A. A. Aljabali, A, A. Bakshi, H, L. Hakkim, F, Haggag, YA, M. Al-Batanyeh, K, S. Al Zoubi, M, Al-Trad, B, M. Nasef, M, Satija, S, Mehta, M, Pabreja, K, Mishra, V, Khan, M, Abobaker, S, M. Azzouz, I, Dureja, H, M. Pabari, R, Ali K. Dardouri, A, Kesharwani, P, Gupta, G, Dhar Shukla, S, Prasher, P, B. Charbe, N, Negi, P, N. Kapoor, D, Chellappan, DK, Webba da Silva, M, Thompson, P, Dua, K, McCarron, P & M. Tambuwala, M 2020, 'Albumin Nano-Encapsulation of Piceatannol Enhances Its Anticancer Potential in Colon Cancer Via Downregulation of Nuclear p65 and HIF-1α', Cancers, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 113-113.
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Piceatannol (PIC) is known to have anticancer activity, which has been attributed to its ability to block the proliferation of cancer cells via suppression of the NF-kB signaling pathway. However, its effect on hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) is not well known in cancer. In this study, PIC was loaded into bovine serum albumin (BSA) by desolvation method as PIC–BSA nanoparticles (NPs). These PIC–BSA nanoparticles were assessed for in vitro cytotoxicity, migration, invasion, and colony formation studies and levels of p65 and HIF-1α. Our results indicate that PIC–BSA NPs were more effective in downregulating the expression of nuclear p65 and HIF-1α in colon cancer cells as compared to free PIC. We also observed a significant reduction in inflammation induced by chemical colitis in mice by PIC–BSA NPs. Furthermore, a significant reduction in tumor size and number of colon tumors was also observed in the murine model of colitis-associated colorectal cancer, when treated with PIC–BSA NPs as compared to free PIC. The overall results indicate that PIC, when formulated as PIC–BSA NPs, enhances its therapeutic potential. Our work could prompt further research in using natural anticancer agents as nanoparticels with possible human clinical trails. This could lead to the development of a new line of safe and effective therapeutics for cancer patients.
Abayarathna, T & Webb, JK 2020, 'Effects of incubation temperatures on learning abilities of hatchling velvet geckos', Animal Cognition, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 613-620.
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Stressful environments in utero can have a profound influence on cognitive functions and learning ability. In lizards, thermal environments experienced by embryos can shape a range of traits, including sex, body size, and locomotor performance, which may influence fitness. Recent studies suggest that incubation temperatures may also influence brain development and learning ability of some lizard species. Therefore, predicted increases in nest temperatures of lizards may not only affect hatchling morphology and performance, but could also affect their learning ability. To investigate how incubation temperatures influence cognitive abilities of hatchlings, we incubated eggs of the velvet gecko, Amalosia lesueurii, under two fluctuating temperature regimes. The warm treatment mimicked the thermal profiles of currently used partly shaded communal nests (mean = 24.3 °C, range 18.4-31.1 °C), and the hot treatment simulated thermal profiles that could be experienced in sun-exposed nests in 2050 (mean = 28.9 °C, range 19.1-38.1 °C). At age three to four weeks, we measured the ability of hatchlings to locate an open shelter in a Y-maze choice test. Both hot and warm-incubated hatchlings successfully learned the task, but hatchlings from the warm-temperature treatment learned the task faster, and made fewer mistakes in the first five trials than hot-incubated hatchlings. These patterns were consistent for hatchlings from two geographic locations, suggesting that thermally stressful conditions in utero may alter the learning abilities of hatchling lizards. Because learning ability can affect the survival of hatchling velvet geckos, future increase in nest temperatures may have wide reaching impacts on populations.
Abbas, F, Porojan, C, Mowe, MAD, Lehane, M, Mitrovic, SM, Lim, RP, Yeo, DCJ & Furey, A 2020, 'Sample extraction and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method development and validation for the quantitative detection of cyanobacterial hepatotoxins and neurotoxins in Singapore's reservoirs', Marine and Freshwater Research, vol. 71, no. 5, pp. 673-673.
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Cyanobacterial blue–green algal toxins are produced by harmful algal blooms (HABs). Most species of phytoplankton are not harmful, but excessive amounts of certain HAB taxa can cause harm to human and animal health, aquatic ecosystems and local economies. To investigate the prevalence of cylindrospermopsin (CYN) and anatoxin-a (ANA) in Singapore’s reservoirs, a hazard analysis was initiated to profile the CYN and ANA levels present. Water samples from 17 reservoirs were monitored monthly over a 12-month period (November 2012–October 2013). Analyses were conducted by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) using a triple-stage quadrupole mass spectrometer with a turbo-assisted ion spray source. CYN was more prevalent than ANA. Intracellular CYN concentrations exceeded 0.4μgL–1 in 6 of 17 man-made reservoirs surveyed, and slightly exceeded the provisional CYN drinking water guidelines of 1μgL–1 (National Health and Medical Research Council and National Resource Management Ministerial Council 2011) on one occasion (1.1μgL–1, July 2013) in one reservoir. The dominant cyanobacteria genera during that period were Cylindrospermopsis, Planktolyngbya, Pseudanabaena and Microcystis. For ANA, all 17 reservoirs had concentrations below 0.1μgL–1. Based on random forest analysis, the most important environmental factors affecting CYN concentrations were total nitrogen (most important), nitrate, total phosphorus and Cylindrospermopsis counts (least important). The findings of this study indicate that reducing total nitrogen concentrations may be useful in minimising CYN concentrations in tropical reservoirs.
Abbas, H, Broche, LM, Ezdoglian, A, Li, D, Yuecel, R, James Ross, P, Cheyne, L, Wilson, HM, Lurie, DJ & Dawson, DK 2020, 'Fast field-cycling magnetic resonance detection of intracellular ultra-small iron oxide particles in vitro: Proof-of-concept', Journal of Magnetic Resonance, vol. 313, pp. 106722-106722.
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Adamala, S, Srivastava, A, Bachina, HB & Palakuru, M 2020, 'Evaluation of VIC, ANN and Empirical Models for Estimating Daily Reference Evapotranspiration', Indian Journal of Ecology, vol. 47, pp. 29-36.
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The reference gross evapotranspiration (ETo) is estimated using different models for Mohanpur climatic location in India. The various models considered are water budget based variable infiltration capacity (VIC) model and empirical based Turc, FAO-24 Pan, Hargreaves, linear artificial neural network (LNN), quadratic artificial neural network (QNN), and cubic artificial neural network (CNN). The performance of different models was evaluated using five indices such as root mean squared error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), coefficient of determination (R2), ratio of average output to the average target ETo values (Rratio), and index of agreement (d). The QNN models gave better performance in terms of low RMSE and MAE, and high R2 and d values as compared to other models. Rratiovalue very near to one in case of QNN indicates that neither over-estimation nor under-estimation of ETo values. Though, the performance of physically based VIC model is not comparable with the QNN model, the VIC models results also quite encouraging as it's a water balance based approach.
Adams, MP, Koh, EJY, Vilas, MP, Collier, CJ, Lambert, VM, Sisson, SA, Quiroz, M, McDonald-Madden, E, McKenzie, LJ & O'Brien, KR 2020, 'Predicting seagrass decline due to cumulative stressors', Environmental Modelling and Software, vol. 130, pp. 104717-104717.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd Seagrass ecosystems are increasingly subjected to multiple interacting stressors, making the consequent trajectories difficult to predict. Here, we present a new process-based model of seagrass decline in response to cumulative light and temperature stress. The model is calibrated to laboratory datasets for Great Barrier Reef seagrasses using Bayesian inference. Our model, which is fit to both physiological and morphological data, supports the hypothesis that physiological carbon loss rate controls the shoot density decline rate of seagrasses. The model predicts the time to complete shoot loss, and a new, generalisable, cumulative stress index that indicates the potential seagrass shoot density decline based on the time period of cumulative stress. All model predictions include uncertainty estimates based on uncertainty in the model fit to the data. The calibrated model is packaged into a computer program that can forecast the potential declines of seagrasses due to cumulative light and temperature stress.
Aggarwal, T, Wadhwa, R, Gupta, R, Paudel, KR, Collet, T, Chellapan, DK, Gupta, G, Perumalsamy, H, Mehta, M, Satija, S, Hansbro, PM, Dua, K & Maurya, PK 2020, 'MicroRNAs as Biomarker for Breast Cancer.', Endocrine, metabolic & immune disorders drug targets, vol. 20, no. 10, pp. 1597-1610.
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Regardless of advances in detection and treatment, breast cancer is a major cause of women death and affecting about 1.5 million women all over the world. Since the last decade, genome wide association studies (GWAS) have been extensively conducted for breast cancer to define the role of miRNA as a tool for diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutics. MicroRNAs are small, non-coding RNAs that are associated with regulation of key cellular processes such as cell multiplication, differentiation, and death. They cause disturbance in the cell physiology by interfering directly with the translation and stability of a targeted gene transcript. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) constitute large family of non-coding RNAs which regulate target gene expression and protein levels that affect several human diseases and are suggested as the novel markers or therapeutic targets, including breast cancer. MicroRNA (miRNA) alterations are not only associated with metastasis, tumor genesis but also used as biomarkers for breast cancer diagnosis or prognosis. These are explained in detail in the following review. This review will also provide an impetus for more studies on the role of microRNAs in breast cancer.
Agüero, B, Mena, J, Berrios, F, Tapia, R, Salinas, C, Dutta, J, van Bakel, H, Mor, SK, Brito, B, Medina, RA & Neira, V 2020, 'First report of porcine respirovirus 1 in South America', Veterinary Microbiology, vol. 246, pp. 108726-108726.
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Porcine respirovirus 1 (PRV1) is an emerging virus in pigs that has been previously described in the USA and China. There are no reports of its presence in the rest of the world. The objective of this study was to determine the occurrence of PRV1 in Chile and to determine its phylogeny. Thus, we collected samples (oral fluids, nasal swabs, and lungs) from a swine influenza A virus (IAV) surveillance program, most of which belonged to pigs with respiratory disease. The samples were analyzed by RT-PCR, and the viral sequencing was obtained using RNA whole-genome sequencing approach. Maximum likelihood phylogeny was constructed with the available references. Thirty-one of 164 samples (18.9 %) were RT-PCR positive for PRV1: 62.5 % oral fluids, 19.0 % nasal swabs, and 8.6 % lungs. All 6 farms in this study had at least one positive sample, with 6-40 % of positive results per farm, which suggests that PRV1 is disseminated in Chilean swine farms. Twenty-one of 31 (677%) PRV1-positive samples were also positive for IAV, so the role of PRV1 as secondary pathogen in respiratory disease needs to be further evaluated. Near to complete genome of two PRV1s were obtained from two farms. The phylogenies, in general, showed low bootstrap support, except the concatenated genome and the L gene trees which showed clustering of the Chilean PRV1 with Asian sequences, suggesting a close genetic relationship. This is the first report of PRV1 in the Southern Hemisphere. Further studies are necessary to determine the genetic diversity of this virus in Chile.
Aharonovich, I, Kim, S, Liu, J, Majumdar, A & Neu, E 2020, 'Materials and Devices for Quantum Photonics: introduction to special issue', Optical Materials Express, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 715-715.
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Single photons and individual quantum systems are at the heart of recent developments in quantum technologies and are about to enable a variety of novel applications in sensing, communication, and computing. Photonic devices are the key to control interactions between quantum systems and light as well as to simultaneously engineer the properties of photons. For scalable quantum technologies, the employed quantum systems are solid-state based, thus placing the field of quantum photonics at the intersection of physics, nanotechnology, and material sciences. This special issue features 14 contributions and addresses recent advances in several material platforms.
Ahmad, N, Mehmood, MA & Malik, S 2020, 'Recombinant Protein Production in Microalgae: Emerging Trends', Protein & Peptide Letters, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 105-110.
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:
In recent years, microalgae have emerged as an alternative platform for large-scale
production of recombinant proteins for different commercial applications. As a production
platform, it has several advantages, including rapid growth, easily scale up and ability to grow with
or without the external carbon source. Genetic transformation of several species has been
established. Of these, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has become significantly attractive for its
potential to express foreign proteins inexpensively. All its three genomes – nuclear, mitochondrial
and chloroplastic – have been sequenced. As a result, a wealth of information about its genetic
machinery, protein expression mechanism (transcription, translation and post-translational
modifications) is available. Over the years, various molecular tools have been developed for the
manipulation of all these genomes. Various studies show that the transformation of the chloroplast
genome has several advantages over nuclear transformation from the biopharming point of view.
According to a recent survey, over 100 recombinant proteins have been expressed in algal
chloroplasts. However, the expression levels achieved in the algal chloroplast genome are generally
lower compared to the chloroplasts of higher plants. Work is therefore needed to make the algal
chloroplast transformation commercially competitive. In this review, we discuss some examples
from the algal research, which could play their role in making algal chloroplast commercially
successful.
Ahsan, MM, Gupta, KD, Nag, AK, Poudyal, S, Kouzani, AZ & Mahmud, MAP 2020, 'Applications and Evaluations ofBio-InspiredApproaches in Cloud Security: A Review', IEEE Access, vol. 8, pp. 180799-180814.
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Aili, SR, Touchard, A, Hayward, R, Robinson, SD, Pineda, SS, Lalagüe, H, Mrinalini, Vetter, I, Undheim, EAB, Kini, RM, Escoubas, P, Padula, MP, Myers, GSA & Nicholson, GM 2020, 'An Integrated Proteomic and Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals the Venom Complexity of the Bullet Ant Paraponera clavata', Toxins, vol. 12, no. 5, pp. 324-324.
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A critical hurdle in ant venom proteomic investigations is the lack of databases to comprehensively and specifically identify the sequence and function of venom proteins and peptides. To resolve this, we used venom gland transcriptomics to generate a sequence database that was used to assign the tandem mass spectrometry (MS) fragmentation spectra of venom peptides and proteins to specific transcripts. This was performed alongside a shotgun liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis of the venom to confirm that these assigned transcripts were expressed as proteins. Through the combined transcriptomic and proteomic investigation of Paraponera clavata venom, we identified four times the number of proteins previously identified using 2D-PAGE alone. In addition to this, by mining the transcriptomic data, we identified several novel peptide sequences for future pharmacological investigations, some of which conform with inhibitor cysteine knot motifs. These types of peptides have the potential to be developed into pharmaceutical or bioinsecticide peptides.
Ajani, PA, Davies, CH, Eriksen, RS & Richardson, AJ 2020, 'Global Warming Impacts Micro-Phytoplankton at a Long-Term Pacific Ocean Coastal Station', Frontiers in Marine Science, vol. 7.
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Ajani, PA, Larsson, ME, Woodcock, S, Rubio, A, Farrell, H, Brett, S & Murray, SA 2020, 'Fifteen years of Pseudo-nitzschia in an Australian estuary, including the first potentially toxic P. delicatissima bloom in the southern hemisphere', Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, vol. 236, pp. 106651-106651.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd In March 2018, an unprecedented bloom of a species of Pseudo-nitzschia occurred in Berowra Creek, a major tributary of the Hawkesbury River estuary, New South Wales, Australia (max cell abundance 5.7 × 106 cells L−1). Morphological and phylogenetic analysis showed the bloom was dominated by the species P. delicatissima, with toxin characterization by LC-MS confirming one of the seven strains isolated produced domoic acid (DA), at a concentration of 0.34 pg DA per cell. In response to this unprecedented bloom, we used a fifteen year series of phytoplankton and physico-chemical data to relate environmental factors to spatial and temporal variability of Pseudo-nitzschia species throughout the estuary. Species in the Pseudo-nitzschia delicatissima group consistently dominated all locations monitored throughout the estuary, with peak cell densities observed in the austral autumn (lowest in winter). Overall, Generalised Additive Models (GAMs) suggested that high cell concentrations of Pseudo-nitzschia were linked to an increase in soluble reactive phosphorus and a decrease in total nitrogen at all sites, with up to 55% of the deviance explained. Twenty species of Pseudo-nitzschia have now been reported in Australian coastal waters, four of which are confirmed DA producers. We hypothesise that increased urbanization, nutrient input and warmer waters could combine to increase Pseudo-nitzschia blooms in south-eastern Australia.
Ajani, PA, Lim, HC, Verma, A, Lassudrie, M, McBean, K, Doblin, MA & Murray, SA 2020, 'First report of the potentially toxic marine diatom Pseudo-nitzschia simulans (Bacillariophyceae) from the East Australian Current', Phycological Research, vol. 68, no. 3, pp. 254-259.
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© 2020 Japanese Society of Phycology Certain species of the marine diatom genus Pseudo-nitzschia are responsible for the production of the domoic acid (DA), a neurotoxin that can bioaccumulate in the food chain and cause amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) in animals and humans. This study extends our knowledge by reporting on the first observation of the potentially toxic species Pseudo-nitzschia simulans from this region. One clonal strain of P. simulans was isolated from the East Australian Current and characterized using light and transmission electron microscopy, and phylogenetic analyses based on regions of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and the D1–D3 region of the large subunit (LSU) of the nuclear-encoded ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid (rDNA), as well as examined for DA production as measured by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Although this strain was non-toxic under the defined growth conditions, the results unambiguously confirmed that this isolate is the potentially toxic species P. simulans – the first report of this species from the Southern Hemisphere.
Ajani, PA, Petrou, K, Larsson, ME, Nielsen, DA, Burke, J & Murray, SA 2020, 'Phenotypic trait variability as an indication of adaptive capacity in a cosmopolitan marine diatom.', Environmental microbiology, vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 207-223.
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Determining the adaptive capacity of marine phytoplankton is important in predicting changes in phytoplankton responses to ocean warming. Phytoplankton may consist of high levels of standing phenotypic and genetic variability, the basis of rapid evolution; however, few studies have quantified trait variability within and amongst closely related diatom species. Using 35 clonal cultures of the ubiquitous marine diatom Leptocylindrus isolated from six locations, spanning 2000 km of the south-eastern Australian coastline, we found evidence of significant intraspecific morphological and metabolic trait variability, which for 8 of 9 traits (growth rate, biovolume, C:N, silica deposition, silica incorporation rate, chl-a, and photosynthetic efficiency under dark adapted, growth irradiance, and high-light adaptation) were greater within a species than between species. Moreover, only two traits revealed a latitudinal trend with strains isolated from lower latitudes showing significantly higher silicification rates and protein:lipid content compared to their higher latitude counterparts. These data mirror recent studies on diatom intraspecific genetic diversity, which has found comparable levels of genetic diversity at a single site to those thousands of kilometres apart, and provide evidence of a functional role of diatom diversity that will allow for rapid adaptation via ecological selection on standing variation in response to changing conditions.
Akyol, S, Akgun, MY, Yetmez, M, Hanci, M, Oktar, FN & Ben-Nissan, B 2020, 'Comparative Analysis of NF-κB in the MyD88-Mediated Pathway After Implantation of Titanium Alloy and Stainless Steel and the Role of Regulatory T Cells', World Neurosurgery, vol. 144, pp. e138-e148.
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OBJECTIVE:Development of immunologically smart implants, integrated to biological systems, is a key aim to minimize the inflammatory response of the host to biomaterial implants. METHODS:The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of titanium alloy and stainless steel implants on immunological responses in rats by comparative analysis of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) profiles in the activation of inflammatory signaling pathways and the role of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+. RESULTS:Both Ti alloy and stainless steel alloy group implantation affect Toll-like receptors-4 pathways and CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells in different ways. CONCLUSIONS:Results show that NF-κB/p65 and NF-κB1/p50 possess potential as a therapeutic target in the prevention of adverse reactions to metal, especially for controlling inflammation after the implantation.
Alemao, CA, Budden, KF, Gomez, HM, Rehman, SF, Marshall, JE, Shukla, SD, Donovan, C, Forster, SC, Yang, IA, Keely, S, Mann, ER, El, OEM, Belz, GT & Hansbro, PM 2020, 'Impact of diet and the bacterial microbiome on the mucous barrier and immune disorders.', Allergy, vol. 76, no. 3, pp. 714-734.
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The prevalence of chronic immune and metabolic disorders is increasing rapidly. In particular, inflammatory bowel diseases, obesity, diabetes, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have become major healthcare and economic burdens worldwide. Recent advances in microbiome research have led to significant discoveries of associative links between alterations in the microbiome and health, as well as these chronic supposedly noncommunicable, immune/metabolic disorders. Importantly, the interplay between diet, microbiome and the mucous barrier in these diseases has gained significant attention. Diet modulates the mucous barrier via alterations in gut microbiota, resulting in either disease onset/exacerbation due to a 'poor' diet or protection against disease with a 'healthy' diet. In addition, many mucosa-associated disorders possess a specific gut microbiome fingerprint associated with the composition of the mucous barrier, which is further influenced by host-microbiome and inter-microbial interactions, dietary choices, microbe immigration and antimicrobials. Our review focuses on the interactions of diet (macronutrients and micronutrients), gut microbiota and mucous barriers (gastrointestinal and respiratory tract) and their importance in the onset and/or progression of major immune/metabolic disorders. We also highlight the key mechanisms that could be targeted therapeutically to prevent and/or treat these disorders.
Alghalayini, A, Jiang, L, Gu, X, Yeoh, GH, Cranfield, CG, Timchenko, V, Cornell, BA & Valenzuela, SM 2020, 'Real-time monitoring of heat transfer between gold nanoparticles and tethered bilayer lipid membranes.', Biochimica et biophysica acta. Biomembranes, vol. 1862, no. 9, pp. 183334-183334.
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Plasmon resonance frequency irradiated gold nanoparticles (GNPs) have gained interest as a laser-targeted treatment for infections, tumors and for the controlled release of drugs in situ. Questions still remain, however, as to the efficiency of heat delivery within biological tissues and how this can be reliably determined. Here, we demonstrate how a nanomaterial-electrode interface that mimics cell membranes can detect the localized heat transfer characteristics arising from plasmon resonance frequency-matched laser excitation of GNPs. We demonstrate that the lipid bilayer membrane can be affected by conjugated GNP induced hyperthermia when irradiated with a laser power output as low as 135 nW/μm2. This is four orders of magnitude lower power than previously reported. By restricting the lateral movement of the lipids in the bilayer membrane, it was shown that the change in membrane conductance as a result of the heat transfer was due to the creation of transient lipidic toroidal pores within the membrane. We further demonstrate that the heat transfer from the GNPs alters diffusion rates of monomers of the gramicidin-A peptide within the lipid leaflets. This work highlights how targeted low laser power GNP hyperthermia treatments, in vivo, could play a dual role of interfering with both cell membrane morphology and dynamics, along with membrane protein function.
Alghalayini, A, Jiang, L, Gu, X, Yeoh, GH, Cranfield, CG, Timchenko, V, Cornell, BA & Valenzuela, SM 2020, 'Tethered Bilayer Lipid Membranes to Monitor Heat Transfer between Gold Nanoparticles and Lipid Membranes', Journal of Visualized Experiments, no. 166.
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Ali, MK, Kim, RY, Brown, AC, Donovan, C, Vanka, KS, Mayall, JR, Liu, G, Pillar, AL, Jones-Freeman, B, Xenaki, D, Borghuis, T, Karim, R, Pinkerton, JW, Aryal, R, Heidari, M, Martin, KL, Burgess, JK, Oliver, BG, Trinder, D, Johnstone, DM, Milward, EA, Hansbro, PM & Horvat, JC 2020, 'Critical role for iron accumulation in the pathogenesis of fibrotic lung disease.', The Journal of pathology, vol. 251, no. 1, pp. 49-62.
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Increased iron levels and dysregulated iron homeostasis, or both, occur in several lung diseases. Here, the effects of iron accumulation on the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis and associated lung function decline was investigated using a combination of murine models of iron overload and bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis, primary human lung fibroblasts treated with iron, and histological samples from patients with or without idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Iron levels are significantly increased in iron overloaded transferrin receptor 2 (Tfr2) mutant mice and homeostatic iron regulator (Hfe) gene-deficient mice and this is associated with increases in airway fibrosis and reduced lung function. Furthermore, fibrosis and lung function decline are associated with pulmonary iron accumulation in bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. In addition, we show that iron accumulation is increased in lung sections from patients with IPF and that human lung fibroblasts show greater proliferation and cytokine and extracellular matrix responses when exposed to increased iron levels. Significantly, we show that intranasal treatment with the iron chelator, deferoxamine (DFO), from the time when pulmonary iron levels accumulate, prevents airway fibrosis and decline in lung function in experimental pulmonary fibrosis. Pulmonary fibrosis is associated with an increase in Tfr1+ macrophages that display altered phenotype in disease, and DFO treatment modified the abundance of these cells. These experimental and clinical data demonstrate that increased accumulation of pulmonary iron plays a key role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis and lung function decline. Furthermore, these data highlight the potential for the therapeutic targeting of increased pulmonary iron in the treatment of fibrotic lung diseases such as IPF. © 2020 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ali, MK, Kim, RY, Brown, AC, Mayall, JR, Karim, R, Pinkerton, JW, Liu, G, Martin, KL, Starkey, MR, Pillar, AL, Donovan, C, Pathinayake, PS, Carroll, OR, Trinder, D, Tay, HL, Badi, YE, Kermani, NZ, Guo, Y-K, Aryal, R, Mumby, S, Pavlidis, S, Adcock, IM, Weaver, J, Xenaki, D, Oliver, BG, Holliday, EG, Foster, PS, Wark, PA, Johnstone, DM, Milward, EA, Hansbro, PM & Horvat, JC 2020, 'Crucial role for lung iron level and regulation in the pathogenesis and severity of asthma.', The European respiratory journal, vol. 55, no. 4, pp. 1901340-1901340.
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Accumulating evidence highlights links between iron regulation and respiratory disease. Here, we assessed the relationship between iron levels and regulatory responses in clinical and experimental asthma.We show that cell-free iron levels are reduced in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) supernatant of severe or mild-moderate asthma patients and correlate with lower forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1). Conversely, iron-loaded cell numbers were increased in BAL in these patients and with lower FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio. The airway tissue expression of the iron sequestration molecules divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) and transferrin receptor 1 (TFR1) are increased in asthma, with TFR1 expression correlating with reduced lung function and increased Type-2 (T2) inflammatory responses in the airways. Furthermore, pulmonary iron levels are increased in a house dust mite (HDM)-induced model of experimental asthma in association with augmented Tfr1 expression in airway tissue, similar to human disease. We show that macrophages are the predominant source of increased Tfr1 and Tfr1+ macrophages have increased Il13 expression. We also show that increased iron levels induce increased pro-inflammatory cytokine and/or extracellular matrix (ECM) responses in human airway smooth muscle (ASM) cells and fibroblasts ex vivo and induce key features of asthma in vivo, including airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR) and fibrosis, and T2 inflammatory responses.Together these complementary clinical and experimental data highlight the importance of altered pulmonary iron levels and regulation in asthma, and the need for a greater focus on the role and potential therapeutic targeting of iron in the pathogenesis and severity of disease.
Ali, S, Tahir, M, Mehboob, N, Wahab, F, J, LS, Mohd, SS, R, SM, Julai, S & Hamid, MAS 2020, 'Amino Anthraquinone: Synthesis, Characterization, and Its Application as an Active Material in Environmental Sensors.', Materials (Basel), vol. 13, no. 4, pp. E960-960.
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This work reports synthesis, thin film characterizations, and study of an organic semiconductor 2-aminoanthraquinone (AAq) for humidity and temperature sensing applications. The morphological and phase studies of AAq thin films are carried out by scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. To study the sensing properties of AAq, a surface type Au/AAq/Au sensor is fabricated by thermally depositing a 60 nm layer of AAq at a pressure of ~10-5 mbar on a pre-patterned gold (Au) electrodes with inter-electrode gap of 45 µm. To measure sensing capability of the Au/AAq/Au device, the variations in its capacitance and resistance are studied as a function of humidity and temperature. The Au/AAq/Au device measures and exhibits a linear change in capacitance and resistance when relative humidity (%RH) and temperature are varied. The AAq is a hydrophobic material which makes it one of the best candidates to be used as an active material in humidity sensors; on the other hand, its high melting point (575 K) is another appealing property that enables it for its potential applications in temperature sensors.
Alinezhad, A, Benedetti, TM, Gloag, L, Cheong, S, Watt, J, Chen, H-S, Gooding, JJ & Tilley, RD 2020, 'Controlling Pt Crystal Defects on the Surface of Ni–Pt Core–Shell Nanoparticles for Active and Stable Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction', ACS Applied Nano Materials, vol. 3, no. 6, pp. 5995-6000.
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Aljabali, AAA, Bakshi, HA, Hakkim, FL, Haggag, YA, Al-Batanyeh, KM, Zoubi, MSA, Al-Trad, B, Nasef, MM, Satija, S, Mehta, M, Pabreja, K, Mishra, V, Khan, M, Abobaker, S, Azzouz, IM, Dureja, H, Pabari, RM, Dardouri, AAK, Kesharwani, P, Gupta, G, Dhar Shukla, S, Prasher, P, Charbe, NB, Negi, P, Kapoor, DN, Chellappan, DK, Webba da Silva, M, Thompson, P, Dua, K, McCarron, P & Tambuwala, MM 2020, 'Correction: Aljabali, A.A.A.; et al. Albumin Nano-Encapsulation of Piceatannol Enhances Its Anticancer Potential in Colon Cancer via down Regulation of Nuclear p65 and HIF-1α. Cancers 2020, 12, 113', Cancers, vol. 12, no. 12, pp. 3587-3587.
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The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper [...]
Aljabali, AAA, Bakshi, HA, Satija, S, Metha, M, Prasher, P, Ennab, RM, Chellappan, DK, Gupta, G, Negi, P, Goyal, R, Sharma, A, Mishra, V, Dureja, H, Dua, K & Tambuwala, MM 2020, 'COVID-19: Underpinning Research for Detection, Therapeutics, and Vaccines Development', Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 323-353.
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Objectives:The newly emerged coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, first reported in December 2019, has infected about five and a half million people globally and resulted in nearly 9063264 deaths until the 24th of June 2020. Nevertheless, the highly contagious virus has instigated an unimaginably rapid response from scientific and medical communities.Methods:Pioneering research on molecular mechanisms underlying the viral transmission, molecular pathogenicity, and potential treatments will be highlighted in this review. The development of antiviral drugs specific to SARS-CoV-2 is a complicated and tedious process. To accelerate scientific discoveries and advancement, researchers are consolidating available data from associated coronaviruses into a single pipeline, which can be readily made available to vaccine developers.Results:In order to find studies evaluating the COVID-19 virus epidemiology, repurposed drugs and potential vaccines, web searches and bibliographical bases have been used with keywords that matches the content of this review.Lay Summary:An innovative analysis is evaluating the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim is to increase knowledge of possible viral detection methods, which highlights several new technology limitations and advantages. We have assessed some drugs currently for patients (Lopinavir, Ritonavir, Anakinra and Interferon beta 1a), as the feasibility of COVID-19 specific antivirals is not presently known. The study explores the race toward vaccine development and highlights some significant trials and candidates in various clinical phases. This research addresses critical knowledge gaps by identifying repurposed drugs currently under clinical trials. Findings will be fed back rapidly to the researchers intereste...
Altamish, M, Dahiya, R, Singh, AK, Mishra, A, Aljabali, AAA, Satija, S, Mehta, M, Dureja, H, Prasher, P, Negi, P, Kapoor, DN, Goyal, R, Tambuwala, MM, Chellappan, DK, Dua, K & Gupta, G 2020, 'Role of the Serine/Threonine Kinase 11 (STK11) or Liver Kinase B1 (LKB1) Gene in Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome', Critical Reviews in Eukaryotic Gene Expression, vol. 30, no. 3, pp. 245-252.
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Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) is a well-described inherited syndrome, characterized by the development of gastrointestinal polyps and characteristic mucocutaneous freckling. PJS is an autosomal prevailing disease, due to genetic mutation on chromosome 19p, manifested by restricted mucocutaneous melanosis in association with gastrointestinal (GI) polyposis. The gene for PJS has recently been shown to be a serine/threonine kinase, known as LKB1 or STK11, which maps to chromosome subband 19p13.3. This gene has a putative coding region of 1302 bp, divided into nine exons, and acts as a tumor suppressor in the hamartomatous polyps of PJS patients and in the other neoplasms that develop in PJS patients. It is probable that these neoplasms develop from hamartomas, but it remains possible that the LKB1 or STK11 locus plays a role in a different genetic pathway of tumor growth in the cancers of PJS patients. This article focuses on the role of LKB1 or STK11 gene expression in PJS and related cancers.
Amjadipour, M, Su, D & Iacopi, F 2020, 'Cover Picture: Graphitic‐Based Solid‐State Supercapacitors: Enabling Redox Reaction by In Situ Electrochemical Treatment (Batteries & Supercaps 7/2020)', Batteries & Supercaps, vol. 3, no. 7, pp. 566-566.
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Amjadipour, M, Su, D & Iacopi, F 2020, 'Graphitic‐Based Solid‐State Supercapacitors: Enabling Redox Reaction by In Situ Electrochemical Treatment', Batteries & Supercaps, vol. 3, no. 7, pp. 569-569.
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AbstractInvited for this month's cover picture is the group of Integrated Nano Systems Lab (INSys Lab), part of the Centre for Clean Energy Technology, University of Technology Sydney. The cover picture illustrates an efficient in situ pathway to generate and attach oxygen functional groups to graphitic electrodes for supercapacitors by inducing hydrolysis of water molecules within the gel electrolyte. Read the full text of the Article at 10.1002/batt.201900204.
Amjadipour, M, Su, D & Iacopi, F 2020, 'Graphitic‐Based Solid‐State Supercapacitors: Enabling Redox Reaction by In Situ Electrochemical Treatment', Batteries & Supercaps, vol. 3, no. 7, pp. 587-595.
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AbstractThe quest for supercapacitors that can hold both high energy and power density is of increasing significance as the need for green and reliable energy storage devices grows, for both large‐scale and integrated systems. While supercapacitors for integrated technologies require a solid‐state approach, gel‐based electrolytes are generally not as efficient as their aqueous counterparts. Here, we demonstrate a strategy to enhance the performance of quasi‐solid‐state supercapacitors made by graphitized silicon carbide on silicon electrodes and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)+H2SO4 gel electrolyte. The electrochemical characterization shows an increase of the specific capacitance of the cell up to 3‐fold resulting from a simple agent‐free, in situ, electrochemical treatment leading to functionalization of the graphitic electrodes. The functionalization of the electrodes simultaneously enables redox reactions, without adding any redox agent, and increases the double layer contribution to the overall capacitance. The strategy and insights offered by this work hold great promise for improving quasi‐solid‐state, miniaturized on‐chip energy storage systems, which are compatible with silicon electronics.
Amorim, NML, Kee, A, Coster, ACF, Lucas, C, Bould, S, Daniel, S, Weir, JM, Mellett, NA, Barbour, J, Meikle, PJ, Cohn, RJ, Turner, N, Hardeman, EC & Simar, D 2020, 'Irradiation impairs mitochondrial function and skeletal muscle oxidative capacity: significance for metabolic complications in cancer survivors', Metabolism, vol. 103, pp. 154025-154025.
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Anantanawat, K, Papanicolaou, A, Hill, K & Xu, W 2020, 'Molecular Response of the Mediterranean Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) to Heat', Journal of Economic Entomology, vol. 113, no. 5, pp. 2495-2504.
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AbstractTephritid fruit flies are highly successful invaders and some—such as the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann)—are able to adapt to a large range of crops. Biosecurity controls require that shipments of produce are ensured to be pest-free, which is increasingly difficult due to the ban of key pesticides. Instead, stress-based strategies including controlled atmosphere, temperature, and irradiation can be used to eradicate flies inside products. However, unlike pesticide science, we do not yet have a robust scientific approach to measure cost-effectively whether a sufficiently lethal stress has been delivered and understand what this stress does to the biology of the pest. The latter is crucial as it would enable a combination of stresses targeting multiple molecular pathways and thus allow for lower doses of each to achieve higher lethality and reduce the development of resistance. Using heat as an example, this is the first study investigating the molecular stress response to heat in Tephritidae. Using a novel setup delivering measured doses of heat on C. capitata larvae and a high-density 11 timepoint gene expression experiment, we identified key components of lethal heat-stress response. While unraveling the complete molecular mechanism of fruit fly response to lethal stress would be a long-term project, this work curates and develops 31 potential biomarkers to assess whether sufficient lethal stress has been delivered. Further, as these protocols are straightforward and less expensive than other—omic approaches, our studies and approach will assist other researchers working on stress response.
Aneman, I, Pienaar, D, Suvakov, S, Simic, TP, Garovic, VD & McClements, L 2020, 'Mechanisms of Key Innate Immune Cells in Early- and Late-Onset Preeclampsia', Frontiers in Immunology, vol. 11.
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Preeclampsia is a complex cardiovascular disorder of pregnancy with underlying multifactorial pathogeneses; however, its etiology is not fully understood. It is characterized by the new onset of maternal hypertension after 20 weeks of gestation, accompanied by proteinuria, maternal organ damage, and/or uteroplacental dysfunction. Preeclampsia can be subdivided into early- and late-onset phenotypes (EOPE and LOPE), diagnosed before 34 weeks or from 34 weeks of gestation, respectively. Impaired placental development in early pregnancy and subsequent growth restriction is often associated with EOPE, while LOPE is associated with maternal endothelial dysfunction. The innate immune system plays an essential role in normal progression of physiological pregnancy and fetal development. However, inappropriate or excessive activation of this system can lead to placental dysfunction or poor maternal vascular adaptation and contribute to the development of preeclampsia. This review aims to comprehensively outline the mechanisms of key innate immune cells including macrophages, neutrophils, natural killer (NK) cells, and innate B1 cells, in normal physiological pregnancy, EOPE and LOPE. The roles of the complement system, syncytiotrophoblast extracellular vesicles and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are also discussed in the context of innate immune system regulation and preeclampsia. The outlined molecular mechanisms, which represent potential therapeutic targets, and associated emerging treatments, are evaluated as treatments for preeclampsia. Therefore, by addressing the current understanding of innate immunity in the pathogenesis of EOPE and LOPE, this review will contribute to the body of research that could lead to the development of better diagnosis, prevention, and treatment strategies. Importantly, it will delineate the differences in the mechanisms of the innate immune system in two different types of preeclampsia, which is necessary for a more personalized approach t...
Annett, S, Moore, G, Short, A, Marshall, A, McCrudden, C, Yakkundi, A, Das, S, McCluggage, WG, Nelson, L, Harley, I, Moustafa, N, Kennedy, CJ, deFazio, A, Brand, A, Sharma, R, Brennan, D, O’Toole, S, O’Leary, J, Bates, M, O’Riain, C, O’Connor, D, Furlong, F, McCarthy, H, Kissenpfennig, A, McClements, L & Robson, T 2020, 'FKBPL-based peptide, ALM201, targets angiogenesis and cancer stem cells in ovarian cancer', British Journal of Cancer, vol. 122, no. 3, pp. 361-371.
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Abstract
Background
ALM201 is a therapeutic peptide derived from FKBPL that has previously undergone preclinical and clinical development for oncology indications and has completed a Phase 1a clinical trial in ovarian cancer patients and other advanced solid tumours.
Methods
In vitro, cancer stem cell (CSC) assays in a range of HGSOC cell lines and patient samples, and in vivo tumour initiation, growth delay and limiting dilution assays, were utilised. Mechanisms were determined by using immunohistochemistry, ELISA, qRT-PCR, RNAseq and western blotting. Endogenous FKBPL protein levels were evaluated using tissue microarrays (TMA).
Results
ALM201 reduced CSCs in cell lines and primary samples by inducing differentiation. ALM201 treatment of highly vascularised Kuramochi xenografts resulted in tumour growth delay by disruption of angiogenesis and a ten-fold decrease in the CSC population. In contrast, ALM201 failed to elicit a strong antitumour response in non-vascularised OVCAR3 xenografts, due to high levels of IL-6 and vasculogenic mimicry. High endogenous tumour expression of FKBPL was associated with an increased progression-free interval, supporting the protective role of FKBPL in HGSOC.
Conclusion
FKBPL-based therapy can (i) dually target angiogenesis and CSCs, (ii) target the CD44/STAT3 pathway in tumours and (iii) is effective in highly vascularised HGSOC tumours with low levels of IL-6.
Antonaru, LA, Cardona, T, Larkum, AWD & Nürnberg, DJ 2020, 'Global distribution of a chlorophyll f cyanobacterial marker.', The ISME journal, vol. 14, no. 9, pp. 2275-2287.
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Some cyanobacteria use light outside the visible spectrum for oxygenic photosynthesis. The far-red light (FRL) region is made accessible through a complex acclimation process that involves the formation of new phycobilisomes and photosystems containing chlorophyll f. Diverse cyanobacteria ranging from unicellular to branched-filamentous forms show this response. These organisms have been isolated from shaded environments such as microbial mats, soil, rock, and stromatolites. However, the full spread of chlorophyll f-containing species in nature is still unknown. Currently, discovering new chlorophyll f cyanobacteria involves lengthy incubation times under selective far-red light. We have used a marker gene to detect chlorophyll f organisms in environmental samples and metagenomic data. This marker, apcE2, encodes a phycobilisome linker associated with FRL-photosynthesis. By focusing on a far-red motif within the sequence, degenerate PCR and BLAST searches can effectively discriminate against the normal chlorophyll a-associated apcE. Even short recovered sequences carry enough information for phylogenetic placement. Markers of chlorophyll f photosynthesis were found in metagenomic datasets from diverse environments around the globe, including cyanobacterial symbionts, hypersaline lakes, corals, and the Arctic/Antarctic regions. This additional information enabled higher phylogenetic resolution supporting the hypothesis that vertical descent, as opposed to horizontal gene transfer, is largely responsible for this phenotype's distribution.
Ariawan, AD, Sun, B, Wojciechowski, JP, Lin, I, Du, EY, Goodchild, SC, Cranfield, CG, Ittner, LM, Thordarson, P & Martin, AD 2020, 'Effect of polar amino acid incorporation on Fmoc-diphenylalanine-based tetrapeptides', Soft Matter, vol. 16, no. 20, pp. 4800-4805.
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The incorporation of polar amino acids into the Fmoc-FF motif yields tetrapeptide hydrogels whose biocompatibility in the gel state is inversely proportional to their biocompatibility in the solution state.
Assadi, MHN, Gutiérrez Moreno, JJ & Fronzi, M 2020, 'High-Performance Thermoelectric Oxides Based on Spinel Structure', ACS Applied Energy Materials, vol. 3, no. 6, pp. 5666-5674.
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© 2020 American Chemical Society. High-performance thermoelectric oxides could offer a great energy solution for integrated and embedded applications in sensing and electronics industries. Oxides, however, often suffer from low Seebeck coefficient when compared with other classes of thermoelectric materials. In search of high-performance thermoelectric oxides, we present a comprehensive density functional investigation, based on GGA+U formalism, surveying the 3d and 4d transition-metal-containing ferrites of the spinel structure. Consequently, we predict MnFe2O4 and RhFe2O4 have Seebeck coefficients of ±600 μV K-1 at near room temperature, achieved by light hole and electron doping. Furthermore, CrFe2O4 and MoFe2O4 have even higher ambient Seebeck coefficients at ±700 μV K-1. In the latter compounds, the Seebeck coefficient is approximately a flat function of temperature up to ∼700 K, offering a tremendous operational convenience. Additionally, MoFe2O4 doped with 1019 holes/cm3 has a calculated thermoelectric power factor of 689.81 μW K-2 m-1 at 300 K and 455.67 μW K-2 m-1 at 600 K. The thermoelectric properties predicted here can bring these thermoelectric oxides to applications at lower temperatures traditionally fulfilled by more toxic and otherwise burdensome materials.
Assadi, MHN, Mele, P & Fronzi, M 2020, 'Suppression of magnetism and Seebeck effect in Na0.875CoO2 induced by SbCo dopants', Materials for Renewable and Sustainable Energy, vol. 9, no. 1.
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AbstractWe examined the electronic property of Sb-doped Na0.785CoO2using density functional calculations based on GGA+Uformalism. We demonstrated that Sb dopants were the most stable when replacing Co ions within the complex Na0.875CoO2lattice structure. We also showed that the SbCodopants adopted the + 5 oxidation state introducing two electrons into the host Na0.875CoO2compound. The newly introduced electrons recombined with holes that were borne on Co4+sites that had been created by sodium vacancies. The elimination of Co4+species, in turn, rendered Na0.875(Co0.9375Sb0.0625)O2non-magnetic and diminished the compound’s thermoelectric effect. Furthermore, the SbCodopants tended to aggregate with the Na vacancies keeping a minimum distance. The conclusions drawn here can be generalised to other highly oxidised dopants in NaxCoO2that replace a Co.
Australian, BAEAAM & Australian, BA 2020, 'A Neuroethics Framework for the Australian Brain Initiative.', Neuron, vol. 105, no. 1, pp. 201-201.
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© 2019 Elsevier Inc. (Neuron 101, 365–369; February 6, 2019) In the original publication of this NeuroView, the member list for the Australian Brain Alliance was omitted. This has now been corrected online. Neuron apologizes for the error.
Babayan, A, Neumann, MHD, Herdean, A, Shaffer, JM, Janning, M, Kobus, F, Loges, S, Di Pasquale, F, Kubista, M, Schlumpberger, M, Lampignano, R, Krahn, T, Schlange, T, Sprenger-Haussels, M, Pantel, K & Kloten, V 2020, 'Multicenter Evaluation of Independent High-Throughput and RT-qPCR Technologies for the Development of Analytical Workflows for Circulating miRNA Analysis', Cancers, vol. 12, no. 5, pp. 1166-1166.
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Background: Among emerging circulating biomarkers, miRNA has the potential to detect lung cancer and follow the course of the disease. However, miRNA analysis deserves further standardization before implementation into clinical trials or practice. Here, we performed international ring experiments to explore (pre)-analytical factors relevant to the outcome of miRNA blood tests in the context of the EU network CANCER-ID. Methods: Cell-free (cfmiRNA) and extracellular vesicle-derived miRNA (EVmiRNA) were extracted using the miRNeasy Serum/Plasma Advanced, and the ExoRNeasy Maxi kit, respectively, in a plasma cohort of 27 NSCLC patients and 20 healthy individuals. Extracted miRNA was investigated using small RNA sequencing and hybridization platforms. Validation of the identified miRNA candidates was performed using quantitative PCR. Results: We demonstrate the highest read counts in healthy individuals and NSCLC patients using QIAseq. Moreover, QIAseq showed 15.9% and 162.9% more cfmiRNA and EVmiRNA miRNA counts, respectively, in NSCLC patients compared to healthy control samples. However, a systematic comparison of selected miRNAs revealed little agreement between high-throughput platforms, thus some miRNAs are detected with one technology, but not with the other. Adding to this, 35% (9 of 26) of selected miRNAs in the cfmiRNA and 42% (11 of 26) in the EVmiRNA fraction were differentially expressed by at least one qPCR platform; about half of the miRNAs (54%) were concordant for both platforms. Conclusions: Changing of (pre)-analytical methods of miRNA analysis has a significant impact on blood test results and is therefore a major confounding factor. In addition, to confirm miRNA biomarker candidates screening studies should be followed by targeted validation using an independent platform or technology.
Badis, Y, Klochkova, TA, Brakel, J, Arce, P, Ostrowski, M, Tringe, SG, Kim, GH & Gachon, CMM 2020, 'Hidden diversity in the oomycete genus Olpidiopsis is a potential hazard to red algal cultivation and conservation worldwide', European Journal of Phycology, vol. 55, no. 2, pp. 162-171.
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© 2019, © 2019 British Phycological Society. Marine species of the oomycete genus Olpidiopsis that infect cultivated red macroalgae, most notably Pyropia spp., are one of the main causes of economic loss in the Asian seaweed industry. We recently described novel Olpidiopsis species infecting red algae in Scotland, and thus hypothesized that this genus is more abundant and widespread than previously recognized. Here, we show that the eukaryotic microbiome of macroscopically healthy Porphyra umbilicalis thalli frequently contains marker genes closely related to Olpidiopsis. Thanks to a custom pipeline that allows for de novo OTU and biogeography discovery, and the recovery of precomputed OTUs from large-scale metabarcoding campaigns, we unveil more than 20 unknown Olpidiopsis taxa with a worldwide distribution. Additionally, laboratory-controlled cross-infection experiments show that a Scottish variety of O. porphyrae is virulent on the most commonly cultivated Pyropia yezoensis cultivar in Korea and that conversely, a Korean strain of O. porphyrae successfully infects wild Bangia sp. strains isolated from Scotland. These results provide proof-of-concept that a native Olpidiopsis pathogen may threaten an introduced crop or that an Olpidiopsis pathogen potentially introduced alongside a non-native crop might cross-infect a native European alga. Thus, we draw parallels with several current biosecurity crises, where major risks to native floras and faunas, as well as crops, are caused by the inadvertent introduction of poorly known pathogens through the agricultural and horticultural trades. Therefore, we express concern that the rapid growth of algal cultivation worldwide, linked to international movement of seaweed seed and the absence of biosecurity monitoring or regulation pertaining to this trade, potentially lays the ground for grave ecological and economic crises in the marine environment.
Baechler, S, Morelato, M, Gittelson, S, Walsh, S, Margot, P, Roux, C & Ribaux, O 2020, 'Breaking the barriers between intelligence, investigation and evaluation: A continuous approach to define the contribution and scope of forensic science', Forensic Science International, vol. 309, pp. 110213-110213.
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Forensic science has been evolving towards a separation of more and more specialised tasks, with forensic practitioners increasingly identifying themselves with only one sub-discipline or task of forensic science. Such divisions are viewed as a threat to the advancement of science because they tend to polarise researchers and tear apart scientific communities. The objective of this article is to highlight that a piece of information is not either intelligence or evidence, and that a forensic scientist is not either an investigator or an evaluator, but that these notions must all be applied in conjunction to successfully understand a criminal problem or solve a case. To capture the scope, strength and contribution of forensic science, this paper proposes a progressive but non-linear continuous model that could serve as a guide for forensic reasoning and processes. In this approach, hypothetico-deductive reasoning, iterative thinking and the notion of entropy are used to frame the continuum, situate forensic scientists' operating contexts and decision points. Situations and examples drawn from experience and practice are used to illustrate the approach. The authors argue that forensic science, as a discipline, should not be defined according to the context it serves (i.e. an investigation, a court decision or an intelligence process), but as a general, scientific and holistic trace-focused practice that contributes to a broad range of goals in various contexts. Since forensic science does not work in isolation, the approach also provides a useful basis as to how forensic scientists should contribute to collective and collaborative problem-solving to improve justice and security.
Baechler12, S, Morelato, M, Roux, C, Margot, P & Ribaux, O 2020, 'Un modèle continu, non linéaire et collaboratif de l’enquête', Criminologie, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 43-76.
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L’article propose un modèle continu, non linéaire, itératif et collaboratif de l’enquête. Celui-ci décrit le processus d’enquête appliqué au traitement des problèmes criminels et sécuritaires, faisant appel à des notions clés telles que l’entropie, le raisonnement hypothético-déductif, la méthode scientifique et la pensée itérative. Le modèle se concentre sur la démarche inférentielle et intellectuelle de l’enquête plutôt que sur les aspects procéduraux, qui varient selon les pays et les juridictions ou selon les types de crime. Inspiré de théories préexistantes de l’enquête, ce modèle offre un cadre cohérent et intégratif aux différentes méthodes d’enquête qui concourent au traitement de l’information et à la compréhension des évènements et des phénomènes. Le modèle permet aux enquêteurs, au sens large, de guider leur raisonnement et leur prise de décisions, ainsi que de situer leurs contributions tout au long du processus d’enquête. Il facilite ainsi la collaboration entre tous les acteurs, à commencer par les inspecteurs, les analystes criminels, les investigateurs numériques et les criminalistes, pour atteindre leurs objectifs communs au service de la justice, de la sécurité et de la société. À l’appui d’exemples issus de notre pratique, nous traçons ici le cheminement intellectuel qui amène à poser ce modèle progressif et collaboratif. Cette vision, qui place les intersections en son centre, ébranle les barrières classiques érigées dans les théories et la pratique. Nous décrivons les enjeux, les avantages et les limites de ce modèle.
Baird, ME, Wild-Allen, KA, Parslow, J, Mongin, M, Robson, B, Skerratt, J, Rizwi, F, Soja-Woźniak, M, Jones, E, Herzfeld, M, Margvelashvili, N, Andrewartha, J, Langlais, C, Adams, MP, Cherukuru, N, Gustafsson, M, Hadley, S, Ralph, PJ, Rosebrock, U, Schroeder, T, Laiolo, L, Harrison, D & Steven, ADL 2020, 'CSIRO Environmental Modelling Suite (EMS): scientific description of the optical and biogeochemical models (vB3p0)', Geoscientific Model Development, vol. 13, no. 9, pp. 4503-4553.
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Abstract. Since the mid-1990s, Australia's Commonwealth Science Industry and Research Organisation (CSIRO) has been developing a biogeochemical (BGC) model for coupling with a hydrodynamic and sediment model for application in estuaries, coastal waters and shelf seas. The suite of coupled models is referred to as the CSIRO Environmental Modelling Suite (EMS) and has been applied at tens of locations around the Australian continent. At a mature point in the BGC model's development, this paper presents a full mathematical description, as well as links to the freely available code and user guide. The mathematical description is structured into processes so that the details of new parameterisations can be easily identified, along with their derivation. In EMS, the underwater light field is simulated by a spectrally resolved optical model that calculates vertical light attenuation from the scattering and absorption of 20+ optically active constituents. The BGC model itself cycles carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous and oxygen through multiple phytoplankton, zooplankton, detritus and dissolved organic and inorganic forms in multiple water column and sediment layers. The water column is dynamically coupled to the sediment to resolve deposition, resuspension and benthic–pelagic biogeochemical fluxes. With a focus on shallow waters, the model also includes detailed representations of benthic plants such as seagrass, macroalgae and coral polyps. A second focus has been on, where possible, the use of geometric derivations of physical limits to constrain ecological rates. This geometric approach generally requires population-based rates to be derived from initially considering the size and shape of individuals. For example, zooplankton grazing considers encounter rates of one predator on a prey field based on summing relative motion of the predator with the prey individuals and the search area; chlorophyll synthesis includes a geometrically derived self-shading term; and t...
Bakshi, H, Zoubi, M, Faruck, H, Aljabali, A, Rabi, F, Hafiz, A, Al-Batanyeh, K, Al-Trad, B, Ansari, P, Nasef, M, Charbe, N, Satija, S, Mehta, M, Mishra, V, Gupta, G, Abobaker, S, Negi, P, Azzouz, I, Dardouri, A, Dureja, H, Prasher, P, Chellappan, D, Dua, K, Webba da Silva, M, Tanani, M, McCarron, P & Tambuwala, M 2020, 'Dietary Crocin is Protective in Pancreatic Cancer while Reducing Radiation-Induced Hepatic Oxidative Damage', Nutrients, vol. 12, no. 6, pp. 1901-1901.
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Pancreatic cancer is one of the fatal causes of global cancer-related deaths. Although surgery and chemotherapy are standard treatment options, post-treatment outcomes often end in a poor prognosis. In the present study, we investigated anti-pancreatic cancer and amelioration of radiation-induced oxidative damage by crocin. Crocin is a carotenoid isolated from the dietary herb saffron, a prospect for novel leads as an anti-cancer agent. Crocin significantly reduced cell viability of BXPC3 and Capan-2 by triggering caspase signaling via the downregulation of Bcl-2. It modulated the expression of cell cycle signaling proteins P53, P21, P27, CDK2, c-MYC, Cyt-c and P38. Concomitantly, crocin treatment-induced apoptosis by inducing the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytosol. Microarray analysis of the expression signature of genes induced by crocin showed a substantial number of genes involved in cell signaling pathways and checkpoints (723) are significantly affected by crocin. In mice bearing pancreatic tumors, crocin significantly reduced tumor burden without a change in body weight. Additionally, it showed significant protection against radiation-induced hepatic oxidative damage, reduced the levels of hepatic toxicity and preserved liver morphology. These findings indicate that crocin has a potential role in the treatment, prevention and management of pancreatic cancer.
Bandara, CD, Ballerin, G, Leppänen, M, Tesfamichael, T, Ostrikov, KK & Whitchurch, CB 2020, 'Resolving Bio–Nano Interactions of E. coli Bacteria–Dragonfly Wing Interface with Helium Ion and 3D-Structured Illumination Microscopy to Understand Bacterial Death on Nanotopography', ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, vol. 6, no. 7, pp. 3925-3932.
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Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society. Obtaining a comprehensive understanding of the bactericidal mechanisms of natural nanotextured surfaces is crucial for the development of fabricated nanotextured surfaces with efficient bactericidal activity. However, the scale, nature, and speed of bacteria-nanotextured surface interactions make the characterization of the interaction a challenging task. There are currently several different opinions regarding the possible mechanisms by which bacterial membrane damage occurs upon interacting with nanotextured surfaces. Advanced imaging methods could clarify this by enabling visualization of the interaction. Charged particle microscopes can achieve the required nanoscale resolution but are limited to dry samples. In contrast, light-based methods enable the characterization of living (hydrated) samples but are limited by the resolution achievable. Here we utilized both helium ion microscopy (HIM) and 3D structured illumination microscopy (3D-SIM) techniques to understand the interaction of Gram-negative bacterial membranes with nanopillars such as those found on dragonfly wings. Helium ion microscopy enables cutting and imaging at nanoscale resolution, while 3D-SIM is a super-resolution optical microscopy technique that allows visualization of live, unfixed bacteria at â100 nm resolution. Upon bacteria-nanopillar interaction, the energy stored due to the bending of natural nanopillars was estimated and compared with fabricated vertically aligned carbon nanotubes. With the same deflection, shorter dragonfly wing nanopillars store slightly higher energy compared to carbon nanotubes. This indicates that fabricated surfaces may achieve similar bactericidal efficiency as dragonfly wings. This study reports in situ characterization of bacteria-nanopillar interactions in real-time close to its natural state. These microscopic approaches will help further understanding of bacterial membrane interactions with nanotextured surface...
Bannister, T, Ebert, EE, Silver, J, Newbigin, E, Lampugnani, ER, Hughes, N, Looker, C, Mulvenna, V, Jones, PJ, Davies, JM, Suphioglu, C, Beggs, PJ, Emmerson, KM, Huete, A, Nguyen, H, Williams, T, Douglas, P, Wain, A, Carroll, M & Csutoros, D 2020, 'A pilot forecasting system for epidemic thunderstorm asthma in south-eastern Australia', Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, vol. 102, no. 2, pp. 1-54.
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Capsule: A newly developed pilot forecasting system for epidemic thunderstorm asthma is assisting the health sector in Victoria, Australia, to prepare for these rare but potentially deadly events.
Bansal, R, Elgundi, Z, Care, A, C. Goodchild, S, S. Lord, M, Rodger, A & Sunna, A 2020, 'Elucidating the Binding Mechanism of a Novel Silica-Binding Peptide', Biomolecules, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 4-4.
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Linker-protein G (LPG) is a bifunctional fusion protein composed of a solid-binding peptide (SBP, referred as the “linker”) with high affinity to silica-based compounds and a Streptococcus protein G (PG), which binds antibodies. The binding mechanisms of LPG to silica-based materials was studied using different biophysical techniques and compared to that of PG without the linker. LPG displayed high binding affinity to a silica surface (KD = 34.77 ± 11.8 nM), with a vertical orientation, in comparison to parent PG, which exhibited no measurable binding affinity. Incorporation of the linker in the fusion protein, LPG, had no effect on the antibody-binding function of PG, which retained its secondary structure and displayed no alteration of its chemical stability. The LPG system provided a milder, easier, and faster affinity-driven immobilization of antibodies to inorganic surfaces when compared to traditional chemical coupling techniques.
Bansal, R, Elgundi, Z, Goodchild, SC, Care, A, Lord, MS, Rodger, A & Sunna, A 2020, 'The Effect of Oligomerization on A Solid-Binding Peptide Binding to Silica-Based Materials', Nanomaterials, vol. 10, no. 6, pp. 1070-1070.
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The bifunctional linker-protein G (LPG) fusion protein comprises a peptide (linker) sequence and a truncated form of Streptococcus strain G148 protein G (protein G). The linker represents a multimeric solid-binding peptide (SBP) comprising 4 × 21-amino acid sequence repeats that display high binding affinity towards silica-based materials. In this study, several truncated derivatives were investigated to determine the effect of the SBP oligomerization on the silica binding function of LPG (for the sake of clarity, LPG will be referred from here on as 4 × LPG). Various biophysical characterization techniques were used to quantify and compare the truncated derivatives against 4 × LPG and protein G without linker (PG). The derivative containing two sequence repeats (2 × LPG) showed minimal binding to silica, while the truncated derivative with only a single sequence (1 × LPG) displayed no binding. The derivative containing three sequence repeats (3 × LPG) was able to bind to silica with a binding affinity of KD = 53.23 ± 4.5 nM, which is 1.5 times lower than that obtained for 4 × LPG under similar experimental conditions. Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy studies indicated that the SBP degree of oligomerization has only a small effect on the secondary structure (the linker unravels the beginning of the protein G sequence) and chemical stability of the parent protein G. However, based on quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D), oligomerization is an important parameter for a strong and stable binding to silica. The replacement of three sequence repeats by a (GGGGS)12 glycine-rich spacer indicated that the overall length rather than the SBP oligomerization mediated the effective binding to silica.
Bao, G 2020, 'Lanthanide complexes for drug delivery and therapeutics', Journal of Luminescence, vol. 228, pp. 117622-117622.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Lanthanide complex-based medicine combining organic ligands and individual lanthanide ions is proving successful in therapeutics, especially in drug delivery, chemotherapy, and photodynamic therapy. In this review, I discuss the coordination chemistry, antenna effect, and chelating ligands of lanthanide complexes and their key features benefiting the therapeutical monitoring and performance, such as fingerprint emissions, large pseudo-Stokes’ shifts, long lifetimes, two-photon excitations and magnetic resonance responses. While illustrating their pharmaceutical applications in drug delivery, chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy, I identify the challenges and prospective opportunities in clinical translation of the lanthanide complex-based medicine.
Bao, G, Wen, S, Lin, G, Yuan, J, Lin, J, Wong, KL, Bünzli, JCG & Jin, D 2020, 'Learning from lanthanide complexes: The development of dye-lanthanide nanoparticles and their biomedical applications', Coordination Chemistry Reviews, vol. 429, pp. 213642-213642.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Coordination chemistry has been widely studied in lanthanide complexes, where organic ligands are used to chelate individual lanthanide ions, and the complexes are broadly used in analytical, biological, and clinical applications. Significant progress has recently been made to exploit the hybrid structure of lanthanide doped inorganic nanoparticles “coated” with organic dyes. This attributes to the fast developments of nanoscience and technology centred around well-controlled nanocrystal synthesis and engineering, with a variety of shape, size, composition and structures towards the desirable functions. There are a lot of similarities between the two forms of lanthanide materials, waiting for a systematic analysis to guide the emerging field of nanocrystal-dye hybrids. Therefore, we survey here the principles for the design of dye-lanthanide energy transfer systems and analyse the remarkable successes made in hybrid dye-lanthanide nanosystems.
Bao, T, Damtie, MM, Hosseinzadeh, A, Wei, W, Jin, J, Phong Vo, HN, Ye, JS, Liu, Y, Wang, XF, Yu, ZM, Chen, ZJ, Wu, K, Frost, RL & Ni, B-J 2020, 'Bentonite-supported nano zero-valent iron composite as a green catalyst for bisphenol A degradation: Preparation, performance, and mechanism of action', Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 260, pp. 110105-110105.
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Barolo, L, Abbriano, RM, Commault, AS, George, J, Kahlke, T, Fabris, M, Padula, MP, Lopez, A, Ralph, PJ & Pernice, M 2020, 'Perspectives for Glyco-Engineering of Recombinant Biopharmaceuticals from Microalgae', Cells, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 633-633.
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Microalgae exhibit great potential for recombinant therapeutic protein production, due to lower production costs, immunity to human pathogens, and advanced genetic toolkits. However, a fundamental aspect to consider for recombinant biopharmaceutical production is the presence of correct post-translational modifications. Multiple recent studies focusing on glycosylation in microalgae have revealed unique species-specific patterns absent in humans. Glycosylation is particularly important for protein function and is directly responsible for recombinant biopharmaceutical immunogenicity. Therefore, it is necessary to fully characterise this key feature in microalgae before these organisms can be established as industrially relevant microbial biofactories. Here, we review the work done to date on production of recombinant biopharmaceuticals in microalgae, experimental and computational evidence for N- and O-glycosylation in diverse microalgal groups, established approaches for glyco-engineering, and perspectives for their application in microalgal systems. The insights from this review may be applied to future glyco-engineering attempts to humanize recombinant therapeutic proteins and to potentially obtain cheaper, fully functional biopharmaceuticals from microalgae.
Barratt, JLN & Sapp, SGH 2020, 'Machine learning-based analyses support the existence of species complexes for Strongyloides fuelleborni and Strongyloides stercoralis', Parasitology, vol. 147, no. 11, pp. 1184-1195.
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AbstractHuman strongyloidiasis is a serious disease mostly attributable to Strongyloides stercoralis and to a lesser extent Strongyloides fuelleborni, a parasite mainly of non-human primates. The role of animals as reservoirs of human-infecting Strongyloides is ill-defined, and whether dogs are a source of human infection is debated. Published multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) studies attempt to elucidate relationships between Strongyloides genotypes, hosts, and distributions, but typically examine relatively few worms, making it difficult to identify population-level trends. Combining MLST data from multiple studies is often impractical because they examine different combinations of loci, eliminating phylogeny as a means of examining these data collectively unless hundreds of specimens are excluded. A recently-described machine learning approach that facilitates clustering of MLST data may offer a solution, even for datasets that include specimens sequenced at different combinations of loci. By clustering various MLST datasets as one using this procedure, we sought to uncover associations among genotype, geography, and hosts that remained elusive when examining datasets individually. Multiple datasets comprising hundreds of S. stercoralis and S. fuelleborni individuals were combined and clustered. Our results suggest that the commonly proposed ‘two lineage’ population structure of S. stercoralis (where lineage A infects humans and dogs, lineage B only dogs) is an over-simplification. Instead, S. stercoralis seemingly represents a species complex, including two distinct populations over-represented in dogs, and other populations vastly more common in humans. A distinction between African and Asian S. fuel...
Barton, PS, Reboldi, A, Dawson, BM, Ueland, M, Strong, C & Wallman, JF 2020, 'Soil chemical markers distinguishing human and pig decomposition islands: a preliminary study.', Forensic science, medicine, and pathology, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 605-612.
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The decomposition of vertebrate cadavers on the soil surface produces nutrient-rich fluids that enter the soil profile, leaving clear evidence of the presence of a cadaver decomposition island. Few studies, however, have described soil physicochemistry under human cadavers, or compared the soil between human and non-human animal models. In this study, we sampled soil to 5 cm depth at distances of 0 cm and 30 cm from cadavers, as well as from control sites 90 cm distant, from five human and three pig cadavers at the Australian Facility for Taphonomic Experimental Research (AFTER). We found that soil moisture, electrical conductivity, nitrate, ammonium, and total phosphorus were higher in soil directly under cadavers (0 cm), with very limited lateral spread beyond 30 cm. These patterns lasted up to 700 days, indicating that key soil nutrients might be useful markers of the location of the decomposition island for up to 2 years. Soil phosphorus was always higher under pigs than humans, suggesting a possible difference in the decomposition and soil processes under these two cadaver types. Our preliminary study highlights the need for further experimental and replicated research to quantify variability in soil properties, and to identify when non-human animals are suitable analogues.
Barua, A, Ajani, PA, Ruvindy, R, Farrell, H, Zammit, A, Brett, S, Hill, D, Sarowar, C, Hoppenrath, M & Murray, SA 2020, 'First Detection of Paralytic Shellfish Toxins from Alexandrium pacificum above the Regulatory Limit in Blue Mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) in New South Wales, Australia.', Microorganisms, vol. 8, no. 6, pp. 905-905.
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In 2016, 2017 and 2018, elevated levels of the species Alexandrium pacificum were detected within a blue mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) aquaculture area at Twofold Bay on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. In 2016, the bloom persisted for at least eight weeks and maximum cell concentrations of 89,000 cells L-1 of A. pacificum were reported. The identity of A. pacificum was confirmed using molecular genetic tools (qPCR and amplicon sequencing) and complemented by light and scanning electron microscopy of cultured strains. Maximum reported concentrations of paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) in mussel tissue was 7.2 mg/kg PST STX equivalent. Elevated cell concentrations of A. pacificum were reported along the adjacent coastal shelf areas, and positive PST results were reported from nearby oyster producing estuaries during 2016. This is the first record of PSTs above the regulatory limit (0.8 mg/kg) in commercial aquaculture in New South Wales since the establishment of routine biotoxin monitoring in 2005. The intensity and duration of the 2016 A. pacificum bloom were unusual given the relatively low abundances of A. pacificum in estuarine and coastal waters of the region found in the prior 10 years.
Basu, S, Hanh, BM, Isaiah Chua, JQ, Daniel, D, Ismail, MH, Marchioro, M, Amini, S, Rice, SA & Miserez, A 2020, 'Green biolubricant infused slippery surfaces to combat marine biofouling', Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, vol. 568, pp. 185-197.
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HYPOTHESIS:Marine biofouling is a global, longstanding problem for maritime industries and coastal areas arising from the attachment of fouling organisms onto solid immersed surfaces. Slippery Liquid Infused Porous Surfaces (SLIPS) have recently shown promising capacity to combat marine biofouling. In most SLIPS coatings, the lubricant is a silicone/fluorinated-based synthetic component that may not be fully compatible with the marine life. We hypothesized that eco-friendly biolubricants could be used to replace synthetic lubricants in SLIPS for marine anti-fouling. EXPERIMENTS:We developed SLIPS coatings using oleic acid (OA) and methyl oleate (MO) as infusing phases. The infusion efficiency was verified with confocal microscopy, surface spectroscopy, wetting efficiency, and nanocontact mechanics. Using green mussels as a model organism, we tested the anti-fouling performance of the biolubricant infused SLIPS and verified its non-cytotoxicity against fish gill cells. FINDINGS:We find that UV-treated PDMS infused with MO gives the most uniform infused film, in agreement with the lowest interfacial energy among all surface/biolubricants produced. These surfaces exhibit efficient anti-fouling properties, as defined by the lowest number of mussel adhesive threads attached to the surface as well as by the smallest surface/thread adhesion strength. We find a direct correlation between anti-fouling performance and the substrate/biolubricant interfacial energy.
Basu, S, Hanh, BM, Ismail, MH, Chua, JQI, Narasimalu, S, Sekar, M, Labak, A, Vena, A, Kim, P, Galhenage, TP, Rice, SA & Miserez, A 2020, 'Laboratory and Field Testing Assessment of Next Generation Biocide-Free, Fouling-Resistant Slippery Coatings', ACS Applied Polymer Materials, vol. 2, no. 11, pp. 5147-5162.
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Bates, H, Zavafer, A, Szabó, M & Ralph, PJ 2020, 'The Phenobottle, an open-source photobioreactor platform for environmental simulation', Algal Research, vol. 52, pp. 102105-102105.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Microalgal biotechnologies have great potential for biofuels, bioremediation, food technologies and more recently the production of pharmaceuticals. However, a major obstacle to use microalgae industrially is the optimisation of environmental parameters to the microalgal species of interest (light, CO2 availability, nutrients, etc.). If one aims to optimise productivity, the use of photobioreactors (PBRs) is essential. However, the restrictive design of the few commercial bioreactors and their elevated costs (> $10,000 USD ea.) prevents their use as a mainstream tool. To propel microalgal research we present the Phenobottle, a fully customizable open-source PBR platform (consisting of hardware and software). As the optimisation of photosynthesis is a central process to increasing the productivity of microalgae, the Phenobottle is equipped with a chlorophyll a fluorometer and growth sensors to probe metabolic performance in near-real time. An introductory guide is provided and the Phenobottle's sensors are benchmarked against commercial instruments using the model green alga Chlorella vulgaris.
Beavan, A, Chin, V, Ryan, LM, Spielmann, J, Mayer, J, Skorski, S, Meyer, T & Fransen, J 2020, 'A Longitudinal Analysis of the Executive Functions in High-Level Soccer Players.', Journal of sport & exercise psychology, vol. 42, no. 5, pp. 1-9.
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Introduction
Assessments of executive functions (EFs) with varying levels of perceptual information or action fidelity are common talent-diagnostic tools in soccer, yet their validity still has to be established. Therefore, a longitudinal development of EFs in high-level players to understand their relationship with increased exposure to training is required.
Methods
A total of 304 high-performing male youth soccer players (10-21 years old) in Germany were assessed across three seasons on various sport-specific and non-sport-specific cognitive functioning assessments.
Results
The posterior means (90% highest posterior density) of random slopes indicated that both abilities predominantly developed between 10 and 15 years of age. A plateau was apparent for domain-specific abilities during adolescence, whereas domain-generic abilities improved into young adulthood.
Conclusion
The developmental trajectories of soccer players' EFs follow the general populations' despite long-term exposure to soccer-specific training and game play. This brings into question the relationship between high-level experience and EFs and renders including EFs in talent identification questionable.
Beehan-Quirk, C, Jarman, L, Maharaj, S, Simpson, A, Nassif, N & Lal, S 2020, 'Investigating the effects of fatigue on blood glucose levels – Implications for diabetes', Translational Metabolic Syndrome Research, vol. 3, pp. 17-20.
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Ben-Nissan, I, Ueland, M, Taudte, V, Ben-Nissan, B & Zaslawski, C 2020, 'Is moxibustion safe? An analytic chemical analysis of moxa smoke', Integrative Medicine Research, vol. 9, pp. 100549-100549.
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Bernhardt, N, Koshelev, K, White, SJU, Meng, KWC, Fröch, JE, Kim, S, Tran, TT, Choi, D-Y, Kivshar, Y & Solntsev, AS 2020, 'Quasi-BIC Resonant Enhancement of Second-Harmonic Generation in WS2 Monolayers.', Nano letters, vol. 20, no. 7, pp. 5309-5314.
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Atomically thin monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have emerged as a promising class of novel materials for optoelectronics and nonlinear optics. However, the intrinsic nonlinearity of TMD monolayers is weak, limiting their functionalities for nonlinear optical processes such as frequency conversion. Here we boost the effective nonlinear susceptibility of a TMD monolayer by integrating it with a resonant dielectric metasurface that supports pronounced optical resonances with high quality factors: bound states in the continuum (BICs). We demonstrate that a WS2 monolayer combined with a silicon metasurface hosting BICs exhibits enhanced second-harmonic intensity by more than 3 orders of magnitude relative to a WS2 monolayer on top of a flat silicon film of the same thickness. Our work suggests a pathway to employ high-index dielectric metasurfaces as hybrid structures for enhancement of TMD nonlinearities with applications in nonlinear microscopy, optoelectronics, and signal processing.
Bilokur, M, Gentle, A, Arnold, MD, Cortie, MB & Smith, GB 2020, 'Spectrally Selective Solar Absorbers based on Ta:SiO 2 Cermets for Next‐Generation Concentrated Solar–Thermal Applications', Energy Technology: generation, conversion, storage, distribution, vol. 8, no. 7, pp. 2000125-2000125.
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© 2020 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim An iterative algorithm is used to design a spectrally selective thin-film stack to provide maximum solar-to-thermal conversion efficiency at the very high operating temperatures associated with high solar concentrations. The resulting stack is then fabricated by magnetron sputtering and characterized. It is composed of two Ta:SiO2 layers with differing Ta nanoparticle contents on a refractory metal substrate. A SiO2 antireflecting overlayer completes the stack. Optical and microstructural characterizations indicate that the stack achieves 97.6% solar absorptance up to 900 °C. Spectral selectivity and thermal stability improve on annealing in two ways, first, due to recrystallization of Pt or Ta back reflectors which lowers room temperature thermal emittance to 0.15 from 0.18, and to 0.14 from 0.21, respectively; and second, due to alloying of substrate atoms with the Ta nanoparticles of the cermet.
Birch, S, Alraek, T, Bovey, M, Lee, MS, Lee, JA, Zaslawski, C, Robinson, N, Kim, T-H & Bian, Z-X 2020, 'Overview on pattern identification – History, nature and strategies for treating patients: A narrative review', European Journal of Integrative Medicine, vol. 35, pp. 101101-101101.
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© 2020 Introduction: In traditional East Asian Medicine (TEAM), various systems of practice exist that have used different theories to guide their practice. Although data gathering has been limited to what can be observed by the four examinations - si zhen, the different systems of practice have focused on different observational data to make diagnostic decisions and choose corresponding treatments. The organization of the data into patterns has led to what is called Pattern Identification based systems of practice (PIs). Methods: The range of systems, theories, treatments and PIs were explored in order to highlight important issues for researchers to consider in performing PI based research Results: Expert opinions, scholarly and clinical literature on the key issues which compose ‘pattern identification’ (PI) were identified with respect to the history, development, nature and the different strategies used by different PIs for diagnosing and treating patients. Conclusion: It is important for researchers to understand these issues so as not to weaken their results and findings, whether conducting survey-based research, clinical trial research, laboratory studies or seeking to influence teaching and practice. This is the first in a series of papers by the international Pattern Identification Network Group (iPING) helping to clarify the area of research on PIs and which seek to expand lines of research on PIs so that teaching, practice, clinical and laboratory research can be more consequential.
Boakes, RA, Rehn, S, Badolato, C & Rooney, KB 2020, 'Reduced acceptance of saccharin solutions by rats previously consuming more highly palatable solutions.', Physiology & Behavior, vol. 218, pp. 112822-112822.
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Rats first given 24-h access to 10% sucrose for 4 or 12 days (Stage 1) were then switched to a saccharin solution for a 12-day Stage 2. The initial result of this switch was that these Sucrose groups drank less saccharin than Water groups that had been given only water to drink in Stage 1. This difference was maintained throughout Stage 2 by the females that served in Experiments 1 and 4 and by the males that served in Experiment 3. Experiment 1 also found that access to 10% glucose in Stage 1 produced an essentially identical decrease in subsequent saccharin acceptance as that produced by giving 10% sucrose in Stage 1. The impact on subsequent acceptance of saccharin was also tested in rats given two types of maltodextrin solution. The first type of maltodextrin (Myopure brand) was used with the males in Experiment 2; this failed to find any difference between the Maltodextrin and the Water group. However, when a second type of maltodextrin (SolCarb brand) was given to males in Stage 1 of Experiment 3, the results for this group were similar to those from a group given sucrose in Stage 1. The final experiment confirmed that prior exposure to maltodextrin solutions can reduce saccharin acceptance by female rats. Overall, the results suggest that acceptance of saccharin is sensitive to a contrast effect, in that it is reduced by prior exposure to a solution that is more palatable but not necessarily sweet.
Bodachivskyi, I, Kuzhiumparambil, U & Williams, DBG 2020, 'Catalytic Valorization of Native Biomass in a Deep Eutectic Solvent: A Systematic Approach toward High-Yielding Reactions of Polysaccharides', ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 678-685.
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Bodachivskyi, I, Kuzhiumparambil, U & Williams, DBG 2020, 'Towards furfural from the reaction of cellulosic biomass in zinc chloride hydrate solvents', Industrial Crops and Products, vol. 146, pp. 112179-112179.
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Bodachivskyi, I, Kuzhiumparambil, U & Williams, DBG 2020, 'Understanding the role of the substrate and the metal triflate acidic catalyst in sugar platform biorefineries: A comprehensive systematic approach to catalytic transformations of (poly)carbohydrates in ethanol', Chemical Engineering Journal, vol. 399, pp. 125816-125816.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. We systematically explore a range of model conversions of mono- and disaccharides, and of linear and branched polysaccharides under the catalytic action of metal trifluoromethanesulfonates (metal triflates) in ethanol. This highlights the preferred reactivity of specific (poly)carbohydrates, and the interplay between selectivities of the reactions and the dominating catalyst activity (Brønsted or Lewis). It unambiguously delineates that selectivities of acid-catalysed transformations of (poly)carbohydrates into value added platform chemicals rely on the origin of the substrate, any (pre)treatment, the acidic catalyst, and the reaction conditions. The optimised catalytic systems enable very efficient conversion of cellulosic carbohydrates into significantly value added ethyl glucosides (yields up to 63%), ethyl xylosides (yields up to 69%), ethyl levulinate (yields up to 75%), ethyl lactate (yields up to 98%), ethoxyacetaldehyde diethylacetal (yields up to 33%), and furfural diethylacetal (yields up to 44%), depending on the substrate and reaction conditions.
Bodachivskyi, I, Page, CJ, Kuzhiumparambil, U, Hinkley, SFR, Sims, IM & Williams, DBG 2020, 'Dissolution of Cellulose: Are Ionic Liquids Innocent or Noninnocent Solvents?', ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, vol. 8, no. 27, pp. 10142-10150.
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© 2020 American Chemical Society. Cellulose is a naturally abundant and readily accessible substrate for large scale biorefinery technologies. There has been a significant focus on ionic liquids as alternative solvents for the valorization of cellulosic substances. Ionic liquids dissolve cellulose in varying degrees, facilitating ready chemical transformations. However, there is no self-contained set of knowledge and information on the influence (or not) of the simple dissolution process on the cellulose molecule. Herein, we detail the dissolution, recovery, and characterization of cellulose in various classes of ionic solvents in a systematic study. This provides a view of the stability of cellulose in each solvent. We consider the major classes of ionic liquids commonly employed for cellulose chemistry, the dissolution in zinc chloride hydrate systems, quaternary ammonium salts, and deep eutectic solvents under varied processing conditions. We regenerate cellulosic material from the solvent and characterize the polymer employing gravimetric analysis, IR spectroscopy, and size exclusion chromatography. Surprisingly, most ionic liquids employed caused reduction in the MW of the cellulose.
Bogema, DR, McKinnon, J, Liu, M, Hitchick, N, Miller, N, Venturini, C, Iredell, J, Darling, AE, Chowdury, PR & Djordjevic, SP 2020, 'Whole-genome analysis of extraintestinal Escherichia coli sequence type 73 from a single hospital over a 2 year period identified different circulating clonal groups', Microbial Genomics, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 1-18.
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© 2020 The Authors. Sequence type (ST)73 has emerged as one of the most frequently isolated extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli. To examine the localized diversity of ST73 clonal groups, including their mobile genetic element profile, we sequenced the genomes of 16 multiple-drug resistant ST73 isolates from patients with urinary tract infection from a single hospital in Sydney, Australia, between 2009 and 2011. Genome sequences were used to generate a SNP-based phylogenetic tree to determine the relationship of these isolates in a global context with ST73 sequences (n=210) from public databases. There was no evidence of a dominant outbreak strain of ST73 in patients from this hospital, rather we identified at least eight separate groups, several of which reoccurred, over a 2 year period. The inferred phylogeny of all ST73 strains (n=226) including the ST73 clone D i2 reference genome shows high bootstrap support and clusters into four major groups that correlate with serotype. The Sydney ST73 strains carry a wide variety of virulence-associated genes, but the presence of iss, pic and several iron-acquisition operons was notable.
Booth, DJ 2020, 'Opposing climate-change impacts on poleward-shifting coral-reef fishes', Coral Reefs, vol. 39, no. 3, pp. 577-581.
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© 2020, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. Poleward expatriation of tropical marine organisms is occurring globally, linked to climate change via strengthening of Western Boundary Currents (WBCs). In summer 2016, there was an unprecedented (in 18 years of monitoring) influx of coral-reef fish juveniles (“vagrants”) in temperate SE Australia. However, a large climate change-linked storm event (“East Coast low”) in June 2016 wiped out large numbers of these fishes over several days, as well as severely altering coastal habitat. Some taxa (e.g. Acanthuridae: surgeonfishes, key habitat modifiers) were decimated with up to 95% loss, while others (e.g. Pomacentridae: damselfishes, under 5% loss) fared better. The storm altered habitat (boulder “barens” were exposed by large-scale removal of macroalgae) with new barrens supporting over fifty times more tropical fish recruits in the following year (2017) than surrounding kelp-dominated areas. Fish were more vulnerable to storm effects in exposed habitats, and some species exhibited size-selective losses. Such climate-related storms can decouple links between poleward fish shifts and more predictable climate effects such as sea temperature rise.
Booth, SC & Rice, SA 2020, 'Influence of interspecies interactions on the spatial organization of dual species bacterial communities', Biofilm, vol. 2, pp. 100035-100035.
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Boström-Einarsson, L, Babcock, RC, Bayraktarov, E, Ceccarelli, D, Cook, N, Ferse, SCA, Hancock, B, Harrison, P, Hein, M, Shaver, E, Smith, A, Suggett, D, Stewart-Sinclair, PJ, Vardi, T & McLeod, IM 2020, 'Coral restoration – A systematic review of current methods, successes, failures and future directions', PLOS ONE, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. e0226631-e0226631.
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Coral reef ecosystems have suffered an unprecedented loss of habitat-forming hard corals in recent decades. While marine conservation has historically focused on passive habitat protection, demand for and interest in active restoration has been growing in recent decades. However, a disconnect between coral restoration practitioners, coral reef managers and scientists has resulted in a disjointed field where it is difficult to gain an overview of existing knowledge. To address this, we aimed to synthesise the available knowledge in a comprehensive global review of coral restoration methods, incorporating data from the peer-reviewed scientific literature, complemented with grey literature and through a survey of coral restoration practitioners. We found that coral restoration case studies are dominated by short-term projects, with 60% of all projects reporting less than 18 months of monitoring of the restored sites. Similarly, most projects are relatively small in spatial scale, with a median size of restored area of 100 m2. A diverse range of species are represented in the dataset, with 229 different species from 72 coral genera. Overall, coral restoration projects focused primarily on fast-growing branching corals (59% of studies), and report survival between 60 and 70%. To date, the relatively young field of coral restoration has been plagued by similar ‘growing pains’ as ecological restoration in other ecosystems. These include 1) a lack of clear and achievable objectives, 2) a lack of appropriate and standardised monitoring and reporting and, 3) poorly designed projects in relation to stated objectives. Mitigating these will be crucial to successfully scale up projects, and to retain public trust in restoration as a tool for resilience based management. Finally, while it is clear that practitioners have developed effective methods to successfully grow corals at small scales, it is critical not to view restoration as a replacement for meaningful action on clima...
Bottomley, AL, Peterson, E, Iosifidis, G, Yong, AMH, Hartley-Tassell, LE, Ansari, S, McKenzie, C, Burke, C, Duggin, IG, Kline, KA & Harry, EJ 2020, 'The novel E. coli cell division protein, YtfB, plays a role in eukaryotic cell adhesion', Scientific Reports, vol. 10, no. 1.
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AbstractCharacterisation of protein function based solely on homology searches may overlook functions under specific environmental conditions, or the possibility of a protein having multiple roles. In this study we investigated the role of YtfB, a protein originally identified in a genome-wide screen to cause inhibition of cell division, and has demonstrated to localise to the Escherichia coli division site with some degree of glycan specificity. Interestingly, YtfB also shows homology to the virulence factor OapA from Haemophilus influenzae, which is important for adherence to epithelial cells, indicating the potential of additional function(s) for YtfB. Here we show that E. coli YtfB binds to N’acetylglucosamine and mannobiose glycans with high affinity. The loss of ytfB results in a reduction in the ability of the uropathogenic E. coli strain UTI89 to adhere to human kidney cells, but not to bladder cells, suggesting a specific role in the initial adherence stage of ascending urinary tract infections. Taken together, our results suggest a role for YtfB in adhesion to specific eukaryotic cells, which may be additional, or complementary, to its role in cell division. This study highlights the importance of understanding the possible multiple functions of proteins based on homology, which may be specific to different environmental conditions.
Boudewijn, IM, Lan, A, Faiz, A, Cox, CA, Brouwer, S, Schokker, S, Vroegop, SJ, Nawijn, MC, Woodruff, PG, Christenson, SA, Hagedoorn, P, Frijlink, HW, Choy, DF, Brouwer, U, Wisman, M, Postma, DS, Fingleton, J, Beasley, R, van den Berge, M & Guryev, V 2020, 'Nasal gene expression changes with inhaled corticosteroid treatment in asthma', Allergy, vol. 75, no. 1, pp. 191-194.
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Bousquet, J, Anto, JM, Iaccarino, G, Czarlewski, W, Haahtela, T, Anto, A, Akdis, CA, Blain, H, Canonica, GW, Cardona, V, Cruz, AA, Illario, M, Ivancevich, JC, Jutel, M, Klimek, L, Kuna, P, Laune, D, Larenas-Linnemann, D, Mullol, J, Papadopoulos, NG, Pfaar, O, Samolinski, B, Valiulis, A, Yorgancioglu, A & Zuberbier, T 2020, 'Is diet partly responsible for differences in COVID-19 death rates between and within countries?', Clinical and Translational Allergy, vol. 10, no. 1.
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Abstract
Reported COVID-19 deaths in Germany are relatively low as compared to many European countries. Among the several explanations proposed, an early and large testing of the population was put forward. Most current debates on COVID-19 focus on the differences among countries, but little attention has been given to regional differences and diet. The low-death rate European countries (e.g. Austria, Baltic States, Czech Republic, Finland, Norway, Poland, Slovakia) have used different quarantine and/or confinement times and methods and none have performed as many early tests as Germany. Among other factors that may be significant are the dietary habits. It seems that some foods largely used in these countries may reduce angiotensin-converting enzyme activity or are anti-oxidants. Among the many possible areas of research, it might be important to understand diet and angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) levels in populations with different COVID-19 death rates since dietary interventions may be of great benefit.
Bousquet, J, Cristol, J-P, Czarlewski, W, Anto, JM, Martineau, A, Haahtela, T, Fonseca, SC, Iaccarino, G, Blain, H, Fiocchi, A, Canonica, GW, Fonseca, JA, Vidal, A, Choi, H-J, Kim, HJ, Le Moing, V, Reynes, J, Sheikh, A, Akdis, CA & Zuberbier, T 2020, 'Nrf2-interacting nutrients and COVID-19: time for research to develop adaptation strategies', Clinical and Translational Allergy, vol. 10, no. 1.
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AbstractThere are large between- and within-country variations in COVID-19 death rates. Some very low death rate settings such as Eastern Asia, Central Europe, the Balkans and Africa have a common feature of eating large quantities of fermented foods whose intake is associated with the activation of the Nrf2 (Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2) anti-oxidant transcription factor. There are many Nrf2-interacting nutrients (berberine, curcumin, epigallocatechin gallate, genistein, quercetin, resveratrol, sulforaphane) that all act similarly to reduce insulin resistance, endothelial damage, lung injury and cytokine storm. They also act on the same mechanisms (mTOR: Mammalian target of rapamycin, PPARγ:Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor, NFκB: Nuclear factor kappa B, ERK: Extracellular signal-regulated kinases and eIF2α:Elongation initiation factor 2α). They may as a result be important in mitigating the severity of COVID-19, acting through the endoplasmic reticulum stress or ACE-Angiotensin-II-AT1R axis (AT1R) pathway. Many Nrf2-interacting nutrients are also interacting with TRPA1 and/or TRPV1. Interestingly, geographical areas with very low COVID-19 mortality are those with the lowest prevalence of obesity (Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia). It is tempting to propose that Nrf2-interacting foods and nutrients can re-balance insulin resistance and have a significant effect on COVID-19 severity. It is therefore possible that the intake of these foods may restore an optimal natural balance for the Nrf2 pathway and may be of interest in the mitigation of COVID-19 severity.
Bouzo, D, Cokcetin, NN, Li, L, Ballerin, G, Bottomley, AL, Lazenby, J, Whitchurch, CB, Paulsen, IT, Hassan, KA & Harry, EJ 2020, 'Characterizing the Mechanism of Action of an Ancient Antimicrobial, Manuka Honey, against Pseudomonas aeruginosa Using Modern Transcriptomics', mSystems, vol. 5, no. 3.
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The threat of antimicrobial resistance to human health has prompted interest in complex, natural products with antimicrobial activity. Honey has been an effective topical wound treatment throughout history, predominantly due to its broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. Unlike traditional antibiotics, honey-resistant bacteria have not been reported; however, honey remains underutilized in the clinic in part due to a lack of understanding of its mechanism of action. Here, we demonstrate that honey affects multiple processes in bacteria, and this is not explained by its major antibacterial components. Honey also uniquely affects bacterial membranes, and this can be exploited for combination therapy with antibiotics that are otherwise ineffective on their own. We argue that honey should be included as part of the current array of wound treatments due to its effective antibacterial activity that does not promote resistance in bacteria.
Bowerman, KL, Rehman, SF, Vaughan, A, Lachner, N, Budden, KF, Kim, RY, Wood, DLA, Gellatly, SL, Shukla, SD, Wood, LG, Yang, IA, Wark, PA, Hugenholtz, P & Hansbro, PM 2020, 'Disease-associated gut microbiome and metabolome changes in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.', Nat Commun, vol. 11, no. 1.
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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third commonest cause of death globally, and manifests as a progressive inflammatory lung disease with no curative treatment. The lung microbiome contributes to COPD progression, but the function of the gut microbiome remains unclear. Here we examine the faecal microbiome and metabolome of COPD patients and healthy controls, finding 146 bacterial species differing between the two groups. Several species, including Streptococcus sp000187445, Streptococcus vestibularis and multiple members of the family Lachnospiraceae, also correlate with reduced lung function. Untargeted metabolomics identifies a COPD signature comprising 46% lipid, 20% xenobiotic and 20% amino acid related metabolites. Furthermore, we describe a disease-associated network connecting Streptococcus parasanguinis_B with COPD-associated metabolites, including N-acetylglutamate and its analogue N-carbamoylglutamate. While correlative, our results suggest that the faecal microbiome and metabolome of COPD patients are distinct from those of healthy individuals, and may thus aid in the search for biomarkers for COPD.
Bozier, J, Zakarya, R, Chapman, DG & Oliver, BGG 2020, 'How harmless are E-cigarettes? Effects in the pulmonary system', Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 97-102.
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PURPOSE OF REVIEW:Electronic cigarettes have quickly risen to be the leading alternative nicotine source to tobacco. E-cigarette use is hard to research and regulate because of the novelty and rapid evolution of the devices and E-liquids. Epidemiological data on long-term usage is currently lacking, but in smaller cohort studies we are starting to understand the usage patterns and demographics of users, which differ depending on where the study takes place and the regulatory environment. The present review describes the current knowledge of the effects of E-cigarettes on the pulmonary system and knowledge of their usage patterns worldwide. RECENT FINDINGS:E-cigarette use is continuing to rise in young adults in United States and Canada, but not in United Kingdom. These suggest that regulation is influencing uptake in young adults. If E-cigarettes are to be considered as a harm minimisation smoking cessation product, use in young never smokers must be factored into the risk assessment. A recent surge in cases of lung injury associated with vaping in America has resulted in the definition of vaping associated pulmonary injury, although the exact cause remains unknown. SUMMARY:It is our opinion that E-cigarettes can no longer be defined as harmless. Further studies are needed to determine the risks for all populations as it is evident that a large proportion of E-cigarette users are never-smokers, meaning they cannot only be considered from a harm reduction perspective.
Bradac, C, Gao, W, Forneris, J, Trusheim, ME & Aharonovich, I 2020, 'Author Correction: Quantum nanophotonics with group IV defects in diamond', Nature Communications, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 360-360.
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An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Bradac, C, Lim, SF, Chang, H & Aharonovich, I 2020, 'Optical Nanoscale Thermometry: From Fundamental Mechanisms to Emerging Practical Applications', Advanced Optical Materials, vol. 8, no. 15, pp. 2000183-2000183.
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AbstractKnowledge of temperature and temperature gradients with nanoscale resolution is critical for a variety of applications in medicine, nanoelectronics, biology, and solid‐state‐based devices. The number of existing nanothermometry techniques is remarkably large, varying for materials, mechanisms, sensitivity, and operating ranges. In this work, a selected group of prominent nanoscale thermosensors is reviewed, which are all‐optical and nanoparticle‐based. Specifically, the focus is on the analysis of their fundamental mechanism to identify absolute, intrinsic capabilities and limitations of each nanothermometry platform. Prominent applications as well as future challenges and opportunities in the field are discussed.
Bradfield, LA & Hart, G 2020, 'Rodent medial and lateral orbitofrontal cortices represent unique components of cognitive maps of task space', Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, vol. 108, pp. 287-294.
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Bradfield, LA, Leung, BK, Boldt, S, Liang, S & Balleine, BW 2020, 'Goal-directed actions transiently depend on dorsal hippocampus', Nature Neuroscience, vol. 23, no. 10, pp. 1194-1197.
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Brandimarti, ME, Gray, R, Coulson, G, Cripps, JK, Wilson, ME, Death, C, Snape, M, Wimpenny, C, Silva, FRO, Miller, EJ, Scanes, E, Spielman, D, Thomas, G & Herbert, CA 2020, 'Reference intervals for parameters of health of eastern grey kangaroos Macropus giganteus and management implications across their geographic range', Wildlife Biology, vol. 2020, no. 3, pp. 1-20.
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Reference intervals (RIs) describe baseline parameters of healthy animals, providing a powerful tool for wildlife managers to monitor health, identify disease and assess animal welfare. This paper reports haematological, glucose and serum protein RIs for one of Australia's most iconic and managed mammals, the eastern grey kangaroo Macropus giganteus. Blood samples (n = 514) were collected from 11 populations of eastern grey kangaroos, across much of their geographic range. A species‐level RI was initially established based on samples collected from four sites (n = 245) and was further partitioned based on significant differences associated with sexual maturity and season. Unique population means were established from a further seven sites to investigate the importance of biotic (sex and sexual maturity) and abiotic (season, site, rainfall, temperature and laboratory) factors on kangaroo health parameters. Random forest analysis of health parameters revealed that abiotic factors (site, rainfall, temperature and season) were largely responsible for differences in haematological, glucose and serum protein values. Sex was found to have no influence, while sexual maturity and laboratory of analysis had moderate effects. Based on these findings, interpretation of individual and population haematological and serum protein values requires careful consideration of the timing of sample collection, environmental conditions and sexual maturity. When assessing kangaroo health, the relevant sexual maturity RI must be considered initially. For populations with similarities to those described (for example high density or captive populations) users should also consider site specific mean haematological and serum protein values. The RIs reported are valuable when establishing the health status of kangaroo populations. Furthermore, understanding the influence of biotic and abiotic factors will improve the utility of these RIs to assess health, dis...
Bray, K, Fedyanin, DY, Khramtsov, IA, Bilokur, MO, Regan, B, Toth, M & Aharonovich, I 2020, 'Electrical excitation and charge-state conversion of silicon vacancy color centers in single-crystal diamond membranes', Applied Physics Letters, vol. 116, no. 10, pp. 101103-101103.
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© 2020 Author(s). The silicon-vacancy (SiV) color center in diamond has recently emerged as a promising qubit for quantum photonics. However, the electrical control and excitation of the SiV centers are challenging due to the low density of free carriers in doped diamond. Here, we realize electrical excitation of SiV centers in a single-crystal diamond membrane, which is promising for scalable photonic architectures. We further demonstrate electrical switching of the charge states of the SiV centers by applying a forward bias voltage to the fabricated diamond-membrane devices and identify the position of the SiV-/SiV0 charge transition level. Our findings provide a perspective toward electrical triggering of color centers in diamond and accelerate the development of scalable quantum nanophotonic technologies.
Broderick, JW, Shimwell, TW, Gourdji, K, Rowlinson, A, Nissanke, S, Hotokezaka, K, Jonker, PG, Tasse, C, Hardcastle, MJ, Oonk, JBR, Fender, RP, Wijers, RAMJ, Shulevski, A, Stewart, AJ, ter Veen, S, Moss, VA, van der Wiel, MHD, Nichols, DA, Piette, A, Bell, ME, Carbone, D, Corbel, S, Eislöffel, J, Grießmeier, J-M, Keane, EF, Law, CJ, Muñoz-Darias, T, Pietka, M, Serylak, M, van der Horst, AJ, van Leeuwen, J, Wijnands, R, Zarka, P, Anderson, JM, Bentum, MJ, Blaauw, R, Brouw, WN, Brüggen, M, Ciardi, B, de Vos, M, Duscha, S, Fallows, RA, Franzen, TMO, Garrett, MA, Gunst, AW, Hoeft, M, Hörandel, JR, Iacobelli, M, Jütte, E, Koopmans, LVE, Krankowski, A, Maat, P, Mann, G, Mulder, H, Nelles, A, Paas, H, Pandey-Pommier, M, Pekal, R, Reich, W, Röttgering, HJA, Schwarz, DJ, Smirnov, O, Soida, M, Toribio, MC, van Haarlem, MP, van Weeren, RJ, Vocks, C, Wucknitz, O & Zucca, P 2020, 'LOFAR 144-MHz follow-up observations of GW170817', Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, vol. 494, no. 4, pp. 5110-5117.
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ABSTRACT
We present low-radio-frequency follow-up observations of AT 2017gfo, the electromagnetic counterpart of GW170817, which was the first binary neutron star merger to be detected by Advanced LIGO–Virgo. These data, with a central frequency of 144 MHz, were obtained with LOFAR, the Low-Frequency Array. The maximum elevation of the target is just 13${_{.}^{\circ}}$7 when observed with LOFAR, making our observations particularly challenging to calibrate and significantly limiting the achievable sensitivity. On time-scales of 130–138 and 371–374 d after the merger event, we obtain 3σ upper limits for the afterglow component of 6.6 and 19.5 mJy beam−1, respectively. Using our best upper limit and previously published, contemporaneous higher frequency radio data, we place a limit on any potential steepening of the radio spectrum between 610 and 144 MHz: the two-point spectral index $\alpha ^{610}_{144} \gtrsim$ −2.5. We also show that LOFAR can detect the afterglows of future binary neutron star merger events occurring at more favourable elevations.
Brown, A, Wooster, E, Norval, G, Gardner, MG & Ueland, M 2020, 'The attempted predation of a sand goanna (Varanus gouldii) by a juvenile red fox (Vulpes vulpes)', Austral Ecology, vol. 45, no. 7, pp. 1025-1028.
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AbstractPredation is a dynamic process that is directly influenced by resource availability (e.g. prey types), and the health and welfare conditions of the predator (e.g. body condition, health status). When these conditions are altered, predators may need to adapt new modes of predation for survival. On 26 October 2019, a mid‐day attempted predation event occurred between a juvenile fox and a subadult sand goanna. This event occurred in an area that has been subject to long‐term drought conditions with significant vegetation die‐off, which may have influenced the availability of preferred small mammal prey. Additionally, this event occurred in broad daylight, which may be considered risk‐taking behaviour for the juvenile fox. Supporting this, the fox was in poor body condition (e.g. underweight with sarcoptic mange). Until this recording, no direct evidence has been reported regarding the predator/prey relationship between the two species. This observation supports that foxes may adopt prey‐switching behaviour under certain environmental and health conditions. As drought conditions continue to fluctuate in Australia, it is important that the full scope of fox predatory behaviour is well understood for the future management of Australian ecosystems.
Brown, AJ, Liu, J, Marlton, FP, Avdeev, M, Kennedy, BJ & Ling, CD 2020, 'Synthesis and crystal structures of two polymorphs of Li4–2Mg1+TeO6', Journal of Solid State Chemistry, vol. 287, pp. 121385-121385.
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Burke, C 2020, 'Thomas Turner. The Sports Shoe: A History from Field to Fashion. London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2019. Pp. 296. $40.00 (cloth).', Journal of British Studies, vol. 59, no. 4, pp. 967-969.
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Burt, JA, Camp, EF, Enochs, IC, Johansen, JL, Morgan, KM, Riegl, B & Hoey, AS 2020, 'Insights from extreme coral reefs in a changing world', Coral Reefs, vol. 39, no. 3, pp. 495-507.
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© 2020, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. Coral reefs are one of the most biodiverse and economically important ecosystems in the world, but they are rapidly degrading due to the effects of global climate change and local anthropogenic stressors. Reef scientists are increasingly studying coral reefs that occur in marginal and extreme environments to understand how organisms respond to, and cope with, environmental stress, and to gain insight into how reef organisms may acclimate or adapt to future environmental change. To date, there have been more than 860 publications describing the biology and/or abiotic conditions of marginal and extreme reef environments, most of which were published within the past decade. These include systems characterized by unusually high, low, and/or variable temperatures (intertidal, lagoonal, high-latitude areas, and shallow seas), turbid or urban environments, acidified habitats, and mesophotic depth, and focus on reefs geographically spread throughout most of the tropics. The papers in this special issue of Coral Reefs, entitled Coral Reefs in a Changing World: Insights from Extremes, build on the growing body of literature on these unique and important ecosystems, providing a deeper understanding of the patterns and processes governing life in marginal reef systems, and the implications that these insights may have for the future of tropical coral reefs in our rapidly changing world.
Butterworth, NJ, Drijfhout, FP, Byrne, PG, Keller, PA & Wallman, JF 2020, 'Major Transitions in Cuticular Hydrocarbon Expression Coincide with Sexual Maturity in a Blowfly (Diptera: Calliphoridae)', Journal of Chemical Ecology, vol. 46, no. 7, pp. 610-618.
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In many animals, there is a prolonged pre-reproductive period prior to sexual maturity. To avoid premature mating attempts, it is common for phenotypic changes to occur during this period that signal the onset of reproductive viability. Among the insects, pre-reproductive phases can last for up to 50% of the adult lifespan, but little is known about the accompanying phenotypic changes that signal sexual maturity. Contact pheromones such as cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) may fulfil this role, as they are known to change rapidly with age in many insects. Despite this, few studies have investigated CHC development in the context of sexual maturity or considered differences in CHC development between sexes. The blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) provide an ideal system for such studies because CHCs are known to change rapidly with age and likely play an important role in sexual behaviour. As such, using the small hairy maggot blowfly Chrysomya varipes, we investigate whether there are age- and sex-specific changes in CHCs over the course of adult blowfly maturation. We show that: (1) major qualitative transitions in CHC expression coincide with the onset of sexual maturity and (2) these changes occur more slowly in females - in line with their extended pre-reproductive phase. We suggest that CHCs may play an important role in signalling sexual maturity in the small hairy maggot blowfly and that this species will likely serve as a useful model for understanding the complex ontogeny of cuticular hydrocarbons in insects.
Butterworth, NJ, Wallman, JF, Drijfhout, FP, Johnston, NP, Keller, PA & Byrne, PG 2020, 'The evolution of sexually dimorphic cuticular hydrocarbons in blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae).', Journal of evolutionary biology, vol. 33, no. 10, pp. 1468-1486.
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Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are organic compounds found on the cuticles of all insects which can act as close-contact pheromones, while also providing a hydrophobic barrier to water loss. Given their widespread importance in sexual behaviour and survival, CHCs have likely contributed heavily to the adaptation and speciation of insects. Despite this, the patterns and mechanisms of their diversification have been studied in very few taxa. Here, we perform the first study of CHC diversification in blowflies, focussing on wild populations of the ecologically diverse genus Chrysomya. We convert CHC profiles into qualitative and quantitative traits and assess their inter- and intra-specific variation across 10 species. We also construct a global phylogeny of Chrysomya, onto which CHCs were mapped to explore the patterns of their diversification. For the first time, we demonstrate that blowflies express an exceptional diversity of CHCs, which have diversified in a nonphylogenetic and punctuated manner, are species-specific and sexually dimorphic. It is likely that both ecological and sexual selection have shaped these patterns of CHC diversification, and our study now provides a comprehensive framework for testing such hypotheses.
Buzova, D, Maugeri, A, Liguori, A, Napodano, C, Lo, RO, Oben, J, Alisi, A, Gasbarrini, A, Grieco, A, Cerveny, J, Miele, L & Vinciguerra, M 2020, 'Circulating histone signature of human lean metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD).', Clinical epigenetics, vol. 12, no. 1, p. 126.
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BACKGROUND:Although metabolic associate fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is associated with obesity, it can also occur in lean patients. MAFLD is more aggressive in lean patients compared to obese patients, with a higher risk of mortality. Specific biomarkers to diagnose differentially lean or overweight MAFLD are missing. Histones and nucleosomes are released in the bloodstream upon cell death. Here, we propose a new, fast, imaging and epigenetics based approach to investigate the severity of steatosis in lean MAFLD patients. RESULTS:A total of 53 non-obese patients with histologically confirmed diagnosis of MAFLD were recruited. Twenty patients displayed steatosis grade 1 (0-33%), 24 patients with steatosis grade 2 (34-66%) and 9 patients with steatosis grade 3 (67-100%). The levels of circulating nucleosomes were assayed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, while individual histones or histone dimers were assayed in serum samples by means of a new advanced flow cytometry ImageStream(X)-adapted method. Circulating nucleosome levels associated poorly with MAFLD in the absence of obesity. We implemented successfully a multi-channel flow methodology on ImageStream(X), to image single histone staining (H2A, H2B, H3, H4, macroH2A1.1 and macroH2A1.2). We report here a significant depletion of the levels of histone variants macroH2A1.1 and macroH2A1.2 in the serum of lean MAFLD patients, either individually or in complex with H2B. CONCLUSIONS:In summary, we identified a new circulating histone signature able to discriminate the severity of steatosis in individuals with lean MAFLD, using a rapid and non-invasive ImageStream(X)-based imaging technology.
Calarco, L & Ellis, J 2020, 'Contribution of introns to the species diversity associated with the apicomplexan parasite, Neospora caninum', Parasitology Research, vol. 119, no. 2, pp. 431-445.
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Calarco, L & Ellis, J 2020, 'Species diversity and genome evolution of the pathogenic protozoan parasite, Neospora caninum', Infection, Genetics and Evolution, vol. 84, pp. 104444-104444.
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Neospora caninum is a cyst-forming coccidian parasite of veterinary and economical significance, affecting dairy and beef cattle industries on a global scale. Comparative studies suggest that N. caninum consists of a globally dispersed, diverse population of lineages, distinguished by their geographical origin, broad host range, and phenotypic features. This viewpoint is however changing. While intraspecies diversity, and more specifically pathogenic variability, has been experimentally demonstrated in a myriad of studies, the underlying contributors and sources responsible for such diversity have remained nebulous. However, recent large-scale sequence and bioinformatics studies have aided in revealing intrinsic genetic differences distinguishing isolates of this species, that await further characterisation as causative links to virulence and pathogenicity. Furthermore, progress on N. caninum research as a non-model organism is hindered by a lack of robust, annotated genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic data for the species, especially compared to other thoroughly studied Apicomplexa such as Toxoplasma gondii and Plasmodium species. This review explores the current body of knowledge on intra-species diversity within N. caninum. This includes the contribution of sequence variants in both coding and non-coding regions, the presence of genome polymorphic hotspots, and the identification of non-synonymous mutations. The implications of such diversity on important parasite phenotypes such as pathogenicity and population structure are also discussed. Lastly, the identification of potential virulence factors from both in-silico and next generation sequencing studies is examined, offering new insights into potential avenues for future research on neosporosis.
Calarco, L, Barratt, J & Ellis, J 2020, 'Detecting sequence variants in clinically important protozoan parasites', International Journal for Parasitology, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 1-18.
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Second and third generation sequencing methods are crucial for population genetic studies, and variant detection is a popular approach for exploiting this sequence data. While mini- and microsatellites are historically useful markers for studying important Protozoa such as Toxoplasma and Plasmodium spp., detecting non-repetitive variants such as those found in genes can be fundamental to investigating a pathogen's biology. These variants, namely single nucleotide polymorphisms and insertions and deletions, can help elucidate the genetic basis of an organism's pathogenicity, identify selective pressures, and resolve phylogenetic relationships. They also have the added benefit of possessing a comparatively low mutation rate, which contributes to their stability. However, there is a plethora of variant analysis tools with nuanced pipelines and conflicting recommendations for best practise, which can be confounding. This lack of standardisation means that variant analysis requires careful parameter optimisation, an understanding of its limitations, and the availability of high quality data. This review explores the value of variant detection when applied to non-model organisms such as clinically important protozoan pathogens. The limitations of current methods are discussed, including special considerations that require the end-users' attention to ensure that the results generated are reproducible, and the biological conclusions drawn are valid.
Callaghan, R, Gelissen, IC, George, AM & Hartz, AMS 2020, 'Mamma Mia, P‐glycoprotein binds again', FEBS Letters, vol. 594, no. 23, pp. 4076-4084.
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The levels of amyloid peptides in the brain are regulated by a clearance pathway from neurons to the blood–brain barrier. The first step is thought to involve diffusion from the plasma membrane to the interstitium. However, amyloid peptides are hydrophobic and avidly intercalate within membranes. The ABC transporter P‐glycoprotein is implicated in the clearance of amyloid peptides across the blood–brain, but its role at neurons is undetermined. We here propose that P‐glycoprotein mediates 'exit' of amyloid peptides from neurons. Indeed, amyloid peptides have physicochemical similarities to substrates of P‐glycoprotein, but their larger size represents a conundrum. This review probes the plausibility of a mechanism for amyloid peptide transport by P‐glycoprotein exploiting evolving biochemical and structural models.
Callan, T & Woodcock, S 2020, 'Stochastic modelling of chlamydial infections', ANZIAM Journal, vol. 61, pp. C89-C103.
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Chlamydia trachomatis is a bacterial pathogen that can cause serious reproductive harm. We describe a class of stochastic branching processes and their application in modelling the growth of an infection by Chlamydia. Using simulations we show that the model can reproduce biological phenomena of interest, and we show the variability in outcomes of infections under the same parameter conditions. We further speculate how this model might be used to explain long-term adverse reproductive sequelae.
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Callan, T, Debattista, J, Berry, B, Brown, J, Woodcock, S, Hocking, JS & Huston, WM 2020, 'A retrospective cohort study examining STI testing and perinatal records demonstrates reproductive health burden of chlamydia and gonorrhea', Pathogens and Disease, vol. 78, no. 6.
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ABSTRACT
Adverse reproductive health outcomes, such as pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy and tubal factor infertility, have been associated with Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoea infections. These reproductive health outcomes could be complemented by measuring subsequent pregnancies to assess impact on fertility. The study design was a cohort study of women in Queensland (QLD), Australia, using data linkage methods to link chlamydia and/or gonorrhea testing records (including an unexposed group undergoing full blood count tests; 2000 and 2005) with the QLD Perinatal Registry (2000–2013). The cohort included 132 962 women, with 69 533 records of pregnancies. Women in the exposed group, with no prior pregnancy, had a reduced odds of a pregnancy during the follow up of the study (20-year-old (at 2005) aOR 0.91 95% CI 0.87–0.95, and 25-year-old aOR 0.71 95% CI 0.68–0.75). Women in the exposed group with a prior pregnancy had increased odds of pregnancy during the follow up of the study (20-year-old (at 2005) aOR 1.72 95% CI 1.59–1.86, and 25-year-old aOR 1.35 95% CI 1.26–1.45). Our data provides further evidence at a population level of the significant impact on reproductive outcomes associated with chlamydia and gonorrhea.
Camp, EF, Kahlke, T, Nitschke, MR, Varkey, D, Fisher, NL, Fujise, L, Goyen, S, Hughes, DJ, Lawson, CA, Ros, M, Woodcock, S, Xiao, K, Leggat, W & Suggett, DJ 2020, 'Revealing changes in the microbiome of Symbiodiniaceae under thermal stress.', Environmental microbiology, vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 1294-1309.
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Symbiodiniaceae are a diverse family of marine dinoflagellates, well known as coral endosymbionts. Isolation and in vitro culture of Symbiodiniaceae strains for physiological studies is a widely adopted tool, especially in the context of understanding how environmental stress perturbs Symbiodiniaceae cell functioning. While the bacterial microbiomes of corals often correlate with coral health, the bacterial communities co-cultured with Symbiodiniaceae isolates have been largely overlooked, despite the potential of bacteria to significantly influence the emergent physiological properties of Symbiodiniaceae cultures. We examined the physiological response to heat stress by Symbiodiniaceae isolates (spanning three genera) with well-described thermal tolerances, and combined these observations with matched changes in bacterial composition and abundance through 16S rRNA metabarcoding. Under thermal stress, there were Symbiodiniaceae strain-specific changes in maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (proxy for health) and growth rates that were accompanied by changes in the relative abundance of multiple Symbiodiniaceae-specific bacteria. However, there were no Symbiodiniaceae-independent signatures of bacterial community reorganisation under heat stress. Notably, the thermally tolerant Durusdinium trenchii (ITS2 major profile D1a) had the most stable bacterial community under heat stress. Ultimately, this study highlights the complexity of Symbiodiniaceae-bacteria interactions and provides a first step towards uncoupling their relative contributions towards Symbiodiniaceae physiological functioning.
Camp, EF, Suggett, DJ, Pogoreutz, C, Nitschke, MR, Houlbreque, F, Hume, BCC, Gardner, SG, Zampighi, M, Rodolfo-Metalpa, R & Voolstra, CR 2020, 'Corals exhibit distinct patterns of microbial reorganisation to thrive in an extreme inshore environment', Coral Reefs, vol. 39, no. 3, pp. 701-716.
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© 2020, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. Climate change threatens the survival of scleractinian coral from exposure to concurrent ocean warming, acidification and deoxygenation; how corals can potentially adapt to this trio of stressors is currently unknown. This study investigates three coral species (Acropora muricata, Acropora pulchra and Porites lutea) dominant in an extreme mangrove lagoon (Bouraké, New Caledonia) where abiotic conditions exceed those predicted for many reef sites over the next 100 years under climate change and compared them to conspecifics from an environmentally more benign reef habitat. We studied holobiont physiology as well as plasticity in coral-associated microorganisms (Symbiodiniaceae and bacteria) through ITS2 and 16S rRNA sequencing, respectively. We hypothesised that differences in coral-associated microorganisms (Symbiodiniaceae and bacteria) between the lagoonal and adjacent reef habitats may support coral host productivity and ultimately the ability of corals to live in extreme environments. In the lagoon, all coral species exhibited a metabolic adjustment of reduced photosynthesis-to-respiration ratios (P/R), but this was accompanied by highly divergent coral host-specific microbial associations. This was substantiated by the absence of shared ITS2-type profiles (proxies for Symbiodiniaceae genotypes). We observed that ITS2 profiles originating from Durusdinium taxa made up < 3% and a novel Symbiodinium ITS2 profile A1-A1v associated with A. pulchra. Bacterial community profiles were also highly divergent in corals from the lagoonal environment, whereas corals from the reef site were consistently dominated by Hahellaceae, Endozoicomonas. As such, differences in host–microorganism associations aligned with different physiologies and habitats. Our results argue that a multitude of host–microorganism associations are required to fulfill the changing nutritional demands of corals persisting into e...
Camphausen, R, Marini, L, Tawfik, SA, Tran, TT, Ford, MJ & Palomba, S 2020, 'Observation of near-infrared sub-Poissonian photon emission in hexagonal boron nitride at room temperature', APL Photonics, vol. 5, no. 7, pp. 076103-076103.
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© 2020 Author(s). The generation of non-classical light states in the near-infrared (NIR) is important for a number of photonic quantum technologies. Here, we report the first experimental observation of sub-Poissonian NIR (1.24 eV) light emission from defects in a 2D hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) sheet at room temperature. Photoluminescence statistics shows g(2)(0) = 0.6, which is a signature of the quantum nature of the emission. Density functional-theory calculations, at the level of the generalized gradient approximation, for the negatively charged nitrogen anti-site lattice defects are consistent with the observed emission energy. This work demonstrates that the defects in hBN could be a promising platform for single-photon generation in the NIR.
Carney, RL, Brown, MV, Siboni, N, Raina, J-B, Kahlke, T, Mitrovic, SM & Seymour, JR 2020, 'Highly heterogeneous temporal dynamics in the abundance and diversity of the emerging pathogens Arcobacter at an urban beach.', Water research, vol. 171, pp. 115405-115405.
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While the significance of Arcobacter in clinical settings grows, the ecological dynamics of potentially pathogenic Arcobacter in coastal marine environments remains unclear. In this study, we monitored the temporal dynamics of Arcobacter at an urban beach subject to significant stormwater input and wet weather sewer overflows (WWSO). Weekly monitoring of bacterial communities over 24 months using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing revealed large, intermittent peaks in the relative abundance of Arcobacter. Quantitative PCR was subsequently employed to track absolute abundance of Arcobacter 23S rRNA gene copies, revealing peaks in abundance reaching up to 108 gene copies L-1, with these increases statistically correlated with stormwater and WWSO intrusion. Notably, peaks in Arcobacter abundance were poorly correlated with enterococci plate counts, and remained elevated for one week following heavy rainfall. Using oligotyping we discriminated single nucleotide variants (SNVs) within the Arcobacter population, revealing 10 distinct clusters of SNVs that we defined as Arcobacter 'ecotypes', with each displaying distinct temporal dynamics. The most abundant ecotype during stormwater and modelled WWSO events displayed 16S rRNA sequence similarity to A. cryaerophilius, a species previously implicated in human illness. Our findings highlight the diverse environmental drivers of Arcobacter abundance within coastal settings and point to a potentially important, yet overlooked exposure risk of these potential pathogens to humans.
Castorina, A, Thomas Broome, S, Louangaphay, K, Keay, K, Leggio, G & Musumeci, G 2020, 'Dopamine: an immune transmitter', Neural Regeneration Research, vol. 15, no. 12, pp. 2173-2173.
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The dopaminergic system controls several vital central nervous system functions, including the control of movement, reward behaviors and cognition. Alterations of dopaminergic signaling are involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders, in particular Parkinson's disease, which are associated with a subtle and chronic inflammatory response. A substantial body of evidence has demonstrated the non-neuronal expression of dopamine, its receptors and of the machinery that governs synthesis, secretion and storage of dopamine across several immune cell types. This review aims to summarize current knowledge on the role and expression of dopamine in immune cells. One of the goals is to decipher the complex mechanisms through which these cell types respond to dopamine, in order to address the impact this has on neurodegenerative and psychiatric pathologies such as Parkinson's disease. A further aim is to illustrate the gaps in our understanding of the physiological roles of dopamine to encourage more targeted research focused on understanding the consequences of aberrant dopamine production on immune regulation. These highlights may prompt scientists in the field to consider alternative functions of this important neurotransmitter when targeting neuroinflammatory/neurodegenerative pathologies.
Caulfield, MP & Padula, MP 2020, 'HPLC MS-MS Analysis Shows Measurement of Corticosterone in Egg Albumen Is Not a Valid Indicator of Chicken Welfare', Animals, vol. 10, no. 5, pp. 821-821.
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Assessment of animal welfare can include analysis of physiological parameters, as well as behavior and health. Levels of adrenocortical hormones such as cortisol (and corticosterone in chickens) have been relied on as indicators of stress. Elevations in those hormones have been said to be correlated with poor welfare, while levels in the normal range have been interpreted to mean that animals are in a good state of welfare. Procuring blood samples from animals for hormone measures can in itself be stressful and cause increases in the target hormones. To overcome this problem, indirect measures of cortisol and corticosterone have been developed. In chickens, corticosterone levels in egg albumen are said to be a useful indirect measure, and have been used in several recent studies as indicators of chicken welfare. All of the measures of chicken egg albumen corticosterone in welfare studies have used immunoassays, and have reported values ranging from about 0.5 to over 20 ng/g. Using these measures, egg albumen from chickens housed in conventional cages or free ranging has been said to have indistinguishable corticosterone levels. This has been used to support the conclusion that chickens kept in conventional cages are not experiencing stress and are in a good state of welfare. In this study, we have used high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) to measure corticosterone in egg albumen. We found levels of corticosterone (median level about 50 pg/g) in egg albumen which were just above the limit of detection. By contrast, we found significant levels of progesterone and cortisol, hormones which would be expected to cross react with anti-corticosterone antibodies, and which therefore might explain the high reported levels of corticosterone using immunoassay. We conclude that because corticosterone levels in egg albumen are negligible, they cannot be used as an indicator of chicken welfare.
Ceccarelli, DM, McLeod, IM, Boström-Einarsson, L, Bryan, SE, Chartrand, KM, Emslie, MJ, Gibbs, MT, Gonzalez Rivero, M, Hein, MY, Heyward, A, Kenyon, TM, Lewis, BM, Mattocks, N, Newlands, M, Schläppy, M-L, Suggett, DJ & Bay, LK 2020, 'Substrate stabilisation and small structures in coral restoration: State of knowledge, and considerations for management and implementation', PLOS ONE, vol. 15, no. 10, pp. e0240846-e0240846.
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Coral reef ecosystems are under increasing pressure from local and regional stressors and a changing climate. Current management focuses on reducing stressors to allow for natural recovery, but in many areas where coral reefs are damaged, natural recovery can be restricted, delayed or interrupted because of unstable, unconsolidated coral fragments, or rubble. Rubble fields are a natural component of coral reefs, but repeated or high-magnitude disturbances can prevent natural cementation and consolidation processes, so that coral recruits fail to survive. A suite of interventions have been used to target this issue globally, such as using mesh to stabilise rubble, removing the rubble to reveal hard substrate and deploying rocks or other hard substrates over the rubble to facilitate recruit survival. Small, modular structures can be used at multiple scales, with or without attached coral fragments, to create structural complexity and settlement surfaces. However, these can introduce foreign materials to the reef, and a limited understanding of natural recovery processes exists for the potential of this type of active intervention to successfully restore local coral reef structure. This review synthesises available knowledge about the ecological role of coral rubble, natural coral recolonisation and recovery rates and the potential benefits and risks associated with active interventions in this rapidly evolving field. Fundamental knowledge gaps include baseline levels of rubble, the structural complexity of reef habitats in space and time, natural rubble consolidation processes and the risks associated with each intervention method. Any restoration intervention needs to be underpinned by risk assessment, and the decision to repair rubble fields must arise from an understanding of when and where unconsolidated substrate and lack of structure impair natural reef recovery and ecological function. Monitoring is necessary to ascertain the success or failure of the interv...
Chadwick, S, Lo, M, Brack, F, Bunford, J, Hales, S & Roux, C 2020, 'Investigation into the effect of fingermark detection chemicals on the analysis and comparison of pressure-sensitive tapes.', Forensic science international, vol. 315, pp. 110454-110454.
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Pressure sensitive tapes such as duct tape are a common trace type sent for forensic analysis. The limited variation of tape backings and adhesives can provide valuable linkage evidence between a scene, a victim or a person of interest. Fingermarks are also often found on tapes and prioritised over tape analyses. This project aimed to investigate the effects of fingermark enhancement chemicals, namely Wet Powder™, cyanoacrylate and cyanoacrylate stained with rhodamine 6G, on various tapes and their comparison with untreated tapes. The changes in physical and optical features were observed using a Video Spectral Comparator (VSC) and microscopy. Chemical changes were analysed by Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). Most physical and optical properties were not heavily affected by the treatments. An increase in fluorescence was observed with specimens stained with rhodamine 6G as might be expected. Significant chemical changes were observed in the FTIR spectra produced from cyanoacrylate fuming. Polyethylene backings and rubber adhesives were heavily affected while polypropylene backings were moderately affected. Cellulose backings, polyester and polyacrylate adhesives were not significantly affected. Wet Powder™ treatment proved useful for enhancing fingermarks on most adhesives while leaving behind little chemical residue that might interfere in a forensic comparison.
Chambers, GA, Bogema, DR, Englezou, A & Donovan, NJ 2020, 'First Report of Citrus Viroid V and Citrus Viroid VI in Australia Infecting Citrus', Plant Disease, vol. 104, no. 7, pp. 2037-2037.
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Chambers, GA, Donovan, NJ, Bogema, DR, Om, N, Beattie, GAC, Morrow, JL & Holford, P 2020, 'Draft Genome Sequence of a Novel “ Candidatus Liberibacter” Species Detected in a Zanthoxylum Species from Bhutan', Microbiology Resource Announcements, vol. 9, no. 40.
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The draft genome sequence of a novel “
Candidatus
Liberibacter” species detected in an unidentified species of
Zanthoxylum
(Rutaceae) collected in Bhutan is reported. The total length is 1,408,989 bp with 1,169 coding sequences in 96 contigs, a GC content of 37.3%, and 76 to 77% average nucleotide identity with several other “
Ca
. Liberibacter” species.
Chan, H, Söderström, B & Skoglund, U 2020, 'Spo0J and SMC are required for normal chromosome segregation in Staphylococcus aureus.', MicrobiologyOpen, vol. 9, no. 4, p. e999.
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Bacterial chromosome segregation is an essential cellular process that is particularly elusive in spherical bacteria such as the opportunistic human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. In this study, we examined the functional significance of a ParB homologue, Spo0J, in staphylococcal chromosome segregation and investigated the role of the structural maintenance of chromosomes (SMC) bacterial condensin in this process. We show that neither spo0J nor smc is essential in S. aureus; however, their absence causes abnormal chromosome segregation. We demonstrate that formation of complexes containing Spo0J and SMC is required for efficient S. aureus chromosome segregation and that SMC localization is dependent on Spo0J. Furthermore, we found that cell division and cell cycle progression are unaffected by the absence of spo0J or smc. Our results verify the role of Spo0J and SMC in ensuring accurate staphylococcal chromosome segregation and also imply functional redundancy or the involvement of additional mechanisms that might contribute to faithful chromosome inheritance.
Chan, YL, Oliver, BG & Chen, H 2020, 'What lessons have we learnt about the impact of maternal cigarette smoking from animal models?', Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology, vol. 47, no. 2, pp. 337-344.
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© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd Maternal first- or second-hand tobacco smoking during pregnancy is still common albeit that the detrimental effects to the unborn child are well known. Maternal tobacco cigarette smoking can affect multiple organ systems in the offspring, rendering them at increased risk of various conditions throughout life (eg. intrauterine underdevelopment, asthma, substance abuse, diabetes). However, this review will only focus on its impact on the brain and the related molecular changes in the offspring based on evidence from animal studies. Although epidemiological studies have identified the associations between maternal cigarette smoke exposure (SE) and brain disorders, animal models can help identify the underlying mechanisms and test interventions. Human studies have found that maternal SE is closely linked to small brain size and changes in brain structure and associated with a high risk of cognitive defects. Animal models suggest that this may be due to increased brain oxidative stress and inflammation during the neonatal period, leading to increased brain cell apoptosis in adulthood. There is a distinct gender bias of such impacts, where male offspring are more affected than females. Female offspring seem to have developed the adaptation by increasing endogenous antioxidant levels. Indeed, animal studies have shown that using antioxidant supplementation during pregnancy can improve neurological outcomes in male offspring, however, the efficacy in humans is yet to be confirmed. Furthermore, some animal studies suggested nicotine as the key player in intrauterine underdevelopment due to maternal SE, while human clinical trials using nicotine replacement therapy do not support this mechanism. This review will discuss the possible reasons.
Chang, M, Hou, Z, Jin, D, Zhou, J, Wang, M, Wang, M, Shu, M, Ding, B, Li, C & Lin, J 2020, 'Colorectal Tumor Microenvironment-Activated Bio-Decomposable and Metabolizable Cu2 O@CaCO3 Nanocomposites for Synergistic Oncotherapy.', Advanced Materials, vol. 32, no. 43, pp. 1-11.
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Rational design of tumor microenvironment (TME)-activated nanocomposites provides an innovative strategy to construct responsive oncotherapy. In colorectal cancer (CRC), the specific physiological features are the overexpressed endogenous H2 S and slightly acidic microenvironment. Here, a core-shell Cu2 O@CaCO3 nanostructure for CRC 'turn-on' therapy is reported. With CaCO3 responsive to pH decomposition and Cu2 O responsive to H2 S sulfuration, Cu2 O@CaCO3 can be triggered 'on' into the therapeutic mode by the colorectal TME. When the CaCO3 shell decomposes and releases calcium in acidic colorectal TME, the loss of protection from the CaCO3 shell exposes the Cu2 O core to be sulfuretted by H2 S to form metabolizable Cu31 S16 nanocrystals that gain remarkably strong near-infrared absorption. After modifying hyaluronic acid, Cu2 O@CaCO3 can achieve synergistic CRC-targeted and TME-triggered photothermal/photodynamic/chemodynamic/calcium-overload-mediated therapy. Moreover, it is found that the generation of hyperthermia and oxidative stress from Cu2 O@CaCO3 nanocomposites can efficiently reprogram the macrophages from the M2 phenotype to the M1 phenotype and initiate a vaccine-like immune effect after primary tumor removal, which further induces an immune-favorable TME and intense immune responses for anti-CD47 antibody to simultaneously inhibit CRC distant metastasis and recurrence by immunotherapy.
Charbe, NB, Amnerkar, ND, Ramesh, B, Tambuwala, MM, Bakshi, HA, Aljabali, AAA, Khadse, SC, Satheeshkumar, R, Satija, S, Metha, M, Chellappan, DK, Shrivastava, G, Gupta, G, Negi, P, Dua, K & Zacconi, FC 2020, 'Small interfering RNA for cancer treatment: overcoming hurdles in delivery', Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, vol. 10, no. 11, pp. 2075-2109.
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© 2020 Chinese Pharmaceutical Association and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences In many ways, cancer cells are different from healthy cells. A lot of tactical nano-based drug delivery systems are based on the difference between cancer and healthy cells. Currently, nanotechnology-based delivery systems are the most promising tool to deliver DNA-based products to cancer cells. This review aims to highlight the latest development in the lipids and polymeric nanocarrier for siRNA delivery to the cancer cells. It also provides the necessary information about siRNA development and its mechanism of action. Overall, this review gives us a clear picture of lipid and polymer-based drug delivery systems, which in the future could form the base to translate the basic siRNA biology into siRNA-based cancer therapies.
Cheang, GHL & Garces, LPDM 2020, 'Representation of exchange option prices under stochastic volatility jump-diffusion dynamics', Quantitative Finance, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 291-310.
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Chellappan, DK, Yee, LW, Xuan, KY, Kunalan, K, Rou, LC, Jean, LS, Ying, LY, Wie, LX, Chellian, J, Mehta, M, Satija, S, Singh, SK, Gulati, M, Dureja, H, Da, SMW, Tambuwala, MM, Gupta, G, Paudel, KR, Wadhwa, R, Hansbro, PM & Dua, K 2020, 'Targeting neutrophils using novel drug delivery systems in chronic respiratory diseases', Drug Development Research, vol. 81, no. 4, pp. 419-436.
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© 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Neutrophils are essential effector cells of immune system for clearing the extracellular pathogens during inflammation and immune reactions. Neutrophils play a major role in chronic respiratory diseases. In respiratory diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, lung cancer and others, there occurs extreme infiltration and activation of neutrophils followed by a cascade of events like oxidative stress and dysregulated cellular proteins that eventually result in apoptosis and tissue damage. Dysregulation of neutrophil effector functions including delayed neutropil apoptosis, increased neutrophil extracellular traps in the pathogenesis of asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease enable neutrophils as a potential therapeutic target. Accounting to their role in pathogenesis, neutrophils present as an excellent therapeutic target for the treatment of chronic respiratory diseases. This review highlights the current status and the emerging trends in novel drug delivery systems such as nanoparticles, liposomes, microspheres, and other newer nanosystems that can target neutrophils and their molecular pathways, in the airways against infections, inflammation, and cancer. These drug delivery systems are promising in providing sustained drug delivery, reduced therapeutic dose, improved patient compliance, and reduced drug toxicity. In addition, the review also discusses emerging strategies and the future perspectives in neutrophil-based therapy.
Chen, B, He, Z, Liu, Z-J, Wang, Y-K, Gao, Y-N, Aharonovich, I, Xu, Z-Q & Liu, J 2020, 'Simultaneously enhanced linear and nonlinear photon generations from WS2 by using dielectric circular Bragg resonators', Nanophotonics, vol. 9, no. 8, pp. 2587-2592.
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Abstract
Monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have emerged as a promising platform for chip-integrated optoelectronics and non-linear optics. Here, we demonstrate a two-dimensional (2D) monolayer tungsten disulfide (WS2) efficiently coupled to a dielectric circular Bragg resonator (CBR). The coupling of the WS2 and CBR leads to pronounced enhancements in both photoluminescence (PL) and second harmonic generation (SHG) by a factor of 34 and 5, respectively. Our work provides a powerful tool to enhance the interactions between light and the 2D materials, paving the way for efficient on-chip optoelectronic devices.
Chen, C-H, Song, F, Hwang, F-J & Wu, L 2020, 'A probability density function generator based on neural networks', Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, vol. 541, pp. 123344-123344.
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In order to generate a probability density function (PDF) for fitting the probability distributions of practical data, this study proposes a deep learning method which consists of two stages: (1) a training stage for estimating the cumulative distribution function (CDF) and (2) a performing stage for predicting the corresponding PDF. The CDFs of common probability distributions can be utilised as activation functions in the hidden layers of the proposed deep learning model for learning actual cumulative probabilities, and the differential equation of the trained deep learning model can be used to estimate the PDF. Numerical experiments with single and mixed distributions are conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. The experimental results show that the values of both CDF and PDF can be precisely estimated by the proposed method.
Chen, H, Li, G, Allam, VSRR, Wang, B, Chan, YL, Scarfo, C, Ueland, M, Shimmon, R, Fu, S, Foster, P & Oliver, BG 2020, 'Evidence from a mouse model on the dangers of thirdhand electronic cigarette exposure during early life', ERJ Open Research, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 00022-2020.
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Thirdhand exposure to e-cigarette residue is likely to have harmful effects in children http://bit.ly/38a2umw.
Chen, H, McGrath, K, Rayner, B & McClements, L 2020, '054 Potential New Treatment Based on FKBPL for Hypertension-Induced Cardiac Hypertrophy', Heart, Lung and Circulation, vol. 29, pp. S62-S62.
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Chen, H, Power, T, Hayes, C, Reyna, J & van, RD 2020, 'Perceptions of Video Scenarios to Learn Human Pathophysiology Among Undergraduate Science Students', Journal of Science Education and Technology, vol. 29, no. 5, pp. 597-604.
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© 2020, Springer Nature B.V. Pathophysiology describes and explains the physiological dysfunctions that occur in human diseases. Pathophysiology is content heavy, often leading to medical/biomedical science students adopting a surface approach to learning. To encourage more engagement, we developed clinical simulation practical classes using manikin patients. Students considered these were more effective than paper-based case studies. However, they found the first encounter with the manikins daunting. In addition, they did not have a strong sense of responsibility towards the outcome of their treatment choices largely because they recognized this as a simulated experience. Video is a powerful teaching tool to demonstrate situations that are difficult to explain in words, to see theory applied to practice or create enthusiasm and confidence in the viewer regarding the use of new practices. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of exposure to a video scenario, in which a high-fidelity manikin was used as the ‘patient’, before the students’ own interactions with the manikin in later classes. Survey results suggested that the students felt more engaged with the case study. They felt the video helped them appreciate aspects of clinical communication and prepare for their time in the simulation laboratory interacting with the manikin. They saw the video as a useful addition to the written case study notes. Their criticisms were mainly around the production quality. This study supports the use of video scenarios as a valuable adjunct to the teaching of pathophysiology to medical/biomedical science students when using either paper- or simulation-based case studies.
Chen, H, Wang, B, Li, G, Steele, JR, Stayte, S, Vissel, B, Chan, YL, Yi, C, Saad, S, Machaalani, R & Oliver, BG 2020, 'Brain health is independently impaired by E-vaping and high-fat diet.', Brain, behavior, and immunity, vol. 92, pp. 57-66.
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Tobacco smoking and high-fat diet (HFD) independently impair short-term memory. E-cigarettes produce e-vapour containing flavourings and nicotine. Here, we investigated whether e-vapour inhalation interacts with HFD to affect short-term memory and neural integrity. Balb/c mice (7 weeks, male) were fed a HFD (43% fat, 20 kJ/g) for 16 weeks. In the last 6 weeks, half of the mice were exposed to tobacco-flavoured e-vapour from nicotine-containing (18 mg/L) or nicotine-free (0 mg/L) e-fluids twice daily. Short-term memory function was measured in week 15. HFD alone did not impair memory function, but increased brain phosphorylated (p)-Tau and astrogliosis marker, while neuron and microglia levels were decreased. E-vapour exposure significantly impaired short-term memory function independent of diet and nicotine. Nicotine free e-vapour induced greater changes compared to the nicotine e-vapour and included, increased systemic cytokines, increased brain p-Tau and decreased postsynaptic density protein (PSD)-95 levels in chow-fed mice, and decreased astrogliosis marker, increased microglia and increased glycogen synthase kinase levels in HFD-fed mice. Increased hippocampal apoptosis was also differentially observed in chow and HFD mice. In conclusion, E-vapour exposure impaired short-term memory independent of diet and nicotine, and was correlated to increased systemic inflammation, reduced PSD-95 level and increased astrogliosis in chow-fed mice, but decreased gliosis and increased microglia in HFD-fed mice, indicating the inflammatory nature of e-vapour leading to short term memory impairment.
Chen, J, Wei, L, Mahmood, A, Pei, Z, Zhou, Z, Chen, X & Chen, Y 2020, 'Prussian blue, its analogues and their derived materials for electrochemical energy storage and conversion', Energy Storage Materials, vol. 25, pp. 585-612.
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Chen, L, Berry, SN, Wu, X, Howe, ENW & Gale, PA 2020, 'Advances in Anion Receptor Chemistry', Chem, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 61-141.
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Chen, X, Adam, DC, Chughtai, AA, Stelzer-Braid, S, Scotch, M & MacIntyre, CR 2020, 'The Phylogeography of MERS-CoV in Hospital Outbreak-Associated Cases Compared to Sporadic Cases in Saudi Arabia', Viruses, vol. 12, no. 5, pp. 540-540.
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This study compared the phylogeography of MERS-CoV between hospital outbreak-associated cases and sporadic cases in Saudi Arabia. We collected complete genome sequences from human samples in Saudi Arabia and data on the multiple risk factors of human MERS-CoV in Saudi Arabia reported from 2012 to 2018. By matching each sequence to human cases, we identified isolates as hospital outbreak-associated cases or sporadic cases. We used Bayesian phylogenetic methods including temporal, discrete trait analysis and phylogeography to uncover transmission routes of MERS-CoV isolates between hospital outbreaks and sporadic cases. Of the 120 sequences collected between 19 June 2012 and 23 January 2017, there were 64 isolates from hospital outbreak-associated cases and 56 from sporadic cases. Overall, MERS-CoV is fast evolving at 7.43 × 10−4 substitutions per site per year. Isolates from hospital outbreaks showed unusually fast evolutionary speed in a shorter time-frame than sporadic cases. Multiple introductions of different MERS-CoV strains occurred in three separate hospital outbreaks. MERS-CoV appears to be mutating in humans. The impact of mutations on viruses transmissibility in humans is unknown.
Chen, X, Chen, Y, Luo, X, Guo, H, Wang, N, Su, D, Zhang, C, Liu, T, Wang, G & Cui, L 2020, 'Polyaniline engineering defect-induced nitrogen doped carbon-supported Co3O4 hybrid composite as a high-efficiency electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction', Applied Surface Science, vol. 526, pp. 146626-146626.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. The development of earth-abundance electrocatalyst with high performance for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is of paramount importance in sustainable water splitting. Herein, the novel defect-induced nitrogen-doped carbon-supported Co3O4 nanoparticles is successfully fabricated as OER electrocatalyst (denoted as Co3O4/CN HNPs) through a wetness-impregnation treatment of Co/polyaniline (PANI) followed by a thermal annealing. This advanced architecture of Co3O4/CN HNPs can not only improve its conductivity and electrocatalytically active sites but also generate a large number of oxygen-vacancy defects and crystal defects, which effectively exert the preponderance in facilitating interfacial electronic transfer and optimizing the adsorption energy for intermediates, thus imparting the extraordinary activities in catalyzing OER. In addition, there are evidences demonstrating the formation of C-N coordination bonds through the strong interaction of the interconnected interface and the generation of pyridinic-N species after the annealing treatment, which enables the structural stability to get further strengthened and accelerates oxygen releasing for reduction of OER overpotential, respectively. Benefiting from the above desirable properties, the Co3O4/CN HNPs affords a lower overpotential of 290 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 as compared to those of pure Co3O4 and PANI, outperforming commercial IrO2 and the representative Co3O4-based OER electrocatalysts as recently reported. Moreover, the Co3O4/CN HNPs also exhibits long durability with negligible activity degeneration at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 for 20 h. ̵.
Chen, X, Chen, Y, Shen, Z, Song, C, Ji, P, Wang, N, Su, D, Wang, Y, Wang, G & Cui, L 2020, 'Self-crosslinkable polyaniline with coordinated stabilized CoOOH nanosheets as a high-efficiency electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction', Applied Surface Science, vol. 529, pp. 147173-147173.
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© 2020 Polyaniline (PANI)-based composite materials have shown to be promising candidates for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts because of their non-ignorable merits of conductivity, flexibility, durability and environmental friendly. Herein, we develop a facile strategy to realize in-situ assembly of CoOOH nanosheets into the PANI network, which is denoted as Co/PANI HNSs for OER performance. The nitrogen species derived from PANI building blocks can work as bridging sites to preferentially coordinate with Co metal ions, which impart coupling effects between CoOOH nanosheets and PANI as well as the structure stability. Besides the Co-N coordination, the occurred electron delocalization between Co d-orbitals and PANI π-conjugated ligands can also modulate the electronic structural states of Co/PANI HNSs, enabling the efficient interfacial electron transfer from CoOOH to PANI. In addition, the Co/PANI HNSs possesses a hierarchical porous with both structure of mesopores and macropores that allows electrolyte to be more efficiently transported to the highly oxidative active sites, resulting in fast reaction kinetics. In recognition of these advanced structural characteristics, the Co/PANI HNSs electrocatalyst can give a low overpotential of 291 mV at an anodic current density of 10 mA cm−2 and a small Tafel slope of 54 mV dec−1 in 1 M KOH electrolyte as well as a good durability.
Chen, Y, Chen, H, Li, Y, Chen, Z, Wu, Y, McGowan, E, Qu, X, Lin, Y & Sun, B 2020, 'Chinese herbal medicine Guilu erxian jiao attenuates bone marrow suppression following chemotherapy in patients with advanced lung cancer', Translational Metabolic Syndrome Research, vol. 3, pp. 25-28.
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In recent decades, a classic recipe in traditional Chinese medicine, Guilu erxian jiao (GEJ), has been used in the prevention and treatment of myelosuppression following cancer chemotherapy. However, the safety and efficacy of GEJ has not been studied. In the present study, we investigated the safety and efficacy of GEJ in the management of myelosuppression in a cohort of advanced lung adenocarcinoma patients who received 4 cycles of chemotherapy. Treatment with GEJ was compared to the conventional treatment with pegylated recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (PEG-rhG-CSF). The GEJ treatment group (38 patients) was orally administered GEJ whilst the control group (25 patients) were treated with PEG-rhG-CSF during the 4 cycles of chemotherapy. We found that GEJ was as safe as the recommended treatment, PEG-rhG-CSF . GEJ patients recovered from suppressed bone marrow in a much steadier approach, compared with the highly fluctuating changes observed in PEG-rhG-CSF treatment. Our data suggests that GEJ may be a better alternative to manage cancer chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression.
Chen, Y, D'Amario, C, Gee, A, Duong, HTT, Shimoni, O & Valenzuela, SM 2020, 'Dispersion stability and biocompatibility of four ligand-exchanged NaYF4: Yb, Er upconversion nanoparticles.', Acta Biomaterialia, vol. 102, pp. 384-393.
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Surface modification to obtain high dispersion stability and biocompatibility is a key factor for bio-application of upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs). A systematic study of UCNPs modified with four hydrophilic molecules separately, comparing their dispersion stability in biological buffers and cellular biocompatibility is reported here. The results show that carboxyl-functionalized UCNPs (modified by 3,4-dihydrocinnamic acid (DHCA) or poly(monoacryloxyethyl phosphate (MAEP)) with negative surface charge have superior even-distribution in biological buffers compared to amino-functionalized UCNPs (modified by (aminomethyl)phosphonic (AMPA) or (3-Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES)) with positive surface charge. Subsequent investigation of cellular interactions revealed high levels of non-targeted cellular uptake of the particles modified with either of the three small molecules (AMPA, APTES, DHCA) and high levels of cytotoxicity when used at high concentrations. The particles were seen to be trapped as particle-aggregates within the cellular cytoplasm, leading to reduced cell viability and cell proliferation, along with dysregulation of the cell cycle as assessed by DNA content measurements. The dramatically reduced proportion of cells in G1 phase and the slightly increased proportion in G2 phase indicates inhibition of M phase, and the appearance of sub-G1 phase reflects cell necrosis. In contrast, MAEP-modified UCNPs are bio-friendly with increased dispersion stability in biological buffers, are non-cytotoxic, with negligible levels of non-specific cellular uptake and no effect on the cell cycle at both low and high concentrations. MAEP-modified UCNPs were further functionalized with streptavidin for intracellular microtubule imaging, and showed clear cytoskeletal structures via their upconversion luminescence. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNP) are an exciting potential nanomaterial for bio-applications. Their anti-Stokes lu...
Chen, Y, Gao, X, Su, D, Wang, C & Wang, G 2020, 'Accelerating Redox Kinetics of Lithium-Sulfur Batteries', Trends in Chemistry, vol. 2, no. 11, pp. 1020-1033.
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Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries exhibit great promise for next-generation energy storage due to their high theoretical energy density and low cost. However, their practical application is largely hindered by the shuttle effect. Although previous studies on the adsorption of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) have achieved significant progress, simple adsorption cannot fundamentally eliminate the shuttle effect. Physical and chemical confinement are useful to anchor LiPSs to some extent, but these are not effective for utilizing the blocked intermediates. Accordingly, accelerating polysulfide redox kinetics is crucial to radically mitigate the shuttle effect and increase sulfur utilization. Herein, recent advances in catalysts for boosting redox kinetics of Li-S batteries are reviewed. We also provide prospects on the design of more efficient catalysts for Li-S batteries.
Chen, Y, Tran, TN, Duong, NMH, Li, C, Toth, M, Bradac, C, Aharonovich, I, Solntsev, A & Tran, TT 2020, 'Optical Thermometry with Quantum Emitters in Hexagonal Boron Nitride.', ACS applied materials & interfaces, vol. 12, no. 22, pp. 25464-25470.
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Nanoscale optical thermometry is a promising noncontact route for measuring local temperature with both high sensitivity and spatial resolution. In this work, we present a deterministic optical thermometry technique based on quantum emitters in nanoscale hexagonal boron nitride. We show that these nanothermometers show better performance than homologous, all-optical nanothermometers in both sensitivity and the range of working temperature. We demonstrate their effectiveness as nanothermometers by monitoring the local temperature at specific locations in a variety of custom-built microcircuits. This work opens new avenues for nanoscale temperature measurements and heat flow studies in miniaturized, integrated devices.
Chen, Z, Ibrahim, I, Hao, D, Liu, X, Wu, L, Wei, W, Su, D & Ni, BJ 2020, 'Controllable design of nanoworm-like nickel sulfides for efficient electrochemical water splitting in alkaline media', Materials Today Energy, vol. 18, pp. 100573-100573.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd Developing cost-effective electrocatalysts for electrochemical water splitting (EWS) is appealing and challenging for sustainable water electrolysis. Currently, nickel sulfides are considered as promising candidates for EWS due to their low cost and high catalytic activity. However, the facile design of nickel sulfides with high catalytic performance is still highly demanded. In this study, we have developed a one-step solvothermal strategy to construct nickel sulfides as efficient water splitting catalysts. By taking advantage of the small size, abundant active sites, large electrochemical surface area, and good conductivity, the nanoworm-like nickel sulfides (NiS-NW/Ni foam [NF]) exhibit better oxygen evolution reaction performance (a low overpotential of 279 mV to achieve 100 mA cm−2, Tafel slope of 38.44 mV dce−1) than the nanoplate-like analogs, as well as most of reported nickel sulfide–based electrocatalysts. In addition, the NiS-NW/NF directly used as bifunctional electrodes for overall water splitting requires a low voltage of 1.563 V to attain a current density of 10 mA cm−2 with good long-term durability. This work provides a facile strategy for the design of efficient nickel sulfide-based electrocatalysts for energy conversion applications.
Cheng, J, Tan, Y, Zhou, J, Xiao, L, Johnson, M & Qu, X 2020, 'Green tea polyphenols ameliorate metabolic abnormalities and insulin resistance by enhancing insulin signalling in skeletal muscle of Zucker fatty rats.', Clinical science (London, England : 1979), vol. 134, no. 10, pp. 1167-1180.
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In the present study, we evaluated the metabolic effects of green tea polyphenols (GTPs) in high-fat diet (HFD) fed Zucker fatty (ZF) rats, in particular the effects of GTP on skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity. Body weight, visceral fat, glucose tolerance, lipid profiles and whole-body insulin sensitivity were measured in HFD-fed ZF rats after 8-week-treatment with GTP (200 mg/kg of body weight) or saline (5 ml/kg of body weight). Zucker lean rats were studied as controls. Ex vivo insulin-mediated muscle glucose uptake was assessed. Immunoblotting was used to evaluate the expression of key insulin signalling proteins in skeletal muscle. GTP treatment attenuated weight gain (P<0.05) and visceral fat accumulation (27.6%, P<0.05), and significantly reduced fasting serum glucose (P<0.05) and insulin (P<0.01) levels. Homoeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), a measure of insulin resistance, was lower (P<0.01) in GTP-treated animals compared with ZF controls. Moreover, insulin-stimulated glucose uptake by isolated soleus muscle was increased (P<0.05) in GTP-ZF rats compared with ZF-controls. GTP treatment attenuated the accumulation of ectopic lipids (triacyl- and diacyl-glycerols), enhanced the expression and translocation of glucose transporter-4, and decreased pSer612IRS-1 and increased pSer473Akt2 expression in skeletal muscle. These molecular changes were also associated with significantly decreased activation of the inhibitory (muscle-specific) protein kinase (PKC) isoform, PKC-θ. Taken together, the present study has shown that regular ingestion of GTP exerts a number of favourable metabolic and molecular effects in an established animal model of obesity and insulin resistance. The benefits of GTP are mediated in part by inhibiting PKC-θ and improving muscle insulin sensitivity.
Cheng, T, Kam, JY, Johansen, MD & Oehlers, SH 2020, 'High content analysis of granuloma histology and neutrophilic inflammation in adult zebrafish infected with Mycobacterium marinum', Micron, vol. 129, pp. 102782-102782.
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Chilambi, GS, Hinks, J, Matysik, A, Zhu, X, Choo, PY, Liu, X, Chan-Park, MB, Bazan, GC, Kline, KA & Rice, SA 2020, 'Enterococcus faecalis Adapts to Antimicrobial Conjugated Oligoelectrolytes by Lipid Rearrangement and Differential Expression of Membrane Stress Response Genes.', Frontiers in microbiology, vol. 11, p. 155.
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Conjugated oligoelectrolytes (COEs) are emerging antimicrobials with broad spectrum activity against Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria as well as fungi. Our previous in vitro evolution studies using Enterococcus faecalis grown in the presence of two related COEs (COE1-3C and COE1-3Py) led to the emergence of mutants (changes in liaF and liaR) with a moderate 4- to16-fold increased resistance to COEs. The contribution of liaF and liaR mutations to COE resistance was confirmed by complementation of the mutants, which restored sensitivity to COEs. To better understand the cellular target of COEs, and the mechanism of resistance to COEs, transcriptional changes associated with resistance in the evolved mutants were investigated in this study. The differentially transcribed genes encoded membrane transporters, in addition to proteins associated with cell envelope synthesis and stress responses. Genes encoding membrane transport proteins from the ATP binding cassette superfamily were the most significantly induced or repressed in COE tolerant mutants compared to the wild type when exposed to COEs. Additionally, differences in the membrane localization of a lipophilic dye in E. faecalis exposed to COEs suggested that resistance was associated with lipid rearrangement in the cell membrane. The membrane adaptation to COEs in EFC3C and EFC3Py resulted in an improved tolerance to bile salt and sodium chloride stress. Overall, this study showed that bacterial cell membranes are the primary target of COEs and that E. faecalis adapts to membrane interacting COE molecules by both lipid rearrangement and changes in membrane transporter activity. The level of resistance to COEs suggests that E. faecalis does not have a specific response pathway to elicit resistance against these molecules and this is supported by the rather broad and diverse suite of genes that are induced upon COE exposure as well as cross-resistance to membrane perturbing stressors.
Chin, LH, Hon, CM, Chellappan, DK, Chellian, J, Madheswaran, T, Zeeshan, F, Awasthi, R, Aljabali, AAA, Tambuwala, MM, Dureja, H, Negi, P, Kapoor, DN, Goyal, R, Paudel, KR, Satija, S, Gupta, G, Hsu, A, Wark, P, Mehta, M, Wadhwa, R, Hansbro, PM & Dua, K 2020, 'Molecular mechanisms of action of naringenin in chronic airway diseases', European Journal of Pharmacology, vol. 879, pp. 173139-173139.
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Chronic airway inflammatory diseases are characterized by persistent proinflammatory responses in the respiratory tract. Although, several treatment strategies are currently available, lifelong therapy is necessary for most of these diseases. In recent years, phytophenols, namely, flavonoids, derived from fruits and vegetables have been gaining tremendous interest and have been extensively studied due to their low toxicological profile. Naringenin is a bioflavonoid abundantly found in citrus fruits. This substance has shown notable therapeutic potential in various diseases due to its promising diverse biological activities. In this review, we have attempted to review the published studies from the available literature, discussing the molecular level mechanisms of naringenin in different experimental models of airway inflammatory diseases including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, pulmonary fibrosis and cystic fibrosis. Current evidences have proposed that the anti-inflammatory properties of naringenin play a major role in ameliorating inflammatory disease states. In addition, naringenin also possesses several other biological properties. Despite the proposed mechanisms suggesting remarkable therapeutic benefits, the clinical use of naringenin is, however, hampered by its low solubility and bioavailability. Furthermore, this review also discusses on the studies that utilise nanocarriers as a drug delivery system to address the issue of poor solubility.
Chisholm, TS, Kulkarni, SS, Hossain, KR, Cornelius, F, Clarke, RJ & Payne, RJ 2020, 'Peptide Ligation at High Dilution via Reductive Diselenide-Selenoester Ligation', Journal of the American Chemical Society, vol. 142, no. 2, pp. 1090-1100.
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Choi, AH, Karacan, I & Ben-Nissan, B 2020, 'Surface modifications of titanium alloy using nanobioceramic-based coatings to improve osseointegration: a review', Materials Technology, vol. 35, no. 11-12, pp. 742-751.
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© 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Nanomaterials such as nanostructured scaffolds in tissue engineering and nanoparticles in drug delivery systems are associated with many applications within the biomedical and dental arenas. Furthermore, nanotechnology has also played an important role in the modifications of surface properties of surgical-grade materials and implants to achieve improvements in in vivo performance and reliability. The utilizations of nanocoatings, nanocomposite coatings, and nanolaminates are also intended to enhance osseointegration and improved protection from the release of unnecessary or even harmful metal ions. Due to their nanocrystalline structure and increase surface area, they become more reactive and hence they can also be synthesized to deliver faster tissue bonding properties and exceptional bioactivity. These new generation nanocoatings based on inorganic and biological materials such as proteins and peptides are currently being developed and investigated. This review aims to give an overview into the recent advances in nanocoatings containing biological materials being applied in medicine.
Choi, G, Choi, AH, Evans, LA, Akyol, S & Ben-Nissan, B 2020, 'A review: Recent advances in sol-gel-derived hydroxyapatite nanocoatings for clinical applications', Journal of the American Ceramic Society, vol. 103, no. 10, pp. 5442-5453.
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© 2020 The American Ceramic Society The prospect of modifying the surface properties of the substrate (or base) material to enhance its corrosion and wear resistance as well as its reliability, performance, and more importantly its bioactivity is made possible using nanocoatings. An effective technique of synthesizing high purity nanocoatings in addition to nanopowders and fibers is to utilize the sol-gel approach. It is an attractive and versatile method that can be carried out with relative ease. Ceramic coatings, such as hydroxyapatite (HAp), can be fabricated through chemical means from solutions and consequently complex shapes can be coated economically. Given the fact that mixing takes place on the atomic scale, one of the key advantages of the sol-gel technique is its capacity to produce homogeneous materials, and it has been shown that the mechanical properties of sol-gel coatings are enhanced due to the presence of nanocrystalline grain structures. This review covers a brief insight into the recent application of HAp nanocoatings derived from sol-gel technique.
Chrzanowski, W, Kim, SY & McClements, L 2020, 'Can Stem Cells Beat COVID-19: Advancing Stem Cells and Extracellular Vesicles Toward Mainstream Medicine for Lung Injuries Associated With SARS-CoV-2 Infections', Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, vol. 8.
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A number of medicines are currently under investigation for the treatment of COVID-19 disease including anti-viral, anti-malarial, and anti-inflammatory agents. While these treatments can improve patient's recovery and survival, these therapeutic strategies do not lead to unequivocal restoration of the lung damage inflicted by this disease. Stem cell therapies and, more recently, their secreted extracellular vesicles (EVs), are emerging as new promising treatments, which could attenuate inflammation but also regenerate the lung damage caused by COVID-19. Stem cells exert their immunomodulatory, anti-oxidant, and reparative therapeutic effects likely through their EVs, and therefore, could be beneficial, alone or in combination with other therapeutic agents, in people with COVID-19. In this review article, we outline the mechanisms of cytokine storm and lung damage caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus leading to COVID-19 disease and how mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and their secreted EVs can be utilized to tackle this damage by harnessing their regenerative properties, which gives them potential enhanced clinical utility compared to other investigated pharmacological treatments. There are currently 17 clinical trials evaluating the therapeutic potential of MSCs for the treatment of COVID-19, the majority of which are administered intravenously with only one clinical trial testing MSC-derived exosomes via inhalation route. While we wait for the outcomes from these trials to be reported, here we emphasize opportunities and risks associated with these therapies, as well as delineate the major roadblocks to progressing these promising curative therapies toward mainstream treatment for COVID-19.
Cinner, JE, Zamborain-Mason, J, Gurney, GG, Graham, NAJ, MacNeil, MA, Hoey, AS, Mora, C, Villéger, S, Maire, E, McClanahan, TR, Maina, JM, Kittinger, JN, Hicks, CC, D’agata, S, Huchery, C, Barnes, ML, Feary, DA, Williams, ID, Kulbicki, M, Vigliola, L, Wantiez, L, Edgar, GJ, Stuart-Smith, RD, Sandin, SA, Green, AL, Beger, M, Friedlander, AM, Wilson, SK, Brokovich, E, Brooks, AJ, Cruz-Motta, JJ, Booth, DJ, Chabanet, P, Tupper, M, Ferse, SCA, Sumaila, UR, Hardt, MJ & Mouillot, D 2020, 'Meeting fisheries, ecosystem function, and biodiversity goals in a human-dominated world', Science, vol. 368, no. 6488, pp. 307-311.
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A complex landscape for reef management
Coral reefs are among the most biodiverse systems in the ocean, and they provide both food and ecological services. They are also highly threatened by climate change and human pressure. Cinner
et al.
looked at how best to maximize three key components of reef use and health: fish biomass, parrotfish grazing, and fish trait diversity. They found that when human pressure is low, all three traits can be maximized at high conservation levels. However, as human use and pressure increase, it becomes increasingly difficult to promote biodiversity conservation. At some levels of human impact, even the highest amount of protection is not able to maximize biodiversity conservation.
Science
, this issue p.
307
Clark, JS, Poore, AGB, Coleman, MA & Doblin, MA 2020, 'Local Scale Thermal Environment and Limited Gene Flow Indicates Vulnerability of Warm Edge Populations in a Habitat Forming Macroalga', Frontiers in Marine Science, vol. 7.
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© Copyright © 2020 Clark, Poore, Coleman and Doblin. Species inhabiting warm-edge populations of their distribution are suggested to be at the forefront of global warming due to reduced fitness, limited gene flow and living close to their physiological thermal limits. Determining the scale that governs thermal niche and the functional responses of habitat-forming species to environmental stressors is critical for successful conservation efforts, particularly as coastal ecosystems are impacted by global change. Here, we examine the susceptibility of warm-edge populations to warming, in the habitat-forming macroalga, Hormosira banksii, from south-eastern Australia. We use a quantitative breeding design to quantify intraspecific variation in thermal performance (growth, ontogenic development and photosynthetic efficiency) of different genotypes sourced from sites at the equatorward distributional edge (warm-edge) and those toward the center of its distribution (non-edge). The genetic diversity and structure of H. banksii was also examined using microsatellite markers amongst the same sites. Our results found variable responses in thermal performance for growth and development. Warm-edge germlings grew optimally in lower temperatures tested and had narrower thermal breadth compared to non-edge germlings which grew in higher and more broader temperatures. Warm-edge germlings however, showed greater plasticity to tolerate high light indicated by a greater proportion of energy being dissipated as regulated non-photochemical quenching [Y(NPQ)] than non-regulated non-photochemical quenching [Y(NO)]. Overall genetic diversity was lower at the warm-edge location with evidence of increased structuring and reduced gene flow in comparison to the non-edge location. Evidence of genetic structuring was not found locally between high and low shore within sites. Together, these data suggest that non-edge populations may be “thermally buffered” from increased temperatures associated...
Clark, S, Hyndman, RJ, Pagendam, D & Ryan, LM 2020, 'Modern Strategies for Time Series Regression', INTERNATIONAL STATISTICAL REVIEW, vol. 88, no. S1, pp. S179-S204.
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This paper discusses several modern approaches to regression analysisinvolving time series data where some of the predictor variables are alsoindexed by time. We discuss classical statistical approaches as well as methodsthat have been proposed recently in the machine learning literature. Theapproaches are compared and contrasted, and it will be seen that there areadvantages and disadvantages to most currently available approaches. There isample room for methodological developments in this area. The work is motivatedby an application involving the prediction of water levels as a function ofrainfall and other climate variables in an aquifer in eastern Australia.
Clarke, HJ, Wu, X, Light, ME & Gale, PA 2020, 'Selective anion transport mediated by strap-extended calixpyrroles', Journal of Porphyrins and Phthalocyanines, vol. 24, no. 01n03, pp. 473-479.
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Synthetic anion receptors that facilitate transmembrane chloride transport are of interest as potential therapeutic agents for cancer and cystic fibrosis. Transporters selective for chloride over protons are desired for therapeutic applications to avoid autophagy inhibition and cytotoxicity. Examples of such compounds are rare because the majority of anion transporters can interact with the carboxylate head groups of fatty acids leading to proton leakage. In this paper, we report the synthesis, anion binding and transmembrane anion transport properties of two novel bis-triazole-functionalized calixpyrroles with extended straps, and compare them to previously reported shorter-strap analogues known to exhibit high Cl [Formula: see text] H[Formula: see text] selectivity. We demonstrate improved chloride transport activities of the strap-extended compounds that likely benefit from increased lipophilicity, and reduced Cl [Formula: see text] H[Formula: see text] selectivity due to the larger anion binding cavities facilitating interaction with fatty acids. The results are instructive for future design of ideal anion transporters with potent activity and high selectivity against proton leakage.
Clarke, RJ, Hossain, KR & Cao, K 2020, 'Physiological roles of transverse lipid asymmetry of animal membranes.', Biochimica et biophysica acta. Biomembranes, vol. 1862, no. 10, pp. 183382-183382.
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The plasma membrane phospholipid distribution of animal cells is markedly asymmetric. Phosphatidylserine (PS) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) are concentrated in the inner leaflet, whereas phosphatidylcholine (PC) and sphingomyelin (SM) are concentrated in the outer leaflet. This non-equilibrium situation is maintained by lipid pumps (flippases or floppases), which utilize energy in the form of ATP to translocate lipids from one leaflet to the other. Scramblases, which are activated when physiologically required, transport lipids in both directions across the membrane and can abolish lipid asymmetry. Lipid asymmetry also causes imbalances in the areas occupied by lipid in the two membrane leaflets, contributing to membrane curvature. The asymmetry of PS across the plasma membrane plays a crucial signalling role in numerous physiological processes. Exposure of PS on the external surface of blood platelets stimulates blood coagulation. PS exposure by other cells during apoptosis provides an 'eat me' signal to surrounding macrophages. Many peripheral and integral membrane proteins have polybasic PS-binding domains on their cytoplasmic surfaces which either provide a membrane anchor or affect activity. These domains can also determine trafficking within the cell and control regulation via an electrostatic switch mechanism, as well as potentially acting as 'death sensors' when cytoplasmic PS is transferred to the extracellular leaflet during apoptosis. Apart from these physiological roles, external PS exposure by microorganisms, viruses and cancer cells allows them to mimic the immunosuppressive anti-inflammatory action of apoptotic cells and proliferate, thus providing a strong medical motivation for future research in the field of lipid asymmetry in membranes.
Clases, D, Gonzalez, DVR, Funke, S, Lockwood, TE, Westerhausen, MT, Taudte, RV, Adlard, PA & Doble, PA 2020, 'Matching sensitivity to abundance: High resolution immuno-mass spectrometry imaging of lanthanide labels and endogenous elements in the murine brain', Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, vol. 35, no. 4, pp. 728-735.
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© 2020 The Royal Society of Chemistry. This work introduces a new method for immuno-mass spectrometry imaging via quadrupole-based laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry instruments that is matched to the abundance of elements in biological tissues. Manipulation of ion-optics and quadrupole mass filter parameters provided increased transmission of low level high-mass elements, which are typically used as labels for antibodies, at the expense of highly abundant endogenous low-mass elements. Transmission of mid-mass elements such as transition metals was only slightly affected. The implications for mass resolution and background signals are critically discussed and signal to noise ratios and imaging capabilities are compared to those obtained from a standard method. This novel approach resulted in a 6-fold improved signal to noise ratio for lanthanides that are routinely used as elemental labels for antibodies to target protein distributions in biological tissues. This increase in signal intensity, enhanced contrasts, lower limits of detection and the potential to improve spatial resolution contributed to enhanced imaging and trace analyses, as demonstrated by imaging murine brain sections of the hippocampal system and substantia nigra.
Clerc, EE, Raina, J-B, Lambert, BS, Seymour, J & Stocker, R 2020, 'In Situ Chemotaxis Assay to Examine Microbial Behavior in Aquatic Ecosystems.', Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE, vol. 2020, no. 159.
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Microbial behaviors, such as motility and chemotaxis (the ability of a cell to alter its movement in response to a chemical gradient), are widespread across the bacterial and archaeal domains. Chemotaxis can result in substantial resource acquisition advantages in heterogeneous environments. It also plays a crucial role in symbiotic interactions, disease, and global processes, such as biogeochemical cycling. However, current techniques restrict chemotaxis research to the laboratory and are not easily applicable in the field. Presented here is a step-by-step protocol for the deployment of the in situ chemotaxis assay (ISCA), a device that enables robust interrogation of microbial chemotaxis directly in the natural environment. The ISCA is a microfluidic device consisting of a 20 well array, in which chemicals of interest can be loaded. Once deployed in aqueous environments, chemicals diffuse out of the wells, creating concentration gradients that microbes sense and respond to by swimming into the wells via chemotaxis. The well contents can then be sampled and used to (1) quantify strength of the chemotactic responses to specific compounds through flow cytometry, (2) isolate and culture responsive microorganisms, and (3) characterize the identity and genomic potential of the responding populations through molecular techniques. The ISCA is a flexible platform that can be deployed in any system with an aqueous phase, including marine, freshwater, and soil environments.
Cleverly, J, Vote, C, Isaac, P, Ewenz, C, Harahap, M, Beringer, J, Campbell, DI, Daly, E, Eamus, D, He, L, Hunt, J, Grace, P, Hutley, LB, Laubach, J, McCaskill, M, Rowlings, D, Rutledge Jonker, S, Schipper, LA, Schroder, I, Teodosio, B, Yu, Q, Ward, PR, Walker, JP, Webb, JA & Grover, SPP 2020, 'Carbon, water and energy fluxes in agricultural systems of Australia and New Zealand', Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, vol. 287, pp. 107934-107934.
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A comprehensive understanding of the effects of agricultural management on climate–crop interactions has yet to emerge. Using a novel wavelet–statistics conjunction approach, we analysed the synchronisation amongst fluxes (net ecosystem exchange NEE, evapotranspiration and sensible heat flux) and seven environmental factors (e.g., air temperature, soil water content) on 19 farm sites across Australia and New Zealand. Irrigation and fertilisation practices improved positive coupling between net ecosystem productivity (NEP = −NEE) and evapotranspiration, as hypothesised. Highly intense management tended to protect against heat stress, especially for irrigated crops in dry climates. By contrast, stress avoidance in the vegetation of tropical and hot desert climates was identified by reverse coupling between NEP and sensible heat flux (i.e., increases in NEP were synchronised with decreases in sensible heat flux). Some environmental factors were found to be under management control, whereas others were fixed as constraints at a given location. Irrigated crops in dry climates (e.g., maize, almonds) showed high predictability of fluxes given only knowledge of fluctuations in climate (R2 > 0.78), and fluxes were nearly as predictable across strongly energy- or water-limited environments (0.60 < R2 < 0.89). However, wavelet regression of environmental conditions on fluxes showed much smaller predictability in response to precipitation pulses (0.15 < R2 < 0.55), where mowing or grazing affected crop phenology (0.28 < R2 < 0.59), and where water and energy limitations were balanced (0.7 < net radiation ∕ precipitation < 1.3; 0.27 < R2 < 0.36). By incorporating a temporal component to regression, wavelet–statistics conjunction provides an important step forward for understanding direct ecosystem responses to environmental change, for modelling that understanding, and for quantifying nonstationary, nonlinear processes such as precipitation pulses, which have previous...
Coffey, MJ, Low, I, Stelzer-Braid, S, Wemheuer, B, Garg, M, Thomas, T, Jaffe, A, Rawlinson, WD & Ooi, CY 2020, 'The intestinal virome in children with cystic fibrosis differs from healthy controls', PLOS ONE, vol. 15, no. 5, pp. e0233557-e0233557.
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Intestinal bacterial dysbiosis is evident in children with cystic fibrosis (CF) and intestinal viruses may be contributory, given their influence on bacterial species diversity and biochemical cycles. We performed a prospective, case-control study on children with CF and age and gender matched healthy controls (HC), to investigate the composition and function of intestinal viral communities. Stool samples were enriched for viral DNA and RNA by viral extraction, random amplification and purification before sequencing (Illumina MiSeq). Taxonomic assignment of viruses was performed using Vipie. Functional annotation was performed using Virsorter. Inflammation was measured by calprotectin and M2-pyruvate kinase (M2-PK). Eight CF and eight HC subjects were included (50% male, mean age 6.9 ± 3.0 and 6.4 ± 5.3 years, respectively, p = 0.8). All CF subjects were pancreatic insufficient. Regarding the intestinal virome, no difference in Shannon index between CF and HC was identified. Taxonomy-based beta-diversity (presence-absence Bray-Curtis dissimilarity) was significantly different between CF and HC (R2 = 0.12, p = 0.001). Myoviridae, Faecalibacterium phage FP Taranis and unclassified Gokushovirinae were significantly decreased in CF compared with HC (q<0.05). In children with CF (compared to HC), the relative abundance of genes annotated to (i) a peptidoglycan-binding domain of the peptidoglycan hydrolases (COG3409) was significantly increased (q<0.05) and (ii) capsid protein (F protein) (PF02305.16) was significantly decreased (q<0.05). Picornavirales, Picornaviridae, and Enterovirus were found to positively correlate with weight and BMI (r = 0.84, q = 0.01). Single-stranded DNA viruses negatively correlated with M2-PK (r = -0.86, q = 0.048). Children with CF have an altered intestinal virome compared to well-matched HC, with both taxonomic and predicted functional changes. Further exploration of Faecalibacterium phages, Gokushovirinae and phage lysins are warranted....
Coffey, MJ, McKay, IR, Doumit, M, Chuang, S, Adams, S, Stelzer-Braid, S, Waters, SA, Kasparian, NA, Thomas, T, Jaffe, A, Katz, T & Ooi, CY 2020, 'Evaluating the Alimentary and Respiratory Tracts in Health and disease (EARTH) research programme: a protocol for prospective, longitudinal, controlled, observational studies in children with chronic disease at an Australian tertiary paediatric hospital', BMJ Open, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. e033916-e033916.
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IntroductionChronic gastrointestinal and respiratory conditions of childhood can have long-lasting physical, psychosocial and economic effects on children and their families. Alterations in diet and intestinal and respiratory microbiomes may have important implications for physical and psychosocial health. Diet influences the intestinal microbiome and should be considered when exploring disease-specific alterations. The concepts of gut-brain and gut-lung axes provide novel perspectives for examining chronic childhood disease(s). We established the ‘Evaluating theAlimentary andRespiratoryTracts inHealth and disease’ (EARTH) research programme to provide a structured, holistic evaluation of children with chronic gastrointestinal and/or respiratory conditions.Methods and analysisThe EARTH programme provides a framework for a series of prospective, longitudinal, controlled, observational studies (comprised of individual substudies), conducted at an Australian tertiary paediatric hospital (the methodology is applicable to other settings). Children with a chronic gastrointestinal and/or respiratory condition will be compared with age and gender matched healthy controls (HC) across a 12-month period. The following will be collected at baseline, 6 and 12 months: (i) stool, (ii) oropharyngeal swab/sputum, (iii) semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, (iv) details of disease symptomatology, (v) health-related quality of life and (vi) psychosocial factors. Data on the intestinal and respiratory microbiomes and diet will be compared between children with a condition and HC. Correlations between dietary intake (energy, macro-nutrients and micro-nutrients), intestinal and respiratory microbiomes within ...
Collins, S, Boyd, PW & Doblin, MA 2020, 'Evolution, Microbes, and Changing Ocean Conditions', Annual Review of Marine Science, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 181-208.
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Experimental evolution and the associated theory are underutilized in marine microbial studies; the two fields have developed largely in isolation. Here, we review evolutionary tools for addressing four key areas of ocean global change biology: linking plastic and evolutionary trait changes, the contribution of environmental variability to determining trait values, the role of multiple environmental drivers in trait change, and the fate of populations near their tolerance limits. Wherever possible, we highlight which data from marine studies could use evolutionary approaches and where marine model systems can advance our understanding of evolution. Finally, we discuss the emerging field of marine microbial experimental evolution. We propose a framework linking changes in environmental quality (defined as the cumulative effect on population growth rate) with population traits affecting evolutionary potential, in order to understand which evolutionary processes are likely to be most important across a range of locations for different types of marine microbes.
Commault, AS, Kaur Walia, N, Fabris, M, Barolo, L, Siboni, N, Adriaans, J, Ralph, PJ & Pernice, M 2020, 'Effect of biphasic temperature regime on therapeutic recombinant protein production in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii', Algal Research, vol. 50, pp. 101997-101997.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Microalgae are increasingly being considered for recombinant protein production because of low cultivation costs, absence of endotoxins and insusceptibility to human infectious agents. Despite these advantages, the yield of recombinant protein produced in microalgae is still low compared to more established expression systems and optimization at the genetic and cultivation levels is required for this new system to be economically viable. This study investigates the effect of biphasic temperature regimes on the yield of recombinant human interferon alpha 2a (IFN-α2a), a therapeutic protein known for its anti-cancer and anti-viral properties, produced by the model green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (Cr.IFN-α2a). Biphasic growth is commonly employed to increase recombinant protein production in mammalian cell lines used for commercial production of therapeutic proteins, with a lowering of the temperature resulting in higher yields. In this study, lowering the temperature from 25 °C to 15 °C in mid-exponential growth phase increased the accumulation of Cr.IFN-α2a by 3.3-fold while it slowed down the growth of the three C. reinhardtii transgenic lines tested. In contrast, a rise of temperature from 25 °C to 35 °C accelerated cell growth, while negatively impacting the production of Cr.IFN-α2a. After a two-step chromatography purification, the Cr.IFN-α2a produced was estimated to be 53% pure with a yield of 90 μg/L of culture. The amino acid sequence of Cr.IFN-α2a was confirmed by mass spectrometry. However, the anti-viral activity of Cr.IFN-α2a was found to be 10 times lower than the human IFN-α2a standard produced using E. coli when challenged in a cytopathic effect (CPE) assay, likely due to the formation of aggregates. While the molecular mechanisms driving the accumulation of Cr.IFN-α2a at lower temperature remains unclear, our results support that reducing the temperature at the peak of expression is a valid strategy to increase the yield o...
Cook, ME, Leigh, A & Watson, DM 2020, 'Hiding in plain sight: experimental evidence for birds as selective agents for host mimicry in mistletoes', Botany, vol. 98, no. 9, pp. 1-7.
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Many Australian mistletoe species are cryptic, closely resembling their host foliage and overall appearance. Seed-dispersing birds have been proposed as a selective agent for host resemblance, with cryptic mistletoes only located by thoroughly searching through canopies regardless of infection status, boosting mistletoe populations by increasing the frequency of seeds dispersed to uninfected hosts; however, this idea is as yet untested. We measured bird visitation to fruiting mistletoes (n = 20) over two consecutive days, with manual defoliation of the mistletoe occurring before observation began on the second day to determine the effect of the visual appearance of the mistletoe on potential seed-dispersing birds, expecting defoliation to reduce the number of visits. Visits to the mistletoes were compared between days of observation and dietary guild (mistletoe specialist/nonspecialist). Intact mistletoes were visited more than the defoliated mistletoes, and the dietary guilds differed in their visitation patterns. This work demonstrates that the visual acuity of seed-dispersers can distinguish subtle differences in mistletoe phenotypes within infected hosts, consistent with the hypothesis that those mistletoes that more closely resemble their hosts are more difficult to perceive from afar and therefore more likely to have their seeds dispersed to uninfected hosts.
Cook, RHW, Seymour, N, Spekkens, K, Hurley-Walker, N, Hancock, PJ, Bell, ME, Callingham, JR, For, B-Q, Franzen, TMO, Gaensler, BM, Hindson, L, Johnston-Hollitt, M, Kapińska, AD, Morgan, J, Offringa, AR, Procopio, P, Staveley-Smith, L, Wayth, RB, Wu, C & Zheng, Q 2020, 'Searching for dark matter signals from local dwarf spheroidal galaxies at low radio frequencies in the GLEAM survey', Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, vol. 494, no. 1, pp. 135-145.
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ABSTRACT
The search for emission from weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter annihilation and decay has become a multipronged area of research not only targeting a diverse selection of astrophysical objects, but also taking advantage of the entire electromagnetic spectrum. The decay of WIMP particles into standard model particles has been suggested as a possible channel for synchrotron emission to be detected at low radio frequencies. Here, we present the stacking analysis of a sample of 33 dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies with low-frequency (72–231 MHz) radio images from the GaLactic and Extragalactic All-sky Murchison Widefield Array (GLEAM) survey. We produce radial surface brightness profiles of images centred upon each dSph galaxy with background radio sources masked. We remove 10 fields from the stacking due to contamination from either poorly subtracted, bright radio sources or strong background gradients across the field. The remaining 23 dSph galaxies are stacked in an attempt to obtain a statistical detection of any WIMP-induced synchrotron emission in these systems. We find that the stacked radial brightness profile does not exhibit a statistically significant detection above the 95 per cent confidence level of ∼1.5 mJy beam−1. This novel technique shows the potential of using low-frequency radio images to constrain fundamental properties of particle dark matter.
Coorssen, JR & Padula, MP 2020, 'Special Issue “Top-down Proteomics: In Memory of Dr Alfred Yergey”. Alfred Linwood Yergey, III, 17 September 1941–27 May 2018', Proteomes, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 1-1.
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Please see J [...]
Cortie, MB, Arnold, MD & Keast, VJ 2020, 'The Quest for Zero Loss: Unconventional Materials for Plasmonics.', Advanced Materials, vol. 32, no. 18, pp. 1904532-1904532.
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There has been an ongoing quest to optimize the materials used to build plasmonic devices: first the elements were investigated, then alloys and intermetallic compounds, later semiconductors were considered, and, most recently, there has been interest in using more exotic materials such as topological insulators and conducting oxides. The quality of the plasmon resonances in these materials is closely correlated with their structure and properties. In general gold and silver are the most commonly specified materials for these applications but they do have weaknesses. Here, it is shown how, in specific circumstances, the selection of certain other materials might be more useful. Candidate alternatives include Tix N, VO2 , Al, Cu, Al-doped ZnO, and Cu-Al alloys. The relative merits of these choices and the many pitfalls and subtle problems that arise are discussed, and a frank perspective on the field is provided.
Cox, RP, Sandanayake, S, Langford, SJ & Bell, TDM 2020, 'Electron Transfer in a Naphthalene Diimide System Studied by Single-Molecule Delayed Fluorescence', Australian Journal of Chemistry, vol. 73, no. 8, pp. 699-699.
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Electron transfer (ET) is a key chemical reaction in nature and has been extensively studied in bulk systems, but remains challenging to investigate at the single-molecule level. A previously reported naphthalene diimide (NDI)-based system (Higginbotham et al., Chem. Commun. 2013, 49, 5061–5063) displays delayed fluorescence with good quantum yield (~0.5) and long-lived (nanoseconds) prompt and delayed fluorescence lifetimes, providing an opportunity to interrogate the underlying ET processes in single molecules. Time-resolved single-molecule fluorescence measurements enabled forward and reverse ET rate constants to be calculated for 45 individual molecules embedded in poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) film. Interpretation of the results within the framework of Marcus–Hush theory for ET demonstrates that variation in both the electronic coupling and the driving force for ET is occurring from molecule to molecule within the PMMA film and over time for individual molecules.
Craddock, M & Grasselli, M 2020, 'Lie symmetry methods for local volatility models', Stochastic Processes and their Applications, vol. 130, no. 6, pp. 3802-3841.
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© 2019 Elsevier B.V. We investigate PDEs of the form ut= [Formula presented] σ2(t,x)uxx−g(x)u which are associated with the calculation of expectations for a large class of local volatility models. We find nontrivial symmetry groups that can be used to obtain Fourier transforms of fundamental solutions of the PDE. We detail explicit computations in the separable volatility case when σ(t,x)=h(t)(α+βx+γx2), g=0, corresponding to the so called Quadratic Normal Volatility Model. We give financial applications and also show how symmetries can be used to compute first hitting distributions.
Cummins, ML, Hamidian, M & Djordjevic, SP 2020, 'Salmonella genomic island 1 is broadly disseminated within gammaproteobacteriaceae', Microorganisms, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 161-161.
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© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Salmonella genomic island 1 (SGI1) is an integrative mobilisable element that plays an important role in the capture and spread of multiple drug resistance. To date, SGI1 has been found in clinical isolates of Salmonella enterica serovars, Proteus mirabilis, Morganella morganii, Acinetobacter baumannii, Providencia stuartii, Enterobacter spp, and recently in Escherichia coli. SGI1 preferentially targets the 3´-end of trmE, a conserved gene found in the Enterobacteriaceae and among members of the Gammaproteobacteria. It is, therefore, hypothesised that SGI1 and SGI1‐related elements (SGI1-REs) may have been acquired by diverse bacterial genera. Here, Bitsliced Genomic Signature Indexes (BIGSI) was used to screen the NCBI Sequence Read Archive (SRA) for putative SGI1-REs in Gammaproteobacteria. Novel SGI‐REs were identified in diverse genera including Cronobacter spp, Klebsiella spp, and Vibrio spp and in two additional isolates of Escherichia coli. An extensively drug‐resistant human clonal lineage of Klebsiella pneumoniae carrying an SGI1‐RE in the United Kingdom and an SGI1-RE that lacks a class 1 integron were also identified. These findings provide insight into the origins of this diverse family of clinically important genomic islands and expand the knowledge of the potential host range of SGI1-REs within the Gammaproteobacteria.
Cummins, ML, Sanderson-Smith, M, Newton, P, Carlile, N, Phalen, DN, Maute, K, Monahan, LG, Hoye, BJ & Djordjevic, SP 2020, 'Whole-Genome Sequence Analysis of an Extensively Drug-Resistant Salmonella enterica Serovar Agona Isolate from an Australian Silver Gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae) Reveals the Acquisition of Multidrug Resistance Plasmids.', mSphere, vol. 5, no. 6.
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Although most of the approximately 94 million annual human cases of gastroenteritis due to Salmonella enterica resolve without medical intervention, antimicrobial therapy is recommended for patients with severe disease. Wild birds can be natural hosts of Salmonella that pose a threat to human health; however, multiple-drug-resistant serovars of S. enterica have rarely been described. In 2012, silver gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae) chicks at a major breeding colony were shown to host Salmonella, most isolates of which were susceptible to antibiotics. However, multiple-drug-resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli with resistance to carbapenems, ceftazidime, and fluoroquinolones was reported from this breeding colony. In this paper, we describe a novel MDR Salmonella strain subsequently isolated from the same breeding colony. SG17-135, an isolate of S. enterica with phenotypic resistance to 12 individual antibiotics but only nine antibiotic classes including penicillins, cephalosporins, monobactams, macrolides, fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides, dihydrofolate reductase inhibitors (trimethoprim), sulfonamides, and glycylcyclines was recovered from a gull chick in 2017. Whole-genome sequence (WGS) analysis of SG17-135 identified it as Salmonella enterica serovar Agona (S Agona) with a chromosome comprising 4,813,284 bp, an IncHI2 ST2 plasmid (pSG17-135-HI2) of 311,615 bp, and an IncX1 plasmid (pSG17-135-X) of 27,511 bp. pSG17-135-HI2 housed a complex resistance region comprising 16 antimicrobial resistance genes including blaCTX-M-55 The acquisition of MDR plasmids by S. enterica described here poses a serious threat to human health. Our study highlights the importance of taking a One Health approach to identify environmental reservoirs of drug-resistant pathogens and MDR plasmids.IMPORTANCE Defining environmental reservoirs hosting mobile genetic elements that shuttle critically important antibiotic resistance genes is key to understanding antimicrobial res...
Cunha, R, Cadore, A, Ramos, SLLM, Watanabe, K, Taniguchi, T, Kim, S, Solntsev, AS, Aharonovich, I & Malard, LM 2020, 'Second harmonic generation in defective hexagonal boron nitride', Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, vol. 32, no. 19, pp. 19LT01-19LT01.
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Determining the role of defects in materials can be an important task both for the fundamental understanding of their influence on material properties and for future applications. In this work, we studied the influence of defects on the second harmonic generation (SHG) in hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN). We characterized the sample by photoluminescence imaging and spectroscopy, showing strong and sharp photoluminescence emission at visible range from h-BN flakes due to single defect states. By doing second harmonic imaging, we found strong emission from the h-BN flakes that correlates spatially with the photoluminescence imaging. By doing polarization-resolved SHG, we found deviations from the expected polarization pattern in pristine h-BN samples. We also characterized the nonlinear optical susceptibility of h-BN with defects with a value of one order of magnitude larger than for pristine h-BN, which highlights the role of defects in the efficiency of SHG. Therefore defect engineering could be used as a potential tool for nonlinear optical signal enhancement.
Dadd-Daigle, P, Kirkby, K, Collins, D, Cuddy, W, Lonergan, P, Roser, S, Bhattacharya, P, Labbate, M & Chapman, T 2020, 'Virulence not linked with vegetative compatibility groups in Australian cotton Verticillium dahliae isolates', Australian Joural of Crop Science, vol. 14, no. 04, pp. 633-640.
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Verticillium dahliae, the causal agent of Verticillium wilt, is a soil-borne ascomycete that infects numerous agriculturally important crops globally, including cotton. As a billion-dollar industry, cotton is economically important to Australia and the management of disease such as Verticillium wilt is key for the success of the industry. Internationally, defoliating V. dahliae isolates belonging to Vegetative Compatibility Group (VCG) 1A cause severe damage to cotton, while non-defoliating VCG2A isolates result in significantly less disease. However, in Australia, VCG2A is causing more severe damage to crops in the field than the defoliating VCG1A. This study aimed to replicate field observations in controlled greenhouse conditions. We examined and compared disease symptoms on a range of Australian commercial cotton varieties when inoculated with different V. dahliae VCGs. Seedlings were root dipped in conidial suspensions and assessed over seven weeks. The final disease score, disease over time and root length were analysed. Plant mortality resulted from both V. dahliae VCG1A and VCG2A isolates across all cotton varieties used, confirming that there are virulent VCG2A isolates present in Australia. To our knowledge, although virulent on other plant hosts, V. dahliae VCG2A has not previously been reported to be highly virulent in cotton. We infer that virulence cannot be defined solely by VCG in Australian V. dahliae isolates causing disease in cotton.
Dalla, PV, Santos, J, Milthorpe, BK & Padula, MP 2020, 'Selectively-Packaged Proteins in Breast Cancer Extracellular Vesicles Involved in Metastasis', International Journal of Molecular Sciences, vol. 21, no. 14, pp. 4990-4990.
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Cancer-derived extracellular vesicles are known to play a role in the progression of the disease. In this rapidly-growing field, there are many reports of phenotypic changes in cells following exposure to cancer-derived extracellular vesicles. This study examines the protein contents of vesicles derived from three well-known breast cancer cell lines, MCF-7, MDA-MB-231 and T47D, using peptide-centric LC-MS/MS and cytokine multiplex immunoassay analysis to understand the molecular basis of these changes. Through these techniques a large number of proteins within these vesicles were identified. A large proportion of these proteins are known to be important in cancer formation and progression and associated with cancer signaling, angiogenesis, metastasis and invasion and immune regulation. This highlights the importance of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in cancer communications and shows some of the mechanisms the vesicles use to assist in cancer progression.
Dawson, BM, Barton, PS & Wallman, JF 2020, 'Contrasting insect activity and decomposition of pigs and humans in an Australian environment: A preliminary study.', Forensic science international, vol. 316, pp. 110515-110515.
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Non-human vertebrate animals, primarily domestic pigs, have been widely used in forensic science research as analogues for humans due to ethical and logistical constraints. Yet the suitability of pigs to mimic human decomposition and entomological patterns remains largely untested, and explicit comparative research in this area is lacking. We compared the decomposition rates and insect communities found at pig and human remains during summer and winter at the Australian Facility for Taphonomic Experimental Research (AFTER). Pigs decomposed faster than humans, with pigs entering active decay earlier in both summer and winter, and humans undergoing desiccation rather than skeletonisation. There was also a delay in the colonisation of humans by both flies and beetles. Species richness of these necrophagous taxa was between two and five times higher during the first two weeks of decomposition on pigs compared to humans during both summer and winter. Insect species composition was also significantly different between pigs and humans in each season. We interpret our findings to mean that the difference between humans and pigs, such as their mass, diet, medical history, or their microbiomes, might be causing different decomposition processes and altered timing or production of chemical cues for insect colonisation. Although preliminary, our results suggest that pigs might not be accurate substitutes for humans in particular fields of taphonomy and forensic entomology. Our findings also have broader implications for the reliability of forensic studies using pigs as models for humans, and highlight the need to recognise intrinsic differences between animal models and humans.
Dayananda, B & Webb, JK 2020, 'Thermophilic response to feeding in adult female velvet geckos.', Curr Zool, vol. 66, no. 6, pp. 693-694.
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Dayananda, B, Jeffree, RA & Webb, JK 2020, 'Body temperature and time of day both affect nocturnal lizard performance: An experimental investigation', Journal of Thermal Biology, vol. 93, pp. 102728-102728.
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© 2020 The locomotor performance of reptiles is profoundly influenced by temperature, but little is known about how the time of day when the animal is usually active may influence performance. Time of day may be particularly relevant for studies on nocturnal reptiles that thermoregulate by day, but are active at night when ambient temperatures are cooler. If selection favours individuals that match their performance to activity times, then nocturnal species should perform better during the night, when they are normally active, than during the day. To test this hypothesis, we investigated how the time of day and body temperature affected the locomotor performance of adult females of the velvet gecko (Amalosia lesueurii). We measured the sprint speeds, running speeds and number of stops of 43 adult females at four different body temperatures (20, 25, 30 and 35 °C) during the day and at night. At night, sprint speeds were higher at 20 and 35 °C but sprint speeds were similar at 25 and 30 °C. By day, sprint speed increased with body temperature, peaking at 30 °C, before declining at 35 °C. However, gecko speeds over 1 m was higher at night at all four test temperatures than by day. Number of stops showed broadly similar patterns and females stopped almost twice as often on the racetrack during the day than they did at night. Furthermore, the thermal breadth of performance differed depending on when geckos were tested. Our results demonstrate that both body temperature and the time of day affects the behaviour and locomotor performance of female velvet geckos, with geckos running faster at night, the time of day when they are usually active. This study adds to evidence that both body temperature and the time of day are crucial for estimating the performance of ectotherms and evaluations and predictions of their vulnerability to climate warming should consider the context of laboratory experimental design.
DeMaere, MZ, Liu, MYZ, Lin, E, Djordjevic, SP, Charles, IG, Worden, P, Burke, CM, Monahan, LG, Gardiner, M, Borody, TJ & Darling, AE 2020, 'Metagenomic Hi-C of a Healthy Human Fecal Microbiome Transplant Donor.', Microbiology resource announcements, vol. 9, no. 6.
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We report the availability of a high-quality metagenomic Hi-C data set generated from a fecal sample taken from a healthy fecal microbiome transplant donor subject. We report on basic features of the data to evaluate their quality.
Deplazes, E, Chin, YK, King, GF & Mancera, RL 2020, 'The unusual conformation of cross‐strand disulfide bonds is critical to the stability of β‐hairpin peptides', Proteins: Structure, Function, and Bioinformatics, vol. 88, no. 3, pp. 485-502.
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AbstractThe cross‐strand disulfides (CSDs) found in β‐hairpin antimicrobial peptides (β‐AMPs) show a unique disulfide geometry that is characterized by unusual torsion angles and a short Cα‐Cα distance. While the sequence and disulfide bond connectivity of disulfide‐rich peptides is well studied, much less is known about the disulfide geometry found in CSDs and their role in the stability of β‐AMPs. To address this, we solved the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) structure of the β‐AMP gomesin (Gm) at 278, 298, and 310 K, examined the disulfide bond geometry of over 800 disulfide‐rich peptides, and carried out extensive molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of the peptides Gm and protegrin. The NMR data suggests Cα‐Cα distances characteristic for CSDs are independent of temperature. Analysis of disulfide‐rich peptides from the Protein Data Bank revealed that right‐handed and left‐handed rotamers are equally likely in CSDs. The previously reported preference for right‐handed rotamers was likely biased by restricting the analysis to peptides and proteins solved using X‐ray crystallography. Furthermore, data from MD simulations showed that the short Cα‐Cα distance is critical for the stability of these peptides. The unique disulfide geometry of CSDs poses a challenge to biomolecular force fields and to retain the stability of β‐hairpin fold over long simulation times, restraints on the torsion angles might be required.
Deplazes, E, Hartmann, LM, Cranfield, CG & Garcia, A 2020, 'Structural Characterization of a Cation-Selective, Self-Assembled Peptide Pore in Planar Phospholipid Bilayers.', Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, vol. 11, no. 19, pp. 8152-8156.
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GALA is a 30-residue amphipathic peptide that self-assembles into multimeric transmembrane pores in a pH-dependent fashion. In this study, we characterize the size, multimeric structure, and cation selectivity of GALA pores in planar phospholipid bilayers using electrical impedance spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations. We demonstrate that in planar bilayers GALA pores are likely formed by six peptide monomers rather than eight to 12 monomers as previously reported for lipid vesicles. We further show that in planar bilayers, GALA pores exhibit previously unreported cation selectivity. We propose that the difference between the predicted pore structures in planar bilayers and lipid vesicles exemplifies the importance of phospholipid bilayer structural properties on the aggregation of transmembrane helical structures.
Deplazes, E, Sarrami, F & Poger, D 2020, 'Effect of H3O+ on the Structure and Dynamics of Water at the Interface with Phospholipid Bilayers', The Journal of Physical Chemistry B, vol. 124, no. 8, pp. 1361-1373.
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This study investigates the effect of hydronium ions (H3O+) on the structure and dynamics of water at the interface of a phospholipid bilayer using molecular dynamics simulations of a POPC bilayer in the presence and absence of H3O+ ions. From these simulations, the survival probability, hydrogen bond lifetimes, orientation relaxation, and angular distribution of interfacial water, at increasing distances from the membrane surface, were calculated. Simulations of POPC in the absence of H3O+ ions reproduce previously reported deviations of interfacial water from the properties of bulk water. Our results show that in the presence of H3O+, these deviations are even more pronounced with the strongest effects seen in the survival probability and orientation relaxation. To further investigate the effect of the H3O+-induced reduction of area per lipid on interfacial water, we carried out simulations where H3O+ ions were removed, but the area per lipid was fixed to the values seen in the presence of H3O+. The combined findings from our study suggest that the presence of H3O+ ions affects the properties of interfacial water, accentuates the deviation from bulk properties, and extends the long-range effect of these deviations further away from the membrane surface.
Deplazes, E, Tafalla, BD, Cranfield, CG & Garcia, A 2020, 'Role of Ion–Phospholipid Interactions in Zwitterionic Phospholipid Bilayer Ion Permeation', The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, vol. 11, no. 15, pp. 6353-6358.
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Despite the central role of Na+ and K+ in physiological processes, it is still unclear whether they interact or alter the physical properties of simple zwitterionic phospholipid bilayers at physiologically relevant concentrations. Here we report a difference in membrane permeability between Na+ and K+, as measured with electrical impedance spectroscopy and tethered bilayer lipid membranes. We reveal that the differences in membrane permeability originate from distinct ion coordination by carbonyl oxygens at the phospholipid-water interface, altering the propensity for bilayer pore formation. Molecular dynamics simulations showed differences in the coordination of Na+ and K+ at the phospholipid-water interface of zwitterionic phospholipid bilayers. The ability of Na+ to conscript more phospholipids with a greater number of coordinating interactions causes a higher localized energy barrier for pore formation. These results provide evidence that ion-specific interactions at the phospholipid-water interface can modulate the physical properties of zwitterionic phospholipid bilayers.
Dharwal, V, Paudel, KR & Hansbro, PM 2020, 'Impact of bushfire smoke on respiratory health', MEDICAL JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIA, vol. 213, no. 6.
Dief, EM, Vogel, YB, Peiris, CR, Le, BAP, Gonçales, VR, Ciampi, S, Reimers, JR & Darwish, N 2020, 'Covalent Linkages of Molecules and Proteins to Si-H Surfaces Formed by Disulfide Reduction.', Langmuir, vol. 36, no. 49, pp. 14999-15009.
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Thiols and disulfide contacts have been, for decades, key for connecting organic molecules to surfaces and nanoclusters as they form self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on metals such as gold (Au) under mild conditions. In contrast, they have not been similarly deployed on Si owing to the harsh conditions required for monolayer formation. Here, we show that SAMs can be simply formed by dipping Si-H surfaces into dilute solutions of organic molecules or proteins comprising disulfide bonds. We demonstrate that S-S bonds can be spontaneously reduced on Si-H, forming covalent Si-S bonds in the presence of traces of water, and that this grafting can be catalyzed by electrochemical potential. Cyclic disulfide can be spontaneously reduced to form complete monolayers in 1 h, and the reduction can be catalyzed electrochemically to form full surface coverages within 15 min. In contrast, the kinetics of SAM formation of the cyclic disulfide molecule on Au was found to be three-fold slower than that on Si. It is also demonstrated that dilute thiol solutions can form monolayers on Si-H following oxidation to disulfides under ambient conditions; the supply of too much oxygen, however, inhibits SAM formation. The electron transfer kinetics of the Si-S-enabled SAMs on Si-H is comparable to that on Au, suggesting that Si-S contacts are electrically transmissive. We further demonstrate the prospect of this spontaneous disulfide reduction by forming a monolayer of protein azurin on a Si-H surface within 1 h. The direct reduction of disulfides on Si electrodes presents new capabilities for a range of fields, including molecular electronics, for which highly conducting SAM-electrode contacts are necessary and for emerging fields such as biomolecular electronics as disulfide linkages could be exploited to wire proteins between Si electrodes, within the context of the current Si-based technologies.
Diekert, V & Elder, M 2020, 'Solutions to twisted word equations and equations in virtually free groups', International Journal of Algebra and Computation, vol. 30, no. 04, pp. 1-89.
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It is well known that the problem solving equations in virtually free groups can be reduced to the problem of solving twisted word equations with regular constraints over free monoids with involution. In this paper, we prove that the set of all solutions of a twisted word equation is an EDT0L language whose specification can be computed in [Formula: see text]. Within the same complexity bound we can decide whether the solution set is empty, finite, or infinite. In the second part of the paper we apply the results for twisted equations to obtain in [Formula: see text] an EDT0L description of the solution set of equations with rational constraints for finitely generated virtually free groups in standard normal forms with respect to a natural set of generators. If the rational constraints are given by a homomorphism into a fixed (or “small enough”) finite monoid, then our algorithms can be implemented in [Formula: see text], that is, in quasi-quadratic nondeterministic space. Our results generalize the work by Lohrey and Sénizergues (ICALP 2006) and Dahmani and Guirardel (J. of Topology 2010) with respect to both complexity and expressive power. Neither paper gave any concrete complexity bound and the results in these papers are stated for subsets of solutions only, whereas our results concern all solutions.
Dietrich, A, Doherty, MW, Aharonovich, I & Kubanek, A 2020, 'Solid-state single photon source with Fourier transform limited lines at room temperature', Physical Review B, vol. 101, no. 8.
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© 2020 American Physical Society. Solid-state single photon sources with Fourier transform (FT) limited lines are among the most crucial constituents of photonic quantum technologies and have been accordingly the focus of intensive research over the last several decades. However, so far, solid-state systems have only exhibited FT limited lines at cryogenic temperatures due to strong interactions with the thermal bath of lattice phonons. In this Rapid Communication, we report a solid-state source that exhibits FT limited lines measured in photoluminescence excitation (sub-100-MHz linewidths) from 3 to 300 K. The studied source is a color center in the two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride and we propose that the center's decoupling from phonons is a fundamental consequence of the material's low dimensionality. While the center's luminescence lines exhibit spectral diffusion, we identify the likely source of the diffusion and propose to mitigate it via dynamic spectral tuning. The discovery of FT limited lines at room temperature, which once the spectral diffusion is controlled, will also yield FT limited emission. Our work motivates a significant advance towards room-temperature photonic quantum technologies and a different research direction in the remarkable fundamental properties of two-dimensional materials.
Dirar, AI, Devkota, AA, Kunwar, RM, Paudel, KR, Belwal, T, Gupta, G, Chellappan, DK, Hansbro, PM, Dua, K & Devkota, HP 2020, 'Genus Blepharis (Acanthaceae): A review of ethnomedicinally used species, and their phytochemistry and pharmacological activities.', Journal of ethnopharmacology, vol. 265, pp. 113255-113255.
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ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE:Blepharis is an Afro-Asiatic genus belonging to the family Acanthaceae. It comprises 126 species that occur in arid and semi-arid habitats. Some species of Blepharis are used in traditional medicines in different countries mainly for their anti-inflammatory, would healing activities along with treatment of gastrointestinal disorders and bone fractures. AIM OF THE REVIEW:The present review aims to collate and analyze the available data and information on distribution, traditional uses, chemical constituents and pharmacological activities of Blepharis. METHODS:Scientific information of genus Blepharis was retrieved from the online bibliographic databases like MEDLINE/PubMed, SciFinder, Web of Science and Google Scholar and secondary resources including books and proceedings. RESULTS:Seven species of Blepharis were found to be reported frequently as useful in folklore in Asian and African countries. B. maderaspatensis was found to be widely used in Indian traditional medicines whereas the B. ciliaris and B. edulis were common in folklore of Egypt, Jordan, and Arabia. Active phytochemicals of Blepharis are flavonoids from B. ciliaris, alkaloids from B. sindica, phenolic acid derivatives, and phytosterols, and derivatives of hydroxamic acids from B. edulis resulted in possessing diverse biological properties such as anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer. CONCLUSION:Various species of Blepharis were found to be used in traditional medicine systems in African and Asian countries. Few of these species were studied for their bioactive chemical constituents however the activity guided isolation studies are not performed. Similarly, detailed pharmacological studies in animal models to explore their mechanism of action are also not reported. Future studies should focus on these aspects related to the medicinally used species of Blepharis. The detailed and comprehensive comparative analysis presented here gives valuable in...
Ditz, B, Christenson, S, Rossen, J, Brightling, C, Kerstjens, HAM, van, DBM & Faiz, A 2020, 'Sputum microbiome profiling in COPD: beyond singular pathogen detection.', Thorax, vol. 75, no. 4, pp. 338-344.
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Culture-independent microbial sequencing techniques have revealed that the respiratory tract harbours a complex microbiome not detectable by conventional culturing methods. The contribution of the microbiome to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) pathobiology and the potential for microbiome-based clinical biomarkers in COPD are still in the early phases of investigation. Sputum is an easily obtainable sample and has provided a wealth of information on COPD pathobiology, and thus has been a preferred sample type for microbiome studies. Although the sputum microbiome likely reflects the respiratory microbiome only in part, there is increasing evidence that microbial community structure and diversity are associated with disease severity and clinical outcomes, both in stable COPD and during the exacerbations. Current evidence has been limited to mainly cross-sectional studies using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, attempting to answer the question 'who is there?' Longitudinal studies using standardised protocols are needed to answer outstanding questions including differences between sputum sampling techniques. Further, with advancing technologies, microbiome studies are shifting beyond the examination of the 16S rRNA gene, to include whole metagenome and metatranscriptome sequencing, as well as metabolome characterisation. Despite being technically more challenging, whole-genome profiling and metabolomics can address the questions 'what can they do?' and 'what are they doing?' This review provides an overview of the basic principles of high-throughput microbiome sequencing techniques, current literature on sputum microbiome profiling in COPD, and a discussion of the associated limitations and future perspectives.
Dong, DT, Miranda, AF, Carve, M, Shen, H, Trestrail, C, Dinh, KV & Nugegoda, D 2020, 'Population- and sex-specific sensitivity of the marine amphipod Allorchestes compressa to metal exposure', Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, vol. 206, pp. 111130-111130.
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The sensitivity to contaminants of natural populations varies greatly depending on their historical exposure and on the sex of the individual. These factors result in great uncertainty in ecotoxicological risk assessments and challenge the protection of marine biodiversity. This study investigated the role of background pollution in the environment in shaping the sensitivity of males and females of the common marine amphipod Allorchestes compressa to the common trace marine pollutant, copper (Cu). Female and male amphipods were collected from two sites: Geelong (the polluted site) and Clifton Springs (the clean site). Amphipods were exposed to Cu treatments of 0, 50, 100, and 250 μg/L for 10 days, followed by a 10-day recovery period. Cu-exposed males from Geelong showed a reduction in feeding rate at a higher Cu concentration than males from Clifton Springs, suggesting that they have a higher tolerance to Cu than males from Clifton Springs. This can be explained by their higher base level of metallothioneins (MTs) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST), the key physiological responses for detoxification and defence against damages from Cu toxicity. Males showed a higher tolerance to Cu than females. This pattern was similar in both populations, which may be associated with a higher level of GST. During the recovery period, only males from Geelong fully recovered to the control level. Our results emphasize the importance of considering population- and sex-specific sensitivity of invertebrates to contaminants in ecotoxicological risk assessments.
Dong, L, Yang, W, Yang, W, Tian, H, Huang, Y, Wang, X, Xu, C, Wang, C, Kang, F & Wang, G 2020, 'Flexible and conductive scaffold-stabilized zinc metal anodes for ultralong-life zinc-ion batteries and zinc-ion hybrid capacitors', Chemical Engineering Journal, vol. 384, pp. 123355-123355.
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© 2019 Elsevier B.V. The merits of zinc metal anodes such as high chemical stability, low cost and ultrahigh volumetric capacity endow Zn based batteries/hybrid capacitors with great potential applications for electronic products. However, unstable stripping/plating of zinc anodes tends to cause the formation of protuberances/dendrites and side reactions such as water decomposition on anode surfaces, eventually leading to the failure of Zn based electrochemical energy storage devices. Herein, we report the fabrication of free-standing, highly flexible and conductive carbon nanotube (CNT)/paper scaffolds to stabilize zinc metal anodes. The free-standing CNT scaffolds only need to be placed between zinc anodes and separators when assembling zinc anode-based batteries/hybrid capacitors. On the surface of the zinc electrode, the scaffolds’ porous skeleton mechanically regulates Zn2+ deposition sites and their conductive CNT networks maintain a stable electric field during Zn stripping/plating processes, thus retarding the formation of protuberances/dendrites and the occurrence of side reactions. The scaffold-stabilized zinc anodes displayed small polarization voltages, a long cycling life over 1800 h and superior capability for fast charging-discharging. In addition, benefiting from the high electrochemical stability and reversibility of the scaffold-stabilized zinc anodes, zinc-ion batteries/hybrid capacitors with ultralong cycle lives were successfully constructed. This work provides a scalable approach to stabilize zinc metal anodes for long-life zinc-ion batteries and zinc-ion hybrid capacitors.
Donovan, C & Hansbro, PM 2020, 'IL-33 in Chronic Respiratory Disease: From Preclinical to Clinical Studies.', ACS pharmacology & translational science, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 56-62.
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IL-33 has been deorphanized as a member of the IL-1 family and has key roles as an alarmin and cytokine with potent capacity to drive type 2 inflammation. This has led to a plethora of studies surrounding its role in chronic diseases with a type 2 inflammatory component. Here, we review the roles of IL-33 in two chronic respiratory diseases, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We discuss the hallmark and paradigm-shifting studies that have contributed to our understanding of IL-33 biology. We cover animal studies that have elucidated the mechanisms of IL-33 and assessed the role of anti-IL-33 treatment and immunization against IL-33. We highlight key clinical evidence for the potential of targeting increased IL-33 in respiratory diseases including exacerbations, and we outline current clinical trials using an anti-IL-33 monoclonal antibody in asthma patients. Finally, we discuss some of the challenges that have arisen in IL-33 biology and highlight potential future directions in targeting this cytokine in chronic respiratory diseases.
Donovan, C, Liu, G, Shen, S, Marshall, J, Kim, R, Alamao, CA, Budden, KF, Choi, JP, Kohonen-Corish, M, El-Omar, EM, Yang, IA & Hansbro, P 2020, 'The role of microbiome and NLRP3 inflammasome in the gut and the lung', Journal of Leukocyte Biology, vol. accepted 4.7.20, no. 3, pp. 925-935.
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©2020 Society for Leukocyte Biology The nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor (NLR) family, pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, is one of the most well-characterized inflammasomes, activated by pathogen-associated molecular patterns and damage-associated molecular patterns, including from commensal or pathogenic bacterial and viral infections. The NLRP3 inflammasome promotes inflammatory cell recruitment and regulates immune responses in tissues such as the gastrointestinal tract and the lung, and is involved in many diseases that affect the gut and lung. Recently, the microbiome in the gut and the lung, and the crosstalk between these organs (gut–lung axis), has been identified as a potential mechanism that may influence disease in a bidirectional manner. In this review, we focus on themes presented in this area at the 2019 World Congress on Inflammation. We discuss recent evidence on how the microbiome can affect NLRP3 inflammasome responses in the gut and lung, the role of this inflammasome in regulating gut and lung inflammation in disease, and its potential role in the gut–lung axis. We highlight the exponential increase in our understanding of the NLRP3 inflammasome due to the synthesis of the NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor, MCC950, and propose future studies that may further elucidate the roles of the NLRP3 inflammasome in gut and lung diseases.
Doré, H, Farrant, GK, Guyet, U, Haguait, J, Humily, F, Ratin, M, Pitt, FD, Ostrowski, M, Six, C, Brillet-Guéguen, L, Hoebeke, M, Bisch, A, Le, CG, Corre, E, Labadie, K, Aury, J-M, Wincker, P, Choi, DH, Noh, JH, Eveillard, D, Scanlan, DJ, Partensky, F & Garczarek, L 2020, 'Evolutionary Mechanisms of Long-Term Genome Diversification Associated With Niche Partitioning in Marine Picocyanobacteria.', Frontiers in microbiology, vol. 11, p. 567431.
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Marine picocyanobacteria of the genera Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus are the most abundant photosynthetic organisms on Earth, an ecological success thought to be linked to the differential partitioning of distinct ecotypes into specific ecological niches. However, the underlying processes that governed the diversification of these microorganisms and the appearance of niche-related phenotypic traits are just starting to be elucidated. Here, by comparing 81 genomes, including 34 new Synechococcus, we explored the evolutionary processes that shaped the genomic diversity of picocyanobacteria. Time-calibration of a core-protein tree showed that gene gain/loss occurred at an unexpectedly low rate between the different lineages, with for instance 5.6 genes gained per million years (My) for the major Synechococcus lineage (sub-cluster 5.1), among which only 0.71/My have been fixed in the long term. Gene content comparisons revealed a number of candidates involved in nutrient adaptation, a large proportion of which are located in genomic islands shared between either closely or more distantly related strains, as identified using an original network construction approach. Interestingly, strains representative of the different ecotypes co-occurring in phosphorus-depleted waters (Synechococcus clades III, WPC1, and sub-cluster 5.3) were shown to display different adaptation strategies to this limitation. In contrast, we found few genes potentially involved in adaptation to temperature when comparing cold and warm thermotypes. Indeed, comparison of core protein sequences highlighted variants specific to cold thermotypes, notably involved in carotenoid biosynthesis and the oxidative stress response, revealing that long-term adaptation to thermal niches relies on amino acid substitutions rather than on gene content variation. Altogether, this study not only deciphers the respective roles of gene gains/losses and sequence variation but also uncovers numerous gene c...
Douraghi, M, Kenyon, JJ, Aris, P, Asadian, M, Ghourchian, S & Hamidian, M 2020, 'Accumulation of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Isolates Belonging to Lineage 2, Global Clone 1, from Outbreaks in 2012-2013 at a Tehran Burns Hospital.', mSphere, vol. 5, no. 2.
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The worldwide distribution of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) has become a global concern, particularly in countries where antibiotic prescription is not tightly regulated. However, knowledge of the genomic aspects of CRAB from many parts of the world is still limited. Here, 50 carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii isolates recovered at a single hospital in Tehran, Iran, during several outbreaks in 2012 and 2013 were found to be resistant to multiple antibiotics. They were examined using PCR mapping and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). All Iranian strains belonged to sequence type 328 in the Institut Pasteur MLST scheme (ST328IP), a single-locus variant of ST81IP, and all Iranian strains contained two carbapenem resistance genes, oxa23 and oxa24. The oxa23 gene is in the transposon Tn2006 in AbaR4, which interrupts the chromosomal comM gene. Phylogenetic analysis using whole-genome sequence (WGS) data for 9 isolates showed that they belonged to the same clade, designated the ST81/ST328 clade, within lineage 2 of global clone 1 (GC1). However, there were two groups that included either KL13 or KL18 at the K locus (KL) for capsular polysaccharide synthesis and either a tet39 or an aadB resistance gene, respectively. The genetic context of the resistance genes was determined, and the oxa24 (OXA-72 variant) and tet39 (tetracycline resistance) genes were each in a pdif module in different plasmids. The aadB gene cassette (which encodes gentamicin, kanamycin, and tobramycin resistance) was harbored by pRAY*, and the aphA6 gene (which encodes amikacin resistance) and sul2 gene (which encodes sulfamethoxazole resistance) were each harbored by a different plasmid. The sequences obtained here will underpin future studies of GC1 CRAB strains from the Middle East region.IMPORTANCE Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii strains are among the most critical antibiotic-resistant bacteria causing hospital-acquired infections and treatment failure...
Drápela, S, Khirsariya, P, van Weerden, WM, Fedr, R, Suchánková, T, Búzová, D, Červený, J, Hampl, A, Puhr, M, Watson, WR, Culig, Z, Krejčí, L, Paruch, K & Souček, K 2020, 'The CHK1 inhibitor MU380 significantly increases the sensitivity of human docetaxel‐resistant prostate cancer cells to gemcitabine through the induction of mitotic catastrophe', Molecular Oncology, vol. 14, no. 10, pp. 2487-2503.
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As treatment options for patients with incurable metastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) are considerably limited, novel effective therapeutic options are needed. Checkpoint kinase 1 (CHK1) is a highly conserved protein kinase implicated in the DNA damage response (DDR) pathway that prevents the accumulation of DNA damage and controls regular genome duplication. CHK1 has been associated with prostate cancer (PCa) induction, progression, and lethality; hence, CHK1 inhibitors SCH900776 (also known as MK‐8776) and the more effective SCH900776 analog MU380 may have clinical applications in the therapy of PCa. Synergistic induction of DNA damage with CHK1 inhibition represents a promising therapeutic approach that has been tested in many types of malignancies, but not in chemoresistant mCRPC. Here, we report that such therapeutic approach may be exploited using the synergistic action of the antimetabolite gemcitabine (GEM) and CHK1 inhibitors SCH900776 and MU380 in docetaxel‐resistant (DR) mCRPC. Given the results, both CHK1 inhibitors significantly potentiated the sensitivity to GEM in a panel of chemo‐naïve and matched DR PCa cell lines under 2D conditions. MU380 exhibited a stronger synergistic effect with GEM than clinical candidate SCH900776. MU380 alone or in combination with GEM significantly reduced spheroid size and increased apoptosis in all patient‐derived xenograft 3D cultures, with a higher impact in DR models. Combined treatment induced premature mitosis from G1 phase resulting in the mitotic catastrophe as a prestage of apoptosis. Finally, treatment by MU380 alone, or in combination with GEM, significantly inhibited tumor growth of both PC339‐DOC and PC346C‐DOC xenograft models in mice. Taken together, our data suggest that metabolically robust and selective CHK1 inhibitor MU380 can bypass docetaxel resistance and improve the effectiveness of GEM in DR mCRPC models. This approach might allow for dose reduction of GEM and thereby ...
Duan, R, Ning, Y, Wang, S, Lindsay, BG, Carroll, RJ & Chen, Y 2020, 'A fast score test for generalized mixture models.', Biometrics, vol. 76, no. 3, pp. 811-820.
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In biomedical studies, testing for homogeneity between two groups, where one group is modeled by mixture models, is often of great interest. This paper considers the semiparametric exponential family mixture model proposed by Hong et al. (2017) and studies the score test for homogeneity under this model. The score test is nonregular in the sense that nuisance parameters disappear under the null hypothesis. To address this difficulty, we propose a modification of the score test, so that the resulting test enjoys the Wilks phenomenon. In finite samples, we show that with fixed nuisance parameters the score test is locally most powerful. In large samples, we establish the asymptotic power functions under two types of local alternative hypotheses. Our simulation studies illustrate that the proposed score test is powerful and computationally fast. We apply the proposed score test to an UK ovarian cancer DNA methylation data for identification of differentially methylated CpG sites.
Eager, KLM, Conyers, LE, Woolley, SA, Tammen, I & O'Rourke, BA 2020, 'A novel ABCA12 frameshift mutation segregates with ichthyosis fetalis in a Polled Hereford calf', Animal Genetics, vol. 51, no. 5, pp. 837-838.
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Ehizibolo, DO, Fish, IH, Brito, B, Bertram, MR, Ardo, A, Ularamu, HG, Lazarus, DD, Wungak, YS, Nwosuh, CI, Smoliga, GR, Hartwig, EJ, Pauszek, SJ, Dickmu, S, Abdoulkadiri, S & Arzt, J 2020, 'Characterization of transboundary foot‐and‐mouth disease viruses in Nigeria and Cameroon during 2016', Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, vol. 67, no. 3, pp. 1257-1270.
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Continuous surveillance for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in endemic settings such as West Africa is imperative to support improved local and regional control plans, with the long-term goal of regional eradication. This paper describes the genetic characterization of FMD viruses (FMDV) obtained from outbreaks in Nigeria (n = 45) and Cameroon (n = 15) during 2016 and from archival samples (n = 3) retrieved from a 2014 outbreak in Nigeria. These viruses were analyzed in the context of previously published FMDV sequences from the region. Four FMDV serotypes: O, A, SAT1 and SAT2 were detected. Phylogenetic analyses of the VP1 coding sequences indicate the continuity of FMDV serotype O East Africa-3 (O/EA-3), serotype A AFRICA genotype G-IV (A/AFRICA/G-IV), and serotype South African Territories (SAT) 2 lineage VII (SAT2/VII). The FMDV SAT1 topotype X (SAT1/X), which emerged in Nigeria in 2015, continued to be associated with outbreaks in the region during 2016, and SAT1 is reported for the first time from Cameroon. Additionally, a re-emergence or re-introduction of the serotype O West Africa (O/WA) topotype in Nigeria is described herein. Our findings indicate a consistent, pan-serotypic relationship between FMDV strains detected in Cameroon and Nigeria. Additionally, FMDV strains from West Africa obtained in this study were genetically related to those occurring in East and North Africa. These phylogenetic relationships suggest that animal movements (pastoralism and/or trade) are important factors for virus spread across the African continent. These data provide critical baselines which are a necessary component of Stage 0 and 1 of the Progressive Control Pathway of FMD (PCP-FMD). Specifically, characterizing the existing virus strains (risk) provides the basis for the comprehensive risk-based control plan which is the requisite criteria for Nigeria's transition to Stage 2 of PCP-FMD, and for coordinated regional control of FMD.
Elbeltagi, A, Aslam, MR, Malik, A, Mehdinejadiani, B, Srivastava, A, Bhatia, AS & Deng, J 2020, 'The impact of climate changes on the water footprint of wheat and maize production in the Nile Delta, Egypt.', Sci Total Environ, vol. 743, pp. 140770-140770.
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Spatial-temporal information of different water resources is essential to rationally manage, sustainably develop, and optimally utilize water. This study focused on simulating future water footprint (WF) of two agronomically important crops (i.e., wheat and maize) using deep neural networks (DNN) method in Nile delta. DNN model was calibrated and validated by using 2006-2014 and 2015-2017 datasets. Moreover, future data (2022-2040) were obtained from three Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 2.6, 4.5, and 8.5, and incorporated into DNN prediction set. The findings showed that determination-coefficient between historical-predicted crop evapotranspiration (ETc) varied from 0.92 to 0.97 for two crops. The yield prediction values of wheat-maize deviated within the ranges of -3.21% to 3.47% and -4.93% to 5.88%, respectively. Based on the ensemble of RCP, precipitation was forecasted to decease by 667.40% and 261.73% in winter and summer in western as compared to eastern, respectively, which will ultimately be dropped to 105.02% and 60.87%, respectively parallel to historical. Therefore, the substantial fluctuations in precipitation caused an obvious decrease in green WF of wheat (i.e., 24.96% and 37.44%) in western and eastern, respectively. Additionally, for maize, it induced a 103.93% decrease in western and an 8.96% increase in eastern. Furthermore, increasing ETc by 8.46% and 12.45% gave rise to substantially increasing (i.e., 8.96% and 17.21%) in western for wheat-maize compared to the east, respectively. Likewise, grey wheat-maize WF findings reveals that there was an increase of 3.07% and 5.02% in western as compared to -14.51% and 12.37% in eastern. Hence, our results highly recommend the optimal use of the eastern delta to save blue-water by 16.58% and 40.25% of total requirements for wheat-maize in contrast to others. Overall, the current research framework and results derived from the adopted methodology will help in optimal planning of fu...
Ellis, JT, Ellis, B, Velez-Estevez, A, Reichel, MP & Cobo, MJ 2020, '30 years of parasitology research analysed by text mining', Parasitology, vol. 147, no. 14, pp. 1643-1657.
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AbstractBibliometric methods were used to analyse the major research trends, themes and topics over the last 30 years in the parasitology discipline. The tools used were SciMAT, VOSviewer and SWIFT-Review in conjunction with the parasitology literature contained in the MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus and Dimensions databases. The analyses show that the major research themes are dynamic and continually changing with time, although some themes identified based on keywords such as malaria, nematode, epidemiology and phylogeny are consistently referenced over time. We note the major impact of countries like Brazil has had on the literature of parasitology research. The increase in recent times of research productivity on ‘antiparasitics’ is discussed, as well as the change in emphasis on different antiparasitic drugs and insecticides over time. In summary, innovation in parasitology is global, extensive, multidisciplinary, constantly evolving and closely aligned with the availability of technology.
Espinoza-Vergara, G, Hoque, MM, McDougald, D & Noorian, P 2020, 'The Impact of Protozoan Predation on the Pathogenicity of Vibrio cholerae', Frontiers in Microbiology, vol. 11, p. 17.
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© Copyright © 2020 Espinoza-Vergara, Hoque, McDougald and Noorian. In the aquatic environment, Vibrio spp. interact with many living organisms that can serve as a replication niche, including heterotrophic protists, or protozoa. Protozoa engulf bacteria and package them into phagosomes where the cells are exposed to low pH, antimicrobial peptides, reactive oxygen/nitrogen species, proteolytic enzymes, and low concentrations of essential metal ions such as iron. However, some bacteria can resist these digestive processes. For example, Vibrio cholerae and Vibrio harveyi can resist intracellular digestion. In order to survive intracellularly, bacteria have acquired and/or developed specific factors that help them to resist the unfavorable conditions encountered inside of the phagosomes. Many of these intra-phagosomal factors used to kill and digest bacteria are highly conserved between eukaryotic cells and thus are also expressed by the innate immune system in the gastrointestinal tract as the first line of defense against bacterial pathogens. Since pathogenic bacteria have been shown to be hypervirulent after they have passed through protozoa, the resistance to digestion by protist hosts in their natural environment plays a key role in enhancing the infectious potential of pathogenic Vibrio spp. This review will investigate the current knowledge in interactions of bacteria with protozoa and human host to better understand the mechanisms used by both protozoa and human hosts to kill bacteria and the bacterial response to them.
Evans, MJ, Wallman, JF & Barton, PS 2020, 'Traits reveal ecological strategies driving carrion insect community assembly', Ecological Entomology, vol. 45, no. 5, pp. 966-977.
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1. The succession of carrion‐associated (necrophilous) insects on decomposing carrion is well documented. To exploit the changing nutritious and dynamic resources available throughout the carrion decomposition process, different species colonise and consume carrion in a predictable temporal sequence. The traits of these necrophilous insects should reflect their ecological strategies. Morphological traits of these insects, such as body size and wing size, however, have not previously been examined during active and advanced decomposition.2. We used fourth‐corner multivariate generalised linear models to identify insect community morphological trait patterns and to quantify their change through time on decomposing rabbit carcasses in grassland and woodland environments.3. We found that larger‐bodied species of flies and carrion‐specialist beetles were associated with the early stages of decomposition. The morphological traits of ants, in contrast, showed no changes at carcasses through time and instead showed body size differences between grassland and woodland environments.4. Our findings indicate that specialist flies and beetles that arrive early in the decomposition process possess traits that enable rapid discovery of carrion at a large scale. Generalist beetles and ants do not share this same trait and are instead adapted to locate and consume a wider variety of resources in their preferred habitat type at their local scale.5. Our results provide insights into the morphological adaptations linked to the ecological strategies of distinct components of carrion insect communities. Further, our results offer insights into the community assembly dynamics that structure the communities of necrophilous insect species.
Fabris, M, Abbriano, RM, Pernice, M, Sutherland, DL, Commault, AS, Hall, CC, Labeeuw, L, McCauley, JI, Kuzhiuparambil, U, Ray, P, Kahlke, T & Ralph, PJ 2020, 'Emerging Technologies in Algal Biotechnology: Toward the Establishment of a Sustainable, Algae-Based Bioeconomy', Frontiers in Plant Science, vol. 11.
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Mankind has recognized the value of land plants as renewable sources of food, medicine, and materials for millennia. Throughout human history, agricultural methods were continuously modified and improved to meet the changing needs of civilization. Today, our rapidly growing population requires further innovation to address the practical limitations and serious environmental concerns associated with current industrial and agricultural practices. Microalgae are a diverse group of unicellular photosynthetic organisms that are emerging as next-generation resources with the potential to address urgent industrial and agricultural demands. The extensive biological diversity of algae can be leveraged to produce a wealth of valuable bioproducts, either naturally or via genetic manipulation. Microalgae additionally possess a set of intrinsic advantages, such as low production costs, no requirement for arable land, and the capacity to grow rapidly in both large-scale outdoor systems and scalable, fully contained photobioreactors. Here, we review technical advancements, novel fields of application, and products in the field of algal biotechnology to illustrate how algae could present high-tech, low-cost, and environmentally friendly solutions to many current and future needs of our society. We discuss how emerging technologies such as synthetic biology, high-throughput phenomics, and the application of internet of things (IoT) automation to algal manufacturing technology can advance the understanding of algal biology and, ultimately, drive the establishment of an algal-based bioeconomy.
Fabris, M, George, J, Kuzhiumparambil, U, Lawson, CA, Jaramillo-Madrid, AC, Abbriano, RM, Vickers, CE & Ralph, P 2020, 'Extrachromosomal Genetic Engineering of the Marine Diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum Enables the Heterologous Production of Monoterpenoids', ACS Synthetic Biology, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 598-612.
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Geraniol is a commercially relevant plant-derived monoterpenoid that is a main component of rose essential oil and used as insect repellent. Geraniol is also a key intermediate compound in the biosynthesis of the monoterpenoid indole alkaloids (MIAs), a group of over 2000 compounds that include high-value pharmaceuticals. As plants naturally produce extremely small amounts of these molecules and their chemical synthesis is complex, industrially sourcing these compounds is costly and inefficient. Hence, microbial hosts suitable to produce MIA precursors through synthetic biology and metabolic engineering are currently being sought. Here, we evaluated the suitability of a eukaryotic microalga, the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum, for the heterologous production of monoterpenoids. Profiling of endogenous metabolism revealed that P. tricornutum, unlike other microbes employed for industrial production of terpenoids, accumulates free pools of the precursor geranyl diphosphate. To evaluate the potential for larger synthetic biology applications, we engineered P. tricornutum through extrachromosomal, episome-based expression, for the heterologous biosynthesis of the MIA intermediate geraniol. By profiling the production of geraniol resulting from various genetic and cultivation arrangements, P. tricornutum reached the maximum geraniol titer of 0.309 mg/L in phototrophic conditions. This work provides (i) a detailed analysis of P. tricornutum endogenous terpenoid metabolism, (ii) a successful demonstration of extrachromosomal expression for metabolic pathway engineering with potential gene-stacking applications, and (iii) a convincing proof-of-concept of the suitability of P. tricornutum as a novel production platform for heterologous monoterpenoids, with potential for complex pathway engineering aimed at the heterologous production of MIAs.
Fachal, L, Aschard, H, Beesley, J, Barnes, DR, Allen, J, Kar, S, Pooley, KA, Dennis, J, Michailidou, K, Turman, C, Soucy, P, Lemaçon, A, Lush, M, Tyrer, JP, Ghoussaini, M, Moradi Marjaneh, M, Jiang, X, Agata, S, Aittomäki, K, Alonso, MR, Andrulis, IL, Anton-Culver, H, Antonenkova, NN, Arason, A, Arndt, V, Aronson, KJ, Arun, BK, Auber, B, Auer, PL, Azzollini, J, Balmaña, J, Barkardottir, RB, Barrowdale, D, Beeghly-Fadiel, A, Benitez, J, Bermisheva, M, Białkowska, K, Blanco, AM, Blomqvist, C, Blot, W, Bogdanova, NV, Bojesen, SE, Bolla, MK, Bonanni, B, Borg, A, Bosse, K, Brauch, H, Brenner, H, Briceno, I, Brock, IW, Brooks-Wilson, A, Brüning, T, Burwinkel, B, Buys, SS, Cai, Q, Caldés, T, Caligo, MA, Camp, NJ, Campbell, I, Canzian, F, Carroll, JS, Carter, BD, Castelao, JE, Chiquette, J, Christiansen, H, Chung, WK, Claes, KBM, Clarke, CL, Collée, JM, Cornelissen, S, Couch, FJ, Cox, A, Cross, SS, Cybulski, C, Czene, K, Daly, MB, de la Hoya, M, Devilee, P, Diez, O, Ding, YC, Dite, GS, Domchek, SM, Dörk, T, dos-Santos-Silva, I, Droit, A, Dubois, S, Dumont, M, Duran, M, Durcan, L, Dwek, M, Eccles, DM, Engel, C, Eriksson, M, Evans, DG, Fasching, PA, Fletcher, O, Floris, G, Flyger, H, Foretova, L, Foulkes, WD, Friedman, E, Fritschi, L, Frost, D, Gabrielson, M, Gago-Dominguez, M, Gambino, G, Ganz, PA, Gapstur, SM, Garber, J, García-Sáenz, JA, Gaudet, MM, Georgoulias, V, Giles, GG, Glendon, G, Godwin, AK, Goldberg, MS, Goldgar, DE, González-Neira, A, Tibiletti, MG, Greene, MH, Grip, M, Gronwald, J, Grundy, A, Guénel, P, Hahnen, E, Haiman, CA, Håkansson, N, Hall, P, Hamann, U, Harrington, PA, Hartikainen, JM, Hartman, M, He, W, Healey, CS, Heemskerk-Gerritsen, BAM, Heyworth, J, Hillemanns, P, Hogervorst, FBL, Hollestelle, A, Hooning, MJ, Hopper, JL, Howell, A, Huang, G, Hulick, PJ, Imyanitov, EN, Isaacs, C, Iwasaki, M, Jager, A, Jakimovska, M, Jakubowska, A, James, PA, Janavicius, R, Jankowitz, RC, John, EM, Johnson, N, Jones, ME, Jukkola-Vuorinen, A, Jung, A, Kaaks, R, Kang, D, Kapoor, PM, Karlan, BY, Keeman, R, Kerin, MJ, Khusnutdinova, E, Kiiski, JI, Kirk, J, Kitahara, CM, Ko, Y-D, Konstantopoulou, I, Kosma, V-M, Koutros, S, Kubelka-Sabit, K, Kwong, A, Kyriacou, K, Laitman, Y, Lambrechts, D, Lee, E, Leslie, G, Lester, J, Lesueur, F, Lindblom, A, Lo, W-Y, Long, J, Lophatananon, A, Loud, JT, Lubiński, J, MacInnis, RJ, Maishman, T, Makalic, E & et al. 2020, 'Fine-mapping of 150 breast cancer risk regions identifies 191 likely target genes', Nature Genetics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 56-73.
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Genome-wide association studies have identified breast cancer risk variants in over 150 genomic regions, but the mechanisms underlying risk remain largely unknown. These regions were explored by combining association analysis with in silico genomic feature annotations. We defined 205 independent risk-associated signals with the set of credible causal variants in each one. In parallel, we used a Bayesian approach (PAINTOR) that combines genetic association, linkage disequilibrium and enriched genomic features to determine variants with high posterior probabilities of being causal. Potentially causal variants were significantly over-represented in active gene regulatory regions and transcription factor binding sites. We applied our INQUSIT pipeline for prioritizing genes as targets of those potentially causal variants, using gene expression (expression quantitative trait loci), chromatin interaction and functional annotations. Known cancer drivers, transcription factors and genes in the developmental, apoptosis, immune system and DNA integrity checkpoint gene ontology pathways were over-represented among the highest-confidence target genes.
Fairley, LH, Sahara, N, Suhara, T, Higuchi, M & Barron, AM 2020, 'Mitochondrial translocator protein (TSPO) ligand attenuates neuroinflammation and reduces complement component C1Q in a mouse model of tauopathy', Alzheimer's & Dementia, vol. 16, no. S9.
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AbstractBackgroundThe mitochondrial translocator protein (TSPO) has been widely investigated as a positron emission tomography (PET) detectable biomarker of neuroinflammation, as well as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of neurodegenerative disease. In transgenic mouse models of AD, we and others have shown that TSPO ligands attenuate inflammation and beta amyloid burden (Barron et al., 2013). However, the effect of TSPO ligands on tauopathy‐induced inflammation has not yet been investigated. Here, we analysed the effects of the prototypic TSPO ligand, Ro5‐4864, on the progression of tauopathy, gliosis and atrophy in the rTg4510 tau transgenic mouse model (TauTg).MethodTauTg and WT control mice were treated with Ro5‐4864 or vehicle for 4 months. Brain atrophy was assessed using volumetric magnetic resonance imaging, while tauopathy and neuroinflammation were assessed by PET using 11C‐PBB3 and 18F‐FEBMP tracers, respectively. To corroborate in vivo findings, immunohistochemistry was performed in sections from scanned mice to measure phosphorylated tau (AT8), inflammation (IBA1, complement component 1q, C1q) and neuronal loss (NeuN).ResultRo5‐4864 treatment reduced markers of neuroinflammation, as well as expression of the neuronal ‘eat me’ signal, C1q in rTg4510 mice. In vitro experiments using the immortalized microglial cell line, BV2, confirmed the TSPO ligands, Ro5‐4864, reduced expression of C1q in response to inflammatory stimuli.ConclusionThese findings support a protective role for TSPO ligands in reducing tauopathy‐induced neuroinflammation.
Faiz, A, Imkamp, K, van, DWE, Boudewijn, IM, Koppelman, GH, Brandsma, C-A, Kerstjens, HAM, Timens, W, Vroegop, S, Pasma, HR, Boersma, WG, Wielders, P, van, DEF, Mansour, K, Steiling, K, Spira, A, Lenburg, ME, Heijink, IH, Postma, DS & van, DBM 2020, 'Identifying a nasal gene expression signature associated with hyperinflation and treatment response in severe COPD.', Scientific reports, vol. 10, no. 1, p. 17415.
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Hyperinflation contributes to dyspnea intensity in COPD. Little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying hyperinflation and how inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) affect this important aspect of COPD pathophysiology. To investigate the effect of ICS/long-acting β2-agonist (LABA) treatment on both lung function measures of hyperinflation, and the nasal epithelial gene-expression profile in severe COPD. 117 patients were screened and 60 COPD patients entered a 1-month run-in period on low-dose ICS/LABA budesonide/formoterol (BUD/F) 200/6 one inhalation b.i.d. Patients were then randomly assigned to 3-month treatment with either a high dose BDP/F 100/6 two inhalations b.i.d. (n = 31) or BUD/F 200/6 two inhalations b.i.d. (n = 29). Lung function measurements and nasal epithelial gene-expression were assessed before and after 3-month treatment and validated in independent datasets. After 3-month ICS/LABA treatment, residual volume (RV)/total lung capacity (TLC)% predicted was reduced compared to baseline (p < 0.05). We identified a nasal gene-expression signature at screening that associated with higher RV/TLC% predicted values. This signature, decreased by ICS/LABA treatment was enriched for genes associated with increased p53 mediated apoptosis was replicated in bronchial biopsies of COPD patients. Finally, this signature was increased in COPD patients compared to controls in nasal, bronchial and small airways brushings. Short-term ICS/LABA treatment improves RV/TLC% predicted in severe COPD. Furthermore, it decreases the expression of genes involved in the signal transduction by the p53 class mediator, which is a replicable COPD gene expression signature in the upper and lower airways.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov registration number NCT01351792 (registration date May 11, 2011), ClinicalTrials.gov registration number NCT00848406 (registration date February 20, 2009), ClinicalTrials.gov registration number NCT00158847 (registration date Septe...
Fajardo, J, Milthorpe, BK & Santos, J 2020, 'Molecular Mechanisms Involved in Neural Substructure Development during Phosphodiesterase Inhibitor Treatment of Mesenchymal Stem Cells', International Journal of Molecular Sciences, vol. 21, no. 14, pp. 4867-4867.
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Stem cells are highly important in biology due to their unique innate ability to self-renew and differentiate into other specialised cells. In a neurological context, treating major injuries such as traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury and stroke is a strong basis for research in this area. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are a strong candidate because of their accessibility, compatibility if autologous, high yield and multipotency with a potential to generate neural cells. With the use of small-molecule chemicals, the neural induction of stem cells may occur within minutes or hours. Isobutylmethyl xanthine (IBMX) has been widely used in cocktails to induce neural differentiation. However, the key molecular mechanisms it instigates in the process are largely unknown. In this study we showed that IBMX-treated mesenchymal stem cells induced differentiation within 24 h with the unique expression of several key proteins such as Adapter protein crk, hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase, DNA topoisomerase 2-beta and Cell division protein kinase 5 (CDK5), vital in linking signalling pathways. Furthermore, the increased expression of basic fibroblast growth factor in treated cells promotes phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades and GTPase–Hras interactions. Bioinformatic and pathway analyses revealed upregulation in expression and an increase in the number of proteins with biological ontologies related to neural development and substructure formation. These findings enhance the understanding of the utility of IBMX in MSC neural differentiation and its involvement in neurite substructure development.
Fan, L, Zhang, Y, Guo, Z, Sun, B, Tian, D, Feng, Y, Zhang, N & Sun, K 2020, 'Hierarchical Mn3O4 Anchored on 3D Graphene Aerogels via C−O−Mn Linkage with Superior Electrochemical Performance for Flexible Asymmetric Supercapacitor', Chemistry – A European Journal, vol. 26, no. 42, pp. 9314-9318.
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AbstractFlexible asymmetric supercapacitors are more appealing in flexible electronics because of high power density, wide cell voltage, and higher energy density than symmetric supercapacitors in aqueous electrolyte. In virtues of excellent conductivity, rich porous structure and interconnected honeycomb structure, three dimensional graphene aerogels show great potential as electrode in asymmetric supercapacitors. However, graphene aerogels are rarely used in flexible asymmetric supercapacitors because of easily re‐stacking of graphene sheets, resulting in low electrochemical activity. Herein, flower‐like hierarchical Mn3O4 and carbon nanohorns are incorporated into three dimensional graphene aerogels to restrain the stack of graphene sheets, and are applied as the positive and negative electrode for asymmetric supercapacitors devices, respectively. Besides, a strong chemical coupling between Mn3O4 and graphene via the C‐O‐Mn linkage is constructed and can provide a good electron‐transport pathway during cycles. Consequently, the asymmetric supercapacitor device shows high rate cycle stability (87.8 % after 5000 cycles) and achieves a high energy density of 17.4 μWh cm−2 with power density of 14.1 mW cm−2 (156.7 mW cm−3) at 1.4 V.
Fang, G, Lu, H, Aboulkheyr, EH, Wang, D, Liu, Y, Warkiani, ME, Lin, G & Jin, D 2020, 'Unidirectional intercellular communication on a microfluidic chip', Biosensors and Bioelectronics, vol. 175, pp. 112833-112833.
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Cell co-culture serves as a standard method to study intercellular communication. However, random diffusion of signal molecules during co-culture may arouse crosstalk among different types of cells and hide directive signal-target responses. Here, a microfluidic chip is proposed to study unidirectional intercellular communication by spatially controlling the flow of the signal molecules. The chip contains two separated chambers connected by two channels where the culture media flows oppositely. A zigzag signal-blocking channel is designed to study the function of a specific signal. The chip is applied to study the unidirectional communication between tumor cells and stromal cells. It shows that the expression of α-smooth muscle actin (a marker of cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF)) of both MRC-5 fibroblasts and mesenchymal stem cells can be up-regulated only by the secreta from invasive MDA-MB-231 cells, but not from non-invasive MCF-7 cells. The proliferation of the tumor cells can be improved by the stromal cells. Moreover, transforming growth factor beta 1 is found as one of the main factors for CAF transformation via the signal-blocking function. The chip achieves unidirectional cell communication along X-axis, signal concentration gradient along Y-axis and 3D cell culture along Z-axis, which provides a useful tool for cell communication studies.
Fares, M, Wu, X, Ramesh, D, Lewis, W, Keller, PA, Howe, ENW, Pérez‐Tomás, R & Gale, PA 2020, 'Stimuli‐Responsive Cycloaurated “OFF‐ON” Switchable Anion Transporters', Angewandte Chemie, vol. 132, no. 40, pp. 17767-17774.
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AbstractAnion transporters have shown potential application as anti‐cancer agents that function by disrupting homeostasis and triggering cell death. In this research article we report switchable anion transport by gold complexes of anion transporters that are “switched on” in situ in the presence of the reducing agent GSH by decomplexation of gold. GSH is found in higher concentrations in tumors than in healthy tissue and hence this approach offers a strategy to target these systems to tumors.
Fares, M, Wu, X, Ramesh, D, Lewis, W, Keller, PA, Howe, ENW, Pérez‐Tomás, R & Gale, PA 2020, 'Stimuli‐Responsive Cycloaurated “OFF‐ON” Switchable Anion Transporters', Angewandte Chemie International Edition, vol. 59, no. 40, pp. 17614-17621.
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AbstractAnion transporters have shown potential application as anti‐cancer agents that function by disrupting homeostasis and triggering cell death. In this research article we report switchable anion transport by gold complexes of anion transporters that are “switched on” in situ in the presence of the reducing agent GSH by decomplexation of gold. GSH is found in higher concentrations in tumors than in healthy tissue and hence this approach offers a strategy to target these systems to tumors.
Farjana, SH, Mahmud, MAP & Huda, N 2020, 'Solar process heat integration in lead mining process', Case Studies in Thermal Engineering, vol. 22, pp. 100768-100768.
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Feit, B, Dempster, T, Jessop, TS, Webb, JK & Letnic, M 2020, 'A trophic cascade initiated by an invasive vertebrate alters the structure of native reptile communities', Global Change Biology, vol. 26, no. 5, pp. 2829-2840.
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AbstractInvasive vertebrates are frequently reported to have catastrophic effects on the populations of species which they directly impact. It follows then, that if invaders exert strong suppressive effects on some species then other species will indirectly benefit due to ecological release from interactions with directly impacted species. However, evidence that invasive vertebrates trigger such trophic cascades and alter community structure in terrestrial ecosystems remains rare. Here, we ask how the cane toad, a vertebrate invader that is toxic to many of Australia's vertebrate predators, influences lizard assemblages in a semi‐arid rangeland. In our study area, the density of cane toads is influenced by the availability of water accessible to toads. We compared an index of the abundance of sand goannas, a large predatory lizard that is susceptible to poisoning by cane toads and the abundances of four lizard families preyed upon by goannas (skinks, pygopods, agamid lizards and geckos) in areas where cane toads were common or rare. Consistent with the idea that suppression of sand goannas by cane toads initiates a trophic cascade, goanna activity was lower and small lizards were more abundant where toads were common. The hypothesis that suppression of sand goannas by cane toads triggers a trophic cascade was further supported by our findings that small terrestrial lizards that are frequently preyed upon by goannas were more affected by toad abundance than arboreal geckos, which are rarely consumed by goannas. Furthermore, the abundance of at least one genus of terrestrial skinks benefitted from allogenic ecosystem engineering by goannas where toads were rare. Overall, our study provides evidence that the invasion of ecosystems by non‐native species can have important effects on the structure and integrity of native communities extending beyond their often most obvious and frequently documented direct ecological effects.
Feng, M, Zhang, X, Wu, WW, Chen, ZH, Oliver, BG, McDonald, VM, Zhang, HP, Xie, M, Qin, L, Zhang, J, Wang, L, Li, WM, Wang, G & Gibson, PG 2020, 'Clinical and Inflammatory Features of Exacerbation-Prone Asthma: A Cross-Sectional Study Using Multidimensional Assessment', Respiration, vol. 99, no. 12, pp. 1109-1121.
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<b><i>Background:</i></b> Reducing asthma exacerbations is a major target of current clinical guidelines, but identifying features of exacerbation-prone asthma (EPA) using multidimensional assessment (MDA) is lacking. <b><i>Objective:</i></b> To systemically explore the clinical and inflammatory features of adults with EPA in a Chinese population. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We designed a cross-sectional study using the Severe Asthma Web-based Database from the Australasian Severe Asthma Network (ASAN). Eligible Chinese adults with asthma (<i>n</i> = 546) were assessed using MDA. We stratified patients based on exacerbation frequency: none, few (1 or 2), and exacerbation prone (≥3). Univariate and multivariable negative binomial regression analyses were performed to investigate features associated with the frequency of exacerbations. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Of 546 participants, 61.9% had no exacerbations (<i>n</i> = 338), 29.6% had few exacerbations (<i>n</i> = 162), and 8.4% were exacerbation prone (<i>n</i> = 46) within the preceding year. EPA patients were characterized by elevated blood and sputum eosinophils but less atopy, with more controller therapies but worse asthma control and quality of life (all <i>p</i> < 0.05). In multivariable models, blood and sputum eosinophils (adjusted rate ratio = 2.23, 95% confidence interval = [1.26, 3.84] and 1.67 [1.27, 2.21], respectively), FEV<sub>1</sub> (0.90 [0.84, 0.96]), bronchodilator responsiveness (1.16 [1.05, 1.27]), COPD (2.22 [1.41, 3.51]), bronchiectasis (2.87 [1.69, 4.89]), anxiety (2.56 [1.10, 5.95]), and depression (1.94 [1.20, 3.13]) were found. Further, upper respiratory tract infection (1.83 [1.32, 2.54]) and food allergy (1.67 [1.23, 2.25]) were at high risk of asthma symptom triggers. <b><i>Conclusion:</i>&...
Feng, Z, Lin, S, McDonagh, A & Yu, C 2020, 'Natural Hydrogels Applied in Photodynamic Therapy', Current Medicinal Chemistry, vol. 27, no. 16, pp. 2681-2703.
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Natural hydrogels are three-dimensional (3D) water-retaining materials with a skeleton consisting
of natural polymers, their derivatives or mixtures. Natural hydrogels can provide sustained or
controlled drug release and possess some unique properties of natural polymers, such as biodegradability,
biocompatibility and some additional functions, such as CD44 targeting of hyaluronic acid. Natural
hydrogels can be used with photosensitizers (PSs) in photodynamic therapy (PDT) to increase the range
of applications. In the current review, the pertinent design variables are discussed along with a description
of the categories of natural hydrogels available for PDT.
Ferreira, B, Maharaj, S, Simpson, A, Nassif, N & Lal, S 2020, 'The metabolic role of depression and burnout in nurses', Translational Metabolic Syndrome Research, vol. 3, pp. 9-11.
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Fiedler, S, Lee, CLLO, Ton-That, C & Phillips, MR 2020, 'The role of surface depletion layer effects on the enhancement of the UV emission in ZnO induced by a nanostructured Al surface coating', Applied Surface Science, vol. 504, pp. 144409-144409.
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© 2019 The UV enhancement of Al-coated ZnO single crystals with a wide range of carrier densities is systematically studied using depth-resolved cathodoluminescence and photoluminescence as well as valence band X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (VB-XPS). An up to 17-fold enhanced PL UV emission for Al-coated ZnO with the highest carrier density was measured, which falls to a 12-fold increase for the lowest carrier density. Depth-resolved cathodoluminescence measurements confirm that the enhancement is strongest near the Al-ZnO interface consistent with an increased UV emission due to an exciton-localized surface plasmon coupling mechanism. Correlative cathodoluminescence, photoluminescence and VB-XPS studies reveal that a number of additional effects related to the presence of the Al surface coating also contribute to the UV enhancement factor. These include increased UV enhancement due to the formation of a surface depletion layer induced by the Al coating, which also passivates competitive non-radiative surface recombination channels found in uncoated ZnO. Significantly, it was established that the magnitude of the emission enhancement factor can be raised in a controlled way by reducing the thickness of the depletion layer by increasing the carrier density. The contribution of these effects collectively provides an explanation for the large span of enhancement factors reported in the literature.
Fiedler, S, Lem, LOLC, Ton-That, C, Hoffmann, A & Phillips, MR 2020, 'Enhancement of the UV emission from gold/ZnO nanorods exhibiting no green luminescence', OPTICAL MATERIALS EXPRESS, vol. 10, no. 6, pp. 1476-1487.
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Large reflection losses at interfaces in light-emitting semiconductor devices cause a significant reduction in their light emission and energy efficiencies. Metal nanoparticle (NP) surface coatings have been demonstrated to increase the light extraction efficiency from planar high refractive index semiconductor surfaces. This emission enhancement in Au NP-coated ZnO is widely attributed to involvement of a green (∼ 2.5 eV) deep level ZnO defect exciting localized surface plasmons in the NPs. In this work, we achieve a 6 times enhancement of the ultra-violet excitonic emission in ZnO nanorods coated with 5 nm Au NPs without the aid of ZnO defects. Cathodoluminescence (CL) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy revealed that the increased UV emission is due to the formation of an additional fast excitonic relaxation pathway. Concurrent CL-PL measurements ruled out the presence of charge transfer mechanism in the emission enhancement process. While time-resolved PL confirmed the existence of a new excitonic recombination channel that is attributed to exciton relaxation via the excitation of rapid non-radiative Au interband transitions that increases the UV spontaneous emission rate. Our results establish that ZnO defect levels ∼ 2.5 eV are not required to facilitate Au NP induced enhancement of the ZnO UV emission.
Fiedler, S, Lem, LOLC, Ton-That, C, Schleuning, M, Hoffmann, A & Phillips, MR 2020, 'Correlative Study of Enhanced Excitonic Emission in ZnO Coated with Al Nanoparticles using Electron and Laser Excitation.', Scientific reports, vol. 10, no. 1, p. 2553.
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Recently, metal nanoparticle surface coatings have been found to significantly enhance the ultra-violet luminescence intensity from ZnO, providing a viable means to mitigate optical losses and improve LED performance. Although there is general agreement that resonantly excited Localized Surface Plasmons (LSPs) in metal nanoparticles can directly couple to excitons in the semiconductor increasing their spontaneous emission rate, the exact mechanisms involved in this phenomenon are currently not fully understood. In this work, LSP-exciton coupling in bulk and nanostructured ZnO coated with a 2 nm Al nanoparticle layer is investigated using correlative photoluminescence and depth-resolved cathodoluminescence and time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. Temperature-resolved cathodoluminescence and photoluminescence measurements from 10 K to 250 K show free exciton (FX) emission enhancement factors up to 12x at 80 K, and reveal that the FX couple more efficiently to the LSPs compared to the localized donor-bound excitons. A strong polarization dependence between the LSPs and FX is observed where FX transitions are more strongly enhanced when polarized in the same direction as the electric field of the incident excitation, which is different for laser and electron beam sources. This result indicates that selective enhancement of the excitonic emission peaks in the ZnO coated with Al nanoparticles can be achieved by choosing the appropriate ZnO substrate orientation.
Fisher, NL, Campbell, DA, Hughes, DJ, Kuzhiumparambil, U, Halsey, KH, Ralph, PJ & Suggett, DJ 2020, 'Divergence of photosynthetic strategies amongst marine diatoms', PLOS ONE, vol. 15, no. 12, pp. e0244252-e0244252.
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Marine phytoplankton, and in particular diatoms, are responsible for almost half of all primary production on Earth. Diatom species thrive from polar to tropical waters and across light environments that are highly complex to relatively benign, and so have evolved highly divergent strategies for regulating light capture and utilization. It is increasingly well established that diatoms have achieved such successful ecosystem dominance by regulating excitation energy available for generating photosynthetic energy via highly flexible light harvesting strategies. However, how different light harvesting strategies and downstream pathways for oxygen production and consumption interact to balance excitation pressure remains unknown. We therefore examined the responses of three diatom taxa adapted to inherently different light climates (estuarine Thalassioisira weissflogii, coastal Thalassiosira pseudonana and oceanic Thalassiosira oceanica) during transient shifts from a moderate to high growth irradiance (85 to 1200 μmol photons m-2 s-1). Transient high light exposure caused T. weissflogii to rapidly downregulate PSII with substantial nonphotochemical quenching, protecting PSII from inactivation or damage, and obviating the need for induction of O2 consuming (light-dependent respiration, LDR) pathways. In contrast, T. oceanica retained high excitation pressure on PSII, but with little change in RCII photochemical turnover, thereby requiring moderate repair activity and greater reliance on LDR. T. pseudonana exhibited an intermediate response compared to the other two diatom species, exhibiting some downregulation and inactivation of PSII, but high repair of PSI...
Fleck, R, Gill, RL, Pettit, T, Irga, PJ, Williams, NLR, Seymour, JR & Torpy, FR 2020, 'Characterisation of fungal and bacterial dynamics in an active green wall used for indoor air pollutant removal', Building and Environment, vol. 179, pp. 106987-106987.
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Florez-Sampedro, L, Brandsma, C-A, de Vries, M, Timens, W, Bults, R, Vermeulen, CJ, van den Berge, M, Obeidat, M, Joubert, P, Nickle, DC, Poelarends, GJ, Faiz, A & Melgert, BN 2020, 'Genetic regulation of gene expression of MIF family members in lung tissue', Scientific Reports, vol. 10, no. 1.
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AbstractMacrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a cytokine found to be associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, there is no consensus on how MIF levels differ in COPD compared to control conditions and there are no reports on MIF expression in lung tissue. Here we studied gene expression of members of the MIF family MIF, D-Dopachrome Tautomerase (DDT) and DDT-like (DDTL) in a lung tissue dataset with 1087 subjects and identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) regulating their gene expression. We found higher MIF and DDT expression in COPD patients compared to non-COPD subjects and found 71 SNPs significantly influencing gene expression of MIF and DDTL. Furthermore, the platform used to measure MIF (microarray or RNAseq) was found to influence the splice variants detected and subsequently the direction of the SNP effects on MIF expression. Among the SNPs found to regulate MIF expression, the major LD block identified was linked to rs5844572, a SNP previously found to be associated with lower diffusion capacity in COPD. This suggests that MIF may be contributing to the pathogenesis of COPD, as SNPs that influence MIF expression are also associated with symptoms of COPD. Our study shows that MIF levels are affected not only by disease but also by genetic diversity (i.e. SNPs). Since none of our significant eSNPs for MIF or DDTL have been described in GWAS for COPD or lung function, MIF expression in COPD patients is more likely a consequence of disease-related factors rather than a cause of ...
Focardi, A, Ostrowski, M, Goossen, K, Brown, MV & Paulsen, I 2020, 'Investigating the Diversity of Marine Bacteriophage in Contrasting Water Masses Associated with the East Australian Current (EAC) System', Viruses, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 317-317.
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Virus- and bacteriophage-induced mortality can have a significant impact on marine productivity and alter the flux of nutrients in marine microbial food-webs. Viral mediated horizontal gene transfer can also influence host fitness and community composition. However, there are very few studies of marine viral diversity in the Southern Hemisphere, which hampers our ability to fully understand the complex interplay of biotic and abiotic factors that shape microbial communities. We carried out the first genetic study of bacteriophage communities within a dynamic western boundary current (WBC) system, the east Australian current (EAC). Virus DNA sequences were extracted from 63 assembled metagenomes and six metaviromes obtained from various depths at 24 different locations. More than 1700 bacteriophage genomic fragments (>9 kbps) were recovered from the assembled sequences. Bacteriophage diversity displayed distinct depth and regional patterns. There were clear differences in the bacteriophage populations associated with the EAC and Tasman Sea euphotic zones, at both the taxonomic and functional level. In contrast, bathypelagic phages were similar across the two oceanic regions. These data provide the first characterisation of viral diversity across a dynamic western boundary current, which is an emerging model for studying the response of microbial communities to climate change.
Fong, J, Deignan, LK, Bauman, AG, Steinberg, PD, McDougald, D & Todd, PA 2020, 'Contact- and Water-Mediated Effects of Macroalgae on the Physiology and Microbiome of Three Indo-Pacific Coral Species', Frontiers in Marine Science, vol. 6.
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Fouani, L, Huang, MLH, Cole, L, Jansson, PJ, Kovacevic, Z & Richardson, DR 2020, 'During mitosis ZEB1 'switches' from being a chromatin-bound epithelial gene repressor, to become a microtubule-associated protein.', Biochimica et biophysica acta. Molecular cell research, vol. 1867, no. 7, pp. 118673-118673.
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Microtubules are polymers of α/β-tubulin, with microtubule organization being regulated by microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs). Herein, we describe a novel role for the epithelial gene repressor, zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1), that 'switches' from a chromatin-associated protein during interphase, to a MAP that associates with α-, β- and γ-tubulin during mitosis. Additionally, ZEB1 was also demonstrated to associate with γ-tubulin at the microtubule organizing center (MTOC). Using confocal microscopy, ZEB1 localization was predominantly nuclear during interphase, with α/β-tubulin being primarily cytoplasmic and the association between these proteins being minimal. However, during the stages of mitosis, ZEB1 co-localization with α-, β-, and γ-tubulin was significantly increased, with the association commonly peaking during metaphase in multiple tumor cell-types. ZEB1 was also observed to accumulate in the cleavage furrow during cytokinesis. The increased interaction between ZEB1 and α-tubulin during mitosis was also confirmed using the proximity ligation assay. In contrast to ZEB1, its paralog ZEB2, was mainly perinuclear and cytoplasmic during interphase, showing some co-localization with α-tubulin during mitosis. Considering the association between ZEB1 with α/β/γ-tubulin during mitosis, studies investigated ZEB1's role in the cell cycle. Silencing ZEB1 resulted in a G2-M arrest, which could be mediated by the up-regulation of p21Waf1/Cip1 and p27Kip1 that are known downstream targets repressed by ZEB1. However, it cannot be excluded the G2/M arrest observed after ZEB1 silencing is not due to its roles as a MAP. Collectively, ZEB1 plays a role as a MAP during mitosis and could be functionally involved in this process.
Fourment, M, Magee, AF, Whidden, C, Bilge, A, Matsen, FA & Minin, VN 2020, '19 Dubious Ways to Compute the Marginal Likelihood of a Phylogenetic Tree Topology', Systematic Biology, vol. 69, no. 2, pp. 209-220.
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Abstract
The marginal likelihood of a model is a key quantity for assessing the evidence provided by the data in support of a model. The marginal likelihood is the normalizing constant for the posterior density, obtained by integrating the product of the likelihood and the prior with respect to model parameters. Thus, the computational burden of computing the marginal likelihood scales with the dimension of the parameter space. In phylogenetics, where we work with tree topologies that are high-dimensional models, standard approaches to computing marginal likelihoods are very slow. Here, we study methods to quickly compute the marginal likelihood of a single fixed tree topology. We benchmark the speed and accuracy of 19 different methods to compute the marginal likelihood of phylogenetic topologies on a suite of real data sets under the JC69 model. These methods include several new ones that we develop explicitly to solve this problem, as well as existing algorithms that we apply to phylogenetic models for the first time. Altogether, our results show that the accuracy of these methods varies widely, and that accuracy does not necessarily correlate with computational burden. Our newly developed methods are orders of magnitude faster than standard approaches, and in some cases, their accuracy rivals the best established estimators.
Fowler, AM, Jørgensen, A-M, Coolen, JWP, Jones, DOB, Svendsen, JC, Brabant, R, Rumes, B & Degraer, S 2020, 'The ecology of infrastructure decommissioning in the North Sea: what we need to know and how to achieve it', ICES Journal of Marine Science, vol. 77, no. 3, pp. 1109-1126.
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AbstractAs decommissioning of oil and gas (O&G) installations intensifies in the North Sea, and worldwide, debate rages regarding the fate of these novel habitats and their associated biota—a debate that has important implications for future decommissioning of offshore wind farms (OWFs). Calls to relax complete removal requirements in some circumstances and allow part of an O&G installation to be left in the marine environment are increasing. Yet knowledge regarding the biological communities that develop on these structures and their ecological role in the North Sea is currently insufficient to inform such decommissioning decisions. To focus debate regarding decommissioning policy and guide ecological research, we review environmental policy objectives in the region, summarize existing knowledge regarding ecological aspects of decommissioning for both O&G and OWF installations, and identify approaches to address knowledge gaps through science–industry collaboration. We find that in some cases complete removal will conflict with other policies regarding protection and restoration of reefs, as well as the conservation of species within the region. Key ecological considerations that are rarely considered during decommissioning decisions are: (i) provision of reef habitat, (ii) productivity of offshore ecosystems, (iii) enhancement of biodiversity, (iv) protection of the seabed from trawling, and (v) enhancement of connectivity. Knowledge gaps within these areas will best be addressed using industry infrastructure and vessels for scientific investigations, re-analysis of historical data held by industry, scientific training of industry personnel, joint research funding opportunities, and trial decommissioning projects.
Froch, JE, Bahm, A, Kianinia, M, Mu, Z, Bhatia, V, Kim, S, Cairney, JM, Gao, W, Bradac, C, Aharonovich, I & Toth, M 2020, 'Versatile direct-writing of dopants in a solid state host through recoil implantation', NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, vol. 11, no. 1.
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Modifying material properties at the nanoscale is crucially important fordevices in nanoelectronics, nanophotonics and quantum information. Opticallyactive defects in wide band gap materials, for instance, are vital constituentsfor the realisation of quantum technologies. Yet, the introduction of atomicdefects through direct ion implantation remains a fundamental challenge.Herein, we establish a universal method for material doping by exploiting oneof the most fundamental principles of physics - momentum transfer. As a proofof concept, we direct-write arrays of emitters into diamond via momentumtransfer from a Xe+ focused ion beam (FIB) to thin films of the group IVdopants pre-deposited onto a diamond surface. We conclusively show that thetechnique, which we term knock-on doping, can yield ultra-shallow dopantprofiles localized to the top 5 nm of the target surface, and use it to achievesub-50 nm lateral resolution. The knock-on doping method is cost-effective, yetvery versatile, powerful and universally suitable for applications such aselectronic and magnetic doping of atomically thin materials and engineering ofnear-surface states of semiconductor devices.
Fröch, JE, Kim, S, Mendelson, N, Kianinia, M, Toth, M & Aharonovich, I 2020, 'Coupling Hexagonal Boron Nitride Quantum Emitters to Photonic Crystal Cavities.', ACS nano, vol. 14, no. 6, pp. 7085-7091.
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Quantum photonics technologies require a scalable approach for the integration of nonclassical light sources with photonic resonators to achieve strong light confinement and enhancement of quantum light emission. Point defects from hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) are among the front runners for single photon sources due to their ultra-bright emission; however, the coupling of hBN defects to photonic crystal cavities has so far remained elusive. Here we demonstrate on-chip integration of hBN quantum emitters with photonic crystal cavities from silicon nitride (Si3N4) and achieve an experimentally measured quality factor (Q-factor) of 3300 for hBN/Si3N4 hybrid cavities. We observed 6-fold photoluminescence enhancement of an hBN single photon emission at room temperature. Our work will be useful for further development of cavity quantum electrodynamic experiments and on-chip integration of two-dimensional (2D) materials.
Fröch, JE, Kim, S, Stewart, C, Xu, X, Du, Z, Lockrey, M, Toth, M & Aharonovich, I 2020, 'Photonic Nanobeam Cavities with Nanopockets for Efficient Integration of Fluorescent Nanoparticles.', Nano letters, vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 2784-2790.
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Integrating fluorescent nanoparticles with high-Q, small mode volume cavities is indispensable for nanophotonics and quantum technologies. To date, nanoparticles have largely been coupled to evanescent fields of cavity modes, which limits the strength of the interaction. Here, we developed both a cavity design and a fabrication method that enable efficient coupling between a fluorescent nanoparticle and a cavity optical mode. The design consists of a fishbone-shaped, one-dimensional photonic crystal cavity with a nanopocket located at the electric field maximum of the fundamental optical mode. Furthermore, the presence of a nanoparticle inside the pocket reduces the mode volume substantially and induces subwavelength light confinement. Our approach opens exciting pathways to achieve tight light confinement around fluorescent nanoparticles for applications in energy, sensing, lasing, and quantum technologies.
Fronzi, M, Bishop, J, Assadi, MHN, Regan, B, Stampfl, C, Aharonovich, I, Ford, MJ & Toth, M 2020, 'Role of knock-on in electron beam induced etching of diamond', Carbon, vol. 164, pp. 51-58.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd Electron beam induced etching (EBIE) has recently emerged as a promising direct-write nanofabrication technique. EBIE is typically assumed to proceed entirely through chemical pathways driven by electron-electron interactions. Here we show that knock-on (i.e., momentum transfer from electrons to nuclei) can play a significant role in EBIE, even at electron beam energies as low as 1.5 keV. Specifically, we calculate knock-on cross-sections for H, D, O and CO on the surface of diamond and show experimentally that they affect the kinetics of EBIE performed using oxygen, hydrogen and deuterium etch precursors. Our results advance basic understanding of electron-adsorbate interactions, particularly in relation to EBIE and the related techniques of electron beam-induced deposition and surface functionalisation.
Fronzi, M, Tawfik, SA, Ghazaleh, MA, Isayev, O, Winkler, DA, Shapter, J & Ford, MJ 2020, 'High Throughput Screening of Millions of van der Waals Heterostructures for Superlubricant Applications', Advanced Theory and Simulations, vol. 3, no. 11, pp. 2000029-2000029.
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© 2020 Wiley-VCH GmbH The screening of novel materials is an important topic in the field of materials science. Although traditional computational modeling, especially first-principles approaches, is a very useful and accurate tool to predict the properties of novel materials, it still demands extensive and expensive state-of-the-art computational resources. Additionally, they can often be extremely time consuming. A time and resource efficient machine learning approach to create a dataset of structural properties of 18 million van der Waals layered structures is described. In particular, the authors focus on the interlayer energy and the elastic constant of layered materials composed of two different 2D structures that are important for novel solid lubricant and super-lubricant materials. It is shown that machine learning models can predict results of computationally expansive approaches (i.e., density functional theory) with high accuracy.
Fujise, L, Suggett, DJ, Stat, M, Kahlke, T, Bunce, M, Gardner, SG, Goyen, S, Woodcock, S, Ralph, PJ, Seymour, JR, Siboni, N & Nitschke, MR 2020, 'Unlocking the phylogenetic diversity, primary habitats, and abundances of free-living Symbiodiniaceae on a coral reef.', Molecular ecology, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 343-360.
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Dinoflagellates of the family Symbiodiniaceae form mutualistic symbioses with marine invertebrates such as reef-building corals, but also inhabit reef environments as free-living cells. Most coral species acquire Symbiodiniaceae horizontally from the surrounding environment during the larval and/or recruitment phase, however the phylogenetic diversity and ecology of free-living Symbiodiniaceae on coral reefs is largely unknown. We coupled environmental DNA sequencing and genus-specific qPCR to resolve the community structure and cell abundances of free-living Symbiodiniaceae in the water column, sediment, and macroalgae and compared these to coral symbionts. Sampling was conducted at two time points, one of which coincided with the annual coral spawning event when recombination between hosts and free-living Symbiodiniaceae is assumed to be critical. Amplicons of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) region were assigned to 12 of the 15 Symbiodiniaceae genera or genera-equivalent lineages. Community compositions were separated by habitat, with water samples containing a high proportion of sequences corresponding to coral symbionts of the genus Cladocopium, potentially as a result of cell expulsion from in hospite populations. Sediment-associated Symbiodiniaceae communities were distinct, potentially due to the presence of exclusively free-living species. Intriguingly, macroalgal surfaces displayed the highest cell abundances of Symbiodiniaceae, suggesting a key role for macroalgae in ensuring the ecological success of corals through maintenance of a continuum between environmental and symbiotic populations of Symbiodiniaceae.
Gadau, M, Zhang, SP, Wang, FC, Liguori, S, Li, WH, Liu, WH, Bangrazi, S, Berle, C, Razavy, S, Bian, ZX, Filomena, P, Hao, Y, Jiang, HL, Lei, L, Li, T, Zaslawski, C, Liguori, A, Liu, YS, Lu, AP, Tan, YS, Yim, WW & Xie, CL 2020, 'A multi‐center international study of acupuncture for lateral elbow pain ‐ Results of a randomized controlled trial', European Journal of Pain, vol. 24, no. 8, pp. 1458-1470.
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AbstractBackgroundLateral elbow pain (LEP) due to tendinosis is one of the most common musculoskeletal pains of the upper limbs, yet there is no satisfactory treatment. This study was an international, prospective, multi‐centre, randomized, controlled, clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture compared to sham laser in the treatment of LEP.MethodsThe study used a parallel and stratified design (1:1 allocation using a computer‐generated sequence) and was participant‐, outcome assessor‐ and statistician‐blinded. Subjects from 18 to 80 years with unilateral chronic LEP (minimum three months) were recruited at four centres in Australia, China, Hong Kong and Italy. The treatment group received manual acupuncture at acupoints LI 10 and LI 11 on the affected side whereas the control group received sham laser acupuncture at the same acupoints. The primary endpoint was disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand (DASH) questionnaire score at the three‐week post‐treatment follow‐up visit. Three VAS scales (pain at rest, pain on motion and pain during exertion) were secondary outcomes measures. Ninety‐six subjects were allocated to either the treatment group (n = 47) or control group (n = 49) and were all included in the analysis.ResultsAt the follow‐up visit, we found significant differences in DASH score between the two groups (p = .015). The median change to baseline for the treatment group was −11.7 (interval: −50.83 to 23.33), and for the control group −7.50 (interval: −36.67 to 29.10). The estimated effect size was 0.47, indicating a medium effect. Significant differences were also found for secondary outcome measures for VAS of pain. There were no severe adverse events. Our findings s...
Gaiani, G, Leonardo, S, Tudó, À, Toldrà, A, Rey, M, Andree, KB, Tsumuraya, T, Hirama, M, Diogène, J, O'Sullivan, CK, Alcaraz, C & Campàs, M 2020, 'Rapid detection of ciguatoxins in Gambierdiscus and Fukuyoa with immunosensing tools', Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, vol. 204, pp. 111004-111004.
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Gale, PA 2020, 'A Calix[4]pyrrole-Based Selective Amino Acid Transporter', Chem, vol. 6, no. 11, pp. 2873-2875.
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Gallagher, CI, Sheipouri, D, Shimmon, S, Rawling, T & Vandenberg, RJ 2020, 'Identification of N-acyl amino acids that are positive allosteric modulators of glycine receptors.', Biochemical pharmacology, vol. 180, pp. 114117-114117.
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Glycine receptors (GlyRs) mediate inhibitory neurotransmission within the spinal cord and play a crucial role in nociceptive signalling. This makes them primary targets for the development of novel chronic pain therapies. Endogenous lipids have previously been shown to modulate glycine receptors and produce analgesia in pain models, however little is known about what chemical features mediate these effects. In this study, we characterised lipid modulation of GlyRs by screening a library of N-acyl amino acids across all receptor subtypes and determined chemical features crucial for their activity. Acyl-glycine's with a C18 carbon tail were found to produce the greatest potentiation, and require a cis double bond within the central region of the carbon tail (ω6 - ω9) to be active. At 1 µM, C18 ω6,9 glycine potentiated glycine induced currents in α3 and α3β receptors by over 50%, and α1, α2, α1β and α2β receptors by over 100%. C18 ω9 glycine (N-oleoyl glycine) significantly enhance glycine induced peak currents and cause a dose-dependent shift in the glycine concentration response. In the presence of 3 µM C18 ω9 glycine, the EC5o of glycine at the α1 receptor was reduced from 17 µM to 10 µM. This study has identified several acyl-amino acids which are positive allosteric modulators of GlyRs and make promising lead compounds for the development of novel chronic pain therapies.
Galletta, M, Reekie, TA, Nagalingam, G, Bottomley, AL, Harry, EJ, Kassiou, M & Triccas, JA 2020, 'Rapid Antibacterial Activity of Cannabichromenic Acid against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus.', Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland), vol. 9, no. 8, pp. 523-523.
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Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has proven to be an imminent threat to public health, intensifying the need for novel therapeutics. Previous evidence suggests that cannabinoids harbour potent antibacterial activity. In this study, a group of previously inaccessible phytocannabinoids and synthetic analogues were examined for potential antibacterial activity. The minimum inhibitory concentrations and dynamics of bacterial inhibition, determined through resazurin reduction and time-kill assays, revealed the potent antibacterial activity of the phytocannabinoids against gram-positive antibiotic-resistant bacterial species, including MRSA. One phytocannabinoid, cannabichromenic acid (CBCA), demonstrated faster and more potent bactericidal activity than vancomycin, the currently recommended antibiotic for the treatment of MRSA infections. Such bactericidal activity was sustained against low-and high-dose inoculums as well as exponential- and stationary-phase MRSA cells. Further, mammalian cell viability was maintained in the presence of CBCA. Finally, microscopic evaluation suggests that CBCA may function through the degradation of the bacterial lipid membrane and alteration of the bacterial nucleoid. The results of the current study provide encouraging evidence that cannabinoids may serve as a previously unrecognised resource for the generation of novel antibiotics active against MRSA.
Galvão, I, de Carvalho, RVH, Vago, JP, Silva, ALN, Carvalho, TG, Antunes, MM, Ribeiro, FM, Menezes, GB, Zamboni, DS, Sousa, LP & Teixeira, MM 2020, 'The role of annexin A1 in the modulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome', Immunology, vol. 160, no. 1, pp. 78-89.
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SummaryAnnexins are well‐known Ca2+ phospholipid‐binding proteins, which have a wide variety of cellular functions. The role of annexin A1 (AnxA1) in the innate immune system has focused mainly on the anti‐inflammatory and proresolving properties through its binding to the formyl‐peptide receptor 2 (FPR2)/ALX receptor. However, studies suggesting an intracellular role of AnxA1 are emerging. In this study, we aimed to understand the role of AnxA1 for interleukin (IL)‐1β release in response to activators of the nucleotide‐binding domain leucine‐rich repeat (NLR) and pyrin domain containing receptor 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome. Using AnxA1 knockout mice, we observed that AnxA1 is required for IL‐1β release in vivo and in vitro. These effects were due to reduction of transcriptional levels of IL‐1β, NLRP3 and caspase‐1, a step called NLRP3 priming. Moreover, we demonstrate that AnxA1 co‐localize and directly bind to NLRP3, suggesting the role of AnxA1 in inflammasome activation is independent of its anti‐inflammatory role via FPR2. Therefore, AnxA1 regulates NLRP3 inflammasome priming and activation in a FPR2‐independent manner.
Galvão, I, Kim, RY, Shen, S, Budden, KF, Vieira, AT & Hansbro, PM 2020, 'Emerging therapeutic targets and preclinical models for severe asthma.', Expert opinion on therapeutic targets, vol. 24, no. 9, pp. 845-857.
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INTRODUCTION:Asthma is a heterogeneous disease with complex multifactorial causes. It is possible to subclassify asthma into different phenotypes that have distinct immunological features. Eosinophilic asthma is a well-known phenotype of severe asthma; however, a large body of clinical and experimental evidence strongly associates persistent airway inflammation, including the accumulation of neutrophils in the bronchial mucosa, and resistance to corticosteroid therapy and non-Type-2 immune responses with severe asthma. Importantly, mainstay therapies are often ineffective in severe asthma and effective alternatives are urgently needed. AREAS COVERED:Here, we discussed recently developed mouse models of severe asthma that recapitulates key features of the disease in humans. We also provide findings from clinically relevant experimental models that have identified potential therapeutic targets for severe asthma. The most relevant publications on the topic of interest were selected from PubMed. EXPERT COMMENTARY:Increasing the understanding of disease-causing mechanisms in severe asthma may lead to the identification of novel therapeutic targets and the development of more effective therapies. Intense research interest into investigating the pathophysiological mechanisms of severe asthma has driven the development and interrogation of a myriad of mouse models that aim to replicate hallmark features of severe asthma in humans.
Gao, C, Fernandez, VI, Lee, KS, Fenizia, S, Pohnert, G, Seymour, JR, Raina, J-B & Stocker, R 2020, 'Single-cell bacterial transcription measurements reveal the importance of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) hotspots in ocean sulfur cycling.', Nature communications, vol. 11, no. 1, p. 1942.
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Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is a pivotal compound in marine biogeochemical cycles and a key chemical currency in microbial interactions. Marine bacteria transform DMSP via two competing pathways with considerably different biogeochemical implications: demethylation channels sulfur into the microbial food web, whereas cleavage releases sulfur into the atmosphere. Here, we present single-cell measurements of the expression of these two pathways using engineered fluorescent reporter strains of Ruegeria pomeroyi DSS-3, and find that external DMSP concentration dictates the relative expression of the two pathways. DMSP induces an upregulation of both pathways, but only at high concentrations (>1 μM for demethylation; >35 nM for cleavage), characteristic of microscale hotspots such as the vicinity of phytoplankton cells. Co-incubations between DMSP-producing microalgae and bacteria revealed an increase in cleavage pathway expression close to the microalgae's surface. These results indicate that bacterial utilization of microscale DMSP hotspots is an important determinant of the fate of sulfur in the ocean.
Gao, H, Guo, X, Wang, S, Zhang, F, Liu, H & Wang, G 2020, 'Antimony‐based nanomaterials for high‐performance potassium‐ion batteries', EcoMat, vol. 2, no. 2.
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AbstractPotassium‐ion batteries (PIBs) present great potential for large‐scale energy storage applications owing to their high energy density and the abundance of potassium reserve. However, the large radius of K+ and super‐reactive metallic nature of potassium make it difficult to realize electrochemically reversible storage with most conventional electrode materials. Currently, it remains a great challenge to develop appropriate anode materials with high specific capacities, long cycle life, and low cost for PIBs. Antimony‐based materials are recognized as a promising anode candidate because of their high theoretical capacities, appropriate potassiation potential, and relatively low cost. Herein, we review the recent progress of antimony‐based anode materials for PIBs, including metallic antimony, antimony‐based alloys, antimony chalcogenides, and composite combinations. Meanwhile, this review also focuses on the electrochemical reaction mechanisms, strategies for design and synthesis of electrode materials, and the advances of electrolyte modulation and electrode formulation. Finally, we present the critical challenges to be addressed and perspectives for ways forward to promote the development of PIBs.image
Gao, L, Shan, X, Xu, X, Liu, Y, Liu, B, Li, S, Wen, S, Ma, C, Jin, D & Wang, F 2020, 'Video-rate upconversion display from optimized lanthanide ion doped upconversion nanoparticles.', Nanoscale, vol. 12, no. 36, pp. 18595-18599.
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Volumetric displays that create bright image points within a transparent bulk are one of the most attractive technologies in everyday life. Lanthanide ion doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) are promising luminescent nanomaterials for background free, full-colour volumetric displays of transparent bulk materials. However, video-rate display using UCNPs has been limited by their low emission intensity. Herein, we developed a video-rate upconversion display system with much enhanced brightness. The integral emission intensity of the single UCNPs was fully employed for video-rate display. It was maximized by optimizing the emitter concentration and, more importantly, by temporally synchronizing the scanning time of the excitation light to the the raised emission time of the single UCNPs. The excitation power dependent emission response and emission time decay curves were systematically characterized for the single UCNPs with various emitter concentrations from 0.5% to 6%. 1%Tm3+ doped UCNPs presented the highest integral emission intensity. By embedding this UCNPs into a polyvinyl acetate (PVA) film, we achieved a two-dimensional (2D) upconversion display with a frame rate of 29 Hz for 35 by 50 pixels. This work demonstrates that the temporal response as well as the integral emission intensity enable video-rate upconversion display.
Garcia, A, Deplazes, E, Aili, S, Padula, MP, Touchard, A, Murphy, C, Mirissa, LU, Nicholson, GM, Cornell, B & Cranfield, CG 2020, 'Label-Free, Real-Time Phospholipase-A Isoform Assay', ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, vol. 6, no. 8, pp. 4714-4721.
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© 2020 American Chemical Society. Phospholipase-A (PLA) enzymes catalyze the hydrolysis of ester bonds in select glycerophospholipids. Sensors for rapidly measuring the PLA activity in biological samples have relevance in the study of venom compositions and in medical diagnostics for the diagnosis of diseases such as acute pancreatitis. Current PLA sensor technologies are often restricted by the time it takes to prepare an assay, the necessity of using fluorescent labels, or the fact they might require strict pH control of the buffer vehicles used. Here we present a tethered bilayer lipid membrane (tBLM) impedance sensor array for the rapid and real-time detection of PLA, which includes the ability to selectively detect phospholipase-A2 (PLA2) from phospholipase-A1 (PLA1) isoforms. Comparing the activity of PLA1 and PLA2 in an array of tBLMs composed of ether phospholipids, ester phospholipids or ether-ester phospholipids allows for the rapid and reliable distinction between the isoforms, as measured using swept-frequency electrical impedance spectroscopy. After testing the assay using pure enzymes, we demonstrate the capacity of the sensor to identify specific PLA2-type, calcium-dependent activity from the venom of the South American bullet ant, Paraponera clavata, at a concentration of 1 μg/mL. The specificity of the phospholipase activity was corroborated using matrix-assisted laser-desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. As further validation, we tested the activities of a PLA1 isoform in the presence of different buffers commonly used in biology and biochemistry experiments. Sensitivity testing shows that PLA1 can be detected at an activity as low as 0.06 U/mL. The rapid and reliable detection of phospholipases presented in this study has potential applications in the study of animal venoms as well as in lipase bioreactors and point-of-care devices.
Garczarek, L, Guyet, U, Doré, H, Farrant, GK, Hoebeke, M, Brillet-Guéguen, L, Bisch, A, Ferrieux, M, Siltanen, J, Corre, E, Le, CG, Ratin, M, Pitt, FD, Ostrowski, M, Conan, M, Siegel, A, Labadie, K, Aury, J-M, Wincker, P, Scanlan, DJ & Partensky, F 2020, 'Cyanorak v2.1: a scalable information system dedicated to the visualization and expert curation of marine and brackish picocyanobacteria genomes.', Nucleic acids research, vol. 49, no. D1, pp. D667-D676.
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Cyanorak v2.1 (http://www.sb-roscoff.fr/cyanorak) is an information system dedicated to visualizing, comparing and curating the genomes of Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus and Cyanobium, the most abundant photosynthetic microorganisms on Earth. The database encompasses sequences from 97 genomes, covering most of the wide genetic diversity known so far within these groups, and which were split into 25,834 clusters of likely orthologous groups (CLOGs). The user interface gives access to genomic characteristics, accession numbers as well as an interactive map showing strain isolation sites. The main entry to the database is through search for a term (gene name, product, etc.), resulting in a list of CLOGs and individual genes. Each CLOG benefits from a rich functional annotation including EggNOG, EC/K numbers, GO terms, TIGR Roles, custom-designed Cyanorak Roles as well as several protein motif predictions. Cyanorak also displays a phyletic profile, indicating the genotype and pigment type for each CLOG, and a genome viewer (Jbrowse) to visualize additional data on each genome such as predicted operons, genomic islands or transcriptomic data, when available. This information system also includes a BLAST search tool, comparative genomic context as well as various data export options. Altogether, Cyanorak v2.1 constitutes an invaluable, scalable tool for comparative genomics of ecologically relevant marine microorganisms.
Genoud, S, Jones, MWM, Trist, BG, Deng, J, Chen, S, Hare, DJ & Double, KL 2020, 'Simultaneous structural and elemental nano-imaging of human brain tissue', Chemical Science, vol. 11, no. 33, pp. 8919-8927.
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Structural and chemical characterisation of microfeatures in unadulterated Parkinson's disease brain tissue using synchrotron nanoscale XFM and ptychography.
Genoud, S, Senior, AM, Hare, DJ & Double, KL 2020, 'Meta‐Analysis of Copper and Iron in Parkinson's Disease Brain and Biofluids', Movement Disorders, vol. 35, no. 4, pp. 662-671.
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AbstractBackgroundVariations in study quality and design complicate interpretation of the clinical significance of consistently reported changes in copper and iron levels in human Parkinson's disease brain and biofluids.MethodsWe systematically searched literature databases for quantitative reports of biometal levels in the degenerating substantia nigra (SN), CSF, serum, and plasma in Parkinson's disease compared with healthy age‐matched controls and assessed the quality of these publications. The primary outcomes of our analysis confirmed SN copper and iron levels are decreased and increased, respectively, in the Parkinson's disease brain. We applied a novel Quality Assessment Scale for Human Tissue to categorize the quality of individual studies and investigated the effects of study quality on our outcomes. We undertook a random‐effects meta‐analysis and meta‐regression subgroup analysis.ResultsIn the 18 eligible studies identified (211 Parkinson's disease, 215 control cases), SN copper levels were significantly lower (d, ‐2.00; 95% CI, ‐2.81 to ‐1.19; P < 0.001), and iron levels were significantly higher (d, 1.31; 95% CI, 0.38–2.24; P < 0.01) in Parkinson's disease. No changes were detected in CSF, serum, or plasma for any metals (29 studies; 2443 Parkinson's disease and 2183 control cases) except serum iron, which was lower in Parkinson's disease (14 studies; 1177 Parkinson's disease and 1447 control cases).ConclusionsReductions in copper levels and elevations in iron were confirmed as characteristic of the degenerating SN of Parkinson's disease. Iron in serum was also changed, but in the opposi...
George, J, Kahlke, T, Abbriano, RM, Kuzhiumparambil, U, Ralph, PJ & Fabris, M 2020, 'Metabolic Engineering Strategies in Diatoms Reveal Unique Phenotypes and Genetic Configurations With Implications for Algal Genetics and Synthetic Biology', Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, vol. 8.
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Gibbs, M, Scanes, E, Parker, L, Byrne, M, O’Connor, W, Virtue, P & Ross, P 2020, 'Larval energetics of the Sydney rock oyster Saccostrea glomerata and Pacific oyster Magallana gigas', Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol. 656, pp. 51-64.
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Larvae are a critical dispersal stage of marine invertebrates, and their survival depends on nutrition and energetics. This study compared the size, survival, metabolic rate and egg and larval lipid class profiles of larvae of the endemic Sydney rock oyster Saccostrea glomerata and the invasive Pacific oyster Magallana gigas through a period of starvation for 5 and 9 d after fertilisation. Starved larvae grew without food until 5 d of age, at which point they stopped developing, but resumed growth when fed. Egg lipids profiles comprised 78.1 and 74.5% triacylglycerol for M. gigas and S. glomerata respectively. When fed, larvae of M. gigas were significantly larger in size and had faster growth and similar survival compared to S. glomerata. When starved, larvae of M. gigas and S. glomerata grew at similar rates, and there was a trend for lower survival of M. gigas. Larval endogenous lipid reserves were deleted in the first 24 h. Larvae of M. gigas had more total lipids and comparatively more diacylglycerols, monoacylglycerols, phospholipids and cholesterol, whereas S. glomerata had more diacylglycerols and produced sterol esters. Starvation altered the patterns of lipid assimilation, and metabolic rates of larvae of M. gigas and S. glomerata differed over time. When starved, S. glomerata larvae had greater capacity to cope with starvation compared to M. gigas, perhaps due to an evolutionary history in oligotrophic estuaries. As the climate rapidly changes in this global climate-change hotspot, S. glomerata is likely to be negatively...
Gladstone, W, Murray, BR & Hutchings, P 2020, 'Promising yet variable performance of cross-taxon biodiversity surrogates: a test in two marine habitats at multiple times', Biodiversity and Conservation, vol. 29, no. 9-10, pp. 3067-3089.
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© 2020, Springer Nature B.V. Surrogates are a potential solution to the often-cited problem of there being insufficient information for biodiversity assessments or conservation planning. Cross-taxon surrogacy is the ability of a group of well-known taxa to represent variation in other poorly known taxa. To date, tests of the effectiveness of cross-taxon surrogacy in marine environments have yielded variable results and a significant qualification to the outcomes of tests that have demonstrated surrogacy is the near absence of tests for its persistence through time. This study tested for cross-taxon surrogacy and its persistence through time for three surrogates (crustaceans, molluscs, polychaetes). We used data on biodiversity variables and species assemblages of the surrogates and their targets that had been collected during multiple sampling events over 2.5 years in two habitats (seagrass, unvegetated sediment) in a large bay in south-eastern Australia. We tested surrogacy by fitting a series of linear models using generalized least squares for biodiversity variables and by Mantel tests of dissimilarity matrices of species assemblages. We also tested whether the type of data transformation affected Mantel tests. We found that each of the groups were effective surrogates for some but not all biodiversity variables (with molluscs or polychaetes being effective surrogates for species richness in both habitats), that none of the groups were effective surrogates for species assemblages, and that the outcomes of Mantel tests of dissimilarity matrices of surrogates and their targets were unaffected by the data transformation used. We conclude that while our results for surrogacy for biodiversity variables are promising the inconsistent results from other studies argues for caution about their application beyond the area and context in which they were assessed. The lack of evidence that we found for surrogates of species assemblages, and similar lack of evide...
Godecke, E, Armstrong, E, Rai, T, Ciccone, N, Rose, ML, Middleton, S, Whitworth, A, Holland, A, Ellery, F, Hankey, GJ, Cadilhac, DA, Bernhardt, J & VERSE, CG 2020, 'A randomized control trial of intensive aphasia therapy after acute stroke: The Very Early Rehabilitation for SpEech (VERSE) study.', International journal of stroke : official journal of the International Stroke Society, vol. 16, no. 5, pp. 1747493020961926-572.
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BACKGROUND:Effectiveness of early intensive aphasia rehabilitation after stroke is unknown. The Very Early Rehabilitation for SpEech trial (VERSE) aimed to determine whether intensive aphasia therapy, beginning within 14 days after stroke, improved communication recovery compared to usual care. METHODS:Prospective, randomized, single-blinded trial conducted at 17 acute-care hospitals across Australia/New Zealand from 2014 to 2018. Participants with aphasia following acute stroke were randomized to receive usual care (direct usual care aphasia therapy), or one of two higher intensity regimens (20 sessions of either non-prescribed (usual care-plus or prescribed (VERSE) direct aphasia therapy). The primary outcome was improvement of communication on the Western Aphasia Battery-Revised Aphasia Quotient (AQ) at 12 weeks after stroke. Our pre-planned intention to treat analysis combined high intensity groups for the primary outcome. FINDINGS:Among 13,654 acute stroke patients screened, 25% (3477) had aphasia, of whom 25% (866) were eligible and 246 randomized to usual care (n = 81; 33%), usual care-plus (n = 82; 33%) or VERSE (n = 83; 34%). At 12 weeks after stroke, the primary outcome was assessed in 217 participants (88%); 14 had died, 9 had withdrawn, and 6 were too unwell for assessment. Communication recovery was 50.3% (95% CI 45.7-54.8) in the high intensity group (n = 147) and 52.1% (95% CI 46.1-58.1) in the usual care group (n = 70; difference -1.8, 95% CI -8.7-5.0). There was no difference between groups in non-fatal or fatal adverse events (p = 0.72). INTERPRETATION:Early, intensive aphasia therapy did not improve communication recovery within 12 weeks post stroke compared to usual care.
Goikolea, E, Palomares, V, Wang, S, de, LIR, Guo, X, Wang, G & Rojo, T 2020, 'Na-Ion Batteries—Approaching Old and New Challenges', Advanced Energy Materials, vol. 10, no. 44, pp. 2002055-2002055.
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© 2020 Wiley-VCH GmbH The last 10 years established the beginning of a post-lithium era in the field of energy storage, with the renaissance of Na-ion batteries (NIBs) as alternative for Li-based systems. The development of this technology has required intense work in materials research in order to produce and optimize anodes, cathodes, and electrolytes for NIBs. The strong and weak points of the main families of compounds for each battery component are analyzed in this progress report. Taking into account the achievements made in materials for NIBs, the industrial scene is analyzed through the existing prototypes and commercial cells and also from an economical viewpoint. In this scenario, where Na-ion technology seems to be ready for a coming second generation, the use of Na can be extended to almost the whole spectrum of electrochemical energy storage systems: the new room temperature Na–S systems, high-energy Na–air technology, or high-power Na-based hybrid supercapacitors. Thus, the degree of development of NIBs, together with the promising performance of newer Na-based energy storage systems, makes Na the key to the coming commercial post-lithium systems.
Goodwin, C, Wotherspoon, A, Gahan, ME & McNevin, D 2020, 'Degradation of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA after γ-irradiation and its effect on forensic genotyping', Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 395-405.
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Forensic genotyping can be impeded by γ-irradiation of biological evidence in the event of radiological crime; that is, criminal activity involving radioactive material. Oxidative effects within the mitochondria of living cells elicits greater damage to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) than nuclear DNA (nuDNA) at low doses. This study presents a novel approach for the assessment of nuDNA versus mtDNA damage from a comparison of genotype and quantity data, while exploring likely mechanisms for differential damage after high doses of γ-irradiation. Liquid (hydrated) and dried (dehydrated) whole blood samples were exposed to high doses of γ-radiation (1-50 kilogray, kGy). The GlobalFiler PCR Amplification Kit was used to evaluate short tandem repeat (STR) genotyping efficacy and nuDNA degradation; a comparison was made to mtDNA degradation measured using real-time PCR assays. Each assay was normalized before comparison by calculation of integrity indices relative to unirradiated controls. Full STR profiles were attainable up to the highest dose, although DNA degradation was noticeable after 10 and 25 kGy for hydrated and dehydrated blood, respectively. This was manifested by heterozygote imbalance more than allele dropout. Degradation was greater for mtDNA than nuDNA, as well as for hydrated than dehydrated cells, after equivalent doses. Oxidative effects due to water radiolysis and mitochondrial function are dominant mechanisms of differential damage to nuDNA versus mtDNA after high-dose γ-irradiation. While differential DNA damage was reduced by cell desiccation, its persistence after drying indicates innate differences between nuDNA and mtDNA radioresistance and/or continued oxidative effects within the mitochondria.
Goodwin, T, Evenhuis, C, Woodcock, S & Quiroz, M 2020, 'Bayesian Inference on the Keller–Segel Model', ANZIAM Journal, vol. 61, pp. C181-C196.
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The Keller–Segel (KS) model is a system of partial differential equations that describe chemotaxis—how cells move in response to chemical stimulus. Simulated data in the form of cell counts are used to carry out Bayesian inference on the ks model. A Bayesian analysis on the ks model is performed on three sets of initial conditions. First, the KS model is solved numerically using a finite difference method and Bayesian inference is performed on parameters of the model such as the cell diffusion and chemical sensitivity. We investigate the predictive posterior distribution of future data and the convergence of the 95% credible interval of cell diffusion at different grid sizes using the three different initial conditions.ReferencesD. Balding and D. L. S. McElwain. A mathematical model of tumour-induced capillary growth. J. Theor. Biol., 114(1):53–73, 1985. doi:10.1016/S0022-5193(85)80255-1.D. A. Brown and H. C. Berg. Temporal stimulation of chemotaxis in Escherichia coli. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., 71(4):1388–1392, 1974. doi:10.1073/pnas.71.4.1388.H. Chisholm. The Encyclop\T1\ae dia britannica: a dictionary of arts, sciences, literature and general information, volume 6. Encyclopaedia Britannica Co., 1910.F. W. Dahlquist, P. Lovely, and D. E. Koshland. Quantitative analysis of bacterial migration in chemotaxis. Nature New Biol., 236(65):120–123, 1972. doi:10.1038/newbio236120a0.J. Goodman and J. Weare. Ensemble samplers with affine invariance. Commun. Appl. Math. Comput. Sci., 5(1):65–80, 2010. URL https://projecteuclid.org/euclid.camcos/1513731992.K. Gustafson and T. Abe. The third boundary condition–-was it Robin's? Math. Intell., 20(1):63–71, 1998. doi:10.1007/BF03024402.L. Harvath and R. R. Aksamit. Oxidized n-formylmethionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine: Effect on the activation of human monocyte and neutrophil chemotaxis and superoxide production. J. Immun., 133(3):1471–1476, 1984. URL https://www.jimmunol.org/content/133/3/1471.E. F. Keller a...
Gorlach, MA & Lapine, M 2020, 'Boundary conditions for the effective-medium description of subwavelength multilayered structures', Physical Review B, vol. 101, no. 7.
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© 2020 American Physical Society. Nanostructures with one-dimensional periodicity, such as multilayered structures, are currently in the focus of active research in the context of hyperbolic metamaterials and photonic topological structures. An efficient way to describe the materials with subwavelength periodicity is based on the concept of effective material parameters, which can be rigorously derived incorporating both local and nonlocal responses. However, to provide any predictions relevant for applications, effective material parameters have to be supplemented by appropriate boundary conditions. In this work, we provide a comprehensive treatment of spatially dispersive bulk properties of multilayered metamaterials as well as derive boundary conditions for the averaged fields. We demonstrate that local bianisotropic model does not capture all the features related to second-order nonlocal effects in the bulk of metamaterial. As we prove, while the bulk response of multilayers does not depend on the unit-cell choice, effective boundary conditions are strongly sensitive to the sequence of layers and multilayer termination. The developed theory provides a clear interpretation of the recent experiments on the reflectance of all-dielectric deeply subwavelength multilayers suggesting further avenues to experimentally probe electromagnetic nonlocality in metamaterials.
Gorman, A, Hossain, KR, Cornelius, F & Clarke, RJ 2020, 'Penetration of phospholipid membranes by poly-l-lysine depends on cholesterol and phospholipid composition', Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Biomembranes, vol. 1862, no. 2, pp. 183128-183128.
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Gottscholl, A, Kianinia, M, Soltamov, V, Orlinskii, S, Mamin, G, Bradac, C, Kasper, C, Krambrock, K, Sperlich, A, Toth, M, Aharonovich, I & Dyakonov, V 2020, 'Initialization and read-out of intrinsic spin defects in a van der Waals crystal at room temperature', NATURE MATERIALS, vol. 19, no. 5, pp. 540-+.
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Gottscholl, A, Kianinia, M, Soltamov, V, Orlinskii, S, Mamin, G, Bradac, C, Kasper, C, Krambrock, K, Sperlich, A, Toth, M, Aharonovich, I & Dyakonov, V 2020, 'Initialization and read-out of intrinsic spin defects in a van der Waals crystal at room temperature.', Nature materials, vol. 19, no. 5, pp. 540-545.
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Optically addressable spins in wide-bandgap semiconductors are a promising platform for exploring quantum phenomena. While colour centres in three-dimensional crystals such as diamond and silicon carbide were studied in detail, they were not observed experimentally in two-dimensional (2D) materials. Here, we report spin-dependent processes in the 2D material hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). We identify fluorescence lines associated with a particular defect, the negatively charged boron vacancy ([Formula: see text]), showing a triplet (S = 1) ground state and zero-field splitting of ~3.5 GHz. We establish that this centre exhibits optically detected magnetic resonance at room temperature and demonstrate its spin polarization under optical pumping, which leads to optically induced population inversion of the spin ground state-a prerequisite for coherent spin-manipulation schemes. Our results constitute a step forward in establishing 2D hBN as a prime platform for scalable quantum technologies, with potential for spin-based quantum information and sensing applications.
Gough, R, Barratt, J, Stark, D & Ellis, J 2020, 'Diversity profiling of xenic cultures of Dientamoeba fragilis following systematic antibiotic treatment and prospects for genome sequencing', Parasitology, vol. 147, no. 1, pp. 29-38.
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AbstractThe presence of bacterial DNA in Dientamoeba fragilis DNA extracts from culture poses a substantial challenge to sequencing the D. fragilis genome. However, elimination of bacteria from D. fragilis cultures has proven difficult in the past, presumably due to its dependence on some unknown prokaryote/s. This study explored options for removal of bacteria from D. fragilis cultures and for the generation of genome sequence data from D. fragilis. DNA was extracted from human faecal samples and xenic D. fragilis cultures. Extracts were subjected to 16S ribosomal DNA bacterial diversity profiling. Xenic D. fragilis cultures were then subject to antibiotic treatment regimens that systematically removed bacterial species depending on their membrane structure (Gram-positive or Gram-negative) and aerobic requirements. The impact of these treatments on cultures was assessed by 16S amplicon sequencing. Prior to antibiotic treatment, the cultures were dominated by Gram-negative bacteria. Addition of meropenem to cultures eliminated anaerobic Gram-negative bacteria, but it also led to protozoan death after 5 days incubation. The seeding of meropenem resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strain KPC-2 into cultures before treatment by meropenem prevented death of D. fragilis cells beyond this 5 day period, suggesting that one or more species of Gram-negative bacteria may be an essential nutritional requirement for D. fragilis. Gram-positive cells were completely eliminated using vancomycin without affecting trophozoite growth. Finally, this study shows that genome sequencing of D. fragilis is feasible following bacterial elimination from cultures as the...
Green, SM, Padula, MP, Marks, DC & Johnson, L 2020, 'The Lipid Composition of Platelets and the Impact of Storage: An Overview', Transfusion Medicine Reviews, vol. 34, no. 2, pp. 108-116.
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Griebel, A, Bennett, LT, Metzen, D, Pendall, E, Lane, PNJ & Arndt, SK 2020, 'Trading Water for Carbon: Maintaining Photosynthesis at the Cost of Increased Water Loss During High Temperatures in a Temperate Forest', Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, vol. 125, no. 1.
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AbstractCarbon and water fluxes are often assumed to be coupled as a result of stomatal regulation during dry conditions. However, recent observations evidenced increased transpiration rates during isolated heatwaves across a range of eucalypt species under experimental and natural conditions, with inconsistent effects on photosynthesis (ranging from increases to stark declines). To improve the empirical basis for understanding carbon and water fluxes in forests under hotter and drier climates, we measured the water use of dominant trees and ecosystem‐scale carbon and water exchange in a temperate eucalypt forest over three summer seasons. The forest maintained photosynthesis within 16% of baseline rates during hot and dry conditions, despite ~70% reductions in canopy conductance during a 5‐day heatwave. While carbon and water fluxes both decreased by 16% on exceptionally dry days, gross primary productivity only decreased by 5% during the hottest days and increased by 2% during the heatwave. However, evapotranspiration increased by 43% (hottest days) and 74% (heatwave), leading to ~40% variation in traditional water use efficiency (water use efficiency = gross primary productivity/evapotranspiration) across conditions and approximately two‐fold differences between traditional and underlying or intrinsic water use efficiency on the same days. Furthermore, the forest became a net source of carbon following a 137% increase in ecosystem respiration during the heatwave, highlighting that the potential for temperate eucalypt forests to act as net carbon sinks under hotter and drier climates will depend not only on the responses of photosynthesis to higher temperatures and changes in water availability, but also on the concomitant responses of ecosystem respiration.
Griebel, A, Metzen, D, Boer, MM, Barton, CVM, Renchon, AA, Andrews, HM & Pendall, E 2020, 'Using a paired tower approach and remote sensing to assess carbon sequestration and energy distribution in a heterogeneous sclerophyll forest', Science of The Total Environment, vol. 699, pp. 133918-133918.
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The critically endangered Cumberland Plain woodland within the greater Sydney metropolitan area hosts a dwindling refuge for melaleuca trees, an integral part of Australia's native vegetation. Despite their high carbon stocks, melaleucas have not explicitly been targeted for studies assessing their carbon sequestration potential, and especially little is known about their energy cycling or their response to increasing climate stress, precluding a holistic assessment of the resilience of Australia's forests to climate change. To improve our understanding of the role of melaleuca forest responses to climate stress, we combined forest inventory and airborne LiDAR data to identify species distribution and associated variations in forest structure, and deployed flux towers in a melaleuca-dominated (AU-Mel) and in a eucalypt-dominated (AU-Cum) stand to simultaneously monitor carbon and energy fluxes under typical growing conditions, as well as during periods with high atmospheric demand and low soil water content. We discovered that the species distribution at our study site affected the vertical vegetation structure, leading to differences in canopy coverage (75% at AU-Cum vs. 84% at AU-Mel) and plant area index (2.1 m2 m-2 at AU-Cum vs. 2.6 m2 m-2 at AU-Mel) that resulted in a heterogeneous forest landscape. Furthermore, we identified that both stands had comparable net daytime carbon exchange and sensible heat flux, whereas daytime latent heat flux (115.8 W m-2 at AU-Cum vs 119.4 W m-2 at AU-Mel, respectively) was higher at the melaleuca stand, contributing to a 0.3 °C decrease in air temperature and reduced vapor pressure deficit above the melaleuca canopy. However, increased canopy conductance and higher latent heat flux during moderate VPD or when soil moisture was low indicated a lack of water preservation at the melaleuca stand, highlighting the potential for increased vulnerability of melaleucas to projected hotter and drier future climates.
Griebel, A, Metzen, D, Pendall, E, Burba, G & Metzger, S 2020, 'Generating Spatially Robust Carbon Budgets From Flux Tower Observations', Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 47, no. 3.
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AbstractEstimating global terrestrial productivity is typically achieved by rescaling individual flux tower measurements, traditionally assumed to represent homogeneous areas, using gridded remote sensing and climate data. Using 154 locations from the FLUXNET2015 database, we demonstrate that variations in spatial homogeneity and nonuniform sampling patterns introduce variability in carbon budget estimates that propagate to the biome scale. We propose a practical solution to quantify the variability of vegetation characteristics and uniformity of sampling patterns and, moreover, account for contributions of sampling variations over heterogeneous surfaces to carbon budgets from flux towers. Our proposed space‐time‐equitable budgets reduce uncertainty related to heterogeneities, allow for more accurate attribution of physiological variations in productivity trends, and provide more representative grid cell averages for linking fluxes with gridded data products.
Grosso, G, Moon, H, Ciccarino, CJ, Flick, J, Mendelson, N, Mennel, L, Toth, M, Aharonovich, I, Narang, P & Englund, DR 2020, 'Low-Temperature Electron–Phonon Interaction of Quantum Emitters in Hexagonal Boron Nitride', ACS Photonics, vol. 7, no. 6, pp. 1410-1417.
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Guan, M, Molokeev, MS & Zhou, J 2020, 'Atomic deciphering of cation exchange mechanism in upconversion nanoparticles', Journal of Luminescence, vol. 224, pp. 117289-117289.
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© 2020 Transition metal ion doping in upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) provides an effective way to enhance the luminescence for their wide array of applications. However, the doping sites of transition metal ions have not been comprehensively explored, and commonly assumed that transition metal ions replace the trivalent lanthanides within the lattice. Here we report that cation exchange of transition metal (Mn2+) in β-NaYF4:Yb3+/Er3+ UCNPs occurs through alkaline metal (Na+) replacement, via 2Na+ ↔ Mn2+ + Vacancy reaction. This process distorts the LnF9 polyhedrons and tailors the surrounding environment around the trivalent lanthanides, thereby improving the upconversion intensity from active lanthanides. Further confirmed by core-shell design and spectroscopic study, we prove that the transition–alkaline metal exchange enables both the emission enhancement and transition probability variation of activators.
Gunawan, C, Faiz, MB, Mann, R, Ting, SRS, Sotiriou, GA, Marquis, CP & Amal, R 2020, 'Nanosilver Targets the Bacterial Cell Envelope: The Link with Generation of Reactive Oxygen Radicals.', ACS applied materials & interfaces, vol. 12, no. 5, pp. 5557-5568.
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The work describes the interactions of nanosilver (NAg) with bacterial cell envelope components at a molecular level and how this associates with the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated toxicity of the nanoparticle. Major structural changes were detected in cell envelope biomolecules as a result of damages in functional moieties, such as the saccharides, amides, and phosphodiesters. NAg exposure disintegrates the glycan backbone in the major cell wall component peptidoglycan, causes complete breakdown of lipoteichoic acid, and disrupts the phosphate-amine and fatty acid groups in phosphatidylethanolamine, a membrane phospholipid. Consistent with the oxidative attacks, we propose that the observed cell envelope damages are inflicted, at least in part, by the reactive oxygen radicals being generated by the nanoparticle during its leaching process, abiotically, without cells. The cell envelope targeting, especially those on the inner membrane phospholipid, is likely to then trigger the rapid generation of lethal levels of cellular superoxide (O2•-) and hydroxyl (OH•) radicals herein seen with a model bacterium. The present study provides a better understanding of the antibacterial mechanisms of NAg, whereby ROS generation could be both the cause and consequence of the toxicity, associated with the initial cell envelope targeting by the nanoparticle.
Gunawan, D, Dang, KD, Quiroz, M, Kohn, R & Tran, MN 2020, 'Subsampling sequential Monte Carlo for static Bayesian models', Statistics and Computing, vol. 30, no. 6, pp. 1741-1758.
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© 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature. We show how to speed up sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) for Bayesian inference in large data problems by data subsampling. SMC sequentially updates a cloud of particles through a sequence of distributions, beginning with a distribution that is easy to sample from such as the prior and ending with the posterior distribution. Each update of the particle cloud consists of three steps: reweighting, resampling, and moving. In the move step, each particle is moved using a Markov kernel; this is typically the most computationally expensive part, particularly when the dataset is large. It is crucial to have an efficient move step to ensure particle diversity. Our article makes two important contributions. First, in order to speed up the SMC computation, we use an approximately unbiased and efficient annealed likelihood estimator based on data subsampling. The subsampling approach is more memory efficient than the corresponding full data SMC, which is an advantage for parallel computation. Second, we use a Metropolis within Gibbs kernel with two conditional updates. A Hamiltonian Monte Carlo update makes distant moves for the model parameters, and a block pseudo-marginal proposal is used for the particles corresponding to the auxiliary variables for the data subsampling. We demonstrate both the usefulness and limitations of the methodology for estimating four generalized linear models and a generalized additive model with large datasets.
Guo, X, Gao, H & Wang, G 2020, 'A Robust Transition-Metal Sulfide Anode Material Enabled by Truss Structures', Chem, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 334-336.
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The practical application of high-capacity transition-metal sulfide anodes has been hampered by the poor rate capability and cycling performance. As recently reported in Matter, Yang and co-workers have developed a robust micro-truss structural Cu 1.81S material with excellent mechanical strength for high-performance sodium-ion batteries.
Guo, X, Zhang, W, Zhang, J, Zhou, D, Tang, X, Xu, X, Li, B, Liu, H & Wang, G 2020, 'Boosting Sodium Storage in Two-Dimensional Phosphorene/Ti3C2Tx MXene Nanoarchitectures with Stable Fluorinated Interphase.', ACS nano, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 3651-3659.
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The stacking of complementary two-dimensional (2D) materials into hybrid architectures is desirable for batteries with enhanced capacity, fast charging, and long lifetime. However, the 2D heterostructures for energy storage are still underdeveloped, and some associated problems like low Coulombic efficiencies need to be tackled. Herein, we reported a phosphorene/MXene hybrid anode with an in situ formed fluorinated interphase for stable and fast sodium storage. The combination of phosphorene nanosheets with Ti3C2Tx MXene not only facilitates the migration of both electrons and sodium cations but also alleviates structural expansion of phosphorene and thereby improves the cycling performance of the hybrid anode. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy in-depth analysis reveals that the fluorine terminated MXene stabilize the solid electrolyte interphase by forming fluorine-rich compounds on the anode surface. Density functional theory calculations confirm that the sodium affinities and diffusion kinetics are significantly enhanced in the phosphorene/MXene heterostructure, particularly in the phosphorene/Ti3C2F2. As a result, the hybrid electrode achieved a high reversible capacity of 535 mAh g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 and superior cycling performance (343 mAh g-1 after 1000 cycles at 1 A g-1 with a capacity retention of 87%) in a fluorine-free carbonate electrolyte.
Guo, Z, Zhao, S, Li, T, Su, D, Guo, S & Wang, G 2020, 'Recent Advances in Rechargeable Magnesium‐Based Batteries for High‐Efficiency Energy Storage', Advanced Energy Materials, vol. 10, no. 21, pp. 1903591-1903591.
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AbstractBenefiting from higher volumetric capacity, environmental friendliness and metallic dendrite‐free magnesium (Mg) anodes, rechargeable magnesium batteries (RMBs) are of great importance to the development of energy storage technology beyond lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs). However, their practical applications are still limited by the absence of suitable electrode materials, the sluggish kinetics of Mg2+ insertion/extraction and incompatibilities between electrodes and electrolytes. Herein, a systematic and insightful review of recent advances in RMBs, including intercalation‐based cathode materials and conversion reaction‐based compounds is presented. The relationship between microstructures with their electrochemical performances is comprehensively elucidated. In particular, anode materials are discussed beyond metallic Mg for RMBs. Furthermore, other Mg‐based battery systems are also summarized, including Mg–air batteries, Mg–sulfur batteries, and Mg–iodine batteries. This review provides a comprehensive understanding of Mg‐based energy storage technology and could offer new strategies for designing high‐performance rechargeable magnesium batteries.
Gupta, G, Singh, Y, Tiwari, J, Raizaday, A, Alharbi, KS, Al-Abbasi, FA, Kazmi, I, Satija, S, Tambuwala, MM, Devkota, HP, Krishnan, A, Chellappan, DK & Dua, K 2020, 'Beta-catenin non-canonical pathway: A potential target for inflammatory and hyperproliferative state via expression of transglutaminase 2 in psoriatic skin keratinocyte.', Dermatologic Therapy, vol. 33, no. 6, p. e14209.
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Psoriasis is a chronic, local as well as a systemic, inflammatory skin condition. Psoriasis influences the quality of life up to 3.8% of the population and occurs often between 15 and 30 years of age. Specific causes are linked to psoriasis, including the interleukin IL-23/IL-17 Axis, human antigen leucocyte (HLA), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Secukinumab is a monoclonal antibody that specifically binds and neutralizes IL-17A required in the treatment of Psoriasis. The signaling pathways of Wnt govern multiple functions of cell-like fate specification, proliferation, polarity, migration, differentiation with their signaling controlled rigorously, given that dysregulation caused by various stimuli, can lead to alterations in cell proliferation, apoptosis, and human inflammatory disease. Current data has supported non-canonical Wnt signaling pathways in psoriasis development, particularly Wnt5a activated signaling cascades. These interconnected factors are significant in interactions between immune cells, keratinocytes, and inflammatory factors due to a higher degree of transglutaminase 2, mediated by activation of the keratinocyte hyperproliferation of the psoriatic patient's epidermis. This study discusses the pathology of Wnt5a signaling and its involvement in the epidermal inflammatory effects of psoriasis with other related pathways.
Gupta, S, Singh, TG, Baishnab, S, Garg, N, Kaur, K & Satija, S 2020, 'Review article recent management of Hemorrhoids : A pharmacological and surgical perspective', Plant Archives, vol. 20, pp. 3828-3837.
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Hemorrhoids, likewise called piles, are swollen veins in the anus and lower rectum, like varicose veins. Hemorrhoids are portrayed by the symptomatic broadening and distal dislodging of the ordinary anal cushions. Many components have been claimed to be the occurrences of hemorrhoidal development, including constipation and delayed straining. Hemorrhoid tissues are a system of veins situated in and around the anal trench (the last couple of inches of the rectum). At the point when these veins swell, the patient can have manifestations, for example, pain or a burning sensation, Bleeding amid bowel movement, Protrusion of tissue from the anus, Itching around the anus. Hemorrhoids are a standout amongst the most widely recognized reasons that patients look for consultation from a colon and rectal surgeon. Hemorrhoidal disorder has been recorded through hundreds of years of history. Primitive references are found in the Old Testament and in Egyptian, Babylonian and Greek composed sources. Although there are few treatment options available for the treatment of Hemorrhoids, but there is very less or limited knowledge about the complete treatment options and new treatment that are available for treating Hemorrhoids. This review article on Recent Advances in the Treatment of Hemorrhoids will unfold various options (both existing and novel) available for the management of this disorder. The aim stands to prevent morbidity and mortality if any due to this disorder. The review will also unfold management of hemorrhoids via surgical procedures.
Gutiérrez Moreno, JJ, Cao, J, Fronzi, M & Assadi, MHN 2020, 'A review of recent progress in thermoelectric materials through computational methods', Materials for Renewable and Sustainable Energy, vol. 9, no. 3.
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AbstractReducing our overwhelming dependence on fossil fuels requires groundbreaking innovations in increasing our efficiency in energy consumption for current technologies and moving towards renewable energy sources. Thermoelectric materials can help in achieving both goals. Moreover, because of recent advances in high-performance computing, researchers more increasingly rely on computational methods in discovering new thermoelectric materials with economically feasible performance. In this article, significant thermoelectric materials discovered through these computational methods are systematically reviewed. Furthermore, the primary computational tools that aid the design of the next-generation thermoelectric materials are introduced and discussed. These techniques include various levels of density functional theory, electronic transport simulations, and phonon calculations.
Haddadi, N, Travis, G, Nassif, NT, Simpson, AM & Marsh, DJ 2020, 'Toward Systems Pathology for PTEN Diagnostics', Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine, vol. 10, no. 5, pp. a037127-a037127.
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Germline alterations of the tumor suppressor PTEN have been extensively characterized in patients with PTEN hamartoma tumor syndromes, encompassing subsets of Cowden syndrome, Bannayan-Riley-Ruvalcaba syndrome, Proteus and Proteus-like syndromes, as well as autism spectrum disorder. Studies have shown an increase in the risk of developing specific cancer types in the presence of a germline PTEN mutation. Furthermore, outside of the familial setting, somatic variants of PTEN occur in numerous malignancies. Here we introduce and discuss the prospect of moving toward a systems pathology approach for PTEN diagnostics, incorporating clinical and molecular pathology data with the goal of improving the clinical management of patients with a PTEN mutation. Detection of a germline PTEN mutation can inform cancer surveillance and in the case of somatic mutation, have value in predicting disease course. Given that PTEN functions in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, identification of a PTEN mutation may highlight new therapeutic opportunities and/or inform therapeutic choices.
Hadjigol, S, Netto, KG, Maltby, S, Tay, HL, Nguyen, TH, Hansbro, NG, Eyers, F, Hansbro, PM, Yang, M & Foster, PS 2020, 'Lipopolysaccharide induces steroid-resistant exacerbations in a mouse model of allergic airway disease collectively through IL-13 and pulmonary macrophage activation', Clinical and Experimental Allergy, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 82-94.
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© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Background: Acute exacerbations of asthma represent a major burden of disease and are often caused by respiratory infections. Viral infections are recognized as significant triggers of exacerbations; however, less is understood about the how microbial bioproducts such as the endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide (LPS)) trigger episodes. Indeed, increased levels of LPS have been linked to asthma onset, severity and steroid resistance. Objective: The goal of this study was to identify mechanisms underlying bacterial-induced exacerbations by employing LPS as a surrogate for infection. Methods: We developed a mouse model of LPS-induced exacerbation on the background of pre-existing type-2 allergic airway disease (AAD). Results: LPS-induced exacerbation was characterized by steroid-resistant airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and an exaggerated inflammatory response distinguished by increased numbers of infiltrating neutrophils/macrophages and elevated production of lung inflammatory cytokines, including TNFα, IFNγ, IL-27 and MCP-1. Expression of the type-2 associated inflammatory factors such as IL-5 and IL-13 were elevated in AAD but not altered by LPS exposure. Furthermore, AHR and airway inflammation were no longer suppressed by corticosteroid (dexamethasone) treatment after LPS exposure. Depletion of pulmonary macrophages by administration of 2-chloroadenosine into the lungs suppressed AHR and reduced IL-13, TNFα and IFNγ expression. Blocking IL-13 function, through either IL-13-deficiency or administration of specific blocking antibodies, also suppressed AHR and airway inflammation. Conclusions & Clinical Relevance: We present evidence that IL-13 and innate immune pathways (in particular pulmonary macrophages) contribute to LPS-induced exacerbation of pre-existing AAD and provide insight into the complex molecular processes potentially underlying microbial-induced exacerbations.
Hall, P, Johnstone, IM, Ormerod, JT, Wand, MP & Yu, JCF 2020, 'Fast and Accurate Binary Response Mixed Model Analysis via Expectation Propagation', Journal of the American Statistical Association, vol. 115, no. 532, pp. 1902-1916.
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Expectation propagation is a general prescription for approximation ofintegrals in statistical inference problems. Its literature is mainly concernedwith Bayesian inference scenarios. However, expectation propagation can also beused to approximate integrals arising in frequentist statistical inference. Wefocus on likelihood-based inference for binary response mixed models and showthat fast and accurate quadrature-free inference can be realized for the probitlink case with multivariate random effects and higher levels of nesting. Theapproach is supported by asymptotic theory in which expectation propagation isseen to provide consistent estimation of the exact likelihood surface.Numerical studies reveal the availability of fast, highly accurate and scalablemethodology for binary mixed model analysis.
Hamidian, M, Blasco, L, Tillman, LN, To, J, Tomas, M & Myers, GSA 2020, 'Analysis of Complete Genome Sequence of Acinetobacter baumannii Strain ATCC 19606 Reveals Novel Mobile Genetic Elements and Novel Prophage.', Microorganisms, vol. 8, no. 12, pp. 1851-1851.
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Acinetobacter baumannii isolate ATCC 19606 was recovered in the US prior to 1948. It has been used as a reference and model organism in many studies involving antibiotic resistance and pathogenesis of A. baumannii, while, until recently, a complete genome of this strain was not available. Here, we present an analysis of the complete 3.91-Mbp genome sequence, generated via a combination of short-read sequencing (Illumina) and long-read sequencing (MinION), and show it contains two small cryptic plasmids and a novel complete prophage of size 41.2 kb. We also characterised several regions of the ATCC 19606 genome, leading to the identification of a novel cadmium/mercury transposon, which was named Tn6551. ATCC 19606 is an antibiotic-sensitive strain, but a comparative analysis of all publicly available ST52 strains predicts a resistance to modern antibiotics by the accumulation of antibiotic-resistance genes via plasmids in recent isolates that belong to this sequence type.
Hamidian, M, Lazenby, J, To, J, Hartstein, R, Soares, J, McNamara, S & Whitchurch, CB 2020, 'Complete Genome Sequence of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Strain CF13, Recovered from Sputum from an Australian Cystic Fibrosis Patient.', Microbiology resource announcements, vol. 9, no. 32.
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Stenotrophomonas maltophilia isolate CF13 is a multidrug-resistant isolate that was recovered in Sydney, Australia, in 2011, from a sputum sample from an individual with cystic fibrosis. The genome sequence of CF13 was completed using long- and short-read technologies.
Hansbro, P, Dharwal, V & Paudel, K 2020, 'Impact of bushfire smoke on respiratory health', Medical Journal of Australia, vol. accepted 9.7.20, no. 6, pp. 284-284.
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Hansbro, P, Tiotiu, A, Zounemat-Kermani, N, Badi, Y, Pavlidis, S, Chung, KF & Adcock, I 2020, 'Sputum macrophage diversity and activation in asthma: role of severity and inflammatory phenotype', Allergy, vol. (accepted 28.6.20), no. 3, pp. 775-788.
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BACKGROUND:Macrophages control innate and acquired immunity, but their role in severe asthma remains ill-defined. We investigated gene signatures of macrophage subtypes in the sputum of 104 asthmatics and 16 healthy volunteers from the U-BIOPRED cohort. METHODS:Forty-nine gene signatures (modules) for differentially stimulated macrophages, one to assess lung tissue-resident cells (TR-Mφ) and two for their polarization (classically and alternatively activated macrophages: M1 and M2, respectively) were studied using gene set variation analysis. We calculated enrichment scores (ES) across severity and previously identified asthma transcriptome-associated clusters (TACs). RESULTS:Macrophage numbers were significantly decreased in severe asthma compared to mild-moderate asthma and healthy volunteers. The ES for most modules were also significantly reduced in severe asthma except for 3 associated with inflammatory responses driven by TNF and Toll-like receptors via NF-κB, eicosanoid biosynthesis via the lipoxygenase pathway and IL-2 biosynthesis (all P < .01). Sputum macrophage number and the ES for most macrophage signatures were higher in the TAC3 group compared to TAC1 and TAC2 asthmatics. However, a high enrichment was found in TAC1 for 3 modules showing inflammatory pathways linked to Toll-like and TNF receptor activation and arachidonic acid metabolism (P < .001) and in TAC2 for the inflammasome and interferon signalling pathways (P < .001). Data were validated in the ADEPT cohort. Module analysis provides additional information compared to conventional M1 and M2 classification. TR-Mφ were enriched in TAC3 and associated with mitochondrial function. CONCLUSIONS:Macrophage activation is attenuated in severe granulocytic asthma highlighting defective innate immunity except for specific subsets characterized by distinct inflammatory pathways.
Hao, D, Liu, C, Xu, X, Kianinia, M, Aharonovich, I, Bai, X, Liu, X, Chen, Z, Wei, W, Jia, G & Ni, BJ 2020, 'Surface defect-abundant one-dimensional graphitic carbon nitride nanorods boost photocatalytic nitrogen fixation', New Journal of Chemistry, vol. 44, no. 47, pp. 20651-20658.
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© The Royal Society of Chemistry and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. The synthesis of ammonia via the Haber-Bosch process requires high temperature and high pressure, which causes about 1.6% of global CO2 emission every year. the development of a low-cost, facile ammonia synthesis method under ambient conditions is urgently required. Herein, we employed a facile approach to prepare defective g-C3N4 nanorods with a narrower bandgap and a sub-gap, which can significantly enhance the light utilization ratio. More importantly, the defects of g-C3N4 nanorods can also enhance the light adsorption and boost cleavage of N2 molecules, which is the rate-determining step of nitrogen fixation. Compared with bulk g-C3N4, the photocatalytic N2 reduction rate of defective g-C3N4 nanorods as the catalysts was increased by 3.66 times. According to the density functional theory calculation results, the active sites should be an extra carbon in the ring formed in s-triazine rings. This work may provide in-depth insights into the development of novel defective photocatalysts for N2 fixation. This journal is
Hardie, KR, Mathee, K, Schweizer, HP, Dietrich, LEP, Welch, M, de Kievit, T, Nguyen, D, Kivisaar, M, Dandekar, AA, McDougald, D & Winstanley, C 2020, 'Pseudomonas 2019 meeting report', Journal of Medical Microbiology, vol. 69, no. 7, pp. 924-927.
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Hardwick, J, Taylor, J, Mehta, M, Satija, S, Paudel, KR, Hansbro, PM, Chellappan, DK, Bebawy, M & Dua, K 2020, 'Targeting Cancer using Curcumin Encapsulated Vesicular Drug Delivery Systems.', Current pharmaceutical design, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 2-14.
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Curcumin is a major curcuminoid present in turmeric. The compound is attributed with various therapeutic properties, which include, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-malarial, and neuroprotection. Due to its therapeutic potential, curcumin has been employed for centuries in treating different ailments. Curcumin has been investigated lately as a novel therapeutic agent in the treatment of cancer. However, the mechanisms by which curcumin exerts its cytotoxic effects on malignant cells are still not fully understood. One of the main limiting factors in the clinical use of curcumin is its poor bioavailability and rapid elimination. Advancements in drug delivery systems such as, nanoparticle based vesicular drug delivery platforms have improved several parameters, namely, drug bioavailability, solubility, stability, and controlled release properties. The use of curcumin-encapsulated niosomes to improve the physical and pharmacokinetic properties of curcumin is one such approach. This review provides an up-to-date summary on nanoparticle based vesicular drug carriers and their therapeutic applications. Specifically, we focus on niosomes as novel drug delivery formulations and their potential in improving the delivery of challenging small molecules, including curcumin. Overall, the applications of such carriers will provide a new direction for novel pharmaceutical drug delivery, as well as, biotechnology, nutraceutical, and functional food industries.
Hare, DJ, Shimoni, O & Bishop, DP 2020, 'The Immuno-Mass Spectrometry Chemical Microscope', Trends in Chemistry, vol. 2, no. 5, pp. 403-406.
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© 2020 Elsevier Inc. Elemental mass spectrometry (MS) imaging has evolved beyond mapping biometals in tissue sections. The continually improving sensitivity and spatial resolution of chemical imaging technology has the potential to revolutionize immunohistochemistry (IHC). We explore how simple modifications to routine immunostaining protocols that integrate ‘immuno-MS imaging’ (iMSI) are making in situ quantitative protein mapping a reality.
Hartigan, J, MacNamara, S & Leslie, LM 2020, 'Application of Machine Learning to Attribution and Prediction of Seasonal Precipitation and Temperature Trends in Canberra, Australia', Climate, vol. 8, no. 6, pp. 76-76.
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Southeast Australia is frequently impacted by drought, requiring monitoring of how the various factors influencing drought change over time. Precipitation and temperature trends were analysed for Canberra, Australia, revealing decreasing autumn precipitation. However, annual precipitation remains stable as summer precipitation increased and the other seasons show no trend. Further, mean temperature increases in all seasons. These results suggest that Canberra is increasingly vulnerable to drought. Wavelet analysis suggests that the El-Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) influences precipitation and temperature in Canberra, although its impact on precipitation has decreased since the 2000s. Linear regression (LR) and support vector regression (SVR) were applied to attribute climate drivers of annual precipitation and mean maximum temperature (TMax). Important attributes of precipitation include ENSO, the southern annular mode (SAM), Indian Ocean Dipole (DMI) and Tasman Sea SST anomalies. Drivers of TMax included DMI and global warming attributes. The SVR models achieved high correlations of 0.737 and 0.531 on prediction of precipitation and TMax, respectively, outperforming the LR models which obtained correlations of 0.516 and 0.415 for prediction of precipitation and TMax on the testing data. This highlights the importance of continued research utilising machine learning methods for prediction of atmospheric variables and weather pattens on multiple time scales.
Hartigan, J, MacNamara, S, Leslie, LM & Speer, M 2020, 'Attribution and Prediction of Precipitation and Temperature Trends within the Sydney Catchment Using Machine Learning', Climate, vol. 8, no. 10, pp. 120-120.
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Droughts in southeastern Australia can profoundly affect the water supply to Sydney, Australia’s largest city. Increasing population, a warming climate, land surface changes and expanded agricultural use increase water demand and reduce catchment runoff. Studying Sydney’s water supply is necessary to manage water resources and lower the risk of severe water shortages. This study aims at understanding Sydney’s water supply by analysing precipitation and temperature trends across the catchment. A decreasing trend in annual precipitation was found across the Sydney catchment area. Annual precipitation also is significantly less variable, due to fewer years above the 80th percentile. These trends result from significant reductions in precipitation during spring and autumn, especially over the last 20 years. Wavelet analysis was applied to assess how the influence of climate drivers has changed over time. Attribute selection was carried out using linear regression and machine learning techniques, including random forests and support vector regression. Drivers of annual precipitation included Niño3.4, Southern Annular Mode (SAM) and DMI, and measures of global warming such as the Tasman Sea sea surface temperature anomalies. The support vector regression model with a polynomial kernel achieved correlations of 0.921 and a skill score compared to climatology of 0.721. The linear regression model also performed well with a correlation of 0.815 and skill score of 0.567, highlighting the importance of considering both linear and non-linear methods when developing statistical models. Models were also developed on autumn and winter precipitation but performed worse than annual precipitation on prediction. For example, the best performing model on autumn precipitation, which accounts for approximately one quarter of annual precipitation, achieved an RMSE of 418.036 mm2 on the testing data, while annual precipitation achieved an RMSE of 613.704 mm2. However, the seasona...
Hastak, P, Cummins, ML, Gottlieb, T, Cheong, E, Merlino, J, Myers, GSA, Djordjevic, SP & Roy, CP 2020, 'Genomic profiling of Escherichia coli isolates from bacteraemia patients: a 3-year cohort study of isolates collected at a Sydney teaching hospital.', Microbial genomics, vol. 6, no. 5, pp. 1-16.
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This study sought to assess the genetic variability of Escherichia coli isolated from bloodstream infections (BSIs) presenting at Concord Hospital, Sydney during 2013-2016. Whole-genome sequencing was used to characterize 81 E. coli isolates sourced from community-onset (CO) and hospital-onset (HO) BSIs. The cohort comprised 64 CO and 17 HO isolates, including 35 multidrug-resistant (MDR) isolates exhibiting phenotypic resistance to three or more antibiotic classes. Phylogenetic analysis identified two major ancestral clades. One was genetically diverse with 25 isolates distributed in 16 different sequence types (STs) representing phylogroups A, B1, B2, C and F, while the other comprised phylogroup B2 isolates in subclades representing the ST131, ST73 and ST95 lineages. Forty-seven isolates contained a class 1 integron, of which 14 carried bla CTX -M-gene. Isolates with a class 1 integron carried more antibiotic resistance genes than isolates without an integron and, in most instances, resistance genes were localized within complex resistance loci (CRL). Resistance to fluoroquinolones could be attributed to point mutations in chromosomal parC and gyrB genes and, in addition, two isolates carried a plasmid-associated qnrB4 gene. Co-resistance to fluoroquinolone and broad-spectrum beta-lactam antibiotics was associated with ST131 (HO and CO), ST38 (HO), ST393 (CO), ST2003 (CO) and ST8196 (CO and HO), a novel ST identified in this study. Notably, 10/81 (12.3 %) isolates with ST95 (5 isolates), ST131 (2 isolates), ST88 (2 isolates) and a ST540 likely carry IncFII-IncFIB plasmid replicons with a full spectrum of virulence genes consistent with the carriage of ColV-like plasmids. Our data indicate that IncF plasmids play an important role in shaping virulence and resistance gene carriage in BSI E. coli in Australia.
Hastak, P, Fourment, M, Darling, AE, Gottlieb, T, Cheong, E, Merlino, J, Myers, GSA, Djordjevic, SP & Chowdhury, PR 2020, 'Escherichia coli ST8196 is a novel, locally evolved, and extensively drug resistant pathogenic lineage within the ST131 clonal complex.', Emerging microbes & infections, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 1-35.
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The H30Rx subclade of Escherichia coli ST131 is a clinically important, globally dispersed extra-pathogenic lineage that typically displays resistance to fluoroquinolones and extended spectrum ß-lactams. Here we describe isolates EC233 and EC234, both variants of ST131-H30Rx with a novel sequence type (ST) 8196, from unrelated patients presenting with bacteraemia at Concord Repatriation Hospital in Sydney in 2014. EC233 and EC234 are phylogroup B2, serotype O25:H4A, resistant to ampicillin, amoxicillin, cefoxitin, ceftazidime, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin and gentamicin and are likely clonal. Both isolates carry an IncFII_2 plasmid similar to pSPRC_Ec234-FII (85,199 bp characterised in EC234), two small plasmids and a novel IncI1 plasmid similar to pSPRC_Ec234-I (92,955 bp characterised in EC234). Apart from a chromosomally located bla CTX-M-15 module, the resistance genes are flanked by IS26 and form a complex resistance locus (CRL) on pSPRC_Ec234-FII. SNP-based phylogenetic analysis of the core genome of all ST representatives within the ST131 clonal complex places both isolates in a small subclade with 3 other clinical Australian ST131-H30Rx clade C isolates. MrBayes phylogeny analysis of ST8196 using a global collection of ST131 genomes indicated EC233 and EC234 share a most recent common ancestor with EC70, a MDR ST131-H30Rx clone, isolated from the same Sydney hospital in 2013. Our study identified genomic hallmarks that define the ST131-H30Rx subclade in both the ST8196 isolates and highlights the requirement for unbiased genomic surveillance approaches to identify and track novel high-risk MDR E. coli pathogens that impact healthcare facilities.
Hayee, F, Yu, L, Zhang, JL, Ciccarino, CJ, Nguyen, M, Marshall, AF, Aharonovich, I, Vučković, J, Narang, P, Heinz, TF & Dionne, JA 2020, 'Revealing multiple classes of stable quantum emitters in hexagonal boron nitride with correlated optical and electron microscopy', Nature Materials, vol. 19, no. 5, pp. 534-539.
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Hayward, RJ, Marsh, JW, Humphrys, MS, Huston, WM & Myers, GSA 2020, 'Chromatin accessibility dynamics of Chlamydia-infected epithelial cells', Epigenetics & Chromatin, vol. 13, no. 1.
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AbstractChlamydia are Gram-negative, obligate intracellular bacterial pathogens responsible for a broad spectrum of human and animal diseases. In humans,Chlamydia trachomatisis the most prevalent bacterial sexually transmitted infection worldwide and is the causative agent of trachoma (infectious blindness) in disadvantaged populations. Over the course of its developmental cycle,Chlamydiaextensively remodels its intracellular niche and parasitises the host cell for nutrients, with substantial resulting changes to the host cell transcriptome and proteome. However, little information is available on the impact of chlamydial infection on the host cell epigenome and global gene regulation. Regions of open eukaryotic chromatin correspond to nucleosome-depleted regions, which in turn are associated with regulatory functions and transcription factor binding. We applied formaldehyde-assisted isolation of regulatory elements enrichment followed by sequencing (FAIRE-Seq) to generate temporal chromatin maps ofC. trachomatis-infected human epithelial cells in vitro over the chlamydial developmental cycle. We detected both conserved and distinct temporal changes to genome-wide chromatin accessibility associated withC. trachomatisinfection. The observed differentially accessible chromatin regions include temporally-enriched sets of transcription factors, which may help shape the host cell response to infection. These regions and motifs were linked to genomic features and genes associated with immune responses, re-direction of host cell nutrients, intracellular signalling, cell–cell adhesion, extracellular matrix, metabolism and apoptosis. This work provides another perspective to the complex response to chlamydial infection, and will inform further studies of transcriptional regulation and the epigenome inChlamydia
He, P, Gelissen, IC & Ammit, AJ 2020, 'Regulation of ATP binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) expression: cholesterol-dependent and – independent signaling pathways with relevance to inflammatory lung disease', Respiratory Research, vol. 21, no. 1.
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AbstractThe role of the ATP binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) in maintaining cellular lipid homeostasis in cardiovascular disease is well established. More recently, the important beneficial role played by ABCA1 in modulating pathogenic disease mechanisms, such as inflammation, in a broad range of chronic conditions has been realised. These studies position ABCA1 as a potential therapeutic target in a diverse range of diseases where inflammation is an underlying cause. Chronic respiratory conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are driven by inflammation, and as such, there is now a growing recognition that we need a greater understanding of the signaling pathways responsible for regulation of ABCA1 expression in this clinical context. While the signaling pathways responsible for cholesterol-mediated ABCA1 expression have been clearly delineated through decades of studies in the atherosclerosis field, and thus far appear to be translatable to the respiratory field, less is known about the cholesterol-independent signaling pathways that can modulate ABCA1 expression in inflammatory lung disease. This review will identify the various signaling pathways and ligands that are associated with the regulation of ABCA1 expression and may be exploited in future as therapeutic targets in the setting of chronic inflammatory lung diseases.
Heather, E, Shimmon, R & McDonagh, A 2020, 'Organic impurity profiling of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) synthesised from catechol and eugenol via 4-allylcatechol.', Forensic science international, vol. 309, pp. 110176-110176.
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This work examines organic impurity profiles of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) that has been synthesised from the 'pre-precursors' catechol (1,2-dihydroxybenzene) and eugenol, via a safrole intermediate. MDMA was synthesised from the catechol- and eugenol-derived safrole intermediate via two routes, which resulted in the synthesis of MDMA from catechol via two routes (Route 1A and 1B) and from eugenol via two routes (Route 2A and 2B). Twelve organic impurities were identified in MDMA synthesised via Routes 1A and 1B, and eleven organic impurities were identified in MDMA synthesised via Routes 2A and 2B. Route specific organic impurities were identified in MDMA that indicated the 'pre-precursors' catechol and eugenol were used in the respective synthetic routes. Route specific organic impurities were also identified in MDMA that indicated the route used to synthesise safrole from the 'pre-precursor' and the route used to synthesise MDMA from safrole. Thus, the use of the 'pre-precursors' catechol and eugenol and the synthetic route utilised could be ascertained by the organic impurity profiling of MDMA under the conditions used here.
Heffernan, AL, Gomez-Ramos, MJ, Symeonides, C, Hare, DJ, Vijayasarathy, S, Thompson, K, Mueller, JF, Ponsonby, AL & Sly, PD 2020, 'Harmonizing analytical chemistry and clinical epidemiology for human biomonitoring studies. A case-study of plastic product chemicals in urine', Chemosphere, vol. 238, pp. 124631-124631.
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Hewavisenti, R, Ferguson, A, Wang, K, Jones, D, Gebhardt, T, Edwards, J, Zhang, M, Britton, W, Yang, J, Hong, A & Palendira, U 2020, 'CD103+ tumor-resident CD8+ T cell numbers underlie improved patient survival in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma', Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. e000452-e000452.
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BackgroundHuman Papillomavirus (HPV) associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is one of the fastest growing cancers in the Western world. When compared to OPSCCs induced by smoking or alcohol, patients with HPV+ OPSCC, have better survival and the mechanisms remain unclear.MethodsThe Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was examined for genes associated with tissue-resident CD8+ T cells. Multiplex immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining was performed on tumor specimen taken from 35 HPV+ and 27 HPV- OPSCC patients.ResultsTCGA database revealed that the expression of genes encoding CD103 and CD69 were significantly higher in HPV+ head and neck SCCs (HNSCC) than in HPV- HNSCC. Higher expression levels of these two genes were also associated with better overall survival. IHC staining showed that the proportion of CD103+ tumor-resident CD8+ T cells were significantly higher in HPV+ OPSCCs when compared to HPV- OPSCC. This higher level was also associated with both lower risk of loco-regional failure, and better overall survival. Importantly, patients with HPV- OPSCC who had comparable levels of CD103+ tumor-resident CD8+ T cells to those with HPV+ OPSCC demonstrated similar survival as those with HPV+OPSCC.ConclusionOur results show that CD103+ tumor-resident CD8+ T cells are critical for protective immunity in both types of OPSCCs. Our data further suggest that the enhanced local protective immunity provided by tumor-resident T cell responses is the underlying factor driving favorable clinical outcomes in HPV+ OPSCCs over HPV- OPSCCs.
Heywood, I, Lenc, E, Serra, P, Hugo, B, Bannister, KW, Bell, ME, Chippendale, A, Harvey-Smith, L, Marvil, J, McConnell, D & Voronkov, MA 2020, 'Field sources near the southern-sky calibrator PKS B1934-638: effect on spectral line observations with SKA-MID and its precursors', Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, vol. 494, no. 4, pp. 5018-5028.
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ABSTRACT
Accurate instrumental bandpass corrections are essential for the reliable interpretation of spectral lines from targeted and survey-mode observations with radio interferometers. Bandpass correction is typically performed by comparing measurements of a strong calibrator source to an assumed model, typically an isolated point source. The wide field-of-view and high sensitivity of modern interferometers means that additional sources are often detected in observations of calibrators. This can introduce errors into bandpass corrections and subsequently the target data if not properly accounted for. Focusing on the standard calibrator PKS B1934-638, we perform simulations to asses this effect by constructing a wide-field sky model. The cases of ASKAP (0.7–1.9 GHz), MeerKAT (UHF: 0.58–1.05 GHz; L-band: 0.87–1.67 GHz) and Band 2 (0.95–1.76 GHz) of SKA-MID are examined. The use of a central point source model during bandpass calibration is found to impart amplitude errors into spectra measured by the precursor instruments at the ∼0.2–0.5 per cent level dropping to ∼0.01 per cent in the case of SKA-MID. This manifests itself as ripples in the source spectrum, the behaviour of which is coupled to the distribution of the array baselines, the solution interval, the primary beam size, the hour-angle of the calibration scan, as well as the weights used when imaging the target. Calibration pipelines should routinely employ complete field models for standard calibrators to remove this potentially destructive contaminant from the data, a recommendation we validate by comparing our simulation results to a MeerKAT scan of PKS B1934-638, calibrated with and without our expanded sky model.
Hitchcock, JN 2020, 'Storm events as key moments of microplastic contamination in aquatic ecosystems', Science of The Total Environment, vol. 734, pp. 139436-139436.
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Microplastic (MP) pollution is an emerging issue in aquatic sciences. Rain and storm events are responsible for the mobilization and transport of a range of pollutants in aquatic systems, yet to date no study has examined how microplastic abundance changes in waterways during such events. The aim of this study was to determine how microplastic concentrations changed over the course of the storm event in an urban estuary. Sampling was conducted at high frequency before, during, and after a storm event that caused flooding in the Cooks River estuary, Australia. Microplastic abundance increased during two days of heavy rain from 400 particles m3 before storm event to up to 17,383 particles m3 after the event. Variation in microplastic abundance was positively related to five-day average antecedent rainfall. The results highlight the importance of rain and storm events as key moments of microplastic contamination in aquatic systems. The results have implications for considering the maximum number of microplastics that aquatic life may be exposed to and the importance of strategies to manage stormwater to minimize the input of microplastics to aquatic ecosystems.
Ho, J, Bokil, NJ, Nguyen, PTB, Nguyen, TA, Liu, MY, Hare, N, Fox, GJ, Saunders, BM, Marks, GB & Britton, WJ 2020, 'A transcriptional blood signature distinguishes early tuberculosis disease from latent tuberculosis infection and uninfected individuals in a Vietnamese cohort.', The Journal of infection, vol. 81, no. 1, pp. 72-80.
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OBJECTIVES:Global tuberculosis (TB) control is restricted by the failure to detect an estimated 3.3 million TB cases annually. In the majority of TB endemic settings, sputum smear microscopy is used to diagnose TB, but this test is insensitive for TB in its early stages. The objective of this study is to establish a concise gene signature that discriminates between individuals with early TB disease, latent TB infection (LTBI) and those without infection. METHODS:This is a case control study nested within a cluster-randomised trial of population screening for active TB using Xpert MTB/RIF. Whole blood samples from 303 participants with active TB (97), LTBI (92) and uninfected individuals (114) were subject to transcriptomic analysis of selected target genes based on a systematic review of previous studies. RESULTS:Analysis of 82 genes identified a pattern of differentially expressed genes in TB disease. A seven gene signature was identified that distinguished between TB disease and no TB disease with an AUC of 0.86 (95% CI: 0.80-0.91), and between TB disease from LTBI with an AUC of 0.88 (95% CI: 0.82-0.93). CONCLUSION:This gene signature accurately distinguishes early TB disease from those without TB disease or infection, in the context of community-wide TB screening. It could be used as a non-sputum based screening tool or triage test to detect prevalent cases of TB in the community.
Ho, YYW, Mina-Vargas, A, Zhu, G, Brims, M, McNevin, D, Montgomery, GW, Martin, NG, Medland, SE & Painter, JN 2020, 'Comparison of Genome-Wide Association Scans for Quantitative and Observational Measures of Human Hair Curvature', Twin Research and Human Genetics, vol. 23, no. 5, pp. 271-277.
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AbstractPrevious genetic studies on hair morphology focused on the overall morphology of the hair using data collected by self-report or researcher observation. Here, we present the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) of a micro-level quantitative measure of hair curvature. We compare these results to GWAS results obtained using a macro-level classification of observable hair curvature performed in the same sample of twins and siblings of European descent. Observational data were collected by trained observers, while quantitative data were acquired using an Optical Fibre Diameter Analyser (OFDA). The GWAS for both the observational and quantitative measures of hair curvature resulted in genome-wide significant signals at chromosome 1q21.3 close to the trichohyalin (TCHH) gene, previously shown to harbor variants associated with straight hair morphology in Europeans. All genetic variants reaching genome-wide significance for both GWAS (quantitative measure lead single-nucleotide polymorphism [SNP] rs12130862, p = 9.5 × 10–09; observational measure lead SNP rs11803731, p = 2.1 × 10–17) were in moderate to very high linkage disequilibrium (LD) with each other (minimum r2 = .45), indicating they represent the same genetic locus. Conditional analyses confirmed the presence of only one signal associated with each measure at this locus. Results from the quantitative measures reconfirmed the accuracy of observational measures.
Hong, CC, Tang, AT, Detter, MR, Choi, JP, Wang, R, Yang, X, Guerrero, AA, Wittig, CF, Hobson, N, Girard, R, Lightle, R, Moore, T, Shenkar, R, Polster, SP, Goddard, LM, Ren, AA, Leu, NA, Sterling, S, Yang, J, Li, L, Chen, M, Mericko-Ishizuka, P, Dow, LE, Watanabe, H, Schwaninger, M, Min, W, Marchuk, DA, Zheng, X, Awad, IA & Kahn, ML 2020, 'Cerebral cavernous malformations are driven by ADAMTS5 proteolysis of versican', Journal of Experimental Medicine, vol. 217, no. 10.
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Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) form following loss of the CCM protein complex in brain endothelial cells due to increased endothelial MEKK3 signaling and KLF2/4 transcription factor expression, but the downstream events that drive lesion formation remain undefined. Recent studies have revealed that CCM lesions expand by incorporating neighboring wild-type endothelial cells, indicative of a cell nonautonomous mechanism. Here we find that endothelial loss of ADAMTS5 reduced CCM formation in the neonatal mouse model. Conversely, endothelial gain of ADAMTS5 conferred early lesion genesis in the absence of increased KLF2/4 expression and synergized with KRIT1 loss of function to create large malformations. Lowering versican expression reduced CCM burden, indicating that versican is the relevant ADAMTS5 substrate and that lesion formation requires proteolysis but not loss of this extracellular matrix protein. These findings identify endothelial secretion of ADAMTS5 and cleavage of versican as downstream mechanisms of CCM pathogenesis and provide a basis for the participation of wild-type endothelial cells in lesion formation.
Hortle, E & Oehlers, SH 2020, 'Host-directed therapies targeting the tuberculosis granuloma stroma', Pathogens and Disease, vol. 78, no. 2.
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ABSTRACTMycobacteria have co-evolved with their hosts resulting in pathogens adept at intracellular survival. Pathogenic mycobacteria actively manipulate infected macrophages to drive granuloma formation while subverting host cell processes to create a permissive niche. Granuloma residency confers phenotypic antimicrobial resistance by physically excluding or neutralising antibiotics. Host-directed therapies (HDTs) combat infection by restoring protective immunity and reducing immunopathology independent of pathogen antimicrobial resistance status. This review covers innovative research that has discovered ‘secondary’ symptoms of infection in the granuloma stroma are actually primary drivers of infection and that relieving these stromal pathologies with HDTs benefits the host. Advances in our understanding of the relationship between tuberculosis and the host vasculature, haemostatic system and extracellular matrix reorganisation are discussed. Preclinical and clinical use of HDTs against these stromal targets are summarised.
Hortle, E, Starrs, L, Brown, FC, Jane, SM, Curtis, DJ, McMorran, BJ, Foote, SJ & Burgio, G 2020, 'Author Correction: KCC1 Activation protects Mice from the Development of Experimental Cerebral Malaria', Scientific Reports, vol. 10, no. 1.
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An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Hossain, KR, Li, X, Zhang, T, Paula, S, Cornelius, F & Clarke, RJ 2020, 'Polarity of the ATP binding site of the Na+,K+-ATPase, gastric H+,K+-ATPase and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase', Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Biomembranes, vol. 1862, no. 2, pp. 183138-183138.
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Houghton, KA, Lomsadze, A, Park, S, Nascimento, FS, Barratt, J, Arrowood, MJ, VanRoey, E, Talundzic, E, Borodovsky, M & Qvarnstrom, Y 2020, 'Development of a workflow for identification of nuclear genotyping markers for Cyclospora cayetanensis', Parasite, vol. 27, pp. 24-24.
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Cyclospora cayetanensis is an intestinal parasite responsible for the diarrheal illness, cyclosporiasis. Molecular genotyping, using targeted amplicon sequencing, provides a complementary tool for outbreak investigations, especially when epidemiological data are insufficient for linking cases and identifying clusters. The goal of this study was to identify candidate genotyping markers using a novel workflow for detection of segregating single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in C. cayetanensis genomes. Four whole C. cayetanensis genomes were compared using this workflow and four candidate markers were selected for evaluation of their genotyping utility by PCR and Sanger sequencing. These four markers covered 13 SNPs and resolved parasites from 57 stool specimens, differentiating C. cayetanensis into 19 new unique genotypes.
Huang, D, Li, WL, Liu, ZF, Li, YX, Ton-That, C, Cheng, J, Choy, WCH & Ling, FCC 2020, 'Electron-pinned defect dipoles in (Li, Al) co-doped ZnO ceramics with colossal dielectric permittivity', Journal of Materials Chemistry A, vol. 8, no. 9, pp. 4764-4774.
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This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry. Through systematic optimization studies of Li and Al co-doped ZnO ceramics we demonstrate that colossal permittivity with low dielectric loss (ϵr = 9862 and tan δ = 0.159 at the frequency of 1 kHz) at room temperature can be achieved in Zn0.99(Li0.1, Al0.2)0.033O. The colossal dielectric constant (CDC) and low dielectric loss in this ceramic have relatively good frequency and temperature stability. Annealing the ceramic at 900 °C in oxygen leads to the drop of ϵr to 2250 but the dielectric loss remains at ∼0.10. Dielectric spectrum analysis shows that the CDC is associated with two relaxation processes. One of these process vanishes and the other one persists after annealing, suggesting that P1 is associated with oxygen-deficient defects. For samples exhibiting CDC, ac conductivity study revealed correlated barrier hopping between defect states in the band gap. A model involving these defects as the electron pinned defect dipole is proposed. The experimental dielectric data are well described by this model using Kirkwood's theory and Kramer-Krönig transformation.
Huang, G, Lin, G, Zhu, Y, Duan, W & Jin, D 2020, 'Emerging technologies for profiling extracellular vesicle heterogeneity.', Lab on a chip, vol. 20, no. 14, pp. 2423-2437.
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Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-bound vesicles secreted by most cell types and exist in virtually all bodily fluids. They carry on a wealth of proteomic and genetic information including proteins, lipids, miRNAs, mRNA, non-coding RNA and other molecules from parental cells. Increasing evidence shows that within populations of EVs, their biogenesis, physical characteristics (e.g. size, density, morphology) and cargos (e.g. protein, lipid content, nucleic acids) may vary substantially, which accordingly change their biological properties. To fully exploit the potential of EVs, it requires qualified methods to profile EV heterogeneity. In this review, we survey recent approaches for EV isolation with innovative discoveries in heterogeneity. The main challenges in EV heterogeneity research are identified, and the roles of single cell EV profiling and single EV imaging are highlighted. We further discuss promising opportunities for resolving the underlying complexity of EV heterogeneity.
Huang, Z, Wong, L-W, Su, Y, Huang, X, Wang, N, Chen, H & Yi, C 2020, 'Blood-brain barrier integrity in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease', Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, vol. 59, pp. 100857-100857.
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The blood-brain barrier (BBB) tightly controls the molecular exchange between the brain parenchyma and blood. Accumulated evidence from transgenic animal Alzheimer's disease (AD) models and human AD patients have demonstrated that BBB dysfunction is a major player in AD pathology. In this review, we discuss the role of the BBB in maintaining brain integrity and how this is mediated by crosstalk between BBB-associated cells within the neurovascular unit (NVU). We then discuss the role of the NVU, in particular its endothelial cell, pericyte, and glial cell constituents, in AD pathogenesis. The effect of substances released by the neuroendocrine system in modulating BBB function and AD pathogenesis is also discussed. We perform a systematic review of currently available AD treatments specifically targeting pericytes and BBB glial cells. In summary, this review provides a comprehensive overview of BBB dysfunction in AD and a new perspective on the development of therapeutics for AD.
Hudson, BJ, Chicken, C, Blishen, A, Todhunter, KH, Begg, AP, Chan, L, Karagiannis, T, Raymond, B, Bogema, D, Adkins, AR, O'Sullivan, CB, O'Rourke, BA, Roy, CP, Djordjevic, SP, Charles, IG, Edgar, A & Mitsakos, K 2020, 'Osteoarticular Infection in Three Young Thoroughbred Horses Caused by a Novel Gram Negative Cocco-Bacillus', Case Reports in Veterinary Medicine, vol. 2020, pp. 1-8.
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© 2020 Bernard J. Hudson et al. We describe three cases of osteoarticular infection (OAI) in young thoroughbred horses in which the causative organism was identified by MALDI-TOF as Kingella species. The pattern of OAI resembled that reported with Kingella infection in humans. Analysis by 16S rRNA PCR enabled construction of a phylogenetic tree that placed the isolates closer to Simonsiella and Alysiella species, rather than Kingella species. Average nucleotide identity (ANI) comparison between the new isolate and Kingella kingae and Alysiella crassa however revealed low probability that the new isolate belonged to either of these species. This preliminary analysis suggests the organism isolated is a previously unrecognised species.
Hughes, DJ, Alderdice, R, Cooney, C, Kühl, M, Pernice, M, Voolstra, CR & Suggett, DJ 2020, 'Coral reef survival under accelerating ocean deoxygenation', Nature Climate Change, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 296-307.
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Hughes, DJ, Crosswell, JR, Doblin, MA, Oxborough, K, Ralph, PJ, Varkey, D & Suggett, DJ 2020, 'Dynamic variability of the phytoplankton electron requirement for carbon fixation in eastern Australian waters', Journal of Marine Systems, vol. 202, pp. 103252-103252.
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© 2019 Elsevier B.V. Fast Repetition Rate fluorometry (FRRf) generates high-resolution measures of phytoplankton primary productivity as electron transport rates (ETRs). How ETRs scale to corresponding inorganic carbon (C) uptake rates (the so-called electron requirement for carbon fixation, Φe,C), inherently describes the extent and effectiveness with which absorbed light energy drives C-fixation. However, it remains unclear whether and how Φe,C follows predictable patterns for oceanographic datasets spanning physically dynamic, and complex, environmental gradients. We utilise a unique high-throughput approach, coupling ETRs and 14C-incubations to produce a semi-continuous dataset of Φe,C (n = 80), predominantly from surface waters, along the Australian coast (Brisbane to the Tasman Sea), including the East Australian Current (EAC). Environmental conditions along this transect could be generally grouped into cooler, more nutrient-rich waters dominated by larger size-fractionated Chl-a (>10 μm) versus warmer nutrient-poorer waters dominated by smaller size-fractionated Chl-a (<2 μm). Whilst Φe,C was higher for warmer water samples, environmental conditions alone explained <20% variance of Φe,C, and changes in predominant size-fraction(s) distributions of Chl-a (biomass) failed to explain variance of Φe,C. Instead, normalised Stern-Volmer non-photochemical quenching (NPQNSV = F0′/Fv′) was a better predictor of Φe,C, explaining ~55% of observed variability. NPQNSV is a physiological descriptor that accounts for changes in both long-term driven acclimation in non-radiative decay, and quasi-instantaneous PSII downregulation, and thus may prove a useful predictor of Φe,C across physically-dynamic regimes, provided the slope describing their relationship is predictable. We also consider recent advances in fluorescence-based corrections to evaluate the potential role of baseline fluorescence (Fb) in contributing to overestimation of Φe,C and the correlation be...
Hundal, AK, Agarwal, A, Jameel, MA, Ali, S, Chen, J-Y, Kaur, N, Jones, L, Li, J-L, Langford, SJ & Gupta, A 2020, 'Impact of self-assembly on the photovoltaic properties of a small molecule oligothiophene donor', Solar Energy, vol. 195, pp. 223-229.
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Huo, J, Ge, R, Liu, Y, Guo, J, Lu, L, Chen, W, Liu, C, Gao, H & Liu, H 2020, 'Recent advances of two–dimensional molybdenum disulfide based materials: Synthesis, modification and applications in energy conversion and storage', Sustainable Materials and Technologies, vol. 24, pp. e00161-e00161.
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Hurtado-McCormick, V, Kahlke, T, Krix, D, Larkum, A, Ralph, PJ & Seymour, JR 2020, 'Seagrass leaf reddening alters the microbiome of Zostera muelleri', Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol. 646, pp. 29-44.
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Seagrasses host an extremely diverse microbiome that plays fundamental roles in seagrass health and productivity but may be sensitive to shifts in host physiology. Here, we observed a leaf reddening phenomenon in Zostera muelleri and characterized bacterial assemblages associated with green and reddened leaves to determine whether this change in leaf pigmentation stimulates shifts in the seagrass microbiome. Using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, we observed that the microbiome associated with 4 different leaf pigmentation categories (i.e. green, white, purple and black) differed significantly, with substantial changes in microbiome composition when the tissue is whitened (non-pigmented). Actinobacteria, Rhodobacteraceae, Erythrobacter, Sulfitobacter and Granulosicoccus were enriched in black and/or purple tissues and discriminated these microbiomes from those associated with green leaves. Contrastingly, all ‘discriminatory’ zero-radius operational taxonomic units (zOTUs) were depleted within the communities associated with white samples. While 40% of the abundant zOTUs identified were exclusively associated with a single pigmentation category, only 3% were shared across all categories, indicating partitioning of the phyllosphere microbiome. However, a significant proportion of the ‘normal’ (green) leaf core microbiome was also retained in the core communities associated with black (70%) and purple (70%) tissues. Contrastingly, no core zOTUs were maintained in the white tissues. These results indicate that environmentally driven physiological shifts in seagrasses, such as leaf reddening expressed in response to high irradiance, can impact the seagrass leaf microbiome, resulting in significant shifts in the microbiome of reddened leaves with the most extreme expression (in white tissue...
Hwang, H & Ryan, L 2020, 'Statistical strategies for the analysis of massive data sets.', Biometrical Journal: journal of mathematical methods in biosciences, vol. 62, no. 2, pp. 270-281.
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The advent of the big data age has changed the landscape for statisticians. Public and private organizations alike these days are interested in capturing and analyzing complex customer data in order to improve their service and drive efficiency gains. However, the large volume of data involved often means that standard statistical methods fail and new ways of thinking are needed. Although great gains can be obtained through the use of more advanced computing environments or through developing sophisticated new statistical algorithms that handle data in a more efficient way, there are also many simpler things that can be done to handle large data sets in an efficient and intuitive manner. These include the use of distributed analysis methodologies, clever subsampling, data coarsening, and clever data reductions that exploit concepts such as sufficiency. These kinds of strategies represent exciting opportunities for statisticians to remain front and center in the data science world.
Iosifidis, G & Duggin, IG 2020, 'Distinct morphological fates of uropathogenic E. coli intracellular bacterial communities: dependency on urine composition and pH.', Infection and immunity, vol. 88, no. 9.
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Uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) is the leading cause of urinary tract infections (UTI). These bacteria undertake a multi-stage infection cycle involving invasion of and proliferation within urinary tract epithelial cells, leading to the rupture of the host cell and dispersal of the bacteria, some of which have a highly filamentous morphology. Here we established a microfluidics-based model of UPEC infection of immortalized human bladder epithelial cells that recapitulates the main stages of bacterial morphological changes during the acute infection cycle in vivo and allows the development and fate of individual cells to be monitored in real-time by fluorescence microscopy. The UPEC-infected bladder cells remained alive and mobile in non-confluent monolayers during the development of intracellular bacterial communities (IBCs). Switching from a flow of growth medium to human urine resulted in immobilization of both uninfected and infected bladder cells. IBCs continued to develop and then released many highly filamentous bacteria via an extrusion-like process, whereas others showed strong UPEC proliferation yet no detected filamentation. The filamentation response was dependent on the weak acidity of human urine and required component(s) in a low molecular-mass (<3000 Da) fraction from a mildly dehydrated donor. The developmental fate for bacteria therefore appears to be controlled by multiple factors that act at the level of the whole IBC, suggesting that variable local environments or stochastic differentiation pathways influence IBC developmental fates during infection.
Iqbal, MA, Ueland, M & Forbes, SL 2020, 'Recent advances in the estimation of post-mortem interval in forensic taphonomy', Australian Journal of Forensic Sciences, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 107-123.
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One of the key elements in a criminal death investigation is the estimation of time since death, as this information can assist with identifying the victim and prosecuting an offender. Estimating post-mortem interval (PMI) is a challenging task given the many variables that act on the rate and process of decomposition. This review presents current advances in estimating PMI in forensic taphonomy. The use of scoring systems based on visual observations and the development of empirical formulas have been proposed for soft tissue analysis. In the absence of soft tissue, the citrate content of bone and radiometric dating are recommended for PMI estimations of hard tissue. Recent studies have shown an increased focus on associated evidence found on or near the remains. This includes botanical and mycological evidence such as vegetation changes, the presence or absence of certain plant species, and fungal succession. Decomposition chemistry represents an emerging discipline where biomarkers can be analysed within different mediums such as tissue, soil associated with decomposing remains and decomposition fluid. Although advances are being made in these many taphonomic disciplines, the field still has a long way to go in terms of finding the elusive formula for accurately estimating PMI of decomposed remains
Irga, PJ, Dominici, L & Torpy, FR 2020, 'The mycological social network a way forward for conservation of fungal biodiversity', Environmental Conservation, vol. 47, no. 4, pp. 243-250.
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SummaryBecause knowledge of fungal diversity is very incomplete, it is possible that anthropogenic impacts are driving species to extinction before they have been discovered. Fungal inventories are still incomplete and do not reflect the complete diversity of this large taxon. Whilst molecular advancements are leading to an increased rate of species discovery, there is still much to be done to understand the diversity of fungi, identify rare species and establish conservation goals. Citizen science via social media could play an increasingly important role in mycological research, and its continued development should be supported and encouraged. The involvement of non-professionals in data collection helps increase public awareness, as well as extending the scope and efficiency of fungal surveys. Future academic mycological research could benefit from social media interaction and engagement with the amateur mycological community, which may accelerate the achievement of more effective conservation goals.
James, LJ, Saglimbene, V, Wong, G, Tong, A, Luu, LDW, Craig, J, Howard, K & Howell, M 2020, 'Behavioural and pharmaceutical interventions for the prevention of skin cancers in solid organ transplant recipients: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials.', BMJ Open, vol. 10, no. 5, pp. e029265-e029265.
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OBJECTIVES: Solid organ transplant recipients are at increased risk of skin cancer, affecting more than 50% of recipients. We aimed to determine the effectiveness of interventions for behavioural change for sun protection or skin cancer prevention in solid organ transplant recipients. DESIGN: Systematic review. DATA SOURCES: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and CINAHL from inception to November 2019. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials that evaluated the effect of behavioural or pharmaceutical interventions on behavioural change or skin cancer prevention in solid organ transplant recipients. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Risks of bias and evidence certainty were assessed using Cochrane and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment Development and Evaluation framework. RESULTS: Twenty trials (n=2295 participants) were included. It is uncertain whether behavioural interventions improve sun protection behaviour (n=3, n=414, standardised mean difference (SMD) 0.89, 95% CI -0.84 to 2.62, I2=98%) and knowledge (n=4, n=489, SMD 0.50, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.87, I2= 76%) as the quality of evidence is very low. We are uncertain of the effects of mammalian target of rapamaycin inhibitors on the incidence of non-melanocytic skin cancer (n=5, n=1080, relative risk 0.46, 95% CI 0.28 to 0.75, I2 =72%) as the quality of evidence is very low. CONCLUSIONS: Behavioural and pharmaceutical preventive interventions may improve sun protective behaviour and knowledge, and reduce the incidence of non-melanocytic skin cancer, but the overall quality of the evidence is very low and insufficient to guide decision-making and clinical practice. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42017063962.
Januszewski, AS, Watson, CJ, O’Neill, V, McDonald, K, Ledwidge, M, Robson, T, Jenkins, AJ, Keech, AC & McClements, L 2020, 'FKBPL is associated with metabolic parameters and is a novel determinant of cardiovascular disease', Scientific Reports, vol. 10, no. 1.
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AbstractType 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). As disturbed angiogenesis and endothelial dysfunction are strongly implicated in T2D and CVD, we aimed to investigate the association between a novel anti-angiogenic protein, FK506-binding protein like (FKBPL), and these diseases. Plasma FKBPL was quantified by ELISA cross-sectionally in 353 adults, consisting of 234 T2D and 119 non–diabetic subjects with/without CVD, matched for age, BMI and gender. FKBPL levels were higher in T2D (adjusted mean: 2.03 ng/ml ± 0.90 SD) vs. non-diabetic subjects (adjusted mean: 1.79 ng/ml ± 0.89 SD, p = 0.02), but only after adjustment for CVD status. In T2D, FKBPL was negatively correlated with fasting blood glucose, HbA1c and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and positively correlated with age, known diabetes duration, waist/hip ratio, urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) and fasting C-peptide. FKBPL plasma concentrations were increased in the presence of CVD, but only in the non-diabetic group (CVD: 2.02 ng/ml ± 0.75 SD vs. no CVD: 1.68 ng/ml ± 0.79 SD, p = 0.02). In non-diabetic subjects, FKBPL was positively correlated with an established biomarker for CVD, B-type Natriuretic Peptide (BNP), and echocardiographic parameters of diastolic dysfunction. FKBPL was a determinant of CVD in the non-diabetic group in addition to age, gender, total-cholesterol and systolic blood pressure (SBP). FKBPL may be a useful anti-angiogenic biomarker in CVD in the absence of diabetes and could represent a novel CVD mechanism.
Jaramillo-Madrid, AC, Abbriano, R, Ashworth, J, Fabris, M, Pernice, M & Ralph, PJ 2020, 'Overexpression of Key Sterol Pathway Enzymes in Two Model Marine Diatoms Alters Sterol Profiles in Phaeodactylum tricornutum.', Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland), vol. 13, no. 12, pp. 481-481.
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Sterols are a class of triterpenoid molecules with diverse functional roles in eukaryotic cells, including intracellular signaling and regulation of cell membrane fluidity. Diatoms are a dominant eukaryotic phytoplankton group that produce a wide diversity of sterol compounds. The enzymes 3-hydroxy-3-methyl glutaryl CoA reductase (HMGR) and squalene epoxidase (SQE) have been reported to be rate-limiting steps in sterol biosynthesis in other model eukaryotes; however, the extent to which these enzymes regulate triterpenoid production in diatoms is not known. To probe the role of these two metabolic nodes in the regulation of sterol metabolic flux in diatoms, we independently over-expressed two versions of the native HMGR and a conventional, heterologous SQE gene in the diatoms Thalassiosira pseudonana and Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Overexpression of these key enzymes resulted in significant differential accumulation of downstream sterol pathway intermediates in P. tricornutum. HMGR-mVenus overexpression resulted in the accumulation of squalene, cycloartenol, and obtusifoliol, while cycloartenol and obtusifoliol accumulated in response to heterologous NoSQE-mVenus overexpression. In addition, accumulation of the end-point sterol 24-methylenecholesta-5,24(24')-dien-3β-ol was observed in all P. tricornutum overexpression lines, and campesterol increased three-fold in P. tricornutum lines expressing NoSQE-mVenus. Minor differences in end-point sterol composition were also found in T. pseudonana, but no accumulation of sterol pathway intermediates was observed. Despite the successful manipulation of pathway intermediates and individual sterols in P. tricornutum, total sterol levels did not change significantly in transformed lines, suggesting the existence of tight pathway regulation to maintain total sterol content.
Jaramillo-Madrid, AC, Ashworth, J & Ralph, PJ 2020, 'Levels of diatom minor sterols respond to changes in temperature and salinity', Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 85-85.
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© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Diatoms are a broadly distributed and evolutionarily diversified group of microalgae that produce a diverse range of sterol compounds. Sterols are triterpenoids that play essential roles in membrane-related processes in eukaryotic cells. Some sterol compounds possess bioactivities that promote human health and are currently used as nutraceuticals. The relationship between sterol diversity in diatoms and their acclimation to different environments is not well understood. In this study, we investigated the occurrence of different sterol types across twelve diatom species, as well as the effect of temperature reduction and changes in salinity on the sterol contents of three model diatom species. In the diatoms Thalassiosira pseudonana, Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Chaetoceros muelleri, we found that changes in the relative contents of minor sterols accompanied shifts in temperature and salinity. This may be indicative of acquired adaptive traits in diatom metabolism.
Jaramillo-Madrid, AC, Ashworth, J, Fabris, M & Ralph, PJ 2020, 'The unique sterol biosynthesis pathway of three model diatoms consists of a conserved core and diversified endpoints', Algal Research, vol. 48, pp. 101902-101902.
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© 2020 Diatoms produce a wide diversity of sterols among different species, the biosynthesis and conservation of which is not yet fully understood. To investigate the conservation and divergence of sterol biosynthesis pathways among diatoms, we performed comparative metabolic profiling and transcriptomics for a centric diatom (Thalassiosira pseudonana), a pennate diatom (Phaeodactylum tricornutum) and a chaetocerid (Chaetoceros muelleri) in response to inhibitors of enzymes involved in sterol biosynthesis. These three model diatoms, which are representative of distinct clades, share a unique core phytosterol biosynthesis pathway that relies on a terbinafine-insensitive alternative squalene epoxidase and the cyclization of 2,3-epoxysqualene into cycloartenol by a conserved oxidosqualene cyclase. Lineage-specific divergence in the synthesis of sterol precursors was found in the species analyzed. Cholesterol synthesis in diatoms seems to occur via cycloartenol rather than lanosterol. The diversification of natural sterols produced by each species appears to occur downstream of all experimentally targeted enzymes, suggesting adaptive specialization in terminal synthesis pathways.
Jaumaux, P, Liu, Q, Zhou, D, Xu, X, Wang, T, Wang, Y, Kang, F, Li, B & Wang, G 2020, 'Deep‐Eutectic‐Solvent‐Based Self‐Healing Polymer Electrolyte for Safe and Long‐Life Lithium‐Metal Batteries', Angewandte Chemie, vol. 59, no. 23, pp. 9134-9142.
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Jaumaux, P, Liu, Q, Zhou, D, Xu, X, Wang, T, Wang, Y, Kang, F, Li, B & Wang, G 2020, 'Deep‐Eutectic‐Solvent‐Based Self‐Healing Polymer Electrolyte for Safe and Long‐Life Lithium‐Metal Batteries', Angewandte Chemie, vol. 59, no. 23, pp. 9134-9142.
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AbstractThe deployment of high‐energy‐density lithium‐metal batteries has been greatly impeded by Li dendrite growth and safety concerns originating from flammable liquid electrolytes. Herein, we report a stable quasi‐solid‐state Li metal battery with a deep eutectic solvent (DES)‐based self‐healing polymer (DSP) electrolyte. This electrolyte was fabricated in a facile manner by in situ copolymerization of 2‐(3‐(6‐methyl‐4‐oxo‐1,4‐dihydropyrimidin‐2‐yl)ureido)ethyl methacrylate (UPyMA) and pentaerythritol tetraacrylate (PETEA) monomers in a DES‐based electrolyte containing fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) as an additive. The well‐designed DSP electrolyte simultaneously possesses non‐flammability, high ionic conductivity and electrochemical stability, and dendrite‐free Li plating. When applied in Li metal batteries with a LiMn2O4 cathode, the DSP electrolyte effectively suppressed manganese dissolution from the cathode and enabled high‐capacity and a long lifespan at room and elevated temperatures.
Jaumaux, P, Wu, J, Shanmukaraj, D, Wang, Y, Zhou, D, Sun, B, Kang, F, Li, B, Armand, M & Wang, G 2020, 'Non-Flammable Liquid and Quasi-Solid Electrolytes toward Highly-Safe Alkali Metal-Based Batteries', Advanced Functional Materials, vol. 31, no. 10, pp. 2008644-2008644.
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© 2020 Wiley-VCH GmbH Rechargeable alkali metal (i.e., lithium, sodium, potassium)-based batteries are considered as vital energy storage technologies in modern society. However, the traditional liquid electrolytes applied in alkali metal-based batteries mainly consist of thermally unstable salts and highly flammable organic solvents, which trigger numerous accidents related to fire, explosion, and leakage of toxic chemicals. Therefore, exploring non-flammable electrolytes is of paramount importance for achieving safe batteries. Although replacing traditional liquid electrolytes with all-solid-state electrolytes is the ultimate way to solve the above safety issues, developing non-flammable liquid electrolytes can more directly fulfill the current needs considering the low ionic conductivities and inferior interfacial properties of existing all-solid-state electrolytes. Moreover, the electrolyte leakage concern can be further resolved by gelling non-flammable liquid electrolytes to obtain quasi-solid electrolytes. Herein, a comprehensive review of the latest progress in emerging non-flammable liquid electrolytes, including non-flammable organic liquid electrolytes, aqueous electrolytes, and deep eutectic solvent-based electrolytes is provided, and systematically introduce their flame-retardant mechanisms and electrochemical behaviors in alkali metal-based batteries. Then, the gelation techniques for preparing quasi-solid electrolytes are also summarized. Finally, the remaining challenges and future perspectives are presented. It is anticipated that this review will promote a safety improvement of alkali metal-based batteries.
Jiang, J, Faiz, A, Berg, M, Carpaij, OA, Vermeulen, CJ, Brouwer, S, Hesse, L, Teichmann, SA, ten Hacken, NHT, Timens, W, van den Berge, M & Nawijn, MC 2020, 'Gene signatures from scRNA‐seq accurately quantify mast cells in biopsies in asthma', Clinical & Experimental Allergy, vol. 50, no. 12, pp. 1428-1431.
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Jiang, S, Guan, M, Wu, J, Fang, G, Xu, X, Jin, D, Liu, Z, Shi, K, Bai, F, Wang, S & Xi, P 2020, 'Frequency-domain diagonal extension imaging', Advanced Photonics, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 1-1.
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Jin, D, Wen, S, Liu, Y, Wang, F, Lin, G, zhou, J, Shi, B & Suh, YD 2020, 'Nanobarcodes with multidimensional optical information beyond diffraction limit'.
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Abstract
Precise design and fabrication of heterogeneous nanostructures will enable nanoscale devices to integrate multiple desirable functionalities. But due to the diffraction limit (~200 nm), the optical uniformity and diversity within the heterogeneous functional nanostructures are hardly controlled and characterized. Here we report a set of nanobarcodes, each optically active section has its unique nonlinear responses to donut illumination patterns, so that one can discern each unit with super resolution. To achieve this, we first realized an approach of highly controlled epitaxial growth and produced a range of one-dimensional heterogeneous structures. Each section along the nanorod structure display tunable upconversion emissions, in four optically orthogonal dimensions, including colour, lifetime, excitation wavelength, and power dependency. Moreover, we demonstrated a 210 nm single nanorod as the smallest polychromatic light source for the on-demand generation of RGB photonic emissions. Remarkably, within a space of 50 nm, only 1/20th of the excitation wavelength, multiple codes can be successfully coded and decoded in 4 optical dimensions. This precision control enables the fabrication of super capacity geometrical barcodes with theoretical coding capacity up to (24-1)4. This work benchmarks our new ability towards the full control of sub-diffraction-limit optical diversities of single heterogeneous nanoparticles.
Jing, N, Xu, Z, Guipeng, L, Pixi, Y, Qing, Y, Qionghai, D, Dayong, J, Xiaohua, S, Jichang, W, Michael Q., Z & Juntao, G 2020, 'Tn5-FISH, a novel cytogenetic method to image chromatin interactions with sub-kilobase resolution', Journal of Genetics and Genomics, vol. 47, no. 12, pp. 727-734.
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Jin-Ying, W, Yin, NZ, Mehta, M, Shukla, SD, Panneerselvam, J, Madheswaran, T, Gupta, G, Negi, P, Kumar, P, Pillay, V, Hsu, A, Hansbro, NG, Wark, P, Bebawy, M, Hansbro, PM, Dua, K & Chellappan, DK 2020, 'Curcumin-loaded niosomes downregulate mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory markers involved in asthma: an in vitro study.', Nanomedicine (London, England), vol. 0, no. 0, pp. 2955-2970.
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Aim: In this study, curcumin was encapsulated in niosomes (Nio-Curc) to increase its effectiveness for the treatment of asthma. Materials & methods: The formulation underwent various physicochemical characterization experiments, an in vitro release study, molecular simulations and was evaluated for in vitro anti-inflammatory activity. Results: Results showed that Nio-Curc had a mean particle size of 284.93 ± 14.27 nm, zeta potential of -46.93 and encapsulation efficacy of 99.62%, which demonstrates optimized physicochemical characteristics. Curcumin release in vitro could be sustained for up to 24 h. Additionally, Nio-Curc effectively reduced mRNA transcript expression of pro-inflammatory markers; IL-6, IL-8, IL-1β and TNF-α in immortalized human airway basal cell line (BCi-NS1.1). Conclusion: In this study, we have demonstrated that Nio-Curc mitigated the mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory markers in an in vitro study, which could be applied to treatment of asthma with further studies.
Johansen, MD & Kremer, L 2020, 'CFTR Depletion Confers Hypersusceptibility to Mycobacterium fortuitum in a Zebrafish Model.', Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology, vol. 10, p. 357.
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The Mycobacterium fortuitum complex comprises several closely related species, causing pulmonary and extra-pulmonary infections. However, there is very limited knowledge about the disease pathogenesis involved in M. fortuitum infections, particularly due to the lack of suitable animal models. Using the zebrafish model, we show that embryos are susceptible to M. fortuitum infection in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, zebrafish embryos form granulomas from as early as 2 days post-infection, recapitulating critical aspects of mycobacterial pathogenesis observed in other pathogenic species. The formation of extracellular cords in infected embryos highlights a previously unknown pathogenic feature of M. fortuitum. The formation of large corded structures occurs also during in vitro growth, suggesting that this is not a host-adapted stress mechanism deployed during infection. Moreover, transient macrophage depletion led to rapid embryo death with increased extracellular cords, indicating that macrophages are essential determinants of M. fortuitum infection control. Importantly, morpholino depletion of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (cftr) significantly increased embryo death, bacterial burden, bacterial cords and abscesses. There was a noticeable decrease in the number of cftr-deficient infected embryos with granulomas as compared to infected controls, suggesting that loss of CFTR leads to impaired host immune responses and confers hypersusceptiblity to M. fortuitum infection. Overall, these findings highlight the application of the zebrafish embryo to study M. fortuitum and emphasizes previously unexplored aspects of disease pathogenesis of this significant mycobacterial species.
Johansen, MD & Kremer, L 2020, 'Large Extracellular Cord Formation in a Zebrafish Model of Mycobacterium kansasii Infection', The Journal of Infectious Diseases, vol. 222, no. 6, pp. 1046-1050.
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Abstract
Mycobacterium kansasii is a slow-growing nontuberculous mycobacteria responsible for coinfections particularly in patients with human immunodeficiency virus. To date, our knowledge of M. kansasii infection has been hampered owing to the lack of an effective animal model to study pathogenesis. In the current study, we showed that the zebrafish embryo is permissive to M. kansasii infection, resulting in chronic infection and formation of granulomas. On macrophage depletion, we identified M. kansasii forms extracellular cords, resulting in acute infection and rapid larval death. These findings highlight the feasibility of zebrafish for studying M. kansasii pathogenesis and for the first time identify extracellular cords in this species.
Johansen, MD, Daher, W, Roquet-Banères, F, Raynaud, C, Alcaraz, M, Maurer, FP & Kremer, L 2020, 'Rifabutin Is Bactericidal against Intracellular and Extracellular Forms of Mycobacterium abscessus', Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, vol. 64, no. 11.
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Mycobacterium abscessus
is increasingly recognized as an emerging opportunistic pathogen causing severe lung diseases. As it is intrinsically resistant to most conventional antibiotics, there is an unmet medical need for effective treatments. Repurposing of clinically validated pharmaceuticals represents an attractive option for the development of chemotherapeutic alternatives against
M. abscessus
infections. In this context, rifabutin (RFB) has been shown to be active against
M. abscessus
and has raised renewed interest in using rifamycins for the treatment of
M. abscessus
pulmonary diseases.
Johansen, MD, Herrmann, J-L & Kremer, L 2020, 'Non-tuberculous mycobacteria and the rise of Mycobacterium abscessus', Nature Reviews Microbiology, vol. 18, no. 7, pp. 392-407.
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Infections caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are increasing globally and are notoriously difficult to treat due to intrinsic resistance of these bacteria to many common antibiotics. NTM are diverse and ubiquitous in the environment, with only a few species causing serious and often opportunistic infections in humans, including Mycobacterium abscessus. This rapidly growing mycobacterium is one of the most commonly identified NTM species responsible for severe respiratory, skin and mucosal infections in humans. It is often regarded as one of the most antibiotic-resistant mycobacteria, leaving us with few therapeutic options. In this Review, we cover the proposed infection process of M. abscessus, its virulence factors and host interactions and highlight the commonalities and differences of M. abscessus with other NTM species. Finally, we discuss drug resistance mechanisms and future therapeutic options. Taken together, this knowledge is essential to further our understanding of this overlooked and neglected global threat.
Johansen, MD, Irving, A, Montagutelli, X, Tate, MD, Rudloff, I, Nold, MF, Hansbro, NG, Kim, RY, Donovan, C, Liu, G, Faiz, A, Short, KR, Lyons, JG, McCaughan, GW, Gorrell, MD, Cole, A, Moreno, C, Couteur, D, Hesselson, D, Triccas, J, Neely, GG, Gamble, JR, Simpson, SJ, Saunders, BM, Oliver, BG, Britton, WJ, Wark, PA, Nold-Petry, CA & Hansbro, PM 2020, 'Animal and translational models of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19.', Mucosal immunology, vol. 13, no. 6, pp. 877-891.
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COVID-19 is causing a major once-in-a-century global pandemic. The scientific and clinical community is in a race to define and develop effective preventions and treatments. The major features of disease are described but clinical trials have been hampered by competing interests, small scale, lack of defined patient cohorts and defined readouts. What is needed now is head-to-head comparison of existing drugs, testing of safety including in the background of predisposing chronic diseases, and the development of new and targeted preventions and treatments. This is most efficiently achieved using representative animal models of primary infection including in the background of chronic disease with validation of findings in primary human cells and tissues. We explore and discuss the diverse animal, cell and tissue models that are being used and developed and collectively recapitulate many critical aspects of disease manifestation in humans to develop and test new preventions and treatments.
Johnson, L, Vekariya, S, Tan, S, Padula, MP & Marks, DC 2020, 'Extended storage of thawed platelets: Refrigeration supports postthaw quality for 10 days', Transfusion, vol. 60, no. 12, pp. 2969-2981.
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AbstractBackgroundCryopreservation of platelets with dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) at −80°C increases their shelf life from days to years. Once thawed, platelets are stored at room temperature (RT), and the shelf life is limited to 4‐6 hours. However, refrigeration (cold storage) may facilitate a prolongation of the shelf life of thawed platelets.Study Design and MethodsABO‐matched buffy coat–derived platelets (30% plasma/70% SSP+) were cryopreserved at −80°C in 5%‐6% DMSO. Paired cryopreserved platelet components were thawed, resuspended in 30% plasma/70% SSP+, and then stored at either 20°C‐24°C with agitation (RT) or at 2°C‐6°C (cold). In vitro platelet quality was assessed over 10 days of postthaw storage.ResultsDuring postthaw storage, the platelet concentration of RT‐stored components decreased significantly more than components in cold storage (Day 10 RT 58 ± 10 × 109/unit vs Day 10 cold 142 ± 16 × 109/unit; P < .0001). Cold storage reduced the metabolic rate of thawed platelets. During storage, the surface glycoprotein ([GP] Ibα, GPVI, GPIIb, GPIIIa) and activation marker (P‐selectin and phosphatidylserine) profile of cold platelets was closer to freshly thawed platelets (Day 0) than those stored at RT. Thromboelastography (reaction time) demonstrated that the procoagulant nature of cryopreserved platelets was preserved during 10 days of cold storage, while RT‐stored thawed platelets displayed a gradual prolongation of the time taken to initiate clot formation.ConclusionCold storage of thawed platelets preserves the platelet phenotype and function for up to 10 days, compared to thawed platelets stored at RT. Thus, cold storage of thawed ...
Johnson, L, Waters, L, Green, S, Wood, B & Marks, DC 2020, 'Freezing expired platelets does not compromise in vitro quality: An opportunity to maximize inventory potential', Transfusion, vol. 60, no. 3, pp. 454-459.
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVESCryopreservation provides an option for long‐term storage of platelet concentrates. While platelets are usually frozen as soon as practical after collection (within 2 days), the ability to freeze units at a later stage of the shelf life may improve inventory management. As such, the aim of this study was to determine the impact of freezing platelets approaching expiry (Day 5/6).MATERIALS AND METHODSTwo ABO‐matched buffy coat–derived platelets (30% plasma/70% platelet additive solution) were pooled and split to produce matched pairs (n = 8 pairs). Platelets were frozen on Day 1 after collection (cryopreserved platelets [CPPs]) or Day 5 or 6 (expired‐CPPs) at −80°C with 5% to 6% dimethyl sulfoxide. In vitro platelet quality was tested before freezing and after thawing and reconstitution in plasma.RESULTSThe majority of prefreeze parameters were equivalent for all platelet units (Day 1 vs. Day 5 or 6). Expired‐CPPs had a higher mean postthaw platelet recovery (82 ± 4%) compared to CPPs (75 ± 4%; p = 0.0021). Cryopreservation resulted in a loss of surface glycoproteins (glycoprotein (GP) Ibα, GPIIb, GPVI), an increase in activation markers (phosphatidylserine and P‐selectin) and microparticle release, compared to unfrozen platelets. However, the cryopreservation‐induced changes were equivalent in CPPs and expired‐CPPs. Functionality was measured by thromboelastography and was similar between expired‐CPPs (R‐time: 5.3 ± 0.3) and CPPs (R‐time: 5.4 ± 0.5; p = 0.7094).CONCLUSIONThe phenotype and functional profile of platelets frozen at expiry were similar to platelets frozen 1 day following collection. These data suggest that expired platelets may represent a suitable starting material for cryopreservation.
Johnston, NP, Wallman, JF & Pape, T 2020, 'Integrative Taxonomy of Australian Metopia (Sarcophagidae: Miltogramminae) Reveals a New Species and Challenges Traditional Phylogeny', Insect Systematics and Diversity, vol. 4, no. 6.
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Abstract
A taxonomic revision of all Australian species of Metopia Meigen (Sarcophagidae: Miltogramminae) is completed using an integrated approach combining molecular and morphological data. Metopia nudibasis (Malloch) is redescribed as a species complex and a new endemic Australian species, Metopia sputnik sp. n., is described. Evidence is presented that Metopia sauteri (Townsend) is absent from Australia and this species is therefore removed from the known Australian fauna. Molecular phylogenetics is used to reconstruct interspecific and generic relationships and support morphology-based species hypotheses. Phylogenetic analysis splits Metopia Meigen into two clades, separated by Aenigmetopia Malloch, rendering the former genus nonmonophyletic. The implications of this are discussed.
Johnston, NP, Wallman, JF, Pape, T & Whitmore, D 2020, 'Macronychia (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) goes cosmopolitan: description and molecular delineation of the first Australasian species', Austral Entomology, vol. 59, no. 2, pp. 292-301.
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AbstractMacronychia (Moschusa) rubesca sp. nov. is described from Australia and represents the first record of this genus from the Australasian region. An updated key to the world species of Macronychia is provided. In addition, molecular markers are analysed to place Macronychia Rondani within the most recent phylogeny of the subfamily Miltogramminae. The genus is resolved as a monophyletic clade and placed within the ‘higher’ miltogrammines as sister to Oebalia Robineau‐Desvoidy.
Johnston, NP, Wallman, JF, Szpila, K & Pape, T 2020, 'An enigma no more: an integrated taxonomic revision of Aenigmetopia Malloch reveals novel phylogenetic placement and four new species (Diptera : Sarcophagidae : Miltogramminae)', Invertebrate Systematics, vol. 34, no. 5, pp. 519-534.
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Aenigmetopia Malloch is the only endemic genus of miltogrammine flesh flies (Diptera:Sarcophagidae) in Australia and, until now it has been known from a single species, A. fergusoni Malloch. This study constitutes the first comprehensive taxonomic revision of Aenigmetopia. Four new species, Aenigmetopia amissa, sp. nov., A. corona, sp. nov., A. kryptos, sp. nov. and A. pagoni, sp. nov., are described through the integration of molecular and morphological data and characters for genus- and species-level diagnoses are given. Aenigmetopia is included in a molecular phylogenetic analysis for the first time and the genus emerges as the sister taxon to Metopia Meigen, in agreement with morphological evidence.
Jolly, CJ, Webb, JK, Gillespie, GR & Phillips, BL 2020, 'Training fails to elicit behavioral change in a marsupial suffering evolutionary loss of antipredator behaviors', Journal of Mammalogy, vol. 101, no. 4, pp. 1108-1116.
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© The Author(s) 2020. Attempts to reintroduce threatened species from ex situ populations (zoos or predator-free sanctuaries) regularly fail because of predation. When removed from their natural predators, animals may lose their ability to recognize predators and thus fail to adopt appropriate antipredator behaviors. Recently, northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus; Dasyuromorpha: Dasyuridae) conserved on a predator-free 'island ark'for 13 generations were found to have no recognition of dingoes, a natural predator with which they had coevolved on mainland Australia for about 8,000 years. A subsequent reintroduction attempt using quolls acquired from this island ark failed due to predation by dingoes. In this study, we tested whether instrumental conditioning could be used to improve predator recognition in captive quolls sourced from a predator-free 'island ark.'We used a previously successful scent-recognition assay (a giving-up density experiment) to compare predator-scent recognition of captive-born island animals before and after antipredator training. Our training was delivered by pairing live predators (dingo and domestic dog) with an electrified cage floor in repeat trials such that, when the predators were present, foraging animals would receive a shock. Our training methodology did not result in any discernible change in the ability of quolls to recognize and avoid dingo scent after training. We conclude either that our particular training method was ineffective (though ethically permissible); or that because these quolls appear unable to recognize natural predators, predator recognition may be extremely difficult to impart in a captive setting given ethical constraints. Our results point to the difficulty of reinstating lost behaviors, and to the value of maintaining antipredator behaviors in conservation populations before they are lost.
Kabir, S, Nirantar, S, Zhu, L, Ton-That, C, Jain, SK, Kayani, ABA, Murdoch, BJ, Sriram, S, Walia, S & Bhaskaran, M 2020, 'Phase change vanadium dioxide light sensors', Applied Materials Today, vol. 21, pp. 100833-100833.
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© 2020 Vanadium dioxide (VO2) has drawn significant attention due to a unique band-structure and multifaceted optoelectronic properties. However, VO2-based photodetectors reported till date involve complex structures and/or constrained wavelength response. Moreover, there is limited understanding of parameters which control the insulator-to-metal transition (IMT) and photoresponse in VO2. In this work, we present VO2 based two-terminal planar devices and explore the size-dependency of IMT and photoresponse in VO2 devices. We investigate the photoresponse of VO2 devices at a broadband range from ultra-violet to near infrared at three temperature regions: room temperature, IMT slope, and beyond IMT slope. We further postulate the mechanism for photoresponse at all three temperature regions. A significant enhancement in photoresponse and figure of merit of photodetectors is achieved beyond IMT slope region. An intermediate state driven by deep level defects assists the broadband photoresponse which is supported by cathodoluminescence (CL) analysis. The ability to manipulate the IMT and the broadband photoresponse opens opportunities for designing and controlling functional domains of VO2 for scalable micro- and nano-scale devices and sensor applications.
Kalam, SN, Cole, L, Lindsay, L & Murphy, CR 2020, 'Membrane trafficking directed by VAMP2 and syntaxin 3 in uterine epithelial cells.', Reproduction (Cambridge, England), vol. 160, no. 4, pp. 533-546.
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Luminal uterine epithelial cells (UEC) have a surge in vesicular activity during early uterine receptivity. It has been predicted these vesicles exit the UEC via exocytosis resulting in secretion and membrane trafficking. The present study investigated the changes in SNARE proteins VAMP2 (v-SNARE) and syntaxin 3 (t-SNARE) localisation and abundance in UECs during early pregnancy in the rat. We found VAMP2 and syntaxin 3 are significantly higher on day 5.5 compared to day 1 of pregnancy. On day 5.5, VAMP2 is perinuclear and syntaxin 3 is concentrated in the apical cytoplasm compared to a cytoplasmic localisation on day 1. This change in localisation and abundance show VAMP2 and syntaxin 3 are involved in vesicular movement and membrane trafficking in UECs during early pregnancy. This study also investigated the influence of cytoskeletal disruption of microtubules and actin filaments on VAMP2 and syntaxin 3 in UECs grown in vitro, since microtubules and actin influence vesicle trafficking. As expected, this study found disruption to microtubules with colchicine and actin with cytochalasin D impacted VAMP2 and syntaxin 3 localisation. These results suggest VAMP2 and syntaxin 3 are involved in the timely trafficking of vesicular membranes to the apical surface in UECs during early pregnancy, as are of microtubules and actin.
Kanodarwala, FK, Moret, S, Spindler, X, Lennard, C & Roux, C 2020, 'Novel upconverting nanoparticles for fingermark detection', Optical Materials, vol. 111, pp. 110568-110568.
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© 2020 This paper reports the synthesis of high-quality upconverter nanoparticles (UCNPs) – sodium yttrium tetrafluoride doped with ytterbium and erbium (NaYF4:Yb,Er) with a silica shell and capped with carboxyl functional groups. The effect of different synthesis methods on the silica capping has been studied in detail. The main goal of this research was to design tailor-made UCNPs for fingermark detection and to validate a NP-based detection technique that is user-friendly, cost-effective and can be implemented in routine practice by law enforcement agencies. UCNP powders and solutions were used as a proof-of-concept to detect latent fingermarks on an aluminium foil substrate. This study not only highlights the potential use of UCNPs as a fingermark detection method but also identifies a number of shortfalls in its application that need to be addressed before such an approach could be implemented as a valid detection technique.
Karazhanov, S, Cremades, A, Ton-That, C & Kharton, V 2020, 'Editorial: Topical issue “Materials for environmental applications”', Materials Letters, vol. 273, pp. 127939-127939.
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Kaufer, A, Stark, D & Ellis, J 2020, 'A review of the systematics, species identification and diagnostics of the Trypanosomatidae using the maxicircle kinetoplast DNA: from past to present', International Journal for Parasitology, vol. 50, no. 6-7, pp. 449-460.
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The Trypanosomatid family are a diverse and widespread group of protozoan parasites that belong to the higher order class Kinetoplastida. Containing predominantly monoxenous species (i.e. those having only a single host) that are confined to invertebrate hosts, this class is primarily known for its pathogenic dixenous species (i.e. those that have two hosts), serving as the aetiological agents of the important neglected tropical diseases including leishmaniasis, American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease) and human African trypanosomiasis. Over the past few decades, a multitude of studies have investigated the diversity, classification and evolutionary history of the trypanosomatid family using different approaches and molecular targets. The mitochondrial-like DNA of the trypanosomatid parasites, also known as the kinetoplast, has emerged as a unique taxonomic and diagnostic target for exploring the evolution of this diverse group of parasitic eukaryotes. This review discusses recent advancements and important developments that have made a significant impact in the field of trypanosomatid systematics and diagnostics in recent years.
Kaur, A, Wang, Y, Wallach, M & Shimoni, O 2020, 'Gliadin-coated gold nanoparticles for rapid colorimetric test for celiac disease', Materials Advances, vol. 1, no. 7, pp. 2483-2491.
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We developed a genuinely non-invasive option for accurate, cost-effective, and ready for clinical translation test for celiac disease.
Kaur, G, Singh, SK, Kumar, R, Kumar, B, Kumari, Y, Gulati, M, Pandey, NK, Gowthamarajan, K, Ghosh, D, Clarisse, A, Wadhwa, S, Mehta, M, Satija, S, Dua, K, Dureja, H, Gupta, S, Singh, PK, Kapoor, B, Chitranshi, N, Kumar, A & Porwal, O 2020, 'Development of modified apple polysaccharide capped silver nanoparticles loaded with mesalamine for effective treatment of ulcerative colitis', Journal of Drug Delivery Science and Technology, vol. 60, pp. 101980-101980.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. The objective of study was to develop modified apple polysaccharide (MAP) based silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) loaded with mesalamine (MES) for effective treatment of ulcerative colitis in acetic acid induced rat model. AgNPs were prepared by reducing silver nitrate using MAP solution. The size and zeta potential of AgNPs was 89 ± 3 nm and −16.3 ± 1.54 mV and AgNPs loaded with MES (AgNPs-MES) was 101 ± 9 nm and −14.27 ± 2.16 mV. The dissolution study revealed about 54% drug release after 5 h indicating release of drug at the colonic site. The in vivo study was carried out on acetic acid induced ulcerative colitis rats and efficacy of treatment was assessed through evaluation of disease activity index and level of antioxidants as well as tumor necrosis factor-α after 7th and 14th day of induction of colitis. Histopathological evaluation of colonic tissue was also carried out. The results revealed that AgNPs-MES (high dose) provided better therapeutic efficacy for the treatment of UC as compared to its low dose, MES alone, MES-MAP, AgNPs alone and MAP alone. It was concluded that MAP based AgNPs loaded with MES were successfully formulated and found to be effective in treating ulcerative colitis.
Kaur, J, Famta, P, Famta, M, Mehta, M, Satija, S, Sharma, N, Vyas, M, Khatik, GL, Chellappan, DK, Dua, K & Khurana, N 2020, 'Potential Anti-epileptic Phytoconstituents: An Updated Review.', Journal of ethnopharmacology, vol. 268, pp. 113565-113565.
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ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE:Epilepsy is one of the most commonly occurring non-communicable neurological disorder that affects people of all age groups. Around 50 million people globally are epileptic, with 80% cases in developing countries due to lack of access to treatments determined by high cost and poor availability or it can be defined by the fraction of active epileptic patients who are not appropriately being treated. The availability of antiepileptic drugs and their adjuvant therapy in such countries is less than 50% and these are highly susceptible to drug interactions and severe adverse effects. As a result, the use of herbal medicine is increasingly becoming popular. AIM OF THE STUDY:To provide pharmacological information on the active constituents evaluated in the preclinical study to treat epilepsy with potential to be used as an alternative therapeutic option in future. It also provides affirmation for the development of novel antiepileptic drugs derived from medicinal plants. MATERIALS AND METHODS:Relevant information on the antiepileptic potential of phytoconstituents in the preclinical study (in-vitro, in-vivo) is provided based on their effect on screening parameters. Besides, relevant information on pharmacology of phytoconstituents, the traditional use of their medicinal plants related to epilepsy and status of phytoconstituents in the clinical study were derived from online databases, including PubMed, Clinicaltrial.gov, The Plant List (TPL, www.theplantlist.org), Science Direct. Articles identified using preset searching syntax and inclusion criteria are presented. RESULTS:More than 70% of the phytoconstituents reviewed in this paper justified the traditional use of their medicinal plant related to epilepsy by primarily acting on the GABAergic system. Amongst the phytoconstituents, only cannabidiol and tetrahydrocannabinol have been explored for clinical application in epilepsy. CONCLUSION:The preclinical and clinical data of t...
Kaur, S, Peters, TJ, Yang, P, Luu, LDW, Vuong, J, Krycer, JR & O'Donoghue, SI 2020, 'Temporal ordering of omics and multiomic events inferred from time-series data.', NPJ Syst Biol Appl, vol. 6, no. 1, p. 22.
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Temporal changes in omics events can now be routinely measured; however, current analysis methods are often inadequate, especially for multiomics experiments. We report a novel analysis method that can infer event ordering at better temporal resolution than the experiment, and integrates omic events into two concise visualizations (event maps and sparklines). Testing our method gave results well-correlated with prior knowledge and indicated it streamlines analysis of time-series data.
Keating, SM, Waltemath, D, König, M, Zhang, F, Dräger, A, Chaouiya, C, Bergmann, FT, Finney, A, Gillespie, CS, Helikar, T, Hoops, S, Malik‐Sheriff, RS, Moodie, SL, Moraru, II, Myers, CJ, Naldi, A, Olivier, BG, Sahle, S, Schaff, JC, Smith, LP, Swat, MJ, Thieffry, D, Watanabe, L, Wilkinson, DJ, Blinov, ML, Begley, K, Faeder, JR, Gómez, HF, Hamm, TM, Inagaki, Y, Liebermeister, W, Lister, AL, Lucio, D, Mjolsness, E, Proctor, CJ, Raman, K, Rodriguez, N, Shaffer, CA, Shapiro, BE, Stelling, J, Swainston, N, Tanimura, N, Wagner, J, Meier‐Schellersheim, M, Sauro, HM, Palsson, B, Bolouri, H, Kitano, H, Funahashi, A, Hermjakob, H, Doyle, JC, Hucka, M, Adams, RR, Allen, NA, Angermann, BR, Antoniotti, M, Bader, GD, Červený, J, Courtot, M, Cox, CD, Dalle Pezze, P, Demir, E, Denney, WS, Dharuri, H, Dorier, J, Drasdo, D, Ebrahim, A, Eichner, J, Elf, J, Endler, L, Evelo, CT, Flamm, C, Fleming, RMT, Fröhlich, M, Glont, M, Gonçalves, E, Golebiewski, M, Grabski, H, Gutteridge, A, Hachmeister, D, Harris, LA, Heavner, BD, Henkel, R, Hlavacek, WS, Hu, B, Hyduke, DR, de Jong, H, Juty, N, Karp, PD, Karr, JR, Kell, DB, Keller, R, Kiselev, I, Klamt, S, Klipp, E, Knüpfer, C, Kolpakov, F, Krause, F, Kutmon, M, Laibe, C, Lawless, C, Li, L, Loew, LM, Machne, R, Matsuoka, Y, Mendes, P, Mi, H, Mittag, F, Monteiro, PT, Natarajan, KN, Nielsen, PMF, Nguyen, T, Palmisano, A, Pettit, J, Pfau, T, Phair, RD, Radivoyevitch, T, Rohwer, JM, Ruebenacker, OA, Saez‐Rodriguez, J, Scharm, M, Schmidt, H, Schreiber, F, Schubert, M, Schulte, R, Sealfon, SC, Smallbone, K, Soliman, S, Stefan, MI, Sullivan, DP, Takahashi, K, Teusink, B, Tolnay, D, Vazirabad, I, von Kamp, A, Wittig, U, Wrzodek, C, Wrzodek, F, Xenarios, I, Zhukova, A & Zucker, J 2020, 'SBML Level 3: an extensible format for the exchange and reuse of biological models', Molecular Systems Biology, vol. 16, no. 8.
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Kelly, E, Jolly, CJ, Indigo, N, Smart, A, Webb, J & Phillips, B 2020, 'No outbreeding depression in a trial of targeted gene flow in an endangered Australian marsupial', Conservation Genetics, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 23-33.
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© 2020, Springer Nature B.V. Targeted gene flow is a novel conservation strategy that involves translocating individuals with favourable genes to areas where they will have a conservation benefit. One oft-cited risk of the strategy is the potential for outbreeding depression. Here, we used the northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus) as a model to test this possibility for the first time in a field setting. Northern quolls are endangered by the spread of the invasive cane toad (Rhinella marina), which they are fatally poisoned by, if they mistakenly attempt to consume them. There are, however, a small number of quolls that are “toad-smart”—they possess a heritable trait that means they innately do not attack toads. It is this trait we hoped to promote through targeted gene flow. We established a hybrid population (54 toad-smart and toad-naïve northern quolls) and introduced this population onto a small offshore, toad-infested island in 2017. Genetic data suggests an increase in the toad-smart proportion of the genome increasing from 29.4% in the release population to 40.2% in the first island generation (F2). Our data demonstrate successful in situ hybridisation between populations, with viable F2 hybrids and backcrosses observed, and some evidence of heterosis (hybrid vigour) in F1 hybrids. The population experienced significant reductions in size over the two years, however, through a combination of toad-mortality, as well as stochastic processes including fire, a cyclone, predation and ineffective breeding, and so small sample sizes hamper our results. Such establishment problems would not occur were we to attempt targeted gene flow into already established quoll populations, and our observation of successful hybridisation suggests targeted gene flow could be a viable strategy in established quoll populations soon to be impacted by toads.
Keogh, RH, Shaw, PA, Gustafson, P, Carroll, RJ, Deffner, V, Dodd, KW, Küchenhoff, H, Tooze, JA, Wallace, MP, Kipnis, V & Freedman, LS 2020, 'STRATOS guidance document on measurement error and misclassification of variables in observational epidemiology: Part 1—Basic theory and simple methods of adjustment', Statistics in Medicine, vol. 39, no. 16, pp. 2197-2231.
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Measurement error and misclassification of variables frequently occur in epidemiology and involve variables important to public health. Their presence can impact strongly on results of statistical analyses involving such variables. However, investigators commonly fail to pay attention to biases resulting from such mismeasurement. We provide, in two parts, an overview of the types of error that occur, their impacts on analytic results, and statistical methods to mitigate the biases that they cause. In this first part, we review different types of measurement error and misclassification, emphasizing the classical, linear, and Berkson models, and on the concepts of nondifferential and differential error. We describe the impacts of these types of error in covariates and in outcome variables on various analyses, including estimation and testing in regression models and estimating distributions. We outline types of ancillary studies required to provide information about such errors and discuss the implications of covariate measurement error for study design. Methods for ascertaining sample size requirements are outlined, both for ancillary studies designed to provide information about measurement error and for main studies where the exposure of interest is measured with error. We describe two of the simpler methods, regression calibration and simulation extrapolation (SIMEX), that adjust for bias in regression coefficients caused by measurement error in continuous covariates, and illustrate their use through examples drawn from the Observing Protein and Energy (OPEN) dietary validation study. Finally, we review software available for implementing these methods. The second part of the article deals with more advanced topics.
Keshvardoust, P, Huron, VAA, Clemson, M, Barraud, N & Rice, SA 2020, 'Nitrite production by ammonia‐oxidizing bacteria mediates chloramine decay and resistance in a mixed‐species community', Microbial Biotechnology, vol. 13, no. 6, pp. 1847-1859.
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SummaryAs water distribution centres increasingly switch to using chloramine to disinfect drinking water, it is of paramount importance to determine the interactions of chloramine with potential biological contaminants, such as bacterial biofilms, that are found in these systems. For example, ammonia‐oxidizing bacteria (AOB) are known to accelerate the decay of chloramine in drinking water systems, but it is also known that organic compounds can increase the chloramine demand. This study expanded upon our previously published model to compare the decay of chloramine in response to alginate, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Nitrosomonas europaea and a mixed‐species nitrifying culture, exploring the contributions of microbial by‐products, heterotrophic bacteria and AOBs to chloramine decay. Furthermore, the contribution of AOBs to biofilm stability during chloramination was investigated. The results demonstrate that the biofilm matrix or extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), represented by alginate in these experiments, as well as high concentrations of dead or inactive cells, can drive chloramine decay rather than any specific biochemical activity of P. aeruginosa cells. Alginate was shown to reduce chloramine concentrations in a dose‐dependent manner at an average rate of 0.003 mg l−1 h−1 per mg l−1 of alginate. Additionally, metabolically active AOBs mediated the decay of chloramine, which protected members of mixed‐species biofilms from chloramine‐mediated disinfection. Under these conditions, nitrite produced by AOBs directly reacted with chloramine to drive its decay. In contrast, biofilms of mixed‐species communities that were dominated by heterotrophic bacteria due to either the absence of ammonia, or the addition of nitrification inhibitors and glucose, were highly sensitive to chloramin...
Ketprasit, N, Cheng, IS, Deutsch, F, Tran, N, Imwong, M, Combes, V & Palasuwan, D 2020, 'The characterization of extracellular vesicles-derived microRNAs in Thai malaria patients', Malaria Journal, vol. 19, no. 1.
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Abstract
Background
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been broadly studied in malaria for nearly a decade. These vesicles carry various functional biomolecules including RNA families such as microRNAs (miRNA). These EVs-derived microRNAs have numerous roles in host-parasite interactions and are considered promising biomarkers for disease severity. However, this field lacks clinical studies of malaria-infected samples. In this study, EV specific miRNAs were isolated from the plasma of patients from Thailand infected with Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum. In addition, it is postulated that these miRNAs were differentially expressed in these groups of patients and had a role in disease onset through the regulation of specific target genes.
Methods
EVs were purified from the plasma of Thai P. vivax-infected patients (n = 19), P. falciparum-infected patients (n = 18) and uninfected individuals (n = 20). EV-derived miRNAs were then prepared and abundance of hsa-miR-15b-5p, hsa-miR-16-5p, hsa-let-7a-5p and hsa-miR-150-5p was assessed in these samples. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed, and relative expression of each miRNA was calculated using hsa-miR-451a as endogenous control. Then, the targets of up-regulated miRNAs and relevant pathways were predicted by using bioinformatics. Receiver Operating Characteristic with Area under the Curve (AUC) was then calculated to assess their diagnostic potential.
Results
The relative expression of hsa-miR-150-5p and hsa-miR-15b-5p was higher in P. vivax-inf...
Khan, JU, Sayyar, S, Paull, B & Innis, PC 2020, 'Novel Approach toward Electrofluidic Substrates Utilizing Textile-Based Braided Structure', ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, vol. 12, no. 40, pp. 45618-45628.
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Khan, K, Tareen, AK, Aslam, M, Mahmood, A, khan, Q, Zhang, Y, Ouyang, Z, Guo, Z & Zhang, H 2020, 'Going green with batteries and supercapacitor: Two dimensional materials and their nanocomposites based energy storage applications', Progress in Solid State Chemistry, vol. 58, pp. 100254-100254.
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Khan, K, Tareen, AK, Aslam, M, Sagar, RUR, Zhang, B, Huang, W, Mahmood, A, Mahmood, N, Khan, K, Zhang, H & Guo, Z 2020, 'Recent Progress, Challenges, and Prospects in Two-Dimensional Photo-Catalyst Materials and Environmental Remediation', Nano-Micro Letters, vol. 12, no. 1.
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AbstractThe successful photo-catalyst library gives significant information on feature that affects photo-catalytic performance and proposes new materials. Competency is considerably significant to form multi-functional photo-catalysts with flexible characteristics. Since recently, two-dimensional materials (2DMs) gained much attention from researchers, due to their unique thickness-dependent uses, mainly for photo-catalytic, outstanding chemical and physical properties. Photo-catalytic water splitting and hydrogen (H2) evolution by plentiful compounds as electron (e−) donors is estimated to participate in constructing clean method for solar H2-formation. Heterogeneous photo-catalysis received much research attention caused by their applications to tackle numerous energy and environmental issues. This broad review explains progress regarding 2DMs, significance in structure, and catalytic results. We will discuss in detail current progresses of approaches for adjusting 2DMs-based photo-catalysts to assess their photo-activity including doping, hetero-structure scheme, and functional formation assembly. Suggested plans, e.g., doping and sensitization of semiconducting 2DMs, increasing electrical conductance, improving catalytic active sites, strengthening interface coupling in semiconductors (SCs) 2DMs, forming nano-structures, building multi-junction nano-composites, increasing photo-stability of SCs, and using combined results of adapted approaches, are summed up. Hence, to further improve 2DMs photo-catalyst properties, hetero-structure design-based 2DMs’ photo-catalyst basic mechanism is also reviewed.
Khan, M, Summers, S, Rice, SA, Stapleton, F, Willcox, MDP & Subedi, D 2020, 'Acquired fluoroquinolone resistance genes in corneal isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa', Infection, Genetics and Evolution, vol. 85, pp. 104574-104574.
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Fluoroquinolones are widely used as an empirical therapy for pseudomonal ocular infections. Based on increasing reports on acquired fluoroquinolone resistance genes in clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, we investigated 33 strains of P. aeruginosa isolated from the cornea of microbial keratitis patients in India and Australia between 1992 and 2018 to understand the prevalence of acquired fluoroquinolone resistance genes in ocular isolates and to assess whether the possession of those genes was associated with fluoroquinolone susceptibility. Fourteen out of 33 strains were resistant to at least one fluoroquinolone. We obtained the whole genome sequence of 33 isolates using Illumina MiSeq platform and investigated the prevalence of two fluoroquinolone resistance genes crpP and qnrVC1. To examine the associated mobile genetic elements of qnrVC1 positive strains, we obtained long read sequences using Oxford Nanopore MinION and performed hybrid assembly to combine long reads with Illumina short sequence reads. We further assessed mutations in quinolone resistance determining regions (QRDRs) and antibiotic susceptibilities to ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin and moxifloxacin to examine the association between resistance genes and phenotype. Twenty strains possessed crpP in genetic islands characterised by possession of integrative conjugative elements. The qnrVC1 gene was carried by four isolates on class I integrons and Tn3 transposons along with aminoglycoside and beta-lactam resistance genes. We did not observe any evidence of plasmids carrying fluoroquinolone resistance genes. Resistance to fluoroquinolones was observed in those strains which possessed crpP, qnrVC1 and that had QRDRs mutations. The presence of crpP on its own was not associated with increased resistance to fluoroquinolones.
Khan, MA-M, Khan, MRJ, Tooshil, A, Sikder, N, Mahmud, MAP, Kouzani, AZ & Nahid, A-A 2020, 'A Systematic Review on Reinforcement Learning-Based Robotics Within the Last Decade', IEEE Access, vol. 8, pp. 176598-176623.
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Khatak, S, Mehta, M, Awasthi, R, Paudel, KR, Singh, SK, Gulati, M, Hansbro, NG, Hansbro, PM, Dua, K & Dureja, H 2020, 'Solid lipid nanoparticles containing anti-tubercular drugs attenuate the Mycobacterium marinum infection.', Tuberculosis (Edinburgh, Scotland), vol. 125, pp. 102008-102008.
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The present study aimed to formulate anti-tubercular drugs (Rifampicin, Isoniazid and Pyrazinamide) loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (ATDs-SLNs) using microemulsion technique for oral administration. Central composite designed (CCD) was applied to study the effect of stearic acid (X1), Compritol® 888 ATO (X2) and equal ratio of poloxamer 188: sodium taurocholate (% w/w) (X3) on particle size, zeta potential and entrapment efficiency. The optimised formulation (SLN8) was found to be spherical in shape with mean particle size 187.9 ± 10.73 nm and zeta potential -47.4 mV. The maximum percentage entrapment of RIF, INH and PYZ in the optimised formulation was found to be 86.40 ± 0.274, 83.84 ± 0.269 and 81.43 ± 0.576, respectively. The in-vitro drug release study demonstrated that the release of drug from SLNs was slow in comparison to marketed formulation and pure ATDs. Cytotoxicity of the ATDs-SLNs was studied on murine macrophage cell line (RAW 264.7) using modified MTT assay demonstrated two folds growth inhibition of M. marinum as compared to standard antitubercular drugs. Overall, the developed SLNs may be considered as a promising anti-mycobacterial nano-drug, providing a new direction to the tuberculosis clinics.
Khuu, A, Spindler, X & Roux, C 2020, 'Detection of latent fingermarks and cells on paper.', Forensic science international, vol. 309, pp. 110185-110185.
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Fingermarks and DNA are valuable traces in forensic investigations potentially allowing for the identification of the source of the trace or highlighting a link between a touched object and an individual. These traces are often latent and need to be detected before recovery. While a number of validated methods exist for fingermark detection, no routine method is in place for the detection of DNA. This study investigates the use of pdimethylaminobenzaldehyde (DMAB) in conjunction with indanedione zinc (IND-Zn) for the detection of latent cellular material and fingermarks on paper. The aim of this proof-of-concept study is to determine the successfulness of this reagent (DMAB-IND) in the detection of the respective traces and observe the impact it has on the resulting DNA profile. It was found that latent fingermarks and the associated cells could be visualised following treatment with the reagent. Samples treated with DMAB-IND showed a significantly higher percentage of alleles called compared to IND-Zn-treated and untreated samples due to the targeted recovery of cells. However, the reagent appears to degrade DNA at a rapid rate, requiring the treated samples to be processed for DNA on the day of treatment.
Kianinia, M & Aharonovich, I 2020, 'Diamond photonics is scaling up', Nature Photonics, vol. 14, no. 10, pp. 599-600.
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Kianinia, M, White, S, Fröch, JE, Bradac, C & Aharonovich, I 2020, 'Generation of Spin Defects in Hexagonal Boron Nitride', ACS Photonics, vol. 7, no. 8, pp. 2147-2152.
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© 2020 American Chemical Society. Two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride offers intriguing opportunities for advanced studies of light-matter interaction at the nanoscale, specifically for realizations in quantum nanophotonics. Here, we demonstrate the generation of optically addressable spin defects based on the negatively charged boron vacancy (VB-) center. We show that these centers can be created in exfoliated hexagonal boron nitride using a variety of focused ion beams (nitrogen, xenon, and argon). Using a combination of laser and resonant microwave excitation, we carry out optically detected magnetic resonance spectroscopy measurements, which reveal a zero-field ground state splitting for the defect of ∼3.46 GHz. We also perform photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy and temperature-dependent photoluminescence measurements to elucidate the photophysical properties of the VB- centers. Our results are important for advanced quantum and nanophotonics realizations involving manipulation and readout of spin defects in hexagonal boron nitride.
Kidsley, AK, O’Dea, M, Ebrahimie, E, Mohammadi-Dehcheshmeh, M, Saputra, S, Jordan, D, Johnson, JR, Gordon, D, Turni, C, Djordjevic, SP, Abraham, S & Trott, DJ 2020, 'Genomic analysis of fluoroquinolone-susceptible phylogenetic group B2 extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli causing infections in cats', Veterinary Microbiology, vol. 245, pp. 108685-108685.
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Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) can cause urinary tract and other types of infection in cats, but the relationship of cat ExPEC to human ExPEC remains equivocal. This study investigated the prevalence of ExPEC-associated sequence types (STs) from phylogenetic group B2 among fluoroquinolone-susceptible cat clinical isolates. For this, 323 fluoroquinolone-susceptible cat clinical E. coli isolates from Australia underwent PCR-based phylotyping and random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis to determine clonal relatedness. Of the 274 group B2 isolates, 53 underwent whole genome sequencing (WGS), whereas 221 underwent PCR-based screening for (group B2) sequence type complexes (STc) STc12, STc73, ST131, and STc372. Group B2 was the dominant phylogenetic group (274/323, 85 %), whereas within group B2 ST73 dominated, according to both WGS (43 % of 53; followed by ST127, ST12, and ST372 [4/53, 8 % each]) and ST-specific PCR (20 % of 221). In WGS-based comparisons of cat and reference human ST73 isolates, cat isolates had a relatively conserved virulence gene profile but were phylogenetically diverse. Although in the phylogram most cat and human ST73 isolates occupied host species-specific clusters within serotype-specific clades (O2:H1, O6:H1, O25:H1, O50/O2:H1), cat and human isolates were intermingled within two serotype-specific clades: O120:H31 (3 cat and 2 human isolates) and O22:H1 (3 cat and 5 human isolates). These findings confirm the importance of human-associated group B2 lineages as a cause of urinary tract infections in cats. The close genetic relationship of some cat and human ST73 strains suggests bi-directional transmission may be possible.
Kidsley, AK, O’Dea, M, Saputra, S, Jordan, D, Johnson, JR, Gordon, DM, Turni, C, Djordjevic, SP, Abraham, S & Trott, DJ 2020, 'Genomic analysis of phylogenetic group B2 extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli causing infections in dogs in Australia', Veterinary Microbiology, vol. 248, pp. 108783-108783.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. This study investigated the prevalence of extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC)-associated sequence types (STs) from phylogenetic group B2 among 449 fluoroquinolone-susceptible dog clinical isolates from Australia. Isolates underwent PCR-based phylotyping and random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis to determine clonal relatedness. Of the 317 so-identified group B2 isolates, 77 underwent whole genome sequencing (WGS), whereas the remainder underwent PCR-based screening for ST complexes (STc) STc12, STc73, STc372, and ST131. The predominant ST was ST372 according to both WGS (31 % of 77) and ST-specific PCR (22 % of 240), followed by (per WGS) ST73 (17 %), ST12 (7 %), and ST80 (7 %). A WGS-based phylogenetic comparison of ST73 isolates from dogs, cats, and humans showed considerable overall phylogenetic diversity. Although most clusters were species-specific, some contained closely related human and animal (dog > cat) isolates. For dogs in Australia these findings both confirm ST372 as the predominant E. coli clonal lineage causing extraintestinal infections and clarify the importance of human-associated group B2 lineage ST73 as a cause of UTI, with some strains possibly being capable of bi-directional (i.e., dog-human and human-dog) transmission.
Kim, JH, Ajani, P, Murray, SA, Kim, J-H, Lim, HC, Teng, ST, Lim, PT, Han, M-S & Park, BS 2020, 'Sexual reproduction and genetic polymorphism within the cosmopolitan marine diatom Pseudo-nitzschia pungens', Scientific Reports, vol. 10, no. 1.
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AbstractDifferent clades belonging to the cosmopolitan marine diatomPseudo-nitzschia pungensappear to be present in different oceanic environments, however, a ‘hybrid zone’, where populations of different clades interbreed, has also been reported. Many studies have investigated the sexual reproduction ofP. pungens,focused on morphology and life cycle, rather than the role of sexual reproduction in mixing the genomes of their parents. We carried out crossing experiments to determine the sexual compatibility/incompatibility between different clades ofP. pungens, and examined the genetic polymorphism in the ITS2 region. Sexual reproduction did not occur only between clades II and III under any of experimental temperature conditions. Four offspring strains were established between clade I and III successfully. Strains established from offspring were found interbreed with other offspring strains as well as viable with their parental strains. We confirmed the hybrid sequence patterns between clades I and III and found novel sequence types including polymorphic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the offspring strains. Our results implicate that gene exchange and mixing between different clades are still possible, and that sexual reproduction is a significant ecological strategy to maintain the genetic diversity within this diatom species.
Kim, S, Lim, Y, Kim, RM, Fröch, JE, Tran, TN, Nam, KT & Aharonovich, I 2020, 'Valley Polarization: A Single Chiral Nanoparticle Induced Valley Polarization Enhancement (Small 37/2020)', Small, vol. 16, no. 37, pp. 2070204-2070204.
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Kim, S, Lim, Y-C, Kim, RM, Fröch, JE, Tran, TN, Nam, KT & Aharonovich, I 2020, 'A Single Chiral Nanoparticle Induced Valley Polarization Enhancement.', Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany), vol. 16, no. 37, pp. e2003005-2003005.
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Valley polarization is among the most critical attributes of atomically thin materials. However, increasing contrast from monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) has so far been challenging. In this work, a large degree of circular polarization up to 45% from a monolayer WS2 is achieved at room temperature by using a single chiral plasmonic nanoparticle. The increased contrast is attributed to the selective enhancement of both the excitation and the emission rate having one particular handedness of the circular polarization, together with accelerated radiative recombination of valley excitons due to the Purcell effect. The experimental results are corroborated by the optical simulation using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. Additionally, the single chiral nanoparticle enables the observation of valley-polarized luminescence with a linear excitation. The results provide a promising pathway to enhance valley contrast from monolayer TMDs and utilize them for nanophotonic devices.
Kim, S-H, Kim, JH, Baek, SH, Kim, J-H, Ajani, PA, Park, BS & Han, M-S 2020, 'The Influence of Dissolved Organic Carbon on the Microbial Community Associated with Tetraselmis striata for Bio-Diesel Production', Applied Sciences, vol. 10, no. 10, pp. 3601-3601.
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The green alga Tetraselmis striata is regarded as a suitable candidate microalga for bio-diesel production. Recently, T. striata was cultured near Yeonghueung Island, Korea, in a “marine culturing field”; however, its environmental impacts are not yet studied. We estimated the amount of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) released from T. striata cultivation in the marine culturing field, and we investigated the changes in bacterial composition. Then, we designed and installed a mesocosm for further understanding. From the mesocosm results, the DOC released from the cultivation of T. striata led to changes in bacterial communities, disturbance of the microbial food web structure, rapid depletion of nutrients, and a decrease in dissolved oxygen (DO) and pH. Our novel work demonstrates that large amounts of DOC secreted by large-scale microalgal cultures such as that of T. striata can potentially have a significant impact on the structure and function of the surrounding microbial ecosystem.
Kim, T-M, Paudel, KR & Kim, D-W 2020, 'Eriobotrya japonica leaf extract attenuates airway inflammation in ovalbumin-induced mice model of asthma', Journal of Ethnopharmacology, vol. 253, pp. 112082-112082.
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ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE:Eriobotrya japonica leaves has a very long history of medicinal use as an anti-inflammatory and antitussive agent for bronchial inflammation. AIM OF THE STUDY:The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activities of Eriobotrya japonica (EJ) leaf water extract in an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced murine asthma model and human tracheal smooth muscle cell (HTSMC). MATERIALS AND METHODS:Mice were sensitized by intra peritoneal OVA and challenged with nebulized OVA. EJ extract was administered orally at various dose. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was quantified for nitric oxide (NO), eosinophil peroxidase (EPO), interleukin (IL)-4, IL-13 level and immunoglobulin (Ig) E was quantified in serum. Lung tissue sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin for assessment of inflammatory cell infiltration whereas mucus production and goblet cell hyperplasia were studied by periodic acid schiff staining. Western blot was done for analysis of pERK1/2 expression and NFκB translocation in HTSMC whereas iNOS and COX-2 expression in RAW264.7 cell. RESULTS:EJ significantly reduced the levels of BALF's NO, EPO, MMPs, IL-4, IL-13, and serum IgE. It also decreases inflammatory cell infiltration and mucus production. EJ also attenuated the proliferation of HTSMC, inhibits overexpression of ERK 1/2 and translocation of NFκB in HTSMC as well as iNOS and COX-2 expression in RAW 264.7 cell. CONCLUSION:Present study suggest that, EJ effectively protects against allergic airway inflammation thus possessing potential therapeutic option for allergic asthma management.
King, WL, Siboni, N, Kahlke, T, Dove, M, O'Connor, W, Mahbub, KR, Jenkins, C, Seymour, JR & Labbate, M 2020, 'Regional and oyster microenvironmental scale heterogeneity in the Pacific oyster bacterial community.', FEMS Microbiol Ecol, vol. 96, no. 5.
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Different organs of a host represent distinct microenvironments resulting in the establishment of multiple discrete bacterial communities within a host. These discrete bacterial communities can also vary according to geographical location. For the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, the factors governing bacterial diversity and abundance of different oyster microenvironments are poorly understood. In this study, the factors shaping bacterial abundance, diversity and composition associated with the C. gigas mantle, gill, adductor muscle, and digestive gland were characterised using 16S (V3-V4) rRNA amplicon sequencing across six discrete estuaries. Both location and tissue-type, with tissue-type being the stronger determinant, were factors driving bacterial community composition. Bacterial communities from wave-dominated estuaries had similar compositions and higher bacterial abundance despite being geographically distant from one another, possibly indicating that functional estuarine morphology characteristics are a factor shaping the oyster bacterial community. Despite the bacterial community heterogeneity, examinations of the core bacterial community identified Spirochaetaceae bacteria as conserved across all sites and samples. Whereas members of the Vulcaniibacterium, Spirochaetaceae and Margulisbacteria, and Polynucleobacter were regionally conserved members of the digestive gland, gill, and mantle bacterial communities respectively. This indicates that baseline bacterial community profiles for specific locations are necessary when investigating bacterial communities in oyster health.
Kingsbury, KM, Gillanders, BM, Booth, DJ & Nagelkerken, I 2020, 'Trophic niche segregation allows range-extending coral reef fishes to co-exist with temperate species under climate change.', Global Change Biology, vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 721-733.
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Changing climate is forcing many terrestrial and marine species to extend their ranges poleward to stay within the bounds of their thermal tolerances. However, when such species enter higher latitude ecosystems, they engage in novel interactions with local species, such as altered predator-prey dynamics and competition for food. Here, we evaluate the trophic overlap between range-extending and local fish species along the east coast of temperate Australia, a hotspot for ocean warming and species range extensions. Stable isotope ratios (δ15 N and δ13 C) of muscle tissue and stomach content analysis were used to quantify overlap of trophic niche space between vagrant tropical and local temperate fish communities along a 730 km (6°) latitudinal gradient. Our study shows that in recipient temperate ecosystems, sympatric tropical and temperate species do not overlap significantly in their diet-even though they forage on broadly similar prey groups-and are therefore unlikely to compete for trophic niche space. The tropical and temperate species we studied, which are commonly found in shallow-water coastal environments, exhibited moderately broad niche breadths and local-scale dietary plasticity, indicating trophic generalism. We posit that because these species are generalists, they can co-exist under current climate change, facilitating the existence of novel community structures.
Kingsbury, KM, Gillanders, BM, Booth, DJ, Coni, EOC & Nagelkerken, I 2020, 'Range-extending coral reef fishes trade-off growth for maintenance of body condition in cooler waters.', Science of the Total Environment, vol. 703, pp. 134598-134598.
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As ocean waters warm due to climate change, tropical species are shifting their ranges poleward to remain within their preferred thermal niches. As a result, novel communities are emerging in which tropical species interact with local temperate species, competing for similar resources, such as food and habitat. To understand how range-extending coral reef fish species perform along their leading edges when invading temperate ecosystems, we studied proxies of their fitness, including somatic growth (length increase), feeding rates, and body condition, along a 730-km latitudinal gradient situated in one of the global warming hotspots. We also studied co-occurring temperate species to assess how their fitness is affected along their trailing edges under ocean warming. We predicted that tropical fishes would experience reduced performance as they enter novel communities with suboptimal environmental conditions. Our study shows that although tropical fish maintain their body condition (based on three proxies) and stomach fullness across all invaded temperate latitudes, they exhibit decreased in situ growth rates, activity levels, and feeding rates in their novel temperate environment, likely a result of lower metabolic rates in cooler waters. We posit that tropical fishes face a growth-maintenance trade-off under the initial phases of ocean warming (i.e. at their leading edges), allowing them to maintain their body condition in cooler temperate waters but at the cost of slower growth. Temperate fish exhibited no distinct patterns in body condition and performance along the natural temperature gradient studied. However, in the face of future climate change, when metabolism is no longer stymied by low water temperatures, tropical range-extending species are likely to approach their native-range growth rates along their leading edges, ultimately leading to increased competitive interactions with local species in temperate ecosystems.
Kiss, M, Burns, H, Donnelly, S & Hawthorne, WJ 2020, 'Effectiveness of Helminth Therapy in the Prevention of Allograft Rejection: A Systematic Review of Allogeneic Transplantation', Frontiers in Immunology, vol. 11.
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Background: The unique immunomodulatory capacity of helminth parasites has been investigated as a novel strategy in the prevention of allograft rejection after transplantation. This review was conducted to fully evaluate the specific effects of helminth therapy on allograft survival reported in published studies of animal models of allogeneic transplantation. Method: Following PRISMA protocol guidelines, a literature search was conducted using PubMed, MEDLINE via OvidSP, along with additional manual searches of selected reference lists. Publications describing helminth intervention within allograft transplantation models were screened for relevance to eligibility criteria. Primary and secondary outcomes were extracted using standardized data collection tables. The SYRCLE risk of bias assessment tool was used for quality assessment. Due to heterogeneity of study designs, meta-analysis could not be performed; rather outcomes are presented as a narrative synthesis with concept mapping. This review was registered in PROSPERO with ID: CRD42018097175. Results: The literature search generated 1,443 publications, which after screening for relevance to the eligibility criteria yielded 15 publications for qualitative analysis. All 15 publications reported improvement to allograft survival as a result of helminth therapy. This prolonged allograft survival was not significantly different when helminth-derived products were used compared to live infection. However, the extent of positive impact on allograft survival was noted to be dependent on study design factors, such as the chronicity of the live helminth infection, allograft type and the species/genus of helminth selected. Conclusion: Both live and product-based helminth therapy have potential applications as novel immune regulators or adjuncts for the prevention of allograft rejection. However, there were differences in efficacy between different worms and preparations of worm-derived products. Therefore, further studie...
Klanten, OS, Gaither, MR, Greaves, S, Mills, K, O’Keeffe, K, Turnbull, J, McKinnon, R & Booth, DJ 2020, 'Genomic and morphological evidence of distinct populations in the endemic common (weedy) seadragon Phyllopteryx taeniolatus (Syngnathidae) along the east coast of Australia', PLOS ONE, vol. 15, no. 12, pp. e0243446-e0243446.
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The common or weedy seadragon,Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, is an iconic and endemic fish found across temperate reefs of southern Australia. Despite its charismatic nature, few studies have been published, and the extent of population sub-structuring remains poorly resolved. Here we used 7462 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to identify the extent of population structure in the weedy seadragon along the temperate southeast coast of Australia. We identified four populations, with strong genetic structure (FST= 0.562) between them. Both Discriminant Analysis of Principle Components (DAPC) and Bayesian clustering analyses support four distinct genetic clusters (north to south: central New South Wales, southern NSW, Victoria and Tasmania). In addition to these genetic differences, geographical variation in external morphology was recorded, with individuals from New South Wales shaped differently for a few measurements to those from the Mornington Peninsula (Victoria). We posit that these genetic and morphological differences suggest that the Victorian population ofP.taeniolatuswas historically isolated by the Bassian Isthmus during the last glacial maximum and should now be considered at least a distinct population. We also recorded high levels of genetic structure among the other locations. Based on the genomic and to a degree morphological evidence presented in this study, we recommend that the Victorian population be managed separately from the eastern populations (New South Wales and Tasmania).
Klausberger, M, Leneva, IA, Egorov, A, Strobl, F, Ghorbanpour, SM, Falynskova, IN, Poddubikov, AV, Makhmudova, NR, Krokhin, A, Svitich, OA & Grabherr, R 2020, 'Off-target effects of an insect cell-expressed influenza HA-pseudotyped Gag-VLP preparation in limiting postinfluenza Staphylococcus aureus infections', Vaccine, vol. 38, no. 4, pp. 859-867.
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Knight, S, Abel, S, Shibani, A, Goh, YK, Conijn, R, Gibson, A, Vajjala, S, Cotos, E, Sándor, Á & Buckingham Shum, S 2020, 'Are You Being Rhetorical? A Description of Rhetorical Move Annotation Tools and Open Corpus of Sample Machine-Annotated Rhetorical Moves', Journal of Learning Analytics, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 138-154.
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Writing analytics has emerged as a sub-field of learning analytics, with applications including the provision of formative feedback to students in developing their writing capacities. Rhetorical markers in writing have become a key feature in this feedback, with a number of tools being developed across research and teaching contexts. However, there is no shared corpus of texts annotated by these tools, nor is it clear how the tool annotations compare. Thus, resources are scarce for comparing tools for both tool development and pedagogic purposes. In this paper, we conduct such a comparison and introduce a sample corpus of texts representative of the particular genres, a subset of which has been annotated using three rhetorical analysis tools (one of which has two versions). This paper aims to provide both a description of the tools and a shared dataset in order to support extensions of existing analyses and tool design in support of writing skill development. We intend the description of these tools, which share a focus on rhetorical structures, alongside the corpus, to be a preliminary step to enable further research, with regard to both tool development and tool interaction
Kobayashi, T, Ralph, TJ, Sharma, P & Mitrovic, SM 2020, 'Influence of historical inundation frequency on soil microbes (Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria) in semi-arid floodplain wetlands', Marine and Freshwater Research, vol. 71, no. 5, pp. 617-617.
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Cyanobacteria and other microbes are important moderators of biogeochemical processes in semi-arid floodplain wetlands with varying inundation regimes. Inundation is a key environmental driver for floodplain biological communities. Little is known about the effect of historical inundation frequency on the spatial abundance of floodplain–wetland Cyanobacteria and other microbes. In this study, soil samples were collected at two locations with a gradient of low-to-high inundation frequency in the Macquarie Marshes, south-east Australia. We used high-throughput sequencing to estimate the proportional abundance of the soil Cyanobacteria and other dominant microbes, targeting the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. Of the microbes recovered, Cyanobacteria constituted proportionally a minor component, relative to other dominant phyla like Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria. Linear regression (generalised least-squares) models accounting for spatial autocorrelation showed that historical inundation frequency had no significant effect on the proportional abundance of Cyanobacteria at both wetlands studied. However, inundation frequency had a significant positive effect on the proportional abundance of Proteobacteria and a significant negative effect on the proportional abundance of Actinobacteria. Cyanobacteria seem to occupy a different hydrological niche from Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria in semi-arid floodplain wetlands, suggesting taxon-dependent response of floodplain microbial communities to varying inundation regimes and associated soil conditions in those environments.
Komalla, V, Allam, VSRR, Kwok, PCL, Sheikholeslami, B, Owen, L, Jaffe, A, Waters, SA, Mohammad, S, Oliver, BG, Chen, H & Haghi, M 2020, 'A phospholipid-based formulation for the treatment of airway inflammation in chronic respiratory diseases', European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, vol. 157, pp. 47-58.
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Komalla, V, Sheikholeslami, B, Li, G, Bokshi, B, Chan, YL, Ung, A, Gregory, OB, Chen, H & Haghi, M 2020, 'Impact of A Cargo-Less Liposomal Formulation on Dietary Obesity-Related Metabolic Disorders in Mice.', International journal of molecular sciences, vol. 21, no. 20, pp. 7640-7640.
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Current therapeutic options for obesity often require pharmacological intervention with dietary restrictions. Obesity is associated with underlying inflammation due to increased tissue macrophage infiltration, and recent evidence shows that inflammation can drive obesity, creating a feed forward mechanism. Therefore, targeting obesity-induced macrophage infiltration may be an effective way of treating obesity. Here, we developed cargo-less liposomes (UTS-001) using 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, DOPC (synthetic phosphatidylcholine) as a single-agent to manage weight gain and related glucose disorders due to high fat diet (HFD) consumption in mice. UTS-001 displayed potent immunomodulatory properties, including reducing resident macrophage number in both fat and liver, downregulating liver markers involved in gluconeogenesis, and increasing marker involved in thermogenesis. As a result, UTS-001 significantly enhanced systemic glucose tolerance in vivo and insulin-stimulated cellular glucose uptake in vitro, as well as reducing fat accumulation upon ad libitum HFD consumption in mice. UTS-001 targets tissue residence macrophages to suppress tissue inflammation during HFD-induced obesity, resulting in improved weight control and glucose metabolism. Thus, UTS-001 represents a promising therapeutic strategy for body weight management and glycaemic control.
Kou, J, Xin, TY, McCarron, P, Gupta, G, Dureja, H, Satija, S, Mehta, M, Bakshi, HA, Tambuwala, MM, Collet, T, Dua, K & Chellappan, DK 2020, 'Going Beyond Antibiotics: Natural Plant Extracts as an Emergent Strategy to Combat Biofilm-Associated Infections', Journal of Environmental Pathology, Toxicology and Oncology, vol. 39, no. 2, pp. 125-136.
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Biofilms are a collective of multiple types of bacteria that develop on a variety of surfaces. Biofilm development results in heightened resistance to antibiotics. Quorum sensing plays an important role in biofilm development as it is one of the common communication mechanisms within cells, which balances and stabilizes the environment, when the amount of bacteria increases. Because of the important implications of the roles biofilms play in infectious diseases, it is crucial to investigate natural antibacterial agents that are able to regulate biofilm formation and development. Various studies have suggested that natural plant products have the potential to suppress bacterial growth and exhibit chemopreventive traits in the modulation of biofilm development. In this review, we discuss and collate potential antibiofilm drugs and biological molecules from natural sources, along with their underlying mechanisms of action. In addition, we also discuss the antibiofilm drugs that are currently under clinical trials and highlight their potential future uses.
Kramer, I, Hooning, MJ, Mavaddat, N, Hauptmann, M, Keeman, R, Steyerberg, EW, Giardiello, D, Antoniou, AC, Pharoah, PDP, Canisius, S, Abu-Ful, Z, Andrulis, IL, Anton-Culver, H, Aronson, KJ, Augustinsson, A, Becher, H, Beckmann, MW, Behrens, S, Benitez, J, Bermisheva, M, Bogdanova, NV, Bojesen, SE, Bolla, MK, Bonanni, B, Brauch, H, Bremer, M, Brucker, SY, Burwinkel, B, Castelao, JE, Chan, TL, Chang-Claude, J, Chanock, SJ, Chenevix-Trench, G, Choi, J-Y, Clarke, CL, Collée, JM, Couch, FJ, Cox, A, Cross, SS, Czene, K, Daly, MB, Devilee, P, Dörk, T, dos-Santos-Silva, I, Dunning, AM, Dwek, M, Eccles, DM, Evans, DG, Fasching, PA, Flyger, H, Gago-Dominguez, M, García-Closas, M, García-Sáenz, JA, Giles, GG, Goldgar, DE, González-Neira, A, Haiman, CA, Håkansson, N, Hamann, U, Hartman, M, Heemskerk-Gerritsen, BAM, Hollestelle, A, Hopper, JL, Hou, M-F, Howell, A, Ito, H, Jakimovska, M, Jakubowska, A, Janni, W, John, EM, Jung, A, Kang, D, Kets, CM, Khusnutdinova, E, Ko, Y-D, Kristensen, VN, Kurian, AW, Kwong, A, Lambrechts, D, Le Marchand, L, Li, J, Lindblom, A, Lubiński, J, Mannermaa, A, Manoochehri, M, Margolin, S, Matsuo, K, Mavroudis, D, Meindl, A, Milne, RL, Mulligan, AM, Muranen, TA, Neuhausen, SL, Nevanlinna, H, Newman, WG, Olshan, AF, Olson, JE, Olsson, H, Park-Simon, T-W, Peto, J, Petridis, C, Plaseska-Karanfilska, D, Presneau, N, Pylkäs, K, Radice, P, Rennert, G, Romero, A, Roylance, R, Saloustros, E, Sawyer, EJ, Schmutzler, RK, Schwentner, L, Scott, C, See, M-H, Shah, M, Shen, C-Y, Shu, X-O, Siesling, S, Slager, S, Sohn, C, Southey, MC, Spinelli, JJ, Stone, J, Tapper, WJ, Tengström, M, Teo, SH, Terry, MB, Tollenaar, RAEM, Tomlinson, I, Troester, MA, Vachon, CM, van Ongeval, C, van Veen, EM, Winqvist, R, Wolk, A, Zheng, W, Ziogas, A, Easton, DF, Hall, P, Schmidt, MK, Børresen-Dale, A-L, Sahlberg, K, Ottestad, L, Kåresen, R, Schlichting, E, Holmen, MM, Sauer, T, Haakensen, V, Engebråten, O, Naume, B, Fosså, A, Kiserud, C, Reinertsen, K, Helland, Å, Riis, M, Geisler, J, Alnæs, GG, Clarke, C, Marsh, D, Scott, R, Baxter, R, Yip, D, Carpenter, J, Davis, A, Pathmanathan, N, Simpson, P, Graham, JD, Sachchithananthan, M, Amor, D, Andrews, L, Antill, Y, Balleine, R, Beesley, J, Bennett, I, Bogwitz, M, Botes, L, Brennan, M, Brown, M, Buckley, M, Burke, J, Butow, P, Caldon, L, Campbell, I, Chauhan, D, Chauhan, M, Chenevix-Trench, G & et al. 2020, 'Breast Cancer Polygenic Risk Score and Contralateral Breast Cancer Risk', The American Journal of Human Genetics, vol. 107, no. 5, pp. 837-848.
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Kühl, M, Trampe, E, Mosshammer, M, Johnson, M, Larkum, AWD, Frigaard, NU & Koren, K 2020, 'Substantial near-infrared radiation-driven photosynthesis of chlorophyll f-containing cyanobacteria in a natural habitat', eLife, vol. 9.
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© Kühl et al. Far-red absorbing chlorophylls are constitutively present as chlorophyll (Chl) d in the cyanobacterium Acaryochloris marina, or dynamically expressed by synthesis of Chl f, red-shifted phycobiliproteins and minor amounts of Chl d via far-red light photoacclimation in a range of cyanobacteria, which enables them to use near-infrared-radiation (NIR) for oxygenic photosynthesis. While the biochemistry and molecular physiology of Chl f-containing cyanobacteria has been unraveled in culture studies, their ecological significance remains unexplored and no data on their in situ activity exist. With a novel combination of hyperspectral imaging, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and nanoparticle-based O2 imaging, we demonstrate substantial NIR-driven oxygenic photosynthesis by endolithic, Chl f-containing cyanobacteria within natural beachrock biofilms that are widespread on (sub)tropical coastlines. This indicates an important role of NIR-driven oxygenic photosynthesis in primary production of endolithic and other shaded habitats.
Kulk, G, Platt, T, Dingle, J, Jackson, T, Jönsson, BF, Bouman, HA, Babin, M, Brewin, RJW, Doblin, M, Estrada, M, Figueiras, FG, Furuya, K, González-Benítez, N, Gudfinnsson, HG, Gudmundsson, K, Huang, B, Isada, T, Kovač, Ž, Lutz, VA, Marañón, E, Raman, M, Richardson, K, Rozema, PD, van, DPWH, Segura, V, Tilstone, GH, Uitz, J, van, D-VV, Yoshikawa, T & Sathyendranath, S 2020, 'Primary production, an index of climate change in the ocean: Satellite-based estimates over two decades', Remote Sensing, vol. 12, no. 5, pp. 826-826.
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© 2020 by the authors. Primary production by marine phytoplankton is one of the largest fluxes of carbon on our planet. In the past few decades, considerable progress has been made in estimating global primary production at high spatial and temporal scales by combining in situ measurements of primary production with remote-sensing observations of phytoplankton biomass. One of the major challenges in this approach lies in the assignment of the appropriate model parameters that define the photosynthetic response of phytoplankton to the light field. In the present study, a global database of in situ measurements of photosynthesis versus irradiance (P-I) parameters and a 20-year record of climate quality satellite observations were used to assess global primary production and its variability with seasons and locations as well as between years. In addition, the sensitivity of the computed primary production to potential changes in the photosynthetic response of phytoplankton cells under changing environmental conditions was investigated. Global annual primary production varied from 38.8 to 42.1 Gt C yr-1 over the period of 1998-2018. Inter-annual changes in global primary production did not follow a linear trend, and regional differences in the magnitude and direction of change in primary production were observed. Trends in primary production followed directly from changes in chlorophyll-a and were related to changes in the physico-chemical conditions of the water column due to inter-annual and multidecadal climate oscillations. Moreover, the sensitivity analysis in which P-I parameters were adjusted by ±1 standard deviation showed the importance of accurately assigning photosynthetic parameters in global and regional calculations of primary production. The assimilation number of the P-I curve showed strong relationships with environmental variables such as temperature and had a practically one-to-one relationship with the magnitude of change in primary prod...
Kumari, N & Srivastava, A 2020, 'An Approach for Estimation of Evapotranspiration by Standardizing Parsimonious Method', Agricultural Research, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 301-309.
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Evapotranspiration (ET) is one of the important components of the hydrological cycle which is essential for sustainable water resource management and ecohydrological studies. Accurate estimation of ET is a crucial task in data-scarce regions due to limited meteorological variables. There exist a number of indirect methods among which the standard method for computing ET is FAO-56-Penman–Monteith (PM) method. However, due to paucity of flux data such as the components of net radiation, relative humidity, vapour pressure, and wind speed in many parts of the world, the use of standard benchmark method is limited. This limitation provides the widespread acceptance of the method which uses fewer variables and can give an accurate estimation of ET for water resource management. In this study, we have developed a framework to standardize the Hargreaves-based ET in the Kangsabati River basin. We utilize the weather datasets from six stations, namely Purulia, Bankura, Mohanpur, Jhargram, Kharagpur, and Midnapore to apply the ET standardization method. We have compared both the raw and corrected ET from Hargreaves with FAO-56-PM ET prior and after correction by using harmonization method. Performance evaluation of harmonization technique is done using statistical and graphical indicators for the duration of 2006–2010. It is observed that Purulia (r = 0.83 and d = 0.80) and Mohanpur (r = 0.85 and d = 0.87) stations are almost standardized appropriately on daily scale. Further, the highest r and R2 was obtained for Mohanpur station (r = 0.972; d = 0.940), while least for Jhargram station (r = 0.961; d = 0.741) at monthly scale. Overall, this approach can be used to provide the utility in data-scarce conditions irrespective of agro-climatic conditions.
Kumari, N, Saco, PM, Rodriguez, JF, Johnstone, SA, Srivastava, A, Chun, KP & Yetemen, O 2020, 'The Grass Is Not Always Greener on the Other Side: Seasonal Reversal of Vegetation Greenness in Aspect-Driven Semiarid Ecosystems', Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 47, no. 15.
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Our current understanding of semiarid ecosystems is that they tend to display higher vegetation greenness on polar-facing slopes (PFS) than on equatorial-facing slopes (EFS). However, recent studies have argued that higher vegetation greenness can occur on EFS during part of the year. To assess whether this seasonal reversal of aspect-driven vegetation is a common occurrence, we conducted a global-scale analysis of vegetation greenness on a monthly time scale over an 18-year period (2000–2017). We examined the influence of climate seasonality on the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values of PFS and EFS at 60 different catchments with aspect-controlled vegetation located across all continents except Antarctica. Our results show that an overwhelming majority of sites (70%) display seasonal reversal, associated with transitions from water-limited to energy-limited conditions during wet winters. These findings highlight the need to consider seasonal variations of aspect-driven vegetation patterns in ecohydrology, geomorphology, and Earth system models.
Kundukad, B, Udayakumar, G, Grela, E, Kaur, D, Rice, SA, Kjelleberg, S & Doyle, PS 2020, 'Weak acids as an alternative anti-microbial therapy', Biofilm, vol. 2, pp. 100019-100019.
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Küssau, T, Van Wyk, N, Johansen, MD, Alsarraf, HMAB, Neyret, A, Hamela, C, Sørensen, KK, Thygesen, MB, Beauvineau, C, Kremer, L & Blaise, M 2020, 'Functional Characterization of the N-Acetylmuramyl-l-Alanine Amidase, Ami1, from Mycobacterium abscessus', Cells, vol. 9, no. 11, pp. 2410-2410.
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Peptidoglycan (PG) is made of a polymer of disaccharides organized as a three-dimensional mesh-like network connected together by peptidic cross-links. PG is a dynamic structure that is essential for resistance to environmental stressors. Remodeling of PG occurs throughout the bacterial life cycle, particularly during bacterial division and separation into daughter cells. Numerous autolysins with various substrate specificities participate in PG remodeling. Expression of these enzymes must be tightly regulated, as an excess of hydrolytic activity can be detrimental for the bacteria. In non-tuberculous mycobacteria such as Mycobacterium abscessus, the function of PG-modifying enzymes has been poorly investigated. In this study, we characterized the function of the PG amidase, Ami1 from M. abscessus. An ami1 deletion mutant was generated and the phenotypes of the mutant were evaluated with respect to susceptibility to antibiotics and virulence in human macrophages and zebrafish. The capacity of purified Ami1 to hydrolyze muramyl-dipeptide was demonstrated in vitro. In addition, the screening of a 9200 compounds library led to the selection of three compounds inhibiting Ami1 in vitro. We also report the structural characterization of Ami1 which, combined with in silico docking studies, allows us to propose a mode of action for these inhibitors.
La, QT, Ren, B, Logan, GJ, Cunningham, SC, Khandekar, N, Nassif, NT, O’Brien, BA, Alexander, IE & Simpson, AM 2020, 'Use of a Hybrid Adeno-Associated Viral Vector Transposon System to Deliver the Insulin Gene to Diabetic NOD Mice', Cells, vol. 9, no. 10, pp. 2227-2227.
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Previously, we used a lentiviral vector to deliver furin-cleavable human insulin (INS-FUR) to the livers in several animal models of diabetes using intervallic infusion in full flow occlusion (FFO), with resultant reversal of diabetes, restoration of glucose tolerance and pancreatic transdifferentiation (PT), due to the expression of beta (β)-cell transcription factors (β-TFs). The present study aimed to determine whether we could similarly reverse diabetes in the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse using an adeno-associated viral vector (AAV) to deliver INS-FUR ± the β-TF Pdx1 to the livers of diabetic mice. The traditional AAV8, which provides episomal expression, and the hybrid AAV8/piggyBac that results in transgene integration were used. Diabetic mice that received AAV8-INS-FUR became hypoglycaemic with abnormal intraperitoneal glucose tolerance tests (IPGTTs). Expression of β-TFs was not detected in the livers. Reversal of diabetes was not achieved in mice that received AAV8-INS-FUR and AAV8-Pdx1 and IPGTTs were abnormal. Normoglycaemia and glucose tolerance were achieved in mice that received AAV8/piggyBac-INS-FUR/FFO. Definitive evidence of PT was not observed. This is the first in vivo study using the hybrid AAV8/piggyBac system to treat Type 1 diabetes (T1D). However, further development is required before the system can be used for gene therapy of T1D.
Lampignano, R, Neumann, MHD, Weber, S, Kloten, V, Herdean, A, Voss, T, Groelz, D, Babayan, A, Tibbesma, M, Schlumpberger, M, Chemi, F, Rothwell, DG, Wikman, H, Galizzi, J-P, Riise Bergheim, I, Russnes, H, Mussolin, B, Bonin, S, Voigt, C, Musa, H, Pinzani, P, Lianidou, E, Brady, G, Speicher, MR, Pantel, K, Betsou, F, Schuuring, E, Kubista, M, Ammerlaan, W, Sprenger-Haussels, M, Schlange, T & Heitzer, E 2020, 'Multicenter Evaluation of Circulating Cell-Free DNA Extraction and Downstream Analyses for the Development of Standardized (Pre)analytical Work Flows', Clinical Chemistry, vol. 66, no. 1, pp. 149-160.
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AbstractBACKGROUNDIn cancer patients, circulating cell-free DNA (ccfDNA) can contain tumor-derived DNA (ctDNA), which enables noninvasive diagnosis, real-time monitoring, and treatment susceptibility testing. However, ctDNA fractions are highly variable, which challenges downstream applications. Therefore, established preanalytical work flows in combination with cost-efficient and reproducible reference materials for ccfDNA analyses are crucial for analytical validity and subsequently for clinical decision-making.METHODSWe describe the efforts of the Innovative Medicines Initiative consortium CANCER-ID (http://www.cancer-id.eu) for comparing different technologies for ccfDNA purification, quantification, and characterization in a multicenter setting. To this end, in-house generated mononucleosomal DNA (mnDNA) from lung cancer cell lines carrying known TP53 mutations was spiked in pools of plasma from healthy donors generated from 2 different blood collection tubes (BCTs). ccfDNA extraction was performed at 15 partner sites according to their respective routine practice. Downstream analysis of ccfDNA with respect to recovery, integrity, and mutation analysis was performed centralized at 4 different sites.RESULTSWe demonstrate suitability of mnDNA as a surrogate for ccfDNA as a process quality control from nucleic acid extraction to mutation detection. Although automated extraction protocols and quantitative PCR-based quantification methods yielded the most consistent and precise results, some kits preferentially recovered spiked mnDNA over endogenous ccfDNA. Mutated TP53 fragments derived from mnDNA were consistently detected using both next-generation sequencing-based deep sequencing and droplet digital PCR independently of BCT.CON...
Lapwong, Y, Dejtaradol, A & Webb, JK 2020, 'Shifts in thermal preference of introduced Asian house geckos (Hemidactylus frenatus) in temperate regions of southeastern Australia', Journal of Thermal Biology, vol. 91, pp. 102625-102625.
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Despite its tropical origin, the Asian house gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus) is currently invading higher latitudes around the world. In this study, we investigated whether the introduced geckos in the subtropical/temperate region of southeastern Australia have shifted their thermal biology to cope with colder temperatures. In the lab, we measured the body temperatures of geckos from Thailand and Australia in a cost-free thermal gradient. Native H. frenatus from Thailand displayed a diel pattern of thermoregulation. Geckos maintained higher body temperatures during mid-afternoon and at dusk but selected cooler temperatures during the night. Introduced geckos showed a similar pattern of thermoregulation, but selected lower body temperatures in summer (mean = 28.9 °C) and winter (mean = 25.5 °C) than native geckos (mean = 31.5 °C). While the Asian house geckos from Thailand did not alter their body temperatures after feeding, their conspecifics from southeastern Australia selected body temperatures that were 1.6-3.1 °C higher after feeding. In conclusion, our study shows that invasive house geckos in Australia have shifted their preferred body temperatures downwards relative to their native conspecifics in Thailand, presumably as a result of plasticity or natural selection. Our findings suggest that these tropical geckos have adapted to colder regions, and thus, they may spread much further than expected for a tropical ectotherm.
Lauretta, G, Ravalli, S, Szychlinska, MA, Castorina, A, Maugeri, G, D'Amico, AG, D'Agata, V & Musumeci, G 2020, 'Current knowledge of pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) in articular cartilage.', Histol Histopathol, vol. 35, no. 11, pp. 1251-1262.
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Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) is an evolutionally well conserved neuropeptide, mainly expressed by neuronal and peripheral cells. It proves to be an interesting object of study both for its trophic functions during the development of several tissues and for its protective effects against oxidative stress, hypoxia, inflammation and apoptosis in different degenerative diseases. This brief review summarises the recent findings concerning the role of PACAP in the articular cartilage. PACAP and its receptors are expressed during chondrogenesis and are shown to activate the pathways involved in regulating cartilage development. Moreover, this neuropeptide proves to be chondroprotective against those stressors that determine cartilage degeneration and contribute to the onset of osteoarthritis (OA), the most common form of degenerative joint disease. Indeed, the degenerated cartilage exhibits low levels of PACAP, suggesting that its endogenous levels in adult cartilage may play an essential role in maintaining physiological properties. Thanks to its peculiar characteristics, exogenous administration of PACAP could be suggested as a potential tool to slow down the progression of OA and for cartilage regeneration approaches.
Lawson, CA, Raina, J-B, Deschaseaux, E, Hrebien, V, Possell, M, Seymour, JR & Suggett, DJ 2020, 'Heat stress decreases the diversity, abundance and functional potential of coral gas emissions.', Global change biology, vol. 27, no. 4, pp. 879-891.
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Terrestrial ecosystems emit large quantities of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs), many of which play important roles in abiotic stress responses, pathogen and grazing defences, inter- and intra-species communications, and climate regulation. Conversely, comparatively little is known about the diversity and functional potential of BVOCs produced in the marine environment, especially in highly productive coral reefs. Here we describe the first 'volatilomes' of two common reef-building corals, Acropora intermedia and Pocillopora damicornis, and how the functional potential of their gaseous emissions is altered by heat stress events that are driving rapid deterioration of coral reef ecosystems worldwide. A total of 87 BVOCs were detected from the two species and the chemical richness of both coral volatilomes-particularly the chemical classes of alkanes and carboxylic acids-decreased during heat stress by 41% and 62% in A. intermedia and P. damicornis, respectively. Across both coral species, the abundance of individual compounds changed significantly during heat stress, with the majority (>86%) significantly decreasing compared to control conditions. Additionally, almost 60% of the coral volatilome (or 52 BVOCs) could be assigned to four key functional groups based on their activities in other species or systems, including stress response, chemical signalling, climate regulation and antimicrobial activity. The total number of compounds assigned to these functions decreased significantly under heat stress for both A. intermedia (by 35%) and P. damicornis (by 64%), with most dramatic losses found for climatically active BVOCs in P. damicornis and antimicrobial BVOCs in A. intermedia. Together, our observations suggest that future heat stress events predicted for coral reefs will reduce the diversity, quantity and functional potential of BVOCs emitted by reef-building corals, potentially further compromising the healthy functioning of these ecosystems.
Lawson, CA, Seymour, JR, Possell, M, Suggett, DJ & Raina, JB 2020, 'The Volatilomes of Symbiodiniaceae-Associated Bacteria Are Influenced by Chemicals Derived From Their Algal Partner', Frontiers in Marine Science, vol. 7.
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© Copyright © 2020 Lawson, Seymour, Possell, Suggett and Raina. Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) are a large group of molecules involved in trophic interactions, stress response and atmospheric chemistry. Although they have been extensively studied in terrestrial ecosystems, their identity and prevalence in the marine environment remains largely unexplored. Here we characterized the volatilome of two abundant marine bacteria that were previously identified as members of the core microbiome of Symbiodiniaceae (phylum: Dinoflagellata), the photosynthetic endosymbionts of reef building corals. To determine the influence of Symbiodiniaceae exudate on their associated bacteria, we incubated isolates of Marinobacter adhaerens HP15 and Labrenzia sp. 21p with Symbiodiniaceae culture filtrate or culture medium (control) and investigated their volatilomes using GC–MS. The volatilome of Labrenzia sp. incubated in Symbiodiniaceae filtrate was significantly different and more diverse relative to the control. In contrast, the overall composition of the M. adhaerens volatilomes were consistent between treatment and control. Among the 35 compounds detected in both bacterial species, the dominant chemical functional groups were halogenated hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons and organosulfurs, some of which are known to play roles in inter-organism signaling, to act as antioxidants and as antimicrobials. This study provides new insights into the potential sources and diversity of marine BVOCs, uncovering a wide range of molecules that may play important physiological and ecological roles for these organisms, while also revealing the role of Symbiodiniaceae-associated bacteria in the emission of important atmospheric gases.
Lazar, S, Rayner, B, Lopez Campos, G, McGrath, K & McClements, L 2020, 'Mechanisms of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction in the presence of diabetes mellitus', Translational Metabolic Syndrome Research, vol. 3, pp. 1-5.
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Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death globally. People living with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have a three times higher risk of developing CVD, particularly heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), for which there is no treatment. The need for tangible interventions has led to investigations into a number of biomarkers associated with metabolic and vascular dysfunction that could be utilised for diagnostic and treatment purposes. This review discusses the importance and mechanisms of inflammatory and angiogenic biomarkers, which have shown the most potential in the pathogenesis and diagnosis of HFpEF in the presence of diabetes. In
depth “in silico” analysis was also carried out to identify pathogenic pathways associated with HFpEF, both in the presence and absence of diabetes. The results identified mostly inflammatory pathways associated with HFpEF in the presence of diabetes, and a number of pathways related to angiogenesis, remodelling and metabolism. In addition, the results also identified inflammation, in the absence of diabetes. The shared and unique pathways identified in HFpEF in the presence and
absence of diabetes, should be explored further in order to improve management and outcomes of people living with HFpEF.
Lee, PLT, Kanodarwala, FK, Lennard, C, Spindler, X, Spikmans, V, Roux, C & Moret, S 2020, 'Latent fingermark detection using functionalised silicon oxide nanoparticles: Optimisation and comparison with cyanoacrylate fuming.', Forensic science international, vol. 315, pp. 110442-110442.
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Among the different types of nanoparticles (NPs) proposed for fingermark detection, silicon oxide nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs) are arguably the most promising due to their unique characteristics. In this study, carboxyl-functionalised SiO2 NPs doped with luminescent ruthenium complex-RuBpy-doped CES-SiO2 NPs-were further studied to investigate their effectiveness for latent fingermark detection. A modified version of the functionalised SiO2 NPs with a lower amount of surface functionalisation is proposed for improved fingermark detection effectiveness. A shaking incubator was also incorporated into the fingermark detection process to offer a more viable treatment approach in comparison to the previously published method. The shaking incubator offered a more robust application approach, as well as improved fingermark detection quality. To gain an insight into fingermark detection effectiveness relative to benchmark techniques, the performance of the optimised RuBpy-doped CES-SiO2 NPs was compared to that of a benchmark fingermark detection method-cyanoacrylate fuming (CAF) followed by luminescent dye staining. Relative fingermark detection effectiveness across the two techniques was evaluated via the treatment of 1724 fingermark specimens. It was concluded that, in general, the benchmark method provided superior detection results. It was evident that the SiO2 NPs are less affected by donor variability but are more dependent on substrate types. Such characteristics are encouraging as they could be favourable to practitioners in casework scenarios where the substrate is known but donor variability is obscure prior to fingermark processing. It should be noted that the overall effectiveness of the proposed NP-based technique will need to be improved before it could be considered for operational implementation.
Lee, Q, Padula, MP, Pinello, N, Williams, SH, O'Rourke, MB, Fumagalli, MJ, Orkin, JD, Song, R, Shaban, B, Brenner, O, Pimanda, JE, Weninger, W, Souza, WMD, Melin, AD, Wong, JJ-L, Crim, MJ, Monette, S, Roediger, B & Jolly, CJ 2020, 'Murine and related chapparvoviruses are nephro-tropic and produce novel accessory proteins in infected kidneys', PLOS Pathogens, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. e1008262-e1008262.
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Lees, T, Maharaj, S, Kalatzis, G, Nassif, NT, Newton, PJ & Lal, S 2020, 'Electroencephalographic prediction of global and domain specific cognitive performance of clinically active Australian Nurses', Physiological Measurement, vol. 41, no. 9, pp. 095001-095001.
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Abstract
Objective: To investigate the relationship between EEG activity and the global and domain specific cognitive performance of healthy nurses, and determine the predictive capabilities of these relationships. Approach: Sixty-four nurses were recruited for the present study, and data from 61 were utilised in the present analysis. Global and domain specific cognitive performance of each participant was assessed psychometrically using the Mini-mental state exam and the Cognistat, and a 32-lead monopolar EEG was recorded during a resting baseline phase and an active phase in which participants completed the Stroop test. Main results: Global cognitive performance was successfully predicted (81%–85% of variance) by a combination of fast wave activity variables in the alpha, beta and theta frequency bands. Interestingly, predicting domain specific performance had varying degrees of success (42%–99% of the variance predicted) and relied on combinations of both slow and fast wave activity, with delta and gamma activity predicting attention performance; delta, theta, and gamma activity predicting memory performance; and delta and beta variables predicting judgement performance. Significance: Global and domain specific cognitive performance of Australian nurses may be predicted with varying degrees of success by a unique combination of EEG variables. These proposed models image transitory cognitive declines and as such may prove useful in the prediction of early cognitive impairment, and may enable better diagnosis, and management of cognitive impairment.
Lefrancois, E, Belackova, V, Silins, E, Latimer, J, Jauncey, M, Shimmon, R, Mozaner, BD, Augsburger, M, Esseiva, P, Roux, C & Morelato, M 2020, 'Substances injected at the Sydney supervised injecting facility: A chemical analysis of used injecting equipment and comparison with self-reported drug type.', Drug and alcohol dependence, vol. 209, pp. 107909-107909.
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Providing information about substances injected can reduce the negative impact of illicit drug consumption and support people who inject drugs to make informed decisions. In Australia, information about drugs injected relies largely on periodic self-report surveys. For the first time, the analysis of the residual content of used injecting equipment was conducted in a supervised injecting facility (SIF) located in Sydney, Australia. The aim was to gain a better understanding of the substances injected by clients through: (1) chemical analyses of the content of used syringes; (2) comparison of these results with clients' self-reported drug use; and (3) assessing the usefulness of analysing other injecting equipment to detect substances used. During one week in February 2019, syringes and other injecting equipment were collected at the Sydney SIF. Their residual content was analysed by gas-chromatography/mass-spectrometry. Heroin was the most commonly detected substance (present in 51% of syringes), followed by methamphetamine (22%) and oxycodone (10%). In addition to the main psychoactive substance, cutting agents reported in the literature were also detected in used syringes. The main psychoactive substance identified by laboratory analysis reliably corresponded with users' self-reported drug type. Analytical confirmation of substances injected allows for the provision of better targeted harm reduction messaging based on timely and objective data. The approach used is amenable to clients and feasible in the Australian SIF context. Upscaling and wider implementation could be done through Needle and Syringe Programs, and would support the early detection of harmful substances entering drug markets and better inform harm reduction strategies.
Leonardo, S, Gaiani, G, Tsumuraya, T, Hirama, M, Turquet, J, Sagristà, N, Rambla-Alegre, M, Flores, C, Caixach, J, Diogène, J, O’Sullivan, CK, Alcaraz, C & Campàs, M 2020, 'Addressing the Analytical Challenges for the Detection of Ciguatoxins Using an Electrochemical Biosensor', Analytical Chemistry, vol. 92, no. 7, pp. 4858-4865.
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Leong, HS, Philp, M, Simone, M, Witting, PK & Fu, S 2020, 'Synthetic Cathinones Induce Cell Death in Dopaminergic SH-SY5Y Cells via Stimulating Mitochondrial Dysfunction', International Journal of Molecular Sciences, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 1370-1370.
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Increasing reports of neurological and psychiatric complications due to psychostimulant synthetic cathinones (SCs) have recently raised public concern. However, the precise mechanism of SC toxicity is unclear. This paucity of understanding highlights the need to investigate the in-vitro toxicity and mechanistic pathways of three SCs: butylone, pentylone, and 3,4-Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV). Human neuronal cells of SH-SY5Y were cultured in supplemented DMEM/F12 media and differentiated to a neuronal phenotype using retinoic acid (10 μM) and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (81 nM). Trypan blue and lactate dehydrogenase assays were utilized to assess the neurotoxicity potential and potency of these three SCs. To investigate the underlying neurotoxicity mechanisms, measurements included markers of oxidative stress, mitochondrial bioenergetics, and intracellular calcium (Ca2+), and cell death pathways were evaluated at two doses (EC15 and EC40), for each drug tested. Following 24 h of treatment, all three SCs exhibited a dose-dependent neurotoxicity, characterized by a significant (p < 0.0001 vs. control) production of reactive oxygen species, decreased mitochondrial bioenergetics, and increased intracellular Ca2+ concentrations. The activation of caspases 3 and 7 implicated the orchestration of mitochondrial-mediated neurotoxicity mechanisms for these SCs. Identifying novel therapeutic agents to enhance an altered mitochondrial function may help in the treatment of acute-neurological complications arising from the illicit use of these SCs.
Li, C, Xu, ZQ, Mendelson, N, Kianinia, M, Wan, Y, Toth, M, Aharonovich, I & Bradac, C 2020, 'Resonant energy transfer between hexagonal boron nitride quantum emitters and atomically layered transition metal dichalcogenides', 2D Materials, vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 045015-045015.
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© 2020 IOP Publishing Ltd. Van der Waals heterostructures offer a unique platform to investigate light matter interaction at the nanoscale. In this work, we explore resonant energy transfer processes between van der Waals materials from two fundamentally different systems: single-photon emitters in two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride and excitons in transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers. We study the photodynamics between these two systems by performing time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. Our results show that colour centres in hexagonal boron nitride do interact with transition metal dichalcogenide excitons and provide important insights into harnessing these interactions in van der Waals heterostructures for advanced nanophotonic devices.
Li, D, Reid, CJ, Kudinha, T, Jarocki, VM & Djordjevic, SP 2020, 'Genomic analysis of trimethoprim-resistant extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli and recurrent urinary tract infections.', Microbial genomics, vol. 6, no. 12.
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Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common bacterial infections requiring medical attention and a leading justification for antibiotic prescription. Trimethoprim is prescribed empirically for uncomplicated cases. UTIs are primarily caused by extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) and ExPEC strains play a central role in disseminating antimicrobial-resistance genes worldwide. Here, we describe the whole-genome sequences of trimethoprim-resistant ExPEC and/or ExPEC from recurrent UTIs (67 in total) from patients attending a regional Australian hospital from 2006 to 2008. Twenty-three sequence types (STs) were observed, with ST131 predominating (28 %), then ST69 and ST73 (both 7 %). Co-occurrence of trimethoprim-resistance genes with genes conferring resistance to extended-spectrum β-lactams, heavy metals and quaternary ammonium ions was a feature of the ExPEC described here. Seven trimethoprim-resistance genes were identified, most commonly dfrA17 (38 %) and dfrA12 (18 %). An uncommon dfrB4 variant was also observed. Two blaCTX-M variants were identified - blaCTX-M-15 (16 %) and blaCTX-M-14 (10 %). The former was always associated with dfrA12, the latter with dfrA17, and all blaCTX-M genes co-occurred with chromate-resistance gene chrA. Eighteen class 1 integron structures were characterized, and chrA featured in eight structures; dfrA genes featured in seventeen. ST131 H30Rx isolates possessed distinct antimicrobial gene profiles comprising aac(3)-IIa, aac(6)-Ib-cr, aph(3')-Ia, aadA2, blaCTX-M-15, blaOXA-1 and dfrA12. The most common virulence-associated genes (VAGs) were fimH, fyuA, irp2 and sitA (all 91 %). Virulence profile clustering showed ST131 H30 isolates carried similar VAGs to ST73, ST405, ST550 and ST1193 isolates. The sole ST131 H27 isolate carried molecular predictors of enteroaggregative E. coli/ExPEC hybrid strains (aatA, aggR, fyuA). Seven isolates (10 %) carried VAGs suggesting ColV plasmid carriage. Finally, SNP an...
Li, D, Wen, S, Kong, M, Liu, Y, Hu, W, Shi, B, Shi, X & Jin, D 2020, 'Highly Doped Upconversion Nanoparticles for In Vivo Applications Under Mild Excitation Power', Analytical Chemistry, vol. 92, no. 16, pp. 10913-10919.
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One of the major challenges in using upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) is to improve their brightness. This is particularly true for in vivo studies, as the low power excitation is required to prevent the potential photo toxicity to live cells and tissues. Here, we report that the typical NaYF4:Yb0.2,Er0.02 nanoparticles can be highly doped, and the formula of NaYF4:Yb0.8,Er0.06 can gain orders of magnitude more brightness, which is applicable to a range of mild 980 nm excitation power densities, from 0.005 W/cm2 to 0.5 W/cm2. Our results reveal that the concentration of Yb3+ sensitizer ions plays an essential role, while increasing the doping concentration of Er3+ activator ions to 6 mol % only has incremental effect. We further demonstrated a type of bright UCNPs 12 nm in total diameter for in vivo tumor imaging at a power density as low as 0.0027 W/cm2, bringing down the excitation power requirement by 42 times. This work redefines the doping concentrations to fight for the issue of concentration quenching, so that ultrasmall and bright nanoparticles can be used to further improve the performance of upconversion nanotechnology in photodynamic therapy, light-triggered drug release, optogenetics, and night vision enhancement.
Li, G, Chan, YL, Wang, B, Saad, S, George, J, Oliver, BG & Chen, H 2020, 'E-cigarettes damage the liver and alter nutrient metabolism in pregnant mice and their offspring.', Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, vol. 1475, no. 1, pp. 64-77.
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Approximately 15% of pregnant women vape electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), exposing the fetus to a range of toxic compounds, including nicotine and by-products of e-cigarette liquid (e-liquid) pyrolysis. Owing to the recent emergence of these products, research mainly focuses on immediate users, and not on in utero exposure. Therefore, this study aimed to understand the impact of intrauterine e-cigarette vapor (e-vapor) exposure, with and without nicotine, on liver metabolic markers in the male offspring. E-vapor was generated using an e-cigarette filled with tobacco-flavored e-liquid (18 or 0 mg/mL nicotine). Female Balb/c mice were exposed to e-vapor for 6 weeks before mating, through gestation and lactation, without direct exposure to the offspring. Livers and plasma from dams and male offspring (13 weeks old) were examined. Exposure to nicotine-free e-vapor promoted metabolic changes and liver damage in both the dams and their offspring. Furthermore, exposure to nicotine-containing e-vapor did not cause liver damage but induced hepatic steatosis in the adult offspring. Therefore, maternal vaping is detrimental to both the dams and their offspring, with nicotine providing a potential protective effect.
Li, G, Chan, YL, Wang, B, Saad, S, Oliver, BG & Chen, H 2020, 'Replacing smoking with vaping during pregnancy: Impacts on metabolic health in mice.', Reproductive toxicology (Elmsford, N.Y.), vol. 96, pp. 293-299.
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Smoking is a significant risk factor for the development of metabolic diseases. Due to social pressures to quit smoking, many pregnant women are vaping as an alternative nicotine source. However, the metabolic consequences of replacing tobacco cigarettes with e-cigarettes during pregnancy are unknown. Therefore, in the mothers and their offspring, we investigated the metabolic and hepatic impacts of replacing cigarette smoke with e-vapour during pregnancy. Female BALB/c mice were either air-exposed or cigarette smoke-exposed (SE) from six weeks before pregnancy until lactation. At mating, a subset of the SE mice were instead exposed to e-vapour. Markers of glucose and lipid metabolism were measured in the livers and plasma, from the mothers and their male offspring (13 weeks). In the SE mothers, plasma insulin levels were reduced, leading to downstream increases in hepatic gluconeogenesis and plasma non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA). In the e-vapour replacement mothers, these changes were not as significant. In the SE offspring, there was impaired glucose tolerance, and increased plasma NEFA and liver triglyceride concentrations. E-vapour replacement restored lipid homeostasis but did not improve glucose tolerance. Therefore, in a murine model, low dose e-cigarette replacement during pregnancy is less toxic than cigarette smoke.
Li, G, Du, P, Qiang, X, Jin, D, Liu, H, Li, B & Guo, J 2020, 'RETRACTED: Low-expressed GAS5 injure myocardial cells and progression of chronic heart failure via regulation of miR-223-3P', Experimental and Molecular Pathology, vol. 117, pp. 104529-104529.
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Li, J, Xu, X, Jiang, Y, Hansbro, NG, Hansbro, PM, Xu, J & Liu, G 2020, 'Elastin is a key factor of tumor development in colorectal cancer.', BMC cancer, vol. 20, no. 1.
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BACKGROUND:Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most common cancer and a leading cause of death worldwide. Extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins regulate tumor growth and development in CRC. Elastin (ELN) is a component of ECM proteins involved in the tumor microenvironment. However, the role of ELN in CRC remains unclear. METHODS:In this study, we analyzed ELN gene expression in tumors from CRC patients and adjacent non-tumor colon tissues and healthy controls from two existing microarray datasets. ELN protein was measured in human normal colon cells and colon cancer epithelial cells and tumor development was assessed in colon epithelial cells cultured in medium with or without ELN peptide on plates coated with ELN recombinant protein. Control plates were coated with PBS only. RESULTS:We found ELN gene expression was increased in tumors from CRC patients compared to adjacent non-tumor tissues and healthy controls. ELN protein was increased in cancer cells compared to normal colon epithelial cells. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) was a key cytokine to induce production of ECM proteins, but it did not induce ELN expression in colon cancer cells. Matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) gene expression was increased, but that of MMP12 (elastase) did not change between CRC patients and control. Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 3 (TIMP3) gene expression was decreased in colon tissues from CRC patients compared to healthy controls. However, MMP9, MMP12 and TIMP3 proteins were increased in colon cancer cells. ELN recombinant protein increased proliferation and wound healing in colon cancer epithelial cells. This had further increased in cancer cells incubated in plates coated with recombinant ELN coated plate and in culture media containing ELN peptide. A potential mechanism was that ELN induced epithelial mesenchymal transition with increased alpha-smooth muscle actin and vimentin proteins but decreased E-cadherin protein. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF) mR...
Li, J, Zhao, Y, Choi, J, Ting, KK, Coleman, P, Chen, J, Cogger, VC, Wan, L, Shi, Z, Moller, T, Zheng, X, Vadas, MA & Gamble, JR 2020, 'Targeting miR-27a/VE-cadherin interactions rescues cerebral cavernous malformations in mice', PLOS Biology, vol. 18, no. 6, pp. e3000734-e3000734.
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Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) are vascular lesions predominantly developing in the central nervous system (CNS), with no effective treatments other than surgery. Loss-of-function mutation in CCM1/krev interaction trapped 1 (KRIT1), CCM2, or CCM3/programmed cell death 10 (PDCD10) causes lesions that are characterized by abnormal vascular integrity. Vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin), a major regulator of endothelial cell (EC) junctional integrity is strongly disorganized in ECs lining the CCM lesions. We report here that microRNA-27a (miR-27a), a negative regulator of VE-cadherin, is elevated in ECs isolated from mouse brains developing early CCM lesions and in cultured ECs with CCM1 or CCM2 depletion. Furthermore, we show miR-27a acts downstream of kruppel-like factor (KLF)2 and KLF4, two known key transcription factors involved in CCM lesion development. Using CD5-2 (a target site blocker [TSB]) to prevent the miR-27a/VE-cadherin mRNA interaction, we present a potential therapy to increase VE-cadherin expression and thus rescue the abnormal vascular integrity. In CCM1- or CCM2-depleted ECs, CD5-2 reduces monolayer permeability, and in Ccm1 heterozygous mice, it restores dermal vessel barrier function. In a neonatal mouse model of CCM disease, CD5-2 normalizes vasculature and reduces vascular leakage in the lesions, inhibits the development of large lesions, and significantly reduces the size of established lesions in the hindbrain. Furthermore, CD5-2 limits the accumulation of inflammatory cells in the lesion area. Our work has established that VE-cadherin is a potential therapeutic target for normalization of the vasculature and highlights that targeting miR-27a/VE-cadherin interaction by CD5-2 is a potential novel therapy for the devastating disease, CCM.
Li, M, Li, Y, Liu, W, Lal, A, Jiang, S, Jin, D, Yang, H, Wang, S, Zhanghao, K & Xi, P 2020, 'Structured illumination microscopy using digital micro-mirror device and coherent light source', Applied Physics Letters, vol. 116, no. 23, pp. 233702-233702.
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Structured illumination microscopy (SIM) achieves doubled spatial resolution through exciting the specimen with high-contrast, high-frequency sinusoidal patterns. Such an illumination pattern can be generated by laser interference or incoherent structured patterns. Opto-electronic devices, such as a Spatial Light Modulator (SLM) or a Digital Micro-mirror Device (DMD), can provide rapid switch of illumination patterns for SIM. Although the DMD is much more cost-effective than the SLM, it was previously restricted in association with incoherent light sources, as its diffractive orders are related to the incident angle and the wavelength of coherent incidence. To extend its application with coherent illumination, here, we model the DMD as a blazed grating and simulate the effect with DMD pattern changes in the SIM. With careful analysis of the illumination contrast along different angles and phases, we report a fast, high-resolution, and cost-efficient SIM with DMD modulation. Our home-built laser interference-based DMD-SIM (LiDMD-SIM) reveals the nuclear pore complex and microtubule in mammalian cells with doubled spatial resolution. We further proposed the multi-color LiDMD-SIM concept by jointly employing the DMD ON/OFF states with different incident angles for different wavelengths, with high contrast and maximum resolution enhancement.
Li, M, Sun, B, Ao, Z, An, T & Wang, G 2020, 'Atomic-scale identification of influencing factors of sodium dendrite growth on different current collectors', Journal of Materials Chemistry A, vol. 8, no. 20, pp. 10199-10205.
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In the process of Na ion plating on SWCNTs and Cu/Al current collector surfaces, SWCNTs exhibit the highest electron transfer ability and the most stable electron configuration, inducing the instability of the Na dimer, but favour the presence of evenly distributed Na adatoms.
Liao, J, Jin, D, Chen, C, Li, Y & Zhou, J 2020, 'Helix Shape Power-Dependent Properties of Single Upconversion Nanoparticles.', The journal of physical chemistry letters, vol. 11, no. 8, pp. 2883-2890.
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Nonblinking, nonbleaching, and superbright single upconversion nanoparticles have been recently discovered with nonlinear power-dependent properties and can be switchable under dual-beam excitations, which are ideal for super-resolution microscopy, single-molecule tracking, and digital assays. Here, we report that the brightness of Nd3+-Yb3+-Er3+-doped nanoparticles displays a pair of unusual double helix shapes as the function of power densities of 976 and 808 nm excitations. We systemically analyze the power-dependent emission spectra, lifetimes, and power-intensity double-log slopes of single upconversion nanoparticles, which reveal that the dynamic roles of Nd3+ ions in the tridoped nanosystem with underlining electron population pathways are power dependent. That is, at high power 808 nm excitation, Nd3+ ions can directly emit upconverted luminescence, with their conventional role of sensitization saturated in the Nd3 → Yb3+ → Er3+ energy transfer systems. Moreover, we confirm that the universal helix shape phenomena commonly exist in a set of eight batches of core-shell nanoparticles regardless of the doping concentrations of Nd3+, Yb3+, and Er3+ ions in the sensitization shell, migration shell, and active core, though the crossing nodes occur at different excitation power ranges. This study emphasizes the important role of power-dependent properties in both improving the upconversion emission efficiency and the design of nonlinear responsive probes for imaging and sensing.
Lin, G, Liu, Y, Huang, G, Chen, Y, Makarov, D, Lin, J, Quan, Z & Jin, D 2020, '3D Rotation-Trackable and Differentiable Micromachines 2 with Dimer-Type Structures for Dynamic Bioanalysis', Advanced Intelligent Systems, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 2000205-2000205.
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Utilizing the magnetic interactions between microparticle building blocks allows creating long‐range ordered structures and constructing smart multifunctional systems at different scales. The elaborate control over the inter‐particle magnetic coupling interaction is entailed to unlock new magnetoactuation functionalities. Herein, dimer‐type microstructures consisting of a pair of magnetic emulsions with tailorable dimension and magnetic coupling strength are fabricated using a microfluidic emulsion‐templated assembly approach. The magnetite nanoparticles dispersed in vinylbenzene monomers are partitioned into a pair of emulsions with conserved volume, which are wrapped by an aqueous hydrogel shell and finally polymerized to form discrete structures. Tunable synchronous–asynchronous rotation over 60 dB is unlocked in magnetic dimers, which is shown to be dependent on the magnetic moments induced. This leads to a new class of magnetic actuators for the parallelized assay of distinctive virus DNAs and the dynamic optical evaluation of 3D cell cultures. The work suggests a new perspective to design smart multifunctional microstructures and devices by exploring their natural variance in magnetic coupling.
Little, BJ, Blackwood, DJ, Hinks, J, Lauro, FM, Marsili, E, Okamoto, A, Rice, SA, Wade, SA & Flemming, H-C 2020, 'Microbially influenced corrosion—Any progress?', Corrosion Science, vol. 170, pp. 108641-108641.
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© 2020 The Authors Microbially influenced corrosion (MIC), is acknowledged to be the direct cause of catastrophic corrosion failures, with associated damage costs ranging to many billions of US$ annually. In spite of extensive research and numerous publications, fundamental questions relating to MIC remain unanswered. The following review provides an overview of current MIC research and stresses the lack of information related to MIC recognition, prediction and mitigation. The review establishes a link between management decisions and root causes. A holistic, proactive approach to MIC is suggested in which an entire system is considered, monitored and improved.
Liu, B, Chen, C, Di, X, Liao, J, Wen, S, Su, QP, Shan, X, Xu, Z-Q, Ju, LA, Mi, C, Wang, F & Jin, D 2020, 'Upconversion Nonlinear Structured Illumination Microscopy.', Nano letters, vol. 20, no. 7, pp. 4775-4781.
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Video-rate super-resolution imaging through biological tissue can visualize and track biomolecule interplays and transportations inside cellular organisms. Structured illumination microscopy allows for wide-field super resolution observation of biological samples but is limited by the strong extinction of light by biological tissues, which restricts the imaging depth and degrades its imaging resolution. Here we report a photon upconversion scheme using lanthanide-doped nanoparticles for wide-field super-resolution imaging through the biological transparent window, featured by near-infrared and low-irradiance nonlinear structured illumination. We demonstrate that the 976 nm excitation and 800 nm upconverted emission can mitigate the aberration. We found that the nonlinear response of upconversion emissions from single nanoparticles can effectively generate the required high spatial frequency components in the Fourier domain. These strategies lead to a new modality in microscopy with a resolution below 131 nm, 1/7th of the excitation wavelength, and an imaging rate of 1 Hz.
Liu, F, Chen, S, Luu, LDW, Lee, SA, Tay, ACY, Wu, R, Riordan, SM, Lan, R, Liu, L & Zhang, L 2020, 'Analysis of complete Campylobacter concisus genomes identifies genomospecies features, secretion systems and novel plasmids and their association with severe ulcerative colitis.', Microb Genom, vol. 6, no. 11, pp. 1-13.
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Campylobacter concisus is an emerging enteric pathogen that is associated with several gastrointestinal diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Currently, only three complete C. concisus genomes are available and more complete C. concisus genomes are needed in order to better understand the genomic features and pathogenicity of this emerging pathogen. DNA extracted from 22 C. concisus strains were subjected to Oxford Nanopore genome sequencing. Complete genome assembly was performed using Nanopore genome data in combination with previously reported short-read Illumina data. Genome features of complete C. concisus genomes were analysed using bioinformatic tools. The enteric disease associations of C. concisus plasmids were examined using 239 C. concisus strains and confirmed using PCRs. Proteomic analysis was used to examine T6SS secreted proteins. We successfully obtained 13 complete C. concisus genomes in this study. Analysis of 16 complete C. concisus genomes (3 from public databases) identified multiple novel plasmids. pSma1 plasmid was found to be associated with severe UC. Sec-SRP, Tat and T6SS were found to be the main secretion systems in C. concisus and proteomic data showed a functional T6SS despite the lack of ClpV. T4SS was found in 25% of complete C. concisus genomes. This study also found that GS2 strains had larger genomes and higher GC content than GS1 strains and more often had plasmids. In conclusion, this study provides fundamental genomic data for understanding C. concisus plasmids, genomospecies features, evolution, secretion systems and pathogenicity.
Liu, G, Baird, AW, Parsons, MJ, Fan, K, Skerrett-Byrne, DA, Nair, PM, Makanyengo, S, Chen, J, Neal, R, Goggins, BJ, Tay, H, Mathe, A, Soh, WS, Minahan, K, Hansbro, PM, Nixon, B, McCaughan, GW, Holtmann, G, Colgan, SP & Keely, S 2020, 'Platelet activating factor receptor acts to limit colitis-induced liver inflammation.', FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, vol. 34, no. 6, pp. 7718-7732.
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Liver inflammation is a common extraintestinal manifestation in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), yet, the mechanisms driving gut-liver axis inflammation remain poorly understood. IBD leads to a breakdown in the integrity of the intestinal barrier causing an increase in portal and systemic gut-derived antigens, which challenge the liver. Here, we examined the role of platelet activating factor receptor (PAFR) in colitis-associated liver damage using dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) and anti-CD40-induced colitis models. Both DSS and anti-CD40 models exhibited liver inflammation associated with colitis. Colitis reduced global PAFR protein expression in mouse livers causing an exclusive re-localization of PAFR to the portal triad. The global decrease in liver PAFR was associated with increased sirtuin 1 while relocalized PAFR expression was limited to Kupffer cells (KCs) and co-localized with toll-like receptor 4. DSS activated the NLRP3-inflammasome and increased interleukin (IL)-1β in the liver. Antagonism of PAFR amplified the inflammasome response by increasing NLRP3, caspase-1, and IL-1β protein levels in the liver. LPS also increased NLRP3 response in human hepatocytes, however, overexpression of PAFR restored the levels of NLPR3 and caspase-1 proteins. Interestingly, KCs depletion also increased IL-1β protein in mouse liver after DSS challenge. These data suggest a protective role for PAFR-expressing KCs during colitis and that regulation of PAFR is important for gut-liver axis homeostasis.
Liu, J, Prager-van, DSWJC, Collée, JM, Bolla, MK, Wang, Q, Michailidou, K, Dennis, J, Ahearn, TU, Aittomäki, K, Ambrosone, CB, Andrulis, IL, Anton-Culver, H, Antonenkova, NN, Arndt, V, Arnold, N, Aronson, KJ, Augustinsson, A, Auvinen, P, Becher, H, Beckmann, MW, Behrens, S, Bermisheva, M, Bernstein, L, Bogdanova, NV, Bogdanova-Markov, N, Bojesen, SE, Brauch, H, Brenner, H, Briceno, I, Brucker, SY, Brüning, T, Burwinkel, B, Cai, Q, Cai, H, Campa, D, Canzian, F, Castelao, JE, Chang-Claude, J, Chanock, SJ, Choi, J-Y, Christiaens, M, Clarke, CL, NBCS, C, Couch, FJ, Czene, K, Daly, MB, Devilee, P, Dos-Santos-Silva, I, Dwek, M, Eccles, DM, Eliassen, AH, Fasching, PA, Figueroa, J, Flyger, H, Fritschi, L, Gago-Dominguez, M, Gapstur, SM, García-Closas, M, García-Sáenz, JA, Gaudet, MM, Giles, GG, Goldberg, MS, Goldgar, DE, Guénel, P, Haiman, CA, Håkansson, N, Hall, P, Harrington, PA, Hart, SN, Hartman, M, Hillemanns, P, Hopper, JL, Hou, M-F, Hunter, DJ, Huo, D, ABCTB, I, Ito, H, Iwasaki, M, Jakimovska, M, Jakubowska, A, John, EM, Kaaks, R, Kang, D, Keeman, R, Khusnutdinova, E, Kim, S-W, Kraft, P, Kristensen, VN, Kurian, AW, Le, ML, Li, J, Lindblom, A, Lophatananon, A, Luben, RN, Lubiński, J, Mannermaa, A, Manoochehri, M, Manoukian, S, Margolin, S, Mariapun, S, Matsuo, K, Maurer, T, Mavroudis, D, Meindl, A, Menon, U, Milne, RL, Muir, K, Mulligan, AM, Neuhausen, SL, Nevanlinna, H, Offit, K, Olopade, OI, Olson, JE, Olsson, H, Orr, N, Park, SK, Peterlongo, P, Peto, J, Plaseska-Karanfilska, D, Presneau, N, Rack, B, Rau-Murthy, R, Rennert, G, Rennert, HS, Rhenius, V, Romero, A, Ruebner, M, Saloustros, E, Schmutzler, RK, Schneeweiss, A, Scott, C, Shah, M, Shen, C-Y, Shu, X-O, Simard, J, Sohn, C, Southey, MC, Spinelli, JJ, Tamimi, RM, Tapper, WJ, Teo, SH, Terry, MB, Torres, D, Truong, T, Untch, M, Vachon, CM, van, ACJ, Wolk, A, Yamaji, T, Zheng, W, Ziogas, A, Ziv, E, Torres-Mejía, G, Dörk, T, Swerdlow, AJ, Hamann, U, Schmidt, MK, Dunning, AM, Pharoah, PDP, Easton, DF, Hooning, MJ, Martens, JWM & Hollestelle, A 2020, 'Germline HOXB13 mutations p.G84E and p.R217C do not confer an increased breast cancer risk.', Scientific reports, vol. 10, no. 1, p. 9688.
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In breast cancer, high levels of homeobox protein Hox-B13 (HOXB13) have been associated with disease progression of ER-positive breast cancer patients and resistance to tamoxifen treatment. Since HOXB13 p.G84E is a prostate cancer risk allele, we evaluated the association between HOXB13 germline mutations and breast cancer risk in a previous study consisting of 3,270 familial non-BRCA1/2 breast cancer cases and 2,327 controls from the Netherlands. Although both recurrent HOXB13 mutations p.G84E and p.R217C were not associated with breast cancer risk, the risk estimation for p.R217C was not very precise. To provide more conclusive evidence regarding the role of HOXB13 in breast cancer susceptibility, we here evaluated the association between HOXB13 mutations and increased breast cancer risk within 81 studies of the international Breast Cancer Association Consortium containing 68,521 invasive breast cancer patients and 54,865 controls. Both HOXB13 p.G84E and p.R217C did not associate with the development of breast cancer in European women, neither in the overall analysis (OR = 1.035, 95% CI = 0.859-1.246, P = 0.718 and OR = 0.798, 95% CI = 0.482-1.322, P = 0.381 respectively), nor in specific high-risk subgroups or breast cancer subtypes. Thus, although involved in breast cancer progression, HOXB13 is not a material breast cancer susceptibility gene.
Liu, P-C, Peacock, WJ, Wang, L, Furbank, R, Larkum, A & Dennis, ES 2020, 'Leaf growth in early development is key to biomass heterosis in Arabidopsis', Journal of Experimental Botany, vol. 71, no. 8, pp. 2439-2450.
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AbstractArabidopsis thaliana hybrids have similar properties to hybrid crops, with greater biomass relative to the parents. We asked whether the greater biomass was due to increased photosynthetic efficiency per unit leaf area or to overall increased leaf area and increased total photosynthate per plant. We found that photosynthetic parameters (electron transport rate, CO2 assimilation rate, chlorophyll content, and chloroplast number) were unchanged on a leaf unit area and unit fresh weight basis between parents and hybrids, indicating that heterosis is not a result of increased photosynthetic efficiency. To investigate the possibility of increased leaf area producing more photosynthate per plant, we studied C24×Landsberg erecta (Ler) hybrids in detail. These hybrids have earlier germination and leaf growth than the parents, leading to a larger leaf area at any point in development of the plant. The developing leaves of the hybrids are significantly larger than those of the parents, with consequent greater production of photosynthate and an increased contribution to heterosis. The set of leaves contributing to heterosis changes as the plant develops; the four most recently emerged leaves make the greatest contribution. As a leaf matures, its contribution to heterosis attenuates. While photosynthesis per unit leaf area is unchanged at any stage of development in the hybrid, leaf area is greater and the amount of photosynthate per plant is increased.
Liu, Q, Tian, H, Dai, Z, Sun, H, Liu, J, Ao, Z, Wang, S, Han, C & Liu, S 2020, 'Nitrogen-doped Carbon Nanospheres-Modified Graphitic Carbon Nitride with Outstanding Photocatalytic Activity', Nano-Micro Letters, vol. 12, no. 1.
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AbstractMetals and metal oxides are widely used as photo/electro-catalysts for environmental remediation. However, there are many issues related to these metal-based catalysts for practical applications, such as high cost and detrimental environmental impact due to metal leaching. Carbon-based catalysts have the potential to overcome these limitations. In this study, monodisperse nitrogen-doped carbon nanospheres (NCs) were synthesized and loaded onto graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4, GCN) via a facile hydrothermal method for photocatalytic removal of sulfachloropyridazine (SCP). The prepared metal-free GCN-NC exhibited remarkably enhanced efficiency in SCP degradation. The nitrogen content in NC critically influences the physicochemical properties and performances of the resultant hybrids. The optimum nitrogen doping concentration was identified at 6.0 wt%. The SCP removal rates can be improved by a factor of 4.7 and 3.2, under UV and visible lights, by the GCN-NC composite due to the enhanced charge mobility and visible light harvesting. The mechanism of the improved photocatalytic performance and band structure alternation were further investigated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The DFT results confirm the high capability of the GCN-NC hybrids to activate the electron–hole pairs by reducing the band gap energy and efficiently separating electron/hole pairs. Superoxide and hydroxyl radicals are subsequently produced, leading to the efficient SCP removal.
Liu, Q, Zhou, D, Shanmukaraj, D, Li, P, Kang, F, Li, B, Armand, M & Wang, G 2020, 'Self-Healing Janus Interfaces for High-Performance LAGP-Based Lithium Metal Batteries', ACS ENERGY LETTERS, vol. 5, no. 5, pp. 1456-1464.
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Liu, T, Zhang, W, Yuwono, M, Zhang, M, Ueland, M, Forbes, SL & Su, SW 2020, 'A data-driven meat freshness monitoring and evaluation method using rapid centroid estimation and hidden Markov models', Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, vol. 311, pp. 127868-127868.
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Liu, Y, Cai, C, Aquino, A, Al‐Mousawi, S, Zhang, X, Choong, SKS, He, X, Fan, X, Chen, B, Feng, J, Zhu, X, Al‐Naimi, A, Mao, H, Tang, H, Jin, D, Li, X, Cao, F, Jiang, H, Long, Y, Zhang, W, Wang, G, Xu, Z, Zhang, X, Yin, S & Zeng, G 2020, 'Management of large renal stones with super‐mini percutaneous nephrolithotomy: an international multicentre comparative study', BJU International, vol. 126, no. 1, pp. 168-176.
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ObjectivesTo comparatively evaluate the clinical outcomes of super‐mini percutaneous nephrolithotomy (SMP) and mini‐percutaneous nephrolithotomy (Miniperc) for treating urinary tract calculi of >2 cm.Patients and MethodsAn international multicentre, retrospective cohort study was conducted at 20 tertiary care hospitals across five countries (China, the Philippines, Qatar, UK, and Kuwait) between April 2016 and May 2019. SMP and Miniperc were performed in 3525 patients with renal calculi with diameters of >2 cm. The primary endpoint was the stone‐free rate (SFR). The secondary outcomes included: blood loss, operating time, postoperative pain scores, auxiliary procedures, complications, tubeless rate, and hospital stay. Propensity score matching analysis was used to balance the selection bias between the two groups.ResultsIn all, 2012 and 1513 patients underwent SMP and Miniperc, respectively. After matching, 1380 patients from each group were included for further analysis. Overall, there was no significant difference in the mean operating time or SFR between the two groups. However, the hospital stay and postoperative pain score were significantly in favour of SMP (both P < 0.001). The tubeless rate was significantly higher in the SMP group (72.6% vs 57.8%, P < 0.001). Postoperative fever was much more common in the Miniperc group (12.0% vs 8.4%, P = 0.002). When the patients were further classified into three subgroups based on stones diameters (2–3, 3–4, and >4 cm). The advantages of SMP were most obvious in the 2–3 cm stone group and diminished as the size of the stone increased, with longer operating time in the latter two subgroups. Compared with Miniperc, the SFR of SMP was comparable for 3–4 cm st...
Liu, Y, Huo, J, Guo, J, Lu, L, Shen, Z, Chen, W, Liu, C & Liu, H 2020, 'Hierarchical Porous Molybdenum Carbide Based Nanomaterials for Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Production', Frontiers in Chemistry, vol. 8.
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Liu, Y, Lin, G, Chen, Y, Mönch, I, Makarov, D, Walsh, BJ & Jin, D 2020, 'Coding and decoding stray magnetic fields for multiplexing kinetic bioassay platform.', Lab on a chip, vol. 20, no. 24, pp. 4561-4571.
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Polymer microspheres can be fluorescently-coded for multiplexing molecular analysis, but their usage has been limited by fluorescent quenching and bleaching and crowded spectral domain with issues of cross-talks and background interference. Each bioassay step of mixing and separation of analytes and reagents require off-line particle handling procedures. Here, we report that stray magnetic fields can code and decode a collection of hierarchically-assembled beads. By the microfluidic assembling of mesoscopic superparamagnetic cores, diverse and non-volatile stray magnetic field response can be built in the series of microscopic spheres, dumbbells, pears, chains and triangles. Remarkably, the set of stray magnetic field fingerprints are readily discerned by a compact giant magnetoresistance sensor for parallelised screening of multiple distinctive pathogenic DNAs. This opens up the magneto-multiplexing opportunity and could enable streamlined assays to incorporate magneto-mixing, washing, enrichment and separation of analytes. This strategy therefore suggests a potential point-of-care testing solution for efficient kinetic assays.
Liu, Y, Wang, F, Lu, H, Fang, G, Wen, S, Chen, C, Shan, X, Xu, X, Zhang, L, Stenzel, M & Jin, D 2020, 'Super-Resolution Mapping of Single Nanoparticles inside Tumor Spheroids.', Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany), vol. 16, no. 6, pp. 1905572-1905572.
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Cancer spheroids have structural, functional, and physiological similarities to the tumor, and have become a low-cost in vitro model to study the physiological responses of single cells and therapeutic efficacy of drugs. However, the tiny spheroid, made of a cluster of high-density cells, is highly scattering and absorptive, which prevents light microscopy techniques to reach the depth inside spheroids with high resolution. Here, a method is reported for super-resolution mapping of single nanoparticles inside a spheroid. It first takes advantage of the self-healing property of a 'nondiffractive' doughnut-shaped Bessel beam from a 980 nm diode laser as the excitation, and further employs the nonlinear response of the 800 nm emission from upconversion nanoparticles, so that both excitation and emission at the near-infrared can experience minimal loss through the spheroid. These strategies lead to the development of a new nanoscopy modality with a resolution of 37 nm, 1/26th of the excitation wavelength. This method enables mapping of single nanoparticles located 55 µm inside a spheroid, with a resolution of 98 nm. It suggests a solution to track single nanoparticles and monitor their release of drugs in 3D multicellar environments.
Lo, BF, Hansbro, PM, Donovan, C, Coppolino, I, Mumby, S, Adcock, IM & Caramori, G 2020, 'New drugs under development for COPD.', Expert opinion on emerging drugs, vol. 25, no. 4, pp. 1-13.
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INTRODUCTION:Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a lung disease characterized by chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and remodeling. Its prevalence is increasing worldwide; however, there are few effective therapies, and none of the treatments currently available prevent the progression of the disease or target all of the hallmark features. The development and progression of COPD are heterogeneous, which has hampered the development of new therapies. AREAS COVERED:In this review, we cover the emergence of the improvement of existing classes of drugs including glucocorticoids, β2-adrenoceptor agonists, phosphodiesterase inhibitors, PDE4 selective inhibitors, PDE3/PDE4 inhibitors, protease inhibitors, recombinant α1-antitrypsin and neutrophil elastase inhibitors. We also highlight new compounds that target recently identified mechanisms of COPD, new dual-action muscarinic antagonists, and β2-agonists, kinase inhibitors, cytokine modifiers, chemokines modifiers, NF-κB inhibitors, senolytics, antioxidants, inhaled antiviral agents, anti-fibrotic compounds, and compounds stimulating lung regeneration. EXPERT OPINION:Given the myriad of potential therapeutic avenues that can be pursued, careful consideration of the phenotypes/endotypes of COPD patients will be important for personalized treatment options in the future, and a full understanding of disease mechanisms in patient subsets will ensure these emerging therapies are targeted appropriately.
Lodge, CJ, Lowe, AJ, Milanzi, E, Bowatte, G, Abramson, MJ, Tsimiklis, H, Axelrad, C, Robertson, B, Darling, AE, Svanes, C, Wjst, M, Dharmage, SC & Bode, L 2020, 'Human milk oligosaccharide profiles and allergic disease up to 18 years.', The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology, vol. 147, no. 3, pp. 1041-1048.
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BACKGROUND:Human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) are a diverse range of sugars secreted in breast milk that have direct and indirect effects on immunity. The profiles of HMOs produced differ between mothers. OBJECTIVE:We sought to determine the relationship between maternal HMO profiles and offspring allergic diseases up to age 18 years. METHODS:Colostrum and early lactation milk samples were collected from 285 mothers enrolled in a high-allergy-risk birth cohort, the Melbourne Atopy Cohort Study. Nineteen HMOs were measured. Profiles/patterns of maternal HMOs were determined using LCA. Details of allergic disease outcomes including sensitization, wheeze, asthma, and eczema were collected at multiple follow-ups up to age 18 years. Adjusted logistic regression analyses and generalized estimating equations were used to determine the relationship between HMO profiles and allergy. RESULTS:The levels of several HMOs were highly correlated with each other. LCA determined 7 distinct maternal milk profiles with memberships of 10% and 20%. Compared with offspring exposed to the neutral Lewis HMO profile, exposure to acidic Lewis HMOs was associated with a higher risk of allergic disease and asthma over childhood (odds ratio asthma at 18 years, 5.82; 95% CI, 1.59-21.23), whereas exposure to the acidic-predominant profile was associated with a reduced risk of food sensitization (OR at 12 years, 0.08; 95% CI, 0.01-0.67). CONCLUSIONS:In this high-allergy-risk birth cohort, some profiles of HMOs were associated with increased and some with decreased allergic disease risks over childhood. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and realize the potential for intervention.
Lu, H-C, Hwang, FJ & Huang, Y-H 2020, 'Parallel and distributed architecture of genetic algorithm on Apache Hadoop and Spark', Applied Soft Computing, vol. 95, pp. 106497-106497.
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Lu, L, Cao, X, Shen, Z, Li, L, Huo, J, Chen, W, Liu, C & Liu, H 2020, 'Electrospun nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibers for electrocatalysis', Sustainable Materials and Technologies, vol. 26, pp. e00221-e00221.
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© 2020 Electrospinning technology has attracted wide attention in the field of electrocatalysis due to its easy operation, environmental friendliness and large-scale production capacity. Electrospun nitrogen-doped carbon fibers have the advantages of uniform size, controllable defects, orderly arrangement, and mass production, which benefits their practical applications in electrocatalysis. Nitrogen doping can activate the adjacent carbon atoms. The graphitic nitrogen can donate electron to the π-conjugated carbon system and the pyridinic nitrogen has electron-attracting effect on the adjacent carbon atom, thereby achieving improved electrocatalytic performance. However, the catalytic activity of pure nitrogen-doped carbon fibers is insufficient for practical applications. Therefore, researchers have conducted extensive investigations on optimizing the structure and composition of carbon fibers. In this review, electrospun N-doped carbon nanofibers with various architectures are summarized, and the advantages of heteroatom doping and fiber structure are grasped. The application progresses of nitrogen doped carbon nanofibers in the fields of oxygen and carbon dioxide reduction reaction, hydrogen and oxygen evolution reaction are reviewed. Finally, the future development of electrospun carbon nanofiber catalysts is prospected.
Luo, C, Rahman, MA, Phillips, MR, Ton-That, C, Butterling, M, Wagner, A & Ling, FCC 2020, 'Electrical and optical properties in O-polar and Zn-polar ZnO films grown by pulsed laser deposition', Thin Solid Films, vol. 711, pp. 138303-138303.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. O-polar and Zn-polar ZnO films were grown on c-sapphire by pulsed laser deposition. Positron annihilation spectroscopy study reveals that the VZn-related defects in the ZnO films with different polarities are different in structure and their thermal evolution is different. Hall effect measurement and luminescence spectroscopy reveal that the electrical and optical properties and their corresponding thermal evolution are strongly dependent on the polarity of the film. The luminescence spectra of the as-grown Zn-polar ZnO film is signified by a negligible green defect emission (at ~ 2.4 eV) and strong near band edge emission as compared with the O-polar film. The as-grown Zn-polar film exhibited a lower electron concentration (2 × 1018 cm−3) than that of the O-polar film (6 × 1018 cm−3); this difference is attributed to their different H concentrations. For the O-polar film, the electron concentration decreased with annealing temperature Tanneal, reaching a minimum at 700°C and then increased to 4 × 1018 cm−3 at Tanneal = 900 °C. In comparison, the electron concentration of the Zn-polar ZnO film monotonically decreased with Tanneal attaining a value of ~1 × 1017 cm−3 at Tanneal = 900 °C, 40 times smaller than that of the O-polar film. The cause for the differences in the optical and electrical properties for the O-polar and Zn-polar films is explained by the presence of different defects in these films.
Luo, X, Lu, X, Chen, X, Chen, Y, Song, C, Yu, C, Wang, N, Su, D, Wang, C, Gao, X, Wang, G & Cui, L 2020, 'A robust flame retardant fluorinated polyimide nanofiber separator for high-temperature lithium-sulfur batteries', Journal of Materials Chemistry A, vol. 8, no. 29, pp. 14788-14798.
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© 2020 The Royal Society of Chemistry. The detrimental shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) and the combustible features of commercial separators have hindered the practical application of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. Herein, a robust flame retardant fluorinated polyimide (F/PI) nanofiber separator has been designed for high-temperature Li-S batteries. The introduction of electron-withdrawing trifluoromethyl (-CF3) groups into the PI nanofiber not only increases its porosity to ameliorate the electrolyte uptake, electrolyte retention, and electrolyte wettability but also boosts its polarity to offer better affinity with LiPSs. More importantly, the existence of abundant -CF3 groups on the PI nanofiber can afford an electronegative environment to accelerate the transmembrane transfer of Li+ and simultaneously repel the negatively charged polysulfide ions. As a result of these advanced structural characteristics, a high initial capacity of 1512 mA h g-1 at 0.1C, an outstanding rate performance of 532 mA h g-1 at 5C, and a superior cycling stability with a capacity retention of 95.6% after 500 cycles at 1C can be achieved. Additionally, the flame-retardant F/PI nanofiber separator also delivers excellent cycling and safety performance at high temperature, holding a promising prospect for future commercialization.
Luo, X, Lu, X, Chen, X, Chen, Y, Yu, C, Su, D, Wang, G & Cui, L 2020, 'A functional hyperbranched binder enabling ultra-stable sulfur cathode for high-performance lithium-sulfur battery', Journal of Energy Chemistry, vol. 50, pp. 63-72.
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© 2020 Science Press and Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences Binders are of vital importance in stabilizing the cathodes to enhance the cycling stability of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. However, conventional binders are typically confronted with the drawback of inability for adsorbing lithium polysulfide (LiPS), thus resulting in severe active material losing and rapid capacity fading. Herein, a novel water-soluble hyperbranched poly(amidoamine) (HPAA) binder with controllable hyperbranched molecular structure and abundant amino end groups for Li-S battery is designed and fabricated, which can improve efficient adsorption for LiPS and stability of the sulfur cathodes. Besides, the strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds in HPAA binder can contribute to the structural stability of S cathode and integration of the conductive paths. Therefore, the Li-S battery with this functional binder exhibits excellent cycle performance with a capacity retention of 91% after 200 cycles at 0.1 C. Even at a high sulfur loading of 5.3 mg cm−2, a specific capacity of 601 mA h g−1 can also be achieved. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation further demonstrates that the enhanced electrochemical stability derives from the high binding energy between amino groups and LiPS and the wide electrochemical window (6.87 eV) of HPAA molecule. Based on the above all, this functional polymer will lighten a new species of binders for eco-friendly sulfur cathodes and significantly promote the practical applications of high-performance Li-S batteries.
Luo, X, Lu, X, Chen, Y, Chen, X, Guo, H, Song, C, Wang, N, Su, D, Wang, G, Cui, L & Liu, Y 2020, 'A multifunctional polyimide nanofiber separator with a self-closing polyamide–polyvinyl alcohol top layer with a Turing structure for high-performance lithium–sulfur batteries', Materials Advances, vol. 1, no. 9, pp. 3449-3459.
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The development of commercial lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries is typically restricted by the intrinsic drawbacks of the dissolutiion and shuttling of lithium polysulfides (LPS) and the uncontrollable growth of lithium dendrites.
Luu, LDW, Octavia, S, Aitken, C, Zhong, L, Raftery, MJ, Sintchenko, V & Lan, R 2020, 'Surfaceome analysis of Australian epidemic Bordetella pertussis reveals potential vaccine antigens.', Vaccine, vol. 38, no. 3, pp. 539-548.
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Since acellular vaccines (ACV) were introduced in Australia, epidemic Bordetella pertussis strains changed from single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) cluster II to SNP cluster I. Our previous proteomic analysis identified potential proteomic adaptations in the whole cell and secretome of SNP cluster I. Additionally, current ACVs were shown to be less efficacious against cluster I in mice models and there is a pressing need to discover new antigens to improve the ACV. One important source of novel antigens is the surfaceome. Therefore, in this study we established surface shaving in B. pertussis to compare the surfaceome of SNP cluster I (L1423) and II (L1191), and identify novel surface antigens for vaccine development. Surface shaving using 1 μg of trypsin for 5 min identified 126 proteins with the most abundant being virulence-associated and known outer membrane proteins. Cell viability counts showed minimal lysis from shaving. The proportion of immunogenic proteins was higher in the surfaceome than in the whole cell and secretome. Key differences in the surfaceome were identified between SNP cluster I and II, consistent with those identified in the whole cell proteome and secretome. These differences include unique transport proteins and decreased immunogenic proteins in L1423, and provides further evidence of proteomic adaptation in SNP cluster I. Finally, a comparison of proteins in each sub-proteome identified 22 common proteins. These included 11 virulence proteins (Prn, PtxA, FhaB, CyaA, TcfA, SphB1, Vag8, BrkA, BopD, Bsp22 and BipA) and 11 housekeeping proteins (TuF, CtpA, TsF, OmpH, GltA, SucC, SucD, FusA, GroEL, BP3330 and BP3561) which were immunogenic, essential and consistently expressed thus demonstrating their potential as future targets. This study established surface shaving in B. pertussis, confirmed key expression differences and identified unknown surface proteins which may be potential vaccine antigens.
Ma, C, Jean-Richard-dit-Bressel, P, Roughley, S, Vissel, B, Balleine, BW, Killcross, S & Bradfield, LA 2020, 'Medial Orbitofrontal Cortex Regulates Instrumental Conditioned Punishment, but not Pavlovian Conditioned Fear', Cerebral Cortex Communications, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 1-13.
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Abstract Bidirectionally aberrant medial orbitofrontal cortical (mOFC) activity has been consistently linked with compulsive disorders and related behaviors. Although rodent studies have established a causal link between mOFC excitation and compulsive-like actions, no such link has been made with mOFC inhibition. Here we use excitotoxic lesions of mOFC to investigate its role in sensitivity to punishment; a core characteristic of many compulsive disorders. In our first experiment, we demonstrated that mOFC lesions prevented rats from learning to avoid a lever that was punished with a stimulus that co-terminated with footshock. Our second experiment demonstrated that retrieval of punishment learning is also somewhat mOFC-dependent, as lesions prevented the extended retrieval of punishment contingencies relative to shams. In contrast, mOFC lesions did not prevent rats from re-acquiring the ability to avoid a punished lever when it was learned prior to lesions being administered. In both experiments, Pavlovian fear conditioning to the stimulus was intact for all animals. Together, these results reveal that the mOFC regulates punishment learning and retrieval in a manner that is separate from any role in Pavlovian fear conditioning. These results imply that aberrant mOFC activity may contribute to the punishment insensitivity that is observed across multiple compulsive disorders.
Ma, J, Tao, Z, Kou, H, Fronzi, M & Bi, L 2020, 'Evaluating the effect of Pr-doping on the performance of strontium-doped lanthanum ferrite cathodes for protonic SOFCs', Ceramics International, vol. 46, no. 3, pp. 4000-4005.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. A Pr-doping strategy was used to improve traditional strontium-doped lanthanum ferrite oxides for proton-conducting solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Three different samples, La0.5Sr0.5FeO3-δ, La0.25Pr0.25Sr0.5FeO3-δ, and Pr0.5Sr0.5FeO3-δ,were successfully prepared. The Pr content was shown to have an obvious influence on the hydration ability of the materials. Hydration was improved at higher Pr-contents, suggesting a promising cathode performance. However, the improved hydration ability did not always lead to an increased fuel cell performance, and it was found that the fuel cell performed best when an appropriate Pr-doping amount was used that resulted in a good compromise between protonic and oxygen-ion conduction. As a result, the optimized composition La0.25Pr025Sr0.5FeO3-δ generated a high peak power density of 616 mW cm−2 and a low polarization resistance of 0.09 at Ω cm2 at 700 °C, which is an encouraging performance for a traditional cathode material.
Ma, X, Huete, A, Moore, CE, Cleverly, J, Hutley, LB, Beringer, J, Leng, S, Xie, Z, Yu, Q & Eamus, D 2020, 'Spatiotemporal partitioning of savanna plant functional type productivity along NATT', Remote Sensing of Environment, vol. 246, pp. 111855-111855.
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© 2020 Elsevier Inc. Realistic representations and simulation of mass and energy exchanges across heterogeneous landscapes can be a challenge in land surface and dynamic vegetation models. For mixed life-form biomes such as savannas, plant function is very difficult to parameterise due to the distinct physiological characteristics of tree and grass plant functional types (PFTs) that vary dramatically across space and time. The partitioning of their fractional contributions to ecosystem gross primary production (GPP) remains to be achieved at regional scale using remote sensing. The objective of this study was to partition savanna gross primary production (GPP) into tree and grass functional components based on their distinctive phenological characteristics. Comparison of the remote sensing partitioned GPPtree and GPPgrass against field measurements from eddy covariance (EC) towers showed an overall good agreement in terms of both GPP seasonality and magnitude. We found total GPP, as well as its tree and grass components, decreased dramatically with rainfall over the North Australian Tropical Transect (NATT), from the Eucalyptus forest and woodland in the northern humid coast to the grasslands, Acacia woodlands and shrublands in the southern xeric interior. Spatially, GPPtree showed a steeper decrease with precipitation along the NATT compared to GPPgrass, thus tree/grass GPP ratios also decreased from the northern mesic region to the arid south region of the NATT. However, results also showed a second trend at the southern part of the transect, where tree-grass ratios and total GPP increased with decreasing mean annual precipitation, and this occurred in the physiognomic transition from hummock grasslands to Acacia woodland savannas. Total GPP and tree-grass GPP ratios across climate extremes were found to be primarily driven by grass layer response to rainfall dynamics. The grass-containing xeric savannas exhibited a higher hydroclimatic sensitivity, w...
Ma, X, Huete, A, Tran, NN, Bi, J, Gao, S & Zeng, Y 2020, 'Sun-angle effects on remote-sensing phenology observed and modelled using himawari-8', Remote Sensing, vol. 12, no. 8, pp. 1339-1339.
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© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Satellite remote sensing of vegetation at regional to global scales is undertaken at considerable variations in solar zenith angle (SZA) across space and time, yet the extent to which these SZA variations matter for the retrieval of phenology remains largely unknown. Here we examined the effect of seasonal and spatial variations in SZA on retrieving vegetation phenology from time series of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) across a study area in southeastern Australia encompassing forest, woodland, and grassland sites. The vegetation indices (VI) data span two years and are from the Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI), which is onboard the Japanese Himawari-8 geostationary satellite. The semi-empirical RossThick-LiSparse-Reciprocal (RTLSR) bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) model was inverted for each spectral band on a daily basis using 10-minute reflectances acquired by H-8 AHI at different sun-view geometries for each site. The inverted RTLSR model was then used to forward calculate surface reflectance at three constant SZAs (20°, 40°, 60°) and one seasonally varying SZA (local solar noon), all normalised to nadir view. Time series of NDVI and EVI adjusted to different SZAs at nadir view were then computed, from which phenological metrics such as start and end of growing season were retrieved. Results showed that NDVI sensitivity to SZA was on average nearly five times greater than EVI sensitivity. VI sensitivity to SZA also varied among sites (biome types) and phenological stages, with NDVI sensitivity being higher during the minimum greenness period than during the peak greenness period. Seasonal SZA variations altered the temporal profiles of both NDVI and EVI, with more pronounced differences in magnitude among NDVI time series normalised to different SZAs. When using VI time series that allowed SZA to vary at local solar n...
Madin, EMP, Madin, JS, Harmer, AMT, Barrett, NS, Booth, DJ, Caley, MJ, Cheal, AJ, Edgar, GJ, Emslie, MJ, Gaines, SD & Sweatman, HPA 2020, 'Latitude and protection affect decadal trends in reef trophic structure over a continental scale', Ecology and Evolution, vol. 10, no. 14, pp. 6954-6966.
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AbstractThe relative roles of top‐down (consumer‐driven) and bottom‐up (resource‐driven) forcing in exploited marine ecosystems have been much debated. Examples from a variety of marine systems of exploitation‐induced, top‐down trophic forcing have led to a general view that human‐induced predator perturbations can disrupt entire marine food webs, yet other studies that have found no such evidence provide a counterpoint. Though evidence continues to emerge, an unresolved debate exists regarding both the relative roles of top‐down versus bottom‐up forcing and the capacity of human exploitation to instigate top‐down, community‐level effects. Using time‐series data for 104 reef communities spanning tropical to temperate Australia from 1992 to 2013, we aimed to quantify relationships among long‐term trophic group population density trends, latitude, and exploitation status over a continental‐scale biogeographic range. Specifically, we amalgamated two long‐term monitoring databases of marine community dynamics to test for significant positive or negative trends in density of each of three key trophic levels (predators, herbivores, and algae) across the entire time series at each of the 104 locations. We found that trophic control tended toward bottom‐up driven in tropical systems and top‐down driven in temperate systems. Further, alternating long‐term population trends across multiple trophic levels (a method of identifying trophic cascades), presumably due to top‐down trophic forcing, occurred in roughly fifteen percent of locations where the prerequisite significant predator trends occurred. Such alternating trophic trends were significantly more likely to occur at locations with increasing predator densities over time. Within these locations, we found a marked latitudinal gradient in the prevalence of long‐term, alternating trophic group trends, from rare in the tropics (<5% of cases) to relatively common in temperate areas (~45%...
Madin, JS, Nielsen, DA, Brbic, M, Corkrey, R, Danko, D, Edwards, K, Engqvist, MKM, Fierer, N, Geoghegan, JL, Gillings, M, Kyrpides, NC, Litchman, E, Mason, CE, Moore, L, Nielsen, SL, Paulsen, IT, Price, ND, Reddy, TBK, Richards, MA, Rocha, EPC, Schmidt, TM, Shaaban, H, Shukla, M, Supek, F, Tetu, SG, Vieira-Silva, S, Wattam, AR, Westfall, DA & Westoby, M 2020, 'A synthesis of bacterial and archaeal phenotypic trait data', Scientific Data, vol. 7, no. 1.
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AbstractA synthesis of phenotypic and quantitative genomic traits is provided for bacteria and archaea, in the form of a scripted, reproducible workflow that standardizes and merges 26 sources. The resulting unified dataset covers 14 phenotypic traits, 5 quantitative genomic traits, and 4 environmental characteristics for approximately 170,000 strain-level and 15,000 species-aggregated records. It spans all habitats including soils, marine and fresh waters and sediments, host-associated and thermal. Trait data can find use in clarifying major dimensions of ecological strategy variation across species. They can also be used in conjunction with species and abundance sampling to characterize trait mixtures in communities and responses of traits along environmental gradients.
Mahbub, KR, King, WL, Siboni, N, Nguyen, VK, Rahman, MM, Megharaj, M, Seymour, JR, Franks, AE & Labbate, M 2020, 'Long-lasting effect of mercury contamination on the soil microbiota and its co-selection of antibiotic resistance.', Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987), vol. 265, no. Pt B, pp. 115057-115057.
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Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the environment are an exposure risk to humans and animals and is emerging as a global public health concern. In this study, mercury (Hg) driven co-selection of ARGs was investigated under controlled conditions in two Australian non-agricultural soils with differing pH. Soils were spiked with increasing concentrations of inorganic Hg and left to age for 5 years. Both soils contained ARGs conferring resistance to tetracycline (tetA, tetB), sulphonamides (sul1), trimethoprim (dfrA1) and the ARG indicator class 1 integron-integrase gene, intI1, as measured by qPCR. The last resort antibiotic vancomycin resistance gene, vanB and quinolone resistance gene, qnrS were not detected. Hg driven co-selection of several ARGs namely intI1, tetA and tetB were observed in the alkaline soil within the tested Hg concentrations. No co-selection of the experimental ARGs was observed in the neutral pH soil. 16S rRNA sequencing revealed proliferation of Proteobacteria and Bacteriodetes in Hg contaminated neutral and alkaline soils respectively. Multivariate analyses revealed a strong effect of Hg, soil pH and organic carbon content on the co-selection of ARGs in the experimental soils. Additionally, although aging caused a significant reduction in Hg content, agriculturally important bacterial phyla such as Nitrospirae did not regrow in the contaminated soils. The results suggest that mercury can drive co-selection of ARGs in contaminated non-agricultural soils over five years of aging which is linked to soil microbiota shift and metal chemistry in the soil.
Mahmoudi, T, Pirpour, TA, Pourhassan-Moghaddam, M, Alizadeh-Ghodsi, M, Ding, L, Baradaran, B, Razavi, BS, Jin, D & Ebrahimi, WM 2020, 'PCR-free paper-based nanobiosensing platform for visual detection of telomerase activity via gold enhancement', Microchemical Journal, vol. 154, pp. 104594-104594.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Telomerase activity has been demonstrated in a wide variety of most solid tumors and considered as a well-known cancer biomarker. The commonly utilized method for its detection is polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP). However, the TRAP technique suffers from false-negative results caused by the failure of PCR step. Moreover, it requires advanced equipment with a tedious and time-consuming procedure. Herein, we presented a portable nitrocellulose paper-based nanobiosensing platform for ultrafast and equipment-free detection of telomerase activity based on a simple colorimetric assay that enabled naked-eye visualization of the color change in response to enzyme activity. In this platform, hybridization was initially performed between telomere complementary oligonucleotide immobilized on gold nanoparticles (GNPs) and telomerase elongated biotinylated probe. Thereafter, the assembly was attached on activated paper strip via avidin-biotin interaction. The signal amplification was carried out by enlargement of the attached GNPs on the paper strip, forming tightly compact rod-shaped submicron structures of gold representing a visual color formation. Thanks to significant sensitivity enhancement, the color change was occurred for down to 6 cells, which can be easily observed by the naked eye. Due to the desired aspects of the developed assay including PCR-free, low cost, simple, and high sensitivity, it can be used for evaluation of telomerase activity in cell extracts for future clinical applications. Furthermore, this design has the ability to be easily integrated into lab-on-chip devices for point-of-care telomerase sensing.
Mahmud, MAP, Ejeian, F, Azadi, S, Myers, M, Pejcic, B, Abbassi, R, Razmjou, A & Asadnia, M 2020, 'Recent progress in sensing nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, and ammonium in aquatic environment', Chemosphere, vol. 259, pp. 127492-127492.
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Mahmud, MAP, Huda, N, Farjana, SH & Lang, C 2020, 'Life-cycle impact assessment of renewable electricity generation systems in the United States', Renewable Energy, vol. 151, pp. 1028-1045.
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Malik, S, Khan, F, Atta, Z, Habib, N, Haider, MN, Wang, N, Alam, A, Jambi, EJ, Gull, M, Mehmood, MA & Zhu, H 2020, 'Microalgal flocculation: Global research progress and prospects for algal biorefinery', Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry, vol. 67, no. 1, pp. 52-60.
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AbstractMicroalgal research has made significant progress due to versatile and high‐value industrial applications of microalgal biomass or its derivatives. However, to explore their full potential and to achieve commercial robustness, microalgal biorefinery needs cost‐effective technologies to produce, harvest, and process the microalgal biomass on large scale as higher production and harvesting cost is one of the key hindrances in the commercialization of algae‐based products. Among several other algal biomass harvesting technologies, self‐flocculation seems to be an attractive, low‐cost, and eco‐friendly harvesting technology. This review covers various flocculation‐based methods that have been employed to harvest microalgal biomass with a special emphasis on self‐flocculation in microalgae. Moreover, genetic engineering approaches to induce self‐flocculation in non‐flocculating microalgae along with the factors affecting self‐flocculation and recent research trends have also been discussed. It is concluded that self‐flocculation is the most desired approach for the energy‐ and environment‐efficient harvesting of microalgal biomass. However, its poorly understood genetic basis needs to be deciphered through detailed studies to harness its potential for the algal biorefinery.
Malyla, V, Paudel, KR, Shukla, SD, Donovan, C, Wadhwa, R, Pickles, S, Chimankar, V, Sahu, P, Bielefeldt-Ohmann, H, Bebawy, M, Hansbro, PM & Dua, K 2020, 'Recent advances in experimental animal models of lung cancer.', Future Med Chem, vol. 12, no. 7, pp. 567-581.
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Man, Z, Li, P, Zhou, D, Wang, Y, Liang, X, Zang, R, Li, P, Zuo, Y, Lam, YM & Wang, G 2020, 'Two Birds with One Stone: FeS2@C Yolk-Shell Composite for High-Performance Sodium-Ion Energy Storage and Electromagnetic Wave Absorption.', Nano letters, vol. 20, no. 5, pp. 3769-3777.
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Cost-effective material with a rational design is significant for both sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) and electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption. Herein, we report an elaborate yolk-shell FeS2@C nanocomposite as a promising material for application in both SIBs and EMW absorption. When applied as an anode material in SIBs, the yolk-shell structure not only facilitates a fast electron transport and shortens Na ion diffusion paths but also eases the huge volume change of FeS2 during repeated discharge/charge processes. The as-developed FeS2@C exhibits a high specific capacity of 616 mA h g-1 after 100 cycles at 0.1 A g-1 with excellent rate performance. Furthermore, owing to the significant cavity and interfacial effects enabled by yolk-shell structuring, the FeS2@C nanocomposite delivers excellent EMW absorption properties with a strong reflection loss (-45 dB with 1.45 mm matching thickness) and a broad 15.4 GHz bandwidth. This work inspires the development of high-performance bifunctional materials.
Manning, EE, Bradfield, LA & Iordanova, MD 2020, 'Adaptive behaviour under conflict: Deconstructing extinction, reversal, and active avoidance learning.', Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews, vol. 120, pp. 526-536.
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In complex environments, organisms must respond adaptively to situations despite conflicting information. Under natural (i.e. non-laboratory) circumstances, it is rare that cues or responses are consistently paired with a single outcome. Inconsistent pairings are more common, as are situations where cues and responses are associated with multiple outcomes. Such inconsistency creates conflict, and a response that is adaptive in one scenario may not be adaptive in another. Learning to adjust responses accordingly is important for species to survive and prosper. Here we review the behavioural and brain mechanisms of responding under conflict by focusing on three popular behavioural procedures: extinction, reversal learning, and active avoidance. Extinction involves adapting from reinforcement to non-reinforcement, reversal learning involves swapping the reinforcement of cues or responses, and active avoidance involves performing a response to avoid an aversive outcome, which may conflict with other defensive strategies. We note that each of these phenomena relies on somewhat overlapping neural circuits, suggesting that such circuits may be critical for the general ability to respond appropriately under conflict.
Mantri, VA, Kazi, MA, Balar, NB, Gupta, V & Gajaria, T 2020, 'Concise review of green algal genus Ulva Linnaeus', Journal of Applied Phycology, vol. 32, no. 5, pp. 2725-2741.
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Manyam, J, Ton-That, C & Phillips, MR 2020, 'Cathodoluminescence study of electric field induced migration of defects in single crystal m-plane ZnO', Journal of Applied Physics, vol. 127, no. 8, pp. 085705-085705.
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© 2020 Author(s). Internal electric fields can have a significant effect on the behavior of charged defects, dopants, and impurities in operating electronic devices that can adversely impact on their long-term performance and reliability. In this paper, we investigate the redistribution of charged centers in single crystal m-plane ZnO under the action of a DC electric field at 873 K using in-plane and in-depth spatially resolved cathodoluminescence (CL) spectroscopy. The CL intensities of the ultra-violet near band edge (NBE) emission at 3.28 eV and green luminescence (GL) at 2.39 eV were observed to both uniformly increase on the anode side of the electrode gap. Conversely, toward the cathode, the NBE and GL steadily decrease and increase, respectively. The GL quenched after hydrogen donor doping, confirming that the emission is related to acceptor-like centers. Based on the electro-migration and hydrogen doping results, the GL is attributed to radiative recombination involving Z n i and V Zn pairs. The intensity of an orange luminescence centered at 2.01 eV was unaffected by the electric field and is assigned to substitutional Li acceptors.
Marsh, DJ, Ma, Y & Dickson, K-A 2020, 'Histone Monoubiquitination in Chromatin Remodelling: Focus on the Histone H2B Interactome and Cancer', Cancers, vol. 12, no. 11, pp. 3462-3462.
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Chromatin remodelling is a major mechanism by which cells control fundamental processes including gene expression, the DNA damage response (DDR) and ensuring the genomic plasticity required by stem cells to enable differentiation. The post-translational modification of histone H2B resulting in addition of a single ubiquitin, in humans at lysine 120 (K120; H2Bub1) and in yeast at K123, has key roles in transcriptional elongation associated with the RNA polymerase II-associated factor 1 complex (PAF1C) and in the DDR. H2Bub1 itself has been described as having tumour suppressive roles and a number of cancer-related proteins and/or complexes are recognised as part of the H2Bub1 interactome. These include the RING finger E3 ubiquitin ligases RNF20, RNF40 and BRCA1, the guardian of the genome p53, the PAF1C member CDC73, subunits of the switch/sucrose non-fermenting (SWI/SNF) chromatin remodelling complex and histone methyltransferase complexes DOT1L and COMPASS, as well as multiple deubiquitinases including USP22 and USP44. While globally depleted in many primary human malignancies, including breast, lung and colorectal cancer, H2Bub1 is selectively enriched at the coding region of certain highly expressed genes, including at p53 target genes in response to DNA damage, functioning to exercise transcriptional control of these loci. This review draws together extensive literature to cement a significant role for H2Bub1 in a range of human malignancies and discusses the interplay between key cancer-related proteins and H2Bub1-associated chromatin remodelling.
Marshall, RJ, Armart, P, Hulme, KD, Chew, KY, Brown, AC, Hansbro, PM, Bloxham, CJ, Flint, M, Ronacher, K, Bielefeldt-Ohmann, H, Gallo, LA & Short, KR 2020, 'Glycemic Variability in Diabetes Increases the Severity of Influenza.', mBio, vol. 11, no. 2.
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People with diabetes are two times more likely to die from influenza than people with no underlying medical condition. The mechanisms underlying this susceptibility are poorly understood. In healthy individuals, small and short-lived postprandial peaks in blood glucose levels occur. In diabetes mellitus, these fluctuations become greater and more frequent. This glycemic variability is associated with oxidative stress and hyperinflammation. However, the contribution of glycemic variability to the pathogenesis of influenza A virus (IAV) has not been explored. Here, we used an in vitro model of the pulmonary epithelial-endothelial barrier and novel murine models to investigate the role of glycemic variability in influenza severity. In vitro, a history of glycemic variability significantly increased influenza-driven cell death and destruction of the epithelial-endothelial barrier. In vivo, influenza virus-infected mice with a history of glycemic variability lost significantly more body weight than mice with constant blood glucose levels. This increased disease severity was associated with markers of oxidative stress and hyperinflammation both in vitro and in vivo Together, these results provide the first indication that glycemic variability may help drive the increased risk of severe influenza in people with diabetes mellitus.IMPORTANCE Every winter, people with diabetes are at increased risk of severe influenza. At present, the mechanisms that cause this increased susceptibility are unclear. Here, we show that the fluctuations in blood glucose levels common in people with diabetes are associated with severe influenza. These data suggest that glycemic stability could become a greater clinical priority for patients with diabetes during outbreaks of influenza.
Martin, AA, Bishop, J, Burnett, W, Alfonso, N, Kong, C, Forsman, A, Carlson, L, Rice, NG, Stadermann, M, Toth, M & Bunn, TL 2020, 'Ultra-high aspect ratio pores milled in diamond via laser, ion and electron beam mediated processes', Diamond and Related Materials, vol. 105, pp. 107806-107806.
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© 2020 Microfabrication techniques are critical for the rapid prototyping and development of applications for cutting edge materials. Recently diamond has gained considerable interest for quantum photonic, biosensing, inertial confinement fusion and magnetometer applications. In this article, ultra-high aspect ratio milling of diamond micropores by photon, ion and electron based methods is reported. A multiphoton absorption laser ablation approach is revealed to rapidly produce sub-10 μm diameter micropores in diamond with an aspect ratio of 14:1 and a tapered profile at the surface interface. Chemically active, oxygen focused ion beam milling produces high-aspect ratio pores in diamond with an aspect ratio of 65:1 and minimal tapering over the length of the pore, overcoming the physical interaction volume limitations imposed in conventional gallium based focused ion beam milling and laser ablation methods. Oxygen-mediated electron beam induced etching is revealed to negate the limitations imposed by physical sputtering mechanisms utilized in focused ion beam milling via the direct initiation of chemical reactions at the receding surface, producing aspect ratios on the order of 200:1. Numerical simulations reveal the physical basis for the superior aspect-ratio pore milling of the oxygen focused ion beam milling and electron beam induced etching methods. Our results demonstrate direct-write methods for the fabrication of ultra-high aspect micropores in diamond and provide insight into the underlying mechanisms of these physical processes. The three methods demonstrated here can be interchanged for applications based on the desired characteristic aspect ratio and process throughput.
Martin, AD, Wojciechowski, JP, Du, EY, Rawal, A, Stefen, H, Au, CG, Hou, L, Cranfield, CG, Fath, T, Ittner, LM & Thordarson, P 2020, 'Decoupling the effects of hydrophilic and hydrophobic moieties at the neuron–nanofibre interface', Chemical Science, vol. 11, no. 5, pp. 1375-1382.
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The mobility of hydrophobic moieties at a peptide nanofibre surface determines its suitability as a scaffold for sensitive primary cells.
Martinotti, C, Ruiz‐Perez, L, Deplazes, E & Mancera, RL 2020, 'Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Small Molecules Interacting with Biological Membranes', ChemPhysChem, vol. 21, no. 14, pp. 1486-1514.
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AbstractCell membranes protect and compartmentalise cells and their organelles. The semi‐permeable nature of these membranes controls the exchange of solutes across their structure. Characterising the interaction of small molecules with biological membranes is critical to understanding of physiological processes, drug action and permeation, and many biotechnological applications. This review provides an overview of how molecular simulations are used to study the interaction of small molecules with biological membranes, with a particular focus on the interactions of water, organic compounds, drugs and short peptides with models of plasma cell membrane and stratum corneum lipid bilayers. This review will not delve on other types of membranes which might have different composition and arrangement, such as thylakoid or mitochondrial membranes. The application of unbiased molecular dynamics simulations and enhanced sampling methods such as umbrella sampling, metadynamics and replica exchange are described using key examples. This review demonstrates how state‐of‐the‐art molecular simulations have been used successfully to describe the mechanism of binding and permeation of small molecules with biological membranes, as well as associated changes to the structure and dynamics of these membranes. The review concludes with an outlook on future directions in this field.
Martins, JF, Marques, C, Nieto-Andrade, B, Kelley, J, Patel, D, Nace, D, Herman, C, Barratt, J, Ponce de León, G, Talundzic, E, Rogier, E, Halsey, ES & Plucinski, MM 2020, 'Malaria Risk and Prevention in Asian Migrants to Angola', The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, vol. 103, no. 5, pp. 1918-1926.
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Massella, E, Reid, CJ, Cummins, ML, Anantanawat, K, Zingali, T, Serraino, A, Piva, S, Giacometti, F & Djordjevic, SP 2020, 'Snapshot Study of Whole Genome Sequences of Escherichia coli from Healthy Companion Animals, Livestock, Wildlife, Humans and Food in Italy.', Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland), vol. 9, no. 11, pp. 782-782.
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Animals, humans and food are all interconnected sources of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), allowing extensive and rapid exchange of AMR bacteria and genes. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was used to characterize 279 Escherichia coli isolates obtained from animals (livestock, companion animals, wildlife), food and humans in Italy. E. coli predominantly belonged to commensal phylogroups B1 (46.6%) and A (29%) using the original Clermont criteria. One hundred and thirty-six sequence types (STs) were observed, including different pandemic (ST69, ST95, ST131) and emerging (ST10, ST23, ST58, ST117, ST405, ST648) extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) lineages. Eight antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) and five chromosomal mutations conferring resistance to highest priority critically important antimicrobials (HP-CIAs) were identified (qnrS1, qnrB19, mcr-1, blaCTX-M1,15,55, blaCMY-2, gyrA/parC/parE, ampC and pmrB). Twenty-two class 1 integron arrangements in 34 strains were characterized and 11 ARGs were designated as intI1 related gene cassettes (aadA1, aadA2, aadA5, aad23, ant2_Ia, dfrA1, dfrA7, dfrA14, dfrA12, dfrA17, cmlA1). Notably, most intI1 positive strains belonged to rabbit (38%) and poultry (24%) sources. Three rabbit samples carried the mcr-1 colistin resistance gene in association with IS6 family insertion elements. Poultry meat harbored some of the most prominent ExPEC STs, including ST131, ST69, ST10, ST23, and ST117. Wildlife showed a high average number of virulence-associated genes (VAGs) (mean = 10), mostly associated with an ExPEC pathotype and some predominant ExPEC lineages (ST23, ST117, ST648) were identified.
Matthews, JL, Cunning, R, Ritson-Williams, R, Oakley, CA, Lutz, A, Roessner, U, Grossman, AR, Weis, VM, Gates, RD & Davy, SK 2020, 'Metabolite pools of the reef building coral Montipora capitata are unaffected by Symbiodiniaceae community composition', Coral Reefs, vol. 39, no. 6, pp. 1727-1737.
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© 2020, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. Some reef corals form stable, dominant or codominant associations with multiple endosymbiotic dinoflagellate species (family Symbiodiniaceae). Given the immense genetic and physiological diversity within this family, Symbiodiniaceae community composition has the potential to impact the nutritional physiology and fitness of the cnidarian host and all associated symbionts. Here we assessed the impact of the symbiont community composition on the metabolome of the coral Montipora capitata in Kāne‘ohe Bay, Hawai‘i, where different colonies can be dominated by stress-tolerant Durusdinium glynnii or stress-sensitive Cladocopium spp. Based on our existing knowledge of these symbiont taxa, we hypothesised that the metabolite profile of D. glynnii-dominated corals would be consistent with poorer nutritional support of the host relative to those corals dominated by Cladocopium spp. However, comparative metabolite profiling revealed that the metabolite pools of the host and symbiont were unaffected by differences in the abundance of the two symbionts within the community. The abundance of the individual metabolites was the same in the host and in the endosymbiont regardless of whether the host was populated with D. glynnii or Cladocopium spp. These results suggest that coral-dinoflagellate symbioses have the potential to undergo physiological adjustments over time to accommodate differences in their resident symbionts. Such mechanisms may involve host heterotrophic compensation (increasing the level of nutrition generated by feeding relative to delivery from the algae), dynamic regulation of metabolic pathways when exchange of metabolites between the organisms differs, and/or modification of both the type and quantity of metabolites that are exchanged. We discuss these adjustments and the implications for the physiology and survival of reef corals under changing environmental regimes.
Matthews, JL, Raina, JB, Kahlke, T, Seymour, JR, van, OMJH & Suggett, DJ 2020, 'Symbiodiniaceae-bacteria interactions: rethinking metabolite exchange in reef-building corals as multi-partner metabolic networks', Environmental Microbiology, vol. 22, no. 5, pp. 1675-1687.
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© 2020 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. The intimate relationship between scleractinian corals and their associated microorganisms is fundamental to healthy coral reef ecosystems. Coral-associated microbes (Symbiodiniaceae and other protists, bacteria, archaea, fungi and viruses) support coral health and resilience through metabolite transfer, inter-partner signalling, and genetic exchange. However, much of our understanding of the coral holobiont relationship has come from studies that have investigated either coral-Symbiodiniaceae or coral-bacteria interactions in isolation, while relatively little research has focused on other ecological and metabolic interactions potentially occurring within the coral multi-partner symbiotic network. Recent evidences of intimate coupling between phytoplankton and bacteria have demonstrated that obligate resource exchange between partners fundamentally drives their ecological success. Here, we posit that similar associations with bacterial consortia regulate Symbiodiniaceae productivity and are in turn central to the health of corals. Indeed, we propose that this bacteria-Symbiodiniaceae-coral relationship underpins the coral holobiont's nutrition, stress tolerance and potentially influences the future survival of coral reef ecosystems under changing environmental conditions. Resolving Symbiodiniaceae-bacteria associations is therefore a logical next step towards understanding the complex multi-partner interactions occurring in the coral holobiont.
Maza, M, Srivastava, A, Bisht, DS, Raghuwanshi, NS, Bandyopadhyay, A, Chatterjee, C & Bhadra, A 2020, 'Simulating hydrological response of a monsoon dominated reservoir catchment and command with heterogeneous cropping pattern using VIC model', Journal of Earth System Science, vol. 129, no. 1.
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Abstract: Present study assesses the effect of finer land-use classification in simulating the rainfall-runoff response of Kangsabati reservoir catchment (3,627 km2) and command (7,112 km2) by considering cropland heterogeneity in variable infiltration capacity (VIC) model. High resolution LISS-IV satellite imageries were used for the land-use classification. Global sensitivity analysis was performed using VIC-ASSIST to identify the most and least influential parameters based on the sensitivity index of elementary effects. A fully distributed calibration approach was employed using 16 (detailed) and 8 (lumped) vegetation classes. Low flows during lean periods were over-estimated and peak flows were under-estimated by both the model setups at Kangsabati reservoir site. Detailed land-use classification resulted in the reduction in streamflow over-estimation (Percent Bias (PBIAS) from −20.99 to −14.41 during calibration and from –22.83 to –7.17 during validation) at daily time step. It further demonstrates the improvement in simulating the peak flows; hence, highlighting the importance of detailed land-use classification for vegetation parameterization in VIC model setup. River discharge regulation at Kangsabati reservoir resulted in poor model performance at Mohanpur, downstream site of Kangsabati reservoir. Therefore, calibration for Mohanpur was performed after updating the VIC simulated streamflow with routed reservoir spillage using Hydrologic Engineering Center-River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) model. Streamflow updation employing HEC-RAS at Mohanpur improved the modelling efficiency (Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) from 0.50 to 0.65 during calibration and from 0.55 to 0.67 during validation) and reduced bias (PBIAS from 6.25 to –2.23 during calibration and from 15.06 to 7.40 during validation) considerably for daily flows. Model performance with reasonable accuracy was achieved at both the calibration locations which demonstrates the potential applica...
McAllum, EJ, Hare, DJ, Volitakis, I, McLean, CA, Bush, AI, Finkelstein, DI & Roberts, BR 2020, 'Regional iron distribution and soluble ferroprotein profiles in the healthy human brain', Progress in Neurobiology, vol. 186, pp. 101744-101744.
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McCabe, R, Spikmans, V, Wuhrer, R, Spindler, X & Lennard, C 2020, 'Evaluation of Indanedione Application Methods for Fingermark Detection on Paper: Conventional Treatment, Vacuum Development, and Dry-Transfer.', Journal of Forensic Identification, vol. 70, no. 1, pp. 37-58.
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1,2-Indanedione is considered the most sensitive amino acid reagent currently available for routine use as a fingermark detection technique on porous substrates. The method is generally applied by treating items with a solution of the reagent, followed by the application of heat to accelerate the reaction. Despite the high sensitivity demonstrated by this technique, the use of organic solvents and heat can be problematic for some substrates. For example, polar solvents and heat will darken thermal printer paper. Polar solvents will also diffuse writing inks on documents and may also remove other forensic traces such as explosive and illicit drug residues. The solvent-free application of amino acid reagents has been investigated by a number of research groups as a means of overcoming such issues. Examples include vacuum sublimation (low-pressure vaporization) and “dry-transfer” methods. For the latter, items to be treated are sandwiched between sheets of reagent-impregnated paper. Solventless methods can alleviate the need for the storage and use of large volumes of potentially hazardous solvents, including solvents that are being phased out because of their global warming potential. In this study, a method for applying indanedione under vacuum using a commercially available vacuum oven was optimized and applied to treat fingermarks on a range of substrates. The results were compared against those obtained using conventional and dry-transfer techniques. Although a vacuum method was found to be feasible, it was generally outperformed by conventional indanedione treatment. However, encouraging results were obtained on some nonporous surfaces, and this shows promise for future investigation.
McCauley, JI, Labeeuw, L, Jaramillo-Madrid, AC, Nguyen, LN, Nghiem, LD, Chaves, AV & Ralph, PJ 2020, 'Management of Enteric Methanogenesis in Ruminants by Algal-Derived Feed Additives', Current Pollution Reports, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 188-205.
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© 2020, Springer Nature Switzerland AG. Purpose of Review: In this paper, we critically review the current state of nutritional management strategies to reduce methane emissions resulting from enteric fermentation in livestock production. In this context, it highlights the novel strategy regarding the use of macroalgal- and microalgal-derived feed additives. Recent Findings: Several feed management strategies for ruminants focus on the inclusion of nutritional supplements, increasing proportion of starch, or supplementation with high-energy lipids. These strategies aim to improve animal productivity, whilst at the same time reduce methane emissions. Algae supplements are currently investigated as novel ingredients for decreasing methanogenesis, with the potential production of algal biomass also contributing to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, utilisation of algal biomass as a feed concentrate in dietary supplementation presents a sustainable and environmentally friendly strategy. Summary: This review summarises the current stage of research on dietary strategies and their influences on the metabolic processes during enteric fermentation. This information is essential for developing strategies to mitigate methane emissions in the livestock industry. We specifically present the opportunities that algae could offer as a feed additive for methanogenic reduction in cattle. The data compiled from the peer-reviewed literature revealed synergistic effects of algal biomass on methane reduction and animal productivity. However, the challenges regarding the mass cultivation of macro- and microalgae were noticed. Considering the diversity of algal species, future research should increase screening efforts to include more species and dosage evaluation, along with efforts to see if such effects are sustained over time.
McConnell, D, Hale, CL, Lenc, E, Banfield, JK, Heald, G, Hotan, AW, Leung, JK, Moss, VA, Murphy, T, O’Brien, A, Pritchard, J, Raja, W, Sadler, EM, Stewart, A, Thomson, AJM, Whiting, M, Allison, JR, Amy, SW, Anderson, C, Ball, L, Bannister, KW, Bell, M, Bock, DC-J, Bolton, R, Bunton, JD, Chippendale, AP, Collier, JD, Cooray, FR, Cornwell, TJ, Diamond, PJ, Edwards, PG, Gupta, N, Hayman, DB, Heywood, I, Jackson, CA, Koribalski, BS, Lee-Waddell, K, McClure-Griffiths, NM, Ng, A, Norris, RP, Phillips, C, Reynolds, JE, Roxby, DN, Schinckel, AET, Shields, M, Tremblay, C, Tzioumis, A, Voronkov, MA & Westmeier, T 2020, 'The Rapid ASKAP Continuum Survey I: Design and first results', Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia, vol. 37.
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AbstractThe Rapid ASKAP Continuum Survey (RACS) is the first large-area survey to be conducted with the full 36-antenna Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) telescope. RACS will provide a shallow model of the ASKAP sky that will aid the calibration of future deep ASKAP surveys. RACS will cover the whole sky visible from the ASKAP site in Western Australia and will cover the full ASKAP band of 700–1800 MHz. The RACS images are generally deeper than the existing NRAO VLA Sky Survey and Sydney University Molonglo Sky Survey radio surveys and have better spatial resolution. All RACS survey products will be public, including radio images (with$\sim$15 arcsec resolution) and catalogues of about three million source components with spectral index and polarisation information. In this paper, we present a description of the RACS survey and the first data release of 903 images covering the sky south of declination$+41^\circ$made over a 288-MHz band centred at 887.5 MHz.
McDonagh, J, Salamonson, Y, Ferguson, C, Prichard, R, Jha, SR, Macdonald, PS, Davidson, PM & Newton, PJ 2020, 'Evaluating the convergent and discriminant validity of three versions of the frailty phenotype in heart failure: results from the FRAME-HF study', European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 55-63.
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Background: Frailty is an important predictive measure of mortality and rehospitalisation in people with heart failure. To date, there are no frailty instruments validated for use in people with heart failure. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the convergent and discriminant validity of three versions of the frailty phenotype in those with heart failure. Methods: A single site, prospective cohort study was undertaken among individuals with a confirmed diagnosis of heart failure. Frailty was assessed concurrently using three versions of the frailty phenotype: the original frailty phenotype and two modified versions; the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe frailty instrument (SHARE-FI) and the St Vincent’s frailty instrument. Convergent and discriminant validity were assessed by reporting the correlations between each version and related heart failure subconstructs, and by evaluating the ability of each version to discriminate between normal and abnormal scores of other physical and psychosocial scales specific to heart failure-related subconstructs. Results: The New York Heart Association classes were moderately correlated with the St Vincent’s frailty instrument ( r=0.47, P⩽0.001), SHARE-FI ( r=0.42, P⩽0.001) and the frailty phenotype ( r=0.42, P⩽0.001). The SHARE-FI and the St Vincent’s frailty instrument were both able to discriminate consistently between normal and abnormal scores in three out of five of the physical and psychosocial subconstructs that were assessed. The SHARE-FI was also able to discriminate between inpatients and outpatients who were classified as frail. Conclusions: Both the SHARE-FI and the St Vincent’s frailty instrument displ...
McDougald, D & Longford, SR 2020, 'Protozoa hosts lead to virulence', Nature Microbiology, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 535-535.
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McGowan, E, Lin, Q, Ma, G, Yin, H, Chen, S & Lin, Y 2020, 'PD-1 disrupted CAR-T cells in the treatment of solid tumors: Promises and challenges', Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, vol. 121, pp. 109625-109625.
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McGowan, EM, Haddadi, N, Nassif, NT & Lin, Y 2020, 'Targeting the SphK-S1P-SIPR Pathway as a Potential Therapeutic Approach for COVID-19', International Journal of Molecular Sciences, vol. 21, no. 19, pp. 7189-7189.
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The world is currently experiencing the worst health pandemic since the Spanish flu in 1918—the COVID-19 pandemic—caused by the coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This pandemic is the world’s third wake-up call this century. In 2003 and 2012, the world experienced two major coronavirus outbreaks, SARS-CoV-1 and Middle East Respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), causing major respiratory tract infections. At present, there is neither a vaccine nor a cure for COVID-19. The severe COVID-19 symptoms of hyperinflammation, catastrophic damage to the vascular endothelium, thrombotic complications, septic shock, brain damage, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), and acute neurological and psychiatric complications are unprecedented. Many COVID-19 deaths result from the aftermath of hyperinflammatory complications, also referred to as the “cytokine storm syndrome”, endotheliitus and blood clotting, all with the potential to cause multiorgan dysfunction. The sphingolipid rheostat plays integral roles in viral replication, activation/modulation of the immune response, and importantly in maintaining vasculature integrity, with sphingosine 1 phosphate (S1P) and its cognate receptors (SIPRs: G-protein-coupled receptors) being key factors in vascular protection against endotheliitus. Hence, modulation of sphingosine kinase (SphK), S1P, and the S1P receptor pathway may provide significant beneficial effects towards counteracting the life-threatening, acute, and chronic complications associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. This review provides a comprehensive overview of SARS-CoV-2 infection and disease, prospective vaccines, and current treatments. We then discuss the evidence supporting the targeting of SphK/S1P and S1P receptors in the repertoire of COVID-19 therapies to control viral replication and alleviate the known and emerging acute and chronic symptoms of COVID-19. Three clinical trials using FDA-approved sphing...
McGrath, KC, Li, X, Twigg, SM & Heather, AK 2020, 'Apolipoprotein-AI mimetic peptides D-4F and L-5F decrease hepatic inflammation and increase insulin sensitivity in C57BL/6 mice.', PloS one, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. e0226931-e0226931.
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BACKGROUND:Apolipoprotein-AI (apo-AI) is the major apolipoprotein found in high density lipoprotein particles (HDLs). We previously demonstrated that apo-AI injected directly into high-fat diet fed mice improved insulin sensitivity associated with decreased hepatic inflammation. While our data provides compelling proof of concept, apoA-I mimetic peptides are more clinically feasible. The aim of this study was to test whether apo-AI mimetic peptide (D-4F and L-5F) treatment will emulate the effects of full-length apo-AI to improve insulin sensitivity. METHODS:Male C57BL/6 mice were fed a high-fat diet for 16 weeks before receiving D4F mimetic peptide administered via drinking water or L5F mimetic peptide administered by intraperitoneal injection bi-weekly for a total of five weeks. Glucose tolerance and insulin tolerance tests were conducted to assess the effects of the peptides on insulin resistance. Effects of the peptides on inflammation, gluconeogenic enzymes and lipid synthesis were assessed by real-time PCR of key markers involved in the respective pathways. RESULTS:Treatment with apo-AI mimetic peptides D-4F and L-5F showed: (i) improved blood glucose clearance (D-4F 1.40-fold AUC decrease compared to HFD, P<0.05; L-4F 1.17-fold AUC decrease compared to HFD, ns) in the glucose tolerance test; (ii) improved insulin tolerance (D-4F 1.63-fold AUC decrease compared to HFD, P<0.05; L-5F 1.39-fold AUC compared to HFD, P<0.05) in the insulin tolerance test. The metabolic test results were associated with (i) decreased hepatic inflammation of SAA1, IL-1β IFN-γ and TNFα (2.61-5.97-fold decrease compared to HFD, P<0.05) for both mimetics; (ii) suppression of hepatic mRNA expression of gluconeogenesis-associated genes (PEPCK and G6Pase; 1.66-3.01-fold decrease compared to HFD, P<0.001) for both mimetics; (iii) lipogenic-associated genes, (SREBP1c and ChREBP; 2.15-3.31-fold decrease compared to HFD, P<0.001) for both mimetics and; (iv) reduced hepatic macroph...
McKinnon, J, Roy, CP & Djordjevic, SP 2020, 'Molecular Analysis of an IncF ColV-Like Plasmid Lineage That Carries a Complex Resistance Locus with a Trackable Genetic Signature.', Microbial drug resistance (Larchmont, N.Y.), vol. 26, no. 7, pp. 787-793.
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IncF ColV plasmids are important plasmid incompatibility group that are currently restricted to the Enterobacteriaceae. These plasmids carry an important repertoire of virulence-associated genes (VAGs) that contribute to the ability of avian pathogenic Escherichia coli to cause disease in poultry. VAGs found on ColV plasmids have also been linked to urosepsis and meningitis in humans but the mechanisms that elicit these disease conditions are not well understood. Recently we described the sequence of a ColV plasmid pSDJ2009-52F that carried the typical repertoire of VAGs and a complex resistance gene locus flanked by IS26, an insertion element that plays an important role in mobilizing antibiotic resistance genes on plasmids and genomic islands. We recovered complete ColV-like plasmid sequences from public databases that shared >80% sequence identity with pSDJ2009-52F in geographically diverse regions of the world over a 20-year timeframe. Previously we noted that pSDJ2009-52F carries a unique genetic signature in the class 1 integron within the complex resistance locus that was presumably created by the action of IS26. Here we show that most ColV-like plasmids that are closely related to pSDJ2009-52F also carry the same signature. Our studies provide insight into how these signature-bearing plasmids and the mobile genetic elements they carry traffic between E. coli sequence types over large geographic distances.
McLean, DL, Parsons, MJG, Gates, AR, Benfield, MC, Bond, T, Booth, DJ, Bunce, M, Fowler, AM, Harvey, ES, Macreadie, PI, Pattiaratchi, CB, Rouse, S, Partridge, JC, Thomson, PG, Todd, VLG & Jones, DOB 2020, 'Enhancing the Scientific Value of Industry Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) in Our Oceans', Frontiers in Marine Science, vol. 7.
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Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) are used extensively by the offshore oil and gas and renewables industries for inspection, maintenance, and repair of their infrastructure. With thousands of subsea structures monitored across the world’s oceans from the shallows to depths greater than 1,000 m, there is a great and underutilized opportunity for their scientific use. Through slight modifications of ROV operations, and by augmenting industry workclass ROVs with a range of scientific equipment, industry can fuel scientific discoveries, contribute to an understanding of the impact of artificial structures in our oceans, and collect biotic and abiotic data to support our understanding of how oceans and marine life are changing. Here, we identify and describe operationally feasible methods to adjust the way in which industry ROVs are operated to enhance the scientific value of data that they collect, without significantly impacting scheduling or adding to deployment costs. These include: rapid marine life survey protocols, imaging improvements, the addition of a range of scientific sensors, and collection of biological samples. By partnering with qualified and experienced research scientists, industry can improve the quality of their ROV-derived data, allowing the data to be analyzed robustly. Small changes by industry now could provide substantial benefits to scientific research in the long-term and improve the quality of scientific data in existence once the structures require decommissioning. Such changes also have the potential to enhance industry’s environmental stewardship by improving their environmental management and facilitating more informed engagement with a range of external stakeholders, including regulators and the public.
McNevin, D 2020, 'Forensic inference of biogeographical ancestry from genotype: The Genetic Ancestry Lab', WIREs Forensic Science, vol. 2, no. 2.
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AbstractShort tandem repeat (STR) profiling of DNA has become ubiquitous in forensic practice and is used to associate people, objects, and places with each other and with crimes. STRs can include or exclude a suspect or victim as the donor of biological evidence. In the absence of a matching profile, however, STRs have limited value. It is possible, then, to extract other information from the DNA that might lead forensic investigators to an offender. Examples include biogeographical ancestry (BGA) and externally visible characteristics (EVCs). These require alternative genetic markers including single nucleotide polymorphisms and microhaplotypes which can be genotyped on many different platforms including capillary electrophoresis, microarrays, and massively parallel sequencing (MPS). The Genetic Ancestry Lab (GAL) in Australia provides estimates of BGA and EVCs derived from DNA that is extracted from biological evidence and then subjected to targeted amplicon enrichment and subsequent MPS. This review will describe the process of BGA prediction employed by the GAL as well as describing alternative practices. Limitations are addressed and future directions highlighted, including resolution of genetic admixture. It is highly likely that inference of BGA will become standard forensic practice, performed simultaneously with or in addition to STR profiling, and it is hoped that this review might provide a road map.This article is categorized under:
Forensic Anthropology > Ancestry Determination
Forensic Science in Action/Crime Scene Investigation > From Traces to Intelligence and Evidence
Forensic Biology > Ancestry Determination using DNA Methods
Forensic Biology > Forensic DNA Technologies
Mehraj, H, Kawanabe, T, Shimizu, M, Miyaji, N, Akter, A, Dennis, ES & Fujimoto, R 2020, 'In Arabidopsis thaliana Heterosis Level Varies among Individuals in an F1 Hybrid Population', Plants, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 414-414.
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Heterosis or hybrid vigour is a phenomenon in which hybrid progeny exhibit superior yield and biomass to parental lines and has been used to breed F1 hybrid cultivars in many crops. A similar level of heterosis in all F1 individuals is expected as they are genetically identical. However, we found variation in rosette size in individual F1 plants from a cross between C24 and Columbia-0 accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana. Big-sized F1 plants had 26.1% larger leaf area in the first and second leaves than medium-sized F1 plants at 14 days after sowing in spite of the identical genetic background. We identified differentially expressed genes between big- and medium-sized F1 plants by microarray; genes involved in the category of stress response were overrepresented. We made transgenic plants overexpressing 21 genes, which were differentially expressed between the two size classes, and some lines had increased plant size at 14 or 21 days after sowing but not at all time points during development. Change of expression levels in stress-responsive genes among individual F1 plants could generate the variation in plant size of individual F1 plants in A. thaliana.
Mehta, M, Chellappan, DK, Wich, PR, Hansbro, NG, Hansbro, PM & Dua, K 2020, 'miRNA nanotherapeutics: potential and challenges in respiratory disorders', Future Medicinal Chemistry, vol. 12, no. 11, pp. 987-990.
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Mehta, M, Dhanjal, DS, Paudel, KR, Singh, B, Gupta, G, Rajeshkumar, S, Thangavelu, L, Tambuwala, MM, Bakshi, HA, Chellappan, DK, Pandey, P, Dureja, H, Charbe, NB, Singh, SK, Shukla, SD, Nammi, S, Aljabali, AA, Wich, PR, Hansbro, PM, Satija, S & Dua, K 2020, 'Cellular signalling pathways mediating the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory respiratory diseases: an update', Inflammopharmacology, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 795-817.
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Respiratory disorders, especially non-communicable, chronic inflammatory diseases, are amongst the leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Respiratory diseases involve multiple pulmonary components, including airways and lungs that lead to their abnormal physiological functioning. Several signaling pathways have been reported to play an important role in the pathophysiology of respiratory diseases. These pathways, in addition, become the compounding factors contributing to the clinical outcomes in respiratory diseases. A range of signaling components such as Notch, Hedgehog, Wingless/Wnt, bone morphogenetic proteins, epidermal growth factor and fibroblast growth factor is primarily employed by these pathways in the eventual cascade of events. The different aberrations in such cell-signaling processes trigger the onset of respiratory diseases making the conventional therapeutic modalities ineffective. These challenges have prompted us to explore novel and effective approaches for the prevention and/or treatment of respiratory diseases. In this review, we have attempted to deliberate on the current literature describing the role of major cell signaling pathways in the pathogenesis of pulmonary diseases and discuss promising advances in the field of therapeutics that could lead to novel clinical therapies capable of preventing or reversing pulmonary vascular pathology in such patients.
Mehta, M, Dhanjal, DS, Satija, S, Wadhwa, R, Paudel, KR, Chellappan, DK, Mohammad, S, Haghi, M, Hansbro, PM & Dua, K 2020, 'Advancing of Cellular Signaling Pathways in Respiratory Diseases Using Nanocarrier based Drug Delivery Systems.', Current pharmaceutical design, vol. 26, no. 42, pp. 5380-5392.
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Cell Signaling pathways form an integral part of our existence, that allows the cells to comprehend a stimulus and respond back. Such reactions, to external cues from the environment, are required and are essential to regulate the normal functioning of our body. Abnormalities in the system arise when there are errors developed in these signals, resulting in a complication or a disease. Presently, respiratory diseases contribute to being the third leading cause of morbidity worldwide. According to the current statistics, over 339 million people who are asthmatic, 65 million who are suffering from COPD, 2.3 million who are lung cancer patients and 10 million are tuberculosis patients. This toll of statistics with chronic respiratory diseases leaves a heavy burden on society and nation annual health expenditure. Hence, a better understanding of the processes governing these cellular pathways will enable us to treat and manage these deadly respiratory diseases effectively. Moreover, it is important to comprehend the synergy and interplay of the cellular signaling pathways in respiratory diseases, which will enable us to explore and develop suitable strategies for targeted drug delivery. This review, in particular, focuses on the major respiratory diseases and further provides an in-depth discussion on the various cell signaling pathways that are involved in the pathophysiology of respiratory diseases. Moreover, the review also analyses the defining concepts about advanced nano-drug delivery systems involving various nanocarriers and propose newer prospects to minimize the current challenges faced by researchers and formulation scientists.
Mehta, M, Paudel, KR, Shukla, SD, Shastri, M, Singh, SK, Gulati, M, Dureja, H, Gupta, G, Satija, S, Hansbro, PM, Chellappan, DK & Dua, K 2020, 'Interferon therapy for preventing COPD exacerbations', EXCLI Journal, vol. 19, pp. 1477-1480.
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Mehta, M, Prasher, P, Sharma, M, Shastri, MD, Khurana, N, Vyas, M, Dureja, H, Gupta, G, Anand, K, Satija, S, Chellappan, DK & Dua, K 2020, 'Advanced drug delivery systems can assist in targeting coronavirus disease (COVID-19): A hypothesis', Medical Hypotheses, vol. 144, pp. 110254-110254.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd The highly contagious coronavirus, which had already affected more than 2 million people in 210 countries, triggered a colossal economic crisis consequently resulting from measures adopted by various goverments to limit transmission. This has placed the lives of many people infected worldwide at great risk. Currently there are no established or validated treatments for COVID-19, that is approved worldwide. Nanocarriers may offer a wide range of applications that could be developed into risk-free approaches for successful therapeutic strategies that may lead to immunisation against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) which is the primary causative organism that had led to the current COVID-19 pandemic. We address existing as well as emerging therapeutic and prophylactic approaches that may enable us to effectively combat this pandemic, and also may help to identify the key areas where nano-scientists can step in.
Mehta, M, Satija, S, Paudel, KR, Liu, G, Chellappan, DK, Hansbro, PM & Dua, K 2020, 'Incipient need of targeting airway remodeling using advanced drug delivery in chronic respiratory diseases.', Future medicinal chemistry, vol. 12, no. 10, pp. 873-875.
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Mehta, M, Satija, S, Paudel, KR, Malyla, V, Kannaujiya, VK, Chellappan, DK, Bebawy, M, Hansbro, PM, Wich, PR & Dua, K 2020, 'Targeting respiratory diseases using miRNA inhibitor based nanotherapeutics: Current status and future perspectives.', Nanomedicine : nanotechnology, biology, and medicine, vol. 31, pp. 102303-102303.
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MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a fundamental role in the developmental and physiological processes that occur in both animals and plants. AntagomiRs are synthetic antagonists of miRNA, prevent the target mRNA from suppression. Therapeutic approaches that modulate miRNAs have immense potential in the treatment of chronic respiratory disorders. However, the successful delivery of miRNAs/antagomiRs to the lungs remains a major challenge in clinical applications. A range of materials, namely, polymer nanoparticles, lipid nanocapsules and inorganic nanoparticles have shown promising results for intracellular delivery of miRNA in chronic respiratory disorders. This review discusses the current understanding of miRNA biology, the biological roles of antagomiRs in chronic respiratory disease and the recent advances in the therapeutic utilization of antagomiRs as disease biomarkers. Furthermore our review provides a common platform to debate on the nature of antagomiRs and also address the viewpoint on the new generation of delivery systems that target antagomiRs in respiratory diseases.
Mendelson, N, Doherty, M, Toth, M, Aharonovich, I & Tran, TT 2020, 'Strain-Induced Modification of the Optical Characteristics of Quantum Emitters in Hexagonal Boron Nitride.', Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.), vol. 32, no. 21, pp. 1908316-1908316.
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Quantum emitters in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) are promising building blocks for the realization of integrated quantum photonic systems. However, their spectral inhomogeneity currently limits their potential applications. Here, tensile strain is applied to quantum emitters embedded in few-layer hBN films and both red and blue spectral shifts are realized with tuning magnitudes up to 65 meV, a record for any 2D quantum source. Reversible tuning of the emission and related photophysical properties is demonstrated. Rotation of the optical dipole in response to strain is also observed, suggesting the presence of a second excited state. A theoretical model is derived to describe strain-based tuning in hBN, and the rotation of the optical dipole. The study demonstrates the immense potential for strain tuning of quantum emitters in layered materials to enable their employment in scalable quantum photonic networks.
Mendelson, N, Morales-Inostroza, L, Li, C, Ritika, R, Nguyen, MAP, Loyola-Echeverria, J, Kim, S, Götzinger, S, Toth, M & Aharonovich, I 2020, 'Grain Dependent Growth of Bright Quantum Emitters in Hexagonal Boron Nitride', Advanced Optical Materials, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 2001271-2001271.
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© 2020 Wiley-VCH GmbH Point defects in hexagonal boron nitride have emerged as a promising quantum light source due to their bright and photostable room temperature emission. In this work, the incorporation of quantum emitters during chemical vapor deposition growth on a nickel substrate is studied. Combining a range of characterization techniques, it is demonstrated that the incorporation of quantum emitters is limited to (001) oriented nickel grains. Such emitters display improved emission properties in terms of brightness and stability. These emitters are further utilized and integrated with a compact optical antenna enhancing light collection from the sources. The hybrid device yields average saturation count rates of ≈2.9 × 106 cps and an average photon purity of g(2)(0) ≈ 0.1. The results advance the understanding of single photon emitter incorporation during chemical vapor deposition growth and demonstrate a key step towards compact devices for achieving maximum collection efficiency.
Meng, L, Ren, Y, Zhou, Z, Li, C, Wang, C & Fu, S 2020, 'Monodisperse silica nanoparticle suspension for developing latent blood fingermarks', Forensic Sciences Research, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 1-9.
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Menictas, M, Nolan, TH, Simpson, DG & Wand, MP 2020, 'Streamlined variational inference for higher level group-specific curve models', Statistical Modelling: An International Journal.
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© 2020 Statistical Modeling Society. A two-level group-specific curve model is such that the mean response of each member of a group is a separate smooth function of a predictor of interest. The three-level extension is such that one grouping variable is nested within another one, and higher level extensions are analogous. Streamlined variational inference for higher level group-specific curve models is a challenging problem. We confront it by systematically working through two-level and then three-level cases and making use of the higher level sparse matrix infrastructure laid down in (Nolan and Wand (2020), ANZIAM Journal, doi: 10.1017/S1446181120000061). A motivation is analysis of data from ultrasound technology for which three-level group-specific curve models are appropriate. Whilst extension to the number of levels exceeding three is not covered explicitly, the pattern established by our systematic approach sheds light on what is required for even higher level group-specific curve models.
Mertens, KN, Adachi, M, Anderson, DM, Band-Schmidt, CJ, Bravo, I, Brosnahan, ML, Bolch, CJS, Calado, AJ, Carbonell-Moore, MC, Chomérat, N, Elbrächter, M, Figueroa, RI, Fraga, S, Gárate-Lizárraga, I, Garcés, E, Gu, H, Hallegraeff, G, Hess, P, Hoppenrath, M, Horiguchi, T, Iwataki, M, John, U, Kremp, A, Larsen, J, Leaw, CP, Li, Z, Lim, PT, Litaker, W, MacKenzie, L, Masseret, E, Matsuoka, K, Moestrup, Ø, Montresor, M, Nagai, S, Nézan, E, Nishimura, T, Okolodkov, YB, Orlova, TY, Reñé, A, Sampedro, N, Satta, CT, Shin, HH, Siano, R, Smith, KF, Steidinger, K, Takano, Y, Tillmann, U, Wolny, J, Yamaguchi, A & Murray, S 2020, 'Morphological and phylogenetic data do not support the split of Alexandrium into four genera', Harmful Algae, vol. 98, pp. 101902-101902.
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A recently published study analyzed the phylogenetic relationship between the genera Centrodinium and Alexandrium, confirming an earlier publication showing the genus Alexandrium as paraphyletic. This most recent manuscript retained the genus Alexandrium, introduced a new genus Episemicolon, resurrected two genera, Gessnerium and Protogonyaulax, and stated that: "The polyphyly [sic] of Alexandrium is solved with the split into four genera". However, these reintroduced taxa were not based on monophyletic groups. Therefore this work, if accepted, would result in replacing a single paraphyletic taxon with several non-monophyletic ones. The morphological data presented for genus characterization also do not convincingly support taxa delimitations. The combination of weak molecular phylogenetics and the lack of diagnostic traits (i.e., autapomorphies) render the applicability of the concept of limited use. The proposal to split the genus Alexandrium on the basis of our current knowledge is rejected herein. The aim here is not to present an alternative analysis and revision, but to maintain Alexandrium. A better constructed and more phylogenetically accurate revision can and should wait until more complete evidence becomes available and there is a strong reason to revise the genus Alexandrium. The reasons are explained in detail by a review of the available molecular and morphological data for species of the genera Alexandrium and Centrodinium. In addition, cyst morphology and chemotaxonomy are discussed, and the need for integrative taxonomy is highlighted.
Messer, LF, Ostrowski, M, Doblin, MA, Petrou, K, Baird, ME, Ingleton, T, Bissett, A, Van, DKJ, Nelson, T, Paulsen, I, Bodrossy, L, Fuhrman, JA, Seymour, JR & Brown, MV 2020, 'Microbial tropicalization driven by a strengthening western ocean boundary current', Global Change Biology, vol. 26, no. 10, pp. 5613-5629.
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AbstractWestern boundary currents (WBCs) redistribute heat and oligotrophic seawater from the tropics to temperate latitudes, with several displaying substantial climate change‐driven intensification over the last century. Strengthening WBCs have been implicated in the poleward range expansion of marine macroflora and fauna, however, the impacts on the structure and function of temperate microbial communities are largely unknown. Here we show that the major subtropical WBC of the South Pacific Ocean, the East Australian Current (EAC), transports microbial assemblages that maintain tropical and oligotrophic (k‐strategist) signatures, to seasonally displace more copiotrophic (r‐strategist) temperate microbial populations within temperate latitudes of the Tasman Sea. We identified specific characteristics of EAC microbial assemblages compared with non‐EAC assemblages, including strain transitions within the SAR11 clade, enrichment of Prochlorococcus, predicted smaller genome sizes and shifts in the importance of several functional genes, including those associated with cyanobacterial photosynthesis, secondary metabolism and fatty acid and lipid transport. At a temperate time‐series site in the Tasman Sea, we observed significant reductions in standing stocks of total carbon and chlorophyll a, and a shift towards smaller phytoplankton and carnivorous copepods, associated with the seasonal impact of the EAC microbial assemblage. In light of the substantial shifts in microbial assemblage structure and function associated with the EAC, we conclude that climate‐driven expansions of WBCs will expand the range of tropical oligotrophic microbes, and potentially profoundly impact the trophic status of temperate waters.
Meyer, S, Gonzalez, DVR, Xu, X, Du, Z, Doble, PA & Clases, D 2020, 'Characterization of Upconversion Nanoparticles by Single-Particle ICP-MS Employing a Quadrupole Mass Filter with Increased Bandpass.', Analytical chemistry, vol. 92, no. 22, pp. 15007-15016.
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This work introduces new methods to characterize dispersions of small-diameter or low-mass-fraction nanoparticles (NPs) by single-particle inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (SP ICP-MS). The optimization of ion extraction, ion transport, and the operation of the quadrupole with increased mass bandwidth improved the signal-to-noise ratios significantly and decreased the size detection limits for all NP dispersions investigated. As a model system, 10.9 ± 1.0 nm Au NPs were analyzed to demonstrate the effects of increasing ion transmission. Specifically, increasing the mass bandwidth of the quadrupole improved the size detection limit to 4.2 nm and enabled the resolution of NP signals from ionic background and noise. Subsequently, the methods were applied to the characterization of lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) by SP ICP-MS. Three different types of UCNPs (90 nm NaYF4: 20% Yb, 2% Er; 20 nm NaGdF4: 20% Yb, 1% Er; 15 nm NaYF4: 20% Yb, 2% Er) were investigated. Y showed the best signal-to-noise ratios with optimized ion extraction and transport parameters only, whereas the signal-to-noise ratios of Gd, Er, and Yb were further improved by increasing the mass bandwidth of a quadrupole mass filter. The novel methods were suitable for detailed characterization of diluted UCNP dispersions including particle stoichiometries and size distributions. A Poisson model was further applied to assess particle-particle interactions in the aqueous dispersions. The methods have considerable potential for the characterization of small-diameter and/or low-mass-fraction nanoparticles.
Michelot, H, Chadwick, S, Morelato, M, Tahtouh, M & Roux, C 2020, 'The screening of identity documents at borders for forensic drug intelligence purpose', Forensic Chemistry, vol. 18, pp. 100228-100228.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. The need for law enforcement agencies to obtain results more rapidly has driven the increased use of field-deployable technology in the field. Currently used in a case-by-case approach, the potential of these new technologies, could go beyond the traditional objective of forensic science (i.e. characterisation and identification) and provide timely information about criminal phenomena (i.e. multi-case approach). The use of portable instrumentation could for instance provide rapid information to law enforcement agencies about drug prevalence and drug smuggling if used in a systematic manner. This paper outlines the potential of using portable instrumentation to gather information related to illicit drugs rapidly. An innovative concept is proposed to screen surfaces of passports for the detection of remnants of illicit substances using rapid equipment already deployed at border controls. An experimental procedure was built to determine if powdered drugs could be detected on the surface of contaminated passports. Various scenarios were tested, including transfer, activity and persistence parameters. Experiments were conducted employing two different instruments, i.e. Ion Mobility spectroscopy (IMS) and Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionisation coupled to an Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer (APCI-ITMS). Promising results were obtained with the proposed method notably with the APCI-ITMS instrument as drugs were detected in minute amounts even after one hour of activity. High rates of false positives were obtained with the IMS contrary to APCI-ITMS. As a result, APCI-ITMS allows for the detection of remnants of illicit substances on passports’ surfaces and the approach employed in this proof of concept can be deployed in a real environment such as in airports.
Michie, LE, Hitchcock, JN, Thiem, JD, Boys, CA & Mitrovic, SM 2020, 'The effect of varied dam release mechanisms and storage volume on downstream river thermal regimes', Limnologica, vol. 81, pp. 125760-125760.
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© 2020 Elsevier GmbH Temperature plays an essential role in the ecology and biology of aquatic ecosystems. The use of dams to store and subsequently re-regulate river flows can have a negative impact on the natural thermal regime of rivers, causing thermal pollution of downstream river ecosystems. Autonomous thermal loggers were used to measure temperature changes downstream of a large dam on the Macquarie River, in Australia's Murray-Darling Basin to quantify the effect of release mechanisms and dam storage volume on the downstream thermal regime. The magnitude of thermal pollution in the downstream river was affected by different release mechanisms, including bottom-level outlet releases, a thermal curtain (which draws water from above the hypolimnion), and spill-way release. Dam storage volume was linked to the magnitude of thermal pollution downstream; high storage volumes were related to severe thermal suppressions, with an approximate 10 °C difference occurring when water originated from high and low storage volumes. Downstream temperatures were 8 ̶ 10 °C higher when surface releases were used via a thermal curtain and the spillway to mitigate cold water pollution that frequently occurs in the river. Demonstrating the effectiveness of engineering and operational strategies used to mitigate cold water pollution highlight their potential contribution to fish conservation, threatened species recovery and environmental remediation of aquatic ecosystems.
Michie, LE, Thiem, JD, Boys, CA & Mitrovic, SM 2020, 'Erratum to: The effects of cold shock on freshwater fish larvae and early-stage juveniles: implications for river management.', Conserv Physiol, vol. 8, no. 1, p. coaa106.
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[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coaa092.].
Michie, LE, Thiem, JD, Boys, CA & Mitrovic, SM 2020, 'The effects of cold shock on freshwater fish larvae and early-stage juveniles: implications for river management', Conservation Physiology, vol. 8, no. 1.
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AbstractTemperature is essential to the maintenance of optimal physiological functioning in aquatic organisms. Fish can manage natural fluctuations in temperature; however, in freshwater ecosystems acute and rapid temperature changes can originate from sources such as large dams and industrial effluents. These rapid temperature changes may induce several physiological and behavioural responses that can result in lethal and sub-lethal consequences. The present study assessed immediate sub-lethal and short-term (10 days) lethal responses of three species of Australian freshwater fish larvae and early-stage juveniles to a range of different ‘field-relevant’ cold shocks (−4, −6, −8 and −10°C). Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii), silver perch (Bidyanus bidyanus) and golden perch (Macquaria ambigua) were tested at two age groups to elucidate the interaction between ontogeny and sensitivity to cold shock. Cold shock caused mortality and reductions in swimming ability (time to exhaustion and lines crossed) in all species of fish at both age groups. Sensitivity was correlated to the magnitude of cold shock; a 10°C drop in temperature caused the highest mortalities. Ontogeny interacted with the severity of cold shock; the younger fish experienced higher mortalities and greater impairment to swimming ability. This study demonstrates the potential lethal and sub-lethal impacts of cold shock on freshwater fish at a critical life-history stage. Understanding the impacts of cold shock will aid management of freshwater ecosystems for the benefit of fish populations, with the current study identifying critical life stages to be considered in remediation and guiding thresholds necessary to reduce the impact of cold shock on native fish populations.
Michie, LE, Thiem, JD, Facey, JA, Boys, CA, Crook, DA & Mitrovic, SM 2020, 'Effects of suboptimal temperatures on larval and juvenile development and otolith morphology in three freshwater fishes: implications for cold water pollution in rivers', ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY OF FISHES, vol. 103, no. 12, pp. 1527-1540.
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Miller, AD, Coleman, MA, Clark, J, Cook, R, Naga, Z, Doblin, MA, Hoffmann, AA, Sherman, CDH & Bellgrove, A 2020, 'Local thermal adaptation and limited gene flow constrain future climate responses of a marine ecosystem engineer.', Evolutionary applications, vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 918-934.
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Rising ocean temperatures and extreme temperature events have precipitated declines and local extinctions in many marine species globally, but patterns of loss are often uneven across species ranges for reasons that are poorly understood. Knowledge of the extent of local adaptation and gene flow may explain such patterns and help predict future trajectories under scenarios of climate change. We test the extent to which local differentiation in thermal tolerance is influenced by gene flow and local adaptation using a widely distributed intertidal seaweed (Hormosira banksii) from temperate Australia. Population surveys across ~2,000 km of the species range revealed strong genetic structuring at regional and local scales (global F ST = 0.243) reflecting extremely limited gene flow, while common garden experiments (14-day exposures to 15, 18, 21°C) revealed strong site differences in early development and mortality in response to elevated temperature. Embryos from many sites spanning a longitudinal thermal gradient showed suppressed development and increased mortality to elevated water temperatures, but populations originating from warmer and more variable thermal environments tended to be less susceptible to warming. Notably, there was significant local-scale variation in the thermal responses of embryos within regions which was corroborated by the finding of small-scale genetic differences. We expect the observed genetic and phenotypic differentiation to lead to uneven responses to warming sea surface temperatures in this important marine foundation species. The study highlights the challenges of predicting species responses to thermal stress and the importance of management strategies that incorporate evolutionary potential for 'climate-proofing' marine ecosystems.
Milner, KV, Leigh, A, Gladstone, W & Watson, DM 2020, 'Subdividing the spectrum: quantifying host specialization in mistletoes', Botany, vol. 98, no. 9, pp. 533-543.
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Parasites necessarily depend on their hosts, but the number of host species used by a parasite varies from one to hundreds. Estimating host range and identifying the preferred host species that influence distributional boundaries and confer greater advantage to the parasite has proven elusive. As well as the confounding effects of sampling effort, characterising host specificity and preference has been hindered by considering host-use without accounting for availability. We selected three mistletoe species (Lysiana exocarpi, Amyema quandang, and Amyema lucasii) and sampled mistletoe–host interactions and host availability free from sampling bias. To quantify host specificity and identify preferred host species we applied specialist/generalist scores (G) and resource selection ratios (ω) respectively. Host specificity and preference were assessed at four scales. The generalist L. exocarpi was found to parasitise 31 plant species. Even at small scales, G values and host species turnover were high, with eight preferred hosts identified. Amyema quandang had a low G score with significant preference for half of its Acacia hosts. Amyema lucasii significantly preferred one host, consequently having low G values at all scales. By collecting potential host data and applying G scores and ω, the parasite host spectrum can be quantitatively estimated rather than qualitatively described.
Miranda, AF, Trestrail, C, Lekamge, S & Nugegoda, D 2020, 'Effects of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) on the thyroid status, vitellogenin, and oxidant–antioxidant balance in the Murray River rainbowfish', Ecotoxicology, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 163-174.
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Perfluorooctanoic acid's (PFOA) widespread use, presence and persistence in the aquatic environment has led to an increasing number of studies focusing on its toxicological effects. In Australia, PFOA has been detected in the aquatic environment, however its effects on Australian native fauna are unknown. In this study, male Australian native fish Murray River rainbowfish (Melanotaenia fluviatilis) were exposed to four different concentrations of PFOA (0.01, 0.1, 1 and 10 mg L-1). Variations in thyroid hormones (Triiodothyronine (T3)/Thyroxine (T4)) and the presence of vitellogenin were determined in plasma. Oxidative stress responses were evaluated in gills and liver. Exposure of male fish to PFOA resulted in altered T3/T4 ratios and the presence of vitellogenin in the plasma. Activities of catalase (CAT) and glutathione- S-transferase (GST) were significantly increased in the gills and significantly reduced in the liver. Lipid peroxidation was observed in both tissues showing that vital organs could not neutralize the peroxides generated by oxidative stress resulting from exposure to PFOA. In natural populations exposed to PFOA, such hormonal disturbances can have negative effects, notably through altered capacity to respond to changes in environmental conditions.
Mitrovic, SM, Kobayashi, T & Roelke, DL 2020, 'Cyanobacteria in inland waters: new monitoring, reporting, modelling and ecological research', Marine and Freshwater Research, vol. 71, no. 5, pp. i-i.
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Moecking, J, Laohamonthonkul, P, Chalker, K, White, MJ, Harapas, CR, Yu, C-H, Davidson, S, Hrovat-Schaale, K, Hu, D, Eng, C, Huntsman, S, Calleja, DJ, Horvat, JC, Hansbro, PM, O'Donoghue, RJJ, Ting, JP, Burchard, EG, Geyer, M, Gerlic, M & Masters, SL 2020, 'NLRP1 variant M1184V decreases inflammasome activation in the context of DPP9 inhibition and asthma severity.', The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology, vol. 147, no. 6, pp. 2134-2145.e20.
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Background
NLRP1 is an innate immune sensor that can form cytoplasmic inflammasome complexes. Polymorphisms in NLRP1 are linked to asthma; however, there is currently no functional or mechanistic explanation for this.Objective
We sought to clarify the role of NLRP1 in asthma pathogenesis.Methods
Results from the GALA II cohort study were used to identify a link between NLRP1 and asthma in Mexican Americans. In vitro and in vivo models for NLRP1 activation were applied to investigate the role of this inflammasome in asthma at the molecular level.Results
We document the association of an NLRP1 haplotype with asthma for which the single nucleotide polymorphism rs11651270 (M1184V) individually is the most significant. Surprisingly, M1184V increases NLRP1 activation in the context of N-terminal destabilization, but decreases NLRP1 activation on dipeptidyl peptidase 9 inhibition. In vitro studies demonstrate that M1184V increases binding to dipeptidyl peptidase 9, which can account for its inhibitory role in this context. In addition, in vivo data from a mouse model of airway inflammation reveal a protective role for NLRP1 inflammasome activation reducing eosinophilia in this setting.Conclusions
Linking our in vitro and in vivo results, we found that the NLRP1 variant M1184V reduces inflammasome activation in the context of dipeptidyl peptidase 9 inhibition and could thereby increase asthma severity. Our studies may have implications for the treatment of asthma in patients carrying this variant of NLRP1.
Moezzi, A, Lee, P-S, McDonagh, AM & Cortie, MB 2020, 'On the thermal decomposition of zinc hydroxide nitrate, Zn5(OH)8(NO3)2⋅2H2O', Journal of Solid State Chemistry, vol. 286, pp. 121311-121311.
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© 2020 Elsevier Inc. The layered basic hydroxide Zn5(OH)8(NO3)2⋅2H2O can be thermally decomposed to ZnO via a series of intermediary compounds. Application of in situ X-ray diffraction to dry powder samples reveals three reactions: formation of anhydrous Zn5(OH)8(NO3)2, then de-hydroxylation to Zn3(OH)4(NO3)2 and, finally, decomposition of the latter to ZnO. In contrast, thermal analysis and mass spectroscopy of the evolved volatiles suggests that four reactions take place. Whereas de-hydroxylation reactions only produce H2O, there is also a distinctive pulse of NOx and O2 at the end of the sequence of reactions. The evidence points to the formation of an intermediate, poorly crystalline phase with a stoichiometry of [Zn(OH)2-x]⋅[NO3]x (1 < x < 2) during the final stages of the reaction sequence. Isothermal calcination of Zn5(OH)8(NO3)2⋅2H2O at 120 °C showed that the anhydrous Zn5(OH)8(NO3)2 compound is unstable, rehydrating very rapidly on cooling or decomposing within 6 or 7 h at 120 °C to Zn3(OH)4(NO3)2 (at a rate of 1.33 × 10-4 s-1). Zn3(OH)4(NO3)2 itself decomposes slowly to ZnO at 120 °C, but the process is slower (5.33 × 10-6 s-1) and there was still considerable Zn3(OH)4(NO3)2 present even after 140 h. The mixtures of Zn3(OH)4(NO3)2 and ZnO prepared by calcination are unstable under ambient conditions and react with moisture to reform Zn5(OH)8(NO3)2⋅2H2O.
Monaco, CJ, Bradshaw, CJA, Booth, DJ, Gillanders, BM, Schoeman, DS & Nagelkerken, I 2020, 'Dietary generalism accelerates arrival and persistence of coral‐reef fishes in their novel ranges under climate change', Global Change Biology, vol. 26, no. 10, pp. 5564-5573.
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AbstractClimate change is redistributing marine and terrestrial species globally. Life‐history traits mediate the ability of species to cope with novel environmental conditions, and can be used to gauge the potential redistribution of taxa facing the challenges of a changing climate. However, it is unclear whether the same traits are important across different stages of range shifts (arrival, population increase, persistence). To test which life‐history traits most mediate the process of range extension, we used a 16‐year dataset of 35 range‐extending coral‐reef fish species and quantified the importance of various traits on the arrival time (earliness) and degree of persistence (prevalence and patchiness) at higher latitudes. We show that traits predisposing species to shift their range more rapidly (large body size, broad latitudinal range, long dispersal duration) did not drive the early stages of redistribution. Instead, we found that as diet breadth increased, the initial arrival and establishment (prevalence and patchiness) of climate migrant species in temperate locations occurred earlier. While the initial incursion of range‐shifting species depends on traits associated with dispersal potential, subsequent establishment hinges more on a species’ ability to exploit novel food resources locally. These results highlight that generalist species that can best adapt to novel food sources might be most successful in a future ocean.
Monaco, CJ, Nagelkerken, I, Booth, DJ, Figueira, WF, Gillanders, BM, Schoeman, DS & Bradshaw, CJA 2020, 'Opposing life stage-specific effects of ocean warming at source and sink populations of range-shifting coral-reef fishes.', The Journal of animal ecology, vol. 90, no. 3, pp. 615-627.
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Climate change is altering the latitudinal distributions of species, with their capacity to keep pace with a shifting climate depending on the stochastic expression of population growth rates, and the influence of compensatory density feedback on age-specific survival rates. We use population-abundance time series at the leading edge of an expanding species' range to quantify the contribution of stochastic environmental drivers and density feedbacks to the dynamics of life stage-specific population growth. Using a tropical, range-shifting Indo-Pacific damselfish (Abudefduf vaigiensis) as a model organism, we applied variants of the phenomenological Gompertz-logistic model to a 14-year dataset to quantify the relative importance of density feedback and stochastic environmental drivers on the separate and aggregated population growth rates of settler and juvenile life stages. The top-ranked models indicated that density feedback negatively affected the growth of tropical settlers and juveniles. Rates of settlement were negatively linked to temperatures experienced by parents at potential source populations in the tropics, but their subsequent survival and that of juveniles increased with the temperatures experienced at the temperate sink. Including these stochastic effects doubled the deviance explained by the models, corroborating an important role of temperature. By incorporating sea-surface temperature projections for the remainder of this century into these models, we anticipate improved conditions for the population growth of juvenile coral-reef fishes, but not for settlers in temperate ecosystems. Previous research has highlighted the association between temperature and the redistribution of species. Our analyses reveal the contrasting roles of different life stages in the dynamics of range-shifting species responding to climate change, as they transition from vagrancy to residency in their novel ranges.
Montaner-Fernández, D, Morales-Salinas, L, Rodriguez, JS, Cárdenas-Jirón, L, Huete, A, Fuentes-Jaque, G, Pérez-Martínez, W & Cabezas, J 2020, 'Spatio-temporal variation of the urban heat island in Santiago, Chile during summers 2005–2017', Remote Sensing, vol. 12, no. 20, pp. 3345-3345.
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© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Urban heat islands (UHIs) can present significant risks to human health. Santiago, Chile has around 7 million residents, concentrated in an average density of 480 people/km2. During the last few summer seasons, the highest extreme maximum temperatures in over 100 years have been recorded. Given the projections in temperature increase for this metropolitan region over the next 50 years, the Santiago UHI could have an important impact on the health and stress of the general population. We studied the presence and spatial variability of UHIs in Santiago during the summer seasons from 2005 to 2017 using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite imagery and data from nine meteorological stations. Simple regression models, geographic weighted regression (GWR) models and geostatistical interpolations were used to find nocturnal thermal differences in UHIs of up to 9◦ C, as well as increases in the magnitude and extension of the daytime heat island from summer 2014 to 2017. Understanding the behavior of the UHI of Santiago, Chile, is important for urban planners and local decision makers. Additionally, understanding the spatial pattern of the UHI could improve knowledge about how urban areas experience and could mitigate climate change.
Montgomery, E, Macdonald, P, Newton, P, Chang, S, Jha, S, Hannu, M, Thomson, C, Malouf, M & Havryk, A 2020, 'Frailty as a Predictor of Mortality in Patients with Interstitial Lung Disease Referred for Transplantation', Transplantation, vol. 104, no. 4, pp. 864-872.
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BACKGROUND:Frailty is a clinically recognized syndrome of decreased physiological reserve and a key contributor to suboptimal clinical outcomes in various lung disease groups. Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is fast approaching chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as the number one indication for lung transplantation worldwide. Our aim was to assess whether frailty is a predictor of mortality in patients with ILD referred for lung transplantation in an Australian cohort. METHODS:Consecutive patients with ILD referred or on the waiting list for lung transplantation from May 2013 to December 2017 underwent frailty assessment using the modified Fried's frailty phenotype. Frailty was defined as a positive response to ≥3 of the following 5 components: weak grip strength, slowed walking speed, poor appetite, physical inactivity, and exhaustion. RESULTS:One hundred patients (82 male:18 female; age, 59 ± 7 y; range, 30-70) underwent frailty assessment. Twenty-four of 100 (24%) were assessed as frail. Frailty was associated with anemia, hypoalbuminemia, low creatinine, and the use of supplemental oxygen (all P < 0.05). Frailty was independent of age, gender, measures of pulmonary dysfunction (PaO2, forced vital capacity percentage predicted, total lung capacity, total lung capacity percentage predicted, DLCO, or DLCO percentage predicted), cognitive impairment, or depression. Frailty and DLCO % predicted were independent predictors of increased all-cause mortality: 1-year actuarial survival was 86 ± 4% in the nonfrail group compared with 58 ± 10% for the frail group (P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS:Frailty is common among patients referred for lung transplant with a diagnosis of ILD and is associated with a marked increase in mortality.
Montgomery, E, Macdonald, PS, Newton, PJ, Chang, S, Wilhelm, K, Jha, SR & Malouf, M 2020, 'Reversibility of Frailty after Lung Transplantation', Journal of Transplantation, vol. 2020, pp. 1-10.
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Background. Frailty contributes to increased morbidity and mortality in patients referred for and undergoing lung transplantation (LTX). The study aim was to determine if frailty is reversible after LTX in those classified as frail at LTX evaluation. Methods. Consecutive LTX recipients were included. All patients underwent modified physical frailty assessment during LTX evaluation. For patients assessed as frail, frailty was reassessed on completion of the post-LTX rehabilitation program. Frailty was defined by the presence of ≥ 3 domains of the modified Fried Frailty Phenotype (mFFP). Results. We performed 166 lung transplants (frail patients, n = 27, 16%). Eighteen of the 27 frail patients have undergone frailty reassessment. Eight frail patients died, and one interstate recipient did not return for reassessment. In the 18 (66%) patients reassessed, there was an overall reduction in their frailty score post-LTX ((3.4 ± 0.6 to 1.0 ± 0.7), p<0.001) with 17/18 (94%) no longer classified as frail. Improvements were seen in the following frailty domains: exhaustion, mobility, appetite, and activity. Handgrip strength did not improve posttransplant. Conclusions. Physical frailty was largely reversible following LTX, underscoring the importance of considering frailty a dynamic, not a fixed, entity. Further work is needed to identify those patients whose frailty is modifiable and establish specific interventions to improve frailty.
Montgomery, E, Macdonald, PS, Newton, PJ, Jha, SR & Malouf, M 2020, 'Frailty in lung transplantation: a systematic review', Expert Review of Respiratory Medicine, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 219-227.
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Introduction: Lung transplantation is an effective treatment for certain types of end-stage lung disease. Frailty is a complex clinical syndrome associated with decreased physiological reserve and an increased risk for suboptimal health outcomes.Area covered: This article reviews the current literature on frailty in lung transplantation, with an emphasis on frailty measures, prevalence and impact of frailty on morbidity and mortality prior to and following lung transplantation. Pubmed, EMBASE, CINAHL and Cochrane systematic review databases were searched to September 2019. The search included the MeSH terms 'frail elderly' or 'frailty' or 'sarcopenia' and 'lung disease' or 'lung transplantation'. Studies were included if: the population were undergoing evaluation for, listed for or received a lung transplant; frailty was prospectively assessed during lung transplant evaluation using systematically defined criteria; used human subjects and; published in English. The prevalence of frailty varied from 0% - 58%. The frailty phenotype and short physical performance battery were the most common measures. Frailty was associated with delisting and death pre-transplantation. Frailty was associated with an increased risk of early mortality post-lung transplantation.Expert opinion: Frailty is identified often in lung transplant candidates and is associated with adverse pre and post-transplantation outcomes. Further research is necessary to identify potential frailty interventions.
Moore, G, Annett, S, McClements, L & Robson, T 2020, 'Top Notch Targeting Strategies in Cancer: A Detailed Overview of Recent Insights and Current Perspectives', Cells, vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 1503-1503.
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Evolutionarily conserved Notch plays a critical role in embryonic development and cellular self-renewal. It has both tumour suppressor and oncogenic activity, the latter of which is widely described. Notch-activating mutations are associated with haematological malignancies and several solid tumours including breast, lung and adenoid cystic carcinoma. Moreover, upregulation of Notch receptors and ligands and aberrant Notch signalling is frequently observed in cancer. It is involved in cancer hallmarks including proliferation, survival, migration, angiogenesis, cancer stem cell renewal, metastasis and drug resistance. It is a key component of cell-to-cell interactions between cancer cells and cells of the tumour microenvironment, such as endothelial cells, immune cells and fibroblasts. Notch displays diverse crosstalk with many other oncogenic signalling pathways, and may drive acquired resistance to targeted therapies as well as resistance to standard chemo/radiation therapy. The past 10 years have seen the emergence of different classes of drugs therapeutically targeting Notch including receptor/ligand antibodies, gamma secretase inhibitors (GSI) and most recently, the development of Notch transcription complex inhibitors. It is an exciting time for Notch research with over 70 cancer clinical trials registered and the first-ever Phase III trial of a Notch GSI, nirogacestat, currently at the recruitment stage.
Morelato, M, Medeiros, BS, Rhumorbarbe, D, Broséus, J, Staehli, L, Esseiva, P, Roux, C & Rossy, Q 2020, 'An insight into the sale of prescription drugs and medicine on the AlphaBay cryptomarket', Journal of Drug Issues, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 15-34.
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© The Author(s) 2019. Internet access has provided new ways to trade goods. Unlike conventional legal sale sites, cryptomarkets facilitate exchanges in a context where the anonymity of participants is warranted. The aim of this article was to obtain a better understanding of the trafficking of prescription drugs and medicine on the AlphaBay cryptomarket. The results showed that alprazolam, oxycodone, and Adderall were the most offered prescription drugs while alprazolam, diazepam, and oxycodone were the most sold substances. The sale was dominated by North America, Australia, and Western European countries. The revenue of prescription drugs was estimated to be more than US$65 million since the creation of AlphaBay, a small market in comparison with the worldwide legal pharmaceutical market’s estimate of US$1.3 trillion in 2020. Digital traces offer a complementary way to understand the trafficking of prescription drugs and medicine and to identify the most prolific vendors and their implication in this trafficking.
Morgan, RM, Meakin, GE, French, JC & Nakhaeizadeh, S 2020, 'Crime reconstruction and the role of trace materials from crime scene to court', WIREs Forensic Science, vol. 2, no. 1.
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AbstractCrime reconstruction takes place in a complex ecosystem and needs to be responsive to the context of each case. For accurate, reproducible and transparent crime reconstructions to take place, a holistic approach is needed that considers the different stakeholders, different types of trace material, integral human decision‐making and interconnected nature of the forensic science process. For robust reconstruction, there needs to be a consideration of both the distinctive types of trace material that can contribute to the reconstruction, and an understanding of the interplay of human decision‐making within reconstruction approaches. In addition, it is also necessary to consider source attribution of a trace material in addition to the activities that led to the generation, identification, transfer, and persistence of the trace. This requires explicit and tacit forms of knowledge, and an incorporation of the inherent uncertainty and risk in the reconstruction approach. The communication of conclusions reached in a crime reconstruction that address what the evidence means is also an important consideration given the different requirements of intelligence and evidence. Therefore, undertaking a crime reconstruction within a holistic framework that seeks to incorporate the complexity of the forensic science ecosystem is valuable for achieving a problem solving approach that offers reproducible, transparent reconstructions with a clear articulation of risk and uncertainty that can be of value to investigators and the courts.This article is categorized under:
Forensic Science in Action/Crime Scene Investigation > Crime Scene Reconstruction
Forensic Science in Action/Crime Scene Investigation > From Traces to Intelligence and Evidence
Mostyn, SN, Sarker, S, Muthuraman, P, Raja, A, Shimmon, S, Rawling, T, Cioffi, CL & Vandenberg, RJ 2020, 'Photoswitchable ORG25543 Congener Enables Optical Control of Glycine Transporter 2', ACS Chemical Neuroscience, vol. 11, no. 9, pp. 1250-1258.
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Mu, Z, Zargaleh, SA, von Bardeleben, HJ, Fröch, JE, Nonahal, M, Cai, H, Yang, X, Yang, J, Li, X, Aharonovich, I & Gao, W 2020, 'Coherent Manipulation with Resonant Excitation and Single Emitter Creation of Nitrogen Vacancy Centers in 4H Silicon Carbide', Nano Letters, vol. 20, no. 8, pp. 6142-6147.
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Mu, Z, Zhou, Y, Chen, D, Fröch, JE, Yang, J, Li, X, Aharonovich, I & Gao, W 2020, 'Observation of Binary Spectral Jumps in Color Centers in Diamond', Advanced Optical Materials, vol. 8, no. 19, pp. 2000495-2000495.
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AbstractOptical “blinking” normally refers to a switching behavior of fluorescence for quantum emissions between “ON” and “OFF” state. For quantum dots, single molecules, and nitrogen‐vacancy centers in diamond, it usually stems from conversions between two different charge states, with one emitting strong and bright fluorescence while the other scattering weak or no fluorescence. Here, a different type of blinking from single emitters in ion implanted diamond is reported, with both blinking states exhibiting detectable photoluminescence under nonresonant excitation. Thanks to the low jumping rates, the dynamics of the emission can be directly monitored. The quadratic power dependence of the conversion rates suggests the possibility of two‐photon ionization process in quantum jumps. This work provides extra insights into the photodynamics of the spectral jumps on defect‐based single‐photon emitters hosted in wide‐bandgap semiconductors.
Murphy, C, Deplazes, E, Cranfield, CG & Garcia, A 2020, 'The Role of Structure and Biophysical Properties in the Pleiotropic Effects of Statins', International Journal of Molecular Sciences, vol. 21, no. 22, pp. 8745-8745.
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Statins are a class of drugs used to lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and are amongst the most prescribed medications worldwide. Most statins work as a competitive inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGR), but statin intolerance from pleiotropic effects have been proposed to arise from non-specific binding due to poor enzyme-ligand sensitivity. Yet, research into the physicochemical properties of statins, and their interactions with off-target sites, has not progressed much over the past few decades. Here, we present a concise perspective on the role of statins in lowering serum cholesterol levels, and how their reported interactions with phospholipid membranes offer a crucial insight into the mechanism of some of the more commonly observed pleiotropic effects of statin administration. Lipophilicity, which governs hepatoselectivity, is directly related to the molecular structure of statins, which dictates interaction with and transport through membranes. The structure of statins is therefore a clinically important consideration in the treatment of hypercholesterolaemia. This review integrates the recent biophysical studies of statins with the literature on the physiological effects and provides new insights into the mechanistic cause of statin pleiotropy, and prospective means of understanding the cholesterol-independent effects of statins.
Murray, JS, Nishimura, T, Finch, SC, Rhodes, LL, Puddick, J, Harwood, DT, Larsson, ME, Doblin, MA, Leung, P, Yan, M, Rise, F, Wilkins, AL & Prinsep, MR 2020, 'The role of 44-methylgambierone in ciguatera fish poisoning: Acute toxicity, production by marine microalgae and its potential as a biomarker for Gambierdiscus spp.', Harmful Algae, vol. 97, pp. 101853-101853.
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Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) is prevalent around the tropical and sub-tropical latitudes of the world and impacts many Pacific island communities intrinsically linked to the reef system for sustenance and trade. While the genus Gambierdiscus has been linked with CFP, it is commonly found on tropical reef systems in microalgal assemblages with other genera of toxin-producing, epiphytic and/or benthic dinoflagellates - Amphidinium, Coolia, Fukuyoa, Ostreopsis and Prorocentrum. Identifying a biomarker compound that can be used for the early detection of Gambierdiscus blooms, specifically in a mixed microalgal community, is paramount in enabling the development of management and mitigation strategies. Following on from the recent structural elucidation of 44-methylgambierone, its potential to contribute to CFP intoxication events and applicability as a biomarker compound for Gambierdiscus spp. was investigated. The acute toxicity of this secondary metabolite was determined by intraperitoneal injection using mice, which showed it to be of low toxicity, with an LD50 between 20 and 38 mg kg-1. The production of 44-methylgambierone by 252 marine microalgal isolates consisting of 90 species from 32 genera across seven classes, was assessed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. It was discovered that the production of this secondary metabolite was ubiquitous to the eight Gambierdiscus species tested, however not all isolates of G. carpenteri, and some species/isolates of Coolia and Fukuyoa.
Murray, M, Roseblade, A, Chen, Y, Bourget, K & Rawling, T 2020, 'Carbon Chain Length Modulates MDA‐MB‐231 Breast Cancer Cell Killing Mechanisms by Mitochondrially Targeted Aryl−Urea Fatty Acids', ChemMedChem, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 247-255.
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AbstractTargeting the tumor cell mitochondrion could produce novel anticancer agents. We designed an aryl−urea fatty acid (1 g; 16({[4‐chloro‐3‐(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]carbamoyl}amino)hexadecanoic acid) that disrupted the mitochondrion and decreased MDA‐MB‐231 breast cancer cell viability. To optimize the aryl−ureas the present study evaluated mitochondrial targeting by 1 g analogues containing alkyl chains between 10–17 carbons. Using the dye JC‐1, the C12−C17 analogues efficiently disrupted the mitochondrial membrane potential (IC50s 3.5±1.2 to 7.6±1.1 μM) and impaired ATP production; shorter analogues were less active. 7‐Aminoactinomycin D/annexin V staining and flow cytometry showed that these agents activated the killing mechanisms of necrosis and apoptosis to varying extents (7‐aminoactinomycin D/annexin V staining ratios 4.3–6.0). Indeed, 1 g and its C17 analogue preferentially activated necrosis and apoptosis, respectively (ratios 2.1 and 16). Taken together, alkyl chain length is a determinant of mitochondrial targeting by aryl−ureas and can be varied to develop analogues that activate apoptosis or necrosis in a regulated fashion.
Murray, ML, Poulsen, SM & Murray, BR 2020, 'Decontaminating terrestrial oil spills: A comparative assessment of dog fur, human hair, peat moss and polypropylene sorbents', Environments, vol. 7, no. 7, pp. 52-52.
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Terrestrial oil spills have severe and continuing consequences for human communities andthe natural environment. Sorbent materials are considered to be a first line of defense method fordirectly extracting oil from spills and preventing further contaminant spread, but little is knownon the performance of sorbent products in terrestrial environments. Dog fur and human hairsorbent products were compared to peat moss and polypropylene sorbent to examine their relativee ectiveness in adsorbing crude oil from di erent terrestrial surfaces. Crude oil spills were simulatedusing standardized microcosm experiments, and contaminant adsorbency was measured as percentageof crude oil removed from the original spilled quantity. Sustainable-origin absorbents made fromdog fur and human hair were equally e ective to polypropylene in extracting crude oil from nonandsemi-porous land surfaces, with recycled dog fur products and loose-form hair showing a slightadvantage over other sorbent types. In a sandy terrestrial environment, polypropylene sorbent wassignificantly better at adsorbing spilled crude oil than all other tested products.
Myekhlai, M, Benedetti, TM, Gloag, L, Gonçales, VR, Cheong, S, Chen, H, Gooding, JJ & Tilley, RD 2020, 'Increasing the Formation of Active Sites on Highly Crystalline Co Branched Nanoparticles for Improved Oxygen Evolution Reaction Electrocatalysis', ChemCatChem, vol. 12, no. 11, pp. 3126-3131.
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AbstractThe electrocatalysis of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at the surface of oxidized metal electrocatalysts is highly dependent on the structure and composition of the surface oxide. Here, Au core‐ Co branched nanoparticles were synthesized using a cubic‐core hexagonal‐branch growth approach in a slow reductive solution synthesis, resulting in highly crystalline metallic hcp Co branches. Electrochemical surface oxidation of the Co branched nanoparticles resulted in formation of Co(OH)2 that enable the formation of a higher number of active sites under OER conditions compared to Co3O4. Differently from polycrystalline spherical Au−Co core‐shell nanoparticles, the oxidized structure on the Co branched nanoparticle surface is retained with electrochemical cycling, resulting in improved OER activity and stability.
Myekhlai, M, Benedetti, TM, Gloag, L, Poerwoprajitno, AR, Cheong, S, Schuhmann, W, Gooding, JJ & Tilley, RD 2020, 'Controlling the Number of Branches and Surface Facets of Pd‐Core Ru‐Branched Nanoparticles to Make Highly Active Oxygen Evolution Reaction Electrocatalysts', Chemistry – A European Journal, vol. 26, no. 67, pp. 15501-15504.
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AbstractProducing stable but active materials is one of the enduring challenges in electrocatalysis and other types of catalysis. Producing branched nanoparticles is one potential solution. Controlling the number of branches and branch size of faceted branched nanoparticles is one of the major synthetic challenges to achieve highly active and stable nanocatalysts. Herein, we use a cubic‐core hexagonal‐branch mechanism to synthesize branched Ru nanoparticles with control over the size and number of branches. This structural control is the key to achieving high exposure of active {10–11} facets and optimum number of Ru branches that enables improved catalytic activity for oxygen evolution reaction while maintaining high stability.
Najafpour, MM, Zaharieva, I, Zand, Z, Maedeh Hosseini, S, Kouzmanova, M, Hołyńska, M, Tranca, I, Larkum, AW, Shen, J-R & Allakhverdiev, SI 2020, 'Water-oxidizing complex in Photosystem II: Its structure and relation to manganese-oxide based catalysts', Coordination Chemistry Reviews, vol. 409, pp. 213183-213183.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Cyanobacteria, green algae, and higher plants provide the major part of molecular O2 of Earth atmosphere via water oxidation of oxygenic photosynthesis. The water-oxidizing complex is a manganese-calcium oxide-based cluster embedded in Photosystem II that oxidizes water with high turnover frequency. The atomic structure and analysis of the Mn-Ca cluster are important in understanding the mechanism of water oxidation and for the design of efficient artificial water-oxidizing catalysts. With this short review, we aim to introduce the basic features of the biological water oxidation to the new-comers in the field. Taking into account the recent structural studies, including a high-resolution, radiation-damage-free structure of the water-oxidizing complex, and structures of intermediate S-states revealed by femtosecond X-ray free electron lasers, we discuss the structure and functions of the biologically active site and its implications for the development of inorganic catalysts for solar fuels production.
Nascimento, FS, Barratt, J, Houghton, K, Plucinski, M, Kelley, J, Casillas, S, Bennett, CC, Snider, C, Tuladhar, R, Zhang, J, Clemons, B, Madison-Antenucci, S, Russell, A, Cebelinski, E, Haan, J, Robinson, T, Arrowood, MJ, Talundzic, E, Bradbury, RS & Qvarnstrom, Y 2020, 'Evaluation of an ensemble-based distance statistic for clustering MLST datasets using epidemiologically defined clusters of cyclosporiasis', Epidemiology and Infection, vol. 148, pp. 1-10.
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Abstract
Outbreaks of cyclosporiasis, a food-borne illness caused by the coccidian parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis have increased in the USA in recent years, with approximately 2300 laboratory-confirmed cases reported in 2018. Genotyping tools are needed to inform epidemiological investigations, yet genotyping Cyclospora has proven challenging due to its sexual reproductive cycle which produces complex infections characterized by high genetic heterogeneity. We used targeted amplicon deep sequencing and a recently described ensemble-based distance statistic that accommodates heterogeneous (mixed) genotypes and specimens with partial genotyping data, to genotype and cluster 648 C. cayetanensis samples submitted to CDC in 2018. The performance of the ensemble was assessed by comparing ensemble-identified genetic clusters to analogous clusters identified independently based on common food exposures. Using these epidemiologic clusters as a gold standard, the ensemble facilitated genetic clustering with 93.8% sensitivity and 99.7% specificity. Hence, we anticipate that this procedure will greatly complement epidemiologic investigations of cyclosporiasis.
Nazrul, ISMK, Cortie, M & Wang, X 2020, 'Grape juice: an effective liquid additive for significant enhancement of thermoelectric performance in Cu2Se', Journal of Materials Chemistry A, vol. 8, no. 33, pp. 16913-16919.
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The reduction of thermal conductivity and enhancement of electrical property is an ultimate goal for the high-performance thermoelectric materials. In this work, a highly stable record high thermoelectric performance is...
Nelz, R, Radtke, M, Slablab, A, Xu, Z, Kianinia, M, Li, C, Bradac, C, Aharonovich, I & Neu, E 2020, 'Back Cover: Near‐Field Energy Transfer between a Luminescent 2D Material and Color Centers in Diamond (Adv. Quantum Technol. 2/2020)', Advanced Quantum Technologies, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 2070025-2070025.
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Nelz, R, Radtke, M, Slablab, A, Xu, Z, Kianinia, M, Li, C, Bradac, C, Aharonovich, I & Neu, E 2020, 'Near‐Field Energy Transfer between a Luminescent 2D Material and Color Centers in Diamond', Advanced Quantum Technologies, vol. 3, no. 2.
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Energy transfer between fluorescent probes lies at the heart of manyapplications ranging from bio-sensing and -imaging to enhanced photo-detectionand light harvesting. In this work, we study F\'orster resonance energytransfer (FRET) between shallow defects in diamond --- nitrogen-vacancy (NV)centers --- and atomically-thin, two-dimensional materials --- tungstendiselenide (WSe$_2$). By means of fluorescence lifetime imaging, we demonstratethe occurrence of FRET in the WSe$_2$/NV system. Further, we show that in thecoupled system, NV centers provide an additional excitation pathway for WSe$_2$photoluminescence. Our results constitute the first step towards therealization of hybrid quantum systems involving single-crystal diamond andtwo-dimensional materials that may lead to new strategies for studying andcontrolling spin transfer phenomena and spin valley physics.
Nesporova, K, Wyrsch, ER, Valcek, A, Bitar, I, Chaw, K, Harris, P, Hrabak, J, Literak, I, Djordjevic, SP & Dolejska, M 2020, 'Escherichia coli ST457: an emerging extended-spectrum β-lactam resistant lineage with reservoirs in wildlife and food-producing animals.', Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy, vol. 65, no. 1, pp. 1-18.
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Silver gulls carry phylogenetically diverse Escherichia coli including globally dominant ExPEC sequence types and pandemic ExPEC-ST131 clades, however our large-scale study (504 samples) on silver gulls nesting off the coast of New South Wales identified E. coli ST457 as the most prevalent. A phylogenetic analysis of whole-genome sequences (WGS) of 138 ST457 comprising of 42 from gulls, two from humans (Australia) and 14 from poultry farmed in Paraguay were compared with 80 WGS deposited in public databases from diverse sources and countries. E. coli ST457 strains are phylogenetic group F, carry fimH145 and partition into five main clades in accordance to predominant flagella H-antigen carriage. Although we identified considerable phylogenetic diversity among the 138 ST457 strains, closely related subclades (< 100 SNPs) suggested zoonotic or zooanthroponosis transmission between humans, wild birds and food-producing animals. Australian human clinical and gull strains in two of the clades were closely related (≤ 80 SNPs). Regarding plasmid content, country or country-source specific connections were observed including I1/ST23, I1/ST314 and I1/ST315 disseminating bla CMY-2 in Australia, I1/ST113 carrying bla CTX-M-8 and mcr-5 in Paraguayan poultry and F2:A-:B1 plasmids of Dutch origin across multiple ST457 clades. We identified a high prevalence of nearly identical I1/ST23 plasmids carrying bla CMY-2 among Australian gull and clinical human strains. In summary, ST457 is a broad host range, geographically-diverse E. coli lineage that can cause human extraintestinal disease including urinary tract infection and displays a remarkable ability to capture mobile elements that carry and transmit genes encoding resistance to critically important antibiotics.
Ng, PQ, Ling, LSC, Chellian, J, Madheswaran, T, Panneerselvam, J, Kunnath, AP, Gupta, G, Satija, S, Mehta, M, Hansbro, PM, Collet, T, Dua, K & Chellappan, DK 2020, 'Applications of Nanocarriers as Drug Delivery Vehicles for Active Phytoconstituents.', Current Pharmaceutical Design, vol. 26, no. 36, pp. 4580-4590.
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Many plant-based bioactive compounds have been serving as the origin of drugs since long ago and many of them have been proven to have medicinal value against various chronic diseases, including, cancer, arthritis, hepatic diseases, type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. However, their clinical applications have been limited due to their poor water solubility, stability, low bioavailability and extensive transformation due to the first-pass metabolism. The applications of nanocarriers have been proven to be able to improve the delivery of bioactive phytoconstituents, resulting in the enhancement of various pharmacokinetic properties and thereby increasing the therapeutic value of phytoconstituents. These biocompatible nanocarriers also exert low toxicity to healthy cells. This review focuses on the uses and applications of different types of nanocarriers to enhance the delivery of phytoconstituents for the treatment of various chronic diseases, along with comparisons related to bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy of nano phytoconstituents with native phytoconstituents.
Nghiem, LD, Morgan, B, Donner, E & Short, MD 2020, 'The COVID-19 pandemic: Considerations for the waste and wastewater services sector', Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering, vol. 1, pp. 100006-100006.
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Ngo, LK, Price, HL, Bennett, WW, Teasdale, PR & Jolley, DF 2020, 'DGT and selective extractions reveal differences in arsenic and antimony uptake by the white icicle radish (Raphanus sativus)', Environmental Pollution, vol. 259, pp. 113815-113815.
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© 2019 Increasing soil contamination of arsenic (As) and antimony (Sb) is posing a serious concern to human health. Due to insufficient studies on Sb, the biogeochemical behaviour and plant uptake of Sb are assumed to be similar to that of As. As part of extensive research unravelling As and Sb biogeochemistry and plant uptake, the diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique and sequential extraction procedure (SEP) were applied to evaluate As and Sb uptake by the white icicle radish (Raphanus sativus) cultivated in diluted cattle dip soils contaminated with As only and diluted mining soils contaminated with both As and Sb under agricultural conditions. Labile As and Sb in these soils measured by DGT (CDGT), soil solution (Csol), and SEP (CSEP-labile), were compared with As and Sb bioaccumulation in R. sativus tissues. Regardless of contamination sources and measurement techniques, the results showed that As was consistently more labile than Sb although total As concentrations in two soil types were lower than total Sb. Labile As in cattle dip soils was higher than that in mining soils, although there were no significant differences in soil As concentrations. The analysis of R. sativus tissues revealed that the overall As bioaccumulation was 4.5-fold higher than for Sb, and that As translocation to shoots was limited. In contrast, considerable Sb translocation to shoots was observed. The As and Sb bioaccumulation were strongly correlated with their CSEP-labile, CDGT, and Csol (R2 = 0.87–0.99), demonstrating the effectiveness of these techniques in predicting As and Sb in the white icicle radish. Compared with the cherry bell radish previously studied, the white icicle radish exhibited higher bioaccumulation factors (BAF) for Sb, but lower BAF for As, and lower translocation of As and Sb to shoots, providing understanding of how As and Sb are accumulated by radish cultivars.
Nguyen, HM, Kim, M, Ralph, PJ, Marín-Guirao, L, Pernice, M & Procaccini, G 2020, 'Stress Memory in Seagrasses: First Insight Into the Effects of Thermal Priming and the Role of Epigenetic Modifications', Frontiers in Plant Science, vol. 11.
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While thermal priming and the relative role of epigenetic modifications have been widely studied in terrestrial plants, their roles remain unexplored in seagrasses so far. Here, we experimentally compared the ability of two different functional types of seagrass species, dominant in the Southern hemisphere, climax species Posidonia australis and pioneer species Zostera muelleri, to acquire thermal-stress memory to better survive successive stressful thermal events. To this end, a two-heatwave experimental design was conducted in a mesocosm setup. Findings across levels of biological organization including the molecular (gene expression), physiological (photosynthetic performances and pigments content) and organismal (growth) levels provided the first evidence of thermal priming in seagrasses. Non-preheated plants suffered a significant reduction in photosynthetic capacity, leaf growth and chlorophyll a content, while preheated plants were able to cope better with the recurrent stressful event. Gene expression results demonstrated significant regulation of methylation-related genes in response to thermal stress, suggesting that epigenetic modifications could play a central role in seagrass thermal stress memory. In addition, we revealed some interspecific differences in thermal responses between the two different functional types of seagrass species. These results provide the first insights into thermal priming and relative epigenetic modifications in seagrasses paving the way for more comprehensive forecasting and management of thermal stress in these m