ALBERT

Description: One or more bolide impacts are hypothesized to have triggered the Younger Dryas cooling at ∼12.9 ka. In support of this hypothesis, varying peak abundances of magnetic grains with iridium and magnetic microspherules have been reported at the Younger Dryas boundary (YDB). We show that bulk sediment and/or magnetic grains/microspherules...

Description: Homologous non-coding RNAs frequently exhibit domain insertions, where a branch of secondary structure is inserted in a sequence with respect to its homologs. Dynamic programming algorithms for common secondary structure prediction of multiple RNA homologs, however, do not account for these domain insertions. This paper introduces a novel dynamic programming algorithm methodology that explicitly accounts for the possibility of inserted domains when predicting common RNA secondary structures. The algorithm is implemented as Dynalign II, an update to the Dynalign software package for predicting the common secondary structure of two RNA homologs. This update is accomplished with negligible increase in computational cost. Benchmarks on ncRNA families with domain insertions validate the method. Over base pairs occurring in inserted domains, Dynalign II improves accuracy over Dynalign, attaining 80.8% sensitivity (compared with 14.4% for Dynalign) and 91.4% positive predictive value (PPV) for tRNA; 66.5% sensitivity (compared with 38.9% for Dynalign) and 57.0% PPV for RNase P RNA; and 50.1% sensitivity (compared with 24.3% for Dynalign) and 58.5% PPV for SRP RNA. Compared with Dynalign, Dynalign II also exhibits statistically significant improvements in overall sensitivity and PPV. Dynalign II is available as a component of RNAstructure, which can be downloaded from http://rna.urmc.rochester.edu/RNAstructure.html .

Description: The electromagnetic density of modes in a finite one dimensional magnetized plasma photonic crystal is computed using Wigner time approach. Structural parameters are varied to observe its effect on the density of modes. It is found that cyclotron frequency, collision frequency, incident angle, dielectric constant of constituent material, and filling factor of plasma strongly influence the value of density of modes on the band gap edges and in the mid frequency. It is observed that the value of density of modes at the left edge of the band gap is always higher than those at the right edge and in the midpoint of the band gap.

Description: Phosphorous and nitrogen are electrically active species at the SiO 2 /SiC interface in SiC MOSFETs. We compare the concentration, chemical bonding, and etching behavior of P and N at the SiO 2 /SiC(0001) interface using photoemission, ion scattering, and secondary ion mass spectrometry. Both interfacial P and N are found to be resistant to buffered HF solution etching at the SiO 2 /SiC(0001) interface while both are completely removed from the SiO 2 /Si interface. The medium energy ion scattering results of etched phosphosilicate glass/SiC not only provide an accurate coverage but also indicate that both the passivating nitrogen and phosphorus are confined to within 0.5 nm of the interface. Angle resolved photoemission shows that P and N are likely situated in different chemical environments at the interface. We conclude that N is primarily bound to Si atoms at the interface while P is primarily bound to O and possibly to Si or C. Different interface passivating element coverages and bonding configurations on different SiC crystal faces are also discussed. The study provides insights into the mechanisms by which P and N passivate the SiO 2 /SiC(0001) interface and hence improve the performance of SiC MOSFETs.

Description: Tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis , remains a leading infectious disease taking one human life every 15 s globally. The two well-characterized strains H 37 Rv and H 37 Ra, derived from the same parental strain M. tuberculosis H 37 , show dramatically different pathogenic phenotypes. PE/PPE gene family, comprising of 176 open reading frames and present exclusively in genus Mycobacterium, accounts for ~10% of the M. tuberculosis genome. Our comprehensive in silico analyses of PE/PPE family of H 37 Ra and virulent H 37 Rv strains revealed genetic differences between these strains in terms of several single nucleotide variations and InDels and these manifested in changes in physico-chemical properties, phosphorylation sites, and protein: protein interacting domains of the corresponding proteomes. Similar comparisons using the 13 sigma factor genes, 36 members of the mammalian cell entry family, 13 mycobacterial membrane protein large family members and 11 two-component signal transduction systems along with 5 orphaned response regulators and 2 orphaned sensor kinases failed to reveal very significant difference between H 37 Rv and H 37 Ra, reinforcing the importance of PE/PPE genes. Many of these changes between H 37 Rv and H 37 Ra can be correlated to differences in pathogenesis and virulence of the two strains.

Description: Squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) are one of the most frequent forms of human malignancy, but, other than TP53 mutations, few causative somatic aberrations have been identified. We identified NOTCH1 or NOTCH2 mutations in ∼75% of cutaneous SCCs and in a lesser fraction of lung SCCs, defining a spectrum for the most prevalent tumor suppressor specific to these epithelial malignancies. Notch receptors normally transduce signals in response to ligands on neighboring cells, regulating metazoan lineage selection and developmental patterning. Our findings therefore illustrate a central role for disruption of microenvironmental communication in cancer progression. NOTCH aberrations include frameshift and nonsense mutations leading to receptor truncations as well as point substitutions in key functional domains that abrogate signaling in cell-based assays. Oncogenic gain-of-function mutations in NOTCH1 commonly occur in human T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma and B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The bifunctional role of Notch in human cancer thus emphasizes the context dependency of signaling outcomes and suggests that targeted inhibition of the Notch pathway may induce squamous epithelial malignancies.

Description: : Skyline is a Windows client application for targeted proteomics method creation and quantitative data analysis. The Skyline document model contains extensive mass spectrometry data from targeted proteomics experiments performed using selected reaction monitoring, parallel reaction monitoring and data-independent and data-dependent acquisition methods. Researchers have developed software tools that perform statistical analysis of the experimental data contained within Skyline documents. The new external tools framework allows researchers to integrate their tools into Skyline without modifying the Skyline codebase. Installed tools provide point-and-click access to downstream statistical analysis of data processed in Skyline. The framework also specifies a uniform interface to format tools for installation into Skyline. Tool developers can now easily share their tools with proteomics researchers using Skyline. Availability and implementation: Skyline is available as a single-click self-updating web installation at http://skyline.maccosslab.org . This Web site also provides access to installable external tools and documentation. Contact: brendanx@u.washington.edu Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Description: We reanalyse an arbitrary-wavelength gyrokinetic formalism [A. M. Dimits, Phys. Plasmas 17 , 055901 (2010)], which orders only the vorticity to be small and allows strong, time-varying flows on medium and long wavelengths. We obtain a simpler gyrocentre Lagrangian up to second order. In addition, the gyrokinetic Poisson equation, derived either via variation of the system Lagrangian or explicit density calculation, is consistent with that of the weak-flow gyrokinetic formalism [T. S. Hahm, Phys. Fluids 31 , 2670 (1988)] at all wavelengths in the weak flow limit. The reanalysed formalism has been numerically implemented as a particle-in-cell code. An iterative scheme is described which allows for numerical solution of this system of equations, given the implicit dependence of the Euler-Lagrange equations on the time derivative of the potential.

Description: Doubly substituted [Bi 0.9 La 0.1 ][Fe 0.97 Ta 0.03 ]O 3 (BLFTO) films were fabricated on Pt/TiO 2 /SiO 2 /Si substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The ferroelectric photovoltaic properties of ZnO:Al/BLFTO/Pt thin film capacitor structures were evaluated under white light illumination. The open circuit voltage and short circuit current density were observed to be ∼0.20 V and ∼1.35 mA/cm 2 , respectively. The band gap of the films was determined to be ∼2.66 eV, slightly less than that of pure BiFeO 3 (2.67 eV). The PV properties of BLFTO thin films were also studied for various pairs of planar electrodes in different directions in polycrystalline thin films.

Description: Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, the two common forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), affect over 2.5 million people of European ancestry, with rising prevalence in other populations. Genome-wide association studies and subsequent meta-analyses of these two diseases as separate phenotypes have implicated previously unsuspected mechanisms, such as autophagy, in their pathogenesis and showed that some IBD loci are shared with other inflammatory diseases. Here we expand on the knowledge of relevant pathways by undertaking a meta-analysis of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis genome-wide association scans, followed by extensive validation of significant findings, with a combined total of more than 75,000 cases and controls. We identify 71 new associations, for a total of 163 IBD loci, that meet genome-wide significance thresholds. Most loci contribute to both phenotypes, and both directional (consistently favouring one allele over the course of human history) and balancing (favouring the retention of both alleles within populations) selection effects are evident. Many IBD loci are also implicated in other immune-mediated disorders, most notably with ankylosing spondylitis and psoriasis. We also observe considerable overlap between susceptibility loci for IBD and mycobacterial infection. Gene co-expression network analysis emphasizes this relationship, with pathways shared between host responses to mycobacteria and those predisposing to IBD.〈br /〉〈br /〉〈a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3491803/" target="_blank"〉〈img src="https://static.pubmed.gov/portal/portal3rc.fcgi/4089621/img/3977009" border="0"〉〈/a〉   〈a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3491803/" target="_blank"〉This paper as free author manuscript - peer-reviewed and accepted for publication〈/a〉〈br /〉〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Notes: 〈/span〉Jostins, Luke -- Ripke, Stephan -- Weersma, Rinse K -- Duerr, Richard H -- McGovern, Dermot P -- Hui, Ken Y -- Lee, James C -- Schumm, L Philip -- Sharma, Yashoda -- Anderson, Carl A -- Essers, Jonah -- Mitrovic, Mitja -- Ning, Kaida -- Cleynen, Isabelle -- Theatre, Emilie -- Spain, Sarah L -- Raychaudhuri, Soumya -- Goyette, Philippe -- Wei, Zhi -- Abraham, Clara -- Achkar, Jean-Paul -- Ahmad, Tariq -- Amininejad, Leila -- Ananthakrishnan, Ashwin N -- Andersen, Vibeke -- Andrews, Jane M -- Baidoo, Leonard -- Balschun, Tobias -- Bampton, Peter A -- Bitton, Alain -- Boucher, Gabrielle -- Brand, Stephan -- Buning, Carsten -- Cohain, Ariella -- Cichon, Sven -- D'Amato, Mauro -- De Jong, Dirk -- Devaney, Kathy L -- Dubinsky, Marla -- Edwards, Cathryn -- Ellinghaus, David -- Ferguson, Lynnette R -- Franchimont, Denis -- Fransen, Karin -- Gearry, Richard -- Georges, Michel -- Gieger, Christian -- Glas, Jurgen -- Haritunians, Talin -- Hart, Ailsa -- Hawkey, Chris -- Hedl, Matija -- Hu, Xinli -- Karlsen, Tom H -- Kupcinskas, Limas -- Kugathasan, Subra -- Latiano, Anna -- Laukens, Debby -- Lawrance, Ian C -- Lees, Charlie W -- Louis, Edouard -- Mahy, Gillian -- Mansfield, John -- Morgan, Angharad R -- Mowat, Craig -- Newman, William -- Palmieri, Orazio -- Ponsioen, Cyriel Y -- Potocnik, Uros -- Prescott, Natalie J -- Regueiro, Miguel -- Rotter, Jerome I -- Russell, Richard K -- Sanderson, Jeremy D -- Sans, Miquel -- Satsangi, Jack -- Schreiber, Stefan -- Simms, Lisa A -- Sventoraityte, Jurgita -- Targan, Stephan R -- Taylor, Kent D -- Tremelling, Mark -- Verspaget, Hein W -- De Vos, Martine -- Wijmenga, Cisca -- Wilson, David C -- Winkelmann, Juliane -- Xavier, Ramnik J -- Zeissig, Sebastian -- Zhang, Bin -- Zhang, Clarence K -- Zhao, Hongyu -- International IBD Genetics Consortium (IIBDGC) -- Silverberg, Mark S -- Annese, Vito -- Hakonarson, Hakon -- Brant, Steven R -- Radford-Smith, Graham -- Mathew, Christopher G -- Rioux, John D -- Schadt, Eric E -- Daly, Mark J -- Franke, Andre -- Parkes, Miles -- Vermeire, Severine -- Barrett, Jeffrey C -- Cho, Judy H -- 068545/Z/02/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom -- 083948/Z/07/Z/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom -- 085475/B/08/Z/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom -- 085475/Z/08/Z/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom -- 089120/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom -- 090532/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom -- 098051/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom -- AI062773/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/ -- CA141743/CA/NCI NIH HHS/ -- CZB/4/540/Chief Scientist Office/United Kingdom -- DK043351/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/ -- DK062413/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/ -- DK062420/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/ -- DK062422/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/ -- DK062423/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/ -- DK062429/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/ -- DK062429-S1/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/ -- DK062431/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/ -- DK062432/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/ -- DK063491/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/ -- DK076984/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/ -- DK084554/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/ -- DK83756/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/ -- ETM/137/Chief Scientist Office/United Kingdom -- ETM/75/Chief Scientist Office/United Kingdom -- G0000934/British Heart Foundation/United Kingdom -- G0600329/Medical Research Council/United Kingdom -- G0800675/Medical Research Council/United Kingdom -- G0800759/Medical Research Council/United Kingdom -- G1002033/Medical Research Council/United Kingdom -- K23 DK097142/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/ -- M01-RR00425/RR/NCRR NIH HHS/ -- P01 DK046763/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/ -- P01DK046763/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/ -- P30 DK043351/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/ -- R01 CA141743/CA/NCI NIH HHS/ -- R01 DK055731/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/ -- T32 GM007205/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/ -- T32GM07205/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/ -- U01 DK062418/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/ -- U01 DK062420/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/ -- U01 DK062422/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/ -- U01 DK062429/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/ -- U01 DK062431/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/ -- U01 DK062432/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/ -- UL1 TR000005/TR/NCATS NIH HHS/ -- UL1 TR000124/TR/NCATS NIH HHS/ -- UL1 TR000124-01/TR/NCATS NIH HHS/ -- Medical Research Council/United Kingdom -- England -- Nature. 2012 Nov 1;491(7422):119-24. doi: 10.1038/nature11582.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Author address: 〈/span〉Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1HH, UK.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Record origin:〈/span〉 〈a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23128233" target="_blank"〉PubMed〈/a〉