Heterotic type IIA duality with fluxes - towards the complete story

In this paper we study the heterotic type IIA duality when fluxes are turned on. We show that many of the known fluxes are dual to each other and claim that certain fluxes on the heterotic side require that the type IIA picture is lifted to M or even F-theory compactifications with geometric fluxes.Comment: 31 pages, references adde

Toll-like receptor 4 signaling in liver injury and hepatic fibrogenesis

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are a family of transmembrane pattern recognition receptors (PRR) that play a key role in innate and adaptive immunity by recognizing structural components unique to bacteria, fungi and viruses. TLR4 is the most studied of the TLRs, and its primary exogenous ligand is lipopolysaccharide, a component of Gram-negative bacterial walls. In the absence of exogenous microbes, endogenous ligands including damage-associated molecular pattern molecules from damaged matrix and injured cells can also activate TLR4 signaling. In humans, single nucleotide polymorphisms of the TLR4 gene have an effect on its signal transduction and on associated risks of specific diseases, including cirrhosis. In liver, TLR4 is expressed by all parenchymal and non-parenchymal cell types, and contributes to tissue damage caused by a variety of etiologies. Intact TLR4 signaling was identified in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), the major fibrogenic cell type in injured liver, and mediates key responses including an inflammatory phenotype, fibrogenesis and anti-apoptotic properties. Further clarification of the function and endogenous ligands of TLR4 signaling in HSCs and other liver cells could uncover novel mechanisms of fibrogenesis and facilitate the development of therapeutic strategies

Droplet networks, from Lipid bilayers to synthetic tissues

An aqueous droplet in a solution of lipid in oil acquires a lipid monolayer coat. When two such droplets are brought together, they adhere through the formation of a droplet interface bilayer (DIB) (Fig. 1a). A high contact angle at the interface (Fig. 1a) indicates a strong interaction between the droplets (Thiam et al. 2012). DIBs in droplet pairs were first developed as a means to simplify and miniaturize planar bilayer experiments in which transmembrane channels and pores are characterized by ionic current recording (Bayley et al. 2008). They have additional technical advantages, for example, bilayers with lipid asymmetry can be formed reliably (Hwang et al. 2008). Droplet-hydrogel bilayers (DHB) allow the simultaneous recording of current and fluorescence (Weatherill and Wallace 2015). </p