Highly Efficient Coupling of Nanolight Emitters to a Ultra-wide Tunable Nanofibre Cavity

Solid-state microcavities combining ultra-small mode volume, wide-range resonance frequency tuning, as well as lossless coupling to a single mode fibre are integral tools for nanophotonics and quantum networks. We developed an integrated system providing all of these three indispensable properties. It consists of a nanofibre Bragg cavity (NFBC) with the mode volume of under 1 micro cubic meter and repeatable tuning capability over more than 20 nm at visible wavelengths. In order to demonstrate quantum light-matter interaction, we establish coupling of quantum dots to our tunable NFBC and achieve an emission enhancement by a factor of 2.7.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figures, including Supporting Information (5 pages, 4 figures), accepted for SCIENTIFC REPORT

Non-contact detection of nanoscale structures using optical nanofiber

The detection of nanoscale structure/material property in a wide observation area is becoming very important in various application fields. However, it is difficult to utilize current optical technologies. Toward the realization of novel alternative, we have investigated a new optical sensing method using an optical nanofiber. When the nanofiber vertically approached a glass prism with a partial gold film, the material differences between the glass and the gold were detected as a transmittance difference of 6% with a vertical resolution of 9.6 nm. The nanofiber was also scanned 100 nm above an artificial small protruding object with a width of 240 nm. The object was detected with a horizontal resolution of 630 nm, which was less than the wavelength of the probe light

CD4+ T Responses Other Than Th1 Type Are Preferentially Induced by Latency-Associated Antigens in the State of Latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) produces a diverse range of antigenic proteins in its dormant phase. The cytokine profiles of CD4+ T cell responses, especially subsets other than Th1 type (non-Th1 type), against these latency-associated M. tuberculosis antigens such as α-crystallin (Acr), heparin-binding hemagglutinin (HBHA), and mycobacterial DNA-binding protein 1 (MDP-1) remain elusive in relation to the clinical stage of M. tuberculosis infection. In the present study, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) collected from different stages of M. tuberculosis-infected cases and control PBMCs were stimulated with these antigens and ESAT-6/CFP-10. Cytokine profiles of CD4+ T cells were evaluated by intracellular cytokine staining using multicolor flow cytometry. Our results demonstrate that Th1 cytokine responses were predominant after TB onset independent of the type of antigen stimulation. On the contrary, non-Th1 cytokine responses were preferentially induced by latency-associated M. tuberculosis antigens, specifically IL-10 response against Acr in latent M. tuberculosis infection. From these results, we surmise a shift in the CD4+ T cell response from mixed non-Th1 to Th1 dominant type during TB progression

CD4+ T Responses Other Than Th1 Type Are Preferentially Induced by Latency-Associated Antigens in the State of Latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) produces a diverse range of antigenic proteins in its dormant phase. The cytokine profiles of CD4+ T cell responses, especially subsets other than Th1 type (non-Th1 type), against these latency-associated M. tuberculosis antigens such as α-crystallin (Acr), heparin-binding hemagglutinin (HBHA), and mycobacterial DNA-binding protein 1 (MDP-1) remain elusive in relation to the clinical stage of M. tuberculosis infection. In the present study, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) collected from different stages of M. tuberculosis-infected cases and control PBMCs were stimulated with these antigens and ESAT-6/CFP-10. Cytokine profiles of CD4+ T cells were evaluated by intracellular cytokine staining using multicolor flow cytometry. Our results demonstrate that Th1 cytokine responses were predominant after TB onset independent of the type of antigen stimulation. On the contrary, non-Th1 cytokine responses were preferentially induced by latency-associated M. tuberculosis antigens, specifically IL-10 response against Acr in latent M. tuberculosis infection. From these results, we surmise a shift in the CD4+ T cell response from mixed non-Th1 to Th1 dominant type during TB progression

Differences in AMPA and Kainate Receptor Interactomes Facilitate Identification of AMPA Receptor Auxiliary Subunit GSG1L

AMPA receptor (AMPA-R) complexes consist of channel-forming subunits, GluA1-4, and auxiliary proteins, including TARPs, CNIHs, synDIG1, and CKAMP44, which can modulate AMPA-R function in specific ways. The combinatorial effects of four GluA subunits binding to various auxiliary subunits amplify the functional diversity of AMPA-Rs. The significance and magnitude of molecular diversity, however, remain elusive. To gain insight into the molecular complexity of AMPA and kainate receptors, we compared the proteins that copurify with each receptor type in the rat brain. This interactome study identified the majority of known interacting proteins and, more importantly, provides candidates for additional studies. We validate the claudin homolog GSG1L as a newly identified binding protein and unique modulator of AMPA-R gating, as determined by detailed molecular, cellular, electrophysiological, and biochemical experiments. GSG1L extends the functional variety of AMPA-R complexes, and further investigation of other candidates may reveal additional complexity of ionotropic glutamate receptor function