The Role of Chemokines in Oral Tolerance.

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75554/1/j.1749-6632.1996.tb21122.x.pd

Characterization of deep impurities in semiconductors by terahertz tunneling ionization

Tunneling ionization in high frequency fields as well as in static fields is suggested as a method for the characterization of deep impurities in semiconductors. It is shown that an analysis of the field and temperature dependences of the ionization probability allows to obtain defect parameters like the charge of the impurity, tunneling times, the Huang–Rhys parameter, the difference between optical and thermal binding energy, and the basic structure of the defect adiabatic potentials. Compared to static fields, high frequency electric fields in the terahertz-range offer various advantages, as they can be applied contactlessly and homogeneously even to bulk samples using the intense radiation of a high power pulsed far-infrared laser. Furthermore, impurity ionization with terahertz radiation can be detected as photoconductive signal with a very high sensitivity in a wide range of electric field strengths

Commensurability oscillations in the rf conductivity of unidirectional lateral superlattices: measurement of anisotropic conductivity by coplanar waveguide

We have measured the rf magnetoconductivity of unidirectional lateral superlattices (ULSLs) by detecting the attenuation of microwave through a coplanar waveguide placed on the surface. ULSL samples with the principal axis of the modulation perpendicular (S_perp) and parallel (S_||) to the microwave electric field are examined. For low microwave power, we observe expected anisotropic behavior of the commensurability oscillations (CO), with CO in samples S_perp and S_|| dominated by the diffusion and the collisional contributions, respectively. Amplitude modulation of the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations is observed to be more prominent in sample S_||. The difference between the two samples is washed out with the increase of the microwave power, letting the diffusion contribution govern the CO in both samples. The failure of the intended directional selectivity in the conductivity measured with high microwave power is interpreted in terms of large-angle electron-phonon scattering.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure

Down-regulation of TGF- β 1 production restores immunogenicity in prostate cancer cells

The objective of this study is to determine if a non-immunogenic Dunning’s rat prostate cancer cell line, MATLyLu, can become immunogenic by reducing the endogenous production of TGF-β1. An expression construct containing a DNA sequence in an antisense orientation to TGF-β1 (TGF-β1 antisense) was stably transfected into MATLyLu cells. Following transfection, cellular content of TGF-β1 reduced from 70 to10 pg per 2 × 104cells and the rate of in vitro3H-thymidine incorporation increased 3–5-fold. After subcutaneous injection of tumour cells into syngeneic male hosts (Copenhagen rats), the tumour incidence was 100% (15/15) for the wild type MATLyLu cells and cells transfected with the control construct, but only 43% (9/21, P≤ 0.05) for cells transfected with TGF-β1 antisense. However, when cells were injected into immunodeficient hosts (athymic nude rats), the incidence of tumour development was 100% (10/10) for both the wild type MATLyLu cells and cells transfected with the control construct and 90% (9/10) for cells transfected with TGF-β1 antisense. These observations support the concept that MATLyLu cells are immunogenic, when the endogenous production of TGF-β1 is down-regulated. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig

Photoemission and Optical Spectroscopy of i-ZnMgEr Quasicrystal

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Nonmonotonic Temperature-dependent Resistance in Low Density 2D Hole Gases

The low temperature longitudinal resistance-per-square Rxx(T) in ungated GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells of high peak hole mobility 1.7x10^6 cm^2/Vs is metallic for 2D hole density p as low as 3.8x10^9 cm-2. The electronic contribution to the resistance, R_{el}(T), is a nonmonotonic function of T, exhibiting thermal activation, R_{el}(T) ~ exp{-E_a/kT}, for kT<<E_F and a heretofore unnoted decay R_{el}(T) ~ 1/T for k_T>EF. The form of R_{el}(T) is independent of density, indicating a fundamental relationship between the low and high T scattering mechanisms in the metallic state

Distinction between the Poole-Frenkel and tunneling models of electric field-stimulated carrier emission from deep levels in semiconductors

The enhancement of the emission rate of charge carriers from deep-level defects in electric field is routinely used to determine the charge state of the defects. However, only a limited number of defects can be satisfactorily described by the Poole-Frenkel theory. An electric field dependence different from that expected from the Poole-Frenkel theory has been repeatedly reported in the literature, and no unambiguous identification of the charge state of the defect could be made. In this article, the electric field dependencies of emission of carriers from DX centers in AlxGa1-xAs:Te, Cu pairs in silicon, and Ge:Hg have been studied applying static and terahertz electric fields, and analyzed by using the models of Poole-Frenkel and phonon assisted tunneling. It is shown that phonon assisted tunneling and Poole-Frenkel emission are two competitive mechanisms of enhancement of emission of carriers, and their relative contribution is determined by the charge state of the defect and by the electric-field strength. At high-electric field strengths carrier emission is dominated by tunneling independently of the charge state of the impurity. For neutral impurities, where Poole-Frenkel lowering of the emission barrier does not occur, the phonon assisted tunneling model describes well the experimental data also in the low-field region. For charged impurities the transition from phonon assisted tunneling at high fields to Poole-Frenkel effect at low fields can be traced back. It is suggested that the Poole-Frenkel and tunneling models can be distinguished by plotting logarithm of the emission rate against the square root or against the square of the electric field, respectively. This analysis enables one to unambiguously determine the charge state of a deep-level defect

TLR7-mediated skin inflammation remotely triggers chemokine expression and leukocyte accumulation in the brain

Background: The relationship between the brain and the immune system has become increasingly topical as, although it is immune-specialised, the CNS is not free from the influences of the immune system. Recent data indicate that peripheral immune stimulation can significantly affect the CNS. But the mechanisms underpinning this relationship remain unclear. The standard approach to understanding this relationship has relied on systemic immune activation using bacterial components, finding that immune mediators, such as cytokines, can have a significant effect on brain function and behaviour. More rarely have studies used disease models that are representative of human disorders. Methods: Here we use a well-characterised animal model of psoriasis-like skin inflammation—imiquimod—to investigate the effects of tissue-specific peripheral inflammation on the brain. We used full genome array, flow cytometry analysis of immune cell infiltration, doublecortin staining for neural precursor cells and a behavioural read-out exploiting natural burrowing behaviour. Results: We found that a number of genes are upregulated in the brain following treatment, amongst which is a subset of inflammatory chemokines (CCL3, CCL5, CCL9, CXCL10, CXCL13, CXCL16 and CCR5). Strikingly, this model induced the infiltration of a number of immune cell subsets into the brain parenchyma, including T cells, NK cells and myeloid cells, along with a reduction in neurogenesis and a suppression of burrowing activity. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that cutaneous, peripheral immune stimulation is associated with significant leukocyte infiltration into the brain and suggest that chemokines may be amongst the key mediators driving this response