Stark effect of excitons in individual air-suspended carbon nanotubes

We investigate electric-field induced redshifts of photoluminescence from individual single-walled carbon nanotubes. The shifts scale quadratically with field, while measurements with different excitation powers and energies show that effects from heating and relaxation pathways are small. We attribute the shifts to the Stark effect, and characterize nanotubes with different chiralities. By taking into account exciton binding energies for air-suspended tubes, we find that theoretical predictions are in quantitative agreement.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Gate-controlled generation of optical pulse trains using individual carbon nanotubes

We report on optical pulse-train generation from individual air-suspended carbon nanotubes under an application of square-wave gate voltages. Electrostatically-induced carrier accummulation quenches photoluminescence, while a voltage sign reversal purges those carriers, resetting the nanotubes to become luminescent temporarily. Frequency domain measurements reveal photoluminescence recovery with characteristic frequencies that increase with excitation laser power, showing that photoexcited carriers quench the emission in a self-limiting manner. Time-resolved measurements directly confirm the presence of an optical pulse train sychronized to the gate voltage signal, and flexible control over pulse timing and duration is demonstrated.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Spontaneous exciton dissociation in carbon nanotubes

Simultaneous photoluminescence and photocurrent measurements on individual single-walled carbon nanotubes reveal spontaneous dissociation of excitons into free electron-hole pairs. Correlation of luminescence intensity and photocurrent shows that a significant fraction of excitons are dissociating during their relaxation into the lowest exciton state. Furthermore, the combination of optical and electrical signals also allows for extraction of the absorption cross section and the oscillator strength. Our observations explain the reasons for photoconductivity measurements in single-walled carbon nanotubes being straightforward despite the large exciton binding energies.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Lack of antigen-specific tissue remodeling in mice deficient in the macrophage galactose-type calcium-type lectin 1/CD301a.

Macrophage galactose-type C-type lectins (MGLs), which were recently named CD301, have 2 homologues in mice: MGL1 and MGL2. MGLs are expressed on macrophages and immature dendritic cells. The persistent presence of granulation tissue induced by a protein antigen was observed in wild-type mice but not in mice lacking an endogenous, macrophage-specific, galactose-type calcium-type lectin 1 (MGL1) in an air pouch model. The anti-MGL1 antibody suppressed the granulation tissue formation in wild-type mice. A large number of cells, present only in the pouch of MGL1-deficient mice, were not myeloid or lymphoid lineage cells and the number significantly declined after administration of interleukin 1 alpha (IL-1alpha) into the pouch of MGL1-deficient mice. Furthermore, granulation tissue was restored by this treatment and the cells obtained from the pouch of MGL1-deficient mice were incorporated into the granulation tissue when injected with IL-1alpha. Taken together, MGL1 expressed on a specific subpopulation of macrophages that secrete IL-1alpha was proposed to regulate specific cellular interactions crucial to granulation tissue formation

Stark effect of excitons in individual air-suspended carbon nanotubes

We investigate electric-field induced redshifts of photoluminescence from individual single-walled carbon nanotubes. The shifts scale quadratically with field, while measurements with different excitation powers and energies show that effects from heating and relaxation pathways are small. We attribute the shifts to the Stark effect and characterize nanotubes with different chiralities. By taking into account exciton binding energies for air-suspended tubes, we find that theoretical predictions are in quantitative agreement

Spontaneous Exciton Dissociation in Carbon Nanotubes

Simultaneous photoluminescence and photocurrent measurements on individual single-walled carbon nanotubes reveal spontaneous dissociation of excitons into free electron-hole pairs. The correlation of luminescence intensity and photocurrent shows that a significant fraction of excitons are dissociating before recombination. Furthermore, the combination of optical and electrical signals also allows for extraction of the absorption cross section and the oscillator strength. Our observations explain the reasons why photoconductivity measurements in single-walled carbon nanotubes are straightforward despite the large exciton binding energies

Export of functional Streptomyces coelicolor alditol oxidase to the periplasm or cell surface of Escherichia coli and its application in whole-cell biocatalysis

Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) alditol oxidase (AldO) is a soluble monomeric flavoprotein in which the flavin cofactor is covalently linked to the polypeptide chain. AldO displays high reactivity towards different polyols such as xylitol and sorbitol. These characteristics make AldO industrially relevant, but full biotechnological exploitation of this enzyme is at present restricted by laborious and costly purification steps. To eliminate the need for enzyme purification, this study describes a whole-cell AldO biocatalyst system. To this end, we have directed AldO to the periplasm or cell surface of Escherichia coli. For periplasmic export, AldO was fused to endogenous E. coli signal sequences known to direct their passenger proteins into the SecB, signal recognition particle (SRP), or Twin-arginine translocation (Tat) pathway. In addition, AldO was fused to an ice nucleation protein (INP)-based anchoring motif for surface display. The results show that Tat-exported AldO and INP-surface-displayed AldO are active. The Tat-based system was successfully employed in converting xylitol by whole cells, whereas the use of the INP-based system was most likely restricted by lipopolysaccharide LPS in wild-type cells. It is anticipated that these whole-cell systems will be a valuable tool for further biological and industrial exploitation of AldO and other cofactor-containing enzymes.

Asteroseismology of red giants & galactic archaeology

Red-giant stars are low- to intermediate-mass ($M \lesssim 10$~M$_{\odot}$) stars that have exhausted hydrogen in the core. These extended, cool and hence red stars are key targets for stellar evolution studies as well as galactic studies for several reasons: a) many stars go through a red-giant phase; b) red giants are intrinsically bright; c) large stellar internal structure changes as well as changes in surface chemical abundances take place over relatively short time; d) red-giant stars exhibit global intrinsic oscillations. Due to their large number and intrinsic brightness it is possible to observe many of these stars up to large distances. Furthermore, the global intrinsic oscillations provide a means to discern red-giant stars in the pre-helium core burning from the ones in the helium core burning phase and provide an estimate of stellar ages, a key ingredient for galactic studies. In this lecture I will first discuss some physical phenomena that play a role in red-giant stars and several phases of red-giant evolution. Then, I will provide some details about asteroseismology -- the study of the internal structure of stars through their intrinsic oscillations -- of red-giant stars. I will conclude by discussing galactic archaeology -- the study of the formation and evolution of the Milky Way by reconstructing its past from its current constituents -- and the role red-giant stars can play in that.Comment: Lecture presented at the IVth Azores International Advanced School in Space Sciences on "Asteroseismology and Exoplanets: Listening to the Stars and Searching for New Worlds" (arXiv:1709.00645), which took place in Horta, Azores Islands, Portugal in July 201

Successful Treatment for Hepatic Encephalopathy Aggravated by Portal Vein Thrombosis with Balloon-Occluded Retrograde Transvenous Obliteration

This report presents the case of a 78-year-old female with hepatic encephalopathy due to an inferior mesenteric venous-inferior vena cava shunt. She developed hepatocellular carcinoma affected by hepatitis C virus-related cirrhosis and underwent posterior sectionectomy. Portal vein thrombosis developed and the portal trunk was narrowed after hepatectomy. Portal vein thrombosis resulted in high portal pressure and increased blood flow in an inferior mesenteric venous-inferior vena cava shunt, and hepatic encephalopathy with hyperammonemia was aggravated. The hepatic encephalopathy aggravated by portal vein thrombosis was successfully treated by balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration via a right transjugular venous approach without the development of other collateral vessels