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Traumatic peripheral nerve injuries are at high risk of neuropathic pain for which novel effective therapies are urgently needed. Preclinical models of neuropathic pain typically involve irreversible ligation and/or nerve transection (neurotmesis). However, translation of findings to the clinic has so far been unsuccessful, raising questions on injury model validity and clinically relevance. Traumatic nerve injuries seen in the clinic commonly result in axonotmesis (ie, crush), yet the neuropathic phenotype of "painful" nerve crush injuries remains poorly understood. We report the neuropathology and sensory symptoms of a focal nerve crush injury using custom-modified hemostats resulting in either complete ("full") or incomplete ("partial") axonotmesis in adult mice. Assays of thermal and mechanically evoked pain-like behavior were paralleled by transmission electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry, and anatomical tracing of the peripheral nerve. In both crush models, motor function was equally affected early after injury; by contrast, partial crush of the nerve resulted in the early return of pinprick sensitivity, followed by a transient thermal and chronic tactile hypersensitivity of the affected hind paw, which was not observed after a full crush injury. The partially crushed nerve was characterized by the sparing of small-diameter myelinated axons and intraepidermal nerve fibers, fewer dorsal root ganglia expressing the injury marker activating transcription factor 3, and lower serum levels of neurofilament light chain. By day 30, axons showed signs of reduced myelin thickness. In summary, the escape of small-diameter axons from Wallerian degeneration is likely a determinant of chronic pain pathophysiology distinct from the general response to complete nerve injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on Evidence for the charge disproportionation of iron in extraterrestrial bridgmanite. Topics discussed include Evidence for the charge disproportionation of iron in extraterrestrial bridgmanite; disproportionation reaction have played a key role in redox processes and the evolution of Earth; and difficult to obtain direct sample representatives of the lower mantle.

Decalin-containing tetramic acid derivatives, especially 3-decalinoyltetramic acids (3-DTAs), are commonly found as fungal secondary metabolites. Numerous biological activities of this class of compounds, such as antibiotic, antiviral, antifungal, antiplasmodial, and antiprotozoal properties, have been the subject of ongoing research. For this reason, these molecules have attracted a lot of interest from the scientific community and various efforts including semi-synthesis, co-culturing with bacteria and biosynthetic gene sequencing have been made to obtain more derivatives. In this review, 3-DTAs are classified into four major groups based on the absolute configuration of the bicyclic decalin ring. Their biosynthetic pathways, various biological activities, and structure-activity relationship are then introduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses a novel impact time and angle control guidance law using a Bézier curve. The 2nd order Bézier curve consists of one control point and two boundary points; initial point P0, middle point P1 and end point P2. The curve is tangent to the line P0-P1 and the line P1-P2, respectively, and always exists in the convex hull of the control points. Proposed Bézier curve navigation guidance, makes the missile follow the Bézier curve with the feedback form of guidance command so that the missile hits the target on the desired time in the desired direction. We conducted numerical simulations on several terminal conditions to demonstrate the performance of proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have shown that mineral end-member phases (δ-AlOOH phase, phase H, and stisho- vite) with rutile-type or modified rutile-type crystal structures and solid solutions between them in the MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 system can store large amounts of water and can be stable at high pressures and high temperatures relevant to the Earth's lower mantle. The Al-H charge-coupled substitution (Si4+ → Al3+ + H+) has been proposed to explain the storage capacity found in some of these phases. However, the amount of H+ found in some recent examples does not match the expected value if such substitution is dominant, and it is difficult to explain the larger water storage in stishovite with such a mechanism alone. An octahedral version of the hydrogarnet-like substitution (Si4+ → 4H+) has been proposed to explain the incorporation of protons in Al-free, water-rich stishovite. Yet, the high-pressure structural behavior of OH in this phase has not yet been measured. In this study, we report high-pressure Raman spectroscopy measurements on Al-free hydrous stishovite with 3.2 ± 0.5 wt% water up to 55 GPa. At ambient pressure, we find that the OH stretching modes in this phase have frequencies lying in between those in low-water aluminous stishovite and those in δ-AlOOH, suggesting a strength of the hydrogen bonding intermediate between these two cases. After decompression to 1 bar, we observe modes that are similar to the IR-active modes of anhydrous and hydrous stishovite, suggesting that the existence of Si defects in the crystal structure can activate the inactive modes. For both lattice and OH-stretching modes, our data show a series of changes at pressures between 24 and 28 GPa suggesting a phase transition (likely to CaCl2-type). While some of the lattice mode behaviors are similar to what was predicted for the AlOOH polymorphs, the OH mode of our hydrous stishovite shows a positive frequency shift with pressure, which is different from δ-AlOOH. All our spectral observations suggest that water-rich pure dense silica has a distinct proton incorporation mechanism from aluminous low-water stishovite and δ-AlOOH, supporting the proposed direct substitution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our current understanding of the electronic state of iron in lowermantle minerals leads to a considerable disagreement in bulk sound speed with seismic measurements if the lower mantle has the same composition as the upper mantle (pyrolite). In the modeling studies, the content and oxidation state of Fe in the minerals have been assumed to be constant throughout the lower mantle. Here, we report high-pressure experimental results in which Fe becomes dominantly Fe2+ in bridgmanite synthesized at 40-70 GPa and 2,000 K, while it is in mixed oxidation state (Fe3+= P Fe = 60%) in the samples synthesized below and above the pressure range. Little Fe3+ in bridgmanite combined with the strong partitioning of Fe2+ into ferropericlase will alter the Fe content for these minerals at 1,100-to 1,700-km depths. Our calculations show that the change in iron content harmonizes the bulk sound speed of pyrolite with the seismic values in this region. Our experiments support no significant changes in bulk composition for most of the mantle, but possible changes in physical properties and processes (such as viscosity and mantle flow patterns) in the midmantle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adjuvant is an immune enhancer commonly used during vaccination to enhance the host immune response. In the present study, we analysed the recombinant protein produced from rock bream thioredoxin 1 cDNA (rRbTRx1). To verify the immune-stimulatory effect of this recombinant protein, changes in the expression level of several genes were investigated using the cDNA microarray chips in rock bream peripheral blood leukocytes stimulated with rRbTRx1. Furthermore, the immune responses of rock bream to Streptococcus iniae FKC (formalin-killed cell) vaccination alone or in combination with recombinant proteins were analysed after an experimental challenge with living S. iniae. Microarray analysis showed that 237 unique genes were upregulated more than two-fold after rRbTRx1 stimulation. Serum agglutination titres were relatively low; however, the FKC vaccine still conferred protection against S. iniae. Moreover, the adverse effects showed no statistically significant difference between fish injected with a concentration and non-injected fish. After experimental challenge to the rock bream by injection with living bacteria (S. iniae), the relative percent survival in the vaccinated groups with FKC + rRbTRx1 was significantly higher than that of the vaccinated groups with FKC alone, which were 85.9% and 68.2%, respectively. This indicated that the recombinant protein as an adjuvant showed synergism with the injected vaccine in rock bream. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modern view of Earth's lowermost mantle considers a D" region of enhanced (seismologically inferred) heterogeneity bounded by the core-mantle boundary and an interface some 150-300 km above it, with the latter often attributed to the postperovskite phase transition (in MgSiO3). Seismic exploration of Earth's deep interior suggests, however, that this view needs modification. So-called ScS and SKKS waves, which probe the lowermost mantle from above and below, respectively, reveal multiple reflectors beneath Central America and East Asia, two areas known for subduc-tion of oceanic plates deep into Earth's mantle. This observation is inconsistent with expectations from a thermal response of a single isochemical postperovskite transition, but some of the newly observed structures can be explained with postperovskite transitions in differentiated slab materials. Our results imply that the lowermost mantle is more complex than hitherto thought and that interfaces and compositional heterogeneity occur beyond the D" region sensu stricto. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead dioxide is an important silica analog that has high-pressure behavior similar to what has been predicted for silica, only at lower pressures. We have measured the structural evolution and compres-sional behavior of different lead dioxide polymorphs up to 140 GPa in the laser-heated diamond-anvil cell using argon as a pressure medium. High-temperature heating prevents the formation of multi-phase mixtures found in a previous study conducted at room temperature using a silicone grease pressure medium. We find diffraction peaks consistent with a baddeleyite-type phase in our cold-compressed samples between 30 and 40 GPa, which was not observed in the previous measurements. Lead dioxide undergoes a phase transition to a cotunnite-type phase at 24 GPa. This phase remains stable to at least 140 GPa with a bulk modulus of 219(3) GPa for K0' = 4. Decompression measurements show a pure cotunnite-type phase until 10.5 GPa, where the sample converts to a mixture of baddeleyite-type, pyrite-type, and OI-type (Pbca) phases. Pure α-structured lead dioxide (scrutinyite) is found after pressure release at room pressure even though our starting material was in the β-structure (plattnerite). Pressure quenching to the α-structure appears to be a common feature of all group IVa oxides that are compressed to structures with greater density than the rutile-type structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background In order to access the large amount of information in biomedical literature about genes implicated in various cancers both efficiently and accurately, the aid of text mining (TM) systems is invaluable. Current TM systems do target either gene-cancer relations or biological processes involving genes and cancers, but the former type produces information not comprehensive enough to explain how a gene affects a cancer, and the latter does not provide a concise summary of gene-cancer relations. Result In this paper, we present a corpus for the development of TM systems that are specifically targeting gene-cancer relations but are still able to capture complex information in biomedical sentences. We describe CoMAGC, a corpus with multi-faceted annotations of gene-cancer relations. In CoMAGC, a piece of annotation is composed of four semantically orthogonal concepts that together express 1) how a gene changes, 2) how a cancer changes and 3) the causality between the gene and the cancer. The multi-faceted annotations are shown to have high inter-annotator agreement. In addition, we show that the annotations in CoMAGC allow us to infer the prospective roles of genes in cancers and to classify the genes into three classes according to the inferred roles. We encode the mapping between multi-faceted annotations and gene classes into 10 inference rules. The inference rules produce results with high accuracy as measured against human annotations. CoMAGC consists of 821 sentences on prostate, breast and ovarian cancers. Currently, we deal with changes in gene expression levels among other types of gene changes. The corpus is available at http://biopathway.org/CoMAGC under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0). Conclusions The corpus will be an important resource for the development of advanced TMsystems on gene-cancer relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imaging membranes in live cells with nanometer-scale resolution promises to reveal ultrastructural dynamics of organelles that are essential for cellular functions. In this work, we identified photoswitchable membrane probes and obtained super-resolution fluorescence images of cellular membranes. We demonstrated the photoswitching capabilities of eight commonly used membrane probes, each specific to the plasma membrane, mitochondria, the endoplasmic recticulum (ER) or lysosomes. These small-molecule probes readily label live cells with high probe densities. Using these probes, we achieved dynamic imaging of specific membrane structures in living cells with 30-60 nm spatial resolution at temporal resolutions down to 1-2 s. Moreover, by using spectrally distinguishable probes, we obtained two-color super-resolution ¡mages of mitochondria and the ER. We observed previously obscured details of morphological dynamics of mitochondrial fusion/fission and ER remodeling, as well as heterogeneous membrane diffusivity on neuronal processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new neo-clerodane diterpenoids, barbatellarines C-E (-), were isolated from the CHCl-soluble fraction of the aerial part of Scutellaria barbata. Their chemical structures were elucidated by detailed analysis of NMR and MS data. Compounds and were C(13) epimers, which was confirmed by an NOE difference experiment and the NOESY spectrum. The relative configuration was determined on the basis of the H-NMR J-value and NOE data, while the absolute configuration of the previously isolated analogue, barbatellarine B (), as a representative member of the group, was assigned by CD analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thicknesses and Clapeyron slopes of mantle phase boundaries strongly influence the seismic detectability of the boundaries and convection in the mantle. The unusually large positive Clapeyron slope found for the boundary between perovskite (Pv) and post-perovskite (pPv) (the ‘pPv boundary’) would destabilize high-temperature anomalies in the lowermost mantle, in disagreement with the seismic observations. Here we report the thickness of the pPv boundary in (Mg0.91Fe2+0.09)SiO3 and (Mg0.9Fe3+0.1)(Al0.1Si0.9)O3 as determined in a laser-heated diamond-anvil cell under in situ high-pressure (up to 145 GPa), high-temperature (up to 3,000 K) conditions. The measured Clapeyron slope is consistent with the D′′ discontinuity. In both systems, however, the pPv boundary thickness increases to 400–600 ± 100 km, which is substantially greater than the thickness of the D′′ discontinuity (<30 km). Although the Fe2+ buffering effect of ferropericlase could decrease the pPv boundary thickness, the boundary may remain thick in a pyrolitic composition because of the effects of Al and the rapid temperature increase in the D′′ layer. The pPv boundary would be particularly thick in regions with an elevated Al content and/or a low Mg/Si ratio, reducing the effects of the large positive Clapeyron slope on the buoyancy of thermal anomalies and stabilizing compositional heterogeneities in the lowermost mantle. If the pPv transition is the source of the D′′ discontinuity, regions with sharp discontinuities may require distinct compositions, such as a higher Mg/Si ratio or a lower Al content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is considerable interest in uncovering the pathway of amybid formation because the toxic properties of amyboid likely stems from prefibril intermediates and not the fully formed fibrils. Using a recently invented method of collecting 2-dimensional infrared spectra and site-specific isotope labeling, we have measured the development of secondary structures for 6 residues during the aggregation process of the 37-residue polypeptide associated with type 2 diabetes, the human islet amyboid polypeptide (hIAPP). By monitoring the kinetics at 6 different labeled sites, we find that the peptides initially develop well-ordered structure in the region of the chain that is close to the ordered loop of the fibrils, followed by formation of the 2 parallel β-sheets with the N-terminal β-sheet likely forming before the C-terminal sheet. This experimental approach provides a detailed view of the aggregation pathway of hIAPP fibril formation as well as a general methodology for studying other amyboid forming proteins without the use of structure-perturbing labels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have shown that high pressure (P) induces the metallization of the Fe2+-O bonding, the destruction of magnetic ordering in Fe, and the high-spin (HS) to low-spin (LS) transition of Fe in silicate and oxide phases at the deep planetary interiors. Hematite (Fe2O3) is an important magnetic carrier mineral for deciphering planetary magnetism and a proxy for Fe in the planetary interiors. Here, we present synchrotron Mössbauer spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction combined with ab initio calculations for Fe2O3 revealing the destruction of magnetic ordering at the hematite → Rh2O3-II type (RhII) transition at 70 GPa and 300 K, and then the revival of magnetic ordering at the RhII → postperovskite (PPv) transition after laser heating at 73 GPa. At the latter transition, at least half of Fe3+ ions transform from LS to HS and Fe2O3 changes from a semiconductor to a metal. This result demonstrates that some magnetic carrier minerals may experience a complex sequence of magnetic ordering changes during impact rather than a monotonic demagnetization. Also local Fe enrichment at Earth's core-mantle boundary will lead to changes in the electronic structure and spin state of Fe in silicate PPv. If the ultra-low-velocity zones are composed of Fe-enriched silicate PPv and/or the basaltic materials are accumulated at the lowermost mantle, high electrical conductivity of these regions will play an important role for the electromagnetic coupling between the mantle and the core. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Germination of seashore paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum Swartz) is a critical factor influencing seedling establishment when seeded directly in fields. In this research, pregermination priming with osmotic solution was used to improve the germination percentage of seashore paspalum. The goal of this study was to develop techniques that improve the germination of a seashore paspalum cultivar (SeaSpray). Seeds were subjected to priming in petri dishes with solutions of KNO3 at 25 °C for 24, 48, and 72 h in growth chambers. Germination percentage differed by priming duration as well as concentration of priming media. Based on the germination percentage 14 days after imbibition, the most promising priming condition was the treatment with 0.2% or 0.5% KNO3 for 72 h at a constant temperature of 30 °C and 0.2% or 0.5% KNO3 for 48 to 72 h at alternating temperature of 25/35 °C. Both concentrations showed reasonable germination percentage greater than 85% at alternating temperature condition. Priming with KNO3 solution for 48 to 72 h improved not only germination percentage, but also uniformity. The increased duration of priming with KNO3 was positively correlated with an improved germination percentage. The effect of increasing concentration was the most apparent at a constant temperature (30 °C) regime with the treatment of 0.2% KNO3 priming. Germination percentage was increased from 34.3% to 68.0% 2 weeks after imbibition (WAI) as the priming duration was increased from 24 to 72 h. Priming with KNO3 for 3 days also had a modest effect on germination percentage (greater than 74.7%) at 1 WAI. Therefore, priming with 0.2% or 0.5% solution of KNO3 for 72 h is a recommended method that can be practically applied for increasing germination of paspalum under an alternating temperature (25/35 °C) condition. The regression analysis between odds of germination percentage and germination time showed that priming treatment increased internal activities during the second stage of seed germination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intriguing seismic observations have been made for the bottom 400 km of Earth's mantle (the D" region) over the past few decades, yet the origin of these seismic structures has not been well understood. Recent theoretical calculations have predicted many unusual changes in physical properties across the postperovskite transition, perovskite (Pv) → postperovskite (PPv), that may provide explanations for the seismic observations. Here, we report measurements of the crystal structure of (Mg0.91Fe0.09)SiO3-PPv under quasi-hydrostatic conditions up to the pressure (P)-temperature (T) conditions expected for the core-mantle boundary (CMB). The measured crystal structure is in excellent agreement with the first-principles calculations. We found that bulk sound speed (VΦ) decreases by 2.4 ± 1.4% across the PPv transition. Combined with the predicted shear-wave velocity (Vs) increase, our measurements indicate that lateral variations in mineralogy between Pv and PPv may result in the anticorrelation between the VΦ and Vs anomalies at the D″ region. Also, density increases by 1.6 ± 0.4% and Grüneisen parameter decreases by 21 ± 15% across the PPv transition, which will dynamically stabilize the PPv lenses observed in recent seismic studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discovery of the postperovskite (PPv) transition has profound impact on our understanding of the core-mantle boundary (CMB) region. Unlike perovskite (Pv), the PPv phase has a layered structure of the SiO6 octahedra, which may lead to a large contrast in some properties with Pv. Recent studies have proposed unusual properties of PPv, such as a large positive Clapeyron slope, a large sensitivity of the transition depth to iron, a decrease in bulk sound speed at the transition, and a development of significant lattice preferred orientation. Many of the proposed properties can provide explanations for the intriguing seismic observations at the CMB region. Yet significant discrepancies still exist. However, rapid developments in mineral physics will continue to improve our knowledge on the changes across the PPv transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semaphorin activation of Plexin (Plex) receptors provides axonal guidance during neuronal development. Two families of cytoplasmic proteins, collapsin response mediator proteins (CRMPs) and molecules interacting with CasL (MICALs), have been implicated in Plexin function. The relationship between CRMP and MICAL signaling has not been defined nor is the mechanism by which Plexin activates MICAL clear. Here, we show that CRMP and MICAL physically associate and that Sema signaling promotes this association. MICAL enzymatic activity is inhibited by the C-terminal domain of MICAL. CRMP and Plexin associate with nonenzymatic and enzymatic domains of MICAL and together release MICAL enzymatic autoinhibition. In addition to acting as an upstream MICAL activator, CRMP functions downstream of MICAL, inhibiting the catalytic domain. A constitutively active CRMP mutant inhibits MICAL activity more potently than does wild-type CRMP,suggesting that CRMP or a CRMP-associated factor is a MICAL substrate. Thus, complex Plex/CRMP/ MICAL interactions transduce Semaphorin signaling into axon guidance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The capability of 2D IR spectroscopy to elucidate time-evolving structures is enhanced by a programmable mid-IR pulse shaper that greatly improves the ease, speed, and accuracy of data collection. Traditional ways of collecting 2D IR spectra are difficult to implement, cause distorted peak shapes, and result in poor time resolution and/or phase problems. We report on several methods for collecting 2D IR spectra by using a computer-controlled germanium acoustooptic modulator that overcomes the above problems. The accuracy and resolution of each method is evaluated by using model metal carbonyl compounds that have well defined line-shapes. Furthermore, phase cycling can now be employed to largely alleviate background scatter from heterogeneous samples. With these methods in hand, we apply 2D IR spectroscopy to study the structural diversity in amyloid fibers of aggregated human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP), which is involved with type 2 diabetes. The 2D IR spectra reveal that the β-sheet fibers have a large structural distribution, as evidenced by an inhomogeneously broadened β-sheet peak and strong coupling to random coil conformations. Structural diversity is an important characteristic of hIAPP because it may be that partly folded peptides cause the disease. This experiment on hIAPP is an example of how computer generation of 2D IR pulse sequences is a key step toward automating 2D IR spectroscopy, so that new pulse sequences can be implemented quickly and a diverse range of systems can be studied more easily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a real-time scheduling methodology in a semiconductor wafer fab that produces multiple product types with different due dates. In the suggested real-time scheduling method, lot scheduling rules and batch scheduling rules are selected from sets of candidate rules based on information obtained from discrete event simulation. Since a rule combination that gives the best performance may vary according to the states of the fab, a selected rule combination is employed for a certain period of time and then a new combination is selected and employed. Since multiple simulation runs should be made in the simulation-based real-time scheduling (SBRTS) method, it may take excessively long computation time to react to unexpected events. To reduce response time, we suggest three techniques for accelerating rule comparison. We test these techniques as well as other operational policies that can be used in the SBRTS method through computational experiments on a number of test problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents an efficient algorithm for the least squares solution of a matrix equation. Determination of the least squares solution with the least norm; Singular value decomposition.

Examines the highly diastereodifferentiating bimolecular asymmetric photoreaction in the photosensitized polar addition of methanol to limonene. Control of diastereomeric excess of the photoadduct; Changes in the internal/external factors; Achievement of xylene photosensitization in pure methanol.

Presents a study that determined the Raman-active phonon mode of vibrational spectra of the high pressure phase of ferric oxides using Raman spectroscopy. Examination of phonon contribution to thermodynamic parameters; Estimation of upper bound magnon contribution; Analysis of pressure-induced phase transformation.

This paper reports the effect of Er2O3 concentration on nucleation and optical properties of PbS quantum dots (QDs) formed in a silicate glass under heat treatment at 490° or 500°C. As Er2O3 concentration increased from 0.1 to 0.4 mol%, average radii of PbS QDs decreased from ∼5 to ∼4 nm, and peak wavelengths of absorption and photoluminescence also decreased. Clusters of Er3+ ions connected by bridging oxygens may act as the nucleation centers for PbS QDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Narrow-band ultraviolet (UV) phototherapy has not been used in the treatment of lichen nitidus. Aim To report two cases of generalized lichen nitidus successfully treated with narrow-band UV-B phototherapy. Methods A 7-year-old girl presented with a persisting, asymptomatic, papular eruption refractory to topical steroid for 3 months. Another 10-year-old boy presented with an asymptomatic papular eruption present for 6 months. The histopathologies of both lesions were consistent with lichen nitidus. The lesions were treated with narrow-band UV-B phototherapy. Results The lesions of the patients were almost completely cleared after the 30th and the 17th irradiation, respectively. Conclusions Narrow-band UV-B may be an effective alternative therapy for the treatment of generalized lichen nitidus unresponsive to common therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dry transfer technique is applied to the semiconductor layer formation in fabricating polymer thin-film transistors (TFTs). This method removes the solvent compatibility problem that is typically encountered in solution processing of polymer semiconductor and polymer gate dielectric such that any pair of the two polymers can be admitted to the fabrication of polymer TFTs. When the technique is used in place of spin coating of the active layer, the mobility increases by almost an order of magnitude, primarily because the deleterious effects are removed that a solvent can have on the underlying dielectric layer. Annealing of the active layer is also made possible by the method, which results in a significant improvement in the on/off ratio of the device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) has become an indispensable method for sampling peripancreatic masses. To help overcome the limitations of cytology-based diagnosis, different types of needles have been proposed to obtain tissue samples for histological examination during EUS-FNA. Recently, a novel EUS-guided fine needle biopsy (EUS-FNB) needle was developed to increase tissue acquisition in order to improve diagnostic yield. This study set out to investigate the usefulness of this novel EUS-FNB needle in terms of obtaining proper histology compared with the conventional EUS-FNA needle. Methods This investigation takes the form of a prospective, single-blind, randomized study in a single academic hospital. The primary outcome is the acquisition rate of an appropriate and sufficient specimen for histologic assessment. A conventional FNA needle (CEFN, Expect) and a novel EUS-FNA biopsy needle (NEFN, Acquire) were compared. Furthermore, we assess the feasibility of determining K-ras mutation status in in each needle type. Results The study enrolled 56 consecutive patients. Technical success rates were 96.6% (28/29) for CEFN and 100% (27/27) for NEFN. No complications occurred during or after either procedure. For a cytologic diagnosis, an adequate sample was obtained in 89.7% (26/29) for CEFN versus 96.3% (26/27) for NEFN (p=0.612). For histologic diagnosis, a sample showing biopsy adequacy score of 4 or more was obtained in 37.9% (11/29) for CEFN versus 88.9% (24/27) for NEFN (p<0.001). K-ras mutation analysis using histologic specimens was available in 12 (41.4%) cases of the CEFN group and 24 (88.9%) cases of the NEFN group. This difference was significant (p<0.001). Conclusions The findings of this study suggest that NEFN could possibly be an effective and reliable alternative compared with CEFN in terms of tissue acquisition rate and quality of histologic sampling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many sub-Neptune exoplanets have been believed to be composed of a thick hydrogen-dominated atmosphere and a high-temperature heavier-element-dominant core. From an assumption that there is no chemical reaction between hydrogen and silicates/metals at the atmosphere-interior boundary, the cores of sub-Neptunes have been modeled with molten silicates and metals (magma) in previous studies. In large sub-Neptunes, pressure at the atmosphere-magma boundary can reach tens of gigapascals where hydrogen is a dense liquid. A recent experiment showed that hydrogen can induce the reduction of Fe2+ in (Mg,Fe)O to Fe0 metal at the pressure-temperature conditions relevant to the atmosphere-interior boundary. However, it is unclear whether Mg, one of the abundant heavy elements in the planetary interiors, remains oxidized or can be reduced by H. Our experiments in the laser-heated diamond-anvil cell found that heating of MgO + Fe to 3,500 to 4,900 K (close to or above their melting temperatures) in an H medium leads to the formation of Mg2FeH6 and H2O at 8 to 13 GPa. At 26 to 29 GPa, the behavior of the system changes, and Mg-H in an H fluid and H2O were detected with separate FeHx. The observations indicate the dissociation of the Mg-O bond by H and subsequent production of hydride and water. Therefore, the atmosphere-magma interaction can lead to a fundamentally different mineralogy for sub-Neptune exoplanets compared with rocky planets. The change in the chemical reaction at the higher pressures can also affect the size demographics (i.e., "radius cliff") and the atmosphere chemistry of sub-Neptune exoplanets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significantly reduced detection of thermal radiation in gated spectroscopy allowed us to measure the Raman scattering of natural enstatite up to 1550 K at 1 bar. The intrinsic anharmonicity, ai = [(∂ln?i)/(∂T)]V, of the Raman-active modes in orthoenstatite (OEn) was obtained from temperature (T) shifts of vibrational frequencies measured in this study combined with previous high-pressure (P) Raman scattering data. Although the ai values of the lattice modes of OEn are similar to those for forsterite (Fo), the Si-O stretching modes have significantly lower intrinsic anharmonicity in OEn than in Fo, suggesting that the connectivity of the SiO4 tetrahedra plays an important role in mode anharmonicity. At the phase transition at 1500 K, a doublet related to the stretching vibration of bridging O atoms in the SiO3 chains becomes a singlet, and a doublet related to the stretching vibration of non-bridging O atoms remains as a doublet, consistent with the expected spectral change for a phase transition from OEn to protoenstatite. Two intense, low-frequency modes of OEn show a strong nonlinear decrease in frequencies with heating that cannot be explained solely by thermal expansion. This may indicate the reorganization of the structure around Mg atoms and unkinking of the SiO3 chains at temperatures well below the phase transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In-situ Raman measurements using a gated spectroscopy system revealed irreversible changes at 800-1000 °C in a natural red spinel (with 2 cation mol% Cr and 1 cation mol% Zn) and at 1100-1200 °C in a natural clear spinel (without Cr or Zn). Our observations of rapid broadening of a mode at 409 cm-1 and the appearance of two weak modes at 210 and 520 cm-1 at the transition temperature confirm the association of these features with cation disordering proposed by previous quench studies. Furthermore, we found that the frequencies of modes at 313 and 666 cm-1 change at the transition temperature. The discontinuous frequency decrease of the mode at 313 cm-1 and the increase in the frequency of the mode at 666 cm-1 can be explained by the entrance of heavier Al atoms into the tetrahedral sites and the entrance of lighter Mg atoms into the octahedral sites, respectively. Our study demonstrates that in-situ Raman spectroscopy is a powerful tool for studying cation disordering in spinel-structured minerals at high temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which explores about globally distributed subducted materials along the Earth's core-mantle boundary, along with its implications for ultralow velocity zones (ULVZs) . It mentions that subducted materials, advected along the core-mantle boundary (CMB), providing an explanation for the distribution and range of reported ULVZ properties.

We present a novel approach for characterizing surfaces utilizing super-resolution fluorescence microscopy with subdiffraction limit spatial resolution. Thermoplastic surfaces were activated by UV/O3 or O2 plasma treatment under various conditions to generate pendant surface-confined carboxylic acids (-COOH). These surface functional groups were then labeled with a photoswitchable dye and interrogated using single-molecule, localization-based, super-resolution fluorescence microscopy to elucidate the surface heterogeneity of these functional groups across the activated surface. Data indicated nonuniform distributions of these functional groups for both COC and PMMA thermoplastics with the degree of heterogeneity being dose dependent. In addition, COC demonstrated relative higher surface density of functional groups compared to PMMA for both UV/O3 and O2 plasma treatment. The spatial distribution of -COOH groups secured from super-resolution imaging were used to simulate nonuniform patterns of electroosmotic flow in thermoplastic nanochannels. Simulations were compared to single-particle tracking of fluorescent nanoparticles within thermoplastic nanoslits to demonstrate the effects of surface functional group heterogeneity on the electrokinetic transport process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results of minimal-tying (one medial-row tie among 4 medial-row sutures) on the medial-row in double-row suture-bridge configuration (2x2 anchor with 4x4 suture stands). Methods: From 2011 March to 2012 July, 79 patients underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair using 2x2 anchor double-row configuration. The mean age was 61.3 years (range, 31-81 years). Two double-loaded suture anchors were used for medial-row. Four medial- row stitches were made with only one medial-row knot-tying (the most anterior suture). Lateral-row was secured using the conventional suture-bridge anchor technique; all 4 strands were used for each anchor. Repair integrity was evaluated with MRI at mean 6.2 months postoperatively. Retear and the pattern of retear, change of fatty infiltration, and muscle atrophy of supraspinatus were evaluated using pre- and postoperative MRI. Results: Repaired tendon integrity was 38 for type I, 30 for type II, 6 for type III, 4 for type IV, and 1 for type V, according to Sugaya classification. Considering type IV/V as retear, the rate was 6.3% (5 out of 79 patients). Medial cuff failure was observed in 4 patients. Fatty atrophy of supraspinatus was significantly improved postoperatively according to Goutallier grading (p=0.01). The level of muscle atrophy of supraspinatus was not changed significantly after surgery. Conclusions: Minimal tying technique with suture configuration of four-by-four strand double-row suture-bridge yielded a lower retear rate (6.3%) in medium to large rotator cuff tears. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This retrospective study investigated abnormal hepatic dysfunction and abdominal computed tomography (CT) findings in scrub typhus. Methods: Three hundred forty nine adult patients were diagnosed with scrub typhus. Ninety four underwent abdominal CT. The CT images were reviewed by the attending radiologist. Patient data of history, symptoms, signs, and results of laboratory tests were collected from the electronic medical records. Results: In 349 patients with scrub typhus, elevation of aspartate aminotransferase (78.5%) and alanine aminotransferase (63.0%) were dominant compared to alkaline phosphatase (27.2%) and total bilirubin (16.1%). Abdominal CT findings of 94 patients were, in descending order of frequency, enlarged lymph node (53.2%), inhomogeneous enhancement of liver (47.9%), splenomegaly (46.8%), ascites (28.7%), low attenuation of periportal areas (27.7%), gallbladder wall thickening (17.0%), and splenic infarct (6.4%). Also, the level of aspartate aminotransferase tended to be elevated according to the number of CT findings (P= 0.028). Conclusions: We found that abdominal CT manifestations of scrub typhus with elevated aminotransferases were varied and not specific. However, knowledge of these findings may evoke the recognition of scrub typhus by clinicians in endemic areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discovery of a phase transition in Mg-silicate perovskite (Pv) to postperovskite (pPv) at lowermost mantle pressure-temperature (P T) conditions may provide an explanation for the discontinuous increase in shear wave velocity found in some regions at a depth range of 200 to 400 km above the core-mantle boundary. hereafter the D″ discontinuity. However, recent studies on binary and ternary systems showed that reasonable contents of Fe2+ and AI for pyrolite increase the thickness (width of the mixed phase region) of the Pv pPv boundary (400-600 km) to much larger than the D″ discontinuity (≤=70 km). These results challenge the assignment of the D″ discontinuity to the Pv pPv boundary in pyrolite (homogenized mantle composition). Furthermore, the mineralogy and composition of rocks that can host a detectable Pv → pPv boundary are still unknown. Here we report in situ measurements of the depths and thicknesses of the Pv → pPv transition in multiphase systems (San Carlos olivine, pyrolitic. and midocean ridge basaltic compositions) at the P-T conditions of the lowermost mantle, searching for candidate rocks with a sharp Pv pPv discontinuity. Whereas the pyrolitic mantle may not have a seismologically detectable Pv → pPv transition due to the effect of AI. harzburgitic compositions have detectable transitions due to low Al content. In contrast. Al-rich basaltic compositions may have a detectable Pv-pPv boundary due to their distinct mineralogy. Therefore, the observation of the D″ discontinuity may be related to the Pv → pPv transition in the differentiated oceanic lithosphere materials transported to the lowermost mantle by subducting slabs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Core/shell poly(methyl methacrylate)/cadmium sulfide (PMMA/CdS) nanoparticles were prepared by surfactant-free emulsion copolymerization with 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) auxiliary monomer. According to the addition time of Cd ions, the synthesis of the hybrid nanoparticles was conducted in in situ and ex situ techniques. The core/shell PMMA/CdS nanoparticles synthesized by the post-addition (ex situ) of Cd ions showed a wide size distribution and interference fringes in the photoluminescence (PL) spectrum. However, these results were improved when the PMMA/CdS nanoparticles were synthesized in the presence of Cd ions (in situ method). The in situ method made it possible to obtain monodisperse hybrid nanoparticles and fairly narrow band-gap emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP, also known as amylin) is responsible for pancreatic amyloid deposits in type 2 diabetes. The deposits, as well as intermediates in their assembly, are cytotoxic to pancreatic β-cells and contribute to the loss of β-cell mass associated with type 2 diabetes. The factors that trigger islet amyloid deposition in vivo are not well understood, but peptide membrane interactions have been postulated to play an important role in islet amyloid formation. To better understand the role of membrane interactions in amyloid formation, two-dimensional infrared (2D IR) spectroscopy was used to compare the kinetics of amyloid formation for human IAPP both in the presence and in the absence of negatively charged lipid vesicles. Comparison of spectral features and kinetic traces from the two sets of experiments provides evidence for the formation of an ordered intermediate during the membrane-mediated assembly of IAPP amyloid. A characteristic transient spectral feature is detected during amyloid formation in the presence of vesicles that is not observed in the absence of vesicles. The spectral feature associated with the intermediate raises in intensity during the self-assembly process and subsequently decays in intensity in the classic manner of a kinetic intermediate. Studies with rat IAPP, a variant that is known to interact with membranes but does not form amyloid, confirm the presence of an intermediate. The analysis of 2D IR spectra in terms of specific structural features is discussed. The unique combination of time and secondary structure resolution of 2D IR spectroscopy has enabled the time-evolution of a hIAPP intermediate to be directly monitored for the first time. The data presented here demonstrates the utility of 2D IR spectroscopy for studying membrane-catalyzed amyloid formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the CaIrO3-type structure model (space group Cmcm), lattice parameters and atomic positions of the MgGeO3 post-perovskite (pPv) phase were determined based on Rietveld refinements at 78-109 GPa and first-principles calculations based on density functional theory. The reproducibility of structural parameters obtained for different samples, consistency with theoretical calculations, and good agreement with expected bond lengths based on structurally similar materials all provide evidence for both validity of CaIrO3-type structure model for the pPv phase in MgGeO3 exceeding 1 Mbar and reliability of structural parameters obtained by Rietveld refinements approaching 1 Mbar. The MgGeO3 pPv phase exhibits strong anisotropy in axial compressibility, with the b-axis being most compressible. The polyhedral bulk modulus for the GeO6 octahedron is 1.9× larger than that for the MgO8 hendecahedron. Examination of neighboring O-O distances shows that the O-O distance aligned along the a direction is one of the longest and that aligned along c is one of the shortest, and these may be related to the lower compressibility along c compared with a. Comparison of structural features of MgGeO3 pPv with those for MgSiO3, NaMgF3, and CaIrO3 pPv show that MgSiO3 pPv has more similarity with NaMgF3 and MgGeO3 pPv than with CaIrO3 pPv in such parameters as degree of octahedral distortion, implying that both NaMgF3 and MgGeO3 pPv are better analogs to MgSiO3 pPv than CaIrO3 pPv. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which explores the formation of cellular close-ended tunneling nanotubes through mechanical deformation. It mentions that membrane nanotubes or tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) that connect cells have been recognized as a previously unidentified pathway for intercellular transport between distant cells.

The rheologic, chemical, thermal, and electrical properties of rhenium make it an excellent choice for containing and heating samples to very high pressures and temperatures in diamond anvil cells (DACs). In many experimental configurations, e.g., the internally heated diamond anvil cell (IHDAC), the rhenium parts are at or close to the pressure and temperature conditions of the sample. Because the pressure and temperature of the rhenium container are close to those of the specimen, rhenium offers an attractive means for determining pressure at high temperatures in x-ray diffraction experiments without the requirement of adding an additional material to the intricate and cluttered sample assembly. For this reason, we set out to determine an equation of state (EOS) of rhenium. We combine the isothermal equation of state of rhenium at ambient temperature with volume data collected at randomly distributed, simultaneous high pressure-temperature conditions. A linear dependence of thermal pressure on temperature at constant volume has been assumed. Data were collected using synchrotron radiation x-ray diffraction in conjunction with an IHDAC equipped with a rhenium internal resistive heater developed recently at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source. The consistency over a large P­T range between our EOS and shock EOS within the experimental uncertainty suggests that the thermal pressure is measurable using the method proposed in the article, and that the rhenium can be used as a convenient pressure calibrant although the accuracy of it depends on many factors including the reliability of the pressure scale at high temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract. Acrylic quaternary copolymers (AQC) were synthesized from copolymerization reaction of 2-ethylhexyl acrylate (2-EHA), n-butyl acrylate (BA), ethyl acrylate (EA) and vinyl acetate (VAc). The blends of AQC with poly(vinyl chloride-co-vinyl acetate) (PVCVAc) and with poly(vinyl chloride-co-vinyl propionate) (PVCVP) were prepared by solution blending. Pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) properties of AQC and their blends were investigated. Glass transition temperature Tg and holding power of AQC decreases with increasing contents of 2-EHA and BA. Tackiness, however, increases with increasing the contents of 2-EHA and BA. Peel strength shows maximum value for the sample with 15 wt% of those monomers. Tackiness of blend systems is similar, but holding power begins to decrease at 15 wt% or higher PVCVAc contents in AQC+PVCVAc blends. On the other hand, holding power of AQC+PVCVP blends increases as the contents of PVCVP increases. Failure modes of the blend are adhesive except for blends with 5 wt% of PVCVP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sub-Neptunes are common among the discovered exoplanets. However, lack of knowledge on the state of matter in H2O-rich setting at high pressures and temperatures (P-TP-T) places important limitations on our understanding of this planet type. We have conducted experiments for reactions between SiO2 and H2O as archetypal materials for rock and ice, respectively, at high P-TP-T. We found anomalously expanded volumes of dense silica (up to 4%) recovered from hydrothermal synthesis above ~24 GPa where the CaCl2-type (Ct) structure appears at lower pressures than in the anhydrous system. Infrared spectroscopy identified strong OH modes from the dense silica samples. Both previous experiments and our density functional theory calculations support up to 0.48 hydrogen atoms per formula unit of (Si1-xH4x)O2 (x=0.12). At pressures above 60 GPa, H2O further changes the structural behavior of silica, stabilizing a niccolite-type structure, which is unquenchable. From unit-cell volume and phase equilibrium considerations, we infer that the niccolite-type phase may contain H with an amount at least comparable with or higher than that of the Ct phase. Our results suggest that the phases containing both hydrogen and lithophile elements could be the dominant materials in the interiors of water-rich planets. Even for fully layered cases, the large mutual solubility could make the boundary between rock and ice layers fuzzy. Therefore, the physical properties of the new phases that we report here would be important for understanding dynamics, geochemical cycle, and dynamo generation in water-rich planets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We isolated Japanese encephalitis virus genotype 5 from human specimens in South Korea. Whole-genome analysis showed 90.4% identity with other genotype 5 viruses from humans. This virus had a unique insertion in the NS4A gene. However, the envelope protein contained Lys 84, which was specific to strains of genotype 5 viruses from South Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glutamate toxicity has been implicated in neuronal cell death in both acute CNS injury and in chronic diseases. In our search for neuroprotective agents obtained from natural sources that inhibit glutamate toxicity, an endophytic fungus, Fusarium solani JS-0169 isolated from the leaves of Morus alba, was found to show potent inhibitory activity. Chemical investigation of the cultures of the fungus JS-0169 afforded isolation of six compounds, including one new γ-pyrone (1), a known γ-pyrone, fusarester D (2), and four known naphthoquinones: karuquinone B (3), javanicin (4), solaniol (5), and fusarubin (6). To identify the protective effects of the isolated compounds (1-6), we assessed their inhibitory effect against glutamate-induced cytotoxicity in HT22 cells. Among the isolates, compound 6 showed significant neuroprotective activity on glutamate-mediated HT22 cell death. In addition, the informatics approach using in silico systems pharmacology identified that compound 6 may exert its neuroprotective effect by controlling the amount of ubiquinone. The results suggest that the metabolites produced by the endophyte Fusarium solani JS-0169 might be related to the neuroprotective activity of its host plant, M. alba. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bridgmanite-akimotoite-majorite (Bm-Ak-Mj or BAM) triple point in MgSiO3 has been measured in large-volume press (LVP; COMPRES 8/3 assembly) and laser-heated diamond anvil cell (LHDAC). For the LVP data, we calculated pressures from the calibration provided for the assembly. For the LHDAC data, we conducted in situ determination of pressure at high temperature using the Pt scale at synchrotron. The measured temperatures of the triple point are in good agreement between LVP and LHDAC at 1990-2000 K. However, the pressure for the triple point determined from the LVP is 3.9±0.6GPa lower than that fromthe LHDAC dataset. The BAM triple point determined through these experiments will provide an important reference point in the pressure-temperature space for future high-pressure experiments and will allow mineral physicists to compare the pressure-temperature conditions measured in these two different experimental methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report that the Gm7068 (CatSpere) and Tex40 (CatSperz) genes encode novel subunits of a 9-subunit CatSper ion channel complex. Targeted disruption of CatSperz reduces CatSper current and sperm rheotactic efficiency in mice, resulting in severe male subfertility. Normally distributed in linear quadrilateral nanodomains along the flagellum, the complex lacking CatSperz is disrupted at ~0.8 mm intervals along the flagellum. This disruption renders the proximal flagellum inflexible and alters the 3D flagellar envelope, thus preventing sperm from reorienting against fluid flow in vitro and efficiently migrating in vivo. Ejaculated CatSperζ-null sperm cells retrieved from the mated female uterus partially rescue in vitro fertilization (IVF) that failed with epididymal spermatozoa alone. Human CatSperζ is quadrilaterally arranged along the flagella, similar to the CatSper complex in mouse sperm. We speculate that the newly identified CatSperζ subunit is a late evolutionary adaptation to maximize fertilization inside the mammalian female reproductive tract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pursuit of exceptionally high photoluminescence (PL) and stability is critical in the development of novel fluorophores for use in challenging bioimaging and optoelectronic devices. Carbon nanodots (CDs) doped with heteroatoms provide a particularly attractive means of effectively tailoring their intrinsic properties and exploiting new phenomena. Here, we report a one-step, scalable synthesis of boron-and-nitrogen co-doped CD (BN-CD) with outstanding optical properties unlike those of nitrogen-doped CD (N-CD) in solid state as well as solution. The detailed mechanistic framework was explored using a series of spectroscopic analyses and ultrafast spectroscopy coupled with density functional theory calculations, which all conclusively confirmed that the presence of more graphitic structures in the core and well-distributed surface states are responsible for the enhanced PL in BN-CD. Furthermore, single-molecule spectroscopy analysis demonstrated that a single BN-CD shows higher PL intensity and enhanced photobleaching time. We anticipate that this study will aid in uncovering the full potential of CDs in various fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We performed laser-heated diamond anvil cell experiments combined with state-of-the-art electron microanalysis (focused ion beam and aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy) to study the distribution and valence of iron in Earth's lower mantle as a function of depth and composition. Our data reconcile the apparently discrepant existing dataset, by clarifying the effects of spin (high/low) and valence (ferrous/ferric) states on iron partitioning in the deep mantle. In aluminum-bearing compositions relevant to Earth's mantle, iron concentration in silicates drops above 70 GPa before increasing up to 110 GPa with a minimum at 85 GPa; it then dramatically drops in the postperovskite stability field above 116 GPa. This compositional variation should strengthen the lowermost mantle between 1,800 km depth and 2,000 km depth, and weaken it between 2,000 km depth and the D" layer. The succession of layers could dynamically decouple the mantle above 2,000 km from the lowermost mantle, and provide a rheological basis for the stabilization and nonentrainment of large low-shearvelocity provinces below that depth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]