Symplastic solute transport and avocado fruit development : a decline in cytokinin/ABA ratio is related to appearance of the Hass small fruit variant

Studies on the effect of fruit size on endogenous ABA and isopentenyladenine (iP) in developing avocado (Persea americana Mill. cv. Hass) fruit revealed that ABA content was negatively correlated with fruit size whilst the iP/ABA ratio showed a linear relationship with increasing size of fruit harvested 226 d after full bloom. The effect of this change in hormone balance on the relationship between symplastic solute transport and appearance of the small fruit variant was examined following manipulation of the endogenous cytokinin (CK)/ABA ratio. Application of ABA caused seed coat senescence and retarded fruit growth but these effects were absent in fruit treated with equal amounts of ABA plus iP. Thus, the underlying physiological mechanisms associated with ABA-induced retardation of Hass avocado fruit growth appeared to be inextricably linked to a decline in CK content and included: diminution of mesocarp and seed coat plasmodesmatal branching, gating of mesocarp and seed coat plasmodesmata by deposition of electron dense material in the neck region, abolishment of the electrochemical gradient between mesocarp and seed coat parenchyma, and arrest of cell-to-cell chemical communication

Divergent effects of liraglutide, exendin-4, and sitagliptin on beta-cell mass and indicators of pancreatitis in a mouse model of hyperglycaemia

AIMS:Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) inhibitors improve glucose tolerance by still incompletely understood mechanisms. Each class of antihyperglycemic drugs has also been proposed to increase pancreatitis risk. Here, we compare systematically the effects of two widely-used GLP-1 analogues, liraglutide and exendin-4, and the DPP4 inhibitor, sitagliptin, in the mouse. METHODS:C57BL6 mice were maintained for 131 days on a normal diet (ND) or a diet comprising 60% fat (HFD) before measurements of fasting blood glucose and insulin, and intraperitoneal glucose tolerance. Beta- and alpha- cell volume, and Reg3b immunoreactivity, were measured by immunohistochemical analysis of pancreatic slices. RESULTS:Whereas liraglutide (200 µg/kg) and exendin-4 (10 µg/kg) treatment reduced body weight and/or improved glucose tolerance, sitagliptin (10 mg/kg) was without effect on either parameter. Liraglutide caused a sharp reduction in beta-cell mass in both ND and HFD mice, whereas exendin-4 exerted no effect. By contrast, sitagliptin unmasked an action of high fat diet to increase beta-cell mass. Reg3B positive area was augmented by all three agents in normal chow-fed mice, whilst sitagliptin and exendin-4, but not liraglutide, affected this parameter in HFD animals. Correspondingly sitagliptin, but not the GLP-1 analogues, increased circulating amylase levels in ND and HFD mice. CONCLUSIONS:Liraglutide improves glucose tolerance in the mouse whilst exerting relatively modest effects on pancreatitis risk. Conversely, exendin-4 and sitagliptin, at doses which exert, respectively, minor or no effects on metabolic parameters, lead to signs of pancreatitis

Laser feedback interferometry in multi-mode terahertz quantum cascade lasers

The typical modal characteristics arising during laser feedback interferometry (LFI) in multi-mode terahertz (THz) quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) are investigated in this work. To this end, a set of multi-mode reduced rate equations with gain saturation for a general Fabry-Pérot multi-mode THz QCL under optical feedback is developed. Depending on gain bandwidth of the laser and optical feedback level, three different operating regimes are identified, namely a single-mode regime, a multi-mode regime, and a tuneable-mode regime. When the laser operates in the single-mode and multi-mode regimes, the self-mixing signal amplitude (peak to peak value of the self-mixing fringes) is proportional to the feedback coupling rate at each mode frequency. However, this rule no longer holds when the laser enters into the tuneable-mode regime, in which the feedback level becomes sufficiently strong (the boundary value of the feedback level depends on the gain bandwidth). The mapping of the identified feedback regimes of the multi-mode THz QCL in the space of the gain bandwidth and feedback level is investigated. In addition, the dependence of the aforementioned mapping of these three regimes on the linewidth enhancement factor of the laser is also explored, which provides a systematic picture of the potential of LFI in multi-mode THz QCLs for spectroscopic sensing applications

Melimine-Modified 3D-Printed Polycaprolactone Scaffolds for the Prevention of Biofilm-Related Biomaterial Infections

Biomaterial-associated infections are one of the major causes of implant failure. These infections result from persistent bacteria that have adhered to the biomaterial surface before, during, or after surgery and have formed a biofilm on the implant's surface. It is estimated that 4 to 10% of implant surfaces are contaminated with bacteria; however, the infection rate can be as high as 30% in intensive care units in developed countries and as high as 45% in developing countries. To date, there is no clinical solution to prevent implant infection without relying on the use of high doses of antibiotics supplied systemically and/or removal of the infected device. In this study, melimine, a chimeric cationic peptide that has been tested in Phase I and II human clinical trials, was immobilized onto the surface of 3D-printed medical-grade polycaprolactone (mPCL) scaffolds via covalent binding and adsorption. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) spectra of melimine-treated surfaces confirmed immobilization of the peptide, as well as its homogeneous distribution throughout the scaffold surface. Amino acid analysis showed that melimine covalent and noncovalent immobilization resulted in a peptide density of ∼156 and ∼533 ng/cm2, respectively. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the immobilization of melimine on mPCL scaffolds by 1-ethyl-3-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl] carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) coupling and noncovalent interactions resulted in a reduction of Staphylococcus aureus colonization by 78.7% and 76.0%, respectively, in comparison with the nonmodified control specimens. Particularly, the modified surfaces maintained their antibacterial properties for 3 days, which resulted in the inhibition of biofilm formation in vitro. This system offers a biomaterial strategy to effectively prevent biofilm-related infections on implant surfaces without relying on the use of prophylactic antibiotic treatment

Demonstration of the self-mixing effect in interband cascade lasers

In this Letter, we demonstrate the self-mixing effect in an interband cascade laser. We show that a viable self-mixing signal can be acquired through the variation in voltage across the laser terminals, thereby removing the need for an external detector. Using this interferometric technique, we have measured the displacement of a remote target, and also demonstrated high resolution imaging of a target. The proposed scheme represents a highly sensitive, compact, and self-aligned sensing technique with potential for materials analysis in the mid-infrared. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC

Determining Ethanol Content of Liquid Solutions Using Laser Feedback Interferometry with a Terahertz Quantum Cascade Laser

Over the last decade, terahertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopy has been investigated as a technique for assaying the ethanol content of liquid solutions-indeed, operating at THz frequencies addresses some of the challenges that traditional optical refraction measurements face, such as delineation between sugar-ethanol content, florescence, and problems arising from carbonation or other dissolved gasses. In this article, we propose an alternative system and method for assaying ethanol content of liquid solutions at THz frequencies, which employs a laser feedback interferometer built around a 2.6-THz quantum cascade laser. The system is tested against a series of controlled water-ethanol solutions, as well as a series of commercially available beverages. The accuracy of the estimated ethanol content compares favorably to THz time-domain spectroscopy techniques

Coherent THz imaging using the self-mixing effect in quantum cascade lasers

We demonstrate that the self-mixing effect in THz QCLs can be used for three-dimensional coherent imaging; swept-frequency interferometry for imaging and materials analysis; and high-resolution inverse synthetic aperture radar imaging

Study of quantification methods in self-healing ceramics, polymers and concrete – a route towards commercialisation

During the past decades, research in self-healing materials has focused on the improvement in mechanical properties, making stronger materials, able to bear increasing solicitations. This strategy proved to be costly and in some cases inefficient, since materials continue to fail, and maintenance costs remained high. Instead of preparing stronger materials, it is more efficient to prepare them to heal themselves, reducing repairing costs and prolonging their lifetime. Several different self-healing strategies, applied to different material classes, have been comprehensively studied. When new materials are subject of research, the attention is directed into the formulations, product processing and scale-up possibilities. Efforts to measure self-healing properties have been conducted considering the specific characteristics of each material class. The development of comprehensive service conditions allowing an unified discussion across different materials classes and the standardization of the underlying quantification methods has not been a priority so far. Until recently, the quantification of self-healing ability or efficiency was focused mostly on the macroscale evaluation, while micro and nanoscale events, responsible for the first stage in material failure, received minor attention. This work reviews the main evaluation methods developed to assess self-healing and intends to establish a route for fundamental understanding of the healing phenomena