Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) nanoframe structures are very appealing because their inner voids and ridges interact efficiently with light and analytes, allowing for effective optical-based ...sensing. However, the realization of complex nanoframe architecture with high yield is challenging because the systematic design of such a complicated nanostructure lacks an appropriate synthesis protocol. Here, we show the synthesis method for complex 3D nanoframes wherein two-dimensional (2D) dual-rim nanostructures are engraved on each facet of octahedral nanoframes. The synthetic scheme proceeds through multiple executable on-demand steps. With Au octahedral nanoparticles as a sacrificial template, sequential processes of edge-selective Pt deposition and inner Au etching lead to Pt octahedral mono-rim nanoframes. Then, adlayers of Au are grown on Pt skeletons via the Frank-van der Merwe mode, forming sharp and well-developed edges. Next, Pt selective deposition on both the inner and outer boundaries leads to tunable geometric patterning on Au. Finally, after the selective etching of Au, Pt octahedral dual-rim nanoframes with highly homogeneous size and shape are achieved. In order to endow plasmonic features, Au is coated around Pt frames while retaining their geometric shape. The resultant plasmonic dual-rim engraved nanoframes possess strong light entrapping capability verified by single-particle surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and show the potential of nanoprobes for biosensing through SERS-based immunoassay.
This study explores the relationship between young women's consumption of healthy and unhealthy food and depression and examines the moderating effect of their employment status on the relationship.
...The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 79 for Children and Young Adults (NLSY79 CY) was used for this study. The final sample included a total of 1524 young women aged from 18 to 35 years. Multiple Linear Regression was conducted to answer the research questions.
Fast food consumption was related to higher levels of depression among young women while fruit intake was associated with lower levels of depression. Employment status moderated the relationship between young women's fruit consumption and depression.
Young women are encouraged to consume more fruit and less fast food in order to ameliorate depression. Programs that target young women's mental health should consider addressing their nutritional needs, through, for example, vouchers for fresh, nutritious foods; nutrition or cooking education; or having a certified nutrition specialist on staff.
Recognizing that high-stakes competitions tend to pressure coaches toward a maladaptive controlling motivating style, we sought to evaluate the capacity of an intervention to help coaches adopt a ...more autonomy-supportive style as they and their athletes prepared for the 2012 London Paralympic Games.
We adopted a coach-focused experimental research design that longitudinally assessed coaches' and athletes' self-report, rater-scored, and objective dependent measures.
We randomly assigned 33 coaches and their 64 athletes from 10 sports into either an experimental or control group and assessed their motivation and functioning longitudinally.
In the control group, athletes and coaches both showed a significant longitudinal deterioration in all measures of motivation, engagement, and functioning. In the experimental group, none of the measures of motivation, engagement, and functioning deteriorated but, instead, were generally maintained. In terms of performance, athletes of coaches in the experimental group won significantly more Olympic medals than did athletes in the control group.
Enacting an autonomy-supportive coaching style within the context of a high-stakes sports competition functioned as an antidote to coaches' otherwise situationally-induced controlling style.
•Paralympic coaches randomly assigned to an autonomy-supportive intervention.•We assessed coaches' and athletes' motivation, functioning, and performance.•Without the intervention, the high-stakes context undermined all dependent measures.•With the intervention, dependent measures were maintained.•Experimental condition predicted which athletes won an Olympic medal.
Recording neuronal activity using multiple electrodes has been widely used to understand the functional mechanisms of the brain. Increasing the number of electrodes allows us to decode more variety ...of functionalities. However, handling massive amounts of multichannel electrophysiological data is still challenging due to the limited hardware resources and unavoidable thermal tissue damage. Here, we present machine learning (ML)-based reconstruction of high-frequency neuronal spikes from subsampled low-frequency band signals. Inspired by the equivalence between high-frequency restoration and super-resolution in image processing, we applied a transformer ML model to neuronal data recorded from both in vitro cultures and in vivo male mouse brains. Even with the x8 downsampled datasets, our trained model reasonably estimated high-frequency information of spiking activity, including spike timing, waveform, and network connectivity. With our ML-based data reduction applicable to existing multichannel recording hardware while achieving neuronal signals of broad bandwidths, we expect to enable more comprehensive analysis and control of brain functions.
The impacts of income and education on mental health have been understudied among young adult men. This study aims to explore the association between income and depression among young adult men, to ...examine how educational attainment influences depression, and to investigate how educational attainment moderates the relationship between income and depression among young adult men. We used the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 79 for Children and Young Adults (NLSY79 CY). A total of 1084 young adult men were selected for the final sample. The PROCESS macro 3.4 for Statistical Product and Service Solutions was used for analysis. Both income and educational attainment were negatively related to depression among young adult men. We found a significant interaction effect, indicating that educational attainment moderated the relationship between income and depression among young adult men. The effect of educational attainment on depression was greater for young adult men who earned a lower income compared to those who earned a higher income. Job training programs and other employment assistance should be provided to young adult men to help them to gain employment and job security, as well as to indirectly reduce their levels of depression. Increased access to higher education may also help men attain higher-paying jobs, which may buffer against depression. We suggest that men who have not received higher education receive access to job training programs and programs for job searching and career development to bolster their earnings potential, which thus may reduce depression.
The initial motivation in colloid science and engineering was driven by the fact that colloids can serve as excellent models to study atomic and molecular behavior at the mesoscale or microscale. The ...thermal behaviors of actual atoms and molecules are similar to those of colloids at the mesoscale or microscale, with the primary distinction being the slower dynamics of the latter. While atoms and molecules are challenging to observe directly in situ, colloidal motions can be easily monitored in situ using simple and versatile optical microscopic imaging. This foundational approach in colloid research persisted until the 1980s, and began to be extensively implemented in optics and photonics research in the 1990s. This shift in research direction was brought by an interplay of several factors. In 1987, Yablonovitch and John modernized the concept of photonic crystals (initially conceptualized by Lord Rayleigh in 1887). Around this time, mesoscale dielectric colloids, which were predominantly in a suspended state, began to be self-assembled into three-dimensional (3D) crystals. For photonic crystals operating at optical frequencies (visible to near-infrared), mesoscale crystal units are needed. At that time, no manufacturing process could achieve this, except through colloidal self-assembly. This convergence of the thirst for advances in optics and photonics and the interest in the expanding field of colloids led to a significant shift in the research paradigm of colloids. Initially limited to polymers and ceramics, colloidal elements subsequently expanded to include semiconductors, metals, and DNA after the year 2000. As a result, the application of colloids extended beyond dielectric-based photonic crystals to encompass plasmonics, metamaterials, and metasurfaces, shaping the present field of colloidal optics and photonics. In this review we aim to introduce the research trajectory of colloidal optics and photonics over the past three decades; To elucidate the utility of colloids in photonic crystals, plasmonics, and metamaterials; And to present the challenges that must be overcome and potential research prospects for the future.
Human resistin is a cytokine that induces low-grade inflammation by stimulating monocytes. Resistin-mediated chronic inflammation can lead to obesity, atherosclerosis, and other cardiometabolic ...diseases. Nevertheless, the receptor for human resistin has not been clarified. Here, we identified adenylyl cyclase-associated protein 1 (CAP1) as a functional receptor for human resistin and clarified its intracellular signaling pathway to modulate inflammatory action of monocytes. We found that human resistin directly binds to CAP1 in monocytes and upregulates cyclic AMP (cAMP) concentration, protein kinase A (PKA) activity, and NF-κB-related transcription of inflammatory cytokines. Overexpression of CAP1 in monocytes enhanced the resistin-induced increased activity of the cAMP-dependent signaling. Moreover, CAP1-overexpressed monocytes aggravated adipose tissue inflammation in transgenic mice that express human resistin from their monocytes. In contrast, suppression of CAP1 expression abrogated the resistin-mediated inflammatory activity both in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, CAP1 is the bona fide receptor for resistin leading to inflammation in humans.
Display omitted
•Human resistin binds directly to CAP1 at the proline-rich SH3 binding domain•Resistin stimulates the cAMP- and PKA-dependent signaling pathway via CAP1•CAP1 is the bona fide resistin receptor leading to inflammation in humans
Resistin-mediated chronic low-grade inflammation can lead to obesity and other cardiometabolic diseases. Here, Lee et al. identified adenylyl cyclase-associated protein 1 (CAP1) as a functional receptor for human resistin and show that its activation in monocytes mediates a cAMP-dependent signaling pathway, leading to the production of inflammatory cytokines.
During the past 5 decades, it has been widely promulgated that the chemicals in plants that are good for health act as direct scavengers of free radicals. Here we review evidence that favors a ...different hypothesis for the health benefits of plant consumption, namely, that some phytochemicals exert disease-preventive and therapeutic actions by engaging one or more adaptive cellular response pathways in cells. The evolutionary basis for the latter mechanism is grounded in the fact that plants produce natural antifeedant/noxious chemicals that discourage insects and other organisms from eating them. However, in the amounts typically consumed by humans, the phytochemicals activate one or more conserved adaptive cellular stress response pathways and thereby enhance the ability of cells to resist injury and disease. Examplesof such pathways include those involving the transcription factors nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2, nuclear factor-κB, hypoxia-inducible factor 1α, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ, and forkhead box subgroup O, as well as the production and action of trophic factors and hormones. Translational research to develop interventions that target these pathways may lead to new classes of therapeutic agents that act by stimulating adaptive stress response pathways to bolster endogenous defenses against tissue injury and disease. Because neurons are particularly sensitive to potentially noxious phytochemicals, we focus on the nervous system but also include findings from other cell types in which actions of phytochemicals on specific signal transduction pathways have been more thoroughly studied.
Abstract
Aims
Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type-9 (PCSK9), a molecular determinant of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor (LDLR) fate, has emerged as a promising therapeutic target for ...atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. However, the precise mechanism by which PCSK9 regulates the internalization and lysosomal degradation of LDLR is unknown. Recently, we identified adenylyl cyclase-associated protein 1 (CAP1) as a receptor for human resistin whose globular C-terminus is structurally similar to the C-terminal cysteine-rich domain (CRD) of PCSK9. Herein, we investigated the role of CAP1 in PCSK9-mediated lysosomal degradation of LDLR and plasma LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) levels.
Methods and results
The direct binding between PCSK9 and CAP1 was confirmed by immunoprecipitation assay, far-western blot, biomolecular fluorescence complementation, and surface plasmon resonance assay. Fine mapping revealed that the CRD of PCSK9 binds with the Src homology 3 binding domain (SH3BD) of CAP1. Two loss-of-function polymorphisms found in human PCSK9 (S668R and G670E in CRD) were attributed to a defective interaction with CAP1. siRNA against CAP1 reduced the PCSK9-mediated degradation of LDLR in vitro. We generated CAP1 knock-out mice and found that the viable heterozygous CAP1 knock-out mice had higher protein levels of LDLR and lower LDL-C levels in the liver and plasma, respectively, than the control mice. Mechanistic analysis revealed that PCSK9-induced endocytosis and lysosomal degradation of LDLR were mediated by caveolin but not by clathrin, and they were dependent on binding between CAP1 and caveolin-1.
Conclusion
We identified CAP1 as a new binding partner of PCSK9 and a key mediator of caveolae-dependent endocytosis and lysosomal degradation of LDLR.
Abstract
The development of plasmonic nanostructures with intricate nanoframe morphologies has attracted considerable interest for improving catalytic and optical properties. However, arranging ...multiple nanoframes in one nanostructure especially, in a solution phase remains a great challenge. Herein, we show complex nanoparticles by embedding various shapes of three-dimensional polyhedral nanoframes within a single entity through rationally designed synthetic pathways. This synthetic strategy is based on the selective deposition of platinum atoms on high surface energy facets and subsequent growth into solid platonic nanoparticles, followed by the etching of inner Au domains, leaving complex nanoframes. Our synthetic routes are rationally designed and executable on-demand with a high structural controllability. Diverse Au solid nanostructures (octahedra, truncated octahedra, cuboctahedra, and cubes) evolved into complex multi-layered nanoframes with different numbers/shapes/sizes of internal nanoframes. After coating the surface of the nanoframes with plasmonically active metal (like Ag), the materials exhibited highly enhanced electromagnetic near-field focusing embedded within the internal complicated rim architecture.
PDF
