Structural, magnetic, and electrical properties of Bi1-xLaxMnO3 (x=0.0, 0.1, and 0.2) solid solutions

Possible ferromagnetic and ferroelectric orders in ceramic Bi1–xLaxMnO3 (x = 0.0, 0.1, and 0.2) samples prepared under 3–6 GPa pressure have been investigated. Rietveld fits to powder neutron diffraction data show that BiMnO3 and Bi0.9La0.1MnO3 adopt a monoclinic C2/c perovskite superstructure whereas Bi0.8La0.2MnO3 has orthorhombic Pnma symmetry. Both structural analysis and Curie–Weiss fits to magnetic susceptibility data show that high spin d4 Mn3+ is present with no significant Bi deficiency or Mn4+ content apparent. La substitution suppresses the magnetic Curie temperature of the monoclinic phase from 105 K for x = 0 to 94 K at x = 0.1, but the x = 0.2 material shows antiferromagnetic order similar to that of LaMnO3. Impedance spectroscopy and dielectric measurements on the x = 0.1 and 0.2 materials show modest bulk permittivity values (45–80) down to 50 K, and there is no strong evidence for ferroelectric behavior. The two samples have thermally activated conductivities with activation energies of 0.21–0.24 eV.PostprintPeer reviewe

Political branding: sense of identity or identity crisis? An investigation of the transfer potential of the brand identity prism to the UK Conservative Party

Brands are strategic assets and key to achieving a competitive advantage. Brands can be seen as a heuristic device, encapsulating a series of values that enable the consumer to make quick and efficient choices. More recently, the notion of a political brand and the rhetoric of branding have been widely adopted by many political parties as they seek to differentiate themselves, and this has led to an emerging interest in the idea of the political brand. Therefore, this paper examines the UK Conservative Party brand under David Cameron’s leadership and examines the applicability of Kapferer’s brand identity prism to political branding. This paper extends and operationalises the brand identity prism into a ‘political brand identity network’ which identifies the inter-relatedness of the components of the corporate political brand and the candidate political brand. Crucial for practitioners, this model can demonstrate how the brand is presented and communicated to the electorate and serves as a useful mechanism to identify consistency within the corporate and candidate political brands

Association Analysis of Canonical Wnt Signalling Genes in Diabetic Nephropathy

Several studies have provided compelling evidence implicating the Wnt signalling pathway in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy. Gene expression profiles associated with renal fibrosis have been attenuated through Wnt pathway modulation in model systems implicating Wnt pathway members as potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy. We assessed tag and potentially functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; n = 31) in four key Wnt pathway genes (CTNNB1, AXIN2, LRP5 and LRP6) for association with diabetic nephropathy using a case-control design.SNPs were genotyped using Sequenom or Taqman technologies in 1351 individuals with type 1 diabetes (651 cases with nephropathy and 700 controls without nephropathy). Cases and controls were white and recruited from the UK and Ireland. Association analyses were performed using PLINK, to compare allele and haplotype frequencies in cases and controls. Adjustment for multiple testing was performed by permutation testing.Following logistic regression analysis adjusted by collection centre, duration of T1D, and average HbA1c as covariates, a single SNP in LRP6 (rs1337791) was significantly associated with DN (OR = 0.74; CI: 0.57-0.97; P = 0.028), although this was not maintained following correction for multiple testing. Three additional SNPs (rs2075241 in LRP6; rs3736228 and rs491347 both in LRP5) were marginally associated with diabetic nephropathy, but none of the associations were replicated in an independent dataset. Haplotype and subgroup analysis (according to duration of diabetes, and end-stage renal disease) also failed to reveal an association with diabetic nephropathy.Our results suggest that analysed common variants in CTNNB1, AXIN2, LRP5 and LRP6 are not strongly associated with diabetic nephropathy in type 1 diabetes among white individuals. Our findings, however, cannot entirely exclude these genes or other members of the Wnt pathway, from involvement in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy as our study had limited power to detect variants with small effect size

Population-level impact and herd effects following the introduction of human papillomavirus vaccination programmes: updated systematic review and meta-analysis

Background More than 10 years have elapsed since human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination was implemented. We did a systematic review and meta-analysis of the population-level impact of vaccinating girls and women against human papillomavirus on HPV infections, anogenital wart diagnoses, and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2+ (CIN2+)to summarise the most recent evidence about the effectiveness of HPV vaccines in real-world settings and to quantify the impact of multiple age-cohort vaccination.Methods In this updated systematic review and meta-analysis, we used the same search strategy as in our previous paper. We searched MEDLINE and Embase for studies published between Feb 1, 2014, and Oct 11, 2018. Studies were eligible if they compared the frequency (prevalence or incidence) of at least one HPV-related endpoint (genital HPV infections, anogenital wart diagnoses, or histologically confirmed CIN2+) between pre-vaccination and post-vaccination periods among the general population and if they used the same population sources and recruitment methods before and after vaccination. Our primary assessment was the relative risk (RR) comparing the frequency (prevalence or incidence) of HPV-related endpoints between the pre-vaccination and post-vaccination periods. We stratified all analyses by sex, age, and years since introduction of HPV vaccination. We used random-effects models to estimate pooled relative risks.Findings We identified 1702 potentially eligible articles for this systematic review and meta-analysis, and included 65 articles in 14 high-income countries: 23 for HPV infection, 29 for anogenital warts, and 13 for CIN2+.After 5\u20138 years of vaccination, the prevalence of HPV 16 and 18 decreased significantly by 83% (RR 0\ub717, 95% CI 0\ub711\u20130\ub725) among girls aged 13\u201319 years, and decreased significantly by 66% (RR 0\ub734, 95% CI 0\ub723\u20130\ub749) among women aged 20\u201324 years. The prevalence of HPV 31, 33, and 45 decreased significantly by 54% (RR 0\ub746, 95% CI 0\ub733\u20130\ub766) among girls aged 13\u201319 years. Anogenital wart diagnoses decreased significantly by 67% (RR 0\ub733, 95% CI 0\ub724\u20130\ub746) among girls aged 15\u201319 years, decreased significantly by 54% (RR 0\ub746, 95% CI 0.36\u20130.60) among women aged 20\u201324 years, and decreased significantly by 31% (RR 0\ub769, 95% CI 0\ub753\u20130\ub789) among women aged 25\u201329 years. Among boys aged 15\u201319 years anogenital wart diagnoses decreased significantly by 48% (RR 0\ub752, 95% CI 0\ub737\u20130\ub775) and among men aged 20\u201324 years they decreased significantly by 32% (RR 0\ub768, 95% CI 0\ub747\u20130\ub798). After 5\u20139 years of vaccination, CIN2+ decreased significantly by 51% (RR 0\ub749, 95% CI 0\ub742\u20130\ub758) among screened girls aged 15\u201319 years and decreased significantly by 31% (RR 0\ub769, 95% CI 0\ub757\u20130\ub784) among women aged 20\u201324 years.Interpretation This updated systematic review and meta-analysis includes data from 60 million individuals and up to 8 years of post-vaccination follow-up. Our results show compelling evidence of the substantial impact of HPV vaccination programmes on HPV infections and CIN2+ among girls and women, and on anogenital warts diagnoses among girls, women, boys, and men. Additionally, programmes with multi-cohort vaccination and high vaccination coverage had a greater direct impact and herd effects

Ribosomal oxygenases are structurally conserved from prokaryotes to humans

2-Oxoglutarate (2OG)-dependent oxygenases have important roles in the regulation of gene expression via demethylation of N-methylated chromatin components1,2 and in the hydroxylation of transcription factors3 and splicing factor proteins4. Recently, 2OG-dependent oxygenases that catalyse hydroxylation of transfer RNA5,6,7 and ribosomal proteins8 have been shown to be important in translation relating to cellular growth, TH17-cell differentiation and translational accuracy9,10,11,12. The finding that ribosomal oxygenases (ROXs) occur in organisms ranging from prokaryotes to humans8 raises questions as to their structural and evolutionary relationships. In Escherichia coli, YcfD catalyses arginine hydroxylation in the ribosomal protein L16; in humans, MYC-induced nuclear antigen (MINA53; also known as MINA) and nucleolar protein 66 (NO66) catalyse histidine hydroxylation in the ribosomal proteins RPL27A and RPL8, respectively. The functional assignments of ROXs open therapeutic possibilities via either ROX inhibition or targeting of differentially modified ribosomes. Despite differences in the residue and protein selectivities of prokaryotic and eukaryotic ROXs, comparison of the crystal structures of E. coli YcfD and Rhodothermus marinus YcfD with those of human MINA53 and NO66 reveals highly conserved folds and novel dimerization modes defining a new structural subfamily of 2OG-dependent oxygenases. ROX structures with and without their substrates support their functional assignments as hydroxylases but not demethylases, and reveal how the subfamily has evolved to catalyse the hydroxylation of different residue side chains of ribosomal proteins. Comparison of ROX crystal structures with those of other JmjC-domain-containing hydroxylases, including the hypoxia-inducible factor asparaginyl hydroxylase FIH and histone Nε-methyl lysine demethylases, identifies branch points in 2OG-dependent oxygenase evolution and distinguishes between JmjC-containing hydroxylases and demethylases catalysing modifications of translational and transcriptional machinery. The structures reveal that new protein hydroxylation activities can evolve by changing the coordination position from which the iron-bound substrate-oxidizing species reacts. This coordination flexibility has probably contributed to the evolution of the wide range of reactions catalysed by oxygenases

Bves Modulates Tight Junction Associated Signaling

Blood vessel epicardial substance (Bves) is a transmembrane adhesion protein that regulates tight junction (TJ) formation in a variety of epithelia. The role of TJs within epithelium extends beyond the mechanical properties. They have been shown to play a direct role in regulation of RhoA and ZONAB/DbpA, a y-box transcription factor. We hypothesize that Bves can modulate RhoA activation and ZONAB/DbpA activity through its regulatory effect on TJ formation. Immortalized human corneal epithelial (HCE) cells were stably transfected with Flag-tagged full length chicken Bves (w-Bves) or C-terminus truncated Bves (t-Bves). We found that stably transfected w-Bves and t-Bves were interacting with endogenous human Bves. However, interaction with t-Bves appeared to disrupt cell membrane localization of endogenous Bves and interaction with ZO-1. w-Bves cells exhibited increased TJ function reflected by increased trans-epithelial electrical resistance, while t-Bves cells lost TJ protein immunolocalization at cell-cell contacts and exhibited decreased trans-epithelial electrical resistance. In parental HCE and w-Bves cells ZONAB/DbpA and GEF-H1 were seen at cell borders in the same pattern as ZO-1. However, expression of t-Bves led to decreased membrane localization of both ZONAB/DbpA and GEF-H1. t-Bves cells had increased RhoA activity, as indicated by a significant 30% increase in FRET activity compared to parental HCE cells. ZONAB/DbpA transcriptional activity, assessed using a luciferase reporter probe, was increased in t-Bves cells. These studies demonstrate that Bves expression and localization can regulate RhoA and ZONAB/DbpA activity

Shared Negative Experiences Lead to Identity Fusion via Personal Reflection

Across three studies, we examined the role of shared negative experiences in the formation of strong social bonds--identity fusion--previously associated with individuals' willingness to self-sacrifice for the sake of their groups. Studies 1 and 2 were correlational studies conducted on two different populations. In Study 1, we found that the extent to which Northern Irish Republicans and Unionists experienced shared negative experiences was associated with levels of identity fusion, and that this relationship was mediated by their reflection on these experiences. In Study 2, we replicated this finding among Bostonians, looking at their experiences of the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings. These correlational studies provide initial evidence for the plausibility of our causal model; however, an experiment was required for a more direct test. Thus, in Study 3, we experimentally manipulated the salience of the Boston Marathon Bombings, and found that this increased state levels of identity fusion among those who experienced it negatively. Taken together, these three studies provide evidence that shared negative experience leads to identity fusion, and that this process involves personal reflection

The effect of mission duration on LISA science objectives

The science objectives of the LISA mission have been defined under the implicit assumption of a 4-years continuous data stream. Based on the performance of LISA Pathfinder, it is now expected that LISA will have a duty cycle of ≈0.75 , which would reduce the effective span of usable data to 3 years. This paper reports the results of a study by the LISA Science Group, which was charged with assessing the additional science return of increasing the mission lifetime. We explore various observational scenarios to assess the impact of mission duration on the main science objectives of the mission. We find that the science investigations most affected by mission duration concern the search for seed black holes at cosmic dawn, as well as the study of stellar-origin black holes and of their formation channels via multi-band and multi-messenger observations. We conclude that an extension to 6 years of mission operations is recommended.publishedVersio

EMU Detection of a Large and Low Surface Brightness Galactic SNR G288.8-6.3

We present the serendipitous detection of a new Galactic Supernova Remnant (SNR), G288.8-6.3 using data from the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP)-Evolutionary Map of the Universe (EMU) survey. Using multi-frequency analysis, we confirm this object as an evolved Galactic SNR at high Galactic latitude with low radio surface brightness and typical SNR spectral index of $\alpha = -0.41\pm0.12$. To determine the magnetic field strength in SNR G288.8-6.3, we present the first derivation of the equipartition formulae for SNRs with spectral indices $\alpha>-0.5$. The angular size is 1.\!^\circ 8\times 1.\!^\circ 6 (107.\!^\prime 6 \times 98.\!^\prime 4) and we estimate that its intrinsic size is $\sim40$pc which implies a distance of $\sim1.3$kpc and a position of $\sim140$pc above the Galactic plane. This is one of the largest angular size and closest Galactic SNRs. Given its low radio surface brightness, we suggest that it is about 13000 years old.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa