bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
AFTER #[unassigned]: an Interview with James Saunders
Authors: Lash Dominic , Saunders James
Published: April 2016

I have long been intrigued by the way James Saunders’ music is at home both in the more canonical new music contexts (such as the Darmstädter Ferienkurse, Donaueschinger Musiktage or Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival) and in more underground, fugitive contexts. This may be because – unlike so many composers who tip the scales to one side or another – Saunders is equally interested in relationships between sounds and relationships between people. The following text explores the ways Saunders’ work has balanced these interests; it originated in an interview initiated by Simon Reynell to accompany the CD release of Saunders’ composition assigned #15, performed by Apartment House, on Reynell's Another Timbre label. We subsequently followed up with a second interview extending the discussion to more recent work.
Georg Friedrich Haas Morgen und Abend, Royal Opera House, London
Authors: Cagney Liam
Published: April 2016

Morgen und Abend is Georg Friedrich Haas's seventh opera, a co-commission by the Royal Opera in London and Deutsche Opera in Berlin. It is an hour-and-a-half long, and its libretto is adapted from the novel Morgon og Kveld (2000) by Norwegian author Jon Fosse, whose work Haas previously adapted in Melancholia for the Paris Opéra. Morgen und Abend's two continuous scenes present the life of fisherman Johannes by focusing on its two most salient moments – Johannes's birth (in the morning) and death (in the evening). In this strategy there is a slight, if inadvertent, echo of the lights on/lights off of Haas's In Vain.
Kammer Klang, Café Oto, London: 3 November and 1 December 2015
Authors: Graham Stephen
Published: April 2016

Kammer Klang is enjoying a purple patch. Based in East London's Café Oto, the series sits in a sweet spot between the rougher-edged music usually played at Oto and the more conventionally white cubed silence of new music. Audiences are generally relaxed in the setting, despite creaking chairs. The series' mixed programmes gel, with the distance between various featured musics growing ever smaller as cultural demographics continue to shift.
Melos-Ethos International Festival of Contemporary Music 2015
Authors: Zagorski Marcus
Published: April 2016

In the closing sentence of an essay titled ‘Music and New Music’, from 1960, Theodor Adorno claimed, with his characteristic lack of equivocation, that the difference between new music and music in general was akin to the difference between good music and bad music. His rather sweeping claim was mitigated somewhat by his definition of ‘new music’, which was highly restricted in terms of its technical and moral imperatives. With respect to technique and style, ‘new music’ for Adorno meant almost exclusively the freely atonal music of Schoenberg and his students. Morally speaking, ‘new music’ was defined as that which embodied a critical resistance to the existing order and preserved the freedom of subjective expression as demanded by a Hegelian view of history.
Steven Takasugi Sideshow, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University
Authors: Power Ian
Published: April 2016

Sideshow, for amplified octet and electronics by American composer Steven Takasugi, was given its US premiere by Talea Ensemble in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on 1 December 2015. A 2010 Guggenheim Foundation grant launched Takasugi's work on this hour-long piece, and the Bludenzer Tage zeitgemäßer Musik programmed the first performance in their November 2015 festival. The piece was eagerly anticipated, not least because an excerpt of it featured in Manchester-based Distractfold Ensemble's programme at Darmstadt in 2014, a performance that earned them the Kranichsteiner performance prize that year.
Erotic asceticism: the razor's edge observance (asidhārāvrata) and the early history of tantric coital ritual
Authors: Hatley Shaman
Published: April 2016

This essay examines shifting representations of theasidhārāvrata(lit. “sword's edge observance”) across a range of Sanskrit literary and religious texts. Originally a Brāhmaṇical ascetic discipline, an observance (vrata) by this name is the earliest ritual involving sexual contact documented in the corpus of Śaivatantras. In its tantric adaptation, an orthodox practice for the cultivation of sensory restraint was transformed into a means for supernatural attainment (siddhi). Diachronic study of the observance in three early Śaiva texts – theNiśvāsatattvasaṃhitā, Mataṅgapārameśvara, andBrahmayāmala– reveals changes in ritual emphases, women's roles, and the nature of engagement in eroticism. Analysis of theasidhārāvratathus sheds light on the early history of tantric sexual rituals, which by the end of the first millennium had become highly diverse. It is argued that the observance became increasingly obsolete with the rise of Śaiva sexual practices more magical, ecstatic, or gnostic in orientation.
The shifting salience of democratic governance: Evidence from the United Nations General Assembly General Debates
Authors: Hecht Catherine
Published: April 2016

How has the salience of democratic governance varied as an issue and as a basis of social status in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) over time? International Relations (IR) scholars typically assume a high salience of democratic governance in international society after the Cold War, yet evidence suggests important fluctuations and that these assumptions should be qualified. This article presents quantitative and qualitative results of a manually-coded content analysis of the UNGA General Debates between 1992 and 2014, with comparison to 1982, illustrating variation in the frequency and content of state representatives’ references to democracy and the use of democratic governance as a symbol of status. What factors influence the salience of a given dimension of social status in an international organisation? Explanations supplement IR approaches with insights from social psychology, including the relevance of high and low identifiers, accessibility, fit, current and anticipated group status, and regional status concerns. The article analyses trends in states’ support for principles underpinning international order, which have broader implications for literature on global governance and status in world politics as well as for international democracy support.
Simplified Constellation Architecture for the Libration Point Satellite Navigation System
Authors: Zhang Lei , Xu Bo
Published: April 2016

In this paper, a simplified constellation architecture consisting of only two navigation satellites located around the Earth-Moon L1,2 libration points is obtained for the Universe Lighthouse. In order to determine the feasible constellations that can achieve continuous global coverage for lunar orbits, an exhaustive search over all possible combinations of libration point orbits is performed first. With the use of a fitting procedure, amplitude relations between the feasible L1 and L2 libration point orbits are derived by polynomial interpolation. After that, a cislunar navigation simulation is conducted to verify the navigation performance of the candidate two-satellite constellations. The final Monte Carlo simulation results indicate that the simplified system is available for cislunar navigation and the best accuracy of a few tens of metres can be achieved for both the trans-lunar cruise phase and lunar orbit phase.
Seasonal and Weather Effects on Older Drivers’ Trip Distances
Authors: Smith Glenys A. , Porter Michelle M. , Cull Andrew W. , Mazer Barbara L. , Myers Anita M. , Naglie Gary , Bédard Michel , Tuokko Holly A. , Vrkljan Brenda H. , Gélinas Isabelle , Marshall Shawn C. , Rapoport Mark J.
Published: April 2016

Le but de cette étude a été de déterminer si la saison ou la météo, mesurées objectivement, ont affecté les distances des trajets parcourus par les conducteurs âgés (≥ 70 ans, n = 279) à travers sept sites canadiens. Pendant l’hiver, pour tous les voyages effectués, la distance était de 7 pour cent plus court, lors du contrôle pour le site et si le voyage a eu lieu pendant la journée. En outre, pour les déplacements effectués dans les limites de la ville, la distance était de 1 pour cent plus courte en hiver et 5 pour cent plus en cas de pluie, par rapport à aucune précipitation, tout en contrôlant pour le temps (ou la saison, respectivement), le moment de la journée, et le site. La nuit, contrairement à toute attente, la distance des voyages était d’environ 30 pour cent plus, lors de la commande pour la saison et le site (et la météo). Pris ensemble, ces résultats suggèrent que les conducteurs canadiens âgés modifient leurs distances de déplacement basé sur la saison, les conditions météorologiques, et l’heure de la journée, mais pas toujours dans le sens attendu.
Testing noninterference, quickly
Authors: HRIŢCU CĂTĂLIN , LAMPROPOULOS LEONIDAS , SPECTOR-ZABUSKY ANTAL , AZEVEDO DE AMORIM ARTHUR , DÉNÈS MAXIME , HUGHES JOHN , PIERCE BENJAMIN C. , VYTINIOTIS DIMITRIOS
Published: April 2016

Information-flow control mechanisms are difficult both to design and to prove correct. To reduce the time wasted on doomed proof attempts due to broken definitions, we advocate modern random-testing techniques for finding counterexamples during the design process. We show how to use QuickCheck, a property-based random-testing tool, to guide the design of increasingly complex information-flow abstract machines, leading up to a sophisticated register machine with a novel and highly permissive flow-sensitive dynamic enforcement mechanism that is sound in the presence of first-class public labels. We find that both sophisticated strategies for generating well-distributed random programs and readily falsifiable formulations of noninterference properties are critically important for efficient testing. We propose several approaches and evaluate their effectiveness on a collection of injected bugs of varying subtlety. We also present an effective technique for shrinking large counterexamples to minimal, easily comprehensible ones. Taken together, our best methods enable us to quickly and automatically generate simple counterexamples for more than 45 bugs. Moreover, we show how testing guides the discovery of the sophisticated invariants needed for the noninterference proof of our most complex machine.
My Conscience May Be My Guide, but You May Not Need to Honor It
Authors: LAFOLLETTE HUGH
Published: April 2016

A number of healthcare professionals assert a right to be exempt from performing some actions currently designated as part of their standard professional responsibilities. Most advocates claim that they should be excused from these duties simply by averring that they are conscientiously opposed to performing them. They believe that they need not explain or justify their decisions to anyone, nor should they suffer any undesirable consequences of such refusal.

Those who claim this right err by blurring or conflating three issues about the nature and role of conscience, and its significance in determining what other people should permit them to do (or not do). Many who criticize those asserting an exemption conflate the same questions and blur the same distinctions, if not expressly, by failing to acknowledge that sometimes a morally serious agent should not do what she might otherwise be expected to do. Neither side seems to acknowledge that in some cases both claims are true. I identify these conflations and specify conditions in which a professional might reasonably refuse to do what she is required to do. Then I identify conditions in which the public should exempt a professional from some of her responsibilities. I argue that professionals should refuse far less often than most advocates do . . . and that they should be even less frequently exempt. Finally, there are compelling reasons why we could not implement a consistent policy giving advocates what they want, likely not even in qualified form.
Measurements of Oxychlorine species on Mars
Authors: Sutter B. , Quinn R. C. , Archer P. D. , Glavin D. P. , Glotch T. D. , Kounaves S. P. , Osterloo M. M. , Rampe E. B. , Ming D. W.
Published: April 2016

Mars landed and orbiter missions have instrumentation capable of detecting oxychlorine phases (e.g. perchlorate, chlorate) on the surface. Perchlorate (~0.6 wt%) was first detected by the Wet Chemistry Laboratory in the surface material at the Phoenix Mars Landing site. Subsequent analyses by the Thermal Evolved Gas Analyser aboard the same lander detected an oxygen release (~465°C) consistent with the thermal decomposition of perchlorate. Recent thermal analysis by the Mars Science Laboratory's Sample Analysis at Mars instrument has also indicated the presence of oxychlorine phases (up to 1.2 wt%) in Gale Crater materials. Despite being at detectable concentrations, the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) X-ray diffractometer has not detected oxychlorine phases. This suggests that Gale Crater oxychlorine may exist as poorly crystalline phases or that perchlorate/chlorate mixtures exist, so that individual oxychlorine concentrations are below CheMin detection limits (~1 wt%). Although not initially designed to detect oxychlorine phases, reinterpretation of Viking Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometer data also suggest that oxychlorine phases are present in the Viking surface materials. Remote near-infrared spectral analyses by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) instrument indicate that at least some martian recurring slope lineae (RSL) have spectral signatures consistent with the presence of hydrated perchlorates or chlorates during the seasons when RSL are most extensive. Despite the thermal emission spectrometer, Thermal Emission Imaging System, Observatoire pour la Minéralogie, l'Eau, les Glaces et l'Activité and CRISM detection of hundreds of anhydrous chloride (~10–25 vol%) deposits, expected associated oxychlorine phases (>5–10 vol%) have not been detected. Total Cl and oxychlorine data sets from the Phoenix Lander and the Mars Science Laboratory missions could be used to develop oxychlorine versus total Cl correlations, which may constrain oxychlorine concentrations at other locations on Mars by using total Cl determined by other missions (e.g. Viking, Pathfinder, MER and Odyssey). Development of microfluidic or ‘lab-on-a-chip’ instrumentation has the potential to be the next generation analytical capability used to identify and quantify individual oxychlorine species on future landed robotic missions to Mars.
The interchange of immunophilins leads to parallel pathways and different intermediates in the assembly of Hsp90 glucocorticoid receptor complexes
Authors: Ebong Ima-obong , Beilsten-Edmands Victoria , Patel Nisha A , Morgner Nina , Robinson Carol V
Published: April 2016

Hormone receptors require participation of the chaperones Hsp40/Hsp70 to form client-transfer complexes with Hsp90/Hop. Interaction with the co-chaperone p23 releases Hop and Hsp70, and the immunophilin FKBP52 mediates transfer of the Hsp90-receptor complex to the nucleus. Inhibition of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) transport by FKBP51, but not by FKBP52, has been observed at the cellular level, but the subunit composition of the intermediates involved has not been deduced. Here we use mass spectrometry to show that FKBP51/52 form analogous complexes with GR/Hsp90/Hop/Hsp70/ATP, but differences emerge upon addition of p23 to client-transfer complexes. When FKBP51 is present, a stable intermediate is formed (FKBP51)1(GR)1(Hsp90)2(p23)2 by expulsion of Hsp70 and Hop. By contrast, in the presence of FKBP52, ejection of p23 also takes place to form the nuclear transfer complex (FKBP52)1(GR)1(Hsp90)2. Our results are therefore consistent with pathways in which FKBP51/52 are interchangeable during the early assembly reactions. Following interaction with p23, however, the pathways diverge with FKBP51 sequestering GR in a stable intermediate complex with p23. By contrast, binding of FKBP52 occurs almost concomitantly with release of p23 to form a highly dynamic transfer complex, primed for interaction with the dynactin transport machinery.
Evolutionary tradeoffs in cellular composition across diverse bacteria
Authors: Kempes Christopher P , Wang Lawrence , Amend Jan P , Doyle John , Hoehler Tori
Published: April 2016

One of the most important classic and contemporary interests in biology is the connection between cellular composition and physiological function. Decades of research have allowed us to understand the detailed relationship between various cellular components and processes for individual species, and have uncovered common functionality across diverse species. However, there still remains the need for frameworks that can mechanistically predict the tradeoffs between cellular functions and elucidate and interpret average trends across species. Here we provide a comprehensive analysis of how cellular composition changes across the diversity of bacteria as connected with physiological function and metabolism, spanning five orders of magnitude in body size. We present an analysis of the trends with cell volume that covers shifts in genomic, protein, cellular envelope, RNA and ribosomal content. We show that trends in protein content are more complex than a simple proportionality with the overall genome size, and that the number of ribosomes is simply explained by cross-species shifts in biosynthesis requirements. Furthermore, we show that the largest and smallest bacteria are limited by physical space requirements. At the lower end of size, cell volume is dominated by DNA and protein content—the requirement for which predicts a lower limit on cell size that is in good agreement with the smallest observed bacteria. At the upper end of bacterial size, we have identified a point at which the number of ribosomes required for biosynthesis exceeds available cell volume. Between these limits we are able to discuss systematic and dramatic shifts in cellular composition. Much of our analysis is connected with the basic energetics of cells where we show that the scaling of metabolic rate is surprisingly superlinear with all cellular components.
A barrier to homologous recombination between sympatric strains of the cooperative soil bacterium Myxococcus xanthus
Authors: Wielgoss Sébastien , Didelot Xavier , Chaudhuri Roy R , Liu Xuan , Weedall Gareth D , Velicer Gregory J , Vos Michiel
Published: April 2016

The bacterium Myxococcus xanthus glides through soil in search of prey microbes, but when food sources run out, cells cooperatively construct and sporulate within multicellular fruiting bodies. M. xanthus strains isolated from a 16 × 16-cm-scale patch of soil were previously shown to have diversified into many distinct compatibility types that are distinguished by the failure of swarming colonies to merge upon encounter. We sequenced the genomes of 22 isolates from this population belonging to the two most frequently occurring multilocus sequence type (MLST) clades to trace patterns of incipient genomic divergence, specifically related to social divergence. Although homologous recombination occurs frequently within the two MLST clades, we find an almost complete absence of recombination events between them. As the two clades are very closely related and live in sympatry, either ecological or genetic barriers must reduce genetic exchange between them. We find that the rate of change in the accessory genome is greater than the rate of amino-acid substitution in the core genome. We identify a large genomic tract that consistently differs between isolates that do not freely merge and therefore is a candidate region for harbouring gene(s) responsible for self/non-self discrimination.
Engineered kinesin motor proteins amenable to small-molecule inhibition
Authors: Engelke Martin F. , Winding Michael , Yue Yang , Shastry Shankar , Teloni Federico , Reddy Sanjay , Blasius T. Lynne , Soppina Pushpanjali , Hancock William O. , Gelfand Vladimir I. , Verhey Kristen J.
Published: April 2016

The human genome encodes 45 kinesin motor proteins that drive cell division, cell motility, intracellular trafficking and ciliary function. Determining the cellular function of each kinesin would benefit from specific small-molecule inhibitors. However, screens have yielded only a few specific inhibitors. Here we present a novel chemical-genetic approach to engineer kinesin motors that can carry out the function of the wild-type motor yet can also be efficiently inhibited by small, cell-permeable molecules. Using kinesin-1 as a prototype, we develop two independent strategies to generate inhibitable motors, and characterize the resulting inhibition in single-molecule assays and in cells. We further apply these two strategies to create analogously inhibitable kinesin-3 motors. These inhibitable motors will be of great utility to study the functions of specific kinesins in a dynamic manner in cells and animals. Furthermore, these strategies can be used to generate inhibitable versions of any motor protein of interest.
Giant photostriction in organic–inorganic lead halide perovskites
Authors: Zhou Yang , You Lu , Wang Shiwei , Ku Zhiliang , Fan Hongjin , Schmidt Daniel , Rusydi Andrivo , Chang Lei , Wang Le , Ren Peng , Chen Liufang , Yuan Guoliang , Chen Lang , Wang Junling
Published: April 2016

Among the many materials investigated for next-generation photovoltaic cells, organic–inorganic lead halide perovskites have demonstrated great potential thanks to their high power conversion efficiency and solution processability. Within a short period of about 5 years, the efficiency of solar cells based on these materials has increased dramatically from 3.8 to over 20%. Despite the tremendous progress in device performance, much less is known about the underlying photophysics involving charge–orbital–lattice interactions and the role of the organic molecules in this hybrid material remains poorly understood. Here, we report a giant photostrictive response, that is, light-induced lattice change, of >1,200 p.p.m. in methylammonium lead iodide, which could be the key to understand its superior optical properties. The strong photon-lattice coupling also opens up the possibility of employing these materials in wireless opto-mechanical devices.
Hemi-methylated DNA opens a closed conformation of UHRF1 to facilitate its histone recognition
Authors: Fang Jian , Cheng Jingdong , Wang Jiaolong , Zhang Qiao , Liu Mengjie , Gong Rui , Wang Ping , Zhang Xiaodan , Feng Yangyang , Lan Wenxian , Gong Zhou , Tang Chun , Wong Jiemin , Yang Huirong , Cao Chunyang , Xu Yanhui
Published: April 2016

UHRF1 is an important epigenetic regulator for maintenance DNA methylation. UHRF1 recognizes hemi-methylated DNA (hm-DNA) and trimethylation of histone H3K9 (H3K9me3), but the regulatory mechanism remains unknown. Here we show that UHRF1 adopts a closed conformation, in which a C-terminal region (Spacer) binds to the tandem Tudor domain (TTD) and inhibits H3K9me3 recognition, whereas the SET-and-RING-associated (SRA) domain binds to the plant homeodomain (PHD) and inhibits H3R2 recognition. Hm-DNA impairs the intramolecular interactions and promotes H3K9me3 recognition by TTD–PHD. The Spacer also facilitates UHRF1–DNMT1 interaction and enhances hm-DNA-binding affinity of the SRA. When TTD–PHD binds to H3K9me3, SRA-Spacer may exist in a dynamic equilibrium: either recognizes hm-DNA or recruits DNMT1 to chromatin. Our study reveals the mechanism for regulation of H3K9me3 and hm-DNA recognition by URHF1.
Balancing surface adsorption and diffusion of lithium-polysulfides on nonconductive oxides for lithium–sulfur battery design
Authors: Tao Xinyong , Wang Jianguo , Liu Chong , Wang Haotian , Yao Hongbin , Zheng Guangyuan , Seh Zhi Wei , Cai Qiuxia , Li Weiyang , Zhou Guangmin , Zu Chenxi , Cui Yi
Published: April 2016

Lithium–sulfur batteries have attracted attention due to their six-fold specific energy compared with conventional lithium-ion batteries. Dissolution of lithium polysulfides, volume expansion of sulfur and uncontrollable deposition of lithium sulfide are three of the main challenges for this technology. State-of-the-art sulfur cathodes based on metal-oxide nanostructures can suppress the shuttle-effect and enable controlled lithium sulfide deposition. However, a clear mechanistic understanding and corresponding selection criteria for the oxides are still lacking. Herein, various nonconductive metal-oxide nanoparticle-decorated carbon flakes are synthesized via a facile biotemplating method. The cathodes based on magnesium oxide, cerium oxide and lanthanum oxide show enhanced cycling performance. Adsorption experiments and theoretical calculations reveal that polysulfide capture by the oxides is via monolayered chemisorption. Moreover, we show that better surface diffusion leads to higher deposition efficiency of sulfide species on electrodes. Hence, oxide selection is proposed to balance optimization between sulfide-adsorption and diffusion on the oxides.
Sialylation converts arthritogenic IgG into inhibitors of collagen-induced arthritis
Authors: Ohmi Yuhsuke , Ise Wataru , Harazono Akira , Takakura Daisuke , Fukuyama Hidehiro , Baba Yoshihiro , Narazaki Masashi , Shoda Hirofumi , Takahashi Nobunori , Ohkawa Yuki , Ji Shuting , Sugiyama Fumihiro , Fujio Keishi , Kumanogoh Atsushi , Yamamoto Kazuhiko , Kawasaki Nana , Kurosaki Tomohiro , Takahashi Yoshimasa , Furukawa Koichi
Published: April 2016

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-associated IgG antibodies such as anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs) have diverse glycosylation variants; however, key sugar chains modulating the arthritogenic activity of IgG remain to be clarified. Here, we show that reduced sialylation is a common feature of RA-associated IgG in humans and in mouse models of arthritis. Genetically blocking sialylation in activated B cells results in exacerbation of joint inflammation in a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model. On the other hand, artificial sialylation of anti-type II collagen antibodies, including ACPAs, not only attenuates arthritogenic activity, but also suppresses the development of CIA in the antibody-infused mice, whereas sialylation of other IgG does not prevent CIA. Thus, our data demonstrate that sialylation levels control the arthritogenicity of RA-associated IgG, presenting a potential target for antigen-specific immunotherapy.
Airway bacteria drive a progressive COPD-like phenotype in mice with polymeric immunoglobulin receptor deficiency
Authors: Richmond Bradley W. , Brucker Robert M. , Han Wei , Du Rui-Hong , Zhang Yongqin , Cheng Dong-Sheng , Gleaves Linda , Abdolrasulnia Rasul , Polosukhina Dina , Clark Peter E. , Bordenstein Seth R. , Blackwell Timothy S. , Polosukhin Vasiliy V.
Published: April 2016

Mechanisms driving persistent airway inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are incompletely understood. As secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) deficiency in small airways has been reported in COPD patients, we hypothesized that immunobarrier dysfunction resulting from reduced SIgA contributes to chronic airway inflammation and disease progression. Here we show that polymeric immunoglobulin receptor-deficient (pIgR−/−) mice, which lack SIgA, spontaneously develop COPD-like pathology as they age. Progressive airway wall remodelling and emphysema in pIgR−/− mice are associated with an altered lung microbiome, bacterial invasion of the airway epithelium, NF-κB activation, leukocyte infiltration and increased expression of matrix metalloproteinase-12 and neutrophil elastase. Re-derivation of pIgR−/− mice in germ-free conditions or treatment with the anti-inflammatory phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor roflumilast prevents COPD-like lung inflammation and remodelling. These findings show that pIgR/SIgA deficiency in the airways leads to persistent activation of innate immune responses to resident lung microbiota, driving progressive small airway remodelling and emphysema.
Generation of large coherent states by bang–bang control of a trapped-ion oscillator
Authors: Alonso J. , Leupold F. M. , Solèr Z. U. , Fadel M. , Marinelli M. , Keitch B. C. , Negnevitsky V. , Home J. P.
Published: April 2016

Fast control of quantum systems is essential to make use of quantum properties before they degrade by decoherence. This is important for quantum-enhanced information processing, as well as for pushing quantum systems towards the boundary between quantum and classical physics. ‘Bang–bang’ control attains the ultimate speed limit by making large changes to control fields much faster than the system can respond, but is often challenging to implement experimentally. Here we demonstrate bang–bang control of a trapped-ion oscillator using nanosecond switching of the trapping potentials. We perform controlled displacements with which we realize coherent states with up to 10,000 quanta of energy. We use these displaced states to verify the form of the ion-light interaction at high excitations far outside the usual regime of operation. These methods provide new possibilities for quantum-state manipulation and generation, alongside the potential for a significant increase in operational clock speed for trapped-ion quantum information processing.
Localisation and protein-protein interactions of the Helicobacter pylori taxis sensor TlpD and their connection to metabolic functions
Authors: Behrens Wiebke , Schweinitzer Tobias , McMurry Jonathan L. , Loewen Peter C. , Buettner Falk F.R. , Menz Sarah , Josenhans Christine
Published: April 2016

The Helicobacter pylori energy sensor TlpD determines tactic behaviour under low energy conditions and is important in vivo. We explored protein-protein interactions of TlpD and their impact on TlpD localisation and function. Pull-down of tagged TlpD identified protein interaction partners of TlpD, which included the chemotaxis histidine kinase CheAY2, the central metabolic enzyme aconitase (AcnB) and the detoxifying enzyme catalase (KatA). We confirmed that KatA and AcnB physically interact with TlpD. While the TlpD-dependent behavioural response appeared not influenced in the interactor mutants katA and acnB in steady-state behavioural assays, acetone carboxylase subunit (acxC) mutant behaviour was altered. TlpD was localised in a bipolar subcellular pattern in media of high energy. We observed a significant change in TlpD localisation towards the cell body in cheAY2-, catalase- or aconitase-deficient bacteria or in bacteria incubated under low energy conditions, including oxidative stress or respiratory inhibition. Inactivation of tlpD resulted in an increased sensitivity to iron limitation and oxidative stress and influenced the H. pylori transcriptome. Oxidative stress, iron limitation and overexpressing the iron-sulfur repair system nifSU altered TlpD-dependent behaviour. We propose that TlpD localisation is instructed by metabolic activity and protein interactions, and its sensory activity is linked to iron-sulfur cluster integrity.
Discovery of a small-molecule binder of the oncoprotein gankyrin that modulates gankyrin activity in the cell
Authors: Chattopadhyay Anasuya , O’Connor Cornelius J. , Zhang Fengzhi , Galvagnion Celine , Galloway Warren R. J. D. , Tan Yaw Sing , Stokes Jamie E. , Rahman Taufiq , Verma Chandra , Spring David R. , Itzhaki Laura S.
Published: April 2016

Gankyrin is an ankyrin-repeat oncoprotein whose overexpression has been implicated in the development of many cancer types. Elevated gankyrin levels are linked to aberrant cellular events including enhanced degradation of tumour suppressor protein p53 and inhibition of gankyrin activity has therefore been identified as an attractive anticancer strategy. Gankyrin interacts with several partner proteins and a number of these protein-protein interactions (PPIs) are of relevance to cancer. Thus, molecules that bind the PPI interface of gankyrin and interrupt these interactions are of considerable interest. Herein, we report the discovery of a small molecule termed cjoc42 that is capable of binding to gankyrin. Cell-based experiments demonstrate that cjoc42 can inhibit gankyrin activity in a dose-dependent manner: cjoc42 prevents the decrease in p53 protein levels normally associated with high amounts of gankyrin and it restores p53-dependent transcription and sensitivity to DNA damage. The results represent the first evidence that gankyrin is a “druggable” target with small molecules.
A snail-eating snake recognizes prey handedness
Authors: Danaisawadi Patchara , Asami Takahiro , Ota Hidetoshi , Sutcharit Chirasak , Panha Somsak
Published: April 2016

Specialized predator-prey interactions can be a driving force for their coevolution. Southeast Asian snail-eating snakes (Pareas) have more teeth on the right mandible and specialize in predation on the clockwise-coiled (dextral) majority in shelled snails by soft-body extraction. Snails have countered the snakes’ dextral-predation by recurrent coil reversal, which generates diverse counterclockwise-coiled (sinistral) prey where Pareas snakes live. However, whether the snake predator in turn evolves any response to prey reversal is unknown. We show that Pareas carinatus living with abundant sinistrals avoids approaching or striking at a sinistral that is more difficult and costly to handle than a dextral. Whenever it strikes, however, the snake succeeds in predation by handling dextral and sinistral prey in reverse. In contrast, P. iwasakii with little access to sinistrals on small peripheral islands attempts and frequently misses capturing a given sinistral. Prey-handedness recognition should be advantageous for right-handed snail-eating snakes where frequently encountering sinistrals. Under dextral-predation by Pareas snakes, adaptive fixation of a prey population for a reversal gene instantaneously generates a sinistral species because interchiral mating is rarely possible. The novel warning, instead of sheltering, effect of sinistrality benefitting both predators and prey could further accelerate single-gene ecological speciation by left-right reversal.
Reverse genetics in high throughput: rapid generation of complete negative strand RNA virus cDNA clones and recombinant viruses thereof
Authors: Nolden T. , Pfaff F. , Nemitz S. , Freuling C. M. , Höper D. , Müller T. , Finke Stefan
Published: April 2016

Reverse genetics approaches are indispensable tools for proof of concepts in virus replication and pathogenesis. For negative strand RNA viruses (NSVs) the limited number of infectious cDNA clones represents a bottleneck as clones are often generated from cell culture adapted or attenuated viruses, with limited potential for pathogenesis research. We developed a system in which cDNA copies of complete NSV genomes were directly cloned into reverse genetics vectors by linear-to-linear RedE/T recombination. Rapid cloning of multiple rabies virus (RABV) full length genomes and identification of clones identical to field virus consensus sequence confirmed the approache’s reliability. Recombinant viruses were recovered from field virus cDNA clones. Similar growth kinetics of parental and recombinant viruses, preservation of field virus characters in cell type specific replication and virulence in the mouse model were confirmed. Reduced titers after reporter gene insertion indicated that the low level of field virus replication is affected by gene insertions. The flexibility of the strategy was demonstrated by cloning multiple copies of an orthobunyavirus L genome segment. This important step in reverse genetics technology development opens novel avenues for the analysis of virus variability combined with phenotypical characterization of recombinant viruses at a clonal level.
High mobility and high stability glassy metal-oxynitride materials and devices
Authors: Lee Eunha , Kim Taeho , Benayad Anass , Hur Jihyun , Park Gyeong-Su , Jeon Sanghun
Published: April 2016

In thin film technology, future semiconductor and display products with high performance, high density, large area, and ultra high definition with three-dimensional functionalities require high performance thin film transistors (TFTs) with high stability. Zinc oxynitride, a composite of zinc oxide and zinc nitride, has been conceded as a strong substitute to conventional semiconductor film such as silicon and indium gallium zinc oxide due to high mobility value. However, zinc oxynitride has been suffered from poor reproducibility due to relatively low binding energy of nitrogen with zinc, resulting in the instability of composition and its device performance. Here we performed post argon plasma process on zinc oxynitride film, forming nano-crystalline structure in stable amorphous matrix which hampers the reaction of oxygen with zinc. Therefore, material properties and device performance of zinc oxynitride are greatly enhanced, exhibiting robust compositional stability even exposure to air, uniform phase, high electron mobility, negligible fast transient charging and low noise characteristics. Furthermore, We expect high mobility and high stability zinc oxynitride customized by plasma process to be applicable to a broad range of semiconductor and display devices.
Optogenetic approaches addressing extracellular modulation of neural excitability
Authors: Ferenczi Emily A. , Vierock Johannes , Atsuta-Tsunoda Kyoko , Tsunoda Satoshi P. , Ramakrishnan Charu , Gorini Christopher , Thompson Kimberly , Lee Soo Yeun , Berndt Andre , Perry Chelsey , Minniberger Sonja , Vogt Arend , Mattis Joanna , Prakash Rohit , Delp Scott , Deisseroth Karl , Hegemann Peter
Published: April 2016

The extracellular ionic environment in neural tissue has the capacity to influence and be influenced by, natural bouts of neural activity. We employed optogenetic approaches to control and investigate these interactions within and between cells and across spatial scales. We began by developing a temporally precise means to study microdomain-scale interactions between extracellular protons and acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs). By coupling single-component proton-transporting optogenetic tools to ASICs to create two-component optogenetic constructs (TCOs), we found that acidification of the local extracellular membrane surface by a light-activated proton pump recruited a slow inward ASIC current, which required molecular proximity of the two components on the membrane. To elicit more global effects of activity modulation on ‘bystander’ neurons not under direct control, we used densely-expressed depolarizing (ChR2) or hyperpolarizing (eArch3.0, eNpHR3.0) tools to create a slow non-synaptic membrane current in bystander neurons, which matched the current direction seen in the directly modulated neurons. Extracellular protons played contributory role but were insufficient to explain the entire bystander effect, suggesting the recruitment of other mechanisms. Together, these findings present a new approach to the engineering of multicomponent optogenetic tools to manipulate ionic microdomains and probe the complex neuronal-extracellular space interactions that regulate neural excitability.
The resveratrol-enriched rice DJ526 boosts motor coordination and physical strength
Authors: Chung Hea-Jong , Sharma Satya Priya , Kim Hyeon-Jin , Baek So-Hyeon , Hong Seong-Tshool
Published: April 2016

The main objective of current genetic modifications in crops is to boost agricultural production or to develop GM crops with an improved nutrient profile by introducing a new trait to the plants. A GM crop surpassing the ability of the introduced genetic characteristics has not been developed yet. Here, we show that the resveratrol-enriched rice DJ526, a GM crop, has unexpectedly high beneficial health effects surpassing the introduced genetic characteristic of resveratrol synthetic ability. The synergistic effect of its innate and transgenic properties not only ameliorates age-related deterioration but also boosts motor coordination and physical strength during the aging process. The gene expression profiling analyses by DNA chip showed that the gene expression pattern of mice fed resveratrol-enriched rice DJ526 was very different from mice fed either resveratrol or Dongjin rice alone, respectively, modifying expression of genes related to aging regulation, cell differentiation, extracellular matrix, neurogenesis, or secretion.
Protein Repeats from First Principles
Authors: Turjanski Pablo , Parra R. Gonzalo , Espada Rocío , Becher Verónica , Ferreiro Diego U.
Published: April 2016

Some natural proteins display recurrent structural patterns. Despite being highly similar at the tertiary structure level, repeating patterns within a single repeat protein can be extremely variable at the sequence level. We use a mathematical definition of a repetition and investigate the occurrences of these in sequences of different protein families. We found that long stretches of perfect repetitions are infrequent in individual natural proteins, even for those which are known to fold into structures of recurrent structural motifs. We found that natural repeat proteins are indeed repetitive in their families, exhibiting abundant stretches of 6 amino acids or longer that are perfect repetitions in the reference family. We provide a systematic quantification for this repetitiveness. We show that this form of repetitiveness is not exclusive of repeat proteins, but also occurs in globular domains. A by-product of this work is a fast quantification of the likelihood of a protein to belong to a family.
Structural basis for the membrane association of ankyrinG via palmitoylation
Authors: Fujiwara Yuichiro , Kondo Hiroko X. , Shirota Matsuyuki , Kobayashi Megumi , Takeshita Kohei , Nakagawa Atsushi , Okamura Yasushi , Kinoshita Kengo
Published: April 2016

By clustering various ion channels and transporters, ankyrin-G (AnkG) configures the membrane-excitation platforms in neurons and cardiomyocytes. AnkG itself localizes to specific areas on the plasma membrane via s-palmitoylation of Cys. However, the structural mechanism by which AnkG anchors to the membrane is not understood. In this study, we solved the crystal structures of the reduced and oxidized forms of the AnkG s-palmitoylation domain and used multiple long-term coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to analyze their membrane association. Here we report that the membrane anchoring of AnkG was facilitated by s-palmitoylation, defining a stable binding interface on the lipid membrane and that AnkG without s-palmitoylation also preferred to stay near the membrane but did not have a unique binding interface. This suggests that AnkG in the juxtamembrane region is primed to accept lipid modification at Cys and once that happens AnkG constitutes a rigid structural base upon which a membrane-excitation platform can be assembled.
Controlling the Adhesion of Superhydrophobic Surfaces Using Electrolyte Jet Machining Techniques
Authors: Yang Xiaolong , Liu Xin , Lu Yao , Zhou Shining , Gao Mingqian , Song Jinlong , Xu Wenji
Published: April 2016

Patterns with controllable adhesion on superhydrophobic areas have various biomedical and chemical applications. Electrolyte jet machining technique (EJM), an electrochemical machining method, was firstly exploited in constructing dimples with various profiles on the superhydrophobic Al alloy surface using different processing parameters. Sliding angles of water droplets on those dimples firstly increased and then stabilized at a certain value with the increase of the processing time or the applied voltages of the EJM, indicating that surfaces with different adhesion force could be obtained by regulating the processing parameters. The contact angle hysteresis and the adhesion force that restricts the droplet from sliding off were investigated through experiments. The results show that the adhesion force could be well described using the classical Furmidge equation. On account of this controllable adhesion force, water droplets could either be firmly pinned to the surface, forming various patterns or slide off at designed tilting angles at specified positions on a superhydrophobic surface. Such dimples on superhydrophopbic surfaces can be applied in water harvesting, biochemical analysis and lab-on-chip devices.
Evaluating the effectiveness of localized control strategies to curtail chikungunya
Authors: Ndeffo-Mbah Martial L. , Durham David P. , Skrip Laura A. , Nsoesie Elaine O. , Brownstein John S. , Fish Durland , Galvani Alison P.
Published: April 2016

Chikungunya, a re-emerging arbovirus transmitted to humans by Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus mosquitoes, causes debilitating disease characterized by an acute febrile phase and chronic joint pain. Chikungunya has recently spread to the island of St. Martin and subsequently throughout the Americas. The disease is now affecting 42 countries and territories throughout the Americas. While chikungunya is mainly a tropical disease, the recent introduction and subsequent spread of Ae. albopictus into temperate regions has increased the threat of chikungunya outbreaks beyond the tropics. Given that there are currently no vaccines or treatments for chikungunya, vector control remains the primary measure to curtail transmission. To investigate the effectiveness of a containment strategy that combines disease surveillance, localized vector control and transmission reduction measures, we developed a model of chikungunya transmission dynamics within a large residential neighborhood, explicitly accounting for human and mosquito movement. Our findings indicate that prompt targeted vector control efforts combined with measures to reduce transmission from symptomatic cases to mosquitoes may be highly effective approaches for controlling outbreaks of chikungunya, provided that sufficient detection of chikungunya cases can be achieved.
Novel 3D light microscopic analysis of IUGR placentas points to a morphological correlate of compensated ischemic placental disease in humans
Authors: Haeussner Eva , Schmitz Christoph , Frank Hans-Georg , Edler von Koch Franz
Published: April 2016

The villous tree of the human placenta is a complex three-dimensional (3D) structure with branches and nodes at the feto-maternal border in the key area of gas and nutrient exchange. Recently we introduced a novel, computer-assisted 3D light microscopic method that enables 3D topological analysis of branching patterns of the human placental villous tree. In the present study we applied this novel method to the 3D architecture of peripheral villous trees of placentas from patients with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR placentas), a severe obstetric syndrome. We found that the mean branching angle of branches in terminal positions of the villous trees was significantly different statistically between IUGR placentas and clinically normal placentas. Furthermore, the mean tortuosity of branches of villous trees in directly preterminal positions was significantly different statistically between IUGR placentas and clinically normal placentas. We show that these differences can be interpreted as consequences of morphological adaptation of villous trees between IUGR placentas and clinically normal placentas and may have important consequences for the understanding of the morphological correlates of the efficiency of the placental villous tree and their influence on fetal development.
The topological Anderson insulator phase in the Kane-Mele model
Authors: Orth Christoph P. , Sekera Tibor , Bruder Christoph , Schmidt Thomas L.
Published: April 2016

It has been proposed that adding disorder to a topologically trivial mercury telluride/cadmium telluride (HgTe/CdTe) quantum well can induce a transition to a topologically nontrivial state. The resulting state was termed topological Anderson insulator and was found in computer simulations of the Bernevig-Hughes-Zhang model. Here, we show that the topological Anderson insulator is a more universal phenomenon and also appears in the Kane-Mele model of topological insulators on a honeycomb lattice. We numerically investigate the interplay of the relevant parameters and establish the parameter range in which the topological Anderson insulator exists. A staggered sublattice potential turns out to be a necessary condition for the transition to the topological Anderson insulator. For weak enough disorder, a calculation based on the lowest-order Born approximation reproduces quantitatively the numerical data. Our results thus considerably increase the number of candidate materials for the topological Anderson insulator phase.