Shorecortez7323

This paper reports how the spectral linewidths of plasmon resonances can be narrowed down to a few nanometers by optimizing the morphology, surface roughness, and crystallinity of metal nanoparticles (NPs) in two-dimensional (2D) lattices. We developed thermal annealing procedures to achieve ultranarrow surface lattice resonances (SLRs) with full-width at half-maxima linewidths as narrow as 4 nm from arrays of Au, Ag, Al, and Cu NPs. Besides annealing, we developed a chemical vapor deposition process to use Cu NPs as catalytic substrates for graphene growth. Graphene-encapsulated Cu NPs showed the narrowest SLR linewidths (2 nm) and were stable for months. These ultranarrow SLR nanocavity modes supported even narrower lasing emission spectra and high nonlinearity in the input-output light-light curves.DICER is a key enzyme in microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis. Here we show that aerobic exercise training up-regulates DICER in adipose tissue of mice and humans. This can be mimicked by infusion of serum from exercised mice into sedentary mice and depends on AMPK-mediated signaling in both muscle and adipocytes. Adipocyte DICER is required for whole-body metabolic adaptations to aerobic exercise training, in part, by allowing controlled substrate utilization in adipose tissue, which, in turn, supports skeletal muscle function. Exercise training increases overall miRNA expression in adipose tissue, and up-regulation of miR-203-3p limits glycolysis in adipose under conditions of metabolic stress. We propose that exercise training-induced DICER-miR-203-3p up-regulation in adipocytes is a key adaptive response that coordinates signals from working muscle to promote whole-body metabolic adaptations.Glands of the uterus are essential for pregnancy establishment. Forkhead box A2 (FOXA2) is expressed specifically in the glands of the uterus and a critical regulator of glandular epithelium (GE) differentiation, development, and function. Mice with a conditional deletion of FOXA2 in the adult uterus, created using the lactotransferrin iCre (Ltf-iCre) model, have a morphologically normal uterus with glands, but lack FOXA2-dependent GE-expressed genes, such as leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF). Adult FOXA2 conditional knockout (cKO; Ltf iCre/+ Foxa2 f/f ) mice are infertile due to defective embryo implantation arising from a lack of LIF, a critical implantation factor of uterine gland origin. However, intraperitoneal injections of LIF can initiate embryo implantation in the uterus of adult FOXA2 cKO mice with pregnancies maintained to term. Selleck EHT 1864 Here, we tested the hypothesis that FOXA2-regulated genes in the uterine glands impact development of the decidua, placenta, and fetus. On gestational day 8.5, the antimesometrial and mesometrial decidua transcriptome was noticeably altered in LIF-replaced FOXA2 cKO mice. Viable fetuses were reduced in FOXA2 cKO mice on gestational days 12.5 and 17.5. Sex-dependent differences in fetal weight, placenta histoarchitecture, and the placenta and metrial gland transcriptome were observed between control and FOXA2 cKO mice. The transcriptome of the placenta with a female fetus was considerably more altered than the placenta with a male fetus in FOXA2 cKO dams. These studies reveal previously unrecognized sexually dimorphic effects of FOXA2 and uterine glands on fetoplacental development with potential impacts on offspring health into adulthood.Clinical studies combining radiation and immunotherapy have shown promising response rates, strengthening efforts to sensitize tumors to immune-mediated attack. Thus, there is an ongoing surge in trials using preconditioning regimens with immunotherapy. link2 Yet, due to the scarcity of resected tumors treated in situ with radiotherapy, there has been little investigation of radiation's sole contributions to local and systemic antitumor immunity in patients. Without this access, translational studies have been limited to evaluating circulating immune subsets and systemic remodeling of peripheral T cell receptor repertoires. This constraint has left gaps in how radiation impacts intratumoral responses and whether tumor-resident T cell clones are amplified following treatment. Therefore, to interrogate the immune impact of radiation on the tumor microenvironment and test the hypothesis that radiation initiates local and systemic expansion of tumor-resident clones, we analyzed renal cell carcinomas from patients treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy. Transcriptomic comparisons were evaluated by bulk RNA sequencing. T cell receptor sequencing monitored repertoires during treatment. Pathway analysis showed radiation-specific enrichment of immune-related processes, and T cell receptor sequencing revealed increased clonality in radiation-treated tumors. The frequency of identified, tumor-enriched clonotypes was tracked across serial blood samples. We observed increased abundance of tumor-enriched clonotypes at 2 wk postradiation compared with pretreatment levels; however, this expansion was not sustained, and levels contracted toward baseline by 4 wk posttreatment. Taken together, these results indicate robust intratumoral immune remodeling and a window of tumor-resident T cell expansion following radiation that may be leveraged for the rational design of combinatorial strategies.Nef is an HIV-encoded accessory protein that enhances pathogenicity by down-regulating major histocompatibility class I (MHC-I) expression to evade killing by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). A potent Nef inhibitor that restores MHC-I is needed to promote immune-mediated clearance of HIV-infected cells. We discovered that the plecomacrolide family of natural products restored MHC-I to the surface of Nef-expressing primary cells with variable potency. Concanamycin A (CMA) counteracted Nef at subnanomolar concentrations that did not interfere with lysosomal acidification or degradation and were nontoxic in primary cell cultures. CMA specifically reversed Nef-mediated down-regulation of MHC-I, but not CD4, and cells treated with CMA showed reduced formation of the NefMHC-IAP-1 complex required for MHC-I down-regulation. CMA restored expression of diverse allotypes of MHC-I in Nef-expressing cells and inhibited Nef alleles from divergent clades of HIV and simian immunodeficiency virus, including from primary patient isolates. Lastly, we found that restoration of MHC-I in HIV-infected cells was accompanied by enhanced CTL-mediated clearance of infected cells comparable to genetic deletion of Nef. Thus, we propose CMA as a lead compound for therapeutic inhibition of Nef to enhance immune-mediated clearance of HIV-infected cells.The foundation of the scientific method rests on access to data, and yet such access is often restricted or costly. We investigate how improved data access shifts the quantity, quality, and diversity of scientific research. We examine the impact of reductions in cost and sharing restrictions for satellite imagery data from NASA's Landsat program (the longest record of remote-sensing observations of the Earth) on academic science using a sample of about 24,000 Landsat publications by over 34,000 authors matched to almost 3,000 unique study locations. Analyses show that improved access had a substantial and positive effect on the quantity and quality of Landsat-enabled science. link3 Improved data access also democratizes science by disproportionately helping scientists from the developing world and lower-ranked institutions to publish using Landsat data. This democratization in turn increases the geographic and topical diversity of Landsat-enabled research. Scientists who start using Landsat data after access is improved tend to focus on previously understudied regions close to their home location and introduce novel research topics. These findings suggest that policies that improve access to valuable scientific data may promote scientific progress, reduce inequality among scientists, and increase the diversity of scientific research.Proteolytic activation of phenoloxidase (PO) and the cytokine Spätzle during immune responses of insects is mediated by a network of hemolymph serine proteases (HPs) and noncatalytic serine protease homologs (SPHs) and inhibited by serpins. However, integration and conservation of the system and its control mechanisms are not fully understood. Here we present biochemical evidence that PO-catalyzed melanin formation, Spätzle-triggered Toll activation, and induced synthesis of antimicrobial peptides are stimulated via hemolymph (serine) protease 5 (HP5) in Manduca sexta Previous studies have demonstrated a protease cascade pathway in which HP14 activates proHP21; HP21 activates proPAP2 and proPAP3, which then activate proPO in the presence of a complex of SPH1 and SPH2. We found that both HP21 and PAP3 activate proHP5 by cleavage at ESDR176*IIGG. HP5 then cleaves proHP6 at a unique site of LDLH112*ILGG. HP6, an ortholog of Drosophila Persephone, activates both proHP8 and proPAP1. HP8 activates proSpätzle-1, whereas PAP1 cleaves and activates proPO. HP5 is inhibited by Manduca sexta serpin-4, serpin-1A, and serpin-1J to regulate its activity. In summary, we have elucidated the physiological roles of HP5, a CLIPB with unique cleavage specificity (cutting after His) that coordinates immune responses in the caterpillar.Bacteria can move across surfaces using type IV pili (T4P), which undergo cycles of extension, adhesion, and retraction. The T4P localization pattern varies between species; however, the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. In the rod-shaped Myxococcus xanthus cells, T4P localize at the leading cell pole. As cells reverse their direction of movement, T4P are disassembled at the old leading pole and then form at the new leading pole. Thus, cells can form T4P at both poles but engage only one pole at a time in T4P formation. Here, we address how this T4P unipolarity is realized. We demonstrate that the small Ras-like GTPase MglA stimulates T4P formation in its GTP-bound state by direct interaction with the tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domain-containing protein SgmX. SgmX, in turn, is important for polar localization of the T4P extension ATPase PilB. The cognate MglA GTPase activating protein (GAP) MglB, which localizes mainly to the lagging cell pole, indirectly blocks T4P formation at this pole by stimulating the conversion of MglA-GTP to MglA-GDP. Based on these findings, we propose a model whereby T4P unipolarity is accomplished by stimulation of T4P formation at the leading pole by MglA-GTP and SgmX and indirect inhibition of T4P formation at the lagging pole by MglB due to its MglA GAP activity. During reversals, MglA, SgmX, and MglB switch polarity, thus laying the foundation for T4P formation at the new leading pole and inhibition of T4P formation at the new lagging pole.Solute transport in unsaturated porous materials is a complex process, which exhibits some distinct features differentiating it from transport under saturated conditions. These features emerge mostly due to the different transport time scales at different regions of the flow network, which can be classified into flowing and stagnant regions, predominantly controlled by advection and diffusion, respectively. Under unsaturated conditions, the solute breakthrough curves show early arrivals and very long tails, and this type of transport is usually referred to as non-Fickian. This study directly characterizes transport through an unsaturated porous medium in three spatial dimensions at the resolution of 3.25 μm and the time resolution of 6 s. Using advanced high-speed, high-spatial resolution, synchrotron-based X-ray computed microtomography (sCT) we obtained detailed information on solute transport through a glass bead packing at different saturations. A large experimental dataset (>50 TB) was produced, while imaging the evolution of the solute concentration with time at any given point within the field of view.