bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diversity and Functions of Epilithic Riverine Biofilms
Authors: Pineda-Mora Daniel , Juárez-López Ana Laura , Toribio-Jiménez Jeiry , Leal-Ascencio Maria Teresa , Ruvalcaba-Ledezma Jesús Carlos , Castelán-Sánchez Hugo Gildardo , Aguirre-Noyola José Luis , Arp Paul Alexander
Published: July 2020

This article relates epilithic dry- and wet-seasonal bacterial biofilm composition to water quality along Río de la Sabana near Acapulco, Mexico. Samples were taken from various locations including nearly pristine upland locations, adjacent to residential floodplain developments, and immediately upstream from an estuarine lagoon. Bacterial composition was identified through sequential DNA analysis at the phylum, class, order, and family levels, with most of these categorized as heterotrophs, autotrophs, denitrifiers, nitrogen fixers, pathogens, and/or potential bioremediators based on generalized literature-sourced assignments. The results were interpreted in terms of location by extent of effluent pollution, and by dry versus wet seasonal changes pertaining to biofilm composition, related bacterial functions, and the following water quality parameters: temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, biological and chemical oxygen demand, fecal and total bacteria counts, methylene blue active substances, electrical conductivity, and nitrite, nitrate, ammonium, sulfate, and phosphate concentrations. It was found that epilithic bacterial biofilm diversity was richest during the wet season, was more varied in abundance along the upland locations, and was dominated byProteobacteriaandBacteroideteswith bioremediation and pathogen functions along effluent-receiving river locations. Low-abundance families associated with anaerobic and denitrifying functions were more prevalent during the wet season, while low-abundance families associated with aerobic, N2-fixing and pH-elevating functions were more prevalent during the dry season.
Comparison of the tissue interaction between thermal ablation and cryotherapy as treatment for cervical precancerous lesions in an ex-vivo model
Authors: de Fouw M. , Oosting R. M. , Eijkel B. I. M. , van Altena P. F. J. , Peters A. A. W. , Dankelman J. , Beltman J. J.
Published: July 2020

Both cryotherapy and thermal ablation are treatment methods for cervical precancerous lesions in screening programs in resource constrained settings. However, for thermal ablation the World Health Organization stated that there is insufficient data to define a standard treatment protocol. This study used an ex-vivo model to compare the tissue interaction of both cryotherapy and thermal ablation to contribute to a treatment protocol. We used porcine tissue to measure the temperature profile over time at 0, 2, 4 and 6 mm depth. For cryotherapy the standard double freeze method was used, thermal ablation was applied for one cycle of 60 s with 100 °C. Based on literature search we used 4 mm depth as landmark for the depth of precancerous lesions, and -10 °C for cryotherapy and 46 °C for thermal ablation as critical temperature to induce cell necrosis. Cryotherapy achieved the critical temperature for tissue necrosis (-10 °C) in 3 out of 6 experiments at 4 mm depth, median minimum temperature was −9.6 °C (IQR 25–75 -15.8 °C to −4.9 °C). Thermal ablation achieved the critical temperature for tissue necrosis (46 °C) in 3 out of 7 experiments at 4 mm depth, median maximum temperature was 43.1 °C (IQR 25–75 42.3 °C to 49.9 °C). Both treatment modalities achieved tissue necrosis at 4 mm depth in our ex-vivo model. For cryotherapy the double freeze technique should be used. For thermal ablation a single application less than 60 s might not be sufficient and multiple applications should be considered.
Comparative Analysis of Pixel and Object Based Classification Approach for Rapid Landslide Delineation with the Aid of Open Source Tools in Garhwal Himalaya
Authors: Asthana Harshita , Vishwakarma Chandrashekhar A. , Singh Priyadarshini , Kumar Pardeep , Rena Vikas , Mukherjee Saumitra
Published: July 2020

Landslides are the natural geomorphic processes that are essential for the landscape development. Loss of tremendous amount of life, natural resources as well as property has made this phenomenon a natural disaster. Number of researches have been done to understand this phenomenon and how to overcome this calamity with the aid of upcoming modern information services and technological advancements. Despite all these, there are still certain undocumented slope failure events due to inaccessibility and lack of a proper database. With the advancement of satellite remote sensing and geographical information system (GIS), it has certainly become easier to monitor and prepare landslide database especially in rough and rugged terrain of the Himalaya for delineation of risk zones. Free availability of high-resolution images and an open source efficient software have certainly been proved advantageous for this purpose. This paper aims at quick and accurate landslide inventory mapping, using high resolution Sentinel 2 data along with normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), over which unsupervised and object-based image analysis (OBIA) was done to extract landslide features in an efficient manner. Both these processes were achieved with the aid of open source SAGA (System for Automated Geoscientific Analyses) software. The performances of these classifications were analyzed for their quantitative reliability in extracting the landslide features in two different areas (test area 1 and 2). In this, the object based image classification outstands, with the overall accuracy percentage difference of 17.11% higher than pixel-based classification approach in test area 1 and about 21% higher in test area 2.
Thermodynamic Modelling of Effect of Flux on the Liquidus Temperatures and Phase transitions in Coal Ash
Authors: Kumar Naresh , Venugopal R. , Soren S. , Chakravarty S.
Published: July 2020

Plant shutdowns due to the accumulation of ash materials in the boilers is a commonly practiced problem in thermal power sectors. Cleaning of ash products at regular intervals need to be necessary for maintaining the good furnace operation conditions. Use of slagging technology is the best practice for the removal of high temperature ash products, in which the melting temperature of ash is lowered by using the additive technology. In this paper, the properties of ash products formed during the combustion of low grade Indian coal were analyzed in terms of proximate and ash fusion temperature analysis. The effect of flux addition on the slagging behavior of Indian coal ash was analyzed. The AFT analysis of Indian origin coal ash shows that it is of non-fusible type. The formation of high temperature stable phases like kaolinite and quartz are the reason for high AFT temperatures in Indian origin coal.
Birationally rigid Fano cyclic covers over a hypersurface containing a singular point
Authors: Foord Dominic
Published: July 2020

Following on from the paper (Pukhlikov in Proc Edinb Math Soc 62(1):221–239, 2019), we prove birational superrigidity for a general Fano cyclic cover of a hypersurface containing a single isolated singular point on the base hypersurface lying off the ramification divisor, where the multiplicity of the point can be close to the degree. In particular, such a variety is not rational.
Sweeping preconditioners for stratified media in the presence of reflections
Authors: Preuß Janosch , Hohage Thorsten , Lehrenfeld Christoph
Published: July 2020

In this paper we consider sweeping preconditioners for time harmonic wave propagation in stratified media, especially in the presence of reflections. In the most famous class of sweeping preconditioners Dirichlet-to-Neumann operators for half-space problems are approximated through absorbing boundary conditions. In the presence of reflections absorbing boundary conditions are not accurate resulting in an unsatisfactory performance of these sweeping preconditioners. We explore the potential of using more accurate Dirichlet-to-Neumann operators within the sweep. To this end, we make use of the separability of the equation for the background model. While this improves the accuracy of the Dirichlet-to-Neumann operator, we find both from numerical tests and analytical arguments that it is very sensitive to perturbations in the presence of reflections. This implies that even if accurate approximations to Dirichlet-to-Neumann operators can be devised for a stratified medium, sweeping preconditioners are limited to very small perturbations.
Inpatient Treatment of Functional Neurological Disorder: A Scoping Review
Authors: Gilmour Gabriela S. , Jenkins Jessica D.
Published: July 2020

Background:

The aim of this scoping review is to describe the characteristics of patients requiring admission to hospital for functional neurological disorder (FND), assess interventions provided, and evaluate outcomes in the context of acute hospital presentation or elective admission with chronic symptoms (>3 months).

Methods:

A scoping review was performed. Included articles described adult patients admitted with FND to an inpatient care setting. Articles focusing on psychogenic non-epileptic attacks (PNEA) were excluded.

Results:

The search strategy identified 1963 citations. A total of 34 articles met inclusion criteria, with 458 patients (66% female) described. The pooled mean age of patients in all studies was 40.6 years. Eleven studies described patients with acute presentation, and 16 studies described patients with chronic FND symptoms admitted to the hospital. Motor symptoms were most common. Interventions were most commonly physiotherapy and psychotherapy. Most studies reported partial or complete resolution of symptoms.

Conclusions:

This scoping review summarizes the literature on the characteristics of patients admitted to the hospital, both with acute and chronic symptoms, for inpatient treatment of FND. When comparing patients with acute to those with chronic symptoms, we found that acute presentations were older (46.9 vs. 43.7 years) and had a higher representation of men (33% vs. 30%). Those presenting with chronic symptoms were more likely to not improve or relapse. We postulate that early diagnosis and inpatient rehabilitation could have a positive impact on outcomes for patients with FND.
THE EXPONENTIAL DIOPHANTINE PROBLEM FOR
Authors: PRUNESCU MIHAI
Published: July 2020

We show that the set of natural numbers has an exponential diophantine definition in the rationals. It follows that the corresponding decision problem is undecidable.
ANALYTIC PROPERTIES OF EISENSTEIN SERIES AND STANDARD -FUNCTIONS
Authors: STEIN OLIVER
Published: July 2020

We prove a functional equation for a vector valued real analytic Eisenstein series transforming with the Weil representation of$\operatorname{Sp}(n,\mathbb{Z})$on$\mathbb{C}[(L^{\prime }/L)^{n}]$. By relating such an Eisenstein series with a real analytic Jacobi Eisenstein series of degree$n$, a functional equation for such an Eisenstein series is proved. Employing a doubling method for Jacobi forms of higher degree established by Arakawa, we transfer the aforementioned functional equation to a zeta function defined by the eigenvalues of a Jacobi eigenform. Finally, we obtain the analytic continuation and a functional equation of the standard$L$-function attached to a Jacobi eigenform, which was already proved by Murase, however in a different way.
Artificial Intelligence – Challenges and Chances for Europe
Authors: Straus Joseph
Published: July 2020

As one of the building blocks of the fourth industrial revolution, artificial intelligence has attracted much public attention and sparked protracted discussions about its impact on future technological, economic and social developments. This contribution conveys insights into artificial intelligence’s basic methods and tools, its main achievements, its economic environment and the surrounding ethical and social issues. Based on the announced and taken measures of the EU organs in the area of artificial intelligence, the contribution analyses the position of Europe in the global context.
General impulsivity in binge-eating disorder
Authors: Boswell Rebecca G. , Grilo Carlos M.
Published: July 2020

Background

The nature and significance of impulse-control difficulties in binge-eating disorder (BED) are uncertain. Most emerging research has focused on food-specific rather than general impulsivity. The current study examines the clinical presentation of patients with BED categorized with and without clinical levels of general impulsivity.

Method

A total of 343 consecutive treatment-seeking patients with BED were categorized as having BED with general impulsivity (GI+; N = 73) or BED without general impulsivity (GI−: N = 270) based on structured diagnostic and clinical interviews. The groups were compared on demographic, developmental, and psychological features, and on rates of psychiatric and personality comorbidity.

Results

Individuals with BED and general impulsivity (GI+) reported greater severity of eating-disorder psychopathology, greater depressive symptoms, and greater rates of comorbidity than those without general impulsivity (GI−).

Conclusions

A subtype of individuals with BED and general impulsivity may signal a more severe presentation of BED characterized by heightened and broader psychopathology. Future work should investigate whether these impulse-control difficulties relate to treatment outcomes.
Reducing Unequal Representation: The Impact of Labor Unions on Legislative Responsiveness in the U.S. Congress
Authors: Becher Michael , Stegmueller Daniel
Published: July 2020

It has long been recognized that economic inequality may undermine the principle of equal responsiveness that lies at the core of democratic governance. A recent wave of scholarship has highlighted an acute degree of political inequality in contemporary democracies in North America and Europe. In contrast to the view that unequal responsiveness in favor of the affluent is nearly inevitable when income inequality is high, we argue that organized labor can be an effective source of political equality. Focusing on the paradigmatic case of the U.S. House of Representatives, our novel dataset combines income-specific estimates of constituency preferences based on 223,000 survey respondents matched to roll-call votes with a measure of district-level union strength drawn from administrative records. We find that local unions significantly dampen unequal responsiveness to high incomes: a standard deviation increase in union membership increases legislative responsiveness towards the poor by about six to eight percentage points. As a result, in districts with relatively strong unions legislators are about equally responsive to rich and poor Americans. We rule out alternative explanations using flexible controls for policies, institutions, and economic structure, as well as a novel instrumental variable for unionization based on history and geography. We also show that the impact of unions operates via campaign contributions and partisan selection.
Anxiety, time, and agency
Authors: Berenskötter Felix
Published: July 2020

This article scrutinizes two concepts central to the ontological security framework, agency and anxiety. Its point of departure is the view that conceptions of agency are expressed in the attempt to become ontologically secure, which requires a more careful look at how humans try to satisfy the need for a ‘stable sense of Self’ by putting in place ‘anxiety controlling mechanisms’. This, in turn, raises the question what these mechanisms are supposed to control, which shifts attention to the concept of ‘anxiety’. Going back to Kierkegaard's original treatment and Heidegger's existential phenomenology, the article reviews the emergence of anxiety as a core feature of the human condition and highlights what it calls the ‘anxiety paradox’: the tendency of reflexive humans facing the freedom of being in time to attach themselves to constructs that provide a sense of temporal continuity, or certainty. The article argues that the existing ontological security literature is trapped in this paradox and therefore cannot account for radical forms of agency.
CUT-FREE COMPLETENESS FOR MODULAR HYPERSEQUENT CALCULI FOR MODAL LOGICS K, T, AND D
Authors: BURNS SAMARA , ZACH RICHARD
Published: July 2020

We investigate a recent proposal for modal hypersequent calculi. The interpretation of relational hypersequents incorporates an accessibility relation along the hypersequent. These systems give the same interpretation of hypersequents as Lellman’s linear nested sequents, but were developed independently by Restall for S5 and extended to other normal modal logics by Parisi. The resulting systems obey Došen’s principle: the modal rules are the same across different modal logics. Different modal systems only differ in the presence or absence of external structural rules. With the exception of S5, the systems are modular in the sense that different structural rules capture different properties of the accessibility relation. We provide the first direct semantical cut-free completeness proofs for K, T, and D, and show how this method fails in the case of B and S4.
EXCEPTIONAL LOGIC
Authors: WHITTLE BRUNO
Published: July 2020

The aim of the paper is to argue that all—or almost all—logical rules have exceptions. In particular, it is argued that this is a moral that we should draw from the semantic paradoxes. The idea that we should respond to the paradoxes by revising logic in some way is familiar. But previous proposals advocate the replacement of classical logic with some alternative logic. That is, some alternative system of rules, where it is taken for granted that these hold without exception. The present proposal is quite different. According to this, there is no such alternative logic. Rather, classical logic retains the status of the ‘one true logic’, but this status must be reconceived so as to be compatible with (almost) all of its rules admitting of exceptions. This would seem to have significant repercussions for a range of widely held views about logic: e.g., that it is a priori, or that it is necessary. Indeed, if the arguments of the paper succeed, then such views must be given up.
Towards a bridging concept for undesirable resilience in social-ecological systems
Authors: Dornelles André Z. , Boyd Emily , Nunes Richard J. , Asquith Mike , Boonstra Wiebren J. , Delabre Izabela , Denney J. Michael , Grimm Volker , Jentsch Anke , Nicholas Kimberly A. , Schröter Matthias , Seppelt Ralf , Settele Josef , Shackelford Nancy , Standish Rachel J. , Yengoh Genesis Tambang , Oliver Tom H.
Published: July 2020

Non-technical summary

Resilience is a cross-disciplinary concept that is relevant for understanding the sustainability of the social and environmental conditions in which we live. Most research normatively focuses on building or strengthening resilience, despite growing recognition of the importance of breaking the resilience of, and thus transforming, unsustainable social-ecological systems. Undesirable resilience (cf. lock-ins, social-ecological traps), however, is not only less explored in the academic literature, but its understanding is also more fragmented across different disciplines. This disparity can inhibit collaboration among researchers exploring interdependent challenges in sustainability sciences. In this article, we propose that the term lock-in may contribute to a common understanding of undesirable resilience across scientific fields.
Characterization of rice cultivar response to florpyrauxifen-benzyl
Authors: Wright Hannah E. , Norsworthy Jason K. , Roberts Trenton L. , Scott Robert , Hardke Jarrod , Gbur Edward E.
Published: July 2020

Many factors such as environment, herbicide rate, growth stage at application, and days between sequential applications can influence the response of a crop to herbicides. Florpyrauxifen-benzyl is a new broad-spectrum, POST herbicide that was commercialized for use in U.S. rice production in 2018. Field experiments were conducted in 2018 at the Pine Tree Research Station (PTRS) near Colt, AR, and the Rice Research and Extension Center (RREC), near Stuttgart, AR, to evaluate crop injury and yield response of three rice cultivars to sequential applications of florpyrauxifen-benzyl. Greenhouse and growth chamber experiments were conducted at the Altheimer Laboratory in Fayetteville, AR, to evaluate cultivar responses when florpyrauxifen-benzyl was applied at 30 or 60 g ae ha−1 to rice exposed to different temperature regimes or at various growth stages. Three rice cultivars were used in all experiments: long-grain variety ‘CL111’, medium-grain variety ‘CL272’, and long-grain hybrid cultivar ‘CLXL745’. CL111 exhibited sufficient tolerance to florpyrauxifen-benzyl with only 10% visible injury and no effect on yield. CL272 showed 15% injury 3 wk after the second application in the field experiment when applications were made 14 d apart. Additionally, 12% injury was observed in greenhouse studies when florpyrauxifen-benzyl was applied at 30 g ae ha−1, averaged over various growth stages at application. Florpyrauxifen-benzyl did not reduce the yield of CL272 in field experiments, indicating that CL272 can recover from florpyrauxifen-benzyl injury. As much as 64% injury was observed for CLXL745 at 3 wk after application (WAA) when sequential herbicide applications were made 4 d apart. High levels of injury occurred in the growth chamber and greenhouse studies for this cultivar as well. Sequential applications of florpyrauxifen-benzyl reduced yields of CLXL745 in nearly all treatments. Data from these experiments suggest that CL272 and CLXL745 are sensitive to sequential applications of florpyrauxifen-benzyl. Growers must follow the prescribed guidelines for using florpyrauxifen-benzyl in these cultivars and others like it.
Cluster Analysis of Marine Terraces and Quantitative Seismotectonic Interpretation of the Boso Peninsula, Central Japan
Authors: Komori Junki , Ando Ryosuke , Shishikura Masanobu
Published: July 2020

Subjectivity frequently arises in the classification of marine terraces using conventional methods, impacting the robustness of geodynamic inferences made based on those terraces. This paper proposes a new method for classifying marine terraces using a digital elevation model (DEM) and a statistical clustering analysis which provides us quantitative data sets of prehistorical crustal deformations along the subduction zones. We focus on the characteristics of marine terraces with paleoshoreline angles (the bases of abandoned erosional cliffs) that are approximately parallel to each other in an elevation view and adopt modified K‐means clustering to group them. This method can simultaneously provide observational data on various geomorphological parameters of marine terraces, such as the width of the terrace platforms, the curvature of cliffs, and accurate elevation distributions of the paleo–sea levels. We applied this method to the Holocene marine terraces developed on the Boso Peninsula, central Japan, called Numa terraces, which are formed by recurrent interplate earthquakes. Four Numa terrace levels are successfully distinguished by this method solely based on objective processing. We evaluated the degree of weathering of the terrace landform and found it matches with terrace age. By quantifying elevations of Numa terraces and their spatial variation, we see the cumulativeness of tilting of the terrace elevations, dipping up toward the trough axis, and that the relative terrace heights are similar despite different time intervals between terraces. These findings are inconsistent with the prediction of a previously proposed dislocation model and provide essential new constraints for the slip source of the paleo‐earthquakes.
Feedback improves compliance of pressure relief activities in wheelchair users with spinal cord injury
Authors: Hubli Michèle , Zemp Roland , Albisser Urs , Camenzind Franziska , Leonova Olena , Curt Armin , Taylor William R.
Published: July 2020

Study design

Prospective cross-sectional pre-post pilot study.

Objectives

This pilot study aimed to evaluate the potential for improving pressure relief behaviour in wheelchair users with spinal cord injury (SCI) using a novel feedback system based on textile pressure sensor technology.

Setting

In- and out-patient clinic of the Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland.

Methods

Nine wheelchair users with SCI (3 females, 50 ± 12 years of age, 2 tetra- and 7 paraplegics) were equipped with a feedback system (sensomativewheelchair) for three continuous weeks. The system consists of a textile pressure mat and a mobile smartphone application that reminds participants to perform missing pressure reliefs during regular and unobserved wheelchair usage in a customized manner. Pressure reliefs were detected using a subject-specific random forest classifier. Improvements of relief quality, duration and frequency were analysed by comparing week 1 (baseline) with no feedback, i.e., only pressure data recorded, against week 2 (with feedback). Carry-over effects of improved relief behaviour were studied in week 3 (no feedback, pressure data only recorded).

Results

All participants increased their relief frequency and performed in median 82% (IQRs: 55%–99%) of the required reliefs while using the feedback system, whereas the median relief frequency was only 11% (IQRs: 10%–31%) during the baseline condition. Every participant who did not perform reliefs of sufficient duration (based on the recommendations of the therapist) during week 1 showed a significant improvement while using the feedback system.

Conclusion

Subject-specific feedback using the novel feedback system may have the potential for improving the regularity of an individual’s relief activities, and may ultimately be an instrument for reducing the risk of developing pressure ulcers.
Collective near-field coupling and nonlocal phenomena in infrared-phononic metasurfaces for nano-light canalization
Authors: Li Peining , Hu Guangwei , Dolado Irene , Tymchenko Mykhailo , Qiu Cheng-Wei , Alfaro-Mozaz Francisco Javier , Casanova Fèlix , Hueso Luis E. , Liu Song , Edgar James H. , Vélez Saül , Alu Andrea , Hillenbrand Rainer
Published: July 2020

Polaritons – coupled excitations of photons and dipolar matter excitations – can propagate along anisotropic metasurfaces with either hyperbolic or elliptical dispersion. At the transition from hyperbolic to elliptical dispersion (corresponding to a topological transition), various intriguing phenomena are found, such as an enhancement of the photonic density of states, polariton canalization and hyperlensing. Here, we investigate theoretically and experimentally the topological transition, the polaritonic coupling and the strong nonlocal response in a uniaxial infrared-phononic metasurface, a grating of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) nanoribbons. By hyperspectral infrared nanoimaging, we observe a synthetic transverse optical phonon resonance (strong collective near-field coupling of the nanoribbons) in the middle of the hBN Reststrahlen band, yielding a topological transition from hyperbolic to elliptical dispersion. We further visualize and characterize the spatial evolution of a deeply subwavelength canalization mode near the transition frequency, which is a collimated polariton that is the basis for hyperlensing and diffraction-less propagation.
Ethanol exposure increases mutation rate through error-prone polymerases
Authors: Voordeckers Karin , Colding Camilla , Grasso Lavinia , Pardo Benjamin , Hoes Lore , Kominek Jacek , Gielens Kim , Dekoster Kaat , Gordon Jonathan , Van der Zande Elisa , Bircham Peter , Swings Toon , Michiels Jan , Van Loo Peter , Nuyts Sandra , Pasero Philippe , Lisby Michael , Verstrepen Kevin J.
Published: July 2020

Ethanol is a ubiquitous environmental stressor that is toxic to all lifeforms. Here, we use the model eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae to show that exposure to sublethal ethanol concentrations causes DNA replication stress and an increased mutation rate. Specifically, we find that ethanol slows down replication and affects localization of Mrc1, a conserved protein that helps stabilize the replisome. In addition, ethanol exposure also results in the recruitment of error-prone DNA polymerases to the replication fork. Interestingly, preventing this recruitment through mutagenesis of the PCNA/Pol30 polymerase clamp or deleting specific error-prone polymerases abolishes the mutagenic effect of ethanol. Taken together, this suggests that the mutagenic effect depends on a complex mechanism, where dysfunctional replication forks lead to recruitment of error-prone polymerases. Apart from providing a general mechanistic framework for the mutagenic effect of ethanol, our findings may also provide a route to better understand and prevent ethanol-associated carcinogenesis in higher eukaryotes.
ATP-powered molecular recognition to engineer transient multivalency and self-sorting 4D hierarchical systems
Authors: Deng Jie , Walther Andreas
Published: July 2020

Biological systems organize multiple hierarchical structures in parallel, and create dynamic assemblies and functions by energy dissipation. In contrast, emerging artificial non-equilibrium self-assembling systems have remained relatively simplistic concerning hierarchical design, and non-equilibrium multi-component systems are uncharted territory. Here we report a modular DNA toolbox allowing to program transient non-equilibrium multicomponent systems across hierarchical length scales by introducing chemically fueled molecular recognition orchestrated by reaction networks of concurrent ATP-powered ligation and cleavage of freely programmable DNA building blocks. Going across hierarchical levels, we demonstrate transient side-chain functionalized nucleic acid polymers, and further introduce the concept of transient cooperative multivalency as a key to bridge length scales to pioneer fuel-driven encapsulation, self-assembly of colloids, and non-equilibrium transient narcissistic colloidal self-sorting on a systems level. The fully programmable and functionalizable DNA components pave the way to design chemically fueled 4D (3 space, 1 time) molecular multicomponent systems and autonomous materials.
Author Correction: Partial impairment of insulin receptor expression mimics fasting to prevent diet-induced fatty liver disease
Authors: Merry Troy L. , Hedges Chris P. , Masson Stewart W. , Laube Beate , Pöhlmann Doris , Wueest Stephan , Walsh Michael E. , Arnold Myrtha , Langhans Wolfgang , Konrad Daniel , Zarse Kim , Ristow Michael
Published: July 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Author Correction: A methylated lysine is a switch point for conformational communication in the chaperone Hsp90
Authors: Rehn Alexandra , Lawatscheck Jannis , Jokisch Marie-Lena , Mader Sophie L. , Luo Qi , Tippel Franziska , Blank Birgit , Richter Klaus , Lang Kathrin , Kaila Ville R. I. , Buchner Johannes
Published: July 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Identification of a unique temporal signature in blood and BAL associated with IPF progression
Authors: Norman Katy C. , O’Dwyer David N. , Salisbury Margaret L. , DiLillo Katarina M. , Lama Vibha N. , Xia Meng , Gurczynski Stephen J. , White Eric S. , Flaherty Kevin R. , Martinez Fernando J. , Murray Susan , Moore Bethany B. , Arnold Kelly B.
Published: July 2020

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and heterogeneous interstitial lung disease of unknown origin with a low survival rate. There are few treatment options available due to the fact that mechanisms underlying disease progression are not well understood, likely because they arise from dysregulation of complex signaling networks spanning multiple tissue compartments. To better characterize these networks, we used systems-focused data-driven modeling approaches to identify cross-tissue compartment (blood and bronchoalveolar lavage) and temporal proteomic signatures that differentiated IPF progressors and non-progressors. Partial least squares discriminant analysis identified a signature of 54 baseline (week 0) blood and lung proteins that differentiated IPF progression status by the end of 80 weeks of follow-up with 100% cross-validation accuracy. Overall we observed heterogeneous protein expression patterns in progressors compared to more homogenous signatures in non-progressors, and found that non-progressors were enriched for proteomic processes involving regulation of the immune/defense response. We also identified a temporal signature of blood proteins that was significantly different at early and late progressor time points (p < 0.0001), but not present in non-progressors. Overall, this approach can be used to generate new hypothesis for mechanisms associated with IPF progression and could readily be translated to other complex and heterogeneous diseases.
Characterization of two types of cesium-bearing microparticles emitted from the Fukushima accident via multiple synchrotron radiation analyses
Authors: Miura Hikaru , Kurihara Yuichi , Yamamoto Masayoshi , Sakaguchi Aya , Yamaguchi Noriko , Sekizawa Oki , Nitta Kiyofumi , Higaki Shogo , Tsumune Daisuke , Itai Takaaki , Takahashi Yoshio
Published: July 2020

A part of radiocesium emitted during the Fukushima nuclear accident was incorporated in glassy water-resistant microparticles, called Type-A particles, which are spherical with ~ 0.1 to 10 µm diameter and ~ 10–2 to 102 Bq cesium-137 (137Cs) radioactivity; they were emitted from Unit 2 or 3 of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Meanwhile, Type-B particles, having various shapes, 50–400 µm diameter, and 101–104 Bq 137Cs radioactivity, were emitted from Unit 1. The chemical properties of these radioactive particles have been reported in detail, but previous studies investigated only a small number of particles, especially Type-B particles. We tried to understand radioactive particles systematically by analyzing a large number of particles. Micro-X-ray computed tomography combined with X-ray fluorescence analysis revealed the presence of many voids and iron-rich part within Type-B particles. The 137Cs concentration (Bq mm–3) of Type-A particles was ~ 10,000 times higher than that of Type-B particles. Among the Type-B particles, the spherical ones had higher concentration of volatile elements than the non-spherical ones. These differences suggested that Type-A particles were formed through gas condensation, whereas Type-B particles were formed through melt solidification. These findings might contribute to the safe decommissioning of reactors and environmental impact assessment.
Avidin grafted dextran nanostructure enables a month-long intra-discal retention
Authors: Wagner Erica K. , Vedadghavami Armin , Jacobsen Timothy D. , Goel Shakti A. , Chahine Nadeen O. , Bajpayee Ambika G.
Published: July 2020

Low back pain is often the direct result of degeneration of the intervertebral disc. A wide range of therapeutics including anti-catabolic, pro-anabolic factors and chemo-attractants that can stimulate resident cells and recruit endogenous progenitors are under consideration. The avascular nature and the dense matrix of this tissue make it challenging for systemically administered drugs to reach their target cells inside the nucleus pulposus (NP), the central gelatinous region of the intervertebral disc (IVD). Therefore, local intra-discal injection of therapeutic drugs directly into the NP is a clinically relevant delivery approach, however, suffers from rapid and wide diffusion outside the injection site resulting in short lived benefits while causing systemic toxicity. NP has a high negative fixed charge density due to the presence of negatively charged aggrecan glycosaminoglycans that provide swelling pressures, compressive stiffness and hydration to the tissue. This negative fixed charge density can also be used for enhancing intra-NP residence time of therapeutic drugs. Here we design positively charged Avidin grafted branched Dextran nanostructures that utilize long-range binding effects of electrostatic interactions to bind with the intra-NP negatively charged groups. The binding is strong enough to enable a month-long retention of cationic nanostructures within the NP following intra-discal administration, yet weak and reversible to allow movement to reach cells dispersed throughout the tissue. The branched carrier has multiple sites for drug conjugation and can reduce the need for multiple injections of high drug doses and minimize associated side-effects, paving the way for effective clinical translation of potential therapeutics for treatment of low back pain and disc degeneration.
Fatty acid analyses provide novel insights on hippo defecation and consequences for aquatic food webs
Authors: Dawson Jessica , Pillay Deena , Perissinotto Renzo , Richoux Nicole B.
Published: July 2020

By defecating grasses into aquatic systems at massive scales and intensities, hippos can initiate complex changes to aquatic ecosystems. However, consequent effects on food webs are not well understood, particularly regarding shifts in basal resource contributions to consumer diets and their physiological condition. Here, we use fatty acid analysis to show that dense hippo aggregations and high dung loading are associated with (1) alterations to basal resource pools, (2) reduced quality of sediment organic matter and (3) increases in terrestrial and bacterial biomarker levels, but declines in those of diatoms in estuarine secondary consumers. While hippo defecation can increase boundary permeability between terrestrial and aquatic systems, our findings indicate that this may lead to a shift from a microphytobenthic food web base to one with increasing bacterial contributions to higher consumers. Our findings expand understanding of the mechanisms by which an iconic African megaherbivore indirectly structures aquatic ecosystems.
Intruder traits modulate aggressive behavior of territory owners
Authors: Miyai Caio Akira , Sanches Fábio Henrique Carretero , Costa Tânia Márcia , Barreto Rodrigo Egydio
Published: July 2020

The prior residence effect consists of a higher probability of territory owners to win a fight against intruders, as observed in several territorial species across animal kingdom. However, in investigations on territorial behavior, intruder traits have been assumed as fixed. Thus, we used a territorial species as experimental model to evaluate the effect of intruder traits on aggressive behavior of territory owners. During fights staged between territory owners and intruders, intruder traits, linked with visual signals of social status (dominant-subordinate position), modulate fighting behavior of territory owners, but prior residence effect still occurred. Intruder traits must be addressed more effectively for improving the theoretical understanding of territoriality.
Insulin signaling and glucose metabolism in different hepatoma cell lines deviate from hepatocyte physiology toward a convergent aberrant phenotype
Authors: Molinaro Angela , Becattini Barbara , Solinas Giovanni
Published: July 2020

Hepatoma cell lines are widely used to model the hepatocyte for insulin signaling and fatty liver disease. However, a direct comparison of insulin action in primary hepatocytes and in hepatoma cell lines is needed to validate this model and to better understand liver cancer. Here we have investigated insulin signaling, gluconeogenic gene expression, glucose production, and fatty acid synthase abundance in primary hepatocytes and in HepG2, Hepa 1–6, and McARH7777 hepatoma cell lines. Differences in the electrophoretic profiles of protein extracts from human and mouse primary hepatocytes and the hepatoma cells lines are shown. Compared to primary hepatocytes, hepatoma cells showed high basal phosphorylation of AKT at Thr 308 and constitutively activated RAS-MAPK signaling, which were resistant to the dominant negative Ras mutant H-Ras17N. Hepatoma cell lines also showed defective expression of gluconeogenic enzymes, insulin unresponsive GSK phosphorylation, and marginal glucose production. Hepatoma cells also showed lower protein levels of fatty acid synthase and a largely distinct protein electrophoresis profile from hepatocytes but similar between different hepatoma lines. We conclude that hepatoma cell lines do not accurately model the hepatocyte for insulin action but may be valuable tools to investigate the proteomic changes conferring to hepatocellular carcinoma its peculiar metabolisms.
Pro-angiogenic scaffold-free Bio three-dimensional conduit developed from human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells promotes peripheral nerve regeneration
Authors: Mitsuzawa Sadaki , Zhao Chengzhu , Ikeguchi Ryosuke , Aoyama Tomoki , Kamiya Daisuke , Ando Maki , Takeuchi Hisataka , Akieda Shizuka , Nakayama Koichi , Matsuda Shuichi , Ikeya Makoto
Published: July 2020

Although autologous nerve grafting is widely accepted as the gold standard treatment for segmental nerve defects, harvesting autologous nerves is highly invasive and leads to functional loss of the ablated part. In response, artificial nerve conduits made of artificial materials have been reported, but the efficacy of the nerve regeneration still needs improvement. The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy and mechanism of the Bio three-dimensional (3D) conduit composed of xeno-free human induced pluripotent stem cell–derived mesenchymal stem cells (iMSCs). The 5-mm nerve gap of the sciatic nerve in immunodeficient rats was bridged with the Bio 3D conduit or silicone tube. Functional and histological recovery were assessed at 8 weeks after surgery. The regenerated nerve in the Bio 3D group was significantly superior to that in the silicone group based on morphology, kinematics, electrophysiology, and wet muscle weight. Gene expression analyses demonstrated neurotrophic and angiogenic factors. Macroscopic observation revealed neovascularization both inside and on the surface of the Bio 3D conduit. Upon their subcutaneous implantation, iMSCs could induce angiogenesis. The Bio 3D conduit fabricated from iMSCs are an effective strategy for nerve regeneration in animal model. This technology will be useful in future clinical situations.
Cyclic di-GMP cyclase SSFG_02181 from Streptomyces ghanaensis ATCC14672 regulates antibiotic biosynthesis and morphological differentiation in streptomycetes
Authors: Nuzzo Desirèe , Makitrynskyy Roman , Tsypik Olga , Bechthold Andreas
Published: July 2020

Streptomycetes are filamentous bacteria famous for their ability to produce a vast majority of clinically important secondary metabolites. Both complex morphogenesis and onset of antibiotic biosynthesis are tightly linked in streptomycetes and require series of specific signals for initiation. Cyclic dimeric 3′–5′ guanosine monophosphate, c-di-GMP, one of the well-known bacterial second messengers, has been recently shown to govern morphogenesis and natural product synthesis in Streptomyces by altering the activity of the pleiotropic regulator BldD. Here we report a role of the heme-binding diguanylate cyclase SSFG_02181 from Streptomyces ghanaensis in the regulation of the peptidoglycan glycosyltransferase inhibitor moenomycin A biosynthesis. Deletion of ssfg_02181 reduced the moenomycin A accumulation and led to a precocious sporulation, while the overexpression of the gene blocked sporogenesis and remarkably improved antibiotic titer. We also demonstrate that BldD negatively controls the expression of ssfg_02181, which stems from direct binding of BldD to the ssfg_02181 promoter. Notably, the heterologous expression of ssfg_02181 in model Streptomyces spp. arrested morphological progression at aerial mycelium level and strongly altered the production of secondary metabolites. Altogether, our work underscores the significance of c-di-GMP-mediated signaling in natural product biosynthesis and pointed to extensively applicable approach to increase antibiotic production levels in streptomycetes.
Experimental proof of emergent subharmonic attenuation zones in a nonlinear locally resonant metamaterial
Authors: Zega Valentina , Silva Priscilla B. , Geers Marc G. D. , Kouznetsova Varvara G.
Published: July 2020

High-performance locally resonant metamaterials represent the next frontier in materials technology due to their extraordinary properties obtained through materials design, enabling a variety of potential applications. The most exceptional feature of locally resonant metamaterials is the subwavelength size of their unit cells, which allows to overcome the limits in wave focusing, imaging and sound/vibration isolation. To respond to the fast evolution of these artificial materials and the increasing need for advanced and exceptional properties, the emergence of a new mechanism for wave mitigation and control consisting in a nonlinear interaction between propagating and evanescent waves has recently been theoretically demonstrated. Here, we present the experimental proof of this phenomenon: the appearance of a subharmonic transmission attenuation zone due to energy exchange induced by autoparametric resonance. These results pave the path to a new generation of nonlinear locally resonant metamaterials.
Tuning layered superstructures in precision polymers
Authors: Danke Varun , Reimann Sophie , Binder Wolfgang H. , Gupta Gaurav , Beiner Mario
Published: July 2020

An approach to influence and control layered superstructures by varying the methylene sequence length between two consecutive functional groups in linear precision polymers containing 2,6-diaminopyridine (DAP) groups is presented. Layered superstructures with repeating units involving three monomeric units along the chain direction with very high coherence lengths upto 110 nm are observed in case of shorter alkyl segments, (16 and 18 $${\hbox {CH}}_{2}$$CH2 units), while more conventional layer superstructures incorporating only one monomer are found for related polymers with 20 $${\hbox {CH}}_{2}$$CH2 units per methylene sequence. A building block model explaining the unusually large periodicity of three monomeric units is proposed wherein layers containing crystalline or amorphous methylene sequences occur in different combinations. Occurrence of different layered structures depending on crystallization conditions, methylene sequence length as well as functional group type is explained by a competition of H-interactions between the DAP groups and the van der Waal forces between the hydrophobic methylene groups.
UBASH3A deficiency accelerates type 1 diabetes development and enhances salivary gland inflammation in NOD mice
Authors: Chen Yi-Guang , Ciecko Ashley E. , Khaja Shamim , Grzybowski Michael , Geurts Aron M. , Lieberman Scott M.
Published: July 2020

Recent advances in genetic analyses have significantly refined human type 1 diabetes (T1D) associated loci. The goal of such effort is to identify the causal genes and have a complete understanding of the molecular pathways that independently or interactively influence cellular processes leading to the destruction of insulin producing pancreatic β cells. UBASH3A has been suggested as the underlying gene for a human T1D associated region on chromosome 21. To further evaluate the role of UBASH3A in T1D, we targeted Ubash3a in NOD mice using zinc-finger nuclease mediated mutagenesis. In both 10-week-old females and males, significantly more advanced insulitis was observed in UBASH3A-deficient than in wild-type NOD mice. Consistently, UBASH3A-deficient NOD mice developed accelerated T1D in both sexes, which was associated with increased accumulation of β-cell autoreactive T cells in the spleen and pancreatic lymph node. Adoptive transfer of splenic T cells into NOD.Rag1-/- mice demonstrated that UBASH3A deficiency in T cells was sufficient to promote T1D development. Our results provide strong evidence to further support a role of UBASH3A in T1D. In addition to T1D, UBASH3A deficiency also promoted salivary gland inflammation in females, demonstrating its broad impact on autoimmunity.