Illuminating hydrological processes at the soil-vegetation-atmosphere interface with water stable isotopes

Funded by DFG research project “From Catchments as Organised Systems to Models based on Functional Units” (FOR 1Peer reviewedPublisher PDFPublisher PD

Metal-organic framework crystal-glass composites.

The majority of research into metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) focuses on their crystalline nature. Recent research has revealed solid-liquid transitions within the family, which we use here to create a class of functional, stable and porous composite materials. Described herein is the design, synthesis, and characterisation of MOF crystal-glass composites, formed by dispersing crystalline MOFs within a MOF-glass matrix. The coordinative bonding and chemical structure of a MIL-53 crystalline phase are preserved within the ZIF-62 glass matrix. Whilst separated phases, the interfacial interactions between the closely contacted microdomains improve the mechanical properties of the composite glass. More significantly, the high temperature open pore phase of MIL-53, which spontaneously transforms to a narrow pore upon cooling in the presence of water, is stabilised at room temperature in the crystal-glass composite. This leads to a significant improvement of CO2 adsorption capacity

Automatic Tuning Matching Cycler (ATMC) in situ NMR spectroscopy as a novel approach for real-time investigations of Li- and Na-ion batteries.

We have developed and explored the use of a new Automatic Tuning Matching Cycler (ATMC) in situ NMR probe system to track the formation of intermediate phases and investigate electrolyte decomposition during electrochemical cycling of Li- and Na-ion batteries (LIBs and NIBs). The new approach addresses many of the issues arising during in situ NMR, e.g., significantly different shifts of the multi-component samples, changing sample conditions (such as the magnetic susceptibility and conductivity) during cycling, signal broadening due to paramagnetism as well as interferences between the NMR and external cycler circuit that might impair the experiments. We provide practical insight into how to conduct ATMC in situ NMR experiments and discuss applications of the methodology to LiFePO4 (LFP) and Na3V2(PO4)2F3 cathodes as well as Na metal anodes. Automatic frequency sweep (7)Li in situ NMR reveals significant changes of the strongly paramagnetic broadened LFP line shape in agreement with the structural changes due to delithiation. Additionally, (31)P in situ NMR shows a full separation of the electrolyte and cathode NMR signals and is a key feature for a deeper understanding of the processes occurring during charge/discharge on the local atomic scale of NMR. (31)P in situ NMR with "on-the-fly" re-calibrated, varying carrier frequencies on Na3V2(PO4)2F3 as a cathode in a NIB enabled the detection of different P signals within a huge frequency range of 4000 ppm. The experiments show a significant shift and changes in the number as well as intensities of (31)P signals during desodiation/sodiation of the cathode. The in situ experiments reveal changes of local P environments that in part have not been seen in ex situ NMR investigations. Furthermore, we applied ATMC (23)Na in situ NMR on symmetrical Na-Na cells during galvanostatic plating. An automatic adjustment of the NMR carrier frequency during the in situ experiment ensured on-resonance conditions for the Na metal and electrolyte peak, respectively. Thus, interleaved measurements with different optimal NMR set-ups for the metal and electrolyte, respectively, became possible. This allowed the formation of different Na metal species as well as a quantification of electrolyte consumption during the electrochemical experiment to be monitored. The new approach is likely to benefit a further understanding of Na-ion battery chemistries.The collaboration with Marco Braun (NMR Service GmbH, Erfurt, DE) on NMR probehead design and manufacturing is gratefully acknowledged. We acknowledge Baris Key, Rangeet Bhattacharrya and Revolution NMR LLC (Fort Collins, CO, USA) for the development of the first generation in situ NMR probes. We thank David Bennett (Bruker Biospin, Rheinstetten, DE), Andrew J. Pell (Cambridge, UK), and Peter Grice (Cambridge, UK) for fruitful discussions and Nathan Pitt (Cambridge, UK) for technical support. C.P.G. and Z.L. acknowledge Prof. Yong Yang (Xiamen, China) and his group for ongoing collaborations on Na3V2(PO4)2F3. O.P. and P.M.B. gratefully acknowledge financial support through a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship (H2020-MSCA-IF-2014-EF, #655444) and FP7 Marie Curie International Incoming Fellowship, respectively. Research was supported in part by the NorthEast Center for Chemical Energy Storage (NECCES), an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences under Award # DE-SC0012583 (LFP materials, H.L., and N.M.T.), and by the Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Office of Vehicle Technologies of the U.S. Department of Energy, under contract no. DE-AC02-05CH11231, under the Batteries for Advanced Transportation Technologies Program subcontract 7057154 (Na metal).This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmr.2016.02.00

The Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer Book 2018

(Abridged) This is the Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer 2018 book. It is intended as a concise reference guide to all aspects of the scientific and technical design of MSE, for the international astronomy and engineering communities, and related agencies. The current version is a status report of MSE's science goals and their practical implementation, following the System Conceptual Design Review, held in January 2018. MSE is a planned 10-m class, wide-field, optical and near-infrared facility, designed to enable transformative science, while filling a critical missing gap in the emerging international network of large-scale astronomical facilities. MSE is completely dedicated to multi-object spectroscopy of samples of between thousands and millions of astrophysical objects. It will lead the world in this arena, due to its unique design capabilities: it will boast a large (11.25 m) aperture and wide (1.52 sq. degree) field of view; it will have the capabilities to observe at a wide range of spectral resolutions, from R2500 to R40,000, with massive multiplexing (4332 spectra per exposure, with all spectral resolutions available at all times), and an on-target observing efficiency of more than 80%. MSE will unveil the composition and dynamics of the faint Universe and is designed to excel at precision studies of faint astrophysical phenomena. It will also provide critical follow-up for multi-wavelength imaging surveys, such as those of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, Gaia, Euclid, the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope, the Square Kilometre Array, and the Next Generation Very Large Array.Comment: 5 chapters, 160 pages, 107 figure

Genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 knockout and transcriptional activation screening

Forward genetic screens are powerful tools for the unbiased discovery and functional characterization of specific genetic elements associated with a phenotype of interest. Recently, the RNA-guided endonuclease Cas9 from the microbial CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) immune system has been adapted for genome-scale screening by combining Cas9 with pooled guide RNA libraries. Here we describe a protocol for genome-scale knockout and transcriptional activation screening using the CRISPR-Cas9 system. Custom- or ready-made guide RNA libraries are constructed and packaged into lentiviral vectors for delivery into cells for screening. As each screen is unique, we provide guidelines for determining screening parameters and maintaining sufficient coverage. To validate candidate genes identified by the screen, we further describe strategies for confirming the screening phenotype, as well as genetic perturbation, through analysis of indel rate and transcriptional activation. Beginning with library design, a genome-scale screen can be completed in 9-15 weeks, followed by 4-5 weeks of validation.Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans (New York, N.Y.)McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT (Friends of McGovern Institute Fellowship)Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Poitras Center for Affective Disorders ResearchUnited States. Department of Energy (Computational Science Graduate Fellowship)National Institute of Mental Health (U.S.) (5DP1-MH100706)National Institute of Mental Health (U.S.) (1R01-MH110049)New York Stem Cell FoundationPoitras FoundationSimons FoundationPaul G. Allen Family FoundationVallee FoundationTom HarrimanB. Metcalf

High-throughput mapping of regulatory DNA

Quantifying the effects of cis-regulatory DNA on gene expression is a major challenge. Here, we present the multiplexed editing regulatory assay (MERA), a high-throughput CRISPR-Cas9–based approach that analyzes the functional impact of the regulatory genome in its native context. MERA tiles thousands of mutations across ~40 kb of cis-regulatory genomic space and uses knock-in green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporters to read out gene activity. Using this approach, we obtain quantitative information on the contribution of cis-regulatory regions to gene expression. We identify proximal and distal regulatory elements necessary for expression of four embryonic stem cell–specific genes. We show a consistent contribution of neighboring gene promoters to gene expression and identify unmarked regulatory elements (UREs) that control gene expression but do not have typical enhancer epigenetic or chromatin features. We compare thousands of functional and nonfunctional genotypes at a genomic location and identify the base pair–resolution functional motifs of regulatory elements.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (1U01HG007037

Molecular targets for anticancer redox chemotherapy and cisplatin-induced ototoxicity: the role of curcumin on pSTAT3 and Nrf-2 signalling

In oncology, an emerging paradigm emphasises molecularly targeted approaches for cancer prevention and therapy and the use of adjuvant chemotherapeutics to overcome cisplatin limitations. Owing to their safe use, some polyphenols, such as curcumin, modulate important pathways or molecular targets in cancers. This paper focuses on curcumin as an adjuvant molecule to cisplatin by analysing its potential implications on the molecular targets, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and NF-E2 p45-related factor 2 (Nrf-2), in tumour progression and cisplatin resistance in vitro and the adverse effect ototoxicity in vivo