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Topological defects in liquid crystals not only affect the optical and rheological properties of the host, but can also act as scaffolds in which to trap nano or micro-sized colloidal objects. The creation of complex defect shapes, however, often involves confining the liquid crystals in curved geometries or adds complex-shaped colloidal objects, which are unsuitable for device applications. Using topologically patterned substrates, here we demonstrate the controlled generation of three-dimensional defect lines with non-trivial shapes and even chirality, in a flat slab of nematic liquid crystal. By using the defect lines as templates and the electric response of the liquid crystals, colloidal superstructures are constructed, which can be reversibly reconfigured at a voltage as low as 1.3 V. Three-dimensional engineering of the defect shapes in liquid crystals is potentially useful in the fabrication of self-healing composites and in stabilizing artificial frustrated phases. Topological defects can be used not only to modify the properties of liquid crystals but also as scaffolds to build new structures by trapping particles. Here, Yoshida et al . construct three-dimensional colloidal superstructures in a nematic host, which are reconfigurable in an electric field.

A method that delivers a high yield and excellent quality of essential oil, which retains most of its value-added compounds, and undergoes least change after the extraction process, is greatly sought after. Although chemical free methods are acceptable, they call for an extensive processing time, while the yield and quality from these methods are often disappointing. This work utilizes subcritical water technology to address these issues. In this undertaking, essential oil was extracted from Aquilaria malaccensis wood by way of subcritical conditions, and characterized through gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS). Optimization through response surface methodology revealed temperature to be the most critical factor for the extraction process, while the optimum conditions for temperature, sample-to-solvent ratio, and time for subcritical water extraction was revealed as 225 °C, 0.2 gr/mL, and 17 min, respectively. The subcritical water extraction technique involves two simultaneous processes, which are based on good fitting to the two-site kinetic and second order model. In comparison to the hydrodistillation method, GC/MS results indicated that the quality of A. malaccensis’ wood oils, derived through the subcritical water technique, are of significantly better quality, while containing many constructive value-added compounds, such as furfural and guaiacol, which are useful for the production of pesticides and medicines. Pore size, functional groups, and morphology analysis revealed the occurrence of substantial damage to the samples, which facilitated an improved extraction of bio-products. In comparison to conventional methods, the use of the subcritical method not only involves a shorter processing time, but also delivers a higher oil yield and quality.

Electro- and diffusio-phoresis of particles correspond respectively to the transport of particles under electric field and solute concentration gradients. Such interfacial transport phenomena take their origin in a diffuse layer close to the particle surface, and the motion of the particle is force free. In the case of electrophoresis, it is further expected that the stress acting on the moving particle vanishes locally as a consequence of local electroneutrality. But the argument does not apply to diffusiophoresis, which takes its origin in solute concentration gradients. In this paper we investigate further the local and global force balance on a particle undergoing diffusiophoresis. We calculate the local tension applied on the particle surface and show that, counter-intuitively, the local force on the particle does not vanish for diffusiophoresis, in spite of the global force being zero, as expected. Incidentally, our description allows us to clarify the osmotic balance in diffusiophoresis, which has been a source of debate in recent years. We explore various cases, including hard and soft interactions, as well as porous particles, and provide analytic predictions for the local force balance in these various systems. The existence of local stresses may induce deformation of soft particles undergoing diffusiophoresis, hence suggesting applications in terms of particle separation based on capillary diffusiophoresis.

Background: Phyllodes tumours are rare fibroepithelial tumours of the breast, that include benign, borderline, and malignant lesions. Although the molecular basis of phyllodes tumours largely remains unknown, a recent exome study identified MED12 mutations as a sole recurrent genetic alteration in fibroadenoma, a common benign fibroepithelial tumour that shares some histological features with the phyllodes tumour. Methods: Forty-six phyllodes tumours and 58 fibroadenomas of the breast were analysed for MED12 mutations by using Sanger sequencing. Results: MED12 mutations were identified in 37 out of the 46 phyllodes tumours (80%). The prevalence of MED12 mutations was similar among benign (15/18, 83%), borderline (12/15, 80%), and malignant tumours (10/13, 77%). MED12 mutations were also identified in 36 of the 58 fibroadenomas (62%). The mutations were frequent among intracanalicular-type (24/32, 75%) and complex-type lesions (4/6, 67%), but were significantly less common among the pericanalicular-type lesions (8/20, 40%). A microdissection-based analysis showed that MED12 mutations were confined to the stromal components in both phyllodes tumours and fibroadenomas. Conclusions: MED12 mutations were frequent among the phyllodes tumours of the breast, regardless of the tumour grade. Phyllodes tumours and fibroadenomas share, at least in part, a common genetic background.

Large-scale integrated quantum photonic technologies 1 , 2 will require on-chip integration of identical photon sources with reconfigurable waveguide circuits. Relatively complex quantum circuits have been demonstrated already 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , but few studies acknowledge the pressing need to integrate photon sources and waveguide circuits together on-chip 8 , 9 . A key step towards such large-scale quantum technologies is the integration of just two individual photon sources within a waveguide circuit, and the demonstration of high-visibility quantum interference between them. Here, we report a silicon-on-insulator device that combines two four-wave mixing sources in an interferometer with a reconfigurable phase shifter. We configured the device to create and manipulate two-colour (non-degenerate) or same-colour (degenerate) path-entangled or path-unentangled photon pairs. We observed up to 100.0 ± 0.4% visibility quantum interference on-chip, and up to 95 ± 4% off-chip. Our device removes the need for external photon sources, provides a path to increasing the complexity of quantum photonic circuits and is a first step towards fully integrated quantum technologies. A silicon-on-insulator device combining two four-wave-mixing photon-pair sources in an interferometer with a reconfigurable phase shifter is used to create and manipulate non-degenerate or degenerate, path-entangled or path-unentangled photon pairs. A quantum interference visibility of nearly 100% is observed on-chip. This device is a first step towards fully integrated quantum technologies.

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) have important roles in tumorigenesis. Although IGF2BP3, an evolutionally conserved RBP, has been reported as a useful diagnostic marker for various cancers and has been considered a regulator of tumorigenesis, little is known of the function of IGF2BP3 because of lack of information regarding IGF2BP3 target mRNAs. Here, we report the identification of IGF2BP3 target mRNAs and IGF2BP3 function in cancer proliferation. We identified mRNAs with altered expression in IGF2BP3-depleted cells by massive sequencing analysis and IGF2BP3-binding RNAs by immunoprecipitation of IGF2BP3 followed by massive sequencing analysis, resulting in the identification of 110 candidates that are negatively regulated by IGF2BP3. We found that IGF2BP3 destabilized EIF4E-BP2 and MEIS3 mRNAs. Co-immunoprecipitation analysis revealed the interaction between IGF2BP3 and ribonucleases such as XRN2 and exosome component. The retarded proliferation of IGF2BP3-depleted cells was partially rescued by the depletion of EIF4E-BP2, which negatively regulates eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E), an activator of translation and a well-known proto-oncogene. Consistent with this observation, IGF2BP3 depletion reduced phosphorylated eIF4E, the active form, and translational efficiency of eIF4E target transcripts. Reduction of phosphorylated eIF4E by IGF2BP3 depletion was rescued by EIF4E-BP2 depletion. At last, we found an inverse correlation between the expression level of IGF2BP3 and EIF4E-BP2 in human lung adenocarcinoma tissues. Together, these results suggest that IGF2BP3 promotes eIF4E-mediated translational activation through the reduction of EIF4E-BP2 via mRNA degradation, leading to enhanced cell proliferation. This is the first report demonstrating that IGF2BP3 is an RNA-destabilizing factor. Notably, here we provide the first evidence for the functional linkage between two previously well-known cancer biomarkers, IGF2BP3 and eIF4E.

Background Over the past years, researchers have been using head-mounted eye-tracking systems to study young children’s gaze behaviors in everyday activities through which children learn about the world. This method has great potential to further our understanding of how millisecond-level gaze behaviors create multisensory experiences and fluctuate around social environments. While this line of work can yield insight into early perceptual experiences and potential learning mechanisms, the majority of the work is exclusively conducted with typically-developing children. Sensory sensitivities, social-communication difficulties, and challenging behaviors (e.g., disruption, elopement) are common among children with developmental disorders, and they may represent potential methodological challenges for collecting high-quality data. Results In this paper, we describe our research practices of using head-mounted eye trackers with 41 autistic children and 17 children with increased likelihood of later autism diagnosis without auditory or visual impairments, including those who are minimally or nonspeaking and/or have intellectual disabilities. The success rate in gathering data among children with autism was 92.68%. 3 of 41 children failed to complete the play-session, resulting in an 86.36% success rate among 1–4-year-olds and a 100.00% success rate among 5–8-year-olds. 1 of 17 children with increased likelihood of later autism diagnosis failed to complete the play-session, resulting in a success rate of 94.11%. There were numerous “challenging” behaviors relevant to the method. The most common challenging behaviors included taking the eye-tracking device off, elopement, and becoming distressed. Overall, among children with autism, 88.8% of 1–4-year-olds and 29.4% of 5–8-year-olds exhibited at least one challenging behavior. Conclusions Research capitalizing on this methodology has the potential to reveal early, socially-mediated gaze behaviors that are relevant for autism screening, diagnosis, and intervention purposes. We hope that our efforts in documenting our study methodology will help researchers and clinicians effectively study early naturally-occuring gaze behaviors of children during non-experimental contexts across the spectrum and other developmental disabilities using head-mounted eye-tracking. Ultimately, such applications may increase the generalizability of results, better reflect the diversity of individual characteristics, and offer new ways in which this method can contribute to the field.

Summary This study aimed to determine whether low bone mineral density (BMD) at the femoral neck independently predicts all-cause mortality in elderly Japanese women. A prospective cohort study of 271 women aged 67-89 years was conducted. A Cox proportional hazard model was used to examine independent associations between BMD and total mortality. During a 12-year follow-up period, the mortality risk (as measured by hazard ratio [HR]) was significantly increased in the three categories of baseline BMD (diagnostic criteria of osteoporosis, tertile of BMD, and quartile of BMD). After adjusting for major potential confounding variables for mortality, significantly increased mortality risks were found in subjects with osteoporosis (HR = 2.17, p = 0.032), in subjects in the lowest tertile (HR = 2.57, p = 0.007), and in subjects in the lowest quartile (HR = 3.13, p = 0.014], respectively. Our findings suggest that preventive strategies should be considered to increase and maintain high BMD at the femoral neck in the elderly women not only to prevent hip fractures but also probably to reduce mortality risk. Introduction Several longitudinal studies with Caucasian subjects have suggested that osteoporosis is associated with increased mortality. This study aimed to determine whether low bone mineral density (BMD) at the femoral neck independently predicts all-cause mortality in elderly Japanese community-dwelling women. Method A prospective cohort study of 271 women aged 67-89 years was conducted. A Cox proportional hazard model was used to examine independent associations between BMD at both the femoral neck and the trochanter and total mortality. Results During a 12-year follow-up period, 81 of 271 women (29.9%) died. An independent and significant relationship was found between baseline BMD at the femoral neck and mortality risk. The mortality risk (as measured by HR) was increased by 2.80-fold (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.55-5.06; p < 0.01) in the subjects with osteoporosis or by 2.94-fold (95% CI 1.64-5.26; p < 0.001) in subjects in the lowest tertile or by 3.61-fold (95% CI 1.77-7.41; p < 0.001) in subjects in the lowest quartile of BMD, respectively. After adjusting for major potential confounding factors for mortality such as age, body mass index, blood pressure, blood variables, medical history, alcohol drinking, and smoking status, those in the subjects with osteoporosis (HR = 2.17 [95% CI 1.07-4.41], p = 0.032), in the lowest tertile (HR = 2.57 [95% CI 1.29-5.15], p = 0.007), or in the lowest quartile (HR = 3.13 [95% CI 1.26-7.73], p = 0.014] had a significantly increased risk of mortality. BMD measurement at the trochanter showed similar but weaker results. Conclusions Our findings suggest that preventive strategies should be considered to increase and maintain high BMD at the femoral neck in elderly subjects not only to prevent osteoporosis and its associated fractures but also probably to reduce mortality risk.

Blast resistance is one of the most important traits in rice breeding, and application of molecular markers for blast resistance breeding is likely to allow the rapid screening for the trait during early growth stages, without the need for inoculation of pathogen and phenotyping. Allele-specific PCR markers and insertion/deletion (InDel) markers, which genotype single-nucleotide polymorphisms and InDel polymorphisms, respectively, are useful tools for marker-assisted selections. We developed sets of allele-specific PCR and InDel markers for nine rice blast resistance genes--Piz, Piz-t, Pit, Pik, Pik-m, Pik-p, Pita, Pita-2, and Pib--which are commonly used in Japanese blast resistance rice breeding programs. For each resistance gene, we used the segregation information from thousands of progeny in several crosses or published gene locations to generate a marker that cosegregated with the gene and markers that closely flanked the gene on either side. The developed cosegregating markers uniquely discriminated among each of the lines with the individual resistance genes (except for Pita and Pita-2). Therefore, these markers will likely facilitate the development of multiline cultivars carrying one or a combination of these nine blast resistance genes. In addition, the systems we developed may be valuable tools in the quality control of seed production from blast-resistant multiline cultivars.

Summary The present prospective follow-up study among 1,393 community-dwelling elderly women aged 75 years or older was conducted to clarify the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) level and risk of falls. Lower serum 25(OH)D, particularly level <20 ng/mL, was significantly associated with an increased risk of falls. Introduction Serum 25(OH)D level has been revealed to be important factor not only for skeletal health but also for fall prevention among the elderly. Our previous cross-sectional study indicated that low serum 25(OH)D level is associated with inferior physical performance and falls among elderly Japanese women. The present prospective study was designed to clarify the association between serum 25(OH)D level and risk of falls before and after 1 year of follow-up. Methods The community-dwelling elderly women aged 75 years or older ( N  = 1,393) who participated in a mass health examination were followed 1 year later by a mailed self-administered questionnaire. Results Responses were obtained from 1,285 subjects (response rate = 92.2 %). The incidence of falls at baseline and at 1-year follow-up was 18.8 and 24.4 %, respectively. The baseline prevalence of serum 25(OH)D <20 ng/mL was 35.2 %. Odds ratios (95 % confidence intervals) in the lowest tertile of serum 25(OH)D (<20 ng/mL) compared with those in the highest tertile (≥25 ng/mL) were 1.40 (1.01–1.94) for any falls and 1.47 (0.93–2.32) for recurrent falls vs. no falls adjusted for potential risk factors. Conclusions Among elderly Japanese women, the lower serum 25(OH)D, particularly level <20 ng/mL, was significantly associated with an increased risk of falls.