GW150914: Implications for the Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background from Binary Black Holes.

The LIGO detection of the gravitational wave transient GW150914, from the inspiral and merger of two black holes with masses ≳30M_{⊙}, suggests a population of binary black holes with relatively high mass. This observation implies that the stochastic gravitational-wave background from binary black holes, created from the incoherent superposition of all the merging binaries in the Universe, could be higher than previously expected. Using the properties of GW150914, we estimate the energy density of such a background from binary black holes.

Bioanalytical and instrumental screening of the uptake of sediment-borne, dioxin-like compounds in roach (Rutilus rutilus).

To examine the uptake of dioxin-like compounds (DLCs), common roaches (Rutilus rutilus) were exposed for 28 days to differently contaminated sediments from two major European rivers in a purpose-built facility. Dietary transfer of DLCs was investigated by exposing fish to sediments inoculated or non-inoculated with black worms (Lumbriculus variegatus). Dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), measured via high-resolution gas chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS) in sediments and whole fish, were used to calculate toxicity equivalent quotients (TEQs).

Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger.

On September 14, 2015 at 09:50:45 UTC the two detectors of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory simultaneously observed a transient gravitational-wave signal. The signal sweeps upwards in frequency from 35 to 250 Hz with a peak gravitational-wave strain of 1.0×10(-21).

In Vivo Visualizing the IFN-β Response Required for Tumor Growth Control in a Therapeutic Model of Polyadenylic-Polyuridylic Acid Administration.

The crucial role that endogenously produced IFN-β plays in eliciting an immune response against cancer has recently started to be elucidated. Endogenous IFN-β has an important role in immune surveillance and control of tumor development. Accordingly, the role of TLR agonists as cancer therapeutic agents is being revisited via the strategy of intra/peritumoral injection with the idea of stimulating the production of endogenous type I IFN inside the tumor.

Fc Receptor Inhibition Reduces Susceptibility to Oxidative Stress in Human RPE Cells Treated with Bevacizumab, but not Aflibercept.

Background/aims: VEGF-A is induced by oxidative stress, and functions as a survival factor for various cell types, including retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs like aflibercept and bevacizumab have shown to be most effective in treating neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD), however uptake of the drugs might lead to interference with cell physiology. Herein, we evaluated the significance of the Fc receptor (FcR) within this context and moreover explored the impact of VEGF inhibition under normal conditions as well as under oxidative stress, in terms of potential adverse effects.

Cross-Species Extrapolation of Uptake and Disposition of Neutral Organic Chemicals in Fish Using a Multispecies Physiologically-Based Toxicokinetic Model Framework.

The potential to bioconcentrate is generally considered to be an unwanted property of a substance. Consequently, chemical legislation, including the European REACH regulations, requires the chemical industry to provide bioconcentration data for chemicals that are produced or imported at volumes exceeding 100 tons per annum or if there is a concern that a substance is persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic. For the filling of the existing data gap for chemicals produced or imported at levels that are below this stipulated volume, without the need for additional animal experiments, physiologically-based toxicokinetic (PBTK) models can be used to predict whole-body and tissue concentrations of neutral organic chemicals in fish.

Slip-mediated dewetting of polymer microdroplets.

Classical hydrodynamic models predict that infinite work is required to move a three-phase contact line, defined here as the line where a liquid/vapor interface intersects a solid surface. Assuming a slip boundary condition, in which the liquid slides against the solid, such an unphysical prediction is avoided. In this article, we present the results of experiments in which a contact line moves and where slip is a dominating and controllable factor.

Light source for narrow and broadband coherent Raman scattering microspectroscopy.

We present a light source that is well adapted to both narrow- and broadband coherent Raman scattering (CRS) methods. Based on a single oscillator, the light source delivers synchronized broadband pulses via supercontinuum generation and narrowband, frequency-tunable pulses via four-wave mixing in a photonic crystal fiber. Seeding the four-wave mixing with a spectrally filtered part of the supercontinuum yields high-pulse energies up to 8 nJ and the possibility of scanning a bandwidth of 2000  cm(-1) in 25 ms.

Micro-computed tomography (μCT) as a novel method in ecotoxicology--determination of morphometric and somatic data in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

Fish are important sentinel organisms for the assessment of water quality and play a central role in ecotoxicological research. Of particular importance to the assessment of health and fitness of fish stocks in response to environmental conditions or pollution are morphometric (e.g.

Ultrafast two-color all-optical transverse mode conversion in a graded-index fiber.

We report on experimental conversion of picosecond probe pulses from the fundamental mode (LP01) to the next higher-order mode (LP11) by optically induced transient long-period gratings in a graded-index fiber using subpicosecond control pulses. In contrast to former experiments, the temporally synchronized control (1030 nm) and probe pulses (1250 nm) were easily distinguishable by their wavelengths, allowing for the first direct observation of such an ultrafast transverse mode conversion. Despite a nonperfect pulse duration ratio between control and probe pulses as well as an unavoidable excitation of unwanted higher-order modes, a clear energy conversion of 18% between the LP01-mode and the LP11-mode was observed at 2.

Determination of the CYP1A-inducing potential of single substances, mixtures and extracts of samples in the micro-EROD assay with H4IIE cells.

This protocol describes a quantitative and robust 96-well-plate-reader-based assay for the measurement of ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity using the rat hepatoma cell line H4IIE. The assay can be used to determine the cytochrome P450 subfamily 1A (CYP1A)-inducing potential of single substances, as well as of mixtures and extracts of samples. It is based on the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-mediated induction of cytochrome P450 enzymes (subfamily 1A) in cells after exposure to dioxins and dioxin-like compounds.

Characterisation of transcriptional responses to dioxins and dioxin-like contaminants in roach (Rutilus rutilus) using whole transcriptome analysis.

There is significant concern regarding the contamination of riverine sediments with dioxins and dioxin-like compounds (DLCs), including polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The majority of studies investigating the ecotoxicology of DLCs in fish have focused on a few standard model species. However, there is significant uncertainty as to whether these model species are representative of native river fish, particularly in Europe.

Towards science-based sediment quality standards-Effects of field-collected sediments in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

Sediments can act as long-term sinks for environmental pollutants. Within the past decades, dioxin-like compounds (DLCs) such as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have attracted significant attention in the scientific community. To investigate the time- and concentration-dependent uptake of DLCs and PAHs in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and their associated toxicological effects, we conducted exposure experiments using suspensions of three field-collected sediments from the rivers Rhine and Elbe, which were chosen to represent different contamination levels.

A physiologically based toxicokinetic (PBTK) model for moderately hydrophobic organic chemicals in the European eel (Anguilla anguilla).

The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is a facultatively catadromous fish species with a complex life cycle. Its current population status is alarming: recruitment has decreased drastically since the 1980s and its stock is still considered to be outside safe biological limits. Although there is no consensus on the reasons for this situation, it is currently thought to have resulted from a combination of different stressors, including anthropogenic contaminants.

Stability Limits of Capillary Bridges: How Contact Angle Hysteresis Affects Morphology Transitions of Liquid Microstructures.

The equilibrium shape of a drop in contact with solid surfaces can undergo continuous or discontinuous transitions upon changes in either drop volume or surface energies. In many instances, such transitions involve the motion of the three-phase contact line and are thus sensitive to contact angle hysteresis. Using a combination of electrowetting-based experiments and numerical calculations, we demonstrate for a generic sphere-plate confinement geometry how contact angle hysteresis affects the mechanical stability of competing axisymmetric and nonaxisymmetric drop conformations and qualitatively changes the character of transitions between them.

Arrest stress of uniformly sheared wet granular matter.

We conduct extensive independent numerical experiments considering frictionless disks without internal degrees of freedom (rotation, etc.) in two dimensions. We report here that for a large range of the packing fractions below random-close packing, all components of the stress tensor of wet granular materials remain finite in the limit of zero shear rate.

Role of contact-angle hysteresis for fluid transport in wet granular matter.

The stability of sand castles is determined by the structure of wet granulates. Experimental data on the size distribution of fluid pockets are ambiguous with regard to their origin. We discovered that contact-angle hysteresis plays a fundamental role in the equilibrium distribution of bridge volumes, and not geometrical disorder as commonly conjectured.

Morphological alterations in the liver of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) from a biological mercury hotspot.

Mercury (Hg) contamination is a global issue due to its anthropogenic release, long-range transport, and deposition in remote areas. In Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site, Nova Scotia, Canada, high concentrations of total mercury (THg) were found in tissues of yellow perch (Perca flavescens). The aim of this study was to evaluate a possible relationship between THg concentrations and the morphology of perch liver as a main site of metal storage and toxicity.

Cytomegalovirus immune evasion of myeloid lineage cells.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) evades the immune system in many different ways, allowing the virus to grow and its progeny to spread in the face of an adverse environment. Mounting evidence about the antiviral role of myeloid immune cells has prompted the research of CMV immune evasion mechanisms targeting these cells. Several cells of the myeloid lineage, such as monocytes, dendritic cells and macrophages, play a role in viral control, but are also permissive for CMV and are naturally infected by it.

Structural characterization of highly oriented naphthalene-diimide-bithiophene copolymer films via vibrational spectroscopy.

Epitaxially grown highly oriented crystalline films, named form I and form II, and spin-coated films of poly{[N,N'-bis(2-octyldodecyl)-naphthalene-1,4,5,8-bis(dicarboximide)-2,6-diyl]-alt-5,5'-(2,2'-bithiophene)}, P(NDI2OD-T2), have been investigated through infrared vibrational spectroscopy techniques (infrared absorption in double transmission at normal incidence (IRA-TR) and reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy at grazing angle incidence (RAIRS)) to get access to polymer chain orientation and structure. An analytic model to correlate the experimental intensities of the IR bands with structural parameters has been developed and applied for the three film morphologies. While spin-coated and form I films show P(NDI2OD-T2) chains lying parallel to the substrate in the face-on arrangement, form II films feature a structure with chains tilted out from the surface.

Improved upper limits on the stochastic gravitational-wave background from 2009-2010 LIGO and Virgo data.

Gravitational waves from a variety of sources are predicted to superpose to create a stochastic background. This background is expected to contain unique information from throughout the history of the Universe that is unavailable through standard electromagnetic observations, making its study of fundamental importance to understanding the evolution of the Universe. We carry out a search for the stochastic background with the latest data from the LIGO and Virgo detectors.

Highly crystalline films of PCPDTBT with branched side chains by solvent vapor crystallization: influence on opto-electronic properties.

PCPDTBT, a marginally crystallizable polymer, is crystallized into a new crystal structure using solvent-vapor annealing. Highly ordered areas with three different polymer-chain orientations are identified using TEM/ED, GIWAXS, and polarized Raman spectroscopy. The optical and structural properties differ significantly from films prepared by standard device preparation protocols.

Age-dependent enterocyte invasion and microcolony formation by Salmonella.

The coordinated action of a variety of virulence factors allows Salmonella enterica to invade epithelial cells and penetrate the mucosal barrier. The influence of the age-dependent maturation of the mucosal barrier for microbial pathogenesis has not been investigated. Here, we analyzed Salmonella infection of neonate mice after oral administration.