Nature Communications - 30 April 2014

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Advertisement AIMResearch - Highlighting research from the Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR) in Japan, which promotes mathematics-materials science collaboration  Latest highlights: Materials: Polymer chains singled out In the spotlight: Materials-maths fusion research enthuses symposium attendees  Register today for monthly email alerts from the AIMR!     Weekly Content Alert 30 April 2014  Featured image: Fritz et al. report that the diversity of beak shapes in songbirds is constrained by factors that control beak development. Latest content: Articles Erratum Journal homepage Recommend to library Web feed   Advertisement Nature Clinical Collection on Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) This Clinical Collection covers key aspects of the pathogenesis and treatment of HCC, including insights into disease pathways and possible future therapeutic targets.  FREE online This activity is supported by an educational grant from Lilly.     Latest Articles View all Articles     Geographic population structure analysis of worldwide human populations infers their biogeographical origins OPEN Eran Elhaik, Tatiana Tatarinova, Dmitri Chebotarev, Ignazio S. Piras, Carla Maria Calò, Antonella De Montis, Manuela Atzori, Monica Marini, Sergio Tofanelli, Paolo Francalacci, Luca Pagani, Chris Tyler-Smith, Yali Xue, Francesco Cucca, Theodore G. Schurr, Jill B. Gaieski, Carlalynne Melendez, Miguel G. Vilar, Amanda C. Owings, Rocío Gómez et al. Current methods to identify the geographical origin of humans based on DNA data present limited accuracy. Here, the authors develop a new algorithm, the Genographic Population Structure (GPS), and demonstrate its ability to place worldwide individuals within their country or, in some cases, village of origin. 29 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4513 Biological Sciences  Genetics  Siple Dome ice reveals two modes of millennial CO2 change during the last ice age OPEN Jinho Ahn and Edward J. Brook Whether all rapid climate events during the last ice age impacted the global carbon cycle is not clearly understood. Ahn and Brook present a high-resolution record of atmospheric CO2 from Antarctica and suggest that only Greenland stadials associated with massive iceberg discharge influenced atmospheric CO2. 29 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4723 Earth Sciences  Climate science  Oceanography  Maternal nutrition at conception modulates DNA methylation of human metastable epialleles OPEN Paula Dominguez-Salas, Sophie E. Moore, Maria S. Baker, Andrew W. Bergen, Sharon E. Cox, Roger A. Dyer, Anthony J. Fulford, Yongtao Guan, Eleonora Laritsky, Matt J. Silver, Gary E. Swan, Steven H. Zeisel, Sheila M. Innis, Robert A. Waterland, Andrew M. Prentice and Branwen J. Hennig Maternal diet affects DNA methylation in the developing offspring, leading to phenotypic changes. Here, Dominguez-Salas et al. exploit seasonal variation in the diet of Gambian women to show that maternal methyl donor nutrient status around the time of conception predicts methylation levels at metastable epialleles in infants. 29 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4746 Biological Sciences  Genetics  Medical research  Hydrochromic conjugated polymers for human sweat pore mapping OPEN Joosub Lee, Minkyeong Pyo, Sang-hwa Lee, Jaeyong Kim, Moonsoo Ra, Whoi-Yul Kim, Bum Jun Park, Chan Woo Lee and Jong-Man Kim Materials capable of colour changes in response to stimuli are useful in sensors and other applications. Here the authors show a conjugated polymer that rapidly responds to the presence of water, and use it as a sensor to map active sweat pores as a means of fingerprint analysis. 29 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4736 Chemical Sciences  Analytical chemistry  Materials science  Organic chemistry  The short-chain fatty acid acetate reduces appetite via a central homeostatic mechanism OPEN Gary Frost, Michelle L. Sleeth, Meliz Sahuri-Arisoylu, Blanca Lizarbe, Sebastian Cerdan, Leigh Brody, Jelena Anastasovska, Samar Ghourab, Mohammed Hankir, Shuai Zhang, David Carling, Jonathan R. Swann, Glenn Gibson, Alexander Viardot, Douglas Morrison, E Louise Thomas and Jimmy D. Bell The consumption of fermentable carbohydrates, or fibre, is associated with weight loss. Here the authors show that the metabolite acetate, created by fermentation of fibre in the mouse colon, is taken up into the brain where it induces appetite-suppressing neuronal activity in the hypothalamus. 29 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4611 Biological Sciences  Medical research  Neuroscience  High-temperature electromagnons in the magnetically induced multiferroic cupric oxide driven by intersublattice exchange OPEN S. P. P. Jones, S. M. Gaw, K. I. Doig, D. Prabhakaran, E. M. Hétroy Wheeler, A. T. Boothroyd and J. Lloyd-Hughes Cupric oxide is a multiferroic that shows a magnetically induced electrical polarization. Here, the authors discover that in this compound an electromagnon, a mixed spin-lattice excitation, occurs at substantially higher temperatures than in related materials. 29 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4787 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Materials science  Finite-key analysis for measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution Marcos Curty, Feihu Xu, Wei Cui, Charles Ci Wen Lim, Kiyoshi Tamaki and Hoi-Kwong Lo In theory, quantum key distribution is unconditionally secure but, in reality, practical devices are prone to attacks. Measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution promises to overcome these limitations, as Curty et al. show here with their rigorous security proof for practical systems. 29 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4732 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Theoretical physics  Organizer-derived Bmp2 is required for the formation of a correct Bmp activity gradient during embryonic development OPEN Yu Xue, Xiudeng Zheng, Lei Huang, Pengfei Xu, Yuanqing Ma, Zheying Min, Qinghua Tao, Yi Tao and Anming Meng The morphogen, Bmp, regulates differentiation of cell fates along the ventral to dorsal axis during vertebrate embryonic development. Here, Xue et al. show that Bmp2b produced by the organizer during early gastrulation in zebrafish embryos has a role in the establishment of an appropriate Bmp morphogen activity gradient and the correct dorsoventral patterning of the embryos. 29 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4766 Biological Sciences  Developmental biology  Whole-genome sequencing of bladder cancers reveals somatic CDKN1A mutations and clinicopathological associations with mutation burden OPEN J.-B. Cazier, S.R. Rao, C.M. McLean, A.L. Walker, B.J. Wright, E.E.M. Jaeger, C. Kartsonaki, L. Marsden, C. Yau, C. Camps, P. Kaisaki, J. Taylor, J.W. Catto, I.P.M. Tomlinson, A.E. Kiltie, F.C. Hamdy, The Oxford-Illumina WGS500 Consortium, Christopher Allan, Moustafa Attar, John Bell et al. Bladder cancer is a complex genetic disease and a common cause of death due to malignancy. Here, the authors carry out whole-genome sequencing of 14 bladder cancers to characterize the genomic landscape of the disease and show that mutational burden is associated with tumour progression in these samples. 29 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4756 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Genetics  Fracture toughness of graphene Peng Zhang, Lulu Ma, Feifei Fan, Zhi Zeng, Cheng Peng, Phillip E. Loya, Zheng Liu, Yongji Gong, Jiangnan Zhang, Xingxiang Zhang, Pulickel M. Ajayan, Ting Zhu and Jun Lou While the intrinsic strength of graphene has previously been demonstrated to be high, the fracture toughness remains unknown. Here, the authors perform in situ testing of graphene in a scanning electron microscope and report a critical stress intensity factor of ~4.0 MPa√m. 29 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4782 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Controlling the crystalline three-dimensional order in bulk materials by single-wall carbon nanotubes Javier López-Andarias, Juan Luis López, Carmen Atienza, Fulvio G. Brunetti, Carlos Romero-Nieto, Dirk M. Guldi and Nazario Martín The use of templates to achieve ordered material architectures over long length scales is challenging. Here, the authors use single-wall carbon nanotubes as scaffolds to macroscopically control the ordering of n/p three-dimensional supramolecularly assembled materials. 29 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4763 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  Organic chemistry  Mutation rate plasticity in rifampicin resistance depends on Escherichia coli cell–cell interactions OPEN Rok Krašovec, Roman V. Belavkin, John A. D. Aston, Alastair Channon, Elizabeth Aston, Bharat M. Rash, Manikandan Kadirvel, Sarah Forbes and Christopher G. Knight The factors varying mutation rate at a particular site in a single genotype remain elusive. Here, Krašovec et al. show that mutation rates at sites conferring resistance to rifampicin in Escherichia coli decrease with population density, and that mutation-rate plasticity is controlled by the luxS gene. 29 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4742 Biological Sciences  Evolution  Genetics  Microbiology  Faster growth of the major prokaryotic versus eukaryotic CO2 fixers in the oligotrophic ocean OPEN Mikhail V. Zubkov After the energetically superior eukaryotes had evolved, prokaryotes appeared to lose control over biological CO2 fixation in all major biomes on Earth. Here the author shows that in the oligotrophic ocean, the most extensive biome on Earth, the prokaryotes fix CO2 twice as fast as eukaryotes. 29 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4776 Earth Sciences  Biogeochemistry  Oceanography  Klf4 and Klf5 differentially inhibit mesoderm and endoderm differentiation in embryonic stem cells Irène Aksoy, Vincent Giudice, Edwige Delahaye, Florence Wianny, Maxime Aubry, Magali Mure, Jiaxuan Chen, Ralf Jauch, Gireesh K. Bogu, Tobias Nolden, Heinz Himmelbauer, Michael Xavier Doss, Agapios Sachinidis, Herbert Schulz, Oliver Hummel, Paola Martinelli, Norbert Hübner, Lawrence W. Stanton, Francisco X. Real, Pierre-Yves Bourillot et al. The Krüppel-like factors Klf4 and Klf5 have wide roles in cell biology including the regulation of pluripotency. In this study, Aksoy et al. demonstrate that Klf4 preferentially blocks the expression of endodermal markers in embryonic stem cells, whereas Klf5 negatively regulates mesodermal factors. 28 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4719 Biological Sciences  Developmental biology  Multistability and switching in a superconducting metamaterial P. Jung, S. Butz, M. Marthaler, M. V. Fistul, J. Leppäkangas, V. P. Koshelets and A. V. Ustinov Metamaterials are artificial media with tailored optical properties that can ideally be altered at will. Jung et al. use superconducting quantum interference devices as switchable meta-atoms to build a metamaterial that can be rapidly controlled by microwave-probe signals. 28 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4730 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Materials science  The stimulus-evoked population response in visual cortex of awake monkey is a propagating wave OPEN Lyle Muller, Alexandre Reynaud, Frédéric Chavane and Alain Destexhe Propagating waves of cortical neuronal activity are implicated in various cognitive processes and have been observed in anaesthetised animals. Here, the authors demonstrate the existence of propagating waves in awake monkeys during visual stimulation, and show that they are mediated by horizontal fibres in the cortex. 28 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4675 Biological Sciences  Neuroscience  KCNE1 divides the voltage sensor movement in KCNQ1/KCNE1 channels into two steps Rene Barro-Soria, Santiago Rebolledo, Sara I. Liin, Marta E. Perez, Kevin J. Sampson, Robert S. Kass and H. Peter Larsson The mechanism by which KCNEβ subunits slow the kinetics of KCNQ1 channels is controversial. Here, Barro-Soria et al. show that mutually independent voltage sensor movements underlie the initial activation delay, and a subsequent slower conformational change opens the channel. 28 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4750 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Biophysics  GATA-dependent regulatory switches establish atrioventricular canal specificity during heart development OPEN Sonia Stefanovic, Phil Barnett, Karel van Duijvenboden, David Weber, Manfred Gessler and Vincent M. Christoffels The atrioventricular canal partitions the developing vertebrate heart. Here, the authors show that the cardiac transcription factor Gata4 together with histone modification enzymes and localized co-factors binds atrioventricular canal-specific enhancers, thereby repressing gene activity in the cardiac chambers. 28 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4680 Biological Sciences  Developmental biology  Molecular biology  Discovery of gigantic molecular nanostructures using a flow reaction array as a search engine OPEN Hong-Ying Zang, Andreu Ruiz de la Oliva, Haralampos N. Miras, De-Liang Long, Roy T. McBurney and Leroy Cronin The synthesis of molecular nanostructures often requires the variation of several parameters, such as stoichiometry, pH, counter-ion etc. Here, the authors report a flow reaction array with algorithmic control which is used as a 'search engine' to isolate six nanoscale clusters from a massive parameter space. 28 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4715 Chemical Sciences  Inorganic chemistry  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Emi2 mediates meiotic MII arrest by competitively inhibiting the binding of Ube2S to the APC/C Kosuke Sako, Kazuhiro Suzuki, Michitaka Isoda, Satomi Yoshikai, Chiharu Senoo, Nobushige Nakajo, Munemichi Ohe and Noriyuki Sagata In vertebrates, unfertilized eggs arrest at metaphase of meiosis II via Emi2, which inhibits APC/C ubiquitin ligase. Here, Sako et al. show that on fertilization the degradation of Emi2 allows binding between APC/C and the C-terminal tail of the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme Ube2S, thus releasing the meiotic arrest. 28 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4667 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Developmental biology  Unique behaviour of dinitrogen-bridged dimolybdenum complexes bearing pincer ligand towards catalytic formation of ammonia OPEN Hiromasa Tanaka, Kazuya Arashiba, Shogo Kuriyama, Akira Sasada, Kazunari Nakajima, Kazunari Yoshizawa and Yoshiaki Nishibayashi Research into molecular catalysts for conversion of nitrogen into ammonia under mild conditions is ongoing. Here, the authors synthesize a dimolybdenum–nitride complex and verify the role of the dimetallic core in the protonation of the coordinated dinitrogen. 28 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4737 Chemical Sciences  Catalysis  Inorganic chemistry  Hydrogen evolution by a metal-free electrocatalyst Yao Zheng, Yan Jiao, Yihan Zhu, Lu Hua Li, Yu Han, Ying Chen, Aijun Du, Mietek Jaroniec and Shi Zhang Qiao Electrocatalytic reduction of water is a very important process for developing energy solutions. Here, the authors report a graphitic-carbon nitride/nitrogen-doped graphene composite material capable of efficiently evolving hydrogen, and experimentally and computationally probe the origin of this behaviour. 28 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4783 Chemical Sciences  Catalysis  Materials science  Physical chemistry  Unusual ultra-low-frequency fluctuations in freestanding graphene P. Xu, M. Neek-Amal, S. D. Barber, J. K. Schoelz, M. L. Ackerman, P. M. Thibado, A. Sadeghi and F. M. Peeters Measuring local intrinsic ripples in freestanding graphene is difficult, and typically methods are limited to static configurations. Here the authors describe a scanning tunnelling microscope approach that focuses on areas of one square angstrom, giving detailed measurements over long time periods. 28 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4720 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Chromatin retention of DNA damage sensors DDB2 and XPC through loss of p97 segregase causes genotoxicity Marjo-Riitta Puumalainen, Davor Lessel, Peter Rüthemann, Nina Kaczmarek, Karin Bachmann, Kristijan Ramadan and Hanspeter Naegeli Nucleotide excision repair protects the genome from UV light-induced damage. Here, Puumalainen et al. show that chromatin retention of the UV lesion sensors DDB2 and XPC due to a lack of p97 segregase impairs excision repair, revealing that DNA lesion-associated protein homeostasis affects genome stability. 28 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4695 Biological Sciences  Molecular biology  Fabrication of enzyme-degradable and size-controlled protein nanowires using single particle nano-fabrication technique OPEN Masaaki Omichi, Atsushi Asano, Satoshi Tsukuda, Katsuyoshi Takano, Masaki Sugimoto, Akinori Saeki, Daisuke Sakamaki, Akira Onoda, Takashi Hayashi and Shu Seki High-energy particles can be used for precise fabrication of nanostructures by inducing cross-linking between structures. Here the authors use a single particle fabrication technique to assemble protein nanowires, giving structures with high aspect ratios retaining biological functions. 28 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4718 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Resonant bonding leads to low lattice thermal conductivity Sangyeop Lee, Keivan Esfarjani, Tengfei Luo, Jiawei Zhou, Zhiting Tian and Gang Chen Understanding the link between thermal conductivity and chemical bonding is important for the development of thermoelectric and phase-change materials. Here, the authors associate the low thermal conductivity of IV–VI materials with near-ferroelectric behaviour from their resonant bonding. 28 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4525 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Annexin A8 controls leukocyte recruitment to activated endothelial cells via cell surface delivery of CD63 Michaela Poeter, Ines Brandherm, Jan Rossaint, Gonzalo Rosso, Victor Shahin, Boris V. Skryabin, Alexander Zarbock, Volker Gerke and Ursula Rescher The leukocyte receptor P-selectin translocates from Weibel-Palade bodies to the plasma membrane of activated endothelial cells, and is stabilized by CD63. Pöter et al. show that annexin A8 is required for P-selectin-mediated adhesion by regulating the supply of CD63 to the Weibel-Palade bodies. 28 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4738 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Immunology  Dynamic competition between spin-density wave order and superconductivity in underdoped Ba1-xKxFe2As2 M. Yi, Y. Zhang, Z.-K. Liu, X. Ding, J.-H. Chu, A.F. Kemper, N. Plonka, B. Moritz, M. Hashimoto, S.-K. Mo, Z. Hussain, T.P. Devereaux, I.R. Fisher, H.H. Wen, Z.-X. Shen and D.H. Lu Whether superconductivity coexists or competes with other types of order in unconventional superconductors is a question that has been hotly contested. An ARPES study reported by Yi et al. suggest that superconductivity and spin-density wave orders coexist and compete dynamically in Ba1-xKxFe2As2. 25 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4711 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  High-energy spin and charge excitations in electron-doped copper oxide superconductors K. Ishii, M. Fujita, T. Sasaki, M. Minola, G. Dellea, C. Mazzoli, K. Kummer, G. Ghiringhelli, L. Braicovich, T. Tohyama, K. Tsutsumi, K. Sato, R. Kajimoto, K. Ikeuchi, K. Yamada, M. Yoshida, M. Kurooka and J. Mizuki Understanding spin dynamics in the cuprates is vital to understanding the origin high-temperature superconductivity. X-ray and neutron spectra obtained by Ishii et al. suggest that the spins in electron-doped cuprates are itinerant, in contrast to recent evidence that in hole-doped cuprates they are localized. 25 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4714 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Protein conformational dynamics dictate the binding affinity for a ligand Moon-Hyeong Seo, Jeongbin Park, Eunkyung Kim, Sungchul Hohng and Hak-Sung Kim The binding affinity of a protein for its ligand is governed by the rates of ligand association and dissociation. Here the authors show that intrinsic conformational dynamics of maltose binding protein dictate the ligand dissociation rate, and hence the affinity of the protein for maltose. 24 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4724 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Experimental plug and play quantum coin flipping Anna Pappa, Paul Jouguet, Thomas Lawson, André Chailloux, Matthieu Legré, Patrick Trinkler, Iordanis Kerenidis and Eleni Diamanti A quantum implementation of coin flipping—a cryptographic primitive allowing distrustful parties to agree on a random bit—may offer security advantages over classical implementations. Pappa et al. enhance a commercial quantum key distribution system to prove such advantages over long distances. 24 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4717 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Optical physics  Induction of pluripotency in human somatic cells via a transient state resembling primitive streak-like mesendoderm Kazutoshi Takahashi, Koji Tanabe, Mari Ohnuki, Megumi Narita, Aki Sasaki, Masamichi Yamamoto, Michiko Nakamura, Kenta Sutou, Kenji Osafune and Shinya Yamanaka The mesendoderm is located in the embryonic primitive streak's anterior region, which is specified by the transcription factor FOXH1. Here, the authors show that human fibroblasts transit through a mesendoderm-like state during reprogramming into pluripotent cells, and that expression of FOXH1 enhances reprogramming efficiency. 24 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4678 Biological Sciences  Developmental biology  Fractal free energy landscapes in structural glasses Patrick Charbonneau, Jorge Kurchan, Giorgio Parisi, Pierfrancesco Urbani and Francesco Zamponi Potential energy landscape models are often used to describe transitions in the glassy state. Here, the authors report that the landscape is much rougher than usually assumed, and demonstrate that it undergoes a transition to fractal basins before the jamming point is reached. 24 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4725 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Materials science  Targeted genomic rearrangements using CRISPR/Cas technology Peter S. Choi and Matthew Meyerson Genomic rearrangements have important functional consequences for cancer. Here, Choi and Meyerson use CRISPR/Cas technology to generate translocations and inversions that are known drivers of lung cancer, and demonstrate the utility of this technology for studying the role of genomic rearrangements in disease. 24 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4728 Biological Sciences  Biotechnology  Genetics  Raman phonon emission in a driven double quantum dot J.I. Colless, X.G. Croot, T.M. Stace, A.C. Doherty, S.D. Barrett, H. Lu, A.C. Gossard and D.J. Reilly III–V semiconductors are promising platform for qubits, but strong coupling to lattice phonons enhances decoherence of qubit states that have a charge dipole. Here, the authors show that a microwave analogue to the Raman effect can lead to rapid dephasing of qubits based on GaAs double quantum dots. 23 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4716 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Nanotechnology  Sample sequencing of vascular plants demonstrates widespread conservation and divergence of microRNAs Ricardo A. Chávez Montes, Flor de Fátima Rosas-Cárdenas, Emanuele De Paoli, Monica Accerbi, Linda A. Rymarquis, Gayathri Mahalingam, Nayelli Marsch-Martínez, Blake C. Meyers, Pamela J. Green and Stefan de Folter Small RNAs and microRNAs are important regulators of gene expression. In this study, Chávez Montes et al. examine these molecules in 34 plant species, and explore the correlations between abundance, conservation and variability of microRNA sequences across all of the species studied. 23 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4722 Biological Sciences  Plant sciences  Realization of a spin-wave multiplexer K. Vogt, F.Y. Fradin, J.E. Pearson, T. Sebastian, S.D. Bader, B. Hillebrands, A. Hoffmann and H. Schultheiss Spin-waves offer the potential for devices with novel functionalities but controlling their propagation is proving challenging. Here, the authors use locally generated magnetic fields to show how spin-waves can be manipulated to realize a spin-wave multiplexer. 23 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4727 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Proposal for demonstrating the Hong–Ou–Mandel effect with matter waves R. J. Lewis-Swan and K. V. Kheruntsyan The Hong–Ou–Mandel effect is a well-known demonstration of quantum interference phenomena between pairs of indistinguishable bosons, yet it has only been seen with massless photons. Here, the authors propose an approach to realize this effect for matter waves using two colliding Bose–Einstein condensates. 23 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4752 Physical Sciences  Optical physics  Theoretical physics  A red-shifted fluorescent substrate for aldehyde dehydrogenase Il Minn, Haofan Wang, Ronnie C. Mease, Youngjoo Byun, Xing Yang, Julia Wang, Steven D. Leach and Martin G. Pomper Aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH)-expressing stem cells can be stained and sorted using a green fluorescent substrate. Minn et al. synthesise a red-shifted fluorescent ALDH probe and demonstrate sorting and microscopic staining of cells in the presence of a green fluorescent marker. 23 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4662 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Chemical biology  Spatially and temporally reconfigurable assembly of colloidal crystals Youngri Kim, Aayush A. Shah and Michael J. Solomon Controlling colloidal assemblies without the need of a template or electrode is still a challenging goal. Here Kim et al. use photo-induced ion flow in an indium tin oxide-coated substrate to control this process, allowing reversible assembly of colloidal crystals in a three-dimensional manner. 23 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4676 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  The emerging biofuel crop Camelina sativa retains a highly undifferentiated hexaploid genome structure OPEN Sateesh Kagale, Chushin Koh, John Nixon, Venkatesh Bollina, Wayne E. Clarke, Reetu Tuteja, Charles Spillane, Stephen J. Robinson, Matthew G. Links, Carling Clarke, Erin E. Higgins, Terry Huebert, Andrew G. Sharpe and Isobel A. P. Parkin Camelina sativa is an oilseed crop with important industrial applications. Here, the authors sequence the C. sativa genome to investigate the genome organization and evolution of this species, and to provide a valuable tool for genetic engineering and potential crop improvement. 23 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4706 Biological Sciences  Biotechnology  Genetics  Spin regulation in composite spin-filter barrier devices Guo-Xing Miao, Joonyeon Chang, Badih A. Assaf, Donald Heiman and Jagadeesh S. Moodera Magnetic insulators can provide large effective Zeeman fields that are confined at the interface. Here the authors use spin-filter tunnel junctions to directly probe the exchange-induced spin splitting and show that by tuning the energy profiles the spin and charge flow can be controlled. 23 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4682 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Nanotechnology  Oncogenic Ras induces inflammatory cytokine production by upregulating the squamous cell carcinoma antigens SerpinB3/B4 Joseph M. Catanzaro, Namratha Sheshadri, Ji-An Pan, Yu Sun, Chanjuan Shi, Jinyu Li, R. Scott Powers, Howard C. Crawford and Wei-Xing Zong The Ras oncogene has many different roles in cancer including the production of cytokines that can influence the tumour microenvironment. Here, Catanzaro et al. demonstrate that Ras can modulate the expression of SerpinB3/B4, which leads to increased cytokine production and tumour growth. 23 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4729 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Immunology    Nature Communications JOBS of the week Research Associate University of Massachusett Medical School Research Fellow University of Exeter PhD candidate University of Bergen Research Fellow Vanderbilt University Medical Center PostDoc Otto-Von-Guericke University Magdeburg Post-doctoral Researcher ETH Zurich Research Associate University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Postdoctoral Fellow Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Post-Doctoral Research Associate Imperial College London PhD student Uniklinik Koln More Science jobs from Nature Communications EVENT Mind & Brain Prize 2014 19.11.14 Torino, Italy More science events from       Latest Erratum     Erratum: The nucleosome acidic patch plays a critical role in RNF168-dependent ubiquitination of histone H2A Francesca Mattiroli, Michael Uckelmann, Danny D. Sahtoe, Willem J. van Dijk and Titia K. Sixma 24 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4692 Biological Sciences  Molecular biology      Advertisement LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER Genomics and Stem Cell Based Therapies: Shaping the Future of Personalized Medicine May 29-31, 2014 | The Garden Hotel, Guangzhou, China Registration ends MAY 10, 2014  Click here for more information or to register for this conference today!     Natureevents is a fully searchable, multi-disciplinary database designed to maximise exposure for events organisers. The contents of the Natureevents Directory are now live. The digital version is available here. Find the latest scientific conferences, courses, meetings and symposia on natureevents.com. For event advertising opportunities across the Nature Publishing Group portfolio please contact natureevents@nature.com  More Nature Events You have been sent this Table of Contents Alert because you have opted in to receive it. 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