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Intestinal progenitor cells integrate signals from their niche, and the gut lumen, to divide and differentiate at a rate that maintains an epithelial barrier to microbial invasion of the host interior. Despite the importance of evolutionarily conserved innate immune defenses to maintain stable host-microbe relationships, we know little about contributions of stem-cell immunity to gut homeostasis. We used Drosophila to determine the consequences of intestinal-stem-cell immune activity for epithelial homeostasis. We showed that loss of stem-cell immunity greatly impacted growth and renewal in the adult gut. In particular, we found that inhibition of stem-cell immunity impeded progenitor-cell growth and differentiation, leading to a gradual loss of stem-cell numbers with age and an impaired differentiation of mature enteroendocrine cells. Our results highlight the importance of immune signaling in stem cells for epithelial function in the adult gut.

Vibrio choleraeis an aquatic bacterium that primarily infects the gastrointestinal tract, causing the severe and potentially deadly diarrheal disease, cholera. Despite the impact ofVibrioon global health, our understanding of host mucosal responses to the pathogen at the site of infection remains limited, highlighting a critical gap in our knowledge that must be addressed to develop more effective prevention and treatment strategies. Using a natural infection model, we combined physiological and single-cell transcriptomic studies to characterize adult zebrafish guts raised under conventional conditions and after a challenge withVibrio. We discovered thatVibriocaused a mild inflammatory response characterized by T cell activation and enhanced antigen capture in the epithelium. Additionally, we discovered thatVibriosuppresses host interferon signaling, and that ectopic activation of interferon significantly increases shedding of live pathogen by the host. Notably, we also found that the adult zebrafish gut shares many similarities with mammalian counterparts, including the presence of previously undescribed Best4+ cells, tuft cells, and transit amplifying cells. These discoveries provide important insights into host-pathogen interactions and emphasize the utility of zebrafish as a natural model ofVibrioinfection.

Immune signals coordinate the repair of damaged epithelia by intestinal stem cells. However, it is unclear if immune pathways act autonomously within the stem cell to direct the damage response pathway. We consider this an important question, as stem cell dynamics are essential for formation and maintenance of the entire epithelium. We used Drosophila to determine the impact of stem cell-specific loss of NF-κB on tissue regeneration upon chemical injury. We found that loss of NF-κB enhanced cell death, impaired enterocyte renewal and increased mortality. Mechanistically, we showed that the Ras/ERK pathway is essential for NF-κB-dependent maintenance of cell viability and tissue repair. Combined, our data demonstrate that stem cell-intrinsic NF-κB activity is essential for an orderly repair of damaged intestinal epithelia.

Atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) materials have emerged as promising candidates for flexible and transparent electronic applications. Here, we introduce non-volatile charge trapping memory devices, based on the 2D heterostructure field-effect transistor consisting of a few-layer MoS2 channel and CrPS4 charge-trapping gate stack. Clockwise hysteresis behaviors in transfer curves measured at room temperature show strong dependence on the thickness of CrPS4, which are attributed to charge trapping at trap sites in the CrPS4 layers. Our heterostructure memory device with 75 nm-thick CrPS4 layer exhibits both large memory windows up to 100 V and a high on/off current ratio (3 $$\times$$ 105) with good endurance during 625 cycles because of excellent trapping ability of trap sites in the CrPS4. Especially, the memory window size can be effectively tuned from 7.6 to 100 V by changing the sweep range of gate voltage. Such high performances of the charge-trapping memory device with a simple heterostructure provide a promising route towards next-generation memory devices utilizing 2D materials.

Al-ion batteries are a promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries because of the unique advantages of the Al anode, such as low cost and high specific capacities. Cathodes developed for these b...

We report the enhanced electrical performance of a MoS2 field-effect transistor (FET) by using a contact with a layered CrPS4. Our transport measurements revealed that MoS2 channel with CrPS4 junction showed higher mobility of 33.9 cm2/Vs than that without CrPS4 junction on SiO2/Si substrate. We also fabricated a MoS2 FET with a top gate insulator, CrPS4, which showed low leakage current of 10−11 A and high on/off ratio of 105. In a dual-gated FET with SiO2 bottom gate insulator and CrPS4 top gate insulator, much decreased sub-threshold swing of 0.70 V/dec was obtained.

We present Roslingifier, a data-driven storytelling method for animated scatterplots. Like its namesake, Hans Rosling (1948--2017), a professor of public health and a spellbinding public speaker, Roslingifier turns a sequence of entities changing over time---such as countries and continents with their demographic data---into an engaging narrative telling the story of the data. This data-driven storytelling method with an in-person presenter is a new genre of storytelling technique and has never been studied before. In this paper, we aim to define a design space for this new genre---data presentation---and provide a semi-automated authoring tool for helping presenters create quality presentations. From an in-depth analysis of video clips of presentations using interactive visualizations, we derive three specific techniques to achieve this: natural language narratives, visual effects that highlight events, and temporal branching that changes playback time of the animation. Our implementation of the Roslingifier method is capable of identifying and clustering significant movements, automatically generating visual highlighting and a narrative for playback, and enabling the user to customize. From two user studies, we show that Roslingifier allows users to effectively create engaging data stories and the system features help both presenters and viewers find diverse insights.

Summary: Pathogen-mediated damage to the intestinal epithelium activates compensatory growth and differentiation repair programs in progenitor cells. Accelerated progenitor growth replenishes damaged tissue and maintains barrier integrity. Despite the importance of epithelial renewal to intestinal homeostasis, we know little about the effects of pathogen-commensal interactions on progenitor growth. We find that the enteric pathogen Vibrio cholerae blocks critical growth and differentiation pathways in Drosophila progenitors, despite extensive damage to epithelial tissue. We show that the inhibition of epithelial repair requires interactions between the Vibrio cholerae type six secretion system and a community of common symbiotic bacteria, as elimination of the gut microbiome is sufficient to restore homeostatic growth in infected intestines. This work highlights the importance of pathogen-symbiont interactions for intestinal immune responses and outlines the impact of the type six secretion system on pathogenesis. : Fast et al. demonstrate that intestinal infection with Vibrio cholerae with a type six secretion system disrupts intestinal homeostasis and blocks growth and repair pathways in intestinal progenitors. The inhibition of epithelial regeneration requires interactions between Vibrio cholerae and a complex community of common symbiotic bacteria in the fly gut. Keywords: microbiome, type VI secretion system, intestinal progenitors, repair, IMD, Vibrio cholera, Drosophila

We demonstrate the fabrication of Li-containing ("lithicone") thin films prepared via molecular layer deposition (MLD) using lithium tert-butoxide and ethylene glycol. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals that the stoichiometry of the lithicone is Li1.5C2O1.8 (H omitted), with C-O-Li moieties present in the film. The bonding environment of lithicone is distinct from that of lithium carbonate or MLD alucone films. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements show that annealed lithicone films exhibit room temperature ionic conductivity of 3.6-5 × 10-8 S cm-1 with an activation energy of ∼0.6 eV. The lithicone MLD process provides a pathway to further develop hybrid inorganic-organic Li-ion conducting materials for future battery applications.

In the era of "big data," the cognitive system of the human brain is being mimicked through hardware implementation of highly accurate neuromorphic computing by progressive weight update in synaptic electronics. Low-energy synaptic operation requires both low reading current and short operation time to be applicable to large-scale neuromorphic computing systems. In this study, an energy-efficient synaptic device is implemented comprising a Ni/Pb(Zr

We evaluate hydrofluoroether (HFE) cosolvents with varying degrees of fluorination in the acetonitrile-based solvate electrolyte to determine the effect of the HFE structure on the electrochemical performance of the Li–S battery. Solvates or sparingly solvating electrolytes are an interesting electrolyte choice for the Li–S battery due to their low polysulfide solubility. The solvate electrolyte with a stoichiometric ratio of LiTFSI salt in acetonitrile, (MeCN)2–LiTFSI, exhibits limited polysulfide solubility due to the high concentration of LiTFSI. We demonstrate that the addition of highly fluorinated HFEs to the solvate yields better capacity retention compared to that of less fluorinated HFE cosolvents. Raman and NMR spectroscopy coupled with ab initio molecular dynamics simulations show that HFEs exhibiting a higher degree of fluorination coordinate to Li+ at the expense of MeCN coordination, resulting in higher free MeCN content in solution. However, the polysulfide solubility remains low, and no cr...

Microbial factors influence homeostatic and oncogenic growth in the intestinal epithelium. However, we know little about immediate effects of commensal bacteria on stem cell division programs. In this study, we examined the effects of commensal

Microbial factors influence homeostatic and oncogenic growth in the intestinal epithelium. However, we know little about immediate effects of commensal bacteria on stem cell division programs. In this study, we examined effects of commensal Lactobacillus species on homeostatic, and tumorigenic stem cell growth in the Drosophila intestine. We identified Lactobacillus brevis as a potent stimulator of stem cell growth. In a wildtype midgut, Lactobacillus brevis activates growth regulatory pathways that drive stem cell divisions. In a Notch-deficient background, Lactobacillus brevis-mediated growth causes rapid expansion of mutant progenitors, leading to accumulation of large, multi-layered tumors throughout the midgut. Mechanistically, we showed that Lactobacillus brevis disrupts expression and subcellular distribution of progenitor cell integrins, supporting symmetric divisions that expand intestinal stem cell populations. Collectively, our data emphasize the impact of commensal microbes on growth and maintenance of the intestinal progenitor compartment.

SUMMARYPathogen-mediated damage to the intestinal epithelium activates compensatory growth and differentiation repair programs in progenitor cells. Accelerated progenitor growth replenishes damaged tissue and maintains barrier integrity. Despite the importance of epithelial renewal to intestinal homeostasis, we know little about the effects of pathogen-commensal interactions on progenitor growth. We found that the enteric pathogen Vibrio cholerae, blocks critical growth and differentiation pathways in Drosophila progenitors despite extensive damage to the epithelial tissue. We showed that inhibition of epithelial repair requires interactions of the Vibrio cholerae type six secretion system with a complex community of symbiotic bacteria, and that elimination of the gut microbiome is sufficient to restore homeostatic growth in infected intestines. Together, this work highlights the importance of pathogen-symbiont interactions on intestinal immune responses and outlines a previously undescribed impact of the type six secretion system on pathogenesis.

Intestinal progenitor cells integrate signals from their niche, and from the gut lumen, to divide and differentiate at a rate that maintains an epithelial barrier to microbial invasion of the host interior. Despite the importance of evolutionarily conserved innate immune defenses to maintain stable host-microbiota relationships, we know little about specific contributions of stem cell immunity to gut homeostasis. We used the Drosophila model to determine the consequences of compromised intestinal stem cell immune activity for epithelial homeostasis. We showed that loss of stem cell immunity greatly impacted growth and renewal in the adult gut. In particular, we noticed that inhibition of stem cell immunity impeded key growth and differentiation events in the progenitor cell compartment leading to a gradual loss of stem cell numbers with age, and an impaired differentiation of mature enteroendocrine cells. Our results highlight the importance of immune signaling in the stem cell population for epithelial function in the adult gut.HIGHLIGHTSThe TNFR-like Immune Deficiency (IMD) pathway is active in Drosophila intestinal progenitor cells.Inhibition of IMD in progenitors impairs progenitor cell proliferation.Blocking progenitor cell IMD negatively affects generation of mature epithelial cells.

Electrochemical and analytical techniques were utilized to study Ca electrodeposition in nonaqueous electrolytes. Linear sweep voltammograms obtained at Au and Pt ultramicroelectrodes (UMEs) exhibit an inverse dependence between current density and scan rate, indicative of the presence of a chemical reaction step in a chemical-electrochemical (CE) deposition process. However, the magnitude of change in current density as a function of scan rate is larger at the Au UME than at the Pt UME. COMSOL simulation reveals that the chemical reaction step rate ( k

Solid electrolytes (SEs) have become a practical option for lithium ion and lithium metal batteries due to their improved safety over commercially available ionic liquids. The most promising of the SEs are the thiophosphates whose excellent ionic conductivities at room temperature are comparable to those of the commercially-utilized ionic liquids. Hybrid solid-liquid electrolytes exhibit higher ionic conductivities than their bare solid electrolyte counterparts due to decreased grain boundary resistance, enhanced interfacial contact with electrodes, and decreased degradation at the interface. In this study, we evaluate a series of hybrid electrolytes made from a ‘solvate’ electrolyte in both Li-Li symmetric cells and in a full cell with a Li2S cathode relative to their bare Li/SE/Li counterparts. Interestingly, hybrid electrolytes made by combining HFE-modified solvates and SE exhibit all the benefits of the interlayer modified SEs, without the necessity of pellet manufacture. The solvate-integrated cathode layer is additionally beneficial for achieving high active material utilization, maintaining intimate interfacial contact, and providing buffer space for volume contraction and expansion. The hybrid Li2S cell exhibited superior cycling performance compared to the solid-state cells in terms of Li2S loading, Li2S utilization, and cycling stability. Finally, we discuss the use of hybrid and high concentration electrolytes to enable other cathode chemistries, particularly those involving conversion.

Solid electrolytes (SEs) have become a practical option for lithium ion and lithium metal batteries due to their improved safety over commercially available ionic liquids. The most promising of the SEs are the thiophosphates whose excellent ionic conductivities at room temperature are comparable to those of the commercially-utilized ionic liquids. Hybrid solid-liquid electrolytes exhibit higher ionic conductivities than their bare solid electrolyte counterparts due to decreased grain boundary resistance, enhanced interfacial contact with electrodes, and decreased degradation at the interface. In this study, we evaluate a series of hybrid electrolytes made from a ‘solvate’ electrolyte in both Li-Li symmetric cells and in a full cell with a Li2S cathode relative to their bare Li/SE/Li counterparts. Interestingly, hybrid electrolytes made by combining HFE-modified solvates and SE exhibit all the benefits of the interlayer modified SEs, without the necessity of pellet manufacture. The solvate-integrated cathode layer is additionally beneficial for achieving high active material utilization, maintaining intimate interfacial contact, and providing buffer space for volume contraction and expansion. X-ray tomography measurements show the presence of a buffer layer results in substantially less crack formation. The hybrid Li2S cell exhibited superior cycling performance compared to the solid-state cells in terms of Li2S loading, Li2S utilization, and cycling stability. Finally, we discuss the use of hybrid electrolytes to enable other cathode chemistries.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is the paradigm that realizes high-quality intelligent real-time services by combining super intelligent computing technologies associated with super connectable information and communication technologies for various industries. However, the implementation of real-time IoT services satisfying these needs is not possible with just applying existing Cloud technology. So, in this paper, we propose a network framework based on Cloud and Fog computing for the implementation of super connectivity network in IIoT systems for smart factory automation. Also in order to guarantee the confidentiality and integrity of the data to be processed between Fog and Cloud, an efficient security mechanism is needed to be designed and applied. The contribution of this research is also to provide efficient security mechanisms for the proposed service architecture.

This paper considers extractive summarisation in a comparative setting: given two or more document groups (e.g., separated by publication time), the goal is to select a small number of documents that are representative of each group, and also maximally distinguishable from other groups. We formulate a set of new objective functions for this problem that connect recent literature on document summarisation, interpretable machine learning, and data subset selection. In particular, by casting the problem as a binary classification amongst different groups, we derive objectives based on the notion of maximum mean discrepancy, as well as a simple yet effective gradient-based optimisation strategy. Our new formulation allows scalable evaluations of comparative summarisation as a classification task, both automatically and via crowd-sourcing. To this end, we evaluate comparative summarisation methods on a newly curated collection of controversial news topics over 13 months. We observe that gradient-based optimisation outperforms discrete and baseline approaches in 14 out of 24 different automatic evaluation settings. In crowd-sourced evaluations, summaries from gradient optimisation elicit 7% more accurate classification from human workers than discrete optimisation. Our result contrasts with recent literature on submodular data subset selection that favours discrete optimisation. We posit that our formulation of comparative summarisation will prove useful in a diverse range of use cases such as comparing content sources, authors, related topics, or distinct view points., Comment: Accepted for AAAI 2019

We evaluate hydrofluoroether (HFE) cosolvents with varying degrees of fluorination in the acetonitrile-based solvate electrolyte to determine the effect of the HFE structure on the electrochemical performance of the Li-S battery. Solvates or sparingly solvating electrolytes are an interesting electrolyte choice for the Li-S battery due to their low polysulfide solubility. The solvate electrolyte with a stoichiometric ratio of LiTFSI salt in acetonitrile, (MeCN)