Understanding media production: a rejoinder to Murdock and Golding

This article is a rejoinder to Murdock and Golding’s response to my critique of the political economy of communications (PEC) analysis of media production (see Author 2015). This article sets this exchange in the context of a broader debate in recent editions of Media, Culture & Society (Garnham 2016, Fuchs, 2016) about the value of PEC. Much of this debate stems from Garnham’s (2011) critical review of 40 years of PEC research

Origin and passivation of fixed charge in atomic layer deposited aluminum oxide gate insulators on chemically treated InGaAs substrates

We report experimental and theoretical studies of defects producing fixed charge within Al(2)O(3) layers grown by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on In(0.53)Ga(0.47)As(001) substrates and the effects of hydrogen passivation of these defects. Capacitance-voltage measurements of Pt/ALD-Al(2)O(3)/n-In(0.53)Ga(0.47)As suggested the presence of positive bulk fixed charge and negative interfacial fixed charge within ALD-Al(2)O(3). We identified oxygen and aluminum dangling bonds (DBs) as the origin of the fixed charge. First-principles calculations predicted possible passivation of both O and Al DBs, which would neutralize fixed charge, and this prediction was confirmed experimentally; postmetallization forming gas anneal removed most of the fixed charge in ALD-Al(2)O(3). (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. (doi:10.1063/1.3399776

Single-Phase Rare-Earth Oxide/Aluminum Oxide Glasses

Glasses that comprise rare-earth oxides and aluminum oxide plus, optionally, lesser amounts of other oxides, have been invented. The other oxide(s) can include SiO2, B2O3, GeO2, and/or any of a variety of glass-forming oxides that have been used heretofore in making a variety of common and specialty glasses. The glasses of the invention can be manufactured in bulk single-phase forms to ensure near uniformity in optical and mechanical characteristics, as needed for such devices as optical amplifiers, lasers, and optical waveguides (including optical fibers). These glasses can also be formulated to have high indices of refraction, as needed in some of such devices

Generic First Order Orientation Transition of Vortex Lattices in Type II Superconductors

First order transition of vortex lattices (VL) observed in various superconductors with four-fold symmetry is explained microscopically by quasi-classical Eilenberger theory combined with nonlocal London theory. This transition is intrinsic in the generic successive VL phase transition due to either gap or Fermi velocity anisotropies. This is also suggested by the electronic states around vortices. Ultimate origin of this phenomenon is attributed to some what hidden frustrations of a spontaneous symmetry broken hexagonal VL on the underlying four-fold crystalline symmetry.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, some typos are correcte

De novo formation of an aggregation pheromone precursor by an isoprenyl diphosphate synthase-related terpene synthase in the harlequin bug.

Insects use a diverse array of specialized terpene metabolites as pheromones in intraspecific interactions. In contrast to plants and microbes, which employ enzymes called terpene synthases (TPSs) to synthesize terpene metabolites, limited information from few species is available about the enzymatic mechanisms underlying terpene pheromone biosynthesis in insects. Several stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), among them severe agricultural pests, release 15-carbon sesquiterpenes with a bisabolene skeleton as sex or aggregation pheromones. The harlequin bug, Murgantia histrionica, a specialist pest of crucifers, uses two stereoisomers of 10,11-epoxy-1-bisabolen-3-ol as a male-released aggregation pheromone called murgantiol. We show that MhTPS (MhIDS-1), an enzyme unrelated to plant and microbial TPSs but with similarity to trans-isoprenyl diphosphate synthases (IDS) of the core terpene biosynthetic pathway, catalyzes the formation of (1S,6S,7R)-1,10-bisaboladien-1-ol (sesquipiperitol) as a terpene intermediate in murgantiol biosynthesis. Sesquipiperitol, a so-far-unknown compound in animals, also occurs in plants, indicating convergent evolution in the biosynthesis of this sesquiterpene. RNAi-mediated knockdown of MhTPS mRNA confirmed the role of MhTPS in murgantiol biosynthesis. MhTPS expression is highly specific to tissues lining the cuticle of the abdominal sternites of mature males. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that MhTPS is derived from a trans-IDS progenitor and diverged from bona fide trans-IDS proteins including MhIDS-2, which functions as an (E,E)-farnesyl diphosphate (FPP) synthase. Structure-guided mutagenesis revealed several residues critical to MhTPS and MhFPPS activity. The emergence of an IDS-like protein with TPS activity in M. histrionica demonstrates that de novo terpene biosynthesis evolved in the Hemiptera in an adaptation for intraspecific communication

Quantification of Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons (MOAH) in Anhydrous Cosmetics Using 1 H NMR

In cosmetic products, hydrocarbons from mineral oil origin are used as ingredients in a wide variety of consistency, from liquid oil to solid wax. Refined mineral oil hydrocarbons consist of MOSH (mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons) and a low proportion of MOAH (mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons). MOSH and MOAH comprise a variety of chemically similar single substances with straight or branched chains. In the context of precautionary consumer protection, it is crucial to determine hydrocarbons from mineral oil origin of inferior quality quickly and efficiently. This publication presents a rapid method for quantifying MOAH by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H qNMR) in anhydrous cosmetics such as lipstick, lip gloss, and lip balm. A sample clean-up using solid-phase extraction (SPE) was developed for the complete removal of interfering aromatic substances to improve the robustness of the method for analysing compounded cosmetics. In preliminary trials using silica gel thin-layer chromatography, the retention behaviour of 21 common aromatic compounds was tested in eluents with different solvent strength including EtOAc, MeOH, cyclohexane, and dichloromethane. Based on these results, the SPE sample cleanup with silica gel and cyclohexane as an eluent was suggested as best suitable for the purpose. The SPE cleanup was successfully achieved for all tested potentially interfering aromatic cosmetic ingredients except for butylated hydroxytoluene. The recovery for lipophilic cosmetics is more than 80% based on naphthalene as calculation equivalent. Furthermore, a specific sample preparation for the examination of lipsticks was implemented. The SPE cleanup was validated, and the robustness of the method was tested on 57 samples from the retail trade. The ¹H qNMR method is a good complement to the LC-GC-FID method, which is predominantly used for the determination of MOSH and MOAH. Chromatographic problems such as migration of MOSH into the MOAH fraction during LC-GC-FID can be avoided

CHD1L: a new candidate gene for congenital anomalies of the kidneys and urinary tract (CAKUT)

Background. Recently, we identified a microduplication in chromosomal band 1q21.1 encompassing the CHD1L/ALC1 gene encoding a chromatin-remodelling enzyme in congenital anomalies of the kidneys and urinary tract (CAKUT) patient. Methods. To explore the role of CHD1L in CAKUT, we screened 85 CAKUT patients for mutations in the CHD1L gene and performed functional analyses of the three heterozygous missense variants detected. In addition, we quantitatively determined CHD1L expression in multiple human fetal and adult tissues and analysed expression of CHD1L protein in human embryonal, adult and hydronephrotic kidney sections. Results. Two of three novel heterozygous missense variants identified in three patients were not found in >400 control chromosomes. All variants lead to amino acid substitutions in or near the CHD1L macro domain, a poly-ADP-ribose (PAR)-binding module interacting with PAR polymerase 1 (PARP1), and showed decreased interaction with PARP1 by pull-down assay of transfected cell lysates. Quantitative messenger RNA analysis demonstrated high CHD1L expression in human fetal kidneys, and levels were four times higher than in adult kidneys. In the human embryo at 7-11 weeks gestation, CHD1L immunolocalized in the early ureteric bud and the S- and comma-shaped bodies, critical stages of kidney development. In normal postnatal sections, CHD1L was expressed in the cytoplasm of tubular cells in all tubule segments. CHD1L expression appeared higher in the hydronephrotic kidney of one patient with a hypofunctional CHD1L variant than in normal kidneys, recapitulating high fetal levels. Conclusion. Our data suggest that CHD1L plays a role in kidney development and may be a new candidate gene for CAKU