582 research outputs found
Microscopic measurement of the linear compressibilities of two-dimensional fatty acid mesophases
The linear compressibility of two-dimensional fatty acid mesophases has
determined by grazing incidence x-ray diffraction. Surface pressure vs
molecular area isotherms were reconstructed from these measurements, and the
linear compressibility (relative distortion along a given direction for
isotropic applied stress) was determined both in the sample plane and in a
plane normal to the aliphatic chain director (transverse plane). The linear
compressibilities range over two orders of magnitude from 0.1 to 10 m/N and are
distributed depending on their magnitude in 4 different sets which we are able
to associate with different molecular mechanisms. The largest compressibilities
(10m/N) are observed in the tilted phases. They are apparently independent of
the chain length and could be related to the reorganization of the headgroup
hydrogen-bounded network, whose role should be revalued. Intermediate
compressibilities are observed in phases with quasi long-range order
(directions normal to the molecular tilt in L_2 or L_2' phases, S phase), and
could be related to the ordering of these phases. The lowest compressibilities
are observed in the solid untilted CS phase and for 1 direction of the S and
L_2'' phases. They are similar to the compressibility of crystalline polymers
and correspond to the interactions between methyl groups in the crystal.
Finally, negative compressibilities are observed in the transverse plane for
L_2' and L_2'' phases and can be traced to subtle reorganizations upon
untilting.Comment: 24 pages, 17 figure
Influence of control selection in genome-wide association studies: the example of diabetes in the Framingham Heart Study
Epidemiologic study designs represent a major challenge for genome-wide association studies. Most such studies to date have selected controls from the pool of participants without the disease of interest at the end of the study time. These choices can lead to biased estimates of exposure effects. Using data from the Framingham Heart Study (Genetic Analysis Workshop 16 Problem 2), we evaluate the impact on genetic association estimates for designs with control selection based on status at the end of a study (case exclusion (CE) sampling) to control selection based on incidence density (ID) sampling, when controls are selected from the pool of participants who are disease-free at the time a case is diagnosed. Cases are defined as those diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (T2D). We estimated odds ratios for 18 previously confirmed T2D variants using 189 cases selected by ID sampling and using 231 cases selected by CE sampling. We found none of these single-nucleotide polymorphisms to be significantly associated with T2D using either design. Because these empirical analyses were based on a small number of cases and on single-nucleotide polymorphisms with likely small effect sizes, we supplemented this work with simulated data sets of 500 cases from each strategies across a variety of allele frequencies and effect sizes. In our simulated datasets, we show ID sampling to be less biased than CE, although CE shows apparent increased power due to the upward bias of point estimates. We conclude that ID sampling is an appropriate option for genome-wide association studies
Quantifying spin Hall angles from spin pumping: Experiments and Theory
Spin Hall effects intermix spin and charge currents even in nonmagnetic
materials and, therefore, ultimately may allow the use of spin transport
without the need for ferromagnets. We show how spin Hall effects can be
quantified by integrating permalloy/normal metal (N) bilayers into a coplanar
waveguide. A dc spin current in N can be generated by spin pumping in a
controllable way by ferromagnetic resonance. The transverse dc voltage detected
along the permalloy/N has contributions from both the anisotropic
magnetoresistance (AMR) and the spin Hall effect, which can be distinguished by
their symmetries. We developed a theory that accounts for both. In this way, we
determine the spin Hall angle quantitatively for Pt, Au and Mo. This approach
can readily be adapted to any conducting material with even very small spin
Hall angles.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Efficacy of cyclosporin A in psoriasis: a summary of the United States’ experience
Since its discovery in 1972, cyclosporin A (CyA) has been widely used in the experimental treatment of multiple inflammatory diseases considered to be of immune-mediated aetiology. In dermatology, oral CyA is most effective in the treatment of psoriasis and has been used successfully for plaque-type, pustular and erythrodermic forms of the disease. While dosages ranging from 1 to 14 mg/kg/day have been used, a starting dose of 4 mg/kg/day gives a rapid response with few side-effects. Nephrotoxicity remains the greatest concern in long-term use of the drug. Although intralesional CyA has proven effective in psoriasis, topical preparations have not. It is hoped that future research will provide effective topical formulations of CyA which are efficacious without the risks inherent in systemic administration.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72330/1/j.1365-2133.1990.tb02878.x.pd
Precision of readout at the hunchback gene: analyzing short transcription time traces in living fly embryos
The simultaneous expression of the hunchback gene in the numerous nuclei of
the developing fly embryo gives us a unique opportunity to study how
transcription is regulated in living organisms. A recently developed MS2-MCP
technique for imaging nascent messenger RNA in living Drosophila embryos allows
us to quantify the dynamics of the developmental transcription process. The
initial measurement of the morphogens by the hunchback promoter takes place
during very short cell cycles, not only giving each nucleus little time for a
precise readout, but also resulting in short time traces of transcription.
Additionally, the relationship between the measured signal and the promoter
state depends on the molecular design of the reporting probe. We develop an
analysis approach based on tailor made autocorrelation functions that overcomes
the short trace problems and quantifies the dynamics of transcription
initiation. Based on live imaging data, we identify signatures of bursty
transcription initiation from the hunchback promoter. We show that the
precision of the expression of the hunchback gene to measure its position along
the anterior-posterior axis is low both at the boundary and in the anterior
even at cycle 13, suggesting additional post-transcriptional averaging
mechanisms to provide the precision observed in fixed embryos
Effects of agonists of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ on proteoglycan degradation and matrix metalloproteinase production in rat cartilage in vitro
AbstractObjective To examine the effects of agonists of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) γ on proteoglycan degradation induced by interleukin (IL)-1β or tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α in cartilage in vitro.Design Proteoglycan degradation was measured as release of radioactivity from rat cartilage explants previously labeled with 35SO2−4. Western blots were used to examine tissue levels of aggrecan neoepitopes NITEGE and VDIPEN, generated by aggrecanases and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP), respectively. Production of MMP-2, -3 and -9 by cultured rat chondrocytes was measured by zymography and by fluorimetric assay.Results IL-1β-induced proteoglycan degradation was likely due to aggrecanase, since it was associated with a strong increase of NITEGE signal. MMP-dependent VDIPEN signal increased only after further incubation with pro-MMP activator APMA. PPAR agonists 15d-PGJ2 and GI262570 (10μM) inhibited IL-1β- and TNFα-induced proteoglycan degradation measured both before and after addition of APMA. The agonists also inhibited cytokine-induced MMP production by isolated chondrocytes.Conclusion This study shows that PPARγ agonists inhibit cytokine-induced proteoglycan degradation mediated by both aggrecanase and MMP. This effect is associated with inhibition of production of MMP-3 and -9. These results support the interest for PPARγ agonists as candidate inhibitors of pathological cartilage degradation. Copyright 2002 OsteoArthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved
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