id
stringlengths 6
42
| title
stringlengths 3
499
| abstract
stringlengths 0
6.24k
| label
listlengths 1
6
|
|---|---|---|---|
225298 | How do tannins kill parasitic worms? | Infection with gastrointestinal parasites is one of the most severe impediments on sustainable production of meat and milk from grazing livestock. Widespread resistance to the small number of available synthetic drugs has rendered continued prophylactic drug treatment unsustainable. One solution is to graze animals on bioactive forages that contain bioactive compounds with anti-parasitic activity such as condensed tannins (CT). This approach has been shown to be effective in reducing parasitic infection in grazing sheep and cattle, but as yet the anthelmintic mechanism of CT is unknown. The aim of the current proposal is to use highly purified CT molecules to investigate how CT bind to nematode parasites, and the role of CT polymer size in the binding properties. Furthermore, transcriptomics and functional biochemical experiments will be used to elucidate the biological pathways that are perturbed in nematodes after exposure to sub-lethal doses of CT in vitro. This unique multidisciplinary project will involve leading groups in both veterinary parasitology and phytochemistry, and combine the latest techniques in molecular parasitology and tannin chemistry. It is envisaged that the unique skill sets obtained from the project will be highly beneficial to my future career, as well as uncovering novel insights into the biological properties of CT that will greatly aid the practical future use of CT-containing forages, thus ensuring the continued sustainability of pasture-based livestock production. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
10.1051/0004-6361/201423723 | Impact Of Micro Telluric Lines On Precise Radial Velocities And Its Correction | In the near future, new instruments such as ESPRESSO will arrive, allowing us to reach a precision in radial velocity measurements on the order of 10 cm s-1. At this level of precision, several noise sources that until now have been outweighed by photon noise will start to contribute significantly to the error budget. The telluric lines that are not neglected by the masks for the radial velocity computation, here called micro-telluric lines, are one such noise source. Aims. In this work we investigate the impact of micro-telluric lines in the radial velocities calculations. We also investigate how to correct the effect of these atmospheric lines on radial velocities. Methods. The work presented here follows two parallel lines. First, we calculated the impact of the micro-telluric lines by multiplying a synthetic solar-like stellar spectrum by synthetic atmospheric spectra and evaluated the effect created by the presence of the telluric lines. Then, we divided HARPS spectra by synthetic atmospheric spectra to correct for its presence on real data and calculated the radial velocity on the corrected spectra. When doing so, one considers two atmospheric models for the synthetic atmospheric spectra: the LBLRTM and TAPAS. Results. We find that the micro-telluric lines can induce an impact on the radial velocity calculation that can already be close to the current precision achieved with HARPS, and so its effect should not be neglected, especially for future instruments such as ESPRESSO. Moreover, we find that the micro-telluric lines' impact depends on factors, such as the radial velocity of the star, airmass, relative humidity, and the barycentric Earth radial velocity projected along the line of sight at the time of the observation. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Universe Sciences"
]
|
897283 | The gut microbiota and its systemic effects on metabolism and atherosclerotic disease | Atherosclerosis is the main pathological mechanism causing myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke. Evidence has mounted about the association between the gut microbiota and cardiovascular disease, but whether the associations are causal is largely unknown. For optimal prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease, there is an urgent need to determine whether there are any true effects that might be targeted by interventions. The overall goal of this project is to assess causality between gut microbiota and atherosclerotic disease and to provide easily accessible biomarkers for an atherosclerosis-enhancing gut microbiota. To this end, the research program has three main objectives:
1.) Identification of gut microbiota characteristics associated with atherosclerosis measured by coronary computed tomography angiography and high-resolution carotid ultrasound in a population-based sample of 10,000 individuals and through prospective follow-up for myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke. The microbiota will be characterized by next-generation sequencing techniques in faecal samples.
2.) Identification of plasma biomarkers associated with an atherosclerosis- enhancing microbiota using comprehensive metabolomics profiling of 800 named metabolites in plasma from 800 individuals with replication in additional 800 individuals
3.) Clarification of the causal effects of gut microbiota characteristics on atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction and stroke by development of novel genetic instruments and applying Mendelian Randomization analysis
I have access to unique study materials and documented experience of successful projects using large scale -omics data and state-of-the-art epidemiological methodologies. My project is expected to lead to the identification of characteristics of an atherosclerosis-enhancing gut microbiota and associated plasma biomarkers that may open up new avenues for effective prevention of atherosclerotic disease. | [
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
W2144927639 | Early effect of dutasteride added to alpha-1 blocker therapy for patients with lower urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia | Objective To investigate the hypothesis that 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors exert early ameliorative effects on voiding and storage symptoms in men with lower urinary tract symptom-associated benign prostatic hyperplasia. Methods This was a prospective study involving the participation of eight outpatient clinics in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. The patients received dutasteride (0.5 mg) once daily orally for 24 weeks as an add-on to their ongoing therapy with an alpha-1 blocker. The study patients recorded their urinary symptoms every day for 14 days after starting dutasteride. The International Prostate Symptom Score, prostate volume, uroflowmetry results, and residual urine volume were checked at 3 and 6 months after starting dutasteride. Results A total of eighty-eight patients participated in the present study; 74 were eligible for analysis of the early effects of dutasteride. The median age was 69.6 years (range 54–89), the median prostate volume was 50.3 mL (range 24.7–103.3) and the median International Prostate Symptom Score was 17.6 (range 8–35). The proportion of patients with International Prostate Symptom Score improvements (≥3 points, or ≥25%) or 3 points or more decreased International Prostate Symptom Score were defined effective, 37 (50.0%) and 47 (63.5%) experienced improvement at 1 month after administration, respectively. Conclusion This is the first prospective clinical study to show the early beneficial effects of 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors for lower urinary tract symptom-associated benign prostatic hyperplasia. Patients with severe symptoms were found to be responsive to dutasteride. The influence of the placebo effect was not denied. Further study is necessary. | [
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
10.1021/jp406458a | Electrochemical write and read functionality through oxidative dimerization of spiropyran self-assembled monolayers on gold | In contrast to their photochromism, the electrochemistry of spiropyrans in self-assembled monolayers has attracted only modest attention in recent years. In this contribution the electrochemical oxidation of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of 6-nitro-BIPS spiropyran (SP) prepared on polycrystalline gold surfaces is described. The SAMs were characterized with cyclic voltammetry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), and UV/vis absorption spectroelectrochemistry. The electrochemical oxidation of spiropyrans in solution results in aryl C-C coupling of the indole units and thereby the formation of a symmetric spiropyran dimer. Comparison of spectroscopic data obtained for electrochemically oxidized spiropyran dimers in solution with data from monolayers confirms that a similar oxidative coupling occurs in the SAMs on gold also. The dimer formed can be oxidized electrochemically to monocationic and dicationic states and shows remarkably good stability in UHV and ambient conditions in all three redox states. In addition, the dimerized spiropyran self-assembled monolayer show photochromism, which was characterized by XPS and SERS spectroscopy. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0782-11.2011 | Long Term Imaging Reveals Dynamic Changes In The Neuronal Composition Of The Glomerular Layer | The mammalian olfactory bulb (OB) contains a rich and highly heterogeneous network of local interneurons (INs). These INs undergo continuous turnover in the adult OB in a process known as “adult neurogenesis. ” Although the overall magnitude of adult neurogenesis has been estimated, the detailed dynamics of the different subpopulations remains largely unknown. Here we present a novel preparation that enables long-term in vivo time-lapse imaging in the mouse OB through a chronic cranial window in a virtually unlimited number of sessions. Using this preparation, we followed the turnover of a specific neuronal population in the OB, the dopaminergic (DA) neurons, for as long as 9 months. By following the same population over long periods of time, we found clear addition and loss of DA neurons in the glomerular layer. Both cell addition and loss increased over time. The numbers of new DA cells were consistently and significantly higher than lost DA cells, suggesting a net increase in the size of this particular population with age. Over a 9 month period of adult life, the net addition of DA neurons reached ∼13%. Our data argue that the fine composition of the bulbar IN network changes throughout adulthood rather than simply being replenished. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration"
]
|
10.1007/s00737-014-0428-5 | Applying polygenic risk scores to postpartum depression | The etiology of major depressive disorder (MDD) is likely to be heterogeneous, but postpartum depression (PPD) is hypothesized to represent a more homogenous subset of MDD. We use genome-wide SNP data to explore this hypothesis. We assembled a total cohort of 1,420 self-report cases of PPD and 9,473 controls with genome-wide genotypes from Australia, The Netherlands, Sweden and the UK. We estimated the total variance attributable to genotyped variants. We used association results from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortia (PGC) of bipolar disorder (BPD) and MDD to create polygenic scores in PPD and related MDD data sets to estimate the genetic overlap between the disorders. We estimated that the percentage of variance on the liability scale explained by common genetic variants to be 0. 22 with a standard error of 0. 12, p = 0. 02. The proportion of variance (R2) from a logistic regression of PPD case/control status in all four cohorts on a SNP profile score weighted by PGC-BPD association results was small (0. 1 %) but significant (p = 0. 004) indicating a genetic overlap between BPD and PPD. The results were highly significant in the Australian and Dutch cohorts (R2 > 1. 1 %, p < 0. 008), where the majority of cases met criteria for MDD. The genetic overlap between BPD and MDD was not significant in larger Australian and Dutch MDD case/control cohorts after excluding PPD cases (R2 = 0. 06 %, p = 0. 08), despite the larger MDD group affording more power. Our results suggest an empirical genetic evidence for a more important shared genetic etiology between BPD and PPD than between BPD and MDD. | [
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System"
]
|
10.1109/TWC.2016.2588468 | Performance Analysis Of Non Linear Generalized Pre Coding Aided Spatial Modulation | Developed from the recently emerged generalized pre-coding aided spatial modulation (GPSM) concept, a novel non-linear GPSM scheme based on the powerful vector perturbation philosophy is proposed, where a particular subset of receive antennas is activated and the specific activation pattern itself conveys useful implicit information in addition to the conventional modulated and perturbed symbols. Explicitly, both the infinite and finite alphabet capacities are derived for the proposed non-linear GPSM scheme. The associated complexity, energy efficiency, and error probability are also investigated. Our numerical results show that, as the only known non-linear realization within the spatial modulation family, the proposed scheme constitutes an attractive solution to the flexible design of green transceivers, since it is capable of striking a compelling compromise amongst the key performance indicators of throughput, energy consumption, complexity, and performance. In particular, in the challenging full-rank scenario, conveying information through receive antenna indices exhibits a lower complexity, a higher energy efficiency, and a better error resilience than that of the conventional arrangement. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
279702 | Beacons in the Dark | BEACON aims at performing an ambitious multi-disciplinary (optical, radio astronomy and theoretical physics) study to enable a fundamentally improved understanding of gravitation and space-time. For almost a century Einstein's general relativity has been the last word on gravity. However, superstring theory predicts new gravitational phenomena beyond relativity. In this proposal I will attempt to detect these new phenomena, with a sensitivity 20 times better than state-of-the-art attempts. A successful detection would take physics beyond its current understanding of the Universe.
These new gravitational phenomena are emission of dipolar gravitational waves and the violation of the strong equivalence principle (SEP). I plan to look for them by timing newly discovered binary pulsars. I will improve upon the best current limits on dipolar gravitational wave emission by a factor of 20 within the time of this proposal. I also plan to develop a test of the Strong Equivalence Principle using a new pulsar/main-sequence star binary. The precision of this test is likely to surpass the current best limits within the time frame of this proposal and then keep improving indefinitely with time. This happens because this is the cleanest gravitational experiment ever carried out.
In order to further these goals, I plan to build the ultimate pulsar observing system. By taking advantage of recent technological advances in microwave engineering (particularly sensitive ultra-wide band receivers) digital electronics (fast analogue-to-digital converters and digital spectrometers) and computing, my team and me will be able to greatly improve the sensitivity and precision for pulsar timing experiments and exploit the capabilities of modern radio telescopes to their limits.
Pulsars are the beacons that will guide me in these new, uncharted seas. | [
"Universe Sciences",
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter"
]
|
W4378881529 | Russia's “Space” Diplomacy: Why We Should Look Back to the Soviet Years | La guerre actuelle en Ukraine a soulevé avec une acuité particulière la question de la diplomatie scientifique, de ses capacités et de ses limites. Les précédents historiques des relations spatiales internationales du point de vue de la coopération et de la concurrence technoscientifiques peuvent être étudiés pour en tirer une expérience précieuse. Cet article se concentre sur deux questions majeures. La première concerne la diplomatie scientifique soviétique dans l'espace pendant la Guerre froide. Une attention particulière est accordée à la définition du concept d’“espace” par les sciences humaines en général et en particulier par les historiens de la Guerre froide. Deuxièmement, sur la base de mon expérience à l'école de diplomatie scientifique de Varsovie 2021, je tire des conclusions sur les défis de l'enseignement des études de cas historiques aux futurs spécialistes dans le domaine de la diplomatie scientifique. | [
"The Study of the Human Past",
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems"
]
|
W2256195103 | An internally consistent data product for the world ocean: the Global Ocean Data Analysis Project, version 2 (GLODAPv2) | Abstract. For version 2 of the Global Ocean Data Analysis Project (GLODAPv2) we collated data from 724 scientific cruises covering the global ocean: data assembled in the previous efforts GLODAPv1.1 (Global Ocean Data Analysis Project version 1.1) in 2004, CARINA (CARbon IN the Atlantic) in 2009/10, and PACIFICA (PACIFic ocean Interior CArbon) in 2013, and an additional 168 cruises. Twelve core parameters (salinity, oxygen, macronutrients, seawater CO2 chemistry parameters and halogenated transient tracers) have been subjected to extensive quality control including systematic evaluation of biases between cruises. The data are available in two formats: (i) as submitted but updated to WOCE exchange format whenever required, and (ii) as a merged and calibrated data product. In the latter, adjustments have been applied to remove significant biases, respecting occurrences of any known or likely time trends. Adjustments determined by previous efforts have been re-evaluated. Hence, GLODAPv2 is not a simple merge of previous collections and some new data, but represents a unique, internally consistent data product. The original data and their documentation and doi codes are available at the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (http://cdiac.ornl.gov/oceans/GLODAPv2/). This site also provides access to the calibrated data product, which is provided as a single global file or 4 regional ones: the Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, under the doi:10.3334/CDIAC/OTG.NDP093_GLODAPv2. The product files also include significant ancillary and approximated data. The latter were obtained either by interpolation of, or by calculation from, measured data. This paper documents the GLODAPv2 history, methods, and products, including a broad overview of the secondary quality control results. The magnitude of and reasoning behind the adjustments are available on a per cruise and parameter basis in an online Adjustment Table. | [
"Earth System Science",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
W1489035134 | Multi-RCM ensemble downscaling of NCEP CFS winter season forecasts: Implications for seasonal hydrologic forecast skill | [1] We assess the value of dynamical versus statistical downscaling of National Centers for Environmental Prediction's (NCEP) Climate Forecast System (CFS) winter season forecasts for seasonal hydrologic forecasting. Dynamically downscaled CFS forecasts for 1 December to 30 April of 1982–2003 were obtained from the Multi-RCM Ensemble Downscaling (MRED) project that used multiple Regional Climate Models (RCMs) to downscale CFS forecasts. Statistical downscaling of CFS forecasts was achieved by a much simpler bias correction and spatial downscaling method. We evaluate forecast accuracy of runoff (RO), soil moisture (SM), and snow water equivalent produced by a hydrology model forced with dynamically (the MRED forecasts) and statistically downscaled CFS forecasts in comparison with predictions of those variables produced by forcing the same hydrology model with gridded observations (reference data set). Our results show that the MRED forecasts produce modest skill beyond what results from statistical downscaling of CFS. Although the improvement in hydrologic forecast skill associated with the ensemble average of the MRED forecasts (Multimodel) relative to statistical downscaled CFS forecasts is field significant for RO and SM forecasts with up to 3 months lead, the region of improvement is mainly limited to parts of the northwest and north central U.S. In general, one or more RCMs outperform the other RCMs as well as the Multimodel. Hence, we argue that careful selection of RCMs (based on their hindcast skill over any given region) is critical to improving hydrologic forecast skill using dynamical downscaling. | [
"Earth System Science",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.4310/CMS.2014.v12.n1.a3 | Few ways to destroy entropic chaoticity on KAC's sphere | In this work we discuss a few ways to create chaotic families that are not entropically chaotic on Kac's Sphere. We present two types of examples:limiting convex combinations of an entropically chaotic family with a particularly 'bad' non-entropic family, and two explicitly computable families that vary rapidly with N, causing loss of support on the sphere or high entropic tails. | [
"Mathematics"
]
|
US 201514840411 A | Magnetic sensor annealing using a rocking field | Implementations described and claimed herein provide a system comprising an external magnetic field generator, wherein the external field magnetic field generator is configured to rock an effective annealing magnetic field between a first positive angle and a second negative angle compared to a desired pinning field orientation in an AFM/PL structure. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1088/0004-637X/782/1/33 | The Pan Starrs1 Medium Deep Survey The Role Of Galaxy Group Environment In The Star Formation Rate Versus Stellar Mass Relation And Quiescent Fraction Out To Z 0 8 | Using a large optically selected sample of field and group galaxies drawn from the Pan-STARRS1 Medium-Deep Survey (PS1/MDS), we present a detailed analysis of the specific star formation rate (SSFR)—stellar mass (M *) relation, as well as the quiescent fraction versus M * relation in different environments. While both the SSFR and the quiescent fraction depend strongly on stellar mass, the environment also plays an important role. Using this large galaxy sample, we confirm that the fraction of quiescent galaxies is strongly dependent on environment at a fixed stellar mass, but that the amplitude and the slope of the star-forming sequence is similar between the field and groups: in other words, the SSFR-density relation at a fixed stellar mass is primarily driven by the change in the star-forming and quiescent fractions between different environments rather than a global suppression in the star formation rate for the star-forming population. However, when we restrict our sample to the cluster-scale environments (M > 1014 M ☉), we find a global reduction in the SSFR of the star-forming sequence of 17% at 4σ confidence as opposed to its field counterpart. After removing the stellar mass dependence of the quiescent fraction seen in field galaxies, the excess in the quiescent fraction due to the environment quenching in groups and clusters is found to increase with stellar mass, although deeper and larger data from the full PS1/MDS will be required to draw firm conclusions. We argue that these results are in favor of galaxy mergers to be the primary environment quenching mechanism operating in galaxy groups whereas strangulation is able to reproduce the observed trend in the environment quenching efficiency and stellar mass relation seen in clusters. Our results also suggest that the relative importance between mass quenching and environment quenching depends on stellar mass—the mass quenching plays a dominant role in producing quiescent galaxies for more massive galaxies, while less massive galaxies are quenched mostly through the environmental effect, with the transition mass around 1-2 × 1010 M ☉ in the group/cluster environment. | [
"Universe Sciences"
]
|
647121 | Running away and radiating | Particle acceleration and radiation in plasmas has a wide variety of applications, ranging from cancer therapy and lightning initiation, to the improved design of fusion devices for large scale energy production. The goal of this project is to build a flexible ensemble of theoretical and numerical models that describes the acceleration processes and the resulting fast particle dynamics in two focus areas: magnetic fusion plasmas and laser-produced plasmas. This interdisciplinary approach
is a new way of studying charged particle acceleration. It will lead to a deeper understanding of the complex interactions that characterise fast particle behaviour in plasmas. Plasmas are complex systems, with many kinds of interacting electromagnetic (EM) waves and charged particles. For such a system it is infeasible to build one model which captures both the small scale physics and the large scale phenomena. Therefore we aim to develop several complementary models, in one common framework, and make sure they agree in overlapping regions. The common framework will be built layer-by-layer, using models derived from first principles in a systematic way, with theory closely linked to numerics and validated by experimental observations. The key object of study is the evolution of the velocity-space particle distribution in time and space. The main challenge is the strong coupling between the distribution and the EM-field, which requires models with self-consistent coupling of Maxwell’s equations and kinetic equations. For the latter we will use Vlasov-Fokker-Planck solvers extended with advanced collision operators. Interesting aspects include non-Maxwellian distributions, instabilities, shock-wave formation and avalanches. The resulting theoretical framework and the corresponding code-suite will be a novel instrument for advanced studies of charged particle acceleration. Due to the generality of our approach, the
applicability will reach far beyond the two focus areas. | [
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
243212 | Evolutionary and functional analysis of polymorphic inversions in the human genome | The last years have seen an extraordinary explosion of studies characterizing genome variation at different levels, and have opened new opportunities in deciphering the genetic basis of phenotypic characteristics and the evolutionary forces involved. One of the major breakthroughs has been the discovery of an unprecedented degree of structural variation in the human genome, including deletions, duplications and inversions. However, the main challenge is to understand the biological significance of these genomic changes. In particular, for many years inversions have been the paradigm of evolutionary biology. Thus, the identification of the whole set of human inversions gives us a unique opportunity to investigate the functional and evolutionary consequences of this type of changes at a large scale. The specific objectives of the project are: (1) Catalogue the precise location of all common polymorphic inversions in the human genome; (2) Determine the population distribution and the evolutionary history of these inversions; (3) Investigate the functional consequences and the effects on gene expression of human inversions; and (4) Assess the effect of inversions on nucleotide variation patterns and the role of natural selection in their maintenance. This project will follow a multidisciplinary approach that combines experimental and bioinformatic analyses and will benefit from the great amount of information on the human genome already available and that will be generated in the next months. The proposed research therefore represents a very appropriate and timely contribution to the study of human structural variation and its role in phenotypic variation and evolution. Furthermore, it will provide additional insights on genome function, gene-expression regulation mechanisms, and the association of genetic changes and particular traits, and promises to stir novel hypothesis for future studies. | [
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
10.1111/ibi.12632 | Patterns of association at feeder stations for Common Pheasants released into the wild: sexual segregation by space and time | Sexual segregation is common and can occur when sexes occupy different habitats, and/or when sexes aggregate assortatively within the same habitats. However, it is rarely studied in birds, with most previous work concentrating on differential settlement by the sexes in discrete habitats, often separated by large distances. Little attention has been paid to patterns of segregation within the same site. We reared 200 Common Pheasants Phasianus colchicus and released them onto a relatively small site of 250 ha and recorded their patterns of association and differential use of artificial feeders in space and time. Particular feeders were preferred by one sex, although we found no features of the local habitat which explained such preferences. Furthermore, we found sex differences in the use of feeders throughout the day, with females preferentially visiting them in the morning and the proportion of females visiting feeders increasing as the year progressed. Social network analyses found that in the first month after release into the wild, females did not associate strongly with other females, which was surprising as, prior to release, females have been shown to associate with other females in both semi-natural conditions and when tested in isolation. However, sexual segregation was clearly seen after 1 month of being released and became more pronounced as the year progressed. Females associated with other females from November to February, whereas males avoided other males over this same period. Sexes became less likely to associate with one another in 5 of the 6 months monitored. Such avoidance observed in males suggests that they start to form territories much sooner than previously thought. Pheasants exhibit clear patterns of fine-scale sexual segregation based on space and time, which was observed in their social preferences at feeding sites. Such detailed fine-scale segregation is rarely observed in birds. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
]
|
172535 | Eco-Friendly ship hull film system with fouling release and fuel saving properties | The aim of the eSHaRk project is to finalise the development of an innovative new fouling protection system for commercial vessels, and to accelerate its market entry.
Fouling, defined as the settlement and growth of marine plants and animals on submerged structures, is a constant challenge for the shipping industry. Fouling results in higher hydrodynamic drag of vessels, which in turn translates into higher fuel usage and greenhouse gas emissions. A number of fouling protection technologies exist on the market, the most widely used being paint-based anti-fouling and fouling release coatings. However, these existing solutions face a number of challenges concerning their environmental impact, the efficiency of their application on ship hulls, and their effectiveness in protecting vessels against fouling.
The eSHaRk project aims to bring a new and innovative solution to the market, which will lead to a paradigm shift in the fouling protection business. This solution is based on self-adhesive foil technology, which not only maintains the current state-of-the-art fouling protection standards but is superior to existing paint-based solutions in terms of eco-friendliness, easiness of application, robustness, and drag reduction effects leading to fuel savings and reduction of GHG emissions.
As part of the eSHaRk project, the surface morphology of the foil will be optimised to enhance its drag reduction, fuel savings and emissions reduction benefits. In addition, a robotised laminator will be finalised to apply the foil on large commercial vessels in an automated way. A cruise vessel will be equipped with the foil to ensure full-scale testing and validation in operational conditions before market entry. The technology will then be ready for commercialisation immediately after project end, in late 2018. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
W1974931482 | Effects of long-term proBNP cardiac gene delivery in experimental hypertensive heart disease | Results In SHR, a single systemic administration of AAV9 vector allowed longterm, cardiac BNP overexpression with an increase in plasma BNP levels as compared with untreated SHR (433.3±17 vs 60.6±15* pg/ml). This further resulted in reductions in systolic (121±11 vs 184 ±13* mm Hg) and diastolic (103±5 vs 148±24* mm Hg) BP for nine months after injection as compared with untreated SHR. Left ventricular (LV) thickness (1.87±0.1 vs 2.16±0.3* mm), LV end-systolic dimensions (3.96±0.3 vs 4.66±0.6* mm) and LV mass (0.4±0.01 vs 0.49±0.01* gr) were reduced, while ejection fraction was increased (83±2 vs 74±4* %) in BNP-treated compared to untreated SHR. Circumferential systolic strain (-5.04±0.4 vs -3.74 ±0.4* %) and strain rate of the early phase of diastole (-4.57±2.1 vs -2.41±1.3 1/s) were improved in BNP-treated compared with controls. Importantly, the improvement in cardiac function and structure also resulted in a significant increase in survival (p<0.001 vs untreated SHR). Non-cardiac overexpression of BNP, via AAV2 vector, was not associated with changes in plasma BNP and BP in SHR. Nevertheless, normotensive Wistar rats injected with AAV9 proBNP vector showed significantly reduced heart/body weights (0.31± 0.1 vs 3.9±0.1* %) four weeks after injection without BP reduction compared to untreated rats. | [
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
10.1016/j.celrep.2013.09.002 | Multiple Enhancers Regulate Hoxd Genes and the Hotdog LncRNA during Cecum Budding | Hox genes are required for the development of the intestinal cecum, a major organ of plant-eating species. We have analyzed the transcriptional regulation of Hoxd genes in cecal buds and show that they are controlled by a series of enhancers located in a gene desert flanking the HoxD cluster. The start site of two opposite long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), Hotdog and Twin of Hotdog, selectively contacts the expressed Hoxd genes in the framework of a topological domain, coinciding with robust transcription of these genes during cecum budding. Both lncRNAs are specifically transcribed in the cecum, albeit bearing no detectable function in trans. Hedgehogs have kept this regulatory potential despite the absence of the cecum, suggesting that these mechanisms are used in other developmental situations. In this context, we discuss the implementation of a common "budding toolkit" between the cecum and the limbs | [
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
US 0333010 W | PHASE CONJUGATE RELAY MIRROR APPARATUS FOR HIGH ENERGY LASER SYSTEM AND METHOD | A system (500) for directing electromagnetic energy. The inventive system includes a first subsystem mounted on a first platform (520) for transmitting a beam of the electromagnetic energy through a medium and a second subsystem mounted on a second platform (510) for redirecting the beam (503). In accordance with the invention, the second platform (510) is mobile relative to the first platform (520). In the illustrative embodiment, the beam is a high-energy laser beam (503). The first subsystem includes a phase conjugate mirror (510) in optical alignment with a laser amplifier (514). The first subsystem further includes a beam director (522) in optical alignment with the amplifier (514) and a platform track sensor (524) coupled thereto. In the illustrative embodiment, the second subsystem includes a co-aligned master oscillator (502), outcoupler 504, and target track sensor (506) which are fixedly mounted to a stabilized platform (507), a beam director (508), and a platform track sensor (509). In the best mode, the stable platform (507) is mounted for independent articulation relative to the beam director (508). A first alternative embodiment of the second subsystem includes first and second beam directors (508, 610). The first beam director is adapted to receive the transmitted beam and the second beam director is adapted to redirect the received beam. In accordance with a second alternative embodiment, an optical fiber (710) is provided for coupling the beam between the first platform (520) and the second platform (510). | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
323182 | Human Pluripotent Stem Cells: the new heart patient? | The ability to generate pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) by reprogramming somatic tissues is arguably the greatest breakthrough in biomedical science of the last decade. The most inaccessible cells of the body can now be derived repeatedly from any individual. This could have a huge impact on understanding disease and the development of new therapeutic drugs but it will require a new level of sophistication in bioassays to create disease models and monitor disease phenotypes. The project I propose here will take up this challenge for the cardiovascular system, creating new human models of heart failure and vascular disease that presently do not exist. My group is uniquely positioned in Europe to realize these ambitions through more than a decade of research on cardiac and vascular cells from human embryonic stem cells and more recently hiPSC; its present location in Leiden University Medical Centre is optimal for fostering clinical links. My group is one of few worldwide that uses conventional homologous recombination in human PSCs. My aims here are (1) develop protocols for differentiating all cells of the heart (2) engineer synthetic and native human myocardium that models healthy tissue and common disease states and (3) generate sets of isogenic diseased hPSC to model pathogenesis. This will be realized by deriving lineage marked “rainbow coloured” reporter hPSC lines, introducing selected (immature) cardiovascular cells into engineered constructs and subjecting them to mechanical/biochemical stress factors like cyclic contraction and fluid flow that would normally induce maturation and disease. The constructs will support simultaneous measurement of functional tissue parameters and include hiPSC from relevant diseases, genetically or pharmacologically rescued and isogenic hESC with the corresponding gene mutations. These new “sick human heart” and “ diseased vessel” models and novel bioassays will significantly advance technology to have major impact on the field. | [
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
W69506564 | Valve-sparing surgery for isolated cleft mitral valve complicated by endocarditis in a child. | A 12-year-old girl presented with an isolated cleft mitral valve complicated by infective endocarditis that was confined to the medial part of the cleft anterior leaflet. An innovative valve-sparing surgery was applied whereby the destroyed part of the leaflet was removed. The corresponding anterior annulus was plicated by approximation of the base of the cleft to the posteromedial commissure. The 'cleft' edge of AML was then sutured to the plicated annulus and to P3 at the level of the posteromedial commissure. The reconstructed valve was fully functional, and showed trivial regurgitation and an absence of stenosis for up to two years postoperatively. | [
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
]
|
MX 2023002904 A | COMPOSITIONS CONTAINING DIALKYL AMINO ACID ESTER SALTS. | Compositions comprising at least one dialkyl amino acid ester salt as a cationic active are disclosed. The compositions are useful for hair care, as well as in other applications, such as cleaning compositions, fabric softening compositions, and skin care compositions. The dialkyl amino acid ester salts are derived from the esterification reaction of an amino acid having at least two carboxylic acid groups with a fatty alcohol, wherein the amine group of the amino acid is protonated with an acid. The compositions may further include a glyceride component comprising monoglycerides, diglycerides, or a combination thereof. | [
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1007/978-1-4614-2364-5_4 | Regulation Of Calcium Sensing Receptor Trafficking By Ramps | As mentioned earlier in this book, RAMPs were identified as proteins escorting the Calcitonin Receptor-Like Receptor (CRLR) to the plasma membrane (PM) to generate either CGRP (when associated with RAMP1), or adrenomedullin receptors (when associated with RAMP2 or RAMP3). Some years after this initial discovery, it was established that RAMPs can accompany four additional class B G Protein-Coupled Receptors-GPCRs- (PTH1, PTH2, glucagon receptor and VPAC1) to the PM. (1) By demonstrating that the sorting traffic of the Calcium Sensing Receptor (CaSR), a class C GPCR, is positively modulated by RAMP1 and RAMP3,(2) our data extended the concept of RAMPs as escorting molecules to another class of GPCRs. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration"
]
|
10.1093/bioinformatics/btv428 | dendextend: An R package for visualizing, adjusting and comparing trees of hierarchical clustering | Summary: dendextend is an R package for creating and comparing visually appealing tree diagrams. dendextend provides utility functions for manipulating dendrogram objects (their color, shape and content) as well as several advanced methods for comparing trees to one another (both statistically and visually). As such, dendextend offers a flexible framework for enhancing R's rich ecosystem of packages for performing hierarchical clustering of items. Availability and implementation: The dendextend R package (including detailed introductory vignettes) is available under the GPL-2 Open Source license and is freely available to download from CRAN at: (http://cran. r-project. org/package=dendextend). | [
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.3389/fimmu.2017.01678 | Protective microbiota: From localized to long-reaching co-immunity | Resident microbiota do not just shape host immunity, they can also contribute to host protection against pathogens and infectious diseases. Previous reviews of the protective roles of the microbiota have focused exclusively on colonization resistance localized within a microenvironment. This review shows that the protection against pathogens also involves the mitigation of pathogenic impact without eliminating the pathogens (i. e. , "disease tolerance") and the containment of microorganisms to prevent pathogenic spread. Protective microorganisms can have an impact beyond their niche, interfering with the entry, establishment, growth, and spread of pathogenic microorganisms. More fundamentally, we propose a series of conceptual clarifications in support of the idea of a "co-immunity," where an organism is protected by both its own immune system and components of its microbiota. 2017 Chiu, Bazin, Truchetet, Schaeverbeke, Delhaes and Pradeu. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
]
|
10.1111/imr.12746 | Chemokines and other mediators in the development and functional organization of lymph nodes | Secondary lymphoid organs like lymph nodes (LNs) are the main inductive sites for adaptive immune responses. Lymphocytes are constantly entering LNs, scanning the environment for their cognate antigen and get replenished by incoming cells after a certain period of time. As only a minor percentage of lymphocytes recognizes cognate antigen, this mechanism of permanent recirculation ensures fast and effective immune responses when necessary. Thus, homing, positioning, and activation as well as egress require precise regulation within LNs. In this review we discuss the mediators, including chemokines, cytokines, growth factors, and others that are involved in the formation of the LN anlage and subsequent functional organization of LNs. We highlight very recent findings in the fields of LN development, steady-state migration in LNs, and the intranodal processes during an adaptive immune response. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration"
]
|
W2060317421 | Linking Consumer Perception of Store Image Using FANP | Both theoretical and practical efforts in store image often neglect the characteristics that have interactions and mutual influence among attributes or criteria, even in the stages of different brand life cycles. This study aims at creating a hierarchical framework for the store image managements. The analytical network process and fuzzy sets theory have been applied to both share of mind in store image and inherent interaction/inter-dependencies among diverse information resources. A real empirical application has been demonstrated for retailers. Both the theoretical and practical background of this paper have shown that fuzzy analytical network process can capture consumer’s perception existing incomplete and vague information for the mutual influence on attribute and criteria of the store image attributes. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations"
]
|
10.1117/12.926766 | Alignment Of The Sphere Zimpol Imaging Polarimeter | ZIMPOL is the high contrast imaging polarimeter subsystem of the ESO SPHERE instrument. ZIMPOL is dedicated to
detect the very faint reflected and hence polarized visible light from extrasolar planets. ZIMPOL is located behind an
extreme AO system (SAXO) and a stellar coronagraph. SPHERE is foreseen to have first light at the VLT early 2013. ZIMPOL is currently integrated in the SPHERE system and in testing phase. We describe the alignment strategy and the results of the ZIMPOL system and the related alignment of ZIMPOL into
SPHERE by the aid of an alignment unit. The field selecting tip/tilt mirror alignment and it’s requirement for
perpendicularity to the two detectors is described. The test setup of the polarimetric components is described. SPHERE is an instrument designed and built by a consortium consisting of IPAG, MPIA, LAM, LESIA, Fizeau, INAF,
Observatoire de Geneve, ETH, NOVA, ONERA and ASTRON in collaboration with ESO. | [
"Universe Sciences",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
617700 | Empowering expectations for health and disease: training the immune and endocrine system | Expectations about health and disease induce immune and endocrine responses and directly affect health and treatment outcomes. However, there is an urge to understand the mechanical underpinnings how expectations affect immune and endocrine responses and how this knowledge can be used for therapeutic interventions.
My research group studies the main expectancy learning mechanisms for itch and pain as a generic expectancy model across symptoms and conditions. We recently showed that dual expectancy learning processes (i.e. conditioning and suggestions) are most powerful for itch symptoms, corresponding with findings for other symptoms and conditions. Based on these studies, I propose a groundbreaking dual expectancy learning approach, testing whether combined expectancy learning processes (i.e. both conditioning and suggestions, offered with personalized cues and exposure to relevant stressors) affect most profoundly the immune and endocrine system, in turn affecting health and disease outcomes.
The major aim is to unravel the central mechanisms of how peoples’ expectations affect immune and endocrine responses and related health outcomes, through the use of pioneering multidisciplinary methods in healthy and clinical populations. First, we systematically train immune and endocrine responses and relate them to psychological, neurobiological and genetic mechanisms. Second, we test these manipulations for physical health challenges (e.g. inflammatory or allergic histamine reactions) in healthy subjects and patients. Third, we study the long-term effects in chronic inflammatory itch and pain conditions (e.g. replacing anti-inflammatory pharmacotherapies, reducing side effects).
This interdisciplinary, cross-boundary project progresses key theoretical knowledge of the central expectation mechanisms for immune and endocrine responses. Findings open new horizons for health prevention and therapeutic interventions for various inflammatory conditions and physical symptoms. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases"
]
|
10.1002/cctc.202000150 | Sustainable Hydrogenation of Nitroarenes to Anilines with Highly Active in-situ Generated Copper Nanoparticles | Metal nanoparticles (NPs) are usually stabilized by a capping agent, a surfactant, or a support material, to maintain their integrity. However, these strategies can impact their intrinsic catalytic activity. Here, we demonstrate that the in-situ formation of copper NPs (Cu0NPs) upon the reduction of the earth-abundant Jacquesdietrichite mineral with ammonia borane (NH3BH3, AB) can provide an alternative solution for stability issues. During the formation of Cu0NPs, hydrogen gas is released from AB, and utilized for the reduction of nitroarenes to their corresponding anilines, at room temperature and under ambient pressure. After the nitroarene-to-aniline conversion is completed, regeneration of the mineral occurs upon the exposure of Cu0NPs to air. Thus, the hydrogenation reaction can be performed multiple times without the loss of the Cu0NPs’ activity. As a proof-of-concept, the hydrogenation of drug molecules “flutamide” and “nimesulide” was also performed and their corresponding amino-compounds were isolated in high selectivity and yield. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
]
|
10.1016/j.jas.2018.02.006 | Tin isotope fractionation during experimental cassiterite smelting and its implication for tracing the tin sources of prehistoric metal artefacts | Provenance studies of metal artefacts are well-established in the interdisciplinary field of science-based archaeology primarily using the chemical and isotopic composition. In the last decades, tin isotopes became gradually more important as a fingerprinting tool for the provenance of tin, but many questions especially regarding the behaviour of tin isotopes during pyrometallurgical processes are still not satisfactorily answered. This paper is a contribution to the understanding of tin isotope fractionation on tin ore smelting under prehistoric conditions and discusses the consequences for tin provenance studies. It presents the results of smelting experiments that were carried out with cassiterite in the laboratory and in the field, respectively. Besides chemical characterisation with XRF, SEM-EDX and Q-ICP-MS, tin isotope composition of tin ores and smelting products (tin metal, tin vapour, slag) were determined using solution MC-ICP-MS. Although tin recovery on smelting in the field was low (20–30%) due to tin losses to fuming and slag formation, the results indicate that the tin isotope composition is less affected than anticipated from theoretical considerations (Rayleigh fractionation). If cassiterite is completely reduced during the smelting reaction the tin metal becomes enriched in heavy tin isotopes with a fractionation of Δ124Sn = 0. 09–0. 18‰ (0. 02–0. 05‰ u−1) relative to the original cassiterite. An estimate of the provenance of the original cassiterite and the potential ore source would still be possible because the variability of tin isotope ratios in tin ore provinces is much larger. If the cassiterite becomes incompletely reduced, however, then fractionation increases significantly up to Δ124Sn = 0. 88‰ (0. 22‰ u−1) and conclusions on tin sources are limited. Similarly, condensed tin vapours (Δ124Sn = 1. 13‰ (0. 28‰ u−1)) and slags (Δ124Sn = 0. 42–1. 32‰ (0. 11–0. 33‰ u−1)) that are by-products of the smelting process show large fractionation with respect to the original tin ore as well, which makes them unsuitable for provenance studies. | [
"Earth System Science",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"The Study of the Human Past"
]
|
W3044625421 | PREGLED I SISTEMATIZACIJA NAJČEŠĆE KORIŠTENIH MATEMATIČKIH MODELA ZA OPISIVANJE KRIVULJE NAPREZANJA PLASTIČNOG TEČENJA MATERIJALA | In this bachelor thesis provides a theoretical overview and review of the most commonly used mathematical models for describing the stress-strain curves of flow stress of materials, and the importance of their application in practice when selecting the parameters of technological processes of metal forming. Given the most common mathematical models, it is shown why they as such are not fully reliable because they do not take into account all the influential parameters. Based on this, a new mathematical model is presented that is much more complicated than the most commonly used ones, which as such takes as many influential parameters as possible. For the given mathematical models, the curves they describe are shown. Based on the bachelor thesis, the conclusion of the given topic is finally given. | [
"Mathematics",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1002/ejoc.201600836 | Rotational Barriers of Substituted BIPHEP Ligands: A Comparative Experimental and Theoretical Study | The interconversion barriers of 14 different 3,3′- and 5,5′-disubstituted tropos BIPHEP [2,2′-bis(diphenylphosphino)-1,1′-biphenyl] and BIPHEP(O) [2,2′-bis(diphenylphosphoryl)-1,1′-biphenyl] ligands were investigated by enantioselective dynamic high performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) and DFT calculations using the B3LYP/6-31G* and M06-2X/6-31G* levels of theory. The experimentally determined enantiomerization barriers varied from 86. 8 to 101. 4 kJ mol–1 and were found to be in excellent agreement with the calculated data. The root-mean-square deviations are 7. 3 kJ mol–1 for the B3LYP functional and 11. 3 kJ mol–1 for the M06-2X method. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
]
|
W1988025358 | The immobilization of recombinant human tropoelastin on metals using a plasma-activated coating to improve the biocompatibility of coronary stents | Current endovascular stents have sub-optimal biocompatibility reducing their clinical efficacy. We previously demonstrated a plasma-activated coating (PAC) that covalently bound recombinant human tropoelastin (TE), a major regulator of vascular cells in vivo, to enhance endothelial cell interactions. We sought to develop this coating to enhance its mechanical properties and hemocompatibility for application onto coronary stents. The plasma vapor composition was altered by incorporating argon, nitrogen, hydrogen or oxygen to modulate coating properties. Coatings were characterized for 1) surface properties, 2) mechanical durability, 3) covalent protein binding, 4) endothelial cell interactions and 5) thrombogenicity. The N(2)/Ar PAC had optimal mechanical properties and did not delaminate after stent expansion. The N(2)/Ar PAC was mildly hydrophilic and covalently bound the highest proportion of TE, which enhanced endothelial cell proliferation. Acute thrombogenicity was assessed in a modified Chandler loop using human blood. Strikingly, the N(2)/Ar PAC alone reduced thrombus weight by ten-fold compared to 316L SS, a finding unaltered with immobilized TE. Serum soluble P-selectin was reduced on N(2)/Ar PAC and N(2)/Ar PAC + TE (p < 0.05), consistent with reduced platelet activation. We have demonstrated a coating for metal alloys with multifaceted biocompatibility that resists delamination and is non-thrombogenic, with implications for improving coronary stent efficacy. | [
"Materials Engineering",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
]
|
10.1557/jmr.2017.320 | Influence of solid solution strengthening on the local mechanical properties of single crystal and ultrafine-grained binary Cu–AlX solid solutions | Abstract | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1038/s41598-017-10637-y | The lipid-sensor TREM2 aggravates disease in a model of LCMV-induced hepatitis | Lipid metabolism is increasingly being appreciated to affect immunoregulation, inflammation and pathology. In this study we found that mice infected with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) exhibit global perturbations of circulating serum lipids. Mice lacking the lipid-sensing surface receptor triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (Trem2 -/-) were protected from LCMV-induced hepatitis and showed improved virus control despite comparable virus-specific T cell responses. Non-hematopoietic expression of TREM2 was found to be responsible for aggravated hepatitis, indicating a novel role for TREM2 in the non-myeloid compartment. These results suggest a link between virus-perturbed lipids and TREM2 that modulates liver pathogenesis upon viral infection. Targeted interventions of this immunoregulatory axis may ameliorate tissue pathology in hepatitis. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
10.3390/atmos11070724 | Investigation of the Weather Conditions During the Collapse of the Morandi Bridge in Genoa on 14 August 2018 Using Field Observations and WRF Model | On 14 August 2018, Morandi Bridge in Genoa, Italy, collapsed to the ground that was 40 m below. This tragedy killed 43 people. Preliminary investigations indicated poor design, questionable building practices, and insufficient maintenance—or a combination of these factors—as a possible cause of the collapse. However, around the collapse time, a thunderstorm associated with strong winds, lightning, and rain also developed over the city. While it is unclear if this thunderstorm played a role in the collapse, the present study examines the weather conditions before and during the bridge collapse. The study particularly focuses on the analysis of a downburst that was observed around the collapse time and a few kilometers away from the bridge. Direct and remote sensing measurements are used to describe the evolution of the thunderstorm during its approached from the sea to the city. The Doppler lidar measurements allowed the reconstruction of the gust front shape and the evaluation of its displacement velocity of 6. 6 m s−1 towards the lidar. The Weather Research and Forecasting simulations highlighted that it is still challenging to forecast localized thunderstorms with operational setups. The study has shown that assimilation of radar reflectivity improves the timing and reconstruction of the gust front observed by local measurements. | [
"Earth System Science",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
interreg_387 | Transnational Network of Leading Automotive Regions in CE | Central European region is leading automotive territory in EU with highest concentration of the car or automotive part producers and network of connected subcontractors. Regional universities as well as other RTD facilities are addressing by their research activities automotive industry as of one the major fields of their interest. The current economic crisis has a negative impact on automotive industry leading to the instability of the sector; endangerment of the sustainable development of automotive regions and support for innovation in the automotive industry.
The involved regions are so called leading automotive regions facing the highest risk of decrease in their production. In spite of the fact that all these regions enjoy the support from various business actors, an internal competition between these actors is still perceived. The joint actions implemented within a cooperation project will contribute to the protection of the automotive industry sustainability in Central Europe region with a specific focus to boost their interaction in the innovation processes. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Individuals, Markets and Organisations"
]
|
interreg_3637 | Territorial Evidence Support for European Territorial Cooperation Programmes | The primary objective of this service contract is to make the ESPON territorial evidence knowledge base accessible and useful in practice for programme managers, joint technical secretariats and policymakers involved in the practical implementation of ETC programmes.
In pursuit of this objective, this service contract shall develop an improved set of territorial indicators for ETC programmes to help support, inter alia, the setting of investment priorities, strategic programming, monitoring and evaluation. This shall be supported by enhancing the usability, functionality and relevance of ESPON evidence by integrating the territorial indicators into the Interact KEEP database. | [
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space"
]
|
3726836 | Participatory designing with sound | Today’s sonic displays play a significant role in threatening the quality of our everyday lives, personal and professional.
Consequently, the interest to design sound is shifting from crafting the sound towards collaboratively understanding the role of
sound and its position in complex environments, such as healthcare and autonomous driving, in which humans and technology
must co-exist. Accordingly, the design process requires more inclusive, human-centered and technology-driven approaches to
design sonic experiences. Yet the field of industrial design lacks systematic design methods and tools to empower design teams
when they collaboratively express creativity through sound and discover sound-driven engineering solutions. Thus, with the PaDS
(Participatory Designing with Sound) project, I aim at advancing the knowledge on sound-driven design thinking in which sonic
communication (speaking about sound and experiences, imagining and representing them) is especially required within multistakeholder design teams that consist of expert (sound) designers as well as non-experts (e.g., users, manufacturers, policy makers).
The main goal of PaDS is opening sound design practices to participatory approaches, in which stakeholders are involved in the
design process as partners. The core of this project is the development of methods and representational tools to empower designers
and other stakeholders to collaboratively conceptualise, express, and communicate sound-driven designs. To reach its goal, the
PaDS project is based on a mixture of interdisciplinary approaches, including sonic interaction design, design cognition studies, and
experimental psychology: Applied research and contextual inquiry of sound issues in complex, socio-technological environments provide relevant case studies of collaborative sound design-thinking, that is investigated through protocol analysis and perceptual experiments. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.1016/j.immuni.2016.01.010 | In Vivo Killing Capacity of Cytotoxic T Cells Is Limited and Involves Dynamic Interactions and T Cell Cooperativity | According to in vitro assays, T cells are thought to kill rapidly and efficiently, but the efficacy and dynamics of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL)-mediated killing of virus-infected cells in vivo remains elusive. We used two-photon microscopy to quantify CTL-mediated killing in mice infected with herpesviruses or poxviruses. On average, one CTL killed 2-16 virus-infected cells per day as determined by real-time imaging and by mathematical modeling. In contrast, upon virus-induced MHC class I downmodulation, CTLs failed to destroy their targets. During killing, CTLs remained migratory and formed motile kinapses rather than static synapses with targets. Viruses encoding the calcium sensor GCaMP6s revealed strong heterogeneity in individual CTL functional capacity. Furthermore, the probability of death of infected cells increased for those contacted by more than two CTLs, indicative of CTL cooperation. Thus, direct visualization of CTLs during killing of virus-infected cells reveals crucial parameters of CD8+ T cell immunity. | [
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy"
]
|
FR 8602205 A | Recording sound on cinema films by compact disc | Device for controlling the projection of sound films by the reproduction of sound associated with the images, using a compact disc type of laser reader or any other type. With the recording of all or part of the related sound being carried out by the compact disc system, complete control of the reading (starting up, compensation for cuts, interruption and finishing) is achieved by reading the digital data written on the conventional sound track and by the installation on the reader assembly of a matched interface, controlled by the programmable internal microprocessor and associated with a decoding module. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1039/c0nj00237b | A facile route to self-assembled Hg//MoSI nanowire networks | Nanotechnology crucially depends on new molecular-scale materials with tunable properties. In molecular electronics, building blocks have been reduced to single molecules, while connectors have largely remained at the mesoscopic scale. As a result, the behaviour of such devices is largely governed by interface effects and hence, currently, attention is focused on finding suitable molecular-scale alternatives. In this paper we discuss a new generation of one-dimensional inorganic nanostructures aimed at to replacing the mesoscopic connectors currently used in the electronics industry. We demonstrate how chemical functionalisation of nanowires consisting of molybdenum, sulphur and iodine in conjunction with very low concentrations of molecular mercury leads to one-dimensional systems which can be easily connected opening up new pathways to controlled deposition and interface formation. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Materials Engineering"
]
|
10.1063/1.4800771 | Investigating The Molecule Substrate Interaction Of Prototypic Tetrapyrrole Compounds Adsorption And Self Metalation Of Porphine On Cu 111 | We report on the adsorption and self-metalation of a prototypic tetrapyrrole compound, the free-base porphine (2H-P), on the Cu(111) surface. Our multitechnique study combines scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) results with near-edge X-ray absorption fine-structure (NEXAFS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data whose interpretation is supported by density functional theory calculations. In the first layer in contact with the copper substrate the molecules adsorb coplanar with the surface as shown by angle-resolved NEXAFS measurements. The quenching of the first resonance in the magic angle spectra of both carbon and nitrogen regions indicates a substantial electron transfer from the substrate to the LUMO of the molecule. The stepwise annealing of a bilayer of 2H-P molecules sequentially transforms the XP and NEXAFS signatures of the nitrogen regions into those indicative of the coordinated nitrogen species of the metalated copper porphine (Cu-P), i. e. , we observe a temperature-induced self-metalation of the system. Pre- and post-metalation species are clearly discriminable by STM, corroborating the spectroscopic results. Similar to the free-base porphine, the Cu-P adsorbs flat in the first layer without distortion of the macrocycle. Additionally, the electron transfer from the copper surface to the molecule is preserved upon metalation. This behavior contrasts the self-metalation of tetraphenylporphyrin (2H-TPP) on Cu(111), where both the molecular conformation and the interaction with the substrate are strongly affected by the metalation process. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
10.4171/CMH/451 | Lagrangian isotopies and symplectic function theory | We study two related invariants of Lagrangian submanifolds in symplectic manifolds. For a Lagrangian torus these invariants are functions on the first cohomology of the torus. The first invariant is of topological nature and is related to the study of Lagrangian isotopies with a given Lagrangian flux. More specifically, it measures the length of straight paths in the first cohomology that can be realized as the Lagrangian flux of a Lagrangian isotopy. The second invariant is of analytical nature and comes from symplectic function theory. It is defined for Lagrangian submanifolds admitting fibrations over a circle and has a dynamical interpretation. We partially compute these invariants for certain Lagrangian tori. | [
"Mathematics"
]
|
10.1105/tpc.16.00470 | ABI5 is a regulator of seed maturation and longevity in legumes | The preservation of our genetic resources and production of high-quality seeds depends on their ability to remain viable and vigorous during storage. In a quantitative trait locus analysis on seed longevity in Medicago truncatula, we identified the bZIP transcription factor ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE5 (ABI5). Characterization of Mt-abi5 insertion mutant seeds revealed that both the acquisition of longevity and dormancy were severely impaired. Using transcriptomes of developing Mt-abi5 seeds, we created a gene coexpression network and revealed ABI5 as a regulator of gene modules with functions related to raffinose family oligosaccharide (RFO) metabolism, late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins, and photosynthesisassociated nuclear genes (PhANGs). Lower RFO contents in Mt-abi5 seeds were linked to the regulation of SEED IMBIBITION PROTEIN1. Proteomic analysis confirmed that a set of LEA polypeptides was reduced in mature Mt-abi5 seeds, whereas the absence of repression of PhANG in mature Mt-abi5 seeds was accompanied by chlorophyll and carotenoid retention. This resulted in a stress response in Mt-abi5 seeds, evident from an increase in α-tocopherol and upregulation of genes related to programmed cell death and protein folding. Characterization of abi5 mutants in a second legume species, pea (Pisum sativum), confirmed a role for ABI5 in the regulation of longevity, seed degreening, and RFO accumulation, identifying ABI5 as a prominent regulator of late seed maturation in legumes. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
W2030848351 | Sunflower Diseases Remain Rare in California Seed Production Fields Compared to North Dakota | The majority of United States sunflower production is in seven Midwestern states, but hybrid planting seed is almost exclusively produced in California. Due to the lack of summer rains and furrow irrigation, California-produced seed is relatively disease free and thus it regularly meets phytosanitary restrictions imposed by many countries. For the 15-year period from 1997 to 2011, 7231 seed fields in northern California were inspected and samples processed at the state diagnostic laboratory (California Department of Food and Agriculture). Rust (Puccinia helianthi) was the most prevalent quarantine disease, found in 4.3% of fields. Stalk rot (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum) and downy mildew (Plasmopara halstedii) were the only other quarantine pathogens observed, found in 2.6% and 0.5% of the 7231 fields, respectively. Many sunflower pathogens have never been recorded in California, including Phoma macdonaldii, Phomopsis helianthi, or any virus. North Dakota, the state with the highest US sunflower production, had quarantine pathogens in 88% of 1263 fields surveyed from 1995 to 2011. Phoma macdonaldii, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Puccinia helianthi, Phomopsis helianthi, Plasmopara halstedii, and Verticillium dahliae were recorded in 62, 54, 37, 33, 14, and 12%, respectively, of North Dakota fields. Accepted for publication 5 November 2012. Published 14 December 2012. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Earth System Science"
]
|
10.1080/15548627.2019.1705007 | Podocytes Maintain High Basal Levels Of Autophagy Independent Of Mtor Signaling | While constant basal levels of macroautophagy/autophagy are a prerequisite to preserve long-lived podocytes at the filtration barrier, MTOR regulates at the same time podocyte size and compensatory hypertrophy. Since MTOR is known to generally suppress autophagy, the apparently independent regulation of these two key pathways of glomerular maintenance remained puzzling. We now report that long-term genetic manipulation of MTOR activity does in fact not influence high basal levels of autophagy in podocytes either in vitro or in vivo. Instead we present data showing that autophagy in podocytes is mainly controlled by AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and ULK1 (unc-51 like kinase 1). Pharmacological inhibition of MTOR further shows that the uncoupling of MTOR activity and autophagy is time dependent. Together, our data reveal a novel and unexpected cell-specific mechanism, which permits concurrent MTOR activity as well as high basal autophagy rates in podocytes. Thus, these data indicate manipulation of the AMPK-ULK1 axis rather than inhibition of MTOR as a promising therapeutic intervention to enhance autophagy and preserve podocyte homeostasis in glomerular diseases. Abbreviations: AICAR: 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide; AMPK: AMP-activated protein kinase; ATG: autophagy related; BW: body weight; Cq: chloroquine; ER: endoplasmic reticulum; ESRD: end stage renal disease; FACS: fluorescence activated cell sorting; GFP: green fluorescent protein; i. p. : intra peritoneal; MAP1LC3/LC3: microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3; MTOR: mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase; NPHS1: nephrosis 1, nephrin; NPHS2: nephrosis 2, podocin; PLA: proximity-ligation assay; PRKAA: 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase catalytic subunit alpha; RPTOR/RAPTOR: regulatory associated protein of MTOR, complex 1; RFP: red fluorescent protein; TSC1: tuberous sclerosis 1; ULK1: unc-51 like kinase 1. | [
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
]
|
171133 | Genetic paths underlying the convergent evolution of pigmented spots on fly wings | When a phenotype evolves twice in independent lineages, are the underlying molecular mechanisms similar? In the case of similar pigmentation patterns that have arisen independently in two fruit fly species, Drosophila tristis and Drosophila biarmipes, the question, becomes: is there a unique genetic path to gain a pigmentation spot on the wing? Each pigmentation pattern is prefigured by the developmental expression of yellow, a gene necessary for the production of black pigments. In each case, yellow expression results from a novel enhancer, both enhancers sharing no homology. To understand how these new regulatory activities have independently emerged, we will first perform an RNAi screen to identify transcription factors controlling each enhancer. We will then characterize the candidate transcription factors identified, assess their genetic sufficiency and the directness of the regulatory link. We will evaluate the degree of convergence in the control of the activity of the two enhancers by closely comparing the relationship between their structure and their function. We will compare sequences between species that carry the regulatory activity and species that do not. We will identify in which context binding sites that convey the activity evolved (position, spacing, orientation). Moreover, we will distinguish among sites contributing permissive or instructive (spatio-temporal) input.
This project tackles the open question of how a new regulatory activity emerges. The contribution of each input is key element to enhancer activity, and is hardly understood in any system. The model we use may represent a rare case where the evolution of a regulatory activity can be deciphered functionally.
Our work will also address the question of the repeated evolution of complex traits, often associated to regulatory changes. We will assess the level of functional constraint that may channel the emergence of the same regulatory activity to the same molecular mechanisms. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
]
|
W1469091388 | Superposition effect of passive intermodulation for cable assemblies with discrete point-sources | In order to expand the cell coverage of wireless cellular systems, the number of passive components in wireless systems has been substantially increased. There can be many passive intermodulation (PIM) pointsources even in a device or a radio link, which may add up constructively or destructively. A modified point-source model with lossy components is proposed to evaluate the superposition effect of the forward and reflected PIM in case of series connection. The index of the series connection factor (SCF) is employed for systems that incorporate multiple PIM sources to predict the important characteristics of the cumulative PIM, such as the maximum and minimum values and the limit form. Furthermore, some initial experimental results are given out and the deviation in the above-mentioned prediction is also analyzed. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
W109806815 | Shall We Play the Festschrift Game?: Essays on the Occasion of Lauri Carlson's 60th Birthday | There are not many people who can be said to have influenced and impressed researchers in so many disparate areas and language-geographic fields as Lauri Carlson, as is evidenced in the present Festschrift. His insight and acute linguistic sensitivity and linguistic rationality have spawned findings and research work in many areas, from non-standard etymology to hardcore formal linguistics, not forgetting computational areas such as parsing, terminological databases, and, last but not least, machine translation. In addition to his renowned and widely acknowledged insights in tense and aspect and its relationship with nominal quantification, and his ground-breaking work in dialog using game-theoretic machinery, Lauri has in the last fifteen years as Professor of Language Theory and Translation Technology contributed immensely to areas such as translation, terminology and general applications of computational linguistics. The three editors of the present volume have successfully performed doctoral studies under Lauris supervision, and wish with this volume to pay tribute to his supervision and to his influence in matters associated with research and scientific, linguistic and philosophical inquiry, as well as to his humanity and friendship. | [
"Texts and Concepts",
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1016/j.jrurstud.2012.01.014 | 'Without fish, there would be nothing here': Attitudes to salmon and identification with place in a Russian coastal village | Postsocialist transformations have changed resource values in many rural parts of Russia. On the Terskii Coast in the northwest of Russia, salmon has become a key resource for people's everyday survival. Management of this resource used to be heavily controlled by the state during the Soviet period. The situation changed radically after the collapse of Soviet rule, as fishing salmon individually became more easily available. Depending on whether they are local or come from elsewhere, people ascribe different values to local resources. Incomers tend to focus on a commercial meaning of salmon and have a more exploitative attitude to it compared to local people. While also ascribing high commercial value to salmon as a resource, local people attribute nonprofit meanings to salmon at the same time. The difference between the two groups reveals itself in people's attitudes to commercial fishing, and in their ways of sharing salmon with others. In this article I look at how place-related identity interplays with values attributed to salmon as people on the Terskii Coast manage this key local resource. | [
"The Social World and Its Interactions",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
]
|
EP 93104850 A | TAPE RECORDER HAVING INFORMATION RECORDED BY A ROTARY HEAD AND REPRODUCED BY A STATIONARY HEAD | A helical scan magnetic tape recorder (30) includes a rotary scanner (32) having magnetic heads (34), (36) which record and reproduce data on slant tracks of magnetic tape (41) helically transported about the rotary scanner (32). Low frequency tones representing a time code or other digital information are recorded by the data heads (34), (36) of the rotary head scanner (32) in the same lateral location such as preamble segments of the data tracks. The recorded time code is recovered by means of a stationary magnetic head (44). The recovered low frequency tones are converted into digital information such as a digital time code which provides tape location information for editing or searching purposes as well as other auxiliary information such as recorder serial number, data rate codes, etc. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Products and Processes Engineering"
]
|
W2056650162 | Recording the Ambiguity | In this paper we draw upon important distinctions suggested by classics of anthropology in order to develop a theoretical approach to the phenomenon of debt. Building on the opposition between the logic of the gift and that of the market, we elucidate moral tensions that call debt relations into being. However, instead of reducing debt to either of these rival principles, we interpret it as a combination of both that allows for mediating between them in a highly ambiguous moral context. Using evidence from a small Russian town, we analyse how interest-free debt functions within face-to-face interactions in local shops and how it structures the ordinary lives of shopkeepers, salespeople and consumers in the community. We discuss a moral situation that turns the framing of everyday purchases into a problem and demonstrate how a material device – a debt book – enters into a transaction in order to resolve it. A debt book turns out to be a specific graphic technology, a destructive device that subverts both m... | [
"Studies of Cultures and Arts",
"The Social World and Its Interactions"
]
|
W2154957968 | Holocene ice-rafting and sediment transport from the glaciated margin of East Greenland (67–70°N) to the N Iceland shelves: detecting and modelling changing sediment sources | We examine variations in the ice-rafted sources for sediments in the Iceland/East Greenland offshore marine archives by utilizing a sediment unmixing model and link the results to a coupled iceberg-ocean model. Surface samples from around Iceland and along the E/NE Greenland shelf are used to define potential sediment sources, and these are examined within the context of the down-core variations in mineralogy in the <2 mm sediment fraction from a transect of cores across Denmark Strait. A sediment unmixing model is used to estimate the fraction of sediment <2 mm off NW and N Iceland exported across Denmark Strait; this averaged between 10 and 20%. Both the sediment unmixing model and the coupled iceberg-ocean model are consistent in finding that the fraction of “far-travelled” sediments in the Denmark Strait environs is overwhelmingly of local, mid-East Greenland, provenance, and therefore with a significant cross-channel component to their travel. The Holocene record of ice-rafted sediments denotes a three-part division of the Holocene in terms of iceberg sediment transport with a notable increase in the process starting ca 4000 cal yr BP. This latter increase may represent the re-advance during the Neoglacial period of land-terminating glaciers on the Geikie Plateau to become marine-terminating. The contrast in spectral signals between these cores and the 1500-yr cycle at VM28-14, just south of the Denmark Strait, combined with the coupled iceberg-model results, leads us to speculate that the signal at VM28-14 reflects pulses in overflow waters, rather than an ice-rafted signal. | [
"Earth System Science"
]
|
10.1007/s00221-016-4684-7 | Agency alters perceptual decisions about action-outcomes | Humans experience themselves as agents, capable of controlling their actions and the outcomes they generate (i. e. , the sense of agency). Inferences of agency are not infallible. Research shows that we often attribute outcomes to our agency even though they are caused by another agent. Moreover, agents report the sensory events they generate to be less intense compared to the events that are generated externally. These effects have been assessed using highly suprathreshold stimuli and subjective measurements. Consequently, it remains unclear whether experiencing oneself as an agent lead to a decision criterion change and/or a sensitivity change. Here, we investigate this issue. Participants were told that their key presses generated an upward dot motion but that on 30 % of the trials the computer would take over and display a downward motion. The upward/downward dot motion was presented at participant’s discrimination threshold. Participants were asked to indicate whether they (upward motion) or the computer (downward motion) generated the motion. This group of participants was compared with a ‘no-agency’ group who performed the same task except that subjects did not execute any actions to generate the dot motion. We observed that the agency group reported seeing more frequently the motion they expected to generate (i. e. , upward motion) than the no-agency group. This suggests that agency distorts our experience of (allegedly) caused events by altering perceptual decision processes, so that, in ambiguous contexts, externally generated events are experienced as the outcomes of one’s actions. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity"
]
|
10.1109/TSP.2017.2778695 | Sparse Signal Recovery Using Iterative Proximal Projection | This paper is concerned with designing efficient algorithms for recovering sparse signals from noisy underdetermined measurements. More precisely, we consider minimization of a nonsmooth and nonconvex sparsity promoting function subject to an error constraint. To solve this problem, we use an alternating minimization penalty method, which ends up with an iterative proximal-projection approach. Furthermore, inspired by accelerated gradient schemes for solving convex problems, we equip the obtained algorithm with a so-called extrapolation step to boost its performance. Additionally, we prove its convergence to a critical point. Our extensive simulations on synthetic as well as real data verify that the proposed algorithm considerably outperforms some well-known and recently proposed algorithms. | [
"Mathematics",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
EP 21152165 A | METHOD FOR PREVENTIVE TREATMENT OF WOOD | Procédé de traitement préventif de bois, ledit procédé comprenant les étapes suivantes : une première imprégnation du bois utilisant une première solution comprenant un premier sel, et une deuxième imprégnation du bois utilisant une deuxième solution comprenant un deuxième sel. | [
"Materials Engineering",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
]
|
W2025037653 | Genetic aspects of mitochondrial genome evolution | Many years of extensive studies of metazoan mitochondrial genomes have established differences in gene arrangements and genetic codes as valuable phylogenetic markers. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of replication, transcription and the role of the control regions which cause e.g. different gene orders is important to assess the phylogenetic signal of such events. This review summarises and discusses, for the Metazoa, the general aspects of mitochondrial transcription and replication with respect to control regions as well as several proposed models of gene rearrangements. As whole genome sequencing projects accumulate, more and more observations about mitochondrial gene transfer to the nucleus are reported. Thus occurrence and phylogenetic aspects concerning nuclear mitochondrial-like sequences (NUMTS) is another aspect of this review. | [
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
W258580806 | Characterization of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9, ADAM-10 and N-cadherin expression in human glioblastoma multiforme | Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and aggressive malignant primary brain tumor in humans, whose invasiveness and proliferation are associated with poor prognosis. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and the related family of "a disintegrin and metalloproteinase" (ADAM) both contribute to increase cell invasion, and its substrate N-cadherin is involved in proliferation and metastatic capacities of tumor cells. However, these molecular determinants of aggressiveness have not been adequately characterized in GBM. In an attempt to better define these pathogenetic signatures, in the present study we evaluated the comparative expression of two main MMPs (MMP-2 and -9), as well as of ADAM-10 and N-cadherin in surgical samples from patients diagnosed with WHO grade IV GBM (n = 25) and in cortical tissue specimens obtained from untreatable epileptic patients (controls, n = 8) through a series of histopathological, immunohistochemical and biochemical tests. Our studies revealed that both MMP-2 and -9 immunoreactivities (IRs) were upregulated in 13 of 25 (52 %) and 19 of 25 (76 %) GBMs, respectively, and the extent of the increase was highly significant with respect to controls (p < 0.001). ADAM-10 IR was also found to be increased (p < 0.001) in 16 of 25 GBM specimens (64 %). Conversely, N-cadherin IR was remarkably decreased (p < 0.001) in almost the totality of tumor samples (22 of 25, 88 %). A similar trend was also obtained at the mRNA and protein level by qPCR and western blot analyses, respectively. Collectively, the current study provides a comprehensive molecular portrayal of some of the major pathological hallmarks of GBM aggressiveness, which could be exploitable as potential targets for a new therapeutic approach. | [
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
]
|
10.1063/1.5059357 | Hod On Ni 111 Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics Prediction Of Molecular Beam Experiments | The dissociation of water on a transition-metal catalyst is a fundamental step in relevant industrial processes such as the water-gas shift reaction and steam reforming. Although many theoretical studies have been performed, quantitative agreement between theoretical simulations and molecular beam experiments has not yet been achieved. In this work, we present a predictive ab initio molecular dynamics study on the dissociation of mono-deuterated water (HOD) on Ni(111). The analysis of the trajectories gives useful insight into the full-dimensional dynamics of the process and suggests that rotational steering plays a key role in the dissociation. The computed reaction probability suggests that, in combination with accurate molecular beam experiments, the specific reaction parameter density functional developed for CHD3 (SRP32-vdW) represents a good starting point for developing a semi-empirical functional able to achieve chemical accuracy for HOD on Ni(111). | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
W2137721532 | Cannibalism and Gang Involvement in the Cinematic Lives of Asian Gangsters | Abstract: Previous works focusing on Asian organized crime groups have examined the history, structure, function, and the extent of their legal and illegal business enterprises. While credible, such a line of inquiry omits crucial information on the source and reasoning behind membership and affiliation for members in Asian organized crime groups, such as the “Jok-Pok”, Triads, and Yakuza. Due to the secretive nature of those organized crime groups, such an omission leaves a major gap in the understanding as to why Asian youths join gangs. This paper examines the prevailing characteristics of membership and affiliation within Asian gangs by analyzing Asian gangsters in Asian (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) cinema. Results indicate that the lure of economic benefits, exposure to gang life from within one’s family and lack of opportunities to achieve legitimate goals constitute the three most pervasive themes that define membership within Asian gangs as represented in popular cinema. | [
"The Social World and Its Interactions",
"Studies of Cultures and Arts"
]
|
2717891 | Modelling for the search for new active materials for redox flow batteries | SONAR will develop a framework for the simulation-based screening of electroactive materials for aqueous and nonaqueous organic redox flow batteries (RFBs). It will adopt a multiscale modelling paradigm, in which simulation methods at different physical scales will be further advanced and linked by combining physics- and data-based modelling. Competing energy storage technologies are only comparable when using the levelized-cost-of-storage (LCOS) as a global metric, accounting for the complex interrelations between factors like CAPEX, lifetime and performance. SONAR will thus develop a screening framework to determine LCOS, starting from the automatic generation of candidate structures for the electroactive material, then iterating through molecular-, electrochemical interface-, porous electrodes-, cell-, stack-, system- and techno-economic-level models. For the iterative traversal of the different scales, exclusion criteria like solubility, standard potentials and kinetics will be defined, and the results for individual candidates will be stored in a database for further processing. To increase the throughput of the screening, SONAR will exploit advanced data integration, analysis and machine-learning techniques, drawing on the growing amount of data produced during the project. The models will be validated e.g. by comparison with measurements of redox potentials for known chemistries, or measurement data of RFB half-cells and lab-sized test cells.
SONAR will work closely with industrial partners (incl. JenaBatteries, Volterion) to ensure the commercial viability of the results. The models will be exploited individually and in a comprehensive screening service offered by Fraunhofer SCAI, facilitating the rapid assessment of the technical and economic potential of a new technology in its earliest development stages. This will reduce the cost and time-to-market, thus strengthening the competitiveness of the EU’s battery industry in the emerging field of organic RFBs. | [
"Materials Engineering",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.1093/ips/olaa009 | “Supermaids”: Hyper-resilient Subjects in Neoliberal Migration Governance | Resilience is a concept in world politics that emerged as a way to respond to the impossibility of guaranteeing security in an era of complexity. Without a central authority to provide security, risk is devolved to the individual. Those who cannot secure themselves are enjoined to constantly adapt to the unknown. Where control over complex systems is now thought to be impossible, the path to managing risks is through self-control. This paper demonstrates how such a subject is produced, and indeed whose production, I argue, is crucial to the functioning of a global labor market that is governed “without government. ” Migrant domestic workers acutely instantiate the kind of human subjectivity called forth by neoliberalism—a “resilient subject. ” The paper describes how this ideal worker is produced through resilience training in various stages of the migration trajectory—during recruitment, training prior to deployment, and while on their overseas residency. This paper demonstrates how managing the insecurities of migrant domestic work means working on the “self” rather than addressing gaps in legal or regulatory mechanisms. In resilience training, the worker becomes the necessary component of neoliberalism as a governmental rationality, one that is enjoined to transform risk into opportunity. | [
"The Social World and Its Interactions",
"Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems",
"Human Mobility, Environment, and Space"
]
|
10.1038/ncomms11043 | Enhanced superconductivity in atomically thin TaS 2 | The ability to exfoliate layered materials down to the single layer limit has presented the opportunity to understand how a gradual reduction in dimensionality affects the properties of bulk materials. Here we use this top-down approach to address the problem of superconductivity in the two-dimensional limit. The transport properties of electronic devices based on 2H tantalum disulfide flakes of different thicknesses are presented. We observe that superconductivity persists down to the thinnest layer investigated (3. 5 nm), and interestingly, we find a pronounced enhancement in the critical temperature from 0. 5 to 2. 2 K as the layers are thinned down. In addition, we propose a tight-binding model, which allows us to attribute this phenomenon to an enhancement of the effective electron-phonon coupling constant. This work provides evidence that reducing the dimensionality can strengthen superconductivity as opposed to the weakening effect that has been reported in other 2D materials so far. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
]
|
10.1080/00751634.2016.1175716 | Street Voices The Role Of Blind Performers In Early Modern Italy | The close relationship between blindness and the development of special mnemonic, language and musical skills has been recognized since ancient Greece, but it is especially during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries that the blind performer emerges as a constant presence in Italy. In that period, every Italian city likely had at least one blind man entertaining a broad audience with songs and words on the most crowded streets and squares. With the rise of the printing press, their performances were often combined with the sale or offering of small ephemeral publications, sometimes their own works. This essay demonstrates the significant role of blind performers in early modern Italy as musicians, singers and, particularly, as authors. | [
"Texts and Concepts",
"The Study of the Human Past",
"Studies of Cultures and Arts"
]
|
10.1093/nar/gkx930 | The online Tabloid Proteome: An annotated database of protein associations | A complete knowledge of the proteome can only be attained by determining the associations between proteins, along with the nature of these associations (e. g. physical contact in protein-protein interactions, participation in complex formation or different roles in the same pathway). Despite extensive efforts in elucidating direct protein interactions, our knowledge on the complete spectrum of protein associations remains limited. We therefore developed a new approach that detects protein associations from identifications obtained after re-processing of largescale, public mass spectrometry-based proteomics data. Our approach infers protein association based on the co-occurrence of proteins across many different proteomics experiments, and provides information that is almost completely complementary to traditional direct protein interaction studies. We here present a web interface to query and explore the associations derived from this method, called the online Tabloid Proteome. The online Tabloid Proteome also integrates biological knowledge from several existing resources to annotate our derived protein associations. The online Tabloid Proteome is freely available through a user-friendly web interface, which provides intuitive navigation and data exploration options for the user at http://iomics. ugent. be/tabloidproteome. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1371/journal.pone.0239416 | Deep learning-based reduced order models in cardiac electrophysiology | Predicting the electrical behavior of the heart, from the cellular scale to the tissue level, relies on the numerical approximation of coupled nonlinear dynamical systems. These systems describe the cardiac action potential, that is the polarization/depolarization cycle occurring at every heart beat that models the time evolution of the electrical potential across the cell membrane, as well as a set of ionic variables. Multiple solutions of these systems, corresponding to different model inputs, are required to evaluate outputs of clinical interest, such as activation maps and action potential duration. More importantly, these models feature coherent structures that propagate over time, such as wavefronts. These systems can hardly be reduced to lower dimensional problems by conventional reduced order models (ROMs) such as, e. g. , the reduced basis method. This is primarily due to the low regularity of the solution manifold (with respect to the problem parameters), as well as to the nonlinear nature of the input-output maps that we intend to reconstruct numerically. To overcome this difficulty, in this paper we propose a new, nonlinear approach relying on deep learning (DL) algorithms—such as deep feedforward neural networks and convolutional autoencoders—to obtain accurate and efficient ROMs, whose dimensionality matches the number of system parameters. We show that the proposed DL-ROM framework can efficiently provide solutions to parametrized electrophysiology problems, thus enabling multi-scenario analysis in pathological cases. We investigate four challenging test cases in cardiac electrophysiology, thus demonstrating that DL-ROM outperforms classical projection-based ROMs. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Mathematics",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
]
|
10.1007/978-3-319-78375-8_12 | Masking The Glp Lattice Based Signature Scheme At Any Order | Recently, numerous physical attacks have been demonstrated against lattice-based schemes, often exploiting their unique properties such as the reliance on Gaussian distributions, rejection sampling and FFT-based polynomial multiplication. As the call for concrete implementations and deployment of postquantum cryptography becomes more pressing, protecting against those attacks is an important problem. However, few countermeasures have been proposed so far. In particular, masking has been applied to the decryption procedure of some lattice-based encryption schemes, but the much more difficult case of signatures (which are highly non-linear and typically involve randomness) has not been considered until now. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Mathematics"
]
|
10.1021/ct3002464 | Metadynamics with adaptive gaussians | Metadynamics is an established sampling method aimed at reconstructing the free-energy surface relative to a set of appropriately chosen collective variables. In standard metadynamics, the free-energy surface is filled by the addition of Gaussian potentials of preassigned and typically diagonal covariance. Asymptotically the free-energy surface is proportional to the bias deposited. Here, we consider the possibility of using Gaussians whose variance is adjusted on the fly to the local properties of the free-energy surface. We suggest two different prescriptions: one is based on the local diffusivity and the other on the local geometrical properties. We further examine the problem of extracting the free-energy surface when using adaptive Gaussians. We show that the standard relation between the bias and the free energy does not hold. In the limit of narrow Gaussians an explicit correction can be evaluated. In the general case, we propose to use instead a relation between bias and free energy borrowed from umbrella sampling. This relation holds for all kinds of incrementally deposited bias. We illustrate on the case of alanine dipeptide the advantage of using adaptive Gaussians in conjunction with the new free-energy estimator both in terms of accuracy and speed of convergence. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
W2734544825 | Mission is Ministry in the Dimension of Difference: A Definition for the Twenty-First Century | October 2010 Titus Presler is an Episcopal priest and missiologist with experience in India and Zimbabwe. He chaired the Episcopal Church’s Standing Commission on World Mission and was a researcher for the Global Anglicanism Project. Former president of the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas, he is the author of Horizons of Mission (Cowley Publications, 2001). —www.tituspresler.com M is ministry in the dimension of difference. This definition of mission assists reflection in a number of ways. It makes explicit the distinctive character of mission that is implicit but unacknowledged in many discussions of mission that focus on particular theological or practical emphases. By articulating an empirical category—difference—rather than theological content, the definition provides a relatively neutral criterion of analysis and comparison in the practice of churches and in mission thought. Yet the criterion of difference has substantial biblical warrant and theological import. Furthermore, the definition provides a measure for assessing and comparing mission emphases across a range of religions. The proposed definition distinguishes mission as a particular kind of ministry and thereby clarifies a common confusion of these two concepts. It is a simple formulation, rather than complex and esoteric. Members of Christian churches readily understand it, for it focuses a commonplace impression about mission, namely, that it concerns engagement with the other. It provides a marker for types of ministry in local and global settings alike, for it applies equally to work around the corner and to work across the world. It applies equally to churches based on all continents in distinguishing their mission work, whether in Caracas or Cameroun, Cambodia or California. In highlighting difference as the marker, it connects missiology with postmodern discourse in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. | [
"Texts and Concepts",
"Studies of Cultures and Arts"
]
|
184760 | An experimental and bioinformatic toolbox for functional epigenomics and its application to epigenetically making and breaking a cancer cell | Epigenetic alterations can be detected in all cancers and in essentially every patient. Despite their prevalence, the concrete functional roles of these alterations are not well understood, for two reasons: First, cancer samples tend to carry many correlated epigenetic alterations, making it difficult to statistically distinguish relevant driver events from those that co-occur for other reasons. Second, we lack tools for targeted epigenome editing that could be used to validate biological function in perturbation and rescue experiments.
The proposed project strives to overcome these limitations through experimental and bioinformatic methods development, with the ambition of making and breaking cancer cells in vitro by introducing defined sets of epigenetic alterations. We will focus on leukemia as our “model cancer” (given its low mutation rate, frequent defects in epigenetic regulators, and availability of excellent functional assays), but the concepts and methods are general. In Aim 1, we will generate epigenome profiles for a human knockout cell collection comprising 100 epigenetic regulators and use the data to functionally annotate thousands of epigenetic alterations observed in large cancer datasets. In Aim 2, we will develop an experimental toolbox for epigenome programming using epigenetic drugs, CRISPR-assisted recruitment of epigenetic modifiers for locus-specific editing, and cell-derived guide RNA libraries for epigenome copying. Finally, in Aim 3 we will explore epigenome programming (methods from Aim 2) of candidate driver events (predictions from Aim 1) with the ultimate goal of converting cancer cells into non-cancer cells and vice versa.
In summary, this project will establish a broadly applicable methodology and toolbox for dissecting the functional roles of epigenetic alterations in cancer. Moreover, successful creation of a cancer that is driven purely by epigenetic alterations could challenge our understanding of cancer as a genetic disease. | [
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing"
]
|
EP 2020079437 W | DEVICE FOR THE DISPENSING OF DRINKING WATER | The invention relates to a device for dispensing drinking water. Said device is provided with a supply line (1) and a measuring unit (4) for measuring consumption. In addition, a dispensing point (6) is provided downstream of the measuring unit (4), wherein the measuring unit (4) is connected to a payment unit (8) for billing for the dispensed amount. According to the invention, a cooling unit (10) is arranged upstream of the dispensing point (6). | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.1109/TCOMM.2015.2469287 | Performance Of Buffer Aided Adaptive Modulation In Multihop Communications | In multihop diversity (MHD) aided multihop links, the nodes are assumed to have buffers for temporarily storing their received packets for further transmission at instances of good channel quality. Since adaptive modulation is employed, the number of packets in each time slot (TS) is affected both by the channel quality and the buffer fullness. During each time-slot (TS), the criterion used for activating a specific hop is that of transmitting the highest number of packets. When more than one hop is capable of transmitting the same number of packets, the particular hop having the highest channel quality (reliability) is activated. Hence, we refer to this regime as the maximum throughput adaptive rate transmission (MTART) scheme. The bit error ratio (BER), the outage probability, the throughput as well as the bandwidth-efficiency of the MTART scheme is analyzed. Our results demonstrate that our MTART regime has the potential of significantly outperforming conventional adaptive modulation. Naturally, the BER is improved by the buffering scheme advocated at the cost of an increased delay. Hence, the distribution of the end-to-end packet delay will also be characterized. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
W1508487166 | Are Multiphase Competition and Order by Disorder the Keys to UnderstandingYb2Ti2O7? | If magnetic frustration is most commonly known for undermining long-range order, as famously illustrated by spin liquids, the ability of matter to develop new collective mechanisms in order to fight frustration is no less fascinating, providing an avenue for the exploration and discovery of unconventional properties of matter. Here we study an ideal minimal model of such mechanisms which, incidentally, pertains to the perplexing quantum spin ice candidate Yb2Ti2O7. Specifically, we explain how thermal and quantum fluctuations, optimized by order-by-disorder selection, conspire to expand the stability region of an accidentally degenerate continuous symmetry U(1) manifold against the classical splayed ferromagnetic ground state that is displayed by the sister compound Yb2Sn2O7. The resulting competition gives rise to multiple phase transitions, in striking similitude with recent experiments on Yb2Ti2O7 [Lhotel et al., Phys. Rev. B 89 224419 (2014)]. Considering the effective Hamiltonian determined for Yb2Ti2O7, we provide, by combining a gamut of numerical techniques, compelling evidence that such multiphase competition is the long-sought missing key to understanding the intrinsic properties of this material. As a corollary, our work offers a pertinent illustration of the influence of chemical pressure in rare-earth pyrochlores. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.1007/978-3-662-54434-1_4 | Is Your Software On Dope | Usually, it is the software manufacturer who employs verification or testing to ensure that the software embedded in a device meets its main objectives. However, these days we are confronted with the situation that economical or technological reasons might make a manufacturer become interested in the software slightly deviating from its main objective for dubious reasons. Examples include lock-in strategies and the $$\mathrm {NO}_x$$ emission scandals in automotive industry. This phenomenon is what we call software doping. It is turning more widespread as software is embedded in ever more devices of daily use. The primary contribution of this article is to provide a hierarchy of simple but solid formal definitions that enable to distinguish whether a program is clean or doped. Moreover, we show that these characterisations provide an immediate framework for analysis by using already existing verification techniques. We exemplify this by applying self-composition on sequential programs and model checking of HyperLTL formulas on reactive models. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
10.1186/1743-422X-10-197 | A New Reporter Mouse Cytomegalovirus Reveals Maintained Immediate Early Gene Expression But Poor Virus Replication In Cycling Liver Sinusoidal Endothelial Cells | The MCMV major immediate early promoter/enhancer (MIEP) is a bidirectional promoter that drives the expression of the three immediate early viral genes, namely ie1, ie2 and ie3. The regulation of their expression is intensively studied, but still incompletely understood. We constructed a reporter MCMV, (MCMV-MIEPr) expressing YFP and tdTomato under the control of the MIEP as proxies of ie1 and ie2, respectively. Moreover, we generated a liver sinusoidal endothelial cell line (LSEC-uniLT) where cycling is dependent on doxycycline. We used these novel tools to study the kinetics of MIEP-driven gene expression in the context of infection and at the single cell level by flow cytometry and by live imaging of proliferating and G0-arrested cells. MCMV replicated to higher titers in G0-arrested LSEC, and cycling cells showed less cytopathic effect or YFP and tdTomato expression at 5 days post infection. In the first 24 h post infection, however, there was no difference in MIEP activity in cycling or G0-arrested cells, although we could observe different profiles of MIEP gene expression in different cell types, like LSECs, fibroblasts or macrophages. We monitored infected LSEC-uniLT in G0 by time lapse microscopy over five days and noticed that most cells survived infection for at least 96 h, arguing that quick lysis of infected cells could not account for the spread of the virus. Interestingly, we noticed a strong correlation between the ratio of median YFP and tdTomato expression and length of survival of infected cells. By means of our newly developed genetic tools, we showed that the expression pattern of MCMV IE1 and IE2 genes differs between macrophages, endothelial cells and fibroblasts. Substantial and cell-cycle independent differences in the ie1 and ie2 transcription could also be observed within individual cells of the same population, and marked ie2 gene expression was associated with longer survival of the infected cells. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
202487 | Evolutionary genetics in a ‘classical’ avian study system by high throughput transcriptome sequencing and SNP genotyping | Long-term studies of free-living vertebrate populations have proved a rich resource for understanding evolutionary and ecological processes, because individuals’ life histories can be measured by tracking them from birth/hatching through to death. In recent years the ‘animal model’ has been applied to pedigreed long-term study populations with great success, dramatically advancing our understanding of quantitative genetic parameters such as heritabilities, genetic correlations and plasticities of traits that are relevant to microevolutionary responses to environmental change. Unfortunately, quantitative genetic approaches have one major drawback – they cannot identify the actual genes responsible for genetic variation. Therefore, it is impossible to link evolutionary responses to a changing environment to molecular genetic variation, making our picture of the process incomplete. Many of the best long-term studies have been conducted in passerine birds. Unfortunately genomics resources are only available for two model avian species, and are absent for bird species that are studied in the wild. I will fill this gap by exploiting recent advances in genomics technology to sequence the entire transcriptome of the longest running study of wild birds – the great tit population in Wytham Woods, Oxford. Having identified most of the sequence variation in the great tit transcriptome, I will then genotype all birds for whom phenotype records and blood samples are available This will be, by far, the largest phenotype-genotype dataset of any free-living vertebrate population. I will then use gene mapping techniques to identify genes and genomic regions responsible for variation in a number of key traits such as lifetime recruitment, clutch size and breeding/laying date. This will result in a greater understanding, at the molecular level, how microevolutionary change can arise (or be constrained). | [
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems",
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution"
]
|
339579 | Decrypting signals in the crypt | Pathogens and symbionts: War and Peace at mucosal surface in intestinal crypts.
In the proposed program called DECRYPT, I wish to strengthen novel orientations of our laboratory aimed at decrypting the dialogue between the microbiota and the host, while keeping a balance with the study of pathogens, both being analyzed at their interface with the gut mucosa to further our knowledge of the homeostatic and pathogenic mechanisms that respectively characterize a healthy and a diseased gut. The intestinal crypt is a key location to study this dialogue because it contains the stem cells, the differentiation and transit amplifying/proliferative compartments that are essential for epithelial regeneration at homeostasis, and restitution following an aggression. It is also embedded in a niche of immune cells that participate in homeostatic and pathological processes under microbial stimuli. Thus the breaking nature of my project will bear on the demonstration that crypt homeostasis depends on signals “emitted” by the microbiota, thereby stressing the depth of our symbiosis with the microbial world, and on the demonstration that the crypt is also the target of enteric pathogens like Shigella, thus introducing the novel paradigm that pathogenesis is not only matter of inflammatory destruction of infected tissues, but also of altered epithelial restitution. An extension of this paradigm is that loss or subversion of the microbiota-crypt homeostasis may account not only for inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), but also for colon cancer. This fundamental knowledge will also be the basis for translational research, particularly the search for molecules that boost antimicrobial defenses and comfort homeostasis. In summary, I propose a balanced combination between the “cellular microbiology of pathogens” and the “cellular microbiology of symbionts”. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
10.1021/acs.jpclett.7b01770 | Conformational entropy as collective variable for proteins | Many enhanced sampling methods rely on the identification of appropriate collective variables. For proteins, even small ones, finding appropriate descriptors has proven challenging. Here we suggest that the NMR S2 order parameter can be used to this effect. We trace the validity of this statement to the suggested relation between S2 and conformational entropy. Using the S2 order parameter and a surrogate for the protein enthalpy in conjunction with metadynamics or variationally enhanced sampling, we are able to reversibly fold and unfold a small protein and draw its free energy at a fraction of the time that is needed in unbiased simulations. We also use S2 in combination with the free energy flooding method to compute the unfolding rate of this peptide. We repeat this calculation at different temperatures to obtain the unfolding activation energy. | [
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
224621 | The prussian fathers of greek military history | How do our views on war affect the way we write history? The study of Ancient Greek warfare – and the strong moral judgments that have always been part of it – remains heavily influenced by the pioneering works of Prussian and Imperial German scholars, whose outlook was profoundly nationalist and militarist. The views of these scholars on Greek strategies, tactics and rules of engagement are still perpetuated in modern scholarship. New ideas have only started to gain ground in the last decade. Recent historiographical studies suggest that experts in the field are unaware of its founders’ legacy; the early scholars of Greek warfare have never been studied in their own right.
The proposed research is a detailed look at the major German handbooks that appeared between 1852 and 1931 to form the foundation of the academic study of Greek warfare. It will place these works in their intellectual context by examining the life and intellectual environment of their authors. It will analyse the way these scholars’ backgrounds affected their view of history. Finally, it will trace the afterlife of their views as they were transformed from a didactic tool in the instruction of Prussian officers to an ideological weapon in the hands of American neoconservatives.
This project will use the development of scholarly interpretations of ancient military methods as a reflection on changing modern attitudes to war. How do our perspectives and those of our predecessors affect our research? The professional militarism of the German scholars shaped their perception of Greek warfare as restricted and primitive; later generations, who found war more abhorrent, adapted these conclusions into an idealised image of the past, giving ideological and political power to the Germans’ harsh and unjustified conclusions. | [
"The Study of the Human Past",
"Texts and Concepts"
]
|
10.1242/dev.138081 | Optimized inducible shRNA and CRISPR/Cas9 platforms for in vitro studies of human development using hPSCs | Inducible loss of gene function experiments are necessary to uncover mechanisms underlying development, physiology and disease. However, current methods are complex, lack robustness and do not work in multiple cell types. Here we address these limitations by developing single-step optimized inducible gene knockdown or knockout (sOPTiKD or sOPTiKO) platforms. These are based on genetic engineering of human genomic safe harbors combined with an improved tetracycline-inducible system and CRISPR/Cas9 technology. We exemplify the efficacy of these methods in human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), and show that generation of sOPTiKD/KO hPSCs is simple, rapid and allows tightly controlled individual or multiplexed gene knockdown or knockout in hPSCs and in a wide variety of differentiated cells. Finally, we illustrate the general applicability of this approach by investigating the function of transcription factors (OCT4 and T), cell cycle regulators (cyclin D family members) and epigenetic modifiers (DPY30). Overall, sOPTiKD and sOPTiKO provide a unique opportunity for functional analyses in multiple cell types relevant for the study of human development. | [
"Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions",
"Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems"
]
|
W1522727334 | Aggregate and event-level associations between substance use and sexual behavior among gay and bisexual men: Comparing retrospective and prospective data | Despite limited research, some evidence suggests that examining substance use at multiple levels may be of greater utility in predicting sexual behavior than utilizing one level of measurement, particularly when investigating different substances simultaneously. We aimed to examine aggregate and event-level associations between three forms of substance use - alcohol, marijuana, and club drugs - and two sexual behavior outcomes - sexual engagement and condomless anal sex (CAS).Analyses focused on both 6-week timeline follow-back (TLFB; retrospective) and 30-day daily diary (prospective) data among a demographically diverse sample of 371 highly sexually active HIV-positive and HIV-negative gay and bisexual men.Models from both TLFB and diary showed that event-level use of alcohol, marijuana, and club drugs was associated with increased sexual engagement, while higher aggregated frequency marijuana and any frequency club drug use were associated with decreased sexual engagement. Event-level use of club drugs was consistently associated with increased odds of CAS across both TLFB and diary models while higher frequency marijuana use was most consistently associated with a lower odds of CAS.Findings indicated that results are largely consistent between retrospective and prospective data, but that retrospective results for substance use and sexual engagement were generally greater in magnitude. These results suggest that substance use primarily acts to increase sexual risk at the event-level and less so through individual-level frequency of use; moreover, it primarily does so by increasing the likelihood of sex on a given day with fewer significant associations with the odds of CAS on sex days. | [
"The Social World and Its Interactions",
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity"
]
|
10.1007/s11031-017-9647-1 | Comparison of choose-a-movie and approach–avoidance paradigms to measure social motivation | Social motivation is a subjective state which is rather difficult to quantify. It has sometimes been conceptualised as “behavioural effort” to seek social contact. Two paradigms: approach–avoidance (AA) and choose a movie (CAM), based on the same conceptualisation, have been used to measure social motivation in people with and without autism. However, in absence of a direct comparison, it is hard to know which of these paradigms has higher sensitivity in estimating preference for social over non-social stimuli. Here we compare these two tasks for their utility in (1) evaluating social seeking in typical people and (2) identifying the influence of autistic traits on social motivation. Our results suggest that CAM reveals a clear preference for social stimuli over non-social in typical adults but AA fails to do so. Also, social seeking measured with CAM but not AA has a negative relationship between autistic traits. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"The Human Mind and Its Complexity"
]
|
10.1007/s00445-015-0935-x | MeMoVolc consensual document: a review of cross-disciplinary approaches to characterizing small explosive magmatic eruptions | A workshop entitled “Tracking and understanding volcanic emissions through cross-disciplinary integration: a textural working group” was held at the Université Blaise Pascal (Clermont-Ferrand, France) on the 6–7 November 2012. This workshop was supported by the European Science Foundation (ESF). The main objective of the workshop was to establish an initial advisory group to begin to define measurements, methods, formats and standards to be applied in the integration of geophysical, physical and textural data collected during volcanic eruptions. This would homogenize procedures to be applied and integrated during both past and ongoing events. The workshop comprised a total of 35 scientists from six countries (France, Italy, Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland and Iceland). The four main aims were to discuss and define: standards, precision and measurement protocols for textural analysis; identification of textural, field deposit, chemistry and geophysical parameters that can best be measured and combined; the best delivery formats so that data can be shared between and easily used by different groups; and multi-disciplinary sampling and measurement routines currently used and measurement standards applied, by each community. The group agreed that community-wide, cross-disciplinary integration, centred on defining those measurements and formats that can be best combined, is an attainable and key global focus. Consequently, we prepared this paper to present our initial conclusions and recommendations, along with a review of the current state of the art in this field that supported our discussions. | [
"Earth System Science",
"Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences"
]
|
10.1155/2020/7463073 | Extracting Maximum Information From Polarised Baryon Decays Via Amplitude Analysis The Lambda _C To Pk Pi Case | We consider what is the maximum information measurable from the decay distributions of polarised baryon decays via amplitude analysis in the helicity formalism. We focus in particular on the analytical study of the decay distributions, demonstrating that the full information on its decay amplitudes can be extracted from its distributions, allowing a simultaneous measurement of both helicity amplitudes and the polarisation vector. This opens the possibility to use the decay for applications ranging from New Physics searches to low-energy QCD studies, in particular its use as absolute polarimeter for the baryon. This result is valid as well for baryon decays having the same spin structure, and it is cross-checked numerically by means of a toy amplitude fit with Monte Carlo pseudodata. | [
"Fundamental Constituents of Matter"
]
|
679891 | Intelligent functional glazing with self-cleaning properties to improve the energy efficiency of the built environment | The latest forecast by the International Energy Agency predicts that the CO2 emissions from the built environment will reach 15.2Gt in 2050, double their 2007 levels. Buildings consume 40% of the primary energy in developed countries with heating and cooling alone accounting for 63% of the energy spent indoors. These trends are on an ascending trajectory - e.g. the average energy demand for air-conditioning has been growing by ~17% per year in the EU. Counterbalancing actions are urgently required to reverse them.
The objective of this proposal is to develop intelligent window insulation technologies from sustainable materials. The developed technologies will adjust the amount of radiation escaping or entering a window depending upon the ambient environmental conditions and will be capable of delivering unprecedented reductions to the energy needed for regulating the temperature in commercial and residential buildings.
Recognising the distinct requirements between newly built and existing infrastructure, two parallel concepts will be developed: i) A new class of intelligent glazing for new window installations, and, ii) a flexible, intelligent, polymer film to retrofit existing window installations. Both solutions will be enhanced with unique self-cleaning properties, bringing about additional economic benefits through a substantial reduction in maintenance costs.
Overall, we aim to develop intelligent glazing technologies that combine: i) power savings of >250 W/m2 of glazing capable of delivering >25% of energy savings and efficiency improvements >50% compared with existing static solutions; ii) visible transparency of >60% to comply with the EU standards for windows ,and, iii) self-cleaning properties that introduce a cost balance.
A number of technological breakthroughs are required to satisfy such ambitious targets which are delivered in this project by the seamless integration of nanotechnology engineering, novel photonics and advanced material synthesis. | [
"Products and Processes Engineering",
"Materials Engineering",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials"
]
|
306357 | Next-generation polymer nanofibers: from electrified jets to hybrid optoelectronics | This project ultimately targets the application of polymer nanofibers in new, cavity-free lasers. To this aim, it wants to tackle the still unsolved problems of the process of electrospinning in terms of product control by the parameters affecting the dynamics of electrified jets. The electrospinning is based on the uniaxial elongation of polymeric jets with sufficient molecular entanglements, in presence of an intense electric field. It is a unique approach to produce nanofibers with high throughput. However, the process is still largely suboptimal, the most of nanofiber production being still carried out on an empirical basis. Though operationally simple, electrospinning is indeed complex as the behavior of electrified jets depends on many experimental variables making fully predictive approaches still missing. This project aims to elucidating and engineering the still unclear working principles of electrospinning by solutions incorporating active materials, with a tight synergy among modeling, fast-imaging characterization of electrified jets, and process engineering. Once optimized, nanofibers will offer an effective, well-controllable and cheap material for building new, cavity-free random laser systems. These architectures will enable enhanced miniaturization and portability, and enormously reduced realization costs. Electrospun nanofibers will offer a unique combination of optical properties, tuneable topography and light scattering effectiveness, thus being an exceptional bench tool to realize such new low-cost lasers, which is the second project goal. The accomplishment of these ambitious but well-defined objectives will have a groundbreaking, interdisciplinary impact, from materials science to physics of fluid jets in strong elongational conditions, from process to device engineering. The project will set-up a new, internationally-leading laboratory on polymer processing, making a decisive contribution to the establishment of scientific independence. | [
"Materials Engineering",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Condensed Matter Physics"
]
|
10.1109/IEDM.2017.8268517 | Novel Approach For Nano Patterning Magnetic Tunnel Junctions Stacks At Narrow Pitch A Route Towards High Density Stt Mram Applications | Nano-patterning magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) cells at low dimension and very dense pitch remains a challenge for high density STT-MRAM due to the difficulty of MTJ stacks etching. To circumvent this etching issue, this paper demonstrates a novel scalable approach for MTJ nano-patterning at very narrow pitch (pitch = 1. 5F, F = MTJ dot diameter) by growing the MTJ material on pre-patterned conducting non-magnetic pillars without post-deposition etching. Advantageously, these pillars could be the vias connecting the different metal levels in CMOS technology. Structural, magnetic and transport properties of so prepared MgO-based MTJs were investigated. The comparison with those obtained by conventional ion beam etching (IBE) shows that this novel approach is quite promising to circumvent the issue of MTJ etching for high density MRAM. | [
"Condensed Matter Physics",
"Materials Engineering",
"Synthetic Chemistry and Materials",
"Systems and Communication Engineering"
]
|
W1906189189 | Ready Access to Illicit Drugs among Youth and Adult Users | Background: Current drug-control strategies in Canada focus funding and resources predominantly on drug law enforcement, often at the expense of preventive, treatment, and harm reduction efforts. This study aimed to examine the availability of the most commonly used substances in Vancouver, Canada after the implementation of such strategies. Methods: Using data from two large cohorts of drug-using youth and adults in Vancouver from the calendar year 2007, we assessed perceived availability of heroin, crack, cocaine, crystal methamphetamine, and marijuana. Results: Compared to youth (n= 330), a greater proportion of adults (n= 1,160) reported immediate access (ie, within 10 minutes) to heroin (81.0% vs. 55.9%, p < .001), crack (90.4% vs. 69.3%, p < .001), and cocaine (83.7% vs. 61.1%, p < .001). Conversely, larger proportions of youth reported immediate access to crystal methamphetamine (62.8% vs. 39.4%, p < .001) and marijuana (88.4% vs. 73.2%, p < .001) compared to adult users. Conclusions: Regardless of differences in illicit drug availability by age, all drugs are readily accessed in Vancouver despite drug law enforcement efforts. This includes drugs that are frequently injected and place users at risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and transmission of other blood-borne disease. (Am J Addict 2012;00: 1–3) | [
"Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases",
"The Social World and Its Interactions"
]
|
10.1109/VTCFall.2013.6692262 | Joint TTCM-VLC-aided SDMA for two-way relaying aided wireless video transmission | An iterative Joint Source and Channel Coded Modulation (JSCCM) scheme is proposed for robust video transmission over two-way relaying channels. The system advocated was designed for improving the throughput, reliability and coverage area compared to that of conventional one-way relaying schemes. We consider a two-user communication system, where the users exchange their information with the aid of a twin-antenna Relay Node (RN). For each user the proposed lossless video scheme is comprised of a Variable Length Code (VLC) encoder and two Turbo Trellis Coded Modulation (TTCM) encoders one at the Source Node (SN) and one at the RN. The spatio-temporal redundancy of the video sequence is exploited for reducing the iterative decoding complexity. The decoding convergence behaviour of the decoder as well as the power sharing ratio between the two SNs and the RN are characterized with the aid of EXtrinsic Information Transfer (EXIT) charts. Our proposed scheme exhibits an SNR gain of 9 dB compared to the noncooperative scheme, when communicating over Rayleigh fading channels. | [
"Systems and Communication Engineering",
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.4049/jimmunol.1203173 | The context of gene expression defines the immunodominance hierarchy of cytomegalovirus antigens | Natural immunity to CMV dominates the CD4 and CD8 memory compartments of the CMV-seropositive host. This property has been recently exploited for experimental CMV-based vaccine vector strategies, and it has shown promise in animal models of AIDS and Ebola disease. Although it is generally agreed that CMV-based vaccine vectors may induce highly protective and persistent memory T cells, the influence of the gene expression context on Ag-specific T cell memory responses and immune protection induced by CMV vectors is not known. Using murine CMV (MCMV) recombinants expressing a single CD8 T cell epitope from HSV-1 fused to different MCMV genes, we show that magnitude and kinetics of T cell responses induced by CMV are dependent on the gene expression of CMV Ags. Interestingly, the kinetics of the immune response to the HSV-1 epitope was paralleled by a reciprocal depression of immune responses to endogenous MCMVAgs. Infection with a recombinant MCMV inducing a vigorous initial immune response to the recombinant peptide resulted in a depressed early response to endogenous MCMVAg. Another recombinant virus, which induced a slowly developing "inflationary" T cell response to the HSV-1 peptide, induced weaker long-term responses to endogenous CMV Ags. Importantly, both mutants were able to protect mice from a challenge with HSV-1, mediating strong sterilizing immunity. Our data suggest that the context of gene expression markedly influences the T cell immunodominance hierarchy of CMV Ags, but the immune protection against HSV-1 does not require inflationary CD8 responses against the recombinant CMV-expressed epitope. | [
"Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
695069 | Reaching the effects of gastric bypass on diabetes and obesity without surgery | Gastric bypass surgery results in massive weight loss and diabetes remission. The effect is superior to intensive medical treatment, showing that there are mechanisms within the body that can cure diabetes and obesity. Revealing the nature of these mechanisms could lead to new, cost-efficient, similarly effective, non-invasive treatments of these conditions. The hypothesis is that hyper-secretion of a number of gut hormones mediates the effect of surgery, as indicated by a series of our recent studies, demonstrating that hypersecretion of GLP-1, a hormone discovered in my laboratory and basis for the antidiabetic medication of millions of patients, is essential for the improved insulin secretion and glucose tolerance. But what are the mechanisms behind the up to 30-fold elevations in secretion of these hormones following surgery? Constantly with a translational scope, all elements involved in these responses will be addressed in this project, from detailed analysis of food items responsible for hormone secretion, to identification of the responsible regions of the gut, and to the molecular mechanisms leading to hypersecretion. Novel approaches for studies of human gut hormone secreting cells, including specific expression analysis, are combined with our advanced and unique isolated perfused gut preparations, the only tool that can provide physiologically relevant results with a translational potential regarding regulation of hormone secretion in the gut. This will lead to further groundbreaking experimental attempts to mimic and engage the identified mechanisms, creating similar hypersecretion and obtaining similar improvements as the operations in patients with obesity and diabetes. Based on our profound knowledge of gut hormone biology accumulated through decades of intensive and successful research and our successful elucidation of the antidiabetic actions of gastric bypass surgery, we are in a unique position to reach this ambitious goal. | [
"Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
172234 | Strategies for environmental monitoring of marine carbon capture and storage | STEMM-CCS is an ambitious research and innovation project on geological carbon dioxide (CO2) storage that will deliver new insights, guidelines for best practice, and tools for all phases of the CO2 storage cycle at ocean Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) sites. It brings together the main operator (Shell) of the world’s first commercial scale full-chain ocean demonstration CCS project (Peterhead Project) with the leading scientific and academic researchers in the field of ocean CCS. The work performed in STEMM-CCS will add value to this existing operational programme, and fill gaps in future capability by providing generically applicable definitive guides, technologies and techniques informing how to select a site for CCS operations, how to undertake a risk assessment, how best to monitor the operations, how to provide information on fluxes and quantification of any leakage; necessary for the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and to guide mitigation/remediation actions. All of this information will be used to better communicate the case for offshore CCS, with a particular focus on communities directly and indirectly impacted. During STEMM-CCS we will perform a simulated CO2 leak beneath the surface sediments at the site to be used for CCS as part of the Peterhead project. This experiment will be used to test CO2 leak detection, leak quantification, impact assessment, and mitigation/remediation decision support techniques currently at the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) stage 4-5 and support their development to a higher TRL. In addition, using new geophysical approaches STEMM-CCS will develop tools to assess leakage from natural geological features (e.g. chimneys) and engineered structures such as abandoned wells. The Peterhead project will commence during the life of STEMM-CCS and so a unique aspect is the focus on a real-world ocean CCS site covering its initial phases of implementation, with direct involvement of industrial partners. | [
"Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution",
"Earth System Science"
]
|
10.1145/3371102 | Rustbelt Meets Relaxed Memory | The Rust programming language supports safe systems programming by means of a strong ownership-tracking type system. In their prior work on RustBelt, Jung et al. began the task of setting Rust’s safety claims on a more rigorous formal foundation. Specifically, they used Iris, a Coq-based separation logic framework, to build a machine-checked proof of semantic soundness for a λ-calculus model of Rust, as well as for a number of widely-used Rust libraries that internally employ unsafe language features. However, they also made the significant simplifying assumption that the language is sequentially consistent. In this paper, we adapt RustBelt to account for the relaxed-memory operations that concurrent Rust libraries actually use, in the process uncovering a data race in the Arc library. We focus on the most interesting technical problem: how to reason about resource reclamation under relaxed memory, using a logical construction we call synchronized ghost state. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
10.1016/j.parkreldis.2018.01.018 | Evolution of cerebrospinal fluid total α-synuclein in Parkinson's disease | Introduction: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) total α-synuclein is considered a potential biomarker for Parkinson's disease (PD), but little is known about the evolution of this marker during the course of the disease. Our objective was to investigate whether CSF total α-synuclein concentrations change over time and are associated with motor and cognitive function in PD. Methods: CSF total α-synuclein concentrations were quantified in 56 longitudinally followed PD patients, 27 of whom provided CSF repeatedly 2 and/or 4 years later. Another 18 subjects were included as controls. The samples were analyzed using two independent, validated ELISA methods: our recently developed and validated in-house ELISA and a commercial kit from BioLegend. Results: CSF total α-synuclein levels did not distinguish PD patients from controls, displayed no substantial changes during a period of up to 4 years, and did not predict subsequent motor or cognitive decline. These findings were consistent for both analytical methods. Conclusion: Our findings do not support the clinical utility of total α-synuclein as a single diagnostic or prognostic biomarker in PD. | [
"Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System",
"Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions"
]
|
W2073342447 | The Tangled Web of Password Reuse | Today's Internet services rely heavily on text-based passwords for user authentication. The pervasiveness of these services coupled with the difficulty of remembering large numbers of secure passwords tempts users to reuse passwords at multiple sites. In this paper, we investigate for the first time how an attacker can leverage a known password from one site to more easily guess that user's password at other sites. We study several hundred thousand leaked passwords from eleven web sites and conduct a user survey on password reuse; we estimate that 43- 51% of users reuse the same password across multiple sites. We further identify a few simple tricks users often employ to transform a basic password between sites which can be used by an attacker to make password guessing vastly easier. We develop the first cross-site password-guessing algorithm, which is able to guess 30% of transformed passwords within 100 attempts compared to just 14% for a standard password-guessing algorithm without cross-site password knowledge. | [
"Computer Science and Informatics"
]
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.