3,017 research outputs found
Wear and Friction of UHMWPE-on-PEEK OPTIMAâ„¢
PEEK-OPTIMA™ is being considered as an alternative bearing material to cobalt chrome in the femoral component of total knee replacement to provide a metal-free implant. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of lubricant temperature (standard rig running and elevated temperature (~36 °C)) on the wear of a UHMWPE-on-PEEK OPTIMA™ bearing couple using different lubricant protein concentrations (0, 2, 5, 25 and 90% bovine serum) in a simple geometry pin-on-plate configuration. Friction was also investigated under a single temperature condition for different lubricant protein concentrations. The studies were repeated for UHMWPE-on-cobalt chrome in order to compare relationships with temperature (wear only) and lubricant protein concentration (wear and friction).
In low lubricant protein concentrations (≤ 5%) there was no influence of temperature on the wear factors of UHMWPE-on-PEEK. With 25% bovine serum, the wear factor of UHMWPE-on-PEEK reduced by half at elevated temperature. When tested in high protein concentration (90% serum), there was no influence of temperature on the wear factor of UHMWPE-on-PEEK. These temperature dependencies were not the same for UHMWPE-on-cobalt chrome.
For both material combinations, there was a trend of decreasing friction with increasing protein concentration once protein was present in the lubricant.
This study has shown the importance of the selection of appropriate test conditions when investigating the wear and friction of different materials, in order to minimise test artefacts such as polymer transfer, and protein precipitation and deposition
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Performance Limits of Graphene Devices on SiO2
The linear dispersion relation in graphene[1,2] gives rise to a surprising
prediction: the resistivity due to isotropic scatterers (e.g. white-noise
disorder[3] or phonons[4-8]) is independent of carrier density n. Here we show
that acoustic phonon scattering[4-6] is indeed independent of n, and places an
intrinsic limit on the resistivity in graphene of only 30 Ohm at room
temperature (RT). At a technologically-relevant carrier density of 10^12 cm^-2,
the mean free path for electron-acoustic phonon scattering is >2 microns, and
the intrinsic mobility limit is 2x10^5 cm^2/Vs, exceeding the highest known
inorganic semiconductor (InSb, ~7.7x10^4 cm^2/Vs[9]) and semiconducting carbon
nanotubes (~1x10^5 cm^2/Vs[10]). We also show that extrinsic scattering by
surface phonons of the SiO2 substrate[11,12] adds a strong temperature
dependent resistivity above ~200 K[8], limiting the RT mobility to ~4x10^4
cm^2/Vs, pointing out the importance of substrate choice for graphene
devices[13].Comment: 16 pages, 3 figure
Variation in life history traits and transcriptome associated with adaptation to diet shifts in the ladybird Cryptolaemus montrouzieri
Background: Despite the broad diet range of many predatory ladybirds, the mechanisms involved in their adaptation to diet shifts are not completely understood. Here, we explored how a primarily coccidophagous ladybird Cryptolaemus montrouzieri adapts to feeding on aphids.
Results: Based on the lower survival rate, longer developmental time, and lower adult body weight and reproduction rate of the predator, the aphid Megoura japonica proved being less suitable to support C. montrouzieri as compared with the citrus mealybug Planococcus citri. The results indicated up-regulation of genes related to ribosome and translation in fourth instars, which may be related to their suboptimal development. Also, several genes related to biochemical transport and metabolism, and detoxification were up-regulated as a result of adaptation to the changes in nutritional and non-nutritional (toxic) components of the prey.
Conclusion: Our results indicated that C. montrouzieri succeeded in feeding on aphids by regulation of genes related to development, digestion and detoxification. Thus, we argue that these candidate genes are valuable for further studies of the functional evolution of ladybirds led by diet shifts
On the nature of the fourth generation neutrino and its implications
We consider the neutrino sector of a Standard Model with four generations.
While the three light neutrinos can obtain their masses from a variety of
mechanisms with or without new neutral fermions, fourth-generation neutrinos
need at least one new relatively light right-handed neutrino. If lepton number
is not conserved this neutrino must have a Majorana mass term whose size
depends on the underlying mechanism for lepton number violation. Majorana
masses for the fourth generation neutrinos induce relative large two-loop
contributions to the light neutrino masses which could be even larger than the
cosmological bounds. This sets strong limits on the mass parameters and mixings
of the fourth generation neutrinos.Comment: To be published. Few typos corrected, references update
The s ---> d gamma decay in and beyond the Standard Model
The New Physics sensitivity of the s ---> d gamma transition and its
accessibility through hadronic processes are thoroughly investigated. Firstly,
the Standard Model predictions for the direct CP-violating observables in
radiative K decays are systematically improved. Besides, the magnetic
contribution to epsilon prime is estimated and found subleading, even in the
presence of New Physics, and a new strategy to resolve its electroweak versus
QCD penguin fraction is identified. Secondly, the signatures of a series of New
Physics scenarios, characterized as model-independently as possible in terms of
their underlying dynamics, are investigated by combining the information from
all the FCNC transitions in the s ---> d sector.Comment: 54 pages, 14 eps figure
Evaluating the Quality of Research into a Single Prognostic Biomarker: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of 83 Studies of C-Reactive Protein in Stable Coronary Artery Disease
Background
Systematic evaluations of the quality of research on a single prognostic biomarker are rare. We sought to evaluate the quality of prognostic research evidence for the association of C-reactive protein (CRP) with fatal and nonfatal events among patients with stable coronary disease.
Methods and Findings
We searched MEDLINE (1966 to 2009) and EMBASE (1980 to 2009) and selected prospective studies of patients with stable coronary disease, reporting a relative risk for the association of CRP with death and nonfatal cardiovascular events. We included 83 studies, reporting 61,684 patients and 6,485 outcome events. No study reported a prespecified statistical analysis protocol; only two studies reported the time elapsed (in months or years) between initial presentation of symptomatic coronary disease and inclusion in the study. Studies reported a median of seven items (of 17) from the REMARK reporting guidelines, with no evidence of change over time.
The pooled relative risk for the top versus bottom third of CRP distribution was 1.97 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.78–2.17), with substantial heterogeneity (I2 = 79.5). Only 13 studies adjusted for conventional risk factors (age, sex, smoking, obesity, diabetes, and low-density lipoprotein [LDL] cholesterol) and these had a relative risk of 1.65 (95% CI 1.39–1.96), I2 = 33.7. Studies reported ten different ways of comparing CRP values, with weaker relative risks for those based on continuous measures. Adjusting for publication bias (for which there was strong evidence, Egger's p<0.001) using a validated method reduced the relative risk to 1.19 (95% CI 1.13–1.25). Only two studies reported a measure of discrimination (c-statistic). In 20 studies the detection rate for subsequent events could be calculated and was 31% for a 10% false positive rate, and the calculated pooled c-statistic was 0.61 (0.57–0.66).
Conclusion
Multiple types of reporting bias, and publication bias, make the magnitude of any independent association between CRP and prognosis among patients with stable coronary disease sufficiently uncertain that no clinical practice recommendations can be made. Publication of prespecified statistical analytic protocols and prospective registration of studies, among other measures, might help improve the quality of prognostic biomarker research
Dimensionality of Carbon Nanomaterials Determines the Binding and Dynamics of Amyloidogenic Peptides: Multiscale Theoretical Simulations
Experimental studies have demonstrated that nanoparticles can affect the rate of protein self-assembly, possibly interfering with the development of protein misfolding diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and prion disease caused by aggregation and fibril formation of amyloid-prone proteins. We employ classical molecular dynamics simulations and large-scale density functional theory calculations to investigate the effects of nanomaterials on the structure, dynamics and binding of an amyloidogenic peptide apoC-II(60-70). We show that the binding affinity of this peptide to carbonaceous nanomaterials such as C60, nanotubes and graphene decreases with increasing nanoparticle curvature. Strong binding is facilitated by the large contact area available for π-stacking between the aromatic residues of the peptide and the extended surfaces of graphene and the nanotube. The highly curved fullerene surface exhibits reduced efficiency for π-stacking but promotes increased peptide dynamics. We postulate that the increase in conformational dynamics of the amyloid peptide can be unfavorable for the formation of fibril competent structures. In contrast, extended fibril forming peptide conformations are promoted by the nanotube and graphene surfaces which can provide a template for fibril-growth
Fifteen new risk loci for coronary artery disease highlight arterial-wall-specific mechanisms
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although 58 genomic regions have been associated with CAD thus far, most of the heritability is unexplained, indicating that additional susceptibility loci await identification. An efficient discovery strategy may be larger-scale evaluation of promising associations suggested by genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Hence, we genotyped 56,309 participants using a targeted gene array derived from earlier GWAS results and performed meta-analysis of results with 194,427 participants previously genotyped, totaling 88,192 CAD cases and 162,544 controls. We identified 25 new SNP-CAD associations (P < 5 × 10(-8), in fixed-effects meta-analysis) from 15 genomic regions, including SNPs in or near genes involved in cellular adhesion, leukocyte migration and atherosclerosis (PECAM1, rs1867624), coagulation and inflammation (PROCR, rs867186 (p.Ser219Gly)) and vascular smooth muscle cell differentiation (LMOD1, rs2820315). Correlation of these regions with cell-type-specific gene expression and plasma protein levels sheds light on potential disease mechanisms
Properties of Graphene: A Theoretical Perspective
In this review, we provide an in-depth description of the physics of
monolayer and bilayer graphene from a theorist's perspective. We discuss the
physical properties of graphene in an external magnetic field, reflecting the
chiral nature of the quasiparticles near the Dirac point with a Landau level at
zero energy. We address the unique integer quantum Hall effects, the role of
electron correlations, and the recent observation of the fractional quantum
Hall effect in the monolayer graphene. The quantum Hall effect in bilayer
graphene is fundamentally different from that of a monolayer, reflecting the
unique band structure of this system. The theory of transport in the absence of
an external magnetic field is discussed in detail, along with the role of
disorder studied in various theoretical models. We highlight the differences
and similarities between monolayer and bilayer graphene, and focus on
thermodynamic properties such as the compressibility, the plasmon spectra, the
weak localization correction, quantum Hall effect, and optical properties.
Confinement of electrons in graphene is nontrivial due to Klein tunneling. We
review various theoretical and experimental studies of quantum confined
structures made from graphene. The band structure of graphene nanoribbons and
the role of the sublattice symmetry, edge geometry and the size of the
nanoribbon on the electronic and magnetic properties are very active areas of
research, and a detailed review of these topics is presented. Also, the effects
of substrate interactions, adsorbed atoms, lattice defects and doping on the
band structure of finite-sized graphene systems are discussed. We also include
a brief description of graphane -- gapped material obtained from graphene by
attaching hydrogen atoms to each carbon atom in the lattice.Comment: 189 pages. submitted in Advances in Physic
RAD51C Germline Mutations in Breast and Ovarian Cancer Cases from High-Risk Families
BRCA1 and BRCA2 are the most well-known breast cancer susceptibility genes. Additional genes involved in DNA repair have been identified as predisposing to breast cancer. One such gene, RAD51C, is essential for homologous recombination repair. Several likely pathogenic RAD51C mutations have been identified in BRCA1- and BRCA2-negative breast and ovarian cancer families. We performed complete sequencing of RAD51C in germline DNA of 286 female breast and/or ovarian cancer cases with a family history of breast and ovarian cancers, who had previously tested negative for mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2. We screened 133 breast cancer cases, 119 ovarian cancer cases, and 34 with both breast and ovarian cancers. Fifteen DNA sequence variants were identified; including four intronic, one 5′ UTR, one promoter, three synonymous, and six non-synonymous variants. None were truncating. The in-silico SIFT and Polyphen programs were used to predict possible pathogenicity of the six non-synonomous variants based on sequence conservation. G153D and T287A were predicted to be likely pathogenic. Two additional variants, A126T and R214C alter amino acids in important domains of the protein such that they could be pathogenic. Two-hybrid screening and immunoblot analyses were performed to assess the functionality of these four non-synonomous variants in yeast. The RAD51C-G153D protein displayed no detectable interaction with either XRCC3 or RAD51B, and RAD51C-R214C displayed significantly decreased interaction with both XRCC3 and RAD51B (p<0.001). Immunoblots of RAD51C-Gal4 activation domain fusion peptides showed protein levels of RAD51C-G153D and RAD51C-R214C that were 50% and 60% of the wild-type, respectively. Based on these data, the RAD51C-G153D variant is likely to be pathogenic, while the RAD51C- R214C variant is hypomorphic of uncertain pathogenicity. These results provide further support that RAD51C is a rare breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility gene
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