RESUMO
We present a new observation of photorefractive (PR) effects in bent-core nematic (BCN) liquid crystal (LC) materials, where two kinds of optical-induced gratings are demonstrated and compared in pure and surface-doped BCN systems. The experimental results showed that these two kinds of gratings exhibit distinctive different polarization-dependent and angular-dependent behaviors, respectively. Furthermore, we supplied the pure and surface-doped rodlike LC systems for comparison, which revealed that V shape molecular structure of BCN can produce charge carrier more efficiently than rodlike molecular structure does. Thus BCN materials can offer an exciting potential for optical information processing.
Assuntos
Cristais Líquidos/química , Refratometria/métodos , Módulo de Elasticidade , Luz , Espalhamento de RadiaçãoRESUMO
Monocytes recruited and adhering to the inflamed arteries are crucial for atherosclerosis development. Here, we report the role of zinc (Zn2+) homeostasis in monocyte adhesion and recruitment. By comparing the expression levels of Zn2+ transporters between non-adhering and adhering monocytes, we found that the Zn2+ importer ZIP8 was specifically upregulated in monocytes adhering to the aortas ex-vivo. Although the overexpression of ZIP8 increased the absorption of Zn2+, Fe2+ and Cd2+ in monocytes, only Zn2+ supplementation was demonstrated capable of promoting the adhesion of monocytes to endothelial monolayers in vitro. In addition, we confirmed the role of ZIP8-dependent Zn2+ influx in promoting monocyte adhesion to the aortas ex-vivo. More importantly, the enforced expression of ZIP8 increased monocyte adhesion and recruitment to the nascent atherosclerotic lesions in ApoE-/- mice. Overall, our results suggest that the Zn2+ influx in monocytes regulated by ZIP8 is a novel factor determining their adhesion and recruitment to atherosclerotic lesions, and that targeting ZIP8 or Zn2+ homeostasis may represent a novel strategy to interfere these activities.