| 11. |
|
|
| 12. |
- Sundh, M., et al.
(author)
-
Supported Lipid Bilayers With Controlled Curvature via Colloidal Lithography
- 2011
-
In: IEEE Transactions on Nanobioscience. - 1536-1241. ; 10:3, s. 187-193
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) at surfaces provide a route to quantitatively study molecular interactions with and at lipid membranes via different surface-based analytical techniques. Here, a method to fabricate SLBs with controlled curvatures, in the nanometer regime over large areas, is presented, utilizing lipid vesicle rupture onto nanostructured sensor substrates. Heat treated colloidal particle masks were used as templates to produce silicon dioxide films with systematically varied radius of curvature (ROC, 70 to 170 nm are demonstrated) and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) was used to confirm vesicle rupture onto such structured surfaces. Fluorescence microscopy was used to show fluidity of the supported membranes. The formation of confluent SLBs is demonstrated at the nanostructured surfaces from vesicles composed of POPC lipids. However, at surfaces with decreasing ROCs, vesicle rupture was hindered but with an increasing fraction of the positively charged lipid POEPC in the vesicles, it was possible to form good quality supported bilayers on all curvatures studied. Curved SLBs open up the possibility to systematically study the influence of curvature on molecular interactions at lipid membranes.
|
|
| 13. |
- Venkatesan, Meera, et al.
(author)
-
Polymorphisms in Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter and multidrug resistance 1 genes : parasite risk factors that affect treatment outcomes for P. falciparum malaria after artemether-lumefantrine and artesunate-amodiaquine.
- 2014
-
In: The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene. - : American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. - 1476-1645 .- 0002-9637. ; 91:4, s. 833-43
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Adequate clinical and parasitologic cure by artemisinin combination therapies relies on the artemisinin component and the partner drug. Polymorphisms in the Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter (pfcrt) and P. falciparum multidrug resistance 1 (pfmdr1) genes are associated with decreased sensitivity to amodiaquine and lumefantrine, but effects of these polymorphisms on therapeutic responses to artesunate-amodiaquine (ASAQ) and artemether-lumefantrine (AL) have not been clearly defined. Individual patient data from 31 clinical trials were harmonized and pooled by using standardized methods from the WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network. Data for more than 7,000 patients were analyzed to assess relationships between parasite polymorphisms in pfcrt and pfmdr1 and clinically relevant outcomes after treatment with AL or ASAQ. Presence of the pfmdr1 gene N86 (adjusted hazards ratio = 4.74, 95% confidence interval = 2.29 - 9.78, P < 0.001) and increased pfmdr1 copy number (adjusted hazards ratio = 6.52, 95% confidence interval = 2.36-17.97, P < 0.001 : were significant independent risk factors for recrudescence in patients treated with AL. AL and ASAQ exerted opposing selective effects on single-nucleotide polymorphisms in pfcrt and pfmdr1. Monitoring selection and responding to emerging signs of drug resistance are critical tools for preserving efficacy of artemisinin combination therapies; determination of the prevalence of at least pfcrt K76T and pfmdr1 N86Y should now be routine.
|
|
| 14. |
|
|
| 15. |
- Dicks, Lynn V., et al.
(author)
-
A Transparent Process for "Evidence-Informed" Policy Making
- 2014
-
In: Conservation Letters. - : Wiley. - 1755-263X. ; 7:2, s. 119-125
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Political institutions are keen to use the best available scientific knowledge in decision-making. For environmental policy, relevant scientific evidence can be complex and extensive, so expert judgment is frequently relied upon, without clear links to the evidence itself. We propose a new transparent process for incorporating research evidence into policy decisions, involving independent synopsis of evidence relating to all possible policy options combined with expert evaluation of what the evidence means for specific policy questions. We illustrate the process using reforms of the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy currently being negotiated. Under the reform proposals, 30% of direct payments to farmers will become conditional upon three "compulsory greening measures." Independently, we compiled and evaluated experimental evidence for the effects of 85 interventions to protect wildlife on northern European farmland, 12 of which correspond to aspects of the compulsory greening measures. Our evaluation clearly indicates evidence of consistent wildlife benefits for some, but not all, of the greening measures. The process of evidence synopsis with expert evaluation has three advantages over existing efforts to incorporate evidence into policy decisions: it provides a clear evidence audit trail, allows rapid response to new policy contexts, and clarifies sources of uncertainty.
|
|
| 16. |
- Gilhooly, M. L., et al.
(author)
-
Vibrating underpants, smell sensors and hospital continence services : tools and technologies for improving the lives of people with incontinence
- 2012
-
In: The Gerontologist. - : Oxford University Press. - 0016-9013 .- 1758-5341. ; 52:s1, s. 185-185
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Social isolation, loss of self esteem and depression are often a consequence of incontinence. The overall aim of this interdisciplinary project was to reduce the impact of continence difficulties and, thus, assist older people in maintaining a positive identity and good quality of life. The TACT3 project was comprised of three research work packages:Assistive technology development:Vibrating underpants: A washable fabric underwear wetness sensor and alert mechanism has been developed to alert continence pad users of leakage. In addition, a colour change odour indicating formula has been developed to indicate the presence of the odour of urine at a just imperceptible level.Challenging environmental barriers to continence: Two sets of stakeholders were involved, older people with continence difficulties and toilet providers. Focus groups, workshops, interviews and photographic diaries were conducted to identify key issues. A web based map locating toilets in London was developed which is called the Great British Toilet Map.Improving continence interventions and services: 140 patients and their carers were interviewed twice within a 12 month interval from a specialist continence clinic for older people and generic continence clinic. Twenty health and social care managers and 200 practitioners were also be interviewed. Care outcomes are being analysed from each clinic and a cost benefit analysis will be carried out.Key findings from this three year interdisciplinary project are highlighted. Prototypes of the vibrating underpants and the odour sensor will be on display. This research was funded by the UK New Dynamics of Ageing Programme.
|
|
| 17. |
|
|
| 18. |
|
|
| 19. |
- Schleuning, Matthias, et al.
(author)
-
Specialization of Mutualistic Interaction Networks Decreases toward Tropical Latitudes
- 2012
-
In: Current Biology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1879-0445 .- 0960-9822. ; 22:20, s. 1925-1931
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Species-rich tropical communities are expected to be more specialized than their temperate counterparts [1-3]. Several studies have reported increasing biotic specialization toward the tropics [4-7], whereas others have not found latitudinal trends once accounting for sampling bias [8, 9] or differences in plant diversity [10, 11]. Thus, the direction of the latitudinal Specialization gradient remains contentious. With an unprecedented global data set, we investigated how biotic specialization between plants and animal pollinators or seed dispersers is associated with latitude, past and contemporary climate, and plant diversity. We show that in contrast to expectation, biotic specialization of mutualistic networks is significantly lower at tropical than at temperate latitudes. Specialization was more closely related to contemporary climate than to past climate stability, suggesting that current conditions have a stronger effect on biotic specialization than historical community stability. Biotic specialization decreased with increasing local and regional plant diversity. This suggests that high specialization of mutualistic interactions is a response of pollinators and seed dispersers to low plant diversity. This could explain why the latitudinal specialization gradient is reversed relative to the latitudinal diversity gradient. Low mutualistic network specialization in the tropics suggests higher tolerance against extinctions in tropical than in temperate communities.
|
|
| 20. |
- Sundh, M., et al.
(author)
-
Formation of Supported Lipid Bilayers at Surfaces with Controlled Curvatures: Influence of Lipid Charge
- 2011
-
In: Journal of Physical Chemistry B. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1520-5207 .- 1520-6106. ; 115:24, s. 7838-7848
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We have developed and characterized novel biomimetic membranes, formed at nanostructured sensor substrates with controlled curvatures, motivated by the many biological processes that involve membrane curvature. Model systems with convex nanostructures, with radii of curvatures (ROCs) of 70, 75, and 95 nm, were fabricated utilizing colloidal assembly and used as substrates for supported lipid bilayers (SLBs). The SLBs were formed via vesicle adsorption and rupture, and the vesicle deposition pathway was studied by means of quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) and fluorescence microscopy. SLBs conforming to the underlying nanostructured surfaces, which exhibit increased surface area with decreased ROC, were confirmed from excess mass, monitored by QCM-D, and excess total fluorescence intensities. The formation of SLBs at the nanostructured surfaces was possible, however, depending on the ROC of the structures and the lipid vesicle charge the quality varied. The presence of nanostructures was shown to impair vesicle rupture and SLB formation was progressively hindered at surfaces with structures of decreasing ROCs. The introduction of a fraction of the positively charged lipid POEPC in the lipid vesicle membrane allowed for good quality and conformal bilayers at all surfaces. Alternatively, for vesicles formed from lipid mixtures with a fraction of the negatively charged lipid POPS, SLB formation was not at all possible at surfaces with the lowest ROC. Interestingly, the vesicle adsorption rate and the SLB formation were faster at surfaces with nanostructures of progressively smaller ROCs at high ratios of POPS in the vesicles. Development of templated SLBs with controlled curvatures provides a new experimental platform, especially at the nanoscale, at which membrane events such as lipid sorting, phase separation, and protein binding can be studied.
|
|
