The second data release of the INT Photometric Ha Survey of the Northern Galactic Plane (IPHAS DR2)

The INT/WFC Photometric Hα Survey of the Northern Galactic Plane (IPHAS) is a 1800 deg2 imaging survey covering Galactic latitudes |b| < 5° and longitudes ℓ = 30°–215° in the r, i, and Hα filters using the Wide Field Camera (WFC) on the 2.5-m Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) in La Palma. We present the first quality-controlled and globally calibrated source catalogue derived from the survey, providing single-epoch photometry for 219 million unique sources across 92 per cent of the footprint. The observations were carried out between 2003 and 2012 at a median seeing of 1.1 arcsec (sampled at 0.33 arcsec pixel−1) and to a mean 5σ depth of 21.2 (r), 20.0 (i), and 20.3 (Hα) in the Vega magnitude system. We explain the data reduction and quality control procedures, describe and test the global re-calibration, and detail the construction of the new catalogue. We show that the new calibration is accurate to 0.03 mag (root mean square) and recommend a series of quality criteria to select accurate data from the catalogue. Finally, we demonstrate the ability of the catalogue's unique (r − Hα, r − i) diagram to (i) characterize stellar populations and extinction regimes towards different Galactic sightlines and (ii) select and quantify Hα emission-line objects. IPHAS is the first survey to offer comprehensive CCD photometry of point sources across the Galactic plane at visible wavelengths, providing the much-needed counterpart to recent infrared surveys

Rechargeable Batteries of the Future—The State of the Art from a BATTERY 2030+ Perspective

The development of new batteries has historically been achieved through discovery and development cycles based on the intuition of the researcher, followed by experimental trial and error—often helped along by serendipitous breakthroughs. Meanwhile, it is evident that new strategies are needed to master the ever-growing complexity in the development of battery systems, and to fast-track the transfer of findings from the laboratory into commercially viable products. This review gives an overview over the future needs and the current state-of-the art of five research pillars of the European Large-Scale Research Initiative BATTERY 2030+, namely 1) Battery Interface Genome in combination with a Materials Acceleration Platform (BIG-MAP), progress toward the development of 2) self-healing battery materials, and methods for operando, 3) sensing to monitor battery health. These subjects are complemented by an overview over current and up-coming strategies to optimize 4) manufacturability of batteries and efforts toward development of a circular battery economy through implementation of 5) recyclability aspects in the design of the battery

Health status in non-dystrophic myotonias: close relation with pain and fatigue

To determine self-reported health status in non-dystrophic myotonias (NDM) and its relationship to painful myotonia and fatigue. In a cross-sectional study, 32 NDM patients with chloride and 30 with sodium channelopathies, all off treatment, completed a standardised interview, the fatigue assessment scale (FAS), and the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Beside formal assessment of pain, assessment of painful or painless myotonia was determined. The domain scores of the SF-36 were compared with Dutch community scores. Apart from the relationship among SF-36 scores and (1) painful myotonia and (2) fatigue, regression analyses in both NDM groups were conducted to determine the strongest determinants of the SF-36 domains general health perception, physical component (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS). All physically oriented SF-36 domains in both NDM groups (P ≤ 0.01) and social functioning in the patients with sodium channelopathies (P = 0.048) were substantially lower relative to the Dutch community scores. The patients with painful myotonia (41.9%) scored substantially (P < 0.05) lower on most SF-36 domains than the patients without painful myotonia (58.1%). Fatigued patients (53.2%) scored substantially lower (P ≤ 0.01) on all SF-36 domains than their non-fatigued counterparts (46.8%). The regression analysis showed that fatigue was the strongest predictor for the general-health perception and painful myotonia for the physical-component summary. None of the patients showed below-norm scores on the domain mental-component summary. The impact of NDM on the physical domains of patients’ health status is substantial, and particularly painful myotonia and fatigue tend to impede their physical functioning

Differences in white matter detected by ex vivo 9.4T MRI are associated with axonal changes in the R6/1 model of Huntington’s Disease

White matter (WM) volume loss has been reported in people with Huntington’s disease (HD), but the cellular basis of this deficit remains to be elucidated. To address this, we assessed ex vivo WM microstructure in the transgenic R6/1 mouse model of HD with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and studied the neurobiological basis of the MRI brain signals with histological and electron microscopy analyses in a separate cohort of age- and sex-matched mice. Differences in the macromolecular proton fraction (MPF) from quantitative magnetization transfer (qMT) as a proxy myelin measure, and the intra-axonal signal fraction (FR) from the composite hindered and restricted model of diffusion (CHARMED) as a proxy marker of axon density, were assessed alongside diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters. A tractometry approach was employed to inspect region-specific differences across the corpus callosum (CC). Furthermore, voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) were used to explore brain-wise WM macro- and microstructure abnormalities. To gain insight into disease-associated impairments in attentional and visuospatial processing, a third cohort of age-matched mice was assessed with the 5-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT). We report cognitive impairments in R6/1 mice and, by evaluating MRI and light and electron microscopy results, we show that this HD mouse model presents disruptions in axonal morphology (i.e. less complex, thinner axons) and organization (i.e. more densely packed axons). Furthermore, we show that, at least early in disease progression, R6/1 mice present a reduction in the expression or content of myelin-associated proteins without significant alterations in the structure of myelin sheaths. Finally, our findings indicate that neuroinflammation-driven glial and axonal swelling might also affect this mouse model early in disease progression. Crucially, we demonstrate the potential of FR, an in vivo estimate of axon density, as a novel MRI biomarker of HD-associated changes in WM microstructure

Secretory structures in plants: lessons from the Plumbaginaceae on their origin, evolution and roles in stress tolerance

Special IssueThe Plumbaginaceae (non-core Caryophyllales) is a family well known for species adapted to a wide range of arid and saline habitats. Of its salt-tolerant species, at least 45 are in the genus Limonium; two in each of Aegialitis, Limoniastrum and Myriolimon, and one each in Psylliostachys, Armeria, Ceratostigma, Goniolimon and Plumbago. All the halophytic members of the family have salt glands, which are also common in the closely related Tamaricaceae and Frankeniaceae. The halophytic species of the three families can secrete a range of ions (Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl−, HCO3 −, SO4 2-) and other elements (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn). Salt glands are, however, absent in salt-tolerant members of the sister family Polygonaceae. We describe the structure of the salt glands in the three families and consider whether glands might have arisen as a means to avoid the toxicity of Na+ and/or Cl− or to regulate Ca2+ concentrations within the leaves. We conclude that the establishment of lineages with salt glands took place after the split between the Polygonaceae and its sister group the Plumbaginaceaeinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Murein and pseudomurein cell wall binding domains of bacteria and archaea—a comparative view

The cell wall, a major barrier protecting cells from their environment, is an essential compartment of both bacteria and archaea. It protects the organism from internal turgor pressure and gives a defined shape to the cell. The cell wall serves also as an anchoring surface for various proteins and acts as an adhesion platform for bacteriophages. The walls of bacteria and archaea are mostly composed of murein and pseudomurein, respectively. Cell wall binding domains play a crucial role in the non-covalent attachment of proteins to cell walls. Here, we give an overview of the similarities and differences in the biochemical and functional properties of the two major murein and pseudomurein cell wall binding domains, i.e., the Lysin Motif (LysM) domain (Pfam PF01476) and the pseudomurein binding (PMB) domain (Pfam PF09373) of bacteria and archaea, respectively

Iscador Qu inhibits doxorubicin-induced senescence of MCF7 cells

Chemotherapy in patients with inoperable or advanced breast cancer inevitably results in low-dose exposure of tumor-cell subset and senescence. Metabolically active senescent cells secrete multiple tumor promoting factors making their elimination a therapeutic priority. Viscum album is one of the most widely used alternative anti-cancer medicines facilitating chemotherapy tolerance of breast cancer patients. The aim of this study was to model and investigate how Viscum album extracts execute additive anti-tumor activity with low-dose Dox using ER + MCF7 breast cancer cells. We report that cotreatment of MCF7 with Viscum album and Dox abrogates G2/M cycle arrest replacing senescence with intrinsic apoptotic program. Mechanistically, this switch was associated with down-regulation of p21, p53/p73 as well as Erk1/2 and p38 activation. Our findings, therefore, identify a novel mechanistic axis of additive antitumor activity of Viscum album and low dose-Dox. In conclusion, ER + breast cancer patients may benefit from addition of Viscum album to low-dose Dox chemotherapy due to suppression of cancer cell senescence and induction of apoptosis