bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multi-stakeholder initiatives and the divergent construction and implementation of sustainable agriculture in the USA
Authors: Konefal Jason , Hatanaka Maki , Constance Douglas H.
Published: October 2017

Multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs) have emerged as a leading institutional approach for advancing sustainability globally. This paper examines three prominent MSIs that have developed sustainability metrics and a standard for US agriculture: Field to Market, the Stewardship Index for Specialty Crops and the National Sustainable Agricultural Standard Initiative. Using data from interviews and content analysis of initiative reports, two sets of analyses are presented. First, building on Paul Thompson's tri-partite theorization of sustainability, how each initiative is conceptualizing agricultural sustainability is analyzed. We find that two contrasting visions of sustainable agriculture for the USA have emerged from the three MSIs. One vision is a resource sufficiency approach focused on eco-efficiencies and the other vision is a functional integrity approach that emphasizes the maintenance of resilient agricultural and ecological systems. Second, we examine the governance practices of the MSIs to explain why such divergent conceptualizations of sustainability have been mapped out. We find that far from being a neutral forum, the internal dynamics of MSIs often reflect and reproduce existing power relationships among stakeholders. In concluding, we suggest that incremental improvements in sustainability can be achieved using MSIs, but more transformative changes may require other forms of governance.
Reconstructing African American Mobility after Emancipation, 1865–67
Authors: Thomas William G. , Healey Richard G. , Cottingham Ian
Published: October 2017

Historians and social scientists have relied on contemporaneous textual accounts to document African American mobility in the immediate aftermath of emancipation after the Civil War, but they have interpreted them in widely varying ways. Some emphasize large-scale migration across the South, while others suggest that most movements were local and limited. This research tracks the early or “first wave” of African American migrants between 1865 and 1867 within and out of the South in an attempt to map the motion taking place after the war and to document the scale, direction, and intensity of African American mobility in the period between 1865 and 1867. The Freedmen's Bureau records indicate certain kinds of movements within the South, while our census methodology shows that there was more movement out of the South than accounted for in the Freedmen's Bureau labor records or previously accounted for in the historiography. Further, we observe two types of movement: short-term migration based on one-year contracts, perhaps returning to the point of origin, and another movement not always mediated through the Freedmen's Bureau that was more long term, but also subject to the freedperson's return to the point of origin. We seek to chart the process of emancipation over time and across space, detecting spatial patterns on an otherwise highly variable individual experience. No study has used the Freedmen's Bureau labor contracts to trace African American labor movements, and no study has deployed the 1880 individual census data to examine African American migration based on birthplace cohorts.
Does Egalitarianism Come at a Price? Inequality and Economic Performance in Late-Nineteenth-Century Ontario
Authors: Di Matteo Livio
Published: October 2017

The relationship between economic performance and wealth inequality at a regional level is examined using county-level wealth for Ontario in 1892 and 1902. The results find that after controlling for confounding factors, declining wealth inequality was generally accompanied by slower economic performance as measured by changes in wealth levels and manufacturing output over time. This suggests that a more egalitarian wealth distribution came perhaps at the price of less robust economic performance.
The One Percent across Two Centuries: A Replication of Thomas Piketty's Data on the Concentration of Wealth in the United States
Authors: Sutch Richard
Published: October 2017

This exercise reproduces and assesses the historical time series on the top shares of the wealth distribution for the United States presented by Thomas Piketty inCapital in the Twenty-First Century. Piketty's best-selling book has gained as much attention for its extensive presentation of detailed historical statistics on inequality as for its bold and provocative predictions about a continuing rise in inequality in the twenty-first century. Here I examine Piketty's US data for the period 1810 to 2010 for the top 10 percent and the top 1 percent of the wealth distribution. I conclude that Piketty's data for the wealth share of the top 10 percent for the period 1870 to 1970 are unreliable. The values he reported are manufactured from the observations for the top 1 percent inflated by a constant 36 percentage points. Piketty's data for the top 1 percent of the distribution for the nineteenth century (1810–1910) are also unreliable. They are based on a single mid-century observation that provides no guidance about the antebellum trend and only tenuous information about the trend in inequality during the Gilded Age. The values Piketty reported for the twentieth century (1910–2010) are based on more solid ground, but have the disadvantage of muting the marked rise of inequality during the Roaring Twenties and the decline associated with the Great Depression. This article offers an alternative picture of the trend in inequality based on newly available data and a reanalysis of the 1870 Census of Wealth. This article does not question Piketty's integrity.
Erratum: Deficiency of Parkinson’s disease-related gene Fbxo7 is associated with impaired mitochondrial metabolism by PARP activation
Authors: Delgado-Camprubi Marta , Esteras Noemi , Soutar Marc PM , Plun-Favreau Helene , Abramov Andrey Y
Published: October 2017

Correction to: Cell Death and Differentiation (2017) 24, 120–131; doi:10.1038/cdd.2016.104; published online 30 September 2016 This article was originally published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 license, but has now been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.
Bacterial secretion of D-arginine controls environmental microbial biodiversity
Authors: Alvarez Laura , Aliashkevich Alena , de Pedro Miguel A , Cava Felipe
Published: October 2017

Bacteria face tough competition in polymicrobial communities. To persist in a specific niche, many species produce toxic extracellular effectors to interfere with the growth of nearby microbes. These effectors include the recently reported non-canonical D-amino acids (NCDAAs). In Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of cholera, NCDAAs control cell wall integrity in stationary phase. Here, an analysis of the composition of the extracellular medium of V. cholerae revealed the unprecedented presence of D-Arg. Compared with other D-amino acids, D-Arg displayed higher potency and broader toxicity in terms of the number of bacterial species affected. Tolerance to D-Arg was associated with mutations in the phosphate transport and chaperone systems, whereas D-Met lethality was suppressed by mutations in cell wall determinants. These observations suggest that NCDAAs target different cellular processes. Finally, even though virtually all Vibrio species are tolerant to D-Arg, only a few can produce this D-amino acid. Indeed, we demonstrate that D-Arg may function as part of a cooperative strategy in vibrio communities to protect non-producing members from competing bacteria. Because NCDAA production is widespread in bacteria, we anticipate that D-Arg is a relevant modulator of microbial subpopulations in diverse ecosystems.
CryoEM structure of Saccharomyces cerevisiae U1 snRNP offers insight into alternative splicing
Authors: Li Xueni , Liu Shiheng , Jiang Jiansen , Zhang Lingdi , Espinosa Sara , Hill Ryan C. , Hansen Kirk C. , Zhou Z. Hong , Zhao Rui
Published: October 2017

U1 snRNP plays a critical role in 5ʹ-splice site recognition and is a frequent target of alternative splicing factors. These factors transiently associate with human U1 snRNP and are not amenable for structural studies, while their Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast) homologs are stable components of U1 snRNP. Here, we report the cryoEM structure of yeast U1 snRNP at 3.6 Å resolution with atomic models for ten core proteins, nearly all essential domains of its RNA, and five stably associated auxiliary proteins. The foot-shaped yeast U1 snRNP contains a core in the “ball-and-toes” region architecturally similar to the human U1 snRNP. All auxiliary proteins are in the “arch-and-heel” region and connected to the core through the Prp42/Prp39 paralogs. Our demonstration that homodimeric human PrpF39 directly interacts with U1C-CTD, mirroring yeast Prp42/Prp39, supports yeast U1 snRNP as a model for understanding how transiently associated auxiliary proteins recruit human U1 snRNP in alternative splicing.
A low lasing threshold and widely tunable spaser based on two dark surface plasmons
Authors: Huo Yanyan , Jia Tianqing , Ning Tingyin , Tan Chaohua , Jiang Shouzhen , Yang Cheng , Jiao Yang , Man Baoyuan
Published: October 2017

We theoretically demonstrate a low threshold and widely tunable spaser based on a plasmonic nanostructure consisting of two sets of disk-rings (TSDR). The TSDR nanostructure supports two dark surface plasmons (SPs), which are excited simultaneously by two bright SPs at Fano dips. The two dark SPs support lower effective mode volume, higher quality factor and higher Purcell factors. When the dark SPs serve as the pumping and lasing mode of a spaser, the spaser has a lower lasing threshold, a higher pump absorption efficiency and a lower threshold absorbed pump power than the spaser based on a bright SP. In addition, the lasing and pumping wavelengths of the spaser proposed in this article can each be tuned over a very wide wavelength range. Our results should be significant for the development of spasers.
Electron tunneling through double magnetic barriers in Weyl semimetals
Authors: Hu Xunwu , Cheng Fang
Published: October 2017

We theoretically investigate the transport in a magnetic/normal/magetic hybrid structure on the surface of a Weyl semimetal. We find a directional-dependent tunneling which is sensitive to the magnetic field configuration and the electric gate voltage. The momentum filtering behavior becomes more significant for two-delta-function-shaped magnetic barriers. There are many Fabry-Pérot resonances in the transmission determined by the distance between the two magnetic barriers. The combined effects of the magnetic field and the electrostatic potential can enhance the difference in the transmission between the parallel and antiparallel magnetization configurations, and consequently lead to a giant magnetoresistance.
Antioxidant enzymes in chickpea colonized by Piriformospora indica participate in defense against the pathogen Botrytis cinerea
Authors: Narayan Om Prakash , Verma Nidhi , Singh Alok Kumar , Oelmüller Ralf , Kumar Manoj , Prasad Durga , Kapoor Rupam , Dua Meenakshi , Johri Atul Kumar
Published: October 2017

Piriformospora indica, a root endophytic fungus, promotes growth of the economically important chickpea plant (Cicer arietinum Linn.) and protects it against the pathogenic fungus Botrytis cinerea. Biomass and root development were found to be significantly improved in chickpea plants colonized with P. indica as compared to the plants grown without P. indica as well as from the plants infected with the B. cinerea. Our PCR analyses showed that gradual increase in the colonization of P. indica in the plants result in the inhibition of the colonization of B. cinerea. P. indica colonized plants showed increased antioxidant enzyme activities. Interestingly, there were pronounced decrease in the antioxidant enzyme activities in shoots infected with B. cinerea and colonized with P. indica in alternate and simultaneous mode as compared to plants infected with B. cinerea alone. We conclude that P. indica helps plants to overcome the disease load by enhancing antioxidant enzyme defense system. Our data suggest that, bio-protective action of P. indica might be mediated via systemic induction of antioxidant defense in the host plants.
Quantitative assessment of the blood-brain barrier opening caused by Streptococcus agalactiae hyaluronidase in a BALB/c mouse model
Authors: Luo Su , Cao Qing , Ma Ke , Wang Zhaofei , Liu Guangjin , Lu Chengping , Liu Yongjie
Published: October 2017

Streptococcus agalactiaeis a pathogen causing meningitis in animals and humans. However, little is known about the entry ofS. agalactiaeinto brain tissue. In this study, we developed a BALB/c mouse model based on the intravenous injection of β-galactosidase-positiveEscherichia coliM5 as an indicator of blood-brain barrier (BBB) opening. Under physiological conditions, the BBB is impermeable toE. coliM5. In pathological conditions caused byS. agalactiae,E. coliM5 is capable of penetrating the brain through a disrupted BBB. The level of BBB opening can be assessed by quantitative measurement ofE. coliM5 loads per gram of brain tissue. Further, we used the model to evaluate the role ofS. agalactiaehyaluronidase in BBB opening. The inactivation ofhylBgene encoding a hyaluronidase, HylB, resulted in significantly decreasedE. coliM5 colonization, and the intravenous injection of purified HylB protein induced BBB opening in a dose-dependent manner. This finding verified the direct role of HylB in BBB invasion and traversal, and further demonstrated the practicability of thein vivomouse model established in this study. This model will help to understand theS. agalactiae–host interactions that are involved in this bacterial traversal of the BBB and to develop efficacious strategies to prevent central nervous system infections.
A mammalian blood odor component serves as an approach-avoidance cue across phylum border - from flies to humans
Authors: Arshamian Artin , Laska Matthias , Gordon Amy R. , Norberg Matilda , Lahger Christian , Porada Danja K. , Jelvez Serra Nadia , Johansson Emilia , Schaefer Martin , Amundin Mats , Melin Harald , Olsson Andreas , Olsson Mats J. , Stensmyr Marcus , Lundström Johan N.
Published: October 2017

Chemosignals are used by predators to localize prey and by prey to avoid predators. These cues vary between species, but the odor of blood seems to be an exception and suggests the presence of an evolutionarily conserved chemosensory cue within the blood odor mixture. A blood odor component, E2D, has been shown to trigger approach responses identical to those triggered by the full blood odor in mammalian carnivores and as such, is a key candidate as a food/alarm cue in blood. Using a multidisciplinary approach, we demonstrate that E2D holds the dual function of affecting both approach and avoidance behavior in a predator-prey predicted manner. E2D evokes approach responses in two taxonomically distant blood-seeking predators, Stable fly and Wolf, while evoking avoidance responses in the prey species Mouse. We extend this by demonstrating that this chemical cue is preserved in humans as well; E2D induces postural avoidance, increases physiological arousal, and enhances visual perception of affective stimuli. This is the first demonstration of a single chemical cue with the dual function of guiding both approach and avoidance in a predator-prey predicted manner across taxonomically distant species, as well as the first known chemosignal that affects both human and non-human animals alike.
Quantifying Quantum-Mechanical Processes
Authors: Hsieh Jen-Hsiang , Chen Shih-Hsuan , Li Che-Ming
Published: October 2017

The act of describing how a physical process changes a system is the basis for understanding observed phenomena. For quantum-mechanical processes in particular, the affect of processes on quantum states profoundly advances our knowledge of the natural world, from understanding counter-intuitive concepts to the development of wholly quantum-mechanical technology. Here, we show that quantum-mechanical processes can be quantified using a generic classical-process model through which any classical strategies of mimicry can be ruled out. We demonstrate the success of this formalism using fundamental processes postulated in quantum mechanics, the dynamics of open quantum systems, quantum-information processing, the fusion of entangled photon pairs, and the energy transfer in a photosynthetic pigment-protein complex. Since our framework does not depend on any specifics of the states being processed, it reveals a new class of correlations in the hierarchy between entanglement and Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen steering and paves the way for the elaboration of a generic method for quantifying physical processes.
Controlling for Confounding Effects in Single Cell RNA Sequencing Studies Using both Control and Target Genes
Authors: Chen Mengjie , Zhou Xiang
Published: October 2017

Single cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) technique is becoming increasingly popular for unbiased and high-resolutional transcriptome analysis of heterogeneous cell populations. Despite its many advantages, scRNAseq, like any other genomic sequencing technique, is susceptible to the influence of confounding effects. Controlling for confounding effects in scRNAseq data is a crucial step for accurate downstream analysis. Here, we present a novel statistical method, which we refer to as scPLS (single cell partial least squares), for robust and accurate inference of confounding effects. scPLS takes advantage of the fact that genes in a scRNAseq study often can be naturally classified into two sets: a control set of genes that are free of effects of the predictor variables and a target set of genes that are of primary interest. By modeling the two sets of genes jointly using the partial least squares regression, scPLS is capable of making full use of the data to improve the inference of confounding effects. With extensive simulations and comparisons with other methods, we demonstrate the effectiveness of scPLS. Finally, we apply scPLS to analyze two scRNAseq data sets to illustrate its benefits in removing technical confounding effects as well as for removing cell cycle effects.
Women’s self-rated attraction to male faces does not correspond with physiological arousal
Authors: Hagerman S. , Woolard Z. , Anderson K. , Tatler B. W. , Moore F. R
Published: October 2017

There has been little work to determine whether attractiveness ratings of faces correspond to sexual or more general attraction. We tested whether a measure of women’s physiological arousal (pupil diameter change) was correlated with ratings of men’s facial attractiveness. In Study 1, women rated the faces of men for whom we also measured salivary testosterone. They rated each face for attractiveness, and for desirability for friendship and long- and short-term romantic relationships. Pupil diameter change was not related to subjective ratings of attractiveness, but was positively correlated with the men’s testosterone. In Study 2 we compared women’s pupil diameter change in response to the faces of men with high versus low testosterone, as well as in response to non-facial images pre-rated as either sexually arousing or threatening. Pupil dilation was not affected by testosterone, and increased relatively more in response to sexually arousing than threatening images. We conclude that self-rated preferences may not provide a straightforward and direct assessment of sexual attraction. We argue that future work should identify the constructs that are tapped via attractiveness ratings of faces, and support the development of methodology which assesses objective sexual attraction.
The first characterized phage against a member of the ecologically important sphingomonads reveals high dissimilarity against all other known phages
Authors: Nielsen Tue Kjærgaard , Carstens Alexander Byth , Browne Patrick , Lametsch René , Neve Horst , Kot Witold , Hansen Lars Hestbjerg
Published: October 2017

This study describes the first molecular characterization of a bacteriophage infecting a member of the environmentally important Sphingomonadaceae family. Both bacteriophage Lacusarx and its host Sphingobium sp. IP1 were isolated from activated sludge from a wastewater treatment plant. Genome sequencing revealed that the phage genes display little similarity to other known phages, despite a remarkable conservation of the synteny in which the functional genes occur among distantly related phages. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed that Lacusarx represents a hitherto undescribed genus of phages. A classical lysis cassette could not be identified in Lacusarx, suggesting that the genes encoding endolysin, holin, and spanin are host-specific and not found in phages infecting other bacteria. The virus harbors 24 tRNA genes corresponding to 18 different amino acids and furthermore has a significantly different codon usage than its host. Proteomic analysis of Lacusarx revealed the protein components of the phage particle. A lysogeny test indicated that Lacusarx is not a temperate phage.
Myocardial metabolic alterations in mice with diet-induced atherosclerosis: linking sulfur amino acid and lipid metabolism
Authors: Lee Jueun , Jung Sunhee , Kim Nami , Shin Min-Jeong , Ryu Do Hyun , Hwang Geum-Sook
Published: October 2017

Atherosclerosis is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the effect of diet on the atherosclerotic heart’s metabolism is unclear. We used an integrated metabolomics and lipidomics approach to evaluate metabolic perturbations in heart and serum from mice fed an atherogenic diet (AD) for 8, 16, and 25 weeks. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics revealed significant changes in sulfur amino acid (SAA) and lipid metabolism in heart from AD mice compared with heart from normal diet mice. Higher SAA levels in AD mice were quantitatively verified using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS). Lipidomic profiling revealed that fatty acid and triglyceride (TG) levels in the AD group were altered depending on the degree of unsaturation. Additionally, levels of SCD1, SREBP-1, and PPARγ were reduced in AD mice after 25 weeks, while levels of reactive oxygen species were elevated. The results suggest that a long-term AD leads to SAA metabolism dysregulation and increased oxidative stress in the heart, causing SCD1 activity suppression and accumulation of toxic TGs with a low degree of unsaturation. These findings demonstrate that the SAA metabolic pathway is a promising therapeutic target for CVD treatment and that metabolomics can be used to investigate the metabolic signature of atherosclerosis.
Comprehensive profiling of lysine ubiquitome reveals diverse functions of lysine ubiquitination in common wheat
Authors: Zhang Ning , Zhang Lingran , Shi Chaonan , Tian Qiuzhen , Lv Guoguo , Wang Ying , Cui Dangqun , Chen Feng
Published: October 2017

Protein ubiquitination, which is a major post-translational modifications that occurs in eukaryotic cells, is involved in diverse biological processes. To date, large-scale profiling of the ubiquitome in common wheat has not been reported, despite its status as the major cereal crop in the world. Here, we performed the first ubiquitome analysis of the common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) variety, Aikang 58. Overall, 433 lysine modification sites were identified in 285 proteins in wheat seedlings, and four putative ubiquitination motifs were revealed. In particular, 83 of the 285 ubiquitinated proteins had ubiquitination orthologs in Oryza sativa L., and Arabidopsis thaliana. Ubiquitylated lysines were found to have a significantly different preference for secondary structures when compared with the all lysines. In accordance with previous studies, proteins related to binding and catalytic activity were predicted to be the preferential targets of lysine ubiquitination. Besides, protein interaction network analysis reveals that diverse interactions are modulated by protein ubiquitination. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that the ubiquitinated proteins were involved in diverse biological processes. Our data provides a global view of the ubiquitome in common wheat for the first time and lays a foundation for exploring the physiological role of lysine ubiquitination in wheat and other plants.
Transforming growth factor-β signaling pathway-associated genes SMAD2 and TGFBR2 are implicated in metabolic syndrome in a Taiwanese population
Authors: Lin Eugene , Kuo Po-Hsiu , Liu Yu-Li , Yang Albert C. , Tsai Shih-Jen
Published: October 2017

The transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling pathway and its relevant genes have been correlated with an increased risk of developing various hallmarks of metabolic syndrome (MetS). In this study, we assessed whether the TGF-β signaling pathway-associated genes of SMAD family member 2 (SMAD2), SMAD3, SMAD4, transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFB1), TGFB2, TGFB3, transforming growth factor beta receptor 1 (TGFBR1), and TGFBR2 are associated with MetS and its individual components independently, through complex interactions, or both in a Taiwanese population. A total of 3,000 Taiwanese subjects from the Taiwan Biobank were assessed. Metabolic traits such as waist circumference, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and fasting glucose were measured. Our results showed a significant association of MetS with the two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of SMAD2 rs11082639 and TGFBR2 rs3773651. The association of MetS with these SNPs remained significant after performing Bonferroni correction. Moreover, we identified the effect of SMAD2 rs11082639 on high waist circumference. We also found that an interaction between the SMAD2 rs11082639 and TGFBR2 rs3773651 SNPs influenced MetS. Our findings indicated that the TGF-β signaling pathway-associated genes of SMAD2 and TGFBR2 may contribute to the risk of MetS independently and through gene–gene interactions.
Associations of Blood Pressure with the Factors among Adults in Jilin Province: A Cross-Sectional Study Using Quantile Regression Analysis
Authors: Ye Junsen , Li Zhongmin , Lv Yaogai , An Lan , Yu Jianxing , Guo Xin , Yao Yan , Yu Yaqin , Jin Lina
Published: October 2017

Hypertension has become a major public health challenge. However, numerous research results reported in the literature focus primarily on risk factors of hypertension, little is known about how the whole continuum of blood pressure (BP) is associated with risk factors of hypertension. This study aims to reveal quantile-specific associations of BP with its risk factors. A cross-sectional survey based on a sample of 23,050 adults aged 18 to 79 years was conducted in Jilin Province in 2012, and some subjects were excluded due to missing values in BP or having BP control according to the purpose of this study. Quantile regression (QR) was employed to investigate the associations between systolic/diastolic blood pressure (SBP/DBP) and the risk factors. The SBP and DBP in males presented statistically higher than females (P < 0.001). High-salt diet for males manifested a slightly increasing positive association with higher SBP only for high quantiles (≥70), but with a higher DBP for middle part of the quantiles (30~75), compared with bland diet. High-salt diet, drinking and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were positively associated with BP measures in males. And the coefficient of total cholesterol (TC) in QR increased with BP in females who used to live in town.
Multifunctional surface designed by nanocomposite coating of polytetrafluoroethylene and TiO2 photocatalyst: self-cleaning and superhydrophobicity
Authors: Kamegawa Takashi , Irikawa Koichi , Yamashita Hiromi
Published: October 2017

Multifunctional surface, having both a superhydrophobic property and a photocatalytic self-cleaning property, was designed through a nanocomposite coating of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and TiO2 photocatalyst onto a flat quartz glass with a precise structural controlling by applying a radio frequency magnetron sputtering deposition technique. Systematic water contact angle measurements were carried out in relation to the controlling of the surface structure such as size, height and others. Surface wettability gradually changes from Wenzel state to Cassie-Baxter state by controlling of the surface structure, resulting in a well water repellent behavior. Under irradiation of UV light, nanocomposite coating with a desired surface structure and composition realized an adequate photocatalytic self-cleaning property for keeping a clean surface and inducing unique surface wettability changes.
Recognition-driven chemical labeling of endogenous proteins in multi-molecular crowding in live cells
Authors: Amaike Kazuma , Tamura Tomonori , Hamachi Itaru
Published: October 2017

Endogenous protein labeling is one of the most invaluable methods for studying thebona fidefunctions of proteins in live cells.
How explosive TNP interacts with a small tritopic receptor: a combined crystallographic and thermodynamic approach
Authors: Ghosh Pritam , Paul Suparna , Banerjee Priyabrata
Published: October 2017

The interaction of explosive and pollutant TNP with the host receptor has been thoroughly explained and characterized by SCXRD and thermodynamic parameters.
Nanoparticles in β-tricalcium phosphate substrate enhance modulation of structure and composition of an octacalcium phosphate grown layer
Authors: Onuma Kazuo , Iijima Mayumi
Published: October 2017

Nanoparticles in the β-TCP substrate enhance structural modulation of an OCP grown layer.
Defect-free network formation and swelling behavior in ionic liquid-based electrolytes of tetra-arm polymers synthesized using a Michael addition reaction
Authors: Yoshitake Mari , Kamiyama Yuji , Nishi Kengo , Yoshimoto Nobuko , Morita Masayuki , Sakai Takamasa , Fujii Kenta
Published: October 2017

Gelation reaction of TetraPEGs and the ion gel swollen with an ionic-liquid electrolyte.
A series of sulfonic acid functionalized mixed-linker DUT-4 analogues: synthesis, gas sorption properties and catalytic performance
Authors: Wang Guang-Bo , Leus Karen , Hendrickx Kevin , Wieme Jelle , Depauw Hannes , Liu Ying-Ya , Van Speybroeck Veronique , Van Der Voort Pascal
Published: October 2017

A series of sulfonic acid functionalized DUT-4 analogues were successfully synthesized, showing excellent catalytic performance for the ring opening of styrene oxide under mild conditions.
pH-Stable Eu- and Tb-organic-frameworks mediated by an ionic liquid for the aqueous-phase detection of 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (TNP)
Authors: Qin Jian-Hua , Wang Hua-Rui , Han Min-Le , Chang Xin-Hong , Ma Lu-Fang
Published: October 2017

pH-Stable Eu- and Tb-organic-frameworks mediated by ionic liquids for the aqueous-phase detection of 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (TNP).
An intensity correction method combined with plasma position information for laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy
Authors: Zhang P. , Sun L. X. , Yu H. B. , Zeng P. , Qi L. F. , Xin Y.
Published: October 2017

The uncertainty of the spectral data is one of the most important issues for LIBS. To reduce the uncertainty, an imaging system was deployed and a model was built based on both the spectral signal and the positional information in this work.
Luminescent coordination polymers based on Ca2+ and octahedral cluster anions [{M6Cli8}Cla6]2− (M = Mo, W): synthesis and thermal stability studies
Authors: Evtushok Darya V. , Vorotnikova Natalya A. , Logvinenko Vladimir A. , Smolentsev Anton I. , Brylev Konstantin A. , Plyusnin Pavel E. , Pishchur Denis P. , Kitamura Noboru , Mironov Yuri V. , Solovieva Anastasiya O. , Efremova Olga A. , Shestopalov Michael A.
Published: October 2017

Preparation of 1D coordination polymers based on luminescent hexanuclear cluster complexes.
An electrospun flexible Janus nanoribbon array endowed with simultaneously tuned trifunctionality of electrically conductive anisotropy, photoluminescence and magnetism
Authors: Tian Jiao , Ma Qianli , Yu Wensheng , Dong Xiangting , Yang Ying , Zhao Bo , Wang Jinxian , Liu Guixia
Published: October 2017

A flexible Janus nanoribbon array endowed with simultaneously tuned trifunctionality of electrically conductive anisotropy, photoluminescence, and magnetism was fabricated by electrospinning.
Cell contact and pressure control of YAP localization and clustering revealed by super-resolution imaging
Authors: Gao Jing , He Lingli , Shi Yan , Cai Mingjun , Xu Haijiao , Jiang Junguang , Zhang Lei , Wang Hongda
Published: October 2017

Super-resolution imaging combined with biochemical methods revealed the regulation of cell contact and pressure on YAP localization, phosphorylation and clustering.
NHC-catalyzed regiodivergent syntheses of difunctionalized 3-pyrazolidinones from α-bromoenal and monosubstituted hydrazine
Authors: Yu Chenxia , Shen Shide , Jiang Ligen , Li Jing , Lu Yumiao , Li Tuanjie , Yao Changsheng
Published: October 2017

A formal [3 + 2] annulation of α-bromoenal with monosubstituted hydrazine could give 1,5 or 2,5-difunctionalized 3-pyrazolidinone regiodivergently by tuning the structure of the N-Heterocyclic Carbene (NHC) catalyst.
Progressive structural modification to a zinc-actuated photoinduced electron transfer (PeT) switch in the context of intracellular zinc imaging
Authors: Macias-Contreras Miguel , Daykin Kirsten L. , Simmons J. Tyler , Allen John R. , Hooper Zachary S. , Davidson Michael W. , Zhu Lei
Published: October 2017

Zinc-targeting sensors that contain an anilino-based electron donor (aka, the PeT switch) are reported.
Synthesis of guar gum-g-(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide-co-3-acrylamido propanoic acid) IPN via in situ attachment of acrylamido propanoic acid for analyzing superadsorption mechanism of Pb(ii)/Cd(ii)/Cu(ii)/MB/MV
Authors: Singha Nayan Ranjan , Mahapatra Manas , Karmakar Mrinmoy , Dutta Arnab , Mondal Himarati , Chattopadhyay Pijush Kanti
Published: October 2017

GG-g-(AA-co-AM-co-APA) IPN superadsorbent, characterization of loaded microstructures and individual/synergistic adsorption mechanism of MB/SF/Pb(ii)/Cd(ii)/Cu(ii) are reported.
Ground state instabilities of protein shells are eliminated by buckling
Authors: Singh Amit R. , Perotti Luigi E. , Bruinsma Robijn F. , Rudnick Joseph , Klug William S.
Published: October 2017

Protein shell icosahedral symmetry breaking is investigated with a continuum–discrete hybrid model. Stable structures can form only at low bending modulus.
N-Cadherin modified lipid bilayers promote neural network formation and circuitry
Authors: Zobel K. , Choi S. E. , Minakova R. , Gocyla M. , Offenhäusser A.
Published: October 2017

Biomimetic supported lipid bilayers serve as a new compatible platform for investigating the function of synaptic adhesion proteins in neural network formation, synaptic connectivity and maturation.
Interfacial arrangement and phase transitions of PNiPAm microgels with different crosslinking densities
Authors: Rey Marcel , Hou Xunan , Tang Jo Sing Julia , Vogel Nicolas
Published: October 2017

We study the phase behavior of microgels at the air/water interface as a function of their crosslinking density.
Thermodynamic signatures and cluster properties of self-assembly in systems with competing interactions
Authors: Santos Andrew P. , Pȩkalski Jakub , Panagiotopoulos Athanassios Z.
Published: October 2017

Colloidal clustering driven by isotropic competing interactions can resemble surfactant micellization or exhibit novel, non-pressure-affecting clustering, depending on conditions.
Dynamic multi-site phosphorylation by Fyn and Abl drives the interaction between CRKL and the novel scaffolding receptors DCBLD1 and DCBLD2
Authors: Schmoker Anna M. , Weinert Jaye L. , Kellett Kyle J. , Johnson Hannah E. , Joy Ryan M. , Weir Marion E. , Ebert Alicia M. , Ballif Bryan A.
Published: October 2017

Discoidin, CUB, and LCCL domain containing 2 (DCBLD2) is a neuropilin-like transmembrane scaffolding receptor with known and anticipated roles in vascular remodeling and neuronal positioning. DCBLD2 is also up-regulated in several cancers and can drive glioblastomas downstream of activated epidermal growth factor receptor. While a few studies have shown either a positive or negative role for DCBLD2 in regulating growth factor receptor signaling, little is known about the conserved signaling features of DCBLD family members that drive their molecular activities. We previously identified DCBLD2 tyrosine phosphorylation sites in intracellular YxxP motifs that are required for the phosphorylation-dependent binding of the signaling adaptors CRK and CRKL (CT10 regulator of kinase and CRK-like). These intracellular YxxP motifs are highly conserved across vertebrates and between DCBLD family members. Here, we demonstrate that, as for DCBLD2, DCBLD1 YxxP motifs are required for CRKL–SH2 (Src homology 2) binding. We report that Src family kinases (SFKs) and Abl differentially promote the interaction between the CRKL–SH2 domain and DCBLD1 and DCBLD2, and while SFKs and Abl each promote DCBLD1 and DCBLD2 binding to the CRKL–SH2 domain, the effect of Abl is more pronounced for DCBLD1. Using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry, we quantified phosphorylation at several YxxP sites in DCBLD1 and DCBLD2, mapping site-specific preferences for SFKs and Abl. Together, these data provide a platform to decipher the signaling mechanisms by which these novel receptors drive their biological activities.
Neutralization of either IL-17A or IL-17F is sufficient to inhibit house dust mite induced allergic asthma in mice
Authors: Chenuet Pauline , Fauconnier Louis , Madouri Fahima , Marchiol Tiffany , Rouxel Nathalie , Ledru Aurélie , Mauny Pascal , Lory Rachel , Uttenhove Catherine , van Snick Jacques , Iwakura Yoichiro , di Padova Franco , Quesniaux Valérie , Togbe Dieudonnée , Ryffel Bernhard
Published: October 2017

T helper (Th)17 immune response participates in allergic lung inflammation and asthma is reduced in the absence of interleukin (IL)-17 in mice. Since IL-17A and IL-17F are induced and bind the shared receptor IL-17RA, we asked whether both IL-17A and IL-17F contribute to house dust mite (HDM) induced asthma. We report that allergic lung inflammation is attenuated in absence of either IL-17A or IL-17F with reduced airway hyperreactivity, eosinophilic inflammation, goblet cell hyperplasia, cytokine and chemokine production as found in absence of IL-17RA. Furthermore, specific antibody neutralization of either IL-17A or IL-17F given during the sensitization phase attenuated allergic lung inflammation and airway hyperreactivity. In vitro activation by HDM of primary dendritic cells revealed a comparable induction of CXCL1 and IL-6 expression and the response to IL-17A and IL-17F relied on IL-17RA signaling via the adaptor protein act1 in fibroblasts. Therefore, HDM-induced allergic respiratory response depends on IL-17RA via act1 signaling and inactivation of either IL-17A or IL-17F is sufficient to attenuate allergic asthma in mice.
Hybrid SI cancellation for single‐antenna full‐duplex radios
Authors: Quan Xin , Pan Wensheng , Li Zhengjie , Liu Ying , Tang Youxi
Published: October 2017

A hybrid self‐interference (SI) cancellation scheme, composed of a two‐tap analogue canceller and a digital multi‐path SI canceller, is proposed for single‐antenna full‐duplex radios. The analogue canceller mitigates the two strongest components of the SI to prevent saturating the receiver. The digital canceller deploys an auxiliary receiver chain to capture the RF‐transmitted signal to mitigate the residual multi‐path SI signal. As the proposed scheme uses the RF‐transmitted signal as reference, the transceiver impairments such as power amplifier non‐linearities and phase noise are suppressed along with the SI. Experiments have validated the effectiveness of the proposed scheme on a 20 MHz long‐term evolution signal of +20 dBm power.
Transverse mode confinement in lithographic VCSELs
Authors: Deppe D.G. , Leshin J. , Leshin J. , Eifert L. , Tucker F. , Hillyer T.
Published: October 2017

Index confinement is studied experimentally and through modelling for lithographic vertical‐cavity surface‐emitting lasers (VCSELs) and contrasted with other types of VCSELs. Modelling shows that the index confinement is set by the height of a shallow internal mesa that produces the optical mode confinement. Overgrowth with a semiconductor mirror enables a range of index confinement from zero (no index guiding) similar to proton‐implanted VCSELs to much higher confinement than viable for oxide VCSELs. Lasing spectra are studied for side‐mode‐suppression ratio and beam patterns are compared for high and low indexes confined VCSELs of different sizes.
Maintenance of a Spanning Tree For Dynamic Graphs by Mobile Agents and Local Computations
Authors: Ktari Mouna , Haddar Mohamed Amine , Mosbah Mohamed , Hadj Kacem Ahmed
Published: October 2017

The problem of constructing and maintaining a spanning tree in dynamic networks is important in distributed systems. Trees are essential structures in various communication protocols such as information broadcasting, routing, etc. In a distributed computing environment, the solution of this problem has many practical motivations. To make designing distributed algorithm easier, we model this latter with a local computation model. Based on the mobile agent paradigm, we present in this paper a distributed algorithm that maintain a hierarchical spanning tree in dynamic networks. We study all topological events that may affect the structure of the spanning tree: we address the appearance and the disappearance of places and communication channels.
Formic acid aggregation in 2D supersonic expansions probed by FTIR imaging
Authors: Meyer Katharina A. E. , Suhm Martin A.
Published: October 2017

C=O stretching vibrations of formic acid trimers are assigned on the basis of FTIR and Raman jet spectroscopy and further validated by an FTIR imaging study based on their aggregation behavior in supersonic expansions. The effect of shock waves on cluster formation and decomposition is probed by shifting them into the field of view of the focal plane array detector. A double slit nozzle is presented that merges two supersonic jets for a more localized study of such shock waves.
Characterizing and optimizing a laser-desorption molecular beam source
Authors: Teschmit Nicole , Długołęcki Karol , Gusa Daniel , Rubinsky Igor , Horke Daniel A. , Küpper Jochen
Published: October 2017

The design and characterization of a new laser-desorption molecular beam source, tailored for use in x-ray free-electron laser and ultrashort-pulse laser imaging experiments, is presented. It consists of a single mechanical unit containing all source components, including the molecular-beam valve, the sample, and the fiber-coupled desorption laser, which is movable in five axes, as required for experiments at central facilities. Utilizing strong-field ionization, we characterize the produced molecular beam and evaluate the influence of desorption laser pulse energy, relative timing of valve opening and desorption laser, sample bar height, and which part of the molecular packet is probed on the sample properties. Strong-field ionization acts as a universal probe and allows detecting all species present in the molecular beam, and hence enables us to analyze the purity of the produced molecular beam, including molecular fragments. We present optimized experimental parameters for the production of the purest molecular beam, containing the highest yield of intact parent ions, which we find to be very sensitive to the placement of the desorbed-molecule plumes within the supersonic expansion.
Controlling the crystal polymorph by exploiting the time dependence of nucleation rates
Authors: Little Laurie J. , King Alice A. K. , Sear Richard P. , Keddie Joseph L.
Published: October 2017

Most substances can crystallise into two or more different crystal lattices called polymorphs. Despite this, there are no systems in which we can quantitatively predict the probability of one competing polymorph forming instead of the other. We address this problem using large scale (hundreds of events) studies of the competing nucleation of the alpha and gamma polymorphs of glycine. In situ Raman spectroscopy is used to identify the polymorph of each crystal. We find that the nucleation kinetics of the two polymorphs is very different. Nucleation of the alpha polymorph starts off slowly but accelerates, while nucleation of the gamma polymorph starts off fast but then slows. We exploit this difference to increase the purity with which we obtain the gamma polymorph by a factor of ten. The statistics of the nucleation of crystals is analogous to that of human mortality, and using a result from medical statistics, we show that conventional nucleation data can say nothing about what, if any, are the correlations between competing nucleation processes. Thus we can show that with data of our form it is impossible to disentangle the competing nucleation processes. We also find that the growth rate and the shape of a crystal depend on it when nucleated. This is new evidence that nucleation and growth are linked.
Kolmogorov’s Lagrangian similarity law revisited
Authors: Barjona Manuel , da Silva Carlos B.
Published: October 2017

Kolmogorov’s similarity turbulence theory in a Lagrangian frame is assessed with new direct numerical simulations of isotropic turbulence with and without hyperviscosity, which attain higher Reynolds numbers than previously available. It is demonstrated that hyperviscous simulations can be used to accurately predict the second order Lagrangian velocity structure function (LVSF-2) in the inertial range, by using an original new procedure. The results strongly support Kolmogorov’s Lagrangian similarity assumption and allow the universal constant of LVSF-2 to be computed with a new level of confidence with C0=7.4±0.2.
Reorientation-induced spectral diffusion of non-isotropic orientation distributions
Authors: Ren Zhe , Garrett-Roe Sean
Published: October 2017

When reorientation of a vibrational chromophore is faster than the relaxation of its local environment, the frequency fluctuation correlation function (FFCF) measured by two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy (2D-IR) spectroscopy is an interplay of scalar structural spectral diffusion and vectorial reorientation-induced spectral diffusion (RISD). Theory has been established to calculate the RISD component of different polarization configurations with the assumption that the molecule orients randomly in a local electric field. We show here that in the [BMIM][SCN]/AOT/chlorobenzene system, where the local electric field is strong, this assumption is incapable of reproducing the experimental results. We modify the current theory by assuming a Boltzmann distribution of transition dipoles of the chromophores in a local electric field and use a Markov chain model to calculate the RISD component of 2D-IR with different polarization configurations. The result reproduces key features of the experiment and suggests a potential ion-exchange in the [BMIM][SCN]/AOT/chlorobenzene system.