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804288 | Effects of stakeholder consultations on inputs, processes and outcomes of executive policymaking | Consultations with stakeholders (citizens and interest organizations) are frequently used by executive bureaucracies to design policies and formulate legislation. National ministries, regulatory agencies and the European Commission employ a variety of consultation designs that combine different practices - public consultations, public hearings, workshops, expert groups, advisory committees. Consultations are key to European economic growth strategies such as the Lisbon Agenda and Europe 2020. Despite their near ubiquitous use and legitimising rhetoric, there is currently no systematic analysis assessing empirically the assumption that stakeholders’ participation in policymaking via consultations improves policymaking and results in better outcomes and more legitimate governance. This project aims to address this gap and to systematically investigate and explain the effects of stakeholder consultation designs on policy inputs, processes and outcomes of executive policymaking in 29 political systems: all 28 EU Member States and the EU polity. The project pioneers a path-breaking conceptualisation of consultation designs as representative institutions similar to electoral systems. They play a key instrumental role in the institutional balance of power and constitute a new source of bureaucratic reputation, autonomy and power. The project elaborates an original theory explaining consultation effects on policymaking that accounts for the intrinsic challenges of democratising twenty-first century bureaucracies, and the inherent trade-offs of democratic and technocratic policymaking. Empirically, the project breaks new ground by designing an ambitious data collection strategy aimed to construct an unprecedented, cross-national, comparative dataset on stakeholder consultation designs and characteristics of inputs, processes, outputs and outcomes observed at policy proposal level, across policy areas and political systems. | [
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems",
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations"
]
|
10.1039/C1SM05981E | Biocatalytic Self Assembly Of 2D Peptide Based Nanostructures | Peptide based 2D nanostructures of micronscale size in both X and Y dimensions are extremely rare because amino acid chirality favours helical structures, and nucleation-growth mechanisms usually favour uni-directional growth. We demonstrate the production of extended two-dimensional (2D) peptide nanostructuresvia the thermolysin catalysed condensation of Fmoc protected hydrophilic amino acid (serine, Fmoc-S) and a hydrophobic amino acid ester (phenylalanine, F-OMe). We propose that lateral self-assembly is enabled by the reversible nature of the system, favouring the thermodynamic product (extended sheets) over kinetically favoured 1 dimensional structures. Fmoc-SF-OMe forms extended arrays of β-sheet structures interlock via π-stacking between Fmoc groups. We propose that, due to its alternating hydrophilic/hydrophobic amino acid sequence, amphiphilic sheets presenting either phenyl or hydroxyl functionality are formed that assemble pair-wise, thereby shielding hydrophobic groups from the aqueous environment. Formation of these structures was supported by fluorescence emission spectroscopy, FTIR and XRD analysis and molecular mechanics minimization. At enhanced enzyme concentrations, hierarchical self-assembly was observed giving rise to spherulitic structures, with the number of spherulites dictated by enzyme concentration. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1002/chem.201404603 | Late-Stage Diversification of Peptides by Metal-Free C-H Arylation | The bioorthogonal late-stage diversification of functionalized oligopeptides was accomplished through a metal-free, site-selective C-H arylation of engineered indole derivatives under mild reaction conditions. Metal-free direct arylations of engineered indole-3-acetamides set the stage for the late-stage diversifications of highly functionalized peptides under mild reaction conditions. | [
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
863412 | Simulating particle acceleration within black hole magnetospheres | Black holes are involved in extreme astrophysical phenomena such as accretion, launching of relativistic jets and particle acceleration. The origin of this activity is still poorly understood, but plasma processes within the magnetosphere of the black hole are most likely involved. Thanks to high-performance computing, it is now possible to probe this region. The current state-of-the-art numerical simulations have been focusing on a fluid description of the plasma surrounding black holes. This approach is not sufficient to understand how the plasma is generated and how particles are accelerated near black holes. Here, we propose to model black hole magnetospheres using global ab-initio particle-in-cell simulations where the fields, particles and radiation evolve in a self-consistent manner. Our project will produce the first fully consistent modeling of black hole magnetospheres and allow for an accurate interpretation of current and upcoming horizon-scale observations of the Galactic center and nearby supermassive black holes by the VLTI-Gravity instrument in the infrared and the Event Horizon Telescope in radio. This project will also lead to the prediction of the electromagnetic signal from black-hole neutron star binaries prior to the merger in coincidence with gravitational waves events detected by LIGO-VIRGO instruments. | [
"Universe Sciences",
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.3389/fvets.2019.00493 | Cross-Sectional Age Differences in Canine Personality Traits; Influence of Breed, Sex, Previous Trauma, and Dog Obedience Tasks | The dog has been suggested as a possible model for personality development over the lifespan, however, we know little about how aging may shape their personality or the magnitude of age-related changes. Previously we established that aging influences multiple dog demographics, which could also affect how personality traits change across different age periods. A demographic questionnaire and the Dog Personality Questionnaire were completed for a cross-sectional sample of 1,207 adult dogs living in Hungary (Mage = 7. 71, SD = 4. 12), split into six different age groups. Results revealed three of the five factors showed significant age effects. Activity/Excitability decreased with age, and whilst Responsiveness to training also decreased, only dogs older than 12 years differed significantly from the other groups. Aggressiveness toward animals showed a quadratic trajectory peaking in dogs aged 6–10 years. The greatest magnitude of age-related change was detected between late senior and geriatric ages, likely caused by compensatory behavioral changes to biological aging and owner attitudes to aging. When the models were re-run including the other explanatory variables, age group was no longer significant for the Responsiveness to training trait. The amount of time spent interacting/playing with the owner partially mediated the relationship between age and this trait, implying that interventions to increase play and training motivation may alleviate the negative effects of aging on dogs' trainability. Fifteen out of 28 explanatory variables were significantly associated with at least one of the five factors [weight, breed (pure/mixed breed), sex, off-leash activity, diet, previous trauma, age of dog when arrived in the household, play, dog training activities, number of known commands and dog obedience tasks]. Similarly to humans, dogs that had previously experienced trauma scored higher in fearfulness and aggression. A higher level of basic obedience was linked to some desirable dog personality traits (lower Fearfulness and Aggression, and higher Activity/Excitability and Responsiveness to training). Regardless of the direction of this relationship, obedience is an important aspect contributing to dog personality questionnaires and the dog-owner relationship. This study is unique in that it considered a wide variety of demographic variables which are influenced by aging. | [
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity"
]
|
10.1039/c3lc50768h | Parallel measurements of reaction kinetics using ultralow-volumes | We present a new platform for the production and manipulation of microfluidic droplets in view of measuring the evolution of a chemical reaction. Contrary to existing approaches, our device uses gradients of confinement to produce a single drop on demand and guide it to a pre-determined location. In this way, two nanoliter drops containing different reagents can be placed in contact and merged together, in order to trigger a chemical reaction. The reaction rate is extracted from an analysis of the observed reaction-diffusion front. We show that the results obtained using this platform are in excellent agreement with stopped-flow measurements, while decreasing the sample consumption 5000 fold. We also show how the device operation can be parallelized in order to react an initial sample with a range of compounds or concentrations, on a single integrated chip. This integrated chip thus further reduces sample consumption while reducing the time required for the experimental runs from hours to minutes. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
W2751590478 | Evaluación del plano terminal y clase canina en niños de 4 a 6 años de edad de la Unidad Educativa 24 de Mayo de la provincia de Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | This study was carried out with the purpose of knowing the prevalence of the terminal plane and the canine class in children from 4 to 6 years old who belong to the Educational Unit May 24 of the Province of Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas. The research was conducted in 34 children of both sexes who were randomly chosen with the appropriate informed consent, signed by the parents or representatives. Using previously, biosecurity measures such as cap, gloves, mask, apron and bib, to correctly evaluate the terminal plane and the canine class were analyzed clinically with a mirror, and bite records and dental impressions were taken to each child for their emptying. Subsequently, the clinical analysis was performed through the terminal planes, rectum, mesial step terminal plane, distal end plane, which are observed according to the second upper and lower bilateral temporal molars, bilateral upper and lower temporal canines, for canine classes, one , two and three. A result of 73.5 percent of children who presented a straight plane, the mesial end plane was 14.7 percent, and the distal end plane was 8.8 percent, while in the canine class which was found, 97.05 percent with class one and in class three was 2.9 percent, and no canine class two was found. There was a slight difference between the sexes in terms of the terminal planes, since male dominated, on the other hand, the female class one predominated in the female sex, since 2.94 percent in the canine class three predominated in the male sex, that is, only one child. As for the ages evaluated, the 5-year-old children had a greater degree of canine class one and three with a total of 41.17 percent, as well as in the terminal plane, mesial step and distal step with a total of 41, 17 percent. It is important to evaluate early the type of bite of the pediatric patient, to achieve an interceptive treatment | [
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
]
|
631175 | Becoming muslim: cultural change, everyday life and state formation in early islamic north africa (600-1000) | The Muslim conquests of North Africa in the 7th century transformed the everyday lives of communities– between 800-1000, the region experienced an economic ‘Golden Age’, visible in the growth of urban populations, intensified exchange across a vast trading system and the introduction of new agricultural practices and technologies. New social-religious norms underpinned the development of a distinctly ‘Islamic cultural package’ marked by the spread of new aesthetics, public and private architecture and Muslim dietary practices. Despite significant recent advances, much of our knowledge continues to reflect the experience of rulers and elites, rather than the bulk of the population. Our understanding of the timing and process of these innovations is hampered by a reliance on later literary sources, monumental architecture and the high arts, the absence of high-resolution archaeological data and an incomplete understanding of what these changes meant for the people living on the ground. Through new excavations and scientific analysis using state-of the-art methods, legacy datasets and written sources, this project will explore the underlying reasons for the spread of Islamic way of life in North Africa between ca. 600-1000 CE. In so doing, this project aims to make a paradigmatic shift in scholarly understanding of the impact of Muslim rule by focusing on local populations, their houses and their everyday practices. It will take a comparative approach and study long-term changes in housing, agriculture, diet and technology in three key regions: 1) the central Medjerda valley in Tunisia, the famed granary of Roman and Islamic Africa; 2) the fertile Sebou Basin in Morocco, at the centre of the Idrisid state; 3) the Saharan oasis belt of the Wadi Draa in Morocco, on the margins of settled life. The ambitious objective is to rewrite the history of Muslim rule and the Islamisation of daily life from the perspective of the communities living through this pivotal period. | [
"The Study of the Human Past",
"Studies of Cultures and Arts"
]
|
635425 | Establishment of three-parent crosses in crop plants for commercial exploitation | There is an urgent need for an agricultural revolution to generate climate-smart cultivars, which combine proven qualities with novel traits that adapt crop plants to extremes, including severe heat and drought periods. Novel breeding technologies can make the difference to enable farmers to achieve high yields with resilient crops and thus secure the nutrition for the world population. In the framework of the ERC Consolidator Grant ""Building and bypassing polyspermy barriers"" we have discovered that plant egg cells can fuse with two sperm to give rise to offspring with three instead of two parents, one mother and two fathers. Our unprecedented result is a game changer in the field of plant reproduction. It can lead to a new plant breeding strategy with economic benefits expected to positively affect the social welfare of farmers as well as upstream and downstream industries related to the agricultural value chain. Three-parent crosses can transform plant breeding at different levels: First, the inheritance of genetic material from three rather than two parents allows to instantly combine beneficial traits of three cultivars thereby tremendously speeding up breeding processes. Second, three-parent crosses bypass a hybridization barrier (2), which constitutes a major limitation for regular plant breeding approaches. Third, three-parent crosses can be used to increase the number of chromosomes, a process referred to as polyploidization. Natural or technically-induced polyploidizations constitute a major factor for yield increase. The translation of three-parent crosses from the model plant Arabidopsis to crop plants using sugar beet as an experimental prototype at the premises of a breeder, and the transfer of this new breeding technology into commercial exploitation are two goals of the project TriVolve.
| [
"Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
2723203 | Hydropower solutions for developing and emerging countries | The renowned European hydropower industry and its know-how can foster the transition into a more sustainable energy
system in parts of the world that still need support to develop the sector. While the European hydropower market does not
allow huge developments, some countries present a big potential. HYPOSO will provide strategic support and tools for the
European hydropower industry to boost their export of products and services to markets in Africa and Latin America,
especially those with a high market potential hydro sector, i.e. Bolivia, Cameroon, Columbia, Ecuador and Uganda. The project will
develop solutions which can be easily implemented for overcoming barriers to the broad deployment of hydropower solutions
in these export markets. The consortium will bring representatives of the European hydropower industry together with their
counterparts and politicians from Africa and Latin America. It will provide political, legal, technical and strategic advice while
considering the regional specificities, socio-economic, spatial and environmental aspects all along the life-cycle of
hydropower projects. Experts of the consortium will identify pilot hydropower projects and provide capacity building for local
stakeholders and politicians. Communications activities such as brochures, events, and workshops highlighting European
state-of-the-art technology will complement these measures. Moreover, a website will be created. It will serve as an
information hub for the European hydropower industry and useful source of information for hydropower stakeholders
worldwide. The outcome of the HYPOSO project will contribute to the promotion of the European hydropower industry,
paving the way for better investment conditions in the targeted countries and increasing the share of renewable energy in
these regions. It will support the development of policies, market supports and financial frameworks at the local, national and
regional level for hydropower facilities. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Earth System Science",
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems"
]
|
10.1103/PhysRevLett.111.185307 | Artificial graphene with tunable interactions | We create an artificial graphene system with tunable interactions and study the crossover from metallic to Mott insulating regimes, both in isolated and coupled two-dimensional honeycomb layers. The artificial graphene consists of a two-component spin mixture of an ultracold atomic Fermi gas loaded into a hexagonal optical lattice. For strong repulsive interactions, we observe a suppression of double occupancy and measure a gapped excitation spectrum. We present a quantitative comparison between our measurements and theory, making use of a novel numerical method to obtain Wannier functions for complex lattice structures. Extending our studies to time-resolved measurements, we investigate the equilibration of the double occupancy as a function of lattice loading time. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.1016/j.jcyt.2019.12.006 | Predicting in vitro human mesenchymal stromal cell expansion based on individual donor characteristics using machine learning | Background: Human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) have become attractive candidates for advanced medical cell-based therapies. An in vitro expansion step is routinely used to reach the required clinical quantities. However, this is influenced by many variables including donor characteristics, such as age and gender, and culture conditions, such as cell seeding density and available culture surface area. Computational modeling in general and machine learning in particular could play a significant role in deciphering the relationship between the individual donor characteristics and their growth dynamics. Methods: In this study, hMSCs obtained from 174 male and female donors, between 3 and 64 years of age with passage numbers ranging from 2 to 27, were studied. We applied a Random Forests (RF) technique to model the cell expansion procedure by predicting the population doubling time (PDT) for each passage, taking into account individual donor-related characteristics. Results: Using the RF model, the mean absolute error between model predictions and experimental results for the PDT in passage 1 to 4 is significantly lower compared with the errors obtained with theoretical estimates or historical data. Moreover, statistical analysis indicate that the PD and PDT in different age categories are significantly different, especially in the youngest group (younger than 10 years of age) compared with the other age groups. Discussion: In summary, we introduce a predictive computational model describing in vitro cell expansion dynamics based on individual donor characteristics, an approach that could greatly assist toward automation of a cell expansion culture process. | [
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
EP 9001470 W | DEVICE FOR THE STEAM-TREATMENT OF LEATHER AND SIMILAR MATERIALS | The invention concerns a device for the steam-treatment, in particular the steam-dyeing, of materials such as leather, the device including a conveyor for pieces of leather (L) with a throughpath (6) extending through it past a series of work stations. The work stations include a steam station (1) and a dip-treatment station (2) with at least one container for the treatment liquid into which the pieces of leather are dipped. The object of the invention is to improve leather management within the device and to intensify the steam treatment. This is achieved by virtue of the fact that, near the steam station (1), the conveyor (3a) has a roller assembly (7) which propels or guides the pieces of leather (L), the roller assembly having at least one roller or roller feed zone extending across more than the working width of the throughpath (6). | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1038/nm.4045 | Divergent clonal evolution of castration-resistant neuroendocrine prostate cancer | An increasingly recognized resistance mechanism to androgen receptor (AR)-directed therapy in prostate cancer involves epithelial plasticity, in which tumor cells demonstrate low to absent AR expression and often have neuroendocrine features. The etiology and molecular basis for this 'alternative' treatment-resistant cell state remain incompletely understood. Here, by analyzing whole-exome sequencing data of metastatic biopsies from patients, we observed substantial genomic overlap between castration-resistant tumors that were histologically characterized as prostate adenocarcinomas (CRPC-Adeno) and neuroendocrine prostate cancer (CRPC-NE); analysis of biopsy samples from the same individuals over time points to a model most consistent with divergent clonal evolution. Genome-wide DNA methylation analysis revealed marked epigenetic differences between CRPC-NE tumors and CRPC-Adeno, and also designated samples of CRPC-Adeno with clinical features of AR independence as CRPC-NE, suggesting that epigenetic modifiers may play a role in the induction and/or maintenance of this treatment-resistant state. This study supports the emergence of an alternative, 'AR-indifferent' cell state through divergent clonal evolution as a mechanism of treatment resistance in advanced prostate cancer. | [
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
]
|
10.1016/j.celrep.2018.09.092 | Targeting SHIP-1 in Myeloid Cells Enhances Trained Immunity and Boosts Response to Infection | β-Glucan-induced trained immunity in myeloid cells leads to long-term protection against secondary infections. Although previous studies have characterized this phenomenon, strategies to boost trained immunity remain undefined. We found that β-glucan-trained macrophages from mice with a myeloid-specific deletion of the phosphatase SHIP-1 (LysMΔSHIP-1) showed enhanced proinflammatory cytokine production in response to lipopolysaccharide. Following β-glucan training, SHIP-1-deficient macrophages exhibited increased phosphorylation of Akt and mTOR targets, correlating with augmented glycolytic metabolism. Enhanced training in the absence of SHIP-1 relied on histone methylation and acetylation. Trained LysMΔSHIP-1 mice produced increased amounts of proinflammatory cytokines upon rechallenge in vivo and were better protected against Candida albicans infection compared with control littermates. Pharmacological inhibition of SHIP-1 enhanced trained immunity against Candida infection in mouse macrophages and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Our data establish proof of concept for improvement of trained immunity and a strategy to achieve it by targeting SHIP-1. Trained immunity leads to long-term protection, but strategies to boost it require further investigation. Saz-Leal et al. show that myeloid SHIP-1 deletion enhances trained immunity, improving the response to pathogen-specific or heterologous challenges. Pharmacological inhibition of SHIP-1 also potentiates this phenomenon, thereby revealing a potential tool to harness trained immunity. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration"
]
|
803621 | Light INduced Cell control by Exogenous organic semiconductors | LINCE will develop light-sensitive devices based on organic semiconductors (OS) for optical regulation of living cells functions.
The possibility to control the activity of biological systems is a timeless mission for neuroscientists, since it allows both to understand specific functions and to manage dysfunctions. Optical modulation provides, respect to traditional electrical methods, unprecedented spatio-temporal resolution, lower invasiveness, and higher selectivity. However, the vast majority of animal cells does not bear specific sensitivity to light. Search for new materials capable to optically regulate cell activity is thus an extremely hot topic. OS are ideal candidates, since they are inherently sensitive to visible light and highly biocompatible, sustain both ionic and electronic conduction, can be functionalized with biomolecules and drugs. Recently, it was reported that polymer-mediated optical excitation efficiently modulates the neuronal electrical activity.
LINCE will significantly broaden the application of OS to address key, open issues of high biological relevance, in both neuroscience and regenerative medicine. In particular, it will develop new devices for: (i) regulation of astrocytes functions, active in many fundamental processes of the central nervous system and in pathological disorders; (ii) control of stem cell differentiation and tissue regeneration; (iii) control of animal behavior, to first assess device biocompatibility and efficacy in vivo. LINCE tools will be sensitive to visible and NIR light, flexible, biocompatible, and easily integrated with any standard physiology set-up. They will combine electrical, chemical and thermal stimuli, offering high spatio-temporal resolution, reversibility, specificity and yield. The combination of all these features is not achievable by current technologies. Overall, LINCE will provide neuroscientists and medical doctors with an unprecedented tool-box for in vitro and in vivo investigations. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Materials Engineering",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
]
|
818616 | Differential Program Semantics | Traditionally, program semantics is centered around the notion of program identity, that is to say of program equivalence: a program is identified with its meaning, and programs are considered as equal only if their meanings are the same. This view has been extremely fruitful in the past, allowing for a deep understanding of highly interactive forms of computation as embodied by higher-order or concurrent programs. The byproducts of all this lie everywhere in computer science, from programming language design to verification methodologies. The emphasis on equality — as opposed to differences — is not however in line with the way programs are written and structured in modern complex software systems. Subtasks are delegated to pieces of code which behave as expected only up to a certain probability of error, and only if the environment in which they operate makes this possible deviation irrelevant. These aspects have been almost neglected by the program semantics community until recently, and still have a marginal role. DIAPASON's goal is to study differences between programs as a constitutive and informative concept, rather than by way of relations between them. This will be accomplished by generalizing four major frameworks of program semantics, traditionally used for giving semantics to programs, comparing them, proving properties of them, and controlling their usage of resources: logical relations, bisimulation, game semantics, and linear logic. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
W2029165629 | The Ghost in the Machine: Why and How the Belief in Magic Survives in the Rational Mind | Since the time of Galileo (1564–1642), Western civilization has increasingly fallen under the spell of science. Despite this fact, anthropological and psychological research has shown that magical beliefs are present in both children and adults in modern industrial cultures. How can a belief in magic coexist with a belief in science in the mind of a rational, educated adult? A possible explanation is that magical beliefs survive in the rational mind by going into the subconscious. The following hypothesis is considered in the series of studies presented in this paper: in modern industrial cultures, magical beliefs appear in preschool children as a legitimate, conscious form of belief that coexists with children’s belief in physical causality and is supported by social environment. In older children and adults, under the pressure of scientific and religious education, magical beliefs descend into the domain of the subconscious. Experiments examining this hypothesis will be reviewed; theoretical and practical implications of the existence of subconscious magical beliefs in modern rational adults will be analyzed. | [
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity",
"The Social World and Its Interactions"
]
|
W2155598575 | Impact of stepwise introduction of smoke-free legislation on population rates of acute myocardial infarction deaths in Flanders, Belgium | Many studies demonstrated a decline in hospital admissions for cardiovascular diseases after the implementation of a smoking ban, but evidence for reductions in cardiovascular mortality is more limited. In Belgium, smoke-free legislation was implemented in different phases. Public places and most workplaces became smoke-free in January 2006, whereas the legislative ban on smoking in restaurants was introduced in January 2007. These successive steps in legislation provided us the opportunity to investigate possible stepwise changes in fatal acute myocardial infarction (AMI) rates.Data on all AMI deaths of 30 years of age or older in Flanders (Belgium) between 2000 and 2009 (n=38 992) were used. Age-standardised AMI death rates were analysed with segmented Poisson regression allowing for secular trends, seasonality, temperature, PM10 and influenza.An immediate decrease in AMI mortality rates was observed in January 2006 (smoking ban at work). The effect was highest for women younger than 60 years of age (-33.8%; 95% CI -49.6 to -13.0), compared with an effect of -13.1% (95% CI -24.3 to -0.3) for male counterparts. Estimates for the elderly (≥60 years) were -9.0% (95% CI -14.1 to -3.7) for men and 7.9% (95% CI -13.5 to -2.0) for women. An additional effect of the smoking ban in restaurants was observed for elderly men, with an annual slope change of -3.8% (95% CI -6.5 to -1.0) after 1 January 2007.Smoking ban interventions are associated with reductions in the population rate of myocardial mortality, with public health gains even before and during the middle-aged period of life. | [
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
]
|
W3002160626 | Carrier mobility does matter for enhancing thermoelectric performance | Excellent thermoelectric materials need both high carrier transport properties and low phonon transport properties simultaneously, which make it challenging to enhance thermoelectric performance. However, recent progress shows that sub-nanostructures can strongly intensify phonon scattering but scarcely impede carrier mobility, thus effectively contributing to high thermoelectric performance in PbTe/Se-based systems. In this perspective, we summarize the thermoelectric transport properties and internal atomic-scale structures in these PbTe/Se-based systems with sub-nanostructures. Then, their thermoelectric properties are comprehensively compared with other massively nanostructured PbTe/Se-based systems, reveling the favorable role of sub-nanostructures in achieving high carrier mobility. Finally, several other potential strategies to further maintain carrier transport properties and enhance thermoelectric performance are proposed, which might be extended to other thermoelectric systems. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
694307 | The ER located master regulation of endosomal positioning and further movements | The endo-lysosomal system is critical to diverse processes, including protein homeostasis, signaling and antigen presentation. The vesicular compartment is organized as a collective unit wherein the bulk of endosomes derived from disparate origins resides in a cloud in the perinuclear region and extends outwards to include quickly moving vesicles in the periphery. At this busy intersection between the endocytic and biosynthetic pathways, lies the late endosomal compartment, responsible for protein degradation and antigen processing. In dendritic and other immune cells, this major constituent of the perinuclear cloud serves as a hub for MHC class II antigen loading. Previous work by us and others has elucidated key elements of MHC class II biology through the study of late endosomal transport to and from the cell periphery. It is clear that cell biology of endosomes is modulated by their proximity to other membrane compartments during transport, maturation, cargo selection and delivery and even during cytokinesis in cell division. However, how endosomal positioning in the perinuclear cloud and how their release for further transport is controlled remains largely unknown. The aim of this proposal is to define the molecular basis for endosomal positioning and then to interrogate the relationship between spatial regulation of the endocytic compartment and its functions with respect to i) MHC class II antigen presentation, ii) bacterial infection and iii) mitotic resolution. From a genome-wide siRNA screen for factors influencing MHC class II biology, we have identified a unique and previously uncharacterized ubiquitin ligase that resides in the ER membrane, from where it controls endosomal positioning and times their arrivals and departures as a function of its catalytic activity. On this basis, the work proposed herein is poised to resolve an entirely new molecular network in control of endosomal biology with implications for diverse biological processes. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy"
]
|
10.1051/m2an/2014050 | Discrete least squares polynomial approximation with random evaluations - Application to parametric and stochastic elliptic PDEs | Motivated by the numerical treatment of parametric and stochastic PDEs, we analyze the least-squares method for polynomial approximation of multivariate functions based on random sampling according to a given probability measure. Recent work has shown that in the univariate case, the least-squares method is quasi-optimal in expectation in [A. Cohen, M A. Davenport and D. Leviatan. Found. Comput. Math. 13 (2013) 819-834] and in probability in [G. Migliorati, F. Nobile, E. von Schwerin, R. Tempone, Found. Comput. Math. 14 (2014) 419-456], under suitable conditions that relate the number of samples with respect to the dimension of the polynomial space. Here "quasi-optimal" means that the accuracy of the least-squares approximation is comparable with that of the best approximation in the given polynomial space. In this paper, we discuss the quasi-optimality of the polynomial least-squares method in arbitrary dimension. Our analysis applies to any arbitrary multivariate polynomial space (including tensor product, total degree or hyperbolic crosses), under the minimal requirement that its associated index set is downward closed. The optimality criterion only involves the relation between the number of samples and the dimension of the polynomial space, independently of the anisotropic shape and of the number of variables. We extend our results to the approximation of Hilbert space-valued functions in order to apply them to the approximation of parametric and stochastic elliptic PDEs. As a particular case, we discuss "inclusion type" elliptic PDE models, and derive an exponential convergence estimate for the least-squares method. Numerical results confirm our estimate, yet pointing out a gap between the condition necessary to achieve optimality in the theory, and the condition that in practice yields the optimal convergence rate. | [
"Mathematics",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
W2045514192 | Analysis of Baseball-to-Helmet Impacts in Major League Baseball | Background: In Major League Baseball (MLB), helmet hit-by-pitch (H-HBP) incidents are a leading cause of concussion. However, not all H-HBPs result in diagnosed concussion. Purpose: This study was designed to (1) quantify batter concussion risk as a function of H-HBP pitch velocity, time duration batter spent on the ground post–H-HBP, first responder assessment time duration, and number of days missed post–H-HBP and (2) estimate H-HBP impact locations on the helmet with respect to current National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) helmet test standards and correlate impact locations with concussion diagnosis. Study Design: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A retrospective case-control study of 18 MLB players with H-HBP incidents in the 2009 and 2010 seasons was undertaken. A database was compiled via quantitative and qualitative analysis using video coverage obtained from MLB. Quantitative factors included batter concussion diagnosis, pitch velocity, number of days missed post–H-HBP, time duration batter spent on the ground post–H-HBP, and first responder assessment time duration. The H-HBP impact location was among several qualitative factors developed via video analysis of each H-HBP from 4 raters. Results: In our study, 9 players (50%) were diagnosed with concussion. Concussion diagnoses were more frequent for posterior versus anterior impacts. The majority of H-HBP impact locations were different from those in the current NOCSAE standard tests. First responders took an average of approximately 65 seconds (time to reach batter plus assessment time) to decide on batter removal/return to play. The 25% logistic regression concussion risk threshold for pitch velocity and days missed was 86.2 mph and 1.3 days, respectively. The number of days missed after H-HBP showed a significant correlation ( P = .02) among concussed and nonconcussed batters. Conclusion: In professional baseball H-HBP incidents, first responders should (1) be aware of pitch velocity in excess of 86 mph and (2) be provided ample time when assessing batters’ removal/return to play. Clinical Relevance: First responders should not rely solely on visual indicators such as batter reaction, holding head, or amount of time spent on the ground after H-HBP when assessing batters for concussion. Batting helmets in the MLB should maximize protection and mitigate impact dosage for H-HBP impact locations and velocity in addition to NOCSAE standard test locations and velocities. | [
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
10.1016/j.quascirev.2012.07.001 | Distribution of tetraether lipids in the 25-ka sedimentary record of Lake Challa: Extracting reliable TEX <inf>86</inf> and MBT/CBT palaeotemperatures from an equatorial African lake | The distribution of isoprenoid and branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (GDGT) lipids was studied in the sedimentary record of Lake Challa, a permanently stratified, partly anoxic crater lake on the southeastern slope of Mt. Kilimanjaro (Kenya/Tanzania), to examine if the GDGTs could be used to reconstruct past variation in regional temperature. The study material comprised 230 samples from a continuous sediment sequence spanning the last 25 ka with excellent age control based on high-resolution AMS 14C dating. The distribution of GDGTs showed large variation through time. In some time intervals (i. e. , from 20. 4 to 15. 9 ka BP and during the Younger Dryas, 12. 9-11. 7 ka BP) crenarchaeol was the most abundant GDGT, whereas at other times (i. e. , during the Early Holocene) branched GDGTs and GDGT-0 were the major GDGT constituents. In some intervals of the sequence the relative abundance of GDGT-0 and GDGT-2 was too high to be derived exclusively from lacustrine Thaumarchaeota, suggesting a sizable contribution from methanogens and other archaea. This severely complicated application of TEX 86 palaeothermometry in this lake, and limited reliable reconstruction of lake water temperature to the time interval 25-13 ka BP, i. e. the Last Glacial Maximum and the period of post-glacial warming. The TEX 86-inferred timing of this warming is similar to that recorded previously in two of the large African rift lakes, while its magnitude is slightly or much higher than that recorded at these other sites, depending on which lake-based TEX 86 calibration is used. Application of calibration models based on distributions of branched GDGTs developed for lakes inferred temperatures of 15-18 °C for the Last Glacial Maximum and 19-22 °C for the Holocene. However, the MBT/CBT palaeothermometer reconstructs temperatures as low as 12 °C for a Lateglacial period centred on 15 ka BP. Variation in down-core values of the BIT index are mainly determined by the varying production rate of crenarchaeol relative to in-situ produced branched GDGTs. The apparent relationship of the BIT index with climatic moisture balance can be explained either by the direct influence of lake level and wind strength on nutrient recycling, or by influx of soil nutrients promoting aquatic productivity and nitrification. This study shows that GDGTs can aid in obtaining climatic information from lake records but that the obtained data should be interpreted with care. | [
"Earth System Science",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
]
|
10.1016/j.lithos.2014.12.019 | Effect of small-scale heterogeneities on interpretation of crustal compositions exemplified by a layered anorthosite | The composition of the lower crust has a significant effect on geodynamic processes because it influences physical rock properties such as densities and seismic velocities. Compositional differences in lower crustal rocks are potentially large and exist on the scales of centimeters up to kilometers resulting in non-unique seismic and gravity data. While larger heterogeneities can be detected as reflections on seismic profiles, irregular small-scale compositional variations are not likely to be discovered, but will influence the averaged seismic velocities and densities of an area. The extent and effects of such small-scale heterogeneities are explored on an exposed high-grade layered anorthositic body by providing a detailed field map, petrological descriptions, pycnometry measurements as well as whole rock and mineral analyses combined with thermodynamic phase equilibria calculations. To evaluate the results of our thermodynamic calculations, densities and mineral modes obtained from the modeled phase equilibria are compared to measured densities and estimated mineral modes from rock samples. The proportion of mafic to ultramafic (plagioclase-poor) rocks in the mapped field area amounts to 10-15% but higher proportions of these rock types in the lower crust are feasible. To further study the effects of compositional variations, we have generated mixtures of mafic to ultramafic and anorthositic/intermediate rocks until the average properties of these mixtures are comparable to those of mafic granulites (3000-3100kg/m 3 ; 7. 1-7. 3km/s). Mixtures of anorthosite with 40-45% and of tonalite with 50-60% high-grade mafic to ultramafic rocks yield average densities and seismic velocities similar to mafic granulites although they still contain 50-60vol. % plagioclase. Hence small-scale mixing of certain rock types may result in the overestimation of the proportion of mafic (garnet) granulites in the lithologic interpretation of crustal compositions from seismic data. Since the transition to eclogite-facies in plagioclase-rich rocks is shifted to higher pressures and anorthositic/intermediate eclogites yield lower densities, a lower crust with higher modal amounts of plagioclase may not always provide the significant densification needed for certain geodynamic settings (e. g. delamination or subsidence). | [
"Earth System Science",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1177/0888325412465110 | Introduction The State Of Democracy 20 Years On Domestic And External Factors | The countries of East-Central Europe (ECE) embarked on a democratic transition in 1989 were proclaimed consolidated democracies when they joined the European Union (EU) in 2004. Today most of the n. . . | [
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems"
]
|
10.1145/2304736.2304764 | Local Dynamic Update For Component Based Distributed Systems | Dynamic evolution is a key aspect of the design, development, and maintenance of complex and distributed software systems built by integrating components. Evolution, traditionally obtained by producing software upgrades, may derive from changes in the requirements or in the environment, from the need to incorporate new implemented versions and optimizations. Upgrades typically require the software system to be shutdown, updated and restarted. However a large number of applications require to offer a continuous service and need to be updated at run-time. This paper addresses the problem of dynamic update of software components. A model-based approach is proposed to classify different classes of dynamic component update. For each of these classes, a set of updatable states of the current component is identified and mapped into a state of its new version. The proposed state transformation allows the component to be updated at run-time and satisfies the correctness criterion we defined in an earlier work. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.1002/mrm.28515 | Improved body quantitative susceptibility mapping by using a variable-layer single-min-cut graph-cut for field-mapping | Purpose: To develop a robust algorithm for field-mapping in the presence of water–fat components, large (Formula presented. ) field inhomogeneities and MR signal voids and to apply the developed method in body applications of quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM). Methods: A framework solving the cost-function of the water–fat separation problem in a single-min-cut graph-cut based on the variable-layer graph construction concept was developed. The developed framework was applied to a numerical phantom enclosing an MR signal void, an air bubble experimental phantom, 14 large field of view (FOV) head/neck region in vivo scans and to 6 lumbar spine in vivo scans. Field-mapping and subsequent QSM results using the proposed algorithm were compared to results using an iterative graph-cut algorithm and a formerly proposed single-min-cut graph-cut. Results: The proposed method was shown to yield accurate field-map and susceptibility values in all simulation and in vivo datasets when compared to reference values (simulation) or literature values (in vivo). The proposed method showed improved field-map and susceptibility results compared to iterative graph-cut field-mapping especially in regions with low SNR, strong field-map variations and high (Formula presented. ) values. Conclusions: A single-min-cut graph-cut field-mapping method with a variable-layer construction was developed for field-mapping in body water–fat regions, improving quantitative susceptibility mapping particularly in areas close to MR signal voids. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1002/anie.201607373 | Photoisomerization of Arylazopyrazole Photoswitches: Stereospecific Excited-State Relaxation | Electronic structure calculations and nonadiabatic dynamics simulations (more than 2000 trajectories) are used to explore the Z–E photoisomerization mechanism and excited-state decay dynamics of two arylazopyrazole photoswitches. Two chiral S1/S0conical intersections with associated enantiomeric S1relaxation paths that are barrierless and efficient (timescale of ca. 50 fs) were found. For the parent arylazopyrazole (Z8) both paths contribute evenly to the S1excited-state decay, whereas for the dimethyl derivative (Z11) each of the two chiral cis minima decays almost exclusively through one specific enantiomeric S1relaxation path. To our knowledge, the Z11 arylazopyrazole is thus the first example for nearly stereospecific unidirectional excited-state relaxation. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
]
|
W2000946622 | Cold comfort at the Magh Mela: Social identity processes and physical hardship | Humans inhabit environments that are both social and physical, and in this article we investigate if and how social identity processes shape the experience and negotiation of physically demanding environmental conditions. Specifically, we consider how severe cold can be interpreted and experienced in relation to group members' social identity. Our data comprise ethnographic observation and semi-structured interviews with pilgrims attending a month-long winter Hindu religious festival that is characterized by near-freezing conditions. The analysis explores (1) how pilgrims appraised the cold and how these appraisals were shaped by their identity as pilgrims; (2) how shared identity with other pilgrims led to forms of mutual support that made it easier to cope with the cold. Our findings therefore extend theorizing on social identity processes to highlight their relevance to physical as well as social conditions. | [
"The Social World and Its Interactions",
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity"
]
|
321160 | Cognitive Networks for Intelligent Materials and Devices | COGnitive NETwork (COGNET) is a new technology platform for materials, sensor and device design that exploits unique and hitherto unrecognised properties of random nanowire (NW) networks. These networks—comprised of metallic or semiconducting NWs connected to each other via junctions with controllably random property distributions—lead to new and unexpected levels of connectivity that are inherently scale dependent, creating opportunities for entirely new kinds of self-organised materials and devices. We propose to establish the ground rules for manipulating connectivity in NW networks. By choosing appropriate NWs and incorporating junctions with the approprate properties COGNET will enable the fabrication of (i) intelligent materials, (ii) neural networks and (iii) memory devices. Sequenced voltage pulse and back-gating techniques will in turn address and manipulate specific junctions or sets of junctions to demonstrate even higher density memory and in the case of neural networks, the possibility synaptic plasticity and self-learning. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1038/nrg3243 | The continuing value of twin studies in the omics era | The classical twin study has been a powerful heuristic in biomedical, psychiatric and behavioural research for decades. Twin registries worldwide have collected biological material and longitudinal phenotypic data on tens of thousands of twins, providing a valuable resource for studying complex phenotypes and their underlying biology. In this Review, we consider the continuing value of twin studies in the current era of molecular genetic studies. We conclude that classical twin methods combined with novel technologies represent a powerful approach towards identifying and understanding the molecular pathways that underlie complex traits. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
interreg_4007 | YOUNG INCLUSION | The challenge of the project is the recovery and prevention of situations of severe marginalization of young people, through the construction and consolidation of community care for physically disabled by accident, women in difficult situations, girls with borderline disorder. Integrated teams of operators of the Italian and Swiss sides will work in synergy for the psychological treatment of women in the Lecco and Castellanza (VA) areas, - sharing of the GET method (Therapeutic groups) born in the OSR for the treatment of borderline disorder (TI-VA) - start-up of a center of music therapy in Valmorea (CO) with Swiss specialists. | [
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"The Social World and Its Interactions"
]
|
W3173958444 | Cjelovito planiranje u modnoj industriji | The main driver of the philosophy of sustainable development were environmental problems caused by aggressive human activity to make as much money as possible. Materialism is the source of all the problems that sustainable development deals with, as well as the aspiration of every individual to own. Over time, the philosophy of sustainable development also encompassed the social effects of this behavior of society, since no development could take place without society. Finally, the question arises as to what will we leave to the generations that come after us and how will they deal with it? The fashion industry is one of the most controversial industries globally in terms of environmental impact and humanity in working conditions. The fashion industry is considered to be one of the biggest polluters of the environment. On the other hand, there is the reason why products of the fashion industry come from those parts of the world where there is no regulated labor market and labor is extremely cheap. Developing awareness of the impact of the fashion industry on today’s and the future picture of the world is necessary to change the impact on the environment and the community as a whole. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space"
]
|
2728645 | Ai enabled managemement of patients at risk of diabetic foot ulcer | Diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) lead to approximately 150,000 amputations and €23 billion in costs in Europe each year. Of the
60 million diabetics in Europe , 1.5 million currently have a diabetic foot ulcer and 15 million will develop on at some point in
their life . Each ulcer takes 3-6 months to heal and costs upwards of €14,000 to treat, however, if hospitalisation or
amputation is required these costs can be as high as €100,000 . Diabetic foot ulcers pose a significant burden on healthcare
systems around the world. The NHS in England spends almost 1% of its entire annual budget (£1.13 billion) on the diabetic
foot. Almost all of these ulcers and amputations are preventable through early identification and proper care. Bluedrop
Medical are developing a remote monitoring system that uses computer vision and machine learning to predict and prevent
diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). The home-based device, taking the form of a bathroom scales, performs a daily scan of the
patient’s feet. In 10 seconds, thermal and photographic data is collected and sent to the cloud. Advanced algorithms monitor
daily foot scans to detect DFUs before they develop, providing actionable alerts to both patient and healthcare provider. The
technique of temperature monitoring has been proven to prevent 70% of DFUs and Bluedrop Medical are building this
technique into an easy and quick to use device enabled by advanced sensor technology, computer vision algorithms and
machine learning. By preventing ulcers, the technology can prevent hundreds of thousands of amputations, improving lives
and saving healthcare systems millions of euro each year. Bluedrop Medical is targeting the highest risk patients who
currently have a 30-40% annual incidence of ulceration by preventing ulcers in this group a potential average saving of
€3,000 per patient can be achieve | [
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
W4229335000 | Cantare il trauma: la voce franta diffratta universale di Diamanda Galás | L’opera di Diamanda Galás (San Diego, 1955) costituisce un primo caso storico di sintesi totale nell’arte vocale, poiché implica una competenza compositivo-performativa che include tutti gli stili di canto, dotto e popolare, e tutte le tecniche fonatorie esistenti, anche estreme e anomale. Secondo una concezione politica dell’arte, tale versatilità tecnico-stilistica è messa al servizio dell’espressione del trauma, del male inflitto e subìto dall’umanità. A tal fine la voce dà forma sonora sia all’identità del carnefice sia all’identità della vittima, cosicché l’unità dell’azione vocale rappresenta l’intrinseca ambivalenza morale dell’uomo. L’uso galásiano della voce dimostra che il materiale vocale traumatico non è espressivamente neutralizzabile, riducibile a elemento di una combinatoria puramente formale. L’opera di Galás funge dunque da paradigma per una riflessione generale sull’estetica del trauma, dove si rivela strutturale la funzione dell’antifrasi: ai fini della trascendenza estetica, l’arte non può fare a meno del trauma. | [
"Texts and Concepts",
"Studies of Cultures and Arts"
]
|
10.1242/jcs.169441 | Genome-wide RNAi screen for nuclear actin reveals a network of cofilin regulators | ABSTRACT
Nuclear actin plays an important role in many processes that regulate gene expression. Cytoplasmic actin dynamics are tightly controlled by numerous actin-binding proteins, but regulation of nuclear actin has remained unclear. Here, we performed a genome-wide RNA interference (RNAi) screen in Drosophila cells to identify proteins that influence either nuclear polymerization or import of actin. We validate 19 factors as specific hits, and show that Chinmo (known as Bach2 in mammals), SNF4Aγ (Prkag1 in mammals) and Rab18 play a role in nuclear localization of actin in both fly and mammalian cells. We identify several new regulators of cofilin activity, and characterize modulators of both cofilin kinases and phosphatase. For example, Chinmo/Bach2, which regulates nuclear actin levels also in vivo, maintains active cofilin by repressing the expression of the kinase Cdi (Tesk in mammals). Finally, we show that Nup98 and lamin are candidates for regulating nuclear actin polymerization. Our screen therefore reveals new aspects of actin regulation and links nuclear actin to many cellular processes. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration"
]
|
10.1111/ele.12928 | Quantifying effects of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning across times and places | Biodiversity loss decreases ecosystem functioning at the local scales at which species interact, but it remains unclear how biodiversity loss affects ecosystem functioning at the larger scales of space and time that are most relevant to biodiversity conservation and policy. Theory predicts that additional insurance effects of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning could emerge across time and space if species respond asynchronously to environmental variation and if species become increasingly dominant when and where they are most productive. Even if only a few dominant species maintain ecosystem functioning within a particular time and place, ecosystem functioning may be enhanced by many different species across many times and places (β-diversity). Here, we develop and apply a new approach to estimate these previously unquantified insurance effects of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning that arise due to species turnover across times and places. In a long-term (18-year) grassland plant diversity experiment, we find that total insurance effects are positive in sign and substantial in magnitude, amounting to 19% of the net biodiversity effect, mostly due to temporal insurance effects. Species loss can therefore reduce ecosystem functioning both locally and by eliminating species that would otherwise enhance ecosystem functioning across temporally fluctuating and spatially heterogeneous environments. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Earth System Science"
]
|
10.1126/science.1222602 | Interferometric Identification of a Pre–Brown Dwarf | It is not known whether brown dwarfs [stellar-like objects with masses less than the hydrogen-burning limit, 0. 075 solar mass (M☉)] are formed in the same way as solar-type stars or by some other process. Here we report the clear-cut identification of a self-gravitating condensation of gas and dust with a mass in the brown-dwarf regime, made through millimeter interferometric observations. The level of thermal millimeter continuum emission detected from this object indicates a mass ~0. 02 to 0. 03 M☉, whereas the small radius, <460 astronomical units, and narrow spectral lines imply a dynamical mass of 0. 015 to 0. 02 M☉. The identification of such a pre–brown dwarf core supports models according to which brown dwarfs are formed in the same manner as hydrogen-burning stars. | [
"Universe Sciences",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.1021/acsnano.6b04748 | Single-Molecule DNA Methylation Quantification Using Electro-optical Sensing in Solid-State Nanopores | Detection of epigenetic markers, including 5-methylcytosine, is crucial due to their role in gene expression regulation and due to the mounting evidence of aberrant DNA methylation patterns in cancer biogenesis. Single-molecule methods to date have primarily been focused on hypermethylation detection; however, many oncogenes are hypomethylated during cancer development, presenting an important unmet biosensing challenge. To this end, we have developed a labeling and single-molecule quantification method for multiple unmethylated cytosine-guanine dinucleotides (CpGs). Our method involves a single-step covalent coupling of DNA with synthetic cofactor analogues using DNA methyltransferases (MTases) followed by molecule-by-molecule electro-optical nanopore detection and quantification with single or multiple colors. This sensing method yields a calibrated scale to directly quantify the number of unmethylated CpGs in the target sequences of each DNA molecule. Importantly, our method can be used to analyze ∼10 kbp long double-stranded DNA while circumventing PCR amplification or bisulfite conversion. Expanding this technique to use two colors, as demonstrated here, would enable sensing of multiple DNA MTases through orthogonal labeling/sensing of unmethylated CpGs (or other epigenetic modifications) associated with specific recognition sites. Our proof-of-principle study may permit sequence-specific, direct targeting of clinically relevant hypomethylated sites in the genome. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
10.1002/cphc.201700490 | Reactivity of Copper(III)–Oxo Complexes in the Gas Phase | An efficient way to generate [(L)CuO]+ complexes with a number of monodentate and bidentate ligands (L) from their [(L)Cu(ClO3)]+ precursors by electrospray ionization was herein explored. Further, we studied [(L)CuO]+ with L=9,10-phenanthraquinone, 1,10-phenanthroline, and acetonitrile in detail. The signature of these terminal copper–oxo complexes was found to be elimination of the oxygen atom upon collisional activation. We investigated and compared their reactions with water, ethane, ethylene, and 1,4-cyclohexadiene. The [(MeCN)CuO]+ complex oxidized water and performed C−H activation and hydroxylation of ethane. The complexes with bidentate ligands did not react with water and oxidized only larger hydrocarbons. All the investigated complexes showed comparable reactivities in the oxygen-transfer reaction with ethylene. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
]
|
10.1524/zpch.2013.0387 | Stark deceleration of NO radicals | We report on the Stark deceleration of a pulsed molecular beam of NO radicals. Stark deceleration of this chemically important species has long been considered unfeasible due to its small electric dipole moment of 0. 16 D. We prepared the NO radicals in the X2 π3/2 , v = 0, J = 3/2 spin-orbit excited state from the X 2 π1/2, v = 0, J = 1/2 ground state by Franck-Condon pumping via the A 2 Σ+ state. The larger effective dipole moment in the J = 3/2 level of the X 2 π3/2, v = 0 state, in combination with a 316-stages-long Stark decelerator, allowed us to decelerate NO radicals from 315. 0m/s to 229. 2m/s, thus removing 47% of their kinetic energy. The measured time-of-flight profiles of the NO radicals exiting the decelerator show good agreement with the outcome of numerical trajectory simulations. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter"
]
|
W2158814559 | Object-oriented land cover classification using multi-temporal HJ-1 CCD imagery: A case study in central Shandong province, China | This paper focuses on object-oriented land cover classification using multi-temporal remotely sensed imagery. We proposed an approach by building rules using multi-temporal HJ-1 CCD imagery and other auxiliary data to classify various land cover types in central Shandong province. We analyzed the seasonal dynamics of vegetation indices (EVI (Enhanced Vegetation index) and NDVI). Vegetation index time series of multi-temporal images can help differentiate forest types. Given the difficulties of vegetation classification, especially in mountainous area, more information available such as DEM, slope, spatial features and priori knowledge were also utilized. The overall accuracy and Kappa coefficient of land cover classification are 80.1% and 0.76, respectively. The results show that besides the spectral information, texture, DEM, slope and auxiliary data are very useful for land cover classification. Multi-temporal information can improve the vegetation classification result significantly and meanwhile has much potential to be explored. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Earth System Science"
]
|
10.1063/1.4765339 | Finite Time Singularities For Water Waves With Surface Tension | Here we consider the 2D free boundary incompressible Euler equation with surface tension. We prove that the surface tension does not prevent a finite time splash or splat singularity, i. e. , the curve touches itself either in a point or along an arc. To do so, the main ingredients of the proof are a transformation to desingularize the curve and a priori energy estimates. | [
"Mathematics",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
714532 | Power of Algorithms in Discrete Optimisation | Convex relaxations, such as linear and semidefinite programming, constitute one of the most powerful techniques for designing efficient algorithms, and have been studied in theoretical computer science, operational research, and applied
mathematics. We seek to establish the power convex relaxations through the lens of, and with the extensions of methods designed for, Constraint Satisfaction Problems (CSPs).
Our goal is twofold. First, to provide precise characterisations of the applicability of convex relaxations such as which problems can be solved by linear programming relaxations. Secondly, to derive computational complexity consequences such as for which classes of problems the considered algorithms are optimal in that they solve optimally everything that can be solved in polynomial time. For optimisation problems, we aim to characterise the limits of linear and semidefinite programming relaxations for exact, approximate, and robust solvability. For decision problems, we aim to characterise the limits of local consistency methods, one of the fundamental techniques in artificial intelligence, which strongly relates to linear programming relaxations.
Recent years have seen some remarkable progress on characterising the power of algorithms for a very important type of problems known as non-uniform constraint satisfaction problems and their optimisation variants. The ultimate goal of this
project is to develop new techniques and establish novel results on the limits of convex relaxations and local consistency methods in a general setting going beyond the realm of non-uniform CSPs. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Mathematics"
]
|
10.1002/2015GL064159 | Metallic Ions In The Upper Atmosphere Of Mars From The Passage Of Comet C 2013 A1 Siding Spring | We report the first in situ detection of metal ions in the upper atmosphere of Mars resulting from the ablation of dust particles from comet Siding Spring. This detection was carried out by the Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer on board the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission. Metal ions of Na, Mg, Al, K, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn, and possibly of Si, and Ca, were identified in the ion spectra collected at altitudes of ~185 km. The measurements revealed that Na+ was the most abundant species, and that the remaining metals were depleted with respect to the CI (type 1 carbonaceous Chondrites) abundance of Na+. The temporal profile and abundance ratios of these metal ions suggest that the combined effects of dust composition, partial ablation, differential upward transport, and differences in the rates of formation and removal of these metal ions are responsible for the observed depletion. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Universe Sciences"
]
|
EP 2007055372 W | AQUEOUS ALKYLKETENE DIMER DISPERSIONS | Aqueous alkylketene dimer dispersions which contain at least 15% by weight of an alkylketene dimer and at least one water-soluble cationic starch, aluminum sulfate and at least one condensation product formed from napthalenesulfonic acid and formaldehyde or lignosulfonic acid or in each case salts thereof, wherein the dispersions, each based on alkylketene dimer, contain from 2 to 50% by weight of aluminum sulfate, and in which the dispersions, with an aluminum sulfate content of from 2 to 15% by weight, additionally contain from 0.1 to 5% by weight of a saturated carboxylic acid having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, of benzenesulfonic acid, of p-toluenesulfonic acid and/or of a mineral acid, and the use of the dispersions as bulk and surface sizes for paper and paper products. | [
"Materials Engineering",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
]
|
170415 | Direct measurements of key nuclear reactions for the creation of elements in stars | The evolution of the universe has left an imprint in the form of the chemical elements. Understanding the cosmic origins of the elements remains a major challenge for science. The abundances of elements we see in our solar system, distant stars, meteorites, and in stellar explosions provide us with clues about how the elements came to be produced in a variety of different processes and stellar environments. To unravel these mysteries we need to understand the nuclear reactions producing and destroying the elements. New generation accelerator facilities and instrumentation are being developed in Europe which will enable many of these reactions to be measured directly for the first time, and with high precision. This offers the prospect of a major step forward in the field in the next few years. Many of the key reactions involve unstable nuclei, studied experimentally either by using radioactive beams or targets. These unstable nuclei play a critical role in high temperature stellar environments, most notably stellar explosions. Reactions can occur on the unstable nucleus before it has decayed thereby strongly altering the path of subsequent element synthesis. The proposal is sub-divided into 5 themes, concerning production of the heavy elements in neutron capture reactions, destruction of the cosmic gamma-ray emitter 26Al in core collapse supernovae, neutron source reactions in stars, the puzzle of high abundances of proton-rich heavy isotopes, and the origin of nature’s least abundant isotope 180mTa. Experiments will initially be performed using neutron beams from the upgraded n_TOF facility at CERN including the high flux EAR-2 beam line, and using radioactive beams from the upgraded HIE-ISOLDE facility at CERN. In the later phase of the proposal experiments will also be performed using the new ultra-high intensity neutron beam facility FRANZ at Frankfurt, and with radioactive beams injected into heavy ion storage rings to be installed at GSI and CERN. | [
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter",
"Universe Sciences"
]
|
DE 0202408 W | INTERFACE CIRCUIT FOR CONNECTING TO AN OUTPUT OF A FREQUENCY CONVERTER | The invention relates to an interface circuit for connecting to an output of a frequency converter. Said circuit contains at least two current paths (10, 20), which are intercoupled in a parallel connection and respectively comprise at least one cascode stage (12, 13, 22, 23) for signal processing. Said circuit permits direct current offsets of the frequency converter to be compensated, in addition to a switchable amplification ratio for signals with a wide dynamic range and provides a large signal-to-noise margin. The inventive interface circuit is preferably for use in mobile radio telephone receivers. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
10.1111/vco.12119 | Anti-tumour activity of oncolytic Western Reserve vaccinia viruses in canine tumour cell lines, xenografts, and fresh tumour biopsies | Cancer is one of the most common reasons for death in dogs. One promising approach is oncolytic virotherapy. We assessed the oncolytic effect of genetically modified vaccinia viruses in canine cancer cells, in freshly excised tumour biopsies, and in mice harbouring canine tumour xenografts. Tumour transduction efficacy was assessed using virus expressing luciferase or fluorescent marker genes and oncolysis was quantified by a colorimetric cell viability assay. Oncolytic efficacy in vivo was evaluated in a nude mouse xenograft model. Vaccinia virus was shown to infect most tested canine cancer cell lines and primary surgical tumour tissues. Virus infection significantly reduced tumour growth in the xenograft model. Oncolytic vaccinia virus has antitumour effects against canine cancer cells and experimental tumours and is able to replicate in freshly excised patient tumour tissue. Our results suggest that oncolytic vaccinia virus may offer an effective treatment option for otherwise incurable canine tumours. | [
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
10.1016/j.jde.2017.02.025 | Multiple positive solutions to elliptic boundary blow-up problems | We prove the existence of multiple positive radial solutions to the sign-indefinite elliptic boundary blow-up problem {Δu+(a+(|x|)−μa−(|x|))g(u)=0,|x|<1,u(x)→∞,|x|→1 where g is a function superlinear at zero and at infinity, a+ and a− are the positive/negative part, respectively, of a sign-changing function a and μ>0 is a large parameter. In particular, we show how the number of solutions is affected by the nodal behavior of the weight function a. The proof is based on a careful shooting-type argument for the equivalent singular ODE problem. As a further application of this technique, the existence of multiple positive radial homoclinic solutions to Δu+(a+(|x|)−μa−(|x|))g(u)=0,x∈RN is also considered. | [
"Mathematics"
]
|
W3103464922 | Bias in science: natural and social | Moral, social, political, and other “nonepistemic” values can lead to bias in science, from prioritizing certain topics over others to the rationalization of questionable research practices. Such values might seem particularly common or powerful in the social sciences, given their subject matter. However, I argue first that the well-documented phenomenon of motivated reasoning provides a useful framework for understanding when values guide scientific inquiry (in pernicious or productive ways). Second, this analysis reveals a parity thesis: values influence the social and natural sciences about equally, particularly because both are so prominently affected by desires for social credit and status, including recognition and career advancement. Ultimately, bias in natural and social science is both natural and social—that is, a part of human nature and considerably motivated by a concern for social status (and its maintenance). Whether the pervasive influence of values is inimical to the sciences is a separate question. | [
"The Social World and Its Interactions",
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity"
]
|
184631 | Allele-Specific deconvolution of tumour dna methylation and expression data toreveal underlying cell populations | Owing to advances in sequencing technology, we are now beginning to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer development and evolution. Tumours however are heterogeneous, often containing admixed normal cells and different (sub)clones, confounding interpretation of the massive amounts of data flowing from large initiatives such as the International Cancer Genome Consortium.
To address this issue, I will develop methods that disentangle tumour bulk gene expression (RNA-Seq) and DNA methylation (Bisulphite-Seq) data to accurately reveal the states of the distinct underlying cell populations. The innovative algorithms will derive estimates of the allele-specific expression/methylation rates and tumour copy number profiles from the data and use them to separate the signal coming from the tumour from that of the normal cells. In a second step, the method leverages the wealth of available cancer ‘omics data using a recommender-system approach to complete the deconvolution. Careful validation will come from teasing apart computationally mixed pure samples as well as from ongoing and planned collaborative single-cell sequencing projects. A detailed analysis of tumour expression and DNA methylation heterogeneity on these single-cell datasets will guide further methodological advances. As an intrinsic part of the project, massive pan-cancer datasets will be deconvoluted. Drawing on the pure transcriptomes and epigenomes, I will construct a more comprehensive taxonomy of cancers, laying the basis for significant improvements in clinical prognostic prediction and personalised treatment.
This project will shift the paradigm of genomic tumour heterogeneity to include the more actionable transcriptome and epigenome. In turn this will lead to a better understanding of how (epi)genomic alterations translate into the transcriptomic (and proteomic, interactomic, …) changes driving cancer evolution. | [
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
10.3389/fimmu.2016.00034 | Peracetic acid treatment generates potent inactivated oral vaccines from a broad range of culturable bacterial species | Our mucosal surfaces are the main sites of non-vector-borne pathogen entry, as well as the main interface with our commensal microbiota. We are still only beginning to understand how mucosal adaptive immunity interacts with commensal and pathogenic microbes to influence factors such as infectivity, phenotypic diversity, and within-host evolution. This is in part due to difficulties in generating specific mucosal adaptive immune responses without disrupting the mucosal microbial ecosystem itself. Here, we present a very simple tool to generate inactivated mucosal vaccines from a broad range of culturable bacteria. Oral gavage of 1010 peracetic acid-inactivated bacteria induces high-titer-specific intestinal IgA in the absence of any measurable inflammation or species invasion. As a proof of principle, we demonstrate that this technique is sufficient to provide fully protective immunity in the murine model of invasive non-typhoidal Salmonellosis, even in the face of severe innate immune deficiency. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
2726633 | Fostering dihs for embedding interoperability in cyber-physical systems of european smes | The initiative for Fostering DIHs for Embedding Interoperability in Cyber-Physical Systems of European SMEs (DIH4CPS) will help European enterprises overcome these innovation hurdles and establish Europe as a world leading innovator of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. DIH4CPS will create an embracing, interdisciplinary network of DIHs and solution providers, focussed on cyber-physical and embedded systems, interweaving knowledge and technologies from different domains, and connecting regional clusters with the pan-European expert pool of DIHs. Backed by the IVLab, an experienced and well-established network organisation focussed on Interoperability, DIH4CPS can innately build on an extensive existing network, add value to its existing knowledge transfer capabilities and guarantee the sustainability of the growing DIH network. DIH4CPS expands the already existing network and aims for creating an integrated platform for DIHs from different, especially digitally underdeveloped sectors and regions. A selection of eleven initially starting application experiments guarantees an outstanding funding for European SMEs and Mid-Caps right from the start and demonstrates the high dedication of the consortium to reduce the digital divide. At least ten additional experiments will take up that torch during the project and allow external companies from sectors in need to further exploit the DIH4CPS network and uplift their portfolio, especially by including (semi)-autonomy into their products and systems. DIH4CPS will not only benefit the application experiments but also the individual DIHs by significantly complementing the regional investments made. Implemented in the IVLab structure, the DIH4CPS Network will leverage and sustain its impact far beyond the project duration, creating a vibrant, overarching and cross sector one-stop-shop for collaboration between SMEs, DIHs and Tech providers. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
W1517235996 | China's Missile Forces | China's nuclear arsenal has long been an enigma. It is a small force, based almost exclusively on land-based ballistic missiles, maintained at a low level of alert and married to a no-first-use doctrine – all choices that would seem to invite attack in a crisis. Chinese leaders, when they have spoken about nuclear weapons, have articulated ideas that sound odd to the Western ear. Mao Zedong's oft-quoted remark that ‘nuclear weapons are a paper tiger’ seems to be bluster or madness. China's nuclear forces are now too important to remain a mystery. Yet Westerners continue to disagree about basic factual information concerning one of the world's most important nuclear-weapons states. This Adelphi book documents and explains the evolution of China's nuclear forces in terms of historical, bureaucratic and ideological factors. There is a strategic logic at work, but that logic is mediated through politics, bureaucracy and ideology. The simplest explanation is that Chinese leaders, taken as a whole, have tended ... | [
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems",
"The Study of the Human Past"
]
|
10.1145/3243734.3243745 | When Good Components Go Bad Formally Secure Compilation Despite Dynamic Compromise | We propose a new formal criterion for evaluating secure compilation schemes for unsafe languages, expressing end-to-end security guarantees for software components that may become compromised after encountering undefined behavior---for example, by accessing an array out of bounds. Our criterion is the first to model dynamic compromise in a system of mutually distrustful components with clearly specified privileges. It articulates how each component should be protected from all the others---in particular, from components that have encountered undefined behavior and become compromised. Each component receives secure compilation guarantees---in particular, its internal invariants are protected from compromised components---up to the point when this component itself becomes compromised, after which we assume an attacker can take complete control and use this component's privileges to attack other components. More precisely, a secure compilation chain must ensure that a dynamically compromised component cannot break the safety properties of the system at the target level any more than an arbitrary attacker-controlled component (with the same interface and privileges, but without undefined behaviors) already could at the source level. To illustrate the model, we construct a secure compilation chain for a small unsafe language with buffers, procedures, and components, targeting a simple abstract machine with built-in compartmentalization. We give a careful proof (mostly machine-checked in Coq) that this compiler satisfies our secure compilation criterion. Finally, we show that the protection guarantees offered by the compartmentalized abstract machine can be achieved at the machine-code level using either software fault isolation or a tag-based reference monitor. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.1016/j.brat.2019.03.009 | Fear of negative and positive evaluation and reactivity to social-evaluative videos in social anxiety disorder | Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is marked by persistent fear of being scrutinized by others. This and most diagnostic symptoms relate to some form of fear of negative evaluation (FNE). More recent accounts of SAD, such as the Bivalent Fear of Evaluation Model, however, complement FNE with fear of positive evaluation (FPE), described as distress and avoidance of positive feedback. An explicit test of the incremental validity of FPE in discriminating SAD patients from controls – over and on top of the explanatory power of FPE – is currently missing and generally, well controlled laboratory experiments with positive and negative social stimuli in this patient group are rare. To fill this gap, we exposed 35 patients with SAD and healthy controls (HCs) to short social-evaluative video clips with actors expressing negative and positive as well as neutral statements while recording reactivity on experiential measures (valence, arousal, and approval ratings) as well as on facial electromyography and electrocardiography. In addition, participants completed questionnaire measures of FNE and FPE. Results revealed that FPE questionnaire scores as well as experiential (valence and appreciation) and electromyographical reactivity measures to positive videos improved prediction of group membership beyond the predictive power of FNE questionnaires scores and reactivity to negative videos. Results document the importance of FPE to more fully characterize and understand social anxiety and SAD. Implications include amendments to future diagnostic criteria, theoretical models, and treatment approaches for SAD. | [
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity",
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System"
]
|
10.15252/embr.201845836 | X10 expansion microscopy enables 25-nm resolution on conventional microscopes | Expansion microscopy is a recently introduced imaging technique that achieves super-resolution through physically expanding the specimen by ~4×, after embedding into a swellable gel. The resolution attained is, correspondingly, approximately fourfold better than the diffraction limit, or ~70 nm. This is a major improvement over conventional microscopy, but still lags behind modern STED or STORM setups, whose resolution can reach 20–30 nm. We addressed this issue here by introducing an improved gel recipe that enables an expansion factor of ~10× in each dimension, which corresponds to an expansion of the sample volume by more than 1,000-fold. Our protocol, which we termed X10 microscopy, achieves a resolution of 25–30 nm on conventional epifluorescence microscopes. X10 provides multi-color images similar or even superior to those produced with more challenging methods, such as STED, STORM, and iterative expansion microscopy (iExM). X10 is therefore the cheapest and easiest option for high-quality super-resolution imaging currently available. X10 should be usable in any laboratory, irrespective of the machinery owned or of the technical knowledge. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
W4282006169 | Herpetofauna of the Serra do Tombador Nature Reserve, State of Goiás, Central Brazil | Data on species occurrence and richness are important to support conservation actions for strategic areas. To increase knowledge about the herpetofauna of the Cerrado biome, we present a list of amphibians and reptiles' species from the Private Reserve of Natural Heritage Serra do Tombador (RNST). The fieldwork was performed in November 2016 and the samplings were carried out through pitfall traps, active search, occasional encounters, and third-party records. We also consider the species recorded in the RNST Management Plan. We recorded 34 amphibians and 55 reptiles, and expanded the known distribution of some species. The observed and estimated amphibian species curves showed a tendency to stabilize, with the observed richness representing 89% of the number of species expected. On the other hand, observed and estimated reptile species curves did not show a stabilization trend. Even considering the smallest sample period in this study, the richness of amphibian and reptile species was similar or greater to those found in protected areas in the Cerrado, close to the RNST. The presence of species with restricted endemism, recently described, and data deficient highlights the importance of the RNST for the conservation of the Cerrado herpetofauna. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
]
|
10.1307/mmj/1519095620 | Nielsen realization by gluing: Limit groups and free products | We generalize the Karrass-Pietrowski-Solitar and the Nielsen realization theorems from the setting of free groups to that of free products. As a result, we obtain a fixed point theorem for finite groups of outer automorphisms acting on the relative free splitting complex of Handel and Mosher and on the outer space of a free product of Guirardel and Levitt, and also a relative version of the Nielsen realization theorem, which, in the case of free groups, answers a question of Karen Vogtmann. We also prove Nielsen realization for limit groups and, as a byproduct, obtain a new proof that limit groups are CAT(0). The proofs rely on a new version of Stallings' theorem on groups with at least two ends, in which some control over the behavior of virtual free factors is gained. | [
"Mathematics"
]
|
692995 | Bayesian Networks and Non-Rational Expectations | This project will develop a new framework for modeling economic agents having ""boundedly rational expectations"" (BRE). It is based on the concept of Bayesian networks (more generally, graphical models), borrowed from statistics and AI. In the framework's basic version, an agent is characterized by a directed acyclic graph (DAG) over the set of all relevant random variables. The DAG is the agent's ""type"" – it represents how he systematically distorts any objective probability distribution into a subjective belief. Technically, the distortion takes the form of the standard Bayesian-network factorization formula given by the agent's DAG. The agent's choice is modeled as a ""personal equilibrium"", because his subjective belief regarding the implications of his actions can vary with his own long-run behavior. The DAG representation unifies and simplifies existing models of BRE, subsuming them as special cases corresponding to distinct graphical representations. It captures hitherto-unmodeled fallacies such as reverse causation. The framework facilitates behavioral characterizations of general classes of models of BRE and expands their applicability. I will demonstrate this with applications to monetary policy, behavioral I.O., asset pricing, etc. I will extend the basic formalism to multi-agent environments, addressing issues beyond the reach of current models of BRE (e.g., formalizing the notion of ""high-order"" limited understanding of statistical regularities). Finally, I will seek a learning foundation for the graphical representation of BRE, in the sense that it will capture how the agent extrapolates his belief from a dataset (drawn from the objective distribution) containing ""missing values"", via some intuitive ""imputation method"". This part, too, borrows ideas from statistics and AI, further demonstrating the project's interdisciplinary nature. | [
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations",
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Mathematics"
]
|
W1988375224 | Modeling episodic fluid-release events in the ductile carbonates of the Glarus thrust | The exposed Glarus thrust displays midcrustal deformation with tens of kilometers of displacement on an ultrathin layer, the principal slip zone (PSZ). Geological observations indicate that this structure resulted from repeated stick-slip events in the presence of highly overpressured fluids. Here we show that the
major characteristics of the Glarus thrust movement (localization, periodicity, and evidence of pressurized fluids) can be reconciled by the coupling of two processes, namely, shear heating and fluid release by carbonate decomposition. During this coupling, slow ductile creep deformation raises the temperature through shear heating and ultimately activates the chemical decomposition of carbonates. The subsequent release of highly overpressurized fluids forms and lubricates the PSZ, allowing a ductile fault to move tens of kilometers on
millimeter-thick bands in episodic stick-slip events. This model identifies carbonate decomposition as a key process for motion on the Glarus thrust and explains the source of overpressured fluids accessing the PSZ. | [
"Earth System Science",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.1038/srep10301 | Effect of uniaxial strain on the site occupancy of hydrogen in vanadium from density-functional calculations | We investigate the influence of uniaxial strain on the site occupancy of hydrogen in vanadium, using density functional theory. The site occupancy is found to be strongly influenced by the strain state of the lattice. The results provide the conceptual framework for the atomistic description of the observed hysteresis in the to phase transition in bulk, as well as the preferred octahedral occupancy of hydrogen in strained V layers. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.1016/B978-0-12-394447-4.30073-6 | V D J Recombination Orchestrating Diversity Without Damage | V(D)J recombination assembles immunoglobulin and T-cell receptor genes from the preexisting variable (V), diversity (D), and joining (J) gene segments by a cut and paste mechanism. While this receptor diversification strategy enables efficient immune responses against pathogens, it also poses a constant threat to the genome integrity. Tight regulation of this process at multiple levels is therefore critical to prevent genomic instability and neoplastic transformation. In this article, we discuss the temporal and spatial regulation of V(D)J recombination, in addition to the molecular mechanisms that regulate this process. Finally, we discuss the implication of V(D)J recombination in malignancies of the immune system. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
10.1063/1.3683572 | Transducer For Mechanical Impedance Testing Over A Wide Frequency Range Through Active Feedback | We describe a feedback-controlled active mechanical probe which can achieve a very low mechanical impedance, uniformly over a wide frequency range. The feedback produces a state of quasi-resonance which transforms the probe into a source of force used to excite an unknown load, resulting in a precise measurement of the real and imaginary components of the load impedance at any frequency. The instrument is applied to the determination of the mechanical impedance of a fingertip. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
W315258854 | Brain malformations in a patient with deletion 2p16.1: A refinement of the phenotype to BCL11A | Microdeletions of 2p15-16.1 have been reported in 15 patients with a recognizable syndrome of dysmorphic features, intellectual disability and microcephaly. Facial features include telecanthus, short palpebral fissures, epicanthal folds, a broad nasal root, smooth and long philtrum and large ears. Brain malformations can be observed in this syndrome and include hypoplasia of the corpus callosum and a simplified cortical gyral pattern. Case reports have narrowed the critical region of the neurodevelopmental phenotype to a region that spans the B-cell CLL/lymphoma 11A (BCL11A) gene. Here we present a 3-year-old normocephalic girl with moderate development delay and dysmorphic features including a prominent forehead, telecanthus, depressed nasal bridge, thin upper vermilion and a small chin. Magnetic resonance imaging shows enlargement of the lateral, third and fourth ventricles and hypoplastic corpus callosum, cerebellar vermis and pons. Array CGH revealed a 0.875 Mb de novo deletion at 2p16.1 that includes only BCL11A. The moderate delays, hypoplastic and dysmorphic corpus callosum and hippocampi and the facial features are in keeping with the previously described 2p15-16.1 microdeletion syndrome. However, hypoplasia of the pons and cerebellum are not commonly recognized features and are reminiscent of the brain malformations observed in individuals with a mutation in CASK. CASK is known to interact with BCL11A in the normal growth of axons. This case report highlights the role of BCL11A in 2p15-16.1 microdeletion syndrome and the unique phenotype suggests a common pathway for BCL11A and other genes in neurodevelopment. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
10.1021/jacs.5b02576 | Rate Law Analysis of Water Oxidation on a Hematite Surface | Water oxidation is a key chemical reaction, central to both biological photosynthesis and artificial solar fuel synthesis strategies. Despite recent progress on the structure of the natural catalytic site, and on inorganic catalyst function, determining the mechanistic details of this multiredox reaction remains a significant challenge. We report herein a rate law analysis of the order of water oxidation as a function of surface hole density on a hematite photoanode employing photoinduced absorption spectroscopy. Our study reveals a transition from a slow, first order reaction at low accumulated hole density to a faster, third order mechanism once the surface hole density is sufficient to enable the oxidation of nearest neighbor metal atoms. This study thus provides direct evidence for the multihole catalysis of water oxidation by hematite, and demonstrates the hole accumulation level required to achieve this, leading to key insights both for reaction mechanism and strategies to enhance function. (Figure Presented). | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
W896395170 | Novel Mutation in the CHRDL1 Gene Detected in Patients With Megalocornea | The aim of this study was to determine the mutation associated with X-linked megalocornea (MGC1) found in 2 patients from the same area in southern Italy.Diagnosis of megalocornea was confirmed by detailed ophthalmic examination in 2 probands from independent families and in another 3 affected family members. Genomic DNA of the probands was used to amplify and sequence all the coding regions of CHRDL1.Megalocornea diagnosis was associated with a novel mutation found in the probands and affected kindreds (5 subjects). The mutation is an 11-base pair deletion that leads to a stop codon in the second coding exon of the CHRDL1 gene. Research on the CHRDL1 mutation was also performed on other family members (11 subjects) not affected by MGC1, and the mutation was not detected in unaffected male family members.The detection of mutations in the CHRDL1 gene is useful for differential diagnosis with different forms of megalocornea. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
W1983623285 | Symbiotic bacteria in the nudibranch mollusk Dendrodoris nigra: fatty acid composition and ultrastructure analysis | In the present study, the hypothesis that marine nudibranch mollusks harbor symbiotic bacteria was tested using analyses of fatty acids as biochemical markers and transmission electron microscopy of the tissues of Dendrodoris nigra (Gastropoda/Opisthobranchia/Nudibranchia). An aberrant level of the odd-numbered carbon chain and branched fatty acids, iso- and anteiso- that are specific for bacteria, was detected in the nudibranch tissues. Their amounts in the notum exceeded significantly that in the viscera. Rod-shaped gram-negative bacteria were revealed in the epithelial cells of the notum and the mantle edge as well as in the adjoining glycocalix. These bacteria were enclosed in secondary vacuoles in the epithelial cells. The consequent stages of inoculation of the bacteria into the cytoplasm of epithelial cells, from adhesion to the apical surface to invagination of the cell membrane and formation of the vacuole with an enclosed bacterium, were observed. The presence of dividing bacteria suggests that the epithelium includes a renewable, dividing population of symbiotic bacteria. No bacteria were detected in the gonads and the digestive system. Probable functions of these symbiotic bacteria such as involvement in protection or defense from predators and environmental impacts as well as their nutritional role in the nudibranch are discussed. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration"
]
|
10.5194/hess-24-427-2020 | Cross-validating precipitation datasets in the Indus River basin | Large uncertainty remains about the amount of precipitation falling in the Indus River basin, particularly in the more mountainous northern part. While rain gauge measurements are often considered as a reference, they provide information for specific, often sparse, locations (point observations) and are subject to underestimation, particularly in mountain areas. Satellite observations and reanalysis data can improve our knowledge but validating their results is often difficult. In this study, we offer a cross-validation of 20 gridded datasets based on rain gauge, satellite, and reanalysis data, including the most recent and less studied APHRODITE-2, MERRA2, and ERA5. This original approach to cross-validation alternatively uses each dataset as a reference and interprets the result according to their dependency on the reference. Most interestingly, we found that reanalyses represent the daily variability of precipitation as well as any observational datasets, particularly in winter. Therefore, we suggest that reanalyses offer better estimates than non-corrected rain-gauge-based datasets where underestimation is problematic. Specifically, ERA5 is the reanalysis that offers estimates of precipitation closest to observations, in terms of amounts, seasonality, and variability, from daily to multi-annual scale. By contrast, satellite observations bring limited improvement at the basin scale. For the rain-gauge-based datasets, APHRODITE has the finest temporal representation of the precipitation variability, yet it importantly underestimates the actual amount. GPCC products are the only datasets that include a correction factor of the rain gauge measurements, but this factor likely remains too small. These findings highlight the need for a systematic characterisation of the underestimation of rain gauge measurements. | [
"Earth System Science",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
W2744531528 | A Lean Approach to Enable Sustainability in the Built Environment through BIM | Rating systems are assumed as instruments to endorse architectural quality, reliability, energy efficiency, economic convenience and finally expose a sustainability label. Moreover, these tools can be tied to a BIM model. The aim of this research is to set up a lean methodology to fulfil CESBA requirements through Construction to Operations Building information exchange – COBie in project on existing buildings adopting the BIM Bronze approach by UK Ministry of Justice - MoJ. This will allow to develop a semantic model and to extract sustainability reports in a post-construction phase, thereby minimising the cost of gathering information on existing buildings. An illustrated example regarding energy criteria of CESBA protocol will be presented to further the proposed approach. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1093/mnras/staa108 | Lessons from a blind study of simulated lenses: image reconstructions do not always reproduce true convergence | ABSTRACT In the coming years, strong gravitational lens discoveries are expected to increase in frequency by two orders of magnitude. Lens-modelling techniques are being developed to prepare for the coming massive influx of new lens data, and blind tests of lens reconstruction with simulated data are needed for validation. In this paper, we present a systematic blind study of a sample of 15 simulated strong gravitational lenses from the EAGLE suite of hydrodynamic simulations. We model these lenses with a free-form technique and evaluate reconstructed mass distributions using criteria based on shape, orientation, and lensed image reconstruction. Especially useful is a lensing analogue of the Roche potential in binary star systems, which we call the lensing Roche potential. This we introduce in order to factor out the well-known problem of steepness or mass-sheet degeneracy. Einstein radii are on average well recovered with a relative error of ${\sim }5{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ for quads and ${\sim }25{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ for doubles; the position angle of ellipticity is on average also reproduced well up to ±10°, but the reconstructed mass maps tend to be too round and too shallow. It is also easy to reproduce the lensed images, but optimizing on this criterion does not guarantee better reconstruction of the mass distribution. | [
"Universe Sciences",
"Mathematics"
]
|
10.1016/j.atmosres.2012.05.014 | EMAC model evaluation and analysis of atmospheric aerosol properties and distribution with a focus on the Mediterranean region | The skill of the EMAC atmospheric chemistry-climate model to predict the aerosol optical depth (AOD) is evaluated by comparing with remote sensing data products from AERONET, MODIS, MISR and CALIOP with a focus on the Mediterranean region. In addition, calculated aerosol concentrations are compared with measurements from the CASTNET, IMPROVE, EMEP, EANET and CAWNET networks. Calculated sulphate concentrations are in good agreement with the measurements, whilst the agreement is less satisfactory for ammonium and nitrate, possibly because of measurement artefacts. The model reproduces the main spatial atmospheric distribution of the sulphate and ammonium aerosols. For nitrate some differences are found when compared to observations. The analysis of black and organic carbon (BC and OC) over Europe shows that the model typically overestimates observed BC concentrations by a factor of 1. 6 and underestimates OC by a factor of 2. 6. For the USA BC and OC are in general overestimated and for China BC and OC are in general underestimated by the model. The seasonal distribution of elevated AODs is well represented by the model when compared to MODIS and MISR, though AODs are somewhat low-biased. Calculated annual mean AODs are in general lower than of AERONET and the temporal correlation coefficients vary between 0. 11 and 0. 68. High temporal correlation coefficients are found for biomass burning regions (South America and West Africa), indicating that the seasonal cycle of this source category is well represented in the model, based on the GFED inventory. High temporal correlation coefficients are obtained for the Mediterranean region during summer, which indicates that the model captures the dust intrusions. Our model calculations show that inorganic particles and associated water are the most abundant aerosol components over Europe, North America and Asia, whilst over the Mediterranean during summer dust dominates the total AOD. An analysis of the meridional vertical distribution of model calculated dust indicates good agreement with CALIOP observations for locations near the Mediterranean and over northern Africa. The modelled underestimation of the AODs over Europe and the USA is larger at low than at high relative humidity, indicating that the concentrations of hygroscopic aerosols are too low. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Earth System Science"
]
|
10.1109/LSP.2014.2324759 | Autoencoder Based Unsupervised Domain Adaptation For Speech Emotion Recognition | With the availability of speech data obtained from different devices and varied acquisition conditions, we are often faced with scenarios, where the intrinsic discrepancy between the training and the test data has an adverse impact on affective speech analysis. To address this issue, this letter introduces an Adaptive Denoising Autoencoder based on an unsupervised domain adaptation method, where prior knowledge learned from a target set is used to regularize the training on a source set. Our goal is to achieve a matched feature space representation for the target and source sets while ensuring target domain knowledge transfer. The method has been successfully evaluated on the 2009 INTERSPEECH Emotion Challenge’s FAU Aibo Emotion Corpus as target corpus and two other publicly available speech emotion corpora as sources. The experimental results show that our method significantly improves over the baseline performance and outperforms related feature domain adaptation methods. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.3389/fimmu.2017.01791 | The CD40-CD40L dyad in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and multiple sclerosis | The CD40-CD40L dyad is an immune checkpoint regulator that promotes both innate and adaptive immune responses and has therefore an essential role in the development of inflammatory diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS). In MS, CD40 and CD40L are expressed on immune cells present in blood and lymphoid organs, affected resident central nervous system (CNS) cells, and inflammatory cells that have infiltrated the CNS. CD40-CD40L interactions fuel the inflammatory response underlying MS, and both genetic deficiency and antibody-mediated inhibition of the CD40-CD40L dyad reduce disease severity in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Both proteins are therefore attractive therapeutic candidates to modulate aberrant inflammatory responses in MS. Here, we discuss the genetic, experimental and clinical studies on the role of CD40 and CD40L interactions in EAE and MS and we explore novel approaches to therapeutically target this dyad to combat neuroinflammatory diseases. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy"
]
|
10.1002/cbic.201402447 | Bioactive derivatives of isopropylstilbene from mutasynthesis and chemical synthesis | Isopropylstilbene is a natural product from Photorhabdus lumi-nescens TT01, with multiple biological activities. A mutant deficient in the production of both anthraquinones and cinnamic acid was constructed, thus giving a clean background according to UV detection. This anthraquinone and stilbene deficient (ASD) mutant was used in mutasynthesis experiments to obtain new stilbene derivatives, which were detected by GC-MS. The structures of the new derivatives were confirmed by detailed MS analysis and then chemically synthesised; all of the natural and synthetic compounds were tested against protozoa that cause tropical diseases. Two compounds obtained by mutasynthesis showed the highest activity against Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease, and Leishmania donovani, which causes leishmaniasis. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
W2182445798 | Early Ordovician mitrates and a possible solute (Echinodermata) from the western United States | Two new kirkocystid mitrate stylophorans (Echinodermata, Homalozoa) and a new possible solute (Echinodermata, Homalozoa) are described from the Early Ordovician of the western United States. The mitrates are among the earliest members of their clade to appear near the beginning of the Ordovician Radiation. Anatifopsis ninemilensis new species comes from the Ninemile Shale in central Nevada and the McKelligon Canyon Formation in west Texas. Anatifopsis fillmorensis new species comes from the middle Fillmore Formation in western Utah and a Ninemile Shale equivalent limestone bed in southern Nevada. The possible solute Drepanocystis dubius new genus new species from the lower Wah Wah Limestone in western Utah, shows unusual morphology with an elongate theca and a long arm shaped like a sickle. | [
"Earth System Science",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
]
|
10.1145/3381418 | Testing Bounded Arboricity | In this article, we consider the problem of testing whether a graph has bounded arboricity. The class of graphs with bounded arboricity includes many important graph families (e. g. , planar graphs and randomly generated preferential attachment graphs). Graphs with bounded arboricity have been studied extensively in the past, particularly because for many problems, they allow for much more efficient algorithms and/or better approximation ratios. We present a tolerant tester in the general-graphs model. The general-graphs model allows access to degree and neighbor queries, and the distance is defined with respect to the actual number of edges. Namely, we say that a graph G is e-close to having arboricity α if by removing at most an e-fraction of its edges, we can obtain a graph G′ that has arboricity α, and otherwise we say that G is e-far. Our algorithm distinguishes between graphs that are e-close to having arboricity α and graphs that are c ṡ e-far from having arboricity 3α, where c is an absolute small constant. The query complexity and running time of the algorithm are O (n / e√m) + (1 / e)O(log(1/e)), where n denotes the number of vertices and m denotes the number of edges (we use the notation O to hide poly-logarithmic factors in n). In terms of the dependence on n and m, this bound is optimal up to poly-logarithmic factors since Ω(n / √m) queries are necessary. | [
"Mathematics",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
215614 | Globalisation, europe and multilateralism - sophistication of the transnational order, networks and european strategies | This is a European Joint Doctorat (EJD) gathering 16 partner organizations from 3 different continents. It includes 5 EU HEIs, 3 non-EU HEIs, 3 Think Tanks, 2 MNEs, 1 SME, 1 NPO & 1 EU Intitution.
It's shared research agenda on ""Globalisation, Europe and Multilateralism"" seeks to unpack the growing ""Sophistication of the Transnational Order, Networks and European Strategies"" in light of the EU's attempts at regime complex management. To this effect, the EU's response to international institutional proliferation is alternatively analyzed through the lens of its ability to provide purposeful complex regime management in light of its institutional capacities, network capacities, relative capacities and framing capacities.
Collectively GEM-STONES will increase the breath of regime complex management theory as its postulates are confronted with the specific experience of the EU. The project will also expand the state-of-the art in EU studies, notably on the EU's external action. The research will ultimately sketch a nuanced, innovative, and interdisciplinary answer to the question: how does the EU contributes towards the management of institutional proliferation?
To meet this research objective, while also strengthening the EU's innovation capacities, GEM-STONES will select and train 15 highly competitive ESRs. Its chosen interdisciplinary research and training methods bridg a variety of SSH disciplines. Each ESR will accomplish a specific research project as part of the overall agenda. Ultimately, if successful, ESRs will be awarded a Double Degree from two of the project's HEIs.
Training is to be an integrated curriculum designed to foster structured PhD training at the EU level, and allow for novel public-private collaborations. The 180 ECTS worth of training will be provided through research, education & practice and will incl. a significant internship. | [
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems",
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations"
]
|
W1617113510 | n-type InP Schottky diodes with organic thin layer: Electrical and interfacial properties | The rectifying junction characteristics of methyl red (MR) organic film on n-type InP substrate have been studied. It has been observed that MR-based structure shows an excellent rectifying behavior and that the MR film increases the effective barrier height by influencing the space charge region of the n-type InP. The barrier height and ideality factor values for this structure have been obtained as 0.75 eV and 1.93 from the forward bias current-voltage characteristics, respectively. By using capacitance-voltage characteristics at 1 MHz, the barrier height and the carrier concentration values have been calculated as 0.93 eV and 5.13×1015 cm−3, respectively. The energy distributions of the interface states and their relaxation times have been determined from the forward bias capacitance-frequency and conductance-frequency characteristics. Moreover, it was seen that both the interface-state density and the relaxation time of the interface states decreased with bias voltage from experimental results. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
]
|
10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-12-0762 | Neuropilin 1 Identifies A Subset Of Bone Marrow Gr1 Monocytes That Can Induce Tumor Vessel Normalization And Inhibit Tumor Growth | Improving tumor perfusion, thus tempering tumor-associated hypoxia, is known to impair cancer progression. Previous work from our laboratory has shown that VEGF-A165 and semaphorin 3A (Sema3A) promote vessel maturation through the recruitment of a population of circulating monocytes expressing the neuropilin-1 (Nrp1) receptor (Nrp1-expressing monocytes; NEM). Here, we define the characteristics of bone marrow NEMs and assess whether these cells might represent an exploitable tool to induce tumor vessel maturation. Gene expression signature and surface marker analysis have indicated that NEMs represent a specific subset of CD11b+ Nrp1+ Gr1- resident monocytes, distinctively recruited by Sema3A. NEMs were found to produce several factors involved in vessel maturation, including PDGFb, TGF-β, thrombospondin-1, and CXCL10; consistently, they were chemoattractive for vascular smooth muscle cells in vitro. When directly injected into growing tumors, NEMs, isolated either from the bone marrow or from Sema3A-expressing muscles, exerted antitumor activity despite having no direct effects on the proliferation of tumor cells. NEM inoculation specifically promoted mural cell coverage of tumor vessels and decreased vascular leakiness. Tumors treated with NEMs were smaller, better perfused and less hypoxic, and had a reduced level of activation of HIF-1α. We conclude that NEMs represent a novel, unique population of myeloid cells that, once inoculated into a tumor, induce tumor vessel normalization and inhibit tumor growth. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
W4306850799 | Avaliação da qualidade de vida de crianças e adolescentes com Doenças Desmielinizantes através do questionário genérico pediatric quality of life inventory (PEDSQL) | Introdução: De forma geral, doenças crônicas parecem alterar o eixo psíquico-comportamental. Entretanto, a investigação da qualidade de vida em pacientes pediátricos com diagnóstico de doenças desmielinizantes ainda carece de informações. Objetivo: Avaliar a qualidade de vida de pacientes na faixa etária pediátrica com doenças desmielinizantes acompanhadas no ambulatório de neurologia e incluídas no Estudo Multicêntrico Observacional para Caracterização da Esclerose Múltipla Pediátrica no Brasil (EMOCEMP) por meio do questionário PedSQL, além de associar com possíveis alterações psíquicas. Métodos: Estudo quantitativo descritivo, transversal e de levantamento de dados, realizado por meio da aplicação do questionário PedsQL e Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21). Resultados: Foram avaliadas 24 crianças com doenças desmielinizantes e que estão em acompanhamento no EMOCEMP, sendo observado maior prevalência do diagnóstico de Esclerose Múltipla (29,3%) e Encefalomielite Disseminada Aguda (25%). Desses, 62,5% apresentaram qualidade de vida acima da média. Em relação ao gráfico DASS-21, 25% apresentaram ansiedade e estresse moderados e 17 % depressão moderada. Conclusão: Os dados analisados mostram que, apesar da qualidade de vida nos pacientes analisados estar acima da média descrita pela literatura, há uma alta frequência de alterações psíquicas em pacientes diagnosticados com doenças desmielinizantes na faixa etária pediátrica em acompanhamento no HCB | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
]
|
10.1126/science.aav2522 | Temporal patterning of apical progenitors and their daughter neurons in the developing neocortex | During corticogenesis, distinct subtypes of neurons are sequentially born from ventricular zone progenitors. How these cells are molecularly temporally patterned is poorly understood. We used single-cell RNA sequencing at high temporal resolution to trace the lineage of the molecular identities of successive generations of apical progenitors (APs) and their daughter neurons in mouse embryos. We identified a core set of evolutionarily conserved, temporally patterned genes that drive APs from internally driven to more exteroceptive states. We found that the Polycomb repressor complex 2 (PRC2) epigenetically regulates AP temporal progression. Embryonic age–dependent AP molecular states are transmitted to their progeny as successive ground states, onto which essentially conserved early postmitotic differentiation programs are applied, and are complemented by later-occurring environment-dependent signals. Thus, epigenetically regulated temporal molecular birthmarks present in progenitors act in their postmitotic progeny to seed adult neuronal diversity. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
W1751997818 | Clinical, Electrodiagnostic, and Genetic Features of Tangier Disease in an Adolescent Girl with Presentation of Peripheral Neuropathy | Tangier disease (TD) is a rare, autosomal recessive inherited disorder caused by a mutation in the adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette transporter 1 (ABCA1) gene, which results in a decrease in plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels. Peripheral neuropathy can be seen in approximately 50% of patients with TD, which usually occurs after the age of 15 years, and is characterized by relapsing-remitting mono- or polyneuropathy or syringomyelia-like neuropathy. Herein, we report a 16-year-old female patient who was initially diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy at the age of 13 years. Whole exome sequencing was performed, and a nonsense mutation (p.Arg1817X) in ABCA1 was identified. The patient was investigated for systemic findings of TD after the genetic diagnosis was made, and low (< 5 mg/dL) levels of HDL cholesterol were detected by lipid electrophoresis. Other family members were reexamined after the diagnosis of the proband, and asymptomatic sister of the proband was diagnosed with TD. We would like to emphasize that TD should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pediatric patients presenting with peripheral neuropathy; furthermore detection of HDL levels by lipid electrophoresis is a simple but indicative diagnostic test. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
10.1088/1361-6528/ab19cf | Force sensing with nanowire cantilevers | Nanometer-scale structures with high aspect ratios such as nanowires and nanotubes combine low mechanical dissipation with high resonance frequencies, making them ideal force transducers and scanning probes in applications requiring the highest sensitivity. Such structures promise record force sensitivities combined with ease of use in scanning probe microscopes. A wide variety of possible material compositions and functionalizations is available, allowing for the sensing of various kinds of forces. In addition, nanowires possess quasi-degenerate mechanical mode doublets, which allow for sensitive vectorial force and mass detection. These developments have driven researchers to use nanowire cantilevers in various force sensing applications, which include imaging of sample surface topography, detection of optomechanical, electrical, and magnetic forces, and magnetic resonance force microscopy. In this review, we discuss the motivation behind using nanowires as force transducers, explain the methods of force sensing with nanowire cantilevers, and give an overview of the experimental progress so far and future prospects of the field. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Materials Engineering",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
339993 | Tool Use As A Tool For Understanding Causal Cognition In Humans And Corvids | Our ability to understand causality is at the very core of modern civilization. We see potential antecedents of this understanding in some non-human animals, notably apes and corvids. To date, behaviour thought to be indicative of causal understanding, particularly tool-use, has been mainly described as a phenomenon rather than studied as a mechanism and thus suffers from the lack of an experimentally-tested theoretical framework and deconstructive analysis. This significantly constrains our progress in answering key questions such as: (1) how do humans understand the physical world and solve problems? (2) what other ways of understanding causality and problem solving has evolution produced? (3) what selective pressures lead to the evolution of causal cognition? Each of these questions constitutes an area where there exists enormous potential to advance cognitive science. The overarching aim is to create a coherent, experimentally-tested, theoretical framework of the cognitive mechanisms underlying causal knowledge in corvids and humans, both young and adult. The advantage of our approach is that we will study two types of mind that have very different neural machineries and investigate the similarities and differences in their cognitive processes. We will create a sufficient level of abstraction to develop a deep theory of cognition, something that would not be possible by studying only a single species and its close evolutionary relatives. One of the most exciting aspects is that we will begin to map the ‘universal mind’ (i.e. the cognitive mechanisms that are repeatedly created by convergent evolution) to provide a quantum leap in our understanding of cognition. Finally, by discovering evolved biases in children’s learning and reasoning mechanisms we will pave the way for new teaching methods that boost learning in the classroom by appealing to the way children naturally understand the world. | [
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
]
|
10.1002/adma.201908518 | Topological Engineering of Pt-Group-Metal-Based Chiral Crystals toward High-Efficiency Hydrogen Evolution Catalysts | It has been demonstrated that topological nontrivial surface states can favor heterogeneous catalysis processes such as the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), but a further decrease in mass loading and an increase in activity are still highly challenging. The observation of massless chiral fermions associated with large topological charge and long Fermi arc (FA) surface states inspires the investigation of their relationship with the charge transfer and adsorption process in the HER. In this study, it is found that the HER efficiency of Pt-group metals can be boosted significantly by introducing topological order. A giant nontrivial topological energy window and a long topological surface FA are expected at the surface when forming chiral crystals in the space group of P213 (#198). This makes the nontrivial topological features resistant to a large change in the applied overpotential. As HER catalysts, PtAl and PtGa chiral crystals show turnover frequencies as high as 5. 6 and 17. 1 s−1 and an overpotential as low as 14 and 13. 3 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2. These crystals outperform those of commercial Pt and nanostructured catalysts. This work opens a new avenue for the development of high-efficiency catalysts with the strategy of topological engineering of excellent transitional catalytic materials. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
W2494351791 | Impact of Pay TV Market Structure and Competition on Digital Switch Over of Cable TV | Cable TV with largest subscription base in pay TV market has difficulty in managing the task of digital switch over. This study analyzed the factors in delay of cable TV switch over and examined the impact of pay TV market structure and competition. The delaying factors turned out to be the lack of incentives and resources of cable TV operators, insufficient policy measures and acceptance tolerance issues of subscribers. Since cable TV operators with monopolistic status in pay TV market had continuous profit from analog service, they were not responsive to digital switch over which requires additional investment. Policy measures including support for the low income household and mandatory cut-off point for stopping analog broadcasting. Subscriber`s willingness to accept digital broadcasting in terms of price sensitivity and preference for convenient operation also played a role. Introduction of IPTV in pay TV market influenced the speed of digital switch over of cable TV operators. MSOs with economies of scale showed higher digital switch over rate than independent SO. | [
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations",
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems"
]
|
W1988117583 | SHARE 2012: large edge targets for hyperspectral imaging applications | Spectral unmixing is a type of hyperspectral imagery (HSI) sub-pixel analysis where the constituent spectra and abundances within the pixel are identified. However, validating the results obtained from spectral unmixing is very difficult due to a lack of real-world data and ground-truth information associated with these real-world images. Real HSI data is preferred for validating spectral unmixing, but when there is no HSI truth-data available, then validation of spectral unmixing algorithms relies on user-defined synthetic images which can be generated to exploit the benefits (or hide the flaws) in the new unmixing approaches. Here we introduce a new dataset (SHARE 2012: large edge targets) for the validation of spectral unmixing algorithms. The SHARE 2012 large edge targets are uniform 9m by 9m square regions of a single material (grass, sand, black felt, or white TyVek). The spectral profile and the GPS of the corners of the materials were recorded so that the heading of the edge separating any two materials can be determined from the imagery. An estimate for the abundance of two neighboring materials along a common edge can be calculated geometrically by identifying the edge which spans multiple pixels. These geometrically calculated abundances can then be used as validation of spectral unmixing algorithms. The size, shape, and spectral profiles of these targets also make them useful for radiometric calibration, atmospheric adjacency effects, and sensor MTF calculations. The imagery and ground-truth information are presented here. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
DE 2005002320 W | METHOD FOR THE OPERATION OF A GATEWAY | The invention relates, among other things, to a method for operating a gateway which is connected to a databus (30) operating at least according to a first data transmission protocol and is connected to at least one electric appliance (60) by means of or independently of the databus, said at least one electric appliance (60) operating according to a second data transmission protocol. According to the invention, the gateway (20) is configured by means of a configuration device (40) that is connected to the databus (30) by transmitting configuration data (GD) to the gateway (40) via the databus (30) with the aid of the configuration device (40). The configuration data (GD) transmitted to the gateway (40) allows data (D2) according to the second data transmission protocol to be converted into data according to the first data transmission protocol, or vice versa. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
Q4254226 | LIQUIDITY SUPPORT FOR MICRO-ENTERPRISES AFFECTED BY THE COVID EMERGENCY | SUPPORT FOR THE LIQUIDITY OF MICRO AND SMALL ENTERPRISES IN THE RETAIL, SUPPLY AND PERSONAL SERVICES SECTORS WHOSE ACTIVITY HAS BEEN SUSPENDED AS A RESULT OF THE PRIME MINISTERIAL DECREE OF 11 MARCH 2020 | [
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations"
]
|
W1972944635 | Global Patterns of Phytoplankton Dynamics in Coastal Ecosystems | [1] Scientific Committee on Ocean Research Working Group 137 Meeting; Hangzhou, China, 17–21 October 2010; Phytoplankton biomass and community structure have undergone dramatic changes in coastal ecosystems over the past several decades in response to climate variability and human disturbance. These changes have short- and long-term impacts on global carbon and nutrient cycling, food web structure and productivity, and coastal ecosystem services. There is a need to identify the underlying processes and measure the rates at which they alter coastal ecosystems on a global scale. Hence, the Scientific Committee on Ocean Research (SCOR) formed Working Group 137 (WG 137), “Global Patterns of Phytoplankton Dynamics in Coastal Ecosystems: A Comparative Analysis of Time Series Observations” (http://wg137.net/). This group evolved from a 2007 AGU-sponsored Chapman Conference entitled “Long Time-Series Observations in Coastal Ecosystems: Comparative Analyses of Phytoplankton Dynamics on Regional to Global Scales.” | [
"Earth System Science",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
]
|
10.1007/jhep01(2019)186 | Analytic helicity amplitudes for two-loop five-gluon scattering: the single-minus case | Abstract
We present a compact analytic expression for the leading colour two-loop five-gluon amplitude in Yang-Mills theory with a single negative helicity and four positive helicities. The analytic result is reconstructed from numerical evaluations over finite fields. The numerical method combines integrand reduction, integration-by-parts identities and Laurent expansion into a basis of pentagon functions to compute the coefficients directly from six-dimensional generalised unitarity cuts. | [
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter",
"Mathematics"
]
|
2726759 | Big data for open innovation energy marketplace | Energy power systems face big challenges to cope with grid integration demands of an ever-increasing number of distributed generation and consumption devices in an interconnected world. Technology offers a huge range of opportunities to develop solutions in the uncertain current and upcoming Energy market situation. This proposal considers Open Innovation as a natural solution to create a seamless link and balance between energy stakeholders needs and the solutions to be developed. Nowadays, old metering, operation and control devices are combined with smart systems with a huge amount of data being available yet unused or underused. This data offers a wide range of possibilities to improve existing energy services and creating new ones, all available in an Open Innovation Marketplace, and processed through an Analytic Toolbox. BD4OPEM will develop this Analytic Toolbox, based on Big data techniques, providing tools for enabling efficient business processes in the energy sector. By extracting more value from available data, a range of innovative services will be created in the fields of grid monitoring, operation and maintenance, network planning, fraud detection, smart houses/buildings/industries energy management, blockchain transactions and flexibility aggregation for demand-response. The Open Innovation Marketplace will ensure secure data flows from data providers to solution providers, always compliant with GDPR requirements, so that asset management is enhanced, consumer participation in energy balancing is promoted and new data-driven business models are created through innovative energy services. The project will demonstrate the above features in four large scale pilots with diverse distributed energy sources (e.g. PV, wind, hydro, EV, storage…), while promoting the competitiveness and synergies of Sustainable innovations and IT Ecosystems in Europe. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
171202 | Crosstalk between nuclear envelope and dna damage response: role of nucleoporin tpr in the maintenance of genomic integrity | Each cell in the human body receives thousands of DNA lesions per day. To counteract threats posed by DNA damage, cells have evolved an integrated signaling network called the DNA-damage response (DDR). This mechanism allows cells to detect DNA lesions, signal their presence and promote their repair. Mutation of DDR genes, which serves as a biological barrier against tumor progression, leads to cancer development2. A large-scale proteomic analysis of proteins phosphorylated in response to DNA damage by checkpoint kinases ATM and ATR identified extensive protein networks responsive to DNA damage. Interestingly, among the proteins identified to be phosphorylated upon DNA damage were several nuclear pore complex factors including nucleoporin Translocated Promoter Region (TPR)5. TPR was previously linked to cancer since its N-terminal domain has been found fused with the protein kinase domains of various proto-oncogenes such as RAF and MET resulting in human solid tumors. TPR expression level was found deregulated in many types of human tumors such as breast and liver cancer8. Amplification of TPR was also significantly associated with a shorter survival of patients with pediatric intracranial ependymomas9. All these findings support a critical role for TPR in the mechanism of oncogenesis. By employing state-of-the-art proteomics (SILAC), genetics (in vitro mutagenesis), genomics (DNA binding profiling) and imaging (electron microscopy) technologies we will investigate how TPR prevents tumor genesis via its role in the DDR network coordinating DNA repair, DNA replication and chromatin condensation with the nuclear envelope upon DNA damage. Providing mechanistic insight into the role of TPR in DDR and the maintenance of genome stability will not only contribute to our understanding of molecular principles of response to damaged DNA, but will allow us to optimize existing cancer treatments and design new molecular targeted therapies in the future. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
10.1088/0004-637X/796/2/84 | Alma Imaging Of Gas And Dust In A Galaxy Protocluster At Redshift 5 3 Cii Emission In Typical Galaxies And Dusty Starbursts 1 Billion Years After The Big Bang | We report interferometric imaging of [CII] and OH emission toward the center of the galaxy protocluster associated with the z=5. 3 submillimeter galaxy (SMG) AzTEC-3, using the Atacama Large (sub)Millimeter Array (ALMA). We detect strong [CII], OH, and rest-frame 157. 7 um continuum emission toward the SMG. The [CII] emission is distributed over a scale of 3. 9 kpc, implying a dynamical mass of 9. 7 x 10^10 Msun, and a star formation rate (SFR) surface density of Sigma_SFR = 530 Msun/yr/kpc2. This suggests that AzTEC-3 forms stars at Sigma_SFR approaching the Eddington limit for radiation pressure supported disks. We find that the OH emission is slightly blueshifted relative to the [CII] line, which may indicate a molecular outflow associated with the peak phase of the starburst. We also detect and dynamically resolve [CII] emission over a scale of 7. 5 kpc toward a triplet of Lyman-break galaxies with moderate UV-based SFRs in the protocluster at ~95kpc projected distance from the SMG. These galaxies are not detected in the continuum, suggesting far-infrared SFRs of 5, showing that ALMA can detect the interstellar medium in "typical" galaxies in the very early universe. | [
"Universe Sciences",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
851196 | 'Living' Colloidal Liquid Crystals | We propose an unprecedented class of soft, self-assembled and self-motile micro-machines. The combined qualities of active fluids and colloidal liquid crystals can be leveraged to design intrinsically out-of- equilibrium hierarchal structures, or ‘Living’ Colloidal Liquid Crystals [LC]2. The study of colloidal interactions and self-assembly in active nematics has yet to be considered and constitutes an unexplored and inter-disciplinary application of the emerging sciences of active matter and colloidal liquid crystals. Activity will endow dynamical multi-scale colloidal structures with autonomous functionality, including self-motility, self-revolution and dynamical self-transformations, which are exactly the characteristics one would desire for a first generation of autonomous components of micro-biomechanical systems and soft micro-machines. As hybrids between biological active fluids and man-made materials, [LC]2 structures represent an early foray into ‘living’ metamaterials, in which active self-assembly of simple components produces a rich diversity of behaviours and the potential for autonomously tunable material properties, mimicking biological complexity. In particular, we hypothesize self-assembled [LC]2 dimer turbines, colloidal flagella and ant-like group retrieval. These systems represent a fundamentally innovative concept that we propose to drive nanotechnology into a new future of soft materials that biomimetically self-assemble and autonomously enact functions. It is our multiscale coarse-grained simulations and expertise in flowing active nematic fluids that generates the opportunity for this unique line of research. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Materials Engineering",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.1098/rspa.2016.0187 | The surprising dynamics of a chain on a pulley: lift off and snapping | The motion of weights attached to a chain or string moving on a frictionless pulley is a classic problem of introductory physics used to understand the relationship between force and acceleration. Here, we consider the dynamics of the chain when one of the weights is removed and, thus, one end is pulled with constant acceleration. This simple change has dramatic consequences for the ensuing motion: at a finite time, the chain ‘lifts off’ from the pulley, and the free end subsequently accelerates
faster
than the end that is pulled. Eventually, the chain undergoes a dramatic reversal of curvature reminiscent of the crack or snap, of a whip. We combine experiments, numerical simulations and theoretical arguments to explain key aspects of this dynamical problem. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
10.1098/rstb.2017.0315 | Modelling tropical forest responses to drought and El Niño with a stomatal optimization model based on xylem hydraulics | The current generation of dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs) lacks a mechanistic representation of vegetation responses to soil drought, impairing their ability to accurately predict Earth system responses to future climate scenarios and climatic anomalies, such as El Niño events. We propose a simple numerical approach to model plant responses to drought coupling stomatal optimality theory and plant hydraulics that can be used in dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs). The model is validated against stand-scale forest transpiration (
E
) observations from a long-term soil drought experiment and used to predict the response of three Amazonian forest sites to climatic anomalies during the twentieth century. We show that our stomatal optimization model produces realistic stomatal responses to environmental conditions and can accurately simulate how tropical forest
E
responds to seasonal, and even long-term soil drought. Our model predicts a stronger cumulative effect of climatic anomalies in Amazon forest sites exposed to soil drought during El Niño years than can be captured by alternative empirical drought representation schemes. The contrasting responses between our model and empirical drought factors highlight the utility of hydraulically-based stomatal optimization models to represent vegetation responses to drought and climatic anomalies in DGVMs. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘The impact of the 2015/2016 El Niño on the terrestrial tropical carbon cycle: patterns, mechanisms and implications’. | [
"Earth System Science",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
]
|
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