Directional interacting whispering gallery modes in coupled dielectric microdisks

We study the optical interaction in a coupled dielectric microdisks by investigating the splitting of resonance positions of interacting whispering gallery modes (WGMs) and their pattern change, depending on the distance between the microdisks. It is shown that the interaction between the WGMs with odd parity about y-axis becomes appreciable at a distance less than a wavelength and causes directional emissions of the resulting interacting WGMs. The directionality of the interacting WGMs can be understood in terms of an effective boundary deformation in ray dynamical analysis. We also discuss about the oscillation of the splitting when the distance is greater than a wavelength.Comment: 7 pages, 10 figure

Release of cholesterol-rich particles from the macrophage plasma membrane during movement of filopodia and lamellipodia.

Cultured mouse peritoneal macrophages release large numbers of ~30-nm cholesterol-rich particles. Here, we show that those particles represent fragments of the plasma membrane that are pulled away and left behind during the projection and retraction of filopodia and lamellipodia. Consistent with this finding, the particles are enriched in proteins found in focal adhesions, which attach macrophages to the substrate. The release of particles is abolished by blocking cell movement (either by depolymerizing actin with latrunculin A or by inhibiting myosin II with blebbistatin). Confocal microscopy and NanoSIMS imaging studies revealed that the plasma membrane-derived particles are enriched in 'accessible cholesterol' (a mobile pool of cholesterol detectable with the modified cytolysin ALO-D4) but not in sphingolipid-sequestered cholesterol [a pool detectable with ostreolysin A (OlyA)]. The discovery that macrophages release cholesterol-rich particles during cellular locomotion is likely relevant to cholesterol efflux and could contribute to extracellular cholesterol deposition in atherosclerotic plaques

Self-regulated mechanism of Plk1 localization to kinetochores: lessons from the Plk1-PBIP1 interaction

Mammalian polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) has been studied extensively as a critical element in regulating various mitotic events during M-phase progression. Plk1 function is spatially regulated through the targeting activity of the conserved polo-box domain (PBD) present in the C-terminal non-catalytic region. Recent progress in our understanding of Plk1 localization to the centromeres shows that Plk1 self-regulates its initial recruitment by phosphorylating a centromeric component PBIP1 and generating its own PBD-binding site. Paradoxically, Plk1 also induces PBIP1 delocalization and degradation from the mitotic kinetochores late in the cell cycle, consequently permitting itself to bind to other kinetochore components. Thus, PBIP1-dependent self-recruitment of Plk1 to the interphase centromeres serves as a prelude to the efficient delivery of Plk1 itself to other kinetochore components whose interactions with Plk1 are vital for proper mitotic progression

Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1a3 defines a subset of failing pancreatic β cells in diabetic mice

Insulin-producing β cells become dedifferentiated during diabetes progression. An impaired ability to select substrates for oxidative phosphorylation, or metabolic inflexibility, initiates progression from β-cell dysfunction to β-cell dedifferentiation. The identification of pathways involved in dedifferentiation may provide clues to its reversal. Here we isolate and functionally characterize failing β cells from various experimental models of diabetes and report a striking enrichment in the expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 isoform A3 (ALDH+) as β cells become dedifferentiated. Flow-sorted ALDH+ islet cells demonstrate impaired glucose-induced insulin secretion, are depleted of Foxo1 and MafA, and include a Neurogenin3-positive subset. RNA sequencing analysis demonstrates that ALDH+ cells are characterized by: (i) impaired oxidative phosphorylation and mitochondrial complex I, IV and V; (ii) activated RICTOR; and (iii) progenitor cell markers. We propose that impaired mitochondrial function marks the progression from metabolic inflexibility to dedifferentiation in the natural history of β-cell failure

Usage of query-based health information exchange after event notifications

ABSTRACT Objectives: This study sought to quantify the association between event notifications and subsequent querybased health information exchange (HIE) use among end users of three different community health information organizations. Materials and Methods: Using system-log data merged with user characteristics, regression-adjusted estimates were used to describe the association between event notifications and subsequent query-based HIE usage. Results: Approximately 5% of event notifications were associated with query-based HIE usage within 30 days. In adjusted models, odds of query-based HIE usage following an event notification were higher for older patients and for alerts triggered by a discharge event. Query-based HIE usage was more common among specialty clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers than primary care organizations. Discussion and Conclusion: In this novel combination of data, 1 in 20 event notifications resulted in subsequent query-based HIE usage. Results from this study suggest that event notifications and query-based HIE can be applied together to address clinical and population health use cases

CP violation in associated charged Higgs boson production with a single top at the LHC

We explore the CP violation in the charged Higgs production associated with a top quark at the LHC in the MSSM. The supersymmetric phases of gaugino masses and trilinear $A$ terms lead to a CP violating asymmetry of the cross section in the $p p \to g b \to t H^\pm$ process through loop corrections to the $tbH^\pm$ vertex. We find that a CP violation more than 10 % is possible if the charged Higgs boson is heavy enough.Comment: 8 pages including 5 eps figures, JHEP, corrections mad