bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Application of Graph Analytics for Simulations of Electronic Money Turnover: Solutions, Evaluations, Forecasts
Authors: Pyrkina Olga E. , Zadadaev Sergey A.
Published: December 2019

The graph model for electronic money turnover developed in this paper considers the system of electronic money turnover as a technological complex network. This network includes systems of electronic money payments, communications between bank and its clients, and interbank communications. The application of the graph models is based on its essential advantages such as an opportunity to expand this system to arbitrary size and visualization of the system links. While graph plotting provides us with the opportunity of carrying out qualitative (visual) system analysis, e computations of the graph metric allows performing a more quantitative analysis. The composite metric, created on the base of graph centrality measures and giving us possibilities of estimating and ranking potential risks, is considered as a foundation for methods of stability, quality and economic security control for systems of the electronic money turnover. A validity of this classification has been investigated and supported by the so-called crash tests, which simulate the random consecutive deleting of graph nodes represented in the real life by communication network nodes, for example, banks or other members of electronic money turnover system, and also by the analysis of the overall performance of the system.
Mathematical Models of the Distribution and Change of Linguistic Information in Language Communities: a Case of Proto-Indo-European and Proto-Chinese Language Communities
Authors: Egorova Maia , Egorov Alexander , Solovieva Tatiana
Published: December 2019

The paper presents a theoretical analysis and computer simulations of the distribution and changes of the linguistic information in two model language communities: Proto-Indo-European and Proto-Chinese. Simulations show that out of two main hypotheses of the formation of the Proto-Indo-European languages, the Anatolian hypotheses and the Kurgan hypotheses, the latter is better consistent with the time estimates obtained in this study. The results obtained for Proto-Indo-European communities may also be used in the analysis of Asian language communities. In particular, the similarity of Chinese and Proto-Indo-European languages in terms of the relationship between the verb and the noun opens the possibility of applying our method to the analysis of the Proto-Sino-Tibetan language family. A possibility of creating a single national language Pŭtōnghuà (普通话) in the modern China was investigated. The results of the present study also suggest that the developed models look like a quite promising new instrument for studying linguistic information transfer in complex social and linguistic systems.
Outgoing solutions and radiation boundary conditions for the ideal atmospheric scalar wave equation in helioseismology
Authors: Barucq Hélène , Faucher Florian , Pham Ha
Published: December 2019

In this paper, we study the time-harmonic scalar equation describing the propagation of acoustic waves in the Sun’s atmosphere under ideal atmospheric assumptions. We use the Liouville change of unknown to conjugate the original problem to a Schrödinger equation with a Coulomb-type potential. This transformation makes appear a new wavenumber, k, and the link with the Whittaker’s equation. We consider two different problems: in the first one, with the ideal atmospheric assumptions extended to the whole space, we construct explicitly the Schwartz kernel of the resolvent, starting from a solution given by Hostler and Pratt in punctured domains, and use this to construct outgoing solutions and radiation conditions. In the second problem, we construct exact Dirichlet-to-Neumann map using Whittaker functions, and new radiation boundary conditions (RBC), using gauge functions in terms of k. The new approach gives rise to simpler RBC for the same precision compared to existing ones. The robustness of our new RBC is corroborated by numerical experiments.
MRT der Zähne und des Zahnhalteapparats
Authors: Hilgenfeld T. , Bendszus M. , Hähnel S.
Published: December 2019

Die zunehmende Verbreitung der digitalen Volumentomografie (DVT) erweitert das Leistungsspektrum der bisherigen zweidimensionalen Zahnbildgebung mittels Röntgenaufnahmen oder Tomogrammen. Dem diagnostischen Mehrwert steht dabei eine erhöhte Strahlenbelastung der Patienten entgegen. Im Gegensatz dazu kommt die MRT ohne ionisierende Strahlen aus und bietet darüber hinaus einen deutlich höheren Weichteilkontrast. Der Nachweis morphologischer und numerischer Zahnveränderungen, die Differenzierung von periapikalen Läsionen und der Ausschluss von Komplikationen von Zahnerkrankungen sind dabei potenzielle Anwendungsgebiete der dentalen MRT. Vielversprechende Ansätze finden sich darüber hinaus beim Nachweis von Karies, der Parodontitis und der Schädigung des N. alveolaris inferior.
Gebissfunktion bei Totalprothesen
Authors: Karakuş Ghezal , Wöstmann Bernd , Rehmann Peter
Published: December 2019

Zur prothetischen Rehabilitation zahnloser Kiefer ist gebissfunktionell eine störungsfreie Okklusion anzustreben, wobei in der Totalprothetik die Okklusionskonzepte der bilateral balancierten und der Front-Eckzahn-geführten Okklusion kontrovers diskutiert werden. Ziel der vorliegenden klinischen Untersuchung war es, im intraindividuellen Vergleich zu ermitteln, ob die Patienten eines der beiden Okklusionskonzepte bevorzugen. Insgesamt 38 Patienten erhielten 1 Oberkiefer- und 2 nahezu identische Unterkiefertotalprothesen, deren Unterschied lediglich in der Art des Okklusionskonzepts lag. Die Patienten wurden nicht über den Unterschied informiert. Nach einer 2-wöchigen Tragedauer beider Prothesen wurde die Präferenz der Patienten anhand eines Fragebogens ermittelt. Zwischenzeitlich wurden die Unterkiefertotalprothesen in das jeweils andere Okklusionskonzept überführt und die Patienten nach 2 Wochen erneut befragt. Nach 2 Wochen bevorzugten 63% der Patienten die balancierten Prothesen, 5% favorisierten die Front-Eckzahn-geführten Prothesen und 32% konnten keine Unterschiede feststellen. Nach 4 Wochen bevorzugten noch 47% der Patienten die balancierten Prothesen, 11% die Front-Eckzahn-geführten Prothesen und 42% konnten keine Unterschiede feststellen. Die Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass in der initialen Phase der Prothesenadaptation das Konzept der bilateral balancierten Okklusion vorteilhafter zu sein scheint.
Nichts als Worte
Authors: Wildner Manfred
Published: December 2019

„Parole, parole, parole…“ sangen Mina und Alberto Lupo
1972 und beklagten in ihrem oft kopierten Lied die Nichtigkeit gesprochener Worte.
Vor allem in der Liebe – und v. a. dann an ihrem Ende. Ganz anders
der Jünger Johannes in der christlichen Überlieferung, der sein
Evangelium mit dem sehr anspruchsvollen Prolog beginnt: „Am Anfang war
das Wort, und das Wort war bei Gott und das Wort war Gott“ (Johannes
1.1). Eine Verneigung vor den heiligen Worten heiliger Schriften in
jüdischer Tradition? Vielleicht – vielleicht aber auch nicht. Im
Blick auf den griechischen Urtext, im dem dieses Evangelium verfasst wurde, begegnet
uns für „Wort“ denn auch die Bezeichnung
„Logos“ mit ihrem sehr weiten Bedeutungsfeld, das bis zu einem die
Welt durchwirkenden Vernunftprinzip reicht – und damit schon an das ewige
„Dharma“ asiatischer Weisheitsreligionen rührt. So sollte
man hier das Unübersetzbare vielleicht besser unübersetzt lassen.
Der Logos, das Wissen-schaffende, vernünftige Wort, begegnet uns ohnehin
inzwischen auch in unserer Umgangssprache als „logisch“, als Logik
oder als Wortbestandteil in Wissenschaftsbezeichnungen wie Soziologie, Psychologie
oder Anthropologie. In der nuancenreichen griechischen Sprache wird von Logos, dem
vernünftigen Wort, denn auch das erzählende Wort, Mythos,
unterschieden.
A New Approach Using Aromatic-Solvent-Induced Shifts in NMR Spectroscopy to Analyze β-Lactams with Various Substitution Patterns
Authors: Chavelas-Hernández Leticia , Valdéz-Camacho Jonathan R. , Hernández-Vázquez Luis G. , Dominguez-Mendoza Blanca E. , Vasquez-Ríos María G. , Escalante Jaime
Published: December 2019

The chemical shifts of protons depend not only on the properties of the solute molecule but also on the medium in which the solute resides. A series of β-lactams with various substitution patterns were synthesized to study aromatic-solvent-induced shifts (ASISs) in chloroform and benzene by using 1H NMR spectroscopy. The results agreed with those obtained by theoretical density functional theory calculations. The protons of the β-lactam ring are the most affected by the ASIS effect, and they tend to overlap due to the anisotropic effect of benzene.
Itô vs Stratonovich in the presence of absorbing states
Authors: Correales Álvaro , Escudero Carlos
Published: December 2019

It is widely assumed that there exists a simple transformation from the Itô interpretation to the one by Stratonovich and back for any stochastic differential equation of applied interest. While this transformation exists under suitable conditions, and transforms one interpretation into the other at the price of modifying the drift of the equation, it cannot be considered universal. We show that a class of stochastic differential equations, characterized by the presence of absorbing states and of interest in applications, does not admit such a transformation. In particular, formally applying this transformation may lead to the disappearance of some absorbing states. In turn, this modifies the long-time, and even the intermediate-time, behavior of the solutions. The number of solutions can also be modified by the unjustified application of the mentioned transformation, as well as by a change in the interpretation of the noise. We discuss how these facts affect the classical debate on the Itô vs Stratonovich dilemma.
Adiabatic Vlasov theory of ultrastrong femtosecond laser pulse propagation in plasma. The scaling of ultrarelativistic quasi-stationary states: spikes, peakons, and bubbles
Authors: Jovanović Dušan , Fedele Renato , Belić Milivoj , Nicola Sergio De
Published: December 2019

The interaction of an ultrashort (femtosecond), pancake-shaped laser pulse with underdense unmagnetized plasma is studied analytically and numerically in a regime with ultrarelativistic electron jitter velocities. The adiabatic evolution of the quasistationary electron distribution function is resolved by following particles along their nonlinear trajectories in phase space. It is estimated that under typical laser-plasma accelerator conditions, the quasistationary distribution is established after the pulse has penetrated ≲1 mm into the plasma. The main particle effect is found to be the beam loading associated with the electrons reflected from the maxima of the effective potential, a fraction of which can also be entrapped in the time dependent potential minima. Owing to the relativistic mass increase, their participation in the plasma dynamics is reduced. The number density of reflected particles is exponentially small for nonrelativistic electron temperatures, but at the wavebreak, it can become comparable to the density of the background plasma if the temperature of electrons exceeds several percent of their rest energy m0c2. Numerical calculations in the presence of beam loading and in the strong intensity regime, based on the three-time scale approximation[Jovanović et al., Phys. Plasmas 22, 043110.1 (2015)], reveal the creation of a bubble in the electron density, along with the steepening and the breaking of the nonlinear Langmuir wake that occurs simultaneously with the creation of a sharp spike in the distribution function and a peak in the electron density, located at the position of the wavebreak.
Recovery of cycling-induced endurance failed HfOx based memristive devices by utilizing oxygen plasma treatment
Authors: Wang Dong , Yan Shaoan , Chen Qilai , He Qiming , Li Gang , Xiao Yongguang , Tang Minghua , Zheng Xuejun
Published: December 2019

The oxygen ion (O2−) loss effect during resistive switching (RS) cycles will inevitably lead to endurance degradation or even failure in oxide-based memristive devices. In this Letter, we propose an effective way to recover the cycling-induced endurance failed HfOx based memristive devices by utilizing oxygen plasma treatment (OPT). In the as-fabricated Pt/HfOx/Pt devices, a negative SET event is observed after consecutive normal RS cycles and eventually triggers endurance failure. The appearance of the intermediate resistance state at the initial stage of the negative SET cycle indicates a prominent reduction of the migration barrier of O2−, which accounts for the occurrence of negative SET after increasing cycles. Then, we recover the devices from endurance failure by moderate OPT, which can supply the available O2− in RS cycles. More importantly, the first recovered devices after endurance failure can be recovered again through OPT, which better proves the validity of the recovery method. This study could provide an effective approach for understanding and addressing the cycling-induced endurance failure issue in oxide-based memristive devices.
Development of an interference-filter-type external-cavity diode laser for resonance ionization spectroscopy of strontium
Authors: Iwata Yoshihiro , Cheon Donguk , Miyabe Masabumi , Hasegawa Shuichi
Published: December 2019

A frequency tunable external-cavity diode laser (ECDL) using a narrow bandwidth (∼0.3 nm) interference filter has been developed for resonance ionization spectroscopy of strontium (Sr) with high isotopic selectivity. Improved wavelength and single mode stabilities of this interference-filter-type ECDL (IF-ECDL) over a commonly used (also home-made) Littrow-type ECDL were theoretically expected and experimentally confirmed by both a wavelength meter and a home-made Fabry-Perot interferometer. The measured spectral profile of the dominant isotope 88Sr using our IF-ECDL in the 689.4 nm intercombination transition shows that the Lorentzian component (∼1.3 MHz) of the spectrum width is consistent with the obtained fringe width of the interferometer. High 90Sr isotopic selectivity of ∼104 with respect to 88Sr is expected in this transition, which indicates that even if the manufacturing accuracy is not comparable to commercial Littrow-type ECDLs, our compact IF-ECDL having sufficient wavelength stability is a promising laser source for background-free analysis of radioactive 90Sr in marine samples.
Improving the efficiency of G
W calculations with approximate spectral decompositions of dielectric matrices
Authors: Yang Han , Govoni Marco , Galli Giulia
Published: December 2019

Recently, it was shown that the calculation of quasiparticle energies using the G0W0 approximation can be performed without computing explicitly any virtual electronic states, by expanding the Green function and screened Coulomb interaction in terms of the eigenstates of the static dielectric matrix. Avoiding the evaluation of virtual electronic states leads to improved efficiency and ease of convergence of G0W0 calculations. Here, we propose a further improvement of the efficiency of these calculations, based on an approximation of density-density response functions of molecules and solids. The approximation relies on the calculation of a subset of eigenvectors of the dielectric matrix using the kinetic operator instead of the full Hamiltonian, and it does not lead to any substantial loss of accuracy for the quasiparticle energies. The computational savings introduced by this approximation depend on the system, and they become more substantial as the number of electrons increases.
Monitoring the growth dynamics of colloidal gold-silver core-shell nanoparticles using in situ second harmonic generation and extinction spectroscopy
Authors: Ranasinghe Jeewan C. , Dikkumbura Asela S. , Hamal Prakash , Chen Min , Khoury Rami A. , Smith Holden T. , Lopata Kenneth , Haber Louis H.
Published: December 2019

The growth dynamics of gold-silver core-shell (Au@Ag) nanoparticles are studied using in situ time-dependent second harmonic generation (SHG) and extinction spectroscopy to investigate the nanoparticle shell formation. The silver shell is grown by reduction of silver cations onto a 14 nm gold core using ascorbic acid in colloidal aqueous solution under varying reaction concentrations producing Au@Ag nanoparticles of final sizes ranging from 51 to 78 nm in diameter. The in situ extinction spectra show a rapid increase in intensity on the timescale of 5–6 s with blue shifting and narrowing of the plasmonic peak during the silver shell formation. The in situ SHG signals show an abrupt rise at early times of the reaction, followed by a time-dependent biexponential decrease, where the faster SHG lifetime corresponds to the timescale of the shell growth, and where the slower SHG lifetime is attributed to changes in the nanoparticle surface charge density. A large enhancement in the SHG signal at early stages of the reaction is caused by plasmonic hot spots due to the nanoparticle surface morphology, which becomes smoother as the reaction proceeds. The final extinction spectra are compared to finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) calculations, showing general agreement with experiment, where the plasmon peak red shifts and increases in spectral width as the silver shell thickness increases. These in situ SHG and extinction spectroscopy results, combined with FDTD calculations, help characterize the complicated processes involved in colloidal nanoparticle shell formation in real time for developing potential plasmon-enhanced nanomaterial applications.
Electronic coupling in colloidal quantum dot molecules; the case of CdSe/CdS core/shell homodimers
Authors: Panfil Yossef E. , Shamalia Doaa , Cui Jiabin , Koley Somnath , Banin Uri
Published: December 2019

Coupled colloidal quantum dot molecules composed of two fused CdSe/CdS core/shell sphere monomers were recently presented. Upon fusion, the potential energy landscape changes into two quantum dots separated by a pretuned potential barrier with energetics dictated by the conduction and valence band offsets of the core/shell semiconductors and the width controlled by the shell thickness and the fusion reaction conditions. In close proximity of the two nanocrystals, orbital hybridization occurs, forming bonding and antibonding states in analogy to the hydrogen molecule. In this study, we examine theoretically the electronic and optical signatures of such a quantum dot dimer compared to its monomer core/shell building-blocks. We examine the effects of different core sizes, barrier widths, different band offsets, and neck sizes at the interface of the fused facets on the system wave-functions and energetics. Due to the higher effective mass of the hole and the large valence band offset, the hole still essentially resides in either of the cores, breaking the symmetry of the potential for the electron as well. We found that the dimer signature is well expressed in a red shift of the band gap both in absorption and emission, in slower radiative lifetimes and in an absorption cross section which is significantly enhanced relative to the monomers at energies above the shell absorption onset, while remains essentially at the same level near the band-edge. This study provides essential guidance to predesign of coupled quantum dot molecules with specific attributes which can be utilized for various new opto-electronic applications.
Magnetoelastic anisotropy of antiferromagnetic materials
Authors: Sheng Ping , Xie Yali , Bai Yuhao , Wang Baomin , Zhang Lei , Wen Xingcheng , Yang Huali , Chen Xiaoyuan , Li Xiaoguang , Li Run-Wei
Published: December 2019

Antiferromagnetic (AFM) materials are of great interest for spintronics. Here, we report the magnetoelastic anisotropy of an AFM IrMn thin film. An exchange-biased CoFeB/IrMn bilayer was used to obtain a single domain of the AFM thin film, and the magnetic moment arrangement of the AFM layer was deduced from the magnetic hysteresis loop of the pinned FM layer. A uniaxial compressive stress is applied on the thin film through changing the temperature due to the anisotropic thermal expansion of the polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) substrate. Both experimental results and theoretical calculations show that the direction of IrMn magnetic moment can be changed when a compressive stress is applied and the direction of IrMn AFM moment rotates about 10° under 2.26 GPa compressive stress. These results provide important information for the practical application of flexible spintronics based on AFM spintronic devices.
Thickness-dependent charge transport in exfoliated indium selenide vertical field-effect transistors
Authors: Sangwan Vinod K. , Kang Junmo , Hersam Mark C.
Published: December 2019

As a layered, two-dimensional material with high charge carrier mobility and photoresponsivity, exfoliated indium selenide (InSe) is being actively studied for a variety of optoelectronic applications. While significant effort has been devoted to characterizing the in-plane electronic properties of InSe, charge transport in the out-of-plane direction has been underreported despite its importance in vertical field-effect transistors, photodetectors, and related van der Waals heterostructure devices. Here, we fill this knowledge gap by performing variable temperature and variable thickness charge transport measurements in the out-of-plane direction for exfoliated InSe crystals. A vertical field-effect transistor geometry is utilized with a bulk metal top contact and single-layer graphene bottom contact such that electrostatic gating can be performed via the underlying Si substrate. In contrast to lateral InSe transistors, vertical InSe transistors show decreasing conductance at low temperatures, which is explained by the temperature dependence of tunneling and field-emission currents. While thinner InSe crystals are dominated by Fowler-Nordheim tunneling, thicker InSe crystals show increasing contribution from thermionic emission. In addition, the graphene/InSe barrier height can be modulated by the gate potential, resulting in vertical field-effect transistor current switching ratios up to 104. Overall, this study provides fundamental insight into the out-of-plane electronic properties of exfoliated InSe, which will inform ongoing efforts to realize ultrathin InSe device applications.
Modeling deswelling, thermodynamics, structure, and dynamics in ionic microgel suspensions
Authors: Brito Mariano E. , Denton Alan R. , Nägele Gerhard
Published: December 2019

Ionic microgel particles in a good solvent swell to an equilibrium size determined by a balance of electrostatic and elastic forces. When crowded, ionic microgels deswell owing to a redistribution of microions inside and outside the particles. The concentration-dependent deswelling affects the interactions between the microgels and, consequently, the suspension properties. We present a comprehensive theoretical study of crowding effects on thermodynamic, structural, and dynamic properties of weakly cross-linked ionic microgels in a good solvent. The microgels are modeled as microion- and solvent-permeable colloidal spheres with fixed charge uniformly distributed over the polymer gel backbone, whose elastic and solvent-interaction free energies are described using the Flory-Rehner theory. Two mean-field methods for calculating the crowding-dependent microgel radius are investigated and combined with calculations of the net microgel charge characterizing the electrostatic part of an effective microgel pair potential, with charge renormalization accounted for. Using this effective pair potential, thermodynamic and static suspension properties are calculated, including the osmotic pressure and microgel pair distribution function. The latter is used in our calculations of dynamic suspension properties, where we account for hydrodynamic interactions. Results for diffusion and rheological properties are presented over ranges of microgel concentration and charge. We show that deswelling mildly enhances self- diffusion and collective diffusion and the osmotic pressure, lowers the suspension viscosity, and significantly shifts the suspension crystallization point to higher concentrations. This paper presents a bottom-up approach to efficiently computing suspension properties of crowded ionic microgels using single-particle characteristics.
Tunable magnetoresistance and thermopower in interconnected NiCr and CoCr nanowire networks
Authors: da Câmara Santa Clara Gomes Tristan , Marchal Nicolas , Abreu Araujo Flavio , Piraux Luc
Published: December 2019

Magnetoresistance and thermopower of crossed NiCr and CoCr nanowire networks have been measured as a function of temperature and chromium content in dilute alloys. At low temperatures, it is found that the impurity effect leads to negative anisotropic magnetoresistance, an observation that even persists until room temperature in diluted CoCr alloy nanowires. The addition of a small amount of Cr in nickel nanowires also abruptly reverses the sign of the thermopower from −20 μV/K for pure Ni up to +18 μV/K for the dilute alloys, implying the switching from n- to p-type conduction. These results are consistent with pronounced changes in the density of states for the majority spin electrons. The high room-temperature power factors of these magnetic nanowire networks (in the range of 1–10 mW/K2 m) provide interesting perspectives for designing n- and p-type legs for flexible spin thermoelectric devices.
Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors fabricated from atomic-layer-deposited NbN
Authors: Cheng Risheng , Wang Sihao , Tang Hong X.
Published: December 2019

High-quality ultrathin films of niobium nitride (NbN) are developed by the plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) technique. Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors patterned from this material exhibit high switching currents and saturated internal efficiencies over a broad bias range at a telecommunication wavelength of 1550 nm. Statistical analyses on hundreds of fabricated devices show a near-unity throughput yield due to the exceptional homogeneity of the films. The ALD-NbN material represents an ideal superconducting material for fabricating large single-photon detector arrays combining high efficiency, low jitter, and low dark counts.
An efficient computational procedure to obtain a more stable glass structure
Authors: Urata Shingo
Published: December 2019

A huge gap in time between the experiment and the atomistic simulation restricts us from accessing a realistic glass structure, because the glass state is highly dependent on the cooling rate. In this study, to improve computational efficiency, we propose a simple but effective procedure, which enables us to explore a deeper basin in the energy landscape of glassy materials without a substantial increase in the computational cost. This method combines canonical ensemble molecular dynamics (MD) and energy minimization while controlling the stress of the MD system, and it is called the quasi-slow-quenching (QSQ) method. Herein, we measured the performance of the QSQ method using a binary silicate, (SiO2)80(Na2O)20, and we observed that a more stable configuration can be obtained in comparison with the conventional isobaric-isothermal MD method. The stable glass model appears to possess a lower glass transition temperature (Tg), confirming that the QSQ method finds a deeper local minimum closer to the super-cooled glass state. We also conducted further validation tests for various oxide glasses, including silicate, borate, phosphate, and their mixtures, and we verified that the QSQ method consistently enables the glassy materials to attain energetically more stable configurations and denser structures.
Getting the signatures of gallium oxide impurities
Authors: Patrick Chris
Published: December 2019

Obtaining the electron paramagnetic resonance signatures of cobalt and copper, two impurities often found in gallium oxide, could help control the properties of this promising semiconductor.
Generating large, tunable plasmas for practical applications
Authors: Bandari Anashe
Published: December 2019

A new method can vary operating parameters for a pulsed plasma created by combining a high-current hollow cathode discharge with a low-voltage glow discharge.
Wheat TaLr35PR2 gene is required for Lr35-mediated adult plant resistance against leaf rust fungus
Authors: Liang Fang , Du Xiong , Zhang Jiarui , Li Xiaoying , Wang Fei , Wang Haiyan , Liu Daqun
Published: December 2019

In this study we analysed the expression patterns of TaLr35PR2 and confirmed its role in Lr35-mediated adult resistance to leaf rust fungus. β-1,3-glucanase, a pathogenesis-related protein, has a critical function in plant defence response against fungal pathogens. We previously described the full-length gene TaLr35PR2, which encodes a protein exhibiting amino acid and structural similarity to β-1,3-glucanase, in the wheat near-isogenic line TcLr35 (GenBank accession number DQ294235.1). This work aimed to further assess TaLr35PR2 expression patterns and function in Lr35-mediated adult resistance to Puccinia triticina. Immunoblot was performed to demonstrate that TaLr35PR2 expression was triggered early by P. triticina, with expression levels markedly elevated in incompatible interaction compared with those in compatible one. Additionally, TaLr35PR2 accumulation steadily increased and overtly peaked after challenge with P. triticina through the various developmental stages of TcLr35 wheat, and remaining at similar levels after mock inoculation. Furthermore, TaLr35PR2 expression was significantly reduced in barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV)-induced gene knockdown plants, in which pathological assessment revealed that TaLr35PR2-silenced plants was obviously susceptible to leaf rust fungus compared with wild-type TcLr35, indicating that Lr35-mediated resistance to leaf rust was diminished. These findings strongly suggest that TaLr35PR2 is involved in Lr35-mediated wheat defence against the leaf rust pathogen.
Physiological response in the leaf and stolon of white clover under acid precipitation and freeze–thaw stress
Authors: Bao Guozhang , Tang Wenyi , He Fanglin , Chen Weiwei , Zhu Yue , Fan Cunxin , Zhang Mengyu , Chang Yixin , Sun Jiaxing , Ding Xuemei
Published: December 2019

Freeze–thaw (FT) in northern China is a common event in spring and autumn, and the release of sulfur dioxide from coal-burning in winter is apt to trigger acid precipitation. Both these stresses can aggravate the wintering ability of white clover (Trifolium repens L.). Acid precipitation and FT simulation experiments were carried out in the field and an indoor alternation refrigerator, respectively. The contents of soluble protein, soluble sugar, malondialdehyde (MDA), proline and antioxidant activity were tested under acid precipitation and FT stress. The results showed that under acid precipitation stress, the content of MDA, peroxidase and superoxide dismutase increased in both leaves and stolons, whereas soluble protein and soluble sugar content declined compared with the control groups. During the freezing period, the content of antioxidant enzyme activity, soluble protein and proline increased at first and then dropped, whereas MDA and soluble sugar content both increased. As a conclusion, the stolon of white clover is more sensitive than the leaf to short-term stress, either as the single FT stress or the combined stress of FT and acid precipitation, suggesting that maintaining more leaves can contribute to the resistance of white clover to these stresses.
C-terminal of ABCA1 separately regulates cholesterol floppase activity and cholesterol efflux activity
Authors: Okamoto Yusuke , Tomioka Maiko , Ogasawara Fumihiko , Nagaiwa Kota , Kimura Yasuhisa , Kioka Noriyuki , Ueda Kazumitsu
Published: December 2019

ATP-Binding Cassette A1 (ABCA1) is a key lipid transporter for cholesterol homeostasis. We recently reported that ABCA1 not only exports excess cholesterol in an apoA-I dependent manner, but that it also flops cholesterol from the inner to the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane. However, the relationship between these two activities of ABCA1 is still unclear. In this study, we analyzed the subcellular localization of ABCA1 by using a newly generated monoclonal antibody against its extracellular domain and the functions of eleven chimera proteins, in which the C-terminal domain of ABCA1 was replaced with those of the other ABCA subfamily members. We identified two motifs important for the functions of ABCA1. Three periodically repeated leucine residues were necessary for the cholesterol floppase activity but not the cholesterol efflux activity, while a VFVNFA motif was essential for both activities of ABCA1. These results suggest that the C-terminal of ABCA1 separately regulates the cholesterol floppase activity and the cholesterol efflux activity.
SNX27–retromer assembly recycles MT1-MMP to invadopodia and promotes breast cancer metastasis
Authors: Sharma Priyanka , Parveen Sameena , Shah Lekha V. , Mukherjee Madhumita , Kalaidzidis Yannis , Kozielski Anthony J. , Rosato Roberto , Chang Jenny C. , Datta Sunando
Published: December 2019

A variety of metastatic cancer cells use actin-rich membrane protrusions, known as invadopodia, for efficient ECM degradation, which involves trafficking of proteases from intracellular compartments to these structures. Here, we demonstrate that in the metastatic breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231, retromer regulates the matrix invasion activity by recycling matrix metalloprotease, MT1-MMP. We further found that MT2-MMP, another abundantly expressed metalloprotease, is also invadopodia associated. MT1- and MT2-MMP showed a high degree of colocalization but were located on the distinct endosomal domains. Retromer and its associated sorting nexin, SNX27, phenocopied each other in matrix degradation via selectively recycling MT1-MMP but not MT2-MMP. ITC-based studies revealed that both SNX27 and retromer could directly interact with MT1-MMP. Analysis from a publicly available database showed SNX27 to be overexpressed or frequently altered in the patients having invasive breast cancer. In xenograft-based studies, SNX27-depleted cell lines showed prolonged survival of SCID mice, suggesting a possible implication for overexpression of the sorting nexin in tumor samples.
Entosis and apical cell extrusion constitute a tumor-suppressive mechanism downstream of Matriptase
Authors: Armistead Joy , Hatzold Julia , van Roye Anna , Fahle Evelin , Hammerschmidt Matthias
Published: December 2019

The type II transmembrane serine protease Matriptase 1 (ST14) is commonly known as an oncogene, yet it also plays an understudied role in suppressing carcinogenesis. This double face is evident in the embryonic epidermis of zebrafish loss-of-function mutants in the cognate Matriptase inhibitor Hai1a (Spint1a). Mutant embryos display epidermal hyperplasia, but also apical cell extrusions, during which extruding outer keratinocytes carry out an entosis-like engulfment and entrainment of underlying basal cells, constituting a tumor-suppressive effect. These counteracting Matriptase effects depend on EGFR and the newly identified mediator phospholipase D (PLD), which promotes both mTORC1-dependent cell proliferation and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P)–dependent entosis and apical cell extrusion. Accordingly, hypomorphic hai1a mutants heal spontaneously, while otherwise lethal hai1a amorphs are efficiently rescued upon cotreatment with PLD inhibitors and S1P. Together, our data elucidate the mechanisms underlying the double face of Matriptase function in vivo and reveal the potential use of combinatorial carcinoma treatments when such double-face mechanisms are involved.
Loss of IL-10 signaling in macrophages limits bacterial killing driven by prostaglandin E2
Authors: Mukhopadhyay Subhankar , Heinz Eva , Porreca Immacolata , Alasoo Kaur , Yeung Amy , Yang Huei-Ting , Schwerd Tobias , Forbester Jessica L. , Hale Christine , Agu Chukwuma A. , Choi Yoon Ha , Rodrigues Julia , Capitani Melania , Jostins-Dean Luke , Thomas David C. , Travis Simon , Gaffney Daniel , Skarnes William C. , Thomson Nicholas , Uhlig Holm H. , Dougan Gordon , Powrie Fiona
Published: December 2019

Loss of IL-10 signaling in macrophages (Mφs) leads to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were generated from an infantile-onset IBD patient lacking a functional IL10RB gene. Mφs differentiated from IL-10RB−/− iPSCs lacked IL-10RB mRNA expression, were unable to phosphorylate STAT3, and failed to reduce LPS induced inflammatory cytokines in the presence of exogenous IL-10. IL-10RB−/− Mφs exhibited a striking defect in their ability to kill Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, which was rescuable after experimentally introducing functional copies of the IL10RB gene. Genes involved in synthesis and receptor pathways for eicosanoid prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) were more highly induced in IL-10RB−/− Mφs, and these Mφs produced higher amounts of PGE2 after LPS stimulation compared with controls. Furthermore, pharmacological inhibition of PGE2 synthesis and PGE2 receptor blockade enhanced bacterial killing in Mφs. These results identify a regulatory interaction between IL-10 and PGE2, dysregulation of which may drive aberrant Mφ activation and impaired host defense contributing to IBD pathogenesis.
Type III interferons: Balancing tissue tolerance and resistance to pathogen invasion
Authors: Broggi Achille , Granucci Francesca , Zanoni Ivan
Published: December 2019

Type III IFNs, or IFN-λ, are the newest members of the IFN family and were long believed to play roles that were redundant with those of type I IFNs. However, IFN-λ displays unique traits that delineate them as primary protectors of barrier integrity at mucosal sites. This unique role stems both from the restricted expression of IFN-λ receptor, confined to epithelial cells and to a limited pool of immune cells, and from unique immunomodulatory properties of IFN-λ. Here, we discuss recent findings that establish the unique capacity of IFN-λ to act at the barriers of the host to balance tissue tolerance and immune resistance against viral and bacterial challenges.
The transcription factor NFAT5 limits infection-induced type I interferon responses
Authors: Huerga Encabo Hector , Traveset Laia , Argilaguet Jordi , Angulo Ana , Nistal-Villán Estanislao , Jaiswal Rahul , Escalante Carlos R. , Gekas Christos , Meyerhans Andreas , Aramburu Jose , López-Rodríguez Cristina
Published: December 2019

Type I interferon (IFN-I) provides effective antiviral immunity but can exacerbate harmful inflammatory reactions and cause hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) exhaustion; therefore, IFN-I expression must be tightly controlled. While signaling mechanisms that limit IFN-I induction and function have been extensively studied, less is known about transcriptional repressors acting directly on IFN-I regulatory regions. We show that NFAT5, an activator of macrophage pro-inflammatory responses, represses Toll-like receptor 3 and virus-induced expression of IFN-I in macrophages and dendritic cells. Mice lacking NFAT5 exhibit increased IFN-I production and better control of viral burden upon LCMV infection but show exacerbated HSC activation under systemic poly(I:C)-induced inflammation. We identify IFNβ as a primary target repressed by NFAT5, which opposes the master IFN-I inducer IRF3 by binding to an evolutionarily conserved sequence in the IFNB1 enhanceosome that overlaps a key IRF site. These findings illustrate how IFN-I responses are balanced by simultaneously opposing transcription factors.
Type-I interferons in atherosclerosis
Authors: Chen Hung-Jen , Tas Sander W. , de Winther Menno P.J.
Published: December 2019

The contribution of dyslipidemia and inflammation in atherosclerosis is well established. Along with effective lipid-lowering treatments, the recent success of clinical trials with anti-inflammatory therapies and the accelerated atherosclerosis in many autoimmune diseases suggest that targeting inflammation may open new avenues for the prevention and the treatment for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). In the past decades, studies have widened the role of type-I interferons (IFNs) in disease, from antivirus defense to autoimmune responses and immuno-metabolic syndromes. While elevated type-I IFN level in serum is associated with CVD incidence in patients with interferonopathies, experimental data have attested that type-I IFNs affect plaque-residing macrophages, potentiate foam cell and extracellular trap formation, induce endothelial dysfunction, alter the phenotypes of dendritic cells and T and B lymphocytes, and lead to exacerbated atherosclerosis outcomes. In this review, we discuss the production and the effects of type-I IFNs in different atherosclerosis-associated cell types from molecular biology studies, animal models, and clinical observations, and the potential of new therapies against type-I IFN signaling for atherosclerosis.
c-Maf regulates the plasticity of group 3 innate lymphoid cells by restraining the type 1 program
Authors: Parker Morgan E. , Barrera Alejandro , Wheaton Joshua D. , Zuberbuehler Matthew K. , Allan David S.J. , Carlyle James R. , Reddy Timothy E. , Ciofani Maria
Published: December 2019

CCR6− group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s) are mediators of intestinal immunity and barrier function that possess the capacity to acquire type 1 effector features and fully convert into ILC1s. The molecular mechanisms governing such plasticity are undefined. Here, we identified c-Maf as an essential regulator of ILC3 homeostasis and plasticity that limits physiological ILC1 conversion. Phenotypic analysis of effector status in Maf-deficient CCR6− ILC3s, coupled with evaluation of global changes in transcriptome, chromatin accessibility, and transcription factor motif enrichment, revealed that c-Maf enforces ILC3 identity. c-Maf promoted ILC3 accessibility and supported RORγt activity and expression of type 3 effector genes. Conversely, c-Maf antagonized type 1 programming, largely through restraint of T-bet expression and function. Mapping of the dynamic changes in chromatin landscape accompanying CCR6− ILC3 development and ILC1 conversion solidified c-Maf as a gatekeeper of type 1 regulatory transformation and a controller of ILC3 fate.
EmrE reminds us to expect the unexpected in membrane transport
Authors: Grabe Michael , Zuckerman Daniel M. , Rosenberg John M.
Published: December 2019

Grabe et al. celebrate a new mathematical model of the multidrug transporter EmrE, constructed from NMR and stop flow kinetic data.
Optical far-field extinction of a single GaAs nanowire towards in situ size control of aerotaxy nanowire growth
Authors: Chen Yang , Anttu Nicklas , Sivakumar Sudhakar , Gompou Eleni , Magnusson Martin H
Published: December 2019

A substrate-free approach of semiconductor nanowire growth has been achieved by the aerotaxy technique previously. In this work, we propose an in situ method to monitor the size of nanowires through non-destructive optical-extinction measurements. Our work aims to build a theoretical look-up database of extinction spectra for a single nanowire of varying dimensions. We describe the origin of possible peaks in the spectra, for example due to nanowire-length dependent Fabry–Perot resonances and nanowire-diameter dependent TM and TE mode resonances. Furthermore, we show that the Au catalyst on top of the nanowire can be ignored in the simulations when the volume of the nanowire is an order of magnitude larger than that of the Au catalyst and the diameter is small compared to the incident wavelength. For the calculation of the extinction spectra, we use the finite element method, the discrete dipole approximation and the Mie theory. To compare with experimental measurements of randomly oriented nanowires, we perform an averaging over nanowire orientation for the modeled results. However, in the experiments, nanowires are accumulating on the quartz window of the measurement setup, which leads to increasing uncertainty in the comparison with the experimental extinction spectra. This uncertainty can be eliminated by considering both a sparse and a dense collection of nanowires on the quartz window in the optical simulations. Finally, we create a database of extinction spectra for a GaAs nanowire of varying diameters and lengths. This database can be used to estimate the diameter and the length of the nanowires by comparing the position of a peak and the peak-to-shoulder difference in the extinction spectrum. Possible tapering of nanowires can be monitored through the appearance of an additional peak at a wavelength of 700–800 nm.
A roadblock on the path to aquifer sustainability: underestimating the impact of pumping reductions
Authors: Butler J J , Bohling G C , Whittemore D O , Wilson B B
Published: December 2019

Depletion of aquifers across the globe is challenging our ability to maintain critically needed agricultural production and provide potable water supplies for millions. In most cases, the only option to decrease the rate of depletion is to reduce the pumping of groundwater. Although implementation of large-scale pumping reductions in the absence of alternative water sources has proven difficult, recent work has shown that locally based, stakeholder-driven initiatives, coupled with regulatory oversight, can be a promising path forward. A critical question is how much must pumping be reduced to have a significant impact on decline rates. Data limitations and modeling uncertainties, however, have frustrated efforts to answer this question with reliable estimates of the needed reductions. We address this situation using a variant of the water-balance equation to identify a key factor, the misestimation of specific yield, that is limiting our ability to assess the impact of proposed pumping reductions. We find that common modeling practices can lead to large overestimates of the required pumping reductions, thereby inadvertently discouraging conservation efforts. We demonstrate the importance of this general finding using data from the High Plains Aquifer in the central United States where common practices have led to overestimates of required pumping reductions by a factor of three to six. We introduce a new metric, the coefficient of variation of net inflow, to help identify such conditions. The reliability of estimates of the impact of pumping reductions can be greatly improved when the constraints imposed by this new metric are combined with a recently proposed method for estimation of specific yield from field data. The ramifications of these findings are far reaching, as defensible estimates of the impact of proposed pumping reductions are an essential element of efforts to chart more sustainable paths for the world’s heavily stressed aquifers.
Investigation of seaweed derivative iota-carrageenan based biopolymer electrolytes with lithium trifluoromethanesulfonate
Authors: Chitra R , Sathya P , Selvasekarapandian S , Meyvel S
Published: December 2019

In the present work, iota-carrageenan (i-carrageenan) biopolymer derived from edible seaweed has been chosen as the host polymer material for battery electrolyte. Ionic salt of lithium trifluoromethanesulfonate (LiCF3SO3) commonly known as lithium triflate has been added with the host polymer as a source of charge carriers. The polymer membranes of 1.0 g i-carrageenan with LiCF3SO3 of various compositions (0.1 wt% to 0.5 wt%) have been prepared by solution casting technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results indicate the enhancement in amorphous nature of polymer membranes due to the addition of LiCF3SO3. Complex formation between the salt and polymer has been studied by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The high ionic conductivity of 1.27 × 10−3 S cm−1 at room temperature is achieved with the combination of 1.0 g i-carrageenan : 0.4 wt% LiCF3SO3 by AC impedance analysis. Total ion transference number estimated for the highest conducting sample is 0.95 by Wagner’s DC polarization method and electrochemical stability of the same is 3.52 V by Linear Sweep Voltammetry (LSV) measurement. Lithium ion conducting battery has been fabricated using the highest conducting polymer membrane. Its open circuit voltage is measured as 1.70 V and its performance is studied.