III-V Bismide Optoelectronic Devices

This dissertation explores modeling, molecular beam epitaxy growth, and fabrication of III-V bismide optoelectronic devices, which are of great importance in modern applications of telecommunication, gas sensing, environment monitoring, etc. In the current room-temperature continuous-wave operational GaSb-based type-I InGaAsSb/AlGaInAsSb quantum well laser diodes in 3-4 um mid-wavelength range, the lasing wavelength and performance of the devices are limited due to the lack of hole confinement in the active regions. In this dissertation, a novel GaSb-based GaInAsSbBi material is proposed to replace the conventional InGaAsSb material in the quantum well region, which enables the laser diodes achieve up to 4 µm optical transition wavelength with significantly enhanced hole confinement. Moreover, quasi-Al-free laser diode designs are realized for the first time in this wavelength range by employing GaInAsSbBi/GaSb active region and InGaAsSb cladding layers, which considerably improves the reliability of the laser diodes. In addition, GaInAsSbBi material is proposed to be used for high efficiency thermophotovoltaic devices. It provides narrower bandgap than traditionally InGaAsSb material so that more low-energy photons can be utilized during the energy conversion to achieve higher effiency. In the development of GaAsBi/GaAs temperature-insensitve optoelectronic devices, laser diodes have not been realized due to the lack of separate confinement heterostructures, which is bottlenecked by the difficulty of growing high quality AlGaAs barrier layers at low temperatures. In this work, we systematically investigate the effects of Bi during the growth of GaAsBi and propose Bi-mediated growth to grow high quality AlGaAs at low temperatures. GaAsBi/GaAs/AlGaAs single quantum well and double quantum well separate confinement heterostructures with excellent structural and optical properties are grown using molecular beam epitaxy with the upper AlGaAs layers grown at 320 °C. The surfactant effect of Bi is evidenced by the presence of a (1×3) surface reconstruction throughout the growth of AlGaAs. The Bi surfactant mediated growth of AlGaAs at low temperatures is reported for the first time. Process flows and photomasks are developed to fabricate optoelectronic devices. The capability and flexibility of the processes are successfully demonstrated by the fabrication of high performance GaAs quantum well laser diodes and InAs quantum dots light emitting diodes

Neutrophils: a subgroup of neglected immune cells in ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by the loss of motor neurons. Dysregulated peripheral immunity has been identified as a hallmark of ALS. Neutrophils, as the front-line responders of innate immunity, contribute to host defense through pathogen clearance. However, they can concurrently play a detrimental role in chronic inflammation. With the unveiling of novel functions of neutrophils in neurodegenerative diseases, it becomes essential to review our current understanding of neutrophils and to recognize the gap in our knowledge about their role in ALS. Thus, a detailed comprehension of the biological processes underlying neutrophil-induced pathogenesis in ALS may assist in identifying potential cell-based therapeutic strategies to delay disease progression

DYNAMIC EFFECTS OF EQUIVALENT TRUNCATED MOORING SYSTEMS FOR A SEMI-SUBMERSIBLE PLATFORM

Physical model tests of floater with full-depth mooring system present obstacles because no tank is sufficiently large to perform model testing in reasonable scale. This paper presents numerical simulation on design method of equivalent truncated mooring systems for model testing of offshore platforms in wave basin. Based on static and dynamic equivalent, two approaches are used to design the truncated mooring systems, respectively. Considering a semi-submersible platform with full-depth and corresponding two equivalent truncated mooring systems, the floater responses and mooring line tensions are compared. The feasibility of model test with equivalent truncated mooring systems is discussed

Molecular characterization of a novel thermostable laccase PPLCC2 from the brown rot fungus Postia placenta MAD-698-R

AbstractBackgroundLaccase has been considered important for the degradation of lignocellulose by wood rot fungi. The properties and functions of laccase in white rot fungi have been investigated extensively, but those from brown rot fungi remain largely unknown. In this paper, a laccase isoform Pplcc2 from the brown rot fungus Postia placenta MAD-698-R was expressed heterologously in Pichia pastoris GS115, purified and the properties of the enzyme were determined.ResultsThe molecular weight of the protein was determined to be 67kDa using SDS-PAGE. It cannot oxidize syringaldazine (SGZ), but it can oxidize 2,2′-azino-di-(3-ethylbenzothialozin-6-Sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and 2,6-dimethoxyphenol (DMP). Specific activity for ABTS was 1960±19Unit/mg. The catalytic constant (kcat) was 1213±18.3s-1 for ABTS and 293.2±21.9s-1 for DMP. Km was 22.08μM for ABTS and 11.62μM for DMP. The optimal pH for the oxidation of ABTS and DMP was 3.5 and 5.0 respectively. The optimal temperature for the oxidation of ABTS and DMP was 60°C.ConclusionsThis is the first identified thermo activated and thermostable laccase in brown rot fungi. This investigation will contribute to understanding the roles played by laccases in brown rot fungi

Modulation of determinants of myocardial function and energetics by stunning and heart failure

Diminished contractile function may occur in regional myocardium or present itself as global hypokinesis. Abnormality in contractile function of regional myocardium is usually the result of ischemia with or without subsequent restoration of blood flow, while global hypokinesis is often seen in congestive heart failure. Experimental investigations, however, have implicated that, among other factors, an abnonnality in excitation contraction coupling of the myocardium could serve as a potential mechanism for both regional and global contractile abnormality

Screening for CCNF Mutations in a Chinese Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Cohort

Previous research has identified CCNF mutations in familial (FALS) and sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (SALS), as well as in frontotemporal dementia (FTD). The aim of our study was to measure the frequency of CCNF mutations in a Chinese population. In total, 78 FALS patients, 581 SALS patients and 584 controls were included. We found 19 missense mutations, nine synonymous mutations and two intron variants. According to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) standards and guidelines for the interpretation of sequence variants, eight variants were judged to be pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants. The frequency of such variants was 2.56% in FALS and 1.03% in SALS. In conclusion, CCNF mutations are common in FALS and SALS patients of Chinese origin, and further study is still needed

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis genetic studies: from genome-wide association mapping to genome sequencing

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease of obscure etiology. Multiple genetic studies have been conducted to advance our understanding of the disease, employing a variety of techniques such as linkage mapping in families, to genome-wide association studies and sequencing based approaches such as whole exome sequencing and whole genome sequencing and a few epigenetic analyses. While major progress has been made, the majority of the genetic variation involved in ALS is yet to be undefined. The optimal study designs to investigate ALS depend on the genetic model for the disease, and it is likely that different approaches will be required to map genes involved in familial and sporadic disease. The potential approaches and their strengths and weaknesses are discussed

Identification and Analysis of Intermediate Size Noncoding RNAs in the Human Fetal Brain

The involvement of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) in the development of the human brain remains largely unknown. Applying a cloning strategy for detection of intermediate size (50–500 nt) ncRNAs (is-ncRNAs) we have identified 82 novel transcripts in human fetal brain tissue. Most of the novel is-ncRNAs are not well conserved in vertebrates, and several transcripts were only found in primates. Northern blot and microarray analysis indicated considerable variation in expression across human fetal brain development stages and fetal tissues for both novel and known is-ncRNAs. Expression of several of the novel is-ncRNAs was conspicuously absent in one or two brain cancer cell lines, and transient overexpression of some transcripts in cancer cells significantly inhibited cell proliferation. Overall, our results suggest that is-ncRNAs play important roles in the development and tumorigenesis of human brain

Mechanical efficiency of stunned myocardium is modulated by increased afterload dependency

Oxygen consumption (MVO2) of stunned myocardium is relatively high compared to, and poorly correlated with, systolic contractile function. The aim of this study was to investigate whether an increased afterload dependency, induced by the decreased contractility of the stunned myocardium, contributes to the large variability in the mechanical efficiency data. Methods: In 13 anaesthetised open thorax pigs undergoing two cycles of 10 min occlusion of left anterior descending coronary artery and 30 min reperfusion, segment shortening, the slope of end systolic pressure segment length relationship (Ees), external work (EW, derived from the area inside the left ventricular pressure segment length loop), the efficiency of energy conversion (EET, = Embedded Image × 100%, where PLA = total pressure-segment length area), mechanical efficiency (Embedded Image), and their dependency on left ventricular end systolic pressure (Pes) were determined before and after induction of stunning, and during subsequent inotropic stimulation with dobutamine (1 and 3 μg·kg−1·min−1 over 15 min). Results: The stunning protocol not only caused significant decreases in segment shortening, external work, energy conversion efficiency, and Embedded Image but also increased the afterload dependency of these variab Before stunning an increase in Pes from 100 to 160 mm Hg decreased segment shortening from 18(SEM 1)% to 14(2)% (P > 0.05) and increased external work from 206(18) to 254(32) mm Hg·mm (P < 0.05). After induction of stunning the same increase in Pes caused a decrease in segment shortening from 9.5(1.8)% to −4.6(2.1)% (P < 0.05) and in external work from 149(21) to −11(10) mm Hg·mm (P < 0.05). The afterload dependency of the PLA was not altered by stunning, but the afterload dependency of energy conversion efficiency increased, since efficiency decreased from 67(3)% to 59(5)% as Pes was increased from 100 to 160 mm Hg before stunning, but from 57(5) to −7(5)% after induction of stunning (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the same increase in Pes resulted in an 8% decrease of Embedded Image before stunning and 107% after inducti stunning. Infusion of dobutamine not only restored segment shortening, external work, energy conversion efficiency, and Embedded Image of the stunned myocardium, but also attenuated their afterload dependency to levels. Conclusions: Myocardial stunning increases the afterload dependency of segment shortening, external work, energy conversion efficiency, and mechanical efficiency, which can be attenuated by inotropic stimulation with dobutamine. However, the decrease in left ventricular end systolic pressure, which accompanies the induction of stunning, counteracts the decrease in these variables. These two mechanisms can explain most of the reported scatter in mechanical efficiency