Experimental and theoretical confirmation of Bloch-mode light propagation in planar photonic crystal waveguides

The dispersion diagram of the leaky modes in the planar photonic crystal waveguide is experimentally obtained for the wavelengths from 1440 to 1590 nm. A small stop band, around wavelength 1500 nm, is detected. The experimentally obtained results are in very good agreement with our three-dimensional finite difference time domain calculations. Propagation losses of the leaky modes are estimated and we have found that they decrease as we approach the ministop band

Experimental characterization of dispersion properties of leaky modes in planar photonic crystal waveguide

We have experimentally observed the coupling of a Bloch wave in a single-line-defect planar photonic crystal and have mapped the dispersion diagram of the leaky mode component of this wave. The results are in excellent agreement with our three-dimensional finite difference time domain calculations

Experimental characterization of dispersion properties of the leaky modes in planar photonic crystal waveguide

We have experimentally obtained the dispersion diagram of the leaky modes in a planar photonic crystal waveguide for wavelengths from 1440 nm to 1590 nm. A small stop band around λ=1500 nm is also detected. The experimental results are in very good agreement with our 3D FDTD calculations

Protein network prediction and topological analysis in Leishmania major as a tool for drug target selection

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Leishmaniasis is a virulent parasitic infection that causes a worldwide disease burden. Most treatments have toxic side-effects and efficacy has decreased due to the emergence of resistant strains. The outlook is worsened by the absence of promising drug targets for this disease. We have taken a computational approach to the detection of new drug targets, which may become an effective strategy for the discovery of new drugs for this tropical disease.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We have predicted the protein interaction network of <it>Leishmania major </it>by using three validated methods: PSIMAP, PEIMAP, and iPfam. Combining the results from these methods, we calculated a high confidence network (confidence score > 0.70) with 1,366 nodes and 33,861 interactions. We were able to predict the biological process for 263 interacting proteins by doing enrichment analysis of the clusters detected. Analyzing the topology of the network with metrics such as connectivity and betweenness centrality, we detected 142 potential drug targets after homology filtering with the human proteome. Further experiments can be done to validate these targets.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We have constructed the first protein interaction network of the <it>Leishmania major </it>parasite by using a computational approach. The topological analysis of the protein network enabled us to identify a set of candidate proteins that may be both (1) essential for parasite survival and (2) without human orthologs. These potential targets are promising for further experimental validation. This strategy, if validated, may augment established drug discovery methodologies, for this and possibly other tropical diseases, with a relatively low additional investment of time and resources.</p

Experimental characterization of dispersion properties of leaky modes in planar photonic crystal waveguide

We have experimentally observed the coupling of a Bloch wave in a single-line-defect planar photonic crystal and have mapped the dispersion diagram of the leaky mode component of this wave. The results are in excellent agreement with our three-dimensional finite difference time domain calculations

Synthetic Biology Open Language (SBOL) Version 1.1.0

In this BioBricks Foundation Request for Comments (BBF RFC), we specify the Synthetic Biology Open Language (SBOL) Version 1.1.0 to enable the electronic exchange of information describing DNA components used in synthetic biology. We define: 1. the vocabulary, a set of preferred terms and 2. the core data model, a common computational representation

Alternative Splicing in the Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells into Cardiac Precursors

The role of alternative splicing in self-renewal, pluripotency and tissue lineage specification of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) is largely unknown. To better define these regulatory cues, we modified the H9 hESC line to allow selection of pluripotent hESCs by neomycin resistance and cardiac progenitors by puromycin resistance. Exon-level microarray expression data from undifferentiated hESCs and cardiac and neural precursors were used to identify splice isoforms with cardiac-restricted or common cardiac/neural differentiation expression patterns. Splice events for these groups corresponded to the pathways of cytoskeletal remodeling, RNA splicing, muscle specification, and cell cycle checkpoint control as well as genes with serine/threonine kinase and helicase activity. Using a new program named AltAnalyze (http://www.AltAnalyze.org), we identified novel changes in protein domain and microRNA binding site architecture that were predicted to affect protein function and expression. These included an enrichment of splice isoforms that oppose cell-cycle arrest in hESCs and that promote calcium signaling and cardiac development in cardiac precursors. By combining genome-wide predictions of alternative splicing with new functional annotations, our data suggest potential mechanisms that may influence lineage commitment and hESC maintenance at the level of specific splice isoforms and microRNA regulation

Strudel: An extensible electronic conversation toolkit

This paper describes the conceptual model of Strudel, a toolkit of generic components for conversation and action management. To empower work groups to more effectively conduct their computer-based communication, coordination, and information sharing activities, Strudel packages within a simple model of task and action the semi-structured message, active message and conversation management paradigms. To facilitate acceptance and use within varying work cultures, we define this model in terms of a set of extensible components, which are implemented as a prototype software toolkit that is efficient, portable, customizable, and extensible. Issues considered briefly in this paper include threading in conversations that are converging or multi-party, and interoperability between active message systems

Integrating UserPerceived Quality into Web Server Design

perception, e