Elastic precursor of the transformation from glycolipid-nanotube to -vesicle

By the combination of optical tweezer manipulation and digital video microscopy, the flexural rigidity of single glycolipid "nano" tubes has been measured below the transition temperature at which the lipid tubules are transformed into vesicles. Consequently, we have found a clear reduction of the rigidity obviously before the transition as temperature increasing. Further experiments of infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) have suggested a microscopic change of the tube walls, synchronizing with the precursory softening of the nanotubes.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure

Plasma proteome correlates of lipid and lipoprotein: biomarkers of metabolic diversity and inflammation in children of rural Nepal.

Proteins involved in lipoprotein metabolism can modulate cardiovascular health. While often measured to assess adult metabolic diseases, little is known about the proteomes of lipoproteins and their relation to metabolic dysregulation and underlying inflammation in undernourished child populations. The objective of this population study was to globally characterize plasma proteins systemically associated with HDL, LDL, and triglycerides in 500 Nepalese children. Abnormal lipid profiles characterized by elevated plasma triglycerides and low HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations were common, especially in children with subclinical inflammation. Among 982 proteins analyzed, the relative abundance of 11, 12, and 52 plasma proteins was correlated with LDL-cholesterol (r = -0.43∼0.70), triglycerides (r = -0.39∼0.53), and HDL-C (r = -0.49∼0.79) concentrations, respectively. These proteins included apolipoproteins and numerous unexpected intracellular and extracellular matrix binding proteins, likely originating in hepatic and peripheral tissues. Relative abundance of two-thirds of the HDL proteome varied with inflammation, with acute phase reactants higher by 4∼40%, and proteins involved in HDL biosynthesis, cholesterol efflux, vitamin transport, angiogenesis, and tissue repair lower by 3∼20%. Untargeted plasma proteomics detects comprehensive sets of both known and novel lipoprotein-associated proteins likely reflecting systemic regulation of lipoprotein metabolism and vascular homeostasis. Inflammation-altered distributions of the HDL proteome may be predisposing undernourished populations to early chronic disease

Theory of Cylindrical Tubules and Helical Ribbons of Chiral Lipid Membranes

We present a general theory for the equilibrium structure of cylindrical tubules and helical ribbons of chiral lipid membranes. This theory is based on a continuum elastic free energy that permits variations in the direction of molecular tilt and in the curvature of the membrane. The theory shows that the formation of tubules and helical ribbons is driven by the chirality of the membrane. Tubules have a first-order transition from a uniform state to a helically modulated state, with periodic stripes in the tilt direction and ripples in the curvature. Helical ribbons can be stable structures, or they can be unstable intermediate states in the formation of tubules.Comment: 43 pages, including 12 postscript figures, uses REVTeX 3.0 and epsf.st

Integrating Technology and Engineering in a STEM Context

(First paragraph) Imagine students entering the classroom with an enthusiasm that cannot be contained. They come from all walks of life and with different experiences and backgrounds and are eager to engage in learning. Inspiration and innovation are on their mind. What they learned in their science and math classes is now being applied in another class they take called Technology and Engineering. Opportunity is what they see for their future. Something about connecting all the dots from all their classes propels them to change their outlook, to get involved, to get excited about school and to envision their future

Delusional beliefs and reason giving

Delusions are often regarded as irrational beliefs, but their irrationality is not sufficient to explain what is pathological about them. In this paper we ask whether deluded subjects have the capacity to support the content of their delusions with reasons, that is, whether they can author their delusional states. The hypothesis that delusions are characterised by a failure of authorship, which is a dimension of self knowledge, deserves to be empirically tested because (a) it has the potential to account for the distinction between endorsing a delusion and endorsing a framework belief; (b) it contributes to a philosophical analysis of the relationship between rationality and self knowledge; and (c) it informs diagnosis and therapy in clinical psychiatry. However, authorship cannot provide a demarcation criterion between delusions and other irrational belief states

Blood-based biomarkers for detecting mild osteoarthritis in the human knee

SummaryObjectiveThis study was designed to test the utility of a blood-based approach to identify mild osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee.MethodsBlood samples were drawn from 161 subjects, including 85 subjects with arthroscopically diagnosed mild OA of the knee and 76 controls. Following RNA isolation, an in-house custom cDNA microarray was used to screen for differentially expressed genes. A subset of selected genes was then tested using real-time RT-PCR. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate linear combinations of the biomarkers and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to assess the discriminatory power of the combinations.ResultsGenes differentially expressed (3543 genes) between mild knee OA and control samples were identified through microarray analysis. Subsequent real-time RT-PCR verification identified six genes significantly down-regulated in mild OA: heat shock 90kDa protein 1, alpha; inhibitor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells, kinase complex-associated protein; interleukin 13 receptor, alpha 1; laminin, gamma 1; platelet factor 4 (also known as chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 4) and tumor necrosis factor, alpha-induced protein 6. Logistic regression analysis identified linear combinations of nine genes – the above six genes, early growth response 1; alpha glucosidase II alpha subunit; and v-maf musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma oncogene homolog B (avian) – as discriminatory between subjects with mild OA and controls, with a sensitivity of 86% and specificity of 83% in a training set of 78 samples. The optimal biomarker combinations were then evaluated using a blind test set (67 subjects) which showed 72% sensitivity and 66% specificity.ConclusionsLinear combinations of blood RNA biomarkers offer a substantial improvement over currently available diagnostic tools for mild OA. Blood-derived RNA biomarkers may be of significant clinical value for the diagnosis of early, asymptomatic OA of the knee

Charge Density Waves in Graphite:Towards the Magnetic Ultraquantum Limit

Graphite is a model system for the study of three-dimensional electrons and holes in the magnetic quantum limit, in which the charges are confined to the lowest Landau levels. We report magneto-transport measurements in pulsed magnetic fields up to 60 T, which resolve the collapse of two density wave states in two, electron and hole, Landau levels at 52.3 and 54.2 T respectively. We report evidence for a commensurate density wave at 47.1 T in the electron Landau level. The theoretical modelling of these results predicts that the ultra-quantum limit is entered above 73.5 T. This state is an insulator, and we discuss its correspondence to the "metallic" state reported earlier. We propose that this (interaction-induced) insulating phase supports surface states that carry no charge or spin within the planes, but does however support charge transport out of plane

Fuzzy integral for rule aggregation in fuzzy inference systems

The fuzzy inference system (FIS) has been tuned and re-vamped many times over and applied to numerous domains. New and improved techniques have been presented for fuzzification, implication, rule composition and defuzzification, leaving one key component relatively underrepresented, rule aggregation. Current FIS aggregation operators are relatively simple and have remained more-or-less unchanged over the years. For many problems, these simple aggregation operators produce intuitive, useful and meaningful results. However, there exists a wide class of problems for which quality aggregation requires non- additivity and exploitation of interactions between rules. Herein, we show how the fuzzy integral, a parametric non-linear aggregation operator, can be used to fill this gap. Specifically, recent advancements in extensions of the fuzzy integral to \unrestricted" fuzzy sets, i.e., subnormal and non- convex, makes this now possible. We explore the role of two extensions, the gFI and the NDFI, discuss when and where to apply these aggregations, and present efficient algorithms to approximate their solutions