A New ZrCuSiAs-Type Superconductor: ThFeAsN

We report the first nitrogen-containing iron-pnictide superconductor ThFeAsN, which is synthesized by a solid-state reaction in an evacuated container. The compound crystallizes in a ZrCuSiAs-type structure with the space group P4/nmm and lattice parameters a=4.0367(1) {\AA} and c=8.5262(2) {\AA} at 300 K. The electrical resistivity and dc magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate superconductivity at 30 K for the nominally undoped ThFeAsN.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl

Maternal caffeine intake during pregnancy is associated with risk of low birth weight: a systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis

Background: Considerable controversy exists regarding the relation between maternal caffeine intake during pregnancy and risk of low birth weight (birth weight <2,500 g). We aim to assess this association using a systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis of prospective studies. Methods: Potential articles were identified by searching MEDLINE and SCOPUS databases through 17 July 2013. Two authors independently extracted information on study design, participant characteristics and estimates of associations. Random-effects models were used to derive the summary relative risks (RRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Dose–response relationships were assessed using generalized least-squares trend estimation. Results: In our meta-analysis, we included 13 prospective studies: 9 with low birth weight as a binary outcome variable (90,747 participants and 6,303 cases) and 6 with birth weight as a continuous outcome variable (10,015 participants; 2 studies reported both types of outcomes). Compared with the reference category with no or very low caffeine intake, the RR (95% CI) of low birth weight was 1.13 (1.06 to 1.21; I2 0.0%) for low intake (50 to 149 mg/day), 1.38 (1.18 to 1.62; I2 31.9%) for moderate intake (150 to 349 mg/day), and 1.60 (1.24 to 2.08; I2 65.8%) for high intake (≥350 mg/day). In the dose–response analysis, each 100-mg/day increment in maternal caffeine intake (around one cup of coffee) was associated with 13% (RR 1.13, 1.06 to 1.21) higher risk of low birth weight. The association persisted in strata defined according to various study characteristics. Moderate (−33 g, 95% CI −63 to −4; I2 0.3%) and high (−69 g, 95% CI −102 to −35; I2 0.0%) caffeine intakes were also associated with a significantly lower birth weight as compared with the reference category. Conclusions: Higher maternal caffeine intake during pregnancy was associated with a higher risk of delivering low birth weight infants. These findings support recommendations to restrict caffeine intake during pregnancy to low levels. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12916-014-0174-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Y Chromosomes of 40% Chinese Are Descendants of Three Neolithic Super-grandfathers

Demographic change of human populations is one of the central questions for delving into the past of human beings. To identify major population expansions related to male lineages, we sequenced 78 East Asian Y chromosomes at 3.9 Mbp of the non-recombining region (NRY), discovered >4,000 new SNPs, and identified many new clades. The relative divergence dates can be estimated much more precisely using molecular clock. We found that all the Paleolithic divergences were binary; however, three strong star-like Neolithic expansions at ~6 kya (thousand years ago) (assuming a constant substitution rate of 1e-9/bp/year) indicates that ~40% of modern Chinese are patrilineal descendants of only three super-grandfathers at that time. This observation suggests that the main patrilineal expansion in China occurred in the Neolithic Era and might be related to the development of agriculture.Comment: 29 pages of article text including 1 article figure, 9 pages of SI text, and 2 SI figures. 5 SI tables are in a separate ancillary fil

The nucleolar protein NIFK promotes cancer progression via CK1α/β-catenin in metastasis and Ki-67-dependent cell proliferation.

Nucleolar protein interacting with the FHA domain of pKi-67 (NIFK) is a Ki-67-interacting protein. However, its precise function in cancer remains largely uninvestigated. Here we show the clinical significance and metastatic mechanism of NIFK in lung cancer. NIFK expression is clinically associated with poor prognosis and metastasis. Furthermore, NIFK enhances Ki-67-dependent proliferation, and promotes migration, invasion in vitro and metastasis in vivo via downregulation of casein kinase 1α (CK1α), a suppressor of pro-metastatic TCF4/β-catenin signaling. Inversely, CK1α is upregulated upon NIFK knockdown. The silencing of CK1α expression in NIFK-silenced cells restores TCF4/β-catenin transcriptional activity, cell migration, and metastasis. Furthermore, RUNX1 is identified as a transcription factor of CSNK1A1 (CK1α) that is negatively regulated by NIFK. Our results demonstrate the prognostic value of NIFK, and suggest that NIFK is required for lung cancer progression via the RUNX1-dependent CK1α repression, which activates TCF4/β-catenin signaling in metastasis and the Ki-67-dependent regulation in cell proliferation

Listen to genes : dealing with microarray data in the frequency domain

Background: We present a novel and systematic approach to analyze temporal microarray data. The approach includes normalization, clustering and network analysis of genes. Methodology: Genes are normalized using an error model based uniform normalization method aimed at identifying and estimating the sources of variations. The model minimizes the correlation among error terms across replicates. The normalized gene expressions are then clustered in terms of their power spectrum density. The method of complex Granger causality is introduced to reveal interactions between sets of genes. Complex Granger causality along with partial Granger causality is applied in both time and frequency domains to selected as well as all the genes to reveal the interesting networks of interactions. The approach is successfully applied to Arabidopsis leaf microarray data generated from 31,000 genes observed over 22 time points over 22 days. Three circuits: a circadian gene circuit, an ethylene circuit and a new global circuit showing a hierarchical structure to determine the initiators of leaf senescence are analyzed in detail. Conclusions: We use a totally data-driven approach to form biological hypothesis. Clustering using the power-spectrum analysis helps us identify genes of potential interest. Their dynamics can be captured accurately in the time and frequency domain using the methods of complex and partial Granger causality. With the rise in availability of temporal microarray data, such methods can be useful tools in uncovering the hidden biological interactions. We show our method in a step by step manner with help of toy models as well as a real biological dataset. We also analyse three distinct gene circuits of potential interest to Arabidopsis researchers

N-(2-Chloro-2-nitro-1-phenyl­prop­yl)-4-methyl­benzene­sulfonamide

In the title compound, C16H17ClN2O4S, the dihedral angle between the phenyl and benzene rings is 19.4 (2)°. The crystal packing is stabilized by inter­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, as well as by intra- and inter­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds

Constraints on Spin-Independent Nucleus Scattering with sub-GeV Weakly Interacting Massive Particle Dark Matter from the CDEX-1B Experiment at the China Jin-Ping Laboratory

We report results on the searches of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) with sub-GeV masses ($m_{\chi}$) via WIMP-nucleus spin-independent scattering with Migdal effect incorporated. Analysis on time-integrated (TI) and annual modulation (AM) effects on CDEX-1B data are performed, with 737.1 kg$\cdot$day exposure and 160 eVee threshold for TI analysis, and 1107.5 kg$\cdot$day exposure and 250 eVee threshold for AM analysis. The sensitive windows in $m_{\chi}$ are expanded by an order of magnitude to lower DM masses with Migdal effect incorporated. New limits on $\sigma_{\chi N}^{\rm SI}$ at 90\% confidence level are derived as $2\times$10$^{-32}\sim7\times$10$^{-35}$ $\rm cm^2$ for TI analysis at $m_{\chi}\sim$ 50$-$180 MeV/$c^2$, and $3\times$10$^{-32}\sim9\times$10$^{-38}$ $\rm cm^2$ for AM analysis at $m_{\chi}\sim$75 MeV/$c^2-$3.0 GeV/$c^2$.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Limits on Light Weakly Interacting Massive Particles from the First 102.8 kg ×{\times} day Data of the CDEX-10 Experiment

We report the first results of a light weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) search from the CDEX-10 experiment with a 10 kg germanium detector array immersed in liquid nitrogen at the China Jinping Underground Laboratory with a physics data size of 102.8 kg day. At an analysis threshold of 160 eVee, improved limits of 8 $\times 10^{-42}$ and 3 $\times 10^{-36}$ cm$^{2}$ at a 90\% confidence level on spin-independent and spin-dependent WIMP-nucleon cross sections, respectively, at a WIMP mass ($m_{\chi}$) of 5 GeV/${c}^2$ are achieved. The lower reach of $m_{\chi}$ is extended to 2 GeV/${c}^2$.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure