Pore Perfection vs. Defect Design: Examining the Complex Relation-ship Between Pore Structure and Carbon Dioxide Adsorption in Zr-Based MOFs

This work examines the relationship between defects, pore size, and pore functionalization as it pertains to the enthalpy of adsorption between carbon dioxide and zirconium-based metal-organic frameworks (UiO-66 and UiO-67). When UiO-66 is synthesized without defects, carbon dioxide adsorption is more exothermic relative to when UiO-66 contains de-fects (–24.3 vs. –20.9 kJ/mol). We repeated the experiments with pristine/defective UiO-67 and observed the opposite trend (–16.9 vs. –21 kJ/mol), albeit less exothermic. Dehydrating the cluster of pristine/defective UiO-66 (–21 kJ/mol) and UiO-67 (–14 kJ/mol) the adsorption capabilities decreased considerably. This work indicates that there is a hierarchy of adsorption interactions that can work independently or in tandem to increase the enthalpy of adsorption. These include the small tetra-hedral pore of UiO-66, hydrogen bonding, and dispersion interaction enhanced by the electron-withdrawing Zr(IV). Post-synthetic modification of the node with methanol/methoxy groups had a strong effect on the defect containing UiO-66. In this MOF, the pore sizes appeared nearly identical to the pristine UiO-66 and contained an enthalpy adsorption of –28 kJ/mol; this is the highest value obtained in this work

Multi-target genome editing reduces polyphenol oxidase activity in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grains

Introduction: Polyphenol oxidases (PPO) are dual activity metalloenzymes that catalyse the production of quinones. In plants, PPO activity may contribute to biotic stress resistance and secondary metabolism but is undesirable for food producers because it causes the discolouration and changes in flavour profiles of products during post-harvest processing. In wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), PPO released from the aleurone layer of the grain during milling results in the discolouration of flour, dough, and end-use products, reducing their value. Loss-of-function mutations in the PPO1 and PPO2 paralogous genes on homoeologous group 2 chromosomes confer reduced PPO activity in the wheat grain. However, limited natural variation and the proximity of these genes complicates the selection of extremely low-PPO wheat varieties by recombination. The goal of the current study was to edit all copies of PPO1 and PPO2 to drive extreme reductions in PPO grain activity in elite wheat varieties. Results: A CRISPR/Cas9 construct with one single guide RNA (sgRNA) targeting a conserved copper binding domain was used to edit all seven PPO1 and PPO2 genes in the spring wheat cultivar ‘Fielder’. Five of the seven edited T1 lines exhibited significant reductions in PPO activity, and T2 lines had PPO activity up to 86.7% lower than wild-type. The same construct was transformed into the elite winter wheat cultivars ‘Guardian’ and ‘Steamboat’, which have five PPO1 and PPO2 genes. In these varieties PPO activity was reduced by >90% in both T1 and T2 lines. In all three varieties, dough samples from edited lines exhibited reduced browning. Discussion: This study demonstrates that multi-target editing at late stages of variety development could complement selection for beneficial alleles in cropbreeding programs by inducing novel variation in loci inaccessible to recombinatio

An Extension for Direct Gauge Mediation of Metastable Supersymmetry Breaking

We study the direct mediation of metastable supersymmetry breaking by a \Phi^2-deformation to the ISS model and extend it by splitting both Tr\Phi and Tr\Phi^2 terms in the superpotential and gauging the flavor symmetry. We find that with such an extension the enough long-lived metastable vacua can be obtained and the proper gaugino masses can be generated. Also, this allows for constructing a kind of models which can avoid the Landau pole problem. Especially, in our metastable vacua there exist a large region for the parameter m_3 which can satisfy the phenomenology requirements and allow for a low SUSY breaking scale (\sim 100 TeV).Comment: version in Europhys. Let

Two dimensional Sen connections in general relativity

The two dimensional version of the Sen connection for spinors and tensors on spacelike 2-surfaces is constructed. A complex metric $\gamma_{AB}$ on the spin spaces is found which characterizes both the algebraic and extrinsic geometrical properties of the 2-surface $\$$. The curvature of the two dimensional Sen operator $\Delta_e$ is the pull back to $\$$ of the anti-self-dual part of the spacetime curvature while its `torsion' is a boost gauge invariant expression of the extrinsic curvatures of $\$$. The difference of the 2 dimensional Sen and the induced spin connections is the anti-self-dual part of the `torsion'. The irreducible parts of $\Delta_e$ are shown to be the familiar 2-surface twistor and the Weyl--Sen--Witten operators. Two Sen--Witten type identities are derived, the first is an identity between the 2 dimensional twistor and the Weyl--Sen--Witten operators and the integrand of Penrose's charge integral, while the second contains the `torsion' as well. For spinor fields satisfying the 2-surface twistor equation the first reduces to Tod's formula for the kinematical twistor.Comment: 14 pages, Plain Tex, no report numbe

Configuring large high-performance clusters at lightspeed: A case study

Abstract Over a decade ago, the TOP500 list was started as a way to measure supercomputers by their sustained performance on a particular linear algebra benchmark. Once reserved for the exotic machines and extremely well-funded centers and laboratories, commodity clusters now make it possible for smaller groups to deploy and use highperformance machines in their own laboratories. This paper describes a weekend activity where two existing 128-node commodity clusters were fused into a single 256-node cluster for the specific purpose of running the benchmark used to rank the machines in the TOP500 supercomputer list. The resulting metacluster sits on the November 2002 list at position 233. A key differentiator for this cluster is that it was assembled, in terms of its software, from the NPACI Rocks open-source cluster toolkit as downloaded from the public website. The toolkit allows non-cluster experts to deploy and run supercomputerclass machines in a matter of hours instead of weeks or months. With the exception of recompiling the University of Tennessee's Automatically Tuned Linear Algebra Subroutines (ATLAS) library with a recommended version of the GNU C compiler, this metacluster ran a "stock" Rocks distribution. Successful first-time deployment of the fused cluster was completed in a scant 6 hours. Partitioning of the metacluster and restoration of the two 128-node clusters to their original configuration was completed in just over 40 minutes. This paper describes early (pre-weekend) benchmark activities to empirically determine reasonably good parameters for the High-Performance Linpack (HPL) code on both Ethernet and Myrinet interconnects. It fully describes the physical layout of the machine, the description-based installation methods used in Rocks to re-deploy two independent clusters as a single cluster, and gives the benchmark results that were gathered over the 40-hour period allotted for the complete experiment. In addition, we describe some of the online monitoring and measurement techniques that were employed during the experiment. Finally, we point out the issues uncovered with a commodity cluster of this size. The techniques presented in this paper truly bring supercomputers into the hands of the masses of computational scientists

Incorporating Microporous Zn3 and Zn2Cd MOFs into Pebax/PVDF Mixed Matrix Membranes for Improved Carbon Dioxide Separation Performance

A pair of related metal–organic frameworks (Zn3 and Zn2Cd) developed in our group were incorporated into Pebax 30R51 and PVDF Kynar 761 polymers to fabricate mixed matrix membranes (MMMs). These MOFs were chosen due to the carbon dioxide molecular sieving ability of Zn3, and the slightly larger pore aperture of Zn2Cd that allows carbon dioxide and larger gases to enter the pores. For Pebax-based MMMs, this work demonstrated an over two-fold and four-and-a-half-fold increase in carbon dioxide permeability for Zn3- (15 wt %) and Zn2Cd-containing (10 wt %) MMMs over the pristine polymer. Separation selectivity (CO2:N2) of 4.21 and 7.33 were observed for Zn3 and Zn2Cd (10 wt %). For PVDF-based MMMs, the incorporation of Zn3 and Zn2Cd (10 wt %) increased the carbon dioxide permeability approximately two- and three-fold. The CO2/N2 selectivity of the PVDF membranes increased 73% (1.01 to 1.86) and 68% (1.01 to 1.68) when 15 wt % Zn3 and Zn2Cd were incorporated into PVDF. The improved performance of Pebax over PVDF based MMMs is attributed to matching the permeability of the polymer bulk phase (Pebax over PVDF) and the dispersed phase (Zn3 and Zn2Cd). The lower permeability allows the MOF, which has slow kinetics associated with molecular sieving, to participate in the permeation process better. With regards to Zn3 vs Zn2Cd, while Zn3 acts as a molecular sieve and Zn2Cd does not, we hypothesize that the faster diffusion of carbon dioxide gas in Zn2Cd can outcompete the lower nitrogen gas permeability and molecular sieving properties of Zn3. However, we expect that further increasing the pore aperture would increase the permeabilities of nitrogen gas such that differences in diffusion kinetics due to molecular size would be unimportant

Two-spinor Formulation of First Order Gravity coupled to Dirac Fields

Two-spinor formalism for Einstein Lagrangian is developed. The gravitational field is regarded as a composite object derived from soldering forms. Our formalism is geometrically and globally well-defined and may be used in virtually any 4m-dimensional manifold with arbitrary signature as well as without any stringent topological requirement on space-time, such as parallelizability. Interactions and feedbacks between gravity and spinor fields are considered. As is well known, the Hilbert-Einstein Lagrangian is second order also when expressed in terms of soldering forms. A covariant splitting is then analysed leading to a first order Lagrangian which is recognized to play a fundamental role in the theory of conserved quantities. The splitting and thence the first order Lagrangian depend on a reference spin connection which is physically interpreted as setting the zero level for conserved quantities. A complete and detailed treatment of conserved quantities is then presented.Comment: 16 pages, Plain TE

A One Health overview, facilitating advances in comparative medicine and translational research.

Table of contentsA1 One health advances and successes in comparative medicine and translational researchCheryl StroudA2 Dendritic cell-targeted gorilla adenoviral vector for cancer vaccination for canine melanomaIgor Dmitriev, Elena Kashentseva, Jeffrey N. Bryan, David T. CurielA3 Viroimmunotherapy for malignant melanoma in the companion dog modelJeffrey N. Bryan, David Curiel, Igor Dmitriev, Elena Kashentseva, Hans Rindt, Carol Reinero, Carolyn J. HenryA4 Of mice and men (and dogs!): development of a commercially licensed xenogeneic DNA vaccine for companion animals with malignant melanomaPhilip J. BergmanA5 Successful immunotherapy with a recombinant HER2-expressing Listeria monocytogenes in dogs with spontaneous osteosarcoma paves the way for advances in pediatric osteosarcomaNicola J. Mason, Josephine S. Gnanandarajah, Julie B. Engiles, Falon Gray, Danielle Laughlin, Anita Gaurnier-Hausser, Anu Wallecha, Margie Huebner, Yvonne PatersonA6 Human clinical development of ADXS-HER2Daniel O'ConnorA7 Leveraging use of data for both human and veterinary benefitLaura S. TremlA8 Biologic replacement of the knee: innovations and early clinical resultsJames P. StannardA9 Mizzou BioJoint Center: a translational success storyJames L. CookA10 University and industry translational partnership: from the lab to commercializationMarc JacobsA11 Beyond docking: an evolutionarily guided OneHealth approach to drug discoveryGerald J. Wyckoff, Lee Likins, Ubadah Sabbagh, Andrew SkaffA12 Challenges and opportunities for data applications in animal health: from precision medicine to precision husbandryAmado S. GuloyA13 A cloud-based programmable platform for healthHarlen D. HaysA14 Comparative oncology: One Health in actionAmy K. LeBlancA15 Companion animal diseases bridge the translational gap for human neurodegenerative diseaseJoan R. Coates, Martin L. Katz, Leslie A. Lyons, Gayle C. Johnson, Gary S. Johnson, Dennis P. O'BrienA16 Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapyDongsheng DuanA17 Polycystic kidney disease: cellular mechanisms to emerging therapiesJames P. CalvetA18 The domestic cat as a large animal model for polycystic kidney diseaseLeslie A. Lyons, Barbara GandolfiA19 The support of basic and clinical research by the Polycystic Kidney Disease FoundationDavid A. BaronA20 Using naturally occurring large animal models of human disease to enable clinical translation: treatment of arthritis using autologous stromal vascular fraction in dogsMark L. WeissA21 Regulatory requirements regarding clinical use of human cells, tissues, and tissue-based productsDebra A. WebsterA22 Regenerative medicine approaches to Type 1 diabetes treatmentFrancis N. KaranuA23 The zoobiquity of canine diabetes mellitus, man's best friend is a friend indeed-islet transplantationEdward J. RobbA24 One Medicine: a development model for cellular therapy of diabetesRobert J. Harman

The Status of GMSB After 1/fb at the LHC

We thoroughly investigate the current status of supersymmetry in light of the latest searches at the LHC, using General Gauge Mediation (GGM) as a well-motivated signature generator that leads to many different simplified models. We consider all possible promptly-decaying NLSPs in GGM, and by carefully reinterpreting the existing LHC searches, we derive limits on both colored and electroweak SUSY production. Overall, the coverage of GGM parameter space is quite good, but much discovery potential still remains even at 7 TeV. We identify several regions of parameter space where the current searches are the weakest, typically in models with electroweak production, third generation sfermions or squeezed spectra, and we suggest how ATLAS and CMS might modify their search strategies given the understanding of GMSB at 1/fb. In particular, we propose the use of leptonic $M_{T2}$ to suppress $t{\bar t}$ backgrounds. Because we express our results in terms of simplified models, they have broader applicability beyond the GGM framework, and give a global view of the current LHC reach. Our results on 3rd generation squark NLSPs in particular can be viewed as setting direct limits on naturalness.Comment: 44 pages, refs added, typos fixed, improved MC statistics in fig 1