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At least 433 records · Page 24

$t_1$-Noise eliminated dipolar heteronuclear multiple-quantum coherence solid-state NMR spectroscopy

Heteronuclear correlation (HETCOR) spectroscopy is one of the key tools in the arsenal of the solid-state NMR spectroscopist to probe chemical and spatial proximities between two different nuclei and enhance spectral resolution. Dipolar heteronuclear multiple-quantum coherence (D-HMQC) is a powerful technique that can be potentially utilized to obtain 1 H detected 2D HETCOR solid-state NMR spectra of any NMR active nucleus. A long-standing problem in 1 H detected D-HMQC solid-state NMR experiments is the presence of t 1 -noise which reduces sensitivity and impedes spectral interpretation. In this contribution, we describe novel pulse sequences, termed t 1 -noise eliminated (TONE) D-HMQC, that minimize t 1 -noise and can provide higher sensitivity and resolution than conventional D-HMQC. Monte-Carlo and numerical simulations confirm that t 1 -noise in conventional D-HMQC primarily occurs because random MAS frequency fluctuations cause variations in the NMR signal amplitude from scan to scan, leading to imperfect cancellation of uncorrelated signals by phase cycling. The TONE D-HMQC sequence uses 1 H π-pulses to refocus the evolution of 1 H CSA across each SR4 2 1 recoupling block, improving the stability of the pulse sequence to random MAS frequency fluctuations. The 1 H refocusing pulses also restore the orthogonality of in-phase and anti-phase magnetization for all crystallite orientations at the end of each recoupling block, enabling the use of 90° flip-back or LG spin-lock trim pulses to reduce the intensity of uncorrelated signals. We demonstrate the application of these methods to acquire 1 H detected 2D 1 H{ 35 Cl} and 1 H{ 13 C} HETCOR spectra of histidine·HCl·H 2 O with reduced t 1 -noise. To show generality, we also apply these methods to obtain 2D 1 H{ 17 O} spectra of 20%- 17 O fmoc-alanine and for the first time at natural abundance, 2D 1 H{ 25 Mg} HETCOR spectra of magnesium hydroxide. The TONE D-HMQC sequences are also used to probe 1 H– 25 Mg and 1 H– 27 Al proximities in Mg–Al layered double hydroxides and confirm the even mixing of Mg and Al in these materials.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

A modERN resource: identification of Drosophila transcription factor candidate target genes using RNAi

Transcription factors (TFs) play a key role in development and in cellular responses to the environment by activating or repressing the transcription of target genes in precise spatial and temporal patterns. In order to develop a catalog of target genes of Drosophila melanogaster TFs, the modERN consortium systematically knocked down the expression of TFs using RNAi in whole embryos followed by RNA-seq. We generated data for 45 TFs which have 18 different DNA-binding domains and are expressed in 15 of the 16 organ systems. The range of inactivation of the targeted TFs by RNAi ranged from log2fold change -3.52 to +0.49. The TFs also showed remarkable heterogeneity in the numbers of candidate target genes identified, with some generating thousands of candidates and others only tens. We present detailed analysis from five experiments, including those for three TFs that have been the focus of previous functional studies (ERR, sens, and zfh2) and two previously uncharacterized TFs (sens-2 and CG32006), as well as short vignettes for selected additional experiments to illustrate the utility of this resource. The RNA-seq datasets are available through the ENCODE DCC (http://encodeproject.org) and the Sequence Read Archive (SRA). TF and target gene expression patterns can be found here: https://insitu.fruitfly.org. These studies provide data that facilitate scientific inquiries into the functions of individual TFs in key developmental, metabolic, defensive, and homeostatic regulatory pathways, as well as provide a broader perspective on how individual TFs work together in local networks during embryogenesis.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Performance of the Initial Implementation of the Shift Monte Carlo Code in SCALE 6.3

The Shift Monte Carlo code will be introduced in SCALE 6.3 as an alternative to the KENO V.a, KENO-VI, and Monaco codes. Calculations were performed to establish the performance of Shift for criticality safety analyses within the criticality safety analyses sequence (CSAS) based on models in the Verified, Archived Library of Inputs and Data (VALID). This test suite contains over 600 critical experiment models covering a broad range of fissile materials and neutron energy spectra. The comparisons presented include calculated k eff values and runtime performance for serial calculations and a selection of parallel calculations. Comparisons are presented for multigroup (MG) and continuous-energy (CE) calculations for KENO V.a and KENO-VI models. Results generated with a beta version of SCALE 6.3 indicate excellent agreement in k eff values between KENO and Shift. The largest differences in the average k eff value calculated for the 15 categories of KENO V.a models are 0.00020 ± 0.00011 Δ k for MG calculations and 0.00011 ± 0.00005 Δ k for CE calculations. Similar comparisons in three categories using KENO-VI result in the largest differences for MG calculations: as 0.00004 ± 0.00003 Δ k , and -0.00002 ± 0.00003 Δ k for CE. The preliminary results also indicate that Shift is faster than KENO on a per particle basis, especially for fast spectrum systems. The uncertainty per history is also higher, however, so the Monte Carlo figure of merit is higher for KENO for thermal and intermediate spectrum systems. As expected, Shift generally has better speedup than KENO for parallel calculations, regardless of neutron energy spectrum.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 0111 Protects Against Influenza Virus by Modulating Intestinal Microbial-Mediated Immune Responses

There are some limitations of traditional influenza vaccines concerning novel mutant strains. Therefore, it is particularly important to develop preventive means for antigen-unrelated types of influenza viruses. Recent studies have shown that probiotics can modulate the immune system and reduce the severity of viral infections. In this study, we investigated the potential of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 0111 against influenza virus H9N2. Challenge experiments showed that L. plantarum 0111 pretreatments could effectively improve mice’s survival rate and weight loss and reduce the inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α in the lungs and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) along with the degree of lung and intestinal injury. FMT experiment demonstrates that the protective effect produced by L. plantarum 0111 is associated with gut microorganisms. In addition, 16S high-throughput sequencing of the mouse intestinal microbiota showed that L. plantarum 0111 remodeled the intestinal microbiota after H9N2 infection and maintained the gut microbiota balance. In a mouse model, the oral administration of L. plantarum 0111 increased IFN-β expression in the serum and BALF. At the same time, the transcript levels of IFN-β and related ISGs in the intestine and lungs of mice were also increased. In addition, the activation and polarization of T cells in mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs) and the spleen were detected by flow cytometry, and the results showed that L. plantarum 0111 modulated cytokines in T cells and increased IgA expression in B cells in the MLNs and spleen. Thus, L. plantarum 0111 may improve gut microbiota-mediated immune responses and thus, resist infection by the influenza virus, and it could be used as an effective preventive measure against the influenza virus.

Xing, Jun-Hong↗

SU-F-T-527: A Novel Dynamic Multileaf Collimator Leaf-Sequencing Algorithm in Radiation Therapy

Purpose: A novel leaf-sequencing algorithm is developed for generating arbitrary beam intensity profiles in discrete levels using dynamic multileaf collimator (MLC). The efficiency of this dynamic MLC leaf-sequencing method was evaluated using external beam treatment plans delivered by intensity modulated radiation therapy technique. Methods: To qualify and validate this algorithm, integral test for the beam segment of MLC generated by the CORVUS treatment planning system was performed with clinical intensity map experiments. The treatment plans were optimized and the fluence maps for all photon beams were determined. This algorithm started with the algebraic expression for the area under the beam profile. The coefficients in the expression can be transformed into the specifications for the leaf-setting sequence. The leaf optimization procedure was then applied and analyzed for clinical relevant intensity profiles in cancer treatment. Results: The macrophysical effect of this method can be described by volumetric plan evaluation tools such as dose-volume histograms (DVHs). The DVH results are in good agreement compared to those from the CORVUS treatment planning system. Conclusion: We developed a dynamic MLC method to examine the stability of leaf speed including effects of acceleration and deceleration of leaf motion in order to make sure the stability of leaf speed did not affect the intensity profile generated. It was found that the mechanical requirements were better satisfied using this method. The Project is sponsored by the Scientific Research Foundation for the Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars, State Education Ministry.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Deep learning-based spatio-temporal fusion for high-fidelity ultra-high-speed X-ray radiography

Full-field ultra-high-speed (UHS) X-ray imaging experiments have been well established to characterize various processes and phenomena. However, the potential of UHS experiments through the joint acquisition of X-ray videos with distinct configurations has not been fully exploited. In this paper, we investigate the use of a deep learning-based spatio-temporal fusion (STF) framework to fuse two complementary sequences of X-ray images and reconstruct the target image sequence with high spatial resolution, high frame rate and high fidelity. We applied a transfer learning strategy to train the model and compared the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), average absolute difference (AAD) and structural similarity (SSIM) of the proposed framework on two independent X-ray data sets with those obtained from a baseline deep learning model, a Bayesian fusion framework and the bicubic interpolation method. The proposed framework outperformed the other methods with various configurations of the input frame separations and image noise levels. With three subsequent images from the low-resolution (LR) sequence of a four times lower spatial resolution and another two images from the high-resolution (HR) sequence of a 20 times lower frame rate, the proposed approach achieved average PSNRs of 37.57 dB and 35.15 dB, respectively. When coupled with the appropriate combination of high-speed cameras, the proposed approach will enhance the performance and therefore the scientific value of UHS X-ray imaging experiments.

deep learning↗

An improved DNA force field for ssDNA interactions with gold nanoparticles

The widespread applications of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) conjugated gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have spurred an increasing interest in the interactions between ssDNA and AuNPs. Despite extensive studies using the most sophisticated experimental techniques, the detailed molecular mechanisms still remain largely unknown. Large scale molecular dynamics (MD) simulations can thus be used to supplement experiments by providing complementary information about ssDNA-AuNP interactions. However, up to now, all modern force fields for DNA were developed based on the properties of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) molecules, which have hydrophilic outer backbones “protecting” hydrophobic inner nucleobases from water. Without the double-helix structure of dsDNA and thus the “protection” by the outer backbone, the nucleobases of ssDNA are directly exposed to solvent, and their behavior in water is very different from that of dsDNA, especially at the interface with nanoparticles. In this work, we have improved the force field of ssDNA for use with nanoparticles, such as AuNPs, based on recent experimental results and quantum mechanics calculations. With the new improved force field, we demonstrated that a poly(A) sequence adsorbed on a AuNP surface is much more stable than a poly(T) sequence, which is consistent with recent experimental observations. On the contrary, the current standard force fields, including AMBER03, CHARMM27, and OPLSAA, all gave erroneous results as compared to experiments. The current improved force field is expected to have wide applications in the study of ssDNA with nanomaterials including AuNPs, which might help promote the development of ssDNA-based biosensors and other bionano-devices.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Biostimulation of Salicornia europaea L. crops with plant growth-promoting bacteria in laboratory and field conditions: effects on growth and metabolite profile

Abstract Aim The objective of the work was to assess the effect of biostimulation with selected plant growth-promoting bacteria on growth and metabolite profile of Salicornia europaea. Methods and results Salicornia europaea seeds were inoculated with different combinations of plant growth-promoting bacteria Brevibacterium casei EB3, Pseudomonas oryzihabitans RL18, and Bacillus aryabhattai SP20. Plants germinated from inoculated seeds were grown either in laboratory conditions or in a saline crop field. Fresh and dry weight were determined at the end of the experiment, for biomass quantification. The microbiological quality of fresh shoots for human consumption as salad greens was assessed, and the persistence of the inoculated strains in the plant rhizosphere was confirmed by next-generation sequencing (Illumina) of the 16S rDNA gene. The primary metabolite profile of biostimulated plants was characterized by GC–TOF-MS. In laboratory conditions, inoculation with the two strains Br. casei EB3 and Ps. oryzihabitans RL18 caused the most significant increase in biomass production (fresh and dry weight), and caused a shift in the central metabolic pathways of inoculated plants toward amino acid biosynthesis. In the field experiment, no significant biostimulation effect was detected with any of the tested inoculants. Seed inoculation had no significant effect on the microbiological quality of the edible parts. The persistence of inoculants was confirmed in both experiments. Conclusions Manipulation of the plant microbiome can trigger primary metabolic reconfiguration and modulate the plant metabolism while promoting plant growth.

Ferreira, Maria J.↗

Porous Polymers as Universal Reversal Agents for Heparin Anticoagulants through an Inclusion–Sequestration Mechanism

Heparins are widely used anticoagulants for surgical procedures and extracorporeal therapies. However, all of them have bleeding risks. Protamine sulfate, the only clinically approved antidote for unfractionated heparin (UFH), has adverse effects. Moreover, protamine can only partially neutralize low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWHs) and is not effective for fondaparinux. In this report an inclusion–sequestration strategy for efficient neutralization of heparin anticoagulants by cationic porous supramolecular organic frameworks (SOFs) and porous organic polymers (POPs) is reported. Isothermal titration calorimetric and fluorescence experiments show strong binding affinities of these porous polymers toward heparins, whereas dynamic light scattering and zeta potential analysis confirm that the heparin sequences are adsorbed into the interior of the porous hosts. Activated partial thromboplastin time, anti-FXa, and thromboelastography assays indicate that their neutralization efficacies are higher than or as high as that of protamine for UFH and generally superior to protamine for LMWHs and fondaparinux, which is further confirmed by tail-transection model in mice and ex vivo aPTT or anti-FXa analysis in rats. Acute toxicity evaluations reveal that one of the SOFs displays outstanding biocompatibility. This work suggests that porous polymers can supply safe and rapid reversal of clinically used heparins, as protamine surrogates, providing an improved approach for their neutralization.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Double absorbing boundaries for finite-difference time-domain electromagnetics

We describe the implementation of optimal local radiation boundary condition sequences for second order finite difference approximations to Maxwell's equations and the scalar wave equation using the double absorbing boundary formulation. Numerical experiments are presented which demonstrate that the design accuracy of the boundary conditions is achieved and, for comparable effort, exceeds that of a convolution perfectly matched layer with reasonably chosen parameters. An advantage of the proposed approach is that parameters can be chosen using an accurate a priori error bound.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Analysis and Simulation of a Blue Energy Cycle

The mixing process of fresh water and seawater releases a significant amount of energy and is a potential source of renewable energy. The so called ‘blue energy’ or salinity-gradient energy can be harvested by a device consisting of carbon electrodes immersed in an electrolyte solution, based on the principle of capacitive double layer expansion (CDLE). In this study, we have investigated the feasibility of energy production based on the CDLE principle. Experiments and computer simulations were used to study the process. Mesoporous carbon materials, synthesized at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, were used as electrode materials in the experiments. Neutron imaging of the blue energy cycle was conducted with cylindrical mesoporous carbon electrodes and 0.5 M lithium chloride as the electrolyte solution. For experiments conducted at 0.6 V and 0.9 V applied potential, a voltage increase of 0.061 V and 0.054 V was observed, respectively. From sequences of neutron images obtained for each step of the blue energy cycle, information on the direction and magnitude of lithium ion transport was obtained. A computer code was developed to simulate the process. Experimental data and computer simulations allowed us to predict energy production.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗

Improved transfer efficiencies in radio-frequency-driven recoupling solid-state NMR by adiabatic sweep through the dipolar recoupling condition

The homonuclear radio-frequency driven recoupling (RFDR) experiment is commonly used in solid-state NMR spectroscopy to gain insight into the structure of biological samples due to its ease of implementation, stability towards fluctuations/missetting of radio-frequency (rf) field strength, and in general low rf requirements. A theoretical operator-based Floquet description is presented to appreciate the effect of having a temporal displacement of the π-pulses in the RFDR experiment. From this description, we demonstrate improved transfer efficiency for the RFDR experiment by generating an adiabatic passage through the zero-quantum recoupling condition. We have compared the performances of RFDR and the improved sequence to mediate efficient {sup 13}CO to {sup 13}C{sub α} polarization transfer for uniformly {sup 13}C,{sup 15}N-labeled glycine and for the fibril forming peptide SNNFGAILSS (one-letter amino acid codes) uniformly {sup 13}C,{sup 15}N-labeled at the FGAIL residues. Using numerically optimized sweeps, we get experimental gains of approximately 20% for glycine where numerical simulations predict an improvement of 25% relative to the standard implementation. For the fibril forming peptide, using the same sweep parameters as found for glycine, we have gains in the order of 10%–20% depending on the spectral regions of interest.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Ubiquity of amplitude-modulated magnetic ordering in the H - T phase diagram of the frustrated non-Fermi-liquid YbAgGe

YbAgGe contains a magnetic geometrically frustrated kagome-like lattice that also features significant local single-ion anisotropy. The electronic state is established by hybridization of 4f and conduction electrons leading to heavy electronic masses. The competition between these various interactions leads to nontrivial behavior under external magnetic field, including a sequence of magnetic phase transitions, non-Fermi-liquid states, and possibly a quantum critical point. We present a series of neutron diffraction experiments performed in the mK temperature range and under magnetic fields up to 8 T in the hexagonal plane, revealing the microscopic nature of the first four subsequent magnetic states of this phase diagram. The magnetic phases are associated with the propagation vectors K 1 =($\frac{1}{3}$ 0 $\frac{1}{3}$) for H < 2 T, K 2 = (0 0 0.32) for 2 T < H < 3 T, K 1 = ($\frac{1}{3}$ 0 $\frac{1}{3}$) for 3 T < H < 4.5 T and k 3 = (0.195 0.195 0.38) for 4.5 T < H < 7 T. Our structural refinements reveal a strong modulation of the magnetic moment amplitude in all phases. We observe that the ordered moments of the three magnetically different Yb sites become increasingly different in field, which complies with the principle local anisotropy directions relative to the field direction. While the ordered moments are aligned predominantly in the hexagonal plane, we also find a significant out-of-plane component and a ferromagnetic contribution above 2 T. Here we discuss possible scenarios that may evolve around the phase boundary at 4.5 T, which is associated with putative quantum criticality as identified by various bulk probes. We propose further steps that are required to better understand the microscopic interactions in this material.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

HSLOT: The HERCULES Scriptable Loop Transformations Engine

HSLOT arms users with a rich set of configurable transformation directives, to be used as-they-are or to be specialized and combined into powerful custom transformations. We offer a plethora of loop transformations, which includes both the classic set (unroll, fuse, fission, tile, and so on) as well as unique ones (specialize, swap nest, split, fork, and so on) that are not found in other state-of-the-art systems. We show how HSLOT enables more transformations such as merging two loops that cannot be fused because of data dependencies and how HSLOT can be used in a simple and systematic fashion to improve memory accesses and expose better parallelism. To use our system, users simply annotate loops with the transformations sequence and compile with our Open64-based HSLOTimplementing Fortran compiler, HSLF90, which produces both object files and optionally source. We describe our experiment results using a set of scientific kernels written in Fortran with HSLOT directives on AMD 32 core system.

Kartsaklis, Christos↗

Insights into ENSO Diversity from an Intermediate Coupled Model. Part II: Role of Nonlinear Dynamics and Stochastic Forcing

Abstract In this study, we investigate how a single leading linear El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) mode, as studied in Part I, leads to the irregular coexistence of central Pacific (CP) and eastern Pacific (EP) ENSO, a phenomenon known as ENSO spatiotemporal diversity. This diversity is fundamentally generated by deterministic nonlinear pathways to chaos via the period-doubling route and, more prevailingly, the subharmonic resonance route with the presence of a seasonally varying basic state. When residing in the weakly nonlinear regime, the coupled system sustains a weak periodic oscillation with a mixed CP/EP pattern as captured by the linear ENSO mode. With a stronger nonlinearity effect, the ENSO behavior experiences a period-doubling bifurcation. The single ENSO orbit splits into coexisting CP-like and EP-like ENSO orbits. A sequence of period-doubling bifurcation results in an aperiodic oscillation featuring irregular CP and EP ENSO occurrences. The overlapping of subharmonic resonances between ENSO and the seasonal cycle allows this ENSO irregularity and diversity to be more readily excited. In the strongly nonlinear regime, the coupled system is dominated by regular EP ENSO. The deterministic ENSO spatiotemporal diversity is thus confined to a relatively narrow range corresponding to a moderately unstable ENSO mode. Stochastic forcing broadens this range and allows ENSO diversity to occur when the ENSO mode is weakly subcritical. A close relationship among a weakened mean zonal temperature gradient, stronger ENSO activity, and more (fewer) occurrences of EP (CP) ENSO is noted, indicating that ENSO–mean state interaction may yield ENSO regime modulations on the multidecadal time scale.

Geng, Licheng↗

Identifying Aspects of the Post-Transcriptional Program Governing the Proteome of the Green Alga Micromonas pusilla

Micromonas is a unicellular green alga that belongs to the prasinophytes, a sister lineage to land plants. This picoeukaryotic (<2 μm diameter) alga is widespread in the marine environment but still not understood at the cellular level. Here, we examine the mRNA and protein level changes that take place over the course of the day-night cycle using mid-exponential nutrient replete cultures of Micromonas pusilla CCMP1545 grown and analyzed in biological triplicate. During the experiment, samples were collected at key transition points during the diel for evaluation using high-throughput LC-MS proteomics. We also sequenced matched mRNA samples from the same time points, using pair-ended directional Illumina RNA-Seq to investigate the dynamics and relationship between the mRNA and protein expression programs of M. pusilla. Similar to a prior study of the marine cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus, we found significant divergence in the mRNA and proteomics expression dynamics in response to the light:dark cycle. Additionally, expressional responses of genes and the proteins they encoded could also be variable within the same metabolic pathway, such as the oxygenic photosynthesis pathway. A regression framework was used to predict protein levels using both mRNA expression and gene-specific sequence-based features. Several features in the genome sequence were found to influence protein abundance including the codon usage and the length of the 3’ UTR. Collectively, our studies provide insights into the regulation of the proteome over a diel as relationships between the transcriptional and translational programs in the widespread marine green alga Micromonas.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

A STAGED MUON ACCELERATOR FACILITY FOR NEUTRINO AND COLLIDER PHYSICS

Muon-based facilities offer unique potential to provide capabilities at both the Intensity Frontier with Neutrino Factories and the Energy Frontier with Muon Colliders. They rely on a novel technology with challenging parameters, for which the feasibility is currently being evaluated by the Muon Accelerator Program (MAP). A realistic scenario for a complementary series of staged facilities with increasing complexity and significant physics potential at each stage has been developed. It takes advantage of and leverages the capabilities already planned for Fermilab, especially the strategy for long-term improvement of the accelerator complex being initiated with the Proton Improvement Plan (PIP-II) and the Long Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE). Each stage is designed to provide an R&D platform to validate the technologies required for subsequent stages. The rationale and sequence of the staging process, and the critical issues to be addressed at each stage, are presented.

Delahaye, Jean-Pierre↗