21 research outputs found
Three-dimensional single gyroid photonic crystals with a mid-infrared bandgap
A gyroid structure is a distinct morphology that is triply periodic and
consists of minimal isosurfaces containing no straight lines. We have designed
and synthesized amorphous silicon (a-Si) mid-infrared gyroid photonic crystals
that exhibit a complete bandgap in infrared spectroscopy measurements. Photonic
crystals were synthesized by deposition of a-Si/Al2O3 coatings onto a
sacrificial polymer scaffold defined by two-photon lithography. We observed a
100% reflectance at 7.5 \mum for single gyroids with a unit cell size of 4.5
\mum, in agreement with the photonic bandgap position predicted from full-wave
electromagnetic simulations, whereas the observed reflection peak shifted to 8
um for a 5.5 \mum unit cell size. This approach represents a
simulation-fabrication-characterization platform to realize three-dimensional
gyroid photonic crystals with well-defined dimensions in real space and
tailored properties in momentum space
Beam model of Doppler backscattering
We use beam tracing -- implemented with a newly-written code, Scotty -- and
the reciprocity theorem to derive a model for the linear backscattered power of
the Doppler Backscattering (DBS) diagnostic. Our model works for both the
O-mode and X-mode in tokamak geometry (and certain regimes of stellarators). We
present the analytical derivation of our model and its implications on the DBS
signal localisation and the wavenumber resolution. To determine these two
quantities, we find that it is the curvature of the field lines and the
magnetic shear that are important, rather than the curvature of the cut-off
surface. We also provide an explicit formula for the hitherto poorly-understood
quantitative effect of the mismatch angle. Consequently, one can use this model
to correct for the attenuation due to mismatch, avoiding the need for empirical
optimisation. This is especially important in spherical tokamaks, since the
magnetic pitch angle is large and varies both spatially and temporally.Comment: This is the version that passed peer review. No major changes, but
many improvements to writing styl
Structural Color 3D Printing By Shrinking Photonic Crystals
The rings, spots and stripes found on some butterflies, Pachyrhynchus
weevils, and many chameleons are notable examples of natural organisms
employing photonic crystals to produce colorful patterns. Despite advances in
nanotechnology, we still lack the ability to print arbitrary colors and shapes
in all three dimensions at this microscopic length scale. Commercial nanoscale
3D printers based on two-photon polymerization are incapable of patterning
photonic crystal structures with the requisite ~300 nm lattice constant to
achieve photonic stopbands/ bandgaps in the visible spectrum and generate
colors. Here, we introduce a means to produce 3D-printed photonic crystals with
a 5x reduction in lattice constants (periodicity as small as 280 nm), achieving
sub-100-nm features with a full range of colors. The reliability of this
process enables us to engineer the bandstructures of woodpile photonic crystals
that match experiments, showing that observed colors can be attributed to
either slow light modes or stopbands. With these lattice structures as 3D color
volumetric elements (voxels), we printed 3D microscopic scale objects,
including the first multi-color microscopic model of the Eiffel Tower measuring
only 39-microns tall with a color pixel size of 1.45 microns. The technology to
print 3D structures in color at the microscopic scale promises the direct
patterning and integration of spectrally selective devices, such as photonic
crystal-based color filters, onto free-form optical elements and curved
surfaces
How Patients\u27 Self-Disclosure about Sickle Cell Pain Episodes to Significant Others Relates to Living with Sickle Cell Disease
Objectives: This cross-sectional study examines to whom and how fully sickle cell disease (SCD) patients talk to others about sickle cell pain, how helpful it is to talk with others about these pain episodes, and the association between talking to others about sickle cell pain episodes and patients\u27 psychological adjustment and coping strategies in managing the disease. Methods: A convenience sample of 73 African American patients with SCD (30 men and 43 women), were recruited from two SCD clinics at the time of routine medical visits. Most participants had been diagnosed with hemoglobin SS, and they reported an average number of 8.61 pain episodes in the previous 12 months. Participants were asked to whom, how fully, and how helpful it was to talk to significant others about SCD pain episodes experienced in the last 12 months. Patients also completed measures of their psychological adjustment as well as how they would manage a future sickle cell pain episode. Self-report ratings were made on Likert-type scales. Results: Based on paired samples t-tests, participants talked significantly more fully about their thoughts and feelings concerning pain episodes to God and to their primary medical providers than to either their parents, siblings, or an intimate partner/close friend. Bivariate correlations indicated that amount and helpfulness of talking about pain episodes to God and to parents were significantly associated with better psychological adjustment on selected measures. Also, bivariate correlations indicated that helpfulness in talking with siblings, intimate partner/close friend, and primary medical providers was positively related with willingness to go to a physician in the event of a future pain episode. Conclusions: The results document to whom and how helpful it is to talk with others about SCD pain episodes and how SCD disclosure is related to strategies for managing this disease
Validating and optimising mismatch tolerance of Doppler backscattering measurements with the beam model
We use the beam model of Doppler backscattering (DBS), which was previously
derived from beam tracing and the reciprocity theorem, to shed light on
mismatch attenuation. This attenuation of the backscattered signal occurs when
the wavevector of the probe beam's electric field is not in the plane
perpendicular to the magnetic field. Correcting for this effect is important
for determining the amplitude of the actual density fluctuations. Previous
preliminary comparisons between the model and Mega-Ampere Spherical Tokamak
(MAST) plasmas were promising. In this work, we quantitatively account for this
effect on DIII-D, a conventional tokamak. We compare the predicted and measured
mismatch attenuation in various DIII-D, MAST, and MAST-U plasmas, showing that
the beam model is applicable in a wide variety of situations. Finally, we
performed a preliminary parameter sweep and found that the mismatch tolerance
can be improved by optimising the probe beam's width and curvature at launch.
This is potentially a design consideration for new DBS systems
The Safety of Adult Male Circumcision in HIV-Infected and Uninfected Men in Rakai, Uganda
Ron Gray and colleagues report on complications of circumcision in HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected men from two related trials in Uganda, finding increased risk with intercourse before wound healing
Assessing the carcinogenic potential of low-dose exposures to chemical mixtures in the environment: the challenge ahead.
Lifestyle factors are responsible for a considerable portion of cancer incidence worldwide, but credible estimates from the World Health Organization and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) suggest that the fraction of cancers attributable to toxic environmental exposures is between 7% and 19%. To explore the hypothesis that low-dose exposures to mixtures of chemicals in the environment may be combining to contribute to environmental carcinogenesis, we reviewed 11 hallmark phenotypes of cancer, multiple priority target sites for disruption in each area and prototypical chemical disruptors for all targets, this included dose-response characterizations, evidence of low-dose effects and cross-hallmark effects for all targets and chemicals. In total, 85 examples of chemicals were reviewed for actions on key pathways/mechanisms related to carcinogenesis. Only 15% (13/85) were found to have evidence of a dose-response threshold, whereas 59% (50/85) exerted low-dose effects. No dose-response information was found for the remaining 26% (22/85). Our analysis suggests that the cumulative effects of individual (non-carcinogenic) chemicals acting on different pathways, and a variety of related systems, organs, tissues and cells could plausibly conspire to produce carcinogenic synergies. Additional basic research on carcinogenesis and research focused on low-dose effects of chemical mixtures needs to be rigorously pursued before the merits of this hypothesis can be further advanced. However, the structure of the World Health Organization International Programme on Chemical Safety 'Mode of Action' framework should be revisited as it has inherent weaknesses that are not fully aligned with our current understanding of cancer biology
Overview and statistical analysis of boundary layer clouds and precipitation over the western North-Atlantic Ocean
Due to their fast evolution and large natural variability in macro- and microphysical properties, the accurate representation of boundary layer clouds in current climate models remains a challenge. One of the regions with large intermodel spread in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 ensemble is the western North Atlantic Ocean. Here, statistically representative in situ measurements can help to develop and constrain the parameterization of clouds in global models. To this end, we performed comprehensive measurements of boundary layer clouds, aerosol, trace gases, and radiation in the western North Atlantic Ocean during the NASA Aerosol Cloud meTeorology Interactions oVer the western ATlantic Experiment (ACTIVATE) mission. In total, 174 research flights with 574 flight hours for cloud and precipitation measurements were performed with the HU-25 Falcon during three winter (February–March 2020, January–April 2021, and November 2021–March 2022) and three summer seasons (August–September 2020, May–June 2021, and May–June 2022). Here we present a statistical evaluation of 16 140 individual cloud events probed by the fast cloud droplet probe and the two-dimensional stereo cloud probe during 155 research flights in a representative and repetitive flight strategy allowing for robust statistical data analyses. We show that the vertical profiles of distributions of the liquid water content and the cloud droplet effective diameter (ED) increase with altitude in the marine boundary layer. Due to higher updraft speeds, higher cloud droplet number concentrations (Nliquid) were measured in winter compared to summer despite lower cloud condensation nucleus abundance. Flight cloud cover derived from statistical analysis of in situ data is reduced in summer and shows large variability. This seasonal contrast in cloud coverage is consistent with a dominance of a synoptic pattern in winter that favors conditions for the formation of stratiform clouds at the western edge of cyclones (post-cyclonic). In contrast, a dominant summer anticyclone is concomitant with the occurrence of shallow cumulus clouds and lower cloud coverage. The evaluation of boundary layer clouds and precipitation in the Nliquid ED phase space sheds light on liquid, mixed-phase, and ice cloud properties and helps to categorize the cloud data. Ice and liquid precipitation, often masked in cloud statistics by a high abundance of liquid clouds, is often observed throughout the cloud. The ACTIVATE in situ cloud measurements provide a wealth of cloud information useful for assessing airborne and satellite remote-sensing products, for global climate and weather model evaluations, and for dedicated process studies that address precipitation and aerosol–cloud interactions
Phosphatidylserine Targets Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes to Professional Phagocytes In Vitro and In Vivo
Broad applications of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) dictate the necessity to better understand their health effects. Poor recognition of non-functionalized SWCNT by phagocytes is prohibitive towards controlling their biological action. We report that SWCNT coating with a phospholipid “eat-me” signal, phosphatidylserine (PS), makes them recognizable in vitro by different phagocytic cells - murine RAW264.7 macrophages, primary monocyte-derived human macrophages, dendritic cells, and rat brain microglia. Macrophage uptake of PS-coated nanotubes was suppressed by the PS-binding protein, Annexin V, and endocytosis inhibitors, and changed the pattern of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine secretion. Loading of PS-coated SWCNT with pro-apoptotic cargo (cytochrome c) allowed for the targeted killing of RAW264.7 macrophages. In vivo aspiration of PS-coated SWCNT stimulated their uptake by lung alveolar macrophages in mice. Thus, PS-coating can be utilized for targeted delivery of SWCNT with specified cargoes into professional phagocytes, hence for therapeutic regulation of specific populations of immune-competent cells