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Showing papers by "University of Ljubljana published in 2016"


Journal ArticleDOI
Daniel J. Klionsky1, Kotb Abdelmohsen2, Akihisa Abe3, Joynal Abedin4  +2519 moreInstitutions (695)
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macro-autophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes.
Abstract: In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. For example, a key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process versus those that measure flux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process including the amount and rate of cargo sequestered and degraded). In particular, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation must be differentiated from stimuli that increase autophagic activity, defined as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (in most higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the field understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. It is worth emphasizing here that lysosomal digestion is a stage of autophagy and evaluating its competence is a crucial part of the evaluation of autophagic flux, or complete autophagy. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. Along these lines, because of the potential for pleiotropic effects due to blocking autophagy through genetic manipulation, it is imperative to target by gene knockout or RNA interference more than one autophagy-related protein. In addition, some individual Atg proteins, or groups of proteins, are involved in other cellular pathways implying that not all Atg proteins can be used as a specific marker for an autophagic process. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field.

5,187 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Gaia as discussed by the authors is a cornerstone mission in the science programme of the European Space Agency (ESA). The spacecraft construction was approved in 2006, following a study in which the original interferometric concept was changed to a direct-imaging approach.
Abstract: Gaia is a cornerstone mission in the science programme of the EuropeanSpace Agency (ESA). The spacecraft construction was approved in 2006, following a study in which the original interferometric concept was changed to a direct-imaging approach. Both the spacecraft and the payload were built by European industry. The involvement of the scientific community focusses on data processing for which the international Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC) was selected in 2007. Gaia was launched on 19 December 2013 and arrived at its operating point, the second Lagrange point of the Sun-Earth-Moon system, a few weeks later. The commissioning of the spacecraft and payload was completed on 19 July 2014. The nominal five-year mission started with four weeks of special, ecliptic-pole scanning and subsequently transferred into full-sky scanning mode. We recall the scientific goals of Gaia and give a description of the as-built spacecraft that is currently (mid-2016) being operated to achieve these goals. We pay special attention to the payload module, the performance of which is closely related to the scientific performance of the mission. We provide a summary of the commissioning activities and findings, followed by a description of the routine operational mode. We summarise scientific performance estimates on the basis of in-orbit operations. Several intermediate Gaia data releases are planned and the data can be retrieved from the Gaia Archive, which is available through the Gaia home page.

5,164 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The case of an expectant mother who had a febrile illness with rash at the end of the first trimester of pregnancy while she was living in Brazil and revealed microcephaly with calcifications in the fetal brain and placenta is described.
Abstract: Summary A widespread epidemic of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection was reported in 2015 in South and Central America and the Caribbean. A major concern associated with this infection is the apparent increased incidence of microcephaly in fetuses born to mothers infected with ZIKV. In this report, we describe the case of an expectant mother who had a febrile illness with rash at the end of the first trimester of pregnancy while she was living in Brazil. Ultrasonography performed at 29 weeks of gestation revealed microcephaly with calcifications in the fetal brain and placenta. After the mother requested termination of the pregnancy, a fetal autopsy was performed. Micrencephaly (an abnormally small brain) was observed, with almost complete agyria, hydrocephalus, and multifocal dystrophic calcifications in the cortex and subcortical white matter, with associated cortical displacement and mild focal inflammation. ZIKV was found in the fetal brain tissue on reversetranscriptase–polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR) assay, with consistent findings on electron microscopy. The complete genome of ZIKV was recovered from the fetal brain.

2,403 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The first Gaia data release, Gaia DR1 as discussed by the authors, consists of three components: a primary astrometric data set which contains the positions, parallaxes, and mean proper motions for about 2 million of the brightest stars in common with the Hipparcos and Tycho-2 catalogues.
Abstract: Context. At about 1000 days after the launch of Gaia we present the first Gaia data release, Gaia DR1, consisting of astrometry and photometry for over 1 billion sources brighter than magnitude 20.7. Aims: A summary of Gaia DR1 is presented along with illustrations of the scientific quality of the data, followed by a discussion of the limitations due to the preliminary nature of this release. Methods: The raw data collected by Gaia during the first 14 months of the mission have been processed by the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC) and turned into an astrometric and photometric catalogue. Results: Gaia DR1 consists of three components: a primary astrometric data set which contains the positions, parallaxes, and mean proper motions for about 2 million of the brightest stars in common with the Hipparcos and Tycho-2 catalogues - a realisation of the Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution (TGAS) - and a secondary astrometric data set containing the positions for an additional 1.1 billion sources. The second component is the photometric data set, consisting of mean G-band magnitudes for all sources. The G-band light curves and the characteristics of 3000 Cepheid and RR Lyrae stars, observed at high cadence around the south ecliptic pole, form the third component. For the primary astrometric data set the typical uncertainty is about 0.3 mas for the positions and parallaxes, and about 1 mas yr-1 for the proper motions. A systematic component of 0.3 mas should be added to the parallax uncertainties. For the subset of 94 000 Hipparcos stars in the primary data set, the proper motions are much more precise at about 0.06 mas yr-1. For the secondary astrometric data set, the typical uncertainty of the positions is 10 mas. The median uncertainties on the mean G-band magnitudes range from the mmag level to0.03 mag over the magnitude range 5 to 20.7. Conclusions: Gaia DR1 is an important milestone ahead of the next Gaia data release, which will feature five-parameter astrometry for all sources. Extensive validation shows that Gaia DR1 represents a major advance in the mapping of the heavens and the availability of basic stellar data that underpin observational astrophysics. Nevertheless, the very preliminary nature of this first Gaia data release does lead to a number of important limitations to the data quality which should be carefully considered before drawing conclusions from the data.

2,174 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
26 Jul 2016-eLife
TL;DR: The height differential between the tallest and shortest populations was 19-20 cm a century ago, and has remained the same for women and increased for men a century later despite substantial changes in the ranking of countries.
Abstract: Being taller is associated with enhanced longevity, and higher education and earnings. We reanalysed 1472 population-based studies, with measurement of height on more than 18.6 million participants to estimate mean height for people born between 1896 and 1996 in 200 countries. The largest gain in adult height over the past century has occurred in South Korean women and Iranian men, who became 20.2 cm (95% credible interval 17.5–22.7) and 16.5 cm (13.3–19.7) taller, respectively. In contrast, there was little change in adult height in some sub-Saharan African countries and in South Asia over the century of analysis. The tallest people over these 100 years are men born in the Netherlands in the last quarter of 20th century, whose average heights surpassed 182.5 cm, and the shortest were women born in Guatemala in 1896 (140.3 cm; 135.8–144.8). The height differential between the tallest and shortest populations was 19-20 cm a century ago, and has remained the same for women and increased for men a century later despite substantial changes in the ranking of countries.

1,348 citations


Journal Article
TL;DR: In this paper, the first stage of many stereo algorithms, matching cost computation, is addressed by learning a similarity measure on small image patches using a convolutional neural network, and then a series of post-processing steps follow: cross-based cost aggregation, semiglobal matching, left-right consistency check, subpixel enhancement, a median filter, and a bilateral filter.
Abstract: We present a method for extracting depth information from a rectified image pair. Our approach focuses on the first stage of many stereo algorithms: the matching cost computation. We approach the problem by learning a similarity measure on small image patches using a convolutional neural network. Training is carried out in a supervised manner by constructing a binary classification data set with examples of similar and dissimilar pairs of patches. We examine two network architectures for this task: one tuned for speed, the other for accuracy. The output of the convolutional neural network is used to initialize the stereo matching cost. A series of post-processing steps follow: cross-based cost aggregation, semiglobal matching, a left-right consistency check, subpixel enhancement, a median filter, and a bilateral filter. We evaluate our method on the KITTI 2012, KITTI 2015, and Middlebury stereo data sets and show that it outperforms other approaches on all three data sets.

860 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: By combining the higher activity of CoSx building blocks with the higher stability of MoSx units into a compact and robust CoMoSx chalcogel structure, this work is able to design a low-cost alternative to noble metal catalysts for efficient electrocatalytic production of hydrogen in both alkaline and acidic environments.
Abstract: Three of the fundamental catalytic limitations that have plagued the electrochemical production of hydrogen for decades still remain: low efficiency, short lifetime of catalysts and a lack of low-cost materials. Here, we address these three challenges by establishing and exploring an intimate functional link between the reactivity and stability of crystalline (CoS2 and MoS2) and amorphous (CoSx and MoSx) hydrogen evolution catalysts. We propose that Co(2+) and Mo(4+) centres promote the initial discharge of water (alkaline solutions) or hydronium ions (acid solutions). We establish that although CoSx materials are more active than MoSx they are also less stable, suggesting that the active sites are defects formed after dissolution of Co and Mo cations. By combining the higher activity of CoSx building blocks with the higher stability of MoSx units into a compact and robust CoMoSx chalcogel structure, we are able to design a low-cost alternative to noble metal catalysts for efficient electrocatalytic production of hydrogen in both alkaline and acidic environments.

768 citations


Book ChapterDOI
Matej Kristan1, Ales Leonardis2, Jiří Matas3, Michael Felsberg4, Roman Pflugfelder5, Luka Cehovin1, Tomas Vojir3, Gustav Häger4, Alan Lukežič1, Gustavo Fernandez5, Abhinav Gupta6, Alfredo Petrosino7, Alireza Memarmoghadam8, Alvaro Garcia-Martin9, Andres Solis Montero10, Andrea Vedaldi11, Andreas Robinson4, Andy J. Ma12, Anton Varfolomieiev13, A. Aydin Alatan14, Aykut Erdem15, Bernard Ghanem16, Bin Liu, Bohyung Han17, Brais Martinez18, Chang-Ming Chang19, Changsheng Xu20, Chong Sun21, Daijin Kim17, Dapeng Chen22, Dawei Du20, Deepak Mishra23, Dit-Yan Yeung24, Erhan Gundogdu25, Erkut Erdem15, Fahad Shahbaz Khan4, Fatih Porikli26, Fatih Porikli27, Fei Zhao20, Filiz Bunyak28, Francesco Battistone7, Gao Zhu26, Giorgio Roffo29, Gorthi R. K. Sai Subrahmanyam23, Guilherme Sousa Bastos30, Guna Seetharaman31, Henry Medeiros32, Hongdong Li26, Honggang Qi20, Horst Bischof33, Horst Possegger33, Huchuan Lu21, Hyemin Lee17, Hyeonseob Nam34, Hyung Jin Chang35, Isabela Drummond30, Jack Valmadre11, Jae-chan Jeong36, Jaeil Cho36, Jae-Yeong Lee36, Jianke Zhu37, Jiayi Feng20, Jin Gao20, Jin-Young Choi, Jingjing Xiao2, Ji-Wan Kim36, Jiyeoup Jeong, João F. Henriques11, Jochen Lang10, Jongwon Choi, José M. Martínez9, Junliang Xing20, Junyu Gao20, Kannappan Palaniappan28, Karel Lebeda38, Ke Gao28, Krystian Mikolajczyk35, Lei Qin20, Lijun Wang21, Longyin Wen19, Luca Bertinetto11, Madan Kumar Rapuru23, Mahdieh Poostchi28, Mario Edoardo Maresca7, Martin Danelljan4, Matthias Mueller16, Mengdan Zhang20, Michael Arens, Michel Valstar18, Ming Tang20, Mooyeol Baek17, Muhammad Haris Khan18, Naiyan Wang24, Nana Fan39, Noor M. Al-Shakarji28, Ondrej Miksik11, Osman Akin15, Payman Moallem8, Pedro Senna30, Philip H. S. Torr11, Pong C. Yuen12, Qingming Huang20, Qingming Huang39, Rafael Martin-Nieto9, Rengarajan Pelapur28, Richard Bowden38, Robert Laganiere10, Rustam Stolkin2, Ryan Walsh32, Sebastian B. Krah, Shengkun Li19, Shengping Zhang39, Shizeng Yao28, Simon Hadfield38, Simone Melzi29, Siwei Lyu19, Siyi Li24, Stefan Becker, Stuart Golodetz11, Sumithra Kakanuru23, Sunglok Choi36, Tao Hu20, Thomas Mauthner33, Tianzhu Zhang20, Tony P. Pridmore18, Vincenzo Santopietro7, Weiming Hu20, Wenbo Li40, Wolfgang Hübner, Xiangyuan Lan12, Xiaomeng Wang18, Xin Li39, Yang Li37, Yiannis Demiris35, Yifan Wang21, Yuankai Qi39, Zejian Yuan22, Zexiong Cai12, Zhan Xu37, Zhenyu He39, Zhizhen Chi21 
08 Oct 2016
TL;DR: The Visual Object Tracking challenge VOT2016 goes beyond its predecessors by introducing a new semi-automatic ground truth bounding box annotation methodology and extending the evaluation system with the no-reset experiment.
Abstract: The Visual Object Tracking challenge VOT2016 aims at comparing short-term single-object visual trackers that do not apply pre-learned models of object appearance. Results of 70 trackers are presented, with a large number of trackers being published at major computer vision conferences and journals in the recent years. The number of tested state-of-the-art trackers makes the VOT 2016 the largest and most challenging benchmark on short-term tracking to date. For each participating tracker, a short description is provided in the Appendix. The VOT2016 goes beyond its predecessors by (i) introducing a new semi-automatic ground truth bounding box annotation methodology and (ii) extending the evaluation system with the no-reset experiment. The dataset, the evaluation kit as well as the results are publicly available at the challenge website (http://votchallenge.net).

744 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The requirements are the basis of a new evaluation methodology that aims at a simple and easily interpretable tracker comparison and a fully-annotated dataset with per-frame annotations with several visual attributes, which is the largest benchmark to date.
Abstract: This paper addresses the problem of single-target tracker performance evaluation. We consider the performance measures, the dataset and the evaluation system to be the most important components of tracker evaluation and propose requirements for each of them. The requirements are the basis of a new evaluation methodology that aims at a simple and easily interpretable tracker comparison. The ranking-based methodology addresses tracker equivalence in terms of statistical significance and practical differences. A fully-annotated dataset with per-frame annotations with several visual attributes is introduced. The diversity of its visual properties is maximized in a novel way by clustering a large number of videos according to their visual attributes. This makes it the most sophistically constructed and annotated dataset to date. A multi-platform evaluation system allowing easy integration of third-party trackers is presented as well. The proposed evaluation methodology was tested on the VOT2014 challenge on the new dataset and 38 trackers, making it the largest benchmark to date. Most of the tested trackers are indeed state-of-the-art since they outperform the standard baselines, resulting in a highly-challenging benchmark. An exhaustive analysis of the dataset from the perspective of tracking difficulty is carried out. To facilitate tracker comparison a new performance visualization technique is proposed.

596 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This large international study to estimate fractions of head and neck cancers attributable to human papillomavirus (HPV-AFs) using six HPV-related biomarkers of viral detection, transcription, and cellular transformation confirms the important role ofHPVs in oropharyngeal cancer and drastically downplays the previously reported involvement of HPVs in the other HNCs.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: We conducted a large international study to estimate fractions of head and neck cancers (HNCs) attributable to human papillomavirus (HPV-AFs) using six HPV-related biomarkers of viral detection, transcription, and cellular transformation. METHODS: Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded cancer tissues of the oral cavity (OC), pharynx, and larynx were collected from pathology archives in 29 countries. All samples were subject to histopathological evaluation, DNA quality control, and HPV-DNA detection. Samples containing HPV-DNA were further subject to HPV E6*I mRNA detection and to p16(INK4a), pRb, p53, and Cyclin D1 immunohistochemistry. Final estimates of HPV-AFs were based on HPV-DNA, HPV E6*I mRNA, and/or p16(INK4a) results. RESULTS: A total of 3680 samples yielded valid results: 1374 pharyngeal, 1264 OC, and 1042 laryngeal cancers. HPV-AF estimates based on positivity for HPV-DNA, and for either HPV E6*I mRNA or p16(INK4a), were 22.4%, 4.4%, and 3.5% for cancers of the oropharynx, OC, and larynx, respectively, and 18.5%, 3.0%, and 1.5% when requiring simultaneous positivity for all three markers. HPV16 was largely the most common type. Estimates of HPV-AF in the oropharynx were highest in South America, Central and Eastern Europe, and Northern Europe, and lowest in Southern Europe. Women showed higher HPV-AFs than men for cancers of the oropharynx in Europe and for the larynx in Central-South America. CONCLUSIONS: HPV contribution to HNCs is substantial but highly heterogeneous by cancer site, region, and sex. This study, the largest exploring HPV attribution in HNCs, confirms the important role of HPVs in oropharyngeal cancer and drastically downplays the previously reported involvement of HPVs in the other HNCs.

548 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Criteria for the classification of macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) in patients with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is developed.
Abstract: To develop criteria for the classification of macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) in patients with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). A multistep process, based on a combination of expert consensus and analysis of real patient data, was conducted. A panel of 28 experts was first asked to classify 428 patient profiles as having or not having MAS, based on clinical and laboratory features at the time of disease onset. The 428 profiles comprised 161 patients with systemic JIA-associated MAS and 267 patients with a condition that could potentially be confused with MAS (active systemic JIA without evidence of MAS, or systemic infection). Next, the ability of candidate criteria to classify individual patients as having MAS or not having MAS was assessed by evaluating the agreement between the classification yielded using the criteria and the consensus classification of the experts. The final criteria were selected in a consensus conference. Experts achieved consensus on the classification of 391 of the 428 patient profiles (91.4%). A total of 982 candidate criteria were tested statistically. The 37 best-performing criteria and 8 criteria obtained from the literature were evaluated at the consensus conference. During the conference, 82% consensus among experts was reached on the final MAS classification criteria. In validation analyses, these criteria had a sensitivity of 0.73 and a specificity of 0.99. Agreement between the classification (MAS or not MAS) obtained using the criteria and the original diagnosis made by the treating physician was high (κ=0.76). We have developed a set of classification criteria for MAS complicating systemic JIA and provided preliminary evidence of its validity. Use of these criteria will potentially improve understanding of MAS in systemic JIA and enhance efforts to discover effective therapies, by ensuring appropriate patient enrollment in studies.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Evidence of ALS being a complex genetic trait with a polygenic architecture is established and the SNP-based heritability is estimated at 8.5%, with a distinct and important role for low-frequency variants (frequency 1–10%).
Abstract: To elucidate the genetic architecture of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and find associated loci, we assembled a custom imputation reference panel from whole-genome-sequenced patients with ALS and matched controls (n = 1,861). Through imputation and mixed-model association analysis in 12,577 cases and 23,475 controls, combined with 2,579 cases and 2,767 controls in an independent replication cohort, we fine-mapped a new risk locus on chromosome 21 and identified C21orf2 as a gene associated with ALS risk. In addition, we identified MOBP and SCFD1 as new associated risk loci. We established evidence of ALS being a complex genetic trait with a polygenic architecture. Furthermore, we estimated the SNP-based heritability at 8.5%, with a distinct and important role for low-frequency variants (frequency 1-10%). This study motivates the interrogation of larger samples with full genome coverage to identify rare causal variants that underpin ALS risk.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a comprehensive review of physics effects generated by leptoquarks (LQs), i.e., hypothetical particles that can turn quarks into leptons and vice versa, of either scalar or vector nature, is presented.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This work identified 1,174 binding sites within 529 HeLa cell RBPs, discovering numerous RNA-binding domains (RBDs), which display a high degree of evolutionary conservation and incidence of Mendelian mutations, suggestive of important functional roles.

Journal ArticleDOI
Georges Aad1, Brad Abbott2, Jalal Abdallah3, Ovsat Abdinov4  +2828 moreInstitutions (191)
TL;DR: In this article, the performance of the ATLAS muon identification and reconstruction using the first LHC dataset recorded at s√ = 13 TeV in 2015 was evaluated using the Monte Carlo simulations.
Abstract: This article documents the performance of the ATLAS muon identification and reconstruction using the first LHC dataset recorded at s√ = 13 TeV in 2015. Using a large sample of J/ψ→μμ and Z→μμ decays from 3.2 fb−1 of pp collision data, measurements of the reconstruction efficiency, as well as of the momentum scale and resolution, are presented and compared to Monte Carlo simulations. The reconstruction efficiency is measured to be close to 99% over most of the covered phase space (|η| 2.2, the pT resolution for muons from Z→μμ decays is 2.9% while the precision of the momentum scale for low-pT muons from J/ψ→μμ decays is about 0.2%.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Investigation of the ingestion and effects of ground polyethylene terephthalate textile microfibers on the freshwater zooplankton crustacean Daphnia magna found that daphnids were not able to recover from MP exposure after additional 24 h incubation period in a MP free medium with algae.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The final catalog of eclipsing binary systems within the 105 deg^2 Kepler field of view is presented in this paper, where the authors identify several classes of systems including those that exhibit tertiary eclipse events, systems that show clear evidence of additional bodies, heartbeat systems, and systems exhibiting only one eclipse event over the duration of the mission.
Abstract: The primary Kepler Mission provided nearly continuous monitoring of ~200,000 objects with unprecedented photometric precision. We present the final catalog of eclipsing binary systems within the 105 deg^2 Kepler field of view. This release incorporates the full extent of the data from the primary mission (Q0-Q17 Data Release). As a result, new systems have been added, additional false positives have been removed, ephemerides and principal parameters have been recomputed, classifications have been revised to rely on analytical models, and eclipse timing variations have been computed for each system. We identify several classes of systems including those that exhibit tertiary eclipse events, systems that show clear evidence of additional bodies, heartbeat systems, systems with changing eclipse depths, and systems exhibiting only one eclipse event over the duration of the mission. We have updated the period and galactic latitude distribution diagrams and included a catalog completeness evaluation. The total number of identified eclipsing and ellipsoidal binary systems in the Kepler field of view has increased to 2878, 1.3% of all observed Kepler targets. An online version of this catalog with downloadable content and visualization tools is maintained athttp://keplerEBs.villanova.edu.

Journal ArticleDOI
15 Mar 2016-ACS Nano
TL;DR: The high potential of nanosized EVs for both diagnostic and therapeutic areas of nanomedicine, as demonstrated by the European Network on Microvesicles and Exosomes in Health and Disease (ME-HAD), is demonstrated.
Abstract: Recent research has demonstrated that all body fluids assessed contain substantial amounts of vesicles that range in size from 30 to 1000 nm and that are surrounded by phospholipid membranes containing different membrane microdomains such as lipid rafts and caveolae. The most prominent representatives of these so-called extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanosized exosomes (70-150 nm), which are derivatives of the endosomal system, and microvesicles (100-1000 nm), which are produced by outward budding of the plasma membrane. Nanosized EVs are released by almost all cell types and mediate targeted intercellular communication under physiological and pathophysiological conditions. Containing cell-type-specific signatures, EVs have been proposed as biomarkers in a variety of diseases. Furthermore, according to their physical functions, EVs of selected cell types have been used as therapeutic agents in immune therapy, vaccination trials, regenerative medicine, and drug delivery. Undoubtedly, the rapidly emerging field of basic and applied EV research will significantly influence the biomedicinal landscape in the future. In this Perspective, we, a network of European scientists from clinical, academic, and industry settings collaborating through the H2020 European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) program European Network on Microvesicles and Exosomes in Health and Disease (ME-HAD), demonstrate the high potential of nanosized EVs for both diagnostic and therapeutic (i.e., theranostic) areas of nanomedicine.

Journal ArticleDOI
Georges Aad1, Brad Abbott2, Jalal Abdallah3, Ovsat Abdinov4  +2812 moreInstitutions (207)
TL;DR: In this paper, an independent b-tagging algorithm based on the reconstruction of muons inside jets as well as the b tagging algorithm used in the online trigger are also presented.
Abstract: The identification of jets containing b hadrons is important for the physics programme of the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. Several algorithms to identify jets containing b hadrons are described, ranging from those based on the reconstruction of an inclusive secondary vertex or the presence of tracks with large impact parameters to combined tagging algorithms making use of multi-variate discriminants. An independent b-tagging algorithm based on the reconstruction of muons inside jets as well as the b-tagging algorithm used in the online trigger are also presented. The b-jet tagging efficiency, the c-jet tagging efficiency and the mistag rate for light flavour jets in data have been measured with a number of complementary methods. The calibration results are presented as scale factors defined as the ratio of the efficiency (or mistag rate) in data to that in simulation. In the case of b jets, where more than one calibration method exists, the results from the various analyses have been combined taking into account the statistical correlation as well as the correlation of the sources of systematic uncertainty.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Astroglial morphology and function can be regulated through environmental stimulation and/or medication suggesting that astrocytes can be regarded as a target for therapies aimed at the prevention and cure of neurodegenerative disorders.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a vector leptoquark weak triplet state was proposed to explain three recent anomalies in B meson decays, R D ( ⁎ ), R K, and P 5 ′, which might be explained by only one vector lepton lepton.

Journal ArticleDOI
Georges Aad1, Brad Abbott2, Jalal Abdallah3, Ovsat Abdinov4  +2862 moreInstitutions (191)
TL;DR: The methods employed in the ATLAS experiment to correct for the impact of pile-up on jet energy and jet shapes, and for the presence of spurious additional jets, are described, with a primary focus on the large 20.3 kg-1 data sample.
Abstract: The large rate of multiple simultaneous protonproton interactions, or pile-up, generated by the Large Hadron Collider in Run 1 required the development of many new techniques to mitigate the advers ...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a review summarizes recent progress in this field with emphasis on theoretical and computational developments and their applications to materials including molecular structures, Dirac-like systems, optical metamaterials, composites with nontrivial boundary conditions, and biological matter.
Abstract: Electromagnetic fluctuation-induced interactions known as van der Waals, Casimir, and Casimir-Polder forces are an active and exciting area of research. This review summarizes recent progress in this field with emphasis on theoretical and computational developments and their applications to materials including molecular structures, Dirac-like systems, optical metamaterials, composites with nontrivial boundary conditions, and biological matter.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An overview of major cryogenic manufacturing processes, summarizing the state-of-the-art and significant developments during the last few decades, is presented in this article, with a summary of historic perspectives, including definitions, scope, and analysis of process mechanics and material performance covering tribological and thermo-mechanical interactions.
Abstract: Cryogenically assisted manufacturing processes are emerging as environmentally-benign, toxic-free, hazardless operations, producing functionally superior products. This paper presents an overview of major cryogenic manufacturing processes, summarizing the state-of-the-art and significant developments during the last few decades. It begins with a summary of historic perspectives, including definitions, scope, and proceeds to analysis of process mechanics and material performance covering tribological and thermo-mechanical interactions, followed by surface integrity, product quality and performance in cryogenic manufacturing. Process analysis and applications includes machining, forming and grinding. Economic, safety and health issues are then discussed. Finally, progress in developing predictive performance models and future outlook are presented.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This review focuses on the biogenesis and trafficking of secretory organelles and on the regulation of the exocytotic secretory system in the context of healthy and diseased astrocytes.
Abstract: Astrocytes are housekeepers of the central nervous system (CNS) and are important for CNS development, homeostasis and defence. They communicate with neurones and other glial cells through the release of signalling molecules. Astrocytes secrete a wide array of classic neurotransmitters, neuromodulators and hormones, as well as metabolic, trophic and plastic factors, all of which contribute to the gliocrine system. The release of neuroactive substances from astrocytes occurs through several distinct pathways that include diffusion through plasmalemmal channels, translocation by multiple transporters and regulated exocytosis. As in other eukaryotic cells, exocytotic secretion from astrocytes involves divergent secretory organelles (synaptic-like microvesicles, dense-core vesicles, lysosomes, exosomes and ectosomes), which differ in size, origin, cargo, membrane composition, dynamics and functions. In this review, we summarize the features and functions of secretory organelles in astrocytes. We focus on the biogenesis and trafficking of secretory organelles and on the regulation of the exocytotic secretory system in the context of healthy and diseased astrocytes.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors presented how to increase electrical efficiency and power output of photovoltaic (PV) panel with the use of a phase change material (PCM).

Journal ArticleDOI
B. P. Abbott1, Richard J. Abbott1, T. D. Abbott2, M. R. Abernathy1  +1619 moreInstitutions (220)
TL;DR: In this article, the sky localization of the first observed compact binary merger is presented, where the authors describe the low-latency analysis of the LIGO data and present a sky localization map.
Abstract: A gravitational-wave (GW) transient was identified in data recorded by the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors on 2015 September 14. The event, initially designated G184098 and later given the name GW150914, is described in detail elsewhere. By prior arrangement, preliminary estimates of the time, significance, and sky location of the event were shared with 63 teams of observers covering radio, optical, near-infrared, X-ray, and gamma-ray wavelengths with ground- and space-based facilities. In this Letter we describe the low-latency analysis of the GW data and present the sky localization of the first observed compact binary merger. We summarize the follow-up observations reported by 25 teams via private Gamma-ray Coordinates Network circulars, giving an overview of the participating facilities, the GW sky localization coverage, the timeline, and depth of the observations. As this event turned out to be a binary black hole merger, there is little expectation of a detectable electromagnetic (EM) signature. Nevertheless, this first broadband campaign to search for a counterpart of an Advanced LIGO source represents a milestone and highlights the broad capabilities of the transient astronomy community and the observing strategies that have been developed to pursue neutron star binary merger events. Detailed investigations of the EM data and results of the EM follow-up campaign are being disseminated in papers by the individual teams.

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Morad Aaboud, Alexander Kupco1, P. Davison2, Samuel Webb3  +2869 moreInstitutions (194)
TL;DR: The luminosity determination for the ATLAS detector at the LHC during pp collisions at s√= 8 TeV in 2012 is presented in this article, where the evaluation of the luminosity scale is performed using several luminometers.
Abstract: The luminosity determination for the ATLAS detector at the LHC during pp collisions at s√= 8 TeV in 2012 is presented. The evaluation of the luminosity scale is performed using several luminometers ...

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TL;DR: In this article, the concept of quasilocal conserved quantities has been studied in integrable quantum lattice systems, and two systematic procedures to rigorously construct families of conserved operators based on quantum transfer matrices are outlined, specializing on anisotropic Heisenberg XXZ spin 1/2 chain.
Abstract: We review recent progress in understanding the notion of locality in integrable quantum lattice systems. The central concept concerns the so-called quasilocal conserved quantities, which go beyond the standard perception of locality. Two systematic procedures to rigorously construct families of quasilocal conserved operators based on quantum transfer matrices are outlined, specializing on anisotropic Heisenberg XXZ spin-1/2 chain. Quasilocal conserved operators stem from two distinct classes of representations of the auxiliary space algebra, comprised of unitary (compact) representations, which can be naturally linked to the fusion algebra and quasiparticle content of the model, and non-unitary (non-compact) representations giving rise to charges, manifestly orthogonal to the unitary ones. Various condensed matter applications in which quasilocal conservation laws play an essential role are presented, with special emphasis on their implications for anomalous transport properties (finite Drude weight) and relaxation to non-thermal steady states in the quantum quench scenario.

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TL;DR: Studying finite-size effects, it is shown numerically and theoretically that a very large crossover length exists that controls the passage of a clean-system dominated dynamics to one observed in the thermodynamic limit.
Abstract: We study high temperature spin transport in a disordered Heisenberg chain in the ergodic regime. By employing a density matrix renormalization group technique for the study of the stationary states of the boundary-driven Lindblad equation we are able to study extremely large systems (400 spins). We find both a diffusive and a subdiffusive phase depending on the strength of the disorder and on the anisotropy parameter of the Heisenberg chain. Studying finite-size effects, we show numerically and theoretically that a very large crossover length exists that controls the passage of a clean-system dominated dynamics to one observed in the thermodynamic limit. Such a large length scale, being larger than the sizes studied before, explains previous conflicting results. We also predict spatial profiles of magnetization in steady states of generic nondiffusive systems.