bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of frontal and plan solidities on aerodynamic parameters and the roughness sublayer in turbulent boundary layers
Authors: Placidi M. , Ganapathisubramani B.
Published: October 2015

Experiments were conducted in the fully rough regime on surfaces with large relative roughness height ($h/{\it\delta}\approx 0.1$, where $h$ is the roughness height and ${\it\delta}$ is the boundary layer thickness). The surfaces were generated by distributed LEGO® bricks of uniform height, arranged in different configurations. Measurements were made with both floating-element drag balance and high-resolution particle image velocimetry on six configurations with different frontal solidities, ${\it\lambda}_{F}$, at fixed plan solidity, ${\it\lambda}_{P}$, and vice versa, for a total of twelve rough-wall cases. The results indicated that the drag reaches a peak value ${\it\lambda}_{F}\approx 0.21$ for a constant ${\it\lambda}_{P}=0.27$, while it monotonically decreases for increasing values of ${\it\lambda}_{P}$ for a fixed ${\it\lambda}_{F}=0.15$. This is in contrast to previous studies in the literature based on cube roughness which show a peak in drag for both ${\it\lambda}_{F}$ and ${\it\lambda}_{P}$ variations. The influence of surface morphology on the depth of the roughness sublayer (RSL) was also investigated. Its depth was found to be inversely proportional to the roughness length, $y_{0}$. A decrease in $y_{0}$ was usually accompanied by a thickening of the RSL and vice versa. Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) analysis was also employed. The shapes of the most energetic modes calculated using the data across the entire boundary layer were found to be self-similar across the twelve rough-wall cases. However, when the analysis was restricted to the roughness sublayer, differences that depended on the wall morphology were apparent. Moreover, the energy content of the POD modes within the RSL suggested that the effect of increased frontal solidity was to redistribute the energy towards the larger scales (i.e. a larger portion of the energy was within the first few modes), while the opposite was found for variation of plan solidity.
A scaling law for the lift of hovering insects
Authors: Lee Jeongsu , Choi Haecheon , Kim Ho-Young
Published: October 2015

Insect hovering is one of the most fascinating acrobatic flight modes in nature, and its aerodynamics has been intensively studied, mainly through computational approaches. While the numerical analyses have revealed detailed vortical structures around flapping wings and resulting forces for specific hovering conditions, theoretical understanding of a simple unified mechanism enabling the insects to be airborne is still incomplete. Here, we construct a scaling law for the lift of hovering insects through relatively simple scaling arguments of the strength of the leading edge vortex and the momentum induced by the vortical structure. Comparison of our theory with the measurement data of 35 species of insects confirms that the scaling law captures the essential physics of lift generation of hovering insects. Our results offer a simple yet powerful guideline for biologists who seek the evolutionary direction of the shape and kinematics of insect wings, and for engineers who design flapping-based micro air vehicles.
Pro-inflammatory dietary intake as a risk factor for CVD in men: a 5-year longitudinal study
Authors: O’Neil Adrienne , Shivappa Nitin , Jacka Felice N. , Kotowicz Mark A. , Kibbey Katherine , Hebert James R. , Pasco Julie A.
Published: October 2015

Convincing evidence has identified inflammation as an initiator of atherosclerosis, underpinning CVD. We investigated (i) whether dietary inflammation, as measured by the ‘dietary inflammatory index (DII)’, was predictive of 5-year CVD in men and (ii) its predictive ability compared with that of SFA intake alone. The sample consisted of 1363 men enrolled in the Geelong Osteoporosis Study who completed an FFQ at baseline (2001–2006) (excluding participants who were identified as having previous CVD). DII scores were computed from participants’ reported intakes of carbohydrate, micronutrients and glycaemic load. DII scores were dichotomised into a pro-inflammatory diet (positive values) or an anti-inflammatory diet (negative values). The primary outcome was a formal diagnosis of CVD resulting in hospitalisation over the 5-year study period. In total, seventy-six events were observed during the 5-year follow-up period. Men with a pro-inflammatory diet at baseline were twice as likely to experience a CVD event over the study period (OR 2·07; 95 % CI 1·20, 3·55). This association held following adjustment for traditional CVD risk factors and total energy intake (adjusted OR 2·00; 95 % CI 1·03, 3·96). This effect appeared to be stronger with the inclusion of an age-by-DII score interaction. In contrast, SFA intake alone did not predict 5-year CVD events after adjustment for covariates (adjusted OR 1·40; 95 % CI 0·73, 2·70). We conclude that an association exists between a pro-inflammatory diet and CVD in Australian men. CVD clinical guidelines and public health recommendations may have to expand to include dietary patterns in the context of vascular inflammation.
Do descriptive norms related to parents and friends predict fruit and vegetable intake similarly among 11-year-old girls and boys?
Authors: Lehto Elviira , Ray Carola , Haukkala Ari , Yngve Agneta , Thorsdottir Inga , Roos Eva
Published: October 2015

We examined whether there are sex differences in children’s fruit and vegetable (FV) intake and in descriptive norms (i.e. perceived FV intake) related to parents and friends. We also studied whether friends’ impact is as important as that of parents on children’s FV intake. Data from the PRO GREENS project in Finland were obtained from 424 children at the age 11 years at baseline. At baseline, 2009 children filled in a questionnaire about descriptive norms conceptualised as perceived FV intake of their parents and friends. They also filled in a validated FFQ that assessed their FV intake both at baseline and in the follow-up in 2010. The associations were examined with multi-level regression analyses with multi-group comparisons. Girls reported higher perceived FV intake of friends and higher own fruit intake at baseline, compared with boys, and higher vegetable intake both at baseline and in the follow-up. Perceived FV intake of parents and friends was positively associated with both girls’ and boys’ FV intake in both study years. The impact of perceived fruit intake of the mother was stronger among boys. The change in children’s FV intake was affected only by perceived FV intake of father and friends. No large sex differences in descriptive norms were found, but the impact of friends on children’s FV intake can generally be considered as important as that of parents. Future interventions could benefit from taking into account friends’ impact as role models on children’s FV intake.
Association between fried food consumption and hypertension in Korean adults
Authors: Kang Yunjin , Kim Jihye
Published: October 2015

The present study explored the relationships between fried food consumption and metabolic risk factors and hypertension in Korean adults. The study was based on the fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2010 and 2011. A total of 9221 Korean adults aged ≥19 years were studied. Fried food consumption was assessed using a validated FFQ. Metabolic risk factors such as waist circumference, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), TAG, HDL-cholesterol and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) were measured. Hypertension was defined as SBP≥140 mmHg, DBP≥90 mmHg or current use of antihypertensive medication. Adjusted OR for elevated blood pressure significantly increased in men (OR 1·62; 95 % CI 1·11, 2·37;Ptrend=0·0447) and women (OR 2·20; 95 % CI 1·21, 4·00;Ptrend=0·0403) with a greater than twice a week consumption of fried food compared with those who rarely consumed fried food. However, fried food consumption was not associated with other metabolic risk factors (abdominal obesity, high FPG, hypertriacylglycerolaemia, low HDL-cholesterol and the metabolic syndrome). The adjusted OR for hypertension increased by 2·4-fold in women (OR 2·37; 95 % CI 1·19, 4·72;Ptrend=0·0272) with a greater than twice a week fried food consumption compared with those who rarely consumed it. No significant association was found between fried food consumption and hypertension in men. This study suggests that frequent fried food consumption is associated with hypertension in Korean women. Further studies are needed to investigate the effect of different types of fried foods on hypertension.
Dissimulation in the Commedia dell’Arte Scenarios of Flaminio Scala, 1611
Authors: Schmitt Natalie Crohn
Published: October 2015

Commedia dell’arte was the most influential and widespread theatre movement in sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century Europe. A considerable part of its popularity can be accounted for by its comic representations of stressful occurrences within everyday life in early modern Europe, including its representations of the period’s widespread dissimulation. Among other things, the theatricality of commedia dell’arte provided a way for the audience briefly to dissociate itself from and to fantasize about ways of coping with dissimulation. A number of characteristics of commedia dell’arte, including disguise, lying,tricks, spying and gossip, and portrayals of honour, previously seen as separate, cohere in the concept of dissimulation. Natalie Crohn Schmitt is Professor of Theatre and of English, Emerita, University of Illinois at Chicago. She recently published Befriending the Commedia dell’Arte of Flaminio Scala: the Comic Scenarios (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2014). In New Theatre Quarterly she has published ‘Stanislavski, Creativity, and the Unconscious’ (Vol. II, No. 8); ‘Theorizing about Performance: Why Now’ (Vol. VI, No. 23);‘ “So Many Things Can Go Together”: the Theatricality of John Cage’ (Vol. XI, No. 41); and ‘The Style of Commedia dell’Arte Acting’ (Vol. XXVIII, No. 4).
‘Actors in the Same Tragedy’: Bertrand Russell,
Humanism, and The Conquest of Happiness
Authors: Urban Eva
Published: October 2015

In Writings on Cities Henri Lefebvre calls for a
‘renewed right to urban life’. He maintains that
‘we must thus make the effort to reach out towards a new humanism, a
new praxis, another man, that of urban society’. City spaces are used
in a number of contemporary Irish site-specific theatre productions to explore
histories of oppression and social injustice, and to imagine a new humanist
praxis for society. The international multi-artform production The
Conquest of Happiness (2013) was inspired by Bertrand
Russell’s commitment to human happiness in defiance of war and
suffering in his book The Conquest of Happiness (1930) and in
his many political and philosophical writings. In this article Eva Urban
critically examines the ways in which the performance in Northern Ireland
attempted to embody Russell’s humanism and related critical concepts
to encourage active citizenship. She considers to what extent the dramaturgical
options employed inthe production applied Russell’s ideas and those
of other thinkers by developing critical representations of inhumanity,
challenging authoritarianism, and exploring humanist ideals. Eva Urban is a
British Academy Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Faculty of English,
University of Cambridge, and an Associate of Clare Hall, Cambridge. She is
theauthor of Community Politics and the Peace Process in Contemporary
Northern Irish Drama (Peter Lang, 2011) and her articles on
political drama and Irish studies have been published in New Theatre
Quarterly, Etudes Irlandaises, and
Caleidoscopio.
The ‘Merry Tragedy’ of Henry
VII as written by ‘Charles Macklin,
Comedian’
Authors: Wagoner Michael M.
Published: October 2015

Charles Macklin, the celebrated eighteenth-century actor and playwright, is now
remembered as a comedian and a comedic writer; however, his first produced work
as an author was the historical drama Henry VII, or the Popish
Imposter. This was immediately condemned as a flop and, although it was
published, it was never again produced. In this article Michael M. Wagoner
examines the nature of the play’s failure by questioning the accepted
narratives of theatrical success. Specifically, he engages issues of audience
reception as well as the playwright’s persona to understand the
combined relationship between the two dynamics that can result in a
play’s failure. Ultimately, both Macklin’s persona and his
later work secured the flop narrative in order to temper the subsequent
expectations of his audiences. Michael M. Wagoner is a doctoral candidate at
Florida State University, and he holds an MFA in Shakespeare and Performance from
Mary Baldwin College. His research examines the performance and dramaturgy of
early modern drama, and his essay ‘Imaginative Bodies and Bodies
Imagined: Extreme Casting in Shakespeare’s The
Tempest and Fletcher and Massinger’s The Sea
Voyage’ will appear in The Bear Stage: Shaping
Shakespeare for Performance (Farleigh Dickinson University Press,
2015).
Discrimination of the effects on zebrafish reproduction from pollutants in drinking water via female, via male and/or via fecundation water
Authors: Martínez-Sales M. , García-Ximénez F. , Espinós F.J.
Published: October 2015

The lack of preventive policy legislation and the low removal rate of organic pollutants in conventional potabilization treatments lead to some of them being present in drinking water. The problem arises because some of these substances have detrimental effects on human reproduction health, via females, via males or even both. In this work, we established the zebrafish as a bioindicator of these types of substances with the goal of discriminating the effects through three different pathways: male, female or water where the fertilization took place.

For this purpose, four parameters were analysed: fertility rate, hatching rate and survival and abnormalities rates. So, for each parameter two groups were formed, according to whether adult males or females were reared in bottled spring water (Z) or tap water (B) and if thein vitrofertilization took place in water Z or B.

Results revealed a decline in the fertility and hatching rate in water B, due to a water effect. The most plausible explanation could be the presence of substances which affect the micropyle and chorion. Moreover, a decrease in the fertility rate due to an effect over the female was also observed, but in this case by an alteration of the oocyte quality.
From Basel to bailouts: forty years of international attempts to bolster bank safety
Authors: Kobrak Christopher , Troege Michael
Published: October 2015

This article reinterprets the origin and evolution of the Basel Accords. We argue that the Basel I paradigm was very different from the regulatory approaches that had been applied successfully in most European countries since the Second World War. Banking systems relied on a multitude of tools including entry restrictions, liquidity rules, reserve requirements, deposit rate ceilings, lending and investment restrictions, combined with hands-on supervision and discretional interventions. By focusing exclusively on capital adequacy and credit risk, Basel I shifted attention in a very different and somewhat unexpected direction. The Basel regulations are often understood as a reaction to the bank failures of the 1970s and 1980s, but in fact their capital adequacy rules would not have prevented these failures. Indeed, even today, several of these risks are still not addressed by Basel updates, suggesting that the original and current proposals have a rather different raison d’être, placating political constituencies and banking interests.
The effect of maternal and child early life factors on grade repetition among HIV exposed and unexposed children in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Authors: Mitchell J. M. , Rochat T. J. , Houle B. , Stein A. , Newell M. L. , Bland R. M.
Published: October 2015

Receiving an education is essential for children living in poverty to fulfil their potential. Success in the early years of schooling is important as children who repeat grade one are particularly at risk for future dropout. We examined early life factors associated with grade repetition through logistic regression and explored reasons for repeating a grade through parent report. In 2012–2014 we re-enrolled children aged 7–11 years in rural KwaZulu-Natal who had been part of an early life intervention. Of the 894 children included, 43.1% had repeated a grade, of which 62.9% were boys. Higher maternal education (aOR 0.44; 95% CI 0.2–0.9) and being further along in the birth order (aOR 0.46; 95% CI 0.3–0.9) reduced the odds of grade repetition. In addition, maternal HIV status had the strongest effect on grade repetition for girls (aOR 2.17; 95% CI 1.3–3.8), whereas for boys, it was a fridge in the household (aOR 0.59; 95% CI 0.4–1.0). Issues with school readiness was the most common reason for repeating a grade according to parental report (126/385, 32.7%), while school disruptions was an important reason among HIV-exposed boys. Further research is needed to elucidate the pathways through which HIV affects girls’ educational outcomes and potentially impacts on disrupted schooling for boys. Our results also highlight the importance of preparation for schooling in the early years of life; future research could focus on gaining a better understanding of mechanisms by which to improve early school success, including increased quality of reception year and investigating the protective effect of older siblings.
Blocking HIV‐1 transmission in the female reproductive tract: from microbicide development to exploring local antiviral responses
Authors: Eid Sahar G , Mangan Niamh E , Hertzog Paul J , Mak Johnson
Published: October 2015

The majority of new HIV‐1 infections are transmitted sexually by penetrating the mucosal barrier to infect target cells. The development of microbicides to restrain heterosexual HIV‐1 transmission in the past two decades has proven to be a challenging endeavor. Therefore, better understanding of the tissue environment in the female reproductive tract may assist in the development of the next generation of microbicides to prevent HIV‐1 transmission. In this review, we highlight the important factors involved in the heterosexual transmission of HIV‐1, provide an update on microbicides’ clinical trials, and discuss how different delivery platforms and local immunity may empower the development of next generation of microbicide to block HIV‐1 transmission in the female reproductive tract.
Wafer-scale growth of VO2 thin films using a combinatorial approach
Authors: Zhang Hai-Tian , Zhang Lei , Mukherjee Debangshu , Zheng Yuan-Xia , Haislmaier Ryan C. , Alem Nasim , Engel-Herbert Roman
Published: October 2015

Transition metal oxides offer functional properties beyond conventional semiconductors. Bridging the gap between the fundamental research frontier in oxide electronics and their realization in commercial devices demands a wafer-scale growth approach for high-quality transition metal oxide thin films. Such a method requires excellent control over the transition metal valence state to avoid performance deterioration, which has been proved challenging. Here we present a scalable growth approach that enables a precise valence state control. By creating an oxygen activity gradient across the wafer, a continuous valence state library is established to directly identify the optimal growth condition. Single-crystalline VO2 thin films have been grown on wafer scale, exhibiting more than four orders of magnitude change in resistivity across the metal-to-insulator transition. It is demonstrated that ‘electronic grade’ transition metal oxide films can be realized on a large scale using a combinatorial growth approach, which can be extended to other multivalent oxide systems.
Loess Plateau storage of Northeastern Tibetan Plateau-derived Yellow River sediment
Authors: Nie Junsheng , Stevens Thomas , Rittner Martin , Stockli Daniel , Garzanti Eduardo , Limonta Mara , Bird Anna , Andò Sergio , Vermeesch Pieter , Saylor Joel , Lu Huayu , Breecker Daniel , Hu Xiaofei , Liu Shanpin , Resentini Alberto , Vezzoli Giovanni , Peng Wenbin , Carter Andrew , Ji Shunchuan , Pan Baotian
Published: October 2015

Marine accumulations of terrigenous sediment are widely assumed to accurately record climatic- and tectonic-controlled mountain denudation and play an important role in understanding late Cenozoic mountain uplift and global cooling. Underpinning this is the assumption that the majority of sediment eroded from hinterland orogenic belts is transported to and ultimately stored in marine basins with little lag between erosion and deposition. Here we use a detailed and multi-technique sedimentary provenance dataset from the Yellow River to show that substantial amounts of sediment eroded from Northeast Tibet and carried by the river’s upper reach are stored in the Chinese Loess Plateau and the western Mu Us desert. This finding revises our understanding of the origin of the Chinese Loess Plateau and provides a potential solution for mismatches between late Cenozoic terrestrial sedimentation and marine geochemistry records, as well as between global CO2 and erosion records.
Flexible, highly efficient all-polymer solar cells
Authors: Kim Taesu , Kim Jae-Han , Kang Tae Eui , Lee Changyeon , Kang Hyunbum , Shin Minkwan , Wang Cheng , Ma Biwu , Jeong Unyong , Kim Taek-Soo , Kim Bumjoon J.
Published: October 2015

All-polymer solar cells have shown great potential as flexible and portable power generators. These devices should offer good mechanical endurance with high power-conversion efficiency for viability in commercial applications. In this work, we develop highly efficient and mechanically robust all-polymer solar cells that are based on the PBDTTTPD polymer donor and the P(NDI2HD-T) polymer acceptor. These systems exhibit high power-conversion efficiency of 6.64%. Also, the proposed all-polymer solar cells have even better performance than the control polymer-fullerene devices with phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) as the electron acceptor (6.12%). More importantly, our all-polymer solar cells exhibit dramatically enhanced strength and flexibility compared with polymer/PCBM devices, with 60- and 470-fold improvements in elongation at break and toughness, respectively. The superior mechanical properties of all-polymer solar cells afford greater tolerance to severe deformations than conventional polymer-fullerene solar cells, making them much better candidates for applications in flexible and portable devices.
Correction: Corrigendum: Tracking of dendritic cell migration into lymph nodes using molecular imaging with sodium iodide symporter and enhanced firefly luciferase genes
Authors: Won Lee Ho , Yun Yoon Seung , Debraj Singh Thoudam , Ju Choi Yoon , Je Lee Hong , Young Park Ji , Young Jeong Shin , Lee Sang-Woo , Ha Jeoung-Hee , Ahn Byeong-Cheol , Hyun Jeon Yong , Lee Jaetae
Published: October 2015

We sought to evaluate the feasibility of molecular imaging using the human sodium iodide symporter (hNIS) gene as a reporter, in addition to the enhanced firefly luciferase (effluc) gene, for tracking dendritic cell (DCs) migration in living mice. A murine dendritic cell line (DC2.4) co-expressing hNIS and effluc genes (DC/NF) was established. For the DC-tracking study, mice received either parental DCs or DC/NF cells in the left or right footpad, respectively, and combined I-124 PET/CT and bioluminescence imaging (BLI) were performed. In vivo PET/CT imaging with I-124 revealed higher activity of the radiotracer in the draining popliteal lymph nodes (DPLN) of the DC/NF injection site at day 1 than DC injection site (p < 0.05). The uptake value further increased at day 4 (p < 0.005). BLI also demonstrated migration of DC/NF cells to the DPLNs at day 1 post-injection, and signals at the DPLNs were much higher at day 4. These data support the feasibility of hNIS reporter gene imaging in the tracking of DC migration to lymphoid organs in living mice. DCs expressing the NIS reporter gene could be a useful tool to optimize various strategies of cell-based immunotherapy.
ATP synthase subunit-β down-regulation aggravates diabetic nephropathy
Authors: Guan Siao-Syun , Sheu Meei-Ling , Wu Cheng-Tien , Chiang Chih-Kang , Liu Shing-Hwa
Published: October 2015

In this study, we investigated the role of ATP synthase subunit-β (ATP5b) in diabetic nephropathy. Histopathological changes, fibrosis and protein expressions of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) and ATP5b were obviously observed in the kidneys of db/db diabetic mice as compared with the control db/m+ mice. The increased ATP5b expression was majorly observed in diabetic renal tubules and was notably observed to locate in cytoplasm of tubule cells, but no significant increase of ATP5b in diabetic glomeruli. AGEs significantly increased protein expression of ATP5b and fibrotic factors and decreased ATP content in cultured renal tubular cells via an AGEs-receptor for AGEs (RAGE) axis pathway. Oxidative stress was also induced in diabetic kidneys and AGEs-treated renal tubular cells. The increase of ATP5b and CTGF protein expression in AGEs-treated renal tubular cells was reversed by antioxidant N-acetylcysteine. ATP5b-siRNA transfection augmented the increased protein expression of α-SMA and CTGF and CTGF promoter activity in AGEs-treated renal tubular cells. The in vivo ATP5b-siRNA delivery significantly enhanced renal fibrosis and serum creatinine in db/db mice with ATP5b down-regulation. These findings suggest that increased ATP5b plays an important adaptive or protective role in decreasing the rate of AGEs-induced renal fibrosis during diabetic condition.
The Dependence of Isothermal ω Precipitation on the Quenching Rate in a Metastable β-Ti Alloy
Authors: Chen Jing , Xiao Wenlong , Dargusch Matthew Simon , Ma Chaoli
Published: October 2015

The precipitation behavior of the α strengthening phase in metastable β-Ti alloys is highly dependent on heat treatment parameters such as quenching rate, heating rate and ageing temperature. In this paper we have investigated the influence of quenching rate on the formation of isothermal ω precipitates that have been regarded as potent nucleant sites for α precipitation. The results show that the β-solutionized alloy contains a β matrix with a layer structured morphology. Regular atomic movement of the (002)β plane along the <002> direction was observed in the alloy. The increase in quenching rate refines the thickness of layers, subsequently influencing the nucleation and growth of isothermal ω precipitates after ageing treatment. The high quenching rate promotes the occurrence of ω precipitation, broadens the stage of ω precipitation and increases the number density of ω precipitates. Since the isothermal ω phase provides a heterogeneous nucleation site for α precipitates, it is inferred that the quenching rate may indirectly influence the mechanical properties of metastable β-Ti alloy.
Evaluation of Staining-Dependent Colour Changes in Resin Composites Using Principal Component Analysis
Authors: Manojlovic D. , Lenhardt L. , Milićević B. , Antonov M. , Miletic V. , Dramićanin M. D.
Published: October 2015

Colour changes in Gradia Direct™ composite after immersion in tea, coffee, red wine, Coca-Cola, Colgate mouthwash and distilled water were evaluated using principal component analysis (PCA) and the CIELAB colour coordinates. The reflection spectra of the composites were used as input data for the PCA. The output data (scores and loadings) provided information about the magnitude and origin of the surface reflection changes after exposure to the staining solutions. The reflection spectra of the stained samples generally exhibited lower reflection in the blue spectral range, which was manifested in the lower content of the blue shade for the samples. Both analyses demonstrated the high staining abilities of tea, coffee and red wine, which produced total colour changes of 4.31, 6.61 and 6.22, respectively, according to the CIELAB analysis. PCA revealed subtle changes in the reflection spectra of composites immersed in Coca-Cola, demonstrating Coca-Cola’s ability to stain the composite to a small degree.
Comparative study of microwave radiation-induced magnetoresistive oscillations induced by circularly- and linearly- polarized photo-excitation
Authors: Ye Tianyu , Liu Han-Chun , Wang Zhuo , Wegscheider W. , Mani Ramesh G.
Published: October 2015

A comparative study of the radiation-induced magnetoresistance oscillations in the high mobility GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure two dimensional electron system (2DES) under linearly- and circularly- polarized microwave excitation indicates a profound difference in the response observed upon rotating the microwave launcher for the two cases, although circularly polarized microwave radiation induced magnetoresistance oscillations observed at low magnetic fields are similar to the oscillations observed with linearly polarized radiation. For the linearly polarized radiation, the magnetoresistive response is a strong sinusoidal function of the launcher rotation (or linear polarization) angle, θ. For circularly polarized radiation, the oscillatory magnetoresistive response is hardly sensitive to θ.
Erratum: Simultaneous silence organizes structured higher-order interactions in neural populations
Authors: Shimazaki Hideaki , Sadeghi Kolia , Ishikawa Tomoe , Ikegaya Yuji , Toyoizumi Taro
Published: October 2015

Activity patterns of neural population are constrained by underlying biological
mechanisms. These patterns are characterized not only by individual activity rates
and pairwise correlations but also by statistical dependencies among groups of
neurons larger than two, known as higher-order interactions (HOIs). While HOIs are
ubiquitous in neural activity, primary characteristics of HOIs remain unknown. Here,
we report that simultaneous silence (SS) of neurons concisely summarizes neural
HOIs. Spontaneously active neurons in cultured hippocampal slices express SS that is
more frequent than predicted by their individual activity rates and pairwise
correlations. The SS explains structured HOIs seen in the data, namely, alternating
signs at successive interaction orders. Inhibitory neurons are necessary to maintain
significant SS. The structured HOIs predicted by SS were observed in a simple neural
population model characterized by spiking nonlinearity and correlated input. These
results suggest that SS is a ubiquitous feature of HOIs that constrain neural
activity patterns and can influence information processing.
Mode division multiplexing using an orbital angular momentum mode sorter and MIMO-DSP over a graded-index few-mode optical fibre
Authors: Huang Hao , Milione Giovanni , Lavery Martin P. J. , Xie Guodong , Ren Yongxiong , Cao Yinwen , Ahmed Nisar , An Nguyen Thien , Nolan Daniel A. , Li Ming-Jun , Tur Moshe , Alfano Robert R. , Willner Alan E.
Published: October 2015

Mode division multiplexing (MDM)– using a multimode optical fiber’s N spatial modes as data channels to transmit N independent data streams – has received interest as it can potentially increase optical fiber data transmission capacity N-times with respect to single mode optical fibers. Two challenges of MDM are (1) designing mode (de)multiplexers with high mode selectivity (2) designing mode (de)multiplexers without cascaded beam splitting’s 1/N insertion loss. One spatial mode basis that has received interest is that of orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes. In this paper, using a device referred to as an OAM mode sorter, we show that OAM modes can be (de)multiplexed over a multimode optical fiber with higher than −15 dB mode selectivity and without cascaded beam splitting’s 1/N insertion loss. As a proof of concept, the OAM modes of the LP11 mode group (OAM−1,0"Equation missing" and OAM+1,0), each carrying 20-Gbit/s polarization division multiplexed and quadrature phase shift keyed data streams, are transmitted 5km over a graded-index, few-mode optical fibre. Channel crosstalk is mitigated using 4 × 4 multiple-input-multiple-output digital-signal-processing with <1.5 dB power penalties at a bit-error-rate of 2 × 10−3.
Profiling RNA editing in human tissues: towards the inosinome Atlas
Authors: Picardi Ernesto , Manzari Caterina , Mastropasqua Francesca , Aiello Italia , D’Erchia Anna Maria , Pesole Graziano
Published: October 2015

Adenine to Inosine RNA editing is a widespread co- and post-transcriptional mechanism mediated by ADAR enzymes acting on double stranded RNA. It has a plethora of biological effects, appears to be particularly pervasive in humans with respect to other mammals and is implicated in a number of diverse human pathologies. Here we present the first human inosinome atlas comprising 3,041,422 A-to-I events identified in six tissues from three healthy individuals. Matched directional total-RNA-Seq and whole genome sequence datasets were generated and analysed within a dedicated computational framework, also capable of detecting hyper-edited reads. Inosinome profiles are tissue specific and edited gene sets consistently show enrichment of genes involved in neurological disorders and cancer. Overall frequency of editing also varies, but is strongly correlated with ADAR expression levels. The inosinome database is available at: http://srv00.recas.ba.infn.it/editing.
Paradoxical effect of rapamycin on inflammatory stress-induced insulin resistance in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Yang Ping , Zhao Yunfei , Zhao Lei , Yuan Jun , Chen Yao , Varghese Zac , Moorhead John F. , Chen Yaxi , Ruan Xiong Z.
Published: October 2015

Insulin resistance is closely related to inflammatory stress and the mammalian target of rapamycin/S6 kinase (mTOR/S6K) pathway. The present study investigated whether rapamycin, a specific inhibitor of mTOR, ameliorates inflammatory stress-induced insulin resistance in vitro and in vivo. We used tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) stimulation in HepG2 hepatocytes, C2C12 myoblasts and 3T3-L1 adipocytes and casein injection in C57BL/6J mice to induce inflammatory stress. Our results showed that inflammatory stress impairs insulin signaling by reducing the expression of total IRS-1, p-IRS-1 (tyr632) and p-AKT (ser473); it also activates the mTOR/S6K signaling pathway both in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, rapamycin treatment reversed inflammatory cytokine-stimulated IRS-1 serine phosphorylation, increased insulin signaling to AKT and enhanced glucose utilization. In vivo, rapamycin treatment also ameliorated the impaired insulin signaling induced by inflammatory stress, but it induced pancreatic β-cell apoptosis, reduced pancreatic β-cell function and enhanced hepatic gluconeogenesis, thereby resulting in hyperglycemia and glucose intolerance in casein-injected mice. Our results indicate a paradoxical effect of rapamycin on insulin resistance between the in vitro and in vivo environments under inflammatory stress and provide additional insight into the clinical application of rapamycin.
Self-transport and self-alignment of microchips using microscopic rain
Authors: Chang Bo , Shah Ali , Zhou Quan , Ras Robin H. A. , Hjort Klas
Published: October 2015

Alignment of microchips with receptors is an important process step in the construction of integrated micro- and nanosystems for emerging technologies and facilitating alignment by spontaneous self-assembly processes is highly desired. Previously, capillary self-alignment of microchips driven by surface tension effects on patterned surfaces has been reported, where it was essential for microchips to have sufficient overlap with receptor sites. Here we demonstrate for the first time capillary self-transport and self-alignment of microchips, where microchips are initially placed outside the corresponding receptor sites and can be self-transported by capillary force to the receptor sites followed by self-alignment. The surface consists of hydrophilic silicon receptor sites surrounded by superhydrophobic black silicon. Rain-induced microscopic droplets are used to form the meniscus for the self-transport and self-alignment. The boundary conditions for the self-transport have been explored by modeling and confirmed experimentally. The maximum permitted gap between a microchip and a receptor site is determined by the volume of the liquid and by the wetting contrast between receptor site and substrate. Microscopic rain applied on hydrophilic-superhydrophobic patterned surfaces greatly improves the capability, reliability and error-tolerance of the process, avoiding the need for accurate initial placement of microchips and thereby greatly simplifying the alignment process.
Non-linear photochemical pathways in laser-induced atmospheric aerosol formation
Authors: Mongin Denis , Slowik Jay G. , Schubert Elise , Brisset Jean-Gabriel , Berti Nicolas , Moret Michel , Prévôt André S. H. , Baltensperger Urs , Kasparian Jérôme , Wolf Jean-Pierre
Published: October 2015

We measured the chemical composition and the size distribution of aerosols generated by femtosecond-Terawatt laser pulses in the atmosphere using an aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS). We show that nitric acid condenses in the form of ammonium nitrate and that oxidized volatile organics also contribute to particle growth. These two components account for two thirds and one third, respectively, of the dry laser-condensed mass. They appear in two different modes centred at 380 nm and 150 nm. The number concentration of particles between 25 and 300 nm increases by a factor of 15. Pre-existing water droplets strongly increase the oxidative properties of the laser-activated atmosphere, substantially enhancing the condensation of organics under laser illumination.
Conformational switch of polyglutamine-expanded huntingtin into benign aggregates leads to neuroprotective effect
Authors: Sun Chia-Sui , Lee Chi-Chang , Li Yi-Ni , Yao-Chen Yang Sunny , Lin Chih-Hsiang , Chang Yi-Che , Liu Po-Fan , He Ruei-Yu , Wang Chih-Hsien , Chen Wenlung , Chern Yijuang , Jen-Tse Huang Joseph
Published: October 2015

The abundant accumulation of inclusion bodies containing polyglutamine-expanded mutant huntingtin (mHTT) aggregates is considered as the key pathological event in Huntington’s disease (HD). Here, we demonstrate that FKBP12, an isomerase that exhibits reduced expression in HD, decreases the amyloidogenicity of mHTT, interrupts its oligomerization process and structurally promotes the formation of amorphous deposits. By combining fluorescence-activated cell sorting with multiple biophysical techniques, we confirm that FKBP12 reduces the amyloid property of these ultrastructural-distinct mHTT aggregates within cells. Moreover, the neuroprotective effect of FKBP12 is demonstrated in both cellular and nematode models. Finally, we show that FKBP12 also inhibit the fibrillization process of other disease-related and aggregation-prone peptides. Our results suggest a novel function of FKBP12 in ameliorating the proteotoxicity in mHTT, which may shed light on unraveling the roles of FKBP12 in different neurodegenerative diseases and developing possible therapeutic strategies.
Fluoxetine exposure during adolescence increases preference for cocaine in adulthood
Authors: Iñiguez Sergio D. , Riggs Lace M. , Nieto Steven J. , Wright Katherine N. , Zamora Norma N. , Cruz Bryan , Zavala Arturo R. , Robison Alfred J. , Mazei-Robison Michelle S.
Published: October 2015

Currently, there is a high prevalence of antidepressant prescription rates within juvenile populations, yet little is known about the potential long-lasting consequences of such treatments, particularly on subsequent responses to drugs of abuse. To address this issue at the preclinical level, we examined whether adolescent exposure to fluoxetine (FLX), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, results in changes to the sensitivity of the rewarding properties of cocaine in adulthood. Separate groups of male c57bl/6 mice were exposed to FLX (0 or 20 mg/kg) for 15 consecutive days either during adolescence (postnatal days [PD] 35–49) or adulthood (PD 65–79). Twenty-one days after FLX treatment, behavioral responsivity to cocaine (0, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 mg/kg) conditioned place preference was assessed. Our data shows that mice pretreated with FLX during adolescence, but not during adulthood, display an enhanced dose-dependent preference to the environment paired with cocaine (5 or 10 mg/kg) when compared to age-matched saline pretreated controls. Taken together, our findings suggest that adolescent exposure to FLX increases sensitivity to the rewarding properties of cocaine, later in life.
Fully automatic and robust 3D registration of serial-section microscopic images
Authors: Wang Ching-Wei , Budiman Gosno Eric , Li Yen-Sheng
Published: October 2015

Robust and fully automatic 3D registration of serial-section microscopic images is critical for detailed anatomical reconstruction of large biological specimens, such as reconstructions of dense neuronal tissues or 3D histology reconstruction to gain new structural insights. However, robust and fully automatic 3D image registration for biological data is difficult due to complex deformations, unbalanced staining and variations on data appearance. This study presents a fully automatic and robust 3D registration technique for microscopic image reconstruction and we demonstrate our method on two ssTEM datasets of drosophila brain neural tissues, serial confocal laser scanning microscopic images of a drosophila brain, serial histopathological images of renal cortical tissues and a synthetic test case. The results show that the presented fully automatic method is promising to reassemble continuous volumes and minimize artificial deformations for all data and outperforms four state-of-the-art 3D registration techniques to consistently produce solid 3D reconstructed anatomies with less discontinuities and deformations.
Ca2+-regulated cyclic electron flow supplies ATP for nitrogen starvation-induced lipid biosynthesis in green alga
Authors: Chen Hui , Hu Jinlu , Qiao Yaqin , Chen Weixian , Rong Junfeng , Zhang Yunming , He Chenliu , Wang Qiang
Published: October 2015

We previously showed that both the linear photosynthetic electron transportation rate and the respiration rate dropped significantly during N starvation-induced neutral lipid accumulation in an oil-producing microalga, Chlorella sorokiniana and proposed a possible role for cyclic electron flow (CEF) in ATP supply. In this study, we further exploited this hypothesis in both Chlorella sorokiniana C3 and the model green alga Chlamydomonas. We found that both the rate of CEF around photosystem I and the activity of thylakoid membrane-located ATP synthetase increased significantly during N starvation to drive ATP production. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the Chlamydomonas mutant pgrl1, which is deficient in PGRL1-mediated CEF, accumulated less neutral lipids and had reduced rates of CEF under N starvation. Further analysis revealed that Ca2+ signaling regulates N starvation-induced neutral lipid biosynthesis in Chlamydomonas by increasing calmodulin activity and boosting the expression of the calcium sensor protein that regulates Pgrl1-mediated CEF. Thus, Ca2+-regulated CEF supplies ATP for N starvation-induced lipid biosynthesis in green alga. The increased CEF may re-equilibrate the ATP/NADPH balance and recycle excess light energy in photosystems to prevent photooxidative damage, suggesting Ca2+-regulated CEF also played a key role in protecting and sustaining photosystems.
Omnidirectional, broadband light absorption using large-area, ultrathin lossy metallic film coatings
Authors: Li Zhongyang , Palacios Edgar , Butun Serkan , Kocer Hasan , Aydin Koray
Published: October 2015

Resonant absorbers based on nanostructured materials are promising for variety of applications including optical filters, thermophotovoltaics, thermal emitters and hot-electron collection. One of the significant challenges for such micro/nanoscale featured medium or surface, however, is costly lithographic processes for structural patterning which restricted from industrial production of complex designs. Here, we demonstrate lithography-free, broadband, polarization-independent optical absorbers based on a three-layer ultrathin film composed of subwavelength chromium (Cr) and oxide film coatings. We have measured almost perfect absorption as high as 99.5% across the entire visible regime and beyond (400–800 nm). In addition to near-ideal absorption, our absorbers exhibit omnidirectional independence for incidence angle over ±60 degrees. Broadband absorbers introduced in this study perform better than nanostructured plasmonic absorber counterparts in terms of bandwidth, polarization and angle independence. Improvements of such “blackbody” samples based on uniform thin-film coatings is attributed to extremely low quality factor of asymmetric highly-lossy Fabry-Perot cavities. Such broadband absorber designs are ultrathin compared to carbon nanotube based black materials and does not require lithographic processes. This demonstration redirects the broadband super absorber design to extreme simplicity, higher performance and cost effective manufacturing convenience for practical industrial production.
Two successive magneto-structural transformations and their relation to enhanced magnetocaloric effect for Ni55.8Mn18.1Ga26.1 Heusler alloy
Authors: Li Zhe , Xu Kun , Zhang Yuanlei , Tao Chang , Zheng Dong , Jing Chao
Published: October 2015

In the present work, two successive magneto-structural transformations (MSTs) consisting of martensitic and intermartensitic transitions have been observed in polycrystalline Ni55.8Mn18.1Ga26.1 Heusler alloy. Benefiting from the additional latent heat contributed from intermediate phase, this alloy exhibits a large transition entropy change ΔStr with the value of ~27 J/kg K. Moreover, the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) has been also evaluated in terms of Maxwell relation. For a magnetic field change of 30 kOe, it was found that the calculated value of refrigeration capacity in Ni55.8Mn18.1Ga26.1 attains to ~72 J/kg around room temperature, which significantly surpasses those obtained for many Ni-Mn based Heusler alloys in the same condition. Such an enhanced MCE can be ascribed to the fact that the isothermal entropy change ΔST is spread over a relatively wide temperature interval owing to existence of two successive MSTs for studied sample.
4-Phosphatephenyl-modified glassy carbon electrode for real-time and simultaneous electrochemical monitoring of paracetamol and diclofenac release from electrospun nanofibers
Authors: Zhou Tingting , Li Lili , Wang Jiabo , Chen Xuesong , Yang Guocheng , Shan Yuping
Published: October 2015

An effective electrochemical platform was set up for real-time and simultaneous monitoring of the kinetics of drug release from electrospun nanofibers.
One-post patterning of multiple protein gradients using a low-cost flash foam stamp
Authors: Yu Ling , Chen Qiong , Tian Yun Li , Gao An Xiu , Li Yuan , Li Man , Li Chang Ming
Published: October 2015

Versatile chemical and biological inks were printed using a cost-effective flash foam stamp (FFS) for one-post patterning of multiple protein gradients, demonstrating an accessible solution for resource-limited laboratories conducting molecular patterning experiments.
Unique topological motifs in two Cd(ii)-coordination polymers: mutual-embedded 2D bilayers, 3D polythreaded structures, self-penetrated networks and 2D → 2D interpenetrated homochiral bilayers
Authors: Xu Guo-Wang , Wu Ya-Pan , Wang Hai-Bing , Wang Ye-Nan , Li Dong-Sheng , Liu Yun-Ling
Published: October 2015

Two unique entangled Cd(ii) coordination polymers have been modulated by flexible/semi-rigid mixed-ligand systems.
A combined experimental and computational study of novel nanocage-based metal–organic frameworks for drug delivery
Authors: Liu Jian-Qiang , Li Xue-Feng , Gu Chu-Ying , da Silva Júlio C. S. , Barros Amanda L. , Alves-Jr Severino , Li Bao-Hong , Ren Fei , Batten Stuart R. , Soares Thereza A.
Published: October 2015

Experimental and computational characterization of three novel metal organic frameworks (MOFs) with high loading capacity for adsorption and slow release of the drug 5-fluoracil.