High mobility titanium-doped indium oxide for use in tandem solar cells deposited via pulsed DC magnetron sputtering

© 2014 The Authors. The effects of pulsed DC (PDC) magnetron sputtering on the crystalline structure of the high mobility transparent conducting oxide (TCO), titanium-doped indium oxide (ITiO), are investigated. High mobility (μ >100 V-1s-1cm2) ITiO films are deposited by PDC magnetron sputtering and compared to RF deposited films using optimized conditions. These high mobility ITiO films have shown to extend the transmission in the NIR region compared to typical TCOs, such as ITO, exhibiting their potential in a tandem or multiple junction solar cell application. ITiO films deposited by PDC magnetron sputtering offer an increased deposition rate without a significant reduction in mobility when compared to RF sputtering, thus potentially offering PDC as a preferred industrial choice over RF sputtering. Structural characterization of the ITiO films prepared by PDC show a change in crystalline orientation and crystallite shape when compared to RF films, measured by XRD and SEM, which have been linked with the electrical parameters of the TCO

Ca2+ monitoring in Plasmodium falciparum using the yellow cameleon-Nano biosensor

Calcium (Ca2+)-mediated signaling is a conserved mechanism in eukaryotes, including the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. Due to its small size (300?nM). We determined that the mammalian SERCA inhibitor thapsigargin and antimalarial dihydroartemisinin did not perturb SERCA activity. The change of the cytosolic Ca2+ level in P. falciparum was additionally detectable by flow cytometry. Thus, we propose that the developed YC-Nano-based system is useful to study Ca2+ signaling in P. falciparum and is applicable for drug screening.We are grateful to Japanese Red Cross Blood Society for providing human RBC and plasma. We also thank Tanaka R, Ogoshi (Sakura) M and Matsumoto N for technical assistance and Templeton TJ for critical reading. This study was conducted at the Joint Usage / Research Center on Tropical Disease, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Japan. KP was a Tokyo Biochemical Research Foundation (TBRF, http://www.tokyobrf.or.jp) post-doctoral fellow and PEF was a Japanese Society of Promotion Sciences (JSPS) post-doctoral fellow. This work was supported in part by the TBRF (K.P.), JSPS (P.E.F.), Takeda Science Foundation (K.Y.), Grants-in-Aids for Scientific Research 24590509 (K.Y.), 22390079 (O.K.), and for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas 23117008 (O.K.), MEXT, Japan. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Safety and Immunogenicity of an HIV Adenoviral Vector Boost after DNA Plasmid Vaccine Prime by Route of Administration: A Randomized Clinical Trial

In the development of HIV vaccines, improving immunogenicity while maintaining safety is critical. Route of administration can be an important factor.This multicenter, open-label, randomized trial, HVTN 069, compared routes of administration on safety and immunogenicity of a DNA vaccine prime given intramuscularly at 0, 1 and 2 months and a recombinant replication-defective adenovirus type 5 (rAd5) vaccine boost given at 6 months by intramuscular (IM), intradermal (ID), or subcutaneous (SC) route. Randomization was computer-generated by a central data management center; participants and staff were not blinded to group assignment. The outcomes were vaccine reactogenicity and humoral and cellular immunogenicity. Ninety healthy, HIV-1 uninfected adults in the US and Peru, aged 18-50 were enrolled and randomized. Due to the results of the Step Study, injections with rAd5 vaccine were halted; thus 61 received the booster dose of rAd5 vaccine (IM: 20; ID:21; SC:20). After the rAd5 boost, significant differences by study arm were found in severity of headache, pain and erythema/induration. Immune responses (binding and neutralizing antibodies, IFN-γ ELISpot HIV-specific responses and CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses by ICS) at four weeks after the rAd5 booster were not significantly different by administration route of the rAd5 vaccine boost (Binding antibody responses: IM: 66.7%; ID: 70.0%; SC: 77.8%; neutralizing antibody responses: IM: 11.1%; ID: 0.0%; SC 16.7%; ELISpot responses: IM: 46.7%; ID: 35.3%; SC: 44.4%; CD4+ T-cell responses: IM: 29.4%; ID: 20.0%; SC: 35.3%; CD8+ T-cell responses: IM: 29.4%; ID: 16.7%; SC: 50.0%.)This study was limited by the reduced sample size. The higher frequency of local reactions after ID and SC administration and the lack of sufficient evidence to show that there were any differences in immunogenicity by route of administration do not support changing route of administration for the rAd5 boost.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00384787

Identification of Intracellular and Plasma Membrane Calcium Channel Homologues in Pathogenic Parasites

Ca2+ channels regulate many crucial processes within cells and their abnormal activity can be damaging to cell survival, suggesting that they might represent attractive therapeutic targets in pathogenic organisms. Parasitic diseases such as malaria, leishmaniasis, trypanosomiasis and schistosomiasis are responsible for millions of deaths each year worldwide. The genomes of many pathogenic parasites have recently been sequenced, opening the way for rational design of targeted therapies. We analyzed genomes of pathogenic protozoan parasites as well as the genome of Schistosoma mansoni, and show the existence within them of genes encoding homologues of mammalian intracellular Ca2+ release channels: inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP3Rs), ryanodine receptors (RyRs), two-pore Ca2+ channels (TPCs) and intracellular transient receptor potential (Trp) channels. The genomes of Trypanosoma, Leishmania and S. mansoni parasites encode IP3R/RyR and Trp channel homologues, and that of S. mansoni additionally encodes a TPC homologue. In contrast, apicomplexan parasites lack genes encoding IP3R/RyR homologues and possess only genes encoding TPC and Trp channel homologues (Toxoplasma gondii) or Trp channel homologues alone. The genomes of parasites also encode homologues of mammalian Ca2+ influx channels, including voltage-gated Ca2+ channels and plasma membrane Trp channels. The genome of S. mansoni also encodes Orai Ca2+ channel and STIM Ca2+ sensor homologues, suggesting that store-operated Ca2+ entry may occur in this parasite. Many anti-parasitic agents alter parasite Ca2+ homeostasis and some are known modulators of mammalian Ca2+ channels, suggesting that parasite Ca2+ channel homologues might be the targets of some current anti-parasitic drugs. Differences between human and parasite Ca2+ channels suggest that pathogen-specific targeting of these channels may be an attractive therapeutic prospect

High mobility titanium-doped indium oxide for use in tandem solar cells deposited via pulsed DC magnetron sputtering

AbstractThe effects of pulsed DC (PDC) magnetron sputtering on the crystalline structure of the high mobility transparent conducting oxide (TCO), titanium-doped indium oxide (ITiO), are investigated. High mobility (μ >100 V-1s-1cm2) ITiO films are deposited by PDC magnetron sputtering and compared to RF deposited films using optimized conditions. These high mobility ITiO films have shown to extend the transmission in the NIR region compared to typical TCOs, such as ITO, exhibiting their potential in a tandem or multiple junction solar cell application. ITiO films deposited by PDC magnetron sputtering offer an increased deposition rate without a significant reduction in mobility when compared to RF sputtering, thus potentially offering PDC as a preferred industrial choice over RF sputtering. Structural characterization of the ITiO films prepared by PDC show a change in crystalline orientation and crystallite shape when compared to RF films, measured by XRD and SEM, which have been linked with the electrical parameters of the TCO

Habitus, Freedom and Reflexivity

The question of freedom is recurrent in the theory of habitus. In this paper I propose that the notion of freedom is an essential and necessary component for the coherence of the analyses which mobilize habitus both in terms of their theoretical articulation and in terms of their grounding in empirical reality. This argument can seem surprising considering that the theory of habitus has often been accused of being deterministic. Yet I show that, from an epistemological point of view, habitus theory is not deterministic. Bourdieu’s treatment of this concept implies at least three principles that exclude determinism: (1) the production of an infinite number of behaviors from a limited number of principles, (2) permanent mutation, and (3) the intensive and extensive limits of sociological understanding. After identifying and describing these principles, I show the reason for their incompatibility with a deterministic perspective and consider their implications for the corresponding model of action. I illustrate this analysis by a discussion of Loïc Wacquant’s carnal sociology of the pugilistic universe which reveals why it is essential to understand and explain the relation between habitus and freedo