Fabrication of Phononic-Isolated Kinetic Inductance Detectors

Kinetic inductance detectors (KID) have received increased interest due to their relative ease of fabrication, low noise, and scalability to large format arrays required by next generation of astronomical telescopes. The development of KIDs has progressed rapidly, with very low noise equivalent power demonstrated by several groups and KIDs arrays implemented in several ground-based and air-borne instruments. In this paper, we describe a new fabrication process which consists of a membrane isolated KID incorporating a phononic bandgap structure tuned to block recombination phonons from escaping to the thermal bath. This architecture is designed to increase the quasi-particle lifetime and results in increased responsivity to signal photons and lower noise. These devices have been fabricated as lumped-element resonators with hafnium inductors and Nb capacitors on low stress silicon nitride and silicon-on-insulator membranes. We discuss the fabrication process, which uses a combination of sub-micron laser based direct write lithography and nanoscale electron beam lithography

Antifungal and biofilm inhibitory effect of Cymbopogon citratus (lemongrass) essential oil on biofilm forming by Candida tropicalis isolates; an in vitro study

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Cymbopogon citratus (lemongrass) essential oil has been widely used as a traditional medicine and is well known for antimicrobial properties. Therefore, it might be a potent anti-infective and biofilm inhibitive against Candida tropicalis infections. Until now, no ideal coating or cleaning method based on an essential oil has been described to prevent biofilm formation of Candida strains on silicone rubber maxillofacial prostheses, voice prostheses and medical devices susceptible to C. tropicalis infections.Aim of the study: To investigate the antifungal and biofilm inhibitory effects of Cymbopogon citratus oil. Clinical isolates of C. tropicalis biofilms on different biomaterials were used to study the inhibitory effect.Materials and methods: The efficacy of Cymbopogon citratus, Cuminum cyminum, Citrus Limon and Cinnamomum verum essential oils were compared on biofilm formation of three C. tropicalis isolates on 24 well polystyrene plates. C. citratus oil coated silicone rubber surfaces were prepared using hypromellose ointment as a vehicle. The antifungal tests to determine minimum inhibitory and minimum fungicidal concentrations were assessed by a microbroth dilution method and biofilm formation was determined by a crystal violet binding assay.Results: C. tropicalis strains formed more biofilm on hydrophobic materials than on hydrophilic glass. C. citratus oil showed a high antifungal effect against all C. tropicalis strains. For comparison, C. limon oil and C. cyminum oil showed minor to no killing effect against the C. tropicalis strains. C. citratus oil had the lowest minimal inhibitory concentration of all essential oils tested and inhibited biofilm formation of all C. tropicalis strains. C. citratus oil coating on silicone rubber resulted in a 45-76% reduction in biofilm formation of all C. tropicalis strains.Conclusion: Cymbopogon citratus oil has good potential to be used as an antifungal and antibiofilm agent on silicone rubber prostheses and medical devices on which C. tropicalis biofilms pose a serious risk for skin infections and may cause a shorter lifespan of the prosthesis.</p

Vanillic acid and methoxyhydroquinone production from guaiacyl units and related aromatic compounds using Aspergillus niger cell factories

Background The aromatic compounds vanillin and vanillic acid are important fragrances used in the food, beverage, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Currently, most aromatic compounds used in products are chemically synthesized, while only a small percentage is extracted from natural sources. The metabolism of vanillin and vanillic acid has been studied for decades in microorganisms and many studies have been conducted that showed that both can be produced from ferulic acid using bacteria. In contrast, the degradation of vanillin and vanillic acid by fungi is poorly studied and no genes involved in this metabolic pathway have been identified. In this study, we aimed to clarify this metabolic pathway in Aspergillus niger and identify the genes involved. Results Using whole-genome transcriptome data, four genes involved in vanillin and vanillic acid metabolism were identified. These include vanillin dehydrogenase (vdhA), vanillic acid hydroxylase (vhyA), and two genes encoding novel enzymes, which function as methoxyhydroquinone 1,2-dioxygenase (mhdA) and 4-oxo-monomethyl adipate esterase (omeA). Deletion of these genes in A. niger confirmed their role in aromatic metabolism and the enzymatic activities of these enzymes were verified. In addition, we demonstrated that mhdA and vhyA deletion mutants can be used as fungal cell factories for the accumulation of vanillic acid and methoxyhydroquinone from guaiacyl lignin units and related aromatic compounds. Conclusions This study provides new insights into the fungal aromatic metabolic pathways involved in the degradation of guaiacyl units and related aromatic compounds. The identification of the involved genes unlocks new potential for engineering aromatic compound-producing fungal cell factories.Peer reviewe

Cost-Utility of Using Alzheimer's Disease Biomarkers in Cerebrospinal Fluid to Predict Progression from Mild Cognitive Impairment to Dementia

Background: Diagnostic research criteria for Alzheimer's disease support the use of biomarkers in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to improve the accuracy of the prognosis regarding progression to dementia for people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Objective: The aim of this study was to estimate the potential incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of adding CSF biomarker testing to the standard diagnostic workup to determine the prognosis for patients with MCI. Methods: In an early technology assessment, a mathematical simulation model was built, using available evidence on added prognostic value as well as expert opinion to estimate the incremental costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) of 20,000 virtual MCI patients with (intervention strategy) and without (control strategy) relying on CSF, from a health-care sector perspective and with a 5-year time horizon. Results: Adding the CSF test improved the accuracy of prognosis by 11%. This resulted in an average QALY gain of 0.046 and € 432 additional costs per patient, representing an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of € 9,416. Conclusion: The results show the potential of CSF biomarkers in current practice from a health-economics perspective. This result was, however, marked by a high degree of uncertainty, and empirical research is required into the impact of a prognosis on worrying, false-positive/negative prognosis, and stigmatization

RLP/K enrichment sequencing; a novel method to identify receptor-like protein (RLP) and receptor-like kinase (RLK) genes

The identification of immune receptors in crop plants is time-consuming but important for disease control. Previously, resistance gene enrichment sequencing (RenSeq) was developed to accelerate mapping of nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat containing (NLR) genes. However, resistances mediated by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) remain less utilized. Here, our pipeline shows accelerated mapping of PRRs. Effectoromics leads to precise identification of plants with target PRRs, and subsequent RLP/K enrichment sequencing (RLP/KSeq) leads to detection of informative single nucleotide polymorphisms that are linked to the trait. Using Phytophthora infestans as a model, we identified Solanum microdontum plants that recognize the apoplastic effectors INF1 or SCR74. RLP/KSeq in a segregating Solanum population confirmed the localization of the INF1 receptor on chromosome 12, and led to the rapid mapping of the response to SCR74 to chromosome 9. By using markers obtained from RLP/KSeq in conjunction with additional markers, we fine-mapped the SCR74 receptor to a 43-kbp G-LecRK locus. Our findings show that RLP/KSeq enables rapid mapping of PRRs and is especially beneficial for crop plants with large and complex genomes. This work will enable the elucidation and characterization of the nonNLR plant immune receptors and ultimately facilitate informed resistance breeding.</p