31,820 research outputs found
Ricci Solitons on Lorentzian Manifolds with Large Isometry Groups
We show that Lorentzian manifolds whose isometry group is of dimension at
least are expanding, steady and shrinking Ricci solitons
and steady gradient Ricci solitons. This provides examples of complete locally
conformally flat and symmetric Lorentzian Ricci solitons which are not rigid
Role of Membrane GM1 on Early Neuronal Membrane Actions of Aβ During Onset of Alzheimer\u27s Disease
The ability of beta-amyloid peptide (Aβ) to disrupt the plasma membrane through formation of pores and membrane breakage has been previously described. However, the molecular determinants for these effects are largely unknown. In this study, we examined if the association and subsequent membrane perforation induced by Aβ was dependent on GM1levels. Pretreatment of hippocampal neurons with D-PDMP decreased GM1 and Aβ clustering at the membrane (Aβ fluorescent-punctas/20 μm, control = 16.2 ± 1.1 vs. D-PDMP = 6.4 ± 0.4, p \u3c 0.001). Interestingly, membrane perforation with Aβ occurred with a slower time course when the GM1 content was diminished (time to establish perforated configuration (TEPC) (min): control = 7.8 ± 2 vs. low GM1 = 12.1 ± 0.5, p \u3c 0.01), suggesting that the presence of GM1 in the membrane can modulate the distribution and the membrane perforation by Aβ. On the other hand, increasing GM1 facilitated the membrane perforation (TEPC: control = 7.8 ± 2 vs. GM1 = 6.2 ± 1 min, p \u3c 0.05). Additionally, using Cholera Toxin Subunit-B (CTB) to block the interaction of Aβ with GM1 attenuated membrane perforation significantly. Furthermore, pretreatment with CTB decreased the membrane association of Aβ (fluorescent-punctas/20 μm, Aβ: control = 14.8 ± 2.5 vs. CTB = 8 ± 1.4, p \u3c 0.05), suggesting that GM1 also plays a role in both association of Aβ with the membrane and in perforation. In addition, blockade of the Aβ association with CTB inhibited synaptotoxicity. Taken together, our results strongly suggest that membrane lipid composition can affect the ability of Aβ to associate and subsequently perforate the plasma membrane thereby modulating its neurotoxicity in hippocampal neurons
Dry anaerobic digestion of organic waste: A review of operational parameters and their impact on process performance.
open access articleDry digestion is a suitable technology for treating organic wastes with varying composition such as the organic
fraction of municipal solids waste. Yet, there is a need for further research to overcome some of the disadvantages
associated with the high total solids content of the process. Optimisation of inoculum to substrate
ratio, feedstock composition and size, liquid recirculation, bed compaction and use of bulking agents are some of
the parameters that need further investigation in batch dry anaerobic digestion, to limit localised inhibition
effects and avoid process instability. In addition, further attention on the relation between feedstock composition,
organic loading rate and mixing regimes is required for continuous dry anaerobic digestion systems. This
paper highlights all the areas where knowledge is scarce and value can be added to increase dry anaerobic
digestion performance and expansion
Magnons in Ferromagnetic Metallic Manganites
Ferromagnetic (FM) manganites, a group of likely half-metallic oxides, are of
special interest not only because they are a testing ground of the classical
doubleexchange interaction mechanism for the colossal magnetoresistance, but
also because they exhibit an extraordinary arena of emergent phenomena. These
emergent phenomena are related to the complexity associated with strong
interplay between charge, spin, orbital, and lattice. In this review, we focus
on the use of inelastic neutron scattering to study the spin dynamics, mainly
the magnon excitations in this class of FM metallic materials. In particular,
we discussed the unusual magnon softening and damping near the Brillouin zone
boundary in relatively narrow band compounds with strong Jahn-Teller lattice
distortion and charge/orbital correlations. The anomalous behaviors of magnons
in these compounds indicate the likelihood of cooperative excitations involving
spin, lattice, as well as orbital degrees of freedom.Comment: published in J. Phys.: Cond. Matt. 20 figure
"Tolerization" of human T-helper cell clones by chronic exposure to alloantigen
Induction of clonal anergy in T-helper (Th) cells may have a role in regulating immune responses. A model system for studying Th cell tolerization at the clonal level in vitro could be useful for investigating the mechanisms involved. Accordingly, alloreactive helper cells were maintained in culture with interleukin 2 (IL 2) by intermittent stimulation with specific antigen. Regardless of the frequency of antigen stimulation, clones of age less than ca. 35 population doublings (PD) were found to undergo antigen-specific autocrine clonal expansion in the absence of exogenous IL 2. Such young clones (designated as phase I) could therefore not be "tolerized" by frequent exposure to antigen. In contrast, most clones of age greater than ca. 35 PD could be tolerized by frequent exposure to antigen (designated as phase II clones). Their autocrine proliferation was then blocked, although they still recognized antigen specifically as shown by their retained ability to secrete interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). The mechanism of response failure involved both an inability to upregulate IL 2 receptors in the absence of exogenous IL 2, as well as an inability to secrete IL 2. These defects were not overcome by stimulation with mitogens or calcium ionophore and phorbol esther in place of alloantigen. T-cell receptor, alpha, beta, and gamma-chain gene rearrangements remained identical in phase I and phase II clones. Tolerization of phase II clones could be avoided by increasing the period between antigen exposures. Despite this, whether or not phase II cells were capable of autocrine proliferation, they were found to have acquired the novel function of inducing suppressive activity in fresh lymphocytes. Suppressor-induction was blocked by the broadly reactive MHC class II-specific monoclonal antibody (moAb) TU39, but not by moAb preferentially reacting only with HLA-DR, DQ, or DP. Sequential immunoprecipitation on T-cell clones showed the presence of a putative non-DR, DQ, DP, TU39+ molecule on phase II clones. However, this molecule was also found on phase I clones. The nature of the TU39-blockable suppressor-inducing determinant present on phase II but not on (most) phase I clones thus remains to be clarified. In addition to suppressor-induction activity, phase II clones also acquired lytic potential as measured in a lectin approximation system. Cytotoxic (CTX) potential was also not influenced by the frequency of antigenic stimulation and could be viewed as a constitutive modulation of clonal functio
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