Digital Scrapbook – can we enable interlinked and recursive knowledge equilibrium?

We investigate possible tools and approaches to develop a Digital Scrapbook, a virtual research environment inspired by the recursive nature of research for scholars where they can combine web and own resources into a new scholarly edition readily enabled for Open Access. Web resources are interlinked in the digital scrapbook by content capture and detail selection, rather than sole bookmark or link to resource URL, along with necessary accompanying metadata. We analyse several open source and commercial tools, with special focus on a Scrapbook-X Firefox Add-On, in order to match to desired Digital Scrapbook features. We further address the wider requirement context for development of such Digital Scrapbook environment, discussing both technical and user experience dimensions. We conclude with a recommendation on how to approach the development and operation of a Digital Scrapbook environment

Digitale Bildarchive für Kultur und Wissenschaft

Die Forderung der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft und der Allianz der deutschen Wissenschaftsorganisationen nach öffentlichem und nachhaltigem Zugang zu wissenschaftlichen Daten in Verbindung mit nicht-kommerzieller Technologie zeigt auf, dass die Präsentation von digitalen Inhalten und die Langzeitarchivierung eine immer wichtigere Rolle einnimmt. Fasst man den Blick weiter und betrachtet Wissenschaft und Kultur allgemein, so droht, durch die hohe Flüchtigkeit der digital gespeicherten Informationen, dass bedeutsame Daten auf Dauer verloren gehen. Daher ist die Sicherstellung der zukünftigen Lesbarkeit und Interpretierbarkeit der digitalen Daten von entscheidender Bedeutung. Zur digitalen Langzeitarchivierung bzw. Langzeitverfügbarmachung werden Strategien benötigt, die die Erhaltung der dauerhaften Verfügbarkeit und damit eine Nachnutzung und Interpretierbarkeit der digital gespeicherten Informationen ermöglichen. Dies kann nur durch Auswahl eines geeigneten Archivsystems, bestimmter Dateiformate und Einsetzung weit verbreiteter Metadaten-Standards erreicht werden. Ein solches System, das kollaboratives Arbeiten und Langzeitarchivierung gleichermaßen ermöglicht, ist das Bildverwaltungssystem “Imeji”. Der folgende Text führt einzelne Merkmale von Imeji aus und stellt zwei Fallbeispiele der Anwendung vor

Atmospheres from very low-mass stars to extrasolar planets

Within the next few years, several instruments aiming at imaging extrasolar planets will see first light. In parallel, low mass planets are being searched around red dwarfs which offer more favorable conditions, both for radial velocity detection and transit studies, than solar-type stars. We review recent advancements in modeling the stellar to substellar transition. The revised solar oxygen abundances and cloud models allow to reproduce the photometric and spectroscopic properties of this transition to a degree never achieved before, but problems remain in the important M-L transition characteristic of the effective temperature range of characterizable exoplanets.Comment: submitted to Memorie della Societa Astronomica Italian

Anisotropic field-induced ordering in the triangular-lattice quantum spin liquid NaYbSe2_2

High-quality single crystals of NaYbSe$_2$, which resembles a perfect triangular-lattice antiferromagnet without the intrinsic disorder, are investigated by magnetization and specific heat, as well as the local probe techniques nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electron spin resonance (ESR). The low-field measurements confirm the absence of any spin freezing or long-range magnetic order down to 50~mK, which suggests a quantum spin liquid ground (QSL) state with gapless excitations. The instability of the QSL state is observed upon applying magnetic fields. For the $H\bot c$ direction, a field-induced magnetic phase transition is observed above 2~T from the $C_{\rm p}(T)$ data, agreeing with a clear $\frac{M_s}{3}$ plateau of $M(H)$, which is associated with an up-up-down (uud) spin arrangement. For the $H\|c$ direction, a field-induced transition could be evidenced at a much higher field range (9 - 21~T). The $^{23}$Na NMR measurements provide microscopic evidence for field-induced ordering for both directions. A reentrant behavior of $T_{\rm N}$, originating from the thermal and quantum spin fluctuations, is observed for both directions. The anisotropic exchange interactions $J_{\perp}\simeq$ 4.7~K and $J_z\simeq$2.33~K are extracted from the modified bond-dependent XXZ model for the spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ triangular-lattice antiferromagnet. The absence of magnetic long-range order at zero fields is assigned to the effect of strong bond-frustration, arising from the complex spin-orbit entangled $4f$ ground state. Finally, we derive the highly anisotropic magnetic phase diagram, which is discussed in comparison with the existing theoretical models for spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ triangular-lattice antiferromagnets.Comment: 6 Figure

Respiratory Syncytial Virus NS1 Protein Colocalizes with Mitochondrial Antiviral Signaling Protein MAVS following Infection

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) nonstructural protein 1(NS1) attenuates type-I interferon (IFN) production during RSV infection; however the precise role of RSV NS1 protein in orchestrating the early host-virus interaction during infection is poorly understood. Since NS1 constitutes the first RSV gene transcribed and the production of IFN depends upon RLR (RIG-I-like receptor) signaling, we reasoned that NS1 may interfere with this signaling. Herein, we report that NS1 is localized to mitochondria and binds to mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein (MAVS). Live-cell imaging of rgRSV-infected A549 human epithelial cells showed that RSV replication and transcription occurs in proximity to mitochondria. NS1 localization to mitochondria was directly visualized by confocal microscopy using a cell-permeable chemical probe for His6-NS1. Further, NS1 colocalization with MAVS in A549 cells infected with RSV was shown by confocal laser microscopy and immuno-electron microscopy. NS1 protein is present in the mitochondrial fraction and co-immunoprecipitates with MAVS in total cell lysatesof A549 cells transfected with the plasmid pNS1-Flag. By immunoprecipitation with anti-RIG-I antibody, RSV NS1 was shown to associate with MAVS at an early stage of RSV infection, and to disrupt MAVS interaction with RIG-I (retinoic acid inducible gene) and the downstream IFN antiviral and inflammatory response. Together, these results demonstrate that NS1 binds to MAVS and that this binding inhibits the MAVS-RIG-I interaction required for IFN production

Effects of Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Metapneumovirus, Parainfluenza Virus 3 and Influenza Virus on CD4+ T Cell Activation by Dendritic Cells

BACKGROUND: Human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV), and to a lesser extent human metapneumovirus (HMPV) and human parainfluenza virus type 3 (HPIV3), re-infect symptomatically throughout life without antigenic change, suggestive of incomplete immunity. One causative factor is thought to be viral interference with dendritic cell (DC)-mediated stimulation of CD4+ T cells. METHODOLOGY, PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We infected human monocyte-derived DC with purified HRSV, HMPV, HPIV3, or influenza A virus (IAV) and compared their ability to induce activation and proliferation of autologous CD4+ T cells in vitro. IAV was included because symptomatic re-infection without antigenic change is less frequent, suggesting that immune protection is more complete and durable. We examined virus-specific memory responses and superantigen-induced responses by multiparameter flow cytometry. Live virus was more stimulatory than inactivated virus in inducing DC-mediated proliferation of virus-specific memory CD4+ T cells, suggesting a lack of strong suppression by live virus. There were trends of increasing proliferation in the order: HMPV<HRSV<HPIV3<IAV, and greater production of interferon-γ and tumor necrosis factor-α by proliferating cells in response to IAV, but differences were not significant. Exposure of DC to HRSV, HPIV3, or IAV reduced CD4+ T cell proliferation in response to secondary stimulus with superantigen, but the effect was transitory and greatest for IAV. T cell cytokine production was similar, with no evidence of Th2 or Th17 skewing. CONCLUSIONS, SIGNIFICANCE: Understanding the basis for the ability of HRSV in particular to symptomatically re-infect without significant antigenic change is of considerable interest. The present results show that these common respiratory viruses are similar in their ability to induce DC to activate CD4+ T cells. Thus, the results do not support the common model in which viral suppression of CD4+ T cell activation and proliferation by HRSV, HMPV, and HPIV3 is a major factor in the difference in re-infectability compared to IAV

Primary Human mDC1, mDC2, and pDC Dendritic Cells Are Differentially Infected and Activated by Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes recurrent infections throughout life. Vaccine development may depend upon understanding the molecular basis for induction of ineffective immunity. Because dendritic cells (DCs) are critically involved in early responses to infection, their interaction with RSV may determine the immunological outcome of RSV infection. Therefore, we investigated the ability of RSV to infect and activate primary mDCs and pDCs using recombinant RSV expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP). At a multiplicity of infection of 5, initial studies demonstrated ∼6.8% of mDC1 and ∼0.9% pDCs were infected. We extended these studies to include CD1c−CD141+ mDC2, finding mDC2 infected at similar frequencies as mDC1. Both infected and uninfected cells upregulated phenotypic markers of maturation. Divalent cations were required for infection and maturation, but maturation did not require viral replication. There is evidence that attachment and entry/replication processes exert distinct effects on DC activation. Cell-specific patterns of RSV-induced maturation and cytokine production were detected in mDC1, mDC2, and pDC. We also demonstrate for the first time that RSV induces significant TIMP-2 production in all DC subsets. Defining the influence of RSV on the function of selected DC subsets may improve the likelihood of achieving protective vaccine-induced immunity