Noise and Equivalent Circuit of Double Injection

Measurements of the high‐frequency noise of a silicon double‐injection diode result in 〈i^2〉 = α⋅4kT(1/r)Δf with α=1.04 and in agreement with the literature. A new interpretation demands Nyquist noise with α≡1 in these devices at high frequencies. This is in accord with an equivalent circuit derived for the double‐injection process. Speculations are made on the general validity of Nyquist noise in nonlinear devices at high frequencies. In addition, generation‐recombination noise is suggested as the prime source of the low‐frequency noise

ELISA-Based Measurement of Antibody Responses and PCR-Based Detection Profiles Can Distinguish between Active Infection and Early Clearance of Borrelia burgdorferi

Borrelia burgdorferi is a spirochetal bacterium that causes Lyme disease. These studies address whether current research methods using either ELISA to detect seroconversion to B. burgdorferi antigens or PCR quantification of bacterial DNA within tissues can accurately distinguish between a productive infection versus a B. burgdorferi exposure that is rapidly cleared by the innate responses. Mice receiving even minimal doses of live B. burgdorferi produced significantly more B. burgdorferi-specific IgM and IgG than groups receiving large inocula of heat-killed bacteria. Additionally, sera from mice injected with varied doses of killed B. burgdorferi recognized unique borrelial antigens compared to mice infected with live B. burgdorferi. Intradermal injection of killed B. burgdorferi resulted in rapid DNA clearance from skin, whereas DNA was consistently detected in skin inoculated with viable B. burgdorferi. These data indicate that both ELISA-based serological analyses and PCR-based methods of assessing B. burgdorferi infection clearly distinguish between an established infection with live bacteria and exposure to large numbers of bacteria that are promptly cleared by the innate responses