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Thestrup Tange posted an update 6 months, 3 weeks ago
To investigate inelastic electron scattering, which is ubiquitous in various fields of study, we carry out ab initio study of the real-time dynamics of a one-dimensional electron wave packet scattered by a hydrogen atom using different methods the exact solution, the solution provided by time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT), and the solutions given by alternative approaches. This research not only sheds light on inelastic scattering processes but also verifies the capability of TDDFT in describing inelastic electron scattering. We revisit the adiabatic local-density approximation (ALDA) in describing the excitation of the target during the scattering process along with a self-interaction correction and spin-polarized calculations. Our results reveal that the ALDA severely underestimates the energy transferred in the regime of low incident energy particularly for a spin-singlet system. After demonstrating alternative approaches, we propose a hybrid ab initio method to deal with the kinetic correlation alongside TDDFT. This hybrid method would facilitate first-principles studies of systems in which the correlation of a few electrons among many others is of interest.Aluminium (Al) is highly toxic to plant growth, with soluble concentrations being elevated in the ∼40% of arable soils worldwide that are acidic. Determining the distribution of Al in plant tissues is important for understanding the mechanisms by which it is toxic and how some plants tolerate high concentrations. Synchrotron- and laboratory-based X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) is a powerful technique to quantitatively analyse the distribution of elements, including in hydrated and living plants. However, analysis of light elements (z less then phosphorus) is extremely challenging due to signal losses in air, and the unsuitability of vacuum environments for (fresh) hydrated plant tissues. This study uses XFM in a helium environment to avoid Al signal loss to reveal the distribution of Al in hydrated plant tissues of Tea (Camellia sinensis). The results show that Al occurs in localised areas across the foliar surface, whereas in cross-sections Al is almost exclusively concentrated in the apoplastic space above and in between adaxial epidermal cells. CT-71 This distribution of Al is related to the Al tolerance of this species, and accumulation of phytotoxic elements in the apoplastic space, away from sensitive processes such as photosynthesis in the palisade mesophyll cells, is a common tolerance mechanism reported in many different plant species. This study develops an XFM method on both synchrotron and laboratory sources that overcomes the drawbacks of existing analytical techniques, permitting measurement of light elements down to Al in (fresh) hydrated plant tissues.BACKGROUND Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is a common blood cancer which induces high mortality in children. Bromodomains and extra-terminal (BET) protein inhibitors, such as JQ1 and ARV-825, are promising cancer therapeutic agents that can be used by targeting c-Myc. A recent work reported that JQ1 effectively attenuates ALL in vitro by suppressing cell proliferation and accelerating apoptosis. The purpose of this research was to probe into the potential mechanism of how JQ1 inhibits ALL cell proliferation in vitro. MATERIAL AND METHODS Cell viability of ALL cells were measured by CTG after treatment by JQ1. Cell cycle analysis was done by EdU and PI staining. Cell apoptosis was assessed by Annexin V/PI staining. Glycolysis was detected using Seahorse and LC-MS kits. The expression of glycolytic rate-limiting enzymes was assessed by RNA-seq, qRT-PCR, and Western blot. RESULTS JQ1 suppressed cell proliferation by arresting the cell cycle and inducing the apoptosis of acute lymphocytic leukemia cells. JQ1 inhibited cell proliferation of B-ALL cells by restraining glycolysis. Conversely, the cell cycle block of B-ALL cells induced by JQ1 was partially abolished after pretreatment with 2-Deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), an inhibitor of glycolysis. Furthermore, JQ1 restrained the glycolysis of B-ALL cell lines by remarkably downregulating the rate-limiting enzymes of glycolysis, such as hexokinase 2, phosphofructokinase, and lactate dehydrogenase A. Moreover, the cell cycle arrest was reversed in B-ALL cells with overexpressed c-Myc treated by JQ1, which is involved in the enhancement of glycolysis. CONCLUSIONS The BET inhibitor JQ1 suppresses the proliferation of ALL by inhibiting c-Myc-mediated glycolysis, thus providing a new strategy for the treatment of ALL.The development of clinical applications has led to a perpetual increase in the demand for mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). However, the ex vivo expansion of MSCs while maintaining their stemness and differentiation potential remains an immense challenge. MSCs require high cell density for their intercellular communication and specific physico-chemical cues from the surrounding environment for spheroid formation in order to maintain their stemness. Inadequacy of the traditional in vitro cell culture method (tissue culture plastic surface) to fulfill any of these special requirements is responsible for inducing the loss of stem cell properties of the MSCs over time. In this study, we propose that glucosaminoglycan (GAG) mimicking ultrafine nanofibers could support the spheroid culture for in vitro human MSC expansion. The geometrical and biochemical properties of nanofibers provide biomimicking cues to MSCs, as well as enhance cell-cell interactions and stimulate spheroid formation in MSCs, which subsequently result in increased cell proliferation, enhanced expression of stem cell markers and maintenance of their multilineage differentiation potential. Furthermore, close monitoring of the behavior of MSCs on nanofibers serves as the key to understand their mode of action in niche formation. Interestingly, GAG mimicking substrate stimulated MSCs for long-distance intercellular communication via ‘tunneling tubes’, their subsequent migration and niche formation. These kinds of cellular interactions over long distances have rarely been observed in MSCs to provide better insight for future studies on MSC niche. Furthermore, PCL-CHT nanofibers were observed to be as conducive to use as tissue culture polystyrene for stem cell expansion. Overall, these polymeric nanofibers provide a more relevant, convenient and more suitable substrate than the conventional monolayer culture for in vitro MSC expansion.