Several years ago, we detected the formation of multicellular spheroids in experiments with human thyroid cancer cells cultured on the Random Positioning Machine (RPM), a ground-based model to simulate microgravity by continuously changing the orientation of samples. Since then, we have studied cellular mechanisms triggering the cells to leave a monolayer and aggregate to spheroids. Our work focused on spheroid-related changes in gene expression patterns, in protein concentrations, and in factors secreted to the culture supernatant during the period when growth is altered. We detected that factors inducing angiogenesis, the composition of integrins, the density of the cell monolayer exposed to microgravity, the enhanced production of caveolin-1, and the nuclear factor kappa B p65 could play a role during spheroid formation in thyroid cancer cells. In this study, we performed a deep proteome analysis on FTC-133 thyroid cancer cells cultured under conditions designed to encourage or discourage spheroid formation. The experiments revealed more than 5900 proteins. Their evaluation confirmed and explained the observations mentioned above. In addition, we learned that FTC-133 cells growing in monolayers or in spheroids after RPM-exposure incorporate vinculin, paxillin, focal adhesion kinase 1, and adenine diphosphate (ADP)-ribosylation factor 6 in different ways into the focal adhesion complex.

In this study we examined the institutions (and countries) the Nobel laureates of the three disciplines chemistry, physics and physiology/medicine were affiliated with (from 1994 to 2014) when they did the decisive research work. To be able to frame the results at that time point, we also looked at when the Nobel laureates obtained their Ph.D./M.D. and when they were awarded the Nobel Prize. We examined all 155 Nobel laureates of the last 21 years in physics, chemistry, and physiology/medicine. Results showed that the USA dominated as a country. Statistical analysis also revealed that only three institutions can boast a larger number of Nobelists at all three time points examined: UC Berkeley, Columbia University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Researcher mobility analysis made clear that most of the Nobel laureates were mobile; either after having obtained their Ph.D./M.D. or after writing significant papers that were decisive for the Nobel Prize. Therefore, we distinguished different ways of mobility between countries and between institutions. In most cases, the researchers changed institutes/universities within one and the same country (in first position: the USA, followed, by far, by the United Kingdom, Japan and Germany).

A few years ago Clarivate Analytics (formerly Thomson Reuters, provider of the Web of Science database) started evaluating publications in the sciences and social sciences with a view to identifying international highly-cited researchers (HCR) over a publication period of around 10 years. This Letter to the Editor presents the findings of a small study involving the analyses of some personal data (e.g. academic title) relating to the HCR 2015

For several years, Clarivate Analytics, formerly the IP & Science business of Thomson Reuters, has published a list of researchers who have published the largest number of highly cited papers in a particular discipline (see www.highlycited.com). These researchers are described by Clarivate Analytics as highly-cited researchers (HCRs) or as some of the world's most influential scientific minds. Whereas the HCR 2014 list refers to the publication years 2002 to 2012, the HCR 2015 list which was published a few months ago refers to the years 2003 to 2013. The new list contains a total of 3126 researchers worldwide. Compared with the HCR 2014 list which includes 3215 researchers, the new list thus includes 89 fewer researchers as HCRs. This study undertakes a comparison of HCR 2014 and 2015 on the institute and country levels. As the results on the countries show, for HCR 2015, around half the researchers work in the USA; a further ~10% in Great Britain. About 6% or 5% of the researchers are in Germany or China respectively. In comparison with HCR 2014, no countryhas lost as many HCRs as the USA with 3.4%. An especially great increase in HCRs occurred in Australia (1.3%), Saudi Arabia (0.7%), Germany (0.5%) and Great Britain (0.5%). The evaluation of the institutional addresses proves that -based on the primary addresses -the largest number of HCRs is employed at the University of California, System (n=161). This is followed by Harvard University (n=95). However, both institutions are also -if one compares HCR 2015 with HCR 2014 -affected by a large decrease in the HCRs (both in numbers of HCR and percentages).

. Johann Bauer is scientist and information specialist,