97 research outputs found
Layer-Resolved Resonance Intensity of Evanescent Polariton Modes in Anisotropic Multilayers
Phonon polariton modes in layered anisotropic heterostructures are a key
building block for modern nanophotonic technologies. The light-matter
interaction for evanescent excitation of such a multilayer system can be
theoretically described by a transfer matrix formalism. This method allows to
compute the imaginary part of the p-polarized reflection coefficient
Im, which is typically used to analyze the polariton dispersion of
the multilayer structure, but lacks the possibility to access the
layer-resolved polaritonic response. We present an approach to compute the
layer-resolved polariton resonance intensity in aribtrarily anisotropic layered
heterostructures, based on calculating the Poynting vector extracted from a
transfer matrix formalism. Our approach is independent of the experimental
excitation conditions, and fulfills an empirical conservation law. As a test
ground, we study two state-of-the-art nanophotonic multilayer systems, covering
strong coupling and tunable hyperbolic surface phonon polaritons in twisted
\MoO~double layers. Providing a new level of insight into the polaritonic
response, our method holds great potential for understanding, optimizing and
predicting new forms of polariton heterostructures in the future.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figure
Transcriptome-wide expression profiling in skin fibroblasts of patients with joint hypermobility syndrome/ehlers-danlos syndrome hypermobility type
Joint hypermobility syndrome/Ehlers-Danlos syndrome hypermobility type (JHS/EDS-HT), is likely the most common systemic heritable connective tissue disorder, and is mostly recognized by generalized joint hypermobility, joint instability complications, minor skin changes and a wide range of satellite features. JHS/EDS-HT is considered an autosomal dominant trait but is still without a defined molecular basis. The absence of (a) causative gene(s) for JHS/EDS-HT is likely attributable to marked genetic heterogeneity and/or interaction of multiple loci. In order to help in deciphering such a complex molecular background, we carried out a comprehensive immunofluorescence analysis and gene expression profiling in cultured skin fibroblasts from five women affected with JHS/EDS-HT. Protein study revealed disarray of several matrix structural components such as fibrillins, tenascins, elastin, collagens, fibronectin, and their integrin receptors. Transcriptome analysis indicated perturbation of different signaling cascades that are required for homeostatic regulation either during development or in adult tissues as well as altered expression of several genes involved in maintenance of extracellular matrix architecture and homeostasis (e.g., SPON2, TGM2, MMP16, GPC4, SULF1), cell-cell adhesion (e.g., CDH2, CHD10, PCDH9, CLDN11, FLG, DSP), immune/inflammatory/pain responses (e.g., CFD, AQP9, COLEC12, KCNQ5, PRLR), and essential for redox balance (e.g., ADH1C, AKR1C2, AKR1C3, MAOB, GSTM5). Our findings provide a picture of the gene expression profile and dysregulated pathways in JHS/EDS-HT skin fibroblasts that correlate well with the systemic phenotype of the patients
Leucine-Rich Repeat Kinase-2 Controls the Differentiation and Maturation of Oligodendrocytes in Mice and Zebrafish
Leucine-rich repeat kinase-2 (LRRK2), a gene mutated in familial and sporadic Parkinson’s disease (PD), controls multiple cellular processes important for GLIA physiology. Interestingly, emerging studies report that LRRK2 is highly expressed in oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) compared to the pathophysiology of other brain cells and oligodendrocytes (OLs) in PD. Altogether, these observations suggest crucial function(s) of LRRK2 in OPCs/Ols, which would be interesting to explore. In this study, we investigated the role of LRRK2 in OLs. We showed that LRRK2 knock-out (KO) OPC cultures displayed defects in the transition of OPCs into OLs, suggesting a role of LRRK2 in OL differentiation. Consistently, we found an alteration of myelin basic protein (MBP) striosomes in LRRK2 KO mouse brains and reduced levels of oligodendrocyte transcription factor 2 (Olig2) and Mbp in olig2:EGFP and mbp:RFP transgenic zebrafish embryos injected with lrrk2 morpholino (MO). Moreover, lrrk2 knock-down zebrafish exhibited a lower amount of nerve growth factor (Ngf) compared to control embryos, which represents a potent regulator of oligodendrogenesis and myelination. Overall, our findings indicate that LRRK2 controls OL differentiation, affecting the number of mature OLs
INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE AND EXTRAINTESTINAL MANIFESTATIONS
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, are chronic and recurrent inflammatory diseases. Although the typical symptoms are localized in the gastrointestinal tract, there are also extraintestinal manifestations (EIMs) associated with IBD, probably caused by immune reactions secondary to the pathology of origin. Anybody can be affected by EIMs, which can be dermatological, pulmonary, ocular, musculoskeletal, hepatobiliary and neurological, et al. This represents a therapeutic challenge for clinicians, who must first establish a diagnostic and then a multidisciplinary therapeutic path, in order to guarantee an optimal quality of life for the patient
Transcriptional Profiling of Rat Prefrontal Cortex after Acute Inescapable Footshock Stress
Stress is a primary risk factor for psychiatric disorders such as Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The response to stress involves the regulation of transcriptional programs, which is supposed to play a role in coping with stress. To evaluate transcriptional processes implemented after exposure to unavoidable traumatic stress, we applied microarray expression analysis to the PFC of rats exposed to acute footshock (FS) stress that were sacrificed immediately after the 40 min session or 2 h or 24 h after. While no substantial changes were observed at the single gene level immediately after the stress session, gene set enrichment analysis showed alterations in neuronal pathways associated with glia development, glia-neuron networking, and synaptic function. Furthermore, we found alterations in the expression of gene sets regulated by specific transcription factors that could represent master regulators of the acute stress response. Of note, these pathways and transcriptional programs are activated during the early stress response (immediately after FS) and are already turned off after 2 h-while at 24 h, the transcriptional profile is largely unaffected. Overall, our analysis provided a transcriptional landscape of the early changes triggered by acute unavoidable FS stress in the PFC of rats, suggesting that the transcriptional wave is fast and mild, but probably enough to activate a cellular response to acute stress
Extreme light confinement and control in low-symmetry phonon-polaritonic crystals
Polaritons are a hybrid class of quasiparticles originating from the strong
and resonant coupling between light and matter excitations. Recent years have
witnessed a surge of interest in novel polariton types, arising from
directional, long-lived material resonances, and leading to extreme optical
anisotropy that enables novel regimes of nanoscale, highly confined light
propagation. While such exotic propagation features may also be in principle
achieved using carefully designed metamaterials, it has been recently realized
that they can naturally emerge when coupling infrared light to directional
lattice vibrations, i.e., phonons, in polar crystals. Interestingly, a
reduction in crystal symmetry increases the directionality of optical phonons
and the resulting anisotropy of the response, which in turn enables new
polaritonic phenomena, such as hyperbolic polaritons with highly directional
propagation, ghost polaritons with complex-valued wave vectors, and shear
polaritons with strongly asymmetric propagation features. In this Review, we
develop a critical overview of recent advances in the discovery of phonon
polaritons in low-symmetry crystals, highlighting the role of broken symmetries
in dictating the polariton response and associated nanoscale-light propagation
features. We also discuss emerging opportunities for polaritons in
lower-symmetry materials and metamaterials, with connections to topological
physics and the possibility of leveraging anisotropic nonlinearities and
optical pumping to further control their nanoscale response
GLUT10-Lacking in Arterial Tortuosity Syndrome-Is Localized to the Endoplasmic Reticulum of Human Fibroblasts.
GLUT10 belongs to a family of transporters that catalyze the uptake of sugars/polyols by facilitated diffusion. Loss-of-function mutations in the SLC2A10 gene encoding GLUT10 are responsible for arterial tortuosity syndrome (ATS). Since subcellular distribution of the transporter is dubious, we aimed to clarify the localization of GLUT10. In silico GLUT10 localization prediction suggested its presence in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Immunoblotting showed the presence of GLUT10 protein in the microsomal, but not in mitochondrial fractions of human fibroblasts and liver tissue. An even cytosolic distribution with an intense perinuclear decoration of GLUT10 was demonstrated by immunofluorescence in human fibroblasts, whilst mitochondrial markers revealed a fully different decoration pattern. GLUT10 decoration was fully absent in fibroblasts from three ATS patients. Expression of exogenous, tagged GLUT10 in fibroblasts from an ATS patient revealed a strict co-localization with the ER marker protein disulfide isomerase (PDI). The results demonstrate that GLUT10 is present in the ER
Evolution of management discussion content in the financial statement: a comparison between Italy and UK
Recently, the socio-economic environment in which companies operate has changed considerably. Three events in particular have affected the management of listed companies: (i) the increasing importance of the intangible assets as basic elements of the competitive advantage in business; (ii) introduction of the IFRS; (iii) the world financial crisis. In this worldwide context, regulators view narrative disclosures as the key to achieving the desired step-change in the quality of corporate reporting. To satisfy the new stakeholder information needs, business reporting has to expand beyond the traditional financial reporting model towards more forward-looking information of a non-financial nature. The paper wants to study the quantity of financial communication in the management discussion for each information category selected and its quality in terms of: time orientation (historical information, forward-looking information, intertemporal information), nature (financial, non-financial) and mode of expression (narrative, quantitative, mixed). The analysis is performed considering the pre-IFRS (2003) and post-IFRS (2008) financial reports in Italy and the UK. Content analysis is the method applied. One of the main results that emerges, for both the Italian and UK companies, is that the quantity of information increases and that this information is always mainly related to the business and it is non-financial, narrative and historical. Very little space is dedicated to forward-looking information
Content and quality of information: analysis of the management financial discussion session in the Italian financial reports in the period 2003-2008
The socio-economic environment in which companies operate has changed considerably. Three events in particular have affected the management of listed companies:
(i) the increasing importance of the intangible assets as basic elements of the competitive
advantage in business; (ii) the accounting harmonisation and the evolution of the
management discussion regulation both at European and national level in the period 2003-
2008; (iii) the world financial crisis. In this worldwide context, regulators view narrative
disclosures as the key to achieving the desired step-change in the quality of corporate
reporting. To satisfy the new stakeholder information needs, business reporting has to
expand beyond the traditional financial reporting model towards more forward-looking
information of a non-financial nature. The paper wants to study the quantity of financial
communication in the management discussion for each information category selected and its
quality in terms of: time orientation (historical information, forward-looking information,
intertemporal information), nature (financial, non-financial) and mode of expression
(narrative, quantitative, mixed). The analysis is performed considering the 2003, 2005 and
2008 financial reports in Italy. Content analysis is the method applied. One of the main
results that emerges, is that the quantity of information increases and that this information is
always mainly related to the business and it is non-financial, narrative and historical. Very
little space is dedicated to forward-looking information
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