Science

June 24, 2019 - Professor of Biology Stephane Boissinot published an article entitled Selection at Behavioral, Developmental and Metabolic Genes is Associated with the Northward Expansion of a Successful Tropical Colonizer in the journal Molecular Ecology. Researchers used genomic scans for selection to identify genes responsible for adaptation to temperate climate in a tropical species. They found that selection at behavioral and developmental genes was associated with this adaptation, in addition to the expected selection at metabolic genes.

Bourgeois, Y., & Boissinot, S. (2019). Selection at behavioral, developmental and metabolic genes is associated with the northward expansion of a successful tropical colonizer. Molecular Ecology, 2019 Jun 24. DOI: 10.1111/mec.15162. 

June 20, 2019 - Professor of Biology Kirsten Sadler Edepli and her research group published a paper entitled Epigenetic Compensation Promotes Liver Regeneration in the journal Developmental Cell. The research reveals a new way in which the liver is primed to regenerate itself. Researchers found that by stripping parts of the epigenome, which plays a primary role in repressing “jumping genes” (i.e. transposable elements), other epigenetic marks were redistributed.

Wang, S., Zhang C., Hasson D., Desai A., SenBanerjee S., Magnani E., Ukomadu C., Lujambio A., Bernstein, E., & Sadler K. (2019). Epigenetic compensation promotes liver regeneration. Developmental Cell, Volume 50, Issue 1, 43 - 56.e6. DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2019.05.034.

May 30, 2019 - Professor of Biology Stephane Boissinot published an article entitled On the Population Genomics of Junk: A Review on the Population Genomics of Transposable Elements in the journal Genes. It is the first review specifically dedicated to the population genetics of transposable elements in eukaryotic genomes.

Bourgeois, Y., & Boissinot, S. (2019). On the population genomics of junk: a review on the population genomics of transposable elements. Genes, 2019 May 30;10(6). pii: E419. DOI: 10.3390/genes10060419.

May 13, 2019 - Associate Professor of Biology Kourosh Salehi-Ashtiani published a manuscript entitled Advances in Microalgal Research and Engineering Development in the journal Current Opinion in Biotechnology. The paper provides a review of occurrent technologies in algal research and is expected to inform researchers involved in algal-based biotechnology on recent genomics and genome-editing tools. 

Fu, W., Nelson, D.R., Mystikou, A.. Daakour, S. and Salehi-Ashtiani, K. (2019). Advances in microalgal research and engineering development. Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 59, 157 164. DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2019.05.013.

July 24, 2019: NYUAD CTP Scientists and the Naumov Group published a paper entitled Martensitic Organic Crystals as Soft Actuators in the journal Chemical Science. The paper explores a new class of actuator, made from expanding crystals. The material is organic and flexible, presenting the possibility for bio-compatible applications, and can exert forces 10,000 times greater than its own weight. 

Chemical Science selected the paper to feature in its weekly ChemSci: Pick of the Week series.

Liang Li, Patrick Commins, Marieh B. Al-Handawi, Durga Prasad Karothu, Jad Mahmoud Halabi, Stefan Schramm, James Weston, Rachid Rezgui, Pance Naumov. Chem. Sci., 2019. DOI: 10.1039/C9SC02444A. 

June 20, 2019: Associate Professor of Chemistry Ali Trabolsi published a manuscript entitled Self-assembly of Stimuli-Responsive Imine-linked Calix[4]arene Nanocapsules for Targeted Camptothecin Delivery in the journal Chemical Communications. The manuscript reports a novel polymeric drug delivery system, which can be utilized for targeted and specific anticancer drug delivery.

Shetty, D., Skorjanc, T., Olson, M. A. & Trabolsi, A. (2019). Self-assembly of Stimuli-Responsive Imine-linked Calix[4]arene Nanocapsules for Targeted Camptothecin Delivery. Chem. Commun, 2019,55, 8876-8879. DOI: 10.1039/C9CC02214G.

May 22, 2019: NYUAD Research Scientists Farah Benyettou and Thirumurugan Prakasam from the Trabolsi Research Group, led by NYUAD Associate Professor of Chemistry Ali Trabolsi, published a paper entitled Potent and Selective in vitro and in vivo Antiproliferative Effects of Metal–Organic Trefoil Knots.

The researchers developed and studied the biological activity of five new, metal-organic hybrid knotted molecules, termed metal-organic trefoil knots (M-TKs). These molecules can effectively deliver metals to cancer cells, demonstrating the potential to act as a new category of anti-cancer agents. The findings reveal that these nanoscale, water-soluble M-TKs showed high potency in vitro against six cancer cell lines and in vivo in zebrafish embryos. Zebrafish-related studies were performed by NYUAD Postdoctoral Associate Anjana Ramdas Nair from the Sadler Lab.

Farah Benyettou, Thirumurugan Prakasam,  Anjana Ramdas Nair, Ini-Isabee Witzel, Marwa Alhashimi, Tina Skorjanc,  John-Carl Olsen, Kirsten C. Sadler and Ali Trabolsi. (2019). Chem. Sci., Advance Article.

9 July, 2019: Professor of Mathematics Ilya Spitkovsky published a paper entitled Singularities of Base Polynomials and Gau–Wu Numbers in the journal Linear Algebra and its Applications. 

Camenga, K., Deaett, L., Rault, P., Sendova, T., Spitkovsky, I.M., and Yates, R. (2019). Linear Algebra and its Applications. DOI: 10.1016/j.laa.2019.07.005.

Assistant Professor of Physics George Shubeita published a manuscript entitled A Molecular Sensor Reveals Differences in Macromolecular Crowding between the Cytoplasm and Nucleoplasm in the journal ACS Sensors.

The paper reports on a novel fluorescence-based sensor that can be introduced into living cells to report on the physical environment in the various cellular compartments.

Murade, C. U., Shubeita, G. T. (2019) A molecular sensor reveals differences in macromolecular crowding between the cytoplasm and nucleoplasm. ACS Sensors, 2019. DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.9b00569.

29 April, 2019: Assistant Professor of Physics David Russell and a group of collaborators co-authored a paper in the journal Nature, entitled A Rapidly Changing Jet Orientation in the Stellar-Mass Black-Hole System V404.

Cygni. James C. A. Miller-Jones, Alexandra J. Tetarenko, Gregory R. Sivakoff, Matthew J. Middleton, Diego Altamirano, Gemma E. Anderson, Tomaso M. Belloni, Rob P. Fender, Peter G. Jonker, Elmar G. Körding, Hans A. Krimm, Dipankar Maitra, Sera Markoff, Simone Migliari, Kunal P. Mooley, Michael P. Rupen, David M. Russell, Thomas D. Russell, Craig L. Sarazin, Roberto Soria & Valeriu Tudose. (2019). Nature 569, 374–377.

24 April, 2019: Associate Professor of Physics Francesco Arneodo and a group of collaborators co-authored a paper entitled, Observation of Two-Neutrino Double Electron Capture in 124Xe with XENON1T. *Xenon Collaboration. (2019). Nature 568, 532–535.

Published in the journal Nature, the findings were also featured on the front cover.

13 May, 2019: Assistant Professor of Psychology with an Affiliation in Biology Kartik Sreenivasan published a review paper entitled The What, Where and How of Delay Activity in the journal Nature Reviews Neuroscience.

The paper reconsiders what delay activity is, where in the brain it is found, what roles it serves and how it may be generated.

Kartik K. Sreenivasan & Mark D’Esposito. (2019). The what, where and how of delay activity. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 20, pages 466–481.

May 2019: Assistant Professor of Psychology Jocelyn Bélanger, together with and Postdoctoral Associates Claudia Nisa and Birga Schumpe, published a paper entitled, Parts Greater than their Sum: Randomized Controlled Trial Testing Partitioned Incentives to Increase Cancer Screening.

The paper demonstrates that segregating a single patient incentive in two equivalent smaller gains increased cancer screening rates by 20% - a cost-free intervention that can save lives. 

Nisa, Claudia & Bélanger, Jocelyn & Schumpe, Birga. (2019). Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.3254985.