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10.1088/1367-2630/17/7/073001
|
A Measure Of Majorization Emerging From Single Shot Statistical Mechanics
|
The use of the von Neumann entropy in formulating the laws of thermodynamics has recently been challenged. It is associated with the average work whereas the work guaranteed to be extracted in any single run of an experiment is the more interesting quantity in general. We show that an expression that quantifies majorization determines the optimal guaranteed work. We argue it should therefore be the central quantity of statistical mechanics, rather than the von Neumann entropy. In the limit of many identical and independent subsystems (asymptotic i. i. d) the von Neumann entropy expressions are recovered but in the non-equilbrium regime the optimal guaranteed work can be radically different to the optimal average. Moreover our measure of majorization governs which evolutions can be realized via thermal interactions, whereas the non-decrease of the von Neumann entropy is not sufficiently restrictive. Our results are inspired by single-shot information theory.
|
[
"Mathematics",
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter"
] |
10.1016/j.celrep.2013.07.014
|
Systematic identification of proteins binding to chromatin-embedded ubiquitylated H2B reveals recruitment of SWI/SNF to regulate transcription
|
Chromatin posttranslational modifications (PTMs), including monoubiquitylation of histone H2B on lysine 120 (H2Bub1), play a major role in regulating genome functions. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms of H2Bub1 activity, a chromatin template uniformly containing H2Bub1 was used as an affinity matrix to identify preferentially interacting human proteins. Over 90 such factors were found, including proteins and protein complexes associated with transcription, RNA posttranscriptional modifications, and DNA replication and repair. Notably, we found that the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex associates preferentially with H2Bub1-rich chromatin. Moreover,SWI/SNF is required for optimal transcription of a subset of genes that are selectively dependent on H2Bub1. Our findings substantially expand the known H2Bub1 interactome and provide insights into the functions of this PTM in mammalian gene regulation
|
[
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
] |
10.4049/jimmunol.1004062
|
NLRP3/caspase-1-independent IL-1β production mediates diesel exhaust particle-induced pulmonary inflammation
|
Inhalation of diesel exhaust particles (DEP) induces an inflammatory reaction in the lung; however, the mechanisms are largely unclear. IL-1β/IL-1RI signaling is crucial in several lung inflammatory responses. Typically, caspase-1 is activated within the NLRP3 inflammasome that recognizes several damage-associated molecular patterns, which results in cleavage of pro-IL-1β into mature IL-1β. In this study, we hypothesized that the NLRP3/caspase-1/IL-1β pathway is critical in DEP-induced lung inflammation. Upon DEP exposure, IL-1RI knockout mice had reduced pulmonary inflammation compared with wild-type mice. Similarly, treatment with rIL-1R antagonist (anakinra) and IL-1β neutralization impaired the DEP-induced lung inflammatory response. Upon DEP exposure, NLRP3 and caspase-1 knockout mice, however, showed similar IL-1β levels and comparable pulmonary inflammation compared with wild-type mice. In conclusion, these data show that the DEP-induced pulmonary inflammation acts through the IL-1β/IL-1RI axis. In addition, DEP initiates inflammation independent of the classical NLRP3/ caspase-1 pathway, suggesting that other proteases might be involved.
|
[
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
] |
W2046764718
|
Modelos reais e simuladores virtuais em otorrinolaringologia: revisão da literatura
|
Real models and virtual simulators have been used with positive results in several fields of medicine. These new devices can enhance teaching, learning and also training in Otolaryngology, reducing associated costs and potentially reducing medical errors. We reviewed the literature on the real and virtual models and simulators used for education and training in our medical specialty, discussing some of them and the results achieved with such instruments. Moreover, we also discuss the future perspectives in education and training in our medical specialty.Literature review.Otolaryngology, a clinical and surgical field of medicine, should be at the forefront of this technological revolution. In our specialty, real models and virtual simulators and environments have a great teaching and learning potential. With equipment costs dropping, thanks to technological development, these tools tend to become increasingly more popular.
|
[
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
] |
10.3847/0004-637X/823/2/115
|
Doppler Monitoring Of Five K2 Transiting Planetary Systems
|
In an effort to measure the masses of planets discovered by the NASA K2 mission, we have conducted precise Doppler observations of five stars with transiting planets. We present the results of a joint analysis of these new data and previously published Doppler data. The first star, an M dwarf known as K2-3 or EPIC 201367065, has three transiting planets (“b,” with radius 2. 1 R⊕; “c,” 1. 7 R⊕; and “d,” 1. 5 R⊕). Our analysis leads to the mass constraints:
Mb = 8. 1 -1. 9 to +2. 0 M⊕
and Mc < 4. 2 M⊕ (95% confidence). The mass of planet d is poorly constrained because its orbital period is close to the stellar rotation period, making it difficult to disentangle the planetary signal
from spurious Doppler shifts due to stellar activity. The second star, a G dwarf known as K2-19 or EPIC 201505350, has two planets (“b,” 7. 7 R⊕; and “c,” 4. 9 R⊕) in a 3:2 mean-motion resonance, as well as a shorter period
planet (“d,” 1. 1 R⊕). We find
Mb = 28. 5 -5. 0 to +5. 4 M⊕,
Mc = 25. 6 -7. 1 to + 7. 1 M⊕
and Md < 14. 0M⊕ (95% conf. ). The third star, a G dwarf known as K2-24 or EPIC 203771098, hosts two transiting planets (“b,” 5. 7 R⊕; and “c,” 7. 8 R⊕) with orbital periods in a nearly 2:1 ratio. We find
Mb = 19. 8 -4. 4 to +4. 5 M⊕ and
Mc = 26. 0 -6. 1 to +5. 8 M⊕. The fourth star, a G dwarf known as EPIC 204129699, hosts a hot Jupiter for which we measured the mass to be
1. 857 +0. 081 to -0. 081 MJup. The fifth star, a G dwarf known as EPIC 205071984, contains three transiting planets (“b,” 5. 4 R⊕; “c,” 3. 5 R⊕; and “d,” 3. 8 R⊕), the outer two of which have a nearly 2:1 period ratio. We find
Mb = 21. 1 -5. 9 to +5. 9 M⊕,
Mc < 8. 1 M⊕ (95% conf. ) and
Md < 35M⊕ (95% conf. ).
|
[
"Universe Sciences"
] |
10.1101/sqb.2019.84.039818
|
Recognition of poly(A) RNA through its intrinsic helical structure
|
The polyadenosine (poly(A)) tail, which is found on the 3′ end of almost all eukaryotic messenger RNAs (mRNAs), plays an important role in the posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression. Shortening of the poly(A) tail, a process known as deadenylation, is thought to be the first and rate-limiting step of mRNA turnover. Deadenylation is performed by the Pan2-Pan3 and Ccr4-Not complexes that contain highly conserved exonuclease enzymes Pan2, and Ccr4 and Caf1, respectively. These complexes have been extensively studied, but the mechanisms of how the deadenylase enzymes recognize the poly(A) tail were poorly understood until recently. Here, we summarize recent work from our laboratory demonstrating that the highly conserved Pan2 exonuclease recognizes the poly(A) tail, not through adenine-specific functional groups, but through the conformation of poly(A) RNA. Our biochemical, biophysical, and structural investigations suggest that poly(A) forms an intrinsic base-stacked, single-stranded helical conformation that is recognized by Pan2, and that disruption of this structure inhibits both Pan2 and Caf1. This intrinsic structure has been shown to be important in poly(A) recognition in other biological processes, further underlining the importance of the unique conformation of poly(A).
|
[
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
] |
10.1002/2017JF004255
|
Observation Bias Correction Reveals More Rapidly Draining Lakes On The Greenland Ice Sheet
|
S. W. C. acknowledges financial support from the Gates Cambridge Trust at the University of Cambridge. PC acknowledges funding from the European Research Council under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement no. 683043).
|
[
"Earth System Science"
] |
627153
|
Harmonised transport infrastructure monitoring in europe for optimal maintenance and safety
|
Transport infrastructure is highly important on the EU Strategic Agenda. This infrastructure is facing real challenges due to ageing, rapid growth of traffic loads, and natural and man-made resilience threats. Safety risks have become critical in the recent years and manifested in major disasters caused a.o. by structural failures due to maintenance deficiencies. Optimal maintenance is only possible with the right policies and decisions enabled by timely and accurate information from monitoring. Unfortunately, monitoring is not adequately addressed in the existing standards (CEN TC/250 Eurocodes) and there are gaps in the monitoring practices at national level.
Therefore, IM-SAFE aims to support the European Commission and the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) to prepare a new standard in monitoring for optimal maintenance and safety of transport infrastructure based on a comprehensive insight into the trends, challenges, best practices, and technology developments, including the integration of digital innovations. As the effectiveness of the new standard depends on societal acceptance, IM-SAFE simultaneously aims to coordinate and enable public authorities and industries to contribute to standardisation, roll-out, and implementation. The key targeted results from IM-SAFE are: 1) formulation of an EC mandate to CEN; 2) consolidated technical background materials for CEN; and 3) active engagement of stakeholders and experts in the Community of Practice (CoP) and Standardisation Advisory Group (SAG).
The IM-SAFE consortium represents a European network of standardisation experts from research and higher educational institutes, large industries, SMEs, and a non-profit platform working on the transport infrastructure along the EU TEN-T and regional corridors. The consortium collaborates with leading infrastructure asset owners and operators as well as monitoring and maintenance companies. These stakeholders and the consortium together have initiated IM-SAFE.
|
[
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems"
] |
320602
|
Coherent trajectories through symmetry breaking transitions
|
We propose to investigate the coherent trajectories of many-body systems undergoing symmetry-breaking transitions (SBTs) in real time, where trajectories are meant here in a mathematical sense used to describe the dynamics of nonlinear systems. The key idea which makes this project possible is the development of a specific femtosecond laser spectroscopy technique which allows us to distinguish the order parameter dynamics in complex matter systems from hot-electron energy relaxation, quasiparticle recombination processes, damping and dephasing of coherent phonon oscillations. This allows real-time high resolution investigations of the critical system trajectories through SBTs, beyond the capabilities of current state of the art time-resolved techniques. We will investigate coherent collective field oscillations and the fundamentals of topological defect creation by the Kibble-Zurek mechanism including a study of their annihilation in the aftermath of SBTs. We will aim to control the coherent trajectories at bifurcation points by laser pulses and external fields. We will address fundamental questions on the effect of symmetry and fundamental interactions of underlying microscopic vacua on global behaviour. Systems included in our study belong to a number of different universality classes and include the study of nontrivial transitions to newly discovered hidden states of matter. In the general framework of reductionism, we expect our findings to have fundamental bearing on our understanding of SBTs revealing predictive tell-tale signatures of critical events of relevance in areas beyond many-body condensed matter physics, in elementary particle physics, primordial cosmological events and tipping points in nonlinear systems. Transition trajectories to and from hidden states are of particular interest for practical applications in new femtosecond state change memory devices.
|
[
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
] |
641039
|
Embedded storage elements on next mcu generation ready for ai on the edge
|
The main objective of the storAIge project is the development and industrialization of FDSOI 28nm and next generation embedded Phase Change Memory (ePCM) world-class semiconductor technologies, allowing the prototyping of high performance, Ultra low power and secured & safety System on Chip (SoC) solutions enabling competitive Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Edge applications. The main challenge addressed by the project is on one hand to handle the complexity of sub-28nm ‘more than moore’ technologies and to bring them up at a high maturity level and on the other hand to handle the design of complex SoCs for more intelligent, secure, flexible, low power consumption and cost effective. The project is targeting chipset and solutions with very efficient memories and high computing power targeting 10 Tops per Watt.
The development of the most advanced automotive microcontrollers in FDSOI 28nm ePCM will be the support technology to demonstrate the high performances path as well as the robustness of the ePCM solution. The next generation of FDSOI ePCM will be main path for general purpose advanced microcontrollers usable for large volume Edge AI application in industrial and consumer markets with the best compromise on three requirements: performances, low power and adequate security.
On top of the development and industrialization of silicon process lines and SoC design, storAIge will also address new design methodologies and tools to facilitate the exploitation of these advanced technology nodes, particularly for high performance microcontrollers having AI capabilities. Activities will be performed to setup robust and adequate Security and Safety level in the final applications, defining and implementing the good ‘mixture’ and tradeoff between HW and SW solutions to speed up adoption for large volume applications.
|
[
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
] |
10.5194/essd-7-349-2015
|
Global Carbon Budget 2015
|
Abstract. Accurate assessment of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and their redistribution among the atmosphere, ocean, and terrestrial biosphere is important to better understand the global carbon cycle, support the development of climate policies, and project future climate change. Here we describe data sets and a methodology to quantify all major components of the global carbon budget, including their uncertainties, based on the combination of a range of data, algorithms, statistics, and model estimates and their interpretation by a broad scientific community. We discuss changes compared to previous estimates as well as consistency within and among components, alongside methodology and data limitations. CO2 emissions from fossil fuels and industry (EFF) are based on energy statistics and cement production data, while emissions from land-use change (ELUC), mainly deforestation, are based on combined evidence from land-cover-change data, fire activity associated with deforestation, and models. The global atmospheric CO2 concentration is measured directly and its rate of growth (GATM) is computed from the annual changes in concentration. The mean ocean CO2 sink (SOCEAN) is based on observations from the 1990s, while the annual anomalies and trends are estimated with ocean models. The variability in SOCEAN is evaluated with data products based on surveys of ocean CO2 measurements. The global residual terrestrial CO2 sink (SLAND) is estimated by the difference of the other terms of the global carbon budget and compared to results of independent dynamic global vegetation models forced by observed climate, CO2, and land-cover change (some including nitrogen–carbon interactions). We compare the mean land and ocean fluxes and their variability to estimates from three atmospheric inverse methods for three broad latitude bands. All uncertainties are reported as ±1σ, reflecting the current capacity to characterise the annual estimates of each component of the global carbon budget. For the last decade available (2005–2014), EFF was 9. 0 ± 0. 5 GtC yr−1, ELUC was 0. 9 ± 0. 5 GtC yr−1, GATM was 4. 4 ± 0. 1 GtC yr−1, SOCEAN was 2. 6 ± 0. 5 GtC yr−1, and SLAND was 3. 0 ± 0. 8 GtC yr−1. For the year 2014 alone, EFF grew to 9. 8 ± 0. 5 GtC yr−1, 0. 6 % above 2013, continuing the growth trend in these emissions, albeit at a slower rate compared to the average growth of 2. 2 % yr−1 that took place during 2005–2014. Also, for 2014, ELUC was 1. 1 ± 0. 5 GtC yr−1, GATM was 3. 9 ± 0. 2 GtC yr−1, SOCEAN was 2. 9 ± 0. 5 GtC yr−1, and SLAND was 4. 1 ± 0. 9 GtC yr−1. GATM was lower in 2014 compared to the past decade (2005–2014), reflecting a larger SLAND for that year. The global atmospheric CO2 concentration reached 397. 15 ± 0. 10 ppm averaged over 2014. For 2015, preliminary data indicate that the growth in EFF will be near or slightly below zero, with a projection of −0. 6 [range of −1. 6 to +0. 5] %, based on national emissions projections for China and the USA, and projections of gross domestic product corrected for recent changes in the carbon intensity of the global economy for the rest of the world. From this projection of EFF and assumed constant ELUC for 2015, cumulative emissions of CO2 will reach about 555 ± 55 GtC (2035 ± 205 GtCO2) for 1870–2015, about 75 % from EFF and 25 % from ELUC. This living data update documents changes in the methods and data sets used in this new carbon budget compared with previous publications of this data set (Le Quéré et al. , 2015, 2014, 2013). All observations presented here can be downloaded from the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (doi:10. 3334/CDIAC/GCP_2015).
|
[
"Earth System Science",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
] |
10.1073/pnas.1806823115
|
Radiative heating achieves the ultimate regime of thermal convection
|
The absorption of light or radiation drives turbulent convection inside stars, supernovae, frozen lakes, and Earth’s mantle. In these contexts, the goal of laboratory and numerical studies is to determine the relation between the internal temperature gradients and the heat flux transported by the turbulent flow. This is the constitutive law of turbulent convection, to be input into large-scale models of such natural flows. However, in contrast with the radiative heating of natural flows, laboratory experiments have focused on convection driven by heating and cooling plates; the heat transport is then severely restricted by boundary layers near the plates, which prevents the realization of the mixing length scaling law used in evolution models of geophysical and astrophysical flows. There is therefore an important discrepancy between the scaling laws measured in laboratory experiments and those used, e. g. , in stellar evolution models. Here we provide experimental and numerical evidence that radiatively driven convection spontaneously achieves the mixing length scaling regime, also known as the “ultimate” regime of thermal convection. This constitutes a clear observation of this regime of turbulent convection. Our study therefore bridges the gap between models of natural flows and laboratory experiments. It opens an experimental avenue for a priori determinations of the constitutive laws to be implemented into models of geophysical and astrophysical flows, as opposed to empirical fits of these constitutive laws to the scarce observational data.
|
[
"Universe Sciences",
"Earth System Science",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
] |
W2163107209
|
INFLATION IN THE G7: MIND THE GAP(S)?
|
We investigate the importance of trend inflation and the real-activity gap in explaining inflation in G7 countries since 1960. Our analysis is based on a bivariate unobserved components model of inflation and unemployment in which inflation is decomposed into a stochastic trend and a transitory component. As in recent implementations of the New Keynesian Phillips Curve, it is the transitory component of inflation, or “inflation gap,” that is driven by the real-activity gap, which we measure as the deviation of unemployment from its natural rate. We find that both trend inflation and the inflation gap have been consistent and substantial determinants of inflation at business cycle horizons for all G7 countries since 1960. Also, the real-activity gap explains a large fraction of the variation in the inflation gap for each country. These results provide empirical support for the New Keynesian Phillips Curve augmented with trend inflation.
|
[
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations"
] |
10.1109/JQE.2015.2509242
|
Ultra Fast Millimeter Wave Beam Steering
|
In this paper, we demonstrate ultra-fast millimeter wave beam steering with settling times below 50 ps. A phased array antenna with two elements is employed to realize beam steering. The phased array feeder is implemented with a recently introduced time delay line that provides, at the same time, an ultra-fast tunability, broadband operation, and continuous tuning. Our implementation is used to perform symbol-by-symbol steering. In our demonstration, the beam direction is switched between two sequentially transmitted symbols toward two receivers placed 30° apart. We show the successful symbol-by-symbol steering for data streams as fast as 10 GBd. The suggested scheme shows that the ultra-fast beam steering is becoming practical and might ultimately enable novel high bit-rate multiple access schemes.
|
[
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
] |
10.1016/j.nicl.2017.10.037
|
Triangulation of language-cognitive impairments, naming errors and their neural bases post-stroke
|
In order to gain a better understanding of aphasia one must consider the complex combinations of language impairments along with the pattern of paraphasias. Despite the fact that both deficits and paraphasias feature in diagnostic criteria, most research has focused only on the lesion correlates of language deficits, with minimal attention on the pattern of patients' paraphasias. In this study, we used a data-driven approach (principal component analysis - PCA) to fuse patient impairments and their pattern of errors into one unified model of chronic post-stroke aphasia. This model was subsequently mapped onto the patients' lesion profiles to generate the triangulation of language-cognitive impairments, naming errors and their neural correlates. Specifically, we established the pattern of co-occurrence between fifteen error types, which avoids focussing on a subset of errors or the use of experimenter-derived methods to combine across error types. We obtained five principal components underlying the patients' errors: omission errors; semantically-related responses; phonologically-related responses; dysfluent responses; and a combination of circumlocutions with mixed errors. In the second step, we aligned these paraphasia-related principal components with the patients' performance on a detailed language and cognitive assessment battery, utilising an additional PCA. This omnibus PCA revealed seven unique fused impairment-paraphasia factors: output phonology; semantics; phonological working memory; speech quanta; executive-cognitive skill; phonological (input) discrimination; and the production of circumlocution errors. In doing so we were able to resolve the complex relationships between error types and impairments. Some are relatively straightforward: circumlocution errors formed their own independent factor; there was a one-to-one mapping for phonological errors with expressive phonological abilities and for dysfluent errors with speech fluency. In contrast, omission-type errors loaded across both semantic and phonological working memory factors, whilst semantically-related errors had the most complex relationship by loading across four factors (phonological ability, speech quanta, executive-cognitive skills and circumlocution-type errors). Three components had unique lesion correlates: phonological working memory with the primary auditory region; semantics with the anterior temporal region; and fluency with the pre-central gyrus, converging with existing literature. In conclusion, the data-driven approach allowed derivation of the triangulation of deficits, error types and lesion correlates in post-stroke aphasia.
|
[
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity"
] |
10.1002/anie.201509289
|
Dative Bonding between Group 13 Elements Using a Boron-Centered Lewis Base
|
An electron-rich monovalent boron compound is used as a Lewis base to prepare adducts with Group 13 Lewis acids using both its boron and nitrogen sites. The hard Lewis acid AlCl3 binds through a nitrogen atom of the Lewis base, while softer Lewis acids GaX3 (Cl, Br, I) bind at the boron atom. The latter are the first noncluster Lewis adducts between a boron-centered Lewis base and a main-group Lewis acid.
|
[
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
] |
10.1016/j.tig.2016.08.005
|
DNA (De)Methylation: The Passive Route to Naïvety?
|
Mouse pluripotent embryonic stem (ES) cells can exist in distinct yet interchangeable epigenetic states dictated by their culture environment. Previous reports have shown that naïve pluripotent cells grown in the presence of 2i are characterised by global DNA hypomethylation and changes in the abundance and distribution of histone modifications. New research provides insights regarding how this might be achieved.
|
[
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
] |
294709
|
Tissue Damage Control Regulates The Pathogenesis of Immune Mediated Inflammatory Diseases
|
We propose to study evolutionarily conserved stress-responsive protective mechanisms that limit the extent of tissue damage caused by pathogens or by the innate as well as adaptive immune response elicited by those pathogens, which, without a countervailing response would lead to irreversible tissue damage and disease. We refer to these protective mechanisms as “tissue damage control”, and will argue they are an essential component of immunity that allows the effector mechanisms involved in pathogen clearance to operate without causing disease. This proposal aims at identifying and characterizing the mechanism of action of stress-induced genetic programs conferring tissue damage control and to relate those to the pathogenesis of different immune mediated inflammatory diseases. We hypothesize that these genetic programs share as a common denominator their regulation by a restricted number of evolutionary conserved transcription factors that act as “master regulators” of different protective responses to specific forms of stress. We will use “loss” and “gain” of function approaches targeting these master regulators in mice to characterize their function and identify stress-responsive genes conferring tissue metabolic adaptation, cytoprotection and/or tissue regeneration, all of which are components of tissue damage control. Expression of these master regulators likely impacts the pathogenesis of immune mediated inflammatory conditions, as tested under this proposal for infectious as well as autoimmune-like diseases. This proposal should unveil an essential component of immunity that uncouples pathogen clearance from tissue damage and disease, namely tissue damage control, providing new therapeutic targets to suppress the pathogenesis of a broad range of immune mediated inflammatory diseases.
|
[
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
] |
W1114540074
|
Review of Commonly Used Serum Tumor Markers and Their Relevance for Image Interpretation
|
Serum tumor markers are firmly entrenched as one of the primary tools in an oncologist's armamentarium. They can be implemented in a broad range of applications from diagnostic assistance, assessing prognosis, or guiding therapeutic decisions. However, tumor markers also have limitations, which significantly impact how they should be used. Radiologists should be familiar with the following most prevalent tumor markers, which will all be discussed here: prostate-specific antigen (prostate), carcinoembryonic antigen (colon), α-fetoprotein (hepatocellular and testicular), carbohydrate antigen 19.9 (pancreas), cancer antigen 125 (ovarian), human chorionic gonadotropin/lactic dehydrogenase (testicular), and chromogranin A (neuroendocrine). This knowledge should avoid needless intervention, enhance image interpretation, and ultimately provide optimal patient care.
|
[
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
] |
10.1080/13691058.2020.1736634
|
The Sexualised Use Of Cannabis Among Young Sexual Minority Men I M Actually Enjoying This For The First Time
|
The objective of this study was to identify how cannabis use features within the sexual lives of young sexual minority men who use substances, and how this might intersect with features of their co. . .
|
[
"The Social World and Its Interactions",
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity"
] |
10.1364/OE.24.003663
|
Polarisation-selective hotspots in metallic ring stack arrays
|
We demonstrate a simple, scalable fabrication method for producing large-area arrays of vertically stacked metallic micro-rings, embedded in a deformable polymer sheet. Unusual polarisation-dependent hotspots are found to dominate the reflection images. To understand their origin, the arrays are characterized using point-scanning optical spectroscopy and directly compared to numerical simulations. Individual ring stacks act as microlenses, while polarisation-dependent hotspots arise at the connections between neighbouring stacks, which are comprised of parabolically-arranged parallel gold nanowires. The elastomeric properties of the polymer host opens the door to active control of the optics of this photonic material, through dynamic tuning of the nanowire spacings and array geometry.
|
[
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Materials Engineering"
] |
Q2892731
|
Zeitlos Digital
|
Ziel dieses Projekts ist es, eine Reihe von Prozessen im Zusammenhang mit dem E-Commerce zu entwickeln, einschließlich Internetpräsenz – Webpage und Social Networks.
|
[
"Computer Science and Informatics"
] |
W1208061962
|
Short-course Versus Long-course Preoperative Radiotherapy plus Delayed Surgery in the Treatment of Rectal Cancer: a Meta-analysis
|
Short-course preoperative radiation (SCRT) with delayed surgery was found to increase pathologic complete response (pCR) rates in several trials. However, there was no clear answer on whether SCRT or long-course chemo-radiotherapy (LCRT) is more effective. Therefore we conducted this meta-analysis to evaluate the safety and efficacy of SCRT versus LCRT, both with delayed surgery, for treatment of rectal cancer.The literature was searched from PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and clinicaltrials.gov up to November, 2014. Quality of the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was evaluated according to the Cochrane's risk of bias tool of RCT. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system was used to rate the level of evidence. Review Manager 5.3 was employed for statistical analysis. Pooled risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated.Three RCTs, with a total of 357 rectal cancer patients, were included in this systematic review. Meta- analysis results demonstrated there were no significantly differences in sphincter preservation rate, local recurrence rate, grade 3~4 acute toxicity, R0 resection rate and downstaging rate. Compared with SCRT, LCRT was associated with significant increase in the pCR rate [RR=0.49, 95%CI (0.31, 0.78), P=0.003].In terms of sphincter preservation rate, local recurrence rate, grade 3~4 acute toxicity, R0 resection rate and downstaging rate, SCRT with delayed surgery is as effective as LCRT with delayed surgery for management of rectal cancer. LCRT significantly increased pCR rate compared with SCRT. Due to risk of bias and imprecision, further multi-center large sample RCTs were needed to confirm this conclusion.
|
[
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
] |
2729814
|
The first process to synthesize leather ‒ a fabric with the identical chemical composition and exact mechanical properties as leather
|
Leather is a highly sought-after product for its very specific look, touch, feel and durability properties. It is considered a premium material in the fashion, upholstery and automobile industries. The leather production market, with an estimated value of €100 billion is projected to grow by 6.2% to 2023. Sadly, the leather industry is one of the most polluting, due to the hide and skin tanning processes (excess water use, chemical spills, millions of CO2 emissions, worker health problems, skin diseases, filthy working conditions especially for women). Sustainability in leather production is a must in this day and age when eco-labels are sought after by brands to stand out from the crowd, as consumers demand higher quality standards. Currently, the one and only way to produce real leather is by taking the skin from an animal. Yes, alternatives like PVC and plant-based products exist, but their composition and properties are nowhere near that of real leather. Hence, they can never be adequate substitutes. At Gelatex, we have developed a cutting-edge new method of synthesizing layers of collagen, made from gelatin, creating a fabric of unprecedented quality, chemically equivalent to leather. Gelatex is the first to deliver this new animal-like leather without the need for tanning. The material is designed and configured following the industry requirements on tensile strength, resistance (to tear, to flexing, to puncture), good heat insulation, water vapor permeability and comfort. Ours is a scalable and efficient process allowing for Gelatex to be sold below the cost of current leather. We will can sell our tailor-made leather in colors thicknesses and sizes desired by our customers (manufacturers of leather articles). We thus expect to achieve revenues of €10 million in just 3 years. As our production facilities expand alongside a possible licensing model, our tech has the potential to generate €2 billion in revenue in only 10 years.
|
[
"Materials Engineering",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
] |
10.1038/npp.2012.36
|
Genetic dissection of the role of cannabinoid type-1 receptors in the emotional consequences of repeated social stress in mice
|
The endocannabinoid system (ECS) tightly controls emotional responses to acute aversive stimuli. Repeated stress alters ECS activity but the role played by the ECS in the emotional consequences of repeated stress has not been investigated in detail. This study used social defeat stress, together with pharmacology and genetics to examine the role of cannabinoid type-1 (CB 1) receptors on repeated stress-induced emotional alterations. Seven daily social defeat sessions increased water (but not food) intake, sucrose preference, anxiety, cued fear expression, and adrenal weight in C57BL/6N mice. The first and the last social stress sessions triggered immediate brain region-dependent changes in the concentrations of the principal endocannabinoids anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol. Pretreatment before each of the seven stress sessions with the CB 1 receptor antagonist rimonabant prolonged freezing responses of stressed mice during cued fear recall tests. Repeated social stress abolished the increased fear expression displayed by constitutive CB 1 receptor-deficient mice. The use of mutant mice lacking CB 1 receptors from cortical glutamatergic neurons or from GABAergic neurons indicated that it is the absence of the former CB 1 receptor population that is responsible for the fear responses in socially stressed CB 1 mutant mice. In addition, stress-induced hypolocomotor reactivity was amplified by the absence of CB 1 receptors from GABAergic neurons. Mutant mice lacking CB 1 receptors from serotonergic neurons displayed a higher anxiety but decreased cued fear expression than their wild-type controls. These mutant mice failed to show social stress-elicited increased sucrose preference. This study shows that (i) release of endocannabinoids during stress exposure impedes stress-elicited amplification of cued fear behavior, (ii) social stress opposes the increased fear expression and delayed between-session extinction because of the absence of CB 1 receptors from cortical glutamatergic neurons, and (iii) CB 1 receptors on central serotonergic neurons are involved in the sweet consumption response to repeated stress.
|
[
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
] |
10.1007/978-3-642-10736-8_1
|
Sam Lectures On Extremal Black Holes In D 4 Extended Supergravity
|
We report on recent results in the study of extremal black hole attractors in N=2, d=4 ungauged Maxwell-Einstein supergravities. For homogeneous symmetric scalar manifolds, the three general classes of attractor solutions with non-vanishing Bekenstein-Hawking entropy are discussed. They correspond to three (inequivalent) classes of orbits of the charge vector, which sits in the relevant symplectic representation R_{V} of the U-duality group. Other than the 1/2-BPS one, there are two other distinct non-BPS classes of charge orbits, one of which has vanishing central charge. The complete classification of the U-duality orbits, as well as of the moduli spaces of non-BPS attractors (spanned by the scalars which are not stabilized at the black hole event horizon), is also reviewed. Finally, we consider the analogous classification for N>2-extended, d=4 ungauged supergravities, in which also the 1/N-BPS attractors yield a related moduli space.
|
[
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter",
"Mathematics"
] |
10.1016/j.phytochem.2012.05.020
|
Homage to Professor Meinhart H. Zenk: Crowd accelerated research and innovation
|
Professor Meinhart H. Zenk has had an enormous impact within the plant biochemistry area. Throughout his entire career he was able to identify and address key scientific issues within chemistry and plant secondary metabolism. Meinhart H. Zenk and his research associates have provided seminal scientific contributions within a multitude of research topics. A hallmark in Meinhart H. Zenk's research has been to rapidly introduce and apply new technologies and to initiate cross-disciplinary collaborations to provide groundbreaking new knowledge within research areas that at the time appeared highly complex and inaccessible to experimentation. He strived and managed to reach scientific excellence. In this way, he was an eminent key mentor within the plant biochemistry research community. Today, few single individuals possess so much knowledge. However, web-based social platforms enable fast and global distribution and sharing of information also including science related matters, unfortunately often prior to assessment of its correctness. Thus the demand of scientific mentoring that Meinhart H. Zenk offered the science community is as important as ever. In the honor of Meinhart H. Zenk, let us keep up that tradition and widen our engagement to encompass the new social media and benefit from the opportunities offered by crowd accelerated innovation.
|
[
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
] |
10.1103/PhysRevX.9.011009
|
P -Band Engineering in Artificial Electronic Lattices
|
Artificial electronic lattices, created atom by atom in a scanning tunneling microscope, have emerged as a highly tunable platform to realize and characterize the lowest-energy bands of novel lattice geometries. Here, we show that artificial electronic lattices can be tailored to exhibit higher-energy bands. We study p-like bands in fourfold and threefold rotationally symmetric lattices. In addition, we show how an anisotropic design can be used to lift the degeneracy between px- and py-like bands. The experimental measurements are corroborated by muffin-tin and tight-binding calculations. The approach to engineer higher-energy electronic bands in artificial quantum systems introduced here enables the realization of complex band structures from the bottom up.
|
[
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
] |
W188305246
|
Mechanical analysis of the influence of the change in the height of gravitational center on body sway properties for postural control in the human body
|
To mechanically elucidate the influence of the difference in the height of gravitational center on postural balance, we analyzed the body sway while standing in both young and elderly subjects. Body sway of young subjects was evaluated with and without weights of 50 N attached to the knees and shoulder regions respectively. Although the body sway was not influenced by the difference in the height of gravitational center in young subjects, it increased significantly when loaded with weights. In elderly subjects, however, it became clear that the body sway was affected by the height of gravitational center even without any load.
|
[
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
] |
10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-11-2996
|
Fibroblast Derived Dermal Matrix Drives Development Of Aggressive Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma In Patients With Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa
|
Patients with the genetic skin blistering disease recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) develop aggressive cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC). Metastasis leading to mortality is greater in RDEB than in other patient groups with cSCC. Here we investigate the dermal component in RDEB using mRNA expression profiling to compare cultured fibroblasts isolated from individuals without cSCC and directly from tumor matrix in RDEB and non-RDEB samples. Although gene expression of RDEB normal skin fibroblasts resembled that of cancer-associated fibroblasts, RDEB cancer-associated fibroblasts exhibited a distinct and divergent gene expression profile, with a large proportion of the differentially expressed genes involved in matrix and cell adhesion. RDEB cancer-associated fibroblasts conferred increased adhesion and invasion to tumor and nontumor keratinocytes. Reduction of COL7A1, the defective gene in RDEB, in normal dermal fibroblasts led to increased type XII collagen, thrombospondin-1, and Wnt-5A, while reexpression of wild type COL7A1 in RDEB fibroblasts decreased type XII collagen, thrombospondin-1, and Wnt-5A expression, reduced tumor cell invasion in organotypic culture, and restricted tumor growth in vivo. Overall, our findings show that matrix composition in patients with RDEB is a permissive environment for tumor development, and type VII collagen directly regulates the composition of matrix proteins secreted by dermal and cancer-associated fibroblasts.
|
[
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
] |
10.1107/s2059798318017473
|
A 60-heme reductase complex from an anammox bacterium shows an extended electron transfer pathway
|
The hydroxylamine oxidoreductase/hydrazine dehydrogenase (HAO/HDH) protein family constitutes an important group of octaheme cytochromes c (OCCs). The majority of these proteins form homotrimers, with their subunits being covalently attached to each other via a rare cross-link between the catalytic heme moiety and a conserved tyrosine residue in an adjacent subunit. This covalent cross-link has been proposed to modulate the active-site heme towards oxidative catalysis by distorting the heme plane. In this study, the crystal structure of a stable complex of an HAO homologue (KsHAOr) with its diheme cytochrome c redox partner (KsDH) from the anammox bacterium Kuenenia stuttgartiensis was determined. KsHAOr lacks the tyrosine cross-link and is therefore tuned to reductive catalysis. The molecular model of the KsHAOr–KsDH complex at 2. 6 Å resolution shows a heterododecameric (α6β6) assembly, which was also shown to be the oligomeric state in solution by analytical ultracentrifugation and multi-angle static light scattering. The 60-heme-containing protein complex reveals a unique extended electron transfer pathway and provides deeper insights into catalysis and electron transfer in reductive OCCs.
|
[
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
] |
US 201816101477 A
|
Sugar Beet Harvest Apparatus
|
A sugar beet harvest apparatus provides in sequence a pair of field cultivator teeth, a pair of discs, and subsequent thereto a V-shaped basket of helical screw propellers. The field cultivator teeth and discs may be spaced nominally to engage both sides of a single crop row, or in an alternative embodiment may be spaced nominally to engage one side of a first crop row, and the opposed side of a second adjacent crop row. In either case, the field cultivator teeth pierce the soil and gently lift the root crop. The discs may flip the beets and soil into the helical screw propellers. A pair of ground-level helical screw propellers lift the root crop, while pulverizing the soil and cleaning the root crop in the process. Each of the helical screw propellers lift the root crop, while pushing rocks and soil rearward proximate to the soil surface.
|
[
"Products and Processes Engineering"
] |
10.1039/C9PY01442J
|
The Generation Of Stabilized Supramolecular Nanorods From Star Shaped Polyglutamates
|
We developed a new strategy of polyglutamate nanorod preparation based on supramolecular polymers stabilized with hydrophobic drugs. Using this strategy, we prepared a family of star-shaped polyglutamates (star-PGAs) with benzenetricarboxamide (BTA)-based cores of different hydrophobicity. We then studied the self-assembly of the resulting polymers in aqueous solutions containing a physiological level of salt using fluorescence spectroscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We discovered that star-PGAs behave as classical polyelectrolytes in very dilute solutions; however, compounds with hydrophobic cores assembled into one dimensional-nanorods upon an increase in concentration due to supramolecular interactions in the core. Small hydrophobic drugs, such as doxorubicin and irinotecan, stabilized the nanorods and inhibited their disassembly at concentrations below the critical aggregation concentration (CAC). We anticipate that this simple nanorod preparation strategy from star-PGAs will enable the development of new nanomedicines with unique biodistribution profiles and biological activity.
|
[
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Materials Engineering"
] |
10.2174/156652411795677972
|
Proteolytic Cleavage Of Notch Hit And Run
|
The Notch pathway is a highly conserved signaling pathway in multicellular eukaryotes essential in controlling spatial patterning, morphogenesis and homeostasis in embryonic and adult tissues. Notch proteins coordinate cell-cell communication through receptor-ligand interactions between adjacent cells. Notch signaling is frequently deregulated by oncogenic mutation or overexpression in many cancer types. Notch activity is controlled by three sequential cleavage steps leading to ectodomain shedding and transcriptional activation. Here we review the key regulatory steps in the activation of Notch, from receptor maturation to receptor activation (HIT) via a rate-limiting proteolytic cascade (RUN) in the context of species-specific differences.
|
[
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
] |
10.1093/mnrasl/slaa192
|
Collisional excitation of C+(2P) spin-orbit levels by molecular hydrogen revisited
|
ABSTRACT Relaxation of the spin-orbit excited C+(2P3/2) ion by collisions with H2 is an important process in the interstellar medium. Previous calculations of rate coefficients for this process employed potential energies computed for only collinear and perpendicular approach of H2 to the ion. To capture the full angular dependence of the C+–H2 interaction, the angular variation of the potential has been obtained by quantum chemical calculations in this work. These data were used to compute rate coefficients for the de-excitation of the C+(2P3/2) level in collisions with H2 in its j = 0, 1, and 2 rotational levels. With the assumption that the para-H2 rotational levels are in Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (LTE), rate coefficients were then calculated for de-excitation by para- and ortho-H2 for temperature ranging from 5 to 500 K. The rate coefficient for de-excitation by para-H2 is ca. 10 per cent higher at temperatures near 100 K but 10 per cent lower at temperatures greater than 300 K than the previous best calculation. By contrast, the de-excitation rate coefficient for ortho-H2 is 15 per cent higher at low temperatures but approximately equal as compared with the previous best calculation. The impact of these new rate coefficients is briefly tested in radiative transfer calculations.
|
[
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter"
] |
757698
|
Rethinking Conscious Agency
|
This project will investigate the nature, structure and significance of conscious agency along three related fronts.
First, although philosophers have emphasized the importance of various aspects of consciousness for human agency, work on conscious agency within philosophy remains unsystematic. Cross-talk regarding the phenomena at issue hampers progress, as does a lack of significant attention to the richness of the phenomenology that accompanies human agency. In response, we will develop a new account of the nature and mechanistic underpinnings of agentive phenomenology.
Second, although psychology’s recent progress in explaining agentive capacities – e.g., metacognition, cognitive control, attention, perception, decision-making, and motor acuity – is impressive, insights regarding the importance of consciousness for these capacities need to be made explicit, and leveraged to construct a next generation model of action control. In response, we will map the phenomenology of agency onto the structure and function of action control capacities, with special focus on three areas: the role of explicit knowledge and its signatures within consciousness, the function of phenomenal states for cognitive control resource allocation, and the relationships between conscious intentions and perceptual feedback.
Third, we will deploy the tools of experimental philosophy – that is, the use of psychological methods to study philosophical questions – in two novel areas. First, we will complement and advance this project’s philosophical work by experimentally investigating agentive phenomenology. Second, we will explore the practical and moral significance of conscious agency, by determining what aspects of conscious agency drive commonsense moral thinking about responsibility for action.
|
[
"Texts and Concepts",
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity"
] |
W2109775413
|
Aerosol climatology over South Africa based on 10 years of Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) data
|
[1] In this paper, we present a detailed study of the spatial and seasonal aerosol climatology over South Africa (SA), based on Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) data. We have used 10 years (2000–2009) of MISR monthly mean aerosol extinction (text), absorption (ta) optical depths at 558 nm, Angstrom exponents in visible (VIS; 446–672 nm) and near‐infrared (NIR; 672–866 nm) spectral bands, and the extracted spectral curvature. Thestudyhasshownthat,intermsofaerosolloadlevelspatialvariation,SAcanbeclassified into three parts: the upper, central, and lower, which illustrate high, medium, and low aerosol loadings, respectively. The results for the three parts of SA are presented in detail. The prevailing sources of aerosols are different in each part of SA. The lower part is dominated by the air mass transport from the surrounding marine environment and other SA or neighboring regions, while the central and upper parts are loaded through wind‐ ablated mineral dust and local anthropogenic activities. During the biomass burning seasons (July–September), the central part of SA is more affected than the rest of SA bythe biomass‐ burning aerosols (based on ta, ∼20% higher than the rest of SA). In alignment with the observed higher values of text, aerosol size distributions were found to be highly variable in the upper part of SA, which is due to the high population and the industrial/mining/ agricultural activities in this area. Citation: Tesfaye, M., V. Sivakumar, J. Botai, and G. Mengistu Tsidu (2011), Aerosol climatology over South Africa based on 10 years of Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) data, J. Geophys. Res., 116, D20216, doi:10.1029/2011JD016023.
|
[
"Earth System Science"
] |
W4226148927
|
International business diplomacy: mining for good practices in Latin America
|
Historically, diplomacy has been an inherent aspect of international commerce and trade.Diplomacy has evolved, providing innovative tools and a theoretical foundation to conceptualise International Business Diplomacy (IBD).Despite numerous success stories, there is little awareness of how IBD may assist Managers of Multinational Enterprises (MNEs), specifically in some crucial sectors.One of those sectors is the mining industry.This paper proposes enhancing IBD as a valuable area for providing value to MNEs in their relationships with different stakeholders, emphasising sustainability issues.After a brief review of the literature, we propose a working definition for international business diplomacy.Then, we describe the mining industry and the factors that create a need for private diplomatic intervention.Afterward, we move the discussion to Latin America, presenting the methodology and findings of our investigation.The final remarks share some findings that may help managers of MNEs operating in emerging markets.
|
[
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations",
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems",
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space"
] |
W2026043011
|
Sensitivity of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum) to various postemergence herbicides
|
There are a limited number of herbicide options available for durum wheat production in Ontario, Canada. Four field studies were conducted in Ontario, Canada over a three year period (2008, 2009 and 2010) to evaluate the sensitivity of spring planted durum wheat to post-emergence (POST) applications of dichlorprop/2,4-D, dicamba/ MCPA/mecoprop, clopyralid, bromoxynil/MCPA, pyrasulfotole/bromoxynil, thifensulfuron/tribenuron + MCPA amine, fluroxypyr + MCPA ester, tralkoxydim and fenoxaprop-p-ethyl/safener at the manufacturers’ recommended dose and twice that dose. Visible injury in durum wheat were 0 to 2.4% with dichlorprop/2,4-D, 0 to 6% with dicamba/MCPA/mecoprop, 0 to 0.4% injury with clopyralid, 0 to 1.4% injury with bromoxynil/MCPA, 0 to 3.5% with pyrasulfotole/bromoxynil, 0 to 5% with thifensulfuron/tribenuron + MCPA amine, 0 to 2.6% with fluroxypyr + MCPA ester, 0 to 5% with tralkoxydim and 0.4% to 8% with fenoxaprop-pethyl/safener at various evaluation dates (1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks after treatment). Durum wheat height was decreased as much as 5% with dicamba/ MCPA/mecoprop, 4% with pyrasulfotole/bromoxynil and 6% with fenoxaprop-pethyl/safener but was not affected with other herbicides evaluated. There was no decrease in durum wheat yield with the herbicides evaluated.
|
[
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
] |
W3099908602
|
A general black string and its microscopics
|
Using G2(2) dualities we construct the most general black string solution of minimal five-dimensional ungauged supergravity. The black string has five independent parameters, namely, the magnetic one-brane charge, smeared electric zero-brane charge, boost along the string direction, energy above the BPS bound, and rotation in the transverse space. In one extremal limit it reduces to the three parameter supersymmetric string of five-dimensional minimal supergravity; in another extremal limit it reduces to the three parameter non-supersymmetric extremal string of five-dimensional minimal supergravity. It also admits an extremal limit when it has maximal rotation in the four-dimensional transverse space. The decoupling limit of our general black string is a BTZ black hole times a two sphere. The macroscopic entropy of the string is reproduced by the Maldacena-Strominger-Witten CFT in appropriate ranges of the parameters. When the pressureless condition is imposed, our string describes the infinite radius limit of the most general class of black rings of minimal supergravity. We discuss implications our solution has for extremal and non-extremal black rings of minimal supergravity.
|
[
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter",
"Mathematics"
] |
306312
|
Physical principles of recognition in the immune system
|
Receptor proteins on the surfaces of B- and T-cells interact with pathogens, recognize them and initiate an immune response. The diversity and complexity of immune receptors poses a challenge to nonequilibrium many-body physics and our understanding of the physical principles that control the emergent functional properties of biological systems, such as recognition. The diversity of the composition of the immune repertoire emerges as a self-organized process, stimulated by interactions with the environment. The goal of the proposed research is to study the self-organization of the immune repertoire in the face of its pathogenic environment at the molecular and evolutionary level, by using a combination of data analysis and statistical mechanics modeling.
Recent experiments have determined the set of B-cell receptors found in a zebrafish and T-cells in humans – data that allows for theoretical analysis and hypotheses rejection that were never possible before. I will theoretically study the problem of recognition from four unique and complementary directions:
- guided by statistical signatures in the data I will propose evolutionary models of how selection and mutation in the sequences lead from the genomic precursors to a functional repertoire of receptors,
- I will quantify, under simplifying assumptions, the question of the optimal repertoire for recognition in a varying but partially predictable pathogenic environment using maximum likelihood,
- analyzing sequence data I will build probabilistic models to characterize the molecular scenarios that generate the repertoire,
- I will use information theory and statistical methods to build data-driven models of the molecular nature of recognition based on yeast display experiments.
Describing interactions between elements of receptor sequences will be an important step towards a physical understanding of recognition in the immune system, a crucial concept in grasping the onset of allergies and auto-immune diseases.
|
[
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
] |
10.1088/0004-637X/758/1/39
|
Can Planetary Instability Explain The Kepler Dichotomy
|
The planet candidates discovered by the Kepler mission provide a rich sample to constrain the architectures and relative inclinations of planetary systems within approximately 0. 5 AU of their host stars. We use the triple-transit systems from the Kepler 16-months data as templates for physical triple-planet systems and perform synthetic transit observations. We find that all the Kepler triple-transit and double-transit systems can be produced from the triple-planet templates, given a low mutual inclination of around five degrees. Our analysis shows that the Kepler data contains a population of planets larger than four Earth radii in single-transit systems that can not arise from the triple-planet templates. We explore the hypothesis that high-mass counterparts of the triple-transit systems underwent dynamical instability to produce a population of massive double-planet systems of moderately high mutual inclination. We perform N-body simulations of mass-boosted triple-planet systems and observe how the systems heat up and lose planets, most frequently by planet-planet collisions, yielding transits in agreement with the large planets in the Kepler single-transit systems. The resulting population of massive double-planet systems can nevertheless not explain the additional excess of low-mass planets among the observed single-transit systems and the lack of gas-giant planets in double-transit and triple-transit systems. Planetary instability of systems of triple gas-giant planets can be behind part of the dichotomy between systems hosting one or more small planets and those hosting a single giant planet. The main part of the dichotomy, however, is more likely to have arisen already during planet formation when the formation, migration or scattering of a massive planet, triggered above a threshold metallicity, suppressed the formation of other planets in sub-AU orbits.
|
[
"Universe Sciences"
] |
W4281879040
|
COSMOPOLITISMO, PRÁTICAS DE MOBILIDADE E JUVENTUDE: A EXPERIÊNCIA DO INTERCÂMBIO ACADÊMICO ENTRE UNIVERSITÁRIOS BRASILEIROS
|
Resumo Os intercâmbios acadêmicos têm se tornado uma das principais políticas de internacionalização do ensino superior no Brasil e no mundo. Além de permitir aos estudantes a experiência de viver em outro país, aprender uma nova língua e adquirir novas habilidades, a eles estão associadas esperanças de renovação, atualização e modernização das universidades brasileiras. O presente artigo busca compreender as dinâmicas desse processo, articulando-o ao debate sobre cosmopolitismo, que sustenta parte do discurso acerca da ciência como projeto universal. Pretende ainda analisar a experiência de estudantes brasileiros que, financiados por sua própria universidade, puderam cursar parte de sua graduação em uma instituição estrangeira. Observa-se, em suas experiências, ganhos tanto em relação a suas trajetórias quanto às percepções sobre a universidade e a vida acadêmica.
|
[
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space",
"The Social World and Its Interactions"
] |
10.1063/1.3552684
|
Graphene Q Switched Tunable Fiber Laser
|
We demonstrate a wideband-tunable Q-switched fiber laser exploiting a graphene saturable absorber. We get ~2us pulses, tunable between 1522 and 1555nm with up to~40nJ energy. This is a simple and low-cost light source for metrology, environmental sensing and biomedical diagnostics.
|
[
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
] |
10.1038/s41598-018-24922-x
|
Direct observation of multiple conformational states in Cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase and their modulation by membrane environment and ionic strength
|
Cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (POR) is the primary electron donor in eukaryotic cytochrome P450 (CYP) containing systems. A wealth of ensemble biophysical studies of Cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (POR) has reported a binary model of the conformational equilibrium directing its catalytic efficiency and biomolecular recognition. In this study, full length POR from the crop plant Sorghum bicolor was site-specifically labeled with Cy3 (donor) and Cy5 (acceptor) fluorophores and reconstituted in nanodiscs. Our single molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET) burst analyses of POR allowed the direct observation and quantification of at least three dominant conformational sub-populations, their distribution and occupancies. Moreover, the state occupancies were remodeled significantly by ionic strength and the nature of reconstitution environment, i. e. phospholipid bilayers (nanodiscs) composed of different lipid head group charges vs. detergent micelles. The existence of conformational heterogeneity in POR may mediate selective activation of multiple downstream electron acceptors and association in complexes in the ER membrane.
|
[
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
] |
W2502299085
|
Corruption, product complexity and African exporters
|
ABSTRACTSeveral studies have shown that African manufacturers perform poorly, especially in comparison to their counterparts from other developing countries. We build on these studies by (a) examining the decision to stop exporting among African manufacturers and (b) investigating whether these decisions can be linked to institutional dimensions (such as corruption). Consistent with previous studies, we observe that a significant fraction of African firms stop exporting every year. Using product complexity as a measure of an industry’s ‘sensitivity’ to corruption, we find that firms in more ‘corruption-sensitive’ industries are more likely to stop exporting if there is an increase in overall corruption in the exporting country. Firm characteristics (such as size and productivity) also seem to influence the decision to stop exporting. Our finding about the relationship between corruption and the decision to stop exporting supports the conventional wisdom that corruption is detrimental to economic performance.
|
[
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations",
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems"
] |
184593
|
Smart resilience indicators for smart critical infrastructures
|
Modern critical infrastructures are becoming increasingly “smarter” (e.g. cities). Making the infrastructures “smarter” usually means making them smarter in normal operation and use: more adaptive, more intelligent… But will these smart critical infrastructures (SCIs) behave equally “smartly” and be “smartly resilient” also when exposed to extreme threats, such as extreme weather disasters or terrorist attacks? If making existing infrastructure “smarter” is achieved by making it more complex, would it also make it more vulnerable? Would this affect resilience of an SCI as its ability to anticipate, prepare for, adapt and withstand, respond to, and recover?
These are the main questions tackled by this proposal.
The proposal envisages answering the above questions in several steps. (#1) By identifying existing indicators suitable for assessing resilience of SCIs. (#2) By identifying new “smart” resilience indicators (RIs) – including those from Big Data. (#3) By developing a new advanced resilience assessment methodology (TRL4) based on smart RIs (“resilience indicators cube”, including the resilience matrix). (#4) By developing the interactive “SCI Dashboard” tool. (#5) By applying the methodology/tools in 8 case studies, integrated under one virtual, smart-city-like, European case study. The SCIs considered (in 8 European countries!) deal with energy, transportation, health, water…
Results #2, #3, #4 and #5 are a breakthrough innovation.
This approach will allow benchmarking the best-practice solutions and identifying the early warnings, improving resilience of SCIs against new threats and cascading and ripple effects. The benefits/savings to be achieved by the project will be assessed by the reinsurance company participant. The consortium involves 7 leading end-users/industries in the area, 7 leading research organizations, supported by academia and lead by a dedicated European organization. External world leading resilience experts will be included in the CIRAB.
|
[
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
] |
US 60174896 A
|
1-cycloalkenyltetrazolinones
|
1-cycloalkenyltetrazolinone derivatives of the following herbicidal formula <IMAGE> R1 is cycloalkenyl which may optionally be substituted by halogen C1-4 alkyl, or bicycloalkenyl which may optionally be substituted by halogen or C1-4 alkyl, and R2 and R3 each independently is alkyl, cycloalkyl, phenyl (optionally substituted by a member selected from the group consisting of nitro, cyano, halogen, alkyl, haloalkyl, alkoxy, haloalkoxy and alkylthio), alkenyl and alkynyl, or R2 and R3 together with the N-atom to which they are bonded form, a 5- or 6-membered heterocyclic ring which may optionally contain a further hetero atom, said heterocyclic ring optionally being benzo-condensed, or a C-1-4 alkyl, and intermediates therefore of the formula <IMAGE>
|
[
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
] |
10.1109/CDC40024.2019.9030209
|
Cybergenetics Theory And Methods For Genetic Control System
|
This tutorial article gives an overview of the theory and design tools for the real-time control of living cells. The theoretical, computational, and experimental tools and technologies utilized for achieving such control make up a new and exciting area of study at the interface between control theory and synthetic biology, to which we refer as Cybergenetics. This article (along with [1]) accompany a tutorial session on Cybergenetics, that is intended to introduce control scientists and engineers to the different ways living cells can be controlled, and to the many opportunities for future developments—both theoretical and practical—-that such control brings about.
|
[
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering"
] |
10.1002/art.38772
|
Differential regulatory role of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide in the serum-transfer arthritis model
|
Objective Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) expressed in capsaicin-sensitive sensory neurons and immune cells has divergent functions in inflammatory and pain processes. This study was undertaken to investigate the involvement of PACAP in a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis.
|
[
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
] |
10.1111/gcb.13893
|
Towards physiologically meaningful water-use efficiency estimates from eddy covariance data
|
Intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) characterizes the physiological control on the simultaneous exchange of water and carbon dioxide in terrestrial ecosystems. Knowledge of iWUE is commonly gained from leaf-level gas exchange measurements, which are inevitably restricted in their spatial and temporal coverage. Flux measurements based on the eddy covariance (EC) technique can overcome these limitations, as they provide continuous and long-term records of carbon and water fluxes at the ecosystem scale. However, vegetation gas exchange parameters derived from EC data are subject to scale-dependent and method-specific uncertainties that compromise their ecophysiological interpretation as well as their comparability among ecosystems and across spatial scales. Here, we use estimates of canopy conductance and gross primary productivity (GPP) derived from EC data to calculate a measure of iWUE (G1, “stomatal slope”) at the ecosystem level at six sites comprising tropical, Mediterranean, temperate, and boreal forests. We assess the following six mechanisms potentially causing discrepancies between leaf and ecosystem-level estimates of G1: (i) non-transpirational water fluxes; (ii) aerodynamic conductance; (iii) meteorological deviations between measurement height and canopy surface; (iv) energy balance non-closure; (v) uncertainties in net ecosystem exchange partitioning; and (vi) physiological within-canopy gradients. Our results demonstrate that an unclosed energy balance caused the largest uncertainties, in particular if it was associated with erroneous latent heat flux estimates. The effect of aerodynamic conductance on G1 was sufficiently captured with a simple representation. G1 was found to be less sensitive to meteorological deviations between canopy surface and measurement height and, given that data are appropriately filtered, to non-transpirational water fluxes. Uncertainties in the derived GPP and physiological within-canopy gradients and their implications for parameter estimates at leaf and ecosystem level are discussed. Our results highlight the importance of adequately considering the sources of uncertainty outlined here when EC-derived water-use efficiency is interpreted in an ecophysiological context.
|
[
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Earth System Science"
] |
W4308627378
|
Brixen – der lange Weg zur neuen Stadtbibliothek
|
Zusammenfassung Im Oktober 2021 wurde nach langer Warte- und Planungszeit die neue Stadtbibliothek Brixen eröffnet. Das größte Wohnzimmer der Stadt, wie die Bibliothek von der Presse gerne bezeichnet wird, präsentiert sich als Zusammenspiel alter Bausubstanz und moderner Architektur direkt im historischen Zentrum, am Domplatz der Stadt. Auf über 2 000 m² bietet die Bibliothek nicht nur ein breitgefächertes Medienangebot, sondern auch Lern- und Studienräume, Veranstaltungssäle sowie einen großzügigen Lesegarten. Der Wunsch der Bibliotheksleitung, die Funktion der Bibliothek als Ort der Begegnung und des Austausches in den Vordergrund zu stellen, konnte realisiert werden.
|
[
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space"
] |
W2915428957
|
Effect of leucine enkephalin administration on ovarian maturation in the freshwater crab Travancoriana schirnerae
|
The current study focused on the effect of administration of the neurotransmitter leucine enkephalin on ovarian maturation in the freshwater crab Travancoriana schirnerae . The crabs were administered with leucine enkephalin in multiple doses (10 µl/injection) and their dissected ovaries were processed for histomorphological analyses. Ovarian maturation was assessed by both macroscopic and microscopic observations such as ovarian index, mean oocyte diameter, oocyte proportion values and histological examinations of the ovaries of control and treated crabs. Our observations revealed significantly higher ovarian index, oocyte diameter and oocyte proportion values in treatments over controls. Leucine enkephalin treatment induced previtellogenic ovary to grow into primary vitellogenic, primary vitellogenic to secondary vitellogenic 1 secondary vitellogenic 1 and 2 to secondary vitellogenic 3 stage as evinced by the presence of a large number of primary previtellogenic ovaries in previtellogenic oocytes, larger proportion of secondary vitellogenic oocytes in primary vitellogenic ovaries and secondary vitellogenic stage 3 oocytes in secondary vitellogenic stage 1 ovaries of treated crabs over the controls. The conversion of previtellogenic ovary to early vitellogenic, early to middle and middle to late vitellogenic ovaries in treated crabs probably indicate the stimulatory effect of leucine enkephalin on ovaries either by triggering the release of the gonad stimulating hormone synthesized and released from the brain or thoracic ganglion or by blocking the release of the gonad inhibiting hormone synthesized and secreted by the X organ-sinus gland complex of the eyestalks or both. The results of the present study clearly indicate that leucine enkephalin has a stimulatory effect on ovarian maturation in T. schirnerae , thus shortening the period of maturation of ovary, which can be utilized in large-scale production of the species concerned. Further studies are needed to check the efficacy of this neurotransmitter as a supplement in diet to induce ovarian maturation of this species.
|
[
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
] |
10.1016/j.dcn.2015.09.004
|
Brain structural correlates of complex sentence comprehension in children
|
Prior structural imaging studies found initial evidence for the link between structural gray matter changes and the development of language performance in children. However, previous studies generally only focused on sentence comprehension. Therefore, little is known about the relationship between structural properties of brain regions relevant to sentence processing and more specific cognitive abilities underlying complex sentence comprehension. In this study, whole-brain magnetic resonance images from 59 children between 5 and 8 years were assessed. Scores on a standardized sentence comprehension test determined grammatical proficiency of our participants. A confirmatory factory analysis corroborated a grammar-relevant and a verbal working memory-relevant factor underlying the measured performance. Voxel-based morphometry of gray matter revealed that while children's ability to assign thematic roles is positively correlated with gray matter probability (GMP) in the left inferior temporal gyrus and the left inferior frontal gyrus, verbal working memory-related performance is positively correlated with GMP in the left parietal operculum extending into the posterior superior temporal gyrus. Since these areas are known to be differentially engaged in adults' complex sentence processing, our data suggest a specific correspondence between children's GMP in language-relevant brain regions and differential cognitive abilities that guide their sentence comprehension.
|
[
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity"
] |
218686
|
A novel weaning diet to optimize performance of farmed shrimp larvae
|
Shrimp are high-market value product with an increasing demand for global supply, currently representing 15 % of total globally traded fishery commodities and the second most traded commodity (both in value terms), following salmon. However, the shrimp farming industry is currently facing both production and environmental sustainability challenges. To tackle these challenges, project MYSIS aims at conducting a feasibility study to globally commercialize a disruptive weaning diet for shrimp larvae farmed in aquaculture. The technical feasibility of the MYSIS weaning diet was already validated at laboratory-scale, largely outperforming existing competitors by increasing larval growth performance, survival and disease resistance on the long-term. This novel weaning diet will therefore boost worldwide shrimp hatcheries and nurseries on the farming of high quality juveniles, representing enormous economic savings for these users due to its unforeseen biological effects and high cost-effectiveness, since its estimated price-range is not more than average of main competitors. The MYSIS diet refers to a multidisciplinary approach resulting from nutritional knowledge (super-premium quality ingredients that fulfil shrimp larvae nutritional requirements; food and feed sectors) and cutting–edge technologies (cold-extrusion and encapsulation; aquaculture and pharmaceutical sectors). To pursue in the innovation pathway to an industrial-scale demonstration and market deployment, this feasibility study contemplates an evaluation of intellectual property right protection and regulatory issues as well as the implementation of a robust market assessment and business plan. With project MYSIS, SPAROS expects to gain position as a key provider of forefront products and technology services in the global aquaculture market.
|
[
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering"
] |
10.1007/978-3-319-67729-3_15
|
Ptrie Data Structure For Compressing And Storing Sets Via Prefix Sharing
|
Sets and their efficient implementation are fundamental in all of computer science, including model checking, where sets are used as the basic data structure for storing (encodings of) states during a state-space exploration. In the quest for fast and memory efficient methods for manipulating large sets, we present a novel data structure called PTrie for storing sets of binary strings of arbitrary length. The PTrie data structure distinguishes itself by compressing the stored elements while sharing the desirable key characteristics with conventional hash-based implementations, namely fast insertion and lookup operations. We provide the theoretical foundation of PTries, prove the correctness of their operations and conduct empirical studies analysing the performance of PTries for dealing with randomly generated binary strings as well as for state-space exploration of a large collection of Petri net models from the 2016 edition of the Model Checking Contest (MCC’16). We experimentally document that with a modest overhead in running time, a truly significant space-reduction can be achieved. Lastly, we provide an efficient implementation of the PTrie data structure under the GPL version 3 license, so that the technology is made available for memory-intensive applications such as model-checking tools.
|
[
"Computer Science and Informatics"
] |
10.1084/jem.20110571
|
Developmental timing of CCM2 loss influences cerebral cavernous malformations in mice
|
Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCM) are vascular malformations of the central nervous system (CNS) that lead to cerebral hemorrhages. Familial CCM occurs as an autosomal dominant condition caused by loss-of-function mutations in one of the three CCM genes. Constitutive or tissue-specific ablation of any of the Ccm genes in mice previously established the crucial role of Ccm gene expression in endothelial cells for proper angiogenesis. However, embryonic lethality precluded the development of relevant CCM mouse models. Here, we show that endothelial-specific Ccm2 deletion at postnatal day 1 (P1) in mice results in vascular lesions mimicking human CCM lesions. Consistent with CCM1/3 involvement in the same human disease, deletion of Ccm1/3 at P1 in mice results in similar CCM lesions. The lesions are located in the cerebellum and the retina, two organs undergoing intense postnatal angiogenesis. Despite a pan-endothelial Ccm2 deletion, CCM lesions are restricted to the venous bed. Notably, the consequences of Ccm2 loss depend on the developmental timing of Ccm2 ablation. This work provides a highly penetrant and relevant CCM mouse model.
|
[
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration"
] |
10.1007/978-1-4939-7747-5_16
|
Immunoprecipitation Of Membrane Proteins From Arabidopsis Thaliana Root Tissue
|
Here, we present different methods for immunoprecipitating membrane proteins of Arabidopsis thaliana root material. We describe two extraction methods for the precipitation either for an integral membrane protein of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) or a peripheral membrane protein partially localized at the plasma membrane, where we precipitate the protein out of the total membrane as well as total cytosolic fractions.
|
[
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration"
] |
10.1038/emboj.2011.50
|
Genomic instability in iPS: Time for a break
|
The discovery of a simple protocol capable of generating pluripotent stem cells from terminally differentiated cells has been one of the most promising breakthroughs in recent biomedical research. Since their discovery, manuscripts characterizing properties of induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) have flooded the literature. Among others, the analysis of the transcriptome and epigenome of iPS is now a recurrent theme that is helping to understand the molecular mechanisms behind reprogramming. Recent works have revealed that transcriptional and epigenetic reprogramming is often incomplete, which has raised some concerns on the nature of iPS. Inevitably, now the genome itself of iPS has been scrutinized; and the reports come with an unexpected twist: the presence of mutations in the genome of iPS.
|
[
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
] |
225150
|
Structural and functional dynamics of brassica napus polyploid genome
|
Interspecific hybridization and genome doubling (allopolyploidy) are key factors in plant adaptation and speciation. These intriguing genomic processes cause extensive structural rearrangements and reprogramming of functional regulatory pathways inherited from parental species. Furthermore, hybrid species have shown broad phenotypic diversity. However, mechanisms responsible for genome stabilization after allopolyploidy remain poorly understood.
The aim of my project is to provide an interdisciplinary overview of the effects of polyploidy on structural and functional dynamics in a major crop, oilseed rape (Brassica napus). This polyploid species is an excellent system to unravel the long-term and immediate evolutionary effects of ancient and recent polyploid events. In my project, I will use a novel approach that combines (epi)genomics and transcriptomics in phenotypically contrasting polyploids to investigate the role of structural and (epi)genetic regulation in genome stabilization. This work includes, amongst others, the transfer of knowledge to the host lab of cutting-edge molecular and in silico DNA methylation analysis methods. More specifically, I will determine the effects of structural and functional dynamics on B. napus (1) meiotic behavior and fertility, (2) gene expression and (3) glucosinolate content. My findings will open new avenues for using standing variation to modify and ultimately enhance agronomic traits.
I have become a recognized evolutionary biologist working at the interface of ecology, genomics and molecular biology. From the expertise of the host lab and availability of technical platforms in situ, I will not only get acquainted with cytogenetics and metabolomics, but will increase my expertise in comparative genomics and in high throughput genotyping analyses. I will also extend my network towards the private sector and be integrated into a well-established European community, positioning me on track to succeed academically in France.
|
[
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering"
] |
interreg_3676
|
TRansport ACCessibility at regional/local scale and patterns in Europe
|
Dynamic territorial development depends on an optimal combination of access to services and resources. Good accessibility and connectivity is one of the most crucial factors in deciding on a location for economic activities. This leads to the fact that fast, relatively cheap, reliable but also sustainable freight and passenger transport, has become one of the essential prerequisites for the competitiveness of regions and regional economic development. This is why transport infrastructure developments and transport networks connecting Europe and its particular regions play such an important role in formulating the European policies as the Green Paper on Territorial Cohesion. This project shall strive for a comprehensive and integrated research approach, taking into account social, cultural, environmental, and economic aspects. Its aim is to deliver innovative results which can support the policy development in the field of transport and accessibility improvement, territorial development, competitiveness and cohesion. It shall support policy makers in finding trade-offs between promoting accessibility for passenger and freight transport and competitiveness, sustainability, saving energy and territorial development.
|
[
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space",
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
] |
10.1126/science.1166022
|
Optical switches for remote and noninvasive control of cell signaling
|
Although the identity and interactions of signaling proteins have been studied in great detail, the complexity of signaling networks cannot be fully understood without elucidating the timing and location of activity of individual proteins. To do this, one needs a means for detecting and controlling specific signaling events. An attractive approach is to use light, both to report on and control signaling proteins in cells, because light can probe cells in real time with minimal damage. Although optical detection of signaling events has been successful for some time, the development of the means for optical control has accelerated only recently. Of particular interest is the development of chemically engineered proteins that are directly sensitive to light.
|
[
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
] |
W2461721478
|
Research on resources chemistry of Chinese medicinal materials and resources recycling utilization ways and goals and tasks
|
The objects of research on the resources chemistry of Chinese medicinal materials (RCCMM) are promotion of efficient production, rational utilization and improving quality of CMM and natural products. The development of TCM cause depends on the efficient utilization and sustainable development of CMM, hinges on the technologies and methods for using and discovering medicinal biological resources, stand or fall on the extension of industy chains, detailed utilizaion of resource chemical components by multi-way, multi-level. All of these may help to the recycling utilization and sound development of RCMM. In this article, five respects were discussed to the RCCMM researches and resources recycling utilization ways and goals and tasks. First, based on the principle of resource scarcity, discovering or replacing CMM resources, protecting the rare or endangered species or resources. Second, based on the multifunctionality of CMM, realizing the value-added and value compensation, and promoting the utilization efficiency through systermatic and detailed exploitation and utilization. Third, based on the resource conservation and environment-friendly, reducing raw material consumption, lowering cost, promoting recycling utilization and elevating utilization efficiency. Fourth, based on the stratege of turning harm into good, using the invasive alien biological resources by multi-ways and enriching the medicial resources. Fifth, based on the method of structure modification of chemical components, exploring and enhancing the utility value of resouces chemical substances. These data should provide references and attention for improving the utilization efficiency, promoting the development of recycling economy, and changing the mode of economic growth of agriculture and industry of CMM fundamentally.
|
[
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
] |
10.1007/JHEP10(2013)028
|
The Mssm Higgs Sector At A High M_ Susy Reopening The Low Tan Beta Regime And Heavy Higgs Searches
|
One of the main implications of the LHC discovery of a Higgs boson with a mass $M_h \approx 126$ GeV is that the scale of supersymmetry-breaking in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) might be rather high, $M_S \gg M_Z$. In this paper, we consider the high $M_S$ regime and study the spectrum of the extended Higgs sector of the MSSM, including the LHC constraints on the mass and the rates of the observed light $h$ state. In particular, we show that in a simplified model that approximates the important radiative corrections, the unknown scale $M_S$ (and some other leading SUSY parameters) can be traded against the measured value of $M_h$. One would be then essentially left with only two free parameters to describe the Higgs sector, tan$\beta$ and the pseudoscalar Higgs mass $M_A$, even at higher orders. The main phenomenological consequence of these high $M_S$ values is to reopen the low tan$\beta$ region, tan$\beta \lsim 3-5$, which was for a long time buried under the LEP constraint on the lightest $h$ mass when a low SUSY scale was assumed. We show that, in this case, the heavier MSSM neutral $H/A$ and charged $H^\pm$ states can be searched for in a variety of interesting final states such as decays into gauge and lighter Higgs bosons (in pairs on in mixed states) and decays into heavy top quarks. Examples of sensitivity on the $[tan\beta, M_A]$ parameter space at the LHC in these channels are given.
|
[
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter"
] |
10.1016/j.cell.2010.11.019
|
Pathogen-mediated posttranslational modifications: A re-emerging field
|
Posttranslational modifications are increasingly recognized as key strategies used by bacterial and viral pathogens to modulate host factors critical for infection. A number of recent studies illustrate how pathogens use these posttranslational modifications to target central signaling pathways in the host cell, such as the NF-kB and MAPkinase pathways, which are essential for pathogens' replication, propagation, and evasion from host immune responses. These discoveries open new avenues for investigating the fundamental mechanisms of pathogen infection and the development of new therapeutics.
|
[
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
] |
W2182198696
|
Gender Factors Influencing Architectural Design Specific for Disabled
|
At the time, the tragedy development resulted out of war, terrorism, natural disasters and other crises has caused disability to be presented as a potential threat to the public. On the other side the needs of disabled people distinct indicators. This present study aims to analyze and compile a check list of gender factors influencing the architectural design specific for the disabled people. Adaptation or design or architectural redesign considering gender factors for disabled people increasing user satisfaction can also improve the operational efficiency of functional space on the structure of architectural design. The present study is done in descriptive-analytical way on the basis of library studies. After setting the initial check list based on the views of experts on gender issues related to the theory and design for the disabled people, a questionnaire consisted of four measures as a) mental visualization, perception of three-dimensional space, b) the perception of visual space, c) visualization and auditory perception d) perceived social space of twenty questions were developed. The questionnaire has been distributed an filled out in five training and rehabilitation center in the city of Tabriz with the presence of the authors among 4 percentage of users beside face to face essential explanations. The most effective parameters of gender effect on intake, mental visualization, perception of three-dimensional space were determined from the user-space. The findings of the present study can result in positive influence of disabled user satisfaction in terms of gender factors in architectural design.
|
[
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"The Social World and Its Interactions"
] |
W4294119629
|
La mortalité liée aux inondations en région méditerranéenne française (1980–2020)
|
RÉSUMÉAffichée comme une priorité de la gestion du risque d’inondation, la sécurité des populations est rarement évaluée dans les bilans des catastrophes naturelles en France. Plus que les bilans humains, ce sont les dommages socio-économiques qui sont mis en avant comme indicateurs de la prévention. Cet article présente un recueil de données sur les décès liés aux inondations dans le sud de la France (BD Vict-In). 328 victimes ont étérecensées entre 1980 et 2020. L’article présente le profil des personnes décédées et une analyse des circonstances et des lieux de décès. Il ressort que les victimes sont majoritairement des hommes (61%) de la classe d’âge 40-70 ans. 35% des décès sont liés à l’automobile et 31 % ont lieu au domicile. Parmi les comportements dangereux, le franchissement de cours d’eau en véhicule ou à pied (50 cas recensés) ou les refus d’évacuation (24 cas) sont les plus représentés. 29 décès ont eu lieu dans des campings. La cartographie du taux de mortalité montre la forte exposition des arrière-pays méditerranéens qui associent fréquence des épisodes pluvieux, fortes pentes et urbanisation croissante. L’évolution temporelle montre une diminution du nombre de décès par événement mais une augmentation du nombre d’inondations meurtrières.
|
[
"Earth System Science",
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space"
] |
interreg_596
|
Cultural Capital Counts
|
In a world of globalisation and high mobility regions have to compete with other regions all over the world in terms of location factors, preconditions for production or attractiveness as a residence. While many of those factors of attractiveness – such as infrastructure or prices - are temporary and exchangeable, attractiveness based on regional culture and cultural identity is more stable and can neither be copied nor exchanged. A region with a high grade of identification with its specific cultural heritage is unique and therefore attractive for residents, visitors and enterprises.
CCC aims to identify, valorise and capitalise the regions' cultural resources, particularly the intangible cultural resources (such as traditions, peoples' potentials, skills, capabilities, practical know-how, expertise & knowledge, active social networks), in order to strengthen the regional identity, enhance the quality of life and increase the attractiveness and competitiveness of the participating regions. Therefore, the project will link the cultural heritage to processes of the regional economy - beyond tourism - and build capacities for an innovative capitalisation of cultural resources, fostering entrepreneurship, investments and innovation, thus supporting the development of enterprises and job-opportunities.
|
[
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space",
"Studies of Cultures and Arts"
] |
617472
|
Detection and understanding of landslides by observing and modelling gravitational flows and generated earthquakes
|
The goal of the project is to take a major step in improving the detection and understanding of landslides and their modelling at the field scale through the analysis of generated seismic waves. The seismic signal generated by landslides (i. e. landquakes) provides a unique tool to estimate the properties of the flow and its dynamics. Indeed, the stress applied by the landslide to the ground, which generates seismic waves, is highly sensitive to the flow history and therefore to the physical properties during mass emplacement. The strategy will be to combine a very accurate description of the landslide source, and the simulation and measurements of landquakes from the laboratory to the natural scale, by leading an ambitious interdisciplinary project involving numerical modelling, laboratory experiments and observation. The methodology will be to (1) develop thin layer models for granular flows over a complex 3D topography to alleviate the high computational costs related to the description of the real topography, taking into account the static/flowing transition and the fluid/grains mixture, both playing a key role in natural flows; (2) simulate the generated seismic waves by coupling landslide models to state-of-the-art wave propagation models. An ambitious objective will be to develop efficient coupling methods; (3) develop laboratory experiments of seismic emissions generated by granular flows to test the models and understand the physical processes at work; (4) analyse, simulate and invert natural landquakes making use of underexploited high-quality seismic and geomorphological data, in particular on volcanoes.
An ultimate objective will be to design a new generation of landslides models, reliable methods and operational tools for detection of gravitational flows, and interpretation of seismic data in terms of landslide properties. This tools will be transferred to the scientific community and to the observatories in charge of monitoring landslide activity.
|
[
"Earth System Science",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
] |
Q4051573
|
MODERNISATION STUDY: COMPUTERISATION AND INNOVATION
|
MY PROJECT AIMS TO MODERNISE THE STUDY THROUGH COMPUTERISATION, BOTH CLINICAL AND NON-CLINICAL (MANAGEMENT), AND THE INSERTION OF INNOVATIVE EQUIPMENT. TO THIS END, IT IS NECESSARY TO CREATE A COMPUTERISED NETWORK SYSTEM THAT GESTICAS THE EXTRACLINICAL AND CLINICAL PART AND THE USE OF INNOVATIVE EQUIPMENT THAT ALLOWS THE DIGITISATION OF INFORMATION FOR THE TREATMENT AND DIAGNOSIS, THE IMPROVEMENT OF COMMUNICATION AND UNDERSTANDING P
|
[
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
] |
10.1039/c5mt00257e
|
Monitoring cytosolic and ER Zn2+ in stimulated breast cancer cells using genetically encoded FRET sensors
|
Unexpectedly, monitoring cytosolic and ER Zn2+ using FRET sensor proteins does not support EGF–ionomycin-triggered Zn2+ waves in breast cancer cells.
|
[
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration"
] |
EP 11151311 A
|
Optical communication card and communication device
|
Multiplexing-technology based large-capacity transmission requires the installation of many types of interface card. In addition, supporting a redundant configuration for preventing data communication from being interrupted requires the devices and cards more than double those required for the production system. An optical communication card (101) includes multiple optical signal transmission/reception units (102-1 to 102-N), main signal processing units (103-1 to 103-N) corresponding to the optical signal transmission/reception units (102-1 to 102-N) and required for a multiplexed system, and a connection selection unit (104) that can switch among multiple optical transmission lines, and each of the main signal processing units (103-1 to 103-N) includes multiple function units (201 to 204) and a function selection unit (205).
|
[
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
] |
627052
|
Real-Time adaptive particle therapy of cancer
|
The Real-time Adaptive Particle Therapy Of CanceR (RAPTOR) consortium comprises world-class research institutes, non-academic particle therapy (PT) centres and industrial providers of PT equipment, offering a platform for intercultural, interdisciplinary and intersectoral training of early stage researchers (ESRs) in the field of medical physics with a focus on real-time adaptive PT. This comprehensive expertise and infrastructure is required to address and solve challenges in the clinical implementation of real-time adaptive PT.
PT is an advanced type of radiotherapy used to treat a constantly rising number of cancer patients. PT allows to target tumour with a high accuracy while sparing healthy surrounding tissue from dose. However, changes in anatomy or positioning and organ motion give rise to uncertainties which need to be further minimized to exploit the full benefits of PT. Adapting PT plans in real time has the potential to provide truly personalized treatments, allowing for better target control and less toxicity. A move towards wide clinical implementation of adaptive PT approaches is currently prohibited by (i) stepwise treatment workflows that are time-consuming and largely manual, (ii) the inflexibility of commercial PT equipment, and (iii) the wide range of PT equipment and protocols.
RAPTOR ESRs will conduct research projects at both academic and non-academic health care facilities which will sharpen their focus on clinical needs with respect to real-time adaptive PT. The active involvement of industry ensures that the transfer of industry-relevant skills is an integral part of individual ESR projects. This will guarantee rapid translation of clinical needs into innovative and marketable solutions.
RAPTOR aims to train a new generation of researchers, enabling a paradigm shift from treatment approaches that are manual and stepwise to those that are automatic and seamless, while assuring standardized clinical implementation of real-time adaptive PT.
|
[
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
] |
10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5458-10.2011
|
Local Tissue Growth Patterns Underlying Normal Fetal Human Brain Gyrification Quantified In Utero
|
Existing knowledge of growth patterns in the living fetal human brain is based upon in utero imaging studies by MRI and ultrasound, which describe overall growth and provided mainly qualitative findings. However, formation of the complex folded cortical structure of the adult brain requires, in part, differential rates of regional tissue growth. To better understand these local tissue growth patterns, we applied recent advances in fetal MRI motion correction and computational image analysis techniques to 40 normal fetal human brains covering a period of primary sulcal formation (20-28 gestational weeks). Growth patterns were mapped by quantifying tissue locations that were expanding more or less quickly than the overall cerebral growth rate, which reveal increasing structural complexity. We detected increased local relative growth rates in the formation of the pre- and post-central gyri, right superior temporal gyrus and opercula, which differentiated between the constant growth rate in underlying cerebral mantle and the accelerating rate in the cortical plate undergoing folding. Analysis focused on the cortical plate revealed greater volume increases in parietal and occipital regions compared to the frontal lobe. Cortical plate growth patterns constrained to narrower age ranges showed that gyrification, reflected by greater growth rates, was more pronounced after 24 gestational weeks. Local hemispheric volume asymmetry was located in the posterior peri-Sylvian area associated with structural lateralization in the mature brain. These maps of fetal brain growth patterns construct a spatially specific baseline of developmental biomarkers with which to correlate abnormal development in the human.
|
[
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
] |
10.1063/1.4994303
|
Operational Framework For Quantum Measurement Simulability
|
We introduce a framework for simulating quantum measurements based on classical processing of a set of accessible measurements. Well-known concepts such as joint measurability and projective simulability naturally emerge as particular cases of our framework, but our study also leads to novel results and questions. First, a generalisation of joint measurability is derived, which yields a hierarchy for the incompatibility of sets of measurements. A similar hierarchy is defined based on the number of outcomes necessary to perform a simulation of a given measurement. This general approach also allows us to identify connections between different kinds of simulability and, in particular, we characterise the qubit measurements that are projective-simulable in terms of joint measurability. Finally, we discuss how our framework can be interpreted in the context of resource theories.
|
[
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter",
"Mathematics"
] |
W2600373765
|
Do general innovation policy tools fit all? Analysis of the regional impact of the Norwegian Skattefunn scheme
|
The paper examines the regional effects of a general innovation policy, i.e. a policy tool that does not target specific industries or subnational regions. General policy tools are an important part of the portfolio of innovation policy measures. However, there is a question over whether general tools are equally relevant for all types of firms, irrespective of their size, sector and location. The economic geography and innovation study literature, as well as the EU’s Smart Specialization approach, are based on the view that innovation policy tools must be adapted to specific regional conditions. General policy tools are insufficient unless they are adapted to individual regions. This paper examines the regional distribution of support from the Norwegian Skattefunn scheme, which is a tax incentive scheme designed to stimulate R&D activity in all types of enterprises, which has supported more than 24,000 approved R&D projects between 2002 and 2013. Based on our regression analysis, we observe that regional innovation system (RIS) variables are important for explaining the region’s ability to attract Skattefunn funding. Skattefunn projects are quite evenly spread across labour market regions, which are grouped into a geographical centre–periphery pattern. That is, being in a peripheral location is not a disadvantage. However, at a more detailed regional level, the Skattefunn scheme tends to favour firms in specific industries and in regions with a relatively developed regional innovation system.
|
[
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space",
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations"
] |
W25500434
|
Effects of Oral Iron(III) Hydroxide Polymaltose Complex Supplementation on Hemoglobin Increase, Cognitive Function, Affective Behavior and Scholastic Performance of Adolescents with Varying Iron Status
|
To assess the effects of iron supplementation on iron status, cognitive function, affective behavior and scholastic performance in adolescents with varying iron status.Adolescents of both sexes with varying iron status were allocated to four treatment groups by using inclusion criteria. Three of the four groups (iron deficient anemic, iron deficient and control supplement) received iron(III) hydroxide polymaltose complex (IPC, Maltofer) containing 100 mg of elemental iron 6 days a week for 8 months, while the fourth group (control placebo) was given a placebo. Hematological parameters, cognitive function, affective behavior and scholastic performance were assessed at baseline, 4 months and 8 months of supplementation.Cognitive and scholastic performance test scores for the three supplemented groups increased from baseline to 4 months and from 4 months to 8 months (with concomitant increases in hematological parameters), whereas no increase was observed in the placebo group. No increase was seen in affective behavior scores for any of the groups during or after supplementation.IPC supplementation for eight months yielded significant improvements in cognitive function and scholastic performance in Indian adolescents with and without iron deficiency and anemia.
|
[
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity"
] |
DE 102021107366 A
|
Laserkopf, imstande, einen Laserpunkt durch Hochfrequenz-/Ultrahochfrequenz-Mikrovibration dynamisch zu regulieren
|
Offengelegt ist ein Laserkopf, imstande, einen Laserpunkt durch eine Hochfrequenz-/Ultrahochfrequenz-Mikrovibration dynamisch zu regulieren, enthaltend eine Lasertransmissionsvorrichtung, einen Hohlraum, ein spezielles elektromechanisches Modul und eine abgeschirmte Tülle. Die Lasertransmissionsvorrichtung ist oben am Hohlraum angeordnet. Ein erstes Schutzglas und eine Kollimatorlinse sind nacheinander von oben nach unten in dem Hohlraum angeordnet. Das spezielle elektromechanische Modul ist unten am Hohlraum angeordnet und mit dem Hohlraum mittels eines Gehäuses verbunden. Eine Fokussierungslinse ist weiter im Gehäuse des speziellen elektromechanischen Moduls angeordnet, und eine Flachfeder ist zwischen der Fokussierungslinse und dem speziellen elektromechanischen Modul angeordnet. Das spezielle elektromechanische Modul kann eine Ultrahochfrequenz-Mikrooszillation der Fokussierungslinse erzeugen. Die abgeschirmte Tülle ist unten am speziellen elektromechanischen Modul angeordnet. In der vorliegenden Offenbarung variiert der Durchmesser eines Ausgangsbrennflecks in Echtzeit mit der Änderung der Amplitude der Fokussierungslinse; somit kann eine Regulierung mit hohem Ansprechverhalten der Brennfleckform verwirklicht werden, sodass die Anforderungen aus Betriebsbedingungen, wie etwa beim Laserschneiden, Laserschweißen und Laserauftragsbearbeiten, erfüllt werden können.
|
[
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
] |
10.1016/j.cmet.2014.11.020
|
Diet-induced unresolved ER stress hinders KRAS-driven lung tumorigenesis
|
Dietary effects on tumor biology can be exploited to unravel cancer vulnerabilities. Here, we present surprising evidence for anti-proliferative action of high-calorie-diet (HCD) feeding on KRAS-driven lung tumors. Tumors of mice that commenced HCD feeding before tumor onset displayed defective unfolded protein response (UPR) and unresolved endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Unresolved ER stress and reduced proliferation are reversed by chemical chaperone treatment. Whole-genome transcriptional analyses revealed FKBP10 as one of the most downregulated chaperones in tumors of the HCD-pre-tumor-onset group. FKBP10 downregulation dampens tumor growth in vitro and in vivo. Providing translational value to these results, we report that FKBP10 is expressed in human KRAS-positive and -negative lung cancers, but not in healthy parenchyma. Collectively, our data shed light on an unexpected anti-tumor action of HCD imposed before tumor onset and identify FKBP10 as a putative therapeutic target to selectively hinder lung cancer.
|
[
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
] |
10.1007/978-3-662-49384-7_3
|
On The Hardness Of Proving Cca Security Of Signed Elgamal
|
The well-known Signed ElGamal scheme consists of ElGamal encryption with a non-interactive Schnorr proof of knowledge. While this scheme should be intuitively secure against chosen-ciphertext attacks in the random oracle model, its security has not yet been proven nor disproven so far, without relying on further non-standard assumptions like the generic group model. Currently, the best known positive result is that Signed ElGamal is non-malleable under chosen-plaintext attacks. In this paper we provide some evidence that proving Signed ElGamal to be CCA secure in the random oracle model is hard. That is, building on previous work of Shoup and Gennaro Eurocrypt'98, Seurin and Treger CT-RSA 2013, and Bernhard et al. PKC 2015, we exclude a large class of potential reductions that could be used to establish CCA security of the scheme.
|
[
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Mathematics"
] |
10.1016/j.jeem.2014.10.005
|
Discounting, inequality and economic convergence
|
The aim of this paper is to examine the impact of inequalities and economic convergence on the efficient discount rate when international credit and risk-sharing markets are inefficient. We consider an economy in which initial consumption levels and growth expectations are heterogeneous. In the benchmark case in which relative inequalities are permanent and relative risk aversion is constant, inequalities do not affect the discount rate. We derive necessary and sufficient conditions under which permanent inequalities reduce the discount rate. We also show that the anticipation of economic convergence raises the efficient discount rate when relative prudence is larger than unity.
|
[
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations"
] |
883855
|
Intrinsic and extrinsic determinants of neuronal identity
|
Neuronal diversity determines the variety of circuits that can be formed and thus sets the framework for an animal’s behavioural repertoire. During development, distinct neuronal types emerge from interactions between cell-intrinsic processes and cell-extrinsic processes. In the brain, untangling how intrinsic and extrinsic processes contribute to neuronal identity has been difficult, as neurons are highly interconnected and heterogeneous cells with distinct and dynamic sensitivities to environmental signals. In such conditions, high temporal single-cell resolution approaches are required to parse out the drivers of cell-type differentiation.
The mouse neocortex is an ideal model to tease out drivers of differentiation: radially, cell-intrinsic genetic mechanisms drive the generation of successive neuron types across cortical layers; tangentially, cell-extrinsic processes are critical to drive differentiation via synaptic input across cortical areas. Here, using the developing neocortex as a model system, I propose to identify how cell-intrinsic and -extrinsic processes interact to define distinct neuron identities by characterizing:
1. emergence of area-specific neuronal and progenitor identities using FlashTag fate mapping and single-cell RNA sequencing (Work Package (WP) 1)
2. plasticity of area-specific neuronal states in response to genetic manipulation, transplantation or input/activity manipulation (WP2)
3. spatial context-independent components of neuron identity, by uncovering core molecular and circuit states in vitro (WP3)
4. postnatal experience-dependent controls over neuronal identity, using the precocial rodent Acomys as a new model to study the role of early brain-world interactions (WP4).
Together, these experiments aim to identify the molecular determinants of progenitor and neuron types by distinguishing intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of cell identity, with the long-term aim of reverse-engineering tailored neuronal cell-types for circuit repair.
|
[
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration"
] |
10.1152/jn.00615.2016
|
Human primary somatosensory cortex is differentially involved in vibrotaction and nociception
|
The role of the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) in vibrotaction is well established. In contrast, its involvement in nociception is still debated. Here we test whether S1 is similarly involved in the processing of nonnociceptive and nociceptive somatosensory input in humans by comparing the aftereffects of high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) of S1 on the event-related potentials (ERPs) elicited by nonnociceptive and nociceptive somatosensory stimuli delivered to the ipsilateral and contralateral hands. Cathodal HD-tDCS significantly affected the responses to nonnociceptive somatosensory stimuli delivered to the contralateral hand: both early-latency ERPs from within S1 (N20 wave elicited by transcutaneous electrical stimulation of median nerve) and late-latency ERPs elicited outside S1 (N120 wave elicited by short-lasting mechanical vibrations delivered to index fingertip, thought to originate from bilateral operculo-insular and cingulate cortices). These results support the notion that S1 constitutes an obligatory relay for the cortical processing of nonnociceptive tactile input originating from the contralateral hemibody. Contrasting with this asymmetric effect of HD-tDCS on the responses to nonnociceptive somatosensory input, HD-tDCS over the sensorimotor cortex led to a bilateral and symmetric reduction of the magnitude of the N240 wave of nociceptive laser-evoked potentials elicited by stimulation of the hand dorsum. Taken together, our results demonstrate in humans a differential involvement of S1 in vibrotaction and nociception. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Whereas the role of the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) in vibrotaction is well established, its involvement in nociception remains strongly debated. By assessing, in healthy volunteers, the effect of high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation over S1, we demonstrate a differential involvement of S1 in vibrotaction and nociception.
|
[
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
] |
629351
|
Making terrestrial planets
|
Understanding the formation and early evolution of terrestrial planets is one of the most important goals in sciences. The objectives of this proposal, METAL (Making tErresTriA pLanets), are to study the accretion and differentiation processes that have shaped the present composition of the Earth, Moon, Mars and differentiated asteroids including understanding the origin, and timing of delivery of their volatile and siderophile elements. To reach this goal we have identified the best-suited isotopic tools, which are sensitive to the different physico-chemical processes acting at different stages of planetary formation. This work will involve: 1) Development and use of new cutting-edge stable isotope systems for moderately volatile elements (e.g. In, Sb, Sn) in terrestrial, lunar and meteoritic materials, in order to constrain the origin of solar system’s volatile element depletion. 2) Quantifying experimentally the isotopic effects during metal/silicate partitioning and evaporation in all conditions relevant to planetary accretion and differentiation. 3) Building a physical model of volatile loss. 4) Studying the timing, proportions, fate and nature of the material that accreted to Earth and Mars after core formation (i.e. the late-veneer) by using a new method based on the stable isotopes of a highly siderophile element, Pt. This high-risk high-rewards approach seeks to link innovative novel isotopic systems, experiments under extreme conditions, and dynamical modelling, to solve long-standing major scientific questions related to the formation and evolution of the terrestrial planets.
|
[
"Universe Sciences",
"Earth System Science"
] |
CA 2007001002 W
|
SHAPED MEMORY ALLOY DECKLID ACTUATOR
|
The invention is a decklid latch with a SMA actuator. The actuator includes a latch plate with a ratchet rotatably mounted to the latch plate and is pivotal between a released position and an engaged position operable to retain a striker. A pawl is rotatably mounted to the latch plate and is pivotal between a an engaged position operable to retain the ratchet, and a release position operable to allow the ratchet to pivot. An selectively-contractible wire is connected to the pawl by a lost motion connection and is operable to move the pawl to the release position when contracted to actuate the latch. Portions of the selectively contractible wire have been annealed to reduce brittleness. Multiple material crimps are used to further reduce strain on the selectively contractible wire.
|
[
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
] |
10.1073/pnas.1415744111
|
Phylogenetic reconstruction of Bantu kinship challenges Main Sequence Theory of human social evolution
|
Kinship provides the fundamental structure of human society: descent determines the inheritance pattern between generations, whereas residence rules govern the location a couple moves to after they marry. In turn, descent and residence patterns determine other key relationships such as alliance, trade, and marriage partners. Hunter-gatherer kinship patterns are viewed as flexible, whereas agricultural societies are thought to have developed much more stable kinship patterns as they expanded during the Holocene. Among the Bantu farmers of sub-Saharan Africa, the ancestral kinship patterns present at the beginning of the expansion are hotly contested, with some arguing for matrilineal and matrilocal patterns, whereas others maintain that any kind of lineality or sex-biased dispersal only emerged much later. Here, we use Bayesian phylogenetic methods to uncover the history of Bantu kinship patterns and trace the interplay between descent and residence systems. The results suggest a number of switches in both descent and residence patterns as Bantu farming spread, but that the first Bantu populations were patrilocal with patrilineal descent. Across the phylogeny, a change in descent triggered a switch away from patrifocal kinship, whereas a change in residence triggered a switch back from matrifocal kinship. These results challenge "Main Sequence Theory," which maintains that changes in residence rules precede change in other social structures. We also indicate the trajectory of kinship change, shedding new light on how this fundamental structure of society developed as farming spread across the globe during the Neolithic.
|
[
"The Study of the Human Past",
"Studies of Cultures and Arts"
] |
10.1111/2041-210X.12121
|
Animal Social Network Inference And Permutations For Ecologists In R Using Asnipe
|
Summary
The sampling of animals for the purpose of measuring associations and interactions between individuals has led to the development of several statistical methods to deal with biases inherent in these data. However, these methods are typically computationally intensive and complex to implement. Here, I provide a software package that supports a range of these analyses in the R statistical computing environment. This package includes a novel approach to estimating re-association rates of time between frequently sampled individuals. I include extended demonstration of the syntax and examples of the ability for this software to interface with existing network analysis packages in R.
This bridges a gap in the tools that are available to biologists wishing to analyse animal social networks in R.
|
[
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
] |
EP 0304444 W
|
USE OF AGMATINE FOR TOPICAL APPLICATION
|
The invention relates to the use of agmatine and/or derivatives thereof and salts for topical application in therapy and prophylaxis of pathological alterations of the skin and/or for cosmetic use.
|
[
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
] |
W2578140343
|
Bacteriological Quality of Drinking Water from Different Locations in Anambra State, Nigeria
|
The work described the bacteriological quality of drinking water obtained from distributors, vendors and retailer at three different locations in Anambra State Nigeria. Twelve samples were assessed using membrane filtration technique and serial dilution method. Some selective media were used which include Pseudomonas Agar (PSA) for detection of Pseudomonas aueroginosa, Salmonnella Shigella Agar (SSA) for detection of Salmonella typhii and Shigella . Biochemical tests were used to identify the following bacteria: Pseudomonas aueroginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, Bacillus sp and Enterobacter . Five samples were positive in pseudomonas agar while three samples were positive in salmonella shigella agar. Therefore producers, distributors and hawkers of packaged water need to be educared on how to disinfect their products with solar radiation, store and handle packaged water. Key Words: Agar, Bacteriology, Drinking water, Filtration, Anambra State
|
[
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
] |
313610
|
Psycho-semantics: new data for formal semantics models, stronger frameworks for experimental studies
|
Formal semantics provides rigorous, explicit models of linguistic meaning. Such models also include an account of the possible interactions between language and reasoning abilities. Over the last decade, thanks to the joint efforts of linguists and psychologists, experimental techniques have entered the field of formal semantics. With this methodological step forward, the field has become a full-fledged cognitive science, with a combination of highly predictive formal theories of the language faculty as a whole and sophisticated tools designed to test these theories. Our ambition is to take the field of psycho-semantics one step further in two directions.
- Our first goal is to increase the theoretical sophistication of psycho-semantics. Initial experimental forays into semantics showed how to test divergent predictions between broadly different theoretical models. But in many cases, the formal semantic models in competition diverge on more fine-grained properties that have been overlooked in the experimental literature. These properties are now ripe for more focused investigation, requiring both theoretical sophistication and experimental meticulousness.
- Our second goal is to widen the themes covered in psycho-semantics. Up till now, a disproportionate amount of research in psycho-semantics has focused on a very specific type of inference, so-called scalar implicatures. The present research program aims at studying a broad range of semantic phenomena, comprising entailments, implicatures and presuppositions; these are the traditional categories of inference, representing ways in which language and other abilities combine to produce meaning. We will extend the methods developed for a narrow set of phenomena to reveal new empirical facts (from naïve speaker’s judgments), processing aspects and acquisition properties for a broad range of phenomena.
|
[
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity",
"Texts and Concepts"
] |
Q2728613
|
Enhancing the capacity and competitiveness of Vertiko
|
The problem of society is the space (reduced capacity) in which training, spent and outdated equipment is maintained, a lack of human resources. Overall objective: To boost the competitiveness of SMEs, develop new competences and reduce unemployment. Specific objective: To increase the competitiveness of the Vertika Business by constructing a new site, introducing a new service and raising the level of equipment of the polygon. Target groups are socially responsible and public institutions, legal entities, students and other interested public.
|
[
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations"
] |
678194
|
Forging Advanced Liquid-Crystal Coronagraphs Optimized for Novel Exoplanet Research
|
The 39-m European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) has the potential to directly observe and characterize habitable exoplanets, but current technologies are unable to sufficiently suppress the starlight very close to the star. I propose to develop a novel instrumental approach with breakthrough contrast performance by combining coronagraphs based on brand-new liquid crystal technology, and sensitive imaging polarimetry. The novel coronagraphs will provide an achromatic rejection of starlight even right next to the star such that exoplanets can be imaged efficiently in broadband light and characterized through spectropolarimetry. The coronagraphs will incorporate focal-plane wavefront sensing and polarimetry to achieve an ultimate contrast of 1E-9, which will enable the E-ELT to observe habitable exoplanets.
We will prototype coronagraph designs of increasing contrast performance, validate them in the lab, and apply them on-sky using 6-8 meter class telescopes. With our coronagraphs that offer a contrast improvement by a factor of 10 as compared to current systems in 360-degree dark holes, we will search for self-luminous exoplanets very close to stars at thermal infrared wavelengths, and characterize known targets with multi-wavelength observations. Through accurate photometry and polarimetry, we will study their atmospheric hazes. By combining liquid-crystal coronagraphy with sensitive polarimetry, we will study the inner regions of protoplanetary disks to find signs of planet formation.
By manipulating both phase and amplitude in pupil and focal planes, we will establish hybrid coronagraph systems that combine the strengths of individual concepts, and that can be adapted to the telescope mirror segmentation and the observational strategy. The proposed research will demonstrate the technologies necessary for building an instrument for the E-ELT that can successfully study rocky exoplanets in the habitable zones of nearby stars.
|
[
"Universe Sciences",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
] |
10.1038/npp.2013.28
|
Hypothalamic κ-opioid receptor modulates the orexigenic effect of ghrelin
|
The opioid system is well recognized as an important regulator of appetite and energy balance. We now hypothesized that the hypothalamic opioid system might modulate the orexigenic effect of ghrelin. Using pharmacological and gene silencing approaches, we demonstrate that ghrelin utilizes a hypothalamic κ-opioid receptor (KOR) pathway to increase food intake in rats. Pharmacological blockade of KOR decreases the acute orexigenic effect of ghrelin. Inhibition of KOR expression in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus is sufficient to blunt ghrelin-induced food intake. By contrast, the specific inhibition of KOR expression in the ventral tegmental area does not affect central ghrelin-induced feeding. This new pathway is independent of ghrelin-induced AMP-activated protein kinase activation, but modulates the levels of the transcription factors and orexigenic neuropeptides triggered by ghrelin to finally stimulate feeding. Our novel data implicate hypothalamic KOR signaling in the orexigenic action of ghrelin.
|
[
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
] |
W2040690936
|
Asynchronous Little Ice Age glacial maximum extent in southeast Iceland
|
The Little Ice Age (LIA) maximum glacial extent of 13 glaciers located in SE Iceland was dated by lichenometry to check for intraregional variations. Different lichenometric approaches were applied to date maximum LIA moraines, and they all showed high variability between glaciers. According to the Extreme Value Theory and Bayesian approach, LIA advances in the region occurred in or around A.D. 1740–1760, A.D. 1810–1820 and A.D. 1840–1880 with confidence intervals of between 8 and 21 years. The dates were correlated with geomorphic characteristics of glacier tongues: hypsometric and slope parameters can be considered as determining factors in the variability of glacier timing during the LIA, as previously observed in Norway and in the Alps. In terms of timing, results obtained in SE Iceland were similar to those obtained for other glacier regions around the North Atlantic.
|
[
"Earth System Science"
] |
10.1111/boc.201400081
|
Immunomodulatory role of microRNAs transferred by extracellular vesicles
|
The immune system is composed of different cell types localised throughout the organism to sense and respond to pathological situations while maintaining homeostasis under physiological conditions. Intercellular communication between immune cells is essential to coordinate an effective immune response and involves both cell contact dependent and independent processes that ensure the transfer of information between bystander and distant cells. There is a rapidly growing body of evidence on the pivotal role of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in cell communication and these structures are emerging as important mediators for immune modulation upon delivery of their molecular cargo. In the last decade, EVs have been shown to be efficient carriers of genetic information, including microRNAs (miRNAs), that can be transferred between cells and regulate gene expression and function on the recipient cell. Here, we review the current knowledge of intercellular functional transfer of EV-delivered miRNAs and their putative role in immune regulation.
|
[
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
] |
EP 86309094 A
|
Compounds that selectively bind sodium.
|
A compound having the property of selectively binding sodium ions in the presence of potassium ions and having the formula: where X is- O - or and where any aromatic ring may be substituted and/or may form part of a fused aromatic ring system.At least one of the aromatic rings may be substituted by a spectroscopic reporter group, a group which permits the compound to enter and remain in a cell and/or an electron donating or withdrawing group.A method of determining cytoplasmic sodium concentration by using this compound as a probe is also described.
|
[
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
] |
10.1128/mBio.01550-17
|
Orfx, a nucleomodulin required for listeria monocytogenes virulence
|
Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterial pathogen causing severe food-borne infections in humans and animals. Listeria can enter into host cells and survive and multiply therein, due to an arsenal of virulence determinants encoded in different loci on the chromosome. Several key Listeria virulence genes are clustered in Listeria pathogenicity island 1. This important locus also contains orfX (lmo0206), a gene of unknown function. Here, we found that OrfX is a small, secreted protein whose expression is positively regulated by PrfA, the major transcriptional activator of Listeria virulence genes. We provide evidence that OrfX is a virulence factor that dampens the oxidative response of infected macrophages, which contributes to intracellular survival of bacteria. OrfX is targeted to the nucleus and interacts with the regulatory protein RybP. We show that in macrophages, the expression of OrfX decreases the level of RybP, which controls cellular infection. Collectively, these data reveal that Listeria targets RybP and evades macrophage oxidative stress for efficient infection. Altogether, OrfX is after LntA, the second virulence factor acting directly in the nucleus. IMPORTANCE Listeria monocytogenes is a model bacterium that has been successfully used over the last 30 years to refine our understanding of the molecular, cellular, and tissular mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis. The major virulence factors of pathogenic Listeria species are located on a single chromosomal locus. Here, we report that the last gene of this locus encodes a small secreted nucleomodulin, OrfX, that is required for bacterial survival within macrophages and in the infected host. This work demonstrates that the production of OrfX contributes to limiting the host innate immune response by dampening the oxidative response of macrophages. We also identify a target of OrfX, RybP, which is an essential pleiotropic regulatory protein of the cell, and uncover its role in host defense. Our data reinforce the view that the secretion of nucleomodulins is an important strategy used by microbial pathogens to promote infection.
|
[
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
] |
10.1371/journal.pone.0153171
|
Insulin resistance in relation to lipids and inflammation in type-2 diabetic patients and non-diabetic people
|
Background We demonstrated in experimental studies that hypercholesterolaemia enhances the proliferation of haematopoietic stem cells and the subsequent differentiation to neutrophils, whereas HDL-cholesterol inhibits these processes. To translate our experimental findings to clinical practice, we investigated in Chinese type-2 diabetic patients and in Flemish nondiabetic people the independent and joint associations of insulin resistance with markers of dyslipidaemia and inflammation, while looking for consistency between ethnicities and across the spectrum of insulin resistance. Methods We studied 798 Chinese patients with type-2 diabetes (53. 6% women; mean age, 60. 6 years) admitted to a tertiary referral centre and 1060 white Flemish (50. 5%; 51. 1 years) randomly recruited in Northern Belgium. Fasting insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was derived from C-peptide in Chinese and from insulin in Flemish using the Homeostasis Model of Assessment algorithm. In multivariable-adjusted analyses, HOMA-IR was regressed on triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol and neutrophil count. Results In Chinese patients, the percentage changes in HOMA-IR associated with triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol and neutrophils (per 1-SD increment) amounted to 8. 1 (95% confidence interval, 3. 0 to 13. 4; p = 0. 0015), -8. 7 (-13. 0 to -4. 2; p = 0. 0002) and 5. 6 (1. 0 to 10. 4; p = 0. 017). In non-diabetic Flemish, the corresponding estimates were 11. 7 (8. 3 to 15. 1; p<0. 0001), -1. 7 (-4. 6 to 1. 4; p = 0. 28) and 3. 3% (0. 5 to 6. 3; p = 0. 022), respectively. None of the interaction terms between the three explanatory variables reached significance in Chinese or Flemish (p 0. 10). Conclusions Insulin resistance increases with the serum level of triglycerides and the blood neutrophil count, but decreases with serum HDL-cholesterol concentration. These associations were consistent in Chinese type-2 diabetic patients and non-diabetic Flemish people and were independent from one another. The clinical implications are that future studies should focus on intervening with serum triglyceride and HDL-cholesterol levels or controlling inflammation as a way to prevent or treat insulin resistance.
|
[
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
] |
W2363836523
|
Tax Justice in Austerity: Logics, Residues and Attachments
|
In the wake of the UK government’s post-2010 spending cuts, talk about tax justice has become more audible and urgent. Campaigning groups such as UK Uncut have sought to bring the contested tax affairs of a number of multinational corporations, and notably Vodafone, to wider public attention, and have called for the introduction of a ‘Tax Dodging Bill’. In the House of Commons, the Public Accounts Committee scrutinised the avoidance of corporation tax by multinationals during the 2010-15 parliament, leading to widely reported interrogations of representatives from Amazon, Google and Starbucks.
This article examines the moral reasoning that prevails in post-2010 tax justice discourse. Drawing on data from an online ‘occupation’ of Vodafone’s Twitter feed in 2014, during which UK Uncut supporters were invited to ‘[t]ell Vodafone what you think their dodged tax should be spent on’, it explores how the ‘injustice’ of tax avoidance is established within the context of austerity. It goes on to examine the ways in which tax justice discourse activates economic imaginaries in austerity, with a specific focus on the ‘tax and spend’ cycle. I develop the argument that tax justice rhetoric tends to perpetuate a residual conception of taxation that emphasises its function as a mechanism of redistributive justice, and tends not to take account of the intensification of neoliberal marketisation and privatisation of public services. The article concludes by evaluating the opportunities and challenges that these residual conceptions afford – both for the tax justice movement and for a politics of public ownership.
|
[
"The Social World and Its Interactions",
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems",
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations"
] |
W2014334134
|
Radial basis functional model for multi-objective sheet metal forming optimization
|
Fracture and wrinkling are two major defects in sheet metal forming and can be eliminated via an appropriate drawbead design. This article proposes to adopt a multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) approach, which differs from traditional multi-objective optimization with construction of a single cost function. MOPSO shows a certain advantage over other single cost function or population-based algorithms. While radial basis function (RBF) has shown considerable promise in highly non-linear problems, there has been no report in sheet metal forming design. Here RBF is attempted to establish the metamodels for fracture and wrinkling criteria in sheet metal forming design. In this article, a sophisticated automobile inner stamping case is exemplified, which demonstrated that RBF provides a better surrogate accuracy and MOPSO is more effective than the other methods studied. The use of RBF driven MOPSO procedure significantly improved the formability and can be recommended for sheet metal process ...
|
[
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
] |
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