SSPC (Solid State Proton Conductors 15 Meeting

The field of solid state protonics has had a small but dedicated following for the past several decades. The collection of papers compiled in this special issue of Solid State Ionics were presented at the most recent international conference focused specifically on this topic, the 15th International Conference on Solid State Proton Conductors (SSPC-15) held in Santa Barbara, California, United States, August 15-20, 2010. Early recognition of the importance of proton transport in solids led to the establishment of the first meeting in this series in 1981, held in Paris in the form of a Danish-Frenchworkshop. The subsequent thirteen meetingswere all held inWestern Europe,with increasing participation from Asian, Eastern European and North and South American researchers. In recognition of the growing international interest in the field, SSPC-14 was held in Kyoto, Japan. SSPC-15, the first North American meeting in this series, built on the momentum of internationalization achieved in SSPC-14, ensuring that the best and brightest minds continue to contribute to the important problems still facing the understanding and manipulation of proton transport in solids. This occasion warrants an update to the SSPC history, and is given. Overall, the oxide proton conductors were the topic of greatest interest, reflecting the deep history of Japanese involvement in these materials. Critical advances were described in both the understanding of the transport properties and the fabrication of technological devices, with particular emphasis on fuel cells. Interest in polymer and oxyacid proton conductors was also high, as with previous meetings. Again, advances in fundamental mechanistic understanding of proton transport pathways were reported in parallel with advances in device development. While only a subset of papers presented at SSPC-15 are included in this special issue, the articles reflect the breadth of topics covered. The reader is encouraged to browse the papers beyond his or her area of expertise to experience directly the remarkable breakthroughs reported at SSPC-15

Are people with negative diabetes screening tests falsely reassured? Parallel group cohort study embedded in the ADDITION (Cambridge) randomised controlled trial

Objective To assess whether receiving a negative test result at primary care based stepwise diabetes screening results in false reassurance

Psychological dimensions of retirement.

The chapters that follow examine the character of, and issues relating to, western retirement experiences. As our populations age, issues relating to the nature of retirement are of growing importance. Population ageing is a global issue. For instance, Jacobsen, Kent, Lee, & Mather (2011) report that currently one-fifth of the Japanese population is aged over 65 and estimated to increase to one-third of the population by 2040. Based on Bogomolny’s (2004) calculations, by 2025, there will 2 workers in Japan for every person over 65. By 2030 to 2040, 20% of the United States population (i.e., 70 million people), will be aged over 65 (Conrad Glass & Flynn, 2000; Jacobsen, Kent, Lee & Mather, 2011). A drop in the number of workers per government funded beneficiaries from 3.3. to 2.2 has also been predicted (Social Security Board of Trustees, 2008). Many European countries will have similarly high proportions of their population aged over 65 (Heyma, 2004) with concomitant dependency ratios, as will Australia and New Zealand (Kippen, 2002; Statistics New Zealand, 2012). In the 1970s and 1980s there was a trend toward early retirement, however this began to be reversed in many countries in the 1990s. Participation rates in most OECD countries for older workers (50-64 years) have increased to an average of 63% in 2008. Some countries have seen considerable increases in participation rates for these workers (e.g. New Zealand, Netherlands) and in even older workers (65-69 years) (OECD, 2011). Along with the increasing expansion of working lives has come an evolution of the pathways to retirement. Retirement is no longer necessarily a “clean break” from the workforce, with many researchers arguing that the transition from work to retirement is now “blurred”. Retirement is not a single discrete event but can be viewed as an individual process, where for many paid employment still plays a significant role well into the “third age”. The changing nature of retirement over the past few decades highlights the need to continually reassess how we conceptualise it in the literature and how it impacts on the individual, organisations and society. This book seeks to address some of the psychological dimensions of retirement prominent in the literature. The initial chapter of this book outlines a number of definitions pertinent to the topic of retirement. This is followed by an examination of issues that affect retirement decisions. Next, psychological wellbeing and physical health issues are examined in relation to retirement. The final chapters examine the interplay between work and retirement, the role of leisure in retirement, the experiences of women, and the sources and role of social support in retirement

Revisiting spin ice physics in the ferromagnetic Ising pyrochlore Pr2_2Sn2_2O7_7

Pyrochlore materials are characterized by their hallmark network of corner-sharing rare-earth tetrahedra, which can produce a wide array of complex magnetic ground states. Ferromagnetic Ising pyrochlores often obey the "two-in-two-out" spin ice rules, which can lead to a highly-degenerate spin structure. Large moment systems, such as Ho$_2$Ti$_2$O$_7$ and Dy$_2$Ti$_2$O$_7$, tend to host a classical spin ice state with low-temperature spin freezing and emergent magnetic monopoles. Systems with smaller effective moments, such as Pr$^{3+}$-based pyrochlores, have been proposed as excellent candidates for hosting a "quantum spin ice" characterized by entanglement and a slew of exotic quasiparticle excitations. However, experimental evidence for a quantum spin ice state has remained elusive. Here, we show that the low-temperature magnetic properties of Pr$_2$Sn$_2$O$_7$ satisfy several important criteria for continued consideration as a quantum spin ice. We find that Pr$_2$Sn$_2$O$_7$ exhibits a partially spin-frozen ground state with a large volume fraction of dynamic magnetism. Our comprehensive bulk characterization and neutron scattering measurements enable us to map out the magnetic field-temperature phase diagram, producing results consistent with expectations for a ferromagnetic Ising pyrochlore. We identify key hallmarks of spin ice physics, and show that the application of small magnetic fields ($\mu_0 H_c \sim$0.75T) suppresses the spin ice state and induces a long-range ordered magnetic structure. Together, our work clarifies the current state of Pr$_2$Sn$_2$O$_7$ and encourages future studies aimed at exploring the potential for a quantum spin ice ground state in this system

Controlling Noncollinear Ferromagnetism in van der Waals Metal–Organic Magnets

Van der Waals (vdW) magnets both allow exploration of fundamental 2D physics and offer a route toward exploiting magnetism in next generation information technology, but vdW magnets with complex, noncollinear spin textures are currently rare. We report here the syntheses, crystal structures, magnetic properties and magnetic ground states of four bulk vdW metal–organic magnets (MOMs): FeCl2(pym), FeCl2(btd), NiCl2(pym), and NiCl2(btd), pym = pyrimidine and btd = 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole. Using a combination of neutron diffraction and bulk magnetometry we show that these materials are noncollinear magnets. Although only NiCl2(btd) has a ferromagnetic ground state, we demonstrate that low-field hysteretic metamagnetic transitions produce states with net magnetization in zero-field and high coercivities for FeCl2(pym) and NiCl2(pym). By combining our bulk magnetic data with diffuse scattering analysis and broken-symmetry density-functional calculations, we probe the magnetic superexchange interactions, which when combined with symmetry analysis allow us to suggest design principles for future noncollinear vdW MOMs. These materials, if delaminated, would prove an interesting new family of 2D magnets

Protocol for population testing of an Internet-based Personalised Decision Support system for colorectal cancer screening

Extent: 8p.Background: Australia has a comparatively high incidence of colorectal (bowel) cancer; however, population screening uptake using faecal occult blood test (FOBT) remains low. This study will determine the impact on screening participation of a novel, Internet-based Personalised Decision Support (PDS) package. The PDS is designed to measure attitudes and cognitive concerns and provide people with individually tailored information, in real time, that will assist them with making a decision to screen. The hypothesis is that exposure to (tailored) PDS will result in greater participation in screening than participation following exposure to non-tailored PDS or resulting from the current non-tailored, paper-based approach. Methods/design: A randomised parallel trial comprising three arms will be conducted. Men and women aged 50-74 years (N = 3240) will be recruited. They must have access to the Internet; have not had an FOBT within the previous 12 months, or sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy within the previous 5 years; have had no clinical diagnosis of bowel cancer. Groups 1 and 2 (PDS arms) will access a website and complete a baseline survey measuring decision-to-screen stage, attitudes and cognitive concerns and will receive immediate feedback; Group 1 will receive information 'tailored' to their responses in the baseline survey and group 2 will received 'non-tailored' bowel cancer information. Respondents in both groups will subsequently receive an FOBT kit. Group 3 (usual practice arm) will complete a paper-based version of the baseline survey and respondents will subsequently receive 'non-tailored' paper-based bowel cancer information with accompanying FOBT kit. Following despatch of FOBTs, all respondents will be requested to complete an endpoint survey. Main outcome measures are (1) completion of FOBT and (2) change in decision-to-screen stage. Secondary outcomes include satisfaction with decision and change in attitudinal scores from baseline to endpoint. Analyses will be performed using Chi-square tests, analysis of variance and log binomial generalized linear models as appropriate. Discussion: It is necessary to restrict participants to Internet users to provide an appropriately controlled evaluation of PDS. Once efficacy of the approach has been established, it will be important to evaluate effectiveness in the wider at-risk population, and to identify barriers to its implementation in those settings.Carlene J Wilson, Ingrid HK Flight, Ian T Zajac, Deborah Turnbull, Graeme P Young, Stephen R Cole, Tess Gregor

Suppression of adenine nucleotide translocase-2 by vector-based siRNA in human breast cancer cells induces apoptosis and inhibits tumor growth in vitro and in vivo

INTRODUCTION: Adenine nucleotide translocator (ANT) 2 is highly expressed in proliferative cells, and ANT2 induction in cancer cells is known to be directly associated with glycolytic metabolisms and carcinogenesis. In addition, ANT2 repression results in the growth arrest of human cells, implying that ANT2 is a candidate for cancer therapy based on molecular targeting. METHODS: We utilized an ANT2-specific RNA interference approach to inhibit ANT2 expression for evaluating its antitumor effect in vitro and in vivo. Specifically, to investigate the therapeutic potential of ANT2 repression, we used a DNA vector-based RNA interference approach by expressing shRNA to knockdown ANT2 in breast cancer cell lines overexpressing ANT2. RESULTS: ANT2 shRNA treatment in breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 repressed cell growth as well as proliferation. In addition, cell cycle arrest, ATP depletion and apoptotic cell death characterized by the potential disruption of mitochondrial membrane were observed from the ANT2 shRNA-treated breast cancer cells. Apoptotic breast cancer cells transfected with ANT2 shRNA also induced a cytotoxic bystander effect that generates necrotic cell death to the neighboring cells. The intracellular levels of TNFalpha and TNF-receptor I were increased in ANT2 shRNA transfected cells and the bystander effect was partly blocked by anti-TNFalpha antibody. Ultimately, ANT2 shRNA effectively inhibited tumor growth in vivo. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that vector-based ANT2 RNA interference could be an efficient molecular therapeutic method for breast cancer with high expression of ANT2.This work was supported in part by the grants from the Cancer Research Center, and the Korean Science & Engineering Foundation through the Tumor Immunity Medical Research Center at Seoul National University College of Medicine

Transcription elongation factors represent in vivo cancer dependencies in glioblastoma

Glioblastoma is a universally lethal cancer with a median survival of approximately 15 months1. Despite substantial efforts to define druggable targets, there are no therapeutic options that meaningfully extend glioblastoma patient lifespan. While previous work has largely focused on in vitro cellular models, here we demonstrate a more physiologically relevant approach to target discovery in glioblastoma. We adapted pooled RNA interference (RNAi) screening technology2–4 for use in orthotopic patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models, creating a high-throughput negative selection screening platform in a functional in vivo tumour microenvironment. Using this approach, we performed parallel in vivo and in vitro screens and discovered that the chromatin and transcriptional regulators necessary for cell survival in vivo are non-overlapping with those required in vitro. We identified transcription pause-release and elongation factors as one set of in vivo-specific cancer dependencies and determined that these factors are necessary for enhancer-mediated transcriptional adaptations that enable cells to survive the tumour microenvironment. Our lead hit, JMJD6, mediates the upregulation of in vivo stress and stimulus response pathways through enhancer-mediated transcriptional pause-release, promoting cell survival specifically in vivo. Targeting JMJD6 or other identified elongation factors extends survival in orthotopic xenograft mouse models, supporting targeting the transcription elongation machinery as a therapeutic strategy for glioblastoma. More broadly, this study demonstrates the power of in vivo phenotypic screening to identify new classes of ‘cancer dependencies’ not identified by previous in vitro approaches, which could supply untapped opportunities for therapeutic intervention

Nonlinearities in biodielectrics

Bibliography: p. 114-120