Anisotropic electronic state via spontaneous phase separation in strained vanadium dioxide films

We resolved the enigma of anisotropic electronic transport in strained vanadium dioxide (VO2) films by inquiring into the role that strain plays in the nanoscale phase separation in the vicinity of the insulator-to-metal transition. The root source of the anisotropy was visualized as the formation of a peculiar unidirectional stripe state which accompanies the phase transition. Furthermore, nanoscale infrared spectroscopy unveils distinct facets of electron-lattice interplay at three different stages of the phase transition. These stages include the initial formation of sparse nonpercolating metallic domains without noticeable involvement of the lattice followed by an electron-lattice coupled anisotropic stripe state close to percolation which ultimately evolves into a nearly isotropic rutile metallic phase. Our results provide a unique mesoscopic perspective for the tunable macroscopic phenomena in strained metal oxide films.

LXRα-mediated downregulation of FOXM1 suppresses the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Liver X receptors (LXRs), including LXRα and LXRβ isoforms, have important roles in the metabolic regulation of glucose, cholesterol and lipid. Moreover, activation of LXRs also represses the expression of cyclin D1 and cyclin B1, and thus suppresses the proliferation of multiple cancer cells, but the relevant mechanism is not well known. Forkhead box M1 (FOXM1) is a proliferation-specific member of forkhead box family, which is highly expressed in proliferating normal cells and numerous cancer cells. FOXM1 directly activates transcription of cyclin D1 and cyclin B1, resulting in the enhancement of cell cycle progression and cell proliferation. However, it is unclear whether LXRs are involved in the regulation of FOXM1. In this study, we demonstrated that specific LXRs agonists downregulated expression of FOXM1, cyclin D1 and cyclin B1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells, which led to cell cycle and cell proliferation arrest. Knockdown of FOXM1 significantly alleviated LXRs activation-mediated cell cycle arrest and cell growth suppression. Reporter assays showed that the activation of LXRs significantly reduced the transcriptional activity of FOXM1 promoter. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that LXRα but not LXRβ could bind to an inverted repeat IR2 (-52CCGTCAcgTGACCT-39) in the promoter region of FOXM1 gene. Moreover, the xenograft tumor growth and the corresponding FOXM1 expression in nude mice were dramatically repressed by LXRs agonists. Taken together, we conclude that LXRα but not LXRβ functions as a transcriptional repressor for FOXM1 expression. The pathway 'LXRα-FOXM1-cyclin D1/cyclin B1' is a novel mechanism by which LXRs suppress the proliferation of HCC cells, suggesting that the pathway may be a novel target for HCC treatment.

Report summary. Diabetes in Canada: facts and figures from a public health perspective

"Diabetes in Canada: facts and figures from a public health perspective" is the first comprehensive diabetes surveillance report published by the Public Health Agency of Canada. The report aims to support public health professionals and organizations in developing effective, evidence-based public health policies and programs to prevent and manage diabetes and its complications. The report, developed in collaboration with provincial and territorial governments, the Canadian Diabetes Association, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, CNIB, Health Canada and the academic community, uses data from national health surveys and vital statistics, as well as population-based administrative data from the Canadian Chronic Disease Surveillance System (CCDSS). For the first time, the CCDSS contains data from all 13 Canadian jurisdictions. Using CCDSS data representing cases of diagnosed diabetes among Canadians aged one year and older, Diabetes in Canada presents prevalence and incidence national rates from the fiscal year 2008/2009 and national trends from 1998/1999 onwards. The report also outlines sub-populations at higher risk, ways of reducing the risks of developing the disease and its complications, and estimates of related economic costs. In addition, it contains sections on specific populations, including children and youth and First Nations, Inuit and Métis populations.

Transcriptome-wide survey and expression analysis of stress-responsive NAC genes in Chrysanthemum lavandulifolium

The plant-specific NAC (NAM, ATAF, and CUC) transcription factor family plays a vital role in various plant growth and developmental processes as well as in stress resistance. Using RNA sequencing, we found that the ClNAC genes (ClNAC1-44) were the most strongly up-regulated transcription factor family in Chrysanthemum lavandulifolium leaves under salt treatment. We carried out reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction to monitor ClNAC genes response against multiple stresses and hormonal treatments including salt, drought, cold, heat, abscisic acid and salicylic acid treatments. The results showed that 35 ClNAC genes were differentially expressed in different organ, and 32 ClNAC genes could respond to at least 2 kinds of treatments. Quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction showed that 10 ClNAC genes belonging to 7 different subfamilies could respond to at least 5 kinds of treatments. Over 50-fold variation in transcriptional levels of ClNAC17 and ClNAC21 genes was observed under 6 different types of treatments. In the present study, high-level expression of ClNAC genes under abiotic stresses and hormonal treatments suggests that the NAC transcription factors play important roles in abiotic stress tolerance and adaptation.

Mesoporous carbon for capacitive deionization of saline water

Self-assembled mesoporous carbon (MC) materials have been synthesized and tested for application in capacitive deionization (CDI) of saline water. MC was prepared by self-assembly of a triblock copolymer with hydrogen-bonded chains via a phenolic resin, such as resorcinol or phloroglucinol in acidic conditions, followed by carbonization and, in some cases, activation by KOH. Carbon synthesized in this way was ground into powder, from which activated MC sheets were produced. In a variation of this process, after the reaction of triblock copolymer with resorcinol or phloroglucinol, the gel that was formed was used to coat a graphite plate and then carbonized. The coated graphite plate in this case was not activated and was tested to serve as current collector during the CDI process. The performance of these MC materials was compared to that of carbon aerogel for salt concentrations ranging between 1000 ppm and 35,000 ppm. Resorcinol-based MC removed up to 15.2 mg salt per gram of carbon, while carbon aerogel removed 5.8 mg salt per gram of carbon. Phloroglucinol-based MC-coated graphite exhibited the highest ion removal capacity at 21 mg of salt per gram of carbon for 35,000 ppm salt concentration.

Evidence that the kinase-truncated c-Src regulates NF-κB signaling by targeting NEMO

The tyrosine kinase c-Src and transcription factor NF-κB are considered crucial components required for normal osteoclastogenesis. Genetic ablation of either pathway leads to detrimental osteopetrotic phenotypes in mice. Similarly, obstruction of either pathway halts osteoclastogenesis and lessens various forms of bone loss. It has been shown previously that mice expressing a kinase domain-truncated c-Src, termed Src251, develop severe osteopetrosis owing to increased osteoclast apoptosis. It was further suggested that this phenomenon is associated with reduced Akt kinase activity. However, the precise mechanism underlying the osteoclast inhibitory effect of Src251 remains obscure. C-Src associates with TRAF6-p62 interacting with receptor activator of NF-κB (RANK) distal region and the complex facilitate activation of RANK down stream signal transduction cascades including NF-κB. Given this proximity between c-Src and NF-κB signaling in osteoclasts, we surmised that inhibition of osteoclastogenesis by Src251 may be achieved through inhibition of NF-κB signaling. We have demonstrated recently that NEMO, the regulatory subunit of the IKK complex, is crucial for osteoclastogenesis and interacts with c-Src in osteoclast progenitors. Transfection studies, in which we employed various forms of c-Src and NEMO, revealed that the dominant negative form of c-Src, namely Src251, mediates degradation of NEMO thus halting NF-κB signaling. Furthermore, degradation of NEMO requires its intact zinc finger domain which is located at the ubiquitination domain. This process also requires appropriate cellular localization of Src251, since deletion of its myristoylation domain ablates its degradation capacity. Buttressing these findings, the expression of NEMO and NF-κB signaling were significantly reduced in monocytes collected from Src251 transgenic mice.

Design and Evaluation of Identifiable Key-Click Signals for Mobile Devices

As touch based input becomes more popular in mobile devices, there is an increasing need for haptic feedback on key-less input surface. Four experiments were conducted to design and evaluate identifiable emulated key-click signals using a piezoelectric actuator. Experiments I and II assessed the information transmission capacity for the amplitude, frequency, and number of cycles of raised cosine waveforms used to drive the piezo actuators under fixed- and roving-background conditions, respectively. Experiment III estimated the total information transfer for all three parameters. The results were used to reduce the number of stimulus alternatives in the key-click signal set with the goal to achieve perfect identification performance. Experiment IV verified that up to 5 to 6 identifiable key-click signals could be achieved with the experimental setup. The present study outlines an information theoretic approach to conducting identification experiments to guide the design of and to evaluate a perfectly identifiable stimulus set. The methodology can be applied to other applications in need of perceptually identifiable stimulation patterns.

Direct-Write Precision Resistors for Ceramic Packages

A direct-write approach to fabricate high precision resistors is reported. Special attention is paid to the effect of print thickness on the resistance value of buried resistors after a low temperature co-firing process. The results show that the direct-write approach provides a superior line definition and thickness control over a traditional screen printing process. Microstructural analysis indicates that there is an interdiffused layer developed between the resistor material and the low temperature co-fired ceramic substrate. These observations are consistent with electrical measurements which show that resistance increases as the effective cross-sectional area is reduced. The resistance data show that the standard deviations for resistors printed on a 6” × 6” area are 5% and 15% for the direct-write and the screen-printed patterns, respectively.

Perception of uncontrolled blood pressure and behaviours to improve blood pressure: findings from the 2009 Survey on Living with Chronic Diseases in Canada

Individuals with hypertension should lower and maintain their blood pressure levels through lifestyle modification and/or pharmacotherapy. To determine whether perception of blood pressure control is related to behaviours and intentions for improving blood pressure, data from 6142 Canadians age 20+ years with self-reported hypertension were analysed. Relationships between perception of control, current behaviours for blood pressure control and intentions to improve these behaviours were examined. Although individuals who reported uncontrolled blood pressure were equally likely to report engaging in lifestyle behaviours for blood pressure control, they were more likely to indicate an intention to improve their health, compared with those who reported well-controlled/low blood pressure. These individuals were also less likely to report having enough information to control their blood pressure. In addition, they were less likely to report having been advised to take antihypertensive medication, and to be taking and adhering to medications. Individuals who perceive their blood pressure as uncontrolled have intentions to make health-enhancing changes but may lack the information to do so. The study highlights the potential need for programmes/services to help those with uncontrolled blood pressure make lifestyle changes and/or take appropriate medication.

Diversity of root-associated fungal endophytes in Rhododendron fortunei in subtropical forests of China

To investigate the diversity of root endophytes in Rhododendron fortunei, fungal strains were isolated from the hair roots of plants from four habitats in subtropical forests of China. In total, 220 slow-growing fungal isolates were isolated from the hair roots of R. fortunei. The isolates were initially grouped into 17 types based on the results of internal transcribed spacer-restriction fragment length polymorphism (ITS-RFLP) analysis. ITS sequences were obtained for representative isolates from each RFLP type and compared phylogenetically with known sequences of ericoid mycorrhizal endophytes and selected ascomycetes or basidiomycetes. Based on phylogenetic analysis of the ITS sequences in GenBank, 15 RFLP types were confirmed as ascomycetes, and two as basidiomycetes; nine of these were shown to be ericoid mycorrhizal endophytes in experimental cultures. The only common endophytes of R. fortunei were identified as Oidiodendron maius at four sites, although the isolation frequency (3-65%) differed sharply according to habitat. Phialocephala fortinii strains were isolated most abundantly from two habitats which related to the more acidic soil and pine mixed forests. A number of less common mycorrhizal RFLP types were isolated from R. fortunei at three, two, or one of the sites. Most of these appeared to have strong affinities for some unidentified root endophytes from Ericaceae hosts in Australian forests. We concluded that the endophyte population isolated from R. fortunei is composed mainly of ascomycete, as well as a few basidiomycete strains. In addition, one basidiomycete strain was confirmed as a putative ericoid mycorrhizal fungus.