Growth and characterization of crystals for IR detectors and second harmonic gereration devices

Two types of materials, L-arginine phosphate (LAP) and doped triglycine sulfate (TGS), are examined for their growth characteristics and relevant properties for second harmonic generation and IR detector applications, respectively

Negative emotional stimuli reduce contextual cueing but not response times in inefficient search

In visual search, previous work has shown that negative stimuli narrow the focus of attention and speed reaction times (RTs). This paper investigates these two effects by first asking whether negative emotional stimuli narrow the focus of attention to reduce the learning of a display context in a contextual cueing task and, second, whether exposure to negative stimuli also reduces RTs in inefficient search tasks. In Experiment 1, participants viewed either negative or neutral images (faces or scenes) prior to a contextual cueing task. In a typical contextual cueing experiment, RTs are reduced if displays are repeated across the experiment compared with novel displays that are not repeated. The results showed that a smaller contextual cueing effect was obtained after participants viewed negative stimuli than when they viewed neutral stimuli. However, in contrast to previous work, overall search RTs were not faster after viewing negative stimuli (Experiments 2 to 4). The findings are discussed in terms of the impact of emotional content on visual processing and the ability to use scene context to help facilitate search

Telephone conversation impairs sustained visual attention via a central bottleneck

Recent research has shown that holding telephone conversations disrupts one's driving ability. We asked whether this effect could be attributed to a visual attention impairment. In Experiment 1, participants conversed on a telephone or listened to a narrative while engaged in multiple object tracking (MOT), a task requiring sustained visual attention. We found that MOT was disrupted in the telephone conversation condition, relative to single-task MOT performance, but that listening to a narrative had no effect. In Experiment 2, we asked which component of conversation might be interfering with MOT performance. We replicated the conversation and single-task conditions of Experiment 1 and added two conditions in which participants heard a sequence of words over a telephone. In the shadowing condition, participants simply repeated each word in the sequence. In the generation condition, participants were asked to generate a new word based on each word in the sequence. Word generation interfered with MOT performance, but shadowing did not. The data indicate that telephone conversation disrupts attention at a central stage, the act of generating verbal stimuli, rather than at a peripheral stage, such as listening or speaking

Adaptable haemodynamic endothelial cells for organogenesis and tumorigenesis

Endothelial cells adopt tissue-specific characteristics to instruct organ development and regeneration1,2. This adaptability is lost in cultured adult endothelial cells, which do not vascularize tissues in an organotypic manner. Here, we show that transient reactivation of the embryonic-restricted ETS variant transcription factor 2 (ETV2)3 in mature human endothelial cells cultured in a serum-free three-dimensional matrix composed of a mixture of laminin, entactin and type-IV collagen (LEC matrix) ‘resets’ these endothelial cells to adaptable, vasculogenic cells, which form perfusable and plastic vascular plexi. Through chromatin remodelling, ETV2 induces tubulogenic pathways, including the activation of RAP1, which promotes the formation of durable lumens4,5. In three-dimensional matrices—which do not have the constraints of bioprinted scaffolds—the ‘reset’ vascular endothelial cells (R-VECs) self-assemble into stable, multilayered and branching vascular networks within scalable microfluidic chambers, which are capable of transporting human blood. In vivo, R-VECs implanted subcutaneously in mice self-organize into durable pericyte-coated vessels that functionally anastomose to the host circulation and exhibit long-lasting patterning, with no evidence of malformations or angiomas. R-VECs directly interact with cells within three-dimensional co-cultured organoids, removing the need for the restrictive synthetic semipermeable membranes that are required for organ-on-chip systems, therefore providing a physiological platform for vascularization, which we call ‘Organ-On-VascularNet’. R-VECs enable perfusion of glucose-responsive insulin-secreting human pancreatic islets, vascularize decellularized rat intestines and arborize healthy or cancerous human colon organoids. Using single-cell RNA sequencing and epigenetic profiling, we demonstrate that R-VECs establish an adaptive vascular niche that differentially adjusts and conforms to organoids and tumoroids in a tissue-specific manner. Our Organ-On-VascularNet model will permit metabolic, immunological and physiochemical studies and screens to decipher the crosstalk between organotypic endothelial cells and parenchymal cells for identification of determinants of endothelial cell heterogeneity, and could lead to advances in therapeutic organ repair and tumour targeting

Transcription factor induction of vascular blood stem cell niches in vivo

The hematopoietic niche is a supportive microenvironment composed of distinct cell types, including specialized vascular endothelial cells that directly interact with hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). The molecular factors that specify niche endothelial cells and orchestrate HSPC homeostasis remain largely unknown. Using multi-dimensional gene expression and chromatin accessibility analyses in zebrafish, we define a conserved gene expression signature and cis-regulatory landscape that are unique to sinusoidal endothelial cells in the HSPC niche. Using enhancer mutagenesis and transcription factor overexpression, we elucidate a transcriptional code that involves members of the Ets, Sox, and nuclear hormone receptor families and is sufficient to induce ectopic niche endothelial cells that associate with mesenchymal stromal cells and support the recruitment, maintenance, and division of HSPCs in vivo. These studies set forth an approach for generating synthetic HSPC niches, in vitro or in vivo, and for effective therapies to modulate the endogenous niche

Multiferroic based microwave devices

Abstract Recently, there has been significant interest on the fundamental science and technological applications of complex oxides and multiferroics. Low-power multiferroic have potential to fabricate and characterize frequency tunable, compatible with MMIC Technology, small light-weight for hand-held operation, cost-effective, high-frequency (>10GHz), devices for next generation communication devices and military applications. Multiferroic materials consists of both magnetic and ferroelectric phase and they offer the possibility of magneto-electric (ME) coupling. The purpose of this research is to show strong magnetic field dependent frequency tuning of multiferroics (Nickel doped BFO -BiFe 1-x Ni x O 3 ) based devices over a broad frequency band. We have shown here the magnetic field control of ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) field/frequency from C to Ku band frequencies. Nanoparticles of BiFe 1-x Ni x O 3 (x=0.025 & 0.05) were prepared by auto combustion method. The XRD study confirms the formation of pure phase Bismuth Ferrite Nanoparticles. Ferromagnetism of un-doped BFO was enhanced by Ni substitution. Microwave characterization was done in co-planar waveguide (CPW) geometry both in field sweep and frequency sweep mode. BiFe 1-x Ni x O 3 nanoparticles were deposited using electrophoretic deposition method (EPD) on top of CPW to do the FMR experiments. The operating frequency of the device was tuned by application of magnetic field (H) over a wide range (5 to 20 GHz) with a field up to 8 kOe

Fabrication of array of micro circular impressions using different electrolytes by maskless electrochemical micromachining

Maskless electrochemical micromachining (EMM) is a prominent technique for producing the array of micro circular impressions. A method for producing the array of micro circular impressions on stainless steel workpiece applying maskless electrochemical micromachining process is presented. The experimental setup consists of maskless EMM cell, electrode holding devices, electrical connections of electrodes and constricted vertical cross flow electrolyte system to carry out the experimental investigation. One non-conductive masked patterned tool can produce more than twenty six textured samples with high quality. A mathematical model is developed to estimate theoretically the radial overcut and machining depth of the generated array of micro circular impressions by this process and corroborate the experimental results. This study provides an elementary perceptive about maskless EMM process based on the effects of EMM process variables i.e. pulse frequency and duty ratio on surface characteristics including overcut and machining depth for NaCl, NaNO3 and NaNO3 + NaCl electrolytes. From the experimental investigation, it is observed that the combined effect of lower duty ratio and higher frequency generates the best array of micro circular impressions using the mixed electrolyte of NaNO3 + NaCl with mean radial overcut of 23.31 µm and mean machining depth of 14.1 µm