Trapping of Ultracold Atoms in a Hollow-core Photonic Crystal Fiber

Ultracold sodium atoms have been trapped inside a hollow-core optical fiber. The atoms are transferred from a free space optical dipole trap into a trap formed by a red-detuned gaussian light mode confined to the core of the fiber. We show that at least 5% of the atoms held initially in the free space trap can be loaded into the core of the fiber and retrieved outside.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, corrected author list, added refs, changed figs, changed content, accepted by PR

Journey of Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Homing: Strategies to Enhance Efficacy and Safety of Stem Cell Therapy

Human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) communicate with other cells in the human body and appear to “home” to areas of injury in response to signals of cellular damage, known as homing signals. This review of the state of current research on homing of MSCs suggests that favorable cellular conditions and the in vivo environment facilitate and are required for the migration of MSCs to the site of insult or injury in vivo. We review the current understanding of MSC migration and discuss strategies for enhancing both the environmental and cellular conditions that give rise to effective homing of MSCs. This may allow MSCs to quickly find and migrate to injured tissues, where they may best exert clinical benefits resulting from improved homing and the presence of increased numbers of MSCs

Electrical spin injection and accumulation in CoFe/MgO/Ge contacts at room temperature

We first report the all-electrical spin injection and detection in CoFe/MgO/moderately doped n-Ge contact at room temperature (RT), employing threeterminal Hanle measurements. A sizable spin signal of ~170 k{\Omega} {\mu}m^2 has been observed at RT, and the analysis using a single-step tunneling model gives a spin lifetime of ~120 ps and a spin diffusion length of ~683 nm in Ge. The observed spin signal shows asymmetric bias and temperature dependences which are strongly related to the asymmetry of the tunneling process.Comment: 28 pages, 5 figure

Low-Power Complementary Inverter Based on Graphene/Carbon-Nanotube and Graphene/MoS₂ Barristors

The recent report of a p-type graphene(Gr)/carbon-nanotube(CNT) barristor facilitates the application of graphene barristors in the fabrication of complementary logic devices. Here, a complementary inverter is presented that combines a p-type Gr/CNT barristor with a n-type Gr/MoS2 barristor, and its characteristics are reported. A sub-nW (~0.2 nW) low-power inverter is demonstrated with a moderate gain of 2.5 at an equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) of ~15 nm. Compared to inverters based on field-effect transistors, the sub-nW power consumption was achieved at a much larger EOT, which was attributed to the excellent switching characteristics of Gr barristors

The potent protective effect of wild ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) against benzo[alpha]pyrene-induced toxicity through metabolic regulation of CYP1A1 and GSTs

Wild Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer (WG) is a well-known medicinal herb. In this study, the protective effects of a water extract from the root of WG on benzo[alpha]pyrene (BP)-induced hepatotoxicity and the mechanism of these effects were investigated for the first time. The effects of WG on liver toxicities induced by BP were assessed by blood biochemical and histopathological analyses. BP caused severe liver injury in rats, as indicated by elevated plasma ALT, AST and LPO levels. Pretreatment with WG for 4 weeks completely abrogated increases in the ALT, AST and LPO levels when challenged with BP. Reductions in GSH content and GST activity by BP were reversed by WG. These protective effects of WG against BP-induced toxicity were consistent with the results of histopathological examinations. We next examined the effects of WG on the gene expression of the enzymes that metabolize BP in H4IIE cells. CYP1A1 mRNA and protein expression were increased by BP. WG moderately inhibited BP-induced CYP1A1 gene expression. Moreover, GSTA2, GSTA3 and GSTM2 gene expressions were significantly increased by WG through the Nrf2/antioxidant responsive element pathway for enzyme induction. In summary, WG is efficacious in protecting against BP-induced hepatotoxicity as results of metabolic regulations through both the inhibition of metabolic enzyme activation and the enhancement of electrophilic detoxification, implying that WG should be considered a potential chemopreventive agent

Lenzimycins A and B, metabolites with antibacterial properties from Brevibacillus sp. associated with the dung beetle Onthophagus lenzii

Symbiotic microorganisms associated with insects can produce a wide array of metabolic products, which provide an opportunity for the discovery of useful natural products. Selective isolation of bacterial strains associated with the dung beetle, Onthophagus lenzii, identified two strains, of which the antibiotic-producing Brevibacillus sp. PTH23 inhibited the growth of Bacillus sp. CCARM 9248, which is most closely related to the well-known entomopathogen, Bacillus thuringiensis. A comprehensive chemical investigation based on antibiotic activity discovered two new antibiotics, named lenzimycins A and B (1-2), which inhibited growth of Bacillus sp. CCARM 9248. The 1H and 13C NMR, MS, MS/MS, and IR analyses elucidated the structures of 1 and 2, which comprised a novel combination of fatty acid (12-methyltetradecanoic acid), glycerol, sulfate, and N-methyl ethanolamine. Furthermore, the acid hydrolysis of 1 revealed the absolute configuration of 12-methyltetradecanoic acid as 12S by comparing its optical rotation value with authentic (R)- and (S)-12-methyltetradecanoic acid. In addition to inhibition of Bacillus sp. CCARM 9248, lenzimycins A and B were found to inhibit the growth of some human pathogenic bacteria, including Enterococcus faecium and certain strains of Enterococcus faecalis. Furthermore, the present study elucidated that lenzimycins A and B activated a reporter system designed to detect the bacterial cell envelope stress, thereby indicating an activity against the integrity of the bacterial cell wall

Measuring the Burden of Disease in Korea

This paper provides an overview of the Korean Burden of Disease (KBoD) study, which was the first such study to assess the national burden of disease using disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in an advanced Asian country. The KBoD study generally followed the approach utilized in the original Global Burden of Disease study (GBD), with the exception of the disease classification and epidemiological data estimation methods used, and the relative weightings of disabilities. The results of the present study reveal that the burden of disease per 100,000 of the Korean population originates primarily from; cancer (1,525 Person Years, PYs), cardiovascular disease (1,492 PYs), digestive disease (1,140 PYs), diabetes mellitus (990 PYs), and certain neuro-psychiatric conditions (883 PYs). These results are largely consistent with those of developed countries, but also represent uniquely Korean characteristics