The transferred microbiota from mother to baby constitutes the initial infant gastrointestinal microbiota and has an important influence on the development and health of infants in human. However, ...the reproductive tract microbiota of avian species and its inheritance have rarely been studied. We aimed to characterize the microbial community in the chicken reproductive tract and determine the origin of the chicken embryo gut microbiota. Microbiota in four different portions of chicken oviduct were determined using 16S rRNA metagenomic approach with the IonTorrent platform. Additionally, we analyzed the mother hen's magnum and cloaca, descendent egg, and embryo gut microbiota. The microbial composition and relative abundance of bacterial genera were stable throughout the entire chicken reproductive tract, without significant differences between the different parts of the oviduct. The chicken reproductive tract showed a relatively high abundance of Lactobacillus species. The number of bacterial species in the chicken reproductive tract significantly increased following sexual maturation. Core genera analysis detected 21 of common genera in the maternal magnum and cloaca, descendent egg shell, egg white, and embryo gut. Some elements of the maternal oviduct microbiota appear to be transferred to the embryo through the egg white and constitute most of the embryo gut bacterial population.
We fabricated silver nanowire (AgNW)-coated cellulose papers with a hierarchical structure by an efficient and facile dip-coating process, and investigated their microstructures, electrical ...conductivity and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness. SEM images confirm that AgNWs are coated dominantly on the paper surfaces, although they exist partially in the inner parts of the cellulose papers, which demonstrates that the AgNW density gradually decreases in thickness direction of the AgNW/cellulose papers. This result is supported by the anisotropic apparent electrical conductivity of the AgNW/cellulose papers depending on in-plane or thickness direction. Even for a AgNW/cellulose paper obtained by a single dip-coating cycle, the apparent electrical conductivity in the in-plane direction of 0.34 S/cm is achieved, which is far higher than the neat cellulose paper with ∼10–11 S/cm. In addition, the apparent electrical conductivity of the papers in the in-plane direction increases significantly from 0.34 to 67.51 S/cm with increasing the number of dip-coating cycle. Moreover, although the AgNW/cellulose paper with 67.51 S/cm possesses 0.53 vol % AgNW only, it exhibits high EMI shielding performance of ∼48.6 dB at 1 GHz. This indicates that the cellulose paper structure is highly effective to form a conductive AgNW network. Overall, it can be concluded that the AgNW/cellulose papers with high flexibility and low density can be used as electrically conductive components and EMI shielding elements in advanced application areas.
The cellular decision regarding whether to undergo proliferation or death is made at the restriction (R)-point, which is disrupted in nearly all tumors. The identity of the molecular mechanisms that ...govern the R-point decision is one of the fundamental issues in cell biology. We found that early after mitogenic stimulation, RUNX3 binds to its target loci, where it opens chromatin structure by sequential recruitment of Trithorax group proteins and cell-cycle regulators to drive cells to the R-point. Soon after, RUNX3 closes these loci by recruiting Polycomb repressor complexes, causing the cell to pass through the R-point toward S phase. If the RAS signal is constitutively activated, RUNX3 inhibits cell cycle progression by maintaining R-point-associated genes in an open structure. Our results identify RUNX3 as a pioneer factor for the R-point and reveal the molecular mechanisms by which appropriate chromatin modifiers are selectively recruited to target loci for appropriate R-point decisions.
Ultrathin and dense metal oxide gate dielectric layers are reported by a simple printing of AlOx and HfOx sol–gel precursors. Large‐area printed indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) thin‐film transistor ...arrays, which exhibit mobilities >5 cm2 V−1 s−1 and gate leakage current of 10−9 A cm−2 at a very low operation voltage of 2 V, are demonstrated by continuous simple bar‐coated processes.
Cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor (CDK4/6) therapy plus endocrine therapy (ET) is an effective treatment for patients with hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal receptor 2-negative metastatic ...breast cancer (HR+/HER2- MBC); however, resistance is common and poorly understood. A comprehensive genomic and transcriptomic analysis of pretreatment and post-treatment tumors from patients receiving palbociclib plus ET was performed to delineate molecular mechanisms of drug resistance.
Tissue was collected from 89 patients with HR+/HER2- MBC, including those with recurrent and/or metastatic disease, receiving palbociclib plus an aromatase inhibitor or fulvestrant at Samsung Medical Center and Seoul National University Hospital from 2017 to 2020. Tumor biopsy and blood samples obtained at pretreatment, on-treatment (6 weeks and/or 12 weeks), and post-progression underwent RNA sequencing and whole-exome sequencing. Cox regression analysis was performed to identify the clinical and genomic variables associated with progression-free survival.
Novel markers associated with poor prognosis, including genomic scar features caused by homologous repair deficiency (HRD), estrogen response signatures, and four prognostic clusters with distinct molecular features were identified. Tumors with TP53 mutations co-occurring with a unique HRD-high cluster responded poorly to palbociclib plus ET. Comparisons of paired pre- and post-treatment samples revealed that tumors became enriched in APOBEC mutation signatures, and many switched to aggressive molecular subtypes with estrogen-independent characteristics. We identified frequent genomic alterations upon disease progression in RB1, ESR1, PTEN, and KMT2C.
We identified novel molecular features associated with poor prognosis and molecular mechanisms that could be targeted to overcome resistance to CKD4/6 plus ET.
ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03401359. The trial was posted on 18 January 2018 and registered prospectively.
Progressive renal failure causes uremia-related immune dysfunction, which features a chronic inflammatory milieu. Given the central role of end-stage renal disease (ESRD)-related immune dysfunction ...in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), much attention has been focused on how uremic toxins affect cellular immunity and the mechanisms underlying pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in ESRD patients. Here, we investigated the characteristics of monocytes and CD4
T cells in ESRD patients and the immune responses induced by indoxyl sulfate (IS), a key uremic toxin, in order to explore the pathogenic effects of these cells on vascular endothelial cells. In ESRD patients, monocytes respond to IS through the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and consequently produce increased levels of TNF-α. Upon stimulation with TNF-α, human vascular endothelial cells produce copious amounts of CX3CL1, a chemokine ligand of CX3CR1 that is highly expressed on CD4
CD28
T cells, the predominantly expanded cell type in ESRD patients. A migration assay showed that CD4
CD28
T cells were preferentially recruited by CX3CL1. Moreover, activated CD4
CD28
T cells exhibited cytotoxic capability allowing for the induction of apoptosis in HUVECs. Our findings suggest that in ESRD, IS-mediated immune dysfunction may cause vascular endothelial cell damage and thus, this toxin plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of CVD.
This paper describes polymeric nanostructures with dynamically tunable wetting properties. Centimeter‐scale areas of monolithic nanoridges can be generated by strain relief of thermoplastic ...polyolefin films with fluoropolymer skin layers. Changing the amount of strain results in polyolefin ridges with aspect ratios greater than four with controlled feature densities. Surface chemistry and topography are demonstrated to be able to be tailored by SF6‐plasma etching to access multiple wetting states: Wenzel, Cassie–Baxter, and Cassie‐impregnating states. Reversible transitions among the wetting states can be realized in a programmable manner by cyclic stretching and reshrinking the patterned substrates without delamination and cracking.
Centimeter‐scale areas of monolithic nanoridges are generated by strain relief of polyolefin films with fluoropolymer skin layers. SF6‐plasma treatment can tailor the surface chemistry and topography of the nanostructures to access multiple wetting states, including Wenzel, Cassie–Baxter, and Cassie‐impregnating states. Reversible transitions between wetting states can be realized in a programmable manner by stretching and reshrinking the patterned substrate.
Despite intensive research on photochemical activation of sol–gel metal oxide materials, the relatively long processing time and lack of deep understanding of the underlying chemical courses have ...limited their broader impact on diverse materials and applications such as thin‐film electronics, photovoltaics, and catalysts. Here, in‐depth studies on the rapid photochemical activation of diverse sol–gel oxide films using various spectroscopic and electrical investigations for the underlying physicochemical mechanism are reported. Based on the exhaustive chemical and physical analysis, it is noted that deep ultraviolet‐promoted rapid film formation such as densification, polycondensation, and impurity decomposition is possible within 5 min via in situ radical‐mediated reactions. Finally, the rapid fabrication of all‐solution metal oxide thin‐film‐transistor circuitry, which exhibits stable and reliable electrical performance with a mobility of >12 cm2 V−1 s−1 and an oscillation frequency of >650 kHz in 7‐stage ring oscillator even after bending at a radius of <1 mm is demonstrated.
The general physicochemical mechanisms underlying photoactivated sol–gel reactions are described, with comprehensive chemical and structural analysis inducing rapid (<5 min) fabrication of various metal oxide films at low temperatures (<150 °C), and all‐solution processed high‐performance electronic devices and circuitry on ultrathin polymeric substrates are demonstrated. This will open new possibilities to prepare future electronic materials in a fast, scalable, and economic manner.
Large‐scale 2D single‐crystalline copper nanoplates (Cu NPLs) are synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method. The combination of a mild reductant, stabilizer, and shape modifier allows the ...dimensional control of the Cu nanocrystals from 1D nanowires (NWs) to 2D nanoplates. High‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR‐TEM) reveals that the prepared Cu NPLs have a single‐crystalline structure. From the X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis, it is found that iodine plays an important role in the modification of the copper nanocrystals through the formation of an adlayer on the basal plane of the nanoplates. Cu NPLs with an average edge length of 10 μm are successfully synthesized, and these Cu NPLs are the largest copper 2D crystals synthesized by a solution‐based process so far. The application of the metallic 2D crystals as a semitransparent electrode proves their feasibility as a conductive filler, exhibiting very low sheet resistance (0.4 Ω ▫−1) compared to Cu NWs and a transmittance near 75%. The efficient charge transport is due to the increased contact area between each Cu NPL, i.e., so‐called plane contact (2D electrical contact). In addition, this type of contact enhances the current‐carrying capability of the Cu NPL electrodes, implying that the large‐size Cu NPLs are promising conductive fillers for printable electrode applications.
Large‐scale 2D single‐crystalline copper nanoplates (Cu NPLs) are synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method. The synthesized Cu NPLs have an average edge length of 10 µm. The application of the metallic 2D crystals as a semitransparent electrode proves their feasibility as a conductive filler.
In this paper, we study an electricity load scheduling problem in a residence. Compared with previous works in which only limited sets of appliances are considered, we classify various appliances ...into five sets considering their different energy consumption and operation characteristics, and provide mathematical models for them. With these appliance models, we propose an electricity load scheduling algorithm that controls the operation time and energy consumption level of each appliance adapting to time-of-use pricing in order to maximize the overall net utility of the residence while satisfying its budget limit. The optimization problem is formulated as a mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problem, which is in general, difficult to solve. In order to solve the problem, we use the generalized Benders decomposition approach with which we can solve the MINLP problem easily with low computational complexity. By solving the problem, we provide an algorithm to obtain the optimal electricity load scheduling of various appliances with different energy consumption and operation characteristics in a unified way.
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