97 research outputs found
Characterization of the chloroquine resistance transporter homologue in Toxoplasma gondii
Mutations in the Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter (PfCRT) protein confer resistance to the antima-larial drug chloroquine. PfCRT localizes to the parasite digestive vacuole, the site of chloroquine action, where it mediates resistance by transporting chloroquine out of the digestive vacuole. PfCRT belongs to a family of transporter proteins called the chlo-roquine resistance transporter family. CRT family proteins are found throughout the Apicomplexa, in some protists, and in plants. Despite the importance of PfCRT in drug resistance, little is known about the evolution or native function of CRT proteins. The apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii contains one CRT family protein. We demonstrate that T. gondii CRT (TgCRT) colocalizes with markers for the vacuolar (VAC) compartment in these parasites. The TgCRT-containing VAC is a highly dynamic organelle, changing its morphology and protein composition between intracellular and extracellular forms of the parasite. Regulated knockdown of TgCRT expression resulted in modest reduction in parasite fitness and swelling of the VAC, indicating that TgCRT contributes to parasite growth and VAC physiology. Together, our findings provide new information on the role of CRT family proteins in apicomplexan parasites
Reduction of anomalous heating in an in-situ-cleaned ion trap
Anomalous heating of trapped atomic ions is a major obstacle to their use as
quantum bits in a scalable quantum computer. The physical origin of this
heating is not fully understood, but experimental evidence suggests that it is
caused by electric-field noise emanating from the surface of the trap
electrodes. In this study, we have investigated the role that adsorbates on the
electrodes play by identifying contaminant overlayers, developing an in situ
argon-ion beam cleaning procedure, and measuring ion heating rates before and
after cleaning the trap electrodes' surfaces. We find a reduction of two orders
of magnitude in heating rate after cleaning.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figur
Optical Response of DyN
We report measurements of the optical response of polycrystalline DyN thin
films. The frequency-dependent complex refractive index in the near
IR-visible-near UV was determined by fitting reflection/transmission spectra.
In conjunction with resistivity measurements these identify DyN as a
semiconductor with 1.2 eV optical gap. When doped by nitrogen vacancies it
shows free carrier absorption and a blue-shifted gap associated with the
Moss-Burstein effect. The refractive index of 2.0+/-0.1 depends only weakly on
energy. Far infrared reflectivity data show a polar phonon of frequency 280
cm-1 and dielectric strength delta epsilon= 20
Inductively guided circuits for ultracold dressed atoms
Recent progress in optics, atomic physics and material science has paved the way to study quantum effects in ultracold atomic alkali gases confined to non-trivial geometries. Multiply connected traps for cold atoms can be prepared by combining inhomogeneous distributions of DC and radio-frequency electromagnetic fields with optical fields that require complex systems for frequency control and stabilization. Here we propose a flexible and robust scheme that creates closed quasi-one-dimensional guides for ultracold atoms through the âdressingâ of hyperfine sublevels of the atomic ground state, where the dressing field is spatially modulated by inductive effects over a micro-engineered conducting loop. Remarkably, for commonly used atomic species (for example, 7Li and 87Rb), the guide operation relies entirely on controlling static and low-frequency fields in the regimes of radio-frequency and microwave frequencies. This novel trapping scheme can be implemented with current technology for micro-fabrication and electronic control
AEGIS at CERN: Measuring Antihydrogen Fall
The main goal of the AEGIS experiment at the CERN Antiproton Decelerator is
the test of fundamental laws such as the Weak Equivalence Principle (WEP) and
CPT symmetry. In the first phase of AEGIS, a beam of antihydrogen will be
formed whose fall in the gravitational field is measured in a Moire'
deflectometer; this will constitute the first test of the WEP with antimatter.Comment: Presented at the Fifth Meeting on CPT and Lorentz Symmetry,
Bloomington, Indiana, June 28-July 2, 201
Genetic Indicators of Drug Resistance in the Highly Repetitive Genome of Trichomonas vaginalis
Trichomonas vaginalis, the most common nonviral sexually transmitted parasite, causes âŒ283 million trichomoniasis infections annually and is associated with pregnancy complications and increased risk of HIV-1 acquisition. The antimicrobial drug metronidazole is used for treatment, but in a fraction of clinical cases, the parasites can become resistant to this drug. We undertook sequencing of multiple clinical isolates and lab derived lines to identify genetic markers and mechanisms of metronidazole resistance. Reduced representation genome sequencing of âŒ100 T. vaginalis clinical isolates identified 3,923 SNP markers and presence of a bipartite population structure. Linkage disequilibrium was found to decay rapidly, suggesting genome-wide recombination and the feasibility of genetic association studies in the parasite. We identified 72 SNPs associated with metronidazole resistance, and a comparison of SNPs within several lab-derived resistant lines revealed an overlap with the clinically resistant isolates. We identified SNPs in genes for which no function has yet been assigned, as well as in functionally-characterized genes relevant to drug resistance (e.g., pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase). Transcription profiles of resistant strains showed common changes in genes involved in drug activation (e.g., flavin reductase), accumulation (e.g., multidrug resistance pump), and detoxification (e.g., nitroreductase). Finally, we identified convergent genetic changes in lab-derived resistant lines of Tritrichomonas foetus, a distantly related species that causes venereal disease in cattle. Shared genetic changes within and between T. vaginalis and Tr. foetus parasites suggest conservation of the pathways through which adaptation has occurred. These findings extend our knowledge of drug resistance in the parasite, providing a panel of markers that can be used as a diagnostic tool
A reliable cw Lyman- laser source for future cooling of antihydrogen
We demonstrate a reliable continuous-wave (cw) laser source at the
1\,--2\, transition in (anti)hydrogen at 121.56\,nm (Lyman-)
based on four-wave sum-frequency mixing in mercury. A two-photon resonance in
the four-wave mixing scheme is essential for a powerful cw Lyman-
source and is well investigated.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, Proceedings of LEAP 201
Proposed antimatter gravity measurement with an antihydrogen beam
The principle of the equivalence of gravitational and inertial mass is one of the cornerstones of general relativity. Considerable efforts have been made and are still being made to verify its validity. A quantum-mechanical formulation of gravity allows for non-Newtonian contributions to the force which might lead to a difference in the gravitational force on matter and antimatter. While it is widely expected that the gravitational interaction of matter and of antimatter should be identical, this assertion has never been tested experimentally. With the production of large amounts of cold antihydrogen at the CERN Antiproton Decelerator, such a test with neutral antimatter atoms has now become feasible. For this purpose, we have proposed to set up the AEGIS experiment at CERN/AD, whose primary goal will be the direct measurement of the Earth's gravitational acceleration on antihydrogen with a classical Moiré deflectometer. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
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