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.
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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Purpose
Inflammation is central in disease pathophysiology and accurate methods for its detection and quantification are increasingly required to guide diagnosis and therapy. Here we explored the ability of Fast Field-Cycling Magnetic Resonance (FFC-MR) in quantifying the signal of ultra-small superparamagnetic iron oxide particles (USPIO) phagocytosed by J774 macrophage-like cells as a proof-of-principle.
Methods
Relaxation rates were measured in suspensions of J774 macrophage-like cells loaded with USPIO (0-200 μg/ml Fe as ferumoxytol), using a 0.25 T FFC benchtop relaxometer and a human whole-body, in-house built 0.2 T FFC-MR prototype system with a custom test tube coil. Identical non-imaging, saturation recovery pulse sequence with 90° flip angle and 20 different evolution fields selected logarithmically between 80 μT and 0.2 T (3.4 kHz and 8.51 MHz proton Larmor frequency [PLF] respectively). Results were compared with imaging flow cytometry quantification of side scatter intensity and USPIO-occupied cell area. A reference colorimetric iron assay was used.
Results
The T
1 dispersion curves derived from FFC-MR were excellent in detecting USPIO at all concentrations examined (0-200 μg/ml Fe as ferumoxytol) vs. control cells, p ≤ 0.001. FFC-NMR was capable of reliably detecting cellular iron content as low as 1.12 ng/µg cell protein, validated using a colorimetric assay. FFC-MR was comparable to imaging flow cytometry quantification of side scatter intensity but superior to USPIO-occupied cell area, the latter being only sensitive at exposures ≥ 10 µg/ml USPIO.
Conclusions
We demonstrated for the first time that FFC-MR is capable of quantitative assessment of intra-cellular iron which will have important implications for the use of USPIO in a variety of biological applications, including the study of inflammation.
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 & 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, Chellappan, 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 affects about 1.5 millionwomen all over the world. Since the last decade, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have beenextensively conducted for breast cancer to define the role of miRNA as a tool for diagnosis, prognosisand therapeutics. MicroRNAs are small, non-coding RNAs that are associated with the regulation ofkey cellular processes such as cell multiplication, differentiation, and death. They cause a disturbancein the cell physiology by interfering directly with the translation and stability of a targeted gene transcript.MicroRNAs (miRNAs) constitute a large family of non-coding RNAs, which regulate targetgene expression and protein levels that affect several human diseases and are suggested as the novelmarkers or therapeutic targets, including breast cancer. MicroRNA (miRNA) alterations are not onlyassociated with metastasis, tumor genesis but also used as biomarkers for breast cancer diagnosis orprognosis. These are explained in detail in the following review. This review will also provide an impetusto study 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.
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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SUMMARYCertain 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.
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.
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 (BBA) - 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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AbstractIncreased 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 ...
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', 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 tar...
Ali, S, Tahir, M, Mehboob, N, Wahab, F, J. Langford, S, Mohd Said, S, R. Sarker, M, Julai, S & Hamid Md Ali, S 2020, 'Amino Anthraquinone: Synthesis, Characterization, and Its Application as an Active Material in Environmental Sensors', Materials, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 960-960.
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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.
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...
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.
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 ...
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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Abstract 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.
Armin, M, Rahman, M, Rahman, MM, Sarker, SK, Das, SK, Islam, MR, Kouzani, AZ & Mahmud, MAP 2020, 'Robust Extended H∞ Control Strategy Using Linear Matrix Inequality Approach for Islanded Microgrid', IEEE Access, vol. 8, pp. 135883-135896.
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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 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...
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, 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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Bisphenol A (BPA) is a toxic environmental pollutant commonly found in wastewater. Using non-toxic materials and eco-friendly technology to remove this pollutant from wastewater presents multiple advantages. Treatment of wastewater with clay minerals has received growing interest because of the environment friendliness of these materials. Bentonite is a 2:1 layered phyllosilicate clay mineral that can support nano-metal catalysts. It can prevent the agglomeration of nano-metal catalysts and improve their activity. In this article, a green catalytic nano zero-valent iron/bentonite composite material (NZVI@bentonite) was synthesized via liquid-phase reduction. The average size of NZVI was approximately 40-50 nm. Good dispersion and low aggregation were observed when NZVI was loaded on the surface or embedded into the nanosheets of bentonite. Degradation of BPA, a harmful contaminant widely found in wastewater at relatively high levels, by NZVI@bentonite was then investigated and compared with that by pristine NZVI through batch Fenton-like reaction experiments. Compared with pristine NZVI and bentonite alone, the NZVI@bentonite showed a higher BPA degradation ratio and offered highly effective BPA degradation up to 450 mg/g in wastewater under optimum operating conditions. Adsorption coupled with the Fenton-like reaction was responsible for BPA degradation by NZVI@bentonite. This work extends the application of NZVI@bentonite as an effective green catalyst for BPA degradation in aqueous environments.
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.
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. 349-357.
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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.
Bezerra-Santos, CR, Bondarenko, E, Essilfie, AT, Nair, PM, Horvat, JC, Barbosa-Filho, JM, Piuvezam, MR, Nalivaiko, E & Hansbro, PM 2020, 'Cissampelos sympodialis and Warifteine Suppress Anxiety-Like Symptoms and Allergic Airway Inflammation in Acute Murine Asthma Model', Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 224-232.
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Bilokur, M, Gentle, A, Arnold, MD, Cortie, MB & Smith, GB 2020, 'Spectrally Selective Solar Absorbers based on Ta:SiO2 Cermets for Next‐Generation Concentrated Solar–Thermal Applications', Energy Technology, vol. 8, no. 7, pp. 2000125-2000125.
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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, Roy Chowdury, P & 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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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 actio...
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, p. 6745.
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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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AbstractReported 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, p. 58.
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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', Nature Communications, vol. 11, no. 1.
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AbstractChronic 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, includingStreptococcus sp000187445,Streptococcus vestibularisand multiple members of the familyLachnospiraceae, 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 connectingStreptococcus parasanguinis_Bwith 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.
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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The role of the hippocampus in goal-directed action is currently unclear; studies investigating this issue have produced contradictory results. Here we reconcile these contradictions by demonstrating that, in rats, goal-directed action relies on the dorsal hippocampus, but only transiently, immediately after initial acquisition. Furthermore, we found that goal-directed action also depends transiently on physical context, suggesting a psychological basis for the hippocampal regulation of goal-directed action control.
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 h...
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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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.
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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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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AbstractCuticular 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 Re, O, 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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AbstractBackgroundAlthough 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.ResultsA 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.ConclusionsIn 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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Neospora caninum is an intracellular parasite considered a leading cause of bovine reproduction failure worldwide, and a serious neurological disease of canines. Transplacental transmission in intermediate hosts is considered the most efficient means of transmission, which strictly involves asexual reproduction. Nonetheless, extensive genetic diversity has been reported within the species. What is yet to be elucidated are the major drivers of such diversity, and their impact on important parasite phenotypes such as virulence. Instead of protein-encoding sequences, genome and transcriptome data were used to investigate SNPs in introns between two distinct N. caninum isolates, with reported differences in pathogenicity. Variant analysis identified 840 and 501 SNPs within intergenic regions and introns, respectively, distinctly concentrated on chromosomes VI and XI, whereas the rest of the genome was monomorphic in comparison. Gene ontologies for SNP-dense intron-containing genes included ATP binding, transmembrane transport, protein kinase activity, and transcription and translation processes. This study shows that variation in non-coding DNA is contributing to N. caninum intraspecies genetic diversity, and potentially influencing and contributing to important parasite mechanisms. Finally, we present an assembled and annotated N. caninum apicoplast genome and show that this essential organelle is highly conserved between the two isolates, and related Coccidia.
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.ReferencesY. M. AbdelRahman and R. J. Belland. The chlamydial developmental cycle. FEMS Microbio. Rev., 29(5):949–959, 2005. doi:10.1016/j.femsre.2005.03.002.T. E. Harris. Branching processes. Ann. Math. Stat., 19(4):474–494, 12 1948. doi:10.1214/aoms/1177730146.C. Jacob. Branching processes: Their role in epidemiology. Int. J. Env. Res. Public Health, 7(3):1186–1204, 2019. doi:10.3390/ijerph7031204.N. Low, M. Egger, J. A. C. Sterne, R. M. Harbord, F. Ibrahim, B. Lindblom, and B. Herrmann. Incidence of severe reproductive tract complications associated with diagnosed genital chlamydial infection: The Uppsala women's cohort study. Sexually Trans. Infect., 82(3):212–218, 2006. doi:10.1136/sti.2005.017186.D. Mallet, M. Bagher-Oskouei, A. Farr, D. Simpson, and K. Sutton. A mathematical model of chlamydial infection incorporating movement of chlamydial particles. Bull. Math. Bio., 75:2257–2270, 10 2013. doi:10.1007/s11538-013-9891-9.H. K. Maxion, W. Liu, M.-H. Chang, and K. A. Kelly. The infecting dose of chlamydia muridarum modulates the innate immune response and ascending infection. Infect. Immun., 72(11):6330–6340, 2004. doi:10.1128/IAI.72.11.6330-6340.2004.S. Menon, P. Timms, J. A. Allan, K. Alexander, L. Rombauts, P. Horner, M. Keltz, J. Hocking, and W. M. Huston. Human and pathogen factors associated with chlamydia trachomatis-related infertility in women. Clinic. Microbio. Rev., 28(4):969–985, 2015. doi:10.1128/CMR.00035-15.D. P. Wilson. Mathe...
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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SummarySymbiodiniaceae 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...
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.
Carter, A, Richards, LJ, Apthorp, D, Azghadi, MR, Badcock, DR, Balleine, B, Bekkers, JM, Berk, M, Bourne, JA, Bradley, AP, Breakspear, M, Brichta, A, Carter, O, Castles, A, Chakli, K, Cohen-Woods, S, Conn, SJ, Cornish, J, Cornish, K, de Zubicaray, G, Egan, GF, Enticott, PG, Fitzgibbon, BM, Forlini, C, Fornito, A, Griffiths, L, Gullifer, J, Hall, W, Halliday, G, Hannan, AJ, Harrer, S, Harvey, A, Hatherly, C, Hickie, IB, Kennett, J, Kiernan, M, Kilpatrick, T, Kiral-Kornek, I, Korgaonkar, MS, Lawrence, AJ, Leventer, R, Levy, N, Licinio, J, Lovell, N, Mackellar, G, Malcolm, L, Mason, A, Mattingley, JB, Medland, SE, Michie, PT, Nithianantharajah, J, Parker, J, Payne, JM, Poole-Warren, L, Sah, P, Sarnyai, Z, Schofield, PR, Shimoni, O, Shum, DHK, Silk, T, Slee, M, Smith, AE, Soulis, T, Sriram, S, Stuart, GJ, Tapson, J, Thompson, MB, van Schaik, A, Vincent, NA, Vissel, B & Waters, A 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.
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 ...
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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AbstractBacterial 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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AbstractMaternal 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 Cu2O@CaCO3 Nanocomposites for Synergistic Oncotherapy', Advanced Materials, vol. 32, no. 43, pp. 1-11.
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AbstractRational 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 H2S and slightly acidic microenvironment. Here, a core–shell Cu2O@CaCO3 nanostructure for CRC “turn‐on” therapy is reported. With CaCO3 responsive to pH decomposition and Cu2O responsive to H2S sulfuration, Cu2O@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 Cu2O core to be sulfuretted by H2S to form metabolizable Cu31S16 nanocrystals that gain remarkably strong near‐infrared absorption. After modifying hyaluronic acid, Cu2O@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 Cu2O@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 Silva, MW, 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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AbstractNeutrophils 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, 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 Reyk, D 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, 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, Ke, X, Cheng, Y, Fan, M, Wu, W, Huang, X, Liang, Y, Zhong, Y, Ao, Z, Lai, Y, Wang, G & Shi, Z 2020, 'Boosting the electrochemical performance of 3D composite lithium metal anodes through synergistic structure and interface engineering', Energy Storage Materials, vol. 26, pp. 56-64.
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© 2019 Elsevier B.V. Construction of three-dimensional (3D) composite lithium metal anodes (LMAs) based on Li melt-infusion into a 3D porous scaffold has been demonstrated to be effective for solving the issue of the considerable relative volume change of LMAs during Li plating/stripping. However, little attention has been paid to controllable regulation of the structure and interface of 3D composite LMAs. In this study, 3D composite LMAs, namely Li–AuLi3@CF electrodes, are firstly fabricated by infusion of molten Li into carbon fiber (CF) paper modified with nanoporous gold (NPG) which is converted to AuLi3 after infusion. We herein demonstrate a synergistic structure and interface engineering strategy realized by a simple and effective pre-stripping protocol to initially expose a portion of the 3D AuLi3@CF scaffold to create “PS-Li-AuLi3@CF” electrodes, which greatly boosted the electrochemical performance. Symmetrical Li|Li cells with PS-Li-AuLi3@CF electrodes show an overpotential of 111 mV after cycling at a current density of 0.5 mA cm−2 for 1800 h. Additionally, Li|LiFePO4 (LFP) and Li|sulfurized polyacrylonitrile (SPAN) full cells with PS-Li-AuLi3@CF electrodes exhibit a high capacity retention of 96.1% with a Coulombic efficiency (CE) of 99.2% after 1000 cycles at 5C, and a capacity retention of 70.6% with a CE of 99.8% after 1000 cycles at 2C, respectively. This work provides a simple and highly effective method for engineering the structure and interface of 3D composite LMAs to boost their electrochemical performance for high-energy-density rechargeable lithium metal batteries (LMBs).
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, B-J 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, vol. 134, no. 10, pp. 1167-1180.
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Abstract 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, S, Liu, Q, Zhou, X, Gu, Y, Yuan, W, Feng, W & Li, F 2020, 'Reversible Ratiometric Probe Combined with the Time-Gated Method for Accurate In Vivo Gastrointestinal pH Sensing', ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, vol. 12, no. 23, pp. 25557-25564.
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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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Infection of zebrafish with natural pathogen Mycobacterium marinum is a useful surrogate for studying the human granulomatous inflammatory response to infection by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The adaptive immune system of the adult stage zebrafish offers an advance on the commonly used embryo infection model as adult zebrafish form granulomas with striking similarities to human-M. tuberculosis granulomas. Here, we present workflows to perform high content analyses of granulomas in adult zebrafish infected with M. marinum by cryosectioning to take advantage of strong endogenous transgenic fluorescence adapted from common zebrafish embryo infection tools. Specific guides to classifying granuloma necrosis and organisation, quantifying bacterial burden and leukocyte infiltration of granulomas, visualizing foam cell formation, analysing extracellular matrix remodelling and granuloma fibrosis are also provided. We use these methods to characterize neutrophil recruitment to M. marinum granulomas across time and find an inverse relation to granuloma necrosis suggesting granuloma necrosis is not a marker of immunopathology in the natural infection system of the adult zebrafish-M. marinum pairing. The methods can be easily translated to studying the zebrafish adaptive immune response to other chronic and granuloma-forming pathogens.
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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AbstractThe 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 (BBA) - 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 de Vega, R, 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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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.
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, 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 microbiom...
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.
Collins, S, Stuart, B & Ueland, M 2020, 'Monitoring human decomposition products collected in clothing: an infrared spectroscopy study', Australian Journal of Forensic Sciences, vol. 52, no. 4, pp. 428-438.
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© 2019, © 2019 Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences. The ability to monitor changes in human decomposition chemistry provides a potentially valuable tool for an understanding of the fate of human remains. This study reports the findings of an experimental study of a decomposing human cadaver investigated using infrared spectroscopy. This study was carried out at the Australian Facility for Taphonomic Experimental Research (AFTER) with a donated human cadaver clothed in cotton. An examination of the fluid retained by the cotton revealed that lipids and proteins, and their corresponding decomposition products, could be identified for the different stages of decomposition. The mechanisms for the changes to the lipid and protein components can be inferred from the spectroscopic changes observed and correlated with the corresponding decay processes observed for the cadaver. This study demonstrated that the use of this non-destructive technique allows the components of the decomposition fluid produced by decaying remains to be simultaneously monitored over time.
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. 525-531.
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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.
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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AbstractThere 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 TixN, 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.
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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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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Defining environmental reservoirs hosting mobile genetic elements that shuttle critically important antibiotic resistance genes is key to understanding antimicrobial resistance (AMR) from a One Health perspective. Gulls frequent public amenities, parklands, and sewage and other waste disposal sites and carry drug-resistant Escherichia coli .
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.
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, 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.
Deo, A, Forbes, SL, Stuart, BH & Ueland, M 2020, 'Profiling the seasonal variability of decomposition odour from human remains in a temperate Australian environment', Australian Journal of Forensic Sciences, vol. 52, no. 6, pp. 654-664.
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© 2019, © 2019 Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences. This project aimed to collect and analyze odour profiles from whole human cadavers across various seasons, to contribute to the understanding of the different volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced in human decomposition. This research will ultimately enhance our understanding of the key VOCs used by cadaver-detection dogs to locate human remains. VOCs were collected onto sorbent tubes and analyzed using two-dimensional gas chromatography–time-of-flight-mass-spectrometry (GC×GC-TOFMS). Five trials were conducted at the Australian Facility for Taphonomic Experimental Research (AFTER) across various seasons including autumn, winter and spring. Analysis showed differentiation between compounds and compound classes produced by each donor. Cadavers placed during warmer weather showed higher variety and abundances of compounds and cadavers placed during cooler weather showed fewer VOCs with lower abundances. All seasonal trials showed variation, with no consistently recurring compound being identified. Further trials would need to be carried out in order to increase the VOC database, allowing for identification of key VOCs. This may consequently be used by cadaver-detection dogs for locating human remains at any time of the year.
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', The 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, pp. 284-284.
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Dharwal, V, Paudel, KR & Hansbro, PM 2020, 'Impact of bushfire smoke on respiratory health', MEDICAL JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIA, vol. 213, no. 6.
Diaz, D, Vidal, X, Sunna, A & Care, A 2020, 'Bioengineering a light-responsive encapsulin nanoreactor: a potential tool for photodynamic therapy', ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, vol. 13, no. 7, pp. 7977-7986.
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AbstractEncapsulins, a prokaryotic class of self-assembling protein nanocompartments, are being re-engineered to serve as ‘nanoreactors’ for the augmentation or creation of key biochemical reactions. However, approaches that allow encapsulin nanoreactors to be functionally activated with spatial and temporal precision is lacking. We report the construction of a light-responsive encapsulin nanoreactor for “on-demand” production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Herein, encapsulins were loaded with the fluorescent flavoprotein mini-Singlet Oxygen Generator (miniSOG), a biological photosensitizer that is activated by blue-light to generate ROS, primarily singlet oxygen (1O2). We established that the nanocompartments stably encased miniSOG, and in response to blue-light were able to mediate the photoconversion of molecular oxygen into ROS. Using an in vitro model of lung cancer, ROS generated by the nanoreactor was shown to trigger photosensitized oxidation reactions that exerted a toxic effect on tumour cells, suggesting utility in photodynamic therapy. This encapsulin nanoreactor thus represents a platform for the light-controlled initiation and/or modulation of ROS-driven processes in biomedicine and biotechnology.
Dief, EM, Vogel, YB, Peiris, CR, Le Brun, AP, 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.
Ditz, B, Christenson, S, Rossen, J, Brightling, C, Kerstjens, HAM, van den Berge, M & 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, 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, JE, Kim, RY, Alemao, CA, Budden, KF, Choi, JP, Kohonen-Corish, M, El-Omar, EM, Yang, IA & Hansbro, PM 2020, 'The role of the microbiome and the NLRP3 inflammasome in the gut and lung', Journal of Leukocyte Biology, vol. 108, no. 3, pp. 925-935.
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Abstract 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.
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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Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii strains are among the most critical antibiotic-resistant bacteria causing hospital-acquired infections and treatment failures. The global spread of two clones has been responsible for the bulk of the resistance, in particular, carbapenem resistance. However, there is a substantial gap in our knowledge of which clones and which specific lineages within each clone are circulating in many parts of the world, including Africa and the Middle East region. This is the first genomic analysis of carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii strains from Iran. All the isolates, from a single hospital, belonged to lineage 2 of global clone 1 (GC1) but fell into two groups distinguished by genes in the locus for capsule biosynthesis. The analysis suggests a potential origin of multiply antibiotic-resistant lineage 2 in the Middle East region and highlights the ongoing evolution of carbapenem-resistant GC1 A. baumannii strains. It will enhance future studies on the local and global GC1 population structure.
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 an...
Du, Z, Gupta, A, Clarke, C, Cappadona, M, Clases, D, Liu, D, Yang, Z, Karan, S, Price, WS & Xu, X 2020, 'Porous Upconversion Nanostructures as Bimodal Biomedical Imaging Contrast Agents', The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, vol. 124, no. 22, pp. 12168-12174.
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Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society. Lanthanide ion doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) hold great promise as multimodal contrast agents for a range of medical imaging techniques, including optical bioimaging (OBI), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography (CT). However, it is challenging to obtain UCNPs with both maximal contrast enhancement effects for both OBI and MRI simultaneously owing to the dilemma in the size of UCNPs. UCNPs in large dimensions contain more photonic Ln ions and less surface defects, which is favored for high luminescent emissions, while small UCNPs with high specific surface areas allow a higher proportion of paramagnetic Ln ions to be more accessible to water molecules, which offers enhanced contrast in MRI. In this work, we report the novel design of core-porous shell UCNPs with both high luminescent emissions and magnetic relaxivities as potential dual-modal contrast agents. The core-porous shell UCNPs were fabricated via the selective etching of the inert shell of NaYF4: 30%Gd at the active core of NaYF4: 20%Yb, 1%Er. Their morphology and composition were carefully characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and high resolution TEM. Their photoluminescent and magnetic resonance properties were experimentally determined and compared for the core, core-dense shell, and core-porous shell UCNPs. Core-porous shell UCNPs were found to display bright luminescence and superior MRI contrast enhancement, thus showing great potential as bimodal OBI and MRI contrast agents.
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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AbstractIn 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.
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', Science of The Total Environment, 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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© 2020, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc. 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 der Wiel, E, Boudewijn, IM, Koppelman, GH, Brandsma, C-A, Kerstjens, HAM, Timens, W, Vroegop, S, Pasma, HR, Boersma, WG, Wielders, P, van den Elshout, F, Mansour, K, Steiling, K, Spira, A, Lenburg, ME, Heijink, IH, Postma, DS & van den Berge, M 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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AbstractHyperinflation 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, ...
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.
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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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:&...
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 consistingof natural polymers, their derivatives or mixtures. Natural hydrogels can provide sustained orcontrolled 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. Naturalhydrogels can be used with photosensitizers (PSs) in photodynamic therapy (PDT) to increase the rangeof applications. In the current review, the pertinent design variables are discussed along with a descriptionof 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 Cheong Lem, LO, 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, Lee Cheong Lem, LO, 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. 1476-1476.
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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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AbstractRecently, 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 rep...
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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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd Indoor air quality (IAQ) is of growing public health concern which has prompted the use of plants to phytoremediate air pollution in interior spaces. Active green walls are emerging as a means of reducing indoor contaminants and have demonstrated efficacy comparable to conventional air filtering technologies. However, the use of active airflow through organic substrates has the potential to emit bioaerosols into the surrounding environment, where the potential risk to human health is largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that two indoor green walls (with and without active airflow) contribute significantly to the ambient fungal load, however concentrations remained well below WHO safety guidelines. Bacterial dynamics within the rhizosphere/substrate of the operational botanical biofilters displayed variability across plant species. Phyla-wide distribution generally aligned with previous literature; however, differences from those previously reported were observed at the genus level, possibly due to geographic location, substrate composition, or plant species selection. Targeted assessment of Legionella aerosol contamination, an under-addressed potential pathogen for these active systems, yielded no positive identification during the sampling period. We conclude that active green walls host a unique bacterial profile and do not emit harmful levels of fungal propagules or pose significant risk of aerosolised Legionella species, provided systems are well monitored and maintained.
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...
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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Forghanifard, MM, Azaraz, S, Ardalan Khales, S, Morshedi Rad, D & Abbaszadegan, MR 2020, 'MAML1 promotes ESCC aggressiveness through upregulation of EMT marker TWIST1', Molecular Biology Reports, vol. 47, no. 4, pp. 2659-2668.
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Background
Mastermind-like 1 (MAML1) is the main transcriptional co-activator of Notch signaling pathway. It plays essential roles in several pathways including MEF2C, p53, Nf-кB and Wnt/β-catenin. TWIST1 is known as a regulator of epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT), which is considered as a primary step in promotion of tumor cell metastasis. Since concomitant expression of these genes was observed in tumors, our aim in this study was to elucidate the linkage between MAML1 and TWIST1 co-overexpression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).
Results
While MAML1 silencing significantly down-regulated TWIST1, its ectopic expression up-regulated TWIST1 expression in both mRNA and protein levels in KYSE-30 cells. Expression of mesenchymal markers was increased significantly after MAML1 and TWIST1 ectopic expression, while epithelial markers expression was significantly decreased after silencing of both genes. Concomitant protein expression of MAML1 and TWIST1 was significantly observed in ESCC patients. Enforced expression of TWIST1 had no impact on MAML1 gene expression in KYSE-30 cells.
Conclusion
The results clearly suggest transcriptional regulation of TWIST1 by MAML1 transcription factor in ESCC cells KYSE-30. Since TWIST1 is known as an EMT inducing marker, our results may revealed the mastermind behind TWIST1 function and introduced MAML1 as an upstream master regulator of TWIST1 and EMT in KYSE-30 cells.
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 (BBA) - 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.
Fröch, JE, Bahm, A, Kianinia, M, Zhao, M, 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, 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, Martin, AA, 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.
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 ...
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, 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.
Gan, B, Tang, K, Chen, Y, Wang, D, Wang, N, Li, W, Wang, Y, Liu, H & Wang, G 2020, 'Concrete-like high sulfur content cathodes with enhanced electrochemical performance for lithium-sulfur batteries', Journal of Energy Chemistry, vol. 42, pp. 174-179.
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© 2019 Science Press and Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences Nowadays, lithium-sulfur batteries have attracted numerous attention due to their high specific capacity, high energy density, low cost and environmental benignancy. However, there are some critical challenges to be overcome such as low electronic conductivity and capacity fading caused by shuttle effect. Many attempts have been conducted to improve the electrochemical performance by designing effective sulfur hosts. In this paper, we synthesize a concrete-like sulfur/carbon cathode with high sulfur content (84%) by using 3D macroporous hosts with high pore volume. Sophisticated strategies of using polarized carbon framework and polymer coating are applied to synergistically control the dissolution of polysulfides so that the capacity retention and high rate performance can be remarkably enhanced. As a result, the composite exhibits a specific discharge capacity of 820 mAh g−1 at a discharge current of 800 mA g−1 (approximate to 0.5 C) after 100 cycles, calculated on the integrated mass of composite, which is superior to most report results.
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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AbstractDimethylsulfoniopropionate (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, 'Correction: Video-rate upconversion display from optimized lanthanide ion doped upconversion nanoparticles', Nanoscale, vol. 12, no. 36, pp. 18987-18987.
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Correction for ‘Video-rate upconversion display from optimized lanthanide ion doped upconversion nanoparticles’ by Laixu Gao et al., Nanoscale, 2020, DOI: 10.1039/d0nr03076g.
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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A method for video-rate display with optimized single UCNP brightness by integrating the full emission intensity over excitation time and lifetime.
Garcia, A, Deplazes, E, Aili, S, Padula, MP, Touchard, A, Murphy, C, Mirissa Lankage, U, 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.
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 ...
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 ...
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...
Goikolea, E, Palomares, V, Wang, S, de Larramendi, IR, 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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AbstractThe 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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Gosens, R, Hiemstra, PS, Adcock, IM, Bracke, KR, Dickson, RP, Hansbro, PM, Krauss-Etschmann, S, Smits, HH, Stassen, FRM & Bartel, S 2020, 'Host-microbe cross-talk in the lung microenvironment: implications for understanding and treating chronic lung disease', European Respiratory Journal, vol. 56, no. 2, pp. 1902320-1902320.
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Chronic respiratory diseases are highly prevalent worldwide and will continue to rise in the foreseeable future. Despite intensive efforts over the recent decades, the development of novel and effective therapeutic approaches has been slow. There is however new and increasing evidence that communities of microorganisms in our body, the human microbiome, are crucially involved in the development and progression of chronic respiratory diseases. Understanding the detailed mechanisms underlying this cross-talk between host and microbiota is critical for development of microbiome- or host-targeted therapeutics and prevention strategies. Here we review and discuss the most recent knowledge on the continuous reciprocal interaction between the host and microbes in health and respiratory disease. Furthermore, we highlight promising developments in microbiome-based therapies and discuss the need to employ more holistic approaches of restoring both the pulmonary niche and the microbial community.
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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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 cultu...
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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Lipids and bioactive lipid mediators are essential for platelet function. The lipid profile of platelets is highly dynamic due to free exchange of lipids with the plasma, release of extracellular vesicles, and both enzymatic and nonenzymatic lipid conversion. The lipidome of platelets changes in response to activation to accommodate the functional requirements of platelets, particularly for maintenance of hemostasis. Furthermore, when stored at room temperature as a component for transfusion, the lipid profile of platelets is altered. Although there is a growing interest in alternate storage conditions, such as refrigeration and cryopreservation, few contemporary studies have examined the impact of these storage modes on the lipid profile. However, evidence exists that bioactive lipid mediators produced over the storage of blood products may have functional implications once these products are transfused. As such, there is a need to determine the changes occurring to the lipid profile of these products over storage. This review outlines the role of lipids in platelets and discusses the current state of lipidomics for studying platelet components for transfusion in an effort to highlight the necessity for additional transfusion-focused investigations.
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.
Griffin, AS, Brown, C, Woodworth, BK, Ballard, G-A, Blanch, S, Campbell, HA, Crewe, TL, Hansbro, PM, Herbert, CA, Hosking, T, Hoye, BJ, Law, B, Leigh, K, Machovsky-Capuska, GE, Rasmussen, T, McDonald, PG, Roderick, M, Slade, C, Mackenzie, SA & Taylor, PD 2020, 'A large-scale automated radio telemetry network for monitoring movements of terrestrial wildlife in Australia', Australian Zoologist, vol. 40, no. 3, pp. 379-391.
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Technologies for remotely observing animal movements have advanced rapidly in the past decade. In recent years, Australia has invested in an Integrated Marine Ocean Tracking (IMOS) system, a land ecosystem observatory (TERN), and an Australian Acoustic Observatory (A2O), but has not established movement tracking systems for individual terrestrial animals across land and along coastlines. Here, we make the case that the Motus Wildlife Tracking System, an open-source, rapidly expanding cooperative automated radio-tracking global network (Motus, https://motus.org ) provides an unprecedented opportunity to build an affordable and proven infrastructure that will boost wildlife biology research and connect Australian researchers domestically and with international wildlife research. We briefly describe the system conceptually and technologically, then present the unique strengths of Motus, how Motus can complement and expand existing and emerging animal tracking systems, and how the Motus framework provides a much-needed central repository and impetus for archiving and sharing animal telemetry data. We propose ways to overcome the unique challenges posed by Australia’s ecological attributes and the size of its scientific community. Open source, inherently cooperative and flexible, Motus provides a unique opportunity to leverage individual research effort into a larger collaborative achievement, thereby expanding the scale and scope of individual projects, while maximising the outcomes of scant research and conservation funding.
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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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.
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, R, Wadhwa, R, Jain, A, Kundu, K & Nebhinani, N 2020, 'Knowledge about obstructive sleep apnea among medical undergraduate students: A long way to go!', Indian Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 62, no. 6, pp. 713-713.
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OBJECTIVE: The aim is to study the knowledge and attitude of medical undergraduate students regarding obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved 324 medical undergraduate students in clinical semesters. Knowledge and attitude regarding adult OSA were assessed using the obstructive sleep apnea knowledge and attitude (OSAKA), and to evaluate the same about childhood OSA, OSAKA-KIDS was used. RESULTS: Results showed that the study population was not informed about OSA among adults as well as kids. Most of the participants could recognize that snoring was a common symptom of adult OSA but failed to identify the association between childhood OSA and hyperactivity. The participants had a good knowledge about the pathophysiology of OSA. More than 80% of students reported that OSA is an important disorder and that these patients should be identified. CONCLUSION: Medical undergraduates are poorly informed about OSA.
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.
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 & Experimental Allergy, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 82-94.
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AbstractBackgroundAcute 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.ObjectiveThe goal of this study was to identify mechanisms underlying bacterial‐induced exacerbations by employing LPS as a surrogate for infection.MethodsWe developed a mouse model of LPS‐induced exacerbation on the background of pre‐existing type‐2 allergic airway disease (AAD).ResultsLPS‐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 RelevanceWe present evidence that IL‐13 and...
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, NG, Pacitti, D, Brown, A, Torregrossa, R, Balachandran, L, Kumar, V, Wood, M, Haw, T-J, Scotton, C, Whiteman, M & Hansbro, P 2020, 'Mitochondria-targeted Sulfide Delivery Molecules – New and Novel Players that can Suppress and Reverse Cigarette Smoke-induced Inflammasome Activity', The Journal of Immunology, vol. 204, no. 1_Supplement, pp. 68.9-68.9.
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Abstract RATIONALE Cigarette smoke (CS) is the major risk factor in development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Interventions that can prevent and/or reverse disease are urgently needed. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is generated in mitochondria (mt) and crucial in maintaining mt respiration, suppressing oxidative stress/inflammation. Lung H2S levels are reduced after CS exposure. Lung inflammation, mitochondrial damage and oxidative injury are exacerbated as a result of inhibition/silencing of H2S enzymes, suggesting impairment of H2S synthesis/loss of bioavailability is detrimental in COPD and negatively impacts mitochondrial health. METHODS We have produced novel mt-targeted H2S donors (mtH2SD) AP39 and RT01 to investigate whether these molecules could suppress and/or reverse CS-induced inflammation and lung injury. To investigate suppression, mice were exposed to CS (or air) for 8 wks (with 1.0 mg/kg). To investigate reversal, mice were exposed to CS for 8 wks followed by either 4 wks rest or continued CS exposure, each with mtH2SD (1.0 mg/kg). Airway inflammation (BALF differential cell counts, IL-1β by ELISA) and lung function were assessed. RESULTS Lung H2S levels were reduced and inflammasome activity increased in response to CS exposure. mtH2SD significantly suppressed CS-induced alveolar destruction, fibrosis and improved lung function. mtH2SD treatment reversed CS-induced lung neutrophil, eosinophil and macrophage infiltration, loss of lung function, and partially reversed airway resistance in both models. <...
Hao, D, Liu, C, Xu, X, Kianinia, M, Aharonovich, I, Bai, X, Liu, X, Chen, Z, Wei, W, Jia, G & Ni, B-J 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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Defective g-C3N4 nanorods enable to boots the adsorption and cleavage of N2 molecules to achieve higher photocatalytic nitrogen fixation performance.
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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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, t...
Hastak, P, Cummins, ML, Gottlieb, T, Cheong, E, Merlino, J, Myers, GSA, Djordjevic, SP & Roy Chowdhury, P 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 a...
Hastak, P, Fourment, M, Darling, AE, Gottlieb, T, Cheong, E, Merlino, J, Myers, GSA, Djordjevic, SP & Roy Chowdhury, P 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. 1780-1792.
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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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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.
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.
Hinneburg, H, Pedersen, JL, Bokil, NJ, Pralow, A, Schirmeister, F, Kawahara, R, Rapp, E, Saunders, BM & Thaysen-Andersen, M 2020, 'High-resolution longitudinal N- and O-glycoprofiling of human monocyte-to-macrophage transition', Glycobiology, vol. 30, no. 9, pp. 679-694.
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AbstractProtein glycosylation impacts the development and function of innate immune cells. The glycophenotypes and the glycan remodelling associated with the maturation of macrophages from monocytic precursor populations remain incompletely described. Herein, label-free porous graphitised carbon–liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (PGC-LC-MS/MS) was employed to profile with high resolution the N- and O-glycome associated with human monocyte-to-macrophage transition. Primary blood-derived CD14+ monocytes were differentiated ex vivo in the absence of strong anti- and proinflammatory stimuli using a conventional 7-day granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor differentiation protocol with longitudinal sampling. Morphology and protein expression monitored by light microscopy and proteomics validated the maturation process. Glycomics demonstrated that monocytes and macrophages display similar N-glycome profiles, comprising predominantly paucimannosidic (Man1-3GlcNAc2Fuc0–1, 22.1–30.8%), oligomannosidic (Man5-9GlcNAc2, 29.8–35.7%) and α2,3/6-sialylated complex-type N-glycans with variable core fucosylation (27.6–39.1%). Glycopeptide analysis validated conjugation of these glycans to human proteins, while quantitative proteomics monitored the glycoenzyme expression levels during macrophage differentiation. Significant interperson glycome variations were observed suggesting a considerable physiology-dependent or heritable heterogeneity of CD14+ monocytes. Only few N-glycome changes correlated with the monocyte-to-macrophage transition across donors including decreased core fucosylation and reduced expression of mannose-terminating (paucimannosidic-/oligomannosidic-type) N-glycans in macrophages, while lectin flow cytometry indicated that more dramatic cell surface glycan remodelling occurs during maturation. The less heterogeneous core 1-rich O-glycome showed a minor decrease in core 2-type O-glycosylation but ...
Hinz, J, Grigoryev, I & Novikov, A 2020, 'An Application of High-Dimensional Statistics to Predictive Modeling of Grade Variability', Geosciences, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 116-116.
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The economic viability of a mining project depends on its efficient exploration, which requires a prediction of worthwhile ore in a mine deposit. In this work, we apply the so-called LASSO methodology to estimate mineral concentration within unexplored areas. Our methodology outperforms traditional techniques not only in terms of logical consistency, but potentially also in costs reduction. Our approach is illustrated by a full source code listing and a detailed discussion of the advantages and limitations of our approach.
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, 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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Hossain, R, Ahmed, AJ, Islam, SMKN, Saha, N, Debnath, P, Kouzani, AZ & Mahmud, MAP 2020, 'New Design of Solar Photovoltaic and Thermal Hybrid System for Performance Improvement of Solar Photovoltaic', International Journal of Photoenergy, vol. 2020, pp. 1-6.
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Solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal systems are most widely used renewable energy technologies. Theoretical study indicates that the energy conversion efficiency of solar photovoltaic gets reduced about 0.3% when its temperature increases by 1°C. In this regard, solar PV and thermal (PVT) hybrid systems could be a solution to draw extra heat from the solar PV panel to improve its performance by reducing its temperature. Here, we have designed a new type of heat exchanger for solar PV and thermal (PVT) hybrid systems and have studied the performance of the system. The PVT system has been investigated in comparison with an identical solar PV panel at outdoor condition at Dhaka, Bangladesh. The experiments show that the average improvement of open circuit voltage (Voc) is 0.97 V and the highest improvement of Voc is 1.3 V. In addition, the overall improvement of output power of solar PV panel is 2.5 W.
Huang, D, Li, W-L, Liu, Z-F, Li, Y-X, Ton-That, C, Cheng, J, Choy, WCH & Ling, FC-C 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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The colossal dielectric constant and relatively low dielectric loss (εr = 9862 and tan δ = 0.159) in ZnO ceramics have been achieved via acceptor and donor co-doping method.
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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Approaches, challenges and promising opportunities towards decoding the complexity of extracellular vesicle heterogeneity are discussed.
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 Chowdhury, P, 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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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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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...
Huston, WM & Tachedjian, G 2020, 'Editorial: Interplay of Infection and Microbiome', Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, vol. 10, p. 304.
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Huynh, TT, Chikoidze, E, Irvine, CP, Zakria, M, Dumont, Y, Teherani, FH, Sandana, EV, Bove, P, Rogers, DJ, Phillips, MR & Ton-That, C 2020, 'Red luminescence in H-doped β−Ga2O3', Physical Review Materials, vol. 4, no. 8.
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© 2020 American Physical Society. The effects of hydrogen incorporation into β-Ga2O3 thin films have been investigated by chemical, electrical, and optical characterization techniques. Hydrogen incorporation was achieved by remote plasma doping without any structural alterations of the film; however, x-ray photoemission reveals major changes in the oxygen chemical environment. Depth-resolved cathodoluminescence (CL) reveals that the near-surface region of the H-doped Ga2O3 film exhibits a distinct red luminescence (RL) band at 1.9 eV. The emergence of the H-related RL band is accompanied by an enhancement in the electrical conductivity of the film by an order of magnitude. Temperature-resolved CL points to the formation of abundant H-related donors with a binding energy of 28±4meV. The RL emission is attributed to shallow donor-deep acceptor pair recombination, where the acceptor is a VGa-H complex and the shallow donor is interstitial H. The binding energy of the VGa-H complex, based on our experimental considerations, is consistent with the computational results by Varley, [J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 23, 334212 (2011)]10.1088/0953-8984/23/33/334212.
Idowu, O, Semple, KT, Ramadass, K, O'Connor, W, Hansbro, P & Thavamani, P 2020, 'Analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their polar derivatives in soils of an industrial heritage city of Australia', Science of The Total Environment, vol. 699, pp. 134303-134303.
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© 2019 Elsevier B.V. Knowledge about polar derivatives of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soils is limited despite the extensive study of the environmental presence and persistence of non-polar parent PAHs. Polar PAHs have greater potential to be more toxic at low environmental concentrations compared to their homocyclic analogues. For both polar and non-polar PAHs, combustion of fossil fuels is often the main source especially in industrialised environments. This study investigated the concentration profiles of PAHs and its associated polar PAHs such as nitrated PAHs (NPAHs), oxygenated PAHs (oxy-PAHs) and nitrogen, sulphur and oxygen heterocyclic PAHs (N/S/O-heterocyclic PAHs) in a well-known industrial heritage city of Australia. The most abundant polar PAHs were 9-fluorenone (oxy-PAHs), 2-nitrofluorene (NPAHs) and carbazole (heterocyclic-PAHs). A positive correlation (r = 0.5, p < 0.01) between ∑13PAHs and ∑19 polar PAHs was observed, implying a possible spatial association between parent and polar PAHs. The concentrations of polar PAHs in soil samples, across various landuse patterns, were used to calculate the excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) from incidental ingestion of soils. The computed ELCR values ranged from 8.2*10−7 (industrial soils) to 2.3*10−6 (residential soils), indicating negligible cancer risks. This is the first known study on the occurrence and concentrations of polar and non-polar PAHs in any Australian city, and the results may serve a baseline purpose for improved risk assessment of contaminated sites.
Idowu, O, Tran, TKA, Webster, G, Chapman, I, Baker, P, Farrel, H, Zammit, A, Semple, KT, Hansbro, PM, O'Connor, W & Thavamani, P 2020, 'Quantitative biomonitoring of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) using the Sydney rock oyster (Saccostrea glomerata)', Science of The Total Environment, vol. 742, pp. 140497-140497.
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Increasing our understanding of the bioavailable fractions of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) in an aquatic environment is important for the assessment of the environmental and human health risks posed by PACs. More importantly, the behaviour of polar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (polar PAHs), which are metabolites of legacy PAHs, are yet to be understood. We, therefore, carried out a study involving Sydney rock oysters (Saccostrea glomerata) sourced from two locations, that had been exposed to PAH contamination, within an Australian south-east estuary. Biomonitoring of these oysters, following relocation from the estuary to a relatively isolated waterway, was done at 24 and 72 h after deployment and subsequently at 7, 14, 28, 52 and 86 days. Control samples from Camden Haven River were sampled for PAC analyses just before deployment, after 28 days and at the end of the study (day 86). Lipid-normalised concentrations in oyster tissues across the 86-day sampling duration, elimination rate constants (k2), biological half-lives (t1/2) and time required to reach 95% of steady-state (t95) were reported for parent PAHs and the less-monitored polar PAHs including nitrated/oxygenated/heterocyclic PAHs (NPAHs, oxyPAHs and HPAHs) for the three differently sourced oyster types. Most of the depurating PAHs and NPAHs, as well as 9-FLO (oxyPAH), had k2 values significantly different from zero (p < 0.05). All other oxyPAHs and HPAHs showed no clear depuration, with their concentrations remaining similar. The non-depuration of polar PAHs from oyster tissues could imply greater human health risk compared to their parent analogues.
Iosifidis, G & Duggin, IG 2020, 'Distinct Morphological Fates of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Intracellular Bacterial Communities: Dependency on Urine Composition and pH', Infection and Immunity, vol. 88, no. 9.
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Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is the leading cause of urinary tract infections. These bacteria undertake a multistage 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.
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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ObjectivesSolid 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.DesignSystematic review.Data sourcesWe searched MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and CINAHL from inception to November 2019.Eligibility criteriaWe 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 synthesisRisks of bias and evidence certainty were assessed using Cochrane and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment Development and Evaluation framework.ResultsTwenty 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.ConclusionsBehavioural and pharmaceutical preventive interventions may improve sun protective b...
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, 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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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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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. 03, 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 Wong, Yin Ng, Z, 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, vol. 15, no. 30, 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 ...
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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Abstract 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.
Jones, PM & George, AM 2020, 'Is the emperor wearing shorts? The published structures of ABC transporters', FEBS Letters, vol. 594, no. 23, pp. 3790-3798.
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ABC transporters use the energy of ATP binding and hydrolysis to transport substrates across cellular membranes. They comprise two highly conserved nucleotide binding domains and two transmembrane domains that form the transmembrane channel and contain the substrate binding sites. Structural analyses have found a variety of seemingly unrelated folds for the ABC transporter transmembrane domains, and from these, a set of diverse mechanistic models has been inferred. Nevertheless, in spite of the explosion in structure determination of ABC transporters in the last decade, advancement in certainty and clarity as to fundamental aspects of their molecular mechanisms remains elusive. With this in mind, here we put and examine the question: Could current ABC structures differ from the physiologic membrane‐embedded forms?
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, 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.
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, 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 Systems Biology and Applications, vol. 6, no. 1, p. 22.
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AbstractTemporal 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.
KC, R, Hyland, IK, Smith, JA, Shukla, SD, Hansbro, PM, Zosky, GR, Karupiah, G & O’Toole, RF 2020, 'Cow Dung Biomass Smoke Exposure Increases Adherence of Respiratory Pathogen Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae to Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells', Exposure and Health, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 883-895.
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© 2020, Springer Nature B.V. Biomass smoke exposure is associated with a heightened risk of development of respiratory diseases that include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of this study was to increase our understanding of how biomass smoke could contribute to an increased susceptibility to respiratory infection. We investigated the effects of cow dung and wood smoke exposure on human bronchial epithelial cells with respect to adherence of a major respiratory bacterial pathogen in COPD, nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi), using immunofluorescence microscopy. In addition, expression of a known receptor of NTHi, platelet-activating factor receptor (PAFR), and two pro-inflammatory cytokines, interleukin 6 (IL-6) and interleukin-8 (IL-8), were determined using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. We observed a dose-dependent increase in NTHi adhesion to human bronchial epithelial cells following exposure to cow dung but not wood smoke extracts. Pre-treatment with PAFR antagonists, WEB-2086 and its analogue, C17, decreased adherence by NTHi to airway epithelial cells exposed to cow dung smoke. Both cow dung and wood smoke-induced expression of PAFR, as well as of IL-6 and IL-8, which was inhibited by WEB-2086 and C17. In conclusion, biomass smoke from combustion of cow dung and wood-induced expression of PAFR and airway inflammatory markers in human bronchial epithelial cells. Cow dung exposure, but not wood smoke exposure, mediated a measurable increase in NTHi adhesion to airway epithelial cells that was inhibited by PAFR antagonists. This work highlights the potential of PAFR as a therapeutic target for reducing the impact of hazardous biomass smoke exposure on respiratory health.
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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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...
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
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, Stapleton, F, Summers, S, Rice, SA & Willcox, MDP 2020, 'Antibiotic Resistance Characteristics of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from Keratitis in Australia and India', Antibiotics, vol. 9, no. 9, pp. 600-600.
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This study investigated genomic differences in Australian and Indian Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from keratitis (infection of the cornea). Overall, the Indian isolates were resistant to more antibiotics, with some of those isolates being multi-drug resistant. Acquired genes were related to resistance to fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides, beta-lactams, macrolides, sulphonamides, and tetracycline and were more frequent in Indian (96%) than in Australian (35%) isolates (p = 0.02). Indian isolates had large numbers of gene variations (median 50,006, IQR = 26,967–50,600) compared to Australian isolates (median 26,317, IQR = 25,681–33,780). There were a larger number of mutations in the mutL and uvrD genes associated with the mismatch repair (MMR) system in Indian isolates, which may result in strains losing their efficacy for DNA repair. The number of gene variations were greater in isolates carrying MMR system genes or exoU. In the phylogenetic division, the number of core genes were similar in both groups, but Indian isolates had larger numbers of pan genes (median 6518, IQR = 6040–6935). Clones related to three different sequence types—ST308, ST316, and ST491—were found among Indian isolates. Only one clone, ST233, containing two strains was present in Australian isolates. The most striking differences between Australian and Indian isolates were carriage of exoU (that encodes a cytolytic phospholipase) in Indian isolates and exoS (that encodes for GTPase activator activity) in Australian isolates, large number of acquired resistance genes, greater changes to MMR genes, and a larger pan genome as well as increased overall genetic variation in the Indian isolates.
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, 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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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, 'A Single Chiral Nanoparticle Induced Valley Polarization Enhancement', Small, vol. 16, no. 37, pp. e2003005-2003005.
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AbstractValley 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 Microbiology Ecology, vol. 96, no. 5.
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ABSTRACTDifferent 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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AbstractChanging 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 (δ15N and δ13C) 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, furt...
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).
Klaus, JR, Coulon, PML, Koirala, P, Seyedsayamdost, MR, Déziel, E & Chandler, JR 2020, 'Secondary metabolites from the Burkholderia pseudomallei complex: structure, ecology, and evolution', Journal of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology, vol. 47, no. 9-10, pp. 877-887.
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Abstract Bacterial secondary metabolites play important roles in promoting survival, though few have been carefully studied in their natural context. Numerous gene clusters code for secondary metabolites in the genomes of members of the Bptm group, made up of three closely related species with distinctly different lifestyles: the opportunistic pathogen Burkholderia pseudomallei, the non-pathogenic saprophyte Burkholderia thailandensis, and the host-adapted pathogen Burkholderia mallei. Several biosynthetic gene clusters are conserved across two or all three species, and this provides an opportunity to understand how the corresponding secondary metabolites contribute to survival in different contexts in nature. In this review, we discuss three secondary metabolites from the Bptm group: bactobolin, malleilactone (and malleicyprol), and the 4-hydroxy-3-methyl-2-alkylquinolines, providing an overview of each of their biosynthetic pathways and insight into their potential ecological roles. Results of studies on these secondary metabolites provide a window into how secondary metabolites contribute to bacterial survival in different environments, from host infections to polymicrobial soil communities.
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 Oliver, B, 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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Previous research has shown that polygenic risk scores (PRSs) can be used to stratify women according to their risk of developing primary invasive breast cancer. This study aimed to evaluate the association between a recently validated PRS of 313 germline variants (PRS313) and contralateral breast cancer (CBC) risk. We included 56,068 women of European ancestry diagnosed with first invasive breast cancer from 1990 onward with follow-up from the Breast Cancer Association Consortium. Metachronous CBC risk (N = 1,027) according to the distribution of PRS313 was quantified using Cox regression analyses. We assessed PRS313 interaction with age at first diagnosis, family history, morphology, ER status, PR status, and HER2 status, and (neo)adjuvant therapy. In studies of Asian women, with limited follow-up, CBC risk associated with PRS313 was assessed using logistic regression for 340 women with CBC compared with 12,133 women with unilateral breast cancer. Higher PRS313 was associated with increased CBC risk: hazard ratio per standard deviation (SD) = 1.25 (95%CI = 1.18-1.33) for Europeans, and an OR per SD = 1.15 (95%CI = 1.02-1.29) for Asians. The absolute lifetime risks of CBC, accounting for death as competing risk, were 12.4% for European women at the 10th percentile and 20.5% at the 90th percentile of PRS313. We found no evidence of confounding by or interaction with individual characteristics, characteristics of the primary tumor, or treatment. The C-index for the PRS313 alone was 0.563 (95%CI = 0.547-0.586). In conclusion, PRS313 is an independent factor associated with CBC risk and can be incorporated into CBC risk prediction models to help improve stratification and optimize surveillance and treatment strategies.
Kühl, M, Trampe, E, Mosshammer, M, Johnson, M, Larkum, AWD, Frigaard, N-U & 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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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, B, Bouman, H, Babin, M, Brewin, R, Doblin, M, Estrada, M, Figueiras, F, Furuya, K, González-Benítez, N, Gudfinnsson, H, Gudmundsson, K, Huang, B, Isada, T, Kovač, Ž, Lutz, V, Marañón, E, Raman, M, Richardson, K, Rozema, P, Poll, W, Segura, V, Tilstone, G, Uitz, J, Dongen-Vogels, V, 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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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 product...
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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AbstractOur 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.
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, Seymour, JR, Possell, M, Suggett, DJ & Raina, J-B 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, JM, Mayall, JR, Chevalier, A, McCarthy, H, Van Helden, D, Hansbro, PM, Horvat, JC & Jobling, P 2020, 'Chlamydia muridarum infection differentially alters smooth muscle function in mouse uterine horn and cervix', American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism, vol. 318, no. 6, pp. E981-E994.
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Chlamydia trachomatis infection is a primary cause of reproductive tract diseases including infertility. Previous studies showed that this infection alters physiological activities in mouse oviducts. Whether this occurs in the uterus and cervix has never been investigated. This study characterized the physiological activities of the uterine horn and the cervix in a Chlamydia muridarum ( Cmu)-infected mouse model at three infection time points of 7, 14, and 21 days postinfection (dpi). Cmu infection significantly decreased contractile force of spontaneous contraction in the cervix (7 and 14 dpi; P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively), but this effect was not observed in the uterine horn. The responses of the uterine horn and cervix to oxytocin were significantly altered by Cmu infection at 7 dpi ( P < 0.0001), but such responses were attenuated at 14 and 21 dpi. Cmu infection increased contractile force to prostaglandin (PGF2α) by 53–83% in the uterine horn. This corresponded with the increased messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression of Ptgfr that encodes for its receptor. However, Cmu infection did not affect contractions of the uterine horn and cervix to PGE2 and histamine. The mRNA expression of Otr and Ptger4 was inversely correlated with the mRNA expression of Il1b, Il6 in the uterine horn of Cmu-inoculated mice ( P < 0.01 to P < 0.001), suggesting that the changes in the Otr and Ptger4 mRNA expression might be linked to the changes in inflammatory cytokines. Lastly, this study also showed a novel physiological finding of the differential response to PGE2 in mouse uterine horn and cervix.
Lee, JYL, Green, PJ & Ryan, LM 2020, 'Analysis of grouped data using conjugate generalized linear mixed models', Biometrika, vol. 107, no. 1, pp. 231-237.
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Summary This article concerns a class of generalized linear mixed models for two-level grouped data, where the random effects are uniquely indexed by groups and are independent. We derive necessary and sufficient conditions for the marginal likelihood to be expressed in explicit form. These models are unified under the conjugate generalized linear mixed models framework, where conjugate refers to the fact that the marginal likelihood can be expressed in closed form, rather than implying inference via the Bayesian paradigm. The proposed framework allows simultaneous conjugacy for Gaussian, Poisson and gamma responses, and thus can accommodate both unit- and group-level covariates. Only group-level covariates can be incorporated for the binomial distribution. In a simulation of Poisson data, our framework outperformed its competitors in terms of computational time, and was competitive in terms of robustness against misspecification of the random effects distributions.
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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Mouse kidney parvovirus (MKPV) is a member of the provisional genus Chapparvovirus that causes renal disease in immune-compromised mice, with a disease course reminiscent of polyomavirus-associated nephropathy in immune-suppressed kidney transplant patients. Here we map four major MKPV transcripts, created by alternative splicing, to a common initiator region, and use mass spectrometry to identify 'p10' and 'p15' as novel chapparvovirus accessory proteins produced in MKPV-infected kidneys. p15 and the splicing-dependent putative accessory protein NS2 are conserved in all near-complete amniote chapparvovirus genomes currently available (from mammals, birds and a reptile). In contrast, p10 may be encoded only by viruses with >60% amino acid identity to MKPV. We show that MKPV is kidney-tropic and that the bat chapparvovirus DrPV-1 and a non-human primate chapparvovirus, CKPV, are also found in the kidneys of their hosts. We propose, therefore, that many mammal chapparvoviruses are likely to be nephrotropic.
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 Bordin, D, 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.
Leong, W, Lutz, C, Williams, J, Poh, YH, Yee, BYK, Chua, C, Rice, SA, Givskov, M, Sanderson-Smith, M & McDougald, D 2020, 'Pseudomonas aeruginosaisolates co-incubated withAcanthamoeba castellaniiexhibit phenotypes similar to chronic cystic fibrosis isolates', p. 2020.02.25.964320.
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AbstractThe opportunistic pathogen,Pseudomonas aeruginosa, is ubiquitous in the environment, and in humans is capable of causing acute and chronic infections.P. aeruginosa, when co-incubated with the bacterivorous amoeba,Acanthamoeba castellanii, for extended periods, produced genetic and phenotypic variants. Sequencing of late-stage amoeba-adaptedP. aeruginosaisolates demonstrated single nucleotide polymorphisms within genes that encode known virulence factors, and this correlated with a reduction in expression of virulence traits. Virulence towards the nematode,Caenorhabditis elegans, was attenuated in late-stage amoeba-adaptedP. aeruginosacompared to early stage amoeba-adapted and non-adapted counterparts. Late-stage amoeba-adaptedP. aeruginosalost competitive fitness compared to non-adapted counterparts when grown in nutrient rich media. However, non-adaptedP. aeruginosawere rapidly cleared by amoeba predation, whereas late-stage amoeba-adapted isolates remained in higher numbers 24 h after ingestion by amoeba. In addition, there was reduced uptake by macrophage of amoeba-adapted isolates and reduced uptake by human neutrophils as well as increased survival in the presence of neutrophils. Our findings indicate that the selection imposed by amoeba onP. aeruginosaresulted in reduced virulence over time. Importantly, the genetic and phenotypic traits possessed by late-stage amoeba-adaptedP. aeruginosaare similar to what is observed for isolates obtained from chronic cystic fibrosis infections. This notable overlap in adaptation to different host types suggests similar selection pressures among host cell types.Author Summary<...
Li, C, Xu, Z-Q, 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-occurre...
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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AbstractApproximately 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, 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, H, Fei, C, Yang, D, Tan, C, Chen, Z, Wang, J, Wang, G, Fan, H, Yao, H, Wang, C & Chong, H 2020, 'Synthesis of carbon nitride quantum dots and biocompatibility evaluation using C. elegans as a model organism', Materials Today Communications, vol. 25, pp. 101383-101383.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd Carbon nitride quantum dots (CNQDs) were synthesized by the solid-phase method. The obtained CNQDs were characterized by XPS, TEM, FTIR and XRD. The results suggested that the CNQDs were ball-like nanoparticles (average diameter of 5 nm) with carboxyl and hydroxyl groups on the surface. The fluorescent emissions of the CNQDs were centered at 478 nm upon excitation with 365 nm UV light. The corresponding fluorescent quantum yield was measured as 32 %. The biocompatibility of the CNQDs with the model organism Caenorhabditiselegans (C. elegans) was systematically evaluated. The synthesized CNQDs enhanced the pharyngeal pumping rate, body length and life span of nematodes in a concentration-dependent manner after 24 h of exposure. Thus, the CNQDs affected the growth of the nematodes. The reproduction and motion capability indicators, including the egg laying rate and head thrash and body bend frequencies, were not influenced by the CNQDs. Therefore, the CNQDs did not show obvious toxicity to the C. elegans nematode model organism. The CNQDs could be taken up by nematodes, as characterized by fluorescence microscopy, proving that this material could be applied as a promising in vivo fluorescent imaging reagent.
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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Abstract 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 i...
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, X, Kong, M, Wu, N, Gu, Y, Qiu, X, Chen, X, Li, Z, Feng, W & Li, F 2020, 'Measurement of Temperature Distribution at the Nanoscale with Luminescent Probes Based on Lanthanide Nanoparticles and Quantum Dots', ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, vol. 12, no. 47, pp. 52393-52401.
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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', Microbial Genomics, 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 . The FASEB Journal, 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 der Smissen, WJC, 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, Sahlberg, KK, Børresen-Dale, A-L, Ottestad, L, Kåresen, R, Schlichting, E, Holmen, MM, Sauer, T, Haakensen, V, Engebråten, O, Naume, B, Fosså, A, Kiserud, CE, Reinertsen, KV, Helland, Å, Riis, M, Geisler, J, Bathen, TF, Borgen, E, Fritzman, B, Garred, Ø, Geitvik, GA, Hofvind, S, Langerød, A, Lingjærde, OC, Mælandsmo, GM, Russnes, HG, Skjerven, HK, Sørlie, T, Alnæs, GIG, 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, Clarke, C, Marsh, D, Scott, R, Baxter, R, Yip, D, Carpenter, J, Davis, A, Pathmanathan, N, Simpson, P, Graham, D, Sachchithananthan, M, 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 Marchand, L, 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 Asperen, CJ, Wolk, A & et al. 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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AbstractIn 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, 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...
Liu, Y, Gu, Y, Yuan, W, Zhou, X, Qiu, X, Kong, M, Wang, Q, Feng, W & Li, F 2020, 'Quantitative Mapping of Liver Hypoxia in Living Mice Using Time‐Resolved Wide‐Field Phosphorescence Lifetime Imaging', Advanced Science, vol. 7, no. 11.
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AbstractHypoxia has been identified to contribute the pathogenesis of a wide range of liver diseases, and therefore, quantitative mapping of liver hypoxia is important for providing critical information in the diagnosis and treatment of hepatic diseases. However, the existing imaging methods are unsuitable to quantitatively assess liver hypoxia due to the need of liver‐specific contrast agents and be easily affected by other imaging factors. Here, a time‐resolved lifetime‐based imaging method is established for quantitative mapping of the distribution of hypoxia in the livers of mice by combining a wide‐field luminescence lifetime imaging system with an oxygen‐sensitive nanoprobe. It is shown that the method is suitable for real‐time quantification of the change of oxygen pressure in the process of hepatic ischemia‐reperfusion of the mouse. Moreover, the developed lifetime imaging methodology is used to quantitatively map liver hypoxia regions in the mouse model of orthotopic liver tumor, where the average oxygen pressure in tumorous liver is far below the normal liver.
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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The stray magnetic fields of hierarchically-assembled magnetic beads are utilised to code and decode information for multiplexed 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, 'Cancer Spheroids: Super‐Resolution Mapping of Single Nanoparticles inside Tumor Spheroids (Small 6/2020)', Small, vol. 16, no. 6, pp. 2070030-2070030.
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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, vol. 16, no. 6, pp. 1905572-1905572.
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AbstractCancer 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 Bello, F, 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. 419-431.
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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.
Lo Bello, F, Ieni, A, Hansbro, PM, Ruggeri, P, Di Stefano, A, Nucera, F, Coppolino, I, Monaco, F, Tuccari, G, Adcock, IM & Caramori, G 2020, 'Role of the mucins in pathogenesis of COPD: implications for therapy', Expert Review of Respiratory Medicine, vol. 14, no. 5, pp. 465-483.
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Introduction: Evidence accumulated in the last decade has started to reveal the enormous complexity in the expression, interactions and functions of the large number of different mucins present in the different compartments of the human lower airways. This occurs both in normal subjects and in COPD patients in different clinical phases and stages of severity.Areas covered: We review the known physiological mechanisms that regulate mucin production in human lower airways of normal subjects, the changes in mucin synthesis/secretion in COPD patients and the clinical efficacy of drugs that modulate mucin synthesis/secretion.Expert opinion: It is evident that the old simplistic concept that mucus hypersecretion in COPD patients is associated with negative clinical outcomes is not valid and that the therapeutic potential of 'mucolytic drugs' is under-appreciated due to the complexity of the associated molecular network(s). Likewise, our current knowledge of the effects of the drugs already available on the market that target mucin synthesis/secretion/structure in the lower airways is extremely limited and often indirect and more well-controlled clinical trials are needed in this area.
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, FC-C 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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A multifunctional fluorinated polyimide nanofiber separator for high-performance lithium–sulfur batteries.
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 coterminated 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 reacquiring 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, 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, N, 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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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 noon, the uncertainties in estimating start, peak, ...
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 a...
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, 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 Tazehkand, A, Pourhassan-Moghaddam, M, Alizadeh-Ghodsi, M, Ding, L, Baradaran, B, Razavi Bazaz, S, Jin, D & Ebrahimi Warkiani, M 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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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 Medicinal Chemistry, vol. 12, no. 7, pp. 567-581.
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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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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 ZniandVZn 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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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.
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, 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, J, Kahlke, T, Seymour, JR, van Oppen, MJH & 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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SummaryThe 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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Iron is essential for brain development and health where its redox properties are used for a number of neurological processes. However, iron is also a major driver of oxidative stress if not properly controlled. Brain iron distribution is highly compartmentalised and regulated by a number of proteins and small biomolecules. Here, we examine heterogeneity in regional iron levels in 10 anatomical structures from seven post-mortem human brains with no apparent neuropathology. Putamen contained the highest levels, and most case-to-case variability, of iron compared with the other regions examined. Partitioning of iron between cytosolic and membrane-bound iron was generally consistent in each region, with a slightly higher proportion (55 %) in the 'insoluble' phase. We expand on this using the Allen Human Brain Atlas to examine patterns between iron levels and transcriptomic expression of iron regulatory proteins and using quantitative size exclusion chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry to assess regional differences in the molecular masses to which cytosolic iron predominantly binds. Approximately 60 % was associated with ferritin, equating to approximately 25 % of total tissue iron essentially in storage. This study is the first of its kind in human brain tissue, providing a valuable resource and new insight for iron biologists and neuroscientists, alike.
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.
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 instru...
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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© 2019 The Authors Unprecedented efficacy of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy in the treatment of hematologic malignancies brings new hope for patients with many cancer types including solid tumors. However, the challenges for CAR-T cell therapy in eradicating solid tumors are immense. To overcome these seemingly intractable hurdles, more “powerful” CAR-T cells with enhanced antitumor efficacy are required. Emerging data support that the anti-tumor activity of CAR-T cells can be enhanced significantly without evident toxicity through simultaneous PD-1 disruption by genome editing. This review focuses on the current progress of PD-1 gene disrupted CAR-T cells in cancer therapy. Here we discuss key rationales for this new combination strategy and summarize the available pre-clinical studies. An update is provided on human clinical studies and available registered cancer clinical trials using CAR-T cells with PD-1 disruption. Future prospects and challenges are also discussed.
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-appro...
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 Chowdhury, P & 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, 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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© Copyright © 2020 McLean, Parsons, Gates, Benfield, Bond, Booth, Bunce, Fowler, Harvey, Macreadie, Pattiaratchi, Rouse, Partridge, Thomson, Todd and Jones. 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 DeterminationForensic Science in Action/Crime Scene Investigation > From Traces to Intelligence and EvidenceForensic Biology > Ancestry Determination using DNA MethodsForensic 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 astimulus and respond back. Such reactions to external cues from the environment are required and are essential toregulate the normal functioning of our body. Abnormalities in the system arise when there are errors developed inthese signals, resulting in a complication or a disease. Presently, respiratory diseases contribute to being the thirdleading cause of morbidity worldwide. According to the current statistics, over 339 million people are asthmatic,65 million are suffering from COPD, 2.3 million 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 the nation's annualhealth expenditure. Hence, a better understanding of the processes governing these cellular pathways will enableus to treat and manage these deadly respiratory diseases effectively. Moreover, it is important to comprehend thesynergy and interplay of the cellular signaling pathways in respiratory diseases, which will enable us to exploreand develop suitable strategies for targeted drug delivery. This review, in particular, focuses on the major respiratorydiseases and further provides an in-depth discussion on the various cell signaling pathways that are involvedin the pathophysiology of respiratory diseases. Moreover, the review also analyses the defining concepts aboutadvanced nano-drug delivery systems involving various nanocarriers and propose newer prospects to minimizethe current challenges faced by researchers and formulation scientists.
Mehta, M, Paudel, KR, Shukla, SD, Shastri, MD, Singh, SK, Gulati, M, Dureja, H, Gupta, G, Satija, S, Hansbro, PM, Chellappan, DK & Dua, K 2020, 'Interferon therapy for preventing COPD exacerbations.', EXCLI J, 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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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, vol. 32, no. 21, pp. 1908316-1908316.
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AbstractQuantum 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.
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 de Kamp, J, 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 de Vega, R, 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, 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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AbstractRising 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 FST = 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.
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.
Molla, S, Farrok, O, Rahman, A, Bashir, MS, Islam, MR, Kouzani, AZ & Mahmud, MAP 2020, 'Increase in Volumetric Electrical Power Density of a Linear Generator by Winding Optimization for Wave Energy Extraction', IEEE Access, vol. 8, pp. 181605-181618.
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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.
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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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, PS, Newton, PJ, Chang, S, Jha, SR, Hannu, MK, Thomson, C, Havryk, A & Malouf, M 2020, 'Frailty as a Predictor of Mortality in Patients With Interstitial Lung Disease Referred for Lung 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 (Pao 2, 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 t...
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 Bozic, S, 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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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 ReconstructionForensic Science in Action/Crime Scene Investigation > From Traces to Intelligence and Evidence
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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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, BR, Brown, C, Murray, ML, Krix, DW, Martin, LJ, Hawthorne, T, Wallace, MI, Potvin, SA & Webb, JK 2020, 'An Integrated Approach to Identify Low-Flammability Plant Species for Green Firebreaks', Fire, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 9-9.
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With recent and predicted increases in the frequency and intensity of wildfires, there is a pressing need for mitigation strategies to reduce the impacts of wildfires on human lives, infrastructure and biodiversity. One strategy involves the use of low-flammability plants to build green firebreaks at the wildland–urban interface. It is common, however, to encounter uncertainty in a diverse range of stakeholders about the concept of flammability as it applies to plants, which may impede efforts to identify suitable low-flammability plant species. Here, we provide an approach to identify low-flammability plant species that integrates three fundamental and relatively easy-to-measure plant-flammability attributes – ignitibility, sustainability and combustibility – in a way that removes confusion about the concept of plant flammability. These three intrinsic flammability attributes relate to each other such that an ideal low-flammability species is one that is slow to ignite, sustains burning for a short period of time and combusts with low intensity. Consideration is then given to secondary attributes of plants critical to the selection of low-flammability plants, including attributes that influence the volume of fuel available for fires and the vertical and horizontal spread of fires. More work is urgently needed across the world to identify low-flammability plant species using standardised measurement protocols, and our integrated approach provides a transparent way to ensure we are selecting the right species, for the right location, in green firebreaks.
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.
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.
Nazrul Islam, SMK, Cortie, MB & Wang, X 2020, 'Grape juice: an effective liquid additive for significant enhancement of thermoelectric performance of Cu2Se', Journal of Materials Chemistry A, vol. 8, no. 33, pp. 16913-16919.
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Grape juice provides a fine-scale and well-mixed dispersion of elemental carbon in a Cu2Se matrix for ultra-high thermoelectric performance.
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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Nesporova, K, Wyrsch, ER, Valcek, A, Bitar, I, Chaw, K, Harris, P, Hrabak, J, Literak, I, Djordjevic, SP & Dolejska, M 2020, 'Escherichia coli Sequence Type 457 Is 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 extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (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 samples comprising 42 from gulls, 2 from humans (Australia), and 14 from poultry farmed in Paraguay were compared with 80 WGS deposited in public databases from diverse sources and countries.
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 andmany 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 havebeen limited due to their poor water solubility, stability, low bioavailability and extensive transformation due tothe first-pass metabolism. The applications of nanocarriers have been proven to be able to improve the delivery ofbioactive phytoconstituents, resulting in the enhancement of various pharmacokinetic properties and therebyincreasing the therapeutic value of phytoconstituents. These biocompatible nanocarriers also exert low toxicity tohealthy cells. This review focuses on the uses and applications of different types of nanocarriers to enhance thedelivery of phytoconstituents for the treatment of various chronic diseases, along with comparisons related tobioavailability 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, p. 494.
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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 marine foundation species in an era of rapid environmental change.
Nguyen, LN, Commault, AS, Kahlke, T, Ralph, PJ, Semblante, GU, Johir, MAH & Nghiem, LD 2020, 'Genome sequencing as a new window into the microbial community of membrane bioreactors – A critical review', Science of The Total Environment, vol. 704, pp. 135279-135279.
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Recent developed sequencing techniques have resulted in a new and unprecedented way to study biological wastewater treatment, in which most organisms are uncultivable. This review provides (i) an insight on state-of-the-art sequencing techniques and their limitations; (ii) a critical assessment of the microbial community in biological reactor and biofouling layer in a membrane bioreactor (MBR). The data from high-throughput sequencing has been used to infer microbial growth conditions and metabolisms of microorganisms present in MBRs at the time of sampling. These data shed new insight to two fundamental questions about a microbial community in the MBR process namely the microbial composition (who are they?) and the functions of each specific microbial assemblage (what are their function?). The results to date also highlight the complexity of the microbial community growing on MBRs. Environmental conditions are dynamic and diverse, and can influence the diversity and structural dynamics of any given microbial community for wastewater treatment. The benefits of understanding the structure of microbial communities on three major aspects of the MBR process (i.e. nutrient removal, biofouling control, and micropollutant removal) were symmetrically delineated. This review also indicates that the deployment of microbial community analysis for a practical engineering context, in terms of process design and system optimization, can be further realized.
Nguyen, LN, Truong, MV, Nguyen, AQ, Johir, MAH, Commault, AS, Ralph, PJ, Semblante, GU & Nghiem, LD 2020, 'A sequential membrane bioreactor followed by a membrane microalgal reactor for nutrient removal and algal biomass production', Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 189-196.
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A hybrid process combining a single compartment aerobic membrane bioreactor (MBR) and a membrane microalgal reactor (MMR) was evaluated for nutrient removal and microalgal biomass production.
Nguyen, LT, Saad, S, Chen, H & Pollock, CA 2020, 'Parental SIRT1 Overexpression Attenuate Metabolic Disorders Due to Maternal High-Fat Feeding', International Journal of Molecular Sciences, vol. 21, no. 19, pp. 7342-7342.
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Maternal obesity can contribute to the development of obesity and related metabolic disorders in progeny. Sirtuin (SIRT)1, an essential regulator of metabolism and stress responses, has recently emerged as an important modifying factor of developmental programming. In this study, to elucidate the effects of parental SIRT1 overexpression on offspring mechanism, four experimental groups were included: (1) Chow-fed wild-type (WT)-dam × Chow-fed WT-sire; (2) High-fat diet (HFD)-fed WT-dam × Chow-fed WT-sire; (3) HFD-fed hemizygous SIRT1-transgenic (Tg)-dam × Chow-fed WT-sire; and (4) HFD-fed WT dam × Chow-fed Tg-sire. Our results indicate that Tg breeders had lower body weight and fat mass compared to WT counterparts and gave birth to WT offspring with reductions in body weight, adiposity and hyperlipidaemia compared to those born of WT parents. Maternal SIRT1 overexpression also reversed glucose intolerance, and normalised abnormal fat morphology and the expression of dysregulated lipid metabolism markers, including SIRT1. Despite having persistent hepatic steatosis, offspring born to Tg parents showed an improved balance of hepatic glucose/lipid metabolic markers, as well as reduced levels of inflammatory markers and TGF-β/Smad3 fibrotic signalling. Collectively, the data suggest that parental SIRT1 overexpression can ameliorate adverse metabolic programming effects by maternal obesity.
Nguyen, T-T-D, Nguyen, T-T, An Binh, Q, Bui, X-T, Ngo, HH, Vo, HNP, Andrew Lin, K-Y, Vo, T-D-H, Guo, W, Lin, C & Breider, F 2020, 'Co-culture of microalgae-activated sludge for wastewater treatment and biomass production: Exploring their role under different inoculation ratios', Bioresource Technology, vol. 314, pp. 123754-123754.
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In this study, mixed culture (microalgae:activated sludge) of a photobioreactor (PBR) were investigated at different inoculation ratios (1:0, 9:1, 3:1, 1:1, 0:1 wt/wt). This work was not only to determine the optimal ratio for pollutant remediation and biomass production but also to explore the role of microorganisms in the co-culture system. The results showed high total biomass concentrations were obtained from 1:0 and 3:1 ratio being values of 1.06, 1.12 g L-1, respectively. Microalgae played a dominant role in nitrogen removal via biological assimilation while activated sludge was responsible for improving COD removal. Compared with the single culture of microalgae, the symbiosis between microalgae and bacteria occurred at 3:1 and 1:1 ratio facilitated a higher COD removal by 37.5-45.7 %. In general, combined assessment based on treatment performance and biomass productivity facilitated to select an optimal ratio of 3:1 for the operation of the co-culture PBR.
Nguyen, VK, King, WL, Siboni, N, Mahbub, KR, Dove, M, O'Connor, W, Seymour, JR & Labbate, M 2020, 'The Sydney rock oyster microbiota is influenced by location, season and genetics', Aquaculture, vol. 527, pp. 735472-735472.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Queensland unknown (QX) disease is a significant cause of economic loss for the Sydney rock oyster (SRO) aquaculture industry. Evidence is emerging that QX disease is multi-factorial in nature, with a number of environmental and host factors contributing to disease dynamics. Efforts to mitigate the impacts of QX disease are primarily focused on breeding for disease resistance however, the mechanisms that drive disease resistance are poorly understood. One potential factor influencing disease resistance is the microbiota. To determine the influence of location, season and disease resistance on the SRO microbiota, we used 16S rRNA (V1 – V3 region) amplicon sequencing. The microbiota of six SRO families with two categorised as QX-resistant and four as QX-susceptible, deployed to two different locations (Port Stephens and Wallis Lake, NSW, Australia) and over two seasons (Austral summer and winter), were characterised. As expected, the SRO microbiota was distinct to the microbial community found in seawater. Further, the SRO microbiota was significantly influenced by location and season, with operational taxonomic units (OTUs) assigned to the Candidatus Hepatoplasma and Endozoicomonas genera identified as significant drivers of microbiota dissimilarity between locations and seasons. Disease resistance also significantly influenced the SRO microbiota but only at the winter time point which is before the typical QX disease period. Overall, OTUs assigned to the Mycoplasma, Borrelia and Endozoicomonas genera were over-represented in QX-resistant SRO microbiota, whereas members of the Pseudoalteromonas, Vibrio, and Candidatus Hepatoplasma genera were over-represented in QX-sensitive microbiota. These findings confirm the influencing role of location and season on the microbiota structure as evidenced in other molluscan species, but also provide preliminary evidence that the microbiota assemblage before the QX disease period may be important ...
Nieves, OA, Arnold, MD, Steel, MJ, Schmidt, MK & Poulton, CG 2020, 'Noise and Pulse Dynamics in Backward Stimulated Brillouin Scattering', Optics Express, vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 3146-3146.
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We theoretically and numerically study the effects of thermal noise on pulsesin backwards Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS). Using a combination ofstochastic calculus and numerical methods, we derive a theoretical model thatcan be used to quantitatively predict noise measurements. We study how theoptical pulse configuration, including the input powers of the pump and Stokesfields, pulse durations and interaction time, affects the noise in the outputStokes field. We investigate the effects on the noise of the optical loss andwaveguide length, and we find that the signal-to-noise ratio can besignificantly improved, or reduced, for specific combinations of waveguideproperties and pulse parameters.
Noisang, C, Meyer, W, Sawangjaroen, N, Ellis, J & Lee, R 2020, 'Molecular Detection of Antimalarial Drug Resistance in Plasmodium vivax from Returned Travellers to NSW, Australia during 2008–2018', Pathogens, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 101-101.
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To monitor drug resistance in Plasmodium vivax, a multidrug resistance 1 (Pvmdr1) gene and a putative transporter protein (Pvcrt-o) gene were used as molecular markers for chloroquine resistance. The biomarkers, the dihydrofolate reductase (Pvdhfr) gene and the dihydropteroate synthetase (Pvdhps) gene, were also used for the detection of resistance to sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP); this drug is often accidentally used to treat P. vivax infections. Clinical blood samples (n = 120) were collected from patients who had been to one of eight malaria-endemic countries and diagnosed with P. vivax infection. The chloroquine resistance marker, the Pvmdr1 gene, showed F976:L1076 mutations and L1076 mutation. A K10 insertion in the Pvcrt-o gene was also found among the samples successfully sequenced. A combination of L/I57:R58:M61:T117 mutations in the Pvdhfr gene and G383:G553 mutations in the Pvdhps gene were also observed. Mutations found in these genes indicate that drug resistance is present in these eight countries. Whether or not countries are using chloroquine to treat P. vivax, there appears to be an increase in mutation numbers in resistance gene markers. The detected changes in mutation rates of these genes do suggest that there is still a trend towards increasing P. vivax resistance to chloroquine. The presence of the mutations associated with SP resistance indicates that P. vivax has had exposure to SP and this may be a consequence of either misdiagnosis or coinfections with P. falciparum in the past.
Nolan, LM, McCaughey, LC, Merjane, J, Turnbull, L & Whitchurch, CB 2020, 'ChpC controls twitching motility-mediated expansion of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms in response to serum albumin, mucin and oligopeptides', Microbiology, vol. 166, no. 7, pp. 669-678.
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Twitching motility-mediated biofilm expansion occurs via coordinated, multi-cellular collective behaviour to allow bacteria to actively expand across surfaces. Type-IV pili (T4P) are cell-associated virulence factors which mediate twitching motility via rounds of extension, surface attachment and retraction. The Chp chemosensory system is thought to respond to environmental signals to regulate the biogenesis, assembly and twitching motility function of T4P. In other well characterised chemosensory systems, methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins (MCPs) feed environmental signals through a CheW adapter protein to the histidine kinase CheA to modulate motility. The Pseudomonas aeruginosa Chp system has an MCP PilJ and two CheW adapter proteins, PilI and ChpC, that likely interact with the histidine kinase ChpA to feed environmental signals into the system. In the current study we show that ChpC is involved in the response to host-derived signals serum albumin, mucin and oligopeptides. We demonstrate that these signals stimulate an increase in twitching motility, as well as in levels of 3′−5′-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and surface-assembled T4P. Interestingly, our data shows that changes in cAMP and surface piliation levels are independent of ChpC but that the twitching motility response to these environmental signals requires ChpC. Furthermore, we show that protease activity is required for the twitching motility response of
Nolan, LM, Turnbull, L, Katrib, M, Osvath, SR, Losa, D, Lazenby, JJ & Whitchurch, CB 2020, 'Pseudomonas aeruginosa is capable of natural transformation in biofilms', Microbiology, vol. 166, no. 10, pp. 995-1003.
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Natural transformation is a mechanism that enables competent bacteria to acquire naked, exogenous DNA from the environment. It is a key process that facilitates the dissemination of antibiotic resistance and virulence determinants throughout bacterial populations. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic Gram-negative pathogen that produces large quantities of extracellular DNA (eDNA) that is required for biofilm formation. P. aeruginosa has a remarkable level of genome plasticity and diversity that suggests a high degree of horizontal gene transfer and recombination but is thought to be incapable of natural transformation. Here we show that P. aeruginosa possesses homologues of all proteins known to be involved in natural transformation in other bacterial species. We found that ANZIAM Journal, vol. 62, pp. 18-41.
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We define and solve classes of sparse matrix problems that arise in multilevel modelling and data analysis. The classes are indexed by the number of nested units, with two-level problems corresponding to the common situation, in which data on level-1 units are grouped within a two-level structure. We provide full solutions for two-level and three-level problems, and their derivations provide blueprints for the challenging, albeit rarer in applications, higher-level versions of the problem. While our linear system solutions are a concise recasting of existing results, our matrix inverse sub-block results are novel and facilitate streamlined computation of standard errors in frequentist inference as well as allowing streamlined mean field variational Bayesian inference for models containing higher-level random effects.doi: 10.1017/S1446181120000061
Nolan, TH, Menictas, M & Wand, MP 2020, 'Streamlined Computing for Variational Inference with Higher Level Random Effects', JOURNAL OF MACHINE LEARNING RESEARCH, vol. 21.
Nußbaum, P, Ithurbide, S, Walsh, JC, Patro, M, Delpech, F, Rodriguez-Franco, M, Curmi, PMG, Duggin, IG, Quax, TEF & Albers, S-V 2020, 'An Oscillating MinD Protein Determines the Cellular Positioning of the Motility Machinery in Archaea', Current Biology, vol. 30, no. 24, pp. 4956-4972.e4.
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MinD proteins are well studied in rod-shaped bacteria such as E. coli, where they display self-organized pole-to-pole oscillations that are important for correct positioning of the Z-ring at mid-cell for cell division. Archaea also encode proteins belonging to the MinD family, but their functions are unknown. MinD homologous proteins were found to be widespread in Euryarchaeota and form a sister group to the bacterial MinD family, distinct from the ParA and other related ATPase families. We aimed to identify the function of four archaeal MinD proteins in the model archaeon Haloferax volcanii. Deletion of the minD genes did not cause cell division or size defects, and the Z-ring was still correctly positioned. Instead, one of the deletions (ΔminD4) reduced swimming motility and hampered the correct formation of motility machinery at the cell poles. In ΔminD4 cells, there is reduced formation of the motility structure and chemosensory arrays, which are essential for signal transduction. In bacteria, several members of the ParA family can position the motility structure and chemosensory arrays via binding to a landmark protein, and consequently these proteins do not oscillate along the cell axis. However, GFP-MinD4 displayed pole-to-pole oscillation and formed polar patches or foci in H. volcanii. The MinD4 membrane-targeting sequence (MTS), homologous to the bacterial MinD MTS, was essential for the oscillation. Surprisingly, mutant MinD4 proteins failed to form polar patches. Thus, MinD4 from H. volcanii combines traits of different bacterial ParA/MinD proteins.
O’Rourke, MB & Padula, MP 2020, 'Reporting of Hybrid Data and the Difficulties with Cross-Discipline Research Techniques', Proteomes, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 35-35.
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Peer review is the way in which we, as scientists, criticise, check, and confirm the findings of our colleagues. The process of peer review relies on individuals in all fields applying their particular expertise and determining if they agree with the findings submitted for publication. In recent years, there has been a significant rise in the number of manuscripts submitted for publication that draw from a range of disparate and complementary fields. This has created the curious situation where an expert may be requested to review a manuscript that is only partially within their immediate field of expertise. The issue that arises is that, without full knowledge of the data, techniques, methodologies, and principles that are presented, it is difficult for reviewers to make properly informed decisions, especially when it can take an entire career to reach that specific level of expertise in a single field. From this perspective, we explore these issues and also provide a commentary on how peer review could evolve in the context of a changing cross-disciplinarily-focused scientific landscape.
Oehlers, SH, Hortle, E & Cook, KM 2020, 'A zebrafish model of tuberculosis comorbidity and the effects of HIF‐activating intervention', The FEBS Journal, vol. 287, no. 18, pp. 3917-3920.
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Comorbidities are an important factor in tuberculosis pathophysiology and treatment but are understudied in animal models. Schild et al. present a zebrafish model of Mycobacterium marinum infection and wound comorbidity that retains responsiveness to protective hypoxia‐inducible factor‐1α activation as an example of a host‐directed therapy. This platform is a new paradigm for the zebrafish–M. marinum infection model and provides a blueprint to test therapeutic interventions on infection and comorbid pathologies.Comment on: https://doi.org/10.1111/febs.15433
Oh, JE-S, Walsh, S & Zaslawski, C 2020, 'A comparative analysis of clinical practice and referral characteristics of Chinese Medicine practitioners in Australia', Integrative Medicine Research, vol. 9, pp. 100582-100582.
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Oliver, T, Sánchez-Baracaldo, P, Larkum, AW, Rutherford, AW & Cardona, T 2020, 'Time-resolved comparative molecular evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis', Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Bioenergetics, vol. 1862, no. 6, p. 2020.02.28.969766.
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AbstractOxygenic photosynthesis starts with the oxidation of water to O2, a light-driven reaction catalysed by photosystem II. Cyanobacteria are the only prokaryotes capable of water oxidation and therefore, it is assumed that relative to the origin of life and bioenergetics, the origin of oxygenic photosynthesis is a late innovation. However, when exactly water oxidation originated remains an unanswered question. Here we use relaxed molecular clocks to compare one of the two ancestral core duplications that are unique to water-oxidizing photosystem II, that leading to CP43 and CP47, with some of the oldest well-described events in the history of life. Namely, the duplication leading to the Alpha and Beta subunits of the catalytic head of ATP synthase, and the divergence of archaeal and bacterial RNA polymerases and ribosomes. We also compare it with more recent events such as the duplication of cyanobacteria-specific FtsH metalloprotease subunits, of CP43 variants used in a variety of photoacclimation responses, and the speciation events leading to Margulisbacteria, Sericytochromatia, Vampirovibrionia, and other clades containing anoxygenic phototrophs. We demonstrate that the ancestral core duplication of photosystem II exhibits patterns in the rates of protein evolution through geological time that are nearly identical to those of the ATP synthase, RNA polymerase, or the ribosome. Furthermore, we use ancestral sequence reconstruction in combination with comparative structural biology of photosystem subunits, to provide additional evidence supporting the premise that water oxidation had originated before the ancestral core duplications. Our work suggests that photosynthetic water oxidation originated closer to the origin of life and bioenergetics than can be documented based on species trees alone.
Omondi, GP, Gakuya, F, Arzt, J, Sangula, A, Hartwig, E, Pauszek, S, Smoliga, G, Brito, B, Perez, A, Obanda, V & VanderWaal, K 2020, 'The role of African buffalo in the epidemiology of foot‐and‐mouth disease in sympatric cattle and buffalo populations in Kenya', Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, vol. 67, no. 5, pp. 2206-2221.
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Quantitative knowledge on the contribution of African buffalo to the epidemiology of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) in East Africa is lacking, and this information is essential for the design of control programs in the region. The objective of this study was to investigate the epidemiology of FMDV in buffalo, including the role of buffalo in the circulation of FMDV in livestock populations. We collected blood and oropharyngeal fluids from 92 wild buffalo and 98 sympatric cattle in central Kenya and sequenced the virus' VP1 coding region. We show that FMDV has a high seroprevalence in buffalo (~77%) and targeted cattle (~93%). In addition, we recovered 80 FMDV sequences from buffalo, all of which were serotype SAT1 and SAT2, and four serotype O and A sequences from sympatric cattle. Notably, six individual buffalo were co-infected with both SAT1 and SAT2. Amongst sympatric buffalo and cattle, the fact that no SAT1 or 2 sequences were found in cattle suggests that transmission of FMDV from buffalo to sympatric cattle is rare. Similarly, there was no evidence that serotype O and A sequences found in cattle were transmitted to buffalo. However, viruses from FMDV outbreaks in cattle elsewhere in Kenya were closely related to SAT1 and SAT2 viruses found in buffalo in this study, suggesting that FMDV in cattle and buffalo do not constitute independently evolving populations. We also show that fine-scale geographic features, such as rivers, influence the circulation of FMDV in buffalo and that social segregation amongst sympatric herds may limit between-herd transmission. These results significantly advance our understanding of the ecology and molecular epidemiology of FMDV at wildlife-livestock interfaces in East Africa and will help to inform the design of control and surveillance strategies for this disease in the region.
Osman, EO, Suggett, DJ, Voolstra, CR, Pettay, DT, Clark, DR, Pogoreutz, C, Sampayo, EM, Warner, ME & Smith, DJ 2020, 'Coral microbiome composition along the northern Red Sea suggests high plasticity of bacterial and specificity of endosymbiotic dinoflagellate communities', Microbiome, vol. 8, no. 1.
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Abstract Background The capacity of reef-building corals to tolerate (or adapt to) heat stress is a key factor determining their resilience to future climate change. Changes in coral microbiome composition (particularly for microalgal endosymbionts and bacteria) is a potential mechanism that may assist corals to thrive in warm waters. The northern Red Sea experiences extreme temperatures anomalies, yet corals in this area rarely bleach suggesting possible refugia to climate change. However, the coral microbiome composition, and how it relates to the capacity to thrive in warm waters in this region, is entirely unknown. Results We investigated microbiomes for six coral species (Porites nodifera, Favia favus, Pocillopora damicornis, Seriatopora hystrix, Xenia umbellata, and Sarcophyton trocheliophorum) from five sites in the northern Red Sea spanning 4° of latitude and summer mean temperature ranges from 26.6 °C to 29.3 °C. A total of 19 distinct dinoflagellate endosymbionts were identified as belonging to three genera in the family Symbiodiniaceae (Symbiodinium, Cladocopium, and Durusdinium). Of these, 86% belonged to the genus Cladocopium, with notably five novel types (19%). The endosymbiont community showed a high degree of host-specificity despite the latitudinal gradient. In contrast, the diversity and composition of bacterial communities of the surface mucus layer (SML)—a compartment particularly sensitive to environmental change—varied significantly between sites, however for any given coral was species...
Osman, EO, Suggett, DJ, Voolstra, CR, Pettay, DT, Clark, DR, Pogoreutz, C, Sampayo, EM, Warner, ME & Smith, DJ 2020, 'Correction to: Coral microbiome composition along the northern Red Sea suggests high plasticity of bacterial and specificity of endosymbiotic dinoflagellate communities', Microbiome, vol. 8, no. 1, p. 24.
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Following publication of the original article [1], the authors reported an error on the legend of of P.damicornis in Fig. 1.
Paijmans, KC, Booth, DJ & Wong, MYL 2020, 'Predation avoidance and foraging efficiency contribute to mixed‐species shoaling by tropical and temperate fishes', Journal of Fish Biology, vol. 96, no. 3, pp. 806-814.
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AbstractThe formation of mixed‐species social groups, whereby heterospecifics form and maintain either transient or stable groups with each other, can confer substantial fitness benefits to individuals. Such benefits may arise via multiple mechanisms associated with both predation avoidance and foraging efficiency. In fishes, mixed‐species shoaling reportedly occurs where displaced tropical species (known as “vagrants”) interact with resident temperate species, although little is known about the nature and frequency of such interactions. To investigate this phenomenon, we used displaced tropical Indo‐pacific Sergeant Abudefduf vaigiensis settling in temperate south‐eastern Australia as a model system. Underwater visual surveys revealed shoal composition and size differed significantly between open‐water and reef habitats, with shoals in open habitats being larger and more speciose. Shoals containing A. vaigiensis were mainly mixed‐species, and larger and more speciose in open habitats than nearer to reef. Since both foraging efficiency (via access to plankton) and predation threat likely increase with increasing distance from reef habitat, we suggest that mixed‐species shoaling mitigates predation risk whilst allowing increased foraging opportunities for A. vaigiensis in open areas. These findings provide support for the importance of mixed‐species shoaling to the persistence of tropical reef fishes in temperate regions.
Pamphlett, R, Cherepanoff, S, Too, LK, Kum Jew, S, Doble, PA & Bishop, DP 2020, 'The distribution of toxic metals in the human retina and optic nerve head: Implications for age-related macular degeneration', PLOS ONE, vol. 15, no. 10, pp. e0241054-e0241054.
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OBJECTIVE:Toxic metals are suspected to play a role in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration. However, difficulties in detecting the presence of multiple toxic metals within the intact human retina, and in separating primary metal toxicity from the secondary uptake of metals in damaged tissue, have hindered progress in this field. We therefore looked for the presence of several toxic metals in the posterior segment of normal adult eyes using elemental bioimaging. METHODS:Paraffin sections of the posterior segment of the eye from seven tissue donors (age range 54-74 years) to an eye bank were examined for toxic metals in situ using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, a technique that detects multiple elements in tissues, as well as the histochemical technique of autometallography that demonstrates inorganic mercury, silver, and bismuth. No donor had a visual impairment, and no significant retinal abnormalities were seen on post mortem fundoscopy and histology. RESULTS:Metals found by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry in the retinal pigment epithelium and choriocapillaris were lead (n = 7), nickel (n = 7), iron (n = 7), cadmium (n = 6), mercury (n = 6), bismuth (n = 5), aluminium (n = 3), and silver (n = 1). In the neural retina, mercury was present in six samples, and iron in one. Metals detected in the optic nerve head were iron (N = 7), mercury (N = 7), nickel (N = 4), and aluminium (N = 1). No gold or chromium was seen. Autometallography demonstrated probable inorganic mercury in the retinal pigment epithelium of one donor. CONCLUSION:Several toxic metals are taken up by the human retina and optic nerve head. Injury to the retinal pigment epithelium from toxic metals could damage the neuroprotective functions of the retinal pigment epithelium and allow toxic metals to enter the outer neural retina. These findings support the hypothesis that accumulations of toxic metals in the retina co...
Pamphlett, R, Colebatch, AJ, Doble, PA & Bishop, DP 2020, 'Mercury in Pancreatic Cells of People with and without Pancreatic Cancer', International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 17, no. 23, pp. 8990-8990.
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Toxic metals have been implicated in the pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer. Human exposure to mercury is widespread, but it is not known how often mercury is present in the human pancreas and which cells might contain mercury. We therefore aimed to determine, in people with and without pancreatic cancer, the distribution and prevalence of mercury in pancreatic cells. Paraffin-embedded sections of normal pancreatic tissue were obtained from pancreatectomy samples of 45 people who had pancreatic adenocarcinoma, and from autopsy samples of 38 people without pancreatic cancer. Mercury was identified using two methods of elemental bio-imaging: (1) With autometallography, inorganic mercury was seen in islet cells in 14 of 30 males (47%) with pancreatic cancer compared to two of 17 males (12%) without pancreatic cancer (p = 0.024), and in 10 of 15 females (67%) with pancreatic cancer compared to four of 21 females (19%) without pancreatic cancer (p = 0.006). Autometallographic mercury was present in acinar cells in 24% and in periductal cells in 11% of people with pancreatic cancer, but not in those without pancreatic cancer. (2) Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry confirmed the presence of mercury in islets that stained with autometallography and detected cadmium, lead, chromium, iron, nickel and aluminium in some samples. In conclusion, the genotoxic metal mercury is found in normal pancreatic cells in more people with, than without, pancreatic cancer. These findings support the hypothesis that toxic metals such as mercury contribute to the pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer.
Pamphlett, R, Kum Jew, S, Doble, PA & Bishop, DP 2020, 'Elemental imaging shows mercury in cells of the human lateral and medial geniculate nuclei', PLOS ONE, vol. 15, no. 4, pp. e0231870-e0231870.
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OBJECTIVE:Interference with the transmission of sensory signals along visual and auditory pathways has been implicated in the pathogenesis of hallucinations. The relay centres for vision (the lateral geniculate nucleus) and hearing (the medial geniculate nucleus) appear to be susceptible to the uptake of circulating mercury. We therefore investigated the distribution of mercury in cells of both these geniculate nuclei. MATERIALS AND METHODS:Paraffin-embedded tissue sections containing the lateral geniculate nucleus were obtained from 50 adults (age range 20-104 years) who at autopsy had a variety of clinicopathological conditions, including neurological and psychiatric disorders. The medial geniculate nucleus was present in seven sections. Sections were stained for mercury using autometallography. Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry was used to confirm the presence of mercury. RESULTS:Ten people had mercury in cells of the lateral geniculate nucleus, and in the medial geniculate nucleus of three of these. Medical diagnoses in these individuals were: none (3), Parkinson disease (3), and one each of depression, bipolar disorder, multiple sclerosis, and mercury self-injection. Mercury was distributed in different groups of geniculate capillary endothelial cells, neurons, oligodendrocytes, and astrocytes. Mass spectrometry confirmed the presence of mercury. CONCLUSION:Mercury is present in different combinations of cell types in the lateral and medial geniculate nuclei in a proportion of people from varied backgrounds. This raises the possibility that mercury-induced impairment of the function of the geniculate nuclei could play a part in the genesis of visual and auditory hallucinations. Although these findings do not provide a direct link between mercury in geniculate cells and hallucinations, they suggest that further investigations into the possibility of toxicant-induced hallucinations are warranted.
Pamphlett, R, Satgunaseelan, L, Kum Jew, S, Doble, PA & Bishop, DP 2020, 'Elemental bioimaging shows mercury and other toxic metals in normal breast tissue and in breast cancers', PLOS ONE, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. e0228226-e0228226.
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OBJECTIVE:Exposure to toxic metals such as mercury has been proposed to be a risk factor for the development of breast cancer since some metals can promote genetic mutations and epigenetic changes. We sought to find what toxic metals are present in normal breast tissue and in the tumours of women who had mastectomies for invasive ductal breast carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS:Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded blocks from mastectomies for breast carcinoma were examined from 50 women aged 34-69 years. Paraffin blocks selected for elemental analysis were from breast tissue not involved by carcinoma and from the carcinoma itself. Seven micrometer-thick sections were stained with autometallography to demonstrate the presence of mercury, and subjected to laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to confirm the presence of mercury and to detect other toxic metals. RESULTS:Autometallography-detected mercury was seen in intraductal secretions and some luminal epithelial cells of normal breast lobules in 26 (55%) of the 47 samples where lobules were present, and in 10 (23%) of carcinomas from the 44 samples where carcinoma was present. In eight samples ductal carcinoma in situ was present and one of these contained mercury. LA-ICP-MS confirmed the presence of mercury in samples that stained with autometallography, and detected lead, iron, nickel, aluminium, chromium and cadmium in some samples. CONCLUSIONS:Mercury was present in normal breast lobules in more than half of mastectomy samples that contained an invasive carcinoma, and in a smaller proportion of carcinomas and ductal carcinomas in situ. Other toxic metals that may interact synergistically with mercury could be detected in some samples. These findings do not provide direct evidence that toxic metals such as mercury play a role in the pathogenesis of breast cancer, but suggest that future molecular biological investigations on the role of toxic metals in breast cancer are warranted.
Pandey, NK, Singh, SK, Gulati, M, Kumar, B, Kapoor, B, Ghosh, D, Kumar, R, Khursheed, R, Awasthi, A, Kuppusamy, G, Wadhwa, S, Satija, S, Dureja, H, Jain, SK, Chellappan, DK, Anand, K, Mehta, M & Dua, K 2020, 'Overcoming the dissolution rate, gastrointestinal permeability and oral bioavailability of glimepiride and simvastatin co-delivered in the form of nanosuspension and solid self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system: A comparative study', Journal of Drug Delivery Science and Technology, vol. 60, pp. 102083-102083.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Simvastatin (SIM) and glimepiride (GLM) were co-formulated into nanosuspensions and self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems (SNEDDS) to improve their dissolution rate and oral bioavailability. Nanosuspension was prepared by liquid anti-solvent precipitation method, involving supersaturation of a solution by mixing the drug solution in an antisolvent. Liquid SNEDDS were prepared by loading drugs into an isotropic mixture of Capmul MCM, Labrafil M1944CS, Tween-80 and Transcutol P. Both formulations were solidified using spray drying. Enhancement in dissolution rate by 6.4 folds and 4.45 folds was observed for GLM and SIM respectively by preparing their nano-formulations. Drugs’ permeability was also enhanced by loading them into nano-formulations. The pharmacokinetic studies were conducted on rats which revealed increase in oral bioavailability by 6.69- and 4.22-folds for GLM and 1.76- and 2.68-folds for SIM respectively for nanosuspension and solid SNEDDS than their unprocessed forms. Both dissolution rate and oral bioavailability of SIM and GLM got significantly improved through S-SNEDDS and nanosuspension. However, performance of nanosuspension was found better than SNEDDS in terms of dissolution rate and oral bioavailability.
Pandey, P, Satija, S, Wadhwa, R, Mehta, M, Purohit, D, Gupta, G, Prasher, P, Chellappan, DK, Awasthi, R, Dureja, H & Dua, K 2020, 'Emerging trends in nanomedicine for topical delivery in skin disorders: Current and translational approaches', Dermatologic Therapy, vol. 33, no. 3.
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Pardhi, DM, Şen Karaman, D, Timonen, J, Wu, W, Zhang, Q, Satija, S, Mehta, M, Charbe, N, McCarron, PA, Tambuwala, MM, Bakshi, HA, Negi, P, Aljabali, AA, Dua, K, Chellappan, DK, Behera, A, Pathak, K, Watharkar, RB, Rautio, J & Rosenholm, JM 2020, 'Anti-bacterial activity of inorganic nanomaterials and their antimicrobial peptide conjugates against resistant and non-resistant pathogens', International Journal of Pharmaceutics, vol. 586, pp. 119531-119531.
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This review details the antimicrobial applications of inorganic nanomaterials of mostly metallic form, and the augmentation of activity by surface conjugation of peptide ligands. The review is subdivided into three main sections, of which the first describes the antimicrobial activity of inorganic nanomaterials against gram-positive, gram-negative and multidrug-resistant bacterial strains. The second section highlights the range of antimicrobial peptides and the drug resistance strategies employed by bacterial species to counter lethality. The final part discusses the role of antimicrobial peptide-decorated inorganic nanomaterials in the fight against bacterial strains that show resistance. General strategies for the preparation of antimicrobial peptides and their conjugation to nanomaterials are discussed, emphasizing the use of elemental and metallic oxide nanomaterials. Importantly, the permeation of antimicrobial peptides through the bacterial membrane is shown to aid the delivery of nanomaterials into bacterial cells. By judicious use of targeting ligands, the nanomaterial becomes able to differentiate between bacterial and mammalian cells and, thus, reduce side effects. Moreover, peptide conjugation to the surface of a nanomaterial will alter surface chemistry in ways that lead to reduction in toxicity and improvements in biocompatibility.
Pastorello, G, Trotta, C, Canfora, E, Chu, H, Christianson, D, Cheah, Y-W, Poindexter, C, Chen, J, Elbashandy, A, Humphrey, M, Isaac, P, Polidori, D, Reichstein, M, Ribeca, A, van Ingen, C, Vuichard, N, Zhang, L, Amiro, B, Ammann, C, Arain, MA, Ardö, J, Arkebauer, T, Arndt, SK, Arriga, N, Aubinet, M, Aurela, M, Baldocchi, D, Barr, A, Beamesderfer, E, Marchesini, LB, Bergeron, O, Beringer, J, Bernhofer, C, Berveiller, D, Billesbach, D, Black, TA, Blanken, PD, Bohrer, G, Boike, J, Bolstad, PV, Bonal, D, Bonnefond, J-M, Bowling, DR, Bracho, R, Brodeur, J, Brümmer, C, Buchmann, N, Burban, B, Burns, SP, Buysse, P, Cale, P, Cavagna, M, Cellier, P, Chen, S, Chini, I, Christensen, TR, Cleverly, J, Collalti, A, Consalvo, C, Cook, BD, Cook, D, Coursolle, C, Cremonese, E, Curtis, PS, D’Andrea, E, da Rocha, H, Dai, X, Davis, KJ, Cinti, BD, Grandcourt, AD, Ligne, AD, De Oliveira, RC, Delpierre, N, Desai, AR, Di Bella, CM, Tommasi, PD, Dolman, H, Domingo, F, Dong, G, Dore, S, Duce, P, Dufrêne, E, Dunn, A, Dušek, J, Eamus, D, Eichelmann, U, ElKhidir, HAM, Eugster, W, Ewenz, CM, Ewers, B, Famulari, D, Fares, S, Feigenwinter, I, Feitz, A, Fensholt, R, Filippa, G, Fischer, M, Frank, J, Galvagno, M, Gharun, M, Gianelle, D, Gielen, B, Gioli, B, Gitelson, A, Goded, I, Goeckede, M, Goldstein, AH, Gough, CM, Goulden, ML, Graf, A, Griebel, A, Gruening, C, Grünwald, T, Hammerle, A, Han, S, Han, X, Hansen, BU, Hanson, C, Hatakka, J, He, Y, Hehn, M, Heinesch, B, Hinko-Najera, N, Hörtnagl, L, Hutley, L, Ibrom, A, Ikawa, H, Jackowicz-Korczynski, M, Janouš, D, Jans, W, Jassal, R, Jiang, S, Kato, T, Khomik, M, Klatt, J, Knohl, A, Knox, S, Kobayashi, H, Koerber, G, Kolle, O, Kosugi, Y, Kotani, A, Kowalski, A, Kruijt, B, Kurbatova, J, Kutsch, WL, Kwon, H, Launiainen, S, Laurila, T, Law, B, Leuning, R, Li, Y, Liddell, M, Limousin, J-M, Lion, M, Liska, AJ, Lohila, A, López-Ballesteros, A, López-Blanco, E, Loubet, B, Loustau, D, Lucas-Moffat, A, Lüers, J, Ma, S, Macfarlane, C, Magliulo, V, Maier, R, Mammarella, I, Manca, G, Marcolla, B, Margolis, HA, Marras, S, Massman, W, Mastepanov, M, Matamala, R, Matthes, JH, Mazzenga, F, McCaughey, H, McHugh, I, McMillan, AMS, Merbold, L, Meyer, W, Meyers, T, Miller, SD, Minerbi, S, Moderow, U, Monson, RK, Montagnani, L, Moore, CE, Moors, E, Moreaux, V, Moureaux, C, Munger, JW, Nakai, T, Neirynck, J, Nesic, Z, Nicolini, G & et al. 2020, 'The FLUXNET2015 dataset and the ONEFlux processing pipeline for eddy covariance data', Scientific Data, vol. 7, no. 1, p. 225.
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AbstractThe FLUXNET2015 dataset provides ecosystem-scale data on CO2, water, and energy exchange between the biosphere and the atmosphere, and other meteorological and biological measurements, from 212 sites around the globe (over 1500 site-years, up to and including year 2014). These sites, independently managed and operated, voluntarily contributed their data to create global datasets. Data were quality controlled and processed using uniform methods, to improve consistency and intercomparability across sites. The dataset is already being used in a number of applications, including ecophysiology studies, remote sensing studies, and development of ecosystem and Earth system models. FLUXNET2015 includes derived-data products, such as gap-filled time series, ecosystem respiration and photosynthetic uptake estimates, estimation of uncertainties, and metadata about the measurements, presented for the first time in this paper. In addition, 206 of these sites are for the first time distributed under a Creative Commons (CC-BY 4.0) license. This paper details this enhanced dataset and the processing methods, now made available as open-source codes, making the dataset more accessible, transparent, and reproducible.
Pateetin, P, Pisitkun, T, McGowan, E & Boonyaratanakornkit, V 2020, 'Differential quantitative proteomics reveals key proteins related to phenotypic changes of breast cancer cells expressing progesterone receptor A', The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, vol. 198, pp. 105560-105560.
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Paudel, KR & Kim, D-W 2020, 'Microparticles-Mediated Vascular Inflammation and its Amelioration by Antioxidant Activity of Baicalin', Antioxidants, vol. 9, no. 9, pp. 890-890.
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Microparticles (MPs) are extracellular vesicles (0.1–1.0 μm in size), released in response to cell activation or apoptosis. Endothelial microparticles (EC-MP), vascular smooth muscle cell microparticles (VSMC-MP), and macrophage microparticles (MØ-MP) are key hallmarks of atherosclerosis progression. In our current study, we investigated the potent antioxidant activity of baicalin to ameliorate MP-induced vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) dysfunction and endothelial cell (EC) dysfunction, as well as the production of inflammatory mediators in macrophage (RAW264.7). In our study, baicalin suppressed the apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, NO production, foam cell formation, protein expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 in MØ-MP-induced RAW264.7. In addition, VSMC migration induced by VSMC-MP was dose-dependently inhibited by baicalin. Likewise, baicalin inhibits metalloproteinase-9 expression and suppresses VSMC-MP-induced VSMC proliferation by down-regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase and proliferating cell nuclear antigen protein expressions. Baicalin also inhibited ROS production and apoptosis in VSMC. In EC, the marker of endothelial dysfunction (endothelial senescence, upregulation of ICAM, and ROS production) induced by EC-MP was halted by baicalin. Our results suggested that baicalin exerts potent biological activity to restore the function of EC and VSMC altered by their corresponding microparticles and inhibits the release of inflammation markers from activated macrophages.
Paudel, KR, Dharwal, V, Patel, VK, Galvao, I, Wadhwa, R, Malyla, V, Shen, SS, Budden, KF, Hansbro, NG, Vaughan, A, Yang, IA, Kohonen-Corish, MRJ, Bebawy, M, Dua, K & Hansbro, PM 2020, 'Role of Lung Microbiome in Innate Immune Response Associated With Chronic Lung Diseases', Frontiers in Medicine, vol. 7, p. 554.
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Respiratory diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung fibrosis, and lung cancer, pose a huge socio-economic burden on society and are one of the leading causes of death worldwide. In the past, culture-dependent techniques could not detect bacteria in the lungs, therefore the lungs were considered a sterile environment. However, the development of culture-independent techniques, particularly 16S rRNA sequencing, allowed for the detection of commensal microbes in the lung and with further investigation, their roles in disease have since emerged. In healthy individuals, the predominant commensal microbes are of phylum Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, including those of the genera Veillonella and Prevotella. In contrast, pathogenic microbes (Haemophilus, Streptococcus, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas) are often associated with lung diseases. There is growing evidence that microbial metabolites, structural components, and toxins from pathogenic and opportunistic bacteria have the capacity to stimulate both innate and adaptive immune responses, and therefore can contribute to the pathogenesis of lung diseases. Here we review the multiple mechanisms that are altered by pathogenic microbiomes in asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and lung fibrosis. Furthermore, we focus on the recent exciting advancements in therapies that can be used to restore altered microbiomes in the lungs.
Paudel, KR, Oak, M-H & Kim, D-W 2020, 'Smooth Muscle Cell Derived Microparticles Acts as Autocrine Activation of Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation by Mitogen Associated Protein Kinase Upregulation', Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, vol. 20, no. 9, pp. 5746-5750.
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Microparticles (MP); also know as microvesicles are extracellular vesicles (0.1 to 1.0 μm) released by cells in response to cell activation or apoptosis. The high level of circulating MP is one of the important indicators of altered vascular function. Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) derived MP could mediate proliferation and migration of VSMC leading to vascular inflammation. Proliferation of VSMC is mediated by mitogen associated protein kinase (MAPK) and proliferation cell nuclei antigen (PCNA) signaling pathway whereas migration is mediated by metalloproteinase and cytoskeletal remodeling pathway. In this study, VSMC-MP were isolated from confluent VSMC stimulated with tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. VSMC-MP were treated to VSMC to investigate the VSMC proliferation marker using in vitro assay. In comparison to normal (VSMC-MP untreated group), VSMC-MP treatment results in proliferation of VSMC as revealed by MTT assay. VSMC-MP and TNF-α induce proliferation by 34% and 67% respectively. VSMC-MP also induce over expression of PCNA in both immuno-fluorescence and western blot experiment. VSMC-MP and TNF-α increase the PCNA expression by 1.86-fold and 1.95-fold respectively. Similarly, VSMC-MP treatment results in over expression of MAPK pathway protein expression in VSMC. As compared to normal, the MAPK protein (pERK1/2, pP38 and pJNK) were increased by 1.41-fold, 1.42-fold and 1.48-fold, respectively in VSMC-MP treated VSMC. Our results provide the evidence of VSMC-MP involvement in proliferation of VSMC. Thus, VSMC-MP could be considered as a potential marker of vascular inflammatory disorder such as atherosclerosis.
Paudel, KR, Wadhwa, R, Mehta, M, Chellappan, DK, Hansbro, PM & Dua, K 2020, 'Rutin loaded liquid crystalline nanoparticles inhibit lipopolysaccharide induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in bronchial epithelial cells in vitro', Toxicology in Vitro, vol. 68, pp. 104961-104961.
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Airway inflammation and infections are the primary causes of damage in the airway epithelium, that lead to hypersecretion of mucus and airway hyper-responsiveness. The role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and their components in the pathophysiological mechanisms of airway inflammation have been well-studied and emphasized for the past several decades. Rutin, a potent bioflavonoid, is well-known for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, especially in bronchial inflammation. However, poor solubility and rapid metabolism have led to its low bioavailability in biological systems, and hence limit its application. The present study aims to investigate the beneficial effects of rutin-loaded liquid crystalline nanoparticles (LCNs) against lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced oxidative damage in human bronchial epithelial cell line (BEAS-2-B) cells in vitro. LPS was used to stimulate BEAS-2-B cells, causing the generation of nitric oxide (NO) and other reactive oxygen species (ROS) that had led to cellular apoptosis. The levels of NO and ROS were detected by, Griess reagent kit and dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) respectively, whereas, cell apoptosis was studied by Annexin V-FITC and PI staining. The findings revealed that rutin-loaded LCNs significantly reduced NO, ROS levels and prevented apoptosis in BEAS-2B cells. The observations and findings provide a mechanistic understanding of the effectiveness of rutin-loaded LCNs in protecting the bronchial cells against airway inflammation, thus possessing a promising therapeutic option for the management of airway diseases.
Paull, N, Krix, D, Torpy, F & Irga, P 2020, 'Can Green Walls Reduce Outdoor Ambient Particulate Matter, Noise Pollution and Temperature?', International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 17, no. 14, pp. 5084-5084.
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Green walls have previously demonstrated the capacity to reduce particulate matter (PM), noise pollution, and temperature conditions in manipulative experiments and computational models. There is, however, minimal evidence that green walls can influence ambient environmental conditions, especially taking into account the variable environmental conditions encountered in situ. The aim of this paper was to determine if green walls have a quantitative effect on ambient air quality in an urban environment. Ambient PM, noise, and temperature were recorded at 12 green wall and adjacent reference wall locations across a dense urban centre, over a 6-month period. The results indicated that PM levels and temperature did not significantly differ between the green wall and reference wall sites. Ambient noise at the green wall sites, however, was significantly lower than at the reference wall locations. It is suggested that mechanically assisted, or ‘active’ green wall systems may have a higher PM and temperature reduction capacity, and if so, they will be more valuable for installation in situ compared to standard passive systems, although this will require further research.
Paull, NJ, Krix, D, Irga, PJ & Torpy, FR 2020, 'Airborne particulate matter accumulation on common green wall plants', International Journal of Phytoremediation, vol. 22, no. 6, pp. 594-606.
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© 2019, © 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. In order to better design greening systems for effective particulate matter (PM) removal, it is important to understand the impact leaf traits have on PM deposition. There are however, inconsistences amongst the leaf traits that have previously been correlated with PM accumulation. The aim of this paper was to identify vegetation characteristics of green wall plants that were associated with the accumulation of particulate matter. To determine patterns associated with different leaf morphologies, eleven common ornamental plant species were sampled across 15 sites, over a 6 month duration. PM deposition was determined gravimetrically and its associated size fractions determined microscopically. Linear mixed models were used to identify statistical patterns relating to differences in PM deposition across plant species. PM deposition and the relative frequencies of particle size fractions were found to be statistically different among species, sites and months. Green wall plants were shown to be effective at PM accumulation as all of the assessed plant species had equivalent PM removal efficiency, with minimal evidence of influential leaf characteristics that could enhance PM removal.
Pazderka, CW, Oliver, B, Murray, M & Rawling, T 2020, 'Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Derived Lipid Mediators and their Application in Drug Discovery', Current Medicinal Chemistry, vol. 27, no. 10, pp. 1670-1689.
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Omega-3 (n-3) and omega-6 (n-6) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) play crucial and often opposing regulatory roles in health and in pathological conditions. n-3 and n-6 PUFA undergo biotransformation to parallel series of lipid mediators that are potent modulators of many cellular processes. A wide range of biological actions have been attributed to lipid mediators derived from n-6 PUFA, and these mediators have served as lead compounds in the development of numerous clinically approved drugs, including latanoprost (Xalatan: Pfizer), which is listed on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines. n-3 PUFA-derived mediators have received less attention, in part because early studies suggested that n-3 PUFA act simply as competitive substrates for biotransformation enzymes and decrease the formation of n-6 PUFA-derived lipid mediators. However, more recent studies suggest that n-3 PUFA-derived mediators are biologically important in their own right. It is now emerging that many n-3 PUFA-derived lipid mediators have potent and diverse activities that are distinct from their n-6 counterparts. These findings provide new opportunities for drug discovery. Herein, we review the biosynthesis of n-3 PUFA-derived lipid mediators and highlight their biological actions that may be exploited for drug development. Lastly, we provide examples of medicinal chemistry research that has utilized n-3 PUFA-derived lipid mediators as novel lead compounds in drug design.
Peiris, CR, Ciampi, S, Dief, EM, Zhang, J, Canfield, PJ, Le Brun, AP, Kosov, DS, Reimers, JR & Darwish, N 2020, 'Spontaneous S–Si bonding of alkanethiols to Si(111)–H: towards Si–molecule–Si circuits', Chemical Science, vol. 11, no. 20, pp. 5246-5256.
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Spontaneously formed Si–S bonds enable monolayer and single-molecule Si–molecule–Si circuits.
Peneaux, C, Hansbro, PM, Jobling, P, Holdsworth, JL & Griffin, AS 2020, 'Tissue structure contributes to the production of a coloured skin display in the Common Myna', Avian Biology Research, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 100-107.
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Conspicuous coloured displays from ultraviolet to bright red have been documented in many species throughout the animal kingdom. These colours often occur as sexual signals and can be incorporated into different types of integuments (e.g. scales, feathers, skin). Two main mechanisms are known to produce coloured integuments: pigmentation and tissue structure. Although pigmental and structural coloration are separate mechanisms and can occur independently, some coloured displays might emerge from a combination of both. Here, we demonstrate, using biochemical, optical and morphological methodologies, that the yellow coloration of the skin located around the eye of Common (Indian) Mynas ( Acridotheres tristis) is produced by both light-reflecting nanostructures and light-absorbing carotenoid pigments. Our analysis confirms that nanostructured collagen in the avian dermis work in combination with carotenoid pigments to produce vivid integumentary colours. Identifying the mechanisms behind the production of a coloured signal provides a basis for predicting how a signal’s function might be influenced by environmental factors such as fledgling nutrition.
Pereira, RRC, Scanes, E, Gibbs, M, Byrne, M & Ross, PM 2020, 'Can prior exposure to stress enhance resilience to ocean warming in two oyster species?', PLOS ONE, vol. 15, no. 4, pp. e0228527-e0228527.
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Securing economically and ecologically significant molluscs, as our oceans warm due to climate change, is a global priority. South eastern Australia receives warm water in a strengthening East Australia Current and so resident species are vulnerable to elevated temperature and marine heat waves. This study tested whether prior exposure to elevated temperature can enhance resilience of oysters to ocean warming. Two Australian species, the flat oyster, Ostrea angasi, and the Sydney rock oyster, Saccostrea glomerata, were obtained as adults and 'heat shocked' by exposure to a dose of warm water in the laboratory. Oysters were then transferred to elevated seawater temperature conditions where the thermal outfall from power generation was used as a proxy to investigate the impacts of ocean warming. Shell growth, condition index, lipid content and survival of flat oysters and condition of Sydney rock oysters were all significantly reduced by elevated seawater temperature in the field. Flat oysters grew faster than Sydney rock oysters at ambient temperature, but their growth and survival was more sensitive to elevated temperature. 'Stress inoculation' by heat shock did little to ameliorate the negative effects of increased temperature, although the survival of heat-shocked flat oysters was greater than non-heat shocked oysters. Further investigations are required to determine if early exposure to heat stress can enhance resilience of oysters to ocean warming.
Pernice, M, Raina, J-B, Rädecker, N, Cárdenas, A, Pogoreutz, C & Voolstra, CR 2020, 'Down to the bone: the role of overlooked endolithic microbiomes in reef coral health', The ISME Journal, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 325-334.
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Abstract Reef-building corals harbour an astonishing diversity of microorganisms, including endosymbiotic microalgae, bacteria, archaea, and fungi. The metabolic interactions within this symbiotic consortium are fundamental to the ecological success of corals and the unique productivity of coral reef ecosystems. Over the last two decades, scientific efforts have been primarily channelled into dissecting the symbioses occurring in coral tissues. Although easily accessible, this compartment is only 2–3 mm thick, whereas the underlying calcium carbonate skeleton occupies the vast internal volume of corals. Far from being devoid of life, the skeleton harbours a wide array of algae, endolithic fungi, heterotrophic bacteria, and other boring eukaryotes, often forming distinct bands visible to the bare eye. Some of the critical functions of these endolithic microorganisms in coral health, such as nutrient cycling and metabolite transfer, which could enable the survival of corals during thermal stress, have long been demonstrated. In addition, some of these microorganisms can dissolve calcium carbonate, weakening the coral skeleton and therefore may play a major role in reef erosion. Yet, experimental data are wanting due to methodological limitations. Recent technological and conceptual advances now allow us to tease apart the complex physical, ecological, and chemical interactions at the heart of coral endolithic microbial communities. These new capabilities have resulted in an excellent body of research and provide an exciting outlook to further address the functional microbial ecology of the “overlooked” coral skeleton.
Petroll, K, Care, A, Bergquist, PL & Sunna, A 2020, 'A novel framework for the cell-free enzymatic production of glucaric acid', Metabolic Engineering, vol. 57, pp. 162-173.
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Pettit, T, Irga, PJ & Torpy, FR 2020, 'The botanical biofiltration of elevated air pollution concentrations associated the Black Summer wildfire natural disaster', Journal of Hazardous Materials Letters, vol. 1, pp. 100003-100003.
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Phan, K, Barash, M, Spindler, X, Gunn, P & Roux, C 2020, 'Retrieving forensic information about the donor through bacterial profiling', International Journal of Legal Medicine, vol. 134, no. 1, pp. 21-29.
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© 2019, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. When fingermarks are left on a surface, bacteria originating from the donor’s skin are also deposited. The skin microbiome is believed to be extremely diverse between individuals, allowing for potential matching between the bacterial communities and touched objects, known as “bacterial profiling”. This study stepped further and investigated how the bacterial profile could be used as an indicator of donor characteristics of potential forensic intelligence interest. Forty-five participants were asked to touch DNA-free playing cards with their dominant and non-dominant hands. Cards were swabbed and bacterial communities determined through 16S rRNA sequencing. Diversity and abundance of bacteria were compared to donor characteristics of gender, age, ethnicity, handedness, home location, sample location, occupation, diet type, use of moisturisers, use of hand sanitisers and use of public transport. Correlations between the bacterial profile with gender, ethnicity, diet type and hand sanitiser use were found. Specifically, the absence of Lactococcus indicated a primarily Chinese diet, while the absence of Alloiococcus indicated female gender, Asian ethnicity and hand sanitiser use. Testing of the prediction models demonstrated highest accuracy for gender estimation, while the prediction of other characteristics showed lower success. This study showed a correlation between the presence of certain bacterial species on donor’s hands and personal characteristics of potential forensic relevance, thus demonstrating a novel application of microbiome genotyping in forensic science.
Phan, M-D, Bottomley, AL, Peters, KM, Harry, EJ & Schembri, MA 2020, 'Uncovering novel susceptibility targets to enhance the efficacy of third-generation cephalosporins against ESBL-producing uropathogenic Escherichia coli', Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, vol. 75, no. 6, pp. 1415-1423.
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AbstractBackgroundUropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) are a major cause of urinary tract infection (UTI), one of the most common infectious diseases in humans. UPEC are increasingly associated with resistance to multiple antibiotics. This includes resistance to third-generation cephalosporins, a common class of antibiotics frequently used to treat UTI.MethodsWe employed a high-throughput genome-wide screen using saturated transposon mutagenesis and transposon directed insertion-site sequencing (TraDIS) together with phenotypic resistance assessment to identify key genes required for survival of the MDR UPEC ST131 strain EC958 in the presence of the third-generation cephalosporin cefotaxime.ResultsWe showed that blaCMY-23 is the major ESBL gene in EC958 responsible for mediating resistance to cefotaxime. Our screen also revealed that mutation of genes involved in cell division and the twin-arginine translocation pathway sensitized EC958 to cefotaxime. The role of these cell-division and protein-secretion genes in cefotaxime resistance was confirmed through the construction of mutants and phenotypic testing. Mutation of these genes also sensitized EC958 to other cephalosporins.ConclusionsThis work provides an exemplar for the application of TraDIS to define molecular mechanisms of resistance to antibiotics. The identification of mutants that sensitize UPEC to cefotaxime, despite the presence of a cephalosporinase, provides a framework for the development of new approaches to treat infections caused by MDR pathogens.
Phong Vo, HN, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Hong Nguyen, TM, Li, J, Liang, H, Deng, L, Chen, Z & Hang Nguyen, TA 2020, 'Poly‐and perfluoroalkyl substances in water and wastewater: A comprehensive review from sources to remediation', Journal of Water Process Engineering, vol. 36, pp. 101393-101393.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are pollutants have attracted major concern due to their high persistence and bioaccumulation. They are causing increasingly serious epidemiological problems in many communities globally due to consuming PFAS-contaminated water sources. Necessarily, the behavior of PFAS in water and wastewater needs to be understood better. This study attempts to comprehensively review, analyze and discuss PFAS based on the following key aspects: (i) sources, (ii) occurrence in water and wastewater, (iii) transformation, fate and migration, and (iv) remediation technologies. Studies indicated that modern water and wastewater treatment plants cannot deal completely with PFAS and in some cases, the removal efficiency is minus -3500-fold. The main reasons are the high hydrophobicity of PFAS and presence of PFAS precursors. Precursors can account for 33–63% of total PFAS concentration in water and wastewater. Detection and identification of precursors are challenging due to the requirement of advanced analytical instrument and standard chemicals. Several technologies have been developed for PFAS remediation involving two main mechanisms: separation-concentration and destruction. The most widespread in-use technology is adsorption because it is reasonably affordable. Anion exchange resin and synthesized materials are the most effective sorbents having a sorption capacity of 100–2000 mg PFAS/g sorbent, effective within a few hours. The destruction technology such as plasma can also be a promising one for degrading PFAS to below health-based standard in 1 min. However, plasma is costly and not yet ready for full scale application.
Piochon, M, Coulon, PML, Caulet, A, Groleau, M-C, Déziel, E & Gauthier, C 2020, 'Synthesis and Antimicrobial Activity of Burkholderia-Related 4-Hydroxy-3-methyl-2-alkenylquinolines (HMAQs) and Their N-Oxide Counterparts', Journal of Natural Products, vol. 83, no. 7, pp. 2145-2154.
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Pissuwan, D, Gazzana, C, Mongkolsuk, S & Cortie, MB 2020, 'Single and multiple detections of foodborne pathogens by gold nanoparticle assays', WIREs Nanomedicine and Nanobiotechnology, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. e1584-e1584.
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AbstractA late detection of pathogenic microorganisms in food and drinking water has a high potential to cause adverse health impacts in those who have ingested the pathogens. For this reason there is intense interest in developing precise, rapid and sensitive assays that can detect multiple foodborne pathogens. Such assays would be valuable components in the campaign to minimize foodborne illness. Here, we discuss the emerging types of assays based on gold nanoparticles (GNPs) for rapidly diagnosing single or multiple foodborne pathogen infections. Colorimetric and lateral flow assays based on GNPs may be read by the human eye. Refractometric sensors based on a shift in the position of a plasmon resonance absorption peak can be read by the new generation of inexpensive optical spectrometers. Surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy and the quartz microbalance require slightly more sophisticated equipment but can be very sensitive. A wide range of electrochemical techniques are also under development. Given the range of options provided by GNPs, we confidently expect that some, or all, of these technologies will eventually enter routine use for detecting pathogens in food.This article is categorized under:Diagnostic Tools > Biosensing
PLATEN, E & RENDEK, R 2020, 'APPROXIMATING THE GROWTH OPTIMAL PORTFOLIO AND STOCK PRICE BUBBLES', International Journal of Theoretical and Applied Finance, vol. 23, no. 07, pp. 2050048-2050048.
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In practice, optimal portfolio construction for large stock markets has never been conclusively resolved because estimating the required means of returns with sufficient accuracy is a highly intractable task. By avoiding estimation, this paper approximates closely the growth optimal portfolio (GP) for the stocks of developed markets with a well-diversified, hierarchically weighted index (HWI). For stocks denominated in units of the HWI, their current value turns out to be strictly greater than their future expected values, which indicates the existence of stock price bubbles that could be systematically exploited for long-term asset management. It is shown that the HWI does not leave much room for significant performance improvements as proxy for the GP.
Poddar, N, Elahee Doomun, SN, Callahan, DL, Kowalski, GM & Martin, GJO 2020, 'The assimilation of glycerol into lipid acyl chains and associated carbon backbones of Nannochloropsis salina varies under nitrogen replete and deplete conditions', Biotechnology and Bioengineering, vol. 117, no. 11, pp. 3299-3309.
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AbstractMixotrophic cultivation can increase microalgae productivity, yet the associated lipid metabolism remains mostly unknown. Stable isotope labeling was used to track assimilation of glycerol into the triacylglyceride (TAG) and membrane lipids of Nannochloropsis salina. In N‐replete media, glycerol uptake and 13C incorporation into acyl chains were, respectively, 6‐fold and 12‐fold higher than in N‐deplete conditions. In N‐replete cultures, 42% of the carbon in the consumed glycerol was assimilated into lipid acyl chains, mostly in membrane lipids rather than TAG. In N‐deplete cultures, only 11% of the limited amount of consumed glycerol was fixed into lipid acyl chains. Labeled lipid‐associated glycerol backbones were predominantly 13C3 labeled, suggesting that intact glycerol molecules were directly esterified with fatty acids/polar head groups. However, the presence of singly and doubly labeled lipid‐bound glycerol species suggested that some glycerol also went through the central carbon metabolism before forming glycerol‐3‐phosphate destined for lipid esterification. 13C incorporation was higher in the saturated and monounsaturated than the polyunsaturated acyl chains of TAG, indicating the flux of carbon from glycerol went first to de novo fatty acid synthesis before acyl editing reactions. The results demonstrate that nitrogen availability influences both glycerol consumption and utilization for lipid synthesis in Nannochloropsis, providing novel insights for developing mixotrophic cultivation strategies.
Poddar, N, Sen, R & Martin, GJO 2020, 'Bacterial abundance and diversity in Microchloropsis salina (formerly Nannochloropsis salina) cultures in response to the presence of ammonium, nitrate and glycerol', Journal of Applied Phycology, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 839-850.
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Poh, W-H, Lin, J, Colley, B, Müller, N, Goh, BC, Schleheck, D, El Sahili, A, Marquardt, A, Liang, Y, Kjelleberg, S, Lescar, J, Rice, SA & Klebensberger, J 2020, 'The SiaABC threonine phosphorylation pathway controls biofilm formation in response to carbon availability in Pseudomonas aeruginosa', PLOS ONE, vol. 15, no. 11, pp. e0241019-e0241019.
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The critical role of bacterial biofilms in chronic human infections calls for novel anti-biofilm strategies targeting the regulation of biofilm development. However, the regulation of biofilm development is very complex and can include multiple, highly interconnected signal transduction/response pathways, which are incompletely understood. We demonstrated previously that in the opportunistic, human pathogen P. aeruginosa, the PP2C-like protein phosphatase SiaA and the di-guanylate cyclase SiaD control the formation of macroscopic cellular aggregates, a type of suspended biofilms, in response to surfactant stress. In this study, we demonstrate that the SiaABC proteins represent a signal response pathway that functions through a partner switch mechanism to control biofilm formation. We also demonstrate that SiaABCD functionality is dependent on carbon substrate availability for a variety of substrates, and that upon carbon starvation, SiaB mutants show impaired dispersal, in particular with the primary fermentation product ethanol. This suggests that carbon availability is at least one of the key environmental cues integrated by the SiaABCD system. Further, our biochemical, physiological and crystallographic data reveals that the phosphatase SiaA and its kinase counterpart SiaB balance the phosphorylation status of their target protein SiaC at threonine 68 (T68). Crystallographic analysis of the SiaA-PP2C domain shows that SiaA is present as a dimer. Dynamic modelling of SiaA with SiaC suggested that SiaA interacts strongly with phosphorylated SiaC and dissociates rapidly upon dephosphorylation of SiaC. Further, we show that the known phosphatase inhibitor fumonisin inhibits SiaA mediated phosphatase activity in vitro. In conclusion, the present work improves our understanding of how P. aeuruginosa integrates speci...
Poon, C, Chou, J, Cortie, M & Kabakova, I 2020, 'Brillouin imaging for studies of micromechanics in biology and biomedicine: from current state-of-the-art to future clinical translation', Journal of Physics: Photonics, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 1-25.
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Brillouin imaging is increasingly recognized to be a powerful technique thatenables non-invasive measurement of the mechanical properties of cells andtissues on a microscopic scale. This provides an unprecedented tool forinvestigating cell mechanobiology, cell-matrix interactions, tissuebiomechanics in healthy and disease conditions and other fundamental biologicalquestions. Recent advances in optical hardware have particularly acceleratedthe development of the technique, with increasingly finer spectral resolutionand more powerful system capabilities. We envision that further developmentswill enable translation of Brillouin imaging to assess clinical specimens andsamples for disease screening and monitoring. The purpose of this review is tosummarize the state-of-the-art in Brillouin microscopy and imaging with aspecific focus on biological tissue and cell measurements. Key system andoperational requirements will be discussed to facilitate wider application ofBrillouin imaging along with current challenges for translation of thetechnology for clinical and medical applications.
Porojan, C, Abbas, F, Mowe, MAD, Lehane, M, Mitrovic, SM, Lim, RP, Yeo, DCJ & Furey, A 2020, 'Survey of microcystins in Singapore's reservoirs using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)', Marine and Freshwater Research, vol. 71, no. 5, pp. 659-659.
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Microcystins (MCs) are a group of toxins produced by certain cyanobacteria that occur naturally in fresh waters and can cause acute poisoning in humans and animals. Because cyanobacteria have been found in the freshwater reservoirs of Singapore, a comprehensive survey for cyanotoxins was undertaken over a 12-month period in 17 reservoirs from November 2012 to October 2013. For the quantitative analysis of the reservoir samples, an liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed that targeted the following hepatotoxins: MC-LR, MC-RR, MC-LW, MC-LF, MC-WR and MC-LY. The most prevalent MC variants identified were MC-LR and MC-RR. Results showed that the level of intracellular MC-LR in the raw or untreated water was close to the World Health Organisation (WHO) provisional MC-LR drinking water guideline of 1μgL–1 for 1 of 200 samples tested (0.8μgL–1), and that intracellular MC concentrations were above 0.3μgL–1 in samples collected from four reservoirs. Based on random forest analysis, total monthly rainfall and total nitrogen concentrations were found to be the most important factors affecting intracellular MC concentrations for these four reservoirs. The toxin levels for the other reservoirs were relatively low compared with the WHO provisional MC-LR guideline limit of 1.0μgL–1.
Portelli, MA, Dijk, FN, Ketelaar, ME, Shrine, N, Hankinson, J, Bhaker, S, Grotenboer, NS, Obeidat, M, Henry, AP, Billington, CK, Shaw, D, Johnson, SR, Pogson, ZEK, Fogarty, A, McKeever, TM, Nickle, DC, Bossé, Y, van den Berge, M, Faiz, A, Brouwer, S, Vonk, JM, de Vos, P, Brandsma, C-A, Vermeulen, CJ, Singapuri, A, Heaney, LG, Mansur, AH, Chaudhuri, R, Thomson, NC, Holloway, JW, Lockett, GA, Howarth, PH, Niven, R, Simpson, A, Blakey, JD, Tobin, MD, Postma, DS, Hall, IP, Wain, LV, Nawijn, MC, Brightling, CE, Koppelman, GH & Sayers, I 2020, 'Phenotypic and functional translation of IL1RL1 locus polymorphisms in lung tissue and asthmatic airway epithelium', JCI Insight, vol. 5, no. 8.
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The IL1RL1 (ST2) gene locus is robustly associated with asthma; however, the contribution of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in this locus to specific asthma subtypes and the functional mechanisms underlying these associations remain to be defined. We tested for association between IL1RL1 region SNPs and characteristics of asthma as defined by clinical and immunological measures and addressed functional effects of these genetic variants in lung tissue and airway epithelium. Utilizing 4 independent cohorts (Lifelines, Dutch Asthma GWAS [DAG], Genetics of Asthma Severity and Phenotypes [GASP], and Manchester Asthma and Allergy Study [MAAS]) and resequencing data, we identified 3 key signals associated with asthma features. Investigations in lung tissue and primary bronchial epithelial cells identified context-dependent relationships between the signals and IL1RL1 mRNA and soluble protein expression. This was also observed for asthma-associated IL1RL1 nonsynonymous coding TIR domain SNPs. Bronchial epithelial cell cultures from asthma patients, exposed to exacerbation-relevant stimulations, revealed modulatory effects for all 4 signals on IL1RL1 mRNA and/or protein expression, suggesting SNP-environment interactions. The IL1RL1 TIR signaling domain haplotype affected IL-33-driven NF-κB signaling, while not interfering with TLR signaling. In summary, we identify that IL1RL1 genetic signals potentially contribute to severe and eosinophilic phenotypes in asthma, as well as provide initial mechanistic insight, including genetic regulation of IL1RL1 isoform expression and receptor signaling.
Poulsen, LL, Kudirkiene, E, Jørgensen, SL, Djordjevic, SP, Cummins, ML, Christensen, JP, Christensen, H, Bisgaard, M & Thøfner, I 2020, 'Whole genome sequence comparison of avian pathogenic Escherichia coli from acute and chronic salpingitis of egg laying hens', BMC Veterinary Research, vol. 16, no. 1, p. 148.
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AbstractBackgroundInfection in the oviduct (salpingitis) is the most common bacterial infection in egg laying hens and is mainly caused by Escherichia coli. The disease is responsible for decreased animal welfare, considerable economic loss as well as a risk of horizontal and vertical transmission of pathogenic E. coli. The outcome of salpingitis may be either acute or chronic. It has not yet been clarified whether the pathological manifestation is a result of the characteristics of the E. coli or whether the manifestation is associated with host factors such as host immunity.ResultsFrom the core- and accessory genome analysis and comparison of 62 E. coli no genetic markers were found to be associated to either acute or chronic infection. Twenty of the 62 genomes harboured at least one antimicrobial resistance gene with resistance against sulfonamides being the most common. The increased serum survival and iron chelating genes iss and iroN were highly prevalent in genomes from both acute and chronic salpingitis.ConclusionOur analysis revealed that no genetic markers could differentiate the E. coli isolated from acute versus chronic salpingitis in egg laying hens. The difference in pathological outcome may be related to other factors such as immunological status, genetics and health of the host. These data indicate that salpingitis is another manifestation of colibacillosis.
Poursheikhani, A, Bahmanpour, Z, Razmara, E, Mashouri, L, Taheri, M, Morshedi Rad, D, Yousefi, H, Bitaraf, A & Babashah, S 2020, 'Non-coding RNAs underlying chemoresistance in gastric cancer', Cellular Oncology, vol. 43, no. 6, pp. 961-988.
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Background
Gastric cancer (GC) is a major health issue in the Western world. Current clinical imperatives for this disease include the identification of more effective biomarkers to detect GC at early stages and enhance the prevention and treatment of metastatic and chemoresistant GC. The advent of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), particularly microRNAs (miRNAs) and long-non coding RNAs (lncRNAs), has led to a better understanding of the mechanisms by which GC cells acquire features of therapy resistance. ncRNAs play critical roles in normal physiology, but their dysregulation has been detected in a variety of cancers, including GC. A subset of ncRNAs is GC-specific, implying their potential application as biomarkers and/or therapeutic targets. Hence, evaluating the specific functions of ncRNAs will help to expand novel treatment options for GC.
Conclusions
In this review, we summarize some of the well-known ncRNAs that play a role in the development and progression of GC. We also review the application of such ncRNAs in clinical diagnostics and trials as potential biomarkers. Obviously, a deeper understanding of the biology and function of ncRNAs underlying chemoresistance can broaden horizons toward the development of personalized therapy against GC.
Poursheikhani, A, Nokhandani, N, Yousefi, H, Rad, DM & Sahebkar, A 2020, 'Clinicopathological Significance of Long Non-Coding RNA GHET1 in Human Cancers: A Meta-Analysis', Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, vol. 21, no. 14, pp. 1422-1432.
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Introduction:Cancer is considered as the main public health problem and the second leadingcause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Numerous environmental-lifestyle related risk factorsaccount for around one-third of cancer deaths. Recently, the key role of lncRNAs has been widely investigatedin a variety of disorders, including cancer. The lncRNA GHET1 has been considered as anessential oncogenic lncRNA in many types of human cancers. Clinical investigations indicated that expressionof lncRNA GHET1 is correlated with clinicopathological characteristics in cancer. This metaanalysisinvestigated the correlation between the lncRNA GHET1 expression and clinicopathologicalfeatures in different types of cancers.Materials and Methods:Comprehensive literature searches in PubMed, Scopus, and Web ofKnowledge were conducted up to April 11, 2019. Sixteen studies were included in this meta-analysis.All statistical analyses were conducted using Stata software, version 12.0.Results:The pooled OR and 95%CIs of the sixteen relevant studies showed that over expression oflncRNA GHET1 was associated with tumor-size ≥5 cm (OR= 2.51, 95% CI: 1.89-3.33, p=0.00,I2=38.30%), positive lymph node metastasis (OR= 2.83, 95% CI: 1.78-4.52, p=0.00, I2=45.60%), advancedtumor stage (OR= 3.92, 95% CI: 2.97-5.19, p=0.00, I2=0.00%), positive distant metastasis(OR= 5.74, 95% CI: 2.58-12.77, p=0.00, I2=0.00%), advanced tumor status (OR= 2.97, 95% CI: 1.40-6.29, p=0.01, I2=34.70%), and positive vascular invasion (OR= 2.69, 95% CI: 1.61-4.50, p=0.00,I2=29.20%).Conclusion:Taken together, the current study demonstrated that overexpression of lncRNA GHET1 issignificantly associated with clinicopathological features in human cancers. Our ...
Prasad, E, Hitchcock, C, Raymond, J, Cole, A, Barash, M, Gunn, P, McNevin, D & van Oorschot, RAH 2020, 'DNA recovery from unfired and fired cartridge cases: A comparison of swabbing, tape lifting, vacuum filtration, and direct PCR', Forensic Science International, vol. 317, pp. 110507-110507.
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The ability to recover trace DNA from fired cartridge cases can help establish important leads regarding the handler of the ammunition. Over recent years, several DNA recovery techniques for fired ammunition have been published. Three techniques of significant interest include tape lifting, direct PCR, and vacuum filtration. This study aimed to compare these to the swabbing method currently employed in our jurisdiction. Brass and nickel cartridges of five different calibres were spiked with 20ng of saliva and subject to DNA collection using all four DNA recovery methods. Unfired and fired cartridges were tested to examine the effects of firing. Swabbing recovered a greater quantity of DNA than vacuum filtration while no significant differences were found between swabbing and tape-lifting. The calibre of ammunition had no effect on DNA recovery. Firing significantly reduced DNA yield from nickel cartridges, while unfired brass cartridges returned less DNA than unfired nickel cartridges. PCR inhibition was not observed in any samples, although degradation indices suggested that most samples were slightly or moderately degraded. Analysis of profiles showed that swabbing and tape lifting resulted in greater numbers of alleles from fired nickel and brass cartridges compared to direct PCR. Samples from nickel cartridges were found to have a greater number of uploadable profiles than samples from brass cartridges. In addition, three mixed profiles were obtained from the single source spiked cartridges as well as evidence of pre-existing DNA on uncleaned cartridges and contaminating alleles on cleaned cartridges. Our results suggest that tape-lifting can be a suitable alternative to swabbing, but that caution must be taken when interpreting profiles from fired cartridge cases as small amounts of DNA not associated with the handling of the cartridges may be present.
Prasher, P, Sharma, M, Mehta, M, Paudel, KR, Satija, S, Chellappan, DK, Dureja, H, Gupta, G, Tambuwala, MM, Negi, P, Wich, PR, Hansbro, NG, Hansbro, PM & Dua, K 2020, 'Plants derived therapeutic strategies targeting chronic respiratory diseases: Chemical and immunological perspective', Chemico-Biological Interactions, vol. 325, pp. 109125-109125.
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The apparent predicament of the representative chemotherapy for managing respiratory distress calls for an obligatory deliberation for identifying the pharmaceuticals that effectively counter the contemporary intricacies associated with target disease. Multiple, complex regulatory pathways manifest chronic pulmonary disorders, which require chemotherapeutics that produce composite inhibitory effect. The cost effective natural product based molecules hold a high fervor to meet the prospects posed by current respiratory-distress therapy by sparing the tedious drug design and development archetypes, present a robust standing for the possible replacement of the fading practice of poly-pharmacology, and ensure the subversion of a potential disease relapse. This study summarizes the experimental evidences on natural products moieties and their components that illustrates therapeutic efficacy on respiratory disorders.
Price, S, Kuzhiumparambil, U, Pernice, M & Ralph, PJ 2020, 'Cyanobacterial polyhydroxybutyrate for sustainable bioplastic production: Critical review and perspectives', Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 104007-104007.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd. PHB is a promising bioplastic material that naturally accumulates in many strains of cyanobacteria. This comprehensive review covers recent advances in several topics including PHB metabolism, material properties, relevant extraction methods and protocols, industrial cultivation strategy, current economic assessment and much more. Ultimately, the profitability of cyanobacterial PHB production is controlled by low PHB productivity as well as expensive cultivation and harvesting equipment. Several research areas for improving viability of cyanobacterial PHB production have also been summarised and perspectives on future efforts suggested including; screening, genetic modification, wastewater cultivation and using chemical modulators among others.
Prihandoko, R, Kaur, D, Wiegman, CH, Alvarez-Curto, E, Donovan, C, Chachi, L, Ulven, T, Tyas, MR, Euston, E, Dong, Z, Alharbi, AGM, Kim, R, Lowe, JG, Hansbro, PM, Chung, KF, Brightling, CE, Milligan, G & Tobin, AB 2020, 'Pathophysiological regulation of lung function by the free fatty acid receptor FFA4', Science Translational Medicine, vol. 12, no. 557.
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AbstractIncreased prevalence of inflammatory airway diseases including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) together with a significant number of patients being inadequately controlled by current frontline treatments means that there is a need to define novel therapeutic targets for these conditions1. Here we investigate a member of the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) family, FFA4, which responds to free circulating fatty acids, including dietary omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oils2–4. Although usually associated with metabolic responses linked with food intake, we show that FFA4 is expressed in the lung where it is coupled to Gq/11-signalling. Activation of FFA4 by drug-like agonists produced relaxation of murine airway smooth muscle mediated, at least in part, by the release of the prostaglandin PGE2 that subsequently acts on EP2 prostanoid receptors. In normal mice, activation of FFA4 resulted in a decrease in lung resistance. Importantly, in acute and chronic ozone models of pollution-mediated inflammation, and in house-dust mite and cigarette smoke-induced inflammatory disease, FFA4 agonists acted to reduce airway resistance, whilst this response was absent in mice lacking expression of FFA4. The expression profile of FFA4 in human lung was very similar to that observed in mice and the response to FFA4/FFA1 agonists similarly mediated human airway smooth muscle relaxation. Hence, our study provides evidence that pharmacological targeting of lung FFA4, and possibly combined activation of FFA4 and FFA1, has in vivo efficacy that might have therapeutic value in the treatment of bronchoconstriction associated with inflammatory airway diseases such as asthma and COPD.
Prihandoko, R, Kaur, D, Wiegman, CH, Alvarez-Curto, E, Donovan, C, Chachi, L, Ulven, T, Tyas, MR, Euston, E, Dong, Z, Alharbi, AGM, Kim, RY, Lowe, JG, Hansbro, PM, Chung, KF, Brightling, CE, Milligan, G & Tobin, AB 2020, 'Pathophysiological regulation of lung function by the free fatty acid receptor FFA4', Science Translational Medicine, vol. 12, no. 557, pp. eaaw9009-eaaw9009.
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FFA4 receptor agonism corrects dysfunctional lung responses and inflammation in models and is a potential target for inflammatory lung disease.
Pyke, GH, Kalman, JRM, Bordin, DM, Blanes, L & Doble, PA 2020, 'Patterns of floral nectar standing crops allow plants to manipulate their pollinators', Scientific Reports, vol. 10, no. 1.
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Abstract‘Pollination syndromes’ involving floral nectar have eluded satisfactory evolutionary explanation. For example, floral nectars for vertebrate-pollinated plants average low sugar concentrations, while such animals prefer high concentrations, perplexing pollination biologists and arousing recent controversy. Such relationships should result from evolutionary games, with plants and pollinators adopting Evolutionarily Stable Strategies, and nectar manipulating rather than attracting pollinators. Plant potential to manipulate pollinators depends on relationships between neighbouring flowers within plants, for all nectar attributes, but this has not been investigated. We measured nectar volume, concentration and sugar composition for open flowers on naturally-growing Blandfordia grandiflora plants, presenting classic bird-pollinated plant syndrome. To evaluate potential pollinator manipulation through nectar, we analysed relationships between neighbouring flowers for nectar volume, concentration, proportion sucrose, log(fructose/glucose), and sugar weight. To evaluate potential attraction of repeat-visits to flowers or plants through nectar, we compared attributes between successive days. Nearby flowers were positively correlated for all attributes, except log(fructose/glucose) as fructose≈glucose. Most relationships between nectar attributes for flowers and plants on successive days were non-significant. Nectar-feeding pollinators should therefore decide whether to visit another flower on a plant, based on all attributes of nectar just-obtained, enabling plants to manipulate pollinators through adjusting nectar. Plants are unlikely to attract repeat pollinator-visits through nectar production. Floral nectar evolution is conceptually straightforward but empirically challenging. A mutant plant deviating from the population in attributes of nectar-production per flower would manipulate, rather ...
Qian, Z, Li, X, Sun, B, Du, L, Wang, Y, Zuo, P, Yin, G, Zhang, J, Sun, B & Wang, G 2020, 'Unraveling the Promotion Effects of a Soluble Cobaltocene Catalyst with Respect to Li–O2 Battery Discharge', The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, vol. 11, no. 17, pp. 7028-7034.
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The discharge process of a nonaqueous Li-O2 battery at the cathode is the direct oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) with the formation of discharge product, e.g., Li2O2, deposits on the cathode surface. The aggressive superoxide intermediate generated during the ORR severely degrades the organic electrolyte and carbon-based cathodes. To avoid the formation of superoxide species and promote the growth of Li2O2 in the electrolyte solution, we employ a soluble cobaltocene [Co(C5H5)2, Cp2Co] as a homogeneous molecule catalyst to boost the discharge performance of Li-O2 batteries. Owing to the unique chemical reactivity of Cp2Co with molecular oxygen, the electrochemistry of the discharge process at the cathode is the (Cp2Co)2II-O22- adduct-mediated process rather than direct electrochemical oxygen reduction, thereby avoiding the formation of aggressive superoxide intermediate. In addition, the strong intermolecular attraction between Cp2Co and the newly formed Li2O2 promotes the solution phase growth of Li2O2, which effectively suppresses electrode passivation.
Qu, X & Donnelly, R 2020, 'Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin (SHBG) as an Early Biomarker and Therapeutic Target in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome', International Journal of Molecular Sciences, vol. 21, no. 21, pp. 8191-8191.
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Human sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) is a glycoprotein produced by the liver that binds sex steroids with high affinity and specificity. Clinical observations and reports in the literature have suggested a negative correlation between circulating SHBG levels and markers of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and insulin resistance. Decreased SHBG levels increase the bioavailability of androgens, which in turn leads to progression of ovarian pathology, anovulation and the phenotypic characteristics of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). This review will use a case report to illustrate the inter-relationships between SHBG, NAFLD and PCOS. In particular, we will review the evidence that low hepatic SHBG production may be a key step in the pathogenesis of PCOS. Furthermore, there is emerging evidence that serum SHBG levels may be useful as a diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for managing women with PCOS.
Quan, D, Ji, D, Wen, Q, Du, L, Wang, L, Jia, P, Liu, D, Ding, L, Dong, H, Lu, D, Jiang, L & Guo, W 2020, 'Laterally Heterogeneous 2D Layered Materials as an Artificial Light‐Harvesting Proton Pump', Advanced Functional Materials, vol. 30, no. 34.
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AbstractHeterogeneous structures in nacre‐mimetic 2D layered materials generate novel transport phenomena in angstrom range, and thus provide new possibilities for innovative applications for sustainable energy, a clean environment, and human healthcare. In the two orthogonal transport directions, either vertical or horizontal, heterostructures in horizontal direction have never been reported before. Here, a 2D‐material‐based laterally heterogeneous membrane is fabricated via an unconventional dual‐flow filtration method. Negatively and positively charged graphene oxide multilayers are laterally patterned and interconnected in a planar configuration. Upon visible light illumination on the bipolar nanofluidic heterojunction, protons are able to move uphill against their concentration gradient, functioning as a light‐harvesting proton pump. A maximum proton concentration gradient of about 5.4 pH units mm−2 membrane area can be established at a transport rate up to 14.8 mol h−1 m−2. The transport mechanism can be understood as a light‐triggered asymmetric polarization in surface potential and the consequent change in proton capacity in separate parts. The implementation of photonic–ionic conversion with abiotic materials provides a full‐solid‐state solution for bionic vision and artificial photosynthesis. There is plenty of room to expect the laterally heterogeneous membranes for new functions and better performance in the abundant family of liquid processable colloidal 2D materials.
Raes, E, Karsh, K, Sow, S, Ostrowski, M, Brown, M, de Kamp, JV, Franco-Santos, R, Bodrossy, L & Waite, A 2020, 'Metabolic pathways inferred from a bacterial marker gene illuminate ecological changes across South Pacific frontal boundaries'.
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Abstract Global oceanographic monitoring initiatives started by measuring abiotic essential ocean variables but are currently incorporating biological and metagenomic sampling. There is, however, a large gap between the taxonomic information produced by bacterial genomic analyses and information on bacterial functions, which is sought by biogeochemists, ecologists, and modellers. Here, we provide a mechanistic understanding of how a bacterial marker gene (16S rRNA) can be used to derive latitudinal trends for core metabolic pathways and, ultimately, be used for mapping ecosystem function change in global monitoring campaigns. From a transect spanning 7000 km in the South Pacific Ocean we identified ten metabolic pathways, which were related to ecological processes of primary productivity, temperature-regulated growth, coping strategies for nutrient limitation, energy metabolism, and degradation. We compared and contrasted these metabolic pathways with measured physico-biochemical parameters within and between oceanographic provinces, and found that functional diversity is as affected by oceanographic boundaries as is taxonomic composition. This study demonstrates that bacterial marker gene data, sampled and analysed with low costs and high throughput, can be used to infer on metabolic changes at the community scale. Such analyses may provide insight into the drivers of ecological changes and, overall, into the effects of biodiversity on marine ecosystem functioning.
Rahman, A, Islam, MJ, Rahman, Z, Reza, MM, Anwar, A, Mahmud, MAP, Nasir, MK & Noor, RM 2020, 'DistB-Condo: Distributed Blockchain-Based IoT-SDN Model for Smart Condominium', IEEE Access, vol. 8, pp. 209594-209609.
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Rani, A, Johansen, MD, Roquet-Banères, F, Kremer, L, Awolade, P, Ebenezer, O, Singh, P, Sumanjit & Kumar, V 2020, 'Design and synthesis of 4-Aminoquinoline-isoindoline-dione-isoniazid triads as potential anti-mycobacterials', Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, vol. 30, no. 22, pp. 127576-127576.
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Rao, SS, Lago, L, Gonzalez de Vega, R, Bray, L, Hare, DJ, Clases, D, Doble, PA & Adlard, PA 2020, 'Characterising the spatial and temporal brain metal profile in a mouse model of tauopathy', Metallomics, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 301-313.
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Abstract A dysregulation in the homeostasis of metals such as copper, iron and zinc is speculated to be involved in the pathogenesis of tauopathies, which includes Alzheimer's disease (AD). In particular, there is a growing body of evidence to support a role for iron in facilitating the hyperphosphorylation and aggregation of the tau protein into neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) – a primary neuropathological hallmark of tauopathies. Therefore, the aim of this study was to characterize the spatial and temporal brain metallomic profile in a mouse model of tauopathy (rTg(tauP301L)4510), so as to provide some insight into the potential interaction between tau pathology and iron. Using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), our results revealed an age-dependent increase in brain iron levels in both WT and rTg(tauP301L)4510 mice. In addition, size exclusion chromatography-ICP-MS (SEC-ICP-MS) revealed significant age-related changes in iron bound to metalloproteins such as ferritin. The outcomes from this study may provide valuable insight into the inter-relationship between iron and tau in ageing and neurodegeneration.
Raoult, V, Trueman, CN, Kingsbury, KM, Gillanders, BM, Broadhurst, MK, Williamson, JE, Nagelkerken, I, Booth, DJ, Peddemors, V, Couturier, LIE & Gaston, TF 2020, 'Predicting Geographic Ranges of Marine Animal Populations Using Stable Isotopes: A Case Study of Great Hammerhead Sharks in Eastern Australia', Frontiers in Marine Science, vol. 7.
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Determining the geographic range of widely dispersed or migratory marine organisms is notoriously difficult, often requiring considerable costs and typically extensive tagging or exploration programs. While these approaches are accurate and can reveal important information on the species, they are usually conducted on only a small number of individuals and can take years to produce relevant results, so alternative approaches may be preferable. The presence of latitudinal gradients in stable carbon isotope compositions of marine phytoplankton offers a means to quickly determine likely geographic population ranges of species that rely on productivity from these resources. Across sufficiently large spatial and temporal scales, the stable carbon isotopes of large coastal or pelagic marine species should reflect broad geographic patterns of resource use, and could be used to infer geographic ranges of marine populations. Using two methods, one based on a global mechanistic model and the other on targeted low-cost latitudinal sampling of fishes, we demonstrate and compare these stable isotope approaches to determine the core population geography of an apex predator, the great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran). Both methods indicated similar geographic ranges and suggested thatS. mokarranrecorded in south-eastern Australia are likely to be from more northern Australian waters. These approaches could be replicated in other areas where coastlines span predictable geographic gradients in isotope values and be used to determine the core population geography of highly mobile species to inform management decisions.
Rathnayake, SNH, Hoesein, FAAM, Galban, CJ, ten Hacken, NHT, Oliver, BGG, van den Berge, M & Faiz, A 2020, 'Gene expression profiling of bronchial brushes is associated with the level of emphysema measured by computed tomography-based parametric response mapping', American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, vol. 318, no. 6, pp. L1222-L1228.
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Parametric response mapping (PRM) is a computed tomography (CT)-based method to phenotype patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is capable of differentiating emphysema-related air trapping with nonemphysematous air trapping (small airway disease), which helps to identify the extent and localization of the disease. Most studies evaluating the gene expression in smokers and COPD patients related this to spirometric measurements, but none have investigated the relationship with CT-based measurements of lung structure. The current study aimed to examine gene expression profiles of brushed bronchial epithelial cells in association with the PRM-defined CT-based measurements of emphysema (PRMEmph) and small airway disease (PRMfSAD). Using the Top Institute Pharma (TIP) study cohort (COPD = 12 and asymptomatic smokers = 32), we identified a gene expression signature of bronchial brushings, which was associated with PRMEmph in the lungs. One hundred thirty-three genes were identified to be associated with PRMEmph. Among the most significantly associated genes, CXCL11 is a potent chemokine involved with CD8+ T cell activation during inflammation in COPD, indicating that it may play an essential role in the development of emphysema. The PRMEmph signature was then replicated in two independent data sets. Pathway analysis showed that the PRMEmph signature is associated with proinflammatory and notch signaling pathways. Together these findings indicate that airway epithelium may play a role in the development of emphysema and/or may act as a biomarker for the presence of emphysema. In contrast, its role in relation to functional small airways disease is less clear.
Raven, JA, Suggett, DJ & Giordano, M 2020, 'Inorganic carbon concentrating mechanisms in free‐living and symbiotic dinoflagellates and chromerids', Journal of Phycology, vol. 56, no. 6, pp. 1377-1397.
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Photosynthetic dinoflagellates are ecologically and biogeochemically important in marine and freshwater environments. However, surprisingly little is known of how this group acquires inorganic carbon or how these diverse processes evolved. Consequently, how CO2 availability ultimately influences the success of dinoflagellates over space and time remains poorly resolved compared to other microalgal groups. Here we review the evidence. Photosynthetic core dinoflagellates have a Form II RuBisCO (replaced by Form IB or Form ID in derived dinoflagellates). The in vitro kinetics of the Form II RuBisCO from dinoflagellates are largely unknown, but dinoflagellates with Form II (and other) RuBisCOs have inorganic carbon concentrating mechanisms (CCMs), as indicated by in vivo internal inorganic C accumulation and affinity for external inorganic C. However, the location of the membrane(s) at which the essential active transport component(s) of the CCM occur(s) is (are) unresolved; isolation and characterization of functionally competent chloroplasts would help in this respect. Endosymbiotic Symbiodiniaceae (in Foraminifera, Acantharia, Radiolaria, Ciliata, Porifera, Acoela, Cnidaria, and Mollusca) obtain inorganic C by transport from seawater through host tissue. In corals this transport apparently provides an inorganic C concentration around the photobiont that obviates the need for photobiont CCM. This is not the case for tridacnid bivalves, medusae, or, possibly, Foraminifera. Overcoming these long‐standing knowledge gaps relies on technical advances (e.g., the in vitro kinetics of Form II RuBisCO) that can functionally track the fate of inorganic C forms.
Rawling, T, MacDermott-Opeskin, H, Roseblade, A, Pazderka, C, Clarke, C, Bourget, K, Wu, X, Lewis, W, Noble, B, Gale, PA, O'Mara, ML, Cranfield, C & Murray, M 2020, 'Aryl urea substituted fatty acids: a new class of protonophoric mitochondrial uncoupler that utilises a synthetic anion transporter', Chemical Science, vol. 11, no. 47, pp. 12677-12685.
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A new mitochondrial uncoupler that forms membrane permeable dimers through interactions of remote acidic and anion receptor groups.
Raynaud, C, Daher, W, Johansen, MD, Roquet-Banères, F, Blaise, M, Onajole, OK, Kozikowski, AP, Herrmann, J-L, Dziadek, J, Gobis, K & Kremer, L 2020, 'Active Benzimidazole Derivatives Targeting the MmpL3 Transporter in Mycobacterium abscessus', ACS Infectious Diseases, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 324-337.
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The prevalence of pulmonary infections due to nontuberculous mycobacteria such as Mycobacterium abscessus has been increasing and surpassing tuberculosis (TB) in some industrialized countries. Because of intrinsic resistance to most antibiotics that drastically limits conventional chemotherapeutic treatment options, new anti-M. abscessus therapeutics are urgently needed against this emerging pathogen. Extensive screening of a library of benzimidazole derivatives that were previously shown to be active against Mycobacterium tuberculosis led to the identification of a lead compound exhibiting very potent in vitro activity against a wide panel of M. abscessus clinical strains. Designated EJMCh-6, this compound, a 2-(2-cyclohexylethyl)-5,6-dimethyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazole), also exerted very strong activity against intramacrophage-residing M. abscessus. Moreover, the treatment of infected zebrafish embryos with EJMCh-6 was correlated with significantly increased embryo survival and a decrease in the bacterial burden as compared to those for untreated fish. Insights into the mechanism of action were inferred from the generation of spontaneous benzimidazole-resistant strains and the identification of a large set of missense mutations in MmpL3, the mycolic acid transporter in mycobacteria. Overexpression of the mutated mmpL3 alleles in a susceptible M. abscessus strain was associated with high resistance levels to EJMCh-6 and to other known MmpL3 inhibitors. Mapping the mutations conferring resistance on an MmpL3 three-dimensional homology model defined a potential EJMCh-6-binding cavity. These data emphasize a yet unexploited chemical structure class against M. abscessus with promising translational development for the treatment of M. abscessus lung diseases.
Raynaud, C, Daher, W, Roquet-Banères, F, Johansen, MD, Stec, J, Onajole, OK, Ordway, D, Kozikowski, AP & Kremer, L 2020, 'Synergistic Interactions of Indole-2-Carboxamides and β-Lactam Antibiotics against Mycobacterium abscessus', Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, vol. 64, no. 5.
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New drugs or therapeutic combinations are urgently needed against Mycobacterium abscessus . Previously, we demonstrated the potent activity of indole-2-carboxamides 6 and 12 against M. abscessus . We show here that these compounds act synergistically with imipenem and cefoxitin in vitro and increase the bactericidal activity of the β-lactams against M. abscessus . In addition, compound 12 also displays synergism with imipenem and cefoxitin within infected macrophages.
Razavi Bazaz, S, Amiri, HA, Vasilescu, S, Abouei Mehrizi, A, Jin, D, Miansari, M & Ebrahimi Warkiani, M 2020, 'Obstacle-free planar hybrid micromixer with low pressure drop', Microfluidics and Nanofluidics, vol. 24, no. 8.
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© 2020, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. Planar micromixers with repetitive units have received substantial research interest since they allow low cost, lab-on-a-chip (LOC), and point-of-care (POC) systems to achieve a proper level of mixing for any given process. This paper presents an efficient planar micromixer that combines four types of mixing units, including convergent–divergent, circular, rhombic, and G-shaped micromixers. Their combinations and resulting effects on the mixing efficiency are numerically and experimentally investigated. A comprehensive Taguchi design of experiment method was used to reduce the number of the combinations from 1024 to only 16, among which a micromixer made of rhombic and G-shaped units readily showed a mixing efficiency beyond 80% over a wide range of inlet Reynolds numbers 0.001–0.3 and 35–65; meanwhile, a pressure drop as low as 12 kPa was reported. The velocity and concentration fields and their gradients within the nominated micromixer were analyzed, providing a better understanding of the mixing mechanism. These results offer design insights for further development of planar micromixers with repetitive unites for low-cost LOC and POC devices.
Razavi Bazaz, S, Hazeri, AH, Rouhi, O, Mehrizi, AA, Jin, D & Warkiani, ME 2020, 'Volume-preserving strategies to improve the mixing efficiency of serpentine micromixers', Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, vol. 30, no. 11, pp. 115022-115022.
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Abstract In this study, we have proposed volume-preserving strategies to boost chaoticadvection and improve the mixing efficiency of serpentine micromixers. The proposed strategies revolve around the point that the volume of the micromixer is kept constant during the manipulation. The first strategy involves the utilization of a nozzle-diffuser (ND) shaped microchannel. Using this, the velocity of the fluids fluctuates in an alternating pattern, leading to additional chaotic advection, a decrease in the mixing path, and an increase in the mixing index. The second strategy uses non-aligned inlets to generate swirl inducing effects at the microchannel entrance, where the collision of two fluids generates angular momentum in the flow, providing more chaotic advection. These strategies proved to be effective in boosting the mixing efficiency over wide ranges of Re in which 60% enhancement (from 20.53% to 80.31%) was achieved for Re of 30 by applying an ND shaped microchannel, and 20% enhancement (from 12.71% to 32.21%) was achieved for a critical Re of 15 by applying both of the strategies simultaneously.
Razavi Bazaz, S, Rouhi, O, Raoufi, MA, Ejeian, F, Asadnia, M, Jin, D & Ebrahimi Warkiani, M 2020, '3D Printing of Inertial Microfluidic Devices', Scientific Reports, vol. 10, no. 1, p. 5929.
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AbstractInertial microfluidics has been broadly investigated, resulting in the development of various applications, mainly for particle or cell separation. Lateral migrations of these particles within a microchannel strictly depend on the channel design and its cross-section. Nonetheless, the fabrication of these microchannels is a continuous challenging issue for the microfluidic community, where the most studied channel cross-sections are limited to only rectangular and more recently trapezoidal microchannels. As a result, a huge amount of potential remains intact for other geometries with cross-sections difficult to fabricate with standard microfabrication techniques. In this study, by leveraging on benefits of additive manufacturing, we have proposed a new method for the fabrication of inertial microfluidic devices. In our proposed workflow, parts are first printed via a high-resolution DLP/SLA 3D printer and then bonded to a transparent PMMA sheet using a double-coated pressure-sensitive adhesive tape. Using this method, we have fabricated and tested a plethora of existing inertial microfluidic devices, whether in a single or multiplexed manner, such as straight, spiral, serpentine, curvilinear, and contraction-expansion arrays. Our characterizations using both particles and cells revealed that the produced chips could withstand a pressure up to 150 psi with minimum interference of the tape to the total functionality of the device and viability of cells. As a showcase of the versatility of our method, we have proposed a new spiral microchannel with right-angled triangular cross-section which is technically impossible to fabricate using the standard lithography. We are of the opinion that the method proposed in this study will open the door for more complex geometries with the bespoke passive internal flow. Furthermore, the proposed fabrication workflow can be adopted at the production level, enabling large-scale man...
Razavy, S, Lee, J & Zaslawski, C 2020, 'A pre-trial evaluation of blinding for a Chinese herbal medicine trial', Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, vol. 19, pp. 100632-100632.
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Background:Blinding is considered an important methodological characteristic in clinical trials to minimise bias and maximise the validity of a trial. Unlike pharmaceutical substances, most herbal medicines have distinctive sensory specifications, including odour and taste, which can be quite challenging when developing a placebo control to match the specific characteristics of herbal substances being examined. The present study was, therefore, designed to evaluate whether the participants could differentiate an active herbal capsule (Ganopoly combination) from a placebo material capsule. The aim of this study was to develop a suitable placebo substance for encapsulation to be used in a future herbal medicine clinical trial. Methods:The current study was improved upon the previous investigation, and several modifications were made to the placebo substance in order to mimic the herbal substance characteristics. Prior to conducting the study, a refined placebo substance was developed using commonly consumed culinary agents. Sixty-two healthy volunteers participated in the study and were randomly provided one of the two substances. Individuals were asked to evaluate the three sensory characteristics of the allocated capsule (visual appearance, odour, and taste), and determine whether they believed the substance to be a 'herbal' or a 'placebo' substance. Results:The study provided evidence on the success of blinding for only two sensory characteristics, namely, visual appearance (95% CI -0.15, 0.34) and odour (95% CI -0.34, 0.15). In contrast, the findings related to the taste indicated that participants correctly guessed the herbal substance compared to the placebo substance to a significantly higher proportion than would have been expected by chance alone (95% CI 0.14, 0.60). Conclusion:The failure to blind participants for taste highlights the difficulties in preparing placebo herbal substances that match as closely as possible to a real herbal substance...
Reddy, KD, Rutting, S, Tonga, K, Xenaki, D, Simpson, JL, McDonald, VM, Plit, M, Malouf, M, Zakarya, R & Oliver, BG 2020, 'Sexually dimorphic production of interleukin‐6 in respiratory disease', Physiological Reports, vol. 8, no. 11.
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Diverging susceptibility and severity in respiratory diseases is prevalent between males and females. Sex hormones have inconclusively been attributed as the cause of these differences, however, strong evidence exists promoting genetic factors leading to sexual dimorphism. As such, we investigate differential proinflammatory cytokine (interleukin (IL)-6 and CXCL8) release from TNF-α stimulated primary human lung fibroblasts in vitro. We present, for the first time, in vitro evidence supporting clinical findings of differential production of IL-6 between males and females across various respiratory diseases. IL-6 was found to be produced approximately two times more from fibroblasts derived from females compared to males. As such we demonstrate sexual dimorphism in cytokine production of IL-6 outside the context of biological factors in the human body. As such, our data highlight that differences exist between males and females in the absence of sex hormones. We, for the first time, demonstrate inherent in vitro differences exist between males and females in pulmonary fibroblasts.
Regan, B, Aghajamali, A, Froech, J, Tran, TT, Scott, J, Bishop, J, Suarez‐Martinez, I, Liu, Y, Cairney, JM, Marks, NA, Toth, M & Aharonovich, I 2020, 'Plastic Deformation of Single‐Crystal Diamond Nanopillars', Advanced Materials, vol. 32, no. 9, pp. 1906458-1906458.
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AbstractDiamond is known to possess a range of extraordinary properties that include exceptional mechanical stability. In this work, it is demonstrated that nanoscale diamond pillars can undergo not only elastic deformation (and brittle fracture), but also a new form of plastic deformation that depends critically on the nanopillar dimensions and crystallographic orientation of the diamond. The plastic deformation can be explained by the emergence of an ordered allotrope of carbon that is termed O8‐carbon. The new phase is predicted by simulations of the deformation dynamics, which show how the sp3 bonds of (001)‐oriented diamond restructure into O8‐carbon in localized regions of deforming diamond nanopillars. The results demonstrate unprecedented mechanical behavior of diamond, and provide important insights into deformation dynamics of nanostructured materials.
Regan, B, Kim, S, Ly, ATH, Trycz, A, Bray, K, Ganesan, K, Toth, M & Aharonovich, I 2020, 'Photonic devices fabricated from (111)‐oriented single crystal diamond', InfoMat, vol. 2, no. 6, pp. 1241-1246.
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AbstractDiamond is a material of choice in the pursuit of integrated quantum photonic technologies. So far, the majority of photonic devices fabricated from diamond are made from (100)‐oriented crystals. In this work, we demonstrate a methodology for the fabrication of optically active membranes from (111)‐oriented diamond. We use a liftoff technique to generate membranes, followed by chemical vapor deposition of diamond in the presence of silicon to generate homogenous silicon vacancy color centers with emission properties that are superior to those in (100)‐oriented diamond. We further use the diamond membranes to fabricate microring resonators with quality factors exceeding ~ 3000. Supported by finite‐difference time‐domain calculations, we discuss the advantages of (111)‐oriented structures as building blocks for quantum nanophotonic devices.image
Reichel, MP, Wahl, LC & Ellis, JT 2020, 'Research into Neospora caninum—What Have We Learnt in the Last Thirty Years?', Pathogens, vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 505-505.
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Background: Neospora caninum has been recognised world-wide, first as a disease of dogs, then as an important cause of abortions in cattle for the past thirty years. Over that time period, there have been improvements in the diagnosis of infection and abortion, new tests have been developed and validated, and it is timely to review progress to date. Methods: Bibliometric methods were used to identify major trends and research topics present in the published literature on N. caninum. The tools used were SWIFT-Review, VOSviewer and SciMAT, along with the published papers found in the MEDLINE, Dimensions and Web of Science databases. A systematic review of the published Neospora literature (n = 2933) was also carried out via MEDLINE and systematically appraised for publications relevant to the pathogenesis, pathology and diagnosis of Neospora abortions. Results: A total of 92 publications were included in the final analysis and grouped into four main time periods. In these four different time periods, the main research themes were “dogs”, “abortion”, “seroprevalence” and “infection”. Diagnostics, including PCR, dominated the first two time periods, with an increased focus on transmission and abortions, and its risk factors in cattle. Conclusions: Longitudinal analyses indicated that the main themes were consistently investigated over the last 30 years through a wide range of studies, with evolving emphasis initially on dogs and diagnostic test development, followed by application to cattle, the identification of the risk factors leading to abortion, and in the latter time periods, an understanding of the immunity and a search for vaccines.
Reid, AT, Nichol, KS, Chander Veerati, P, Moheimani, F, Kicic, A, Stick, SM, Bartlett, NW, Grainge, CL, Wark, PAB, Hansbro, PM & Knight, DA 2020, 'Blocking Notch3 Signaling Abolishes MUC5AC Production in Airway Epithelial Cells from Individuals with Asthma', American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology, vol. 62, no. 4, pp. 513-523.
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In asthma, goblet cell numbers are increased within the airway epithelium, perpetuating the production of mucus that is more difficult to clear and results in airway mucus plugging. Notch1, Notch2, or Notch3, or a combination of these has been shown to influence the differentiation of airway epithelial cells. How the expression of specific Notch isoforms differs in fully differentiated adult asthmatic epithelium and whether Notch influences mucin production after differentiation is currently unknown. We aimed to quantify different Notch isoforms in the airway epithelium of individuals with severe asthma and to examine the impact of Notch signaling on mucin MUC5AC. Human lung sections and primary bronchial epithelial cells from individuals with and without asthma were used in this study. Primary bronchial epithelial cells were differentiated at the air-liquid interface for 28 days. Notch isoform expression was analyzed by Taqman quantitative PCR. Immunohistochemistry was used to localize and quantify Notch isoforms in human airway sections. Notch signaling was inhibited in vitro using dibenzazepine or Notch3-specific siRNA, followed by analysis of MUC5AC. NOTCH3 was highly expressed in asthmatic airway epithelium compared with nonasthmatic epithelium. Dibenzazepine significantly reduced MUC5AC production in air-liquid interface cultures of primary bronchial epithelial cells concomitantly with suppression of NOTCH3 intracellular domain protein. Specific knockdown using NOTCH3 siRNA recapitulated the dibenzazepine-induced reduction in MUC5AC. We demonstrate that NOTCH3 is a regulator of MUC5AC production. Increased NOTCH3 signaling in the asthmatic airway epithelium may therefore be an underlying driver of excess MUC5AC production.
Reimers, JR, Rätsep, M & Freiberg, A 2020, 'Asymmetry in the Qy Fluorescence and Absorption Spectra of Chlorophyll a Pertaining to Exciton Dynamics', Frontiers in Chemistry, vol. 8, pp. 588289-588289.
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Significant asymmetry found between the high-resolutionQyemission and absorption spectra of chlorophyll-a is herein explained, providing basic information needed to understand photosynthetic exciton transport and photochemical reactions. TheQyspectral asymmetry in chlorophyll has previously been masked by interference in absorption from the nearbyQxtransition, but this effect has recently been removed using extensive quantum spectral simulations or else by analytical inversion of absorption and magnetic circular dichroism data, allowing high-resolution absorption information to be accurately determined from fluorescence-excitation spectra. To compliment this, here, we measure and thoroughly analyze the high-resolution differential fluorescence line narrowing spectra of chlorophyll-a in trimethylamine and in 1-propanol. The results show that vibrational frequencies often change little between absorption and emission, yet large changes in line intensities are found, this effect also being strongly solvent dependent. Among other effects, the analysis in terms of four basic patterns of Duschinsky-rotation matrix elements, obtained using CAM-B3LYP calculations, predicts that a chlorophyll-a molecule excited into a specific vibrational level, may, without phase loss or energy relaxation, reemit the light over a spectral bandwidth exceeding 1,000 cm−1(0.13 eV) to influence exciton-transport dynamics.
Reimers, JR, Sajid, A, Kobayashi, R & Ford, MJ 2020, 'Convergence of Defect Energetics Calculations', The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, vol. 124, no. 38, pp. 21178-21183.
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© 2020 American Chemical Society. Determination of the chemical and spectroscopic natures of defects in materials such as hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) remains a serious challenge for both experiment and theory. To establish basic needs for reliable calculations, we consider a model defect VNNB in h-BN in which a boron-for-nitrogen substitution is accompanied by a nitrogen vacancy, examining its lowest energy transition, (1)2A1 ← (1)2B1. This provides a relatively simple test system as open-shell and charge-transfer effects, which are difficult to model and can dominate defect spectroscopy, are believed to be small. We establish calculation convergence with respect to sample size using both cluster and 2D periodic models, convergence with respect to numerical issues such as the use of plane-wave or Gaussian basis set expansions, and convergence with respect to the treatment of electron correlation. The results strongly suggest that the poor performance of computational methods for defects of other natures arises through intrinsic methodological shortcomings.
Reimers, JR, Shen, J, Kianinia, M, Bradac, C, Aharonovich, I, Ford, MJ & Piecuch, P 2020, 'Photoluminescence and photochemistry of the $V_B^-$ defect in hexagonal boron nitride', Phys. Rev. B, vol. 102, no. 14, p. 144105.
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Extensive photochemical and spectroscopic properties of the $V_B^-$ defect inhexagonal boron nitride are calculated, concluding that the observedphotoemission associated with recently observed optically-detected magneticresonance is most likely of (1)3E' to (1)3A2' origin. Rapid intersystemcrossing from the defect's triplet to singlet manifolds explains the observedshort excited-state lifetime and very low quantum yield. New experimentalresults reveal smaller intrinsic spectral bandwidths than previouslyrecognized, interpreted in terms spectral narrowing and zero-phonon-lineshifting induced by the Jahn-Teller effect. Different types of computationalmethods are applied to map out the complex triplet and singlet defectmanifolds, including the doubly ionised formulation of the equation-of-motioncoupled-cluster theory that is designed to deal with the open-shell nature ofdefect states, and mixed quantum-mechanics/molecular-mechanics schemes enabling5763-atom simulations. Two other energetically feasible spectral assignmentsfrom amongst the singlet and triplet manifolds are considered, but ruled outbased on inappropriate photochemical properties.
Ren, D & Leslie, LM 2020, 'Climate warming enhancement of catastrophic southern California debris flows', Scientific Reports, vol. 10, no. 1.
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AbstractThe sequence of wildfires followed by debris flows, frequently affects southern California, reflecting its drought-heavy precipitation climate bipolarity. Organic debris from incomplete burning is lighter than inorganic matter, and partially inviscid. Hence lower rainfall totals can trigger downslope motion than typically required by the underlying clasts of loose inorganic granular material. After advection downslope, the pebble-laden organic debris has a higher capacity for rilling; a positive feedback process. A mechanism is proposed whereby boulders are ‘rafted’ by organic debris. This coordinated movement of boulders greatly enhances the debris flow erosion capacity. This climate change sensitive debris flow enhancing mechanism, through organic–inorganic granular material interaction, is supported by observations and the numerical simulations. Using a model explicitly parameterizing erosion processes, including runoff entrainment, rilling incision, and bank collapse, the lifecycle of the Montecito debris flow of January 9, 2018 is simulated, providing quantitative estimates of mass conveyed and debris sorting at the terminus. Peak rafting speeds are ~ 12.9 m/s at ~ 300 m asl. Total boulder (effective diameter > 25 cm) volume involved for the Ysidro Creek area alone is ~ 5 × 104 m3, scattered between the region 50–260 m asl. Debris flows are highly repeatable and locations prone to debris flows are identified and their likelihood of realization estimated.
Ren, D, Fu, R, Dickinson, RE, Leslie, LM & Wang, X 2020, 'Aviation Impacts on Fuel Efficiency of a Future More Viscous Atmosphere', Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, vol. 101, no. 10, pp. E1761-E1780.
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AbstractAircraft cruising near the tropopause currently benefit from the highest thermal efficiency and the least viscous (sticky) air, within the lowest 50 km of Earth’s atmosphere. Both advantages wane in a warming climate, because atmospheric dynamic viscosity increases with temperature, in synergy with the simultaneous engine efficiency reduction. Here, skin friction drag, the dominant term for extra aviation fuel consumption in a future warming climate, is quantified by 34 climate models under a strong emissions scenario. Since 1950, the viscosity increase at cruising altitudes (∼200 hPa) reaches ∼1.5% century‒1, corresponding to a total drag increment of ∼0.22% century‒1 for commercial aircraft. Meridional gradients and regional disparities exist, with low to midlatitudes experiencing greater increases in skin friction drag. The North Atlantic corridor (NAC) is moderately affected, but its high traffic volume generates additional fuel cost of ∼3.8 × 107 gallons annually by 2100, compared to 2010. Globally, a normal year after 2100 would consume an extra ∼4 × 106 barrels per year. Intermodel spread is <5% of the ensemble mean, due to high inter–climate model consensus for warming trends at cruising altitudes in the tropics and subtropics. Because temperature is a well-simulated parameter in the IPCC archive, with only a moderate intermodel spread, the conclusions drawn here are statistically robust. Notably, additional fuel costs are likely from the increased vertical shear and related turbulence at NAC cruising altitudes. Increased flight log availability is required to confirm this apparent increasing turbulence trend.
Ren, W, Lin, G, Clarke, C, Zhou, J & Jin, D 2020, 'Anticounterfeiting Systems: Optical Nanomaterials and Enabling Technologies for High‐Security‐Level Anticounterfeiting (Adv. Mater. 18/2020)', Advanced Materials, vol. 32, no. 18, pp. 2070141-2070141.
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Ren, W, Lin, G, Clarke, C, Zhou, J & Jin, D 2020, 'Optical Nanomaterials and Enabling Technologies for High‐Security‐Level Anticounterfeiting', Advanced Materials, vol. 32, no. 18, pp. 1901430-1901430.
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AbstractOptical nanomaterials have been widely used in anticounterfeiting applications. There have been significant developments powered by recent advances in material science, printing technologies, and the availability of smartphone‐based decoding technology. Recent progress in this field is surveyed, including the availability of optical reflection, absorption, scattering, and luminescent nanoparticles. It is demonstrated that advances in the design and synthesis of lanthanide‐doped upconversion nanoparticles will lead to the next generation of anticounterfeiting technologies. Their tunable optical properties and optical responses to a range of external stimuli allow high‐security level information encoding. Challenges in the scale‐up synthesis of nanomaterials, engineering of assessorial devices for smart‐phone‐based decryption, and alignment to the potential markets which will lead to new directions for research, are discussed.
Reyna, J & Meier, P 2020, 'Co-creation of knowledge using mobile technologies and digital media as pedagogical devices in undergraduate STEM education', Research in Learning Technology, vol. 28, no. 0.
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© 2020, Association for Learning Technology. All rights reserved. Digital media assignments are a widely used method of assessing student learning in higher education. Despite their common use, the literature on digital media assignments has many gaps regarding theoretical frameworks to guide their design, implementation and evaluation. This research paper focuses on student attitudes towards the use of mobile technology and digital media assignments in undergraduate STEM education. The study used a set of novel theoretical frameworks to identify training needs in digital media production, development of assessment weightings, marking rubrics and student training and resources. Longitudinal data were captured over a period of 4 years (n = 1724) using a mixed-methods approach. Validated questionnaires measured student attitudes to digital media support and attitudes to technology, understanding of the assignment, knowledge construction and digital media for learning and career development. Open-ended questions helped gather suggestions from students for improving the assessment task. Questionnaire data were analysed by using descriptive statistics and qualitative data with thematic analysis. The results suggested that students enjoyed group work, found learning with digital media to be engaging and developed critical thinking and digital media skills. In conclusion, STEM students had a positive learning experience repurposing mobile technology as pedagogical devices that present knowledge by using a multi-modal approach mediated by digital media.
Rezaei, M, Razavi Bazaz, S, Zhand, S, Sayyadi, N, Jin, D, Stewart, MP & Ebrahimi Warkiani, M 2020, 'Point of Care Diagnostics in the Age of COVID-19', Diagnostics, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 9-9.
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The recent outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its associated serious respiratory disease, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), poses a major threat to global public health. Owing to the lack of vaccine and effective treatments, many countries have been overwhelmed with an exponential spread of the virus and surge in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases. Current standard diagnostic methods are inadequate for widespread testing as they suffer from prolonged turn-around times (>12 h) and mostly rely on high-biosafety-level laboratories and well-trained technicians. Point-of-care (POC) tests have the potential to vastly improve healthcare in several ways, ranging from enabling earlier detection and easier monitoring of disease to reaching remote populations. In recent years, the field of POC diagnostics has improved markedly with the advent of micro- and nanotechnologies. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, POC technologies have been rapidly innovated to address key limitations faced in existing standard diagnostic methods. This review summarizes and compares the latest available POC immunoassay, nucleic acid-based and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats- (CRISPR)-mediated tests for SARS-CoV-2 detection that we anticipate aiding healthcare facilities to control virus infection and prevent subsequent spread.
Riaz, MA, Yuan, Z, Mahmood, A, Liu, F, Sui, X, Chen, J, Huang, Q, Liao, X, Wei, L & Chen, Y 2020, 'Hierarchically porous carbon nanofibers embedded with cobalt nanoparticles for efficient H2O2 detection on multiple sensor platforms', Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, vol. 319, pp. 128243-128243.
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Richman, MB & Leslie, LM 2020, 'Machine Learning for Attribution of Heat and Drought in Southwestern Australia', Procedia Computer Science, vol. 168, pp. 3-10.
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Temperature and precipitation datasets, extending back over 100 years, are analyzed at Perth, Australia. Observational analyses reveal the emergence of hot and dry years since the 1980s, with changes in maximum temperatures ~1.5-2 °C above historical means. These temperatures far exceed recorded natural variability measured in the early 20th century and, in the past few decades, have accelerated above the danger threshold established in the Paris Accords. Permutation testing of mean Perth temperature (precipitation) for the 20-year periods 1979-1998 and 1999-2018 shows an increase (decrease) of 0.855 °C (98.1 mm); p-value 0.001 (0.0087). Attribution of interannual data variability is established by wavelet analyses. Linear and support vector regression (LR, SVR), neural network (NN) and random forests (RF) are used for temperature and precipitation prediction after attribute selection methods are applied to a set of climate drivers. Forecasts on independent testing data show that for temperature and precipitation forecasts, SVR, LR and NN (temperature only) provide more accurate predictions than RF. The features selected by attribute selection and machine learning provide important guidance for climate forecasting, policy planning and management.
Rineh, A, Soren, O, McEwan, T, Ravikumar, V, Poh, WH, Azamifar, F, Naimi-Jamal, MR, Cheung, C-Y, Elliott, AG, Zuegg, J, Blaskovich, MAT, Cooper, MA, Dolange, V, Christodoulides, M, Cook, GM, Rice, SA, Faust, SN, Webb, JS & Kelso, MJ 2020, 'Discovery of Cephalosporin-3′-Diazeniumdiolates That Show Dual Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Effects against Pseudomonas aeruginosa Clinical Cystic Fibrosis Isolates and Efficacy in a Murine Respiratory Infection Model', ACS Infectious Diseases, vol. 6, no. 6, pp. 1460-1479.
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Rinke, C, Rubino, F, Messer, LF, Youssef, N, Parks, DH, Chuvochina, M, Brown, M, Jeffries, T, Tyson, GW, Seymour, JR & Hugenholtz, P 2020, 'Correction: A phylogenomic and ecological analysis of the globally abundant Marine Group II archaea (Ca. Poseidoniales ord. nov.)', The ISME Journal, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 878-878.
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Abstract An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Rohdenburg, M, Fröch, JE, Martinović, P, Lobo, CJ & Swiderek, P 2020, 'Combined Ammonia and Electron Processing of a Carbon-Rich Ruthenium Nanomaterial Fabricated by Electron-Induced Deposition', Micromachines, vol. 11, no. 8, pp. 769-769.
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Ammonia (NH3)-assisted purification of deposits fabricated by focused electron beam-induced deposition (FEBID) has recently been proven successful for the removal of halide contaminations. Herein, we demonstrate the impact of combined NH3 and electron processing on FEBID deposits containing hydrocarbon contaminations that stem from anionic cyclopentadienyl-type ligands. For this purpose, we performed FEBID using bis(ethylcyclopentadienyl)ruthenium(II) as the precursor and subjected the resulting deposits to NH3 and electron processing, both in an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) and in a surface science study under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions. The results provide evidence that nitrogen from NH3 is incorporated into the carbon content of the deposits which results in a covalent nitride material. This approach opens a perspective to combine the promising properties of carbon nitrides with respect to photocatalysis or nanosensing with the unique 3D nanoprinting capabilities of FEBID, enabling access to a novel class of tailored nanodevices.
Ros, M, Camp, EF, Hughes, DJ, Crosswell, JR, Warner, ME, Leggat, WP & Suggett, DJ 2020, 'Unlocking the black‐box of inorganic carbon‐uptake and utilization strategies among coral endosymbionts (Symbiodiniaceae)', Limnology and Oceanography, vol. 65, no. 8, pp. 1747-1763.
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AbstractDinoflagellates within the family Symbiodiniaceae are widespread and fuel metabolism of reef‐forming corals through photosynthesis. Adaptation in capacity to harvest and utilize light, and “safely” process photosynthetically generated energy is a key factor regulating their broad ecological success. However, whether such adaptive capacity similarly extends to how Symbiodiniaceae species and genotypes assimilate inorganic carbon (Ci) remains unexplored. We build on recent approaches exploring functional diversity of fitness traits to identify whether Ci uptake and incorporation could be reconciled with evolutionary adaptation among Symbiodiniaceae. We examined phylogenetically diverse Symbiodiniaceae cultures (23 isolates, 6 genera) to track how carbon was invested into cellular uptake, excretion, and growth (cell size, division, storage). Gross carbon uptake rates (GPC) over 1 h varied among isolates grown at 26°C (0.63–3.08 pg C [cell h]−1) with no evident pattern with algal phylogeny. Intriguingly, net carbon uptake rates (24 h) were often higher (1.01–5.54 pg C [cell h]−1) than corresponding values of GPC—we discuss how such GPC measurements may reflect highly conserved biological characteristics for cultured cells linked to high metabolic dependency on photorespiration and heterotrophy. Three isolates from different genera (Cladocopium goreaui, Durusdinium trenchii, and Effrenium voratum) were additionally grown at 20°C and 30°C. Here, Ci uptake consistently decreased with temperature‐driven declines in growth rate, suggesting environmental regulation outweighs phylogenetic organization of carbon assimilation capacity among Symbiodiniaceae. Together, these data demonstrate environmental regulation and ecological success among Symbiodiniaceae likely rests on plasticity of upstream photosyn...
Roux, C & Weyermann, C 2020, 'Can forensic science learn from the COVID-19 crisis?', Forensic Science International, vol. 316, pp. 110503-110503.
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This paper draws parallels between the current COVID-19 crisis and the apparent forensic science crisis. It investigates if shared approaches of the problem and solutions could emerge. Some relevant aspects of the medical system as it reacted to the pandemic crisis and the situation in forensic science are presented. Further, three main stages of the COVID-19 crisis and its impact on individuals and society are proposed, highlighting similarities to the effects of forensic science. Finally, some lessons from COVID-19 for forensic science are identified and discussed. It is concluded that forensic science's best assurance to address current and future challenges, particularly in an increasingly digital environment, remains a sound scientific approach, including critical thinking and inter-disciplinary collaborations.
Roy, R, Roseblade, A & Rawling, T 2020, 'Expansion of the structure-activity relationship of branched chain fatty acids: Effect of unsaturation and branching group size on anticancer activity', Chemistry and Physics of Lipids, vol. 232, pp. 104952-104952.
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Branched chain fatty acids (BCFAs) are a class of fatty acid with promising anticancer activity. The BCFA 13-methyltetradecanoic acid (13-MTD) inhibits tumour growth in vivo without toxicity but efficacy is limited by moderate potency, a property shared by all known BCFAs. The mechanism of action of BCFAs has not been fully elucidated, and in the absence of a clearly defined target optimisation of BCFA potency must rely on structure-activity relationships. Our current understanding of the structural features that promote BCFA anticancer activity is limited by the low structural diversity of reported BCFAs. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of two new structural modifications- unsaturation and branching group size- on BCFA activity. Thus, homologous series of saturated and cis-Δ9 unsaturated BCFAs were synthesised bearing methyl, ethyl, propyl and butyl branching groups, and were screened in vitro for activity against three human cancer cell lines. Potencies of the new BCFAs were compared to 13-MTD and an unbranched monounstaurated fatty acid (MUFA) bearing a cis-Δ9 double bond. The principal findings to emerge were that the anticancer activity of BCFAs was adversly affected by larger branching groups but significantly improved by incorporation of a cis-Δ9 double bond into the BCFA alkyl chain. This study provides new structure-activity relationship insights that may be used to develop BCFAs with improved potency and therapeutic potential.
Rubab, A, Shafique, M, Javed, F, Saleem, S, Zahra, FT, McNevin, D & Shahid, AA 2020, 'Population genetic portrait of Pakistani Lahore-Christians based on 32 STR loci', Scientific Reports, vol. 10, no. 1.
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AbstractPhylogenetic relationship and the population structure of 500 individuals from the Christian community of Lahore, Pakistan, were examined based on 15 autosomal short tandem repeats (STRs) using the AmpFℓSTR Identifiler Plus PCR Amplification Kit and our previously published Y-filer kit data (17 Y-STRs) of same samples. A total of 147 alleles were observed in 15 loci and allele 11 at the TPOX locus was the most frequent with frequency value (0.464). The data revealed that the Christian population has unique genetic characteristics with respect to a few unusual alleles and their frequencies relative to the other Pakistani population. Significant deviations from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium were found at two loci (D13S317, D18S51) after Boneferroni’s correction (p ≤ 0.003). The combined power of discrimination, combined power of exclusion and cumulative probability of matching were 0.999999999999999978430815060354, 0.999995039393942 and 2.15692 × 10−17, respectively. On the bases of genetic distances, PCA, phylogenetic and structure analysis Lahore-Christians appeared genetically more associated to south Asian particularly Indian populations like Tamil, Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh than rest of global populations.
Rzhevskiy, AS, Razavi Bazaz, S, Ding, L, Kapitannikova, A, Sayyadi, N, Campbell, D, Walsh, B, Gillatt, D, Ebrahimi Warkiani, M & Zvyagin, AV 2020, 'Rapid and Label-Free Isolation of Tumour Cells from the Urine of Patients with Localised Prostate Cancer Using Inertial Microfluidics', Cancers, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 81-81.
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During the last decade, isolation of circulating tumour cells via blood liquid biopsy of prostate cancer (PCa) has attracted significant attention as an alternative, or substitute, to conventional diagnostic tests. However, it was previously determined that localised forms of PCa shed a small number of cancer cells into the bloodstream, and a large volume of blood is required just for a single test, which is impractical. To address this issue, urine has been used as an alternative to blood for liquid biopsy as a truly non-invasive, patient-friendly test. To this end, we developed a spiral microfluidic chip capable of isolating PCa cells from the urine of PCa patients. Potential clinical utility of the chip was demonstrated using anti-Glypican-1 (GPC-1) antibody as a model of the primary antibody in immunofluorescent assay for identification and detection of the collected tumour cells. The microchannel device was first evaluated using DU-145 cells in a diluted Dulbecco’s phosphate-buffered saline sample, where it demonstrated >85 (±6) % efficiency. The microchannel proved to be functional in at least 79% of cases for capturing GPC1+ putative tumour cells from the urine of patients with localised PCa. More importantly, a correlation was found between the amount of the captured GPC1+ cells and crucial diagnostic and prognostic parameter of localised PCa—Gleason score. Thus, the technique demonstrated promise for further assessment of its diagnostic value in PCa detection, diagnosis, and prognosis.
Sabapathy, T, Deplazes, E & Mancera, RL 2020, 'Revisiting the Interaction of Melittin with Phospholipid Bilayers: The Effects of Concentration and Ionic Strength', International Journal of Molecular Sciences, vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 746-746.
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Melittin is an anti-microbial peptide (AMP) and one of the most studied membrane-disrupting peptides. There is, however, a lack of accurate measurements of the concentration-dependent kinetics and affinity of binding of melittin to phospholipid membranes. In this study, we used surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy to determine the concentration-dependent effect on the binding of melittin to 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) bilayers in vesicles. Three concentration ranges were considered, and when combined, covered two orders of magnitudes (0.04 µM to 8 µM), corresponding to concentrations relevant to the membrane-disrupting and anti-microbial activities of melittin. Binding kinetics data were analysed using a 1:1 Langmuir-binding model and a two-state reaction model. Using in-depth quantitative analysis, we characterised the effect of peptide concentration, the addition of NaCl at physiological ionic strength and the choice of kinetic binding model on the reliability of the calculated kinetics and affinity of binding parameters. The apparent binding affinity of melittin for POPC bilayers was observed to decrease with increasing peptide/lipid (P/L) ratio, primarily due to the marked decrease in the association rate. At all concentration ranges, the two-state reaction model provided a better fit to the data and, thus, a more reliable estimate of binding affinity. Addition of NaCl significantly reduced the signal response during the association phase; however, no substantial effect on the binding affinity of melittin to the POPC bilayers was observed. These findings based on POPC bilayers could have important implications for our understanding of the mechanism of action of melittin on more complex model cell membranes of higher physiological relevance.
Sabir, S, Subramoni, S, Das, T, Black, DS, Rice, SA & Kumar, N 2020, 'Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel Anthraniloyl-AMP Mimics as PQS Biosynthesis Inhibitors Against Pseudomonas aeruginosa Resistance', Molecules, vol. 25, no. 13, pp. 3103-3103.
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The Pseudomonas quinolone system (PQS) is one of the three major interconnected quorum sensing signaling systems in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The virulence factors PQS and HHQ activate the transcription regulator PqsR (MvfR), which controls several activities in bacteria, including biofilm formation and upregulation of PQS biosynthesis. The enzyme anthraniloyl-CoA synthetase (PqsA) catalyzes the first and critical step in the biosynthesis of quinolones; therefore, it is an attractive target for the development of anti-virulence therapeutics against Pseudomonas resistance. Herein, we report the design and synthesis of novel triazole nucleoside-based anthraniloyl- adenosine monophosphate (AMP) mimics. These analogues had a major impact on the morphology of bacterial biofilms and caused significant reduction in bacterial aggregation and population density. However, the compounds showed only limited inhibition of PQS and did not exhibit any effect on pyocyanin production.
Sajid, A, Ford, MJ & Reimers, JR 2020, 'Single-photon emitters in hexagonal boron nitride: a review of progress', Reports on Progress in Physics, vol. 83, no. 4, pp. 044501-044501.
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This report summarizes progress made in understanding properties such as zero-phonon-line energies, emission and absorption polarizations, electron-phonon couplings, strain tuning and hyperfine coupling of single photon emitters in hexagonal boron nitride. The primary aims of this research are to discover the chemical nature of the emitting centres and to facilitate deployment in device applications. Critical analyses of the experimental literature and data interpretation, as well as theoretical approaches used to predict properties, are made. In particular, computational and theoretical limitations and challenges are discussed, with a range of suggestions made to overcome these limitations, striving to achieve realistic predictions concerning the nature of emitting centers. A symbiotic relationship is required in which calculations focus on properties that can easily be measured, whilst experiments deliver results in a form facilitating mass-produced calculations.
Sajid, A, Reimers, JR, Kobayashi, R & Ford, MJ 2020, 'Theoretical spectroscopy of the VNNB defect in hexagonal boron nitride', Physical Review B, vol. 102, no. 14.
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© 2020 American Physical Society. The VNNB defect in hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), comprising a nitrogen vacancy adjacent to a nitrogen-for-boron substitution, is modelled in regard to its possible usefulness in a nanophotonics device. The modelling is done on both a simple model compound and on a 2D periodic representation of the defect, considering its magnetic and spectroscopic properties. The electronic distribution in most excited states of VNNB is found to be very open-shell in nature, and to deal with this two new computational methods are developed: one allows standard density-functional theory (DFT) calculations to be employed to evaluate state energies for doublet states with three unpaired electrons, the other introduces techniques needed to apply the vasp computational package to these and many other problems involving excited states. Also of general use, results from DFT calculations are then calibrated against those from the ab initio methods MRCI, CASPT2, CCSD, EOM-CCSD, and CCSD(T), seeking robust computational schemes. This complements previous work to reveal quite different properties for systems with odd and even numbers of electrons. These innovations allow 45 electronic states of the defect in its neutral, +1 and -1 charged forms to be considered. The charged forms of the defect are predicted to display properties of potential interest to nanophotonics.
Sajid, A, Thygesen, KS, Reimers, JR & Ford, MJ 2020, 'Edge effects on optically detected magnetic resonance of vacancy defects in hexagonal boron nitride', Communications Physics, vol. 3, no. 1.
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AbstractThe chemical and structural nature of defects responsible for quantum emission in hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) remain unknown. Optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) measured from these defects was reported in two recent papers. In one case, the ODMR was tentatively attributed to the negatively charged boron vacancy, $$V_{\mathrm{B}}^ -$$VB−. Here we show how the key optical and magnetic properties vary with location within the bulk and along edges of h-BN sheets for this and the negatively charged nitrogen vacancy, $$V_{\mathrm{N}}^ -$$VN−. Sign changes of the axial zero-field interaction parameter D are predicted, as well interchange of singlet and triplet ground states. Based on the latest experimental information, we assign the observed ODMR signal to bulk $$V_{\mathrm{B}}^ -$$VB−. The other observed ODMR has some features reminiscent of our calculations for
Santos, J, Dolai, S, O’Rourke, MB, Liu, F, Padula, MP, Molloy, MP & Milthorpe, BK 2020, 'Quantitative Proteomic Profiling of Small Molecule Treated Mesenchymal Stem Cells Using Chemical Probes', International Journal of Molecular Sciences, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 160-160.
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The differentiation of human adipose derived stem cells toward a neural phenotype by small molecules has been a vogue topic in the last decade. The characterization of the produced cells has been explored on a broad scale, examining morphological and specific surface protein markers; however, the lack of insight into the expression of functional proteins and their interactive partners is required to further understand the extent of the process. The phenotypic characterization by proteomic profiling allows for a substantial in-depth analysis of the molecular machinery induced and directing the cellular changes through the process. Herein we describe the temporal analysis and quantitative profiling of neural differentiating human adipose-derived stem cells after sub-proteome enrichment using a bisindolylmaleimide chemical probe. The results show that proteins enriched by the Bis-probe were identified reproducibly with 133, 118, 126 and 89 proteins identified at timepoints 0, 1, 6 and 12, respectively. Each temporal timepoint presented several shared and unique proteins relative to neural differentiation and their interactivity. The major protein classes enriched and quantified were enzymes, structural and ribosomal proteins that are integral to differentiation pathways. There were 42 uniquely identified enzymes identified in the cells, many acting as hubs in the networks with several interactions across the network modulating key biological pathways. From the cohort, it was found by gene ontology analysis that 18 enzymes had direct involvement with neurogenic differentiation.
Santos, J, Hubert, T & Milthorpe, BK 2020, 'Valproic Acid Promotes Early Neural Differentiation in Adult Mesenchymal Stem Cells Through Protein Signalling Pathways', Cells, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 619-619.
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Regenerative medicine is a rapidly expanding area in research and clinical applications. Therapies involving the use of small molecule chemicals aim to simplify the creation of specific drugs for clinical applications. Adult mesenchymal stem cells have recently shown the capacity to differentiate into several cell types applicable for regenerative medicine (specifically neural cells, using chemicals). Valproic acid was an ideal candidate due to its clinical stability. It has been implicated in the induction of neural differentiation; however, the mechanism and the downstream events were not known. In this study, we showed that using valproic acid on adult mesenchymal stem cells induced neural differentiation within 24 h by upregulating the expression of suppressor of cytokine signaling 5 (SOCS5) and Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), without increasing the potential death rate of the cells. Through this, the Janus Kinase/Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (JAK/STAT) pathway is downregulated, and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade is activated. The bioinformatics analyses revealed the expression of several neuro-specific proteins as well as a range of functional and structural proteins involved in the formation and development of the neural cells.
Satija, S, Mehta, M, Gupta, G, Chellappan, DK & Dua, K 2020, 'Targeting interleukins in chronic airway diseases using advanced drug delivery', Future Medicinal Chemistry, vol. 12, no. 20, pp. 1805-1807.
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Satija, S, Mehta, M, Sharma, M, Prasher, P, Gupta, G, Chellappan, DK & Dua, K 2020, 'Vesicular drug delivery systems as theranostics in COVID-19', Future Medicinal Chemistry, vol. 12, no. 18, pp. 1607-1609.
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Satija, S, Tambuwala, MM, Pabreja, K, Bakshi, HA, Chellappan, DK, Aljabali, AA, Nammi, S, Singh, TG, Dureja, H, Gupta, G, Dua, K, Mehta, M & Garg, M 2020, 'Development of a novel HPTLC fingerprint method for simultaneous estimation of berberine and rutin in medicinal plants and their pharmaceutical preparations followed by its application in antioxidant assay', JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC, vol. 33, no. 3, pp. 313-319.
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Sayahi, M, Santos, J, El-Feki, H, Charvillat, C, Bosc, F, Karacan, I, Milthorpe, B & Drouet, C 2020, 'Brushite (Ca,M)HPO4, 2H2O doping with bioactive ions (M = Mg2+, Sr2+, Zn2+, Cu2+, and Ag+): a new path to functional biomaterials?', Materials Today Chemistry, vol. 16, pp. 100230-100230.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Dicalcium phosphate dihydrate, DCPD (CaHPO4·2H2O), brushite, is an important calcium phosphate compound encountered in mineralized tissues and used in medicine, especially in bone cement formulations. However, the use of DCPD as direct implantable biomaterial has not received dedicated attention. In addition, the possibility to dope DCPD with biologically active ions to modulate its performances was not systematically explored. We have investigated in depth the doping of DCPD with Mg2+, Sr2+, Zn2+, Cu2+, and Ag+ ions. Clear modifications in terms of chemical composition, particle size, pore distribution, crystal morphology, and affinity for water were pointed out. Then, the samples were cultured with human adipose-derived stem cells to explore cytotoxicity and proliferation. Various behaviors were noticed dependent on the incorporated metal ions. Such DCPD compounds associated with bioactive metal ions, and particularly Ag+ and Zn2+, appear promising as a new family of reactive materials for use, as such or in combination, in bone-related applications.
Scanes, E, Parker, LM, O'Connor, WA, Dove, MC & Ross, PM 2020, 'Heatwaves alter survival of the Sydney rock oyster, Saccostrea glomerata', Marine Pollution Bulletin, vol. 158, pp. 111389-111389.
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Heatwaves are an increasing threat to organisms across the globe. Marine and atmospheric heatwaves are predicted to impact sessile intertidal marine organisms, especially when exposed at low tide and unable to seek refuge. The study aimed to determine whether a simulated atmospheric heatwave will alter the survival of selectively bred families of Sydney rock oysters (Saccostrea glomerata), and whether survival is dependent on morphological and physiological traits. The survival of S. glomerata families to a simulated atmospheric heatwave varied from 25 to 60% and was not correlated with morphology or physiology. Survival may depend on the presence of genotypes that translate into molecular defenses such as heat-shock proteins and inhibitor of apoptosis proteins that provide oysters with resilience. Understanding the responses among families of oysters to heatwaves is critical if we are to restore the ecological services of oyster reefs and sustain oyster aquaculture.
Scanes, E, Scanes, PR & Ross, PM 2020, 'Climate change rapidly warms and acidifies Australian estuaries', Nature Communications, vol. 11, no. 1, p. 1803.
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AbstractClimate change is impacting ecosystems worldwide. Estuaries are diverse and important aquatic ecosystems; and yet until now we have lacked information on the response of estuaries to climate change. Here we present data from a twelve-year monitoring program, involving 6200 observations of 166 estuaries along >1100 kilometres of the Australian coastline encompassing all estuary morphologies. Estuary temperatures increased by 2.16 °C on average over 12 years, at a rate of 0.2 °C year−1, with waters acidifying at a rate of 0.09 pH units and freshening at 0.086 PSU year−1. The response of estuaries to climate change is dependent on their morphology. Lagoons and rivers are warming and acidifying at the fastest rate because of shallow average depths and limited oceanic exchange. The changes measured are an order of magnitude faster than predicted by global ocean and atmospheric models, indicating that existing global models may not be useful to predict change in estuaries.
Schmidt, MK, O’Brien, MC, Steel, MJ & Poulton, CG 2020, 'ARRAW: anti-resonant reflecting acoustic waveguides', New Journal of Physics, vol. 22, no. 5, pp. 053011-053011.
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Abstract Development of acoustic and optoacoustic on-chip technologies calls for new solutions to guiding, storing and interfacing acoustic and optical waves in integrated silicon-on-insulator systems. One of the biggest challenges in this field is to suppress the radiative dissipation of the propagating acoustic waves, while co-localizing the optical and acoustic fields in the same region of an integrated waveguide. Here we address this problem by introducing anti-resonant reflecting acoustic waveguides (ARRAWs)—mechanical analogues of the anti-resonant reflecting optical waveguides. We discuss the principles of anti-resonant guidance and establish guidelines for designing efficient ARRAWs. Finally, we demonstrate examples of the simplest silicon/silica ARRAW platforms that can simultaneously serve as near-IR optical waveguides, and support strong backward Brillouin scattering.
Schmidt, MK, Poulton, CG & Steel, MJ 2020, 'Acoustic diamond resonators with ultrasmall mode volumes', Physical Review Research, vol. 2, no. 3, p. 033153.
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Schofield, ZV, Wu, MCL, Hansbro, PM, Cooper, MA & Woodruff, TM 2020, 'Acetate protects against intestinal ischemia‐reperfusion injury independent of its cognate free fatty acid 2 receptor', The FASEB Journal, vol. 34, no. 8, pp. 10418-10430.
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Free fatty acid 2 receptor (FFA2) is highly expressed on neutrophils and, when activated by its cognate ligand acetate, generates potent anti-inflammatory activities. The roles of FFA2 and acetate have not been explored in ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). We therefore examined the function of FFA2 and the therapeutic potential of acetate to reduce tissue injury in an acute model of intestinal IRI. The superior mesenteric artery of wild-type (WT) and FFA2-/- mice was briefly occluded then reperfused following treatment with acetate or vehicle. The absence of FFA2 resulted in intestinal injury similar to that observed in WT mice, indicating a minimal causal role for FFA2 in this model. Acetate treatment to WT mice prior to ischemia profoundly protected the intestine from IRI-induced damage. Amelioration of IRI was also observed, although to a lesser extent, when acetate was administered to FFA2-/- mice demonstrating that certain protective effects of acetate were FFA2-independent. Remarkably, despite the lack of tissue damage following IRI, acetate-treated mice had markedly increased neutrophil infiltration to the reperfused intestine which was dependent on FFA2. These studies reveal a minimal causal role for FFA2 in intestinal IRI but highlight the novel therapeutic potential for acetate in the amelioration of ischemia-mediated tissue damage.
Schofield-Georgeson, E & Callan, T 2020, 'Comparing Silence Rights in the Northern Territory and New South Wales', CRIMINAL LAW JOURNAL, vol. 44, no. 2, pp. 110-126.
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Little is known about the use of the right to silence and its effect on convictions in Australian summary jurisdictions. Emerging research undertaken in New South Wales, however, has investigated these issues in the context of legally aided defendants. This study builds on that work, and researches the uses and effects of silence rights in the context of Aboriginal contact with the summary criminal justice system in the Northern Territory. The article compares results from both jurisdictions, revealing that Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory assert silence rights in higher proportions than their legally aided (and mostly) non-Aboriginal counterparts in New South Wales, but that numbers of convictions for both sample populations are roughly similar. Both studies observed patterns in the exercise of silence rights correlating with convictions, leading to the conclusion that, more than the frequency with which silence rights are exercised, it is the consistency and manner in which those rights are exercised that most correlates with rates of conviction. In attempting to explain why, the article examines Aboriginal-police relations, the Anunga Rules, as well as the effects of a custody notification service in the Northern Territory.
Scudder, N 2020, 'Privacy and the search for suspects using forensic genetic genealogy', Privacy Law Bulletin, vol. 17, no. 5, pp. 78-81.
Scudder, N, Daniel, R, Raymond, J & Sears, A 2020, 'Operationalising forensic genetic genealogy in an Australian context', Forensic Science International, vol. 316, pp. 110543-110543.
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Scudder, N, Kelty, SF, Busby Grant, J, Montgomerie, C, Walsh, SJ, Robertson, J & McNevin, D 2020, 'Differing Perception of DNA Evidence and Intelligence Capabilities in Criminal Investigations', Police Science, vol. 4, no. 2.
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The ability to predict physical characteristics from DNA presents significant opportunities for forensic science. Giving scientists an ability to make predictions about the donor of genetic material at a crime scene can then give investigators new intelligence leads for cold cases where DNA evidence has not identified any person of interest. However, the interpretation of this new form of intelligence requires careful analysis. The responses to an online survey, conducted in 2018-19, were used to examine how actors in the criminal justice system assess and interpret different types of DNA evidence and intelligence. The groups of focus for the survey were investigators, legal practitioners and the general public (as potential jurors). Several statistically significant effects were identified based on occupation and whether an individual had prior exposure to new DNA technology. Monitoring how those involved in interpreting reports from different types of DNA evidence and intelligence interpret them helps to ensure that decisions are made based on a sound understanding of their capabilities and limitations and may inform broader training and awareness strategies.
Scudder, N, Robertson, J, Kelty, SF, Walsh, SJ & McNevin, D 2020, 'Crowdsourced and crowdfunded: the future of forensic DNA?', Australian Journal of Forensic Sciences, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 235-241.
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© 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group Forensic DNA analysis is dependent on comparing the known and the unknown. Expand the number of known profiles, and the likelihood of a successful match increases. Forensic use of DNA is moving towards comparing samples of unknown origin with publicly available genetic data, such as the records held by genetic genealogy providers. Use of forensic genetic genealogy has yielded a number of recent high-profile successes but has raised ethical and privacy concerns. Navigating family trees is complex, even more so when combined with a comparison of genetic relationships. This intelligence-gathering process has led to occasional false leads, and its use also risks a public backlash, similar to concerns over Cambridge Analytica. A cautious approach to use of this technique is therefore warranted.
Senanayake, S, Pradhan, B, Huete, A & Brennan, J 2020, 'A Review on Assessing and Mapping Soil Erosion Hazard Using Geo-Informatics Technology for Farming System Management', Remote Sensing, vol. 12, no. 24, pp. 4063-4063.
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Soil erosion is a severe threat to food production systems globally. Food production in farming systems decreases with increasing soil erosion hazards. This review article focuses on geo-informatics applications for identifying, assessing and predicting erosion hazards for sustainable farming system development. Several researchers have used a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods with erosion models, integrating geo-informatics techniques for spatial interpretations to address soil erosion and land degradation issues. The review identified different geo-informatics methods of erosion hazard assessment and highlighted some research gaps that can provide a basis to develop appropriate novel methodologies for future studies. It was found that rainfall variation and land-use changes significantly contribute to soil erosion hazards. There is a need for more research on the spatial and temporal pattern of water erosion with rainfall variation, innovative techniques and strategies for landscape evaluation to improve the environmental conditions in a sustainable manner. Examining water erosion and predicting erosion hazards for future climate scenarios could also be approached with emerging algorithms in geo-informatics and spatiotemporal analysis at higher spatial resolutions. Further, geo-informatics can be applied with real-time data for continuous monitoring and evaluation of erosion hazards to risk reduction and prevent the damages in farming systems.
Senanayake, S, Pradhan, B, Huete, A & Brennan, J 2020, 'Assessing Soil Erosion Hazards Using Land-Use Change and Landslide Frequency Ratio Method: A Case Study of Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka', Remote Sensing, vol. 12, no. 9, pp. 1483-1483.
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This study aims to identify the vulnerable landscape areas using landslide frequency ratio and land-use change associated soil erosion hazard by employing geo-informatics techniques and the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) model. Required datasets were collected from multiple sources, such as multi-temporal Landsat images, soil data, rainfall data, land-use land-cover (LULC) maps, topographic maps, and details of the past landslide incidents. Landsat satellite images from 2000, 2010, and 2019 were used to assess the land-use change. Geospatial input data on rainfall, soil type, terrain characteristics, and land cover were employed for soil erosion hazard classification and mapping. Landscape vulnerability was examined on the basis of land-use change, erosion hazard class, and landslide frequency ratio. Then the erodible hazard areas were identified and prioritized at the scale of river distribution zones. The image analysis of Sabaragamuwa Province in Sri Lanka from 2000 to 2019 indicates a significant increase in cropping areas (17.96%) and urban areas (3.07%), whereas less dense forest and dense forest coverage are significantly reduced (14.18% and 6.46%, respectively). The average annual soil erosion rate increased from 14.56 to 15.53 t/ha/year from year 2000 to 2019. The highest landslide frequency ratios are found in the less dense forest area and cropping area, and were identified as more prone to future landslides. The river distribution zones Athtanagalu Oya (A-2), Kalani River-south (A-3), and Kalani River- north (A-9), were identified as immediate priority areas for soil conservation.
Sergeev, AA, Pavlov, DV, Kuchmizhak, AA, Lapine, MV, Yiu, WK, Dong, Y, Ke, N, Juodkazis, S, Zhao, N, Kershaw, SV & Rogach, AL 2020, 'Tailoring spontaneous infrared emission of HgTe quantum dots with laser-printed plasmonic arrays', Light: Science & Applications, vol. 9, no. 1.
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AbstractChemically synthesized near-infrared to mid-infrared (IR) colloidal quantum dots (QDs) offer a promising platform for the realization of devices including emitters, detectors, security, and sensor systems. However, at longer wavelengths, the quantum yield of such QDs decreases as the radiative emission rate drops following Fermi’s golden rule, while non-radiative recombination channels compete with light emission. Control over the radiative and non-radiative channels of the IR-emitting QDs is crucially important to improve the performance of IR-range devices. Here, we demonstrate strong enhancement of the spontaneous emission rate of near- to mid-IR HgTe QDs coupled to periodically arranged plasmonic nanoantennas, in the form of nanobumps, produced on the surface of glass-supported Au films via ablation-free direct femtosecond laser printing. The enhancement is achieved by simultaneous radiative coupling of the emission that spectrally matches the first-order lattice resonance of the arrays, as well as more efficient photoluminescence excitation provided by coupling of the pump radiation to the local surface plasmon resonances of the isolated nanoantennas. Moreover, coupling of the HgTe QDs to the lattice plasmons reduces the influence of non-radiative decay losses mediated by the formation of polarons formed between QD surface-trapped carriers and the IR absorption bands of dodecanethiol used as a ligand on the QDs, allowing us to improve the shape of the emission spectrum through a reduction in the spectral dip related to this ligand coupling. Considering the ease of the chemical synthesis and processing of the HgTe QDs combined with the scalability of the direct laser fabrication of nanoantennas with tailored plasmonic responses, our results provide an important step towards the design of IR-range devices for various applications.
Shang, Y, Zhou, J, Cai, Y, Wang, F, Fernandez-Bravo, A, Yang, C, Jiang, L & Jin, D 2020, 'Low threshold lasing emissions from a single upconversion nanocrystal', Nature Communications, vol. 11, no. 1.
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AbstractCross-relaxation among neighboring emitters normally causes self-quenching and limits the brightness of luminescence. However, in nanomaterials, cross-relaxation could be well-controlled and employed for increasing the luminescence efficiency at specific wavelengths. Here we report that cross-relaxation can modulate both the brightness of single upconversion nanoparticles and the threshold to reach population inversion, and both are critical factors in producing the ultra-low threshold lasing emissions in a micro cavity laser. By homogenously coating a 5-μm cavity with a single layer of nanoparticles, we demonstrate that doping Tm3+ ions at 2% can facilitate the electron accumulation at the intermediate state of 3H4 level and efficiently decrease the lasing threshold by more than one order of magnitude. As a result, we demonstrate up-converted lasing emissions with an ultralow threshold of continuous-wave excitation of ~150 W/cm2 achieved at room temperature. A single nanoparticle can lase with a full width at half-maximum as narrow as ~0.45 nm.
Sharma, M, Prasher, P, Mehta, M, Zacconi, FC, Singh, Y, Kapoor, DN, Dureja, H, Pardhi, DM, Tambuwala, MM, Gupta, G, Chellappan, DK, Dua, K & Satija, S 2020, 'Probing 3CL protease: Rationally designed chemical moieties for COVID‐19', Drug Development Research, vol. 81, no. 8, pp. 911-918.
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Shaw, PA, Gustafson, P, Carroll, RJ, Deffner, V, Dodd, KW, Keogh, RH, Kipnis, V, Tooze, JA, Wallace, MP, Küchenhoff, H & Freedman, LS 2020, 'STRATOS guidance document on measurement error and misclassification of variables in observational epidemiology: Part 2—More complex methods of adjustment and advanced topics', Statistics in Medicine, vol. 39, no. 16, pp. 2232-2263.
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We continue our review of issues related to measurement error and misclassification in epidemiology. We further describe methods of adjusting for biased estimation caused by measurement error in continuous covariates, covering likelihood methods, Bayesian methods, moment reconstruction, moment‐adjusted imputation, and multiple imputation. We then describe which methods can also be used with misclassification of categorical covariates. Methods of adjusting estimation of distributions of continuous variables for measurement error are then reviewed. Illustrative examples are provided throughout these sections. We provide lists of available software for implementing these methods and also provide the code for implementing our examples in the Supporting Information. Next, we present several advanced topics, including data subject to both classical and Berkson error, modeling continuous exposures with measurement error, and categorical exposures with misclassification in the same model, variable selection when some of the variables are measured with error, adjusting analyses or design for error in an outcome variable, and categorizing continuous variables measured with error. Finally, we provide some advice for the often met situations where variables are known to be measured with substantial error, but there is only an external reference standard or partial (or no) information about the type or magnitude of the error.
Sheehan, CE & Petrou, K 2020, 'Dimethylated sulfur production in batch cultures of Southern Ocean phytoplankton', Biogeochemistry, vol. 147, no. 1, pp. 53-69.
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© 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG. Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is a ubiquitous organic sulfur compound that underpins sulfur cycling in the marine environment and is the precursor to the climatically active gas dimethylsulfide (DMS). Modelling studies have identified the Southern Ocean as a DMS hot spot during summer, yet except for the bloom forming haptophyte Phaeocystis, little is known about sulfur production by other important members of the marine microbial community. Here, we measured DMSP concentrations and DMSP lyase activity (DLA), with corresponding carbon, nitrogen and Chl a content, in 15 species of Antarctic phototrophic phytoplankton (14 microalgae species and one cyanobacterium) and one phagotrophic flagellate. We found that 11 of the 16 species were able to produce DMSP and eight possess DLA. DMSP content ranged from 0.06 to 73 fmol cell−1 and estimated DMSP production rates ranged from 0.008 to 12.42 fmol cell−1 day−1. As expected, Phaeocystis was amongst the highest producers, however, contrary to expectation DMSP concentrations were high in several pennate diatom species, with intracellular concentrations between 1.85 and 46.6 mM. Here we present the first evidence that the cyanobacterium Synechococcus may be a DMSP producer, with the potential to contribute significantly to the DMSP pool. This study has provided the first analysis of DMSP production and DLA in a suite of phototrophic and phagotrophic species isolated from Antarctica, revealing the variability in DMSP concentrations across multiple strains and within genera and delivered new evidence for potential DLA in diatoms.
Sheehan, CE, Baker, KG, Nielsen, DA & Petrou, K 2020, 'Temperatures above thermal optimum reduce cell growth and silica production while increasing cell volume and protein content in the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana', Hydrobiologia, vol. 847, no. 20, pp. 4233-4248.
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© 2020, Springer Nature Switzerland AG. Temperature plays a fundamental role in determining phytoplankton community structure, distribution, and abundance. With climate models predicting increases in ocean surface temperatures of up to 3.2°C by 2100, there is a genuine need to acquire data on the phenotypic plasticity, and thus performance, of phytoplankton in relation to temperature. We investigated the effects of temperature (14–28°C) on the growth, morphology, productivity, silicification and macromolecular composition of the marine diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana. Optimum growth rate and maximum P:R ratio were obtained around 21°C. Cell volume and chlorophyll a increased with temperature, as did lipids and proteins. One of the strongest temperature-induced shifts was the higher silicification rates at low temperature. Our results reveal temperature-driven responses in physiological, morphological and biochemical traits in T. pseudonana; whereby at supra-optimal temperatures cells grew slower, were larger, had higher chlorophyll and protein content but reduced silicification, while those exposed to sub-optimal temperatures were smaller, heavily silicified with lower lipid and chlorophyll content. If these conserved across species, our findings indicate that as oceans warm, we may see shifts in diatom phenotypes and community structure, with potential biogeochemical consequences of higher remineralisation and declines in carbon and silicon export to the ocean interior.
Sheehan, CE, Nielsen, DA & Petrou, K 2020, 'Macromolecular composition, productivity and dimethylsulfoniopropionate in Antarctic pelagic and sympagic microalgal communities', Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol. 640, pp. 45-61.
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Microalgae form the base of the Antarctic marine food web and through their conversion of nutrients into biomass, are the principal source of energy for higher trophic levels. Environmental conditions strongly influence microalgal photophysiology, biochemistry and macromolecular composition, which has implications for the quality and quantity of energy available for transfer through the food web. Here we assessed the photosynthetic performance, biochemical (dimethylsulfoniopropionate; DMSP) and macromolecular composition (lipids, carbohydrates and proteins) of selected diatoms sampled from 2 distinct Antarctic marine environments, namely the late spring bottom sea ice (sympagic) and near-shore ice-free coastal waters (pelagic). The photosynthetic efficiency and photoprotective capacity of the communities differed significantly, and chlorophyll a-specific gross primary productivity was 4-fold greater in the pelagic community. At the community level, pelagic microalgae had the highest DMSP content (1.4 nmol [µg chl a]-1) and the highest potential rates of DMSP lyase activity (0.87 nmol [µg chl a]-1 h-1). Comparisons within each community showed taxon-specific differences in macromolecular composition, which were strongest amongst the sympagic diatoms. Comparing across communities, pelagic diatoms had lower lipid to protein ratios, whereas sympagic diatoms were lipid rich and had significantly higher content of unsaturated fatty acids. These findings show variability in the physiology and nutritional quality of the base of the food web depending on habitat and taxonomic group and emphasise the importance of the sympagic community for providing a concentrated source of high-energy compounds during the pulsed productivity events for key grazers such as krill to survive through long dark winters.
Sheipouri, D, Gallagher, CI, Shimmon, S, Rawling, T & Vandenberg, RJ 2020, 'A System for Assessing Dual Action Modulators of Glycine Transporters and Glycine Receptors', Biomolecules, vol. 10, no. 12, pp. 1618-1618.
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Reduced inhibitory glycinergic neurotransmission is implicated in a number of neurological conditions such as neuropathic pain, schizophrenia, epilepsy and hyperekplexia. Restoring glycinergic signalling may be an effective method of treating these pathologies. Glycine transporters (GlyTs) control synaptic and extra-synaptic glycine concentrations and slowing the reuptake of glycine using specific GlyT inhibitors will increase glycine extracellular concentrations and increase glycine receptor (GlyR) activation. Glycinergic neurotransmission can also be improved through positive allosteric modulation (PAM) of GlyRs. Despite efforts to manipulate this synapse, no therapeutics currently target it. We propose that dual action modulators of both GlyTs and GlyRs may show greater therapeutic potential than those targeting individual proteins. To show this, we have characterized a co-expression system in Xenopus laevis oocytes consisting of GlyT1 or GlyT2 co-expressed with GlyRα1. We use two electrode voltage clamp recording techniques to measure the impact of GlyTs on GlyRs and the effects of modulators of these proteins. We show that increases in GlyT density in close proximity to GlyRs diminish receptor currents. Reductions in GlyR mediated currents are not observed when non-transportable GlyR agonists are applied or when Na+ is not available. GlyTs reduce glycine concentrations across different concentration ranges, corresponding with their ion-coupling stoichiometry, and full receptor currents can be restored when GlyTs are blocked with selective inhibitors. We show that partial inhibition of GlyT2 and modest GlyRα1 potentiation using a dual action compound, is as useful in restoring GlyR currents as a full and potent single target GlyT2 inhibitor or single target GlyRα1 PAM. The co-expression system developed in this study will provide a robust means for assessing the likely impact of GlyR PAMs and GlyT inhibitors on glycine neurotransmission.
Shen, J, Huete, A, Ma, X, Tran, NN, Joiner, J, Beringer, J, Eamus, D & Yu, Q 2020, 'Spatial pattern and seasonal dynamics of the photosynthesis activity across Australian rainfed croplands', Ecological Indicators, vol. 108, pp. 105669-105669.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Early detection of crop water and heat stress for effective crop management requires continuous and accurate monitoring of cropland photosynthesis activity. Satellite measurements can complement the restrictive coverage afforded by in-situ measurements and have the potential to facilitate the monitoring of cropland photosynthesis over a large spatial scale in a cost-effective manner. Traditionally, space-based monitoring of cropland photosynthetic activity, especially Light-use efficiency (LUE), has relied on empirical relationships between satellite spectral reflectance and ground climate and vegetation conditions. Space-borne retrievals of sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF), an independent measurement, has shown to provide a more direct estimation of photosynthetic activity than traditional methods, and may further allow the inference of LUE. This study has empirically explored the possibility of remotely monitoring large-scale LUE by calculating the ratio of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) normalized SIF to the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI). We applied this calculation to demonstrate the spatial patterns and seasonal dynamics of LUE and its related measurements in response to land surface temperature (LST) across Australian rainfed croplands from 2007 to 2016. LST was used to provide an integrated measure of vegetation water and heat stress at the canopy level. Our results showed that LUE tends to be higher in the geographical middle zones than in either the warmer northern or the cooler southern regions. Temporally, we found that there was a seasonal asymmetry of LUE and its related measurements in response to LST change throughout the winter crop-growing season. Statistical tests revealed that the optimum LST range for satellite-based LUE was 16.6–17.6 °C during August. The more LST exceeded this optimum, the more sensitive LUE was found to be. Pixels in August with optimum LST across the ten-year sampling pe...
Shiels, J, Cwiklinski, K, Alvarado, R, Thivierge, K, Cotton, S, Gonzales Santana, B, To, J, Donnelly, S, Taggart, CC, Weldon, S & Dalton, JP 2020, 'Schistosoma mansoni immunomodulatory molecule Sm16/SPO-1/SmSLP is a member of the trematode-specific helminth defence molecules (HDMs)', PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, vol. 14, no. 7, pp. e0008470-e0008470.
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BACKGROUND: Sm16, also known as SPO-1 and SmSLP, is a low molecular weight protein (~16kDa) secreted by the digenean trematode parasite Schistosoma mansoni, one of the main causative agents of human schistosomiasis. The molecule is secreted from the acetabular gland of the cercariae during skin invasion and is believed to perform an immune-suppressive function to protect the invading parasite from innate immune cell attack. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We show that Sm16 homologues of the Schistosomatoidea family are phylogenetically related to the helminth defence molecule (HDM) family of immunomodulatory peptides first described in Fasciola hepatica. Interrogation of 69 helminths genomes demonstrates that HDMs are exclusive to trematode species. Structural analyses of Sm16 shows that it consists predominantly of an amphipathic alpha-helix, much like other HDMs. In S. mansoni, Sm16 is highly expressed in the cercariae and eggs but not in adult worms, suggesting that the molecule is of importance not only during skin invasion but also in the pro-inflammatory response to eggs in the liver tissues. Recombinant Sm16 and a synthetic form, Sm16 (34-117), bind to macrophages and are internalised into the endosomal/lysosomal system. Sm16 (34-117) elicited a weak pro-inflammatory response in macrophages in vitro but also suppressed the production of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory cytokines. Evaluation of the transcriptome of human macrophages treated with a synthetic Sm16 (34-117) demonstrates that the peptide exerts significant immunomodulatory effects alone, as well as in the presence of LPS. Pathways most significantly influenced by Sm16 (34-117) were those involving transcription factors peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) and liver X receptors/retinoid X receptor (LXR/RXR) which are intricately involved in regulating the cellular metabolism of macrophages (fatty acid, cholesterol and glucose homeostasis) and are cen...
Shinde, T, Hansbro, PM, Sohal, SS, Dingle, P, Eri, R & Stanley, R 2020, 'Microbiota Modulating Nutritional Approaches to Countering the Effects of Viral Respiratory Infections Including SARS-CoV-2 through Promoting Metabolic and Immune Fitness with Probiotics and Plant Bioactives', Microorganisms, vol. 8, no. 6, pp. 921-921.
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Viral respiratory infections (VRIs) can spread quickly and cause enormous morbidity and mortality worldwide. These events pose serious threats to public health due to time lags in developing vaccines to activate the acquired immune system. The high variability of people’s symptomatic responses to viral infections, as illustrated in the current COVID-19 pandemic, indicates the potential to moderate the severity of morbidity from VRIs. Growing evidence supports roles for probiotic bacteria (PB) and prebiotic dietary fiber (DF) and other plant nutritional bioactives in modulating immune functions. While human studies help to understand the epidemiology and immunopathology of VRIs, the chaotic nature of viral transmissions makes it difficult to undertake mechanistic study where the pre-conditioning of the metabolic and immune system could be beneficial. However, recent experimental studies have significantly enhanced our understanding of how PB and DF, along with plant bioactives, can significantly modulate innate and acquired immunity responses to VRIs. Synbiotic combinations of PB and DF potentiate increased benefits primarily through augmenting the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) such as butyrate. These and specific plant polyphenolics help to regulate immune responses to both restrain VRIs and temper the neutrophil response that can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This review highlights the current understanding of the potential impact of targeted nutritional strategies in setting a balanced immune tone for viral clearance and reinforcing homeostasis. This knowledge may guide the development of public health tactics and the application of functional foods with PB and DF components as a nutritional approach to support countering VRI morbidity.
Shrestha, J, Razavi Bazaz, S, Aboulkheyr Es, H, Yaghobian Azari, D, Thierry, B, Ebrahimi Warkiani, M & Ghadiri, M 2020, 'Lung-on-a-chip: the future of respiratory disease models and pharmacological studies', Critical Reviews in Biotechnology, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 213-230.
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© 2020, © 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Recently, organ-on-a-chip models, which are microfluidic devices that mimic the cellular architecture and physiological environment of an organ, have been developed and extensively investigated. The chips can be tailored to accommodate the disease conditions pertaining to many organs; and in the case of this review, the lung. Lung-on-a-chip models result in a more accurate reflection compared to conventional in vitro models. Pharmaceutical drug testing methods traditionally use animal models in order to evaluate pharmacological and toxicological responses to a new agent. However, these responses do not directly reflect human physiological responses. In this review, current and future applications of the lung-on-a-chip in the respiratory system will be discussed. Furthermore, the limitations of current conventional in vitro models used for respiratory disease modeling and drug development will be addressed. Highlights of additional translational aspects of the lung-on-a-chip will be discussed in order to demonstrate the importance of this subject for medical research.
Shukla, SD, Walters, EH, Simpson, JL, Keely, S, Wark, PAB, O'Toole, RF & Hansbro, PM 2020, 'Hypoxia‐inducible factor and bacterial infections in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease', Respirology, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 53-63.
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ABSTRACTCOPD is a seriously disabling respiratory condition that inexorably progresses to disability and mortality. It affects approximately 10% of the population globally with a greater prevalence at advanced ages. Airway bacterial infections complicate the disease course in most COPD patients, leading to increased symptoms, more rapid decline in lung function, acute exacerbations and reduced quality of life. With increasing bacterial resistance to antibiotics and adverse effects of conventional treatments, new effective non‐antibiotic antimicrobial therapies are urgently needed to manage COPD. Hypoxia‐inducible factor (HIF)‐1α is an important transcriptional regulator of cellular responses to hypoxia, oxidants and inflammation, and is overexpressed in the lungs of COPD patients. Recent evidence shows that increased HIF‐1α expression can upregulate the platelet‐activating factor receptor (PAFR) on the airway epithelial surface that is increased in smokers and particularly COPD patients. The receptor is utilized by PAFR‐dependent bacteria (Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) to induce infection in both the respiratory and gastrointestinal (GI) tracts. However, the importance and mechanism of HIF‐1α in augmenting PAFR‐dependent bacterial infections in COPD are poorly understood. Here, we review the evidence for the roles of local tissue hypoxia‐induced inflammation, HIF‐1α and PAFR in facilitating bacterial infections in COPD. Blocking PAFR may provide a novel antimicrobial approach to manage bacterial infections in COPD.
Siboni, N, Abrego, D, Puill-Stephan, E, King, WL, Bourne, DG, Raina, J-B, Seymour, JR & Harder, T 2020, 'Crustose coralline algae that promote coral larval settlement harbor distinct surface bacterial communities', Coral Reefs, vol. 39, no. 6, pp. 1703-1713.
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© 2020, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. Most benthic invertebrates, including ecosystem engineers such as corals, sponges and bivalves, have a motile planktonic larval phase and rely on specific chemical cues to identify a suitable substrate to settle. Crustose coralline algae (CCA) can induce settlement and metamorphosis responses in many invertebrates including corals. We tested the respective coral settlement capacity of multiple CCA species in a choice experiment and investigated the composition of their microbiomes. Our findings revealed that coral larval settlement was drastically influenced by CCA genera and also suggest that bacterial communities on the CCA surface can potentially serve as a driver of coral larval settlement. The composition of the bacterial communities on the surface of the least attractive CCA genus, Neogoniolithon fosliei, was markedly different from the other genera, Porolithon gardineri and Titanoderma prototypum and was significantly enriched in Vibrio and Flammeovirgaceae. The activity of CCA-associated bacterial communities may contribute to some of the variability observed in settlement responses between CCA species. Specific bacterial ASVs assigned to the Neptuniibacter, Methylotrophic Group 3 and Cellvibrionaceae were positively correlated with coral settlement. Conversely, ASVs assigned as Vibrio and Flammeovirga were negatively correlated with coral settlement. This study identifies putative bacterial taxa involved in coral settlement, which is an essential step to understand the chemical cues involved in this process and to predict the ability of corals to recolonize damaged reefs following disturbances.
Silburn, J, Johnson, DD, Booth, DJ & Taylor, MD 2020, 'The effect of subsampling when monitoring bycatch in a penaeid trawl fishery', Fisheries Research, vol. 224, pp. 105459-105459.
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© 2019 Fishery dependent and independent survey programs for multi-species trawl fisheries often employ subsampling to increase efficiency, but this is not usually accompanied by any quantitative analysis to optimise its application. Here, we measure the effect of subsampling on the information generated from trawl surveys, and provide relationships to assist the interpretation of data derived from such surveys, and confidence in associated estimates for future studies. A commercial fishing vessel was chartered to perform normal fishing operations, and various proportional subsamples (by weight) were sorted from each tow. Overall, 50 % of total species diversity in a sample would be detected if only 10 % of the total sample mass was sorted, however abundance estimates of individual species under different subsampling scenarios varied depending on their rarity. For common species, the abundance in a sample was estimated with reasonable accuracy from sorting only 10 % of the biomass, whereas sorting >60 % of the biomass was required to obtain an accurate estimate of abundance for rarer species. The careful consideration of program objectives is important in optimising the sampling approach employed, as subsampling may not be appropriate for detection of rare species. The patterns presented here provide a quantitative basis to support sampling and sorting methodology for multispecies trawl samples, as well quantifying the implications of subsampling on the confidence in estimates of diversity or abundance.
Singh, S, Singh, TG, Dhiman, S, Satija, S & Gupta, S 2020, 'Pharmacological evaluation of tinospora cordifolia on nicotine dependence in mice', Plant Archives, vol. 20, pp. 3757-3762.
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The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of a hydroalcoholic extract of Tinospora cordifolia on the prevention of the development of nicotine dependence and for the reduction of abstinence suffering following nicotine cessation in mice. Nicotine dependence was induced in mice by subcutaneous injections of nicotine (2mg/kg, s.c., 4 times/day) for seven days. Spontaneous abstinence syndrome was evaluated on 8th day, after the last nicotine administration followed by mecamylamine (3 mg kg-1, i.p.), by analysis of withdrawal signs. The hydroalcoholic extract of Tinospora cordifolia (100 and 400 mg/kg, p.o) was administered during nicotine treatment. Results showed that somatic signs are abolished by administration of Tinospora cordifolia hydroalcoholic extract in a dose-dependent fashion. In conclusion, our data encourage additional studies to define the use of Tinospora cordifolia extract as a therapeutic approach in the treatment of smoking cessation.
Singh, VP, Mehta, M, Satija, S, Sharma, DS & Sharma, PK 2020, 'Emerging trends of liquid crystalline nanoparticles drug delivery for pulmonary disorders', European Journal of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, vol. 7, no. 7, pp. 2558-2564.
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© 2020 Ubiquity Press. All rights reserved. In this era of nanotechnology lyotropic liquid crystalline nanoparticles (cubosomes) are relatively less explored lipid-based nanocarriers that can be formulated selectively and specificity for almost all administration routes. The natural compounds are proved to be significantly curative in pulmonary diseases due to reported anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities. The natural products have limited bioavailability due to either hydrophilic or low water solubility. These limitations can be overcome by using a novel nanotechnology such as cubosomes or liquid crystalline nanoparticles (LCNs). LCNs can easily encapsulate both hydrophilic and hydrophobic compounds because of the amphiphilic nature of lipid monoolein (MO). LCN can be used to co-deliver synthetic and natural compounds irrespective of their solubility due to multi-compartment structure. We can use LCNs to formulate drugs of synthetic origin with natural one to overcome multidrug resistance (MDR).
Singh, Y, Gupta, G, Satija, S, Negi, P, Chellappan, DK & Dua, K 2020, 'RAAS blockers in hypertension posing a higher risk toward the COVID ‐19', Dermatologic Therapy, vol. 33, no. 4, pp. e13501-e13501.
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Singh, Y, Gupta, G, Satija, S, Pabreja, K, Chellappan, DK & Dua, K 2020, 'COVID‐19 transmission through host cell directed network of GPCR', Drug Development Research, vol. 81, no. 6, pp. 647-649.
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Smyth, L, McClements, L & Murphy, P 2020, 'Engaging hard-to-reach populations in research on health in pregnancy: the value of Boal’s simultaneous dramaturgy', Arts & Health, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 71-79.
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© 2018, © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Background: Migrant populations are among the hardest to reach for research purposes. Methods: An interdisciplinary research team piloted a modified version of Boal's simultaneous dramaturgy with Roma mothers in Belfast. Results: The technique, based on scripted performances, translations, and discussions, proved effective for engaging with this hard-to-reach population, despite low levels of literacy, high language barriers, and cultural separateness. The approach uncovered attitudes to pregnancy which reinforce health inequalities, and present significant challenges for improving the health of marginalized populations. Conclusions: This pilot underlines the importance of building trust through holistic approaches to working with hard-to-reach populations through the creative arts.
Söderström, B, Ruda, A, Widmalm, G & Daley, DO 2020, 'An OregonGreen488-labelled d-amino acid for visualizing peptidoglycan by super-resolution STED nanoscopy', Microbiology, vol. 166, no. 12, pp. 1129-1135.
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Fluorescent d-amino acids (FDAAs) are molecular probes that are widely used for labelling the peptidoglycan layer of bacteria. When added to growing cells they are incorporated into the stem peptide by a transpeptidase reaction, allowing the timing and localization of peptidoglycan synthesis to be determined by fluorescence microscopy. Herein we describe the chemical synthesis of an OregonGreen488-labelled FDAA (OGDA). We also demonstrate that OGDA can be efficiently incorporated into the PG of Gram-positive and some Gram-negative bacteria, and imaged by super-resolution stimulated emission depletion (STED) nanoscopy at a resolution well below 100 nm.
Soja-Woźniak, M, Laiolo, L, Baird, ME, Matear, R, Clementson, L, Schroeder, T, Doblin, MA & Suthers, IM 2020, 'Effect of phytoplankton community size structure on remote-sensing reflectance and chlorophyll a products', Journal of Marine Systems, vol. 211, pp. 103400-103400.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Remotely-sensed ocean colour is the main tool for estimating chlorophyll a (Chl-a) concentration and primary productivity on the global scale. In order to investigate the source of errors in remotely-sensed Chl-a concentration we obtained in situ bio-optical properties, in situ reflectances, satellite-derived reflectances and the Chl-a concentration satellite products of the Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI) Instrument on board Sentinel-3 A in waters off eastern Australia. The mesoscale eddies of these oligotrophic waters provide contrasting phytoplankton communities that allowed us to focus on the effect of phytoplankton size as a source of errors. In these waters, cold-core cyclonic eddies (CE) are dominated by large phytoplankton cells, while small cells dominate warm-core anticyclonic eddies (ACE). The chlorophyll-specific absorption and backscattering from contrasting sites show significant difference due to the differing package effect of phytoplankton size distributions. After normalising the absorption and backscattering spectra to Chl-a associated with just small phytoplankton, the spectra of optical properties become much more similar, showing that small-sized phytoplankton dominate IOPs even when large cells contain the greater fraction of Chl-a concentration of the phytoplankton community. Measured in situ reflectances agreed with reflectances calculated using a simple optical model based on measured IOPs. Furthermore, the in situ measured reflectances agreed well with the OLCI reflectance (mean normalised bias (MNB) of 7% for wavelengths <600 nm). However, a systematic underestimation of Chl-a concentrations by the OLCI algorithms was found in the region of cyclonic eddies characterised by increased Chl-a concentration and dominance of large-sized phytoplankton. A similar underprediction was found in Chl-a concentration calculated with the band-ratio OC4Me algorithm using in situ and IOP-calculated reflectance. Excluding Ch...
Solanki, N, Mehta, M, Chellappan, DK, Gupta, G, Hansbro, NG, Tambuwala, MM, AA Aljabali, A, Paudel, KR, Liu, G, Satija, S, Hansbro, PM, Dua, K & Dureja, H 2020, 'Antiproliferative effects of boswellic acid-loaded chitosan nanoparticles on human lung cancer cell line A549', Future Medicinal Chemistry, vol. 12, no. 22, pp. 2019-2034.
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Aim: In the present study boswellic acids-loaded chitosan nanoparticles were synthesized using ionic gelation technique. The influence of independent variables were studied and optimized on dependent variables using central composite design. Methodology & results: The designed nanoparticles were observed spherical in shape with an average size of 67.5–187.2 nm and have also shown an excellent entrapment efficiency (80.06 ± 0.48). The cytotoxicity assay revealed enhanced cytotoxicity for drug-loaded nanoparticles in contrast to the free drug having an IC50value of 17.29 and 29.59 μM, respectively. Flow cytometry confirmed that treatment of cells with 40 μg/ml had arrested 22.75 ± 0.3% at SubG0phase of the cell cycle when compared with untreated A459 cells. The observed results justified the boswellic acids-loaded chitosan nanoparticles were effective due to greater cellular uptake, sustained intercellular drug retention and enhanced antiproliferative effect by inducing apoptosis.
Soon, L, Ng, PQ, Chellian, J, Madheswaran, T, Panneerselvam, J, Hsu, A, Hansbro, PM, Dua, K, Collet, T & Chellappan, DK 2020, 'Green synthesis and antibacterial potential of artemisia vulgaris extract in silver nanoparticles against wound bacteria', Jurnal Ilmiah Farmasi, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 9-18.
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Sornalingam, K, McDonagh, A, Canning, J, Cook, K, Johir, MAH, Zhou, JL & Ahmed, MB 2020, 'Photocatalysis of 17α-ethynylestradiol and estriol in water using engineered immersible optical fibres and light emitting diodes', Journal of Water Process Engineering, vol. 33, pp. 101075-101075.
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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd This research aims to promote photocatalysis of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in water. Two reactor setups with (i) modified air-clad optical fibres and (ii) waterproof LED strips were utilised to transmit light to photocatalysts P25 TiO2 and gold-modified TiO2 (Au-TiO2). The performances to photodegrade 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2) and estriol (E3) under Cool White and UVA high efficacy LEDs were examined. Au-TiO2 showed superior photocatalytic activity for EE2 removal over P25 TiO2. The pseudo first-order rate constants for EE2 photocatalysis under UVA were 0.55 h−1 and 0.89 h−1 for TiO2 and Au-TiO2, respectively. E3 was effectively degraded by Au-TiO2 in the immersible LED strip reactor (0.13 h−1).
Srivastava, A, Deb, P & Kumari, N 2020, 'Multi-Model Approach to Assess the Dynamics of Hydrologic Components in a Tropical Ecosystem', Water Resources Management, vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 327-341.
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Estimation of terrestrial water budget at global and regional scales are essential for efficient agricultural water management, flood predictions, and, hydrological modeling. In hydrological modeling, it is a challenging task to quantify the major hydrological components like runoff, evapotranspiration (ET), and total water storage (TWS) due to improper and limited availability of detailed meteorological datasets. Furthermore, there has been no consensus to answer a-decade-long critical question that a less data-intensive models can be an alternate to robust data-intensive models in data scarce conditions. This study aims at multi-model approach over the single models usage for representing the hydrological behaviour in the Kangsabati River Basin (KRB), India. It is done by applying the standard model selection criteria over various hydrological models. Two hydrological models are selected, a semi- distributed model, Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC-3 L), and a conceptually lumped model, Identification of unit Hydrograph and Component flows from Rainfall, Evapotranspiration and Streamflow (IHACRES). Both models were calibrated against the observed daily discharge at the KRB outlet for the period of 2001–2006 and validated for 2008–2010. The results show that both VIC-3 L and IHACRES produce reasonable runoff estimates at daily and monthly time scale in the KRB. The ET estimates show that VIC-3 L and IHACRES captured the seasonal variations with the percent change of 0.4% and 6.6% respectively. As IHACRES is simpler, parsimonious, fewer parameters, and better performances, it can be useful for hydrological modeling in data-scarce regions.
Srivastava, A, Kumari, N & Maza, M 2020, 'Hydrological Response to Agricultural Land Use Heterogeneity Using Variable Infiltration Capacity Model', Water Resources Management, vol. 34, no. 12, pp. 3779-3794.
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Hydrological responses corresponding to the agricultural land use alterations are critical for planning crop management strategies, water resources management, and environmental evaluations. However, accurate estimation and evaluation of these hydrological responses are restricted by the limited availability of detailed crop classification in land use and land cover. An innovative approach using state-of-the-art Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model is utilized by setting up the crop-specific vegetation parameterization and analyse the effect of uniform and heterogeneous agricultural land use over the hydrological responses of the basin, in the Kangsabati River Basin (KRB). Thirteen year simulations (1998–2010) based on two different scenarios i.e., single-crop in agricultural land use (SC-ALU) and multi-crop in agricultural land use (MC-ALU) patterns are incorporated in the model and calibrated (1998–2006) and validated (2007–2010) for the streamflow at Reservoir and Mohanpur in the KRB. The results demonstrated that the VIC model improved the estimates of hydrological components, especially surface runoff and evapotranspiration (ET) at daily and monthly timescales corresponding to MC-ALU than SC-ALU (NSC > 0.7). Grid-scale ET estimates are improved after incorporating heterogeneous agricultural land use (NSC > 0.55 and R2 > 0.55) throughout the period of 1998–2010. This study improves our understanding on how the change in agricultural land use in the model settings alters the basin hydrological characteristics, and to provide model-based approaches for best management practices in irrigation scheduling, crop water requirement, and management strategies in the absence of flux towers, eddy covariance, and lysimeters in the basin.
Steiner, R, Moret, S & Roux, C 2020, 'Evaluation of the use of chemical pads to mimic latent fingermarks for research purposes', Forensic Science International, vol. 314, pp. 110411-110411.
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Fingermark detection is in constant evolution, with new techniques being developed and existing ones being continuously optimised. Recently, researchers have begun to express interest in artificial fingermark secretions to overcome the issues arising from the variability of fingermark composition. Some of these artificial secretions have started to appear on the market in the form of pads that can be used to deposit fingermarks with a known and controlled composition. This study aimed at assessing the reliability of three commercially-available pads by comparing the results to those obtained by real fingermarks, using six detection techniques (1,2-indanedione/zinc, ninhydrin, cyanoacrylate followed by rhodamine 6G staining, gold/zinc vacuum metal deposition, and physical developer) on five substrate types (copy and recycled paper, acetate, glass, and glossy paper). The results showed that the artificial fingermarks deposited with these pads reacted in an unreliable way, notably when treated with complex detection techniques such as Physical Developer. Further, the high concentration of some of the target compounds found in the artificial secretion led to an over performance of some detection techniques, which could mislead the operator to overestimating the efficiency of a given method. The resulting artificial fingermarks are considered too dissimilar to real fingermarks to be used as quality control standards and better simulants need to be found for a more efficient and realistic control of the variability.
Stelzer-Braid, S, Walker, GJ, Aggarwal, A, Isaacs, SR, Yeang, M, Naing, Z, Ospina Stella, A, Turville, SG & Rawlinson, WD 2020, 'Virus isolation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) for diagnostic and research purposes', Pathology, vol. 52, no. 7, pp. 760-763.
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Isolation of the new pandemic virus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is essential for diagnostic and research purposes including assessment of novel therapeutics. Several primary and continuous cell lines are currently used, and new organoid and engineered cell lines are being developed for improved investigation and understanding of the human immune response to this virus. Here we review the growth of SARS-CoV-2 in reference standard cell lines, engineered cell lines and new developments in this field.
Stelzer-Braid, S, Wynn, M, Chatoor, R, Scotch, M, Ramachandran, V, Teoh, H-L, Farrar, MA, Sampaio, H, Andrews, PI, Craig, ME, MacIntyre, CR, Varadhan, H, Kesson, A, Britton, PN, Newcombe, J & Rawlinson, WD 2020, 'Next generation sequencing of human enterovirus strains from an outbreak of enterovirus A71 shows applicability to outbreak investigations', Journal of Clinical Virology, vol. 122, pp. 104216-104216.
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Background
The most recent documented Australian outbreak of enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) occurred in Sydney from 2012 to 2013. Over a four-month period more than 100 children presented to four paediatric hospitals with encephalitic presentations including fever and myoclonic jerks. The heterogeneous presentations included typical encephalomyelitis, and cardiopulmonary complications.Objectives
To characterise the genomes of enterovirus strains circulating during the 2013 Sydney EV-A71 outbreak and determine their phylogeny, phylogeography and association between genome and clinical phenotype.Study design
We performed an analysis of enterovirus (EV) positive specimens from children presenting to hospitals in the greater Sydney region of Australia during the 2013 outbreak. We amplified near full-length genomes of EV, and used next generation sequencing technology to sequence the virus. We used phylogenetic/phylogeographic analysis to characterize the outbreak viruses.Results
We amplified and sequenced 23/63 (37 %) genomes, and identified the majority (61 %) as EV-A71. The EV-A71 sequences showed high level sequence homology to C4a genogroups of EV-A71 circulating in China and Vietnam during 2012-13. Phylogenetic analysis showed EV-A71 strains associated with more severe symptoms, including encephalitis or cardiopulmonary failure, grouped together more closely than those from patients with hand, foot and mouth disease. Amongst the non-EV-A71 sequences were five other EV subtypes (representing enterovirus subtypes A and B), reflecting the diversity of EV co-circulation within the community.Conclusions
This is the first Australian study investigating the near full-length genome of EV strains identified during a known outbreak of EV-A71. EV-A71 sequences were very similar to strains circulating in Asia during the same time period. Whole genome sequencing offers additional information over routine diagnostic testing such as ...
Stewart, J, Hughes, JM, Stanley, C & Fowler, AM 2020, 'The influence of rainfall on recruitment success and commercial catch for the large sciaenid, Argyrosomus japonicus, in eastern Australia', Marine Environmental Research, vol. 157, pp. 104924-104924.
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Stewart, J, Pidd, A, Fowler, AM & Sumpton, W 2020, 'Latitudinal variation in growth rates and limited movement patterns revealed for east-coast snapper Chrysophrys auratus through long-term cooperative-tagging programs', Marine and Freshwater Research, vol. 71, no. 6, pp. 653-653.
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Understanding the spatial ecology of exploited fish stocks is key to their sustainable management. Here we used a long-term cooperative tag and recapture dataset that encompassed the entire distribution of the stock to examine patterns of movement and growth of Chrysophrys auratus (Sparidae) along eastern Australia. More than 24000 individuals were tagged, with 2117 being recaptured with information suitable for analysis of movements and 1440 with information suitable for analysis of growth rates. Individuals ranged in size between 120- and 620-mm fork length at tagging and were at liberty for up to 5.9 years before being recaptured. Results indicated population characteristics of partial migration, whereby the majority (~71%) of fish did not move any detectable distance and a small proportion (~4%) moved between 100 and 1000km. Specific growth rates were significantly affected by the latitude at tagging, with higher growth rates at lower (more northern) latitudes. Our findings suggest that Australian east-coast C. auratus are mainly resident on a subdecadal time scale and at reasonably small spatial scales. When considered with information on latitudinal variation in growth and reproductive biology, localised recruitment and a history of localised fishery declines, assessment and management at local scales may be appropriate.
Su, DW, Ran, J, Zhuang, ZW, Chen, C, Qiao, SZ, Li, YD & Wang, GX 2020, 'Atomically dispersed Ni in cadmium-zinc sulfide quantum dots for high-performance visible-light photocatalytic hydrogen production', Science Advances, vol. 6, no. 33.
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Visible-light photocatalytic hydrogen is optimized using the synergistic effect of single atoms with their coordinating element.
Subramanian, S, Zhao, Z, Faqihi, F, Grau, GE, Combes, V, Inglis, DW, Moutrie, V, Stoodley, MA & McRobb, LS 2020, 'Targeting of externalized αB-crystallin on irradiated endothelial cells with pro-thrombotic vascular targeting agents: Potential applications for brain arteriovenous malformations', Thrombosis Research, vol. 189, pp. 119-127.
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BACKGROUND:Vascular targeting uses molecular markers on the surface of diseased vasculature for ligand-directed drug delivery to induce vessel occlusion or destruction. In the absence of discriminatory markers, such as in brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), stereotactic radiosurgery may be used to prime molecular changes on the endothelial surface. This study explored αB-crystallin (CRYAB) as a radiation induced target and pre-tested the specificity and efficacy of a CRYAB-targeting coaguligand for in vitro thrombus induction. METHODS:A parallel-plate flow system was established to circulate human whole blood over a layer of human brain endothelial cells. A conjugate of anti-CRYAB antibody and thrombin was injected into the circuit to compare binding and thrombus formation on cells with or without prior radiation treatment (0-25 Gy). RESULTS:Radiation increased CRYAB expression and surface exposure in human brain endothelial cells. In the parallel-plate flow system, the targeted anti-CRYAB-thrombin conjugate increased thrombus formation on the surface of irradiated cells relative to non-irradiated cells and to a non-targeting IgG-thrombin conjugate. Fibrin deposition and accumulation of fibrinogen degradation products increased significantly at radiation doses at or above 15 Gy with conjugate concentrations of 1.25 and 2.5 μg/mL. CONCLUSIONS:CRYAB exposure can be detected at the surface of human brain endothelial cells in response to irradiation. Pro-thrombotic CRYAB-targeting conjugates can bind under high flow conditions and in the presence of whole blood induce stable thrombus formation with high specificity and efficacy on irradiated surfaces. CRYAB provides a novel radiation marker for potential vascular targeting in irradiated brain AVMs.
Suggett, DJ & Smith, DJ 2020, 'Coral bleaching patterns are the outcome of complex biological and environmental networking', Global Change Biology, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 68-79.
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AbstractContinued declines in coral reef health over the past three decades have been punctuated by severe mass coral bleaching‐induced mortality events that have grown in intensity and frequency under climate change. Intensive global research efforts have therefore persistently focused on bleaching phenomena to understand where corals bleach, when and why—resulting in a large—yet still somewhat patchy—knowledge base. Particularly catastrophic bleaching‐induced coral mortality events in the past 5 years have catalyzed calls for a more diverse set of reef management tools, extending far beyond climate mitigation and reef protection, to also include more aggressive interventions. However, the effectiveness of these various tools now rests on rapidly assimilating our knowledge base of coral bleaching into more integrated frameworks. Here, we consider how the past three decades of intensive coral bleaching research has established the basis for complex biological and environmental networks, which together regulate outcomes of bleaching severity. We discuss how we now have enough scaffold for conceptual biological and environmental frameworks underpinning bleaching susceptibility, but that new tools are urgently required to translate this to an operational system informing—and testing—bleaching outcomes. Specifically, adopting network models that can fully describe and predict metabolic functioning of coral holobionts, and how this functioning is regulated by complex doses and interactions among environmental factors. Identifying knowledge gaps limiting operation of such models is the logical step to immediately guide and prioritize future experiments and observations. We are at a time‐critical point where we can implement new capacity to resolve how coral bleaching patterns emerge from complex biological–environmental networks, and so more effectively inform rapidly evolving ecological management and social adaptation framew...
Suggett, DJ, Edmondson, J, Howlett, L & Camp, EF 2020, 'Coralclip®: a low‐cost solution for rapid and targeted out‐planting of coral at scale', Restoration Ecology, vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 289-296.
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Re‐attaching or out‐planting coral as fragments, colonies, and on larval settlement devices to substrates is a major bottleneck limiting scalabilty and viability of reef restoration practices. Many attachment approaches are in use, but none that are low‐cost, opportunistic, rapid but effective, for integration into existing tour operations on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) where staff and boat time is a major cost and chemical fixatives cannot be easily used. We describe a novel attachment device—Coralclip®—developed to meet this need and so aid maintenance and restoration of GBR tourism sites. Coralclip® is a stainless steel springclip attached by a nail integrated through the spring coil, and can be deployed with a coral fragment in as fast as 15 seconds. Initial laboratory tests demonstrated that Coralclip® secured coral fragments or larval settlement tiles under dynamic flow regimes characteristic of exposed reefs. Coral out‐planting from fragments of opportunity and from nurseries (n = 4,580; 0.3–1.9 coral/minute; US$0.6–3.0/coral deployed) or larval settlement tiles (n = 400; 2.5 tiles/minute; US$0.5 tile deployed−1) when deployed by divers from routine boat operations at Opal Reef confirmed highly effective attachment, with ≤15% failure of clips found after 3–7 months. We discuss how Coralclip® is a cost‐effective means to support reef maintenance and restoration practices.
Sukačová, K, Búzová, D & Červený, J 2020, 'Biphasic optimization approach for maximization of lipid production by the microalga Chlorella pyrenoidosa', Folia Microbiologica, vol. 65, no. 5, pp. 901-908.
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Sun, B, Xiong, P, Maitra, U, Langsdorf, D, Yan, K, Wang, C, Janek, J, Schröder, D & Wang, G 2020, 'Design Strategies to Enable the Efficient Use of Sodium Metal Anodes in High‐Energy Batteries', Advanced Materials, vol. 32, no. 18, pp. e1903891-1903891.
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AbstractSodium‐based batteries have attracted considerable attention and are recognized as ideal candidates for large‐scale and low‐cost energy storage. Sodium (Na) metal anodes are considered as one of the most promising anodes for next‐generation, high‐energy, Na‐based batteries owing to their high theoretical specific capacity (1166 mA h g−1) and low standard electrode potential. Herein, an overview of the recent developments in Na metal anodes for high‐energy batteries is provided. The high reactivity and large volume expansion of Na metal anodes during charge and discharge make the electrode/electrolyte interphase unstable, leading to the formation of Na dendrites, short cycle life, and safety issues. Design strategies to enable the efficient use of Na metal anodes are elucidated, including liquid electrolyte engineering, electrode/electrolyte interface optimization, sophisticated electrode construction, and solid electrolyte engineering. Finally, the remaining challenges and future research directions are identified. It is hoped that this progress report will shape a consistent view of this field and provide inspiration for future research to improve Na metal anodes and enable the development of high‐energy sodium batteries.
Sun, X, Wang, C, Su, D, Wang, G & Zhong, Y 2020, 'Application of Photocatalytic Materials in Sensors', Advanced Materials Technologies, vol. 5, no. 5, pp. 1900993-1900993.
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AbstractPhotocatalysis technology can not only decompose water, toxic and harmful substances in the environment, but also directly convert solar energy into electricity and other clean energy. Therefore, the application of photocatalytic materials in sensors has great potential. The purpose of this paper is to review and discuss the application and potential of photocatalytic materials in sensors. The content includes the application of various photocatalytic materials in sensors. The photocatalytic materials mainly include n‐type semiconductor materials TiO2, ZnO, SnO2, Fe2O3, WO3, In2O3 and nonmetallic semiconductor C3N4. Sensors include gas sensors, photoelectrochemical sensors, electrochemical sensors, photocatalytic sensors, and other sensors. The results show that photocatalytic materials are most widely used in gas sensors. In addition to using photocatalytic materials to detect gas, the most common method is to use photocatalytic materials to detect the concentration of metal ions and organic substances in water. The most widely used photocatalytic material is titanium dioxide, and C3N4 as a nonmetallic semiconductor is rarely used in sensors. It can be concluded that photocatalytic materials have great potential in the application of sensors, among which C3N4 as a nonmetallic semiconductor photocatalytic material has more potential.
Suresh, S, Rawlinson, WD, Andrews, PI & Stelzer‐Braid, S 2020, 'Global epidemiology of nonpolio enteroviruses causing severe neurological complications: A systematic review and meta‐analysis', Reviews in Medical Virology, vol. 30, no. 1.
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SummaryEnteroviruses are RNA viruses found as commensals in the human gut and respiratory system, which may cause a wide spectrum of disease. Enteroviruses may cause severe neurologic complications including acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) and encephalitis and are the most commonly diagnosed agents of viral meningitis. Outbreaks of more severe disease are often associated with particular genotypes, such as enterovirus‐A71 causing rhombencephalitis and AFP. There are more than 300 described genotypes of human enterovirus, with overlaps in clinical phenotypes between genotypes, and uncertainty about which genotypes are more prevalent in neurological manifestations.A systematic review of observational studies was conducted to evaluate the most prevalent enterovirus genotypes causing AFP, encephalitis, and meningitis. The genotyping methods and sampling sites were compiled as secondary outcomes. Sources included MEDLINE, Embase (publications until January 2019), and references selected from included studies. Meta‐analyses using a random effects model were performed to calculate the pooled proportion of enterovirus genotypes in each disease.Ninety‐six publications met the eligibility criteria, comprising 3779 AFP cases, 1140 encephalitis cases, and 32 810 meningitis cases. Enterovirus‐A71 was most frequently associated with AFP (pooled proportion 0.12, 95% CI, 0.05‐0.20) and encephalitis (0.77, 95% CI, 0.61‐0.91). Echovirus 30 (0.35, 95% CI, 0.27‐0.42) was the most predominant genotype in meningitis cases. Genotypes were most commonly determined using VP1 RT‐ reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction, and most samples assessed were cerebrospinal fluid.With the emergence of enteroviruses as an increasing cause of neurological diseases, surveillance and testing need to increase to identify the aetiology of the most common and most severe disorders.
Sutherland, DL & Ralph, PJ 2020, '15 years of research on wastewater treatment high rate algal ponds in New Zealand: discoveries and future directions', New Zealand Journal of Botany, vol. 58, no. 4, pp. 334-357.
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© 2020, © 2020 The Royal Society of New Zealand. Over the last 15 years, New Zealand led research on wastewater treatment high rate algal ponds (HRAP) has focused on ways to optimise pond performance, particularly with respect to nutrient removal and resource recovery (microalgal biomass production). The primary motivation for most of this research has been the need to cost-effectively improve wastewater treatment, particularly in small towns and rural communities, where wastewater treatment would otherwise be unaffordable. The ability to recover resources (water and nutrients) helps enable a circular bio-economy, through the reuse of these recovered resources in future products. New Zealand HRAP research has focused on 10 broad categories, including improving pond performance (nutrient removal and biomass yield), environmental impacts of HRAPs, pond design and operation, microalgal and zooplankton community composition and control, algal-based products, enhancing phosphorus removal, biomass harvesting and emerging contaminants. Research has been carried out at a range of scales, including mesocosm, pilot-scale and full-scale. Simple modification to how HRAPs are operated, such as culture depth, operating ponds in series, biomass recycling and night-time CO2 addition, have been shown to improve pond performance, particularly nutrient removal, biomass productivity, species dominance maintenance or zooplankton graze control. However, despite our improved understandings over the last 15 years, there are still a number of priorities for increasing HRAP performance, including effective CO2 addition at full-scale, improving phosphorus removal and reducing potential environmental impacts of HRAPs. Uptake of HRAP technology by local government bodies and industries is low and the reasons for this are not fully clear. Cost-effective and sustainable harvesting of the microalgal/bacterial biomass, to ensure effluent discharge meets total nutrient and total suspended solids ...
Sutherland, DL, Burke, J & Ralph, PJ 2020, 'Flow-way water depth affects algal productivity and nutrient uptake in a filamentous algae nutrient scrubber', Journal of Applied Phycology, vol. 32, no. 6, pp. 4321-4332.
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© 2020, Springer Nature B.V. Filamentous algae treatment systems can provide cost-effective treatment of a range of wastewater types. In the current study, filamentous algae nutrient scrubbers (FANS), treating anaerobically digested food-waste centrate, were used to investigate the role of flow-way water depth (5, 10 and 15 mm) on productivity and nutrient removal. The study found that the proportion of light reaching the surface of the filamentous algae mat (Emat) increased with decreasing water depth, with 5-mm depth significantly higher than 10 mm (p < 0.05) and 15 mm (p < 0.01). On all sampling occasions, both the total solids and ash-free dry mass biomass productivities, as well as the chlorophyll a biomass, were all significantly higher (p < 0.01) on the FANS operated at 5 mm depth compared with 15 mm. Both the percentage carbon (C) and percentage phosphorus (P) were significantly higher in the biomass from 15 mm compared with 5 and 10 mm deep. Percentage nitrogen (N) content did not differ significantly between treatments but biological nitrogen removal rates (particulate N removed m−2 day−1) were significantly higher on the 5-mm-deep FANS compared with the 10 mm deep (p < 0.05) and the 15 mm deep (p < 0.01). The C:N ratio of algal biomass varied but not with depth whereas the C:P ratio significantly decreased (p < 0.01) with increasing water depth. These results indicate the important roles that light and water depth play on the performance of FANS.
Sutherland, DL, Burke, J & Ralph, PJ 2020, 'Increased harvest frequency improves biomass yields and nutrient removal on a filamentous algae nutrient scrubber', Algal Research, vol. 51, pp. 102073-102073.
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Sutherland, DL, Burke, J, Leal, E & Ralph, PJ 2020, 'Effects of nutrient load on microalgal productivity and community composition grown in anaerobically digested food-waste centrate', Algal Research, vol. 51, pp. 102037-102037.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Anaerobic digestion of food waste has many environmental benefits over traditional landfilling and is a promising technology to convert food waste to energy. However, the centrate, a liquid by-product of anaerobic digestion, is high in total ammonia, with concentrations ~20,000 g m−3, which requires treatment being discharged to the environment. Microalgae offer a promising and cost-effective treatment solution for this centrate but some dilution is required to prevent free-ammonia inhibition. In this study, we investigate the performance of microalgae, grown outdoors in high rate algal mesocosms, under three different total ammonia loads i) 20 g m−3 (20N), ii) 60 g m−3 (60 N) and iii) 100 g m−3 (100N). Both total suspended solids (TSS) and volatile suspended solids (VSS) increased with increasing nutrient load, with 100 N significantly higher (p < .01) than 60 N and 20 N biomass. The percentage nitrogen uptake was significantly higher in 20 N compared to 60 N (p < .05) and 100 N (p < .01). In contrast, the percentage biological uptake of phosphorus (P) did not differ significantly between treatments. Total microalgal biovolume increased with increasing nutrient load with nine species of chlorophytes (green algae) observed across all treatments throughout the experiment. Bray–Curtis percentage similarities between the microalgal community relative abundance, showed that the community in the 100 N treatment was at least 50% dissimilar to 20 N and 60 N, which were at least 75% similar to each other throughout the course of the experiment. These results indicate the capability of microalgae to bioremediate centrate from anaerobically digested food waste with high ammonia loading. Coupled centrate treatment and resource recovery could help support the circular bioeconomy.
Sutherland, DL, Howard-Williams, C, Ralph, P & Hawes, I 2020, 'Environmental drivers that influence microalgal species in meltwater pools on the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica', Polar Biology, vol. 43, no. 5, pp. 467-482.
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© 2020, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. Rich in both microbial mat biomass and species diversity, the meltwater ponds of the McMurdo Ice Shelf (MIS) form important biodiversity and productivity elements in an otherwise barren landscape. These ponds are thought to be sensitive indicators of climate change-driven fluxes in pond water balance but our ability to predict such effects is confounded by our poor understanding of the inherent variability of these communities in response to the physico-chemical environment. Understanding how microbial communities are shaped across broad physico-chemical gradients may allow better predictions of the effects of climate change on the MIS wetlands. Our study found that distinct clustering of community types against environmental variables was apparent for both the diatom and cyanobacterial communities. For diatoms, conductivity was correlated with the separation of five significantly distinct communities. Significant differences in NH4–N concentrations were correlated to the three distinct cyanobacterial communities but many of the cyanobacteria morphotypes were recorded across a wide ecological range. More distinct community types suggested that diatoms were more sensitive to environmental change in these ponds than the cyanobacteria, despite the latter’s overall dominance. Distinct community clusters for diatoms, and to a lesser extent cyanobacteria, suggest that changes at a functional group level may be more important than at the level of individual species. Further understanding of diatom functional groups would provide us with the opportunity to hindcast past climates and water budgets within the Antarctic region. However, the disconnect between biomass and community composition currently prevents hindcasting past productivities in relation to environmental changes.
Sutherland, DL, Park, J, Heubeck, S, Ralph, PJ & Craggs, RJ 2020, 'Size matters – Microalgae production and nutrient removal in wastewater treatment high rate algal ponds of three different sizes', Algal Research, vol. 45, pp. 101734-101734.
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© 2019 Elsevier B.V. High rate algal ponds for coupled wastewater treatment and resource recovery have been the focus of much international research over the last 15 years. Microalgal biomass productivity reported in full-scale studies (1-ha or greater) have often been substantially lower than that reported from smaller scale ponds in similar climates, regardless of the season or the dominant microalgal species used. The disconnect between smaller-scale and full-scale productivity is unclear and uncertainty remains regarding the applicability of smaller scale studies to full-scale systems. In order to better understand the differences in reported productivity, the performance of three different size wastewater treatment high rate algal ponds (5 m2, 330 m2 and 1-ha) were assessed with respect to nutrient removal and microalgal productivity over three seasons. Both daily areal nutrient removal and biomass production were affected by the size of the pond. NH4-N removal via nitrification/denitrification decreased with increasing pond size, with the highest removal rate in the 5 m2 pond and the lowest in the 1-ha. Microalgal areal productivity was maximal in the 330 m2 pond, suggesting that a combination of mixing frequency and higher photosynthetic potential under low light conditions were the main drivers of enhanced productivity in this pond compared to the 5 m2 (mesocosm) and 1-ha (full-scale) ponds. The lowest daily nutrient removal and biomass production occurred in the 1-ha (full-scale) pond. Our results suggest that, based on the current design and operation of high rate algal ponds, the optimum size for maximum productivity is considerably smaller than the current full-scale systems. This has implications for commercial scale systems, with respect to capital and operational costs.
Sutherland, DL, Park, J, Ralph, PJ & Craggs, RJ 2020, 'Improved microalgal productivity and nutrient removal through operating wastewater high rate algal ponds in series', Algal Research, vol. 47, pp. 101850-101850.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. High rate algal ponds are recognised as a cost effective and efficient upgrade to conventional wastewater ponds for the treatment of a wide range of wastewaters. Their design allows microalgae to proliferate, which, in turn, results in high levels of nutrient removal, via algal assimilation. Furthermore, these ponds offer the opportunity to recover resources, in the form of algal biomass, for beneficial re-use, thus creating a circular bio-economy using wastewater. However, both increased microalgal biomass and nutrient removal is required to make coupled full-scale systems commercially viable. The performance of high rate algal ponds operated in series, on short hydraulic retention time of 4 days, versus in parallel, on a longer retention time of 8 days, was assessed with respect to nutrient removal and microalgal production. For microalgal productivity, the combined total volatile suspended solids (organic matter) and chlorophyll-a biomass were significantly higher (p < 0.01) under Series (191 ± 41 kg per day for volatile suspended solids) than Parallel (127 ± 18 kg per day) operation. The combined total dissolved inorganic nitrogen removed per day was significantly higher (p < 0.01) under Series (23 ± 4 kg of nitrogen per day) than Parallel (17 ± 4 kg) operation. The total amount of phosphorus removed per day was unaffected by mode of operation. Higher biomass production under short retention times came at the expense of nitrogen removal but treatment of the harvested effluent through a second pond in series, resulted in overall higher daily nitrogen removal and biomass production than ponds in parallel, for the same volume of wastewater treated. This study has demonstrated that with simple modifications to pond operation higher microalgal yields and improved effluent water quality without increased capital or operational costs.
Suvakov, S, Bonner, E, Nikolic, V, Jerotic, D, Simic, TP, Garovic, VD, Lopez-Campos, G & McClements, L 2020, 'Overlapping pathogenic signalling pathways and biomarkers in preeclampsia and cardiovascular disease', Pregnancy Hypertension, vol. 20, pp. 131-136.
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Suvakov, S, Richards, C, Nikolic, V, Simic, T, McGrath, K, Krasnodembskaya, A & McClements, L 2020, 'Emerging Therapeutic Potential of Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells in Preeclampsia', Current Hypertension Reports, vol. 22, no. 5, pp. 37-37.
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Purpose of Review
Preeclampsia is a dangerous pregnancy condition affecting both the mother and offspring. It is a multifactorial disease with poorly understood pathogenesis, lacking effective treatments. Maternal immune response, inflammation and oxidative stress leading to endothelial dysfunction are the most prominent pathogenic processes implicated in preeclampsia development. Here, we give a detailed overview of the therapeutic applications and mechanisms of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) as a potential new treatment for preeclampsia.
Recent Findings
MSCs have gained growing attention due to low immunogenicity, easy cultivation and expansion in vitro. Accumulating evidence now suggests that MSCs act primarily through their secretomes facilitating paracrine signalling that leads to potent immunomodulatory, pro-angiogenic and regenerative therapeutic effects.
Summary
MSCs have been studied in different animal models of preeclampsia demonstrating promising result, which support further investigations into the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of MSC-based therapies in preeclampsia, steering these therapies into clinical trials.
Szychlinska, MA, Calabrese, G, Ravalli, S, Dolcimascolo, A, Castrogiovanni, P, Fabbi, C, Puglisi, C, Lauretta, G, Di Rosa, M, Castorina, A, Parenti, R & Musumeci, G 2020, 'Evaluation of a Cell-Free Collagen Type I-Based Scaffold for Articular Cartilage Regeneration in an Orthotopic Rat Model', Materials, vol. 13, no. 10, pp. 2369-2369.
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The management of chondral defects represents a big challenge because of the limited self-healing capacity of cartilage. Many approaches in this field obtained partial satisfactory results. Cartilage tissue engineering, combining innovative scaffolds and stem cells from different sources, emerges as a promising strategy for cartilage regeneration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the capability of a cell-free collagen I-based scaffold to promote cartilaginous repair after orthotopic implantation in vivo. Articular cartilage lesions (ACL) were created at the femoropatellar groove in rat knees and cell free collagen I-based scaffolds (S) were then implanted into right knee defect for the ACL-S group. No scaffold was implanted for the ACL group. At 4-, 8- and 16-weeks post-transplantation, degrees of cartilage repair were evaluated by morphological, histochemical and gene expression analyses. Histological analysis shows the formation of fibrous tissue, at 4-weeks replaced by a tissue resembling the calcified one at 16-weeks in the ACL group. In the ACL-S group, progressive replacement of the scaffold with the newly formed cartilage-like tissue is shown, as confirmed by Alcian Blue staining. Immunohistochemical and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analyses display the expression of typical cartilage markers, such as collagen type I and II (ColI and ColII), Aggrecan and Sox9. The results of this study display that the collagen I-based scaffold is highly biocompatible and able to recruit host cells from the surrounding joint tissues to promote cartilaginous repair of articular defects, suggesting its use as a potential approach for cartilage tissue regeneration.
Takashima, H, Maruya, H, Ishihara, K, Tashima, T, Shimazaki, K, Schell, AW, Tran, TT, Aharonovich, I & Takeuchi, S 2020, 'Determination of the Dipole Orientation of Single Defects in Hexagonal Boron Nitride', ACS Photonics, vol. 7, no. 8, pp. 2056-2063.
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© 2020 American Chemical Society. Dipole orientation in solid-state single photon emitters plays an important role in applications such as quantum information devices integrated with nanophotonic components. In various single photon emitters, hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) with point defects is one of the most promising candidates as a single photon emitter for high photostability, ultrahigh brightness, nonlinearity, and narrow emission line width. In applying hBN with a single point defect to those applications, three-dimensional determination of its dipole orientation is critically important. In this paper, we three-dimensionally determine the dipole orientation of single defects in hBN nanoflakes. By measuring the second-order correlation function and emission spectra, hBN nanoflakes with single defects were found from hBN nanoflakes placed on microscope coverslips. High-resolution emission intensity patterns were measured by exciting the defects in the hBNs with a focused radially polarized beam and azimuthally polarized beam. By comparing these patterns with theoretical calculations, we determined the polar angle and azimuthal angle of the dipole moment and found that they were oriented near the plane of the layers of the hBN nanoflakes on the microscope coverslip on which they were placed. This information is important to realize highly efficient quantum information devices in which the dipole orientation has to be precisely controlled.
Tan, CH, Oh, H-S, Sheraton, VM, Mancini, E, Joachim Loo, SC, Kjelleberg, S, Sloot, PMA & Rice, SA 2020, 'Convection and the Extracellular Matrix Dictate Inter- and Intra-Biofilm Quorum Sensing Communication in Environmental Systems', Environmental Science & Technology, vol. 54, no. 11, pp. 6730-6740.
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Tan, J, Walford, S-A, Dennis, ES & Llewellyn, DJ 2020, 'Trichomes at the Base of the Petal Are Regulated by the Same Transcription Factors as Cotton Seed Fibers', Plant and Cell Physiology, vol. 61, no. 9, pp. 1590-1599.
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Abstract Many polypetalous plants have a constriction at the base of the petal that leaves a small gap that can provide entry into the young flower bud before the reproductive organs are fully developed. In cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), this gap is occluded by tufts of short unicellular trichomes superficially resembling the fibers found on cotton seeds. We are just beginning to understand the developmental regulation of the seed fibers and have previously characterized several MIXTA-like MYB transcription factors (TFs) that are critical for correct seed fiber development but know little about the molecular regulation of other types of cotton trichomes. Here, using RNAi or dominant suppression transgenic cotton lines and natural fiber mutants, we investigated the development and regulation of the petal base trichomes. Petal base trichomes and seed trichomes were also examined across several different species within and outside of the Malvoideae. We found that the petal base trichomes are regulated by the same MYB TFs as cotton seed fibers and, since they are more widely distributed across different taxa than the seed fibers, could have preceded them in the evolution of these important textile fibers produced by some cotton species.
Tan, RRP, Ikeda, K & Garces, LPDM 2020, 'On eigenvalue bounds for the finite-state birth-death process intensity matrix', Journal of Physics: Conference Series, vol. 1593, no. 1, pp. 012005-012005.
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Abstract The paper sets forth a novel eigenvalue interlacing property across the finite-state birth-death process intensity matrix and two clearly identified submatrices as an extension of Cauchy’s interlace theorem for Hermitian matrix eigenvalues. A supplemental proof involving an examination of probabilities acquired from specific movements across states and a derivation of a form for the eigenpolynomial of the matrix through convolution and Laplace transform is then presented towards uncovering a similar characteristic for the general Markov chain transition rate matrix. Consequently, the proposition generates bounds for each eigenvalue of the original matrix, easing numerical computation. To conclude, the applicability of the property to some real square matrices upon transformation is explored.
Tan, Y, Johnson, M, Zhou, J, Zhao, Y, Kamal, MA & Qu, X 2020, 'Antrodia cinnamomea Inhibits Growth and Migration of Lung Cancer Cells through Regulating p53-Bcl2 and MMPs Pathways', The American Journal of Chinese Medicine, vol. 48, no. 08, pp. 1941-1953.
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Antrodia cinnamomea has been shown to possess antitumor activity. This study investigated the effects and mechanisms of Antrodia cinnamomea extract (ACE) on growth and migration of human non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells. The effect of ACE on cell viability was determined by MTT assay and fluorescent live-cell imaging. The apoptotic effect of ACE was determined by cell cycle distribution using flow cytometry. A P53-mediated apoptosis pathway was identified by measuring protein expression of p53 and Bcl-2 with Western blotting. Additionally, mRNA expression of p53 and Bcl-2 and Bax was detected by qRT-PCR. The effect of ACE on cancer cell migration was confirmed by a wound-healing assay. Expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 at the protein and gene levels was determined by western blot and qRT-PCR analysis. This study demonstrates the inhibitory effect of ACE on A549 cell proliferation in a dose-response manner with an [Formula: see text]. It was determined that ACE concentration at [Formula: see text] induced cell cycle arrest at S phase in A549 cells. The apoptosis-regulating protein p53 expression was enhanced and also associated with the downregulation of Bcl-2 in ACE treatment cells. The mRNA expression of p53 and Bcl-2 associated with Bxa was consistent with protein expression. The inhibition of migration of cancer cells treated with ACE was clearly evident. At the same time, suppression of expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 at protein and mRNA levels was observed. The findings of this study highlight ACE as a potential agent of adjuvant therapy for lung cancer.
Tan, YY, Yap, PK, Xin Lim, GL, Mehta, M, Chan, Y, Ng, SW, Kapoor, DN, Negi, P, Anand, K, Singh, SK, Jha, NK, Lim, LC, Madheswaran, T, Satija, S, Gupta, G, Dua, K & Chellappan, DK 2020, 'Perspectives and advancements in the design of nanomaterials for targeted cancer theranostics', Chemico-Biological Interactions, vol. 329, pp. 109221-109221.
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Cancer continues to be one of the most challenging diseases to be treated and is one of the leading causes of deaths around the globe. Cancers account for 13% of all deaths each year, with cancer-related mortality expected to rise to 13.1 million by the year 2030. Although, we now have a large library of chemotherapeutic agents, the problem of non-selectivity remains the biggest drawback, as these substances are toxic not only to cancerous cells, but also to other healthy cells in the body. The limitations with chemotherapy and radiation have led to the discovery and development of novel strategies for safe and effective treatment strategies to manage the menace of cancer. Researchers have long justified and have shed light on the emergence of nanotechnology as a potential area for cancer therapy and diagnostics, whereby, nanomaterials are used primarily as nanocarriers or as delivery agents for anticancer drugs due to their tumor targeting properties. Furthermore, nanocarriers loaded with chemotherapeutic agents also overcome biological barriers such as renal and hepatic clearances, thus improving therapeutic efficacy with lowered morbidity. Theranostics, which is the combination of rationally designed nanomaterials with cancer-targeting moieties, along with protective polymers and imaging agents has become one of the core keywords in cancer research. In this review, we have highlighted the potential of various nanomaterials for their application in cancer therapy and imaging, including their current state and clinical prospects. Theranostics has successfully paved a path to a new era of drug design and development, in which nanomaterials and imaging contribute to a large variety of cancer therapies and provide a promising future in the effective management of various cancers. However, in order to meet the therapeutic needs, theranostic nanomaterials must be designed in such a way, that take into account the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics propert...
Tang, K, Xiao, J, Li, X, Wang, D, Long, M, Chen, J, Gao, H, Chen, W, Liu, C & Liu, H 2020, 'Advances of Carbon-Based Materials for Lithium Metal Anodes', Frontiers in Chemistry, vol. 8.
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Tang, X, Zhou, D, Li, P, Guo, X, Sun, B, Liu, H, Yan, K, Gogotsi, Y & Wang, G 2020, 'MXene‐Based Dendrite‐Free Potassium Metal Batteries', Advanced Materials, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 1906739-1906739.
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AbstractPotassium metal batteries are considered as attractive alternatives beyond lithium‐ion batteries. However, uncontrollable dendrite growth on the potassium metal anode has restrained their practical applications. A high‐performance potassium anode achieved by confining potassium metal into a titanium‐deficient nitrogen‐containing MXene/carbon nanotube freestanding scaffold is reported. The high electronic transport and fast potassium diffusion in this scaffold enable reduced local current density and homogeneous ionic flux during plating/stripping processes. Furthermore, as verified by theoretical calculations and experimental investigations, such “potassium‐philic” MXene sheets can induce the nucleation of potassium, and guide potassium to uniformly distribute in the scaffold upon cycling. Consequently, the as‐developed potassium metal anodes exhibit a dendrite‐free morphology with high Coulombic efficiency and long cycle life during plating/stripping processes. Such anodes also deliver significantly improved electrochemical performances in potassium–sulfur batteries compared with bare potassium metal anodes. This work can provide a new avenue for developing potassium metal‐based batteries.
Tang, Z, Liu, Y, Ni, D, Zhou, J, Zhang, M, Zhao, P, Lv, B, Wang, H, Jin, D & Bu, W 2020, 'Biodegradable Nanoprodrugs: “Delivering” ROS to Cancer Cells for Molecular Dynamic Therapy', Advanced Materials, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 1904011-1904011.
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AbstractBiodegradable nanoprodrugs, inheriting the antitumor effects of chemotherapy drugs and overcoming the inevitable drawback of side effects on normal tissues, hold promise as next‐generation cancer therapy candidates. Biodegradable nanoprodrugs of transferrin‐modified MgO2 nanosheets are developed to selectively deliver reactive oxygen species to cancer cells for molecular dynamic therapy strategy. The nanosheets favor the acidic and low catalase activity tumor microenvironment to react with proton and release nontoxic Mg2+. This reaction simultaneously produces abundant H2O2 to induce cell death and damage the structure of transferrin to release Fe3+, which will react with H2O2 to produce highly toxic ·OH to kill tumor cells.
Tanwar, S, Rhodes, F, Srivastava, A, Trembling, PM & Rosenberg, WM 2020, 'Inflammation and fibrosis in chronic liver diseases including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and hepatitis C', World Journal of Gastroenterology, vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 109-133.
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At present chronic liver disease (CLD), the third commonest cause of premature death in the United Kingdom is detected late, when interventions are ineffective, resulting in considerable morbidity and mortality. Injury to the liver, the largest solid organ in the body, leads to a cascade of inflammatory events. Chronic inflammation leads to the activation of hepatic stellate cells that undergo trans-differentiation to become myofibroblasts, the main extra-cellular matrix producing cells in the liver; over time increased extra-cellular matrix production results in the formation of liver fibrosis. Although fibrogenesis may be viewed as having evolved as a 'wound healing' process that preserves tissue integrity, sustained chronic fibrosis can become pathogenic culminating in CLD, cirrhosis and its associated complications. As the reference standard for detecting liver fibrosis, liver biopsy, is invasive and has an associated morbidity, the diagnostic assessment of CLD by non-invasive testing is attractive. Accordingly, in this review the mechanisms by which liver inflammation and fibrosis develop in chronic liver diseases are explored to identify appropriate and meaningful diagnostic targets for clinical practice. Due to differing disease prevalence and treatment efficacy, disease specific diagnostic targets are required to optimally manage individual CLDs such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and chronic hepatitis C infection. To facilitate this, a review of the pathogenesis of both conditions is also conducted. Finally, the evidence for hepatic fibrosis regression and the mechanisms by which this occurs are discussed, including the current use of antifibrotic therapy.
Tarin, T, Nolan, RH, Eamus, D & Cleverly, J 2020, 'Carbon and water fluxes in two adjacent Australian semi-arid ecosystems', Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, vol. 281, pp. 107853-107853.
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© 2019 Elsevier B.V. The southern hemisphere and especially Australian arid and semi-arid ecosystems played a significant role in the 2011 global land carbon sink anomaly. Arid and semi-arid regions occupy 70% of the Australian land surface, dominated by two biomes: Mulga woodlands and spinifex grasslands or savannas. We monitored carbon and water fluxes in two of these characteristic ecosystems: a Mulga woodland (2010–2017) and a Corymbia savanna dominated by spinifex grasses (2012–2017). The aims of this study were to compare net ecosystem productivity (NEP) and evapotranspiration (ET) of these two ecosystems and to identify precipitation thresholds at which these ecosystems switched from being a C source to a C sink. Annual NEP in the Mulga woodland ranged from −47 to 217 gC m−2 y−1 (2010–2017), with the second largest positive NEP observed during the global C sink anomaly (162 gC m−2 y−1, 2010–2011). By contrast in the Corymbia savanna, annual NEP ranged from −190 to 115 gC m−2 y−1, with frequent occurrences of negative NEP and larger ET rates than for the Mulga woodland. Precipitation thresholds were identified at 262 mm y−1 and 507 mm y−1 in the Mulga woodland and the Corymbia savanna, respectively. Soil water content (SWC), along with air temperature and vapour pressure deficit, was a significant driver for water fluxes in both ecosystems (SWC–ET correlation of 0.5–0.56) and for carbon fluxes in the woodland (SWC–NEP and SWC–GPP correlation of −0.51 and −0.41, respectively). Arid and semi-arid ecosystems have dominated the inter-annual variability of the global terrestrial C sink, thus identifying precipitation thresholds at which ecosystems switch from being a C source to a C sink is important for furthering our understanding of the global C and water budget and for modelling of future climate.
Tarin, T, Nolan, RH, Medlyn, BE, Cleverly, J & Eamus, D 2020, 'Water‐use efficiency in a semi‐arid woodland with high rainfall variability', Global Change Biology, vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 496-508.
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AbstractAs the ratio of carbon uptake to water use by vegetation, water‐use efficiency (WUE) is a key ecosystem property linking global carbon and water cycles. It can be estimated in several ways, but it is currently unclear how different measures of WUE relate, and how well they each capture variation in WUE with soil moisture availability. We evaluated WUE in an Acacia‐dominated woodland ecosystem of central Australia at various spatial and temporal scales using stable carbon isotope analysis, leaf gas exchange and eddy covariance (EC) fluxes. Semi‐arid Australia has a highly variable rainfall pattern, making it an ideal system to study how WUE varies with water availability. We normalized our measures of WUE across a range of vapour pressure deficits using g1, which is a parameter derived from an optimal stomatal conductance model and which is inversely related to WUE. Continuous measures of whole‐ecosystem g1 obtained from EC data were elevated in the 3 days following rain, indicating a strong effect of soil evaporation. Once these values were removed, a close relationship of g1 with soil moisture content was observed. Leaf‐scale values of g1 derived from gas exchange were in close agreement with ecosystem‐scale values. In contrast, values of g1 obtained from stable isotopes did not vary with soil moisture availability, potentially indicating remobilization of stored carbon during dry periods. Our comprehensive comparison of alternative measures of WUE shows the importance of stomatal control of fluxes in this highly variable rainfall climate and demonstrates the ability of these different measures to quantify this effect. Our study provides the empirica...
Tasena, H, Boudewijn, IM, Faiz, A, Timens, W, Hylkema, MN, Berg, M, ten Hacken, NHT, Brandsma, C, Heijink, IH & van den Berge, M 2020, 'MiR‐31‐5p: A shared regulator of chronic mucus hypersecretion in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease', Allergy, vol. 75, no. 3, pp. 703-706.
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Taspinar, S, Mohanty, M & Memon, N 2020, 'Camera Fingerprint Extraction via Spatial Domain Averaged Frames', IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics and Security, vol. 15, pp. 3270-3282.
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© 2005-2012 IEEE. Photo Response Non-Uniformity (PRNU) based camera attribution is an effective method to determine the source camera of a visual object (an image or a video). To apply this method, images or videos need to be obtained from a camera to create a 'camera fingerprint' which then can be compared against the PRNU of the query media whose origin is under question. The fingerprint extraction process can be time consuming when a large number of video frames or images have to be denoised. This may need to be done when the individual images have been subjected to high compression or other geometric processing such as video stabilization. This paper investigates a simple, yet effective and efficient technique to create a camera fingerprint when so many still images need to be denoised. The technique utilizes Spatial Domain Averaged (SDA) frames. An SDA-frame is the arithmetic mean of multiple still images. When it is used for fingerprint extraction, the number of denoising operations can be significantly decreased with little or no performance loss. Experimental results show that the proposed method can work more than 50 times faster than conventional methods while providing similar matching results.
Taspinar, S, Mohanty, M & Memon, N 2020, 'Camera identification of multi-format devices', Pattern Recognition Letters, vol. 140, pp. 288-294.
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Tavares, L, Monedeiro, F, Bordin, DM & De Martinis, BS 2020, 'Investigation of Ayahuasca β-Carboline Alkaloids and Tryptamine in Sweat Samples from Religious Community Participants by GC-MS', Journal of Analytical Toxicology, vol. 44, no. 6, pp. 601-609.
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AbstractAyahuasca, a hallucinogenic beverage used in religious rituals in South America, has become a global phenomenon. Its main active components are the β-carbolines alkaloids, harmine (HRM) and harmaline (HRL), as well as the potent hallucinogen N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Despite its rising consumption, information regarding possible clinical applications and toxicological effects of ayahuasca is still limited. This study presents the first investigation of the use of sweat for the determination of DMT, HRM and HRL in ayahuasca users during a religious ritual. Sweat is an alternative matrix with advantages over many conventional biological samples, mainly because the collection procedure is non-invasive, easy and simple and samples can be collected without disturbing the religious ritual. In the study, solid-phase extraction was performed under basic conditions. Linearity was observed ranging from 20 to 1500 ng/patch with coefficients of determination (R2) higher than 0.99 for all analytes. The results indicated high selectivity for all investigated analytes, with extraction efficiency exceeding 70%, accuracy ranging from 87.5 to 102.4%, intra-assay precision of 1.85–9.44% and inter-assay precision between 3.34 and 9.85%. The limits of detection were 15 ng/patch for HRM and HRL and 10 ng/patch for DMT. The sweat proved to be a viable option to monitor ayahuasca use.
Taylor, MD, Fowler, AM & Suthers, IM 2020, 'Insights into fish auditory structure–function relationships from morphological and behavioural ontogeny in a maturing sciaenid', Marine Biology, vol. 167, no. 2.
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Taylor, MD, Silburn, J, Booth, DJ & Johnson, DD 2020, 'Impact of Spatial Management on Nontarget Species in an Oceanic Penaeid Trawl Fishery', North American Journal of Fisheries Management, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 509-520.
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AbstractTrawling is generally an unselective fishing method that is employed to harvest a number of species. Capture of nontarget species that are subsequently discarded is an important issue for trawl fisheries, especially penaeid trawl fisheries. While gear modifications are a common approach to manage this issue, maintaining areas that are closed to trawling may also have a positive impact on these nontarget species. This study systematically examined the diversity and abundance of nontarget species across a network of areas closed to trawling (trawl closure areas) relative to adjacent areas that were open to trawling. Analysis of nontarget species from 209 trawls and 72,787 animals (across 216 taxa) revealed some impact on both abundance and diversity within trawl closure areas. Latitude was a key variable that was driving differences in the taxonomic assemblage among locations. Within locations, there were inconsistent impacts for different nontarget species in trawl closure areas. Length distributions showed size truncation of abundant nontarget species in fished areas relative to adjacent trawl closure areas. While the impact of trawl closure areas varied among species, it was clear that the spatial management in the fishery provided some refuge for a diversity of nontarget species, observed in patterns of species richness, abundance, and population size structure. Latitudinal breadth appears to be an essential component of the trawl closure network, but localized effects may be important for maintaining reproductive capacity for nontarget species. These data highlight the broader utility of trawl closure networks as a management tool for trawl fisheries.
Teoh, F, Shah, B, Ostrowski, M & Paulsen, I 2020, 'Comparative membrane proteomics reveal contrasting adaptation strategies for coastal and oceanic marine Synechococcus cyanobacteria', Environmental Microbiology, vol. 22, no. 5, pp. 1816-1828.
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SummaryMarine cyanobacteria genus Synechococcus are among the most abundant and widespread primary producers in the open ocean. Synechococcus strains belonging to different clades have adapted distinct strategies for growth and survival across a range of marine conditions. Clades I and IV are prevalent in colder, mesotrophic, coastal waters, while clades II and III prefer warm, oligotrophic open oceans. To gain insight into the cellular resources these unicellular organisms invest in adaptation strategies we performed shotgun membrane proteomics of four Synechococcus spp. strains namely CC9311 (clade I), CC9605 (clade II), WH8102 (clade III) and CC9902 (clade IV). Comparative membrane proteomes analysis demonstrated that CC9902 and WH8102 showed high resource allocation for phosphate uptake, accounting for 44% and 38% of overall transporter protein expression of the species. WH8102 showed high expression of the iron uptake ATP‐binding cassette binding protein FutA, suggesting that a high binding affinity for iron is possibly a key adaptation strategy for some strains in oligotrophic ocean environments. One protein annotated as a phosphatase 2c (Sync_2505 and Syncc9902_0387) was highly expressed in the coastal mesotrophic strains CC9311 and CC9902, constituting 14%–16% of total membrane protein, indicating a vital, but undefined function, for strains living in temperate mesotrophic environments.
Tew, XN, Xin Lau, NJ, Chellappan, DK, Madheswaran, T, Zeeshan, F, Tambuwala, MM, Aljabali, AAA, Balusamy, SR, Perumalsamy, H, Gupta, G, Oliver, BG, Hsu, A, Wark, P, Reddy, K, Wadhwa, R, Hansbro, PM & Dua, K 2020, 'Immunological axis of berberine in managing inflammation underlying chronic respiratory inflammatory diseases', Chemico-Biological Interactions, vol. 317, pp. 108947-108947.
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© 2020 Inflammatory responses play a remarkable role in the mechanisms of acute and chronic respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, pulmonary fibrosis and lung cancer. Currently, there is a resurgence in the use of drugs from natural sources for various ailments as potent therapeutics. Berberine, an alkaloid prominent in the Chinese traditional system of medicine has been reported to exert therapeutic properties in various diseases. Nevertheless, the number of studies focusing on the curative potential of berberine in inflammatory diseases involving the respiratory system is limited. In this review, we have attempted to discuss the reported anti-inflammatory properties of berberine that function through several pathways such as, the NF-κB, ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK pathways which affect several pro-inflammatory cytokines in the pathophysiological processes involved in chronic respiratory diseases. This review would serve to provide valuable information to researchers who work in this field and a new direction in the field of drug discovery with respect to respiratory diseases.
Thackeray, SJ, Robinson, SA, Smith, P, Bruno, R, Kirschbaum, MUF, Bernacchi, C, Byrne, M, Cheung, W, Cotrufo, MF, Gienapp, P, Hartley, S, Janssens, I, Hefin Jones, T, Kobayashi, K, Luo, Y, Penuelas, J, Sage, R, Suggett, DJ, Way, D & Long, S 2020, 'Civil disobedience movements such as School Strike for the Climate are raising public awareness of the climate change emergency', Global Change Biology, vol. 26, no. 3, pp. 1042-1044.
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The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) “Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C” presented the ambitious target of needing to achieve zero net emissions by 2050 in order to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement (IPCC, 2018). This report led some governments and jurisdictions to declare a climate emergency (Climate Emergency Declaration, 2019) and prompted the rise of movements of activism and civil disobedience such as the School Strike for the Climate and Extinction Rebellion. The reach of these civil actions extends beyond those directly involved, potentially increasing wider public awareness of climate change. Here, we examine trends in indicators of this wider public awareness and engagement and compare these with major global movements of civil disobedience focussed on climate, the release of substantive climate reports, and global governmental gatherings on climate change. We show that these global movements may be increasing public awareness of, and stimulating public engagement with, issues of climate change.
It is not easy to accurately measure public awareness and engagement with the issue of climate change at a global scale. We use two sources of information as indicators of that engagement. First, we used data on the scaled relative frequency of pertinent terms in Google searches ("global warming," "climate change," "climate action," "climate emergency," "climate crisis," downloaded from Google Trends on October 31, 2019, https://www.google.com/trends). Second, we used data on mentions of the terms "climate change" and "global warming" by the global media, assembled by the Media and Climate Change Observatory, MeCCO (Boykoff et al., 2019, downloaded on December 4, 2019). These sources provide monthly data on the attention paid to climate change by anyone searching the internet (from the Google data), and by the newspapers, radio, and television (from the MeCCO data).
Thakur, AK, Chellappan, DK, Dua, K, Mehta, M, Satija, S & Singh, I 2020, 'Patented therapeutic drug delivery strategies for targeting pulmonary diseases', Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Patents, vol. 30, no. 5, pp. 375-387.
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Introduction: Pulmonary route is one of the preferred routes for the administration of therapeutically active agents for systemic as well as localized delivery. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchial asthma, pneumonia, pulmonary hypertension, bronchiolitis, lung cancer, and tuberculosis are the major chronic diseases associated with the pulmonary system. Knowledge about the affecting factors, namely, the etiology, pathophysiology, and the various barriers (mechanical, chemical, immunological, and behavioral) in pulmonary drug delivery is essential to develop an effective drug delivery system. Formulation strategies and mechanisms of particle deposition in the lungs also play an important role in designing a suitable delivery system.Areas covered: In the present paper, various drug delivery strategies, viz. nanoparticles, microparticles, liposomes, powders, and microemulsions have been discussed systematically, from a patent perspective.Expert opinion: Patent publications on formulation strategies have been instrumental in the evolution of new techniques and technologies for safe and effective treatment of pulmonary diseases. New delivery systems are required to be simple/reproducible/scalable/cost-effective scale for manufacturing ability and should be safe/effective/stable/controllable for meeting quality and regulatory compliance.
Theseira, AM, Nielsen, DA & Petrou, K 2020, 'Uptake of dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSP) reduces free reactive oxygen species (ROS) during late exponential growth in the diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii grown under three salinities', Marine Biology, vol. 167, no. 9.
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© 2020, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. Dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSP) is one of the most abundant and widespread organic sulfur molecules in the marine environment and has substantial physiological and ecological importance, from subcellular to global scales. Despite its diverse range of implications in the environment, little understanding of the physiological role of DMSP in the cell exists. Here, we report the physiological response of a non-DMSP-producing diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii grown at different salinities (15, 35 and 55 ppt) in the presence and absence of DMSP. Hypersaline conditions (55 ppt) negatively affected growth rate and hyposaline conditions (15 ppt) caused an increase in cell volume, yet no effect was observed on the photophysiological state of the algae, demonstrating a broad salinity tolerance in T. weissflogii. Addition of DMSP and subsequent uptake by T. weissflogii had no effect on the salinity-induced symptoms. Importantly, using a non-DMSP-producing diatom, we observed some of the first direct evidence of the intracellular role of DMSP as an antioxidant through the quenching of damaging reactive oxygen species (ROS), which based on its pattern, was likely due to the growth phase of the culture. This study confirms the utility of T. weissflogii as a model organism for DMSP-related physiological studies, with results revealing that DMSP accumulation reduces growth-related reactive oxygen in T. weissflogii.
Thomas, F, Dittami, SM, Brunet, M, Le Duff, N, Tanguy, G, Leblanc, C & Gobet, A 2020, 'Evaluation of a new primer combination to minimize plastid contamination in 16S rDNA metabarcoding analyses of alga‐associated bacterial communities', Environmental Microbiology Reports, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 30-37.
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SummaryPlant‐ and alga‐associated bacterial communities are generally described via 16S rDNA metabarcoding using universal primers. As plastid genomes encode 16S rDNA related to cyanobacteria, these data sets frequently contain >90% plastidial sequences, and the bacterial diversity may be under‐sampled. To overcome this limitation we evaluated in silico the taxonomic coverage for four primer combinations targeting the 16S rDNA V3‐V4 region. They included a forward primer universal to Bacteria (S‐D‐Bact‐0341‐b‐S‐17) and four reverse primers designed to avoid plastid DNA amplification. The best primer combination (NOCHL) was compared to the universal primer set in the wet lab using a synthetic community and samples from three macroalgal species. The proportion of plastid sequences was reduced by 99%–100% with the NOCHL primers compared to the universal primers, irrespective of algal hosts, sample collection and extraction protocols. Additionally, the NOCHL primers yielded a higher richness while maintaining the community structure. As Planctomycetes, Verrucomicrobia and Cyanobacteria were underrepresented (70%–90%) compared to universal primers, combining the NOCHL set with taxon‐specific primers may be useful for a complete description of the alga‐associated bacterial diversity. The NOCHL primers represent an innovation to study algal holobionts without amplifying host plastid sequences and may further be applied to other photosynthetic hosts.
Thomas, P, Chauviré, B, Flower-Donaldson, K, Aldridge, L, Smallwood, A & Liu, B 2020, 'FT-NIR and DSC characterisation of water in opal', Ceramics International, vol. 46, no. 18, pp. 29443-29450.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. Opal is a hydrous silica (Si02.nH2O) formed through a dissolution-precipitation process. The formation process incorporates water into the structure as bound silanol and molecular water. As the water is distributed in a range of states, multiple methods of characterisation are required to identify each state. This study reports the results of temperature dependent FT-NIR and DSC investigation on natural opal samples of the opal-A (amorphous) and opal-CT (poorly crystalline cristobalite with tridymitic stacking faults) types. Significant differences in the melting behaviour of crystallisable water as well as differences in the spectral characteristics of the non-crystallisable molecular water are observed. These differences are ascribed to the different microstructures of the opal types.
Thomrongsuwannakij, T, Blackall, PJ, Djordjevic, SP, Cummins, ML & Chansiripornchai, N 2020, 'A comparison of virulence genes, antimicrobial resistance profiles and genetic diversity of avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) isolates from broilers and broiler breeders in Thailand and Australia', Avian Pathology, vol. 49, no. 5, pp. 457-466.
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ABSTRACT Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) is the causative agent of colibacillosis resulting in economic losses in the poultry industry worldwide. A total of 168 APEC isolates, equal numbers from Australian and Thai broilers/broiler breeders, were identified and tested for their susceptibility to ten antimicrobial agents. Most of the Thai APEC isolates were multidrug-resistant (MDR) (60.7%) whilst Australian APEC isolates showed a MDR rate of just 10.7%. The Thai APEC isolates exhibited high resistance to tetracycline (TET) (84.5%), amoxicillin (AMX) (70.2%) and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (SXT) (51.2%) whilst the Australian APEC isolates showed lower levels of resistance (TET 36.9%, AMX 29.8%, SXT 17.86%). The 34 Thai APEC and four Australian APEC isolates which were resistant to nalidixic acid were characterized for their carriage of mutations in the quinolone resistance determining region of gyrA, gyrB, parC and parE. While no mutations were detected in gyrB in the Thai isolates, the Ser83Leu and Asp87Asn substitutions in gyrA and Ser80Ile in parC were common (n = 9/34). In regard to the Australian isolates, the Ser83Leu and Asp678Glu substitution in gyrA, Pro385Ala and Ser492Asn in gyrB and Met241Ile and Asp475Glu in parC were identified (n = 3/4). Rep-PCR analysis of the 84 Thai and 84 Australian APEC isolates showed 16 main clusters that mostly contained isolates from both countries. Our results suggest that the emergence of MDR is a major concern for the Thai APEC isolates and that more prudent use of antimicrobial agents in Thai poultry production is required.
Thomson, ACG, Kristensen, E, Valdemarsen, T & Quintana, CO 2020, 'Short-term fate of seagrass and macroalgal detritus in Arenicola marina bioturbated sediments', Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol. 639, pp. 21-35.
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Seagrass meadows are globally important ecosystems for carbon (C) sequestration. However, bioturbation by benthic fauna can alter the distribution, degradation and overall preservation of C in the sediment. We performed a 4 wk laboratory experiment to investigate the short-term degradation and burial of 2 major C sources in bare sediments associated with seagrass ecosystems. Eelgrass Zostera marina and macroalgal (Fucus vesiculosus) detritus were amended in sediment with and without bioturbation by the common polychaete Arenicola marina. Bioturbation did not significantly affect the loss of eelgrass detritus (>0.5 mm), but caused a rapid burial of this material as a discrete layer (55% recovery) at sediment depths ranging from 8 to 14 cm. A. marina effects on macroalgal detritus were more pronounced, resulting, in total, in an 80% loss of macroalgal detritus by microbial degradation and worm ingestion. We conclude that A. marina bioturbation effectively buries eelgrass detritus into deep anoxic sediments, but we cannot confirm that this leads to enhanced C preservation in coastal ecosystems. In contrast, A. marina bioturbation significantly increases the degradation of macroalgal tissue, and it is unlikely that this detritus is a major source for permanent C burial.
Tian, H, Tian, H, Wang, S, Chen, S, Zhang, F, Song, L, Liu, H, Liu, J & Wang, G 2020, 'Author Correction: High-power lithium–selenium batteries enabled by atomic cobalt electrocatalyst in hollow carbon cathode', Nature Communications, vol. 11, 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.
Tian, H, Tian, H, Wang, S, Chen, S, Zhang, F, Song, L, Liu, H, Liu, J & Wang, G 2020, 'High-power lithium–selenium batteries enabled by atomic cobalt electrocatalyst in hollow carbon cathode', Nature Communications, vol. 11, no. 1.
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AbstractSelenium cathodes have attracted considerable attention due to high electronic conductivity and volumetric capacity comparable to sulphur cathodes. However, practical development of lithium-selenium batteries has been hindered by the low selenium reaction activity with lithium, high volume changes and rapid capacity fading caused by the shuttle effect of polyselenides. Recently, single atom catalysts have attracted extensive interests in electrochemical energy conversion and storage because of unique electronic and structural properties, maximum atom-utilization efficiency, and outstanding catalytic performances. In this work, we developed a facile route to synthesize cobalt single atoms/nitrogen-doped hollow porous carbon (CoSA-HC). The cobalt single atoms can activate selenium reactivity and immobilize selenium and polyselenides. The as-prepared selenium-carbon (Se@CoSA-HC) cathodes deliver a high discharge capacity, a superior rate capability, and excellent cycling stability with a Coulombic efficiency of ~100%. This work could open an avenue for achieving long cycle life and high-power lithium-selenium batteries.
Tian, H, Zhang, C, Su, P, Shen, Z, Liu, H, Wang, G, Liu, S & Liu, J 2020, 'Metal-organic-framework-derived formation of Co–N-doped carbon materials for efficient oxygen reduction reaction', Journal of Energy Chemistry, vol. 40, pp. 137-143.
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© 2019 Science Press and Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences Non-precious metal nitrogen-doped carbonaceous materials have attracted tremendous attention in the field of electrochemical energy storage and conversion. Herein, we report the designed synthesis of a novel series of Co-N-C nanocomposites and their evaluation of electrochemical properties. Novel yolk-shell structured Co nanoparticles@polymer materials are fabricated from the facile coating polymer strategy on the surface of ZIF-67. After calcination in nitrogen atmosphere, the Co–N–C nanocomposites in which cobalt metal nanoparticles are embedded in the highly porous and graphitic carbon matrix are successfully achieved. The cobalt nanoparticles containing cobalt metal crystallites with an oxidized shell and/or smaller (or amorphous) cobalt-oxide deposits appear on the surface of graphitic carbons. The prepared Co–N–C nanoparticles showed favorable electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction reactions, which is attributed to its high graphitic degree, large surface area and the large amount existence of Co–N active sites.
Tian, H, Zhao, J, Wang, X, Wang, L, Liu, H, Wang, G, Huang, J, Liu, J & Lu, GQM 2020, 'Construction of hollow mesoporous silica nanoreactors for enhanced photo-oxidations over Au-Pt catalysts', National Science Review, vol. 7, no. 11, pp. 1647-1655.
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Abstract It is highly desirable to design hollow structures with multi-scale functions by mimicking cells for the construction of micro/nanoreactors. Herein, we report the construction of hollow-structured submicrometer-photoreactors with bimetallic catalysts loaded within mesoporous silicas. The synthesis parameters are optimized to study the evolution of hollow structure through hydrothermal treatment and an ‘adhesive-contraction’ formation mechanism is proposed. AuPt@HMZS catalysts exhibited a broader absorbance region under visible light and the adsorption edge displayed a red-shift, indicating the strong metal–metal interactions at the alloy interface. The reaction performance of the coupled Au-Pt catalysts can be tuned to achieve excellent catalytic activity in cinnamyl alcohol oxidation to cinnamic acid for 3.1 mmol g−1 with 99% selectivity. The proposed strategy to build hollow structures as multifunctional micro/nanoreactors is promising for the design of high-performance and sustainable catalysts for chemical synthesis.
Titchener, JG, Bell, B, Wang, K, Solntsev, AS, Eggleton, BJ & Sukhorukov, AA 2020, 'Synthetic photonic lattice for single-shot reconstruction of frequency combs', APL Photonics, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 030805-030805.
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We formulate theoretically and demonstrate experimentally an all-optical method for reconstruction of the amplitude, phase, and coherence of frequency combs from a single-shot measurement of the spectral intensity. Our approach exploits synthetic frequency lattices with pump-induced spectral short- and long-range couplings between different signal components across a broad bandwidth of hundreds of GHz in a single nonlinear fiber. When combined with ultra-fast signal conversion techniques, this approach has the potential to provide real-time measurement of pulse-to-pulse variations in the spectral phase and coherence properties of exotic light sources.
Titchener, JG, Solntsev, AS & Sukhorukov, AA 2020, 'Reconfigurable cluster-state generation in specially poled nonlinear waveguide arrays', Physical Review A, vol. 101, no. 2.
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© 2020 American Physical Society. We present an approach for generating cluster states on-chip, with the state encoded in the spatial component of the photonic wave function. We show that for spatial encoding, a change of measurement basis can improve the practicality of cluster-state algorithm implementation and demonstrates this by simulating the Grover's search algorithm. Our state generation scheme involves shaping the wave function produced by spontaneous parametric down-conversion in on-chip waveguides using specially tailored nonlinear poling patterns. Furthermore, the form of the cluster state can be reconfigured quickly by driving different waveguides in the array.
Tkacheva, A, Zhang, J, Sun, B, Zhou, D, Wang, G & McDonagh, AM 2020, 'TEMPO-Ionic Liquids as Redox Mediators and Solvents for Li–O2 Batteries', The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, vol. 124, no. 9, pp. 5087-5092.
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Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society. Effective Li-O2 batteries require additives to suppress the side reactions and the increase in charge potential at the oxygen cathode, which leads to an inevitable battery failure. In this study, two families of new 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO)-substituted imidazolium ionic liquids (TEMPOImILs) were synthesized, and their properties were examined to determine the optimal structures that function as both solvents and redox mediators in Li-O2 batteries. Comparison of the characteristics revealed that batteries with TEMPOImILs bearing a hydrogen rather than a methyl substituent in the 2-position of the imidazole moiety had a longer cycle life, whereas the length of the alkyl chain connecting the imidazole ring and 4-hydroxy-TEMPO did not have any substantial effect on the battery performance.
Toh, S-L, Lee, BB, Simpson, JM, Rice, SA, Kotsiou, G, Marial, O & Ryan, S 2020, 'Effect of probiotics on multi-resistant organism colonisation in persons with spinal cord injury: secondary outcome of ProSCIUTTU, a randomised placebo-controlled trial', Spinal Cord, vol. 58, no. 7, pp. 755-767.
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Tonga, KO, Chapman, DG, Farah, CS, Oliver, BG, Zimmermann, SC, Milne, S, Sanai, F, Jetmalani, K, Berend, N, Thamrin, C & King, GG 2020, 'Reduced lung elastic recoil and fixed airflow obstruction in asthma', Respirology, vol. 25, no. 6, pp. 613-619.
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ABSTRACTBackground and objectiveFixed airflow obstruction (FAO) in asthma occurs despite optimal inhaled treatment and no smoking history, and remains a significant problem, particularly with increasing age and duration of asthma. Increased lung compliance and loss of lung elastic recoil has been observed in older people with asthma, but their link to FAO has not been established. We determined the relationship between abnormal lung elasticity and airflow obstruction in asthma.MethodsNon‐smoking asthmatic subjects aged >40 years, treated with 2 months of high‐dose inhaled corticosteroid/long‐acting beta‐agonist (ICS/LABA), had FAO measured by spirometry, and respiratory system resistance at 5 Hz (Rrs5) and respiratory system reactance at 5 Hz (Xrs5) measured by forced oscillation technique. Lung compliance (K) and elastic recoil (B/A) were calculated from pressure–volume curves measured by an oesophageal balloon. Linear correlations between K and B/A, and forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC), Rrs5 and Xrs5 were assessed.ResultsEighteen subjects (11 males; mean ± SD age: 64 ± 8 years, asthma duration: 39 ± 22 years) had moderate FAO measured by spirometry ((mean ± SD z‐score) post‐bronchodilator FEV1: −2.2 ± 0.5, FVC: −0.7 ± 1.0, FEV1/FVC: −2.6 ± 0.7) and by increased Rrs5 (median (IQR) z‐score) 2.7 (1.9 to 3.2) and decreased Xrs5: −4.1(−2.4 to −7.3). Lung compliance (K) was increased in 9 of 18 subjects and lung elastic recoil (B/A) reduced in 5 of 18 subjects. FEV1/FVC correlated negatively with K (rs = −...
Touchard, A, Aili, SR, Téné, N, Barassé, V, Klopp, C, Dejean, A, Kini, RM, Mrinalini, Coquet, L, Jouenne, T, Lefranc, B, Leprince, J, Escoubas, P, Nicholson, GM, Treilhou, M & Bonnafé, E 2020, 'Venom Peptide Repertoire of the European Myrmicine Ant Manica rubida: Identification of Insecticidal Toxins', Journal of Proteome Research, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 1800-1811.
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Using an integrated transcriptomic and proteomic approach, we characterized the venom peptidome of the European red ant, Manica rubida. We identified 13 'myrmicitoxins' that share sequence similarities with previously identified ant venom peptides, one of them being identified as an EGF-like toxin likely resulting from a threonine residue modified by O-fucosylation. Furthermore, we conducted insecticidal assays of reversed-phase HPLC venom fractions on the blowfly Lucilia caesar, permitting us to identify six myrmicitoxins (i.e., U3-, U10-, U13-, U20-MYRTX-Mri1a, U10-MYRTX-Mri1b, and U10-MYRTX-Mri1c) with an insecticidal activity. Chemically synthesized U10-MYRTX-Mri1a, -Mri1b, -Mri1c, and U20-MYRTX-Mri1a irreversibly paralyzed blowflies at the highest doses tested (30-125 nmol·g-1). U13-MYRTX-Mri1a, the most potent neurotoxic peptide at 1 h, had reversible effects after 24 h (150 nmol·g-1). Finally, U3-MYRTX-Mri1a has no insecticidal activity, even at up to 55 nmol·g-1. Thus, M. rubida employs a paralytic venom rich in linear insecticidal peptides, which likely act by disrupting cell membranes.
Tran, N-AT, Tamburic, B, Evenhuis, CR & Seymour, JR 2020, 'Bacteria-mediated aggregation of the marine phytoplankton Thalassiosira weissflogii and Nannochloropsis oceanica', Journal of Applied Phycology, vol. 32, no. 6, pp. 3735-3748.
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AbstractThe ecological relationships between heterotrophic bacteria and marine phytoplankton are complex and multifaceted, and in some instances include the bacteria-mediated aggregation of phytoplankton cells. It is not known to what extent bacteria stimulate aggregation of marine phytoplankton, the variability in aggregation capacity across different bacterial taxa or the potential role of algogenic exopolymers in this process. Here we screened twenty bacterial isolates, spanning nine orders, for their capacity to stimulate aggregation of two marine phytoplankters, Thalassiosira weissflogii and Nannochloropsis oceanica. In addition to phytoplankton aggregation efficiency, the production of exopolymers was measured using Alcian Blue. Bacterial isolates from the Rhodobacterales, Flavobacteriales and Sphingomonadales orders stimulated the highest levels of cell aggregation in phytoplankton cultures. When co-cultured with bacteria, exopolymer concentration accounted for 34.1% of the aggregation observed in T. weissflogii and 27.7% of the aggregation observed in N. oceanica. Bacteria-mediated aggregation of phytoplankton has potentially important implications for mediating vertical carbon flux in the ocean and in extracting phytoplankton cells from suspension for biotechnological applications.
Tran, NN, Huete, A, Nguyen, H, Grant, I, Miura, T, Ma, X, Lyapustin, A, Wang, Y & Ebert, E 2020, 'Seasonal Comparisons of Himawari-8 AHI and MODIS Vegetation Indices over Latitudinal Australian Grassland Sites', Remote Sensing, vol. 12, no. 15, pp. 2494-2494.
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The Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI) on board the Himawari-8 geostationary (GEO) satellite offers comparable spectral and spatial resolutions as low earth orbiting (LEO) sensors such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) sensors, but with hypertemporal image acquisition capability. This raises the possibility of improved monitoring of highly dynamic ecosystems, such as grasslands, including fine-scale phenology retrievals from vegetation index (VI) time series. However, identifying and understanding how GEO VI temporal profiles would be different from traditional LEO VIs need to be evaluated, especially with the new generation of geostationary satellites, with unfamiliar observation geometries not experienced with MODIS, VIIRS, or Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) VI time series data. The objectives of this study were to investigate the variations in AHI reflectances and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), enhanced vegetation index (EVI), and two-band EVI (EVI2) in relation to diurnal phase angle variations, and to compare AHI VI seasonal datasets with MODIS VIs (standard and sun and view angle-adjusted VIs) over a functional range of dry grassland sites in eastern Australia. Strong NDVI diurnal variations and negative NDVI hotspot effects were found due to differential red and NIR band sensitivities to diurnal phase angle changes. In contrast, EVI and EVI2 were nearly insensitive to diurnal phase angle variations and displayed nearly flat diurnal profiles without noticeable hotspot influences. At seasonal time scales, AHI NDVI values were consistently lower than MODIS NDVI values, while AHI EVI and EVI2 values were significantly higher than MODIS EVI and EVI2 values, respectively. We attributed the cross-sensor differences in VI patterns to the year-round smaller phase angles and backscatter observations from AHI, in which the sunlit canopies in...
Trevathan-Tackett, SM, Jeffries, TC, Macreadie, PI, Manojlovic, B & Ralph, P 2020, 'Long-term decomposition captures key steps in microbial breakdown of seagrass litter', Science of The Total Environment, vol. 705, pp. 135806-135806.
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Seagrass biomass represents an important source of organic carbon that can contribute to long-term sediment carbon stocks in coastal ecosystems. There is little empirical data on the long-term microbial decomposition of seagrass detritus, despite this process being one of the key drivers of carbon-cycling in coastal ecosystems, that is, it influences the amount and quality of carbon available for sequestration. Here, our goal was to investigate how litter quality (leaf vs. rhizome/root) and the microbial communities involved in organic matter remineralisation shift over a 2-year field decomposition study north of Sydney, Australia using the temperate seagrass Zostera muelleri. The sites varied in bulk sediment characteristics and the sediment-associated microbial communities, but these variables overall had little influence on long-term seagrass decomposition rates or seagrass-associated microbiomes. The results showed a clear succession of bacterial and archaeal communities for both tissues types from r-strategists such as α- and γ-proteobacteria to K-strategies, including δ-proteobacteria, Bacteroidia and Spirochaetes. We used a new mathematical model to capture how decay rates varied over time and found that two decomposition events occurred for some seagrass leaf samples, possibly due to exudate input from living seagrass roots growing into the litter bag. The new model also indicated that conventional single exponential models overestimate long-term decay rates, and we detected for the first time the refractory, or stable, phase of decomposition for rhizome/root biomass. The stable phase began at approximately 20% mass remaining and after 600 days, and the persistence of rhizome/root biomass was attributed to the anoxic conditions and the preservation of refractory organic matter. While we predict that rhizome/root biomass will contribute more to the long-term sediment carbon stocks, the preservation of leaf carbon may be enhanced at locations were...
Tripathi, A, Kruk, S, Shang, Y, Zhou, J, Kravchenko, I, Jin, D & Kivshar, Y 2020, 'Topological nanophotonics for photoluminescence control', Nanophotonics, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 435-441.
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AbstractObjectivesRare-earth-doped nanocrystals are emerging light sources that can produce tunable emissions in colours and lifetimes, which has been typically achieved in chemistry and material science. However, one important optical challenge – polarization of photoluminescence – remains largely out of control by chemistry methods. Control over photoluminescence polarization can be gained via coupling of emitters to resonant nanostructures such as optical antennas and metasurfaces. However, the resulting polarization is typically sensitive to position disorder of emitters, which is difficult to mitigate.MethodsRecently, new classes of disorder-immune optical systems have been explored within the framework of topological photonics. Here we explore disorder-robust topological arrays of Mie-resonant nanoparticles for polarization control of photoluminescence of nanocrystals.ResultsWe demonstrate polarized emission from rare-earth-doped nanocrystals governed by photonic topological edge states supported by zigzag arrays of dielectric resonators. We verify the topological origin of polarized photoluminescence by comparing emission from nanoparticles coupled to topologically trivial and nontrivial arrays of nanoresonators.ConclusionsWe expect that our results may open a new direction in the study of topology-enable emission properties of topological edge states in many photonic systems.
Troják, M, Šafránek, D, Brim, L, Šalagovič, J & Červený, J 2020, 'Executable Biochemical Space for Specification and Analysis of Biochemical Systems', Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science, vol. 350, pp. 91-116.
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Trujillo Uruena, M, York, R, Philp, M, Kuzhiumparambil, U, Wei, Z, Yun, K & Fu, S 2020, 'Identification of Unique 4-Methylmethcathinone (4-MMC) Degradation Markers in Putrefied Matrices†', Journal of Analytical Toxicology, vol. 44, no. 8, pp. 803-810.
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Abstract Drug degradation as a consequence of putrefactive bacterial activity is a well-known factor that affects the identification and quantitation of certain substances of forensic interest. Current knowledge on putrefaction-mediated degradation of drugs is, however, significantly lacking. This study aimed to investigate the degradation of 4-methylmethcathinone (4-MMC or mephedrone) and to detect its degradation products in putrefied biological matrices containing 4-MMC. The bacteria species Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus vulgaris were grown in brain-heart infusion broth, spiked with 4-MMC and incubated at 37°C for 24 h. Postmortem human blood and fresh porcine liver macerate were also left to putrefy in sample tubes at room temperature for 1 week. Structural elucidation was based on modern spectroscopic analyses including the use of high-resolution mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. All four putrefactive bacteria were capable of degrading 4-MMC extensively under the experimental conditions explored. Of particular interest was the discovery of a novel degradation product common to all four bacterial species, which was assigned as 2-hydroxy-1-(4-methylphenyl)propan-1-one (HMP) based on the spectroscopic data. This degradation product was detectable in both postmortem human blood and porcine liver samples. The stability of the identified degradation products, especially HMP, should be further investigated to assess their validity of serving as marker analytes for monitoring 4-MMC in postmortem toxicology.
Turkowyd, B, Schreiber, S, Wörtz, J, Segal, ES, Mevarech, M, Duggin, IG, Marchfelder, A & Endesfelder, U 2020, 'Establishing Live-Cell Single-Molecule Localization Microscopy Imaging and Single-Particle Tracking in the Archaeon Haloferax volcanii', Frontiers in Microbiology, vol. 11, p. 583010.
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In recent years, fluorescence microscopy techniques for the localization and tracking of single molecules in living cells have become well-established and are indispensable tools for the investigation of cellular biology and in vivo biochemistry of many bacterial and eukaryotic organisms. Nevertheless, these techniques are still not established for imaging archaea. Their establishment as a standard tool for the study of archaea will be a decisive milestone for the exploration of this branch of life and its unique biology. Here, we have developed a reliable protocol for the study of the archaeon Haloferax volcanii. We have generated an autofluorescence-free H. volcanii strain, evaluated several fluorescent proteins for their suitability to serve as single-molecule fluorescence markers and codon-optimized them to work under optimal H. volcanii cultivation conditions. We found that two of them, Dendra2Hfx and PAmCherry1Hfx, provide state-of-the-art single-molecule imaging. Our strategy is quantitative and allows dual-color imaging of two targets in the same field of view (FOV) as well as DNA co-staining. We present the first single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) images of the subcellular organization and dynamics of two crucial intracellular proteins in living H. volcanii cells, FtsZ1, which shows complex structures in the cell division ring, and RNA polymerase, which localizes around the periphery of the cellular DNA.This work should provide incentive to develop SMLM strategies for other archaeal organisms in the near future.
Turpin, GA, Holt, SA, Scofield, JMP, Teo, BM & Tabor, RF 2020, 'Spontaneous Adsorption of Graphene Oxide to Oil–Water and Air–Water Interfaces by Adsorption of Hydrotropes', Advanced Materials Interfaces, vol. 7, no. 9, pp. 1901810-1901810.
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AbstractThe interfacial adsorption of graphene oxide (GO) is crucial in phenomena such as emulsification and froth flotation, where presence of 2D nanomaterials facilitates Pickering stabilization. This process usually requires the input of high amounts of shear energy, or is aided by surfactants in order to make it possible at room temperature. In this work, a surfactant‐free method for interfacial enrichment through the use of a family of tetraalkylammonium hydrotropes, the most effective being tetraethylammonium chloride (TEAC), is demonstrated. As both GO and hydrotropes do not spontaneously enrich to interfaces on their own, this synergistic, spontaneous effect highlights that hydrotropes adsorb to GO sheets, decreasing their negative charge while rendering them more amphiphilic and therefore making it thermodynamically favorable for them to adsorb to the interface. Evidence for this adsorption includes increases in surface pressure, as well as emulsion and froth stability when both GO and hydrotropes are present in a system. Hydrotropes perform as well as or better than surfactants. Adsorption is irreversible, with XRR and AFM studies demonstrating that roughness increases with compression of the air‐water interface, showing that GO sheets are crumpling at the interface rather than desorbing, providing new routes to patterned and structured GO layers.
Ubags, ND, Baker, J, Boots, A, Costa, R, El-Merhie, N, Fabre, A, Faiz, A, Heijink, IH, Hiemstra, PS, Lehmann, M, Meiners, S, Rolandsson Enes, S & Bartel, S 2020, 'ERS International Congress, Madrid, 2019: highlights from the Basic and Translational Science Assembly', ERJ Open Research, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 00350-2019.
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In this review, the Basic and Translational Sciences Assembly of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) provides an overview of the 2019 ERS International Congress highlights. In particular, we discuss how the novel and very promising technology of single cell sequencing has led to the development of a comprehensive map of the human lung, the lung cell atlas, including the discovery of novel cell types and new insights into cellular trajectories in lung health and disease. Further, we summarise recent insights in the field of respiratory infections, which can aid in a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying these infections in order to develop novel vaccines and improved treatment options. Novel concepts delineating the early origins of lung disease are focused on the effects of pre- and post-natal exposures on neonatal lung development and long-term lung health. Moreover, we discuss how these early life exposures can affect the lung microbiome and respiratory infections. In addition, the importance of metabolomics and mitochondrial function analysis to subphenotype chronic lung disease patients according to their metabolic program is described. Finally, basic and translational respiratory science is rapidly moving forward and this will be beneficial for an advanced molecular understanding of the mechanisms underlying a variety of lung diseases. In the long-term this will aid in the development of novel therapeutic targeting strategies in the field of respiratory medicine.
Ueland, M, Brown, A, Bartos, C, Frankham, GJ, Johnson, RN & Forbes, SL 2020, 'Profiling Volatilomes: A Novel Forensic Method for Identification of Confiscated Illegal Wildlife Items', Separations, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 5-5.
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Globally, the rapid decline in wildlife species has many causes. The illegal trafficking of fauna and flora is a major contributor to species decline and continues to grow at an alarming rate. To enable the prosecution of those involved in the trafficking of illegal wildlife, accurate and reliable identification is paramount. Traditionally, morphology and DNA amplification are used. This paper investigates a novel application of volatilome profiling using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time of flight mass spectrometry for wildlife sample detection. Known samples of elephant-derived ivory, other dentine samples, and bone (a common ivory substitute) were used as reference samples for volatilome profiling. Subsequently, specimens that were suspected ivory from border control seizures were obtained and analysed. Confirmatory DNA analyses were conducted on seized samples to establish the reliability parameters of volatilome profiling. The volatilome method correctly identified six of the eight seized samples as elephant ivory, which was confirmed through DNA analysis. There was also clear distinction of African elephant ivory parts from the bone and dentine samples from other species, as shown through PCA and discriminant analyses. These preliminary results establish volatilome profiling through GC×GC-TOFMS as a novel screening method used for the identification of unknown wildlife contraband.
Valentin, E, Bottomley, AL, Chilambi, GS, Harry, EJ, Amal, R, Sotiriou, GA, Rice, SA & Gunawan, C 2020, 'Heritable nanosilver resistance in priority pathogen: a unique genetic adaptation and comparison with ionic silver and antibiotics', Nanoscale, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 2384-2392.
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A priority pathogen is capable to evolve stable resistance characteristics that still manifest after discontinuation of the nanosilver exposure.
Vasilescu, SA, Bazaz, SR, Jin, D, Shimoni, O & Warkiani, ME 2020, '3D printing enables the rapid prototyping of modular microfluidic devices for particle conjugation', Applied Materials Today, vol. 20, pp. 100726-100726.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd Antibody micro/nano-particle conjugates have proven to be essential tools in many diagnostic and nanomedicine applications. However, their production with homogenous coating and in a continuous fashion remains a tedious, labor-intensive, and costly process. In this regard, 3D micromixer-based microfluidic devices offer significant advantages over existing methods, where manipulating the flow in three dimensions increases fluid contact area and surface disruption, facilitating efficient mixing. While conventional softlithography is capable of fabricating simple 2D micromixers, complications arise when processing 3D structures. In this paper, we report the direct fabrication of a 3D complex microchannel design using additive manufacturing for the continuous conjugation of antibodies onto particle surfaces. This method benefits from a reduction in cost and time (from days to hours), simplified fabrication process, and limited post-processing. The flexibility of direct 3D printing allows quick and easy tailoring of design features to facilitate the production of micro and nanoparticles conjugated with functional antibodies in a continuous mixing process. We demonstrate that the produced antibody-functionalized particles retain their functionality by a firm and specific interaction with antigen presenting cells. By connecting 3D printed micromixers across the conjugation process, we illustrate the role of 3D printed microchannels as modularized components. The 3D printing method we report enables a broad spectrum of researchers to produce complex microfluidic geometries within a short time frame.
Venkateshwarlu, S, Nayak, S, Marlton, FP, Weyland, F, Novak, N, Maurya, D, Veerabhadraiah, Y, Borkiewicz, O, Beyer, KA, Jørgensen, MRV & Pramanick, A 2020, 'Relaxor behavior and electrothermal properties of Sn- and Nb-modified (Ba,Ca)TiO3 Pb-free ferroelectric', Journal of Materials Research, vol. 35, no. 8, pp. 1017-1027.
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Abstract
Verhoeven, EM, Murray, BR, Dickman, CR, Wardle, GM & Greenville, AC 2020, 'Fire and rain are one: extreme rainfall events predict wildfire extent in an arid grassland', International Journal of Wildland Fire, vol. 29, no. 8, pp. 702-702.
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Assessing wildfire regimes and their environmental drivers is critical for effective land management and conservation. We used Landsat imagery to describe the wildfire regime of the north-eastern Simpson Desert (Australia) between 1972 and 2014, and to quantify the relationship between wildfire extent and rainfall. Wildfires occurred in 15 of the 42 years, but only 27% of the study region experienced multiple wildfires. A wildfire in 1975 burned 43% of the region and is the largest on record for the area. More recently, a large wildfire in 2011 reburned areas that had not burned since 1975 (47% of the 2011 wildfire), as well as new areas that had no record of wildfires (25% of the 2011 wildfire). The mean minimum wildfire return interval was 27 years, comparable with other spinifex-dominated grasslands, and the mean time since last wildfire was 21 years. Spinifex-dominated vegetation burned most frequently and over the largest area. Extreme annual rainfall events (> 93rd percentile) effectively predicted large wildfires occurring 2 years after those events. Extreme rainfall is predicted to increase in magnitude and frequency across central Australia, which could alter wildfire regimes and have unpredictable and far-reaching effects on ecosystems in the region’s arid landscapes.
Verma, A, Hughes, DJ, Harwood, DT, Suggett, DJ, Ralph, PJ & Murray, SA 2020, 'Functional significance of phylogeographic structure in a toxic benthic marine microbial eukaryote over a latitudinal gradient along the East Australian Current', Ecology and Evolution, vol. 10, no. 13, pp. 6257-6273.
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AbstractGenetic diversity in marine microbial eukaryotic populations (protists) drives their ecological success by enabling diverse phenotypes to respond rapidly to changing environmental conditions. Despite enormous population sizes and lack of barriers to gene flow, genetic differentiation that is associated with geographic distance, currents, and environmental gradients has been reported from planktonic protists. However, for benthic protists, which have reduced dispersal opportunities, phylogeography and its phenotypic significance are little known. In recent years, the East Australian Current (EAC) has intensified its southward flow, associated with the tropicalization of temperate waters. Benthic harmful algal species have been increasingly found in south‐eastern Australia. Yet little is known about the potential of these species to adapt or extend their range in relation to changing conditions. Here, we examine genetic diversity and functional niche divergence in a toxic benthic dinoflagellate, Ostreopsis cf. siamensis, along a 1,500 km north–south gradient in southeastern Australia. Sixty‐eight strains were established from eight sampling sites. The study revealed long‐standing genetic diversity among strains established from the northern‐most sites, along with large phenotypic variation in observed physiological traits such as growth rates, cell volume, production of palytoxin‐like compounds, and photophysiological parameters. Strains from the southern populations were more uniform in both genetic and functional traits, and have possibly colonized their habitats more recently. Our study reports significant genetic and functional trait variability in a benthic harmful algal species, indicative of high adaptability, and a possible climate‐driven range extension. The observed high trait variation may facilitate development of harmful algal blooms under dynamic c...
Vidaillac, C, Yong, VFL, Aschtgen, M-S, Qu, J, Yang, S, Xu, G, Seng, ZJ, Brown, AC, Ali, MK, Jaggi, TK, Sankaran, J, Foo, YH, Righetti, F, Nedumaran, AM, Mac Aogáin, M, Roizman, D, Richard, J-A, Rogers, TR, Toyofuku, M, Luo, D, Loh, E, Wohland, T, Czarny, B, Horvat, JC, Hansbro, PM, Yang, L, Li, L, Normark, S, Henriques-Normark, B & Chotirmall, SH 2020, 'Erratum for Vidaillac et al. “Sex Steroids Induce Membrane Stress Responses and Virulence Properties in Pseudomonas aeruginosa”', mBio, vol. 11, no. 6.
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Vidaillac, C, Yong, VFL, Aschtgen, M-S, Qu, J, Yang, S, Xu, G, Seng, ZJ, Brown, AC, Ali, MK, Jaggi, TK, Sankaran, J, Foo, YH, Righetti, F, Nedumaran, AM, Mac Aogáin, M, Roizman, D, Richard, J-A, Rogers, TR, Toyofuku, M, Luo, D, Loh, E, Wohland, T, Czarny, B, Horvat, JC, Hansbro, PM, Yang, L, Li, L, Normark, S, Henriques-Normark, B & Chotirmall, SH 2020, 'Sex Steroids Induce Membrane Stress Responses and Virulence Properties in Pseudomonas aeruginosa', mBio, vol. 11, no. 5, pp. 1-19.
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Molecular mechanisms by which sex steroids interact with P. aeruginosa to modulate its virulence have yet to be reported. Our work provides the first characterization of a steroid-induced membrane stress mechanism promoting P. aeruginosa virulence, which includes the release of proinflammatory outer membrane vesicles, resulting in inflammation, host tissue damage, and reduced bacterial clearance. We further demonstrate that at nanomolar (physiological) concentrations, male and female sex steroids promote virulence in clinical strains of P. aeruginosa based on their dynamic membrane fluidic properties. This work provides, for the first-time, mechanistic insight to better understand and predict the P. aeruginosa related response to sex steroids and explain the interindividual patient variability observed in respiratory diseases such as cystic fibrosis that are complicated by gender differences and chronic P. aeruginosa infection.
Vieira, P, Miranda, MQ, Marques, I, Carvalho, S, Chen, L, Howe, ENW, Zhen, C, Leung, CY, Spooner, MJ, Morgado, B, da Cruz e Silva, OAB, Moiteiro, C, Gale, PA & Félix, V 2020, 'Development of a Library of Thiophene‐Based Drug‐Like Lego Molecules: Evaluation of Their Anion Binding, Transport Properties, and Cytotoxicity', Chemistry – A European Journal, vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 888-899.
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AbstractThe anion‐binding and transport properties of an extensive library of thiophene‐based molecules are reported. Seventeen bis‐urea positional isomers, with different binding conformations and lipophilicities, have been synthesized by appending α‐ or β‐thiophene or α‐, β‐, or γ‐benzo[b]thiophene moieties to an ortho‐phenylenediamine central core, yielding six subsets of positional isomers. Through 1H NMR, X‐ray crystallography, molecular modelling, and anion efflux studies, it is demonstrated that the most active transporters adopt a pre‐organized binding conformation capable of promoting the recognition of chloride, using urea and C−H binding groups in a cooperative fashion. Additional large unilamellar vesicle‐based assays, carried out under electroneutral and electrogenic conditions, together with N‐methyl‐d‐glucamine chloride assays, have indicated that anion efflux occurs mainly through an H+/Cl− symport mechanism. On the other hand, the most efficient anion transporter displays cytotoxicity against tumor cell lines, while having no effects on a cystic fibrosis cell line.
Violi, JP, Bishop, DP, Padula, MP, Steele, JR & Rodgers, KJ 2020, 'Considerations for amino acid analysis by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry: A tutorial review', TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry, vol. 131, pp. 116018-116018.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Amino acids are present in a variety of matrices from biological fluids to plant and animal tissues. We discuss options for amino acid extraction, sample clean-up and protein hydrolysis. Chromatographic separation of native amino acids is difficult due to their structure and physiochemical properties. Most analysts derivatise amino acids prior to analysis which improves the signal-to-noise ratio, provides more efficient ionisation and allows the use of reverse phase chromatography. Since chiral analysis is becoming increasingly important, we discuss chiral column chromatography and the use of chiral derivatisation agents. The choice of detector and parameters is based on a wide array of criteria including whether amino acids are native or derivatised and if targeted or untargeted analysis is being performed. This tutorial review aims to act as both a guide and to provide an overview of the techniques scientists currently employ for the analysis of amino acids via liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
Vo, HNP, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Chang, SW, Nguyen, DD, Chen, Z, Wang, XC, Chen, R & Zhang, X 2020, 'Microalgae for saline wastewater treatment: a critical review', Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, vol. 50, no. 12, pp. 1224-1265.
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© 2019, © 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Saline wastewater contains numerous pollutants such as nutrients, heavy metals, micropollutants, and organic pollutants. This kind of wastewater needs to be treated prior to discharging. Compared to other technologies for saline wastewater treatment, the microalgae process is considered to be ‘green’ or environmentally friendly as it generates no secondary pollutants and creates profit. To elucidate the issue, this review investigated the following: (1) the nature of saline wastewater; (2) adaptation of microalgae in saline wastewater; (3) pollutants’ remediation by microalgae in saline wastewater; (4) comparisons with other technologies; and (5) future perspectives. Most importantly, during microalgae process, the saline wastewater is transformed from a waste into a source for biofuel and pigment production. This trend implies to heal the environment, cut remediation expenses and raise revenue.
Vo, HNP, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Liu, Y, Woong Chang, S, Nguyen, DD, Zhang, X, Liang, H & Xue, S 2020, 'Selective carbon sources and salinities enhance enzymes and extracellular polymeric substances extrusion of Chlorella sp. for potential co-metabolism', Bioresource Technology, vol. 303, pp. 122877-122877.
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This study investigated the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) and enzyme extrusion of Chlorella sp. using seven carbon sources and two salinities for potential pollutant co-metabolism. Results indicated that the levels of biomass, EPS and enzymes of microalgae cultured with glucose and saccharose outcompeted other carbon sources. For pigment production, glycine received the highest chlorophyll and carotene, up to 10 mg/L. The EPS reached 30 mg/L, having doubled the amount of protein than carbohydrate. For superoxide dismutase and peroxidase enzymes, the highest concentrations were beyond 60 U/ml and 6 nmol/d.ml, respectively. This amount could be potentially used for degrading 40% ciprofloxacin of concentration 2000 µg/L. When increasing salinity from 0.1% to 3.5%, the concentrations of pigment, EPS and enzymes rose 3 to 30 times. These results highlighted that certain carbon sources and salinities could induce Chlorella sp. to produce EPS and enzymes for pollutant co-metabolism and also for revenue-raising potential.
Vo, HNP, Ngo, HH, Guo, W, Nguyen, KH, Chang, SW, Nguyen, DD, Liu, Y, Liu, Y, Ding, A & Bui, XT 2020, 'Micropollutants cometabolism of microalgae for wastewater remediation: Effect of carbon sources to cometabolism and degradation products', Water Research, vol. 183, pp. 115974-115974.
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This study investigated the impacts of selective sole carbon source-induced micropollutants (MPs) cometabolism of Chlorella sp. by: (i) extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), superoxide dismutase and peroxidase enzyme production; (ii) MPs removal efficiency and cometabolism rate; (iii) MPs' potential degradation products identification; and (iv) degradation pathways and validation using the Eawag database to differentiate the cometabolism of Chlorella sp. with other microbes. Adding the sole carbon sources in the presence of MPs increased EPS and enzyme concentrations from 2 to 100-fold in comparison with only sole carbon sources. This confirmed that MPs cometabolism had occurred. The removal efficiencies of tetracycline, sulfamethoxazole, and bisphenol A ranged from 16-99%, 32-92%, and 58-99%, respectively. By increasing EPS and enzyme activity, the MPs concentrations accumulated in microalgae cells also fell 400-fold. The cometabolism process resulted in several degradation products of MPs. This study drew an insightful understanding of cometabolism for MPs remediation in wastewater. Based on the results, proper carbon sources for microalgae can be selected for practical applications to remediate MPs in wastewater while simultaneously recovering biomass for several industries and gaining revenue.
Vuckovic, S, Bryant, CE, Lau, KHA, Yang, S, Favaloro, J, McGuire, HM, Clark, G, de St. Groth, BF, Marsh-Wakefield, F, Nassif, N, Abadir, E, Vanguru, V, McCulloch, D, Brown, C, Larsen, S, Dunkley, S, Khoo, L, Gibson, J, Boyle, R, Joshua, D & Ho, PJ 2020, 'Inverse relationship between oligoclonal expanded CD69− TTE and CD69+ TTE cells in bone marrow of multiple myeloma patients', Blood Advances, vol. 4, no. 19, pp. 4593-4604.
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Abstract CD8+CD57+ terminal effector T (TTE) cells are a component of marrow-infiltrating lymphocytes and may contribute to the altered immune responses in multiple myeloma (MM) patients. We analyzed TTE cells in the bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood (PB) of age-matched controls and patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), smoldering MM (SMM), and newly diagnosed (ND) MM using flow cytometry, mass cytometry, and FlowSOM clustering. TTE cells are heterogeneous in all subjects, with BM containing both CD69− and CD69+ subsets, while only CD69− cells are found in PB. Within the BM-TTE compartment, CD69− and CD69+ cells are found in comparable proportions in controls, while CD69− cells are dominant in MGUS and SMM and predominantly either CD69− or CD69+ cells in NDMM. A positive relationship between CD69+TTE and CD69−TTE cells is observed in the BM of controls, lost in MGUS, and converted to an inverse relationship in NDMM. CD69−TTE cells include multiple oligoclonal expansions of T-cell receptor/Vβ families shared between BM and PB of NDMM. Oligoclonal expanded CD69−TTE cells from the PB include myeloma-reactive cells capable of killing autologous CD38hi plasma cells in vitro, involving degranulation and high expression of perforin and granzyme. In contrast to CD69−TTE cells, oligoclonal expansions are not evident within CD69+TTE cells, which possess low perforin and granzyme expression and high inhibitory checkpoint expression and resemble T resident memory cells. Both CD69−TTE and CD69+TTE cells from the BM of NDMM produce large amounts of the inflammatory cytokines interferon-γ and tumor necrosis factor α. The balance between CD69− and CD69+ cells within the BM-TTE compartment may regulate immune responses in NDMM and contribute to the clinical heterogeneity of the disease.
Wadhwa, R, Paudel, KR, Mehta, M, Shukla, SD, Sunkara, K, Prasher, P, Panth, N, Goyal, R, Chellappan, DK, Gupta, G, Hansbro, PM, Aljabali, AAA, Tambuwala, MM & Dua, K 2020, 'Beyond the Obvious: Smoking and Respiratory Infection Implications on Alzheimer's Disease', CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets, vol. 19, no. 9, pp. 698-708.
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Tobacco smoke is not only a leading cause for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disorders, and lung and oral cancers, but also causes neurological disorders such as Alzheimer ’s disease. Tobacco smoke consists of more than 4500 toxic chemicals, which form free radicals and can cross blood-brain barrier resulting in oxidative stress, an extracellular amyloid plaque from the aggregation of amyloid β (Aβ) peptide deposition in the brain. Further, respiratory infections such as Chlamydia pneumoniae, respiratory syncytial virus have also been involved in the induction and development of the disease. The necessary information collated on this review has been gathered from various literature published from 1995 to 2019. The review article sheds light on the role of smoking and respiratory infections in causing oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, resulting in Alzheimer's disease (AD). This review will be of interest to scientists and researchers from biological and medical science disciplines, including microbiology, pharmaceutical sciences and the translational researchers, etc. The increasing understanding of the relationship between chronic lung disease and neurological disease is two-fold. First, this would help to identify the risk factors and possible therapeutic interventions to reduce the development and progression of both diseases. Second, this would help to reduce the probable risk of development of AD in the population prone to chronic lung diseases.
Walker, GJ, Clifford, V, Bansal, N, Stella, AO, Turville, S, Stelzer‐Braid, S, Klein, LD & Rawlinson, W 2020, 'SARS‐CoV‐2 in human milk is inactivated by Holder pasteurisation but not cold storage', Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, vol. 56, no. 12, pp. 1872-1874.
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AimAs the COVID‐19 pandemic evolves, human milk banks world‐wide continue to provide donor human milk to vulnerable infants who lack access to mother's own milk. Under these circumstances, ensuring the safety of donor human milk is paramount, as the risk of vertical transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2 is not fully understood. Here, we investigate the inactivation of SARS‐CoV‐2 in human milk by pasteurisation and the stability of SARS‐CoV‐2 in human milk under cold storage.MethodsSARS‐CoV‐2 was experimentally inoculated into human milk samples from healthy donors or into a control medium. Triplicates of each sample were layered onto uninfected cells after Holder pasteurisation (63°C for 30 min), heating to 56°C for 30 min, or after 48 h of storage at 4°C or −30°C. Infectious titres of virus were determined at 72 h post‐infection by endpoint titration.ResultsFollowing heating to 63°C or 56°C for 30 min, replication competent (i.e. live) SARS‐CoV‐2 was undetected in both human milk and the control medium. Cold storage of SARS‐CoV‐2 in human milk (either at 4°C or −30°C) did not significantly impact infectious viral load over a 48 h period.ConclusionSARS‐CoV‐2 is effectively inactivated by Holder pasteurisation, suggesting that existing milk bank processes will effectively mitigate the risk of transmission of SARS‐COV‐2 to vulnerable infants through pasteurised donor human milk. The demonstrated stability of SARS‐CoV‐2 in refrigerated or frozen human milk may assist in the development of guidelines around safe expressing and storing of milk from COVID‐19 infected mothers.
Walker, GJ, Naing, Z, Stella, AO, Yeang, M, Caguicla, J, Ramachandran, V, Isaacs, SR, Agapiou, D, Bull, RA, Stelzer-Braid, S, Daly, J, Gosbell, IB, Hoad, VC, Irving, DO, Pink, JM, Turville, S, Kelleher, AD & Rawlinson, WD 2020, 'SARS Coronavirus-2 microneutralisation and commercial serological assays correlated closely for some but not all enzyme immunoassays'.
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AbstractBackgroundSerological testing for SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies provides important research and diagnostic information relating to COVID-19 prevalence, incidence, and host immune response. A greater understanding of the relationship between functionally neutralising antibodies detected using microneutralisation assays and binding antibodies detected using scalable enzyme immunoassays (EIA) is needed in order to address protective immunity post-infection or vaccination, and assess EIA suitability as a surrogate test for screening of convalescent plasma donors. We assessed whether neutralising antibody titres correlated with signal cut-off ratios in five commercially available EIAs, and one in-house assay based on expressed spike protein targets.MethodsSera from individuals recovered from patients or convalescent plasma donors who reported laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (n=200), and negative control sera collected prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (n=100) were assessed in parallel. Performance was assessed by calculating EIA sensitivity and specificity with reference to microneutralisation.ResultsNeutralising antibodies were detected in 166 (83%) samples. Compared with this, the most sensitive EIAs were the Cobas Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 (98%) and Vitros Immunodiagnostic Anti-SARS-CoV-2 (100%), which detect total antibody targeting the N and S1 antigens, respectively. The assay with the best quantitative relationship with microneutralisation was the Euroimmun IgG.ConclusionsThese results suggest the marker used (total Ab vs IgG vs IgA), and the target antigen are important determinants of assay performance. The strong correlation between microneutralisation and some commercially availabl...
Wang, B, Chan, YL, Zhou, S, Saad, S, Chen, H & Oliver, BG 2020, 'Offspring sex affects the susceptibility to maternal smoking-induced lung inflammation and the effect of maternal antioxidant supplementation in mice', Journal of Inflammation, vol. 17, no. 1.
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AbstractBackgroundCigarette smoke exposure (SE) during pregnancy is the largest modifiable risk factor for the development of lung disorders in offspring. We have previously shown that maternal L-Carnitine treatment can reduce the adverse impacts of maternal SE on renal and brain disorders in offspring. Here, we investigated the effect of maternal L-Carnitine supplementation on lung inflammatory pathways, autophagy, and mitophagy markers in the offspring in response to maternal SE.MethodsFemale BALB/c mice (8 weeks) were exposed to cigarette smoke for 6 weeks prior to mating, during gestation and lactation. Some of the SE dams were given L-Carnitine supplementation (1.5 mM in drinking water, SE + LC) during gestation and lactation. Lungs from the offspring were studied at birth and adulthood (13 weeks).ResultsAt birth, in male offspring, there were increased levels of inflammatory markers (phosphorylated(p)-ERK1,2, p-P38 MAPK, p- NF-κB), and inflammasome marker (NLRP3), as well as mitophagy fission marker Drp-1 and autophagosome marker (LC3A/B-II) in the lung. Maternal L-Carnitine supplementation significantly reduced NLRP3 level. In contrast, maternal SE only increased IL1-β in female offspring, which was reversed by maternal L-Carnitine supplementation. At 13 weeks, there was an increase in LC3A/B-II and p- NF-κB in the male SE offspring with reduced p-JNK1,2, which were partially normalised by maternal L-Carnitine treatment. Female offspring were not affected by maternal SE at this age.ConclusionMaternal SE had adverse impacts on the male offspring’s lung, which were partially alleviated by maternal L-Carnitine supplementation. Females seem to be less affected by the adverse effects of m...
Wang, B, Chen, H, Chan, YL & Oliver, BG 2020, 'Is there an association between the level of ambient air pollution and COVID-19?', American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, vol. 319, no. 3, pp. L416-L421.
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Epidemiological studies suggest that environmental factors (e.g., air pollution) can influence the spread and infectivity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); however, very few papers have investigated or discussed the mechanism behind the phenomenon. Given the fact that pollution will increase as social distancing rules are relaxed, we summarized the current understanding of how air pollution may affect COVID-19 transmission and discussed several possible mechanisms. Air pollution exposure can dysregulate the human immune response and make people more susceptible to infections, and affect infectivity. For example, in response to exposure to air pollution, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 will increase, which is the receptor for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This may increase the efficiency of viral infection. It is also possible that air pollution can facilitate SARS-CoV-2 spread by increasing the transmission, and potentially, SARS-CoV-2 can also survive longer when attached to a pollutant.
Wang, B, Chen, H, Chan, YL, Wang, G & Oliver, BG 2020, 'Why Do Intrauterine Exposure to Air Pollution and Cigarette Smoke Increase the Risk of Asthma?', Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, vol. 8.
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© Copyright © 2020 Wang, Chen, Chan, Wang and Oliver. The prevalence of childhood asthma is increasing worldwide and increased in utero exposure to environmental toxicants may play a major role. As current asthma treatments are not curative, understanding the mechanisms underlying the etiology of asthma will allow better preventative strategies to be developed. This review focuses on the current understanding of how in utero exposure to environmental factors increases the risk of developing asthma in children. Epidemiological studies show that maternal smoking and particulate matter exposure during pregnancy are prominent risk factors for the development of childhood asthma. We discuss the changes in the developing fetus due to reduced oxygen and nutrient delivery affected by intrauterine environmental change. This leads to fetal underdevelopment and abnormal lung structure. Concurrently an altered immune response and aberrant epithelial and mesenchymal cellular function occur possibly due to epigenetic reprograming. The sequelae of these early life events are airway remodeling, airway hyperresponsiveness, and inflammation, the hallmark features of asthma. In summary, exposure to inhaled oxidants such as cigarette smoking or particulate matter increases the risk of childhood asthma and involves multiple mechanisms including impaired fetal lung development (structural changes), endocrine disorders, abnormal immune responses, and epigenetic modifications. These make it challenging to reduce the risk of asthma, but knowledge of the mechanisms can still help to develop personalized medicines.
Wang, J, Li, Y, Zhao, P, Tian, Y, Liu, X, He, H, Jia, R, Oliver, BG & Li, J 2020, 'Exposure to Air Pollution Exacerbates Inflammation in Rats with Preexisting COPD', Mediators of Inflammation, vol. 2020, pp. 1-12.
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Particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter equal or less than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) is associated with the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The mechanisms by which PM2.5 accelerates disease progression in COPD are poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of PM2.5 on lung injury in rats with hallmark features of COPD. Cardinal features of human COPD were induced in a rat model by repeated cigarette smoke inhalation and bacterial infection for 8 weeks. Then, from week 9 to week 16, some of these rats with COPD were subjected to real-time concentrated atmospheric PM2.5. Lung function, pathology, inflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress, and mucus and collagen production were measured. As expected, the COPD rats had developed emphysema, inflammation, and deterioration in lung function. PM2.5 exposure resulted in greater lung function decline and histopathological changes, as reflected by increased Mucin (MUC) 5ac, MUC5b, Collagen I, Collagen III, and the profibrotic cytokine α-smooth muscle-actin (SMA), transforming growth factor- (TGF-) β1 in lung tissues. PM2.5 also aggravated inflammation, increasing neutrophils and eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and cytokines including Interleukin- (IL-) 1β, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and IL-4. The likely mechanism is through oxidative stress as antioxidants levels were decreased, whereas oxidants were increased, indicating a detrimental shift in the oxidant-antioxidant balance. Altogether, these results suggest that PM2.5 exposure could promote the development of COPD by impairing lung function and exacerbating pulmonary injury, and the potential mechanisms are related to inflammatory response and oxidative stress.
Wang, K, Bell, BA, Solntsev, AS, Neshev, DN, Eggleton, BJ & Sukhorukov, AA 2020, 'Multidimensional synthetic chiral-tube lattices via nonlinear frequency conversion', Light: Science & Applications, vol. 9, no. 1.
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AbstractGeometrical dimensionality plays a fundamentally important role in the topological effects arising in discrete lattices. Although direct experiments are limited by three spatial dimensions, the research topic of synthetic dimensions implemented by the frequency degree of freedom in photonics is rapidly advancing. The manipulation of light in these artificial lattices is typically realized through electro-optic modulation; yet, their operating bandwidth imposes practical constraints on the range of interactions between different frequency components. Here we propose and experimentally realize all-optical synthetic dimensions involving specially tailored simultaneous short- and long-range interactions between discrete spectral lines mediated by frequency conversion in a nonlinear waveguide. We realize triangular chiral-tube lattices in three-dimensional space and explore their four-dimensional generalization. We implement a synthetic gauge field with nonzero magnetic flux and observe the associated multidimensional dynamics of frequency combs, all within one physical spatial port. We anticipate that our method will provide a new means for the fundamental study of high-dimensional physics and act as an important step towards using topological effects in optical devices operating in the time and frequency domains.
Wang, L, Yamashita, M, Greaves, IK, Peacock, WJ & Dennis, ES 2020, 'Arabidopsis Col/Ler and Ws/Ler hybrids and Hybrid Mimics produce seed yield heterosis through increased height, inflorescence branch and silique number', Planta, vol. 252, no. 3.
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MAIN CONCLUSION:The seed yield increase of the hybrids and their derived Mimics compared to parents is associated with increased plant height and inflorescence branch number which are correlated with decreased expression of FT, SOC1 and FUL. In Arabidopsis, plant size has been extensively investigated, but few studies have been carried out on seed yield heterosis. In hybrids between Columbia (Col) and Landsberg erecta (Ler), and Wassilewskija (Ws) and Ler, there was significant seed yield heterosis. F6/F7 Hybrid Mimics derived from hybrids of each of the two systems had seed yield increases similar to that of the F1 hybrid (approximately 50-70% greater than the average of the parents). Increased seed yield of the Hybrid Mimics was accompanied by changes of plant architecture with increased plant height and increased inflorescence branch number relative to the parents. Three of the Hybrid Mimic lines derived from the Ws/Ler system had 20% increase in seed yield relative to the F1 hybrid. Genes which repress flowering were up-regulated and the expression levels of flowering -promoting genes including FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT), SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CO 1 (SOC1) and FRUITFULL (FUL) were negatively correlated with the increase in seed yield in both hybrids and F7 Mimics of both systems.
Wang, M, Chang, M, Chen, Q, Wang, D, Li, C, Hou, Z, Lin, J, Jin, D & Xing, B 2020, 'Au2Pt-PEG-Ce6 nanoformulation with dual nanozyme activities for synergistic chemodynamic therapy / phototherapy', Biomaterials, vol. 252, pp. 120093-120093.
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Although synergistic therapy for tumors has displayed significant promise for effective treatment of cancer, developing a simple and effective strategy to build a multi-functional nanoplatform is still a huge challenge. By virtue of the characteristics of tumor microenvironment, such as hypoxia, slight acidity and H2O2 overexpression, Au2Pt-PEG-Ce6 nanoformulation is constructed for collaborative chemodynamic/phototherapy of tumors. Specifically, the Au2Pt nanozymes with multiple functions are synthesized in one step at room temperature. The photosensitizer chlorin e6 (Ce6) is covalently linked to Au2Pt nanozymes for photodynamic therapy (PDT). Interestingly, the Au2Pt nanozymes possess catalase- and peroxidase-like activities simultaneously, which not only can generate O2 for relaxation of tumor hypoxia and enhancement of PDT efficiency but also can produce ∙OH for chemodynamic therapy (CDT). In addition, the high photothermal conversion efficiency (η = 31.5%) of Au2Pt-PEG-Ce6 nanoformulation provides the possibility for photoacoustic (PA) and photothermal (PT) imaging guided photothermal therapy (PTT). Moreover, the presence of high-Z elements (Au and Pt) in Au2Pt-PEG-Ce6 nanoformulation endows it with the ability to act as an X-ray computed tomography (CT) imaging contrast agent. All in all, the Au2Pt-PEG-Ce6 exhibits great potential in multimodal imaging-guided synergistic PTT/PDT/CDT with remarkably tumor specificity and enhanced therapy.
Wang, S, Xiong, P, Guo, X, Zhang, J, Gao, X, Zhang, F, Tang, X, Notten, PHL & Wang, G 2020, 'A Stable Conversion and Alloying Anode for Potassium‐Ion Batteries: A Combined Strategy of Encapsulation and Confinement', Advanced Functional Materials, vol. 30, no. 27, pp. 2001588-2001588.
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AbstractPotassium‐ion batteries based on conversion/alloying reactions have high potential applications in new‐generation large‐scale energy storage. However, their applications are hindered by inherent large‐volume variations and sluggish kinetics of the conversion/alloying‐type electrode materials during the repeated insertion and extraction of bulky K+ ions. Although some efforts have been focused on this issue, the reported potassium‐ion batteries still suffer from poor cycling lifespans. Here, a superior stable antimony selenide (Sb2Se3) anode is reported for high‐performance potassium‐ion batteries through a combined strategy of conductive encapsulation and 2D confinement. The Sb2Se3 nanorods are uniformly coated with a conductive N‐doped carbon layer and then confined between graphene nanosheets. The synergistic effects between conductive coating and confinement effectively buffer the large volumetric variation of the conversion/alloying anodes, which can maintain structural stability for superior cyclability. The as‐prepared anodes exhibit a high reversible specific capacity of ≈590 mA h g−1 and outstanding cycling stability over 350 cycles. In situ and ex situ characterizations reveal a high structural integration of the large‐volume‐change Sb2Se3 anodes during a reversible K storage mechanism of two‐step conversion and multistep alloying processes. This work can open up a new possibility for the design of stable conversion/alloying‐based anodes for high‐performance potassium‐ion batteries.
Wang, S, Xiong, P, Zhang, J & Wang, G 2020, 'Recent progress on flexible lithium metal batteries: Composite lithium metal anodes and solid-state electrolytes', Energy Storage Materials, vol. 29, pp. 310-331.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Recently, flexible lithium metal batteries (LMBs) are considered as a promising power source for next-generation flexible and wearable electronic devices due to their high energy densities. However, the usage of metallic Li anodes inevitably causes safety risk due to the growth of Li dendrites. In this review, we summarized the recent research progresses on flexible LMBs, with specific emphasis on the design of composite Li metal anodes and solid-state electrolytes with high flexibility and safety. We begin with a brief introduction of flexible LMBs and the associated anodes and electrolytes. Then, the preparation of flexible composite Li metal anodes has been described in detail, with the evolution from the conventional electrodeposition method to thermal infusion and mechanical rolling methods. For solid-state electrolytes, the advanced progress on shapeable ceramic, polymer, and hybrid electrolytes have been introduced. We also presented comprehensive summaries on high-energy-density flexible LMBs, including flexible lithium-sulfur batteries and lithium-oxygen batteries. Finally, we proposed the future trends, challenges, and prospects toward the practical applications of advanced flexible LMBs.
Wang, T, Li, Y, Zhang, J, Yan, K, Jaumaux, P, Yang, J, Wang, C, Shanmukaraj, D, Sun, B, Armand, M, Cui, Y & Wang, G 2020, 'Immunizing lithium metal anodes against dendrite growth using protein molecules to achieve high energy batteries', Nature Communications, vol. 11, no. 1.
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AbstractThe practical applications of lithium metal anodes in high-energy-density lithium metal batteries have been hindered by their formation and growth of lithium dendrites. Herein, we discover that certain protein could efficiently prevent and eliminate the growth of wispy lithium dendrites, leading to long cycle life and high Coulombic efficiency of lithium metal anodes. We contend that the protein molecules function as a “self-defense” agent, mitigating the formation of lithium embryos, thus mimicking natural, pathological immunization mechanisms. When added into the electrolyte, protein molecules are automatically adsorbed on the surface of lithium metal anodes, particularly on the tips of lithium buds, through spatial conformation and secondary structure transformation from α-helix to β-sheets. This effectively changes the electric field distribution around the tips of lithium buds and results in homogeneous plating and stripping of lithium metal anodes. Furthermore, we develop a slow sustained-release strategy to overcome the limited dispersibility of protein in the ether-based electrolyte and achieve a remarkably enhanced cycling performance of more than 2000 cycles for lithium metal batteries.
Wang, T, Su, D, Chen, Y, Yan, K, Yu, L, Liu, L, Zhong, Y, Notten, PHL, Wang, C & Wang, G 2020, 'Biomimetic 3D Fe/CeO2 decorated N-doped carbon nanotubes architectures for high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries', Chemical Engineering Journal, vol. 401, pp. 126079-126079.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have been regarded as one of the most promising systems for next-generation rechargeable batteries owing to their high energy density and low cost. However, the “Shuttle effect” of polysulfides and low sulfur utilization upon cycling are still hindering their practical applications. Herein, we report a series of marine organism-like hollow nanoarchitecture consisting of nitrogen (N) doped 1D carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which were derived from binary Fe/Ce Prussian blue analogs (PBAs) and melamine. This nitrogen-doped 3D hollow scaffold offers large inner space (ф ≈ 200 nm) and sufficient electric conducting for insulating sulfur and provides adsorption sites for immobilizing polysulphides. The introduced double metal species enable strong chemical adsorption toward polysulfides and could facilitate the redox reaction between sulfur and polysulphides. When applied in Li-S batteries, the as-prepared materials showed a high capacity of 1241 mAh g−1 and a stable cycling performance (1003 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles) at a current density of 0.2 C. The enhancement of electrochemical activity could be attributed to the 3D hollow architecture of the hybrid, in which the nitrogen-doping generates defects and active sites for improved interfacial adsorption. This work could inspire developing biomimetic architectures for high-performance Li-S batteries.
Wang, Y, Zhou, D, Palomares, V, Shanmukaraj, D, Sun, B, Tang, X, Wang, C, Armand, M, Rojo, T & Wang, G 2020, 'Revitalising sodium–sulfur batteries for non-high-temperature operation: a crucial review', Energy & Environmental Science, vol. 13, no. 11, pp. 3848-3879.
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We review the working mechanisms, opportunity and challenges of intermediate-temperature and room-temperature sodium–sulfur batteries for low-cost energy storage.
Waters, L, Ben, R, Acker, JP, Padula, MP, Marks, DC & Johnson, L 2020, 'Characterizing the ability of an ice recrystallization inhibitor to improve platelet cryopreservation', Cryobiology, vol. 96, pp. 152-158.
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Improving aspects of platelet cryopreservation would help ease logistical challenges and potentially expand the utility of frozen platelets. Current cryopreservation procedures damage platelets, which may be caused by ice recrystallization. We hypothesized that the addition of a small molecule ice recrystallization inhibitor (IRI) to platelets prior to freezing may reduce cryopreservation-induced damage and/or improve the logistics of freezing and storage. Platelets were frozen using standard conditions of 5-6% dimethyl sulfoxide (Me2SO) or with supplementation of an IRI, N-(2-fluorophenyl)-d-gluconamide (2FA), prior to storage at -80 °C. Alternatively, platelets were frozen with 5-6% Me2SO at -30 °C or with 3% Me2SO at -80 °C with or without 2FA supplementation. Supplementation of platelets with 2FA improved platelet recovery following storage under standard conditions (p = 0.0017) and with 3% Me2SO (p = 0.0461) but not at -30 °C (p = 0.0835). 2FA supplementation was protective for GPVI expression under standard conditions (p = 0.0011) and with 3% Me2SO (p = 0.0042). Markers of platelet activation, such as phosphatidylserine externalization and microparticle release, were increased following storage at -30 °C or with 3% Me2SO, and 2FA showed no protective effect. Platelet function remained similar regardless of 2FA, although functionality was reduced following storage at -30 °C or with 3% Me2SO compared to standard cryopreserved platelets. While the addition of 2FA to platelets provided a small level of protection for some quality parameters, it was unable to prevent alterations to the majority of in vitro parameters. Therefore, it is unlikely that ice recrystallization is the major cause of cryopreservation-induced damage.
Waters, L, Padula, MP, Marks, DC & Johnson, L 2020, 'Calcium chelation: a novel approach to reduce cryopreservation‐induced damage to frozen platelets', Transfusion, vol. 60, no. 7, pp. 1552-1563.
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BACKGROUNDCryopreserved platelets are phenotypically and functionally different to conventionally stored platelets. Calcium may be released from internal stores during the freeze–thaw process, initiating signaling events which lead to these alterations. It was hypothesized that the addition of a calcium chelator prior to cryopreservation may mitigate some of these changes.METHODSBuffy coat–derived platelets that had been pooled and split were tested fresh and following cryopreservation (n = 8 per group). Platelets were cryopreserved using 5%‐6% dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) or were supplemented with increasing concentrations of the internal calcium chelator, BAPTA‐AM (100 μM, 200 μM, or 400 μM), prior to storage at −80°C.RESULTSSupplementation of platelets with BAPTA‐AM prior to freezing improved platelet recovery in a dose response manner (400 μM: 84 ± 2%) compared to standard DMSO cryopreserved platelets (70 ± 4%). There was a loss of GPIbα, GPVI, and GPIIb/IIIa receptors on platelets following cryopreservation, which was rescued when platelets were supplemented with BAPTA‐AM (400 μM: p < 0.0001 for all). Platelet activation markers, such as phosphatidylserine and P‐selectin, were externalized on platelets following cryopreservation. However, the addition of BAPTA‐AM significantly reduced the increase of these activation markers on cryopreserved platelets (400 μM: p < 0.0001 for both). Both cryopreserved platelet groups exhibited similar functionality as assessed by thromboelastography, forming clots at a faster rate than fresh platelets.CONCLUSIONSThis study demonstrates that calcium plays a crucial role in mediating cryopreservation‐induced damage to frozen platelets. The addition of the calcium chelator, BAPTA‐AM, prior...
Webster, J, Bogema, D & Chapman, TA 2020, 'Comparative Genomics of Xanthomonas citri pv. citri A* Pathotype Reveals Three Distinct Clades with Varying Plasmid Distribution', Microorganisms, vol. 8, no. 12, pp. 1947-1947.
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Citrus bacterial canker (CBC) is an important disease of citrus cultivars worldwide that causes blister-like lesions on host plants and leads to more severe symptoms such as plant defoliation and premature fruit drop. The causative agent, Xanthomonas citri pv. citri, exists as three pathotypes—A, A*, and Aw—which differ in their host range and elicited host response. To date, comparative analyses have been hampered by the lack of closed genomes for the A* pathotype. In this study, we sequenced and assembled six CBC isolates of pathotype A* using second- and third-generation sequencing technologies to produce complete, closed assemblies. Analysis of these genomes and reference A, A*, and Aw sequences revealed genetic groups within the A* pathotype. Investigation of accessory genomes revealed virulence factors, including type IV secretion systems and heavy metal resistance genes, differentiating the genetic groups. Genomic comparisons of closed genome assemblies also provided plasmid distribution information for the three genetic groups of A*. The genomes presented here complement existing closed genomes of A and Aw pathotypes that are publicly available and open opportunities to investigate the evolution of X. citri pv. citri and the virulence factors that contribute to this serious pathogen.
Weilin, M, Xu, H, Yang, L, Wenqi, C, Huanyu, W, Wentao, Z, Dayong, J, Wenchuan, W, Dansong, W, Tiantao, K, Lei, Z, Wenhui, L & Xuefeng, X 2020, 'Propensity score-matched analysis of clinical outcome after enucleation versus regular pancreatectomy in patients with small non-functional pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors', Pancreatology, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 169-176.
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Wen, Q, Jia, P, Cao, L, Li, J, Quan, D, Wang, L, Zhang, Y, Lu, D, Jiang, L & Guo, W 2020, 'Electric‐Field‐Induced Ionic Sieving at Planar Graphene Oxide Heterojunctions for Miniaturized Water Desalination', Advanced Materials, vol. 32, no. 16, p. e1903954.
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AbstractLayered graphene oxide membranes (GOMs) offer a unique platform for precise sieving of small ions and molecules due to controlled sub‐nanometer‐wide interlayer distance and versatile surface chemistry. Pristine and chemically modified GOMs effectively block organic dyes and nanoparticles, but fail to exclude smaller ions with hydrated diameters less than 9 Å. Toward sieving of small inorganic salt ions, a number of strategies are proposed by reducing the interlayer spacing down to merely several angstroms. However, one critical challenge for such compressed GOMs is the extremely low water flux (<0.1 Lm−2 h−1 bar−1) that prevents these innovative nanomaterials from being used in real‐world applications. Here, a planar heterogeneous graphene oxide membrane (PHGOM) with both nearly perfect salt rejection and high water flux is reported. Horizontal ion transport through oppositely charged GO multilayer lateral heterojunction exhibits bi‐unipolar transport behavior, blocking the conduction of both cations and anions. Assisted by a forward electric field, salt concentration is depleted in the near‐neutral transition area of the PHGOM. In this situation, deionized water can be extracted from the depletion zone. Following this mechanism, a high rejection rate of 97.0% for NaCl and water flux of 1529 Lm−2 h−1 bar−1 at the outlet via an inverted T‐shaped water extraction mode are achieved.
Wen, S, Liu, Y, Wang, F, Lin, G, Zhou, J, Shi, B, Suh, YD & Jin, D 2020, 'Nanorods with multidimensional optical information beyond the diffraction limit', Nature Communications, vol. 11, no. 1.
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AbstractPrecise 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 heterogeneous nanorods; each optically active section has its unique nonlinear response to donut-shaped illumination, so that one can discern each section with super-resolution. To achieve this, we first realize an approach of highly controlled epitaxial growth and produce a range of heterogeneous structures. Each section along the nanorod structure displays tunable upconversion emissions, in four optical dimensions, including color, lifetime, excitation wavelength, and power dependency. Moreover, we demonstrate a 210 nm single nanorod as an extremely small polychromatic light source for the on-demand generation of RGB photonic emissions. This work benchmarks our ability toward the full control of sub-diffraction-limit optical diversities of single heterogeneous nanoparticles.
Westerhausen, MT, Trycz, AT, Stewart, C, Nonahal, M, Regan, B, Kianinia, M & Aharonovich, I 2020, 'Controlled Doping of GeV and SnV Color Centers in Diamond Using Chemical Vapor Deposition', ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, vol. 12, no. 26, pp. 29700-29705.
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Group IV color centers in diamond (Si, Ge, Sn, and Pb) have recently emerged as promising candidates for realization of scalable quantum photonics. However, their synthesis in nanoscale diamond is still in its infancy. In this work we demonstrate controlled synthesis of selected group IV defects (Ge and Sn) into nanodiamonds and nanoscale single crystal diamond membranes by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition. We take advantage of inorganic salts to prepare the chemical precursors that contain the required ions that are then incorporated into the growing diamond. Photoluminescence measurements confirm that the selected group IV emitters are present in the diamond without degrading its structural quality. Our results are important to expand the versatile synthesis of color centers in diamond.
Whidden, C, Claywell, BC, Fisher, T, Magee, AF, Fourment, M & Matsen, FA 2020, 'Systematic Exploration of the High Likelihood Set of Phylogenetic Tree Topologies', Systematic Biology, vol. 69, no. 2, pp. 280-293.
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Abstract Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo explores tree space slowly, in part because it frequently returns to the same tree topology. An alternative strategy would be to explore tree space systematically, and never return to the same topology. In this article, we present an efficient parallelized method to map out the high likelihood set of phylogenetic tree topologies via systematic search, which we show to be a good approximation of the high posterior set of tree topologies on the data sets analyzed. Here, “likelihood” of a topology refers to the tree likelihood for the corresponding tree with optimized branch lengths. We call this method “phylogenetic topographer” (PT). The PT strategy is very simple: starting in a number of local topology maxima (obtained by hill-climbing from random starting points), explore out using local topology rearrangements, only continuing through topologies that are better than some likelihood threshold below the best observed topology. We show that the normalized topology likelihoods are a useful proxy for the Bayesian posterior probability of those topologies. By using a nonblocking hash table keyed on unique representations of tree topologies, we avoid visiting topologies more than once across all concurrent threads exploring tree space. We demonstrate that PT can be used directly to approximate a Bayesian consensus tree topology. When combined with an accurate means of evaluating per-topology marginal likelihoods, PT gives an alternative procedure for obtaining Bayesian posterior distributions on phylogenetic tree topologies.
White, SJU, Duong, NMH, Solntsev, AS, Kim, J-H, Kianinia, M & Aharonovich, I 2020, 'Optical repumping of resonantly excited quantum emitters in hexagonal boron nitride', Phys. Rev. Applied, vol. 14, no. 4, p. 044017.
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Resonant excitation of solid-state quantum emitters enables coherent controlof quantum states and generation of coherent single photons, which are requiredfor scalable quantum photonics applications. However, these systems can oftendecay to one or more intermediate dark states or spectrally jump, resulting inthe lack of photons on resonance. Here, we present an optical co-excitationscheme which uses a weak non-resonant laser to reduce transitions to a darkstate and amplify the photoluminescence from quantum emitters in hexagonalboron nitride (hBN). Utilizing a two-laser repumping scheme, we achieveoptically stable resonance fluorescence of hBN emitters and an overall increaseof ON time by an order of magnitude compared to only resonant excitation. Ourresults are important for the deployment of atom-like defects in hBN asreliable building blocks for quantum photonic applications.
Widjaja, M, Berry, IJ, Jarocki, VM, Padula, MP, Dumke, R & Djordjevic, SP 2020, 'Cell surface processing of the P1 adhesin of Mycoplasma pneumoniae identifies novel domains that bind host molecules', Scientific Reports, vol. 10, no. 1, p. 6384.
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AbstractMycoplasma pneumoniae is a genome reduced pathogen and causative agent of community acquired pneumonia. The major cellular adhesin, P1, localises to the tip of the attachment organelle forming a complex with P40 and P90, two cleavage fragments derived by processing Mpn142, and other molecules with adhesive and mobility functions. LC-MS/MS analysis of M. pneumoniae M129 proteins derived from whole cell lysates and eluents from affinity matrices coupled with chemically diverse host molecules identified 22 proteoforms of P1. Terminomics was used to characterise 17 cleavage events many of which were independently verified by the identification of semi-tryptic peptides in our proteome studies and by immunoblotting. One cleavage event released 1597TSAAKPGAPRPPVPPKPGAPKPPVQPPKKPA1627 from the C-terminus of P1 and this peptide was shown to bind to a range of host molecules. A smaller synthetic peptide comprising the C-terminal 15 amino acids, 1613PGAPKPPVQPPKKPA1627, selectively bound cytoskeletal intermediate filament proteins cytokeratin 7, cytokeratin 8, cytokeratin 18, and vimentin from a native A549 cell lysate. Collectively, our data suggests that ectodomain shedding occurs on the surface of M. pneumoniae where it may alter the functional diversity of P1, Mpn142 and other surface proteins such as elongation factor Tu via a mechanism similar to that described in Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae.
Wilkinson, S, Biloria, N & Ralph, P 2020, 'The technical issues associated with algae building technology', International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation, vol. 38, no. 5, pp. 673-688.
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PurposeAs the impacts of climate change become more evident, the need to adopt new ways of constructing buildings becomes more urgent. The Earth has experienced hotter climates globally for the last 70 years (NASA, 2019), and this has resulted in unprecedented levels of bushfire in Australia, flooding in the UK and drought in Africa in early 2020 (World Resources Institute, 2019). The predictions are for increased temperatures globally and increasing carbon emissions from fossil fuel consumption. There is a critical need to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels as a building energy source (WCED, 1987). Existing renewables focus on solar, wind and wave power, where technological improvements have increased efficiencies (Hinnells, 2008). Uptake of the technologies is variable depending on location and willingness to adopt renewables. As well as further uptake of existing renewable energy sources, we need to look wider and across traditional discipline groups, at new technologies such as biotechnologies. One potential energy source is biofuels. Biofuels are produced from biomass, which is algae. In 2016, the BIQ, a four-storey apartment building, was constructed in Hamburg, Germany. The BIQ features glazed façade panels filled with algae to produce biomass and solar thermal energy. Could algae building technology (ABT), in the form of façade panels, offer a new renewable energy source?Design/methodology/approachWhat are the technical issues associated with Algae building technology? This qualitative research sought to identify what technical issues likely to arise in terms of algae building construction, operation and maintenance. Semi-structured interviews with 24 experienced built environment professionals in Australia were undertaken in 2016 to assess the most likely issues that cou...
Wirianto, M, Yang, J, Kim, E, Gao, S, Paudel, KR, Choi, JM, Choe, J, Gloston, GF, Ademoji, P, Parakramaweera, R, Jin, J, Esser, KA, Jung, SY, Geng, Y-J, Lee, HK, Chen, Z & Yoo, S-H 2020, 'The GSK-3β-FBXL21 Axis Contributes to Circadian TCAP Degradation and Skeletal Muscle Function', Cell Reports, vol. 32, no. 11, pp. 108140-108140.
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FBXL21 is a clock-controlled E3 ligase modulating circadian periodicity via subcellular-specific CRYPTOCHROME degradation. How FBXL21 regulates tissue-specific circadian physiology and what mechanism operates upstream is poorly understood. Here we report the sarcomere component TCAP as a cytoplasmic substrate of FBXL21. FBXL21 interacts with TCAP in a circadian manner antiphasic to TCAP accumulation in skeletal muscle, and circadian TCAP oscillation is disrupted in Psttm mice with an Fbxl21 hypomorph mutation. GSK-3β phosphorylates FBXL21 and TCAP to activate FBXL21-mediated, phosphodegron-dependent TCAP degradation. GSK-3β inhibition or knockdown diminishes FBXL21-Cul1 complex formation and delays FBXL21-mediated TCAP degradation. Finally, Psttm mice show significant skeletal muscle defects, including impaired fiber size, exercise tolerance, grip strength, and response to glucocorticoid-induced atrophy, in conjunction with cardiac dysfunction. These data highlight a circadian regulatory pathway where a GSK-3β-FBXL21 functional axis controls TCAP degradation via SCF complex formation and regulates skeletal muscle function.
Woldhuis, RR, de Vries, M, Timens, W, van den Berge, M, Demaria, M, Oliver, BGG, Heijink, IH & Brandsma, C-A 2020, 'Link between increased cellular senescence and extracellular matrix changes in COPD', American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, vol. 319, no. 1, pp. L48-L60.
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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with features of accelerated aging, including cellular senescence, DNA damage, oxidative stress, and extracellular matrix (ECM) changes. We propose that these features are particularly apparent in patients with severe, early-onset (SEO)-COPD. Whether fibroblasts from COPD patients display features of accelerated aging and whether this is also present in relatively young SEO-COPD patients is unknown. Therefore, we aimed to determine markers of aging in (SEO)-COPD-derived lung fibroblasts and investigate the impact on ECM. Aging hallmarks and ECM markers were analyzed in lung fibroblasts from SEO-COPD and older COPD patients and compared with fibroblasts from matched non-COPD groups ( n = 9–11 per group), both at normal culture conditions and upon Paraquat-induced senescence. COPD-related differences in senescence and ECM expression were validated in lung tissue. Higher levels of cellular senescence, including senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal)-positive cells (19% for COPD vs. 13% for control) and p16 expression, DNA damage (γ-H2A.X-positive nuclei), and oxidative stress ( MGST1) were detected in COPD compared with control-derived fibroblasts. Most effects were also different in SEO-COPD, with SA-β-gal-positive cells only being significant in SEO-COPD vs. matched controls. Lower decorin expression in COPD-derived fibroblasts correlated with higher p16 expression, and this association was confirmed in lung tissue. Paraquat treatment induced cellular senescence along with clear changes in ECM expression, including decorin. Fibroblasts from COPD patients, including SEO-COPD, display higher levels of cellular senescence, DNA damage, and oxidative stress. The association between cellular senescence and ECM expression changes may suggest a link between accelerated aging and ECM dysregulation in COPD.
Wongsai, N, Wongsai, S, Lim, A, McNeil, D & Huete, AR 2020, 'Impacts of spatial heterogeneity patterns on long-term trends of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) land surface temperature time series', Journal of Applied Remote Sensing, vol. 14, no. 01, pp. 1-1.
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© 2020 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Land surface temperature (LST) is a crucial parameter for global climate change studies. LST changes are also directly associated with the large-scale changes in land cover. Previous studies carried out a comparative analysis of satellite-derived LST response between periods before and after homogenous land cover changes. We present an alternative approach that quantifies long-term LST variability in response to various land use/land cover change (LULCC) patterns over Phuket Island, Thailand, from 2003 to 2017. First, four Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) overpass times of LST time series were adjusted for seasonal effects using a cubic spline function to preserve the number of original data and enable estimates of LST dynamics and trends using the generalized least squared models. Second, LULCC patterns were classified according to land cover type conversion and spatial pattern transformations between the years 2000 and 2016. Spatial homogeneity and heterogeneity were quantified by the coverage percentage for each land use and land cover (LULC) type within a given location. Finally, the influence of LULCC patterns on the long-term spatiotemporal behavior of LST was assessed using the generalized estimating equation model. Results showed that different land cover transitions influence the dynamics of daytime LST but not the nighttime LST. The proportion of different land cover types within an LST pixel and transition amounts contributed to the quantity of increasing surface temperature, especially over impervious surface types. Diverse LULCC patterns with considerations of spatial heterogeneity improved our insight about a relatively strong effect of combined LULC types on LST responses. The climatic effect through the gradual conversion of heterogeneous land cover is necessary to be considered in climate research studies.
Wongsai, N, Wongsai, S, Lim, A, McNeil, D & Huete, AR 2020, 'Statistical model for land surface temperature change over mainland southeast Asia', International Journal of Geoinformatics, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 33-39.
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This study presents an alternative statistical methodology for estimating changes in land surface temperatures over mainland Southeast Asia (SEA). The method comprises of seasonal adjusting and autocorrelation filtering of MODIS LST time series obtained from 2000 to 2019 at systematic 45 sample locations. Furthermore, the filtered seasonal-adjusted LST time series were estimated to quantify the decadal change of LST using linear regression model. The long-term dynamic of temperature change was revealed by curve fitting using a spline model with different knots. The overall LST changes in sub-regional and regional scale were estimated using multivariate regression model which adjusted for spatial correlation and aggregated information of LST change from all individual sample locations irrespective of their strength of statistical evidence (p-value). The final result showed that the surface temperature change in the SEA region increases by 0.126 °C/decade. 95% confident interval for increasing ranges between 0.04 to 0.21 °C/decade, which shows evidence of substantial warming surface in this region.
Woods, JJ, Skelding, KA, Martin, KL, Aryal, R, Sontag, E, Johnstone, DM, Horvat, JC, Hansbro, PM & Milward, EA 2020, 'Assessment of evidence for or against contributions of Chlamydia pneumoniae infections to Alzheimer’s disease etiology', Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, vol. 83, pp. 22-32.
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© 2019 Elsevier Inc. Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, was first formally described in 1907 yet its etiology has remained elusive. Recent proposals that Aβ peptide may be part of the brain immune response have revived longstanding contention about the possibility of causal relationships between brain pathogens and Alzheimer's disease. Research has focused on infectious pathogens that may colonize the brain such as herpes simplex type I. Some researchers have proposed the respiratory bacteria Chlamydia pneumoniae may also be implicated in Alzheimer's disease, however this remains controversial. This review aims to provide a balanced overview of the current evidence and its limitations and future approaches that may resolve controversies. We discuss the evidence from in vitro, animal and human studies proposed to implicate Chlamydia pneumoniae in Alzheimer's disease and other neurological conditions, the potential mechanisms by which the bacterium may contribute to pathogenesis and limitations of previous studies that may explain the inconsistencies in the literature.
Wu, H, Tian, H, Li, J, Liu, L, Wang, Y, Qiu, J, Wang, S & Liu, S 2020, 'Self-detoxifying hollow zinc silica nanospheres with tunable Ag ion release-recapture capability: A nanoantibiotic for efficient MRSA inhibition', Composites Part B: Engineering, vol. 202, pp. 108415-108415.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd Nanoparticle-enabled strategies to combat antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria are highly demanded, which hopefully can overcome the barriers associated with conventional antibiotics to achieve high therapeutic efficacy by improving pharmacokinetics. Here, we report the controlled fabrication of multiple Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) containing ZIF-8 derived hollow -Zn-O-Si- nanospheres with mesoporous wall, Ag&Zn@mesSiO2, which can release and recapture Ag+ ions, thus, efficiently eradicate planktonic methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in vivo. The AgNPs encapsulated inside the large internal cavities of the hollow structure can kill MRSA at significantly reduced dosages due to the synergistic effect of released Zn and Ag ions, which was 10 times lower in comparison with single Ag+ application. The boomerang-like release-and-recapture scheme of the Ag+ ions helps to greatly reduce the notorious Ag toxicity. Such novel structured nanocomposites with widened Ag therapeutic window possess great potential as nanoantibiotic for tackling MRSA infection.
Wu, N, Gu, Y, Kong, M, Liu, Q, Cheng, S, Yang, Y, Feng, W & Li, F 2020, 'Yb-Based Nanoparticles with the Same Excitation and Emission Wavelength for Sensitive in Vivo Biodetection', Analytical Chemistry, vol. 92, no. 2, pp. 2027-2033.
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Wu, X, Gilchrist, AM & Gale, PA 2020, 'Prospects and Challenges in Anion Recognition and Transport', Chem, vol. 6, no. 6, pp. 1296-1309.
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Wu, Z, Wang, H, Xiong, P, Li, G, Qiu, T, Gong, W-B, Zhao, F, Li, C, Li, Q, Wang, G & Geng, F 2020, 'Molecularly Thin Nitride Sheets Stabilized by Titanium Carbide as Efficient Bifunctional Electrocatalysts for Fiber-Shaped Rechargeable Zinc-Air Batteries', Nano Letters, vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 2892-2898.
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With the ever-increasing growth in next-generation flexible and wearable electronics, fiber-shaped zinc-air batteries have attracted considerable attention due to their advantages of high energy density and low cost, though their development, however, has been seriously hampered by the unavailability of efficient electrocatalysts. In this work, we designed a trimetallic nitride electrocatalyst in an unusual molecular sheet form, which was stabilized by metallic titanium carbide sheets. Besides the expected elevation in catalytic activity toward the oxygen evolution reaction, the material simultaneously unlocked excellent catalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction with the half-wave potential as small as 0.84 V. A flexible fiber-shaped zinc-air battery, employing the designed electrocatalyst as the air cathode and a gel as the electrolyte, demonstrated an enhanced and durable electrochemical performance, outputting a competitive energy density of 627 Wh kgzn-1. This work opens new avenues for utilizing two-dimensional sheets in future wearable and portable device applications.
Wyner, N, Barash, M & McNevin, D 2020, 'Forensic Autosomal Short Tandem Repeats and Their Potential Association With Phenotype', Frontiers in Genetics, vol. 11, p. 884.
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Forensic DNA profiling utilizes autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) markers to establish identity of missing persons, confirm familial relations, and link persons of interest to crime scenes. It is a widely accepted notion that genetic markers used in forensic applications are not predictive of phenotype. At present, there has been no demonstration of forensic STR variants directly causing or predicting disease. Such a demonstration would have many legal and ethical implications. For example, is there a duty to inform a DNA donor if a medical condition is discovered during routine analysis of their sample? In this review, we evaluate the possibility that forensic STRs could provide information beyond mere identity. An extensive search of the literature returned 107 articles associating a forensic STR with a trait. A total of 57 of these studies met our inclusion criteria: a reported link between a STR-inclusive gene and a phenotype and a statistical analysis reporting a p-value less than 0.05. A total of 50 unique traits were associated with the 24 markers included in the 57 studies. TH01 had the greatest number of associations with 27 traits reportedly linked to 40 different genotypes. Five of the articles associated TH01 with schizophrenia. None of the associations found were independently causative or predictive of disease. Regardless, the likelihood of identifying significant associations is increasing as the function of non-coding STRs in gene expression is steadily revealed. It is recommended that regular reviews take place in order to remain aware of future studies that identify a functional role for any forensic STRs.
Wyrsch, ER, Chowdhury, PR, Jarocki, VM, Brandis, KJ & Djordjevic, SP 2020, 'Duplication and diversification of a unique chromosomal virulence island hosting the subtilase cytotoxin in Escherichia coli ST58', Microbial Genomics, vol. 6, no. 6, pp. 1-8.
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The AB5 cytotoxins are important virulence factors in Escherichia coli . The most notable members of the AB5 toxin families include Shiga toxin families 1 (Stx1) and 2 (Stx2), which are associated with enterohaemorrhagic E. coli infections causing haemolytic uraemic syndrome and haemorrhagic colitis. The subAB toxins are the newest and least well understood members of the AB5 toxin gene family. The subtilase toxin genes are divided into a plasmid-based variant, subAB1, originally described in enterohaemorrhagic E. coli O113:H21, and distinct chromosomal variants, subAB2, that reside in pathogenicity islands encoding additional virulence effectors. Previously we identified a chromosomal subAB2 operon within an
Wyrsch, ER, Chowdhury, PR, Wallis, L, Cummins, ML, Zingali, T, Brandis, KJ & Djordjevic, SP 2020, 'Whole-genome sequence analysis of environmental Escherichia coli from the faeces of straw-necked ibis (Threskiornis spinicollis) nesting on inland wetlands', Microbial Genomics, vol. 6, no. 6, pp. 1-16.
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Wildlife, and birds in particular, play an increasingly recognized role in the evolution and transmission of Escherichia coli that pose a threat to humans. To characterize these lineages and their potential threat from an evolutionary perspective, we isolated and performed whole-genome sequencing on 11 sequence types (STs) of E. coli recovered from the desiccated faeces of straw-necked ibis (Threskiornis spinicollis) nesting on inland wetlands located in geographically different regions of New South Wales, Australia. Carriage of virulence-associated genes was limited, and no antimicrobial resistance genes were detected, but novel variants of an insertion element that plays an important role in capturing and mobilizing antibiotic resistance genes, IS26, were identified and characterized. The isolates belonged to phylogroups B1 and D, including types known to cause disease in humans and animals. Specifically, we found E. coli ...
Xiang, Y, Basirun, C, Chou, J, Warkiani, ME, Török, P, Wang, Y, Gao, S & Kabakova, IV 2020, 'Background-free fibre optic Brillouin probe for remote mapping of micromechanics', Biomedical Optics Express, vol. 11, no. 11, pp. 6687-6687.
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Brillouin spectroscopy is a century-old technique that has recently receivedrenewed interest, as modern instrumentation has transformed it into a powerfulcontactless and label-free probe of micromechanical properties for biomedicalapplications. In particular, to fully harness the non-contact andnon-destructive nature of Brillouin imaging, there is strong motivation todevelop a fibre-integrated device and extend the technology into the domain ofin vivo and in situ operation, such as for medical diagnostics. This workpresents the first demonstration of a fibre optic Brillouin probe that iscapable of mapping the mechanical properties of a tissue-mimicking phantom.This is achieved through combination of miniaturised optical design, advancedhollow-core fibre fabrication and high-resolution 3D printing. The protypeprobe is compact, background-free and possesses the highest collectionefficiency to date, thus provides the foundation of a fibre-based Brillouindevice for remote in situ measurements in challenging and otherwisedifficult-to-reach environments, for biomedical, material science andindustrial applications.
Xie, Z, Gao, G, Wang, H, Li, E, Yuan, Y, Xu, J, Zhang, Z, Wang, P, Fu, Y, Zeng, H, Song, J, Hölscher, C & Chen, H 2020, 'Dehydroabietic acid alleviates high fat diet-induced insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis through dual activation of PPAR-γ and PPAR-α', Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, vol. 127, pp. 110155-110155.
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Dual-PPAR-α/γ agonist has the dual potentials to improve insulin resistance (IR) and hepatic steatosis associated with obesity. This study aimed to investigate whether dehydroabietic acid (DA), a naturally occurred compound, can bind to and activate both PPAR-γ and PPAR-α to ameliorate IR and hepatic steatosis in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice.. We found that DA formed stable hydrogen bonds with the ligand-binding domains of PPAR-γ and PPAR-α. DA treatment also promoted 3T3-L1 differentiation via PPAR-γ activation, and mitochondrial oxygen consumption in HL7702 cells via PPAR-α activation. In HFD-fed mice, DA treatment alleviated glucose intolerance and IR, and reduced hepatic steatosis, liver injury markers (ALT, AST), and lipid accumulation, and promoted mRNA expression of PPAR-γ and PPAR-α signaling elements involved in IR and lipid metabolism in vivo and in vitro, and inhibited mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory factors. Therefore, DA is a dual-PPAR-α/γ and PPAR-γ partial agonist, which can attenuate IR and hepatic steatosis induced by HFD-consumption in mice.
Xiong, P, Sun, B, Sakai, N, Ma, R, Sasaki, T, Wang, S, Zhang, J & Wang, G 2020, '2D Superlattices for Efficient Energy Storage and Conversion', Advanced Materials, vol. 32, no. 18, pp. 1902654-1902654.
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Abstract2D genuine unilamellar nanosheets, that are, the elementary building blocks of their layered parent crystals, have gained increasing attention, owing to their unique physical and chemical properties, and 2D features. In parallel with the great efforts to isolate these atomic‐thin crystals, a unique strategy to integrate them into 2D vertically stacked heterostuctures has enabled many functional applications. In particular, such 2D heterostructures have recently exhibited numerous exciting electrochemical performances for energy storage and conversion, especially the molecular‐scale heteroassembled superlattices using diverse 2D unilamellar nanosheets as building blocks. Herein, the research progress in scalable synthesis of 2D superlattices with an emphasis on a facile solution‐phase flocculation method is summarized. A particular focus is brought to the advantages of these 2D superlattices in applications of supercapacitors, rechargeable batteries, and water‐splitting catalysis. The challenges and perspectives on this promising field are also outlined.
Xiong, P, Zhang, F, Zhang, X, Wang, S, Liu, H, Sun, B, Zhang, J, Sun, Y, Ma, R, Bando, Y, Zhou, C, Liu, Z, Sasaki, T & Wang, G 2020, 'Strain engineering of two-dimensional multilayered heterostructures for beyond-lithium-based rechargeable batteries', Nature Communications, vol. 11, no. 1.
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AbstractBeyond-lithium-ion batteries are promising candidates for high-energy-density, low-cost and large-scale energy storage applications. However, the main challenge lies in the development of suitable electrode materials. Here, we demonstrate a new type of zero-strain cathode for reversible intercalation of beyond-Li+ ions (Na+, K+, Zn2+, Al3+) through interface strain engineering of a 2D multilayered VOPO4-graphene heterostructure. In-situ characterization and theoretical calculations reveal a reversible intercalation mechanism of cations in the 2D multilayered heterostructure with a negligible volume change. When applied as cathodes in K+-ion batteries, we achieve a high specific capacity of 160 mA h g−1 and a large energy density of ~570 W h kg−1, presenting the best reported performance to date. Moreover, the as-prepared 2D multilayered heterostructure can also be extended as cathodes for high-performance Na+, Zn2+, and Al3+-ion batteries. This work heralds a promising strategy to utilize strain engineering of 2D materials for advanced energy storage applications.
Xirocostas, ZA, Everingham, SE & Moles, AT 2020, 'The sex with the reduced sex chromosome dies earlier: a comparison across the tree of life', Biology Letters, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 20190867-20190867.
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Many taxa show substantial differences in lifespan between the sexes. However, these differences are not always in the same direction. In mammals, females tend to live longer than males, while in birds, males tend to live longer than females. One possible explanation for these differences in lifespan is the unguarded X hypothesis, which suggests that the reduced or absent chromosome in the heterogametic sex (e.g. the Y chromosome in mammals and the W chromosome in birds) exposes recessive deleterious mutations on the other sex chromosome. While the unguarded X hypothesis is intuitively appealing, it had never been subject to a broad test. We compiled male and female longevity data for 229 species spanning 99 families, 38 orders and eight classes across the tree of life. Consistent with the unguarded X hypothesis, a meta-analysis showed that the homogametic sex, on average, lives 17.6% longer than the heterogametic sex. Surprisingly, we found substantial differences in lifespan dimorphism between female heterogametic species (in which the homogametic sex lives 7.1% longer) and male heterogametic species (in which the homogametic sex lives 20.9% longer). Our findings demonstrate the importance of considering chromosome morphology in addition to sexual selection and environment as potential drivers of sexual dimorphism, and advance our fundamental understanding of the mechanisms that shape an organism's lifespan.
Xu, G, Yu, D, Zheng, D, Wang, S, Xue, W, Cao, XE, Zeng, H, Xiao, X, Ge, M, Lee, W-K & Zhu, M 2020, 'Fast Heat Transport Inside Lithium-Sulfur Batteries Promotes Their Safety and Electrochemical Performance', iScience, vol. 23, no. 10, pp. 101576-101576.
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Lithium-sulfur batteries are paid much attention owing to their high specific capacity and energy density. However, their practical applications are impeded by poor electrochemical performance due to the dissolved polysulfides. The concentration of soluble polysulfides has a linear relationship with the internal heat generation. The issue of heat transport inside lithium-sulfur batteries is often overlooked. Here, we designed a functional separator that not only had a high thermal conductivity of 0.65 W m-1 K-1 but also alleviated the diffusion of dissolved active materials to the lithium anode, improving the electrochemical performance and safety issue. Lithium-sulfur batteries with the functional separator have a specific capacity of 1,126.4 mAh g-1 at 0.2 C, and the specific capacity can be remained up to 893.5 mAh g-1 after 100 cycles. Pouch Cells with high sulfur loading also showed a good electrochemical performance under a lean electrolyte condition of electrolyte/sulfur (E/S) = 3 μL mg-1.
Xu, J, Liu, K, Jin, Y, Sun, B, Zhang, Z, Chen, Y, Su, D, Wang, G, Wu, H & Cui, Y 2020, 'A Garnet‐Type Solid‐Electrolyte‐Based Molten Lithium−Molybdenum−Iron(II) Chloride Battery with Advanced Reaction Mechanism', Advanced Materials, vol. 32, no. 32, pp. e2000960-2000960.
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AbstractSolid‐electrolyte‐based molten‐metal batteries have attracted considerable attention for grid‐scale energy storage. Although ZEBRA batteries are considered one of the promising candidates, they still have the potential concern of metal particle growth and ion exchange with the β”‐Al2O3 electrolyte. Herein, a Li6.4La3Zr1.4Ta0.6O12 solid‐electrolyte‐based molten lithium−molybdenum−iron(II) chloride battery (denoted as Li−Mo−FeCl2) operated at temperature of 250 °C, comprising a mixture of Fe and LiCl cathode materials, a Li anode, a garnet‐type Li‐ion ceramic electrolyte, and Mo additive, is designed to overcome these obstacles. Different from conventional battery reaction mechanisms, this battery revolutionarily synchronizes the reversible Fe−Mo alloying−dealloying reactions with the delithiation−lithiation processes, meaning that the porous Mo framework derived from Fe−Mo alloy simultaneously suppresses the growth of pure Fe particles. By adopting a Li anode and a Li‐ion ceramic electrolyte, the corrosion problem between the cathode and the solid electrolyte is overcome. With similar battery cost ($12 kWh−1), the theoretical energy density of Li−Mo−FeCl2 battery surpasses that of a Na−FeCl2 ZEBRA battery over 25%, to 576 Wh kg−1 and 2216 Wh L−1, respectively. Experimental results further prove this cell has excellent cycling performance (472 mAh gLiCl−1 after 300 cycles, 50 mg active material) and strong tolerance against the overcharge−overdischarge (3−1.6 V) and freezing−thawing (25−250 °C) incidents.
Xu, J, Liu, K, Jin, Y, Sun, B, Zhang, Z, Chen, Y, Su, D, Wang, G, Wu, H & Cui, Y 2020, 'Solid Electrolytes: A Garnet‐Type Solid‐Electrolyte‐Based Molten Lithium−Molybdenum−Iron(II) Chloride Battery with Advanced Reaction Mechanism (Adv. Mater. 32/2020)', Advanced Materials, vol. 32, no. 32, pp. 2070242-2070242.
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Xu, J, Xu, X, Jiang, L, Dua, K, Hansbro, PM & Liu, G 2020, 'SARS-CoV-2 induces transcriptional signatures in human lung epithelial cells that promote lung fibrosis', Respiratory Research, vol. 21, no. 1.
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AbstractBackgroundSevere acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV-2-induced coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic disease that affects > 2.8 million people worldwide, with numbers increasing dramatically daily. However, there is no specific treatment for COVID-19 and much remains unknown about this disease. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)2 is a cellular receptor of SARS-CoV-2. It is cleaved by type II transmembrane serine protease (TMPRSS)2 and disintegrin and metallopeptidase domain (ADAM)17 to assist viral entry into host cells. Clinically, SARS-CoV-2 infection may result in acute lung injury and lung fibrosis, but the underlying mechanisms of COVID-19 induced lung fibrosis are not fully understood.MethodsThe networks of ACE2 and its interacting molecules were identified using bioinformatic methods. Their gene and protein expressions were measured in human epithelial cells after 24 h SARS-CoV-2 infection, or in existing datasets of lung fibrosis patients.ResultsWe confirmed the binding of SARS-CoV-2 and ACE2 by bioinformatic analysis. TMPRSS2, ADAM17, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)3, angiotensinogen (AGT), transformation growth factor beta (TGFB1), connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) A and fibronectin (FN) were interacted with ACE2, and the mRNA and protein of these molecules were expressed in lung epithelial cells. SARS-CoV-2 infection increased ACE2, TGFB1, CTGF and FN1 mRNA that were drivers of lung fibrosis. These changes were also found in lung tissues from lung fibrosis patients.ConclusionsTherefore, S...
Xu, J, Zhou, J, Chen, Y, Yang, P & Lin, J 2020, 'Lanthanide-activated nanoconstructs for optical multiplexing', Coordination Chemistry Reviews, vol. 415, pp. 213328-213328.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Lanthanide-activated nanoconstructs (LANCs) have attracted a great attention in optical multiplexing. This review, is the integrated conclusion of reported LANCs being applied as signal codes in optical multiplexing during the past decade. An introduction of the basic concepts and theories about optical multiplexing technique is provided initially. On top of that, the optical advantages of LANCs is comprehensively summarized to illuminate the superiority of LANCs over conventional materials in optical multiplexing. It particularly focuses on the near-infrared (NIR) light excited upconversion (UC) and downshifting (DS) nanomaterials, concerning their diverse and narrow excitation and emission wavelengths, tunable emission lifetime (μs-ms range) and intensity. Subsequently, the exploitation of UC- or DS-emitting LANCs as encoding tools in multiplexing based on various optical parameters is described in detail, including emission wavelength, intensity (ratiometric), temporal lifetime (τ), phase angle and excitation power. Notably, these parameters can not only work by themselves to be encoders, but also ally with each other to remarkably enrich the encoding capability of LANCs. In addition, the attractive dual-modal DS and UC emission-based multiplexing is emphasized. Finally, a summary of the challenges faced by LANCs-based optical multiplexing and a discussion of their future development is given.
Xu, L, Li, J, Lu, K, Wen, S, Chen, H, Shahzad, MK, Zhao, E, Li, H, Ren, J, Zhang, J & Liu, L 2020, 'Sub-10 nm NaNdF4 Nanoparticles as Near-Infrared Photothermal Probes with Self-Temperature Feedback', ACS Applied Nano Materials, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 2517-2526.
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Xu, X, Parker, D, Chang, S, Liu, G, Hall, J, Anderson, D & Inglis, S 2020, '017 A Gendered Approach to Examine Cardiovascular Disease Modifiable Risk Changes Over the Life-Course for Middle-Aged and Older Australian Adults', Heart, Lung and Circulation, vol. 29, pp. S45-S45.
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Xu, X, Roseblade, A, Rawling, T & Ung, AT 2020, 'Antiproliferative activities of tricyclic amides derived from β-caryophyllene via the Ritter reaction against MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells', RSC Medicinal Chemistry, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 118-124.
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Tricyclic amides were successfully synthesised from β-caryophyllene via the Ritter reaction. Amides 3c and 6b inhibited proliferation of MDA-MB-231 cells. Compound 6b inhibited cell cycle progression and induced predominantly apoptotic cell death.
Xu, Y, WANG, D, Kuang, T, Wu, W, Xu, X, Jin, D, Zhang, H, Zhong, S, Wang, Y & Lou, W 2020, 'Nanomaterials augmented LDI-TOF-MS for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma diagnosis and classification.', Journal of Clinical Oncology, vol. 38, no. 15_suppl, pp. e16761-e16761.
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e16761 Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PAAD) is one type of cancer with poor prognosis. Although CA 19-9 was the most common serological marker for cancer screening and surveillance after treatment, there are still unignorable limitations, including low sensitivity, possible false-negatives/positives owing to confounding conditions. Reliable non-invasive diagnostics is in urgent need. As PAAD is increasingly considered as a metabolic disorder, serum metabolite profiling is becoming critical to reveal important cancer-related bioinformation. This work proposes a novel LDI-TOF-MS technique for PAAD screening and diagnosis. Methods: An LDI-TOF-MS platform was established for cancer screening. All mass spectrum was collected within a mass range of 100 to 1,100 Da, while the spectra were manually examined using the FlexAnalysis 3.4 software (Bruker Daltonics, Bremen, Germany). In a typical process, 0.5 uL of serum samples were spotted on a polished steel target plate MTP 384 and air-dried followed by another 1 uL of GNS or SiNW nanomaterials. The spectra were then acquired in the reflection positive mode with smartbeam-II laser at 355 nm with laser frequency of 1,000 Hz. A random walk of 25 shots at raster spot and 20 different spots were measured for each individual sample, therefore, 500 satisfactory shots were obtained. Results: By taking advantage of 3D nanostructures and machine learning, we applied proposed approach to 94 patients with PAAD, as well as 203 healthy controls (Table). The results demonstrated an average sensitivity of 99% and a specificity over 98% in detecting cancers. 11 of 94 PAAD patients (11.70%) were CA 19-9 negative (CA19-9 < 37U/ml, stage I n = 2, stage II n = 7, stage III n = 1 and stage IV n = 1). LDI-TOF-MS recognized almost all CA 19-9-negative PAAD. The sensitivity and specificity were obviously superior to CA 19-9 in PAAD: only 1 of 94 PAAD (1.06%) were misclassified as healthy con...
Xu, Z-Q, Mendelson, N, Scott, JA, Li, C, Abidi, IH, Liu, H, Luo, Z, Aharonovich, I & Toth, M 2020, 'Charge and energy transfer of quantum emitters in 2D heterostructures', 2D Materials, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 031001-031001.
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© 2020 IOP Publishing Ltd. Graphene is often used as an acceptor in highly efficient energy transfer processes between its electrons and neighbouring optical emitters such as quantum dots, fluorescent molecules and color centres in crystals. Here we demonstrate that graphene can act not only as an acceptor in energy transfer processes, but also an acceptor of charge donated by photoexcited quantum emitters. Specifically, we use heterostructures comprised of graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) to demonstrate a reversible charge transfer process from quantum emitters in hBN to graphene. The process acts as a controllable, energy-resolved filter that quenches quantum emitters with ground states located above the Fermi level of graphene. Our findings shed light on the positions of hBN defect states within the bandgap of hBN, and are important for the design of devices based on 2D heterostructures, opening new avenues to technologies based on electrical excitation, manipulation, and readout of the quantum states of optical emitters.
Yamaguchi, A, Katayama, K & Holt, SA 2020, 'In-situ Neutron Reflectometry Study on Adsorption of Glucose Oxidase at Mesoporous Aluminum Oxide Film', Analytical Sciences, vol. 36, no. 11, pp. 1331-1335.
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Yan, K, Zhao, S, Zhang, J, Safaei, J, Yu, X, Wang, T, Wang, S, Sun, B & Wang, G 2020, 'Dendrite-Free Sodium Metal Batteries Enabled by the Release of Contact Strain on Flexible and Sodiophilic Matrix', Nano Letters, vol. 20, no. 8, pp. 6112-6119.
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The formation of sodium (Na) dendrites during cycling has impeded the practical application of Na metal anodes. Herein, we developed a flexible graphene-based matrix, e.g., a porous reduced graphene oxide (PRGO) film, to support dendrite-free Na nucleation and plating, contributing to high-performance Na metal batteries. The PRGO film possessed outstanding merits of sodiophilicity and flexibility. The sodiophilic PRGO film enabled uniform Na nucleation in the initial electroplating stage. Furthermore, the flexible PRGO film with a small Young's modulus effectively alleviated the texture deformation of electrodeposited Na, leading to a compact and dendrite-free Na deposition layer. The well-maintained Na metal anodes on the PRGO film exhibited superior cyclability, high Coulombic efficiency, and improved energy density in both half-cell and full-cell testing. This work illustrates the great significance of mechanical properties of the supporting matrix for the Na electroplating, which provides a new strategy to develop high-performance dendrite-free Na metal batteries.
Yang, I, Kim, S, Niihori, M, Alabadla, A, Li, Z, Li, L, Lockrey, MN, Choi, D-Y, Aharonovich, I, Wong-Leung, J, Tan, HH, Jagadish, C & Fu, L 2020, 'Highly uniform InGaAs/InP quantum well nanowire array-based light emitting diodes', Nano Energy, vol. 71, pp. 104576-104576.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd III-V semiconductor nanowire infrared light emitting diodes (LEDs) have great potential for the development of Si-based integrated photonics. In this paper, we report the growth of highly uniform triangular prism InGaAs/InP single quantum well (QW) nanowires using a 2-step growth by metal organic chemical vapour deposition by selective area epitaxy technique. Based on these nanowire arrays, we demonstrate nanowire array LEDs with strong electroluminescence at two main peaks, originating from the axial and radial QW respectively and control the relative emission of those two peaks. We further reveal that a long lateral contact of the nanowire LED results in more intense radial QW emission by shortening the current path to the radial quantum well. Our study provides an important foundation for the development of high-performance array nanowire-based devices such as high-power multi-wavelength LEDs, high power electrically switchable wavelength-selectors and QW infrared photodetectors.
Yang, L, Chen, X, Ma, P, Jin, D, Zhou, J, He, H, Cheng, Z & Lin, J 2020, 'Upconversion nanoparticles coated with molecularly imprinted polymers for specific sensing', Dalton Transactions, vol. 49, no. 47, pp. 17200-17206.
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The development of fluorescent sensors based on lanthanide-doped luminescent nanoparticles has increased their application in biomarker detection.
Yang, L, Grofe, A, Reimers, JR & Gao, J 2020, 'Source code, input data, and sample output concerning the application of multistate density functional theory to the singdoublet and tripdoublet states of the ethylene cation', Data in Brief, vol. 28, pp. 104984-104984.
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© 2019 The Authors This is the data and associated new software required to run multi-state density-functional theory (MSDDFT) calculations by the GAMESS programme. Also, data and software needed to drive GAMESS based on output from the Gaussian-16 package is included. Sample input and output files are included, as well as Perl scripts and Fortran source code. A separate execution of the scripts is required to create the input specifications for each state to be included in the MSDFT, then after GAMESS is run more software is included to calculate the final state energies. The associated basic theory and results are described in “Multistate density functional theory applied with 3 unpaired electrons in 3 orbitals: the singdoublet and tripdoublet states of the ethylene cation” [1].
Yang, W, Zhao, J, Tian, H, Wang, L, Wang, X, Ye, S, Liu, J & Huang, J 2020, 'Solar‐Driven Carbon Nanoreactor Coupling Gold and Platinum Nanocatalysts for Alcohol Oxidations', Small, vol. 16, no. 30, pp. 2002236-2002236.
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AbstractThis research reports gold (Au) and platinum (Pt) nanocatalysts spatially confined in a porous carbon nanosphere as a new solar‐driven carbon nanoreactor (CNR). The CNRs have confined size (≈100 nm), high specific surface area, and high thermal and electrical conductivity. The black color of CNR can improve the energy harvest efficiency of the solar irradiation to thermal energy within each nanoreactor. The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) on Au nanocatalysts‐induced electron oscillation causes the localized heating effect inside each CNR. Therefore, the heat will be accumulated in the confined space of CNR and transferred to reaction energy to drive the alcohol oxidation on uniformly dispersed Au and Pt nanoparticles inside the nanoreactor. The energetic electrons induced by LSPR effect on the surface of Au nanoparticles are transferred to the nearby and more active Pt surface via the conductive CNR, which strongly enhances the conversion of cinnamyl alcohol from 14% on Pt‐CNR up to 100% on AuPt‐CNR after a 3 h reaction. Therefore, the cooperative effect of Au and Pt nanoparticles confined in the CNRs utilized in this work can largely increase the efficiency of harvesting solar energy to drive the important chemical processes.
Yang, X 2020, 'State and trends of hillslope erosion across New South Wales, Australia', CATENA, vol. 186, pp. 104361-104361.
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© 2019 Elsevier B.V. Hillslope erosion is a widespread natural hazard which often causes land and water quality degradation. Consistent and continuous erosion monitoring will help identify the impact of land management practices and improve soil condition. This paper presents an improved modeling approach for monitoring and predicting hillslope erosion on monthly basis over New South Wales (NSW), Australia by using the most recent time-series fractional vegetation cover data, regional climate projections and the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation. The time-series estimation was used to analyze the state and trends of hillslope erosion, identifying the places and times of greatest erosion hazard. The average hillslope erosion rate for the current period (2000–2017) was estimated at 0.85 Mg ha−1 yr−1 over NSW. The areas with high erosion risk was the North Coast, Hunter and Greater Sydney regions with erosion rates of 4.04, 3.74 and 3.06 Mg ha−1 yr−1 respectively. The Western region had the lowest hillslope erosion risk (0.11 Mg ha−1 yr−1) due to its flat terrain. Hillslope erosion in NSW was generally decreasing over the past 18 years, with a reduction of 16% in the recent three years (2015–2017) compared to the previous 15-year (2000–14). However, the future hillslope erosion is predicted to increase about 7–21% in the next 60 years due to the likely increase in extreme rainfall events and decrease in groundcover. The methodology and datasets used in this study are general, thus they have the potential to be applied elsewhere.
Yang, X, Yang, Z, Wu, Z, He, Y, Shan, C, Chai, P, Ma, C, Tian, M, Teng, J, Jin, D, Yan, W, Das, P, Qu, J & Xi, P 2020, 'Mitochondrial dynamics quantitatively revealed by STED nanoscopy with an enhanced squaraine variant probe', Nature Communications, vol. 11, no. 1.
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AbstractMitochondria play a critical role in generating energy to support the entire lifecycle of biological cells, yet it is still unclear how their morphological structures evolve to regulate their functionality. Conventional fluorescence microscopy can only provide ~300 nm resolution, which is insufficient to visualize mitochondrial cristae. Here, we developed an enhanced squaraine variant dye (MitoESq-635) to study the dynamic structures of mitochondrial cristae in live cells with a superresolution technique. The low saturation intensity and high photostability of MitoESq-635 make it ideal for long-term, high-resolution (stimulated emission depletion) STED nanoscopy. We performed time-lapse imaging of the mitochondrial inner membrane over 50 min (3.9 s per frame, with 71.5 s dark recovery) in living HeLa cells with a resolution of 35.2 nm. The forms of the cristae during mitochondrial fusion and fission can be clearly observed. Our study demonstrates the emerging capability of optical STED nanoscopy to investigate intracellular physiological processes with nanoscale resolution for an extended period of time.
Yang, X, Zhang, M, Oliveira, L, Ollivier, QR, Faulkner, S & Roff, A 2020, 'Rapid Assessment of Hillslope Erosion Risk after the 2019–2020 Wildfires and Storm Events in Sydney Drinking Water Catchment', Remote Sensing, vol. 12, no. 22, pp. 3805-3805.
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The Australian Black Summer wildfires between September 2019 and January 2020 burnt many parts of eastern Australia including major forests within the Sydney drinking water catchment (SDWC) area, almost 16.000 km2. There was great concern on post-fire erosion and water quality hazards to Sydney’s drinking water supply, especially after the heavy rainfall events in February 2020. We developed a rapid and innovative approach to estimate post-fire hillslope erosion using weather radar, remote sensing, Google Earth Engine (GEE), Geographical Information Systems (GIS), and the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). The event-based rainfall erosivity was estimated from radar-derived rainfall accumulations for all storm events after the wildfires. Satellite data including Sentinel-2, Landsat-8, and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) were used to estimate the fractional vegetation covers and the RUSLE cover-management factor. The study reveals that the average post-fire erosion rate over SDWC in February 2020 was 4.9 Mg ha−1 month−1, about 30 times higher than the pre-fire erosion and 10 times higher than the average erosion rate at the same period because of the intense storm events and rainfall erosivity with a return period over 40 years. The high post-fire erosion risk areas (up to 23.8 Mg ha−1 month−1) were at sub-catchments near Warragamba Dam which forms Lake Burragorang and supplies drinking water to more than four million people in Sydney. These findings assist in the timely assessment of post-fire erosion and water quality risks and help develop cost-effective fire incident management and mitigation actions for such an area with both significant ecological and drinking water assets. The methodology developed from this study is potentially applicable elsewhere for similar studies as the input datasets (satellite and radar data) and computing platforms (GEE, GIS) are available and accessible worldwide.
Yang, X, Zhang, X, Lv, D, Yin, S, Zhang, M, Zhu, Q, Yu, Q & Liu, B 2020, 'Remote sensing estimation of the soil erosion cover‐management factor for China's Loess Plateau', Land Degradation & Development, vol. 31, no. 15, pp. 1942-1955.
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AbstractThe cover‐management factor (C‐factor) is used in the revised universal soil loss equation to represent the effect of vegetation cover and its management practices on hillslope erosion. Remote sensing has been widely used to estimate vegetation cover and the C‐factor, but most previous studies only used the photosynthetic vegetation (PV) or green vegetation indices (VI, e.g., normalized difference VI) for estimating the C‐factor and the important non‐PV (NPV) component was often ignored. In this study, we developed a new technique to estimate monthly time‐series C‐factor using the fractional vegetation cover (FVC) including both PV and NPV, and weighted by monthly rainfall erosivity ratio. The monthly FVC was derived from the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer and LANDSAT data with field validation. We conducted the case‐study over China's Loess Plateau and analysed the spatiotemporal variations of FVC and the C‐factor and their impacts on erosion over the Plateau. Our study reveals a significant increase in total vegetation cover (TC) from 56 to 76.8%, with a mean of 71.2%, resulting in about 20% decrease in the C‐factor and erosion risk during the 17‐year period. Our method has an advantage in estimating the C‐factor from TC at a monthly scale providing a basis for continuously and consistently monitoring of vegetation cover, erosion risk and climate impacts.
Yang, Y, Yang, Y, Pei, Z, Wu, K-H, Tan, C, Wang, H, Wei, L, Mahmood, A, Yan, C, Dong, J, Zhao, S & Chen, Y 2020, 'Recent Progress of Carbon-Supported Single-Atom Catalysts for Energy Conversion and Storage', Matter, vol. 3, no. 5, pp. 1442-1476.
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Yasir, M, Turner, AK, Bastkowski, S, Baker, D, Page, AJ, Telatin, A, Phan, M-D, Monahan, L, Savva, GM, Darling, A, Webber, MA & Charles, IG 2020, 'TraDIS-Xpress: a high-resolution whole-genome assay identifies novel mechanisms of triclosan action and resistance', Genome Research, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 239-249.
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Understanding the genetic basis for a phenotype is a central goal in biological research. Much has been learnt about bacterial genomes by creating large mutant libraries and looking for conditionally important genes. However, current genome-wide methods are largely unable to assay essential genes which are not amenable to disruption. To overcome this limitation, we developed a new version of “TraDIS” (transposon directed insertion-site sequencing) that we term “TraDIS-Xpress” that combines an inducible promoter into the transposon cassette. This allows controlled overexpression and repression of all genes owing to saturation of inserts adjacent to all open reading frames as well as conventional inactivation. We applied TraDIS-Xpress to identify responses to the biocide triclosan across a range of concentrations. Triclosan is endemic in modern life, but there is uncertainty about its mode of action with a concentration-dependent switch from bacteriostatic to bactericidal action unexplained. Our results show a concentration-dependent response to triclosan with different genes important in survival between static and cidal exposures. These genes include those previously reported to have a role in triclosan resistance as well as a new set of genes, including essential genes. Novel genes identified as being sensitive to triclosan exposure include those involved in barrier function, small molecule uptake, and integrity of transcription and translation. We anticipate the approach we show here, by allowing comparisons across multiple experimental conditions of TraDIS data, and including essential genes, will be a starting point for future work examining how different drug conditions impact bacterial survival mechanisms.
Yin, Y, Zhang, Y, Liu, N, Sun, B & Zhang, N 2020, 'Biomass-Derived P/N-Co-Doped Carbon Nanosheets Encapsulate Cu3P Nanoparticles as High-Performance Anode Materials for Sodium–Ion Batteries', Frontiers in Chemistry, vol. 8.
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© Copyright © 2020 Yin, Zhang, Liu, Sun and Zhang. Biomass-derived approaches have been accepted as a practical way for the design of transitional metal phosphides confined by carbon matrix (TMPs@C) as energy storage materials. Herein, we successfully synthesize P/N-co-doped carbon nanosheets encapsulating Cu3P nanoparticles (Cu3P@P/N-C) by a feasible aqueous reaction followed by a phosphorization procedure using sodium alginate as the biomass carbon source. Cu-alginate hydrogel balls can be squeezed into two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets through a freeze–drying process. Then, Cu3P@P/N-C was obtained after the phosphorization procedure. This rationally designed structure not only improved the kinetics of ion/electron transportation but also buffered the volume expansion of Cu3P nanoparticles during the continuous charge and discharge processes. In addition, the 2D P/N co-doped carbon nanosheets can also serve as a conductive matrix, which can enhance the electronic conductivity of the whole electrode as well as provide rapid channels for electron/ion diffusion. Thus, when applied as anode materials for sodium-ion batteries, it exhibited remarkable cycling stability and rate performance. Prominently, Cu3P@P/N-C demonstrated an outstanding reversible capacity of 209.3 mAh g−1 at 1 A g−1 after 1,000 cycles. Besides, it still maintained a superior specific capacity of 118.2 mAh g−1 after 2,000 cycles, even at a high current density of 5 A g−1.
Yong, DOC, Saker, SR, Chellappan, DK, Madheswaran, T, Panneerselvam, J, Choudhury, H, Pandey, M, Chan, YL, Collet, T, Gupta, G, Oliver, BG, Wark, P, Hansbro, N, Hsu, A, Hansbro, PM, Dua, K & Zeeshan, F 2020, 'Molecular and Immunological Mechanisms Underlying the Various Pharmacological Properties of the Potent Bioflavonoid, Rutin', Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Disorders - Drug Targets, vol. 20, no. 10, pp. 1590-1596.
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The application of medicinal plants has captured the interest of researchers in recent timesdue to their potent therapeutic properties and a better safety profile. The prominent role of herbal productsin treating and preventing multiple diseases dates back to ancient history and most of the moderndrugs today originated from their significant sources owing to their ability to control multiple targetsvia different signalling pathways. Among them, flavonoids consist of a large group of polyphenols,which are well known for their various therapeutic benefits. Rutin is considered one of the attractivephytochemicals and important flavonoids in the pharmaceutical industry due to its diverse pharmacologicalactivities via various underlying molecular mechanisms. It is usually prescribed for variousdisease conditions such as varicosities, haemorrhoids and internal haemorrhage. In this review, wehave discussed and highlighted the different molecular mechanisms attributed to the various pharmacologicalactivities of rutin, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, anti-allergic and antidiabetic.This review will be beneficial to herbal, biological and molecular scientists in understandingthe pharmacological relevance of rutin at the molecular level.
Yoon, G, Carroll, RJ & Gaynanova, I 2020, 'Sparse semiparametric canonical correlation analysis for data of mixed types', Biometrika, vol. 107, no. 3, pp. 609-625.
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Summary Canonical correlation analysis investigates linear relationships between two sets of variables, but it often works poorly on modern datasets because of high dimensionality and mixed data types such as continuous, binary and zero-inflated. To overcome these challenges, we propose a semiparametric approach to sparse canonical correlation analysis based on the Gaussian copula. The main result of this paper is a truncated latent Gaussian copula model for data with excess zeros, which allows us to derive a rank-based estimator of the latent correlation matrix for mixed variable types without estimation of marginal transformation functions. The resulting canonical correlation analysis method works well in high-dimensional settings, as demonstrated via numerical studies, and when applied to the analysis of association between gene expression and microRNA data from breast cancer patients.
Yousaf, M, Chen, Y, Tabassum, H, Wang, Z, Wang, Y, Abid, AY, Mahmood, A, Mahmood, N, Guo, S, Han, RPS & Gao, P 2020, 'A Dual Protection System for Heterostructured 3D CNT/CoSe2/C as High Areal Capacity Anode for Sodium Storage', Advanced Science, vol. 7, no. 5, pp. 1902907-1902907.
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Abstract3D electrode design is normally opted for multiple advantages, however, instability/detachment of active material causes the pulverization and degradation of the structure, and ultimately poor cyclic stability. Here, a dually protected, highly compressible, and freestanding anode is presented for sodium‐ion batteries, where 3D carbon nanotube (CNT) sponge is decorated with homogeneously dispersed CoSe2 nanoparticles (NPs) which are protected under carbon overcoat (CNT/CoSe2/C). The 3D CNT sponge delivers enough space for high mass loading while providing high mechanical strength and faster conduction pathway among the NPs. The outer amorphous carbon overcoat controls the formation of solid electrolyte interphase film by avoiding direct contact of CoSe2 with electrolyte, accommodates large volume changes, and ultimately enhances the overall conductivity of cell and assists in transmitting electron to an external circuit. Moreover, the hybrid can be densified up to 11‐fold without affecting its microstructure that results in ultrahigh areal mass loading of 17.4 mg cm−2 and an areal capacity of 7.03 mAh cm−2 along with a high gravimetric capacity of 531 mAh g−1 at 100 mA g−1. Thus, compact and smart devices can be realized by this new electrode design for heavy‐duty commercial applications.
Yu, TT, Kuppusamy, R, Yasir, M, Hassan, MM, Alghalayini, A, Gadde, S, Deplazes, E, Cranfield, C, Willcox, MDP, Black, DS & Kumar, N 2020, 'Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Biphenylglyoxamide-Based Small Molecular Antimicrobial Peptide Mimics as Antibacterial Agents', International Journal of Molecular Sciences, vol. 21, no. 18, pp. 6789-6789.
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There has been an increasing interest in the development of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and their synthetic mimics as a novel class of antibiotics to overcome the rapid emergence of antibiotic resistance. Recently, phenylglyoxamide-based small molecular AMP mimics have been identified as potential leads to treat bacterial infections. In this study, a new series of biphenylglyoxamide-based small molecular AMP mimics were synthesised from the ring-opening reaction of N-sulfonylisatin bearing a biphenyl backbone with a diamine, followed by the conversion into tertiary ammonium chloride, quaternary ammonium iodide and guanidinium hydrochloride salts. Structure–activity relationship studies of the analogues identified the octanesulfonyl group as being essential for both Gram-positive and Gram-negative antibacterial activity, while the biphenyl backbone was important for Gram-negative antibacterial activity. The most potent analogue was identified to be chloro-substituted quaternary ammonium iodide salt 15c, which possesses antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive (MIC against Staphylococcus aureus = 8 μM) and Gram-negative bacteria (MIC against Escherichia coli = 16 μM, Pseudomonas aeruginosa = 63 μM) and disrupted 35% of pre-established S. aureus biofilms at 32 μM. Cytoplasmic membrane permeability and tethered bilayer lipid membranes (tBLMs) studies suggested that 15c acts as a bacterial membrane disruptor. In addition, in vitro toxicity studies showed that the potent compounds are non-toxic against human cells at therapeutic dosages.
Yu, X, Yu, Z-Y, Zhang, X-L, Li, P, Sun, B, Gao, X, Yan, K, Liu, H, Duan, Y, Gao, M-R, Wang, G & Yu, S-H 2020, 'Highly disordered cobalt oxide nanostructure induced by sulfur incorporation for efficient overall water splitting', Nano Energy, vol. 71, pp. 104652-104652.
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© 2020 Exploitation of cost-efficient active electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) plays a significant role for scalable electricity-to-hydrogen energy conversion. Crystalline transition metal oxides as the promising non-noble catalysts, however, are often suffering from the large excess overpotential and unsatisfactory performance. To boost their intrinsic catalytic property, we report here an incorporation of electronegative sulfur into crystalline cobalt oxide (S-CoOx) to create structural disorder via a facile room-temperature ion exchange strategy. Compared with its crystalline form, the disorder in S-CoOx catalyst enables the increased low oxygen coordination and rich defect sites, which endows S-CoOx a superior catalytic activity for both OER and HER in alkali. Intriguingly, a water electrolyser adopting S-CoOx as both OER and HER electrode catalysts requires mere 1.63 V to reach a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in 1 M KOH. This work highlights the effectiveness of designing high-performing electrocatalysts for water electrolysers based on disordered structural materials.
Zakarya, R, Sapkota, A, Chan, YL, Shah, J, Saad, S, Bottle, SE, Oliver, BG, Gorrie, CA & Chen, H 2020, 'Nitroxides affect neurological deficits and lesion size induced by a rat model of traumatic brain injury', Nitric Oxide, vol. 97, pp. 57-65.
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© 2020 Elsevier Inc. Research has attributed tissue damage post-traumatic brain injury (TBI) to two-pronged effects, increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and impairment of endogenous antioxidant defence systems, underpinned by manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD). Novel antioxidant nitroxides have been shown to mimic MnSOD to ameliorate oxidative stress related disorders. This study aimed to investigate the effects of two nitroxides, CTMIO and DCTEIO, on the neurological outcomes following moderate TBI in rats induced by a weight drop device. The rats were immediately treated with CTMIO and DCTEIO (40 mM in drinking water) post-injury for up to 2 weeks. The brains were histologically examined at 24 h and 6 weeks post injury. DCTEIO reduced the lesion size at both 24h and 6 weeks, with normalised performance in sensory, motor and cognitive tests at 24h post-injury. Astrogliosis was heightened by DCTEIO at 24h and still elevated at 6 weeks in this group. In TBI brains, cellular damage was evident as reflected by changes in markers of mitophagy and autophagy (increased fission marker dynamin-related protein (Drp)-1, and autophagy marker light chain 3 (LC3)A/B and reduced fusion marker optic atrophy (Opa)-1). These were normalised by DCTEIO treatment. CTMIO, on the other hand, seems to be toxic to the injured brains, by increasing injury size at 6 weeks. In conclusion, DCTEIO significantly improved tissue repair and preserved neurological function in rats with TBI possibly via a mitophagy mechanism. This study provides evidence for DCTEIO as a promising new option to alleviate lesion severity after moderate TBI, which is not actively treated.
Zakria, M, Bove, P, Rogers, DJ, Teherani, FH, Sandana, EV, Phillips, MR & Ton-That, C 2020, 'Chemical structure and optical signatures of nitrogen acceptors in MgZnO', Journal of Materials Chemistry C, vol. 8, no. 19, pp. 6435-6441.
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Nitrogen can be incorporated into MgZnO using low-temperature deposition. Donor–acceptor pair emission from N-doped MgZnO is attributed to molecular N2.
Zeng, Y, Li, J, Liu, Q, Huete, AR, Xu, B, Yin, G, Fan, W, Ouyang, Y, Yan, K, Hao, D & Chen, M 2020, 'A Radiative Transfer Model for Patchy Landscapes Based on Stochastic Radiative Transfer Theory', IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, vol. 58, no. 4, pp. 2571-2589.
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© 2019 IEEE. The availability of global high-resolution land cover maps provides promising a priori knowledge for characterizing subpixel heterogeneity and improving predictions of directional reflectance of coarse-resolution pixels. Due to mutual shadowing and sheltering effects between the adjacent forest and cropland patches, the spectral nonlinear mixing of patchy ecotones is significant, especially when the sun illuminates the ecotone from the forest side with high solar zenith angle. The spectral linear mixture (SLM) approach leads to overestimation of the bidirectional reflectance factor (BRF) in the red band in the principal plane (PP), with a maximum absolute error (MAE) of 0.0063 and a maximum relative error (MRE) of 52.5%, and to underestimation in the near-infrared band in PP with an MAE of 0.0940 and an MRE of 14.5%. In a scenario with randomly distributed boundary orientations, the overestimation of SLM increases with the degree of fragmentation and the view zenith angle. We propose a Radiative Transfer model for patchy ECotones (RTEC). which improves R2 from 0.61 to 0.94 in the red band of Landsat-8 directional reflectance at the validation site. The RTEC model provides an efficient and analytical approach for directional reflectance predictions over heterogeneous patchy landscapes at coarse resolution and will be used for biophysical parameter retrievals [e.g., the leaf area index (LAI)] in future applications.
Zhand, S, Razmjou, A, Azadi, S, Bazaz, SR, Shrestha, J, Jahromi, MAF & Warkiani, ME 2020, 'Metal–Organic Framework-Enhanced ELISA Platform for Ultrasensitive Detection of PD-L1', ACS Applied Bio Materials, vol. 3, no. 7, pp. 4148-4158.
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© 2020 American Chemical Society. The programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) protein has emerged as a predictive cancer biomarker and sensitivity to immune checkpoint blockade-based cancer immunotherapies. Current technologies for the detection of protein-based biomarkers, including the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), have limitations such as low sensitivity and limit of detection (LOD) in addition to degradation of antibodies in exposure to environmental changes such as temperature and pH. To address these issues, we have proposed a metal-organic framework (MOF)-based ELISA for the detection of the PD-L1. A protective coating based on Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework 8 (ZIF-8) MOF thin film and polydopamine-polyethylenimine (PDA-PEI) was introduced on an ELISA plate for the improvement of antibody immobilization. Sensitivity and LOD of the resulting platform were compared with a conventional ELISA kit, and the bioactivity of the antibody in the proposed immunoassay was investigated in response to various pH and temperature values. The LOD and sensitivity of the MOF-based PD-L1 ELISA were 225 and 15.12 times higher, respectively, compared with those of the commercial ELISA kit. The antibody@ZIF-8/PDA-PEI was stable up to 55 °C and the pH range 5-10. The proposed platform can provide sensitive detection for target proteins, in addition to being resistant to elevated temperature and pH. The proposed MOF-based ELISA has significant potential for the clinical and diagnostic studies.
Zhang, F, Guo, X, Xiong, P, Zhang, J, Song, J, Yan, K, Gao, X, Liu, H & Wang, G 2020, 'Interface Engineering of MXene Composite Separator for High‐Performance Li–Se and Na–Se Batteries', Advanced Energy Materials, vol. 10, no. 20, pp. 2000446-2000446.
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AbstractSelenium (Se), due to its high electronic conductivity and high energy density, has recently attracted considerable interest as a cathode material for rechargeable Li/Na batteries. However, the poor cycling stability originating from the severe shuttle effect of polyselenides hinders their practical applications. Herein, highly stable Li/Na–Se batteries are developed using ultrathin (≈270 nm, loading of 0.09 mg cm−2) cetrimonium bromide (CTAB)/carbon nanotube (CNT)/Ti3C2Tx MXene hybrid modified polypropylene (PP) (CCNT/MXene/PP) separators. The hybrid separator can immobilize the polyselenides via enhanced Lewis acid–base interactions between CTAB/MXene and polyselenides, which is demonstrated by theoretical calculations and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The incorporation of CNT helps to improve the electrolyte infiltration and facilitate the ionic transport. In situ permeation experiments are conducted for the first time to visually study the behavior of polyselenides, revealing the prohibited shuttle effect and protected Li anode from corrosion with CCNT/MXene/PP separators. As a result, the Li–Se batteries with CCNT/MXene/PP separators deliver an outstanding cycling performance over 500 cycles at 1C with an extremely low capacity decay of 0.05% per cycle. Moreover, the hybrid separators also perform well in Na–Se batteries. This study develops a preferable separator–electrolyte interface and the concept can be applied in other conversion‐type battery systems.
Zhang, H, Wang, B, Liu, DL, Zhang, M, Leslie, LM & Yu, Q 2020, 'Using an improved SWAT model to simulate hydrological responses to land use change: A case study of a catchment in tropical Australia', Journal of Hydrology, vol. 585, pp. 124822-124822.
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© 2020 Land use change is one of the dominant driving factors of watershed hydrological change. Thus, hydrological responses to land use changes require detailed assessments to ensure sustainable management of both water resources and natural ecosystems. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model has been widely used to simulate the impacts of land use change on water balance. However, the original SWAT model has poor performance in estimating the leaf area index (LAI) of different vegetation types for tropical areas. The objective of this study was to simulate the impact of different land use change scenarios (deforestation, afforestation and urbanization) on the water balance, using an improved SWAT model with vegetation growth calibrated from MODIS LAI data. The North Johnstone River catchment in wet tropical eastern Australia was selected as the case study area. Results showed that the modified SWAT model was able to reproduce smoothed MODIS LAI with NSE ≥ 0.59 (NSE < 0 for default SWAT), R2 ≥ 0.70 (R2 ≤ 0.66 for default SWAT), and |PBIAS| ≤ 2.5% (|PBIAS| ≥ 42% for default SWAT), and to predict monthly streamflow well with NSE ≥ 0.92 (NSE ≥ 0.90 for default SWAT), R2 ≥ 0.94 (R2 ≥ 0.90 for default SWAT). It is noted that SWAT-T had |PBIAS| ≤ 10% while |PBIAS| ≤ 5% for default SWAT. Land use change impacted all hydrological variables, with the impact on surface runoff being the most notable at yearly scale (8.9%, 5.7%, −9.5% and 15.9% for scenario 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively). Absolute changes of surface runoff under land use change scenarios differed across months, with the most notable absolute change occurring during the wet season (December to May) (1.2 ~ 6.6 mm, 1.0 ~ 3.5 mm, −7.3 ~ -1.1 mm and 3.0 ~ 9.0 mm for scenario 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively). Urbanization increased surface runoff (5.7% and 15.9% for scenario 2 and 4, respectively) and decreased lateral runoff (−0.7% and −1.3%) and groundwater (-0.9% and −3.5%), but produced no clear c...
Zhang, M, Wang, B, Cleverly, J, Liu, DL, Feng, P, Zhang, H, Huete, A, Yang, X & Yu, Q 2020, 'Creating New Near-Surface Air Temperature Datasets to Understand Elevation-Dependent Warming in the Tibetan Plateau', Remote Sensing, vol. 12, no. 11, pp. 1722-1722.
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The Tibetan Plateau has been undergoing accelerated warming over recent decades, and is considered an indicator for broader global warming phenomena. However, our understanding of warming rates with elevation in complex mountain regions is incomplete. The most serious concern is the lack of high-quality near-surface air temperature (Tair) datasets in these areas. To address this knowledge gap, we developed an automated mapping framework for the estimation of seamless daily minimum and maximum Land Surface Temperatures (LSTs) for the Tibetan Plateau from the existing MODIS LST products for a long period of time (i.e., 2002–present). Specific machine learning methods were developed and linked with target-oriented validation and then applied to convert LST to Tair. Spatial variables in retrieving Tair, such as solar radiation and vegetation indices, were used in estimation of Tair, whereas MODIS LST products were mainly focused on temporal variation in surface air temperature. We validated our process using independent Tair products, revealing more reliable estimates on Tair; the R2 and RMSE at monthly scales generally fell in the range of 0.9–0.95 and 1–2 °C. Using these continuous and consistent Tair datasets, we found temperature increases in the elevation range between 2000–3000 m and 4000–5000 m, whereas the elevation interval at 6000–7000 m exhibits a cooling trend. The developed datasets, findings and methodology contribute to global studies on accelerated warming.
Zhang, M, Wang, B, Liu, DL, Liu, J, Zhang, H, Feng, P, Kong, D, Cleverly, J, Yang, X & Yu, Q 2020, 'Incorporating dynamic factors for improving a GIS‐based solar radiation model', Transactions in GIS, vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 423-441.
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AbstractSolar radiation has been a major input to agricultural, hydrological, and ecological modeling. However, solar radiation is usually influenced by three groups of dynamic factors: sun–earth position, terrain, and atmospheric effects. Therefore, an integrated approach to accurately consider the impacts of those dynamic factors on solar radiation is essential to estimate solar radiation over rugged terrain. In this study, a spatial and temporal gap‐filling algorithm was proposed to obtain a seamless daily MODIS albedo dataset. A 1 km‐resolution digital elevation model was used to model the impact of local topography and shading by surrounding terrain on solar radiation. A sunshine‐based model was adopted to simulate radiation under the influence of clouds. A GIS‐based solar radiation model that incorporates albedo, shading by surrounding terrain, and variations in cloudiness was used to address the spatial variability of these factors in mountainous terrain. Compared with other independent solar radiation products, our model generated a more reliable solar radiation product over rugged terrain, with an R2 of 0.88 and an RMSE of 2.55 MJ m−2 day−1. The improved solar radiation products and open source app can be used further in practice or scientific research.
Zhang, R, Wang, P, Yu, S, Hansbro, P & Wang, H 2020, 'Computerized screening of G-protein coupled receptors to identify and characterize olfactory receptors', Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A, vol. 83, no. 1, pp. 9-19.
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© 2020, © 2020 Taylor & Francis. Olfactory receptors (ORs) are a group of G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) that initiate chemical odorant signals. Although ORs are predominantly located in nasal epithelia to detect smell, these receptors are also present in peripherally in non-nasal organs/tissues. Since the quality of life and cognitive and sensorial features of sense of smell are worsened in multiple chemical sensitivity due to the interaction of ORs with offending compounds, it is important to not only differentiate these receptors from other GPCRs but also characterize these organelles to understand the underlying mechanisms of smelling disorders. The aim of this study was develop computerized programs to differentiate ORs from GPCRs. The computer program was developed on the basis of widely accepted basic algorithms. It is noteworthy that an accuracy of 95.5% was attained, a level not achieved using other established techniques for screening of ORs from GPCRs. The high accuracy rate indicates that this method of differential identification appears reliable. Our findings indicate that this novel method may be considered as a tool for identification and characterization of receptors which might aid in therapeutic approaches to human chemical-mediated sensitization.
Zhang, W, Liu, T, Ueland, M, Forbes, SL, Wang, RX & Su, SW 2020, 'Design of an efficient electronic nose system for odour analysis and assessment', Measurement, vol. 165, pp. 108089-108089.
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© 2020 Elsevier Ltd This paper presents an efficient electronic nose (e-nose) system, named “NOS.E”, for odour analysis and assessment. In addition to the reliable hardware and software designs, an airflow intake system is implemented to ensure the precise odour analysis procedure in the NOS.E system. Additionally, a particular control logic was introduced to improve the test efficiency of the NOS.E by reducing operation time. Furthermore, the fault detection and alarming design can generate a high-reliability performance by constantly monitoring its working status. To evaluate the performance of the NOS.E, three types of alcohols were tested by the NOS.E and compared to data collected by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-TOFMS). The results indicate that the NOS.E can successfully distinguish three different alcohols with high efficiency and low cost and has the potential to be a universal odour analysis platform implemented in various applications.
Zhang, X, Zou, G, Liang, H & Carroll, RJ 2020, 'Parsimonious Model Averaging With a Diverging Number of Parameters', Journal of the American Statistical Association, vol. 115, no. 530, pp. 972-984.
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© 2019, © 2019 American Statistical Association. Model averaging generally provides better predictions than model selection, but the existing model averaging methods cannot lead to parsimonious models. Parsimony is an especially important property when the number of parameters is large. To achieve a parsimonious model averaging coefficient estimator, we suggest a novel criterion for choosing weights. Asymptotic properties are derived in two practical scenarios: (i) one or more correct models exist in the candidate model set and (ii) all candidate models are misspecified. Under the former scenario, it is proved that our method can put the weight one to the smallest correct model and the resulting model averaging estimators of coefficients have many zeros and thus lead to a parsimonious model. The asymptotic distribution of the estimators is also provided. Under the latter scenario, prediction is mainly focused on and we prove that the proposed procedure is asymptotically optimal in the sense that its squared prediction loss and risk are asymptotically identical to those of the best—but infeasible—model averaging estimator. Numerical analysis shows the promise of the proposed procedure over existing model averaging and selection methods.
Zhang, Y, Wei, T, Tran, TT, Lu, KT, Zhang, Z, Price, JR, Aharonovich, I & Zheng, R 2020, '[U(H2O)2]{[(UO2)10O10(OH)2][(UO4)(H2O)2]}: A Mixed-Valence Uranium Oxide Hydrate Framework', Inorganic Chemistry, vol. 59, no. 17, pp. 12166-12175.
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A uranium oxide hydrate framework, [U(H2O)2]{[(UO2)10O10(OH)2][(UO4)(H2O)2]} (UOF1), was synthesized hydrothermally using schoepite as a uranium precursor. The crystal strucutre of UOF1 was revealed with synchrotron single-crystal X-ray diffraction and confirmed with transmission electron miscroscopy. The typical uranyl oxide hydroxide layers similar to those in β-U3O8 are further connected via double-pentagonal-bipyramidal uranium polyhedra to form a three-dimensional (3D) framework structure with tetravalent uranium species inside the channels. The presence of mixed-valence uranium was investigated with a combination of X-ray absorption near-edge structure and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Apart from the major hexavalent uranium, evidence for tetravalent uranium was also found, consistent with the bond valence sum calculations. The successful preparation of UOF1 as the first pure uranium oxide hydrate framework sheds light on the structural understanding of the alteration of UO2+x as either a mineral or spent nuclear fuel.
Zhanghao, K, Liu, W, Li, M, Wu, Z, Wang, X, Chen, X, Shan, C, Wang, H, Chen, X, Dai, Q, Xi, P & Jin, D 2020, 'High-dimensional super-resolution imaging reveals heterogeneity and dynamics of subcellular lipid membranes', Nature Communications, vol. 11, no. 1.
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AbstractLipid membranes are found in most intracellular organelles, and their heterogeneities play an essential role in regulating the organelles’ biochemical functionalities. Here we report a Spectrum and Polarization Optical Tomography (SPOT) technique to study the subcellular lipidomics in live cells. Simply using one dye that universally stains the lipid membranes, SPOT can simultaneously resolve the membrane morphology, polarity, and phase from the three optical-dimensions of intensity, spectrum, and polarization, respectively. These high-throughput optical properties reveal lipid heterogeneities of ten subcellular compartments, at different developmental stages, and even within the same organelle. Furthermore, we obtain real-time monitoring of the multi-organelle interactive activities of cell division and successfully reveal their sophisticated lipid dynamics during the plasma membrane separation, tunneling nanotubules formation, and mitochondrial cristae dissociation. This work suggests research frontiers in correlating single-cell super-resolution lipidomics with multiplexed imaging of organelle interactome.
Zhao, S, Dong, L, Sun, B, Yan, K, Zhang, J, Wan, S, He, F, Munroe, P, Notten, PHL & Wang, G 2020, 'K2Ti2O5@C Microspheres with Enhanced K+ Intercalation Pseudocapacitance Ensuring Fast Potassium Storage and Long‐Term Cycling Stability', Small, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 1906131-1906131.
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AbstractBenefiting from the natural abundance and low standard redox potential of potassium, potassium‐ion batteries (PIBs) are regarded as one of the most promising alternatives to lithium‐ion batteries for low‐cost energy storage. However, most PIB electrode materials suffer from sluggish thermodynamic kinetics and dramatic volume expansion during K+ (de)intercalation. Herein, it is reported on carbon‐coated K2Ti2O5 microspheres (S‐KTO@C) synthesized through a facile spray drying method. Taking advantage of both the porous microstructure and carbon coating, S‐KTO@C shows excellent rate capability and cycling stability as an anode material for PIBs. Furthermore, the intimate integration of carbon coating through chemical vapor deposition technology significantly enhances the K+ intercalation pseudocapacitive behavior. As a proof of concept, a potassium‐ion hybrid capacitor is constructed with the S‐KTO@C (battery‐type anode material) and the activated carbon (capacitor‐type cathode material). The assembled device shows a high energy density, high power density, and excellent capacity retention. This work can pave the way for the development of high‐performance potassium‐based energy storage devices.
Zheng, P, Su, QP, Jin, D, Yu, Y & Huang, X-F 2020, 'Prevention of Neurite Spine Loss Induced by Dopamine D2 Receptor Overactivation in Striatal Neurons', Frontiers in Neuroscience, vol. 14.
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Psychosis has been considered a disorder of impaired neuronal connectivity. Evidence for excessive formation of dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) - disrupted in schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) complexes has led to a new perspective on molecular mechanisms involved in psychotic symptoms. Here, we investigated how excessive D2R-DISC1 complex formation induced by D2R agonist quinpirole affects neurite growth and dendritic spines in striatal neurons. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM), and cell penetrating-peptide delivery were used to study the cultured striatal neurons from mouse pups. Using these striatal neurons, our study showed that: (1) D2R interacted with DISC1 in dendritic spines, neurites and soma of cultured striatal neurons; (2) D2R and DISC1 complex accumulated in clusters in dendritic spines of striatal neurons and the number of the complex were reduced after application of TAT-D2pep; (3) uncoupling D2R-DISC1 complexes by TAT-D2pep protected neuronal morphology and dendritic spines; and (4) TAT-D2pep prevented neurite and dendritic spine loss, which was associated with restoration of expression levels of synaptophysin and PSD-95. In addition, we found that Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and GSK3β were involved in the protective effects of TAT-D2pep on the neurite spines of striatal spiny projection neurons. Thus, our results may offer a new strategy for precisely treating neurite spine deficits associated with schizophrenia.
Zhou, J, Chizhik, AI, Chu, S & Jin, D 2020, 'Single-particle spectroscopy for functional nanomaterials', Nature, vol. 579, no. 7797, pp. 41-50.
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Tremendous progress in nanotechnology has enabled advances in the use of luminescent nanomaterials in imaging, sensing and photonic devices. This translational process relies on controlling the photophysical properties of the building block, that is, single luminescent nanoparticles. In this Review, we highlight the importance of single-particle spectroscopy in revealing the diverse optical properties and functionalities of nanomaterials, and compare it with ensemble fluorescence spectroscopy. The information provided by this technique has guided materials science in tailoring the synthesis of nanomaterials to achieve optical uniformity and to develop novel applications. We discuss the opportunities and challenges that arise from pushing the resolution limit, integrating measurement and manipulation modalities, and establishing the relationship between the structure and functionality of single nanoparticles.
Zhou, J, del Rosal, B, Jaque, D, Uchiyama, S & Jin, D 2020, 'Advances and challenges for fluorescence nanothermometry', Nature Methods, vol. 17, no. 10, pp. 967-980.
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Fluorescent nanothermometers can probe changes in local temperature in living cells and in vivo and reveal fundamental insights into biological properties. This field has attracted global efforts in developing both temperature-responsive materials and detection procedures to achieve sub-degree temperature resolution in biosystems. Recent generations of nanothermometers show superior performance to earlier ones and also offer multifunctionality, enabling state-of-the-art functional imaging with improved spatial, temporal and temperature resolutions for monitoring the metabolism of intracellular organelles and internal organs. Although progress in this field has been rapid, it has not been without controversy, as recent studies have shown possible biased sensing during fluorescence-based detection. Here, we introduce the design principles and advances in fluorescence nanothermometry, highlight application achievements, discuss scenarios that may lead to biased sensing, analyze the challenges ahead in terms of both fundamental issues and practical implementations, and point to new directions for improving this interdisciplinary field.
Zhou, Y, Zhu, F, Liu, Y, Zheng, M, Wang, Y, Zhang, D, Anraku, Y, Zou, Y, Li, J, Wu, H, Pang, X, Tao, W, Shimoni, O, Bush, AI, Xue, X & Shi, B 2020, 'Blood-brain barrier–penetrating siRNA nanomedicine for Alzheimer’s disease therapy', Science Advances, vol. 6, no. 41.
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Glycosylated “triple-interaction” stabilized siRNA nanomedicine ameliorated AD neuropathology by targeting BACE1.
Zhu, A, Wang, A, Zhang, Y, Dennis, ES, Peacock, WJ & Greaves, AIK 2020, 'Early Establishment of Photosynthesis and Auxin Biosynthesis Plays a Key Role in Early Biomass Heterosis in Brassica napus (Canola) Hybrids', Plant and Cell Physiology, vol. 61, no. 6, pp. 1134-1143.
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Abstract Heterosis or hybrid vigor has been used widely for more than a decade in Canola (Brassica napus) production. Canola hybrids show heterosis in a variety of traits compared to parents, including increased biomass at the early stages of seedling establishment, which is a critical developmental step that impacts future plant growth and seed yield. In this study, we examined transcriptomes of two parental lines, Garnet (Gar) and NX0052 (0052), and their reciprocal hybrids, Gar/0052, at 4 and 8 days after sowing (DAS). In hybrids, early seedling biomass heterosis is correlated with earlier expression of genes in photosynthesis pathways relative to parents. The hybrids also showed early expression of genes in the auxin biosynthesis pathway, consistent with the higher auxin concentrations detected in hybrid seedlings at 4 DAS. Auxin is a key phytohormone that regulates plant development promoting cell expansion and cell proliferation. Consistent with the increased levels of auxin, hybrids have larger and more palisade cells than the parents at the same time point. We propose a possible mechanism of early biomass heterosis through the early establishment of photosynthesis and auxin biosynthesis, providing insights into how transcriptional changes in hybrids are translated into phenotypical heterosis. This finding could be utilized in future Canola breeding to identify hybrid combinations with the superior early seedling establishment and strong levels of hybrid vigor in later plant development.
Zhu, Q, Yang, X, Ji, F, Liu, DL & Yu, Q 2020, 'Extreme rainfall, rainfall erosivity, and hillslope erosion in Australian Alpine region and their future changes', International Journal of Climatology, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 1213-1227.
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AbstractThe Australian Alpine region is highly vulnerable to extreme climate events such as heavy rainfall and snow falls, these events subsequently impact rainfall erosivity and hillslope erosion in the region. In this study, the relationship between extreme rainfall indices (ERIs) and rainfall erosivity was examined across the Alpine region in New South Wales (NSW) and Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and the surrounding areas including Murray and Murrumbidgee and South East and Tablelands (SET). Rainfall erosivity, hillslope erosion, and their changes were estimated in the future periods using the revised universal soil loss equation and the NSW/ACT Regional Climate Modeling (NARCliM) projections. Results from the study demonstrate a good relationship between ERIs (especially Rx5Day) and rainfall erosivity. The rainfall erosivity and hillslope erosion are projected to increase about 2 and 8% for the near future (2020–2039), further increase to 8 and 18% for the far future (2060–2079) in the Alpine region assuming the groundcover is maintained at the current condition. The change in rainfall erosivity and erosion risk is highly uneven in space and in season with the highest erosion risk in summer with an increase about 33% in the next 50 years. The highest erosion risk area is predicted within SET (maximum rate 19.95 Mg ha−1 year−1), but on average, the ACT has the highest erosion rate, which is above 1.36 Mg ha−1 year−1 in all periods. The snowmelt in spring in the Alpine region is estimated to increase the rainfall erosivity by 13% in the baseline period, up to 24% in the near future, but far less (about 1%) in the far future due to predicted temperature rise and less snow available in the Alpine region in the next 50 years.
Zhuang, W, Shi, H, Ma, X, Cleverly, J, Beringer, J, Zhang, Y, He, J, Eamus, D & Yu, Q 2020, 'Improving Estimation of Seasonal Evapotranspiration in Australian Tropical Savannas using a Flexible Drought Index', Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, vol. 295, pp. 108203-108203.
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© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Savannas, occupying a fifth of the global land surface, are characterized by the coexistence of trees and grasses. Accurate estimation of savanna evapotranspiration (ET) is vital for understanding the regional and global water balance and its feedback to climate. However, the overlapping phenology and different water-use patterns of trees and grasses constitute a major challenge for modeling efforts. To estimate savanna ET, we used a three-source ET model, partitioning ET among soil, trees, and grasses. To represent legacy effects of precipitation on ecosystem water use, the Normalized Ecosystem Drought Index (NEDI, i.e. a function of precipitation and potential evapotranspiration) was included to limit canopy conductances in the model and also in two other classic two-layer models (Shuttleworth-Wallace model and Penman-Monteith-Leuning model). The results of our model and the other models were tested and compared using tower-based eddy covariance flux data collected at six sites (including four savanna sites, one pasture site, and one grassland site) along a precipitation gradient in northern Australia, together with satellite-derived leaf area index, which was partitioned to represent the canopy dynamics of trees and grasses. Inclusion of NEDI significantly reduced seasonal biases in ET estimation results for all models compared with observations at savanna sites (fitted slopes were closer to unity by 0.08–0.10, R2 increased by 0.03–0.04, and RMSE decreased by 0.07–0.09 mm d−1). The three-source model provides insights into simulation of water fluxes over vegetated areas of complex composition. Our work makes a contribution to savanna research by determining a flexible indicator defining the seasonal water availability limitation on savanna ET. The inclusion of NEDI in ET models could guide future research on modeling ecosystem water and carbon fluxes in response to seasonal droughts.
Zinder, Y, Lazarev, AA & Musatova, EG 2020, 'Rescheduling Traffic on a Partially Blocked Segment of Railway with a Siding', Automation and Remote Control, vol. 81, no. 6, pp. 955-966.
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Zingali, T, Chapman, TA, Webster, J, Roy Chowdhury, P & Djordjevic, SP 2020, 'Genomic Characterisation of a Multiple Drug Resistant IncHI2 ST4 Plasmid in Escherichia coli ST744 in Australia', Microorganisms, vol. 8, no. 6, pp. 896-896.
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Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) including those from the blaCTX-M family and mcr-1 that encode resistance to extended spectrum β–lactams and colistin, respectively, have been linked with IncHI2 plasmids isolated from swine production facilities globally but not in IncHI2 plasmids from Australia. Here we describe the first complete sequence of a multiple drug resistance Australian IncHI2-ST4 plasmid, pTZ41_1P, from a commensal E. coli from a healthy piglet. pTZ41_1P carries genes conferring resistance to heavy-metals (copper, silver, tellurium and arsenic), β-lactams, aminoglycosides and sulphonamides. The ARGs reside within a complex resistance locus (CRL) that shows considerable sequence identity to a CRL in pSDE_SvHI2, an IncHI2:ST3 plasmid from an enterotoxigenic E. coli with serotype O157:H19 of porcine origin that caused substantial losses to swine production operations in Australia in 2007. pTZ41_1P is closely related to IncHI2 plasmids found in E. coli and Salmonella enterica from porcine, avian and human sources in Europe and China but it does not carry genes encoding resistance to clinically-important antibiotics. We identified regions of IncHI2 plasmids that contribute to the genetic plasticity of this group of plasmids and highlight how they may readily acquire new resistance gene cargo. Genomic surveillance should be improved to monitor IncHI2 plasmids.
Zingali, T, Reid, CJ, Chapman, TA, Gaio, D, Liu, M, Darling, AE & Djordjevic, SP 2020, 'Whole Genome Sequencing Analysis of Porcine Faecal Commensal Escherichia coli Carrying Class 1 Integrons from Sows and Their Offspring', Microorganisms, vol. 8, no. 6, pp. 843-843.
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Intensive pig production systems often rely on the use of antimicrobials and heavy metal feed additives to maintain animal health and welfare. To gain insight into the carriage of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in the faecal flora of commercially reared healthy swine, we characterised the genome sequences of 117 porcine commensal E. coli that carried the class 1 integrase gene (intI1+). Isolates were sourced from 42 healthy sows and 126 of their offspring from a commercial breeding operation in Australia in 2017. intI1+ E. coli was detected in 28/42 (67%) sows and 90/126 (71%) piglets. Phylogroup A, particularly clonal complex 10, and phylogroup B1 featured prominently in the study collection. ST10, ST20, ST48 and ST361 were the dominant sequence types. Notably, 113/117 isolates (96%) carried three or more ARGs. Genes encoding resistance to β-lactams, aminoglycosides, trimethoprim, sulphonamides, tetracyclines and heavy metals were dominant. ARGs encoding resistance to last-line agents, such as carbapenems and third generation cephalosporins, were not detected. IS26, an insertion sequence noted for its ability to capture and mobilise ARGs, was present in 108/117 (92%) intI1+ isolates, and it played a role in determining class 1 integron structure. Our data shows that healthy Australian pig faeces are an important reservoir of multidrug resistant E. coli that carry genes encoding resistance to multiple first-generation antibiotics and virulence-associated genes.
Zolfagharian, A, Mahmud, MAP, Gharaie, S, Bodaghi, M, Kouzani, AZ & Kaynak, A 2020, '3D/4D-printed bending-type soft pneumatic actuators: fabrication, modelling, and control', Virtual and Physical Prototyping, vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 373-402.
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This article reviews soft pneumatic actuators (SPAs) that are manufactured entirely via additive manufacturing methods. These actuators are known as four-dimensional (4D)-printed SPAs and can generate bending motions in response to either pressurised or vacuum (negative pressure) air stimulus after fabrication. They are characterised by geometrical and material factors that determine their motion trajectory, and the force they exert on manipulated soft objects in delicate applications such as food handling and non-invasive surgery. Here, we review various 3D printers and materials used for the fabrication of the pressurised air bending-type SPAs. The reported approaches for modelling and control of these actuators are presented and compared. General discussions, as well as future directions and challenges of these actuators, are given.
Zuo, H, Faiz, A, van den Berge, M, Mudiyanselage, SNHR, Borghuis, T, Timens, W, Nikolaev, VO, Burgess, JK & Schmidt, M 2020, 'Cigarette smoke exposure alters phosphodiesterases in human structural lung cells', American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, vol. 318, no. 1, pp. L59-L64.
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Cigarette smoke (CS), a highly complex mixture containing more than 4,000 compounds, causes aberrant cell responses leading to tissue damage around the airways and alveoli, which underlies various lung diseases. Phosphodiesterases (PDEs) are a family of enzymes that hydrolyze cyclic nucleotides. PDE inhibition induces bronchodilation, reduces the activation and recruitment of inflammatory cells, and the release of various cytokines. Currently, the selective PDE4 inhibitor roflumilast is an approved add-on treatment for patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with chronic bronchitis and a history of frequent exacerbations. Additional selective PDE inhibitors are being tested in preclinical and clinical studies. However, the effect of chronic CS exposure on the expression of PDEs is unknown. Using mRNA isolated from nasal and bronchial brushes and lung tissues of never smokers and current smokers, we compared the gene expression of 25 PDE coding genes. Additionally, the expression and distribution of PDE3A and PDE4D in human lung tissues was examined. This study reveals that chronic CS exposure modulates the expression of various PDE members. Thus, CS exposure may change the levels of intracellular cyclic nucleotides and thereby impact the efficiency of PDE-targeted therapies.
