Interplay between edge states and simple bulk defects in graphene nanoribbons

We study the interplay between the edge states and a single impurity in a zigzag graphene nanoribbon. We use tight-binding exact diagonalization techniques, as well as density functional theory calculations to obtain the eigenvalue spectrum, the eigenfunctions, as well the dependence of the local density of states (LDOS) on energy and position. We note that roughly half of the unperturbed eigenstates in the spectrum of the finite-size ribbon hybridize with the impurity state, and the corresponding eigenvalues are shifted with respect to their unperturbed values. The maximum shift and hybridization occur for a state whose energy is inverse proportional to the impurity potential; this energy is that of the impurity peak in the DOS spectrum. We find that the interference between the impurity and the edge gives rise to peculiar modifications of the LDOS of the nanoribbon, in particular to oscillations of the edge LDOS. These effects depend on the size of the system, and decay with the distance between the edge and the impurity.Comment: 10 pages, 15 figures, revtex

CSL311, a novel, potent, therapeutic monoclonal antibody for the treatment of diseases mediated by the common beta chain of the IL-3, GM-CSF and IL-5 receptors

The β common-signaling cytokines interleukin (IL)-3, granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and IL-5 stimulate pro-inflammatory activities of haematopoietic cells via a receptor complex incorporating cytokine-specific α and shared β common (βc, CD131) receptor. Evidence from animal models and recent clinical trials demonstrate that these cytokines are critical mediators of the pathogenesis of inflammatory airway disease such as asthma. However, no therapeutic agents, other than steroids, that specifically and effectively target inflammation mediated by all 3 of these cytokines exist. We employed phage display technology to identify and optimize a novel, human monoclonal antibody (CSL311) that binds to a unique epitope that is specific to the cytokine-binding site of the human βc receptor. The binding epitope of CSL311 on the βc receptor was defined by X-ray crystallography and site-directed mutagenesis. CSL311 has picomolar binding affinity for the human βc receptor, and at therapeutic concentrations is a highly potent antagonist of the combined activities of IL-3, GM-CSF and IL-5 on primary eosinophil survival in vitro. Importantly, CSL311 inhibited the survival of inflammatory cells present in induced sputum from human allergic asthmatic subjects undergoing allergen bronchoprovocation. Due to its high potency and ability to simultaneously suppress the activity of all 3 β common cytokines, CSL311 may provide a new strategy for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases where the human βc receptor is central to pathogenesis. The coordinates for the βc/CSL311 Fab complex structure have been deposited with the RCSB Protein Data Bank (PDB 5DWU).Con Panousis, Urmi Dhagat, Kirsten M. Edwards, Veronika Rayzman, Matthew P. Hardy, Hal Braley, Gail M. Gauvreau, Timothy R. Hercus, Steven Smith, Roma Sehmi, Laura McMillan, Mara Dottore, Barbara J. McClure, Louis J. Fabri, Gino Vairo, Angel F Lopez, Michael W. Parker, Andrew D. Nash, Nicholas J. Wilson, Michael J. Wilson and Catherine M. Owczare

Track D Social Science, Human Rights and Political Science

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138414/1/jia218442.pd

Drinking alcohol at home and in public places and the time framing of risks

The United Kingdom has witnessed a steady rise in per capita consumption of alcohol in the three decades leading up to 2004 since when there has been a decline. Much of this increase can be accounted for by increased drinking away from licensed premises. In this article, we analyse the ways in which people who drink in such settings think about the temporal dimension of risks which they associate with alcohol consumption. We present findings from a qualitative study which explored accounts of drinking away from licensed premises, either at home or in public places such as parks, given by adults and young people of age 13 and over. We found that research participants associated drinking away from licensed premises with immediate risks. Those risks they identified included fights breaking out at home or in a public place, drinking to excess, falling over and becoming ill when intoxicated. Respondents mostly did not express concerns about longer-term health risks. However, some research participants did bring in a more extended time frame in relation to ‘setting boundaries’ so as to prevent gradual escalation of consumption, and avoiding ways in which ‘alcohol can change one’s life’ for the worse. We will argue that the predominance of mostly short-term thinking about alcohol consumption in the face of public health messages about the accumulation of health risks may be accounted for by the contradictory nature of such advice, and/or by the positive cultural and personal value placed on drinking

Widely varying SIV prevalence rates in naturally infected primate species from Cameroon

Although it is now well established that a substantial proportion of wild-living primates in sub-Saharan Africa harbor SIV, no study to date has examined to what extent the various species are naturally infected. In this study, we first describe the development and validation of sensitive and specific SIV antibody detection assays representing all major known primate lentiviral lineages on a panel of 207 sera from 11 different primate species with known infection status. The newly developed assays were then used to determine SIV prevalence rates in nine primate species native to Cameroon. Analysis of 722 sera revealed widely varying prevalence rates, ranging from an apparent absence of SIV infection in crested mona (0/70), grey checked (0/36) and agile mangabeys (0/92), to prevalence rates of 3%, 4%, 11%, 27%, 39% and 52% for mustached (6/203), greater spot-nosed (8/193), northern talapoin (3/26), mantled guereza (14/52), De Brazza's (9/23) and mandrill (14/27) monkeys, respectively. The epidemiology of naturally occurring SIV infections is thus more complex than previously appreciated and the various non-human primate hosts seem to differ in their susceptibility to SIV infection. The newly developed assays should now permit to define with greater accuracy existing SIV reservoirs and associated human zoonotic risk. (C) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved