Epithelial integrin alpha 6 beta 4: complete primary structure of alpha 6 and variant forms of beta 4.

The integrin alpha 6 beta 4 is a heterodimer predominantly expressed by epithelia. While no definite receptor function has yet been assigned to it, this integrin may mediate adhesive and/or migratory functions of epithelial cells. We have determined the complete primary structure of both the alpha 6 and beta 4 subunits from cDNA clones isolated from pancreatic carcinoma cell line libraries. The deduced amino acid sequence of alpha 6 is homologous to other integrin alpha chains (18-26% identity). Antibodies to an alpha 6 carboxy terminus peptide immunoprecipitated alpha 6 beta 4 complexes from carcinoma cells and alpha 6 beta 1 complexes from platelets, providing further evidence for the association of alpha 6 with more than one beta subunit. The deduced amino acid sequence of beta 4 predicts an extracellular portion homologous to other integrin beta chains, and a unique cytoplasmic domain comprised of greater than 1,000 residues. This agrees with the structures of the beta 4 cDNAs from normal epithelial cells (Suzuki, S., and Y. Naitoh. 1990. EMBO [Eur. Mol. Biol. Organ.] J. 9:757-763; Hogervost, F., I. Kuikman, A. E. G. Kr. von dem Borne, and A. Sonnenberg. 1990. EMBO [Eur. Mol. Biol. Organ.] J. 9:765-770). Compared to these structures, however, the beta 4 cDNAs that we have cloned from carcinoma cells contain extra sequences. One of these is located in the 5'-untranslated region, and may encode regulatory sequences. Another specifies a segment of 70 amino acids in the cytoplasmic tail. Amplification by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction of mRNA indicated that multiple forms of beta 4 may exist, possibly due to cell-type specific alternative splicing. The unique structure of beta 4 suggests its involvement in novel cytoskeletal interactions. Consistent with this possibility, alpha 6 beta 4 is mostly concentrated on the basal surface of epithelial cells, but does not colocalize with components of adhesion plaques

Measuring velocity and turbulent diffusivity in wall-flow filters using compressed sensing magnetic resonance

Gas-phase compressed sensing magnetic resonance methods have been used to image gas flow velocity and turbulent diffusivity in wall-flow particulate filters. Two-dimensional magnetic resonance velocity imaging was used to observe the local distribution of gas velocity in the direction of superficial flow (z) in the entrance and exit regions of the filter at an in-plane spatial resolution of 140 µm (x) × 140 µm (y) and 140 µm (x) × 390 µm (z) perpendicular to and parallel with the direction of superficial flow, respectively. Images were acquired in 14 min. Three-dimensional images of the turbulent diffusivity were acquired at a spatial resolution of 280 µm (x) × 280 µm (y) × 1250 µm (z) for channel Reynolds numbers, Rec, of 210, 360, 720 and 1140. These data provide evidence of regions of turbulence inside the filter that has not been predicted by earlier numerical simulations. For Rec = 1140, a three-dimensional velocity image was also obtained at the same spatial resolution as the image of turbulent diffusivity; the data acquisition time was 2 h. Co-registration of these two images enables visualisation of the spatial extent and magnitude of these two characteristics of the flow field.JDC would like to thank Johnson Matthey and the EPSRC for a CASE award (award reference 1628588)

Assessing the use of NMR chemical shifts for prediction of VLE in non-ideal binary liquid mixtures

A method of estimating vapour liquid equilibrium (VLE) using NMR chemical shift data has been proposed by Xu et al. (2012). This method is based on the concept that the average local composition around each species is determined by the thermodynamics of the system, and also determines the screening of the NMR active groups within that molecule, and so their NMR chemical shifts. Xu et al.‘s method has been replicated and verified; results are confirmed to be accurate for alcohol + hydrocarbon mixtures, giving VLE predictions of comparable accuracy to the UNIFAC, generally considered the best predictive activity coefficient model available. However, for more strongly non-ideal mixtures, the method becomes less reliable, giving significantly less accurate predictions of total pressure than UNIFAC. Several causes for this are identified. The model proposed by Xu et al. (2012) is unable to fit minima or maxima in chemical shifts, which are observed experimentally in some binary mixtures. Different NMR resonances within the same molecule lead to different predictions of VLE, clearly an un-physical result. The thermodynamics of strongly non-ideal mixtures are determined by more complex interactions than a simple description of average local composition around each component in the mixtures, for example strong and directional hydrogen bonds. Different groups within the same molecule may have different local compositions in their immediate vicinity; for example in the case of alcohol + water mixtures, one would expect a clustering of water molecules around the hydroxyl group but not the aliphatic group. Hence, the concept of a simple local composition model is not valid for these more complex cases, and it is therefore not surprising that a model based on this simple concept is often not effective in predicting VLE.C. D’Agostino would like to acknowledge Wolfson College, Cambridge, for supporting his research activities.This is the accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0009250914004461

Complete genome sequences of clinical Pandoraea fibrosis isolates

Pandoraea fibrosis is a newly identified Gram-negative bacterial species that was isolated from the respiratory tract of an Australian cystic fibrosis patient. The complete assembled genome sequences of two consecutive isolates (second isolate collected 11 months after antibiotic treatment) from the same individual are presented here

The association between women's sanitation experiences and mental health: A cross-sectional study in Rural, Odisha India.

Emerging qualitative research suggests women's sanitation experiences may impact mental health. However, specific associations remain unclear. We aimed to determine if sanitation access and sanitation experiences were associated with mental health among women in rural Odisha, India. Using a cross-sectional design, we evaluated the association between sanitation access and sanitation experiences and selected mental health outcomes. Data were collected from 1347 randomly selected women across four life course stages in 60 rural communities (December 2014-February 2015). Our four primary outcomes included: mental well-being, and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and distress. The primary exposures were (1) access to a functional latrine within the household compound and (2) sanitation insecurity (SI), evaluated using a seven domain measure assessing women's negative sanitation experiences and concerns. We used hierarchical linear modeling to determine associations between the exposures and mental health outcomes, adjusting for covariates (life stage, poverty, current health status, social support). Mean well-being scores were moderate and mean anxiety, depression, and distress scores were above a threshold indicating the potential presence of any of the three conditions. Access to a functional household latrine was associated with higher well-being scores, but not with anxiety, depression or distress. Women's SI domains were associated with all four outcomes: four domains were significantly associated with lower well-being scores, two were significantly associated with higher anxiety scores, three were significantly associated with higher depression scores, and three were significantly associated with higher distress scores, all independent of functional household latrine access. Women in rural Odisha, India may suffer assaults to their well-being and have higher symptoms of anxiety, depression, and distress when urinating and defecating, even if they have an available facility. These findings suggest that sanitation-related interventions should consider how to accommodate women's experiences beyond excreta management to comprehensively impact health

Assessing the long-term effects of zero-tillage on the macroporosity of Brazilian soils using X-ray Computed Tomography

Zero-tillage (ZT) is being increasingly adopted globally as a conservationist management system due to the environmental and agronomic benefits it provides. However, there remains little information on the tillage effect on soil pore characteristics such as shape, size and distribution, which in turn affect soil physical, chemical and biological processes. X-ray micro Computed Tomography (μCT) facilitates a non-destructive method to assess soil structural properties in three-dimensions. We used X-ray μCT at a resolution of 70 μm to assess and calculate the shape, size and connectivity of the pore network in undisturbed soil samples collected from a long-term experiment (~30 years) under zero tillage (ZT) and conventional tillage (CT) systems in Botucatu, Southeastern Brazil. In both systems, a single, large pore (>1000 mm3) typically contributed to a large proportion of macroporosity, 91% in CT and 97% in ZT. Macroporosity was higher in ZT (19.7%) compared to CT (14.3%). However the average number of pores was almost twice in CT than ZT. The largest contribution in both treatments was from very complex shaped pores, followed by triaxial and acircular shaped. Pore connectivity analysis indicated that the soil under ZT was more connected that the soil under CT. Soil under CT had larger values of tortuosity than ZT in line with the connectivity results. The results from this study indicate that long-term adoption of ZT leads to higher macroporosity and connectivity of pores which is likely to have positive implications for nutrient cycling, root growth, soil gas fluxes and water dynamics

Assessing Women's Negative Sanitation Experiences and Concerns: The Development of a Novel Sanitation Insecurity Measure.

Lack of access to acceptable sanitation facilities can expose individuals, particularly women, to physical, social, and mental health risks. While some of the challenges have been documented, standard metrics are needed to determine the extent to which women have urination- and defecation-related concerns and negative experiences. Such metrics also are needed to assess the effectiveness of interventions to mitigate them. We developed a sanitation insecurity measure to capture the range and frequency of women's sanitation-related concerns and negative experiences. Research was conducted in rural Odisha, India with women across various life course stages to reflect a range of perspectives. This paper documents the mixed data collection methods and the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses we employed to arrive at a final measure. The final sanitation insecurity measure includes 50 items across seven factors that reflect the physical environment, the social environment, and individual-level constraints. Most factor scores were significantly higher for unmarried women and for women who lacked access to functional latrines, indicating social and environmental influence on experiences. This measure will enable researchers to evaluate how sanitation insecurity affects health and to determine if and how sanitation interventions ameliorate women's concerns and negative experiences associated with sanitation

Two-step stabilization of orbital order and the dynamical frustration of spin in the model charge-transfer insulator KCuF3

We report a combined experimental and theoretical study of KCuF3, which offers - because of this material's relatively simple lattice structure and valence configuration (d9, i.e., one hole in the d-shell) - a particularly clear view of the essential role of the orbital degree of freedom in governing the dynamical coupling between the spin and lattice degrees of freedom. We present Raman and x-ray scattering evidence that the phase behaviour of KCuF3 is dominated above the Neel temperature (T_N = 40 K) by coupled orbital/lattice fluctuations that are likely associated with rotations of the CuF6 octahedra, and we show that these orbital fluctuations are interrupted by a static structural distortion that occurs just above T_N. A detailed model of the orbital and magnetic phases of KCuF3 reveals that these orbital fluctuations - and the related frustration of in-plane spin-order-are associated with the presence of nearly degenerate low-energy spin-orbital states that are highly susceptible to thermal fluctuations over a wide range of temperatures. A striking implication of these results is that the ground state of KCuF3 at ambient pressure lies near a quantum critical point associated with an orbital/spin liquid phase that is obscured by emergent Neel ordering of the spins; this exotic liquid phase might be accessible via pressure studies.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figure

Tripartite interactions between two phase qubits and a resonant cavity

The creation and manipulation of multipartite entangled states is important for advancements in quantum computation and communication, and for testing our fundamental understanding of quantum mechanics and precision measurements. Multipartite entanglement has been achieved by use of various forms of quantum bits (qubits), such as trapped ions, photons, and atoms passing through microwave cavities. Quantum systems based on superconducting circuits have been used to control pair-wise interactions of qubits, either directly, through a quantum bus, or via controllable coupling. Here, we describe the first demonstration of coherent interactions of three directly coupled superconducting quantum systems, two phase qubits and a resonant cavity. We introduce a simple Bloch-sphere-like representation to help one visualize the unitary evolution of this tripartite system as it shares a single microwave photon. With careful control and timing of the initial conditions, this leads to a protocol for creating a rich variety of entangled states. Experimentally, we provide evidence for the deterministic evolution from a simple product state, through a tripartite W-state, into a bipartite Bell-state. These experiments are another step towards deterministically generating multipartite entanglement in superconducting systems with more than two qubits

A prospective seroepidemiological study of toxocariasis during early childhood in coastal Ecuador: potential for congenital transmission and risk factors for infection.

BACKGROUND: Although Toxocara spp. infection has a worldwide distribution, to our knowledge, no data from birth cohorts have been reported in published studies on the potential for congenital transmission and determinants of infection in early childhood. METHODS: We followed 290 mother-infant pairs from birth to 5 years of age through periodic collection of data and samples at birth, 7 and 13 months and 2, 3 and 5 years of age. Data on potential risk factors and confounders were collected by maternal questionnaire. Blood for plasma was collected from the mother at time of birth and periodically from the child for detection of anti-Toxocara spp. immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies using a Toxocara canis larval excretory-secretory antigen-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Stool samples were collected from the mother around the time of birth and periodically from the child for microscopic detection of soil-transmitted helminths (STH). Associations between potential risk factors and Toxocara spp. seroprevalence and seroconversion were estimated using multivariable logistic regression and generalized estimating equations. RESULTS: Toxocara spp. seroprevalence was 80.7% in mothers and in children was 0%, 9.3%, 48.4%, 64.9%, and 80.9% at 7 months, 13 months, 2, 3 and 5 years, respectively. Risk factors significantly associated with increases in seroprevalence over the first 5 years of life in multivariable analyses were age [Odds ratio (OR) 2.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.39-2.27, P < 0001], male sex (female vs. male: OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.48-0.89, P = 0.006), maternal ethnicity (non-Afro vs. Afro-Ecuadorian: OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.47-0.91, P = 0.011), lower maternal educational and socioeconomic level, and childhood STH (OR 2.29, 95% CI 1.51-3.47, P < 0.001). Seroconversion rates for infection were greatest at 2 years of age (3.8%/month). Factors associated significantly with seroconversion at 2, 3 or 5 years were childhood STH infection, male sex, and more frequent domestic cat exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Our data, from an area of high Toxocara spp. endemicity, indicate no congenital transmission but high rates of seroconversion after 13 months of age reaching maternal levels of seroprevalence by 5 years of age. Factors associated with seroprevalence and seroconversion included STH infections, domestic cats, maternal ethnicity, male sex, STH infections, and markers of greater poverty