700 research outputs found
Charge Fluctuations on Membrane Surfaces in Water
We generalize the predictions for attractions between over-all neutral
surfaces induced by charge fluctuations/correlations to non-uniform systems
that include dielectric discontinuities, as is the case for mixed charged lipid
membranes in an aqueous solution. We show that the induced interactions depend
in a non-trivial way on the dielectric constants of membrane and water and show
different scaling with distance depending on these properties. The generality
of the calculations also allows us to predict under which dielectric conditions
the interaction will change sign and become repulsive
Electron self-trapping in intermediate-valent SmB6
SmB6 exhibits intermediate valence in the ground state and unusual behaviour
at low temperatures. The resistivity and the Hall effect cannot be explained
either by conventional sf-hybridization or by hopping transport in an impurity
band. At least three different energy scales determine three temperature
regimes of electron transport in this system. We consider the ground state
properties, the soft valence fluctuations and the spectrum of band carriers in
n-doped SmB6. The behaviour of excess conduction electrons in the presence of
soft valence fluctuations and the origin of the three energy scales in the
spectrum of elementary excitations is discussed. The carriers which determine
the low-temperature transport in this system are self-trapped electron-polaron
complexes rather than simply electrons in an impurity band. The mechanism of
electron trapping is the interaction with soft valence fluctuations.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure
Adaptive Robust Fault-Tolerant Control for Linear MIMO Systems with Unmatched Uncertainties
In this paper, two novel fault-tolerant control design approaches are proposed for linear MIMO systems with actuator additive faults, multiplicative faults and unmatched uncertainties. For time-varying multiplicative and additive faults, new adaptive laws and additive compensation functions are proposed. A set of conditions is developed such that the unmatched uncertainties are compensated by actuators in control. On the other hand, for unmatched uncertainties with their projection in unmatched space being not zero, based on a (vector) relative degree condition, additive functions are designed to compensate for the uncertainties from output channels in presence of actuator faults. The developed fault-tolerant control schemes are applied to two aircraft systems to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed approaches
Simulations of the Static Friction Due to Adsorbed Molecules
The static friction between crystalline surfaces separated by a molecularly
thin layer of adsorbed molecules is calculated using molecular dynamics
simulations. These molecules naturally lead to a finite static friction that is
consistent with macroscopic friction laws. Crystalline alignment, sliding
direction, and the number of adsorbed molecules are not controlled in most
experiments and are shown to have little effect on the friction. Temperature,
molecular geometry and interaction potentials can have larger effects on
friction. The observed trends in friction can be understood in terms of a
simple hard sphere model.Comment: 13 pages, 13 figure
Rapid And Durable Responses With The Syk/Jak Inhibitor Cerdulatinib In A Phase 2 Study In Relapsed/Refractory Follicular Lymphoma—Alone Or In Combination With Rituximab
Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149541/1/hon30_2629.pd
Mutations of the BRAF gene in human cancer
Cancers arise owing to the accumulation of mutations in critical genes that alter normal programmes of cell proliferation, differentiation and death. As the first stage of a systematic genome-wide screen for these genes, we have prioritized for analysis signalling pathways in which at least one gene is mutated in human cancer. The RAS RAF MEK ERK MAP kinase pathway mediates cellular responses to growth signals. RAS is mutated to an oncogenic form in about 15% of human cancer. The three RAF genes code for cytoplasmic serine/threonine kinases that are regulated by binding RAS. Here we report BRAF somatic missense mutations in 66% of malignant melanomas and at lower frequency in a wide range of human cancers. All mutations are within the kinase domain, with a single substitution (V599E) accounting for 80%. Mutated BRAF proteins have elevated kinase activity and are transforming in NIH3T3 cells. Furthermore, RAS function is not required for the growth of cancer cell lines with the V599E mutation. As BRAF is a serine/threonine kinase that is commonly activated by somatic point mutation in human cancer, it may provide new therapeutic opportunities in malignant melanoma
Probing Polyelectrolyte Elasticity Using Radial Distribution Function
We study the effect of electrostatic interactions on the distribution
function of the end-to-end distance of a single polyelectrolyte chain in the
rodlike limit. The extent to which the radial distribution function of a
polyelectrolyte is reproduced by that of a wormlike chain with an adjusted
persistence length is investigated. Strong evidence is found for a universal
scaling formula connecting the effective persistence length of a
polyelectrolyte with its linear charge density and the Debye screening of its
self-interaction. An alternative definition of the electrostatic persistence
length is proposed based on matching of the maximum of the distribution with
that of an effective wormlike chain, as opposed to the traditional matching of
the first or the second moments of the distributions. It is shown that this
definition provides a more accurate probe of the affinity of the distribution
to that of the wormlike chains, as compared to the traditional definition. It
is also found that the length of a polyelectrolyte segment can act as a crucial
parameter in determining its elastic properties.Comment: 15 pages, 19 figure
Low birth weight is associated with chronic kidney disease only in men
The association of low birth weight and chronic kidney disease was examined in a screened volunteer population by the National Kidney Foundation's Kidney Early Evaluation Program. This is a free, community-based health program enrolling individuals aged 18 years or older with diabetes, hypertension, or a family history of kidney disease, diabetes, or hypertension. Self-reported birth weight was categorized and chronic kidney disease defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate less than 60 ml per min per 1.73 m2 or a urine albumin/creatinine ratio ≥30 mg/g. Among 12 364 participants, 15% reported a birth weight less than 2500 g. In men, significant corresponding odds ratios were found after adjustment for demographic characteristics and health conditions to this low birth weight and chronic kidney disease, but there was no association among women. There was no significant interaction between birth weight and race for either gender. Efforts to clinically understand the etiology of this association and potential means of prevention are essential to improving public health
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