bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A logical relationship for schizophrenia, bipolar, and major depressive disorder. Part 1: Evidence from chromosome 1 high density association screen
Authors: Zhang Zhihua , Chen Gang
Published: April 2020

Familial clustering of schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar disorder (BPD), and major depressive disorder (MDD) was investigated systematically (Aukes et al., Genetics in Medicine, 2012, 14, 338–341) and any two or even three of these disorders could coexist in some families. Furthermore, evidence from symptomatology and psychopharmacology also imply the existence of intrinsic connections between these three major psychiatric disorders. A total of 71,445 SNPs on chromosome 1 were genotyped on 119 SCZ, 253 BPD (type‐I), 177 MDD cases and 1000 controls and further validated in 986 SCZ patients in the population of Shandong province of China. Outstanding psychosis genes are systematically revealed( ATP1A4, ELTD1, FAM5C, HHAT, KIF26B, LMX1A, NEGR1, NFIA, NR5A2, NTNG1, PAPPA2, PDE4B, PEX14, RYR2, SYT6, TGFBR3, TTLL7, and USH2A). Unexpectedly, flanking genes for up to 97.09% of the associated SNPs were also replicated in an enlarged cohort of 986 SCZ patients. From the perspective of etiological rather than clinical psychiatry, bipolar, and major depressive disorder could be subtypes of schizophrenia. Meanwhile, the varied clinical feature and prognosis might be the result of interaction of genetics and epigenetics, for example, irreversible or reversible shut down, and over or insufficient expression of certain genes, which may gives other aspects of these severe mental disorders.
The effect of extrinsic Wnt/β‐catenin signaling in Muller glia on retinal ganglion cell neurite growth
Authors: Musada Ganeswara Rao , Dvoriantchikova Galina , Myer Ciara , Ivanov Dmitry , Bhattacharya Sanjoy K. , Hackam Abigail S.
Published: April 2020

Muller glia are the predominant glial cell type in the retina, and they structurally and metabolically support retinal neurons. Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathways play essential roles in the central nervous system, including glial and neuronal differentiation, axonal growth, and neuronal regeneration. We previously demonstrated that Wnt signaling activation in retinal ganglion cells (RGC) induces axonal regeneration after injury. However, whether Wnt signaling within the adjacent Muller glia plays an axongenic role is not known. In this study, we characterized the effect of Wnt signaling in Muller glia on RGC neurite growth. Primary Muller glia and RGC cells were grown in transwell co‐cultures and adenoviral constructs driving Wnt regulatory genes were used to activate and inhibit Wnt signaling specifically in primary Muller glia. Our results demonstrated that activation of Wnt signaling in Muller glia significantly increased RGC average neurite length and branch site number. In addition, the secretome of Muller glia after induction or inhibition of Wnt signaling was characterized using protein profiling of conditioned media by Q Exactive mass spectrometry. The Muller glia secretome after activation of Wnt signaling had distinct and more numerous proteins involved in regulation of axon extension, axon projection and cell adhesion. Furthermore, we showed highly redundant expression of Wnt signaling ligands in Muller glia and Frizzled receptors in RGCs and Muller glia. Therefore, this study provides new information about potential neurite growth promoting molecules in the Muller glia secretome, and identified Wnt‐dependent target proteins that may mediate the axonal growth.
Indolic glucosinolate pathway provides resistance to mycorrhizal fungal colonization in a non‐host Brassicaceae
Authors: Anthony M. A. , Celenza J. L. , Armstrong A. , Frey S. D.
Published: April 2020

Most terrestrial plants form mycorrhizas, but a number of agricultural plants, including the Brassicaceae, are non‐mycorrhizal. Brassicaceae can still be colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), but species like Arabidopsis thaliana experience growth reductions following AMF colonization at similar magnitude to that of fungal pathogen infections and lack key genes necessary for nutrient exchange. Arabidopsis also produces specific secondary compounds via the modification of tryptophan, including indolic glucosinolates (IGs), which have anti‐fungal properties and may therefore be involved in reducing AMF colonization. This study therefore addressed whether the ability to produce IGs facilitates resistance to AMF colonization and growth suppression. We challenged with AMF inoculation transgenic Arabidopsis lines which produce no or enhanced IGs levels in comparison with the wild‐type. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal inoculation suppressed the development of IG‐removed plants, activated their pathogen‐response defenses, and enhanced AMF vesicle colonization of their root systems. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi had no detrimental effects on wild‐type or IG‐enhanced plants. Using BLAST to identify IG orthologs across 29 Brassicales, we also show that non‐mycorrhizal species possess orthologous proteins for IG biosynthesis to Arabidopsis which AMF‐associated Brassicales lack. In conclusion, the IG production pathway appears to serve an important and previously unknown role in reducing AMF colonization in Arabidopsis and may serve similar functions in non‐host Brassicales more broadly.
Relationships between Pacific salmon and aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems: implications for ecosystem‐based management
Authors: Walsh Jessica C. , Pendray Jane E. , Godwin Sean C. , Artelle Kyle A. , Kindsvater Holly K. , Field Rachel D. , Harding Jennifer N. , Swain Noel R. , Reynolds John D.
Published: April 2020

Pacific salmon influence temperate terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems through the dispersal of marine‐derived nutrients and ecosystem engineering of stream beds when spawning. They also support large fisheries, particularly along the west coast of North America. We provide a comprehensive synthesis of relationships between the densities of Pacific salmon and terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, summarize the direction, shape, and magnitude of these relationships, and identify possible ecosystem‐based management indicators and benchmarks. We found 31 studies that provided 172 relationships between salmon density (or salmon abundance) and species abundance, species diversity, food provisioning, individual growth, concentration of marine‐derived isotopes, nutrient enhancement, phenology, and several other ecological responses. The most common published relationship was between salmon density and marine‐derived isotopes (40%), whereas very few relationships quantified ecosystem‐level responses (5%). Only 13% of all relationships tended to reach an asymptote (i.e., a saturating response) as salmon densities increased. The number of salmon killed by bears and the change in biomass of different stream invertebrate taxa between spawning and nonspawning seasons were relationships that usually reached saturation. Approximately 46% of all relationships were best described with linear or curved nonasymptotic models, indicating a lack of saturation. In contrast, 41% of data sets showed no relationship with salmon density or abundance, including many of the relationships with stream invertebrate and biofilm biomass density, marine‐derived isotope concentrations, or vegetation density. Bears required the highest densities of salmon to reach their maximum observed food consumption (i.e., 9.2 kg/m2 to reach the 90% threshold of the relationship’s asymptote), followed by freshwater fish abundance (90% threshold = 7.3 kg/m2 of salmon). Although the effects of salmon density on ecosystems are highly varied, it appears that several of these relationships, such as bear food consumption, could be used to develop indicators and benchmarks for ecosystem‐based fisheries management.
Analysis of Reaction Kinetics of Edible Oil Oxidation at Ambient Temperature by FTIR Spectroscopy
Authors: Wang Mengzhu , Chen Jia , Jing Bingyu , Zhang Lingyan , Dong Yaoyao , Yu Xiuzhu
Published: April 2020

Edible oils are studied to analyze their reaction kinetics during oxidation and predict shelf life at ambient temperature. Rapeseed oil (RO), soybean oil (SO), linseed oil (LO), and peanut oil (PO) are detected via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with a mesh cell as spectral acquisition accessory. The reaction kinetics of ROOH bonds, C═O bonds, trans double bonds (TDBs), and carbon chain skeletons (CCSs) are determined by absorbance changes in their characteristic absorption peaks. Prediction models for shelf life based on various characteristic absorption peaks are converted via the reaction kinetics equations of the oils. Results show that first‐order reaction kinetics are used to describe absorbance changes of ROOH bonds in PO, SO, and LO, while zero‐order reaction kinetics are used to describe the absorbance changes in RO. Both C═O bonds and CCS absorbance changes in the four oils satisfy first‐order reaction kinetics. TDBs absorbance changes in PO, SO, and LO are in accordance with zero‐order reaction kinetics. The regression equations of reaction kinetics exhibit good fitting degree (coefficient of determination, R2 > 0.9000) and statistical significance (p < 0.001), indicating that the proposed method can be used to analyze the reaction kinetics of oil oxidation and predict shelf life.

Practical Applications: The reaction kinetics of RO, SO, LO, and PO are studied at ambient temperature and the shelf life is predicted by using FTIR spectroscopy based on the absorbance changes of ROOH bonds, C═O bonds, TDB bonds, and CCS in the oils. The shelf life of edible oils can be more effectively predicted in this case and provide a practical reference for food industries. Furthermore, the proposed technique is rapid, green, and accurate, and allows real‐time characterization of absorbance changes in various characteristic absorption peaks, which corresponded to different oxidation products. By this method, it is possible to reflect real‐time information for different quality indices (such as peroxides and acid values) of oil oxidation simultaneously, and unnecessary to measure these indices directly one by one, saving manpower and material resources. Therefore, FTIR spectroscopy is convenient for the rapid evaluation of oxidation stability and shelf life of edible oils under ambient temperature.
Melting and viscous dissipation effect on upper‐convected Maxwell and Williamson nanofluid
Authors: Ibrahim Wubshet , Negera Mekonnen
Published: April 2020

This article mainly addresses the influence of the viscous dissipation, melting, and chemical reaction on Williamson and Maxwell nanofluids over a stretching sheet embedded in porous media. The system of partial differential equations which is obtained by conservation principles, is transformed by means of an appropriate similarity transformation into a system of ordinary differential equations. The numerical results are obtained by employing the Keller box method. The impacts of different germane parameters on velocity profiles, thermal and concentration fields, Nusselt number, skin friction coefficient, and Sherwood number are selected by means of graphical and tabular representations. Our numerical solution detects that the dimensionless melting parameter highly affects the velocity boundary layer of a Williamson nanofluid when compared with an upper‐convected Maxwell nanofluid. Moreover, the velocity, temperature, and concentration distributions decrease for both fluids when the permeability parameter increases. Furthermore, the temperature distribution increases with an increase of the Eckert number.
Information content of snow hydrological signatures based on streamflow, precipitation and air temperature
Authors: Horner Ivan , Branger Flora , McMillan Hilary , Vannier Olivier , Braud Isabelle
Published: April 2020

Hydrological signatures that represent snow processes are valuable to gain insights into snow accumulation and snow melt dynamics. We investigated five snow signatures. Considering inter‐annual average of each calendar day, two slopes derived from the relation between streamflow and air temperature for different periods and streamflow peak maxima are used as signatures. In addition, two different approaches are used to compute inter‐annual average and yearly snow storage estimates. We evaluated the ability of these signatures to characterize average (a) snow melt dynamics and (b) snow storage. They were applied in 10 Critical Zone Observatory catchments of the Southern Sierra mountains (USA) characterized by a Mediterranean climate. The relevance and information content of the signatures are evaluated using snow depth and snow water equivalent measurements as well as inter‐catchment differences in elevation. The slopes quantifying the relations between streamflow and air temperature and the date of streamflow peak were found to characterize snow melt dynamics in terms of snow melt rates and snow melt affected areas. Streamflow peak dates were linked to the period of highest snow melt rates. Snow storage could be estimated both on average, considering all years, and for each year. Snow accumulation dynamics could not be characterized due to the lack of streamflow response during the snow accumulation period. The signatures were found potentially valuable to gain insights into catchment scale snow processes. In particular, when comparing catchments or observed and simulated data, they could provide insights into differences in terms of (a) snow melt rate and/or snow melt affected area over the snow melt season and (b) average or yearly snow storage. Requiring only widely available data, these hydrological signatures can be valuable for snow processes characterization, catchment comparison/classification or model development, calibration or evaluation.
COVID‐19 Obstetrics Task Force, Lombardy, Italy: Executive management summary and short report of outcome
Authors: Ferrazzi Enrico M. , Frigerio Luigi , Cetin Irene , Vergani Patrizia , Spinillo Arsenio , Prefumo Federico , Pellegrini Edda , Gargantini Gianluigi
Published: April 2020

From February 24, 2020, a COVID‐19 obstetric task force was structured to deliver management recommendations for obstetric care. From March 1, 2020, six COVID‐19 hubs and their spokes were designated. An interim analysis of cases occurring in or transferred to these hubs was performed on March 20, 2020 and recommendations were released on March 24, 2020. The vision of this strict organization was to centralize patients in high‐risk maternity centers in order to concentrate human resources and personal protective equipment (PPE), dedicate protected areas of these major hospitals, and centralize clinical multidisciplinary experience with this disease. All maternity hospitals were informed to provide a protected labor and delivery room for nontransferable patients in advanced labor. A pre‐triage based on temperature and 14 other items was developed in order to screen suspected patients in all hospitals to be tested with nasopharyngeal swabs. Obstetric outpatient facilities were instructed to maintain scheduled pregnancy screening as per Italian guidelines, and to provide pre‐triage screening and surgical masks for personnel and patients for pre‐triage‐negative patients. Forty‐two cases were recorded in the first 20 days of hub and spoke organization. The clinical presentation was interstitial pneumonia in 20 women. Of these, seven required respiratory support and eventually recovered. Two premature labors occurred.
Binding of Leishmania spp with gold nanoparticles supported polyethylene glycol and its application for the sensitive detection of infectious photogenes in human plasma samples: A novel biosensor
Authors: Mobed Ahmad , Mehri Parina , Hasanzadeh Mohammad , Mokhtarzadeh Ahad
Published: April 2020

The management of pathogen detection using a rapid and cost‐effective method presents a major challenge to the biological safety of the world. The field of pathogen detection is nascent and therefore, faces a dynamic set of challenges as the field evolves. Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), or kala‐azar is the most severe form of leishmaniasis. Delay to the accurate diagnosis and treatment is likely to lead to fatality. The reliable, fast and sensitive detection is closely linked to safe and effective treatment of Leishmania spp. Despite several routine and old method for sensitive and specificity detection of Leishmania spp, there is highly demand for developing modern and powerfully system. In this study a novel ultra‐sensitive DNA‐based biosensor was prepared for detection of Leishmania spp. For the first time, the specific and thiolated sequences of the Leishmania spp genome (5′‐SH‐[CH2]6 ATCTCGTAAGCAGATCGCTGTGTCAC‐3′) were recognized by electrochemical methods. Also, selectivity of the proposed bioassay was examined by three sequences that were mismatched in 1, 2, and 3 nucleotides. The linear range (10−6 to 10−21 M) and limit of detection (LLOQ = 1 ZM) obtained are remarkable in this study. Also, simple and cost‐effective construction of genosensors was another advantage of the proposal DNA‐based assay. The experimental results promise a fast and simple method in detection of kala‐azar patients with huge potential of the nanocomposite‐based probe for development of ideal biosensors.
Analysis of the thermogenesis mechanism of natural rubber under high speed strain
Authors: Zhan Yue‐Hua , Wei Yan‐Chan , Zhang Hui‐Feng , Luo Ming‐Chao , Zheng Ting‐Ting , Liao Shuangquan
Published: April 2020

This work highlights the relationship of crosslink density, entanglement points and various sulfide crosslinks with the thermogenesis properties of natural rubber (NR). The impact of cross‐link and entanglement on thermogenesis properties was evaluated by heat build‐up test, swelling behavior, statistical thermodynamic calculation, and classic viscoelastic theory. It was found that cross‐link and entanglement points have “pinning” effect to the rubber chain, thus remarkably restricting the motion of the rubber chain and reducing thermogenesis. Besides, the effects of various sulfide crosslinks and cross‐link length on thermogenesis were compared and discussed varying the sulfur vulcanization system. It was found that the semi‐effective vulcanization system using N‐cyclohexyl‐2‐benzothiazolesulfenamide (CZ) and 2‐Mercaptobenzothiazole (M) has the lowest thermogenesis (bottom temperature rise is 7.5°C, middle is 18.7°C), which on account of combined short crosslink length with high rigid rubber chain (crosslink network dominated by mono‐ and disulfides). As a result, the deformation degree of the rubber chain during curl up‐extension and the thermogenesis are further reduced. Finally, a combination of natural film coagulation and semi‐effective vulcanization system was used to prepare a low thermogenesis NR, in which bottom and middle temperature rise were only 5.0°C and 14.1°C, respectively.
Efficient Pyrazole Moiety‐Containing Ligands for Cu‐Catalyzed O‐Arylation of Phenols
Authors: Zhao Yingying , Wang Xiangyong , Kaneyama Ryo , Kodama Koichi , Hirose Takuji
Published: April 2020

Seven pyrazole‐ or pyridine‐containing N2‐ and N3‐ligalitnds (L1–L7) were developed for the ligand‐assisted CuI‐catalyzed coupling reactions of aryl halides with phenols. The structural and electronic effects were studied for various combinations of pyridine and/or imine nitrogen binding sites in the ligands. Screening their abilities showed most of them to be better than 4,4’‐dimethoxybipyridine (L8). Among them, 2‐(1‐pyrazolyl)pyridine (L1) featuring two types of binding sites gave the best results, with yields of up to 95% at 100 °C at a catalyst loading of 10 mol% (CuI/L in 1 : 1 ratio). Free radical scavengers, 2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidin‐1‐yl)oxyl (TEMPO) (1.0 eq.) and cumene (1.0 eq.), lowered the yields by more than half, but the reaction was not completely quenched even when 3.0 eq. of TEMPO was used. A non‐radical and a radical mechanisms, are proposed for the L1‐promoted coupling reaction, well explained the experiments results. In addition, the structure of the catalyst species were elucidated through single crystal XRD and DFT (density functional theory) calculations.
MFHS: A modular scheduling framework for heterogeneous system
Authors: Khiat Abdelhamid , Tari Abdelkamel , Guérout Tom
Published: April 2020

Current innovative distributed architectures, proposing on‐line services, involve more and more computing resources. From a provider point of view, the platform management leads to challenging problematic relating to resource allocation, which involve different kind of quality of service parameters, the provider has to focus on to keep his platform reliable and efficient. MFHS is a modular generic framework, which can be adapted to any distributed computing environment. Structured in modules, MFHS allows to discover the existing computing resources in terms of computing performance, network throughput and disk I/O speeds (Resources Discovery module) and to predict how the experiment should behave (Pi value). As the setting up of real experiments is often complex, MFHS allows: to make theoretical experimentation (based on models), to use any kind of distributed emulators, or to deploy experiments on real‐experimental platforms. In this article, these three environments are used to highlight the reliability of MFHS (measured Pi=90% against 94% for the predicted Pi). Deployment and scheduling studies have also been achieved using an experimental Cloud based on OpenStack while Emulab test‐bed has been used as emulator. During experiments, four QoS parameters are taken into account (Resources Monitoring module): energy consumption, cost, resource utilization, and makespan. These studies also includes a new heuristic called MMin, based on Max‐Min and Min‐Min algorithms. Experimentation section, proposes a detailed comparative analysis of these algorithms in terms of QoS results, while the abilities of the proposed heuristic MMin regarding the makespan metric is shown.
UK stillbirth trends in over 11 million births provide no evidence to support effectiveness of Growth Assessment Protocol program
Authors: Iliodromiti S. , Smith G. C. S. , Lawlor D. A. , Pell J. P. , Nelson S. M.
Published: April 2020

Objective

Use of the Growth Assessment Protocol (GAP) has increased internationally under the assumption that it reduces the stillbirth rate. The evidence for this is limited and based largely on an ecological time‐trend study. Discordance in the uptake of the GAP program between Scotland and England/Wales enabled us to assess the assertion that implementation of GAP leads to a reduced stillbirth
rate.

Methods

We analyzed data from the National Records for Scotland and the Office for National Statistics on the number of singleton maternities and stillbirths in Scotland and in England and Wales, respectively, from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2015. National uptake of the GAP program over time in each of the regions was recorded. Stillbirth rate per 1000 maternities was calculated, according to year of delivery, and compared between Scotland and England/Wales.

Results

During the study period, there were 870 632 singleton maternities in Scotland, of which 4243 were stillbirths, and there were 10 469 120 singleton maternities in England and Wales, of which 51 562 were stillbirths. There was a marked difference in uptake of the GAP program between the two regions, with substantially fewer maternity units in Scotland implementing the program. Stillbirth rates were static up to 2010, with a decline thereafter in both regions, to 3.75 (95% CI, 3.25–4.30) per 1000 maternities in Scotland and 4.30 (95% CI, 4.15–4.46) per 1000 maternities in England and Wales in 2015. From 2010 onwards, the decline in Scotland was faster, equating to 48 (95% CI, 47.9–48.1) fewer stillbirths per 100 000 maternities in Scotland than in England and Wales from 2010 to 2015 compared with 2000 to 2009.

Conclusions

We observed a decline in stillbirth rate in England and Wales, which coincided with implementation of the GAP program. However, a concurrent decline in stillbirth rate was observed in Scotland in the absence of increased implementation of GAP. The secular rates of change in stillbirth rate in England and Wales cannot be used to infer efficacy of the GAP program. © 2020 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Genetic variation of Brucella isolates at strain level in Egypt
Authors: Abdel‐Hamid Nour H. , El‐bauomy Essam M. , Ghobashy Hazem M. , Shehata Abeer A.
Published: April 2020

In this study, Multiple Locus Variable Number Tandem Repeat Analysis (MLVA‐16) was performed on 18 Brucella isolates identified bacteriologically and molecularly (AMOS‐PCR) as Brucella abortus (n = 6) and Brucella melitensis (n = 12). This was aimed to study the genetic association among some Egyptian Brucella genotypes isolated during the period from 2002 to 2013 along with the global genotypes database. MLVA‐16 analysis for B. melitensis and B. abortus strains illustrates a total of 11, and 3 genotypes with 10 and 1 singleton genotypes, respectively. B. melitensis strains displayed greater markers diversity by VNTRs analysis of the 16 loci than B. abortus and this was attributed mainly to the diverging in panel 2B markers. B. melitensis genotype M4_Fayoum_Giza (3,5,3,13,1,1,3,3,8,21,8,7,5,9,5,3) was the only predominated genotype circulating between two different governorates. The most common B. abortus genotype, GT A3_Dakahlia (4,5,4,12,2,2,3,3,6,21,8,4,4,3,4,4), was present in three identical isolates. In phylogeny, Egyptian B. abortus bv1 genotypes were closely related to East Asian strain (for the first time), Western Mediterranean and Americas clonal lineages. B. melitensis local genotypes exhibit a genetic relatedness mostly to Western Mediterranean clonal lineage and one strain of Eastern Mediterranean clonal lineage. In conclusion, the geographic location is not the only factor stands behind the high genetic similarity of the Egyptian Brucella genotypes. These low variations may be a result of a stepwise mutational event of the most variable loci from a very limited number of ancestors especially during the transmission through non‐preference hosts. The authors encourage the authorities in charge to establish pre‐movement testing to reduce the risk of brucellosis spread.
Molecular mechanisms regulating synaptic specificity and retinal circuit formation
Authors: Graham Hannah K. , Duan Xin
Published: April 2020

The central nervous system (CNS) is composed of precisely assembled circuits which support a variety of physiological functions and behaviors. These circuits include multiple subtypes of neurons with unique morphologies, electrical properties, and molecular identities. How these component parts are precisely wired‐up has been a topic of great interest to the field of developmental neurobiology and has implications for our understanding of the etiology of many neurological disorders and mental illnesses. To date, many molecules involved in synaptic choice and specificity have been identified, including members of several families of cell‐adhesion molecules (CAMs), which are cell‐surface molecules that mediate cell‐cell contacts and subsequent intracellular signaling. One favored hypothesis is that unique expression patterns of CAMs define specific neuronal subtype populations and determine compatible pre‐ and postsynaptic neuronal partners based on the expression of these unique CAMs. The mouse retina has served as a beautiful model for investigations into mammalian CAM interactions due to its well‐defined neuronal subtypes and distinct circuits. Moreover, the retina is readily amenable to visualization of circuit organization and electrophysiological measurement of circuit function. The advent of recent genetic, genomic, and imaging technologies has opened the field up to large‐scale, unbiased approaches for identification of new molecular determinants of synaptic specificity. Thus, building on the foundation of work reviewed here, we can expect rapid expansion of the field, harnessing the mouse retina as a model to understand the molecular basis for synaptic specificity and functional circuit assembly.

This article is categorized under:

Nervous System Development > Vertebrates: General Principles

Nervous System Development > Vertebrates: Regional Development
Super-resolution microscopy unveils transmembrane domain-mediated internalization of cross-reacting material 197 into diphtheria toxin-resistant mouse J774A.1 cells and primary rat fibroblasts in vitro
Authors: Fellermann Maximilian , Wondany Fanny , Carle Stefan , Nemeth Julia , Sadhanasatish Tanmay , Frick Manfred , Barth Holger , Michaelis Jens
Published: April 2020

Diphtheria toxin (DT) efficiently inhibits protein synthesis in human cells, resulting in severe disease diphtheria. The sensitivity towards DT varies between mammalian species. Mice and rats are resistant to DT. However, the reason underlying this insensitivity is controversially discussed and not well understood. Therefore, we investigated the steps of DT uptake, i.e. receptor binding and internalization into mouse J774A.1 macrophages and primary rat fibroblasts. We exploited the non-toxic DT-mutant cross-reacting material 197 (CRM197) and three additional receptor binding-deficient mutants (250 nM each) to investigate binding to cell surface and internalization into murine cells via flow cytometry and stimulated emission depletion (STED) super-resolution optical microscopy. Dual-color STED imaging unveiled CRM197 interacting with the murine precursor of the heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor (HB-EGF). Moreover, we identified CRM197’s transmembrane domain as an additional HB-EGF binding site, which is also involved in the receptor-mediated internalization into murine cells. However, we do not find evidence for translocation of the catalytically active subunit (DTA) into the cytosol when 250 nM DT were applied. In conclusion, we provide evidence that the resistance of murine cells to DT is caused by an insufficiency of DTA to escape from endosomes and reach the cytosol. Possibly, a higher affinity interaction of DT and the HB-EGF is required for translocation, which highlights the role of the receptor in the endosomes during the translocation step. We extend the current knowledge about cellular uptake of the medically relevant DT and CRM197.
The relationship between increased air pollution expressed as PM10 concentration and the frequency of percutaneous coronary interventions in patients with acute coronary syndromes—a seasonal differences
Authors: Januszek Rafał , Staszczak Bartłomiej , Siudak Zbigniew , Bartuś Jerzy , Plens Krzysztof , Bartuś Stanisław , Dudek Dariusz
Published: April 2020

The aim of the presented study was to assess the relationship between air pollution expressed as particulate air matters less than 10 μm (PM10) and acute coronary syndromes (ACSs). In this observational study, we selected regions with low pollution according to PM10 (non-polluted) and with the highest pollution (polluted). The occurrence of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) in patients with ACSs was matched according to the location. The current study included 7678 patients in polluted areas and 4327 patients from non-polluted regions. Analysing the period from January to December 2017, the number of patients undergoing angioplasty in monitored catheterization laboratories and the mean daily concentration of PM10 in all selected cities were calculated for each day. The annual average concentration of PM10 amounts to 50.95 μg/m3 in polluted and 26.62 μg/m3 in non-polluted cities (P < 0.01). The rise in PM10 pollution levels was related with the increased frequency of PCIs in patients with ACSs in polluted (P < 0.01) and non-polluted (P < 0.01) areas. In the non-polluted regions, the increase in PM10 concentration by every 1 μg/m3 causes 0.22 additional ACS angioplasties per week. In polluted regions, the same increase in PM10 concentration causes 0.18 additional ACS angioplasties per week. In non-winter weeks, the mean number of ACS PCIs expressed in promiles was lower than in winter weeks in polluted (P = 0.03) and non-polluted cities (P = 0.02). The study shows that the increase in air pollution expressed as PM10 concentration and winter time influences the frequency of ACS-related PCIs.
Zur Stabilität und Variabilität motivationaler Orientierungen angehender Lehrkräfte im Verlauf des Integrierten Semesterpraktikums
Authors: Bauer Max , Traub Silke , Kunina-Habenicht Olga
Published: April 2020

Schulpraktische Studien sollen als zentrale Lerngelegenheiten im Lehramtsstudium den Studierenden die Möglichkeit bieten, Praxiserfahrungen zu sammeln, Theorie mit Praxis zu verzahnen und ihre Berufswahlmotivation kritisch zu reflektieren. Bisherige Studien beschäftigten sich meist mit der Einschätzung subjektiver Kompetenzentwicklung und es gibt nur wenige Belege dafür, ob die Studierenden ihre Berufswahlmotivation im Verlauf der Praktika reflektieren und verändern. Diese Studie untersucht, wie stabil die motivationalen Orientierungen im Laufe des Integrierten Semesterpraktikums sind und welche Faktoren neben der reinen Praxiserfahrung eine Rolle für die möglichen Veränderungen spielen. Hierfür wurden 201 Studierende sowohl vor als auch nach ihrem Praktikum befragt. Die Ergebnisse der Strukturgleichungsmodellierungen zeigen, dass die Berufswahlmotive äußerst stabil sind und sich nur die Lehrerselbstwirksamkeit im Verlauf des Praktikums verändert. Die Untersuchung interindividueller Entwicklungsverläufe hat gezeigt, dass lediglich die Reflexionsgelegenheiten neben der reinen Praxiserfahrung einen kleinen positiven Effekt auf die Entwicklung der Lehrerselbstwirksamkeit aufweisen.
Orchestrating Governmental Corporate Social Responsibility Interventions through Financial Markets: The Case of French Socially Responsible Investment
Authors: Giamporcaro Stéphanie , Gond Jean-Pascal , O’Sullivan Niamh
Published: April 2020

Although a growing stream of research investigates the role of government in corporate social responsibility (CSR), little is known about how governmental CSR interventions interact in financial markets. This article addresses this gap through a longitudinal study of the socially responsible investment (SRI) market in France. Building on the “CSR and government” and “regulative capitalism” literatures, we identify three modes of governmental CSR intervention—regulatory steering, delegated rowing, and microsteering—and show how they interact through the two mechanisms of layering (the accumulation of interventions) and catalyzing (the alignment of interventions). Our findings: 1) challenge the notion that, in the neoliberal order, governments are confined to steering market actors—leading and guiding their behavior—while private actors are in charge of rowing—providing products and services; 2) show how governmental CSR interventions interact and are orchestrated; and 3) provide evidence that governments can mobilize financial markets to promote CSR.
Challenges to Australia's Offshore Detention Regime and the Limits of Strategic Tort Litigation
Authors: Holly Gabrielle
Published: April 2020

Australia's offshore detention regime has been the subject of numerous attempts to seek accountability for harm caused to detainees using legal and other avenues in Australia. This Article examines recent strategic litigation actions against the Australian government and the corporate contractors engaged in offshore detention, including: Kamasaee v. Commonwealth; AUB19 v. Commonwealth; and actions seeking injunctions requiring the Australian government to airlift detainees to Australia for medical treatment. While these actions have vindicated the rights of those in offshore detention in specific ways, and in some instances facilitated compensation for harms caused while in detention, none have proved capable of challenging the underlying basis of the offshore detention regime, nor of providing a foreseeable end to the detention, whether by facilitating credible prospects for resettlement, or by other means. The Article provides an account of the achievements and limitations of these claims and concludes that although certain features of the Australian jurisdiction make it possible to pursue transnational claims, and thus potentially provide remedy for those who have suffered wrongs in Australia's offshore detention regime, such claims need to be pursued with the utmost care and with careful consideration of the complexities of the Australian political and legal environment.
Exploring the Role of University-Run Enterprises in Technology Transfer from Chinese Universities
Authors: Li Xibao , Tan Justin
Published: April 2020

Universities in China have increased their entrepreneurship significantly, yet a good understanding of the specific characteristics of university-based technology transfers remains missing. This study focuses on a special type of university spinoffs in China, University-Run Enterprises (UREs), and examines how URE eminence contributes to a university's technology transfer performance, using panel data covering 195 universities over the five years from 2002 to 2006. The findings reveal that URE eminence not only signifies a university's strong entrepreneurial culture, but also signals commercial values and quality of the university research. It moderates the contribution of university scientists from the supply side and that of sourcing firms from the demand side.
Staging Public Blackness in Mid-Twentieth-Century Peru: The Repertoires of Pancho Fierro and Cumanana
Authors: Feldman Heidi Carolyn
Published: April 2020

In 1951, Victoria (1922–2014) and Nicomedes Santa Cruz (1925–92) attended a performance at Lima's Teatro Municipal (Municipal Theatre) by the Katherine Dunham Dance Company. Dunham (1909–2006), an African American choreographer and anthropologist, pioneered a “research-to-performance” method to study African-derived dances in the Caribbean and stage them in stylized choreographies. Elite Lima patrons walked out of the theatre during the danced African fertility rite in Dunham's “Rites de Passage,” but the performance left a lasting impression on the Santa Cruzes. Nicomedes Santa Cruz later described the event as the first positive staged demonstration of blackness in Peru—and Victoria Santa Cruz stated that, when they saw Katherine Dunham's production, they knew they had to do something similar. The Santa Cruzes went on to lead a revival of Afro-Peruvian arts in the 1960s and 1970s.
Modeling Non‐Force‐Free and Deformed Flux Ropes in Titan's Ionosphere
Authors: Martin C. J. , Arridge C. S. , Badman S. V. , Billett D. D. , Barratt C. J.
Published: April 2020

Previous work at Titan presented a set of 85 flux ropes detected during Cassini flybys of Titan from 2005 to 2017. In that study a force‐free model was used to determine the radii and axial magnetic field of the flux ropes. In this work we apply non‐force‐free models. The non‐force‐free model shows an improvement in the number of flux ropes that can be fitted with a model, along with improved uncertainties and χ2 values. A number of asymmetries and features in the magnetometer data cannot be reproduced by either model; therefore, we deform the force‐free model to show that small deformations can replicate these features. One such deformation is to use an elliptical cross section, which replicates a plateau in magnetic field strength along with asymmetries on either side of the center of the flux ropes. Additionally, we explore the properties of bending a flux rope, where we find that minimum variance analysis becomes increasingly degenerate with bending, along with a slight bend causing the switching of the axial field direction from intermediate to maximum variance direction. We conclude that the flux ropes at Titan show aspects of developing flux ropes, compared to other planetary bodies, which exhibit more agreement to the force‐free assumptions of mature flux ropes.
Spatially Coherent Intraseasonal Velocity Fluctuations on the Western Antarctic Peninsula Shelf
Authors: McKee Darren C. , Martinson Douglas G.
Published: April 2020

We analyze several year‐long moored current meter records collected on the midshelf and shelf break of the western Antarctic Peninsula in order to describe the major features of the intraseasonal circulation. An empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis of all current meter records in any given year reveals that over 49% of the circulation variance follows a spatially coherent, nearly depth‐invariant anticyclonic cell in the downstream vicinity of Marguerite Trough, qualitatively consistent with flow‐topography interaction with the canyon. An analysis of kinetic energy spectra supports the interpretation that the shelf break current is diverted shoreward at the location of the canyon and generates substantial counterclockwise energy at periods shorter than ~10 days as the flow is compressed by a downstream bank. The circulation is well correlated with the long‐shore wind stress both local and remote. Composite velocity profiles under upwelling and downwelling winds show that the change in the barotropic current under different wind states is comparable to or larger than the shear of the mean profile in all years. The barotropic velocity fluctuations are generally not coherent with subpycnocline heat content.
How Modern Emissions Compare to Ancient, Extinction-Level Events
Authors: Wheeling Kate
Published: April 2020

Researchers find that a pulse of volcanic activity spanning several hundred years released as much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as anthropogenic emissions projections for the 21st century.
Thermal perturbation of NMR properties in small polar and non-polar molecules
Authors: Jaegers Nicholas R. , Wang Yong , Hu Jian Zhi
Published: April 2020

Water is an important constituent in an abundant number of chemical systems; however, its presence complicates the analysis of in situ1H MAS NMR investigations due to water’s ease of solidification and vaporization, the large changes in mobility, affinity for hydrogen bonding interactions, etc., that are reflected by dramatic changes in temperature-dependent chemical shielding. To understand the evolution of the signatures of water and other small molecules in complex environments, this work explores the thermally-perturbed NMR properties of water in detail by in situ MAS NMR over a wide temperature range. Our results substantially extend the previously published temperature-dependent 1H and 17O chemical shifts, linewidths, and spin-lattice relaxation times over a much wider range of temperatures and with significantly enhanced thermal resolution. The following major results are obtained: Hydrogen bonding is clearly shown to weaken at elevated temperatures in both 1H and 17O spectra, reflected by an increase in chemical shielding. At low temperatures, transient tetrahedral domains of H-bonding networks are evidenced and the observation of the transition between solid ice and liquid is made with quantitative considerations to the phase change. The 1H chemical shift properties in other small polar and non-polar molecules have also been described over a range of temperatures, showing the dramatic effect hydrogen bonding perturbation on polar species. Gas phase species are observed and chemical exchange between gas and liquid phases is shown to play an important role on the observed NMR shifts. The results disclosed herein lay the foundation for a clear interpretation of complex systems during the increasingly popular in situ NMR characterization at elevated temperatures and pressures for studying chemical systems.
Rapid analysis of cell-generated forces within a multicellular aggregate using microsphere-based traction force microscopy
Authors: Kaytanlı Buğra , Khankhel Aimal H. , Cohen Noy , Valentine Megan T.
Published: April 2020

We measure cell-generated forces from the deformations of elastic microspheres embedded within multicellular aggregates. Using a computationally efficient analytical model, we directly obtain the full 3D mapping of surface stresses within minutes.
The generic unfolding of a biomimetic polymer during force spectroscopy
Authors: Chaimovich Aviel , Leitold Christian , Dellago Christoph
Published: April 2020

By computing free energies with molecular simulations, we find a general signature for protein unfolding in force spectroscopy, and in turn, we present a useful formula for experimentalists.
The XXL Survey
Authors: Ricci M. , Adam R. , Eckert D. , Ade P. , André P. , Andrianasolo A. , Altieri B. , Aussel H. , Beelen A. , Benoist C. , Benoît A. , Berta S. , Bideaud A. , Birkinshaw M. , Bourrion O. , Boutigny D. , Bremer M. , Calvo M. , Cappi A. , Chiappetti L. , Catalano A. , De Petris M. , Désert F.-X. , Doyle S. , Driessen E. F. C. , Faccioli L. , Ferrari C. , Fotopoulou S. , Gastaldello F. , Giles P. , Gomez A. , Goupy J. , Hahn O. , Horellou C. , Kéruzoré F. , Koulouridis E. , Kramer C. , Ladjelate B. , Lagache G. , Leclercq S. , Lestrade J.-F. , Macías-Pérez J. F. , Maughan B. , Maurogordato S. , Mauskopf P. , Monfardini A. , Pacaud F. , Perotto L. , Pierre M. , Pisano G. , Pompei E. , Ponthieu N. , Revéret V. , Ritacco A. , Romero C. , Roussel H. , Ruppin F. , Sánchez Portal M. , Schuster K. , Sereno M. , Shu S. , Sievers A. , Tucker C. , Umetsu K.
Published: April 2020

High-mass clusters at low redshifts have been intensively studied at various wavelengths. However, while more distant objects at lower masses constitute the bulk population of future surveys, their physical state remain poorly explored to date. In this paper, we present resolved observations of the Sunyaev-Zel’dovich (SZ) effect, obtained with the NIKA2 camera, towards the cluster of galaxies XLSSC 102, a relatively low-mass system (M500 ∼ 2 × 1014 M⊙) atz = 0.97 detected from the XXL survey. We combine NIKA2 SZ data,XMM-NewtonX-ray data, and Megacam optical data to explore, respectively, the spatial distribution of the gas electron pressure, the gas density, and the galaxies themselves. We find significant offsets between the X-ray peak, the SZ peak, the brightest cluster galaxy, and the peak of galaxy density. Additionally, the galaxy distribution and the gas present elongated morphologies. This is interpreted as the sign of a recent major merging event, which induced a local boost of the gas pressure towards the north of XLSSC 102 and stripped the gas out of the galaxy group. The NIKA2 data are also combined with XXL data to construct the thermodynamic profiles of XLSSC 102, obtaining relatively tight constraints up to about ∼r500, and revealing properties that are typical of disturbed systems. We also explore the impact of the cluster centre definition and the implication of local pressure substructure on the recovered profiles. Finally, we derive the global properties of XLSSC 102 and compare them to those of high-mass-and-low-redshift systems, finding no strong evidence for non-standard evolution. We also use scaling relations to obtain alternative mass estimates from our profiles. The variation between these different mass estimates reflects the difficulty to accurately measure the mass of low-mass clusters atz ∼ 1, especially with low signal-to-noise ratio data and for a disturbed system. However, it also highlights the strength of resolved SZ observations alone and in combination with survey-like X-ray data. This is promising for the study of high redshift clusters from the combination of eROSITA and high resolution SZ instruments and will complement the new generation of optical surveys from facilities such as LSST andEuclid.