Photonic crystal spatial filtering in broad aperture diode laser

Broad aperture semiconductor lasers usually suffer from low spatial quality of the emitted beams. Due to the highly compact character of such lasers, the use of conventional intracavity spatial filters is problematic. We demonstrate that extremely compact photonic crystal spatial filters, incorporated into a laser resonator, can improve the beam spatial quality and, correspondingly, increase the brightness of the emitted radiation. We report the decrease in the M2 value from 47 down to 28 due to photonic crystal spatial intracavity filtering and the increase in the brightness by a factor of 1.5, giving a proof of principle of intracavity photonic crystal spatial filtering in broad area semiconductor lasers.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Field Emission from Self-Assembled Arrays of Lanthanum Monosulfide Nanoprotrusions

The field emission properties of LaS nanoprotrusions called nanodomes, formed by pulsed laser deposition on porous anodic alumina films, have been analyzed with scanning anode field emission microscopy. The voltage necessary to produce a given field emission current is 3.5 times less for nanodomes than for thin films. Assuming the same work function for LaS thin films and nanoprotrusions, that is, 1 eV, a field enhancement factor of 5.8 is extracted for the nanodome emitters from Fowler-Nordheim plots of the field emission data. This correlates well with the aspect ratio of the tallest nanodomes observed in atomic force micrograph measurements

Effective Treatment of Respiratory Alphaherpesvirus Infection Using RNA Interference

BACKGROUND: Equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1), a member of the Alphaherpesvirinae, is spread via nasal secretions and causes respiratory disease, neurological disorders and abortions. The virus is a significant equine pathogen, but current EHV-1 vaccines are only partially protective and effective metaphylactic and therapeutic agents are not available. Small interfering RNAs (siRNA's), delivered intranasally, could prove a valuable alternative for infection control. siRNA's against two essential EHV-1 genes, encoding the viral helicase (Ori) and glycoprotein B, were evaluated for their potential to decrease EHV-1 infection in a mouse model. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FNDINGS: siRNA therapy in vitro significantly reduced virus production and plaque size. Viral titers were reduced 80-fold with 37.5 pmol of a single siRNA or with as little as 6.25 pmol of each siRNA when used in combination. siRNA therapy in vivo significantly reduced viral replication and clinical signs. Intranasal treatment did not require a transport vehicle and proved effective when given up to 12 h before or after infection. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: siRNA treatment has potential for both prevention and early treatment of EHV-1 infections

Unjamming overcomes kinetic and proliferation arrest in terminally differentiated cells and promotes collective motility of carcinoma

During wound repair, branching morphogenesis and carcinoma dissemination, cellular rearrangements are fostered by a solid-to-liquid transition, known as unjamming. The biomolecular machinery behind unjamming and its pathophysiological relevance remain, however, unclear. Here, we study unjamming in a variety of normal and tumorigenic epithelial two-dimensional (2D) and 3D collectives. Biologically, the increased level of the small GTPase RAB5A sparks unjamming by promoting non-clathrin-dependent internalization of epidermal growth factor receptor that leads to hyperactivation of the kinase ERK1/2 and phosphorylation of the actin nucleator WAVE2. This cascade triggers collective motility effects with striking biophysical consequences. Specifically, unjamming in tumour spheroids is accompanied by persistent and coordinated rotations that progressively remodel the extracellular matrix, while simultaneously fluidizing cells at the periphery. This concurrent action results in collective invasion, supporting the concept that the endo-ERK1/2 pathway is a physicochemical switch to initiate collective invasion and dissemination of otherwise jammed carcinoma

Effect of the synergy of electric pulses and oregano essential oil in the inactivation of L. monocytogenes

[SPA] Listeria monocytogenes es actualmente una de las principales preocupaciones de la industria alimentaria. Aunque el número de casos reportados en la Unión Europea es relativamente, tiene una gran gravedad, con unas tasas de hospitalización y mortandad del 97% y del 16,7%, respectivamente. Debido a la ubicuidad de este microorganismo y su capacidad de crecer en numerosas matrices alimentarias, las empresas agroalimentarias deben aplicar tratamientos que inactiven las células de L. monocytogenes. En este trabajo, se estudió la cinética de inactivación de L. monocytogenes aislada de productos marinos sometida a un tratamiento combinado de PEAV con un aceite esencial de orégano. Los resultados demuestran esta sinergia, ya que se consiguió una mayor inactivación microbiana con un campo de 20 kV/cm, 1 Hz de frecuencia, 150 pulsos y una concentración de orégano de 1/2 MIC, superior a la obtenida en las muestras control. Llegando a la conclusión de que los PEAV impulsan el efecto del orégano sobre la membrana de la bacteria. [ENG] Nowadays Listeria monocytogenes is one of the main concerns of the food industry. The number of cases reported in the European Union is relatively low it is very serious, with rates of hospitalization and mortality of 97% and 16.7%, respectively. Due to the ubiquity of this organism and its capacity to grow in many food matrices, agri-food companies must apply treatments that inactivate the cells of L. monocytogenes. In this work, it was studied the kinetics of inactivation of L. monocytogenes isolated from marine products subjected to a combined treatment of PEF with an essential oil of oregano. The results show this synergy, since it got a greater inactivation microbial with a field of 20 KV/cm, 1 Hz frequency, 150 pulses and an oregano concentration of 1/2 MIC, higher than that obtained in control samples. Concluding that the PEF promote the effect of oregano on the bacterial cell membrane.Investigación apoyada por el MICINN (es) y FEDER a través de los proyectos AGL2017-86840-C2-1-R y AGL2016-82014-REDT

Correlation Between Anti-TNF Serum Levels and Endoscopic Inflammation in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients

Objectives: (a) To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of anti-TNF trough levels to predict mucosal healing in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); (b) to determine the best cut-off point to predict mucosal healing in IBD patients treated with anti-TNF. Methods: This is a multicenter, prospective study. IBD patients under anti-TNF treatment for at least 6 months that had to undergo an endoscopy were included. Mucosal healing was defined as: Simple endoscopic score for Crohn’s Disease < 3 for Crohn’s disease (CD), Rutgeerts score < i2 for CD in postoperative setting, or Mayo endoscopic score = 1 for ulcerative colitis (UC). Anti-TNF concentrations were measured using SMART ELISAs at trough. Results: A total of 182 patients were included. Anti-TNF trough levels were significantly higher among patients that had mucosal healing than among those who did not. The area under the curve of infliximab for mucosal healing was 0.63 (best cutoff value 3.4 µg/mL), and for adalimumab 0.60 (best cutoff value 7.2 µg/mL). In the multivariate analysis, having anti-TNF drug levels above the cutoff values [odds ratio (OR) 3.1]) and having UC instead of CD (OR 4) were associated with a higher probability of having mucosal healing. Additionally, the need for an escalated dosage (OR 0.2) and current smoking habit (OR 0.2) were also associated with a lower probability of mucosal healing. Conclusions: There was an association between anti-TNF trough levels and mucosal healing in IBD patients; however, the accuracy of the determination of infliximab and adalimumab concentrations able to predict mucosal healing was suboptimal

Symmetric and asymmetric DNA N6-adenine methylation regulates different biological responses in Mucorales

DNA N6-adenine methylation (6mA) has recently gained importance as an epigenetic modification in eukaryotes. Its function in lineages with high levels, such as early-diverging fungi (EDF), is of particular interest. Here, we investigated the biological significance and evolutionary implications of 6mA in EDF, which exhibit divergent evolutionary patterns in 6mA usage. The analysis of two Mucorales species displaying extreme 6mA usage reveals that species with high 6mA levels show symmetric methylation enriched in highly expressed genes. In contrast, species with low 6mA levels show mostly asymmetric 6mA. Interestingly, transcriptomic regulation throughout development and in response to environmental cues is associated with changes in the 6mA landscape. Furthermore, we identify an EDF-specific methyltransferase, likely originated from endosymbiotic bacteria, as responsible for asymmetric methylation, while an MTA-70 methylation complex performs symmetric methylation. The distinct phenotypes observed in the corresponding mutants reinforced the critical role of both types of 6mA in EDF

Field Emission from Self-Assembled Arrays of Lanthanum Monosulfide Nanoprotrusions

The field emission properties of LaS nanoprotrusions called nanodomes, formed by pulsed laser deposition on porous anodic alumina films, have been analyzed with scanning anode field emission microscopy. The voltage necessary to produce a given field emission current is ∼3.5 times less for nanodomes than for thin films. Assuming the same work function for LaS thin films and nanoprotrusions, that is, ∼1 eV, a field enhancement factor of ∼5.8 is extracted for the nanodome emitters from Fowler-Nordheim plots of the field emission data. This correlates well with the aspect ratio of the tallest nanodomes observed in atomic force micrograph measurements

Field Emission from Self-Assembled Arrays of Lanthanum Monosulfide Nanoprotrusions

The field emission properties of LaS nanoprotrusions called nanodomes, formed by pulsed laser deposition on porous anodic alumina films, have been analyzed with scanning anode field emission microscopy. The voltage necessary to produce a given field emission current is ∼3.5 times less for nanodomes than for thin films. Assuming the same work function for LaS thin films and nanoprotrusions, that is, ∼1 eV, a field enhancement factor of ∼5.8 is extracted for the nanodome emitters from FowlerNordheim plots of the field emission data. This correlates well with the aspect ratio of the tallest nanodomes observed in atomic force micrograph measurements. The promise of producing extremely high current densities in near-vacuum with no external source (such as heater, primary electron-beam, or intense light source) has generated significant interest in robust, reproducible, and fieldemission-based cold cathodes Recently, we reported the first successful deposition of lanthanum monosulfide (LaS) thin films on Si substrates using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) The nanodomes are cone-shaped LaS structures with base diameter 2r ranging from 50 to 100 nm and height h ranging from 100 to 150 nm. They were found to grow on the boundaries separating regions of the anodic alumina film that have near perfect pore ordering. Their density is ∼10 9 /cm 2 , as extracted from the field emission-scanning electron micrographs (FE-SEM) and atomic force micrographs (AFM) such as those shown in The SAFEM technique was used to measure the FE current-voltage (I-V) characteristics at different surface locations. As the nanowires are buried inside the pores, they contribute very little, if any at all, to the net FE current. Moreover, FE measurements from the arrays of nanodomes and nanodots were possible because the regions joining adjacent nanodomes and nanodots are covered with a thin percolating network of LaS over the entire array. Its presence was confirmed by measuring a low resistance value of about 2 Ohms between two electrical contacts about 1 cm apart. For each location, a full set of I-V characteristics (total measured current versus applied voltage) for different values of d, the distance between the cathode surface and the probe ball, was measured. This set of measurements was then analyzed in order to extract the apparent current density αJ versus actual applied local field γF, where γ is the local geometrical field enhancement at the surface of the cathode In order to assess the FE properties from LaS nanoprotrusions, we have compared the FE from nanodome cathodes with that from planar thin film LaS cathodes. This comparative methodology was chosen because a precise quantitative estimation of γ from topographic measurements is still subject to controversy, except for a flat surface. These experimental measurements were performed for both LaS thin films of 100 nm thickness on Si wafers and LaS nanodomes on anodic alumina films. The analysis consisted of the following steps. (1) In order to restrict the analysis of the differences in the I-V data to the surface morphology of the cathodes, both SAFEM measurements were performed with the same probe ball-to-cathode distance d = 3.65 μm. Typical I-V characteristics are shown in (2) The total FE current versus applied voltage (I-V) characteristics were measured for different values of the probe-ball-to-cathode-surface distance d. From these data, the apparent current densities (α t f J and α nd J) as a a function of the applied local field were extracted ACKNOWLEDGMEN