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W3043619193 | Digital or Digitally Delivered Responses to Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence During COVID-19 | Before the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), 1 in 3 women and girls, globally, were victimized by an abusive partner in intimate relationships. However, the current pandemic has amplified cases of domestic violence (DV) against women and girls, with up to thrice the prevalence in DV cases compared to the same time last year. Evidence of the adverse effects of the pandemic on DV is still emerging, even as violence prevention strategies are iteratively being refined by service providers, advocacy agencies, and survivors to meet stay-at-home mandates. Emotional and material support for survivors is a critical resource increasingly delivered using digital and technology-based modalities, which offer several advantages and challenges. This paper rapidly describes current DV mitigation approaches using digital solutions, signaling emerging best practices to support survivors, their children, and abusers during stay-at-home advisories. Some examples of technology-based strategies and solutions are presented. An immediate priority is mapping out current digital solutions in response to COVID-19–related DV and outlining issues with uptake, coverage, and meaningful use of digital solutions. | [
"The Social World and Its Interactions",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
10.1007/978-3-319-68765-0_26 | Hierarchical Novelty Detection | Hierarchical classification is commonly defined as multi-class classification where the classes are hierarchically nested. Many practical hierarchical classification problems also share features with multi-label classification (i. e. , each data point can have any number of labels, even non-hierarchically related) and novelty detection (i. e. , some data points are novelties at some level of the hierarchy). A further complication is that it is common for training data to be incompletely labelled, e. g. the most specific labels are not always provided. In music genre classification for example, there are numerous music genres (multi-class) which are hierarchically related. Songs can belong to different (even non-nested) genres (multi-label), and a song labelled as Rock may not belong to any of its sub-genres, such that it is a novelty within this genre (novelty-detection). Finally, the training data may label a song as Rock whereas it really could be labelled correctly as the more specific genre Blues Rock. In this paper we develop a new method for hierarchical classification that naturally accommodates every one of these properties. To achieve this we develop a novel approach, modelling it as a Hierarchical Novelty Detection problem that can be trained through a single convex second-order cone programming problem. This contrasts with most existing approaches that typically require a model to be trained for each layer or internal node in the label hierarchy. Empirical results on a music genre classification problem are reported, comparing with a state-of-the-art method as well as simple benchmarks. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
233074 | Genetically defined and selectively mast cell-deficient mouse model to unravel the immunological roles of mast cells | Mast cells (MC) are best known for their central role in allergic disease but, more recently, MC have also been considered as important elements of the immune system in general. Since the original recognition, more than 10 years ago, that MC may have immunological functions beyond allergic disease, a very long list of physiological and pathological conditions has been accumulated in which MC have been suggested to play important roles. However, definitive evidence for MC functions in areas as important as innate and adaptive immunity, autoimmunity, transplant rejection, vascular diseases, tumour growth, and wound healing are currently mostly lacking. A major hurdle in this field is the lack of a genetically-defined mouse mutant selectively deficient in all MC. The available MC-deficiency models are based on mutations in the pleiotropic growth factor receptor Kit. Kit mutations cause many defects in multiple lineages inside and outside of the immune system, are mostly unavailable on pure genetic backgrounds, and are difficult to combine with other gain or loss of function mutations. We have now generated a new mouse strain that is selective MC-deficient. Cre recombinase (Cre)-mediated MC eradication takes advantage of the genotoxic property of Cre, and does not require Cre-mediated deletion of loxP-flanked genes in MC. These MC-deficient mice are now available for the proposed project on pure C57BL/6 and BALB/c mouse backgrounds. For proof of principle, we are not only demonstrating that MC are absent from these mutants but also provide evidence that these MC-deficient inbred mice behave very differently compared to MC-deficient, Kit-deficient mice in classical assays previously used to suggest in vivo MC functions. Based on these findings, and given the need for conclusive in vivo studies to advance this area of immunology, I propose to develop and lead a research program addressing the in vivo functions of MC in key areas of immunology. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
10.1371/journal.pone.0018033 | Enhancement of naringenin bioavailability by complexation with hydroxypropoyl-β-cyclodextrin | The abundant flavonoid aglycone, naringenin, which is responsible for the bitter taste in grapefruits, has been shown to possess hypolipidemic and anti-inflammatory effects both in vitro and in vivo. Recently, our group demonstrated that naringenin inhibits hepatitis C virus (HCV) production, while others demonstrated its potential in the treatment of hyperlipidemia and diabetes. However, naringenin suffers from low oral bioavailability critically limiting its clinical potential. In this study, we demonstrate that the solubility of naringenin is enhanced by complexation with β-cyclodextrin, an FDA approved excipient. Hydroxypropoyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD), specifically, increased the solubility of naringenin by over 400-fold, and its transport across a Caco-2 model of the gut epithelium by 11-fold. Complexation of naringenin with HPβCD increased its plasma concentrations when fed to rats, with AUC values increasing by 7. 4-fold and Cmax increasing 14. 6-fold. Moreover, when the complex was administered just prior to a meal it decreased VLDL levels by 42% and increased the rate of glucose clearance by 64% compared to naringenin alone. These effects correlated with increased expression of the PPAR co-activator, PGC1α in both liver and skeletal muscle. Histology and blood chemistry analysis indicated this route of administration was not associated with damage to the intestine, kidney, or liver. These results suggest that the complexation of naringenin with HPβCD is a viable option for the oral delivery of naringenin as a therapeutic entity with applications in the treatment of dyslipidemia, diabetes, and HCV infection. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.1105/tpc.110.074716 | An Orange Ripening Mutant Links Plastid NAD(P)H Dehydrogenase Complex Activity to Central and Specialized Metabolism during Tomato Fruit Maturation
| Abstract
In higher plants, the plastidial NADH dehydrogenase (Ndh) complex supports nonphotochemical electron fluxes from stromal electron donors to plastoquinones. Ndh functions in chloroplasts are not clearly established; however, its activity was linked to the prevention of the overreduction of stroma, especially under stress conditions. Here, we show by the characterization of OrrDs, a dominant transposon-tagged tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) mutant deficient in the NDH-M subunit, that this complex is also essential for the fruit ripening process. Alteration to the NDH complex in fruit changed the climacteric, ripening-associated metabolites and transcripts as well as fruit shelf life. Metabolic processes in chromoplasts of ripening tomato fruit were affected in OrrDs, as mutant fruit were yellow-orange and accumulated substantially less total carotenoids, mainly β-carotene and lutein. The changes in carotenoids were largely influenced by environmental conditions and accompanied by modifications in levels of other fruit antioxidants, namely, flavonoids and tocopherols. In contrast with the pigmentation phenotype in mature mutant fruit, OrrDs leaves and green fruits did not display a visible phenotype but exhibited reduced Ndh complex quantity and activity. This study therefore paves the way for further studies on the role of electron transport and redox reactions in the regulation of fruit ripening and its associated metabolism. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
10.1146/annurev-neuro-070918-050414 | Unified Classification of Molecular, Network, and Endocrine Features of Hypothalamic Neurons | Peripheral endocrine output relies on either direct or feed-forward multi-order command from the hypothalamus. Efficient coding of endocrine responses is made possible by the many neuronal cell types that coexist in intercalated hypothalamic nuclei and communicate through extensive synaptic connectivity. Although general anatomical and neurochemical features of hypothalamic neurons were described during the past decades, they have yet to be reconciled with recently discovered molecular classifiers and neurogenetic function determination. By interrogating magnocellular as well as parvocellular dopamine, GABA, glutamate, and phenotypically mixed neurons, we integrate available information at the molecular, cellular, network, and endocrine output levels to propose a framework for the comprehensive classification of hypothalamic neurons. Simultaneously, we single out putative neuronal subclasses for which future research can fill in existing gaps of knowledge to rationalize cellular diversity through function-determinant molecular marks in the hypothalamus. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
10.1007/s00208-012-0826-9 | C*-algebras of Toeplitz type associated with algebraic number fields | We associate with the ring R of algebraic integers in a number field a C*-algebra T[R]. It is an extension of the ring C*-algebra A[R] studied previously by the first named author in collaboration with X. Li. In contrast to A[R], it is functorial under homomorphisms of rings. It can also be defined using the left regular representation of the ax+b-semigroup R ⋊ R×. The algebra A[R] carries a natural one-parameter automorphism group (σt)t∈ℝ. We determine its KMS-structure. The technical difficulties that we encounter are due to the presence of the class group in the case where R is not a principal ideal domain. In that case, for a fixed large inverse temperature, the simplex of KMS-states splits over the class group. The "partition functions" are partial Dedekind ζ-functions. We prove a result characterizing the asymptotic behavior of quotients of such partial ζ-functions, which we then use to show uniqueness of the β-KMS state for each inverse temperature β∈(1,2]. | [
"Mathematics"
]
|
interreg_2268 | Mobility Ecosystem for Low-carbon and INnovative moDal shift in the Alps | MELINDA generates a participative development of a low carbon and sustainable urban, suburban and transnational mobility by smoothing the way to citizen awareness and engagement, through a better understanding of user demand and conceiving alternative/innovative modalities. Its general objective is to support policy making on mobility, air quality, territorial development, contributing to EU/local strategies. MELINDA implements a social innovation approach aimed at inducing a behavioural change in the mobility; such change is targeted thanks to a very innovative bottom-up initiative that includes:_x000D_
- Better integrating of data on mobility and mobility services, and on air quality, especially at transnational level, where data are generally not corresponding and on other factors that affect mobility (such as meteo conditions),_x000D_
- Real-time monitoring of mobility behaviors and mobility patterns during a test (by means of a mobile app to collect data on volunteering citizens’ movements and analytics to understand their behavior and mobility patterns in real-time),_x000D_
- Increasing citizen awareness through the real-time suggestion of more sustainable styles and modes (by means of a mobile app to represent information, offer alternative solutions, give evidences on carbon impacts),_x000D_
- Supporting the development of value-added services for multimodality and modal shift,_x000D_
- Participatory policy-making/action-planning based on the test results and consistent with the value-added services, realized during a transnational open lab._x000D_
_x000D_
The well-amalgamated and complementary MELINDA partnership will make it possible to enable a wide inter-exchange benefit at transnational level and benefit from different Country approaches to modal shift thanks to the integration of data, use of common tools and blending of experiences, as well as the combination of policy-making and action planning activity. The total budget is euro 2.005.305,00 | [
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space",
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"The Social World and Its Interactions"
]
|
10.1088/0953-4075/48/17/175501 | Quantum Optomechanical Piston Engines Powered By Heat | We study two different models of optomechanical systems where a temperature gradient between two radiation baths is exploited for inducing self-sustained coherent oscillations of a mechanical resonator. From a thermodynamic perspective, such systems represent quantum instances of self-contained thermal machines converting heat into a periodic mechanical motion and thus they can be interpreted as nano-scale analogues of macroscopic piston engines. Our models are potentially suitable for testing fundamental aspects of quantum thermodynamics in the laboratory and for applications in energy efficient nanotechnology. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
10.1039/C4CS00437J | Metal Organic Framework Based Mixed Matrix Membranes A Solution For Highly Efficient Co2 Capture | The field of metal–organic framework based mixed matrix membranes (M4s) is critically reviewed, with special emphasis on their application in CO2 capture during energy generation. After introducing the most relevant parameters affecting membrane performance, we define targets in terms of selectivity and productivity based on existing literature on process design for pre- and post-combustion CO2 capture. Subsequently, the state of the art in M4s is reviewed against these targets. Because final application of these membranes will only be possible if thin separation layers can be produced, the latest advances in the manufacture of M4 hollow fibers are discussed. Finally, the recent efforts in understanding the separation performance of these complex composite materials and future research directions are outlined. | [
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Materials Engineering",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
10.1080/02603594.2014.979286 | Shifting The Light Activation Of Metallodrugs To The Red And Near Infrared Region In Anticancer Phototherapy | The light activation of inorganic prodrugs is a unique opportunity for inorganic chemistry. Major breakthroughs in the last decade showed that photoreactions could transform a kinetically inert and biologically non-active inorganic compounds into a highly toxic form of the molecule. When performed in vitro or in vivo, such photochemical transformations offer promises, notably in anticancer phototherapy, as a generalization of photodynamic therapy, a clinically approved technique combining light, a photosensitizer, and molecular oxygen to selectively kill cancer cells. However, many inorganic complexes absorb light in the low-wavelength region of the visible spectrum, or even in the UV range, which is sub-optimal in medicine because short wavelengths poorly penetrate human tissues and can be rather toxic to cells. The review addresses these issues, discusses the definition of the photodynamic window, and sums up the different strategies that allow for obtaining photoactivation of inorganic prodrugs with hi. . . | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
10.1121/1.4983826 | Effects Of Linear And Nonlinear Speech Rate Changes On Speech Intelligibility In Stationary And Fluctuating Maskers | Algorithmic modifications to the durational structure of speech designed to avoid intervals of intense masking lead to increases in intelligibility, but the basis for such gains is not clear. The current study addressed the possibility that the reduced information load produced by speech rate slowing might explain some or all of the benefits of durational modifications. The study also investigated the influence of masker stationarity on the effectiveness of durational changes. Listeners identified keywords in sentences that had undergone linear and nonlinear speech rate changes resulting in overall temporal lengthening in the presence of stationary and fluctuating maskers. Relative to unmodified speech, a slower speech rate produced no intelligibility gains for the stationary masker, suggesting that a reduction in information rate does not underlie intelligibility benefits of durationally modified speech. However, both linear and nonlinear modifications led to substantial intelligibility increases in fluctuating noise. One possibility is that overall increases in speech duration provide no new phonetic information in stationary masking conditions, but that temporal fluctuations in the background increase the likelihood of glimpsing additional salient speech cues. Alternatively, listeners may have benefitted from an increase in the difference in speech rates between the target and background. | [
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
887924 | Powerplatform: establishment of platform infrastructure for highly selective electrochemical conversions | The technologies to be developed in the PERFORM project are directed towards highly efficient and integrated electrochemical systems which substantially improve oxidative chemical transformations based on bio-based feedstocks. PERFORM provides solutions for the need for the electrification of the chemical industry and will establish a flexible PowerPlatform pilot plant to be used also after the end of the project, allowing for continuing innovations and impact. Moreover, multi-step chemical conversions can be shortcut and performed in a single electrochemical cell, such that this can be considered as a disruptive technology. Therefore, the implementation of electrochemical production methods for value-added compounds will be a game changer, leading to more efficient and sustainable production. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
10.1080/17470919.2019.1574891 | A Walk On The Dark Side Tms Over The Right Inferior Frontal Gyrus Rifg Disrupts Behavioral Responses To Infant Stimuli | Infant signals, including infant sounds and facial expressions, play a critical role in eliciting parental proximity and care. Processing of infant signals in the adulthood brain is likely to recruit emotional empathy neural circuits, including the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). Here, we used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to test the role of right IFG (rIFG) in behavioral responses to infant signals. Specifically, a group of nulliparous women were asked to perform a handgrip dynamometer task and an Approach-Avoidance Task (AAT) after receiving TMS over the right IFG or over a control site (vertex). Suppressing activity in the rIFG affected the modulation of handgrip force in response to infant crying. Moreover, the AAT showed that participants tend to avoid the sad infant face after Vertex stimulation, and this bias was counteracted by rIFG stimulation. Our results suggest a causal role of rIFG in sensitive responding towards sad infants and point to the rIFG as a critical node in the neural network underlying the innate releasing mechanism for feelings of love, affection and caring of sad infants. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity"
]
|
10.1016/j.cytogfr.2013.05.001 | Crosstalk between ER stress and immunogenic cell death | Preclinical and clinical findings suggest that tumor-specific immune responses may be responsible - at least in part - for the clinical success of therapeutic regimens that rely on immunogenic cell death (ICD) inducers, including anthracyclines and oxaliplatin. The molecular pathways whereby some, but not all, cytotoxic agents promote bona fide ICD remain to be fully elucidated. Nevertheless, a central role for the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response has been revealed in all scenarios of ICD described thus far. Hence, components of the ER stress machinery may constitute clinically relevant druggable targets for the induction of ICD. In this review, we will summarize recent findings in the field of ICD research with a special focus on ER stress mechanisms and their implication for cancer therapy. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
10.1088/0004-637X/769/1/80 | Seds The Spitzer Extended Deep Survey Survey Design Photometry And Deep Irac Source Counts | The Spitzer Extended Deep Survey (SEDS) is a very deep infrared survey within five well-known extragalactic science fields: the UKIDSS Ultra-Deep Survey, the Extended Chandra Deep Field South, COSMOS, the Hubble Deep Field North, and the Extended Groth Strip. SEDS covers a total area of 1. 46 deg(2) to a depth of 26 AB mag (3s) in both of the warm Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) bands at 3. 6 and 4. 5 mu m. Because of its uniform depth of coverage in so many widely-separated fields, SEDS is subject to roughly 25% smaller errors due to cosmic variance than a single-field survey of the same size. SEDS was designed to detect and characterize galaxies from intermediate to high redshifts (z = 2-7) with a built-in means of assessing the impact of cosmic variance on the individual fields. Because the full SEDS depth was accumulated in at least three separate visits to each field, typically with six- month intervals between visits, SEDS also furnishes an opportunity to assess the infrared variability of faint objects. This paper describes the SEDS survey design, processing, and publicly-available data products. Deep IRAC counts for the more than 300,000 galaxies detected by SEDS are consistent with models based on known galaxy populations. Discrete IRAC sources contribute 5. 6 +/- 1. 0 and 4. 4 +/- 0. 8 nW m(-2) sr(-1) at 3. 6 and 4. 5 mu m to the diffuse cosmic infrared background (CIB). IRAC sources cannot contribute more than half of the total CIB flux estimated from DIRBE data. Barring an unexpected error in the DIRBE flux estimates, half the CIB flux must therefore come from a diffuse component. | [
"Universe Sciences"
]
|
651275 | Role of dynamic jnk signalling in balancing cell removal and renewal in a stressed epithelium | Tissue homeostasis requires a tight maintenance of cell number. Little is known about how tissue size and cell numbers are maintained in stress situations, when additional proliferation is needed to compensate for cell loss. I propose to study the homeostatic response to stress in a tissue (Drosophila wing primordia) in which Ribosomal Proteins-deficiency causes extensive apoptosis compensated by extra proliferation. How are these two responses balanced to ensure the emergence of a normal adult organism? JNK signalling is a strong candidate to mediate both apoptosis and proliferation responses. I propose to decipher the regulatory events that control this two-faced response, and to identify the proliferative pathways activated by JNK. Using the latest tools of genome engineering and live imaging, I aim at unravelling the spatio-temporal dynamics of JNK signalling and the downstream activation of cell death or division. Next, I will use a candidate gene and an unbiased approaches to uncover the transcriptional programs that correlate with apoptosis and proliferation. Lastly, I will verify the relevance of the identified candidates and investigate their spatial-temporal activity upon JNK activation. The results will be key to reaching the next stage of understanding the role of JNK in orchestrating the concerted replacement of lost cells that ultimately results in functional epithelia. Uncovering this logic in a relatively simple epithelium will hopefully guide further studies in more complex tissues of direct biomedical relevance. | [
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
10.1109/TPAMI.2017.2717829 | Joint Alignment Of Multiple Point Sets With Batch And Incremental Expectation Maximization | This paper addresses the problem of registering multiple point sets. Solutions to this problem are often approximated by repeatedly solving for pairwise registration, which results in an uneven treatment of the sets forming a pair: a model set and a data set. The main drawback of this strategy is that the model set may contain noise and outliers, which negatively affects the estimation of the registration parameters. In contrast, the proposed formulation treats all the point sets on an equal footing. Indeed, all the points are drawn from a central Gaussian mixture, hence the registration is cast into a clustering problem. We formally derive batch and incremental EM algorithms that robustly estimate both the GMM parameters and the rotations and translations that optimally align the sets. Moreover, the mixture's means play the role of the registered set of points while the variances provide rich information about the contribution of each component to the alignment. We thoroughly test the proposed algorithms on simulated data and on challenging real data collected with range sensors. We compare them with several state-of-the-art algorithms, and we show their potential for surface reconstruction from depth data. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.1007/978-1-4939-3771-4_10 | Melanoma Regression And Recurrence In Zebrafish | Melanoma is the most lethal form of skin cancer with high mortality rates. Most melanoma cases have activating mutations in BRAF (V600E) and the selective inhibitors of BRAF(V600E) have been successfully used in patients. However, after initial tumor regression, the majority of patients develop drug resistance resulting in tumor regrowth. It is therefore important to understand the mechanisms underlying these processes. We have recently described the role of the master melanocyte transcription factor MITF in tumor growth, regression, and recurrence. Here, we describe protocols to study regression and recurrence in vivo, as well as for histology and immunohistochemistry, using a temperature-sensitive zebrafish model of human melanoma. | [
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
]
|
10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.01.055 | Vascular reactivity in small cerebral perforating arteries with 7 T phase contrast MRI – A proof of concept study | Existing cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) techniques assess flow reactivity in either the largest cerebral vessels or at the level of the parenchyma. We examined the ability of 2D phase contrast MRI at 7 T to measure CVR in small cerebral perforating arteries. Blood flow velocity in perforators was measured in 10 healthy volunteers (mean age 26 years) using a 7 T MR scanner, using phase contrast acquisitions in the semioval center (CSO), the basal ganglia (BG) and the middle cerebral artery (MCA). Changes in flow velocity in response to a hypercapnic breathing challenge were assessed, and expressed as the percentual increase of flow velocity as a function of the increase in end tidal partial pressure of CO2. The hypercapnic challenge increased (fit ± standard error) flow velocity by 0. 7 ± 0. 3%/mmHg in the CSO (P < 0. 01). Moreover, the number of detected perforators (mean [range]) increased from 63 [27–88] to 108 [61–178] (P < 0. 001). In the BG, the hypercapnic challenge increased flow velocity by 1. 6 ± 0. 5%/mmHg (P < 0. 001), and the number of detected perforators increased from 48 [24–66] to 63 [32–91] (P < 0. 01). The flow in the MCA increased by 5. 2 ± 1. 4%/mmHg (P < 0. 01). Small vessel specific reactivity can now be measured in perforators of the CSO and BG, using 2D phase contrast at 7 T. | [
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.1016/j.chom.2017.05.004 | Shigella sonnei Encodes a Functional T6SS Used for Interbacterial Competition and Niche Occupancy | Shigella is a leading cause of dysentery worldwide, with the majority of infections caused by two subgroups, S. flexneri and S. sonnei. Although S. flexneri has been highly prevalent in low-income countries, global development has brought an increase in S. sonnei at the expense of S. flexneri. However, the mechanisms behind this shift are not understood. Here we report that S. sonnei, but not S. flexneri, encodes a type VI secretion system (T6SS) that provides a competitive advantage in the gut. S. sonnei competes against E. coli and S. flexneri in mixed cultures, but this advantage is reduced in T6SS mutant strains. In addition, S. sonnei can persist as well as outcompete E. coli and S. flexneri in mice in a T6SS-dependent manner. These findings suggest that S. sonnei has a competitive advantage over S. flexneri and potentially explain the increasing global prevalence of S. sonnei. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy"
]
|
10.1186/s40168-018-0548-7 | A metagenomics roadmap to the uncultured genome diversity in hypersaline soda lake sediments 06 Biological Sciences 0605 Microbiology 06 Biological Sciences 0604 Genetics | Background: Hypersaline soda lakes are characterized by extreme high soluble carbonate alkalinity. Despite the high pH and salt content, highly diverse microbial communities are known to be present in soda lake brines but the microbiome of soda lake sediments received much less attention of microbiologists. Here, we performed metagenomic sequencing on soda lake sediments to give the first extensive overview of the taxonomic diversity found in these complex, extreme environments and to gain novel physiological insights into the most abundant, uncultured prokaryote lineages. Results: We sequenced five metagenomes obtained from four surface sediments of Siberian soda lakes with a pH 10 and a salt content between 70 and 400 g L-1. The recovered 16S rRNA gene sequences were mostly from Bacteria, even in the salt-saturated lakes. Most OTUs were assigned to uncultured families. We reconstructed 871 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) spanning more than 45 phyla and discovered the first extremophilic members of the Candidate Phyla Radiation (CPR). Five new species of CPR were among the most dominant community members. Novel dominant lineages were found within previously well-characterized functional groups involved in carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen cycling. Moreover, key enzymes of the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway were encoded within at least four bacterial phyla never previously associated with this ancient anaerobic pathway for carbon fixation and dissimilation, including the Actinobacteria. Conclusions: Our first sequencing effort of hypersaline soda lake sediment metagenomes led to two important advances. First, we showed the existence and obtained the first genomes of haloalkaliphilic members of the CPR and several hundred other novel prokaryote lineages. The soda lake CPR is a functionally diverse group, but the most abundant organisms in this study are likely fermenters with a possible role in primary carbon degradation. Second, we found evidence for the presence of the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway in many more taxonomic groups than those encompassing known homo-acetogens, sulfate-reducers, and methanogens. Since only few environmental metagenomics studies have targeted sediment microbial communities and never to this extent, we expect that our findings are relevant not only for the understanding of haloalkaline environments but can also be used to set targets for future studies on marine and freshwater sediments. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
885323 | Engineering Carbon Nanodots for (Nano)Technological and Biomedical Applications | e-DOTS takes advantage of nanoscale and process-intensification principles, information technology and automation/robotics to translate molecular properties to nanoparticles for use in technologically advanced challenges, ranging from high-quality bioimaging to green catalysis in water.
A stringent molecular control over the synthesis and multivalent properties of “carbon nanodots”, 2-5 nm spherical nanoparticles, will allow us to shape a nanofabrication space with engineered functions. The core-shell structure of carbon nanodots, consisting of a confined core and an outer functional shell can be rationally designed by controlled chemical approaches and by a tailored choice of the proper starting materials.
e-DOTS scientific objectives are planned to go beyond the state of the art, with the aim to:
(i) elucidate the mechanism and the structural details in the conversion of small molecules to nanoparticles;
(ii) expand the carbon nanodots preparation process window and allow its automated exploration, directed at ambitious targets;
(iii) design and prepare carbon nanodots with tailored properties – in terms of size, charge, luminescence, chirality, and outer-shell functions – outperforming current technologies in green catalysis and biomedical imaging.
(iv) investigate and ensure the safety profile of carbon nanodots in a safe-by-design approach.
e-DOTS is a highly interdisciplinary project, based on frontier methods that the Prato group has successfully designed for the molecular modification of very diverse carbon nanostructures. Delving into fundamental aspects of carbon nanodots will allow to unfold their full potential in technological and biological applications.
e-DOTS will thus offer unprecedented opportunities to the scientific community, since the specific molecular properties of the reactants can be transferred, combined and enhanced up to the nanoscale, yielding carbon nanodots tailored to function. | [
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Materials Engineering",
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
W1618350064 | Data security model for Cloud Computing using V-GRT methodology | Cloud Computing becomes the next generation architecture of IT Enterprise. In contrast to traditional solutions, Cloud computing moves the application software and databases to the large data centers, where the management of the data and services may not be fully trustworthy. This unique feature, however, raises many new security challenges which have not been well understood. In cloud computing, both data and software are fully not contained on the user's computer; Data Security concerns arising because both user data and program are residing in Provider Premises. Clouds typically have single security architecture but have many customers with different demands. Every cloud provider solves this problem by encrypting the data by using encryption algorithms. But there are also chances that the cloud service is not trust worthy, to overcome this problem. This paper introduces a new model called V-GRT methodology which overcomes the basic problem of cloud computing data security. We present the data security model of cloud computing with security vendor that eliminates the fear of misuse of data by the cloud service provider thereby improving data security. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.1016/j.reactfunctpolym.2014.03.005 | Poly(ionic liquid)s with redox active counter-anions: All-in-one reactants and stabilizers for the synthesis of functional colloids | A family of all-in-one redox reactants and polymeric stabilizer or surfactant for the synthesis of functional colloids has been developed. For this purpose, poly(ionic liquid)s with cationic imidazolium or pyrrolidonium backbones and redox active counter-anions such as ReO4-, WO42-, S2O42-, S2O82-, NO3-, BH3CN- were synthesized. Poly(1-vinyl-3-ethylimidazolium) with BH3CN- reducing counter-anion have been used in order to synthesize silver and gold nanoparticles aqueous dispersions of 150-180 nm and ∼20 nm respectively. On the other hand, poly(dimethyldiallylammonium) with S2O 82- oxidizing counter-anion is used to obtain PEDOT dispersions and a conventional acrylic polymer latex. | [
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
625801 | Development of low-power emat instrumentation for in-service corrosion inspection and monitoring in high temperature assets | EMAT is an advanced couplant-free ultrasonic technology that overcomes the Achilles heel of conventional ultrasonic testing (UT), transferring energy from the probe into the material inspected. Unlike UT, EMAT does not require couplant nor direct contact with the target surface, making the technology ideal for field-use and automation.
The biggest drawback of this technology is its high-power consumption, which in turn leads to bulky instrumentation and higher pricing when compared to conventional ultrasonic devices. LOPEMAT project will tackle this challenge, paving the way to a new paradigm of ultrasonic inspection trough the development of the first line of Low-Power EMAT systems.
In line with the trend to make technology cheaper, lighter and more efficient, recent publications have shown it feasible to generate EMAT bursts with an excitation of 0.5 W and 4.5 Vpp, using a combination of advanced signal processing techniques such as binary quantization and coded excitation, whilst a typical high-power EMAT instrument such as Innerspec’s PowerBox H, works with 8000 W and 1200 Vpp, limiting its size, price range and portability.
A change so vast in power consumption would constitute a total gamechanger in the field, allowing for cheaper and lighter EMAT instruments, no bigger than a smartphone, that could be powered trough a power-bank or USB port, and could compete with conventional ultrasonic devices across the whole range of NDT applications.
Thus, the main goal of the LOPEMAT project is to develop and validate a first working prototype of low-power EMAT system for normal beam and guided wave generation. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
W4289878386 | O BRINCAR NA EDUCAÇÃO INFANTIL: UMA REVISÃO SISTEMÁTICA | Este artigo tem como objetivo investigar o papel do brincar como direito fundamental na educação infantil. As motivações que levaram ao interesse pelo tema buscaram analisar o brincar como atividade primária na infância e o papel da pré-escola na promoção do brincar. Nesse sentido, colocou-se a questão de pesquisa: Como o brincar facilita o processo de humanização em idade pré-escolar? Trata-se de um estudo bibliográfico do tipo revisão sistemática baseado em trabalhos publicados na Biblioteca Digital Brasileira de Teses e Dissertações, em diálogo com Costa (2017); Couto (2013); Graciliano (2014); Leontiev (2010); entre outros, o artigo tenta compreender o desenvolvimento infantil a partir de teorias históricas e culturais. Com base em argumentos da teoria histórico-cultural, reafirmamos a importância fundamental da educação para o desenvolvimento infantil. Assim, este trabalho destaca o papel do brincar e suas possibilidades na infância. | [
"The Social World and Its Interactions",
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity"
]
|
10.1364/AO.53.005510 | On Line Surface Inspection Using Cylindrical Lens Based Spectral Domain Low Coherence Interferometry | We present a spectral domain low-coherence interferometry (SD-LCI) method that is effective for applications in on-line surface inspection because it can obtain a surface profile in a single shot. It has an advantage over existing spectral interferometry techniques by using cylindrical lenses as the objective lenses in a Michelson interferometric configuration to enable the measurement of long profiles. Combined with a modern high-speed CCD camera, general-purpose graphics processing unit, and multicore processors computing technology, fast measurement can be achieved. By translating the tested sample during the measurement procedure, real-time surface inspection was implemented, which is proved by the large-scale 3D surface measurement in this paper. ZEMAX software is used to simulate the SD-LCI system and analyze the alignment errors. Two step height surfaces were measured, and the captured interferograms were analyzed using a fast Fourier transform algorithm. Both 2D profile results and 3D surface maps closely align with the calibrated specifications given by the manufacturer. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
805065 | Fundamentals of Hydrogen in Structural Metals at the Atomic Scale | H is an element that plays an important role in the production and efficient usage of energy as it significantly influences the way we produce and consume energy: In high-strength materials, the usability and service life is limited by H induced failure. These materials are key in transport systems, wind power and H storage. Despite the enormous economic significance, little is known fundamentally about the underlying damage mechanisms, which are inherently playing out on the atomic scale.
The PI’s team will use atom probe tomography, an atomic scale 3D microscopy method to systematically analyse the location and pathways of H in the microstructure and shed light on damage mechanisms in Fe and Ni based materials. This will include vacancies/clusters (0D), dislocations (1D), interfaces (2D) and second phased (3D). The approach will be combined with micro-mechanics to investigate the involvement of H in fracture behaviour. We will measure the amount of H at dislocations required for enhanced plasticity, in the plastic wake of a crack and at the crack tip. In production materials, we will determine the amount of H at identified traps after processing as well as penetration pathways into the material. Finally, we will clarify the contribution of H to a important problem for wind power generation: white-etching cracks.
These experiments are now made possible in a commercial atom probe by using 2H (D) charging combined with cryo specimen transfers to avoid H loss. In the project, the team will go a step further and build an atom probe with ultra-low H background to enable the direct detection of 1H, enabling analysis without tracers.
The resulting knowledge will greatly enhance our knowledge on the fundamentals of H in metals at the atomic scale. This will lead to increased predictability of failures, the rational design of H resistant high strength materials and protection measures and with it great cost savings especially in renewable energy generation and electromobility. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Materials Engineering",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.1007/s11625-017-0494-5 | The map of conflicts related to environmental injustice and health in Brazil | This article discusses the experience of the map of conflicts related to environmental injustices and health in Brazil and its potential contribution to international movements for environmental justice. Inventories and maps of environmental injustices are important instruments of struggle against injustice and racism, since they increase the visibility of populations, whose lives are threatened. The Brazilian map is published online since 2010 and was an initiative of FIOCRUZ, a public health and academic institution, and the NGO FASE, in cooperation with the Brazilian Network of Environmental Injustice (RBJA), created in 2001. Environmental justice arised in Brazil as a field of reflection and mobilization, and as a rallying point to identify the struggle of several groups and entities, such as rural and urban grassroots movements, indigenous peoples, traditional populations, and peasants affected by different hazards and risks, as well as environmentalists, trade unions, and scientists. Currently, the map has 570 emblematic environmental conflicts in all regions of Brazil. Many economic activities are causing the conflicts such as mining expansion, oil and gas extractions, infrastructure (roads, mega-dams), agribusiness, and pesticide pollution, often with the support of governmental institutions. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space",
"The Social World and Its Interactions"
]
|
10.1371/journal.pone.0101153 | Phenotypic characterization of miR-92a<sup>-/-</sup> mice reveals an important function of miR-92a in skeletal development | MicroRNAs (miRNAs, miRs) emerged as key regulators of gene expression. Germline hemizygous deletion of the gene that encodes the miR-17∼92 miRNA cluster was associated with microcephaly, short stature and digital abnormalities in humans. Mice deficient for the miR-17∼92 cluster phenocopy several features such as growth and skeletal development defects and exhibit impaired B cell development. However, the individual contribution of miR-17∼92 cluster members to this phenotype is unknown. Here we show that germline deletion of miR-92a in mice is not affecting heart development and does not reduce circulating or bone marrow-derived hematopoietic cells, but induces skeletal defects. MiR-92a-/- mice are born at a reduced Mendelian ratio, but surviving mice are viable and fertile. However, body weight of miR-92a-/- mice was reduced during embryonic and postnatal development and adulthood. A significantly reduced body and skull length was observed in miR-92a-/- mice compared to wild type littermates. μCT analysis revealed that the length of the 5th mesophalanx to 5 th metacarpal bone of the forelimbs was significantly reduced, but bones of the hindlimbs were not altered. Bone density was not affected. These findings demonstrate that deletion of miR-92a is sufficient to induce a developmental skeletal defect. | [
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
W1996344464 | Benzophenanthridine alkaloid, piperonyl butoxide and (S)-methoprene action at the cannabinoid-1 receptor (CB1-receptor) pathway of mouse brain: Interference with [3H]CP55940 and [3H]SR141716A binding and modification of WIN55212-2-dependent inhibition of synaptosomal l-glutamate release | Abstract Benzophenanthridine alkaloids (chelerythrine and sanguinarine) inhibited binding of [ 3 H]SR141716A to mouse brain membranes (IC 50 s: 50 s: 21 and 63 µM respectively). Benzophenanthridines and piperonyl butoxide were more selective towards brain CB 1 receptors versus spleen CB 2 receptors. All compounds reduced B max of [ 3 H]SR141716A binding to CB 1 receptors, but only methoprene and piperonyl butoxide increased K d (3–5-fold). Benzophenanthridines increased the K d of [ 3 H]CP55940 binding (6-fold), but did not alter B max . (S)-methoprene increased the K d of [ 3 H]CP55940 binding (by almost 4-fold) and reduced B max by 60%. Piperonyl butoxide lowered the B max of [ 3 H]CP55940 binding by 50%, but did not influence K d . All compounds reduced [ 3 H]SR141716A and [ 3 H]CP55940 association with CB 1 receptors. Combined with a saturating concentration of SR141716A, only piperonyl butoxide and (S)-methoprene increased dissociation of [ 3 H]SR141716A above that of SR141716A alone. Only piperonyl butoxide increased dissociation of [ 3 H]CP55940 to a level greater than CP55940 alone. Binding results indicate predominantly allosteric components to the study compounds action. 4-Aminopyridine-(4-AP-) evoked release of l -glutamate from synaptosomes was partially inhibited by WIN55212-2, an effect completely neutralized by AM251, (S)-methoprene and piperonyl butoxide. With WIN55212-2 present, benzophenanthridines enhanced 4-AP-evoked l -glutamate release above 4-AP alone. Modulatory patterns of l -glutamate release (with WIN-55212-2 present) align with previous antagonist/inverse agonist profiling based on [ 35 S]GTPγS binding. Although these compounds exhibit lower potencies compared to many classical CB 1 receptor inhibitors, they may have potential to modify CB1-receptor-dependent behavioral/physiological outcomes in the whole animal. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.1007/JHEP08(2015)131 | N 2 Argyres Douglas Theories N 1 Sqcd And Seiberg Duality | We revisit the study of singular points in the Coulomb branch of N = 2 SQCD in four dimensions with gauge group SU(N) and odd number of flavors. For certain choices of the mass parameters these vacua are not lifted by a mass term for the chiral multiplet in the adjoint representation. By using recent results about the M5 brane description of N = 1 theories we study the resulting vacua and argue that the low-energy effective theory has a simple Lagrangian description involving a free chiral multiplet in the adjoint representation of the flavor symmetry group, a system somewhat reminiscent o f the standard low-energy pion description of the real-world QCD. This fact is quite remarkable in view of the fact that the underlying N = 2 SCFT (the Argyres-Douglas systems) are strongly-coupled non-local theories of quarks and monopoles. | [
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter",
"Mathematics"
]
|
US 45994590 A | Refrigeration hose and hose coupling | A transmission component for a refrigeration or other fluid system having a hose constructed with a moisture barrier, a refrigerant barrier and a reinforcement layer, and a hose coupling. The hose coupling has a cap seal which fits over the end of the hose to seal it, and a shell assembly having an outer shell which fits over the hose end and cap seal, and a hose tube which enters the hose through the cap seal. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1093/mnras/stz2770 | Signatures of an eccentric disc cavity: Dust and gas in IRS 48 | ABSTRACT
We test the hypothesis that the disc cavity in the ‘transition disc’ Oph IRS 48 is carved by an unseen binary companion. We use 3D dust–gas smoothed-particle hydrodynamics simulations to demonstrate that marginally coupled dust grains concentrate in the gas overdensity that forms in the cavity around a low binary mass ratio binary. This produces high contrast ratio dust asymmetries at the cavity edge similar to those observed in the disc around IRS 48 and other transition discs. This structure was previously assumed to be a vortex. However, we show that the observed velocity map of IRS 48 displays a peculiar asymmetry that is not predicted by the vortex hypothesis. We show the unusual kinematics are naturally explained by the non-Keplerian flow of gas in an eccentric circumbinary cavity. We further show that perturbations observed in the isovelocity curves of IRS 48 may be explained as the product of the dynamical interaction between the companion and the disc. The presence of an ∼0. 4 M⊙ companion at an ∼10 au separation can qualitatively explain these observations. High spatial resolution line and continuum imaging should be able to confirm this hypothesis. | [
"Universe Sciences",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
978458 | Becoming a martyr in early modern south india: the memory of tēvacakāyam between jesuit mission and tamil popular culture. | In the TamCatHoly project, I explore ideas and practices of Catholic martyrdom and self-sanctification in early modern South India, in the context of the mission established by the Jesuits in Madurai in 1606. Unlike previous narratives centred around the missionaries, I adopt a new perspective, and focus on how Tamil converts reshaped ideas and practices of martyrdom, sanctity, and the miraculous, in order to accommodate their new faith within local social and cultural orders. How did they recognise, and relate to Catholic saintly figures and their powers? What were the tools and strategies at their disposal for becoming martyrs and saints themselves? My research addresses such questions by focusing on the little-known figure of a local convert, Tēvacakāyam (1712-1752), a high-caste Nadar soldier who converted to Catholicism in 1745, and was later imprisoned, tortured and killed by the king of Travancore. Upon his death, Tamil Catholics throughout South India immediately recognised him as a martyr and set to tell his story in songs and ballads, while missionaries begun to promote the cause of his canonisation. In the project, I analyse the biography and cultural memories of Tēvacakāyam and his martyrdom drawing upon hitherto unstudied sources such as hagiographic texts written in popular Tamil genres from the eighteenth to the nineteenth century, and local historical records and Church documents produced around his canonisation process. I read these Indian and European archives in Tamil, Malayalam, Latin, Italian, French, and Portuguese at the crossroad of philology, indology, and cultural and social history, thus inaugurating a novel interdisciplinary perspective. In doing so, I endeavour to connect the history and culture of small Tamil locales to the global history of Catholic missions on the verge of modernity, and explore the complex evolution of religious and regional belonging against overly simplified received notions of Catholic and Tamil identity. | [
"The Study of the Human Past",
"Studies of Cultures and Arts",
"Texts and Concepts"
]
|
640609 | The ghostworker's well-being: an integrative framework | Artificial intelligence depends on human labour to conduct tasks such as data cleaning, coding, and classifying content. This on-demand work is offered and performed online, paid by the task, on platforms like Amazon Mechanical Turk. Conceptualized as ‘ghost work’, this rapidly growing, platform-based work is largely unseen: workers are unable to speak with managers, do not get feedback, and lack labour protections. How do these specific work conditions influence ghost workers’ well-being? To ensure decent work conditions as automation continues to expand, knowledge about the effects of ghost work on well-being is urgently needed.
The proposed project will develop and test an integrative framework for analysing the effects of ghost work on worker’s well-being. Existing models for analysing the impact of work conditions on well-being fall short for studying ghost work, as these models assume a person has a job and most likely an employer and colleagues. Therefore, this project begins from the specificities of ghost work to synthesize theories and concepts about algorithmic control, occupational well-being, human computation, and platform labour, in order to understand how and through which mechanisms ghost work influences well-being.
The project will contribute to and advance cross-disciplinary scholarship on platform labour and organizational studies of algorithmic technologies. Using a multi-methodological approach to study the effects of ghost work, it begins with in-depth interview-based fieldwork on ghostworkers’ work conditions, and then entails qualitative diary studies of the short-term dynamics of ghost work for worker’s work conditions and well-being. Finally, a 4-wave longitudinal panel study will investigate the relationship between ghost work and well-being over time. Scholars in multiple fields, as well as policy makers and industry leaders, will be keenly interested in both the resulting integrative framework and empirical findings. | [
"The Social World and Its Interactions",
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations"
]
|
10.1039/c8cc04402c | On-surface synthesis of heptacene on Ag(001) from brominated and non-brominated tetrahydroheptacene precursors | Achieving the Ag(001)-supported synthesis of heptacene from two related reactants reveals the effect of the presence of Br atoms on the reaction process. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
10.1155/2018/1237962 | Anodal Tdcs Over Primary Motor Cortex Provides No Advantage To Learning Motor Sequences Via Observation | When learning a new motor skill, we benefit from watching others. It has been suggested that observation of others’ actions can build a motor representation in the observer, and as such, physical and observational learning might share a similar neural basis. If physical and observational learning share a similar neural basis, then motor cortex stimulation during observational practice should similarly enhance learning by observation as it does through physical practice. Here, we used transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) to address whether anodal stimulation to M1 during observational training facilitates skill acquisition. Participants learned keypress sequences across four consecutive days of observational practice while receiving active or sham stimulation over M1. The results demonstrated that active stimulation provided no advantage to skill learning over sham stimulation. Further, Bayesian analyses revealed evidence in favour of the null hypothesis across our dependent measures. Our findings therefore provide no support for the hypothesis that excitatory M1 stimulation can enhance observational learning in a similar manner to physical learning. More generally, the results add to a growing literature that suggests that the effects of tDCS tend to be small, inconsistent, and hard to replicate. Future tDCS research should consider these factors when designing experimental procedures. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
]
|
10.1163/000579511X577733 | Context Dependent Acquisition Of Familiarity Recognition In Trinidadian Guppies | Animals have the cognitive capacity to distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar conspecifics, and gain a range of benefits as a result of behavioural decisions linked to this ability. Familiarity recognition emerges after repeated encounters among individuals. In Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata), for example, females preferentially shoal with other, familiar females after 12 days of prior association, while the same time frame of familiarity acquisition exits in males when shoaling with other males. In a mating context, however, female guppies preferentially mate with males displaying unfamiliar colour patterns. Similarly, males prefer to court unfamiliar females after spending six weeks in the same tank. Given the different reproductive agendas of the sexes in promiscuous species such as guppies, we predict that context influences the development of familiarity. Specifically, we argue that males, who move between shoals of fish in pursuit of mating opportunities, do not ordinarily need to distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar females. Therefore, we predict that male guppies do not develop short-term familiarity with their mating partners. Here we confirm that shoaling preferences by females emerge within 12 days, but go on to show that familiarity cues are not used by males in mate choice over the equivalent time frame. We argue that it is only after prolonged association, as occurs for example when guppies are confined to isolated pools, that familiarity cues become important in male mating decisions. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
10.1111/let.12376 | Sneaking up on ‘enemies’: alleviating inherent disadvantages in competitive outcomes in a nearly 3-million-year-old palaeocommunity from Florida, USA | Bryozoans offer one of the few systems in which competitive interactions for living space can be studied in the fossil record. Here, we describe the outcome of competitive overgrowths in a 3-million-year-old bryozoan palaeocommunity encrusting shells of the bivalve Anomia simplex from the lower Tamiami Formation in Florida (upper Pliocene, Piacenzian). We found that win–lose overgrowths are more common than stand-offs in interspecific encounters, while stand-offs are more common than win–lose overgrowths in intraspecific encounters. We observed more intraspecific encounters and fewer interspecific interactions than expected under a null hypothesis, suggesting that bryozoans of the same species are likely to be clustered. For some species, intraspecific encounters are more likely to result in the apparent fusion of the two colonies, with the development of rows of kenozooids along the contact edge, probably reflecting relatively low dispersal. We also identified some clear winners and some clear losers. A negative correlation was found between the number of colonies observed and the probability of winning for a species, resulting in a dominance of loser species in the assemblage, a pattern previously described as typical for early colonizers of hard substrates. Our results also confirm the finding of earlier studies that having large zooids and, subordinately, multilayered growth are key traits for success in overgrowth competition, with angle of encounter also having an effect for both poor and good competitors that take advantage of ‘attacking’ colonies of other species from the rear and the flank. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Earth System Science"
]
|
981582 | Commensal microbiota regulation of neuro-immune networks | The enteric nervous system (ENS), neuronal and glial cells, development and function can be influenced by the microbiota. Germ-free mice have defective maturation of enteric glial and neuronal cells; colonization with microbiota rescues these defects. Production of neuroregulatory molecules by these neuronal cells involved microbial product sensing via MYD88. Importantly, glial-specific or neuron-specific deletion of Myd88 leads to decreased intestinal neuroregulators and consequent impaired innate lymphoid cell (ILC) activation. The identity of commensal microorganisms and the neuronal and glial cells sensing molecular pathways that could influence neuroregulators secretion affecting neuroimmune interactions are unknown. By using neuronal-specific mutants and their colonization with distinct microbiota, the present project aims to understand how glial- and neuron-derived regulators are influenced by particular commensal microorganisms and how this active neuronal sensing impacts of defined neuroimmune cell units, notably on the glial-ILC3 and neuron-ILC2 interactions. For this purpose, we will take advantage of a strong collaborative environment and cutting-edge techniques, including gnotobiotic animals, cre-lox technology, and neurosphere-derived organoids. Deciphering these new pathways of ENS-microbial crosstalk will improve our understanding of this equilibrium and will contribute to the development of new therapeutic strategies in mucosal diseases. This highly innovative and interdisciplinary project will allow me to expand my conceptual and technical knowledge of the host-microbiota dialogue, acquire new technical skills and reinforce my scientific network. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration"
]
|
10.1103/PhysRevB.95.020502 | Decoherence and interferometric sensitivity of boson sampling in superconducting resonator networks | Multiple bosons undergoing coherent evolution in a coupled network of sites constitute a so-called quantum walk system. The simplest example of such a two-particle interference is the celebrated Hong-Ou-Mandel interference. When scaling to larger boson numbers, simulating the exact distribution of bosons has been shown, under reasonable assumptions, to be exponentially hard. We analyze the feasibility and expected performance of a globally connected superconducting resonator based quantum walk system, using the known characteristics of state-of-the-art components. We simulate the sensitivity of such a system to decay processes and to perturbations and compare with coherent input states. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
W2912802016 | Validation of an agent-based travel demand model with floating car data | Abstract This paper compares the results of the agent-based travel demand model MITO (Microscopic Travel Demand Orchestrator) with Floating Car Data. MITO is developed using household travel survey data, and uses the traffic assignment model MATSim. The model estimates the travel demand for an average working day and is applied to the metropolitan area of Munich. In contrast to traditional approaches where travel demand models are validated using the local traffic counts, average travel speed from Floating Car Data (FCD) are used in this study. The main advantage of using FCD is that they cover extremely large parts of the network, whereas the local traffic counts are sparse and limited to a few major streets. The average link travel time and average speed between the model estimation and the FCD were compared with the goal of validating travel time calculations within an agent-based transport model. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
W2688743617 | Design and development of personal assistive device for elderly | Smart home technology for aging people is coming up increasingly as elderly people require living at home with assistive devices. With aging comes associated health problems like mobility impairment and memory related diseases like amnesia, Alzheimer's, etc., They face difficulty in keeping their essential things safely and keeping up schedules. The work aims to develop an assistive device to elderly people and people with memory disabilities to keep their essential things safely using smart health care system. The system maintains a list of objects/things necessary to be remembered at different occasions based on user preferences. This system is customizable and enables locating misplaced things using alarm signaling, reminds periodic and important schedules for the day using easy and effective user interface. The tracking range can be extended by integrating two or more Pi's to create a distributed environment. The system also reports the name of tablets given the image of the tablet sheet to overcome reading difficulties. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
246648 | Dynamic Mechanism Design: Theory and Applications | We plan to construct a theoretical bridge between classical dynamic allocation models used in Operations Research/Management Science, and between the modern theory of mechanism design. Our theoretical results will generate insights for the construction of applied pricing schemes and testable implications about the pattern of observed prices. The Economics literature has focused on information and incentive issues in static models, whereas the Operations Research/Management Science literature has looked at dynamic models that were often lacking strategic/ informational aspects. There is an increased recent interest in combining these bodies of knowledge, spurred by studies of yield management, and of decentralized platforms for interaction/ communication among agents. A general mechanism design analysis starts with the characterization of all dynamically implementable allocation policies. Variational arguments can be used then to characterize optimal policies. The research will focus on models with multidimensional incomplete information, such as: 1) Add incomplete information to the dynamic & stochastic knapsack problem; 2) Allow for strategic purchase time in dynamic pricing models; 3)Allow for competing mechanism designers. The ensuing control problems are often not standard and require special tools. An additional attack line will be devoted to models that combine design with learning about the environment. The information revealed by an agent affects then both the value of the current allocation, and the option value of future allocations. We plan to: 1) Derive the properties of learning processes that allow efficient, dynamic implementation; 2) Characterize second-best mechanism in cases where adaptive learning and efficiency are not compatible with each other. | [
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1038/nclimate2882 | Enhanced weathering strategies for stabilizing climate and averting ocean acidification | Chemical breakdown of rocks, weathering, is an important but very slow part of the carbon cycle that ultimately leads to CO2 being locked up in carbonates on the ocean floor. Artificial acceleration of this carbon sink via distribution of pulverized silicate rocks across terrestrial landscapes may help offset anthropogenic CO2 emissions. We show that idealized enhanced weathering scenarios over less than a third of tropical land could cause significant drawdown of atmospheric CO2 and ameliorate ocean acidification by 2100. Global carbon cycle modelling driven by ensemble Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) projections of twenty-first-century climate change (RCP8. 5, business-as-usual; RCP4. 5, medium-level mitigation) indicates that enhanced weathering could lower atmospheric CO2 by 30-300 ppm by 2100, depending mainly on silicate rock application rate (1 kg or 5 kg m-2 yr-1) and composition. At the higher application rate, end-of-century ocean acidification is reversed under RCP4. 5 and reduced by about two-thirds under RCP8. 5. Additionally, surface ocean aragonite saturation state, a key control on coral calcification rates, is maintained above 3. 5 throughout the low latitudes, thereby helping maintain the viability of tropical coral reef ecosystems. However, we highlight major issues of cost, social acceptability, and potential unanticipated consequences that will limit utilization and emphasize the need for urgent efforts to phase down fossil fuel emissions. | [
"Earth System Science",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
]
|
10.1007/s10021-013-9644-5 | Diversity and Patch-Size Distributions of Biological Soil Crusts Regulate Dryland Ecosystem Multifunctionality | Recent studies report that multifunctionality-the simultaneous provision of multiple ecosystem functions-in drylands depends on biodiversity. Others report that specific size distributions of vegetation patches indicate overall ecosystem health and function. Using a biocrust (micro-vegetation of mosses, lichens, and cyanobacteria) model system, and multivariate modeling, we determined the relative importance of biodiversity, patch-size distribution, and total abundance to nutrient cycling and multifunctionality. In most cases we explained at least 20%, and up to 65%, of the variation in ecosystem functions, and 42% of the variation in multifunctionality. Species richness was the most important determinant of C cycling, constituting an uncommonly clear link between diversity and function in a non-experimental field setting. Regarding C cycling in gypsiferous soils, we found that patch size distributions with a greater frequency of small to medium patches, as opposed to very small patches, were more highly functional. Nitrogen cycling was largely a function of biocrust cover in two soil types, whereas in gypsiferous soils, more central-tending patch size distributions were less functional with regards to N cycling. All three community properties were about equally important to multifunctionality. Our results highlight the functional role of biotic attributes other than biodiversity, and indicate that high cover and diversity, together with a particular patch-size distribution, must be attained simultaneously to maximize multifunctionality. The results also agree with trends observed with other terrestrial and aquatic communities that more biodiversity is needed to sustain multifunctionality compared to single functions considered independently. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Earth System Science"
]
|
10.1016/j.physletb.2013.10.014 | Elliptic flow from non-equilibrium initial condition with a saturation scale | A current goal of relativistic heavy-ion collisions experiments is the search for a Color Glass Condensate (CGC) as the limiting state of QCD matter at very high density. In viscous hydrodynamics simulations, a standard Glauber initial condition leads to estimate 4πη/. s~. 1, while employing the Kharzeev-Levin-Nardi (KLN) modeling of the glasma leads to at least a factor of 2 larger η/. s. Within a kinetic theory approach based on a relativistic Boltzmann-like transport simulation, our main result is that the out-of-equilibrium initial distribution reduces the efficiency in building-up the elliptic flow. At RHIC energy we find the available data on v2 are in agreement with a 4πη/. s~. 1 also for KLN initial conditions. More generally, our study shows that the initial non-equilibrium in p-space can have a significant impact on the build-up of anisotropic flow. | [
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
RU 2016000616 W | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR THE ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING OF COMPONENTS | The invention relates to the field of the additive manufacturing of components, which are formed by the direct deposition of a substance, in the form of granules of a metal or non-metal, which passes from a reservoir into a melt bath, produced by the thermal energy of a laser or electron beam, and subsequently crystallizes. The granules enter the melt bath without the intervention of a gas stream, the path and rate of travel of said granules changing while they are in flight under the effect of an electromagnetic field. The granules travel within a chamber, falling into the melt bath from above from a reservoir, from which they are fed at a set speed by the rotation of an adjustable screw feed, and passing through a system of electromagnetic devices, which control the path of the granules by means of electromagnetic fields. The coordinates of this path are tracked by sensors, which transmit a signal to a computer, wherein the flight path of the granules is adjusted by control via the electronic devices and the delivery speed and volume of the substance is adjusted by adjusting the rotation of the screw feed. The invention increases the efficiency of the production cycle, reduces the dimensions of the equipment and increases the accuracy and speed with which material is delivered for the manufacture of a component, while enabling adjustment of the amount, temperature, path and fraction of said material and increasing the strength of the component. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1016/j.applanim.2017.12.017 | Understanding of human referential gestures is not correlated to human-directed social behaviour in Labrador retrievers and German shepherd dogs | Dogs are known to excel in interspecific communication with humans and both communicate with humans and follow human communicative cues. Two tests commonly used to test these skills are, firstly, the problem-solving paradigm, and, secondly, following human referential signals, for example pointing. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether dogs that seek more human contact in an unsolvable problem-solving paradigm also better understand human communicative cues in a pointing test. We also assessed between- and within-breed variation in both tests. 167 dogs were tested and were of the breeds German shepherd dog and Labrador retriever. The Labradors were separated into the two selection lines: common type (bred for show and pet) and field type (bred for hunting). A principal component analysis of behaviours during the problem solving revealed four components: Passivity, Experimenter Contact, Owner Contact and Eye Contact. We analysed the effect of these components on success rate in the pointing test and we found no effect for three of them, while a negative correlation was found for Owner Contact (F(1,147) = 6. 892; P = 0. 010). This was only present in common-typed Labradors. We conclude that the ability to follow a pointing cue does not predict the propensity for human-directed social behaviour in a problem-solving situation and suggest that the two tests measure different aspects of human-directed social behaviour in dogs. | [
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
]
|
Q2911420 | Creation of New Facilities – Fairjourney Building | The project envisages the creation of a building, fully customised to Fairjourney’s growth needs, and the acquisition of productive equipment, which will promote an increase in the company’s production capacity and competitiveness. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
10.1109/JPHOT.2015.2413591 | Impact Of The Order Of Cavity Elements In All Normal Dispersion Ring Fiber Lasers | Nonlinearity plays a critical role in the intra-cavity dynamics of high-pulse energy fiber lasers. Management of the intra-cavity nonlinear dynamics is the key to increase the output pulse energy in such laser systems. Here, we examine the impact of the order of the intra-cavity elements on the energy of generated pulses in the all-normal dispersion mode-locked ring fiber laser cavity. In mathematical terms, the nonlinear light dynamics in resonator makes operators corresponding to the action of laser elements (active and passive fiber, out-coupler, saturable absorber) non-commuting and the order of their appearance in a cavity important. For the simple design of all-normal dispersion ring fiber laser with varying cavity length, we found the order of the cavity elements, leading to maximum output pulse energy. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.1021/jacs.7b04985 | An OFF-ON Two-Photon Fluorescent Probe for Tracking Cell Senescence in Vivo | A naphthalimide-based two-photon probe (AHGa) for the detection of cell senescence is designed. The probe contains a naphthalimide core, an l-histidine methyl ester linker, and an acetylated galactose bonded to one of the aromatic nitrogen atoms of the l-histidine through a hydrolyzable N-glycosidic bond. Probe AHGa is transformed into AH in senescent cells resulting in an enhanced fluorescent emission intensity. In vivo detection of senescence is validated in mice bearing tumor xenografts treated with senescence-inducing chemotherapy. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
10.1146/annurev-bioeng-071813-105259 | The role of mechanical forces in tumor growth and therapy | Tumors generate physical forces during growth and progression. These physical forces are able to compress blood and lymphatic vessels, reducing perfusion rates and creating hypoxia. When exerted directly on cancer cells, they can increase cells' invasive and metastatic potential. Tumor vessels- while nourishing the tumor-are usually leaky and tortuous, which further decreases perfusion. Hypoperfusion and hypoxia contribute to immune evasion, promote malignant progression and metastasis, and reduce the efficacy of a number of therapies, including radiation. In parallel, vessel leakiness together with vessel compression causes a uniformly elevated interstitial fluid pressure that hinders delivery of blood-borne therapeutic agents, lowering the efficacy of chemo- and nanotherapies. In addition, shear stresses exerted by flowing blood and interstitial fluid modulate the behavior of cancer and a variety of host cells. Taming these physical forces can improve therapeutic outcomes in many cancers. | [
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration"
]
|
W2014776367 | Effects of ridge geometry on mantle dynamics in an oceanic triple junction region: Implications for the Azores Plateau | Abstract Plate boundary geometry can affect the nature of magmatism along a mid-ocean ridge. The Azores Plateau is located in a complex geological setting that includes a triple junction (TJ), an oblique and recently-formed ultra-slow-spreading ridge, a zone of diffuse seafloor deformation, a major fracture zone, and a postulated hotspot. The precise character of the hotspot is somewhat debated, as some lines of evidence indicate it may not be a classic deep-seated plume. However, seismic and gravity data suggest plateau crustal thicknesses of ∼ 8 km or more, implying some mechanism for excess melting. To assess the role of ridge geometry in creating the Azores Plateau, this study uses a finite element numerical model to isolate the effects of selected aspects of plate boundary configuration on mantle flow and melt production in a TJ kinematically similar to the Azores TJ. The model focuses on the slowest-spreading ridge in the TJ, analogous to the Terceira Rift. The effect of the varying ridge obliquity observed along the Terceira Rift is also assessed using an independent 1-D melting model. In general, relatively little melt production is predicted along the Terceira Rift analogue, except for regions closest to the TJ where the proximity of a faster-spreading ridge increases temperatures within the melting zone. In the 1-D melting model with mantle temperatures of 1350 °C, melt thicknesses of ∼ 2 km are calculated for the least oblique segments, while more oblique segments produce little to no melt. The presence of a long discontinuity (simulating the Gloria FZ) has little effect on mantle dynamics for axial distances | [
"Earth System Science"
]
|
W2963252304 | National Cancer Institute Basket/Umbrella Clinical Trials | With advances in genetic testing and its common usage, the field of precision medicine has exploded in the field of oncology. The National Cancer Institute is uniquely positioned to lead in this area of research through its wide network of investigators, partnerships with pharmaceutical companies in drug development, and laboratory capabilities. It has developed a portfolio of trials as part of a Precision Medicine Initiative that uses various basket/umbrella designs to increase the understanding of treatment of cancer through genetic selection and targeted therapies. This article describes these trials, ALCHEMIST, LungMAP, NCI/NRG ALK Trial, MPACT, NCI-MATCH, and pediatric MATCH, and their contributions to the area of precision medicine. | [
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
10.1051/0004-6361/201731351 | The Muse Hubble Ultra Deep Field Survey Iii Testing Photometric Redshifts To 30Th Magnitude | We tested the performance of photometric redshifts for galaxies in the Hubble Ultra Deep field down to 30th magnitude. We compared photometric redshift estimates from three spectral fitting codes from the literature (EAZY, BPZ and BEAGLE) to high quality redshifts for 1227 galaxies from the MUSE integral field spectrograph. All these codes can return photometric redshifts with bias |( z MUSE − pz ) / (1 + z MUSE )| F 775 W = 30 and spectroscopic incompleteness is unlikely to strongly modify this statement. We have, however, identified clear systematic biases in the determination of photometric redshifts: in the 0. 4 z z MUSE − pz ) / (1 + z MUSE ) = −0. 04 in the median, and at z > 3 they are systematically biased high by up to ( z MUSE − pz ) / (1 + z MUSE ) = 0. 05, an offset that can in part be explained by adjusting the amount of intergalactic absorption applied. In agreement with previous studies we find little difference in the performance of the different codes, but in contrast to those we find that adding extensive ground-based and IRAC photometry actually can worsen photo- z performance for faint galaxies. We find an outlier fraction, defined through |( z MUSE − pz ) / (1 + z MUSE )| > 0. 15, of 8% for BPZ and 10% for EAZY and BEAGLE, and show explicitly that this is a strong function of magnitude. While this outlier fraction is high relative to numbers presented in the literature for brighter galaxies, they are very comparable to literature results when the depth of the data is taken into account. Finally, we demonstrate that while a redshift might be of high confidence, the association of a spectrum to the photometric object can be very uncertain and lead to a contamination of a few percent in spectroscopic training samples that do not show up as catastrophic outliers, a problem that must be tackled in order to have sufficiently accurate photometric redshifts for future cosmological surveys. | [
"Universe Sciences",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1186/s40623-018-0888-3 | Polar motion prediction using the combination of SSA and Copula-based analysis | The real-time estimation of polar motion (PM) is needed for the navigation of Earth satellite and interplanetary spacecraft. However, it is impossible to have real-time information due to the complexity of the measurement model and data processing. Various prediction methods have been developed. However, the accuracy of PM prediction is still not satisfactory even for a few days in the future. Therefore, new techniques or a combination of the existing methods need to be investigated for improving the accuracy of the predicted PM. There is a well-introduced method called Copula, and we want to combine it with singular spectrum analysis (SSA) method for PM prediction. In this study, first, we model the predominant trend of PM time series using SSA. Then, the difference between PM time series and its SSA estimation is modeled using Copula-based analysis. Multiple sets of PM predictions which range between 1 and 365 days have been performed based on an IERS 08 C04 time series to assess the capability of our hybrid model. Our results illustrate that the proposed method can efficiently predict PM. The improvement in PM prediction accuracy up to 365 days in the future is found to be around 40% on average and up to 65 and 46% in terms of success rate for the PM x and PM y, respectively. | [
"Earth System Science",
"Mathematics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
W2007862327 | Hydrogenation of lactic acid to propylene glycol over a carbon-supported ruthenium catalyst | Abstract Catalytic hydrogenation of lactic acid to propylene glycol is performed in a high-pressure batch reactor over ruthenium on various carbon supports (i.e., VulcanXC-72, ketjen black, CNTs, CNFs, and graphite) prepared using the incipient wetness impregnation method. The crystallinity of the synthesized catalyst is investigated via X-ray diffraction, and the particle sizes are determined using transmission electron microscopy. The surface areas of the synthesized catalysts are analyzed using the BET method; the catalytic activity correlates remarkably with the BET surface area. The yield of propylene glycol increases with pressure, and the highest yield is achieved at 130 °C. The catalytic activity is strongly dependent on the type of support. Among the catalysts tested, Ru on ketjen black shows the highest yield of propylene glycol. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
W2005387767 | In Vitro Synthesis of Betaxanthins Using Recombinant DOPA 4,5-Dioxygenase and Evaluation of Their Radical-Scavenging Activities | Betalamic acid, the chromophore of betaxanthins, was enzymatically synthesized on a large scale from l-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) using recombinant Mirabilis jalapa DOPA 4,5-dioxygenase. After synthesis, proline was directly added to the concentrated reaction mixture to generate proline-betaxanthin. The molecular mass and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum of the purified product were identical to those previously reported for proline-betaxanthin. Twenty-four betaxanthin species were synthesized by the condensation reaction of purified betalamic acid and amino acids or amines. An HPLC protocol was established for identifying the different betaxanthin species. Proline-, dopamine-, and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-betaxanthins were prepared as representative betaxanthins under large-scale conditions, and their 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging activities were compared against those of known antioxidants. GABA-betaxanthin showed comparatively low activity, whereas dopamine-betaxanthin had similar activity to the red pigment betanin and the anthocyanin cyanidin 3-glucoside. Proline-betaxanthin had the highest activity of the three synthesized compounds and was similar to the flavonoid quercetin. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
10.1007/978-94-017-9340-7_5 | Modeling The Spatio Temporal Dynamics Of The Pine Processionary Moth | “This chapter summarizes several modeling studies conducted on the pine processionary moth range expansion in a spatio-temporally heterogeneous environment. These studies provide new approaches for analyzing and modeling range expansions and contribute to a better understanding of the effects of a wide variety of factors on the spatio-temporal dynamics of the pine processionary moth. These dynamics mostly depend on the dispersal, survival and reproduction characteristics of the species, and these characteristics fluctuate in time and space, depending on environmental and biological factors. ” | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Earth System Science",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1038/s41598-017-01375-2 | A reconfigurable all-optical ultrasound transducer array for 3D endoscopic imaging | A miniature all-optical ultrasound imaging system is presented that generates three-dimensional images using a stationary, real acoustic source aperture. Discrete acoustic sources were sequentially addressed by scanning a focussed optical beam across the proximal end of a coherent fibre bundle; high-frequency ultrasound (156% fractional bandwidth centred around 13. 5 MHz) was generated photoacoustically in the corresponding regions of an optically absorbing coating deposited at the distal end. Paired with a single fibre-optic ultrasound detector, the imaging probe (3. 5 mm outer diameter) achieved high on-axis resolutions of 97 μm, 179 μm and 110 μm in the x, y and z directions, respectively. Furthermore, the optical scan pattern, and thus the acoustic source array geometry, was readily reconfigured. Implementing four different array geometries revealed a strong dependency of the image quality on the source location pattern. Thus, by employing optical technology, a miniature ultrasound probe was fabricated that allows for arbitrary source array geometries, which is suitable for three-dimensional endoscopic and laparoscopic imaging, as was demonstrated on ex vivo porcine cardiac tissue. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
W1821844228 | Evaluation of the Clinical Features of Infertile Women With Subclinical Hypothyroidism in Relatively High-Iodine-Intake Area | Background: It is well known that hypothyroidism may cause menstrual abnormalities, infertility, increased risk of miscarriage, obstetric complications, and adverse outcomes in offspring. On the other hand, some studies have reported the efficacy of supplementation of levothyroxine (LT4) for subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) in infertile women. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical features of infertile SCH patients in Japan. Methods: A total of 156 SCH patients were enrolled in this study. They were divided into two groups: 76 patients who showed positivity for anti-thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb) and/or thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) were categorized into group A, while 80 patients who showed negativity for both TgAb and TPOAb were categorized into group B. Between these two groups, we evaluated the following factors: age, thyroid function before treatment, presence of hyperprolactinemia, necessary dose of LT4 for correction of thyroid function, thyroid function after treatment, history of abortion, history of pregnancy after treatment, and dose of LT4 before delivery in pregnant subjects. Results: All of the above investigated factors showed no significant differences between groups A and B. However, a notable point was that the necessary dose of LT4 for correcting thyroid function did not show a significant difference, regardless of anti-thyroid autoantibody. Conclusion: In Japan, an area of high iodine intake, in infertile women with SCH, the administration of an adequate dose of LT4 is recommended, regardless of the presence of chronic thyroiditis. J Endocrinol Metab. 2015;5(3):211-214 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jem285w | [
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
10.1088/1361-6587/aaa2cc | Low Mach-number collisionless electrostatic shocks and associated ion acceleration | The existence and properties of low Mach-number (M ≳ 1) electrostatic collisionless shocks are investigated with a semi-analytical solution for the shock structure. We show that the properties of the shock obtained in the semi-analytical model can be well reproduced in fully kinetic Eulerian VlasovPoisson simulations, where the shock is generated by the decay of an initial density discontinuity. Using this semi-analytical model, we study the effect of the electron-to-ion temperature ratio and the presence of impurities on both the maximum shock potential and the Mach number. We find that even a small amount of impurities can influence the shock properties significantly, including the reflected light ion fraction, which can change several orders of magnitude. Electrostatic shocks in heavy ion plasmas reflect most of the hydrogen impurity ions. | [
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter"
]
|
10.1111/jiec.12670 | Estimating Uncertainty in Household Energy Footprints | We develop a methodology to characterize and quantify uncertainty in relating consumption to production in household energy footprints. This uncertainty arises primarily from inconsistencies between national accounts and household surveys and, to a smaller extent, from using aggregated sectors. Researchers may introduce significant inaccuracies by ignoring these inconsistencies when reporting household footprints. We apply the methodology to India and Brazil, where we find the size of this uncertainty to be higher than 20% of footprints at most income levels. We expect that previous estimates for these countries may have been overestimated due to these inconsistencies. Other knowledge gaps, such as inaccuracies in multiregional input-output tables and household surveys, add further uncertainty beyond our estimates. | [
"Earth System Science",
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations"
]
|
10.3115/v1/p14-1027 | Modelling function words improves unsupervised word segmentation | Inspired by experimental psychological findings suggesting that function words play a special role in word learning, we make a simple modification to an Adaptor Grammar based Bayesian word segmentation model to allow it to learn sequences of monosyllabic "function words" at the beginnings and endings of collocations of (possibly multi-syllabic) words. This modification improves unsupervised word segmentation on the standard Bernstein- Ratner (1987) corpus of child-directed English by more than 4% token f-score compared to a model identical except that it does not special-case "function words", setting a new state-of-the-art of 92. 4% token f-score. Our function word model assumes that function words appear at the left periphery, and while this is true of languages such as English, it is not true universally. We show that a learner can use Bayesian model selection to determine the location of function words in their language, even though the input to the model only consists of unsegmented sequences of phones. Thus our computational models support the hypothesis that function words play a special role in word learning. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity"
]
|
10.1088/0004-637X/749/2/179 | The Negative Effective Magnetic Pressure In Stratified Forced Turbulence | To understand the basic mechanism of the formation of magnetic flux concentrations, we determine by direct numerical simulations the turbulence contributions to the mean magnetic pressure in a strongly stratified isothermal layer with large plasma beta, where a weak uniform horizontal mean magnetic field is applied. The negative contribution of turbulence to the effective mean magnetic pressure is determined for strongly stratified forced turbulence over a range of values of magnetic Reynolds and Prandtl numbers. Small-scale dynamo action is shown to reduce the negative effect of turbulence on the effective mean magnetic pressure. However, the turbulence coefficients describing the negative effective magnetic pressure phenomenon are found to be converged for magnetic Reynolds numbers between 60 and 600, which is the largest value considered here. In all these models the turbulent intensity is arranged to be nearly independent of height, so the kinetic energy density decreases with height due to the decrease in density. In a second series of numerical experiments, the turbulent intensity increases with height such that the turbulent kinetic energy density is nearly independent of height. Turbulent magnetic diffusivity and turbulent pumping velocity are determined with the test-field method for both cases. The vertical profile of the turbulent magnetic diffusivity is found to agree with what is expected based on simple mixing length expressions. Turbulent pumping is shown to be down the gradient of turbulent magnetic diffusivity, but it is twice as large as expected. Corresponding numerical mean-field models are used to show that a large-scale instability can occur in both cases, provided the degree of scale separation is large enough and hence the turbulent magnetic diffusivity small enough. | [
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
10.1172/JCI61014 | Partial Mcm4 Deficiency In Patients With Growth Retardation Adrenal Insufficiency And Natural Killer Cell Deficiency | Natural killer (NK) cells are circulating cytotoxic lymphocytes that exert potent and nonredundant antiviral activity and antitumoral activity in the mouse; however, their function in host defense in humans remains unclear. Here, we investigated 6 related patients with autosomal recessive growth retardation, adrenal insufficiency, and a selective NK cell deficiency characterized by a lack of the CD56(dim) NK subset. Using linkage analysis and fine mapping, we identified the disease-causing gene, MCM4, which encodes a component of the MCM2-7 helicase complex required for DNA replication. A splice-site mutation in the patients produced a frameshift, but the mutation was hypomorphic due to the creation of two new translation initiation methionine codons downstream of the premature termination codon. The patients' fibroblasts exhibited genomic instability, which was rescued by expression of WT MCM4. These data indicate that the patients' growth retardation and adrenal insufficiency likely reflect the ubiquitous but heterogeneous impact of the MCM4 mutation in various tissues. In addition, the specific loss of the NK CD56(dim) subset in patients was associated with a lower rate of NK CD56(bright) cell proliferation, and the maturation of NK CD56(bright) cells toward an NK CD56(dim) phenotype was tightly dependent on MCM4-dependent cell division. Thus, partial MCM4 deficiency results in a genetic syndrome of growth retardation with adrenal insufficiency and selective NK deficiency. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration"
]
|
10.1111/ele.12617 | N-dimensional hypervolumes to study stability of complex ecosystems | Although our knowledge on the stabilising role of biodiversity and on how it is affected by perturbations has greatly improved, we still lack a comprehensive view on ecosystem stability that is transversal to different habitats and perturbations. Hence, we propose a framework that takes advantage of the multiplicity of components of an ecosystem and their contribution to stability. Ecosystem components can range from species or functional groups, to different functional traits, or even the cover of different habitats in a landscape mosaic. We make use of n-dimensional hypervolumes to define ecosystem states and assess how much they shift after environmental changes have occurred. We demonstrate the value of this framework with a study case on the effects of environmental change on Alpine ecosystems. Our results highlight the importance of a multidimensional approach when studying ecosystem stability and show that our framework is flexible enough to be applied to different types of ecosystem components, which can have important implications for the study of ecosystem stability and transient dynamics. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Earth System Science"
]
|
10.3791/1954 | Analyzing Large Protein Complexes By Structural Mass Spectrometry | Living cells control and regulate their biological processes through the coordinated action of a large number of proteins that assemble themselves into an array of dynamic, multi-protein complexes(1). To gain a mechanistic understanding of the various cellular processes, it is crucial to determine the structure of such protein complexes, and reveal how their structural organization dictates their function. Many aspects of multi-protein complexes are, however, difficult to characterize, due to their heterogeneous nature, asymmetric structure, and dynamics. Therefore, new approaches are required for the study of the tertiary levels of protein organization. One of the emerging structural biology tools for analyzing macromolecular complexes is mass spectrometry (MS)(2-5). This method yields information on the complex protein composition, subunit stoichiometry, and structural topology. The power of MS derives from its high sensitivity and, as a consequence, low sample requirement, which enables examination of protein complexes expressed at endogenous levels. Another advantage is the speed of analysis, which allows monitoring of reactions in real time. Moreover, the technique can simultaneously measure the characteristics of separate populations co-existing in a mixture. Here, we describe a detailed protocol for the application of structural MS to the analysis of large protein assemblies. The procedure begins with the preparation of gold-coated capillaries for nanoflow electrospray ionization (nESI). It then continues with sample preparation, emphasizing the buffer conditions which should be compatible with nESI on the one hand, and enable to maintain complexes intact on the other. We then explain, step-by-step, how to optimize the experimental conditions for high mass measurements and acquire MS and tandem MS spectra. Finally, we chart the data processing and analyses that follow. Rather than attempting to characterize every aspect of protein assemblies, this protocol introduces basic MS procedures, enabling the performance of MS and MS/MS experiments on non-covalent complexes. Overall, our goal is to provide researchers unacquainted with the field of structural MS, with knowledge of the principal experimental tools. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
170442 | Analysis and representation of complex activities in videos | The goal of the project is to automatically analyse human activities observed in videos. Any solution to this problem will allow the development of novel applications. It could be used to create short videos that summarize daily activities to support patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease. It could also be used for education, e.g., by providing a video analysis for a trainee in the hospital that shows if the tasks have been correctly executed.
The analysis of complex activities in videos, however, is very challenging since activities vary in temporal duration between minutes and hours, involve interactions with several objects that change their appearance and shape, e.g., food during cooking, and are composed of many sub-activities, which can happen at the same time or in various orders.
While the majority of recent works in action recognition focuses on developing better feature encoding techniques for classifying sub-activities in short video clips of a few seconds, this project moves forward and aims to develop a higher level representation of complex activities to overcome the limitations of current approaches. This includes the handling of large time variations and the ability to recognize and locate complex activities in videos. To this end, we aim to develop a unified model that provides detailed information about the activities and sub-activities in terms of time and spatial location, as well as involved pose motion, objects and their transformations.
Another aspect of the project is to learn a representation from videos that is not tied to a specific source of videos or limited to a specific application. Instead we aim to learn a representation that is invariant to a perspective change, e.g., from a third-person perspective to an egocentric perspective, and can be applied to various modalities like videos or depth data without the need of collecting massive training data for all modalities. In other words, we aim to learn the essence of activities. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
10.1016/j.cub.2017.10.033 | Mechanical Shielding of Rapidly Growing Cells Buffers Growth Heterogeneity and Contributes to Organ Shape Reproducibility | A landmark of developmental biology is the production of reproducible shapes, through stereotyped morphogenetic events. At the cell level, growth is often highly heterogeneous, allowing shape diversity to arise. Yet, how can reproducible shapes emerge from such growth heterogeneity? Is growth heterogeneity filtered out? Here, we focus on rapidly growing trichome cells in the Arabidopsis sepal, a reproducible floral organ. We show via computational modeling that rapidly growing cells may distort organ shape. However, the cortical microtubule alignment along growth-derived maximal tensile stress in adjacent cells would mechanically isolate rapidly growing cells and limit their impact on organ shape. In vivo, we observed such microtubule response to stress and consistently found no significant effect of trichome number on sepal shape in wild-type and lines with trichome number defects. Conversely, modulating the microtubule response to stress in katanin and spiral2 mutant made sepal shape dependent on trichome number, suggesting that, while mechanical signals are propagated around rapidly growing cells, the resistance to stress in adjacent cells mechanically isolates rapidly growing cells, thus contributing to organ shape reproducibility. Hervieux et al. show that local growth heterogeneities within an epithelium trigger mechanical conflicts and consequently a stereotypical cytoskeletal response in adjacent cells. This leads to the mechanical shielding of rapidly growing cells, thus buffering growth heterogeneities and finally contributing to organ shape reproducibility. | [
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
10.1080/0048721X.2015.1024040 | Religious Agency Identity And Communication Reflections On History And Theory Of Religion | AbstractThis paper discusses the applicability of recent theories of religion to the problem of describing and explaining religious transformation in the period between the final Bronze Age and Late Antiquity. Instead of evolutionist and cognitive approaches, it proposes a model of religion that tries to analyze religion in terms of its making by starting from the individual's appropriation and creation of religious tradition. Religion is understood as a strategy to attribute agency to agents that do not appear immediately plausible. Recent scholarly discussions on human agency suggest categorizing human religious agency into the three subsets, namely: (1) acting religiously with regards to past, present, and future; (2) collective religious identity; and (3) religious communication. These subsets are shown to produce fruitful questions for research on historical sources. Against this backdrop, religion is explained as a precarious cultural resource articulated through the agency of individuals and allowi. . . | [
"Texts and Concepts",
"The Study of the Human Past",
"Studies of Cultures and Arts"
]
|
10.1088/0067-0049/199/1/16 | Non Equilibrium H2 Formation In The Early Universe Energy Exchanges Rate Coefficients And Spectral Distortions | Energy exchange processes play a crucial role in the early universe, affecting the thermal balance and the dynamical evolution of the primordial gas. In the present work we focus on the consequences of a non-thermal distribution of the level populations of H2: first, we determine the excitation temperatures of vibrational transitions and the non-equilibrium heat transfer; second, we compare the modifications to chemical reaction rate coefficients with respect to the values obtained assuming local thermodynamic equilibrium; and third, we compute the spectral distortions to the cosmic background radiation generated by the formation of H2 in vibrationally excited levels. We conclude that non-equilibrium processes cannot be ignored in cosmological simulations of the evolution of baryons, although their observational signatures remain below current limits of detection. New fits to the equilibrium and non-equilibrium heat transfer functions are provided. | [
"Universe Sciences",
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter"
]
|
10.1016/j.exphem.2015.05.018 | MicroRNA-223 dose levels fine tune proliferation and differentiation in human cord blood progenitors and acute myeloid leukemia | A precise understanding of the role of miR-223 in human hematopoiesis and in the pathogenesis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is still lacking. By measuring miR-223 expression in blasts from 115 AML patients, we found significantly higher miR-223 levels in patients with favorable prognosis, whereas patients with low miR-223 expression levels were associated with worse outcome. Furthermore, miR-223 was hierarchically expressed in AML subpopulations, with lower expression in leukemic stem cell-containing fractions. Genetic depletion of miR-223 decreased the leukemia initiating cell (LIC) frequency in a myelomonocytic AML mouse model, but it was not mandatory for rapid-onset AML. To relate these observations to physiologic myeloid differentiation, we knocked down or ectopically expressed miR-223 in cord-blood CD34+ cells using lentiviral vectors. Although miR-223 knockdown delayed myeloerythroid precursor differentiation in vitro, it increased myeloid progenitors in vivo following serial xenotransplantation. Ectopic miR-223 expression increased erythropoiesis, T lymphopoiesis, and early B lymphopoiesis in vivo. These findings broaden the role of miR-223 as a regulator of the expansion/differentiation equilibrium in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells where its impact is dose- and differentiation-stage-dependent. This also explains the complex yet minor role of miR-223 in AML, a heterogeneous disease with variable degree of myeloid differentiation. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
]
|
645942 | Ff4Eurohpc: hpc innovation for european smes | The FF4EuroHPC proposal addresses the need for outreach to, and support of, Europe’s Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in order that they can profit from the innovation advantages offered by advanced High Performance Computing (HPC) technologies and services. FF4EuroHPC takes core team members from the highly successful Fortissimo and Fortissimo-2 projects (hereinafter simply Fortissimo projects) which executed 92 business experiments. They will use the lessons learned and best practices developed in those projects to create a portfolio of business-oriented “application experiments” that allow agile SMEs to investigate and solve business challenges and develop innovative business opportunities. The application experiment framework ensures that they receive the necessary, appropriate support to enter into the HPC ecosystem. FF4EuroHPC will lower the barriers for the participating SMEs to commence HPC-related innovation in their existing or newly identified markets either by using HPC systems for their business needs or by providing new HPC-based services. The outcome will be improved design and development processes, better products and services, and improved competitiveness in the global marketplace. Fundamentally, FF4EuroHPC is focussed on the creation of economic growth and jobs for the European Union. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1038/ncomms12536 | Spontaneous perception of numerosity in humans | Humans, including infants, and many other species have a capacity for rapid, nonverbal estimation of numerosity. However, the mechanisms for number perception are still not clear; some maintain that the system calculates numerosity via density estimates - similar to those involved in texture - while others maintain that more direct, dedicated mechanisms are involved. Here we show that provided that items are not packed too densely, human subjects are far more sensitive to numerosity than to either density or area. In a two-dimensional space spanning density, area and numerosity, subjects spontaneously react with far greater sensitivity to changes in numerosity, than either area or density. Even in tasks where they were explicitly instructed to make density or area judgments, they responded spontaneously to number. We conclude, that humans extract number information, directly and spontaneously, via dedicated mechanisms. | [
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity",
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System"
]
|
10.1021/acsnano.5b01324 | Positron Emission Tomography Based Elucidation of the Enhanced Permeability and Retention Effect in Dogs with Cancer Using Copper-64 Liposomes | Since the first report of the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, the research in nanocarrier based antitumor drugs has been intense. The field has been devoted to treatment of cancer by exploiting EPR-based accumulation of nanocarriers in solid tumors, which for many years was considered to be a ubiquitous phenomenon. However, the understanding of differences in the EPR-effect between tumor types, heterogeneities within each patient group, and dependency on tumor development stage in humans is sparse. It is therefore important to enhance our understanding of the EPR-effect in large animals and humans with spontaneously developed cancer. In the present paper, we describe a novel loading method of copper-64 into PEGylated liposomes and use these liposomes to evaluate the EPR-effect in 11 canine cancer patients with spontaneous solid tumors by PET/CT imaging. We thereby provide the first high-resolution analysis of EPR-based tumor accumulation in large animals. We find that the EPR-effect is strong in some tumor types but cannot be considered a general feature of solid malignant tumors since we observed a high degree of accumulation heterogeneity between tumors. Six of seven included carcinomas displayed high uptake levels of liposomes, whereas one of four sarcomas displayed signs of liposome retention. We conclude that nanocarrier-radiotracers could be important in identifying cancer patients that will benefit from nanocarrier-based therapeutics in clinical practice. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.1093/gbe/evt060 | Rapid evolution of beta-keratin genes contribute to phenotypic differences that distinguish turtles and birds from other reptiles | Sequencing of vertebrate genomes permits changes in distinct protein families, including gene gains and losses, to be ascribed to lineage-specific phenotypes. A prominent example of this is the large-scale duplication of beta-keratin genes in the ancestors of birds, which was crucial to the subsequent evolution of their beaks, claws, and feathers. Evidence suggests that the shell of Pseudomys nelsoni contains at least 16 beta-keratins proteins, but it is unknown whether this is a complete set and whether their corresponding genes are orthologous to avian beak, claw, or feather beta-keratin genes. To address these issues and to better understand the evolution of the turtle shell at a molecular level, we surveyed the diversity of beta-keratin genes from the genome assemblies of three turtles, Chrysemys picta, Pelodiscus sinensis, and Chelonia mydas, which together represent over 160 Myr of chelonian evolution. For these three turtles, we found 200 beta-keratins, which indicate that, as for birds, a large expansion of beta-keratin genes in turtles occurred concomitantly with the evolution of a unique phenotype, namely, their plastron and carapace. Phylogenetic reconstruction of beta-keratin gene evolution suggests that separate waves of gene duplication within a single genomic location gave rise to scales, claws, and feathers in birds, and independently the scutes of the shell in turtles. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
W4210462358 | El papel de los pieds-noirs en la economía alicantina entre finales de los años 50 y los años 70 | Los europeos procedentes de Argelia instalados en Alicante desde 1962 contribuyeron ampliamente al desarrollo de la provincia y al impulso del sector terciario. El presente estudio propone un análisis espacial de la instalación de los denominados pieds-noirs en Alicante. Para ello, se identifican las actividades económicas que esas personas llevaron a cabo y su evolución en el tiempo, vinculada a la propia evolución social, económica y urbanística que atravesó la provincia de Alicante y su capital desde finales de los años 50. El análisis de las actividades económicas pieds-noirs, se inserta en un estudio más amplio sobre las transformaciones urbanas y económicas de Alicante, en un contexto de cambios sociales. | [
"The Study of the Human Past",
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations"
]
|
10.1002/anie.201301217 | Azacalixphyrin: The hidden porphyrin cousin brought to light | No pyrrol: Azacalixphyrin (see picture), a novel isostructural and isoelectronic "pyrrol-free" analogue of porphyrins is easily prepared in two straightforward steps. The azacalixphyrin is aromatic, absorbs in the entire visible region, and is highly stable (even in the presence of water under air) owing to its unusual bis-zwitterionic character. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
]
|
10.1007/s10980-017-0552-5 | Disaggregating ecosystem services and disservices in the cultural landscapes of southwestern Ethiopia: a study of rural perceptions | Context: Cultural landscapes provide essential ecosystem services to local communities, especially in poor rural settings. However, potentially negative impacts of ecosystems—or disservices—remain inadequately understood. Similarly, how benefit–cost outcomes differ within communities is unclear, but potentially important for cultural landscape management. Objectives: Here we investigated whether distinct forest ecosystem service–disservice outcomes emerge within local communities. We aimed to characterize groups of community members according to service–disservice outcomes, and assessed their attitudes towards the forest. Methods: We interviewed 150 rural households in southwestern Ethiopia about locally relevant ecosystem services (provisioning services) and disservices (wildlife impacts). Households were grouped based on their ecosystem service–disservice profiles through hierarchical clustering. We used linear models to assess differences between groups in geographic and socioeconomic characteristics, as well as attitudes toward the forest. Results: We identified three groups with distinct ecosystem service–disservice profiles. Half of the households fell into a “lose–lose” profile (low benefits, high costs), while fewer had “lose–escape” (low benefits, low costs) and “win–lose” (high benefits, high costs) profiles. Location relative to forest and altitude explained differences between the “lose–escape” profile and other households. Socioeconomic factors were also important. “Win–lose” households appeared to be wealthier and had better forest use rights compared to “lose–lose” households. Attitudes towards the forest did not differ between profiles. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates the importance of disaggregating both ecosystem services and disservices, instead of assuming that communities receive benefits and costs homogenously. To manage cultural landscapes sustainably, such heterogeneity must be acknowledged and better understood. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space"
]
|
10.1111/evo.13206 | Genetic dissection of adaptive form and function in rapidly speciating cichlid fishes | Genes of major phenotypic effects and strong genetic correlations can facilitate adaptation, direct selective responses, and potentially lead to phenotypic convergence. However, the preponderance of this type of genetic architecture in repeatedly evolved adaptations remains unknown. Using hybrids between Haplochromis chilotes (thick-lipped) and Pundamilia nyererei (thin-lipped) we investigated the genetics underlying hypertrophied lips and elongated heads, traits that evolved repeatedly in cichlids. At least 25 loci of small-to-moderate and mainly additive effects were detected. Phenotypic variation in lip and head morphology was largely independent. Although several QTL overlapped for lip and head morphology traits, they were often of opposite effects. The distribution of effect signs suggests strong selection on lips. The fitness implications of several detected loci were demonstrated using a laboratory assay testing for the association between genotype and variation in foraging performance. The persistence of low fitness alleles in head morphology appears to be maintained through antagonistic pleiotropy/close linkage with positive-effect lip morphology alleles. Rather than being based on few major loci with strong positive genetic correlations, our results indicate that the evolution of the Lake Victoria thick-lipped ecomorph is the result of selection on numerous loci distributed throughout the genome. | [
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
W1741950286 | Employment of College Graduates in the Era of Universalized Higher Education | The employment performance (including salaries, relevant to studies and job satisfaction) of college graduates from different school types and disciplines after the universalization of higher education in Taiwan was examined and a comparative analysis was conducted in this article. The findings were as follows: 1) Medicine and health and industrial arts were the best disciplines in terms of overall employment performance; however, and performed poorly overall in terms of employment. 2) The graduates' employment performance in the school type of public universities was better than others for the most part in Taiwan; however, the graduates of public universities who majored in arts, agriculture, mass media, physical education/other, home economics, and tourism services did not do well in terms of their employment performance. Based on the analysis, from the viewpoint of employment, we suggested that... | [
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations",
"The Social World and Its Interactions"
]
|
10.1016/j.ceb.2016.04.006 | Mechanics of epithelial tissues during gap closure | The closure of gaps is crucial to maintaining epithelium integrity during developmental and repair processes such as dorsal closure and wound healing. Depending on biochemical as well as physical properties of the microenvironment, gap closure occurs through assembly of multicellular actin-based contractile cables and/or protrusive activity of cells lining the gap. This review discusses the relative contributions of 'purse-string' and cell crawling mechanisms regulated by cell-substrate and cell-cell interactions, cellular mechanics and physical constraints from the environment. | [
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
10.1038/nsmb.3066 | Early embryonic-like cells are induced by downregulating replication-dependent chromatin assembly | Cellular plasticity is essential for early embryonic cells. Unlike pluripotent cells, which form embryonic tissues, totipotent cells can generate a complete organism including embryonic and extraembryonic tissues. Cells resembling 2-cell-stage embryos (2C-like cells) arise at very low frequency in embryonic stem (ES) cell cultures. Although induced reprogramming to pluripotency is well established, totipotent cells remain poorly characterized, and whether reprogramming to totipotency is possible is unknown. We show that mouse 2C-like cells can be induced in vitro through downregulation of the chromatin-assembly activity of CAF-1. Endogenous retroviruses and genes specific to 2-cell embryos are the highest-upregulated genes upon CAF-1 knockdown. Emerging 2C-like cells exhibit molecular characteristics of 2-cell embryos and higher reprogrammability than ES cells upon nuclear transfer. Our results suggest that early embryonic-like cells can be induced by modulating chromatin assembly and that atypical histone deposition may trigger the emergence of totipotent cells. | [
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
10.1074/jbc.M808401200 | Dynamin-dependent membrane drift recruits AMPA receptors to dendritic spines | The surface expression and localization of AMPA receptors (AMPARs) at dendritic spines are tightly controlled to regulate synaptic transmission. Here we show that de novo exocytosis of the GluR2AMPARsubunit occurs at the dendritic shaft and that new AMPARs diffuse into spines by lateral diffusion in the membrane. However, membrane topology restricts this lateral diffusion. We therefore investigated which mechanisms recruit AMPARs to spines from the shaft and demonstrated that inhibition of dynamin GTPase activity reduced lateral diffusion of membrane-anchored green fluorescent protein and superecliptic pHluorin (SEP)-GluR2 into spines. In addition, the activation of synaptic N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors enhanced lateral diffusion of SEP-GluR2 and increased the number of endogenous AMPARs in spines. The NMDA-invoked effects were prevented by dynamin inhibition, suggesting that activity-dependent dynamin-mediated endocytosis within spines generates a net inward membrane drift that overrides lateral diffusion barriers to enhance membrane protein delivery into spines. These results provide a novel mechanistic explanation of how AMPARs and other membrane proteins are recruited to spines by synaptic activity. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
10.1016/j.bbr.2017.08.024 | Structural hemispheric asymmetries underlie verbal Stroop performance | Performance on tasks involving cognitive control such as the Stroop task is often associated with left lateralized brain activations. Based on this neuro-functional evidence, we tested whether leftward structural grey matter asymmetries would also predict inter-individual differences in combatting Stroop interference. To check for the specificity of the results, both a verbal Stroop task and a spatial one were administered to a total of 111 healthy young individuals, for whom T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images were also acquired. Surface thickness and area estimations were calculated using FreeSurfer. Participants’ hemispheres were registered to a symmetric template and Laterality Indices (LI) for the surface thickness and for the area at each vertex in each participant were computed. The correlation of these surface LI measures with the verbal and spatial Stroop effects (incongruent–congruent difference in trial performance) was assessed at each vertex by means of general linear models at the whole-brain level. We found a significant correlation between performance and surface area LI in an inferior posterior temporal cluster (overlapping with the so-called visual word form area, VWFA), with a more left-lateralized area in this region associated with a smaller Stroop effect only in the verbal task. These results point to an involvement of the VWFA for higher-level processes based on word reading, including the suppression of this process when required by the task, and could be interpreted in the context of cross-hemispheric rivalry. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity"
]
|
W2320256195 | A Drug Utilization Study of Cognition Enhancers in Dementia in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Mumbai | Cognitive decline is one of the important factors undermining the quality of life in geriatric patients. Although the WHO has declared 'Dementia' as a priority health condition.Cognitive neuropharmacology is still in its infancy and there is no general consensus on the use of cognition enhancing (CE) drugs in humans. Since drug utilization data of CEs in dementia are scarce, we conducted a study to describe the observed patterns of CE drug use, compare it to the current recommendations and conduct a preliminary cost analysis.A prospective cross sectional drug utilization study of 100 prescriptions of patients of both sexes and all ages suffering from dementia attending the Neurology and Psychiatry clinics was undertaken as per the WHO - DUS and the STROBE guidelines.In all, the 100 prescriptions contained 322 drugs, out of which, 168 were CE drugs. 38.2% of the drugs were prescribed by generic names. Donepezil, Memantine, Piracetam, Rivastigmine and Gallantamine were prescribed to 76%, 34%, 8%, 6% and 0%, respectively. The PDD/DDD ratio of Donepezil and Memantine were 1.36 and 0.94, respectively. The average cost per prescription was INR 626.29 or USD 9.5.Principles of rational prescribing were followed. Donepezil and Memantine were the most commonly prescribed drugs and hence should be included in the hospital drug schedule. Piracetam should not be prescribed because of doubtful benefits and high cost. Antipsychotics should be used in geriatric dementia patients very judiciously. A major part of the total cost per prescription was borne by the patient. | [
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System"
]
|
W2611803846 | Aspects of assessment of organizational and technical reliability and design of construction processes with target reliability level using computer-aided technologies | This article concentrates on the aspects of assessment of reliability of organizational and technical decisions in construction processes, using computer-aided technologies. The methodical approach and algorithm of the software module solving the problem of evaluation of organizational and technical reliability of construction and design processes with a given level of reliability are presented in this article. A special feature of the approach is separation of the sample values of a random value (initial for determining the intensity and duration of the construction process — time rates per unit volume of works or performance) into two parts of values: those satisfying the conditions of the construction process on scheduled date and unsatisfying ones. This allows, in respect of the appropriate value for the initial design parameter, calculating the probability that rates or performance, and therefore the corresponding values of intensity and duration of the construction process at the end of implementation of the construction process time would not be more or less than the design values. This approach reveals a possibility of constructing algorithm to solve a set task by means of computer technology presented in the article. Based on the proposed algorithm, a software module was developed with the Technologist software package in order to solve problems of designing of building production on variant and probabilistic basis. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1016/j.cognition.2019.03.016 | Collective benefit in joint perceptual judgments: Partial roles of shared environments, meta-cognition, and feedback | Recent research has demonstrated that two persons can optimally combine their observations to make better decisions when they can verbally communicate their confidence to each other. The present study investigated whether non-verbal interaction in a shared environment can be sufficient to achieve similar collective benefit. Pairs of individuals performed a localization task in a shared virtual 3D environment. In Experiments 1 and 2, partners had access to orthogonal viewpoints providing complementary information. The results showed robust collective benefit compared to individual performance from a single viewpoint, which could be obtained without any opportunity for verbal communication and even when no feedback about joint accuracy was provided (Experiment 2). When partners shared the same viewpoint (Experiment 3), collective benefit was achieved only when feedback on accuracy was provided (Experiment 3a). The findings indicate that sharing an environment can be sufficient for achieving integration of complementary perceptual information. Communicating confidence might not be necessary when an environment is shared. Another possibility is that processes for integrating interpersonally continuous information generally differ from the processes invoked when making a joint dichotomous choice. | [
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity",
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System"
]
|
10.1088/0034-4885/79/5/056001 | Equilibration Thermalisation And The Emergence Of Statistical Mechanics In Closed Quantum Systems | We review selected advances in the theoretical understanding of complex quantum many-body systems with regard to emergent notions of quantum statistical mechanics. We cover topics such as equilibration and thermalisation in pure state statistical mechanics, the eigenstate thermalisation hypothesis, the equivalence of ensembles, non-equilibration dynamics following global and local quenches as well as ramps. We also address initial state independence, absence of thermalisation, and many-body localisation. We elucidate the role played by key concepts for these phenomena, such as Lieb-Robinson bounds, entanglement growth, typicality arguments, quantum maximum entropy principles and the generalised Gibbs ensembles, and quantum (non-)integrability. We put emphasis on rigorous approaches and present the most important results in a unified language. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Mathematics"
]
|
10.1039/C7PY00801E | Introduction Of Anti Fouling Coatings At The Surface Of Supramolecular Elastomeric Materials Via Post Modification Of Reactive Supramolecular Additives | Protein repellent coatings have been extensively studied to introduce anti-fouling properties at material surfaces. Here we introduce a covalent anti-fouling coating at the surface of supramolecular ureidopyrimidinone (UPy) based materials introduced via post-modification of reactive UPy-functionalized tetrazine additives incorporated into the supramolecular polymer material. After material formulation, an anti-fouling coating comprised of bicyclononyne (BCN) functionalized poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) polymers was reacted. This coating was covalently attached to the surface via a highly selective electron-demand Diels–Alder cycloaddition between tetrazine and BCN. The anti-fouling properties of three different BCN-PEG polymers, mono-functional-PEG-BCN, bi-functional-PEG-BCN and star-PEG-BCN, respectively, were systematically studied. The mono-functional-PEG-BCN showed minor reduction in both protein adsorption and cell adhesion, whereas the bi-functional-PEG-BCN and the star-PEG-BCN polymer coating demonstrated complete anti-fouling performance, both towards protein adhesion as well as cell adhesion. Additionally, a bioorthogonal ligation strategy was performed in culture medium in the presence of cells showing a similar behavior for the three anti-fouling coatings, which indicates that this strategy can be applied for post-modification reactions in a complex environment. | [
"Materials Engineering",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
W3001346967 | 중국「재생가능에너지법」의 주요쟁점 - 적용 범위와 관리부문을 중심으로 | China, faced with an exponential growth of domestic energy consumption today, has strived to facilitate the use of renewable energies across the country as a national project to diversify energy sources. The project has been so far successful and China is now witnessing a remarkable surge of the use of renewable energies across multiple sectors. A crucial part for this success has been played by successive legislation encouraging the use of renewable energies, but in the process some disagreement on several key issues was observed among government departments and stakeholders involved. This paper examines the legislation process of 'Renewable Energy Law' before turning to the continuing controversy over whether the Law includes hydro power, and to the issue of interest conflicts among the ministries surrounding renewable energy policy. The final decision on the matter of whether water power is subject to the Law is now referred to the State Council. Renewable energy policy is officially supposed to be controlled by the National Energy Commission, but the National Development and Reform Commission, as a higher authority supervising it, exerts a great influence on its policy making and implementation.Deprived of much autonomy under this bureaucratic hierarchy, the National Energy Commission has little ability to create and carry out sustainable energy policy. This is especially so given the fact that the National Development Reform Commission by its very nature is more concerned with economic growth than environmental protection. With the use of renewable energy expected to grow continuously into the future, this is highly likely to pose a long-term threat to the administration system, and thus active efforts should be made to ensure that the roles are clearly defined and properly distributed among government bureaucracies. | [
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems",
"Earth System Science"
]
|
W2028294279 | Umbilical cord and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell seeding on macroporous calcium phosphate for bone regeneration in rat cranial defects | Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs) are inexhaustible and can be harvested at a low cost without an invasive procedure. However, there has been no report on comparing hUCMSCs with human bone marrow MSCs (hBMSCs) for bone regeneration in vivo. The aim of this study was to investigate hUCMSC and hBMSC seeding on macroporous calcium phosphate cement (CPC), and to compare their bone regeneration in critical-sized cranial defects in rats. Cell attachment, osteogenic differentiation and mineral synthesis on RGD-modified macroporous CPC were investigated in vitro. Scaffolds with cells were implanted in 8-mm defects of athymic rats. Bone regeneration was investigated via micro-CT and histological analysis at 4, 12, and 24 weeks. Three groups were tested: CPC with hUCMSCs, CPC with hBMSCs, and CPC control without cells. Percentage of live cells and cell density on CPC in vitro were similarly good for hUCMSCs and hBMSCs. Both cells had high osteogenic expressions of alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, collagen I, and Runx2. Bone mineral density and trabecular thickness in hUCMSC and hBMSC groups in vivo were greater than those of CPC control group. New bone amount for hUCMSC-CPC and hBMSC-CPC constructs was increased by 57% and 88%, respectively, while blood vessel density was increased by 15% and 20%, than CPC control group at 24 weeks. hUCMSC-CPC and hBMSC-CPC groups generally had statistically similar bone mineral density, new bone amount and vessel density. In conclusion, hUCMSCs seeded on CPC were shown to match the bone regeneration efficacy of hBMSCs in vivo for the first time. Both hUCMSC-CPC and hBMSC-CPC constructs generated much more new bone and blood vessels than CPC without cells. Macroporous RGD-grafted CPC with stem cell seeding is promising for craniofacial and orthopedic repairs. | [
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1109/TMTT.2018.2823319 | Substrate Independent Microwave Components In Substrate Integrated Waveguide Technology For High Performance Smart Surfaces | Although all existing air-filled substrate integrated waveguide (AFSIW) topologies yield a substrate-independent electrical performance, they rely on dedicated, expensive, laminates to form air-filled regions that contain the electromagnetic fields. This paper proposes a novel substrate-independent AFSIW manufacturing technology, enabling straightforward integration of high-performance microwave components into a wide range of general-purpose commercially available surface materials by means of standard additive (3-D printing) or subtractive (computer numerically controlled milling/laser cutting) manufacturing processes. First, an analytical formula is derived for the effective permittivity and loss tangent of the AFSIW waveguide. This allows the designer to reduce substrate losses to levels typically encountered in high-frequency laminates. Then, several microwave components are designed and fabricated. Measurements of multiple AFSIW waveguides and a four-way power divider/combiner, both relying on a new coaxial-to-air-filled SIW transition, prove that this novel approach yields microwave components suitable for direct integration into everyday surfaces, with low insertion loss, and excellent matching and isolation over the entire [5. 15–5. 85] GHz band. Hence, this innovative approach paves the way for a new generation of cost-effective, high-performance, and invisibly integrated smart surface systems that efficiently exploit the area and the materials available in everyday objects. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
IB 2007000618 W | METHOD FOR THE MEASURE OF MOLECULAR INTERACTIONS BY MEASUREMENT OF THE LIGHT REFLECTED BY PLANAR SURFACES | Procedure for the quantitative determination of interactions of ligands with receptors adsorbed or immobilized on the surface of a solid material which can be functionalized, transparent and with low refractive index, by means of direct measure of the reflection of light. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
]
|
10.1073/pnas.1812588116 | Anthrax toxin requires ZDHHC5-mediated palmitoylation of its surface-processing host enzymes | The protein acyl transferase ZDHHC5 was recently proposed to regulate trafficking in the endocytic pathway. Therefore, we explored the function of this enzyme in controlling the action of bacterial toxins. We found that ZDHHC5 activity is required for two very different toxins: the anthrax lethal toxin and the pore-forming toxin aerolysin. Both of these toxins have precursor forms, the protoxins, which can use the proprotein convertases Furin and PC7 for activation. We show that ZDHHC5 indeed affects the processing of the protoxins to their active forms. We found that Furin and PC7 can both be S-palmitoylated and are substrates of ZDHHC5. The impact of ZDHHC5 on Furin/PC7-mediated anthrax toxin cleavage is dual, having an indirect and a direct component. First, ZDHHC5 affects the homeostasis and trafficking of a subset of cellular proteins, including Furin and PC7, presumably by affecting the endocytic/recycling pathway. Second, while not inhibiting the protease activity per se, ZDHHC5-mediated Furin/PC7 palmitoylation is required for the cleavage of the anthrax toxin. Finally, we show that palmitoylation of Furin and PC7 promotes their association with plasma membrane microdomains. Both the receptor-bound toxin and the convertases are of very low abundance at the cell surface. Their encounter is unlikely on reasonable time scales. This work indicates that palmitoylation drives their encounter in specific domains, allowing processing and thereby intoxication of the cell. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy"
]
|
US 2007/0012529 W | COMPOUNDS THAT MODULATE HSP90 ACTIVITY AND METHODS FOR IDENTIFYING SAME | The present invention relates to compositions and methods related to inhibitors of Hsp90, including substituted triazole compounds and compositions comprising substituted triazole compounds. The invention further relates to methods of inhibiting the activity of Hsp90 in a subject in need thereof and methods for preventing or treating hyperproliferative disorders, such as cancer, in a subject in heed thereof comprising administering to the subject a substituted triazole compound of the invention, or a composition comprising such a compound. The invention further provides methods for designing and identifying inhibitors of Hsp90. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
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