23 research outputs found
Electrostatic contribution to DNA condensation - application of 'energy minimization' in a simple model in strong Coulomb coupling regime
Bending of DNA from a straight rod to a circular form in presence of any of
the mono-, di-, tri- or tetravalent counterions has been simulated in strong
Coulomb coupling environment employing a previously developed energy
minimization simulation technique. The inherent characteristics of the
simulation technique allow monitoring the required electrostatic contribution
to the bending. The curvature of the bending has been found to play crucial
roles in facilitating electrostatic attractive potential energy. The total
electrostatic potential energy has been found to decrease with bending which
indicates that bending a straight DNA to a circular form or to a toroidal form
in presence of neutralizing counterions is energetically favorable and
practically is a spontaneous phenomenon
Anomalous magnetic phase in an undistorted pyrochlore oxide Cd2Os2O7 induced by geometrical frustration
We report on the muon spin rotation/relaxation study of a pyrochlore oxide,
Cd2Os2O7, which exhibits a metal-insulator (MI) transition at T_{MI}~225 K
without structural phase transition. It reveals strong spin fluctuation
(>10^8/s) below the MI transition, suggesting a predominant role of geometrical
spin frustration amongst Os^{5+} ions. Meanwhile, upon further cooling, a
static spin density wave discontinuously develops below T_{SDW}~150 K. These
observations strongly suggest the occurrence of an anomalous magnetic
transition and associated change in the local spin dynamics in undistorted
pyrochlore antiferromagnet.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Innate activation of human primary epithelial cells broadens the host response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the airways
Early events in the human airways determining whether exposure to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) results in acquisition of infection are poorly understood. Epithelial cells are the dominant cell type in the lungs, but little is known about their role in tuberculosis. We hypothesised that human primary airway epithelial cells are part of the first line of defense against Mtb-infection and contribute to the protective host response in the human respiratory tract. We modelled these early airway-interactions with human primary bronchial epithelial cells (PBECs) and alveolar macrophages. By combining in vitro infection and transwell co-culture models with a global transcriptomic approach, we identified PBECs to be inert to direct Mtb-infection, yet to be potent responders within an Mtb-activated immune network, mediated by IL1β and type I interferon (IFN). Activation of PBECs by Mtb-infected alveolar macrophages and monocytes increased expression of known and novel antimycobacterial peptides, defensins and S100-family members and epithelial-myeloid interactions further shaped the immunological environment during Mtb-infection by promoting neutrophil influx. This is the first in depth analysis of the primary epithelial response to infection and offers new insights into their emerging role in tuberculosis through complementing and amplifying responses to Mtb