Lawson criterion for ignition exceeded in an inertial fusion experiment

For more than half a century, researchers around the world have been engaged in attempts to achieve fusion ignition as a proof of principle of various fusion concepts. Following the Lawson criterion, an ignited plasma is one where the fusion heating power is high enough to overcome all the physical processes that cool the fusion plasma, creating a positive thermodynamic feedback loop with rapidly increasing temperature. In inertially confined fusion, ignition is a state where the fusion plasma can begin "burn propagation" into surrounding cold fuel, enabling the possibility of high energy gain. While "scientific breakeven" (i.e., unity target gain) has not yet been achieved (here target gain is 0.72, 1.37 MJ of fusion for 1.92 MJ of laser energy), this Letter reports the first controlled fusion experiment, using laser indirect drive, on the National Ignition Facility to produce capsule gain (here 5.8) and reach ignition by nine different formulations of the Lawson criterion

Design and synthesis of tryptophan containing peptides as potential analgesic and anti-inflammatory agents

A new series of smaller peptides with tryptophan at C-terminal and varying N-protected amino acids/peptides were designed, synthesized and characterized by analytical and spectroscopic techniques. Analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties of these peptides were carried out in vivo using tail-flick method and carrageenan-induced paw edema method, respectively, at different doses and different time intervals. Most of the peptides synthesized displayed enhanced activity, and particularly tetra and hexapeptides 29–31 were found to be even more potent than the reference standards used. Moreover, some peptides have exhibited promising activity even after 24 h of administration, whereas the reference standards were active only up to 3 h. Further, the compounds did not present any ulcerogenic liability. Copyright © 2012 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Inhibition of influenza A virus replication by short double-stranded oligodeoxynucleotides

Influenza A virus causes prevalent respiratory tract infections in humans. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) and antisense oligonucleotides (asODNs) have been used previously for silencing the RNA genome of influenza virus. Here, we explored the use of partially double-stranded oligodeoxynucleotides (dsODNs) to suppress the production of influenza A virus in cell cultures and animal models. We were able to inhibit influenza A virus replication in cultured human lung cells as well as in the lungs of infected C57BL/6 mice by treatment with dsODN 3-h post-infection. In about 20% of the cases (15/77) the titer was reduced by 10- to 100-fold and in 10% up to 1,000-fold. The antiviral effects of dsODNs were dose-dependent, sequence-dependent and comparable to those of its antisense and siRNA analogues. Thus, dsODNs may be developed as an additional class of nucleic acids for the inhibition of influenza virus replication