A Network of Text, Data and People for the Earth System Sciences

Earth System Science is an outstanding example of a field of research which yields important results especially when conducted in multidisciplinary and global cooperation. The International Polar Year and its expected legacy are used as an example to illustrate this assertion and the financial and intellectual expense invested. It follows that any effort to make more out of the globally distributed – if not fragmented – results and to network the knowledge gained would be valuable indeed. An experimental implementation of such a system, connecting journal articles to datasets, expeditions and researchers involved, is introduced. Some developments necessary to implement comparable and more powerful systems on a global scale are discussed

Functional Scaffold‐Free Bone Equivalents Induce Osteogenic and Angiogenic Processes in a Human In Vitro Fracture Hematoma Model

After trauma, the formed fracture hematoma within the fracture gap contains all the important components (immune/stem cells, mediators) to initiate bone regeneration immediately. Thus, it is of great importance but also the most susceptible to negative influences. To study the interaction between bone and immune cells within the fracture gap, up-to-date in vitro systems should be capable of recapitulating cellular and humoral interactions and the physicochemical microenvironment (eg, hypoxia). Here, we first developed and characterized scaffold-free bone-like constructs (SFBCs), which were produced from bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) using a macroscale mesenchymal condensation approach. SFBCs revealed permeating mineralization characterized by increased bone volume (mu CT, histology) and expression of osteogenic markers (RUNX2, SPP1, RANKL). Fracture hematoma (FH) models, consisting of human peripheral blood (immune cells) mixed with MSCs, were co-cultivated with SFBCs under hypoxic conditions. As a result, FH models revealed an increased expression of osteogenic (RUNX2, SPP1), angiogenic (MMP2, VEGF), HIF-related (LDHA, PGK1), and inflammatory (IL6, IL8) markers after 12 and 48 hours co-cultivation. Osteogenic and angiogenic gene expression of the FH indicate the osteoinductive potential and, thus, the biological functionality of the SFBCs. IL-6, IL-8, GM-CSF, and MIP-1 beta were detectable within the supernatant after 24 and 48 hours of co-cultivation. To confirm the responsiveness of our model to modifying substances (eg, therapeutics), we used deferoxamine (DFO), which is well known to induce a cellular hypoxic adaptation response. Indeed, DFO particularly increased hypoxia-adaptive, osteogenic, and angiogenic processes within the FH models but had little effect on the SFBCs, indicating different response dynamics within the co-cultivation system. Therefore, based on our data, we have successfully modeled processes within the initial fracture healing phase in vitro and concluded that the cross-talk between bone and immune cells in the initial fracture healing phase is of particular importance for preclinical studies. (c) 2021 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR)

Optical properties of polymeric materials for concentrator photovoltaic systems

a b s t r a c t As part of our research on materials for concentrator photovoltaics (CPV), we are evaluating the optical properties and solar radiation durability of a number of polymeric materials with potential in CPV applications. For optical materials in imaging or non-imaging optical systems, detailed knowledge of the wavelength-dependent complex index of refraction is important for system design and performance, yet optical properties for many polymeric systems are not available in the literature. Here we report the index of refraction, optical absorbance, haze, and Urbach edge analysis results of various polymers of interest for CPV systems. These values were derived from ellipsometry and from using a VUV-VASE and transmission based absorbance spectroscopy on thick film samples. Fluoropolymers such as poly(tetrafluoroethylene-co-hexafluoropropylene) (Teflon s FEP), poly(tetrafluoroethylene-co-perfluoropropyl vinyl ether) (Teflon s PFA) and poly(ethylene-co-tetrafluoroethylene) (Teflon s ETFE Film) have desirable optical and physical properties for optical applications in CPV. Ethylene backbone polymers such as polyvinylbutyral (PVB) sheet (e.g., DuPont TM PV5200), and ethylene co-polymers such as poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (EVA) (e.g., DuPont TM Elvax s PV1400), and poly(ethylene-co-methacrylic acid metal salt) ionomer sheet (e.g., DuPont TM PV5300) have applications as encapsulants in crystalline silicon (c-Si) and other flat plate PV applications. These materials are available with both a wide variety of polymer compositions and additive packages which affect their optical properties such as the UV absorption edge. Even materials such as DuPont's Kapton s polyimide films, which are used behind the PV cell for their electrically insulating properties, have optical requirements, and we have also characterized these materials. The detailed optical properties of these materials will be useful in the design of the geometrical optics of a CPV system and optimization of the system's optical throughput. This information will also provide insights into the system's optical absorption. This is important, for example in the UV, where this absorption can impact the radiation durability of the materials

Perceptions of Tenure and Tenure Reform in Academic Pharmacy

Objectives. To determine the academic pharmacy community’s perceptions of and recommendations for tenure and tenure reform

The IntAct molecular interaction database in 2012

IntAct is an open-source, open data molecular interaction database populated by data either curated from the literature or from direct data depositions. Two levels of curation are now available within the database, with both IMEx-level annotation and less detailed MIMIx-compatible entries currently supported. As from September 2011, IntAct contains approximately 275 000 curated binary interaction evidences from over 5000 publications. The IntAct website has been improved to enhance the search process and in particular the graphical display of the results. New data download formats are also available, which will facilitate the inclusion of IntAct's data in the Semantic Web. IntAct is an active contributor to the IMEx consortium (http://www.imexconsortium.org). IntAct source code and data are freely available at http://www.ebi.ac.uk/intact

Comparative assessment of clinical rating scales in Wilson’s disease

Background: Wilson’s disease (WD) is an autosomal recessive disorder of copper metabolism resulting in multifaceted neurological, hepatic, and psychiatric symptoms. The objective of the study was to comparatively assess two clinical rating scales for WD, the Unified Wilson’s Disease Rating Scale (UWDRS) and the Global Assessment Scale for Wilson’s disease (GAS for WD), and to test the feasibility of the patient reported part of the UWDRS neurological subscale (termed the “minimal UWDRS”). Methods: In this prospective, monocentric, cross-sectional study, 65 patients (median age 35 [range: 15–62] years; 33 female, 32 male) with treated WD were scored according to the two rating scales. Results: The UWDRS neurological subscore correlated with the GAS for WD Tier 2 score (r = 0.80; p < 0.001). Correlations of the UWDRS hepatic subscore and the GAS for WD Tier 1 score with both the Model for End Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score (r = 0.44/r = 0.28; p < 0.001/p = 0.027) and the Child-Pugh score (r = 0.32/r = 0.12; p = 0.015/p = 0.376) were weak. The “minimal UWDRS” score significantly correlated with the UWDRS total score (r = 0.86), the UWDRS neurological subscore (r = 0.89), and the GAS for WD Tier 2 score (r = 0.86). Conclusions: The UWDRS neurological and psychiatric subscales and the GAS for WD Tier 2 score are valuable tools for the clinical assessment of WD patients. The “minimal UWDRS” is a practical prescreening tool outside scientific trials

Null Mutations in EphB Receptors Decrease Sharpness of Frequency Tuning in Primary Auditory Cortex

Primary auditory cortex (A1) exhibits a tonotopic representation of characteristic frequency (CF). The receptive field properties of A1 neurons emerge from a combination of thalamic inputs and intracortical connections. However, the mechanisms that guide growth of these inputs during development and shape receptive field properties remain largely unknown. We previously showed that Eph family proteins help establish tonotopy in the auditory brainstem. Moreover, other studies have shown that these proteins shape topography in visual and somatosensory cortices. Here, we examined the contribution of Eph proteins to cortical organization of CF, response thresholds and sharpness of frequency tuning. We examined mice with null mutations in EphB2 and EphB3, as these mice show significant changes in auditory brainstem connectivity. We mapped A1 using local field potential recordings in adult EphB2−/−;EphB3−/− and EphB3−/− mice, and in a central A1 location inserted a 16-channel probe to measure tone-evoked current-source density (CSD) profiles. Based on the shortest-latency current sink in the middle layers, which reflects putative thalamocortical input, we determined frequency receptive fields and sharpness of tuning (Q20) for each recording site. While both mutant mouse lines demonstrated increasing CF values from posterior to anterior A1 similar to wild type mice, we found that the double mutant mice had significantly lower Q20 values than either EphB3−/− mice or wild type mice, indicating broader tuning. In addition, we found that the double mutants had significantly higher CF thresholds and longer onset latency at threshold than mice with wild type EphB2. These results demonstrate that EphB receptors influence auditory cortical responses, and suggest that EphB signaling has multiple functions in auditory system development