Adhesion mechanics of graphene membranes

The interaction of graphene with neighboring materials and structures plays an important role in its behavior, both scientifically and technologically. The interactions are complicated due to the interplay between surface forces and possibly nonlinear elastic behavior. Here we review recent experimental and theoretical advances in the understanding of graphene adhesion. We organize our discussion into experimental and theoretical efforts directed toward: graphene conformation to a substrate, determination of adhesion energy, and applications where graphene adhesion plays an important role. We conclude with a brief prospectus outlining open issues.Comment: Review article to appear in special issue on graphene in Solid State Communication

Las tic en el Perú desde el desarrollo sostenible: una propuesta para las zonas rurales

En la Cumbre Mundial de la Sociedad de la Información (2003 y 2005) se definen a las TIC como las principales herramientas generadoras del conocimiento necesario para lograr el desarrollo de un país, haciendo que se destinen cada vez más esfuerzos económicos y políticos a su difusión. En Perú existe una brecha digital entre zonas rurales y urbanas, que se convierte en el obstáculo principal para convertir al país en una Sociedad de la Información que traerá consigo su desarrollo. Se buscan formas eficientes de llevar a cabo proyectos para difundir la infraestructura, el uso y las habilidades relacionados con las TIC en las zonas rurales del país con el fin de reducir la brecha digital existente. Se analiza la implantación del enfoque LEADER en una zona rural peruana como el enfoque más adecuado para desarrollar este tipo de proyectos en el Per

Detecting and parametrizing polynomial surfaces without base points

Given an algebraic surface implicitly defined by an irreducible polynomial, we present a method that decides whether or not this surface can be parametrized by a polynomial parametrization without base points and, in the affirmative case, we show how to compute this parametrization.Agencia Estatal de Investigació

Dynamical behavior of heat conduction in solid Argon

Background: Imunoglobulin A (IgA) deficiency (IgAD) is the most common form of primary immunodeficiency in Western countries. There have been several reports on IgAD complicated by glomerulonephritis in adults, but only very few cases of IgAD with nephropathy have been reported in children. We present two cases of IgAD with relapsing nephrotic syndrome in pediatric age. Case presentation: A 4-year-old boy and a 2-year-old boy presented with bilateral periorbital oedema and weight gain. The results of laboratory tests revealed IgAD (IgA < 7 mg/dL), normal creatinine, hypoprotidaemia, hypoalbuminaemia, and nephrotic proteinuria. A diagnosis of IgAD and idiopathic nephrotic syndrome was made, and steroid treatment (prednisone 60 mg/mq/day) was started. During steroid tapering, the children experienced several relapses and to obtain a positive outcome they required therapy with human monoclonal anti-CD20 antibodies (rituximab in the first child, ofatumumab in the second one). Conclusions: Our cases highlight that IgAD can be observed in nephrotic syndrome and nephropathy in children with IgAD appears to be complicated and difficult to treat with corticosteroids alone. Further research is needed to better describe the clinical manifestations and pathological pictures among subjects with IgAD and nephrotic syndrome to understand whether IgAD has a prognostic value in children with nephrotic syndrome and to let clinical physicians define a more personalized and appropriate approach for the management of these patients

The establishment of the infant intestinal microbiome is not affected by rotavirus vaccination

The microbial colonization of the intestine during the first months of life constitutes the most important process for the microbiota-induced host-homeostasis. Alterations in this process may entail a high-risk for disease in later life. However, the potential factors affecting this process in the infant are not well known. Moreover, the potential impact of orally administered vaccines upon the establishing microbiome remains unknown. Here we assessed the intestinal microbiome establishment process and evaluated the impact of rotavirus vaccination upon this process. Metagenomic, PCR-DGGE and faecal short chain fatty acids analyses were performed on faecal samples obtained from three infants before and after the administration of each dose of vaccine. We found a high inter-individual variability in the early life gut microbiota at microbial composition level, but a large similarity between the infants' microbiomes at functional level. Rotavirus vaccination did not show any major effects upon the infant gut microbiota. Thus, the individual microbiome establishment and development process seems to occur in a defined manner during the first stages of life and rotavirus vaccination appears to be inconsequential for this process.This work was funded by a CSIC intramural project (Ref. 201370E019) and Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness project AGL2013-43770R.Peer Reviewe

The Interplay between Chemistry and Mechanics in the Transduction of a Mechanical Signal into a Biochemical Function

There are many processes in biology in which mechanical forces are generated. Force-bearing networks can transduce locally developed mechanical signals very extensively over different parts of the cell or tissues. In this article we conduct an overview of this kind of mechanical transduction, focusing in particular on the multiple layers of complexity displayed by the mechanisms that control and trigger the conversion of a mechanical signal into a biochemical function. Single molecule methodologies, through their capability to introduce the force in studies of biological processes in which mechanical stresses are developed, are unveiling subtle intertwining mechanisms between chemistry and mechanics and in particular are revealing how chemistry can control mechanics. The possibility that chemistry interplays with mechanics should be always considered in biochemical studies.Comment: 50 pages, 18 figure

Association of Diurnal Rainfall in Northeastern Tibetan Plateau with the Retreat of the South Asian High

The characteristics of intense diurnal precipitation occurring beneath the South Asian High (SAH) are diagnosed in the summer monsoon season from 2010 to 2015 using observational data. The diagnostics indicate that summer nighttime rainfall events in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau can intensify towards the end of the monsoon period. By defining a transition index to identify the transition day during which the episodes of diurnal convection start to decline, daily thermodynamic properties and precipitation from each year were composited before and after the transition date. The analysis reveals that warmer air, increased moisture, and stronger upward velocity are present in the atmosphere before the transition day, potentially elevating nighttime convective precipitation. Enhanced upward velocity that is present through the two months prior to transition date coincides with the timing of the peak SAH, while weakened upward velocity afterwards coincides with its subsequent retreat. The large-scale lift due to terrain-ambient air interaction underneath the SAH and the increased moisture content can enhance the potential for diurnal convection, which lends support to the nighttime peak of rainfall. This feature persists until the transition date, after which the SAH starts to retreat

The genome and transcriptome of Trichormus sp NMC-1: insights into adaptation to extreme environments on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) has the highest biodiversity for an extreme environment worldwide, and provides an ideal natural laboratory to study adaptive evolution. In this study, we generated a draft genome sequence of cyanobacteria Trichormus sp. NMC-1 in the QTP and performed whole transcriptome sequencing under low temperature to investigate the genetic mechanism by which T. sp. NMC-1 adapted to the specific environment. Its genome sequence was 5.9 Mb with a G+C content of 39.2% and encompassed a total of 5362 CDS. A phylogenomic tree indicated that this strain belongs to the Trichormus and Anabaena cluster. Genome comparison between T. sp. NMC-1 and six relatives showed that functionally unknown genes occupied a much higher proportion (28.12%) of the T. sp. NMC-1 genome. In addition, functions of specific, significant positively selected, expanded orthogroups, and differentially expressed genes involved in signal transduction, cell wall/membrane biogenesis, secondary metabolite biosynthesis, and energy production and conversion were analyzed to elucidate specific adaptation traits. Further analyses showed that the CheY-like genes, extracellular polysaccharide and mycosporine-like amino acids might play major roles in adaptation to harsh environments. Our findings indicate that sophisticated genetic mechanisms are involved in cyanobacterial adaptation to the extreme environment of the QTP

Transition states in protein folding kinetics: Modeling Phi-values of small beta-sheet proteins

Small single-domain proteins often exhibit only a single free-energy barrier, or transition state, between the denatured and the native state. The folding kinetics of these proteins is usually explored via mutational analysis. A central question is which structural information on the transition state can be derived from the mutational data. In this article, we model and structurally interpret mutational Phi-values for two small beta-sheet proteins, the PIN and the FBP WW domain. The native structure of these WW domains comprises two beta-hairpins that form a three-stranded beta-sheet. In our model, we assume that the transition state consists of two conformations in which either one of the hairpins is formed. Such a transition state has been recently observed in Molecular Dynamics folding-unfolding simulations of a small designed three-stranded beta-sheet protein. We obtain good agreement with the experimental data (i) by splitting up the mutation-induced free-energy changes into terms for the two hairpins and for the small hydrophobic core of the proteins, and (ii) by fitting a single parameter, the relative degree to which hairpin 1 and 2 are formed in the transition state. The model helps to understand how mutations affect the folding kinetics of WW domains, and captures also negative Phi-values that have been difficult to interpret.Comment: 27 pages, 6 pages, 3 tables; to appear in Biophys.