoassay for one-step, multiplexed detection of protein biomarkers using ribonuclease H signal amplification
Authors: Xu Jiayao , Shi Ming , Chen Wenting , Huang Yong , Fang Lina , Yao Lifang , Zhao Shulin , Chen Zhen-Feng , Liang Hong
Published: January 2018

A gold nanoparticle-based four-color fluorescence proximity immunoassay was developed for multiplexed analysis of protein biomarkers using ribonuclease H signal amplification.
Supramolecular assemblies through host–guest complexation between cucurbiturils and an amphiphilic guest molecule
Authors: Assaf Khaleel I. , Alnajjar Mohammad A. , Nau Werner M.
Published: January 2018

Cucurbituril-based supramolecular assemblies built by using their cavity-size-dependent host–guest interactions with an amphiphilic pyridinium-functionalized anthracene in water.
A label-free fluorescence assay for hydrogen peroxide and glucose based on the bifunctional MIL-53(Fe) nanozyme
Authors: Lin Tianran , Qin Yuemei , Huang Yuanlin , Yang Ruitao , Hou Li , Ye Fanggui , Zhao Shulin
Published: January 2018

A turn-on fluorescent sensor of hydrogen peroxide and glucose was developed based on a label-free nanozyme MIL-53(Fe) without other chromogenic reagents.
Structural definition of the BIL and DL: a new universal methodology to rationalize non-linearχ(2)(ω) SFG signals at charged interfaces, includingχ(3)(ω) contributions
Authors: Pezzotti Simone , Galimberti Daria Ruth , Shen Y. Ron , Gaigeot Marie-Pierre
Published: January 2018

BIL (Binding Interfacial Layer) and DL (Diffuse Layer) at aqueous interfaces: universal structural definitions, deconvolution of their SFG signals andχ3contribution.
Low energy electron-induced decomposition of (η5-Cp)Fe(CO)2Mn(CO)5, a potential bimetallic precursor for focused electron beam induced deposition of alloy structures
Authors: Thorman Rachel M. , Unlu Ilyas , Johnson Kelsea , Bjornsson Ragnar , McElwee-White Lisa , Fairbrother D. Howard , Ingólfsson Oddur
Published: January 2018

Low energy electron-induced decomposition of a potential bimetallic nanofabrication precursor is studied in gas-phase, at surfaces and by quantum chemical calculations.
Why does the Y326I mutant of monoamine oxidase B decompose an endogenous amphetamine at a slower rate than the wild type enzyme? Reaction step elucidated by multiscale molecular simulations
Authors: Pregeljc Domen , Jug Urška , Mavri Janez , Stare Jernej
Published: January 2018

Mutated MAO B enzyme decomposes phenylethylamine at slower rate due to changed interactions in the active site.
The influence of anion chemistry on the ionic conductivity and molecular dynamics in protic organic ionic plastic crystals
Authors: Rao Jun , Vijayaraghavan R. , Zhou Yundong , Howlett Patrick C. , MacFarlane Douglas R. , Forsyth Maria , Zhu Haijin
Published: January 2018

Protic organic ionic plastic crystals based on different anions exhibit more than two orders of magnitude difference in conductivity.
Reduction of the thermal conductivity of a graphene/hBN heterobilayer via interlayer sp3 bonds
Authors: Iwata T. , Shintani K.
Published: January 2018

The thermal conductivity of a graphene/hBN heterobilayer is sharply reduced by interlayer sp3 bonds, and there exists its minimum at their fraction 0.25.
Synergism of fictitious forces on nickel cobaltite nanofibers: electrospinning forces revisited
Authors: Sachin Kumar B. , Kalpathy Sreeram K. , Anandhan S.
Published: January 2018

The morphology and structure of electrospun NiCo2O4 nanofibers were tuned by an appropriate choice of collector and modifying relevant physical forces.