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Sample records for cdc light traps

  1. Trapping of Rift Valley Fever (RVF vectors using Light Emitting Diode (LED CDC traps in two arboviral disease hot spots in Kenya

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tchouassi David P

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Mosquitoes’ response to artificial lights including color has been exploited in trap designs for improved sampling of mosquito vectors. Earlier studies suggest that mosquitoes are attracted to specific wavelengths of light and thus the need to refine techniques to increase mosquito captures following the development of super-bright light-emitting diodes (LEDs which emit narrow wavelengths of light or very specific colors. Therefore, we investigated if LEDs can be effective substitutes for incandescent lamps used in CDC light traps for mosquito surveillance, and if so, determine the best color for attraction of important Rift Valley Fever (RFV vectors. Methods The efficiency of selected colored LED CDC light traps (red, green, blue, violet, combination of blue-green-red (BGR to sample RVF vectors was evaluated relative to incandescent light (as control in a CDC light trap in two RVF hotspots (Marigat and Ijara districts in Kenya. In field experiments, traps were baited with dry ice and captures evaluated for Aedes tricholabis, Ae. mcintoshi, Ae. ochraceus, Mansonia uniformis, Mn. africana and Culex pipiens, following Latin square design with days as replicates. Daily mosquito counts per treatment were analyzed using a generalized linear model with Negative Binomial error structure and log link using R. The incidence rate ratios (IRR that mosquito species chose other treatments instead of the control, were estimated. Results Seasonal preference of Ae.mcintoshi and Ae. ochraceus at Ijara was evident with a bias towards BGR and blue traps respectively in one trapping period but this pattern waned during another period at same site with significantly low numbers recorded in all colored traps except blue relative to the control. Overall results showed that higher captures of all species were recorded in control traps compared to the other LED traps (IRR  Conclusion Based on our trapping design and color, none of the LEDs

  2. The influence of moonlight and lunar periodicity on the efficacy of CDC light trap in sampling Phlebotomus (Larroussius) orientalis Parrot, 1936 and other Phlebotomus sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in Ethiopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gebresilassie, Araya; Yared, Solomon; Aklilu, Essayas; Kirstein, Oscar David; Moncaz, Aviad; Tekie, Habte; Balkew, Meshesha; Warburg, Alon; Hailu, Asrat; Gebre-Michael, Teshome

    2015-02-15

    Phlebotomus orientalis is the main sandfly vector of visceral leishmaniasis in the north and northwest of Ethiopia. CDC light traps and sticky traps are commonly used for monitoring sandfly populations. However, their trapping efficiency is greatly influenced by various environmental factors including moonlight and lunar periodicity. In view of that, the current study assessed the effect of moonlight and lunar periodicity on the performance of light traps in collecting P. orientalis. Trapping of P. orientalis and other Phlebotomus spp. was conducted for 7 months between December 2012 and June 2013 using CDC light traps and sticky traps from peri-domestic and agricultural fields. Throughout the trapping periods, collections of sandfly specimens were carried out for 4 nights per month, totaling 28 trapping nights that coincided with the four lunar phases (viz., first quarter, third quarter, new and full moon) distributed in each month. In total, 13,533 sandflies of eight Phlebotomus species (P. orientalis, P. bergeroti, P. rodhaini, P. duboscqi, P. papatasi, P. martini, P. lesleyae and P. heischi) were recorded. The predominant species was P. orientalis in both trapping sites and by both methods of collection in all lunar phases. A significant difference (P lunar phases. The highest mean number (231.13 ± 36.27 flies/trap/night) of P. orientalis was collected during the new moon phases, when the moonlight is absent. Fewer sandflies were attracted to light traps during a full moon. However, the number of P. orientalis and the other Phlebotomus spp. from sticky traps did not differ in their density among the four lunar phases (P = 0.122). Results of the current study demonstrated that the attraction and trapping efficiency of CDC light traps is largely influenced by the presence moonlight, especially during a full moon. Therefore, sampling of sandflies using light traps to estimate population density and other epidemiological studies in the field should take

  3. Field evaluation of two commercial mosquito traps baited with different attractants and colored lights for malaria vector surveillance in Thailand.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ponlawat, Alongkot; Khongtak, Patcharee; Jaichapor, Boonsong; Pongsiri, Arissara; Evans, Brian P

    2017-08-07

    Sampling for adult mosquito populations is a means of evaluating the efficacy of vector control operations. The goal of this study was to evaluate and identify the most efficacious mosquito traps and combinations of attractants for malaria vector surveillance along the Thai-Myanmar border. In the first part of the study, the BG-Sentinel™ Trap (BGS Trap) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention miniature light trap (CDC LT) baited with different attractants (BG-lure® and CO 2 ) were evaluated using a Latin square experimental design. The six configurations were BGS Trap with BG-lure, BGS Trap with BG-lure plus CO 2 , BGS Trap with CO 2 , CDC LT with BG-lure, CDC LT with BG lure plus CO 2 , and CDC LT with CO 2 . The second half of the study evaluated the impact of light color on malaria vector collections. Colors included the incandescent bulb, ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diode (LED), green light stick, red light stick, green LED, and red LED. A total of 8638 mosquitoes consisting of 42 species were captured over 708 trap-nights. The trap types, attractants, and colored lights affected numbers of female anopheline and Anopheles minimus collected (GLM, P surveillance when baited with CO 2 and the BG-lure in combination and can be effectively used as the new gold standard technique for collecting malaria vectors in Thailand.

  4. A comparison of commercial light-emitting diode baited suction traps for surveillance of Culicoides in northern Europe.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hope, Andrew; Gubbins, Simon; Sanders, Christopher; Denison, Eric; Barber, James; Stubbins, Francesca; Baylis, Matthew; Carpenter, Simon

    2015-04-22

    The response of Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) to artificial light sources has led to the use of light-suction traps in surveillance programmes. Recent integration of light emitting diodes (LED) in traps improves flexibility in trapping through reduced power requirements and also allows the wavelength of light used for trapping to be customized. This study investigates the responses of Culicoides to LED light-suction traps emitting different wavelengths of light to make recommendations for use in surveillance. The abundance and diversity of Culicoides collected using commercially available traps fitted with Light Emitting Diode (LED) platforms emitting ultraviolet (UV) (390 nm wavelength), blue (430 nm), green (570 nm), yellow (590 nm), red (660 nm) or white light (425 nm - 750 nm with peaks at 450 nm and 580 nm) were compared. A Centre for Disease Control (CDC) UV light-suction trap was also included within the experimental design which was fitted with a 4 watt UV tube (320-420 nm). Generalised linear models with negative binomial error structure and log-link function were used to compare trap abundance according to LED colour, meteorological conditions and seasonality. The experiment was conducted over 49 nights with 42,766 Culicoides caught in 329 collections. Culicoides obsoletus Meigen and Culicoides scoticus Downes and Kettle responded indiscriminately to all wavelengths of LED used with the exception of red which was significantly less attractive. In contrast, Culicoides dewulfi Goetghebuer and Culicoides pulicaris Linnaeus were found in significantly greater numbers in the green LED trap than in the UV LED trap. The LED traps collected significantly fewer Culicoides than the standard CDC UV light-suction trap. Catches of Culicoides were reduced in LED traps when compared to the standard CDC UV trap, however, their reduced power requirement and small size fulfils a requirement for trapping in logistically challenging areas or where many

  5. Field evaluation of a new light trap for phlebotomine sand flies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaglio, Gabriella; Napoli, Ettore; Falsone, Luigi; Giannetto, Salvatore; Brianti, Emanuele

    2017-10-01

    Light traps are one of the most common attractive method for the collection of nocturnal insects. Although light traps are generally referred to as "CDC light traps", different models, equipped with incandescent or UV lamps, have been developed. A new light trap, named Laika trap 3.0, equipped with LED lamps and featured with a light and handy design, has been recently proposed into the market. In this study we tested and compared the capture performances of this new trap with those of a classical light trap model under field conditions. From May to November 2013, a Laika trap and a classical light trap were placed biweekly in an area endemic for sand flies. A total of 256 sand fly specimens, belonging to 3 species (Sergentomyia minuta, Phlebotomus perniciosus, Phlebotomus neglectus) were collected during the study period. The Laika trap captured 126 phlebotomine sand flies: P. perniciosus (n=38); S. minuta (n=88), a similar number of specimens (130) and the same species were captured by classical light trap which collected also 3 specimens of P. neglectus. No significant differences in the capture efficiency at each day of trapping, neither in the number of species or in the sex of sand flies were observed. According to results of this study, the Laika trap may be a valid alternative to classical light trap models especially when handy design and low power consumption are key factors in field studies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Comparative Field Evaluation of Different Traps for Collecting Adult Phlebotomine Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in an Endemic Area of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Quintana Roo, Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodríguez-Rojas, Jorge J; Arque-Chunga, Wilfredo; Fernández-Salas, Ildefonso; Rebollar-Téllez, Eduardo A

    2016-06-01

    Phlebotominae are the vectors of Leishmania parasites. It is important to have available surveillance and collection methods for the sand fly vectors. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate and compare traps for the collection of sand fly species and to analyze trap catches along months and transects. Field evaluations over a year were conducted in an endemic area of leishmaniasis in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. A randomized-block design was implemented in study area with tropical rainforest vegetation. The study design utilized 4 transects with 11 trap types: 1) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) light trap with incandescent bulb (CDC-I), 2) CDC light trap with blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) (CDC-B), 3) CDC light trap with white LEDs (CDC-W), 4) CDC light trap with red LEDs (CDC-R), 5) CDC light trap with green LEDs (CDC-G), 6) Disney trap, 7) Disney trap with white LEDs, 8) sticky panels, 9) sticky panels with white LEDs, 10) delta-like trap, and 11) delta-like trap with white LEDs. A total of 1,014 specimens of 13 species and 2 genera (Lutzomyia and Brumptomyia) were collected. There were significant differences in the mean number of sand flies caught with the 11 traps; CDC-I was (P  =  0.0000) more effective than the other traps. Other traps exhibited the following results: CDC-W (17.46%), CDC-B (15.68%), CDC-G (14.89%), and CDC-R (14.30%). The relative abundance of different species varied according to trap types used, and the CDC-I trap attracted more specimens of the known vectors of Leishmania spp., such as like Lutzomyia cruciata, Lu. shannoni, and Lu. ovallesi. Disney trap captured more specimens of Lu. olmeca olmeca. Based on abundance and number of species, CDC light traps and Disney traps appeared to be good candidates for use in vector surveillance programs in this endemic area of Mexico.

  7. The range of attraction for light traps catching Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirkeby, Carsten; Græsbøll, Kaare; Stockmarr, Anders; Christiansen, Lasse E; Bødker, René

    2013-03-15

    Culicoides are vectors of e.g. bluetongue virus and Schmallenberg virus in northern Europe. Light trapping is an important tool for detecting the presence and quantifying the abundance of vectors in the field. Until now, few studies have investigated the range of attraction of light traps. Here we test a previously described mathematical model (Model I) and two novel models for the attraction of vectors to light traps (Model II and III). In Model I, Culicoides fly to the nearest trap from within a fixed range of attraction. In Model II Culicoides fly towards areas with greater light intensity, and in Model III Culicoides evaluate light sources in the field of view and fly towards the strongest. Model II and III incorporated the directionally dependent light field created around light traps with fluorescent light tubes. All three models were fitted to light trap collections obtained from two novel experimental setups in the field where traps were placed in different configurations. Results showed that overlapping ranges of attraction of neighboring traps extended the shared range of attraction. Model I did not fit data from any of the experimental setups. Model II could only fit data from one of the setups, while Model III fitted data from both experimental setups. The model with the best fit, Model III, indicates that Culicoides continuously evaluate the light source direction and intensity. The maximum range of attraction of a single 4W CDC light trap was estimated to be approximately 15.25 meters. The attraction towards light traps is different from the attraction to host animals and thus light trap catches may not represent the vector species and numbers attracted to hosts.

  8. Trapping of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) vectors using Light Emitting Diode (LED) CDC traps in two arboviral disease hot spots in Kenya

    Science.gov (United States)

    Background: Mosquitoes’ response to artificial lights including color has been exploited in trap designs for improved sampling of mosquito vectors. Earlier studies suggest that mosquitoes are attracted to specific wavelengths of light and thus the need to refine techniques to increase mosquito captu...

  9. Influence of trap construction on mosquito capture

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Šebesta, Oldřich; Peško, Juraj; Gelbič, Ivan

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 6, č. 2 (2012), s. 209-215 ISSN 1934-7391 R&D Projects: GA MŠk 2B08003 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50070508 Institutional support: RVO:68081766 ; RVO:60077344 Keywords : CDC miniature light traps * baited lard-can traps * mosquitoes Subject RIV: EG - Zoology

  10. Comparison of automatic traps to capture mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae in rural areas in the tropical Atlantic rainforest

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ivy Luizi Rodrigues de Sa

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available In several countries, surveillance of insect vectors is accomplished with automatic traps. This study addressed the performance of Mosquito Magnet® Independence (MMI in comparison with those of CDC with CO2 and lactic acid (CDC-A and CDC light trap (CDC-LT. The collection sites were in a rural region located in a fragment of secondary tropical Atlantic rainforest, southeastern Brazil. Limatus durhami and Limatus flavisetosus were the dominant species in the MMI, whereas Ochlerotatus scapularis was most abundant in CDC-A. Culex ribeirensis and Culex sacchettae were dominant species in the CDC-LT. Comparisons among traps were based on diversity indices. Results from the diversity analyses showed that the MMI captured a higher abundance of mosquitoes and that the species richness estimated with it was higher than with CDC-LT. Contrasting, difference between MMI and CDC-A was not statistically significant. Consequently, the latter trap seems to be both an alternative for the MMI and complementary to it for ecological studies and entomological surveillance.

  11. Improved light trapping in polymer solar cells by light diffusion ink

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chao, Yu-Chiang; Lin, Yun-Hsuan; Lin, Ching-Yi; Li, Husan-De; Zhan, Fu-Min; Huang, Yu-Zhang

    2014-01-01

    Light trapping is an important issue for solar cells to increase optical path length and optical absorption. In this work, a light trapping structure was realized for polymer solar cells by utilizing light diffusion ink which is conventionally used in display backlighting. The light scattering particles in the ink cause the deflection of light, and the number of these particles coated on a glass substrate determines the light transmission and scattering characteristics. It was observed that the short-circuit current density did not decrease with decreasing transmittance, but it increased to a highest value at an optimized transmittance. This behaviour is attributed to the trapping of scattered light in the photoactive layer. (paper)

  12. Photonic crystals for light trapping in solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gjessing, Jo

    2012-07-25

    Solar energy is an abundant and non-polluting source of energy. Nevertheless, the installation of solar cells for energy production is still dependent on subsidies in most parts of the world. One way of reducing the costs of solar cells is to decrease their thickness. This will reduce material consumption and, at the same time, unlock the possibility of using cheaper lower quality solar cell material. However, a thinner solar cell will have a higher optical loss due to insufficient absorption of long wavelength light. Therefore, light-trapping must be improved in order to make thin solar cells economically viable. In this thesis I investigate the potential for light-trapping in thin silicon solar cells by the use of various photonic crystal back-side structures. The first structure I study consists of a periodic array of cylinders in a configuration with a layer of silicon oxide separating the periodic structure from the rear metal reflector. This configuration reduces unwanted parasitic absorption in the reflector and the thickness of the oxide layer provides a new degree of freedom for improving light trapping from the structure. I use a large-period and a small-period approximation to analyze the cylinder structure and to identify criteria that contributes to successful light-trapping. I explore the light-trapping potential of various periodic structures including dimples, inverted pyramids, and cones. The structures are compared in an optical model using a 20 m thick Si slab. I find that the light trapping potential differs between the structures, that the unit cell dimensions for the given structure is more important for light trapping than the type of structure, and that the optimum lattice period does not differ significantly between the different structures. The light-trapping effect of the structures is investigated as a function on incidence angle. The structures provide good light trapping also under angles of incidence up to 60 degrees. The behavior

  13. Photonic crystals for light trapping in solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gjessing, Jo

    2012-01-01

    Solar energy is an abundant and non-polluting source of energy. Nevertheless, the installation of solar cells for energy production is still dependent on subsidies in most parts of the world. One way of reducing the costs of solar cells is to decrease their thickness. This will reduce material consumption and, at the same time, unlock the possibility of using cheaper lower quality solar cell material. However, a thinner solar cell will have a higher optical loss due to insufficient absorption of long wavelength light. Therefore, light-trapping must be improved in order to make thin solar cells economically viable. In this thesis I investigate the potential for light-trapping in thin silicon solar cells by the use of various photonic crystal back-side structures. The first structure I study consists of a periodic array of cylinders in a configuration with a layer of silicon oxide separating the periodic structure from the rear metal reflector. This configuration reduces unwanted parasitic absorption in the reflector and the thickness of the oxide layer provides a new degree of freedom for improving light trapping from the structure. I use a large-period and a small-period approximation to analyze the cylinder structure and to identify criteria that contributes to successful light-trapping. I explore the light-trapping potential of various periodic structures including dimples, inverted pyramids, and cones. The structures are compared in an optical model using a 20 m thick Si slab. I find that the light trapping potential differs between the structures, that the unit cell dimensions for the given structure is more important for light trapping than the type of structure, and that the optimum lattice period does not differ significantly between the different structures. The light-trapping effect of the structures is investigated as a function on incidence angle. The structures provide good light trapping also under angles of incidence up to 60 degrees. The behavior

  14. Sand Fly Fauna (Diptera, Pcychodidae, Phlebotominae) in Different Leishmaniasis-Endemic Areas of Ecuador, Surveyed Using a Newly Named Mini-Shannon Trap

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hashiguchi, Kazue; Velez N., Lenin; Kato, Hirotomo; Criollo F., Hipatia; Romero A., Daniel; Gomez L., Eduardo; Martini R., Luiggi; Zambrano C., Flavio; Calvopina H., Manuel; Caceres G., Abraham; Hashiguchi, Yoshihisa

    2014-01-01

    To study the sand fly fauna, surveys were performed at four different leishmaniasis-endemic sites in Ecuador from February 2013 to April 2014. A modified and simplified version of the conventional Shannon trap was named “mini-Shannon trap” and put to multiple uses at the different study sites in limited, forested and narrow spaces. The mini-Shannon, CDC light trap and protected human landing method were employed for sand fly collection. The species identification of sand flies was performed mainly based on the morphology of spermathecae and cibarium, after dissection of fresh samples. In this study, therefore, only female samples were used for analysis. A total of 1,480 female sand flies belonging to 25 Lutzomyia species were collected. The number of female sand flies collected was 417 (28.2%) using the mini-Shannon trap, 259 (17.5%) using the CDC light trap and 804 (54.3%) by human landing. The total number of sand flies per trap collected by the different methods was markedly affected by the study site, probably because of the various composition of species at each locality. Furthermore, as an additional study, the attraction of sand flies to mini-Shannon traps powered with LED white-light and LED black-light was investigated preliminarily, together with the CDC light trap and human landing. As a result, a total of 426 sand flies of nine Lutzomyia species, including seven man-biting and two non-biting species, were collected during three capture trials in May and June 2014 in an area endemic for leishmaniasis (La Ventura). The black-light proved relatively superior to the white-light with regard to capture numbers, but no significant statistical difference was observed between the two traps. PMID:25589880

  15. Wingbeat frequency-sweep and visual stimuli for trapping male Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Combinations of female wingbeat acoustic cues and visual cues were evaluated to determine their potential for use in male Aedes aegypti (L.) traps in peridomestic environments. A modified Centers for Disease control (CDC) light trap using a 350-500 Hz frequency-sweep broadcast from a speaker as an a...

  16. Geometric light trapping with a V-trap for efficient organic solar cells

    KAUST Repository

    Kim, Soo Jin

    2013-03-14

    The efficiency of today’s most efficient organic solar cells is primarily limited by the ability of the active layer to absorb all the sunlight. While internal quantum efficiencies exceeding 90% are common, the external quantum efficiency rarely exceeds 70%. Light trapping techniques that increase the ability of a given active layer to absorb light are common in inorganic solar cells but have only been applied to organic solar cells with limited success. Here, we analyze the light trapping mechanism for a cell with a V-shape substrate configuration and demonstrate significantly improved photon absorption in an 5.3%-efficient PCDTBT:PC70BM bulk heterojunction polymer solar cell. The measured short circuit current density improves by 29%, in agreement with model predictions, and the power conversion efficiency increases to 7.2%, a 35% improvement over the performance in the absence of a light trap.

  17. 3D-Printed external light traps for solar cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Dijk, L.; Paetzold, U.W.; Blab, Gerhard; Marcus, E.A.P.; Oostra, A.J.; van de Groep, J.; Polman, A.; Schropp, R.E.I.; Di Vece, M.

    2015-01-01

    We demonstrate a universally applicable 3D-printed external light trap for solar cells. We placed a macroscopic external light trap made of smoothened, silver coated plastic at the sun-facing surface of different types of solar cells. The trap consists of a reflective parabolic concentrator on top

  18. Exploration of external light trapping for photovoltaic modules

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Dijk, L.; van de Groep, J.; Di Vece, M.; Schropp, R.E.I.

    2016-01-01

    The reflection of incident sunlight by photovoltaic modules prevents them from reaching their theoretical energy conversion limit. We explore the effectiveness of a universal external light trap that can tackle this reflection loss. A unique feature of external light traps is their capability to

  19. Disorder improves nanophotonic light trapping in thin-film solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Paetzold, U. W., E-mail: u.paetzold@fz-juelich.de; Smeets, M.; Meier, M.; Bittkau, K.; Merdzhanova, T.; Smirnov, V.; Carius, R.; Rau, U. [IEK5—Photovoltaik, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich (Germany); Michaelis, D.; Waechter, C. [Fraunhofer Institut für Angewandte Optik und Feinmechanik, Albert Einstein Str. 7, D-07745 Jena (Germany)

    2014-03-31

    We present a systematic experimental study on the impact of disorder in advanced nanophotonic light-trapping concepts of thin-film solar cells. Thin-film solar cells made of hydrogenated amorphous silicon were prepared on imprint-textured glass superstrates. For periodically textured superstrates of periods below 500 nm, the nanophotonic light-trapping effect is already superior to state-of-the-art randomly textured front contacts. The nanophotonic light-trapping effect can be associated to light coupling to leaky waveguide modes causing resonances in the external quantum efficiency of only a few nanometer widths for wavelengths longer than 500 nm. With increasing disorder of the nanotextured front contact, these resonances broaden and their relative altitude decreases. Moreover, overall the external quantum efficiency, i.e., the light-trapping effect, increases incrementally with increasing disorder. Thereby, our study is a systematic experimental proof that disorder is conceptually an advantage for nanophotonic light-trapping concepts employing grating couplers in thin-film solar cells. The result is relevant for the large field of research on nanophotonic light trapping in thin-film solar cells which currently investigates and prototypes a number of new concepts including disordered periodic and quasi periodic textures.

  20. Disorder Improves Light Absorption in Thin Film Silicon Solar Cells with Hybrid Light Trapping Structure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yanpeng Shi

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available We present a systematic simulation study on the impact of disorder in thin film silicon solar cells with hybrid light trapping structure. For the periodical structures introducing certain randomness in some parameters, the nanophotonic light trapping effect is demonstrated to be superior to their periodic counterparts. The nanophotonic light trapping effect can be associated with the increased modes induced by the structural disorders. Our study is a systematic proof that certain disorder is conceptually an advantage for nanophotonic light trapping concepts in thin film solar cells. The result is relevant to the large field of research on nanophotonic light trapping which currently investigates and prototypes a number of new concepts including disordered periodic and quasiperiodic textures. The random effect on the shape of the pattern (position, height, and radius investigated in this paper could be a good approach to estimate the influence of experimental inaccuracies for periodic or quasi-periodic structures.

  1. The range of attraction for light traps catching Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kirkeby, Carsten; Græsbøll, Kaare; Stockmarr, Anders

    2013-01-01

    Background Culicoides are vectors of e.g. bluetongue virus and Schmallenberg virus in northern Europe. Light trapping is an important tool for detecting the presence and quantifying the abundance of vectors in the field. Until now, few studies have investigated the range of attraction of light tr...... light trap was estimated to be approximately 15.25 meters. The attraction towards light traps is different from the attraction to host animals and thus light trap catches may not represent the vector species and numbers attracted to hosts.......Background Culicoides are vectors of e.g. bluetongue virus and Schmallenberg virus in northern Europe. Light trapping is an important tool for detecting the presence and quantifying the abundance of vectors in the field. Until now, few studies have investigated the range of attraction of light...... traps. Methods Here we test a previously described mathematical model (Model I) and two novel models for the attraction of vectors to light traps (Model II and III). In Model I, Culicoides fly to the nearest trap from within a fixed range of attraction. In Model II Culicoides fly towards areas...

  2. Cost effective flat plate photovoltaic modules using light trapping

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bain, C. N.; Gordon, B. A.; Knasel, T. M.; Malinowski, R. L.

    1981-01-01

    Work in optical trapping in 'thick films' is described to form a design guide for photovoltaic engineers. A thick optical film can trap light by diffusive reflection and total internal reflection. Light can be propagated reasonably long distances compared with layer thicknesses by this technique. This makes it possible to conduct light from inter-cell and intra-cell areas now not used in photovoltaic modules onto active cell areas.

  3. Light Trapping with Silicon Light Funnel Arrays

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ashish Prajapati

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Silicon light funnels are three-dimensional subwavelength structures in the shape of inverted cones with respect to the incoming illumination. Light funnel (LF arrays can serve as efficient absorbing layers on account of their light trapping capabilities, which are associated with the presence of high-density complex Mie modes. Specifically, light funnel arrays exhibit broadband absorption enhancement of the solar spectrum. In the current study, we numerically explore the optical coupling between surface light funnel arrays and the underlying substrates. We show that the absorption in the LF array-substrate complex is higher than the absorption in LF arrays of the same height (~10% increase. This, we suggest, implies that a LF array serves as an efficient surface element that imparts additional momentum components to the impinging illumination, and hence optically excites the substrate by near-field light concentration, excitation of traveling guided modes in the substrate, and mode hybridization.

  4. Artificial lights improve the catchability of snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio traps

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khanh Q. Nguyen

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available This study investigated the behaviour and commercial catchability of snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio in response to different low-powered LED lights under laboratory and field conditions. We created a novel choice-experiment in a laboratory setting in which we investigated the behaviour of snow crab in response to coloured LED lights. The results showed that snow crab movement was dependent on light colour, with animals choosing to move toward blue and white lights, away from purple lights, and no detectable effect for green and red lights. We then conducted two field experiments to investigate the effect of the same LED lights on the catch rates of commercial traps during the 2016 snow crab fishery on the east coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. Results from the first field experiment showed that adding white and purple LED lights into baited traps significantly improved Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE by 77% and 47% respectively. Results from the second field experiment showed that unbaited traps equipped with only LED lights (no bait, could also catch snow crab in comparable amounts to traditional baited traps, with soak time and depth explaining some of the variation in CPUE. Taken together, these experiments suggest that fishing enterprises can improve their catching performance and profitability by adding LED lights to their traps, or by using LED lights as a bait replacement.

  5. Advanced methods for light trapping in optically thin silicon solar cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagel, James Richard

    2011-12-01

    The field of light trapping is the study of how best to absorb light in a thin film of material when most light either reflects away at the surface or transmits straight through to the other side. This has tremendous application to the field of photovoltaics where thin silicon films can be manufactured cheaply, but also fail to capture all of the available photons in the solar spectrum. Advancements in light trapping therefore bring us closer to the day when photovoltaic devices may reach grid parity with traditional fossil fuels on the electrical energy market. This dissertation advances our understanding of light trapping by first modeling the effects of loss in planar dielectric waveguides. The mathematical framework developed here can be used to model any arbitrary three-layer structure with mixed gain or loss and then extract the total field solution for the guided modes. It is found that lossy waveguides possess a greater number of eigenmodes than their lossless counterparts, and that these "loss guided" modes attenuate much more rapidly than conventional modes. Another contribution from this dissertation is the exploration of light trapping through the use of dielectric nanospheres embedded directly within the active layer of a thin silicon film. The primary benefit to this approach is that the device can utilize a surface nitride layer serving as an antireflective coating while still retaining the benefits of light trapping within the film. The end result is that light trapping and light injection are effectively decoupled from each other and may be independently optimized within a single photovoltaic device. The final contribution from this work is a direct numerical comparison between multiple light trapping schemes. This allows us to quantify the relative performances of various design techniques against one another and objectively determine which ideas tend to capture the most light. Using numerical simulation, this work directly compares the absorption

  6. Paths to light trapping in thin film GaAs solar cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiao, Jianling; Fang, Hanlin; Su, Rongbin; Li, Kezheng; Song, Jindong; Krauss, Thomas F; Li, Juntao; Martins, Emiliano R

    2018-03-19

    It is now well established that light trapping is an essential element of thin film solar cell design. Numerous light trapping geometries have already been applied to thin film cells, especially to silicon-based devices. Less attention has been paid to light trapping in GaAs thin film cells, mainly because light trapping is considered less attractive due to the material's direct bandgap and the fact that GaAs suffers from strong surface recombination, which particularly affects etched nanostructures. Here, we study light trapping structures that are implemented in a high-bandgap material on the back of the GaAs active layer, thereby not perturbing the integrity of the GaAs active layer. We study photonic crystal and quasi-random nanostructures both by simulation and by experiment and find that the photonic crystal structures are superior because they exhibit fewer but stronger resonances that are better matched to the narrow wavelength range where GaAs benefits from light trapping. In fact, we show that a 1500 nm thick cell with photonic crystals achieves the same short circuit current as an unpatterned 4000 nm thick cell. These findings are significant because they afford a sizeable reduction in active layer thickness, and therefore a reduction in expensive epitaxial growth time and cost, yet without compromising performance.

  7. Ultrasonic trap for light scattering measurement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barton, Petr; Pavlu, Jiri

    2017-04-01

    Light scattering is complex phenomenon occurring widely in space environments, including the dense dusty clouds, nebulas or even the upper atmosphere of the Earth. However, when the size of the dust (or of other scattering center) is close to the incident light wavelength, theoretical determination is difficult. In such case, Mie theory is to be used but there is a lack of the material constants for most space-related materials. For experimental measurement of light scattering, we designed unique apparatus, based on ultrasonic trap. Using acoustic levitation we are able to capture the dust grain in midair, irradiate it with laser, and observe scattering directly with goniometer-mounted photodiode. Advantage of this approach is ability to measure directly in the air (thus, no need for the carrier medium) and possibility to study non-spherical particles. Since the trap development is nearly finished and initial experiments are carried out, the paper presents first tests on water droplets.

  8. Efficiency of subaquatic light traps

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Ditrich, Tomáš; Čihák, P.

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 38, č. 3 (2017), s. 171-184 ISSN 0165-0424 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA14-29857S Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : Heteroptera * Diptera * light trap Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour OBOR OECD: Ecology Impact factor: 0.524, year: 2016

  9. Nanophotonic light-trapping theory for solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yu, Zongfu; Raman, Aaswath; Fan, Shanhui [Stanford University, Ginzton Lab, Stanford, CA (United States)

    2011-11-15

    Conventional light-trapping theory, based on a ray-optics approach, was developed for standard thick photovoltaic cells. The classical theory established an upper limit for possible absorption enhancement in this context and provided a design strategy for reaching this limit. This theory has become the foundation for light management in bulk silicon PV cells, and has had enormous influence on the optical design of solar cells in general. This theory, however, is not applicable in the nanophotonic regime. Here we develop a statistical temporal coupled-mode theory of light trapping based on a rigorous electromagnetic approach. Our theory reveals that the standard limit can be substantially surpassed when optical modes in the active layer are confined to deep-subwavelength scale, opening new avenues for highly efficient next-generation solar cells. (orig.)

  10. Trapping of light by metal arrays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khardikov, Vyacheslav V.; Iarko, Ekaterina O.; Prosvirnin, Sergey L.

    2010-04-01

    The problem of the near-IR light reflection from and transmittance through a planar 2D periodic metal-dielectric structure with a square periodic cell of two complex-shaped asymmetric metal elements has been solved. Conditions of the light confinement by excitation of the trapped mode resonances in certain structures, both polarization-sensitive and polarization-insensitive, were studied. For the first time, the existence of a high-order trapped mode resonance with the greater quality factor than that of the lowest one has been shown. It was ascertained that the Babinet principle provides a good prediction of the resonance properties of the complementary structures, despite the very high Joule losses in the metal strips in near-IR, a finite thickness of the metal elements and the presence of a dielectric substrate.

  11. Trapping of light by metal arrays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khardikov, Vyacheslav V; Iarko, Ekaterina O; Prosvirnin, Sergey L

    2010-01-01

    The problem of the near-IR light reflection from and transmittance through a planar 2D periodic metal–dielectric structure with a square periodic cell of two complex-shaped asymmetric metal elements has been solved. Conditions of the light confinement by excitation of the trapped mode resonances in certain structures, both polarization-sensitive and polarization-insensitive, were studied. For the first time, the existence of a high-order trapped mode resonance with the greater quality factor than that of the lowest one has been shown. It was ascertained that the Babinet principle provides a good prediction of the resonance properties of the complementary structures, despite the very high Joule losses in the metal strips in near-IR, a finite thickness of the metal elements and the presence of a dielectric substrate

  12. Fundamental limit of nanophotonic light trapping in solar cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Zongfu; Raman, Aaswath; Fan, Shanhui

    2010-10-12

    Establishing the fundamental limit of nanophotonic light-trapping schemes is of paramount importance and is becoming increasingly urgent for current solar cell research. The standard theory of light trapping demonstrated that absorption enhancement in a medium cannot exceed a factor of 4n(2)/sin(2)θ, where n is the refractive index of the active layer, and θ is the angle of the emission cone in the medium surrounding the cell. This theory, however, is not applicable in the nanophotonic regime. Here we develop a statistical temporal coupled-mode theory of light trapping based on a rigorous electromagnetic approach. Our theory reveals that the conventional limit can be substantially surpassed when optical modes exhibit deep-subwavelength-scale field confinement, opening new avenues for highly efficient next-generation solar cells.

  13. Performance evaluation of locally developed black light trap for maize insects monitoring in Chitwan, Nepal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ghanashyam Bhandari

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Till today, the light traps in Nepal are found using with traditional type, which have not being recognized internationally. These light traps were of low efficiency for trapping insects as compared to black light trap (BLT. The black light tube (F10T8/BL was used in newly constructed trap at National Maize Research Program (NMRP, Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal. Both traps were installed at the maize experimental field at NMRP during February to October, 2017. Data on insect numbers were recorded once in a week from dusk to down in two different days to minimize the light effects of each others. The total number of insects trapped in BLT was 2804 as compared to 868 in traditional light trap (TLT. Among the insect orders, Coleopterans were mostly trapped in BLT followed by Lepidopteron and Hemipterans. The results showed that the trapping efficiency of BLT was three fold higher than that of TLT. Therefore, black light trap was highly effective monitoring tool and its field applications are expected to be commercialized.

  14. Effect of light trapping in an amorphous silicon solar cell

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iftiquar, S.M.; Jung, Juyeon; Park, Hyeongsik; Cho, Jaehyun; Shin, Chonghoon; Park, Jinjoo; Jung, Junhee; Bong, Sungjae; Kim, Sunbo; Yi, Junsin

    2015-01-01

    Light trapping in amorphous silicon based solar cell has been investigated theoretically. The substrate for these cells can be textured, including pyramidally textured c-Si wafer, to improve capture of incident light. A thin silver layer, deposited on the substrate of an n–i–p cell, ultimately goes at the back of the cell structure and can act a back reflector to improve light trapping. The two physical solar cells we investigated had open circuit voltages (V oc ) of 0.87, 0.90 V, short circuit current densities (J sc ) of 14.2, 15.36 mA/cm 2 respectively. The first cell was investigated for the effect on its performance while having and not having light trapping scheme (LT), when thickness of the active layer (d i ) was changed in the range of 100 nm to 800 nm. In both the approaches, for having or not having LT, the short circuit current density increases with d i while the V oc and fill factor, decreases steadily. However, maximum cell efficiency can be obtained when d i = 400 nm, and hence it was considered optimized thickness of the active layer, that was used for further investigation. With the introduction of light trapping to the second cell, it shows a further enhancement in J sc and red response of the external quantum efficiency to 16.6 mA/cm 2 and by 11.1% respectively. Considering multiple passages of light inside the cell, we obtained an improvement in cell efficiency from 9.7% to 10.6%. - Highlights: • A theoretical analysis of light trapping in p–i–n and n–i–p type solar cells • J sc increases and V oc decreases with the increase in i-layer thickness. • Observed optimized thickness of i-layer as 400 nm • J sc improved from 15.4 mA/cm 2 to 16.6 mA/cm 2 due to the light trapping. • Efficiency (η) improved from 9.7% to 10.6% due to better red response of the EQE

  15. Fundamental limit of light trapping in grating structures

    KAUST Repository

    Yu, Zongfu

    2010-08-11

    We use a rigorous electromagnetic approach to analyze the fundamental limit of light-trapping enhancement in grating structures. This limit can exceed the bulk limit of 4n 2, but has significant angular dependency. We explicitly show that 2D gratings provide more enhancement than 1D gratings. We also show the effects of the grating profile’s symmetry on the absorption enhancement limit. Numerical simulations are applied to support the theory. Our findings provide general guidance for the design of grating structures for light-trapping solar cells.

  16. Description of the IMR Standard Light Trap and the Vertical ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The construction of different versions of a cheap, robust, and easy to operate light trap for catching various aquatic organisms is shown. The trap can be used to > 300 m depth and meets a number of criteria. Small-scale vertical distribution of decapod larvae was investigated during trap trials. The traps (6-10) were set for 24 ...

  17. Closed Paths of Light Trapped in a Closed Fermat Curve

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dana-Picard, Thierry; Naiman, Aaron

    2002-01-01

    Geometric constructions have previously been shown that can be interpreted as rays of light trapped either in polygons or in conics, by successive reflections. The same question, trapping light in closed Fermat curves, is addressed here. Numerical methods are used to study the behaviour of the reflection points of a triangle when the degree of the…

  18. Performance evaluation of locally developed black light trap for maize insects monitoring in Chitwan, Nepal

    OpenAIRE

    Ghanashyam Bhandari; Shiva Kumar Jha; Yagya Prasad Giri; Hira Kaji Manandhar; Pramod Kumar Jha; Nabaraj Devkota; Praseed Thapa; Resham Bahadur Thapa

    2017-01-01

    Till today, the light traps in Nepal are found using with traditional type, which have not being recognized internationally. These light traps were of low efficiency for trapping insects as compared to black light trap (BLT). The black light tube (F10T8/BL) was used in newly constructed trap at National Maize Research Program (NMRP), Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal. Both traps were installed at the maize experimental field at NMRP during February to October, 2017. Data on insect numbers were recorded ...

  19. Optical trapping using cascade conical refraction of light.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Dwyer, D P; Ballantine, K E; Phelan, C F; Lunney, J G; Donegan, J F

    2012-09-10

    Cascade conical refraction occurs when a beam of light travels through two or more biaxial crystals arranged in series. The output beam can be altered by varying the relative azimuthal orientation of the two biaxial crystals. For two identical crystals, in general the output beam comprises a ring beam with a spot at its centre. The relative intensities of the spot and ring can be controlled by varying the azimuthal angle between the refracted cones formed in each crystal. We have used this beam arrangement to trap one microsphere within the central spot and a second microsphere on the ring. Using linearly polarized light, we can rotate the microsphere on the ring with respect to the central sphere. Finally, using a half wave-plate between the two crystals, we can create a unique beam profile that has two intensity peaks on the ring, and thereby trap two microspheres on diametrically opposite points on the ring and rotate them around the central sphere. Such a versatile optical trap should find application in optical trapping setups.

  20. An Ingenious Super Light Trapping Surface Templated from Butterfly Wing Scales

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Zhiwu; Li, Bo; Mu, Zhengzhi; Yang, Meng; Niu, Shichao; Zhang, Junqiu; Ren, Luquan

    2015-08-01

    Based on the super light trapping property of butterfly Trogonoptera brookiana wings, the SiO2 replica of this bionic functional surface was successfully synthesized using a simple and highly effective synthesis method combining a sol-gel process and subsequent selective etching. Firstly, the reflectivity of butterfly wing scales was carefully examined. It was found that the whole reflectance spectroscopy of the butterfly wings showed a lower level (less than 10 %) in the visible spectrum. Thus, it was confirmed that the butterfly wings possessed a super light trapping effect. Afterwards, the morphologies and detailed architectures of the butterfly wing scales were carefully investigated using the ultra-depth three-dimensional (3D) microscope and field emission scanning electronic microscopy (FESEM). It was composed by the parallel ridges and quasi-honeycomb-like structure between them. Based on the biological properties and function above, an exact SiO2 negative replica was fabricated through a synthesis method combining a sol-gel process and subsequent selective etching. At last, the comparative analysis of morphology feature size and the reflectance spectroscopy between the SiO2 negative replica and the flat plate was conducted. It could be concluded that the SiO2 negative replica inherited not only the original super light trapping architectures, but also the super light trapping characteristics of bio-template. This work may open up an avenue for the design and fabrication of super light trapping materials and encourage people to look for more super light trapping architectures in nature.

  1. Fundamental Limit of Nanophotonic Light-trapping in Solar Cells

    OpenAIRE

    Yu, Zongfu; Raman, Aaswath; Fan, Shanhui

    2010-01-01

    Establishing the fundamental limit of nanophotonic light-trapping schemes is of paramount importance and is becoming increasingly urgent for current solar cell research. The standard theory of light trapping demonstrated that absorption enhancement in a medium cannot exceed a factor of 4n^2/ sin^2(\\theta), where n is the refractive index of the active layer, and \\theta is the angle of the emission cone in the medium surrounding the cell. This theory, however, is not applicable in the nanophot...

  2. Ultraviolet safety assessments of insect light traps

    OpenAIRE

    Sliney, David H.; Gilbert, David W.; Lyon, Terry

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT Near-ultraviolet (UV-A: 315?400?nm), ?black-light,? electric lamps were invented in 1935 and ultraviolet insect light traps (ILTs) were introduced for use in agriculture around that time. Today ILTs are used indoors in several industries and in food-service as well as in outdoor settings. With recent interest in photobiological lamp safety, safety standards are being developed to test for potentially hazardous ultraviolet emissions. A variety of UV ?Black-light? ILTs were measured at...

  3. Overexpression of CDC25B, CDC25C and phospho-CDC25C (Ser216) in vulvar squamous cell carcinomas are associated with malignant features and aggressive cancer phenotypes

    OpenAIRE

    Wang, Zhihui; Trope, Claes G; Fl?renes, Vivi Ann; Suo, Zhenhe; Nesland, Jahn M; Holm, Ruth

    2010-01-01

    Background CDC25 phosphatases are important regulators of the cell cycle. Their abnormal expression detected in a number of tumors implies that their dysregulation is involved in malignant transformation. However, the role of CDC25s in vulvar cancer is still unknown. To shed light on their roles in the pathogenesis and to clarify their prognostic values, expression of CDC25A, CDC25B and CDC25C in a large series of vulvar squamous cell carcinomas were examined. ...

  4. Wide-angle light-trapping electrode for photovoltaic cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Omelyanovich, Mikhail M; Simovski, Constantin R

    2017-10-01

    In this Letter, we experimentally show that a submicron layer of a transparent conducting oxide that may serve a top electrode of a photovoltaic cell based on amorphous silicon when properly patterned by notches becomes an efficient light-trapping structure. This is so for amorphous silicon thin-film solar cells with properly chosen thicknesses of the active layers (p-i-n structure with optimal thicknesses of intrinsic and doped layers). The nanopatterned layer of transparent conducting oxide reduces both the light reflectance from the photovoltaic cell and transmittance through the photovoltaic layers for normal incidence and for all incidence angles. We explain the physical mechanism of our light-trapping effect, prove that this mechanism is realized in our structure, and show that the nanopatterning is achievable in a rather easy and affordable way that makes our method of solar cell enhancement attractive for industrial adaptations.

  5. Optimal wavelength scale diffraction gratings for light trapping in solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chong, Teck Kong; Wilson, Jonathan; Mokkapati, Sudha; Catchpole, Kylie R

    2012-01-01

    Dielectric gratings are a promising method of achieving light trapping for thin crystalline silicon solar cells. In this paper, we systematically examine the potential performance of thin silicon solar cells with either silicon (Si) or titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) gratings using numerical simulations. The square pyramid structure with silicon nitride coating provides the best light trapping among all the symmetric structures investigated, with 89% of the expected short circuit current density of the Lambertian case. For structures where the grating is at the rear of the cell, we show that the light trapping provided by the square pyramid and the checkerboard structure is almost identical. Introducing asymmetry into the grating structures can further improve their light trapping properties. An optimized Si skewed pyramid grating on the front surface of the solar cell results in a maximum short circuit current density, J sc , of 33.4 mA cm −2 , which is 91% of the J sc expected from an ideal Lambertian scatterer. An optimized Si skewed pyramid grating on the rear performs as well as a rear Lambertian scatterer and an optimized TiO 2 grating on the rear results in 84% of the J sc expected from an optimized Si grating. The results show that submicron symmetric and skewed pyramids of Si or TiO 2 are a highly effective way of achieving light trapping in thin film solar cells. TiO 2 structures would have the additional advantage of not increasing recombination within the cell. (paper)

  6. Lightweight, Light-Trapped, Thin GaAs Solar Cells for Spacecraft Applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1995-10-05

    improve the efficiency of this type of cell. 2 The high efficiency and light weight of the cover glass supported GaAs solar cell can have a significant...is a 3-mil cover glass and 1-mil silicone adhesive on the front surface of the GaAs solar cell. Power Output 3000 400 -{ 2400 { N 300 S18200 W/m2...the ultra-thin, light-trapped GaAs solar ceill 3. Incorporate light trapping. 0 external quantum efficiency at 850 nm increased by 5.2% 4. Develop

  7. Trap-assisted and Langevin-type recombination in organic light-emitting diodes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wetzelaer, G. A. H.; Kuik, M.; Nicolai, H. T.; Blom, P. W. M.

    2011-04-01

    Trapping of charges is known to play an important role in the charge transport of organic semiconductors, but the role of traps in the recombination process has not been addressed. Here we show that the ideality factor of the current of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) in the diffusion-dominated regime has a temperature-independent value of 2, which reveals that nonradiative trap-assisted recombination dominates the current. In contrast, the ideality factor of the light output approaches unity, demonstrating that luminance is governed by recombination of the bimolecular Langevin type. This apparent contradiction can be resolved by measuring the current and luminance ideality factor for a white-emitting polymer, where both free and trapped charge carriers recombine radiatively. With increasing bias voltage, Langevin recombination becomes dominant over trap-assisted recombination due to its stronger dependence on carrier density, leading to an enhancement in OLED efficiency.

  8. Light trapping with plasmonic back contacts in thin-film silicon solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Paetzold, Ulrich Wilhelm

    2013-02-08

    Trapping light in silicon solar cells is essential as it allows an increase in the absorption of incident sunlight in optically thin silicon absorber layers. This way, the costs of the solar cells can be reduced by lowering the material consumption and decreasing the physical constraints on the material quality. In this work, plasmonic light trapping with Ag back contacts in thin-film silicon solar cells is studied. Solar cell prototypes with plasmonic back contacts are presented along with optical simulations of these devices and general design considerations of plasmonic back contacts. Based on three-dimensional electromagnetic simulations, the conceptual design of plasmonic nanostructures on Ag back contacts in thin-film silicon solar cells is studied in this work. Optimizations of the nanostructures regarding their ability to scatter incident light at low optical losses into large angles in the silicon absorber layers of the thin-film silicon solar cells are presented. Geometrical parameters as well as the embedding dielectric layer stack of the nanostructures on Ag layers are varied. Periodic as well as isolated hemispherical Ag nanostructures of dimensions above 200 nm are found to scatter incident light at high efficiencies and low optical losses. Hence, these nanostructures are of interest for light trapping in solar cells. In contrast, small Ag nanostructures of dimension below 100 nm are found to induce optical losses. At the surface of randomly textured Ag back contacts small Ag nanostructures exist which induce optical losses. In this work, the relevance of these localized plasmon induced optical losses as well as optical losses caused by propagating plasmons are investigated with regard to the reflectance of the textured back contacts. In state-of-the-art solar cells, the plasmon-induced optical losses are shifted out of the relevant wavelength range by incorporating a ZnO:Al interlayer of low refractive index at the back contact. The additional but

  9. Light effect in photoionization of traps in GaN MESFETs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Arabshahi

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Trapping of hot electron behavior by trap centers located in buffer layer of a wurtzite phase GaN MESFET has been simulated using an ensemble Monte Carlo simulation. The results of the simulation show that the trap centers are responsible for current collapse in GaN MESFET at low temperatures. These electrical traps degrade the performance of the device at low temperature. On the opposite, a light-induced increase in the trap-limited drain current, results from the photoionization of trapped carriers and their return to the channel under the influence of the built in electric field associated with the trapped charge distribution. The simulated device geometries and doping are matched to the nominal parameters described for the experimental structures as closely as possible, and the predicted drain current and other electrical characteristics for the simulated device including trapping center effects show close agreement with the available experimental data.

  10. Optical particle trapping and dynamic manipulation using spatial light modulation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Eriksen, René Lynge

    suitable for optical trapping. A phaseonly spatial light modulator (SLM) is used for the phase encoding of the laser beam. The SLM is controlled directly from a standard computer where phase information is represented as gray-scale image information. Experimentally, both linear and angular movements......This thesis deals with the spatial phase-control of light and its application for optical trapping and manipulation of micron-scale objects. Utilizing the radiation pressure, light exerts on dielectric micron-scale particles, functionality of optical tweezers can be obtained. Multiple intensity...... compression factors of two, which is not achievable with binary phase encoding, have been successfully demonstrated. In addition, the GPC method has been miniaturized and implemented in a planar optical platform and shown to work acceptably, with relatively high visibility. Furthermore, the GPC method has...

  11. Trap-assisted and Langevin-type recombination in organic light-emitting diodes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wetzelaer, G. A. H.; Kuik, M.; Nicolai, H. T.; Blom, P. W. M.

    2011-01-01

    Trapping of charges is known to play an important role in the charge transport of organic semiconductors, but the role of traps in the recombination process has not been addressed. Here we show that the ideality factor of the current of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) in the

  12. Overexpression of CDC25B, CDC25C and phospho-CDC25C (Ser216 in vulvar squamous cell carcinomas are associated with malignant features and aggressive cancer phenotypes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Flørenes Vivi

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background CDC25 phosphatases are important regulators of the cell cycle. Their abnormal expression detected in a number of tumors implies that their dysregulation is involved in malignant transformation. However, the role of CDC25s in vulvar cancer is still unknown. To shed light on their roles in the pathogenesis and to clarify their prognostic values, expression of CDC25A, CDC25B and CDC25C in a large series of vulvar squamous cell carcinomas were examined. Methods Expression of CDC25A, CDC25B, CDC25C and phosphorylated (phospho-CDC25C (Ser216 were examined in 300 vulvar carcinomas using immunohistochemistry. Western blot analysis was utilized to demonstrate CDC25s expression in vulvar cancer cell lines. Kinase and phosphatase assays were performed to exclude cross reactivity among CDC25s isoform antibodies. Results High nuclear CDC25A and CDC25B expression were observed in 51% and 16% of the vulvar carcinomas, respectively, whereas high cytoplasmic CDC25C expression was seen in 63% of the cases. In cytoplasm, nucleus and cytoplasm/nucleus high phospho-CDC25C (Ser216 expression was identified in 50%, 70% and 77% of the carcinomas, respectively. High expression of CDC25s correlated significantly with malignant features, including poor differentiation and infiltration of vessel for CDC25B, high FIGO stage, presence of lymph node metastases, large tumor diameter, poor differentiation for CDC25C and high FIGO stage, large tumor diameter, deep invasion and poor differentiation for phospho-CDC25C (Ser216. In univariate analysis, high expression of phospho-CDC25C (Ser216 was correlated with poor disease-specific survival (p = 0.04. However, such an association was annulled in multivariate analysis. Conclusions Our results suggest that CDC25C and phospho-CDC25C (Ser216 play a crucial role and CDC25B a minor role in the pathogenesis and/or progression of vulvar carcinomas. CDC25B, CDC25C and phospho-CDC25C (Ser216 were associated with

  13. Overexpression of CDC25B, CDC25C and phospho-CDC25C (Ser216) in vulvar squamous cell carcinomas are associated with malignant features and aggressive cancer phenotypes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Zhihui; Trope, Claes G; Flørenes, Vivi Ann; Suo, Zhenhe; Nesland, Jahn M; Holm, Ruth

    2010-01-01

    CDC25 phosphatases are important regulators of the cell cycle. Their abnormal expression detected in a number of tumors implies that their dysregulation is involved in malignant transformation. However, the role of CDC25s in vulvar cancer is still unknown. To shed light on their roles in the pathogenesis and to clarify their prognostic values, expression of CDC25A, CDC25B and CDC25C in a large series of vulvar squamous cell carcinomas were examined. Expression of CDC25A, CDC25B, CDC25C and phosphorylated (phospho)-CDC25C (Ser216) were examined in 300 vulvar carcinomas using immunohistochemistry. Western blot analysis was utilized to demonstrate CDC25s expression in vulvar cancer cell lines. Kinase and phosphatase assays were performed to exclude cross reactivity among CDC25s isoform antibodies. High nuclear CDC25A and CDC25B expression were observed in 51% and 16% of the vulvar carcinomas, respectively, whereas high cytoplasmic CDC25C expression was seen in 63% of the cases. In cytoplasm, nucleus and cytoplasm/nucleus high phospho-CDC25C (Ser216) expression was identified in 50%, 70% and 77% of the carcinomas, respectively. High expression of CDC25s correlated significantly with malignant features, including poor differentiation and infiltration of vessel for CDC25B, high FIGO stage, presence of lymph node metastases, large tumor diameter, poor differentiation for CDC25C and high FIGO stage, large tumor diameter, deep invasion and poor differentiation for phospho-CDC25C (Ser216). In univariate analysis, high expression of phospho-CDC25C (Ser216) was correlated with poor disease-specific survival (p = 0.04). However, such an association was annulled in multivariate analysis. Our results suggest that CDC25C and phospho-CDC25C (Ser216) play a crucial role and CDC25B a minor role in the pathogenesis and/or progression of vulvar carcinomas. CDC25B, CDC25C and phospho-CDC25C (Ser216) were associated with malignant features and aggressive cancer phenotypes. However, the

  14. Kinetics of light sum collection in solid dosemeters with several trapping levels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vlasov, V.K.; Tarasov, M.Yu.

    1983-01-01

    On the basis of a stochastic model of filling up the electron-hole capture centres following irradiation, the kinetics of light sum accumulation in crystallophosphors with any number of capture levels has been considered. Using as an example a crystallophosphor with two hole- and two electron capture centres, solution of equations for the kinetics of light sum accumulation in solid dosemeters is presented. It is shown that in the presence of two competing capture centres the filling-up of one of the traps is always described by the function with a bent and superlinear section, whereas the filling-up of the competing trap is described by the function without a bent. The dose-effect functional relationship for competing traps does not depend either on the energetic depth of the trap or absolute values of capture micro cross-sections, but depends solely on relative values of macro- and micro cross-sections for competing traps. The theoretical model has been checked when studying radiothermoluminescence of synthetic quartz. The experimental results are shown to agree well with the model suggested

  15. Concepts for external light trapping and its utilization in colored and image displaying photovoltaic modules

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Dijk, L.; van de Groep, J.; Veldhuizen, L.W.; Di Vece, M.; Schropp, R.E.I.

    2017-01-01

    The reflection of incident sunlight prevents photovoltaic modules from reaching their full energy conversion potential. Recently, we demonstrated significant absorption enhancement in various solar cells by external light trapping, using 3D-printed and milled light traps. In order to facilitate

  16. 3D-printed concentrator arrays for external light trapping on thin film solar cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Dijk, Lourens; Marcus, E.A.P.; Oostra, A.J.; Schropp, R.E.I.; Vece, Di M.

    2015-01-01

    After our recent demonstration of a 3D-printed external light trap on a small solar cell, we now consider its potential for large solar panels. An external light trap consists of a parabolic concentrator and a spacer that redirects the photons that are reflected by the solar cell back towards the

  17. 3D-printed concentrator arrays for external light trapping on thin film solar cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Dijk, Lourens; Marcus, E. A. Pepijn; Oostra, A. Jolt; Schropp, Ruud E. I.; Di Vece, Marcel

    After our recent demonstration of a 3D-printed external light trap on a small solar cell, we now consider its potential for large solar panels. An external light trap consists of a parabolic concentrator and a spacer that redirects the photons that are reflected by the solar cell back towards the

  18. Evanescent light-wave atom mirrors, resonators, waveguides, and traps

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dowling, J.P.; Gea-Banacloche, J.

    1996-01-01

    For many years, it has been known that light can be used to trap and manipulate small dielectric particles and atoms. In particular, the intense coherent light of lasers has been used to cool neutral atoms down to the micro-Kelvin and now even the nano-Kelvin regimes. At such low temperatures, the de Broglie wavelike character of the atoms becomes pronounced, making it necessary to treat the atoms as wave phenomena. To this end, the study of atom optics has recently developed, in which atom optical elements are fabricated in order to manipulate atoms, while utilizing and preserving the coherence and superposition properties inherent in their wavelike propagation. For example, there has been a concerted effort to study theoretically and produce experimentally the atom optic analogs of photonic optical elements, such as atom beam splitters, atom diffraction gratings, atom lenses, atom interferometers, and-last but not least-atom mirrors. It is light-induced atom mirrors, and their application to making atom resonators, waveguides, and traps, that we shall focus on in this chapter. 133 refs., 26 figs., 1 tab

  19. Quantum computing with trapped ions, atoms and light

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Steane, Andrew M.

    2001-01-01

    We consider experimental issues relevant to quantum computing, and discuss the best way to achieve the essential requirements of reliable quantum memory and gate operations. Nuclear spins in trapped ions or atoms are a very promising candidate for the qubits. We estimate the parameters required to couple atoms using light via cavity QED in order to achieve quantum gates. We briefly comment on recent improvements to the Cirac-Zoller method for coupling trapped ions via their vibrational degree of freedom. Error processes result in a trade-off between quantum gate speed and failure probability. A useful quantum computer does appear to be feasible using a combination of ion trap and optical methods. The best understood method to stabilize a large computer relies on quantum error correction. The essential ideas of this are discussed, and recent estimates of the noise requirements in a quantum computing device are given

  20. Ultraviolet safety assessments of insect light traps.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sliney, David H; Gilbert, David W; Lyon, Terry

    2016-01-01

    Near-ultraviolet (UV-A: 315-400 nm), "black-light," electric lamps were invented in 1935 and ultraviolet insect light traps (ILTs) were introduced for use in agriculture around that time. Today ILTs are used indoors in several industries and in food-service as well as in outdoor settings. With recent interest in photobiological lamp safety, safety standards are being developed to test for potentially hazardous ultraviolet emissions. A variety of UV "Black-light" ILTs were measured at a range of distances to assess potential exposures. Realistic time-weighted human exposures are shown to be well below current guidelines for human exposure to ultraviolet radiation. These UV-A exposures would be far less than the typical UV-A exposure in the outdoor environment. Proposals are made for realistic ultraviolet safety standards for ILT products.

  1. Measurement of elastic light scattering from two optically trapped microspheres and red blood cells in a transparent medium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kinnunen, Matti; Kauppila, Antti; Karmenyan, Artashes; Myllylä, Risto

    2011-09-15

    Optical tweezers can be used to manipulate small objects and cells. A trap can be used to fix the position of a particle during light scattering measurements. The places of two separately trapped particles can also be changed. In this Letter we present elastic light scattering measurements as a function of scattering angle when two trapped spheres are illuminated with a He-Ne laser. This setup is suitable for trapping noncharged homogeneous spheres. We also demonstrate measurement of light scattering patterns from two separately trapped red blood cells. Two different illumination schemes are used for both samples.

  2. Comparison between periodic and stochastic parabolic light trapping structures for thin-film microcrystalline Silicon solar cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peters, M; Battaglia, C; Forberich, K; Bläsi, B; Sahraei, N; Aberle, A G

    2012-12-31

    Light trapping is of very high importance for silicon photovoltaics (PV) and especially for thin-film silicon solar cells. In this paper we investigate and compare theoretically the light trapping properties of periodic and stochastic structures having similar geometrical features. The theoretical investigations are based on the actual surface geometry of a scattering structure, characterized by an atomic force microscope. This structure is used for light trapping in thin-film microcrystalline silicon solar cells. Very good agreement is found in a first comparison between simulation and experimental results. The geometrical parameters of the stochastic structure are varied and it is found that the light trapping mainly depends on the aspect ratio (length/height). Furthermore, the maximum possible light trapping with this kind of stochastic structure geometry is investigated. In a second step, the stochastic structure is analysed and typical geometrical features are extracted, which are then arranged in a periodic structure. Investigating the light trapping properties of the periodic structure, we find that it performs very similar to the stochastic structure, in agreement with reports in literature. From the obtained results we conclude that a potential advantage of periodic structures for PV applications will very likely not be found in the absorption enhancement in the solar cell material. However, uniformity and higher definition in production of these structures can lead to potential improvements concerning electrical characteristics and parasitic absorption, e.g. in a back reflector.

  3. Extraordinary Light-Trapping Enhancement in Silicon Solar Cell Patterned with Graded Photonic Super-Crystals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Safaa Hassan

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Light-trapping enhancement in newly discovered graded photonic super-crystals (GPSCs with dual periodicity and dual basis is herein explored for the first time. Broadband, wide-incident-angle, and polarization-independent light-trapping enhancement was achieved in silicon solar cells patterned with these GPSCs. These super-crystals were designed by multi-beam interference, rendering them flexible and efficient. The optical response of the patterned silicon solar cell retained Bloch-mode resonance; however, light absorption was greatly enhanced in broadband wavelengths due to the graded, complex unit super-cell nanostructures, leading to the overlap of Bloch-mode resonances. The broadband, wide-angle light coupling and trapping enhancement mechanism are understood to be due to the spatial variance of the index of refraction, and this spatial variance is due to the varying filling fraction, the dual basis, and the varying lattice constants in different directions.

  4. Are light traps baited with kairomones effective in the capture of Lutzomyia longipalpis and Lutzomyia intermedia? An evaluation of synthetic human odor as an attractant for phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andrade, Andrey J; Andrade, Mateus R; Dias, Edelberto S; Pinto, Mara C; Eiras, Alvaro E

    2008-06-01

    Phlebotomine sand flies are often captured with human bait and/or light traps, either with or without an animal bait. More recently, synthetic attractants have been used as bait in traps to improve the capture of phlebotomine sand flies as well as other insects of medical and veterinary importance. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of the kairomone 1-octen-3-ol (octenol) and the synthetic human odor BG-Mesh Lure (BGML--lactic acid, caproic acid and ammonia) baited in modified CDC light traps on the capture of phlebotomine sand flies. The experiments followed the 5x5 Latin square design. Among the species caught, Lutzomyia intermedia apparently presented a dose-dependent response to octenol. The response obtained with the BGML, alone or in combination with octenol (5 mg/h), indicated some degree of attractiveness of these baits to different phlebotomine sand fly species. Octenol seems to be more attractive to L. intermedia than to Lutzomyia longipalpis, while the BGML presented a higher success in capturing L. longipalpis. When the components of the BGML were used separately, there was no increase in catching the female of L. intermedia. Apparently, there was no synergistic effect between the octenol and the BGML. In conclusion, the octenol and the BGML were demonstrated to be possible baits to attract some phlebotomine sand fly species.

  5. Efficient light trapping in silicon inclined nanohole arrays for photovoltaic applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deng, Can; Tan, Xinyu; Jiang, Lihua; Tu, Yiteng; Ye, Mao; Yi, Yasha

    2018-01-01

    Structural design with high light absorption is the key challenge for thin film solar cells because of its poor absorption. In this paper, the light-trapping performance of silicon inclined nanohole arrays is systematically studied. The finite difference time domain method is used to calculate the optical absorption of different inclination angles in different periods and diameters. The results indicate that the inclined nanoholes with inclination angles between 5° and 45° demonstrate greater light-trapping ability than their counterparts of the vertical nanoholes, and they also show that by choosing the optimal parameters for the inclined nanoholes, a 31.2 mA/cm2 short circuit photocurrent density could be achieved, which is 10.25% higher than the best vertical nanohole system and 105.26% higher than bare silicon with a thickness of 2330 nm. The design principle proposed in this work gives a guideline for choosing reasonable parameters in the application of solar cells.

  6. Field evaluation of effectiveness of the BG-Sentinel, a new trap for capturing adult Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rafael Maciel-de-Freitas

    2006-05-01

    Full Text Available In recent years, the development of new tools to gather field information about vector ecological parameters has increased. This report evaluated the BG-Sentinel Trap (BGS-Trap, a promising new attempt to improve collection of the dengue vector, Aedes aegypti. The efficacy of the BGS-Trap was compared with the CDC backpack aspirator, one of the commonest used methods for capturing adult mosquitoes. BGS-Traps captured significantly more Ae. aegypti males (chi2 = 21.774, df = 1, P < 0.05 and females (chi2 = 56.007, df = 1, P < 0.05 than CDC aspirator during all days of field collection. However, CDC aspirator was significantly more efficient to capture Culex quinquefasciatus males (chi2 = 5.681, df = 1, P < 0.05 and females (chi2 = 6.553, df = 1, P < 0.05. BGS-Traps captured host-seeking females (varying between 68.75 to 89.8% in detriment of females in other behavioral and physiological stages. BGS-Traps proved to be efficient and can be used for monitoring adult mosquito populations.

  7. Dislocation-related trap levels in nitride-based light emitting diodes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Venturi, Giulia; Castaldini, Antonio; Cavallini, Anna [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Bologna, Viale Berti Pichat 6/2, Bologna 40127 (Italy); Meneghini, Matteo; Zanoni, Enrico [Department of Information Engineering, University of Padova, via Gradenigo 6/B, Padova 35131 (Italy); Zhu, Dandan; Humphreys, Colin [Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS (United Kingdom)

    2014-05-26

    Deep level transient spectroscopy was performed on InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well light emitting diodes (LEDs) in order to determine the effect of the dislocation density on the deep intragap electronic levels. The LEDs were grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy on GaN templates with a high dislocation density of 8 × 10{sup 9} cm{sup −2} and a low dislocation density of 3 × 10{sup 8} cm{sup −2}. Three trapping levels for electrons were revealed, named A, A1, and B, with energies E{sub A} ≈ 0.04 eV, E{sub A1} ≈ 0.13 eV, and E{sub B} ≈ 0.54 eV, respectively. The trapping level A has a much higher concentration in the LEDs grown on the template with a high density of dislocations. The logarithmic dependence of the peak amplitude on the bias pulse width for traps A and A1 identifies the defects responsible for these traps as associated with linearly arranged defects. We conclude that traps A and A1 are dislocation-related intragap energy levels.

  8. Dislocation-related trap levels in nitride-based light emitting diodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Venturi, Giulia; Castaldini, Antonio; Cavallini, Anna; Meneghini, Matteo; Zanoni, Enrico; Zhu, Dandan; Humphreys, Colin

    2014-01-01

    Deep level transient spectroscopy was performed on InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well light emitting diodes (LEDs) in order to determine the effect of the dislocation density on the deep intragap electronic levels. The LEDs were grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy on GaN templates with a high dislocation density of 8 × 10 9 cm −2 and a low dislocation density of 3 × 10 8 cm −2 . Three trapping levels for electrons were revealed, named A, A1, and B, with energies E A  ≈ 0.04 eV, E A1  ≈ 0.13 eV, and E B  ≈ 0.54 eV, respectively. The trapping level A has a much higher concentration in the LEDs grown on the template with a high density of dislocations. The logarithmic dependence of the peak amplitude on the bias pulse width for traps A and A1 identifies the defects responsible for these traps as associated with linearly arranged defects. We conclude that traps A and A1 are dislocation-related intragap energy levels.

  9. Light trapping in thin film solar cells using photonic engineering device concepts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mutitu, James Gichuhi

    In this era of uncertainty concerning future energy solutions, strong reservations have arisen over the continued use and pursuit of fossil fuels and other conventional sources of energy. Moreover, there is currently a strong and global push for the implementation of stringent measures, in order to reduce the amount of green house gases emitted by every nation. As a consequence, there has emerged a sudden and frantic rush for new renewable energy solutions. In this world of renewable energy technologies is where we find photovoltaic (PV) technology today. However, as is, there are still many issues that need to be addressed before solar energy technologies become economically viable and available to all people, in every part of the world. This renewed interest in the development of solar electricity, has led to the advancement of new avenues that address the issues of cost and efficiency associated with PV. To this end, one of the prominent approaches being explored is thin film solar cell (TFSC) technology, which offers prospects of lower material costs and enables larger units of manufacture than conventional wafer based technology. However, TFSC technologies suffer from one major problem; they have lower efficiencies than conventional wafer based solar cell technologies. This lesser efficiency is based on a number of reasons, one of which is that with less material, there is less volume for the absorption of incident photons. This shortcoming leads to the need for optical light trapping; which is concerned with admitting the maximum amount of light into the solar cell and keeping the light within the structure for as long as possible. In this thesis, I present the fundamental scientific ideas, practice and methodology behind the application of photonic engineering device concepts to increase the light trapping capacity of thin film solar cells. In the introductory chapters, I develop the basic ideas behind light trapping in a sequential manner, where the effects

  10. Comparative efficacy of small commercial traps for the capture of adult Phlebotomus papatasi.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Junnila, Amy; Kline, Daniel L; Müller, Günter C

    2011-03-01

    We tested the performance of ten commercial mosquito traps with varying attractive features, against three CDC traps (an unlit model 512, an incandescently lit model 512, and a UV lit model 1212) as well as simple sticky paper, for their ability to attract and capture Phlebotomus papatasi in Israel. The commercial traps tested were the Sentinel 360, the Combo Trap, the Mega Catch Premier, the Bug Eater, the EcoTrap, the Galaxie Power-Vac, the Biter Fighter, the Black Hole, the Mosquito Trap, the Mosquito Catcher, the Sonic Web, the Solar Pest Killer, and a Bug Zapper. The four best performing traps with the highest nightly catches were the Sentinel 360 (85.96 ±19.34), the Combo Trap (70.00±7.78), the Mega Catch Premier (51.93±1.82) and the UV lit CDC 1212 trap (47.64±3.43). Five traps--the Mosquito Trap, the Mosquito Catcher, the Sonic Web, the Solar Pest Killer, and the Bug Zapper--performed exceptionally poorly, catching an average of less than two sand flies per day. To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive attempt to evaluate commercial traps for their effectiveness in catching sand flies, and we show here that some traps that have been effective in catching mosquitoes are also effective in catching sand flies. © 2011 The Society for Vector Ecology.

  11. Optical trapping of cold neutral atoms using a two-color evanescent light field around a carbon nanotube

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nga, Do Thi; Viet, Nguyen Ai; Nga, Dao Thi Thuy; Lan, Nguyen Thi Phuong

    2014-01-01

    We suggest a new schema of trapping cold atoms using a two-color evanescent light field around a carbon nanotube. The two light fields circularly polarized sending through a carbon nanotube generates an evanescent wave around this nanotube. By evanescent effect, the wave decays away from the nanotube producing a set of trapping minima of the total potential in the transverse plane as a ring around the nanotube. This schema allows capture of atoms to a cylindrical shell around the nanotube. We consider some possible boundary conditions leading to the non-trivial bound state solution. Our result will be compared to some recent trapping models and our previous trapping models.

  12. Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) response to pyramid traps baited with attractive light and pheromonal stimuli

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halyomorpha halys is an invasive insect that causes severe economic damage to multiple agricultural commodities. Several monitoring techniques have been developed to monitor H. halys including pheromone and light-baited black pyramid traps. Here, we evaluated the attractiveness of these traps bait...

  13. Fabrication of the replica templated from butterfly wing scales with complex light trapping structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Zhiwu; Li, Bo; Mu, Zhengzhi; Yang, Meng; Niu, Shichao; Zhang, Junqiu; Ren, Luquan

    2015-11-01

    The polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) positive replica templated twice from the excellent light trapping surface of butterfly Trogonoptera brookiana wing scales was fabricated by a simple and promising route. The exact SiO2 negative replica was fabricated by using a synthesis method combining a sol-gel process and subsequent selective etching. Afterwards, a vacuum-aided process was introduced to make PDMS gel fill into the SiO2 negative replica, and the PDMS gel was solidified in an oven. Then, the SiO2 negative replica was used as secondary template and the structures in its surface was transcribed onto the surface of PDMS. At last, the PDMS positive replica was obtained. After comparing the PDMS positive replica and the original bio-template in terms of morphology, dimensions and reflectance spectra and so on, it is evident that the excellent light trapping structures of butterfly wing scales were inherited by the PDMS positive replica faithfully. This bio-inspired route could facilitate the preparation of complex light trapping nanostructure surfaces without any assistance from other power-wasting and expensive nanofabrication technologies.

  14. Comparison of sampling techniques for Rift Valley Fever virus potential vectors, Aedes aegypti and Culex pipiens complex, in Ngorongoro District in northern Tanzania.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mweya, Clement N; Kimera, Sharadhuli I; Karimuribo, Esron D; Mboera, Leonard E G

    2013-07-01

    We investigated mosquito sampling techniques with two types of traps and attractants at different time for trapping potential vectors for Rift Valley Fever virus. The study was conducted in six villages in Ngorongoro district in Tanzania from September to October 2012. A total of 1814 mosquitoes were collected, of which 738 were collected by CDC light traps and 1076 by Mosquito Magnet trapping technique. Of the collected mosquitoes, 12.46% (N = 226) were Aedes aegypti and 87.54% (N = 1588) were Culex pipiens complex. More mosquitoes were collected outdoors using Mosquito Magnets baited with octenol attractant, 36.38% (N =660) followed by indoor trapping using CDC light traps without attractant, 29.60% (N = 537). Most of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes were collected outdoor using Mosquito Magnets, 95% (N = 214) whereas Cx. pipiens complex were trapped both indoor using CDC light traps without attractant and outdoors using both CDC light traps baited with carbon dioxide (CO2) sachets and Mosquito Magnets. Analysis on the differences in abundance of mosquitoes trapped by different techniques using Generalized Linear Models was statistically significance at p-value < 0.05 for both species. Three hours mosquito collections show differing patterns in activity, most Ae. aegypti species were collected primarily during the first and last quarters of the day. Cx pipiens complex was active throughout the night, early evening and early morning then decreased markedly during the day time. The results presented in this paper emphasize the possibility of using Mosquito Magnets in order to efficiently capture these potential RVF vectors.

  15. Comparative study on the human landing catch and light trap ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    As part of a longitudinal study on the epidemiology of filariasis, this study was carried out to test a hypothesis that three light traps catch about the same number of mosquitoes as a team of two Human Landing Catch collectors. The comparison was done to analyze possible differences between the two techniques in the ...

  16. Development of the BG-Malaria trap as an alternative to human-landing catches for the capture of Anopheles darlingi

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Renata Antonaci Gama

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Although the human-landing catch (HLC method is the most effective for collecting anthropophilic anophelines, it has been increasingly abandoned, primarily for ethical considerations. The objective of the present study was to develop a new trap for the collection of Anopheles darlingi . The initial trials were conducted using the BG-Sentinel trap as a standard for further trap development based on colour, airflow direction and illumination. The performance of the trap was then compared with those of the CDC, Fay-Prince, counterflow geometry trap (CFG and HLC. All trials were conducted outdoors between 06:00 pm-08:00 pm. Female specimens of An. darlingi were dissected to determine their parity. A total of 8,334 anophelines were captured, of which 4,945 were identified as An. darlingi . The best trap configuration was an all-white version, with an upward airflow and no required light source. This configuration was subsequently named BG-Malaria (BGM. The BGM captured significantly more anophelines than any of the other traps tested and was similar to HLC with respect to the number and parity of anophelines. The BGM trap can be used as an alternative to HLC for collecting anophelines.

  17. Trapping of quantum particles and light beams by switchable potential wells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sonkin, Eduard; Malomed, Boris A.; Granot, Er'el; Marchewka, Avi

    2010-01-01

    We consider basic dynamical effects in settings based on a pair of local potential traps that may be effectively switched on and off, or suddenly displaced, by means of appropriate control mechanisms, such as scanning tunneling microscopy or photo-switchable quantum dots. The same models, based on the linear Schroedinger equation with time-dependent trapping potentials, apply to the description of optical planar systems designed for the switching of trapped light beams. The analysis is carried out in the analytical form, using exact solutions of the Schroedinger equation. The first dynamical problem considered in this work is the retention of a particle released from a trap which was suddenly turned off, while another local trap was switched on at a distance--immediately or with a delay. In this case, we demonstrate that the maximum of the retention rate is achieved at a specific finite value of the strength of the new trap, and at a finite value of the temporal delay, depending on the distance between the two traps. Another problem is retrapping of the bound particle when the addition of the second trap transforms the single-well setting into a double-well potential (DWP). In that case, we find probabilities for the retrapping into the ground or first excited state of the DWP. We also analyze effects entailed by the application of a kick to a bound particle, the most interesting one being a kick-induced transition between the DWP's ground and excited states. In the latter case, the largest transition probability is achieved at a particular strength of the kick.

  18. A TOCA/CDC-42/PAR/WAVE functional module required for retrograde endocytic recycling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bai, Zhiyong; Grant, Barth D.

    2015-01-01

    Endosome-to-Golgi transport is required for the function of many key membrane proteins and lipids, including signaling receptors, small-molecule transporters, and adhesion proteins. The retromer complex is well-known for its role in cargo sorting and vesicle budding from early endosomes, in most cases leading to cargo fusion with the trans-Golgi network (TGN). Transport from recycling endosomes to the TGN has also been reported, but much less is understood about the molecules that mediate this transport step. Here we provide evidence that the F-BAR domain proteins TOCA-1 and TOCA-2 (Transducer of Cdc42 dependent actin assembly), the small GTPase CDC-42 (Cell division control protein 42), associated polarity proteins PAR-6 (Partitioning defective 6) and PKC-3/atypical protein kinase C, and the WAVE actin nucleation complex mediate the transport of MIG-14/Wls and TGN-38/TGN38 cargo proteins from the recycling endosome to the TGN in Caenorhabditis elegans. Our results indicate that CDC-42, the TOCA proteins, and the WAVE component WVE-1 are enriched on RME-1–positive recycling endosomes in the intestine, unlike retromer components that act on early endosomes. Furthermore, we find that retrograde cargo TGN-38 is trapped in early endosomes after depletion of SNX-3 (a retromer component) but is mainly trapped in recycling endosomes after depletion of CDC-42, indicating that the CDC-42–associated complex functions after retromer in a distinct organelle. Thus, we identify a group of interacting proteins that mediate retrograde recycling, and link these proteins to a poorly understood trafficking step, recycling endosome-to-Golgi transport. We also provide evidence for the physiological importance of this pathway in WNT signaling. PMID:25775511

  19. Broad self-trapped and slow light bands based on negative refraction and interference of magnetic coupled modes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fang, Yun-tuan; Ni, Zhi-yao; Zhu, Na; Zhou, Jun

    2016-01-01

    We propose a new mechanism to achieve light localization and slow light. Through the study on the coupling of two magnetic surface modes, we find a special convex band that takes on a negative refraction effect. The negative refraction results in an energy flow concellation effect from two degenerated modes on the convex band. The energy flow concellation effect leads to forming of the self-trapped and slow light bands. In the self-trapped band light is localized around the source without reflection wall in the waveguide direction, whereas in the slow light band, light becomes the standing-waves and moving standing-waves at the center and the two sides of the waveguide, respectively. (paper)

  20. Broad self-trapped and slow light bands based on negative refraction and interference of magnetic coupled modes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fang, Yun-Tuan; Ni, Zhi-Yao; Zhu, Na; Zhou, Jun

    2016-01-13

    We propose a new mechanism to achieve light localization and slow light. Through the study on the coupling of two magnetic surface modes, we find a special convex band that takes on a negative refraction effect. The negative refraction results in an energy flow concellation effect from two degenerated modes on the convex band. The energy flow concellation effect leads to forming of the self-trapped and slow light bands. In the self-trapped band light is localized around the source without reflection wall in the waveguide direction, whereas in the slow light band, light becomes the standing-waves and moving standing-waves at the center and the two sides of the waveguide, respectively.

  1. Trapping of quantum particles and light beams by switchable potential wells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sonkin, Eduard; Malomed, Boris A.; Granot, Er'El; Marchewka, Avi

    2010-09-01

    We consider basic dynamical effects in settings based on a pair of local potential traps that may be effectively switched on and off, or suddenly displaced, by means of appropriate control mechanisms, such as scanning tunneling microscopy or photo-switchable quantum dots. The same models, based on the linear Schrödinger equation with time-dependent trapping potentials, apply to the description of optical planar systems designed for the switching of trapped light beams. The analysis is carried out in the analytical form, using exact solutions of the Schrödinger equation. The first dynamical problem considered in this work is the retention of a particle released from a trap which was suddenly turned off, while another local trap was switched on at a distance—immediately or with a delay. In this case, we demonstrate that the maximum of the retention rate is achieved at a specific finite value of the strength of the new trap, and at a finite value of the temporal delay, depending on the distance between the two traps. Another problem is retrapping of the bound particle when the addition of the second trap transforms the single-well setting into a double-well potential (DWP). In that case, we find probabilities for the retrapping into the ground or first excited state of the DWP. We also analyze effects entailed by the application of a kick to a bound particle, the most interesting one being a kick-induced transition between the DWP’s ground and excited states. In the latter case, the largest transition probability is achieved at a particular strength of the kick.

  2. Determination of the trap-assisted recombination strength in polymer light emitting diodes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kuik, Martijn; Nicolai, Herman T.; Lenes, Martijn; Wetzelaer, Gert-Jan A. H.; Lu, Mingtao; Blom, Paul W. M.

    2011-01-01

    The recombination processes in poly(p-phenylene vinylene) based polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs) are investigated. Photogenerated current measurements on PLED device structures reveal that next to the known Langevin recombination also trap-assisted recombination is an important recombination

  3. Determination of the trap-assisted recombination strength in polymer light emitting diodes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kuik, M.; Nicolai, H.T.; Lenes, M.; Wetzelaer, G.-J.A.H.; Lu, M.; Blom, P.W.M.

    2011-01-01

    The recombination processes in poly(p -phenylene vinylene) based polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs) are investigated. Photogenerated current measurements on PLED device structures reveal that next to the known Langevin recombination also trap-assisted recombination is an important recombination

  4. Enhancement of mosquito trapping efficiency by using pulse width modulated light emitting diodes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yu-Nan; Liu, Yu-Jen; Chen, Yi-Chian; Ma, Hsin-Yi; Lee, Hsiao-Yi

    2017-01-01

    In this study, a light-driving bug zapper is presented for well controlling the diseases brought by insects, such as mosquitoes. In order to have the device efficient to trap the insect pests in off-grid areas, pulse width modulated light emitting diodes (PWM-LED) combined with a solar power module are proposed and implemented. With specific PWM electric signals to drive the LED, it is found that no matter what the ability of catching insects or the consumed power efficiency can be enhanced thus. It is demonstrated that 40% of the UV LED consumed power and 25.9% of the total load power consumption can be saved, and the trapped mosquitoes are about 250% increased when the PWM method is applied in the bug zapper experiments.

  5. Periodic molybdenum disc array for light trapping in amorphous silicon layer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Jiwei; Deng, Changkai [International Center of Quantum and Molecular Structures, Materials Genome Institute, and Department of Physics, Shanghai University, 99 Shangda Road, Shanghai, 200444 China (China); Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 99 Haike Road, Shanghai, 201210 China (China); Yang, Kang; Chen, Haiyan, E-mail: chenhy@sari.ac.cn; Li, Dongdong; Chen, Xiaoyuan [Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 99 Haike Road, Shanghai, 201210 China (China); Ren, Wei, E-mail: renwei@shu.edu.cn [International Center of Quantum and Molecular Structures, Materials Genome Institute, and Department of Physics, Shanghai University, 99 Shangda Road, Shanghai, 200444 China (China)

    2016-05-15

    We demonstrate the light trapping effect in amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) layer by inserting a layer of periodic molybdenum disc array (MDA) between the a-Si:H layer and the quartz substrate, which forms a three-layer structure of Si/MDA/SiO{sub 2}. The MDA layer was fabricated by a new cost-effective method based on nano-imprint technology. Further light absorption enhancement was realized through altering the topography of MDA by annealing it at 700°C. The mechanism of light absorption enhancement in a-Si:H interfaced with MDA was analyzed, and the electric field distribution and light absorption curve of the different layers in the Si/MDA structure under light illumination of different wavelengths were simulated by employing numerical finite difference time domain (FDTD) solutions.

  6. Resonant nano-antennas for light trapping in plasmonic solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mokkapati, S; Beck, F J; Catchpole, K R [Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems, College of Engineering and Computer Science, Australian National University, Canberra, 0200 (Australia); De Waele, R; Polman, A, E-mail: sudha.mokkapati@anu.edu.au [Center for Nanophotonics, FOM Institute AMOLF, Science Park 104, 1098 XG Amsterdam (Netherlands)

    2011-05-11

    We investigate the influence of nanoparticle height on light trapping in thin-film solar cells covered with metal nanoparticles. We show that in taller nanoparticles the scattering cross-section is enhanced by resonant excitation of plasmonic standing waves. Tall nanoparticles have higher coupling efficiency when placed on the illuminated surface of the cell than on the rear of the cell due to their forward scattering nature. One of the major factors affecting the coupling efficiency of these particles is the phase shift of surface plasmon polaritons propagating along the nanoparticle due to reflection from the Ag/Si or Ag/air interface. The high scattering cross-sections of tall nanoparticles on the illuminated surface of the cell could be exploited for efficient light trapping by modifying the coupling efficiency of nanoparticles by engineering this phase shift. We demonstrate that the path length enhancement (with a nanoparticle of height 500 nm) at an incident wavelength of 700 nm can be increased from {approx}6 to {approx}16 by modifying the phase shift at the Ag/air interface by coating the surface of the nanoparticle with a layer of Si.

  7. Light trap surveys for moths in Sile region of Istanbul, Turkey ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In this study, Heterocera species collected by light trap method in Sile region, Istanbul province, Turkey during the years of 2007 - 2008 was evaluated. A total of 194 specimens were collected from 48 different locations in Sile. According to identification results, 70 species belonging to 15 families were recorded. The family ...

  8. The effect of high frequency sound on Culicoides numbers collected with suction light traps

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gert J. Venter

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Culicoides midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae, are involved in the transmission of various pathogens that cause important diseases of livestock worldwide. The use of insect repellents to reduce the attack rate of these insects on livestock could play an important role as part of an integrated control programme against diseases transmitted by these midges. The objective of this study was to determine whether high frequency sound has any repellent effect on Culicoides midges. The number of midges collected with 220 V Onderstepoort white light traps fitted with electronic mosquito repellents (EMRs, emitting 5-20 KHz multi-frequency sound waves, was compared with that of two untreated traps. Treatments were rotated in two replicates of a 4 x 4 randomised Latin square design. Although fewer midges were collected in the two traps fitted with EMRs, the average number collected over eight consecutive nights was not significantly different. The EMRs also had no influence on any of the physiological groups of Culicoides imicola Kieffer or the species composition of the Culicoides population as determined with light traps. The results indicate that high frequency sound has no repellent effect on Culicoides midges. There is therefore no evidence to support their promotion or use in the protection of animals against pathogens transmitted by Culicoides midges.

  9. Efficient nanorod-based amorphous silicon solar cells with advanced light trapping

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuang, Y.; Lare, M. C. van; Polman, A.; Veldhuizen, L. W.; Schropp, R. E. I.; Rath, J. K.

    2015-01-01

    We present a simple, low-cost, and scalable approach for the fabrication of efficient nanorod-based solar cells. Templates with arrays of self-assembled ZnO nanorods with tunable morphology are synthesized by chemical bath deposition using a low process temperature at 80 °C. The nanorod templates are conformally coated with hydrogenated amorphous silicon light absorber layers of 100 nm and 200 nm thickness. An initial efficiency of up to 9.0% is achieved for the optimized design. External quantum efficiency measurements on the nanorod cells show a substantial photocurrent enhancement both in the red and the blue parts of the solar spectrum. Key insights in the light trapping mechanisms in these arrays are obtained via a combination of three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain simulations, optical absorption, and external quantum efficiency measurements. Front surface patterns enhance the light incoupling in the blue, while rear side patterns lead to enhanced light trapping in the red. The red response in the nanorod cells is limited by absorption in the patterned Ag back contact. With these findings, we develop and experimentally realize a further advanced design with patterned front and back sides while keeping the Ag reflector flat, showing significantly enhanced scattering from the back reflector with reduced parasitic absorption in the Ag and thus higher photocurrent generation. Many of the findings in this work can serve to provide insights for further optimization of nanostructures for thin-film solar cells in a broad range of materials

  10. Efficient nanorod-based amorphous silicon solar cells with advanced light trapping

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kuang, Y. [Physics of Devices, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, High Tech Campus, Building 21, 5656 AE Eindhoven (Netherlands); Department of Applied Physics, Plasma & Materials Processing, Eindhoven University of Technology (TUE), P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven (Netherlands); Lare, M. C. van; Polman, A. [Center for Nanophotonics, FOM Institute AMOLF, Science Park 104, 1098 XG Amsterdam (Netherlands); Veldhuizen, L. W.; Schropp, R. E. I., E-mail: r.e.i.schropp@tue.nl [Department of Applied Physics, Plasma & Materials Processing, Eindhoven University of Technology (TUE), P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven (Netherlands); Rath, J. K. [Physics of Devices, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, High Tech Campus, Building 21, 5656 AE Eindhoven (Netherlands)

    2015-11-14

    We present a simple, low-cost, and scalable approach for the fabrication of efficient nanorod-based solar cells. Templates with arrays of self-assembled ZnO nanorods with tunable morphology are synthesized by chemical bath deposition using a low process temperature at 80 °C. The nanorod templates are conformally coated with hydrogenated amorphous silicon light absorber layers of 100 nm and 200 nm thickness. An initial efficiency of up to 9.0% is achieved for the optimized design. External quantum efficiency measurements on the nanorod cells show a substantial photocurrent enhancement both in the red and the blue parts of the solar spectrum. Key insights in the light trapping mechanisms in these arrays are obtained via a combination of three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain simulations, optical absorption, and external quantum efficiency measurements. Front surface patterns enhance the light incoupling in the blue, while rear side patterns lead to enhanced light trapping in the red. The red response in the nanorod cells is limited by absorption in the patterned Ag back contact. With these findings, we develop and experimentally realize a further advanced design with patterned front and back sides while keeping the Ag reflector flat, showing significantly enhanced scattering from the back reflector with reduced parasitic absorption in the Ag and thus higher photocurrent generation. Many of the findings in this work can serve to provide insights for further optimization of nanostructures for thin-film solar cells in a broad range of materials.

  11. Spectral and directional dependence of light-trapping in solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ulbrich, Carolin

    2011-02-17

    This thesis investigates the directional and spectral dependence of light-incoupling and light-trapping in solar cells. The light-trapping does not notably change under increased angles of incidence. To enhance the incoupling at the front of the solar cell, the effects of a textured surface structure on the cover glass of the solar cell are investigated. The texture reduces the reflectance at the air-glass interface and, additionally, reduces the reflection losses originating at the interface between the glass and the transparent conductive oxide (TCO) as well as the TCO and the silicon (Si) absorber due to the randomization of light. On samples without a textured TCO/Si interface, the textured foil induces additional light-trapping in the photovoltaically active absorber material. This effect is not observed for samples with a textured TCO/Si interface. In this case, using tandem solar cells, a redistribution of light absorption in the top and bottom subcells is detected. The antireflective texture increases the short circuit current density in thin film silicon tandem solar cells by up to 1 mA/cm{sup 2}, and the conversion efficiency by up to 0.7 % absolute. The increase in the annual yield of solar cells is estimated to be up to 10 %. Further, the spectral dependence of the efficiency and annual yield of a tandem solar cell was investigated. The daily variation of the incident spectrum causes a change in the current matching of the serial connected subcells. Simulations determine the optimum subcell layer thicknesses of tandem solar cells. The thicknesses optimized in respect to the annual yield overlap in a wide range for both investigated locations with those for the AM1.5g standard spectrum. Though, a slight top limitation is favorable. Matching the short circuit currents of the subcells maximizes the overall current, but minimizes the fill factor. This thesis introduces a new definition for the matching condition of tandem solar cells. This definition

  12. The trap states in lightly Mg-doped GaN grown by MOVPE on a freestanding GaN substrate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narita, Tetsuo; Tokuda, Yutaka; Kogiso, Tatsuya; Tomita, Kazuyoshi; Kachi, Tetsu

    2018-04-01

    We investigated traps in lightly Mg-doped (2 × 1017 cm-3) p-GaN fabricated by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) on a freestanding GaN substrate and the subsequent post-growth annealing, using deep level transient spectroscopy. We identified four hole traps with energy levels of EV + 0.46, 0.88, 1.0, and 1.3 eV and one electron trap at EC - 0.57 eV in a p-type GaN layer uniformly doped with magnesium (Mg). The Arrhenius plot of hole traps with the highest concentration (˜3 × 1016 cm-3) located at EV + 0.88 eV corresponded to those of hole traps ascribed to carbon on nitrogen sites in n-type GaN samples grown by MOVPE. In fact, the range of the hole trap concentrations at EV + 0.88 eV was close to the carbon concentration detected by secondary ion mass spectroscopy. Moreover, the electron trap at EC - 0.57 eV was also identical to the dominant electron traps commonly observed in n-type GaN. Together, these results suggest that the trap states in the lightly Mg-doped GaN grown by MOVPE show a strong similarity to those in n-type GaN, which can be explained by the Fermi level close to the conduction band minimum in pristine MOVPE grown samples due to existing residual donors and Mg-hydrogen complexes.

  13. Enhanced light trapping by focused ion beam (FIB) induced self-organized nanoripples on germanium (100) surface

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kamaliya, Bhaveshkumar; Mote, Rakesh G.; Aslam, Mohammed; Fu, Jing

    2018-03-01

    In this paper, we demonstrate enhanced light trapping by self-organized nanoripples on the germanium surface. The enhanced light trapping leading to high absorption of light is confirmed by the experimental studies as well as the numerical simulations using the finite-difference time-domain method. We used gallium ion (Ga+) focused ion beam to enable the formation of the self-organized nanoripples on the germanium (100) surface. During the fabrication, the overlap of the scanning beam is varied from zero to negative value and found to influence the orientation of the nanoripples. Evolution of nanostructures with the variation of beam overlap is investigated. Parallel, perpendicular, and randomly aligned nanoripples with respect to the scanning direction are obtained via manipulation of the scanning beam overlap. 95% broadband absorptance is measured in the visible electromagnetic region for the nanorippled germanium surface. The reported light absorption enhancement can significantly improve the efficiency of germanium-silicon based photovoltaic systems.

  14. Optical pumping of deep traps in AlGaN/GaN-on-Si HEMTs using an on-chip Schottky-on-heterojunction light-emitting diode

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Baikui; Tang, Xi; Chen, Kevin J.

    2015-01-01

    In this work, by using an on-chip integrated Schottky-on-heterojunction light-emitting diode (SoH-LED) which is seamlessly integrated with the AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT), we studied the effect of on-chip light illumination on the de-trapping processes of electrons from both surface and bulk traps. Surface trapping was generated by applying OFF-state drain bias stress, while bulk trapping was generated by applying positive substrate bias stress. The de-trapping processes of surface and/or bulk traps were monitored by measuring the recovery of dynamic on-resistance R on and/or threshold voltage V th of the HEMT. The results show that the recovery processes of both dynamic R on and threshold voltage V th of the HEMT can be accelerated by the on-chip SoH-LED light illumination, demonstrating the potentiality of on-chip hybrid opto-HEMTs to minimize the influences of traps during dynamic operation of AlGaN/GaN power HEMTs

  15. Three Dimensional Imaging of Cold Atoms in a Magneto Optical Trap with a Light Field Microscope

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-09-14

    with a Light Field Microscope Gordon E. Lott Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.afit.edu/etd Part of the Atomic, Molecular and......https://scholar.afit.edu/etd/774 THREE-DIMENSIONAL IMAGING OF COLD ATOMS IN A MAGNETO-OPTICAL TRAP WITH A LIGHT FIELD MICROSCOPE DISSERTATION Gordon E

  16. Use of black light traps to monitor the abundance, spread, and flight behavior of Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nielsen, Anne L; Holmstrom, Kristian; Hamilton, George C; Cambridge, John; Ingerson-Mahar, Joseph

    2013-06-01

    Monitoring the distribution and abundance of an invasive species is challenging, especially during the initial years of spread when population densities are low and basic biology and monitoring methods are being investigated. Brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys (Stål)) is an invasive agricultural and urban pest that was first detected in the United States in the late 1990s. At the time of its detection, no method was available to effectively track H. halys populations, which are highly mobile and polyphagous. One possible solution was the utilization of black light traps, which are nonspecific traps attractive to night flying insects. To determine if black light traps are a reliable monitoring tool for H. halys, a state-wide network of 40-75 traps located on New Jersey farms were monitored from 2004 to 2011 for H. halys. This proved to be a highly effective method of monitoring H. halys populations and their spread at the landscape level. The total number of brown marmorated stink bug caught in New Jersey increased exponentially during this period at a rate of 75% per year. Logistic regression estimates that 2.84 new farms are invaded each year by H. halys. The results indicate that black light traps are attractive to early season populations as well as at low population densities. Weekly trap catch data are being used to generate state-wide population distribution maps made available to farmers in weekly newsletters and online. While no economic threshold currently exists for brown marmorated stink bug, the maps provide farmers with a tool to forecast pest pressure and plan management.

  17. Enhancement of mosquito trapping efficiency by using pulse width modulated light emitting diodes

    OpenAIRE

    Liu, Yu-Nan; Liu, Yu-Jen; Chen, Yi-Chian; Ma, Hsin-Yi; Lee, Hsiao-Yi

    2017-01-01

    In this study, a light-driving bug zapper is presented for well controlling the diseases brought by insects, such as mosquitoes. In order to have the device efficient to trap the insect pests in off-grid areas, pulse width modulated light emitting diodes (PWM-LED) combined with a solar power module are proposed and implemented. With specific PWM electric signals to drive the LED, it is found that no matter what the ability of catching insects or the consumed power efficiency can be enhanced t...

  18. Development of a gravid trap for collecting live malaria vectors Anopheles gambiae s.l.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sisay Dugassa

    Full Text Available Effective malaria vector control targeting indoor host-seeking mosquitoes has resulted in fewer vectors entering houses in many areas of sub-Saharan Africa, with the proportion of vectors outdoors becoming more important in the transmission of this disease. This study aimed to develop a gravid trap for the outdoor collection of the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae s.l. based on evaluation and modification of commercially available gravid traps.Experiments were implemented in an 80 m(2 semi-field system where 200 gravid Anopheles gambiae s.s. were released nightly. The efficacy of the Box, CDC and Frommer updraft gravid traps was compared. The Box gravid trap was tested to determine if the presence of the trap over water and the trap's sound affected catch size. Mosquitoes approaching the treatment were evaluated using electrocuting nets or detergents added to the water in the trap. Based on the results, a new gravid trap (OviART trap that provided an open, unobstructed oviposition site was developed and evaluated.Box and CDC gravid traps collected similar numbers (relative rate (RR 0.8, 95% confidence interval (CI 0.6-1.2; p = 0.284, whereas the Frommer trap caught 70% fewer mosquitoes (RR 0.3, 95% CI 0.2-0.5; p < 0.001. The number of mosquitoes approaching the Box trap was significantly reduced when the trap was positioned over a water-filled basin compared to an open pond (RR 0.7 95% CI 0.6-0.7; p < 0.001. This effect was not due to the sound of the trap. Catch size increased by 60% (RR 1.6, 1.2-2.2; p = 0.001 with the new OviART trap.Gravid An. Gambiae s.s. females were visually deterred by the presence of the trapping device directly over the oviposition medium. Based on these investigations, an effective gravid trap was developed that provides open landing space for egg-laying Anopheles.

  19. Optical pumping of deep traps in AlGaN/GaN-on-Si HEMTs using an on-chip Schottky-on-heterojunction light-emitting diode

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Baikui; Tang, Xi; Chen, Kevin J., E-mail: eekjchen@ust.hk [Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon (Hong Kong)

    2015-03-02

    In this work, by using an on-chip integrated Schottky-on-heterojunction light-emitting diode (SoH-LED) which is seamlessly integrated with the AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT), we studied the effect of on-chip light illumination on the de-trapping processes of electrons from both surface and bulk traps. Surface trapping was generated by applying OFF-state drain bias stress, while bulk trapping was generated by applying positive substrate bias stress. The de-trapping processes of surface and/or bulk traps were monitored by measuring the recovery of dynamic on-resistance R{sub on} and/or threshold voltage V{sub th} of the HEMT. The results show that the recovery processes of both dynamic R{sub on} and threshold voltage V{sub th} of the HEMT can be accelerated by the on-chip SoH-LED light illumination, demonstrating the potentiality of on-chip hybrid opto-HEMTs to minimize the influences of traps during dynamic operation of AlGaN/GaN power HEMTs.

  20. Nanoimprint lithography of light trapping patterns in sol-gel coatings for thin film silicon solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Heijna, M.; Loffler, J.; Van Aken, B.B.; Soppe, W.J. [ECN Solar Energy, Petten (Netherlands); Borg, H.; Peeters, P. [OM and T, Eindhoven (Netherlands)

    2008-04-15

    For thin-film silicon solar cells, light trapping schemes are of uppermost importance to harvest all available sunlight. Typically, randomly textured TCO front layers are used to scatter the light diffusively in p-i-n cells on glass. Here, we investigate methods to texture the back contact with both random and periodic textures, for use in n-i-p cells on opaque foil. We applied an electrically insulating SiOx-polymer coating on a stainless steel substrate, and textured this barrier layer by nanoimprint. On this barrier layer the back contact is deposited for further use in the solar cell stack. Replication of masters with various random and periodic patterns was tested, and, using scanning electron microscopy, replicas were found to compare well with the originals. Masters with U-grooves of various sub micrometer widths have been used to investigate the optimal dimensions of regular patterns for light trapping in the silicon layers. Angular reflection distributions were measured to evaluate the light scattering properties of both periodic and random patterns. Diffraction gratings show promising results in scattering the light to specific angles, enhancing the total internal reflection in the solar cell.

  1. Manipulation and light-induced agglomeration of carbon nanotubes through optical trapping of attached silver nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shi Chao; Zhang Yi; Gu, Claire; Seballos, Leo; Zhang, Jin Z

    2008-01-01

    A simple experimental method has been demonstrated for manipulating multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) bundles through the optical trapping of attached silver nanoparticles (SNPs). In our experiments, without the SNPs, the MWCNTs cannot be trapped due to their irregular shapes and large aspect ratio. However, when mixed with SNPs, the MWCNTs can be successfully trapped along with the SNPs using a TEM 00 mode laser at 532 nm. This is attributed to the optical trapping of the SNPs and attractive interaction or binding between the SNPs and MWCNTs due to electrostatic and van der Waals forces. Therefore, optical manipulation of MWCNT bundles is achieved through the manipulation of the attached silver nanoparticles/aggregates. In addition, we have observed the phenomenon of light-induced further agglomeration of SNPs/MWCNTs which could potentially be exploited for fabricating patterned MWCNT films for future nanoscale devices and other applications

  2. Diffractive optical devices produced by light-assisted trapping of nanoparticles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muñoz-Martínez, J F; Jubera, M; Matarrubia, J; García-Cabañes, A; Agulló-López, F; Carrascosa, M

    2016-01-15

    One- and two-dimensional diffractive optical devices have been fabricated by light-assisted trapping and patterning of nanoparticles. The method is based on the dielectrophoretic forces appearing in the vicinity of a photovoltaic crystal, such as Fe:LiNbO3, during or after illumination. By illumination with the appropriate light distribution, the nanoparticles are organized along patterns designed at will. One- and two-dimensional diffractive components have been achieved on X- and Z-cut Fe:LiNbO3 crystals, with their polar axes parallel and perpendicular to the crystal surface, respectively. Diffraction gratings with periods down to around a few micrometers have been produced using metal (Al, Ag) nanoparticles with radii in the range of 70-100 nm. Moreover, several 2D devices, such as Fresnel zone plates, have been also produced showing the potential of the method. The diffractive particle patterns remain stable when light is removed. A method to transfer the diffractive patterns to other nonphotovoltaic substrates, such as silica glass, has been also reported.

  3. How can horseflies be captured by solar panels? A new concept of tabanid traps using light polarization and electricity produced by photovoltaics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blahó, Miklós; Egri, Ádám; Barta, András; Antoni, Györgyi; Kriska, György; Horváth, Gábor

    2012-10-26

    Horseflies (Diptera: Tabanidae) can cause severe problems for humans and livestock because of the continuous annoyance performed and the diseases vectored by the haematophagous females. Therefore, effective horsefly traps are in large demand, especially for stock-breeders. To catch horseflies, several kinds of traps have been developed, many of them attracting these insects visually with the aid of a black ball. The recently discovered positive polarotaxis (attraction to horizontally polarized light) in several horsefly species can be used to design traps that capture female and male horseflies. The aim of this work is to present the concept of such a trap based on two novel principles: (1) the visual target of the trap is a horizontal solar panel (photovoltaics) attracting polarotactic horseflies by means of the highly and horizontally polarized light reflected from the photovoltaic surface. (2) The horseflies trying to touch or land on the photovoltaic trap surface are perished by the mechanical hit of a wire rotated quickly with an electromotor supplied by the photovoltaics-produced electricity. Thus, the photovoltaics is bifunctional: its horizontally polarized reflected light signal attracts water-seeking, polarotactic horseflies, and it produces the electricity necessary to rotate the wire. We describe here the concept and design of this new horsefly trap, the effectiveness of which was demonstrated in field experiments. The advantages and disadvantages of the trap are discussed. Using imaging polarimetry, we measured the reflection-polarization characteristics of the photovoltaic trap surface demonstrating the optical reason for the polarotactic attractiveness to horseflies. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Transfer the multiscale texture of crystalline Si onto thin-film micromorph cell by UV nanoimprint for light trapping

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Daiming; Wang, Qingkang; Wang, Qing

    2018-05-01

    Surface texturing is of great significance in light trapping for solar cells. Herein, the multiscale texture, consisting of microscale pyramids and nanoscale porous arrangement, was fabricated on crystalline Si by KOH etching and Ag-assisted HF etching processes and subsequently replicated onto glass with high fidelity by UV nanoimprint method. Light trapping of the multiscale texture was studied by spectral (reflectance, haze ratio) characterizations. Results reveal the multiscale texture provides the broadband reflection reducing, the highlighted light scattering and the additional self-cleaning behaviors. Compared with bare cell, the multiscale textured micromorph cell achieves a 4% relative increase in power conversion efficiency. This surface texturing route paves a promising way for developing low-cost, large-scale and high-efficiency solar applications.

  5. Blastomyces dermatitidis septins CDC3, CDC10, and CDC12 impact the morphology of yeast and hyphae, but are not required for the phase transition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marty, Amber J; Gauthier, Gregory M

    2013-01-01

    Blastomyces dermatitidis, the etiologic agent of blastomycosis, belongs to a group of thermally dimorphic fungi that change between mold (22°C) and yeast (37°C) in response to temperature. The contribution of structural proteins such as septins to this phase transition in these fungi remains poorly understood. Septins are GTPases that serve as a scaffold for proteins involved with cytokinesis, cell polarity, and cell morphology. In this study, we use a GFP sentinel RNA interference system to investigate the impact of CDC3, CDC10, CDC12, and ASPE on the morphology and phase transition of B. dermatitidis. Targeting CDC3, CDC10, and CDC12 by RNA interference resulted in yeast with aberrant morphology at 37°C with defects in cytokinesis. Downshifting the temperature to 22°C promoted the conversion to the mold phase, but did not abrogate the morphologic defects. CDC3, CDC10, and CDC12 knockdown strains grew as mold with curved, thickened hyphae. Knocking down ASPE transcript did not alter morphology of yeast at 37°C or mold at 22°C. Following an increase in temperature from 22°C to 37°C, all septin knockdown strains were able to revert to yeast. In conclusion, CDC3, CDC10, and CDC12 septin- encoding genes are required for proper morphology of yeast and hyphae, but are dispensable for the phase transition.

  6. cdc-25.4, a Caenorhabditis elegans Ortholog of cdc25, Is Required for Male Mating Behavior

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sangmi Oh

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Cell division cycle 25 (cdc25 is an evolutionarily conserved phosphatase that promotes cell cycle progression. Among the four cdc25 orthologs in Caenorhabditis elegans, we found that cdc-25.4 mutant males failed to produce outcrossed progeny. This was not caused by defects in sperm development, but by defects in male mating behavior. The cdc-25.4 mutant males showed various defects during male mating, including contact response, backing, turning, and vulva location. Aberrant turning behavior was the most prominent defect in the cdc-25.4 mutant males. We also found that cdc-25.4 is expressed in many neuronal cells throughout development. The turning defect in cdc-25.4 mutant males was recovered by cdc-25.4 transgenic expression in neuronal cells, suggesting that cdc-25.4 functions in neurons for male mating. However, the neuronal morphology of cdc-25.4 mutant males appeared to be normal, as examined with several neuronal markers. Also, RNAi depletion of wee-1.3, a C. elegans ortholog of Wee1/Myt1 kinase, failed to suppress the mating defects of cdc-25.4 mutant males. These findings suggest that, for successful male mating, cdc-25.4 does not target cell cycles that are required for neuronal differentiation and development. Rather, cdc-25.4 likely regulates noncanonical substrates in neuronal cells.

  7. Light trapping architecture for photovoltaic and photodector applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Forrest, Stephen R.; Lunt, Richard R.; Slootsky, Michael

    2016-08-09

    There is disclosed photovoltaic device structures which trap admitted light and recycle it through the contained photosensitive materials to maximize photoabsorption. For example, there is disclosed a photosensitive optoelectronic device comprising: a first reflective layer comprising a thermoplastic resin; a second reflective layer substantially parallel to the first reflective layer; a first transparent electrode layer on at least one of the first and second reflective layer; and a photosensitive region adjacent to the first electrode, wherein the first transparent electrode layer is substantially parallel to the first reflective layer and adjacent to the photosensitive region, and wherein the device has an exterior face transverse to the planes of the reflective layers where the exterior face has an aperture for admission of incident radiation to the interior of the device.

  8. Mosquito traps designed to capture Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae females: preliminary comparison of Adultrap, MosquiTRAP and backpack aspirator efficiency in a dengue-endemic area of Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rafael Maciel-de-Freitas

    2008-09-01

    Full Text Available In this report, the efficiency of Adultrap under field conditions is compared to a CDC backpack aspirator and to MosquiTRAP. An urban dengue-endemic area of Rio de Janeiro was selected to evaluate the efficiency of mosquito traps in capturing Aedes aegypti females. Adultrap and aspirator captured similar numbers of Ae. aegypti females, with the former showing high specificity to gravid individuals (93.6%. A subsequent mark-release-recapture experiment was conducted to evaluate Adultrap and MosquiTRAP efficiency concomitantly. With a 6.34% recapture rate, MosquiTRAP captured a higher mean number of female Ae. aegypti per trap than Adultrap (Ç2 = 14.26; df = 1; p < 0,05. However, some MosquiTRAPs (28.12% contained immature Ae. aegypti after 18 days of exposure in the field and could be pointed as an oviposition site for female mosquitoes. Both trapping methods, designed to collect gravid Ae. aegypti females, seem to be efficient, reliable and may aid routine Ae. aegypti surveillance.

  9. Dynamic array of dark optical traps

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Daria, V.R.; Rodrigo, P.J.; Glückstad, J.

    2004-01-01

    A dynamic array of dark optical traps is generated for simultaneous trapping and arbitrary manipulation of multiple low-index microstructures. The dynamic intensity patterns forming the dark optical trap arrays are generated using a nearly loss-less phase-to-intensity conversion of a phase......-encoded coherent light source. Two-dimensional input phase distributions corresponding to the trapping patterns are encoded using a computer-programmable spatial light modulator, enabling each trap to be shaped and moved arbitrarily within the plane of observation. We demonstrate the generation of multiple dark...... optical traps for simultaneous manipulation of hollow "air-filled" glass microspheres suspended in an aqueous medium. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics....

  10. Photonic Structures for Light Trapping in Thin Film Silicon Solar Cells: Design and Experiment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yi Ding

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available One of the foremost challenges in designing thin-film silicon solar cells (TFSC is devising efficient light-trapping schemes due to the short optical path length imposed by the thin absorber thickness. The strategy relies on a combination of a high-performance back reflector and an optimized texture surface, which are commonly used to reflect and scatter light effectively within the absorption layer, respectively. In this paper, highly promising light-trapping structures based on a photonic crystal (PC for TFSCs were investigated via simulation and experiment. Firstly, a highly-reflective one-dimensional photonic crystal (1D-PC was designed and fabricated. Then, two types of 1D-PC-based back reflectors (BRs were proposed: Flat 1D-PC with random-textured aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO or random-textured 1D-PC with AZO. These two newly-designed BRs demonstrated not only high reflectivity and sufficient conductivity, but also a strong light scattering property, which made them efficient candidates as the electrical contact and back reflector since the intrinsic losses due to the surface plasmon modes of the rough metal BRs can be avoided. Secondly, conical two-dimensional photonic crystal (2D-PC-based BRs were investigated and optimized for amorphous a-SiGe:H solar cells. The maximal absorption value can be obtained with an aspect ratio of 1/2 and a period of 0.75 µm. To improve the full-spectral optical properties of solar cells, a periodically-modulated PC back reflector was proposed and experimentally demonstrated in the a-SiGe:H solar cell. This periodically-modulated PC back reflector, also called the quasi-crystal structure (QCS, consists of a large periodic conical PC and a randomly-textured Ag layer with a feature size of 500–1000 nm. The large periodic conical PC enables conformal growth of the layer, while the small feature size of Ag can further enhance the light scattering. In summary, a comprehensive study of the design, simulation

  11. Entomologic inoculation rates of Anopheles arabiensis in southwestern Ethiopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Massebo, Fekadu; Balkew, Meshesha; Gebre-Michael, Teshome; Lindtjørn, Bernt

    2013-09-01

    We collected anophelines every second week for one year from randomly selected houses in southwestern Ethiopia by using Centers for Disease Control (CDC) light traps, pyrethrum spray catches, and artificial pit shelter constructions to detect circumsporozoite proteins and estimate entomologic inoculation rates (EIRs). Of 3,678 Anopheles arabiensis tested for circumsporozoite proteins, 11 were positive for Plasmodium falciparum and three for P. vivax. The estimated annual P. falciparum EIR of An. arabiensis was 17.1 infectious bites per person per year (95% confidence interval = 7.03-34.6) based on CDC light traps and 0.1 infectious bites per person per year based on pyrethrum spray catches. The P. falciparum EIRs from CDC light traps varied from 0 infectious bites per person per year (in 60% of houses) to 73.2 infectious bites per person per year in the house nearest the breeding sites. Risk of exposure to infectious bites was higher in wet months than dry months, with a peak in April (9.6 infectious bites per person per month), the period of highest mosquito density.

  12. Plasmonic back contacts with non-ordered Ag nanostructures for light trapping in thin-film silicon solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paetzold, Ulrich W.; Meier, Matthias; Moulin, Etienne; Smirnov, Vladimir; Pieters, Bart E.; Rau, Uwe; Carius, Reinhard

    2013-01-01

    In this work, we investigate the light trapping of thin-film silicon solar cells which apply plasmonic Ag back contacts with non-ordered Ag nanostructures. The preparation, characterization and three-dimensional electromagnetic simulations of these back contacts with various distributions of non-ordered Ag nanostructures are presented. The measured reflectance spectra of the Ag back contacts with non-ordered nanostructures in air are well reproduced in reflectance spectra derived from the three-dimensional electromagnetic simulations of isolated nanostructures on Ag back contacts. The light–matter interaction of these nanostructures is given by localized surface plasmons and, thus, the measured diffuse reflectance of the back contacts is attributed to plasmon-induced light scattering. A significant plasmonic light-trapping effect in n-i-p substrate-type μc-Si:H thin-film solar cell prototypes which apply a Ag back contact with non-ordered nanostructures is identified when compared with flat reference solar cells

  13. Plasmonic back contacts with non-ordered Ag nanostructures for light trapping in thin-film silicon solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Paetzold, Ulrich W., E-mail: u.paetzold@fz-juelich.de [IEK5-Photovoltaik, Forschungszentrum Juelich, D-52425 Juelich (Germany); Meier, Matthias, E-mail: ma.meier@fz-juelich.de [IEK5-Photovoltaik, Forschungszentrum Juelich, D-52425 Juelich (Germany); Moulin, Etienne, E-mail: e.moulin@fz-juelich.de [IEK5-Photovoltaik, Forschungszentrum Juelich, D-52425 Juelich (Germany); Smirnov, Vladimir, E-mail: v.smirnov@fz-juelich.de [IEK5-Photovoltaik, Forschungszentrum Juelich, D-52425 Juelich (Germany); Pieters, Bart E., E-mail: b.pieters@fz-juelich.de [IEK5-Photovoltaik, Forschungszentrum Juelich, D-52425 Juelich (Germany); Rau, Uwe, E-mail: u.rau@fz-juelich.de [IEK5-Photovoltaik, Forschungszentrum Juelich, D-52425 Juelich (Germany); Carius, Reinhard, E-mail: r.carius@fz-juelich.de [IEK5-Photovoltaik, Forschungszentrum Juelich, D-52425 Juelich (Germany)

    2013-05-15

    In this work, we investigate the light trapping of thin-film silicon solar cells which apply plasmonic Ag back contacts with non-ordered Ag nanostructures. The preparation, characterization and three-dimensional electromagnetic simulations of these back contacts with various distributions of non-ordered Ag nanostructures are presented. The measured reflectance spectra of the Ag back contacts with non-ordered nanostructures in air are well reproduced in reflectance spectra derived from the three-dimensional electromagnetic simulations of isolated nanostructures on Ag back contacts. The light–matter interaction of these nanostructures is given by localized surface plasmons and, thus, the measured diffuse reflectance of the back contacts is attributed to plasmon-induced light scattering. A significant plasmonic light-trapping effect in n-i-p substrate-type μc-Si:H thin-film solar cell prototypes which apply a Ag back contact with non-ordered nanostructures is identified when compared with flat reference solar cells.

  14. Effect of trapping methods on the estimation of alpha diversity of a phlebotomine sandfly assemblage in southern Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodríguez-Rojas, J J; Rebollar-Téllez, E A

    2017-12-01

    The aims of the study were to (a) investigate the effect of trapping methods on alpha diversity; and (b) enhance the knowledge of the sandfly assemblage in the state of Quintana Roo. Field work was undertaken in a tropical forest of southern Mexico from August 2013 to July 2014. Sampling was conducted monthly during three consecutive nights. For each trapping night, 12 different types of trap were operated from 18.00 to 24.00 hours in four transects. Measures of alpha community diversity were based on the quantification of the number of species (Chao 2, Jackknife 2, Clench's equation, Margalef's index) and the community structure, as well as the dominance (Simpson and Berger-Parker indexes) and evenness (Shannon's entropy index, true diversity of the Jost and Pielou index). With a total sampling effort of 1728 night-traps, 16 101 phlebotomine sandflies were collected; they represented two genera and 13 species. Diversity estimates of 100% (Chao 2 and Clench's equation) and 85% (Jackknife 2) of potential species in the study area were calculated. Shannon traps and CDC light traps indicated the largest number of species, but only Shannon traps showed the greatest abundance. This inventory of sandflies is an important activity to enhance our knowledge of sandfly assemblages and guilds. The ultimate goal of studying alpha diversity in sandflies would be to have a better understanding of the population dynamics and all complex networks of interactions that may, in turn, be associated with the epidemiology of the disease. © 2017 The Royal Entomological Society.

  15. CDC Disease Detective Camp

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    2010-08-02

    The CDC Disease Detective Camp gives rising high school juniors and seniors exposure to key aspects of the CDC, including basic epidemiology, infectious and chronic disease tracking, public health law, and outbreak investigations. The camp also helps students explore careers in public health.  Created: 8/2/2010 by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).   Date Released: 8/2/2010.

  16. Comparison of male and female emerald ash borer (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) responses to phoebe oil and (Z)-3-hexanol lures in light green prism traps

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gary G. Grant; Therese M. Poland; Tina Ciaramitaro; D. Barry Lyons; Gene C. Jones

    2011-01-01

    We conducted trapping experiments for the emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) in Michigan, USA, and Ontario, Canada, to compare unbaited light green sticky prism traps with traps baited with phoebe oil, (Z)-3-hexenol (Z3-6:OH), or blends of other green leaf volatiles (GLVs) with Z3-6:OH. Traps were placed in the...

  17. Increasing the efficiency of photon collection in LArTPCs: the ARAPUCA light trap

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cancelo, G.; Cavanna, F.; Escobar, C. O.; Kemp, E.; Machado, A. A.; Para, A.; Segreto, E.; Totani, D.; Warner, D.

    2018-03-01

    The Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers (LArTPCs) are a choice for the next generation of large neutrino detectors due to their optimal performance in particle tracking and calorimetry. The detection of Argon scintillation light plays a crucial role in the event reconstruction as well as the time reference for non-beam physics such as supernovae neutrino detection and baryon number violation studies. In this contribution, we present the current R&D work on the ARAPUCA (Argon R&D Advanced Program at UNICAMP), a light trap device to enhance Ar scintillation light collection and thus the overall performance of LArTPCs. The ARAPUCA working principle is based on a suitable combination of dichroic filters and wavelength shifters to achieve a high efficiency in light collection. We discuss the operational principles, the last results of laboratory tests and the application of the ARAPUCA as the alternative photon detection system in the protoDUNE detector.

  18. Effect of trapped electrons on the transient current density and luminance of organic light-emitting diode

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Jiun-Haw; Chen, Chia-Hsun; Lin, Bo-Yen; Shih, Yen-Chen; Lin, King-Fu; Wang, Leeyih; Chiu, Tien-Lung; Lin, Chi-Feng

    2018-04-01

    Transient current density and luminance from an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) driven by voltage pulses were investigated. Waveforms with different repetition rate, duty cycle, off-period, and on-period were used to study the injection and transport characteristics of electron and holes in an OLED under pulse operation. It was found that trapped electrons inside the emitting layer (EML) and the electron transporting layer (ETL) material, tris(8-hydroxyquinolate)aluminum (Alq3) helped for attracting the holes into the EML/ETL and reducing the driving voltage, which was further confirmed from the analysis of capacitance-voltage and displacement current measurement. The relaxation time and trapped filling time of the trapped electrons in Alq3 layer were ~200 µs and ~600 µs with 6 V pulse operation, respectively.

  19. Dielectric Scattering Patterns for Efficient Light Trapping in Thin-Film Solar Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Lare, Claire; Lenzmann, Frank; Verschuuren, Marc A; Polman, Albert

    2015-08-12

    We demonstrate an effective light trapping geometry for thin-film solar cells that is composed of dielectric light scattering nanocavities at the interface between the metal back contact and the semiconductor absorber layer. The geometry is based on resonant Mie scattering. It avoids the Ohmic losses found in metallic (plasmonic) nanopatterns, and the dielectric scatterers are well compatible with nearly all types of thin-film solar cells, including cells produced using high temperature processes. The external quantum efficiency of thin-film a-Si:H solar cells grown on top of a nanopatterned Al-doped ZnO, made using soft imprint lithography, is strongly enhanced in the 550-800 nm spectral band by the dielectric nanoscatterers. Numerical simulations are in good agreement with experimental data and show that resonant light scattering from both the AZO nanostructures and the embedded Si nanostructures are important. The results are generic and can be applied on nearly all thin-film solar cells.

  20. Lutzomyia spp. (Diptera: Psychodidae) response to olfactory attractant- and light emitting diode-modified Mosquito Magnet X (MM-X) traps.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mann, Rajinder S; Kaufman, Phillip E; Butler, Jerry F

    2009-09-01

    Mosquito Magnet-X traps were modified for use with blue, green, red, and blue-green-red light-emitting diodes and olfactory attractants to determine the response of Lutzomyia shannoni (Dyar) and Lutzomyia vexator (Coquillett) (Diptera: Psychodidae) field populations to these attractants. Red and blue-green-red-baited traps captured the highest numbers of Lu. shannoni and Lu. vexator, respectively, although, there were no significant differences between the colors. Baiting the traps with CO, attracted significantly higher numbers of Lu. shannoni but showed no effect on Lu. vexator capture. In comparison with CO, alone, Lu. shannoni preferred 1-octen-3-ol and 1-hexen-3-ol (0.05 g per trap) in combination with CO.

  1. Surface Plasmon Enhanced Light Trapping in Metal/Silicon Nanobowl Arrays for Thin Film Photovoltaics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ruinan Sun

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Enhancing the light absorption in thin film silicon solar cells with nanophotonic and plasmonic structures is important for the realization of high efficiency solar cells with significant cost reduction. In this work, we investigate periodic arrays of conformal metal/silicon nanobowl arrays (MSNBs for light trapping applications in silicon solar cells. They exhibited excellent light-harvesting ability across a wide range of wavelengths up to infrared regimes. The optimized structure (MSNBsH covered by SiO2 passivation layer and hemisphere Ag back reflection layer has a maximal short-circuit density (Jsc 25.5 mA/cm2, which is about 88.8% higher than flat structure counterpart, and the light-conversion efficiency (η is increased two times from 6.3% to 12.6%. The double-side textures offer a promising approach to high efficiency ultrathin silicon solar cells.

  2. The effect of dopant-induced electron traps on spectrum evolution of doped organic light-emitting devices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhan, Y.Q. [Surface Physics Laboratory (National Key Laboratory), Lab of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China)]. E-mail: yqzhan@fudan.edu.cn; Zhou, J. [Surface Physics Laboratory (National Key Laboratory), Lab of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China); Zhou, Y.C. [Surface Physics Laboratory (National Key Laboratory), Lab of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China); Wu, Y. [Surface Physics Laboratory (National Key Laboratory), Lab of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China); Yang, H. [Surface Physics Laboratory (National Key Laboratory), Lab of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China); Li, F.Y. [Surface Physics Laboratory (National Key Laboratory), Lab of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China); Ding, X.M. [Surface Physics Laboratory (National Key Laboratory), Lab of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China); Hou, X.Y. [Surface Physics Laboratory (National Key Laboratory), Lab of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China)]. E-mail: xyhou@fudan.edu.cn

    2007-05-07

    A prototype of light emitting device with two symmetrically located Al/LiF electrodes is fabricated to study the voltage dependence of emission spectra. 4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-methyl-6- (pdimethylaminostyryl)-4H-pyran doped tris-(8-hydroxy-quinolinato) aluminum thin film is the emitting layer of the device. Experiments show that with increasing applied voltage the emission intensity of the device decreases, of which the dopant emission intensity decreases more steeply than that of the host. Based on the theory of space-charge-limited current in insulator with a single shallow trap level it is deduced that the photoluminescence intensity of the dopant emission decreases linearly with applied voltage, in good agreement with experimental measurements. The evolution of the emission spectra can be well explained by the suggested mechanism that the electrons are trapped in the dopant molecules, which blocks the energy transfer from the host, and leads to more excitons in the host to emit light.

  3. The effect of dopant-induced electron traps on spectrum evolution of doped organic light-emitting devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhan, Y.Q.; Zhou, J.; Zhou, Y.C.; Wu, Y.; Yang, H.; Li, F.Y.; Ding, X.M.; Hou, X.Y.

    2007-01-01

    A prototype of light emitting device with two symmetrically located Al/LiF electrodes is fabricated to study the voltage dependence of emission spectra. 4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-methyl-6- (pdimethylaminostyryl)-4H-pyran doped tris-(8-hydroxy-quinolinato) aluminum thin film is the emitting layer of the device. Experiments show that with increasing applied voltage the emission intensity of the device decreases, of which the dopant emission intensity decreases more steeply than that of the host. Based on the theory of space-charge-limited current in insulator with a single shallow trap level it is deduced that the photoluminescence intensity of the dopant emission decreases linearly with applied voltage, in good agreement with experimental measurements. The evolution of the emission spectra can be well explained by the suggested mechanism that the electrons are trapped in the dopant molecules, which blocks the energy transfer from the host, and leads to more excitons in the host to emit light

  4. Diffractive intermediate layer enables broadband light trapping for high efficiency ultrathin c-Si tandem cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Guijun, E-mail: gliad@connect.ust.hk; Ho, Jacob Y. L.; Li, He; Kwok, Hoi-Sing [State Key Laboratory on Advanced Displays and Optoelectronics Technologies, Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon (Hong Kong)

    2014-06-09

    Light management through the intermediate reflector in the tandem cell configuration is of great practical importance for achieving high stable efficiency and also low cost production. So far, however, the intermediate reflectors employed currently are mainly focused on the light absorption enhancement of the top cell. Here, we present a diffractive intermediate layer that allows for light trapping over a broadband wavelength for the ultrathin c-Si tandem solar cell. Compared with the standard intermediate reflector, this nanoscale architectural intermediate layer results in a 35% and 21% remarkable enhancement of the light absorption in the top (400–800 nm) and bottom (800–1100 nm) cells simultaneously, and ultrathin c-Si tandem cells with impressive conversion efficiency of 13.3% are made on the glass substrate.

  5. Diffractive intermediate layer enables broadband light trapping for high efficiency ultrathin c-Si tandem cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Guijun; Ho, Jacob Y. L.; Li, He; Kwok, Hoi-Sing

    2014-01-01

    Light management through the intermediate reflector in the tandem cell configuration is of great practical importance for achieving high stable efficiency and also low cost production. So far, however, the intermediate reflectors employed currently are mainly focused on the light absorption enhancement of the top cell. Here, we present a diffractive intermediate layer that allows for light trapping over a broadband wavelength for the ultrathin c-Si tandem solar cell. Compared with the standard intermediate reflector, this nanoscale architectural intermediate layer results in a 35% and 21% remarkable enhancement of the light absorption in the top (400–800 nm) and bottom (800–1100 nm) cells simultaneously, and ultrathin c-Si tandem cells with impressive conversion efficiency of 13.3% are made on the glass substrate.

  6. Chlamydia - CDC Fact Sheet

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Archive STDs Home Page Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) Chlamydia Gonorrhea Genital Herpes Hepatitis HIV/AIDS & STDs Human Papillomavirus ( ... sheet Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) – CDC fact sheet Gonorrhea – CDC fact sheet STDs Home Page Bacterial Vaginosis ( ...

  7. Mosquito abundance, bed net coverage and other factors associated with variations in sporozoite infectivity rates in four villages of rural Tanzania

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kweka, Eliningaya J; Nkya, Watoky M M; Mahande, Aneth M

    2008-01-01

    . Sporozoite infectivity rates, mosquito host blood meal source, bed net coverage and mosquito abundance were assessed in this study. METHODOLOGY: A longitudinal survey was conducted in four villages in two regions of Tanzania. Malaria vectors were sampled using the CDC light trap and pyrethrum spray catch...... methods. In each village, ten paired houses were selected for mosquitoes sampling. Sampling was done in fortnight case and study was undertaken for six months in both Kilimanjaro (Northern Tanzania) and Dodoma (Central Tanzania) regions. RESULTS: A total of 6,883 mosquitoes were collected including: 5......,628 (81.8%) Anopheles arabiensis, 1,100 (15.9%) Culex quinquefasciatus, 89 (1.4%) Anopheles funestus, and 66 (0.9%) Anopheles gambiae s.s. Of the total mosquitoes collected 3,861 were captured by CDC light trap and 3,022 by the pyrethrum spray catch method. The overall light trap: spray catch ratio was 1...

  8. Attractiveness of MM-X Traps Baited with Human or Synthetic Odor to Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in The Gambia

    Science.gov (United States)

    QIU, YU TONG; SMALLEGANGE, RENATE C.; TER BRAAK, CAJO J. F.; SPITZEN, JEROEN; VAN LOON, JOOP J. A.; JAWARA, MUSA; MILLIGAN, PAUL; GALIMARD, AGNES M.; VAN BEEK, TERIS A.; KNOLS, BART G. J.; TAKKEN, WILLEM

    2013-01-01

    Chemical cues play an important role in the host-seeking behavior of blood-feeding mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae). A field study was carried out in The Gambia to investigate the effects of human odor or synthetic odor blends on the attraction of mosquitoes. MM-X traps baited with 16 odor blends to which carbon dioxide (CO2) was added were tested in four sets of experiments. In a second series of experiments, MM-X traps with 14 odor blends without CO2 were tested. A blend of ammonia and l-lactic acid with or without CO2 was used as control odor in series 1 and 2, respectively. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) traps were placed in a traditional house and an experimental house to monitor mosquito densities during the experiments. The MM-X traps caught a total number of 196,756 mosquitoes, with the most abundant species belonging to the genera Mansonia (70.6%), Anopheles (17.5%), and Culex (11.5%). The most abundant mosquito species caught by the CDC traps (56,290 in total) belonged to the genera Mansonia (59.4%), Anopheles (16.0% An. gambiae s.l. Giles, and 11.3% An. ziemanni Grünberg), and Culex (11.6%). MM-X traps baited with synthetic blends were in many cases more attractive than MM-X traps baited with human odors. Addition of CO2 to synthetic odors substantially increased the catch of all mosquito species in the MM-X traps. A blend of ammonia + L-lactic acid + CO2 + 3-methylbutanoic acid was the most attractive odor for most mosquito species. The candidate odor blend shows the potential to enhance trap collections so that traps will provide better surveillance and possible control. PMID:18047195

  9. Superior light trapping in thin film silicon solar cells through nano imprint lithography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Soppe, W.J.; Dorenkamper, M.S.; Schropp, R.E.I.; Pex, P.P.A.C.

    2013-10-15

    ECN and partners have developed a fabrication process based on nanoimprint lithography (NIL) of textures for light trapping in thin film solar cells such as thin-film silicon, OPV, CIGS and CdTe. The process can be applied in roll-to-roll mode when using a foil substrate or in roll-to-plate mode when using a glass substrate. The lacquer also serves as an electrically insulating layer for cells if steel foil is used as substrate, to enable monolithic series interconnection. In this paper we will show the superior light trapping in thin film silicon solar cells made on steel foil with nanotextured back contacts. We have made single junction a-Si and {mu}c-Si and a-Si/{mu}c-Si tandem cells, where we applied several types of nano-imprints with random and periodic structures. We will show that the nano-imprinted back contact enables more than 30% increase of current in comparison with non-textured back contacts and that optimized periodic textures outperform state-of-the-art random textures. For a-Si cells we obtained Jsc of 18 mA/cm{sup 2} and for {mu}c-Si cells more than 24 mA/cm{sup 2}. Tandem cells with a total Si absorber layer thickness of only 1350 nm have an initial efficiency of 11%.

  10. Nano-Photonic Structures for Light Trapping in Ultra-Thin Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Prathap Pathi

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Thick wafer-silicon is the dominant solar cell technology. It is of great interest to develop ultra-thin solar cells that can reduce materials usage, but still achieve acceptable performance and high solar absorption. Accordingly, we developed a highly absorbing ultra-thin crystalline Si based solar cell architecture using periodically patterned front and rear dielectric nanocone arrays which provide enhanced light trapping. The rear nanocones are embedded in a silver back reflector. In contrast to previous approaches, we utilize dielectric photonic crystals with a completely flat silicon absorber layer, providing expected high electronic quality and low carrier recombination. This architecture creates a dense mesh of wave-guided modes at near-infrared wavelengths in the absorber layer, generating enhanced absorption. For thin silicon (<2 μm and 750 nm pitch arrays, scattering matrix simulations predict enhancements exceeding 90%. Absorption approaches the Lambertian limit at small thicknesses (<10 μm and is slightly lower (by ~5% at wafer-scale thicknesses. Parasitic losses are ~25% for ultra-thin (2 μm silicon and just 1%–2% for thicker (>100 μm cells. There is potential for 20 μm thick cells to provide 30 mA/cm2 photo-current and >20% efficiency. This architecture has great promise for ultra-thin silicon solar panels with reduced material utilization and enhanced light-trapping.

  11. Role of AtCDC48 & the AtCDC48 Regulatory Protein Family, PUX, in Plant Cell Morphogenesis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bednarek, Sebastian, Y.

    2009-11-08

    The long-term objective of this work is to understand the molecular events and mechanisms involved in secretory membrane trafficking and organelle biogenesis, which are crucial for normal plant growth and development. Our studies have suggested a vital role for the cytosolic chaperone Cdc48p/p97 during cytokinesis and cell expansion which are highly dependent upon secretory membrane trafficking. Localization studies have shown that the plant Cdc48p/p97, AtCDC48, and the Arabidopsis ortholog of the ER- and Golgi-associated SNARE, syntaxin 5, (referred to as SYP31) are targeted to the division plane during cytokinesis. In addition, AtCDC48 and SYP31 were shown to interact in vitro and in vivo. To characterize further the function of AtCDC48 and SYP31 we have utilized affinity chromatography and MALDI-MS to identify several plant-specific proteins that interact with SYP31 and/or modulate the activity of AtCDC48 including two UBX (i.e. ubiquitin-like) domain containing proteins, PUX1 and PUX2 (Proteins containing UBX domain). These proteins define a plant protein family consisting of 15 uncharacterized members that we postulate interact with AtCDC48. Biochemical studies have demonstrated that PUX2 is a novel membrane adapter for AtCDC48 that mediates AtCDC48/SYP31 interaction and is likely to control AtCDC48-dependent membrane fusion. In contrast, PUX1 negatively regulates AtCDC48 by inhibiting its ATPase activity and by promoting the disassembly of the active hexamer. These findings provide the first evidence that the assembly and disassembly of the CDC48/p97complex is actually a dynamic process. This new unexpected level of regulation for CDC48/p97 was demonstrated to be critical in vivo as pux1 loss-of-function mutants grow faster than wild-type plants. These studies suggest a role for AtCDC48 in plant cell cycle progression including cytokinesis and/or cell expansion. The proposed studies are designed to: 1) characterize further the localization and function of AtCDC

  12. CDC Disease Detective Camp

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    The CDC Disease Detective Camp gives rising high school juniors and seniors exposure to key aspects of the CDC, including basic epidemiology, infectious and chronic disease tracking, public health law, and outbreak investigations. The camp also helps students explore careers in public health.

  13. Light-erasable embedded charge-trapping memory based on MoS2 for system-on-panel applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Long-Fei; Zhu, Hao; Xu, Jing; Liu, Hao; Nie, Xin-Ran; Chen, Lin; Sun, Qing-Qing; Xia, Yang; Wei Zhang, David

    2017-11-01

    The continuous scaling and challenges in device integrations in modern portable electronic products have aroused many scientific interests, and a great deal of effort has been made in seeking solutions towards a more microminiaturized package assembled with smaller and more powerful components. In this study, an embedded light-erasable charge-trapping memory with a high-k dielectric stack (Al2O3/HfO2/Al2O3) and an atomically thin MoS2 channel has been fabricated and fully characterized. The memory exhibits a sufficient memory window, fast programming and erasing (P/E) speed, and high On/Off current ratio up to 107. Less than 25% memory window degradation is observed after projected 10-year retention, and the device functions perfectly after 8000 P/E operation cycles. Furthermore, the programmed device can be fully erased by incident light without electrical assistance. Such excellent memory performance originates from the intrinsic properties of two-dimensional (2D) MoS2 and the engineered back-gate dielectric stack. Our integration of 2D semiconductors in the infrastructure of light-erasable charge-trapping memory is very promising for future system-on-panel applications like storage of metadata and flexible imaging arrays.

  14. The Aarhus Ion Micro-Trap Project

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Miroshnychenko, Yevhen; Nielsen, Otto; Poulsen, Gregers

    As part of our involvement in the EU MICROTRAP project, we have designed, manufactured and assembled a micro-scale ion trap with integrated optical fibers. These prealigned fibers will allow delivering cooling laser light to single ions. Therefore, such a trap will not require any direct optical...... and installed in an ultra high vacuum chamber, which includes an ablation oven for all-optical loading of the trap [2]. The next steps on the project are to demonstrate the operation of the micro-trap and the cooling of ions using fiber delivered light. [1] D. Grant, Development of Micro-Scale Ion traps, Master...... Thesis (2008). [2] R.J. Hendricks, D.M. Grant, P.F. Herskind, A. Dantan and M. Drewsen, An all-optical ion-loading technique for scalable microtrap architectures, Applied Physics B, 88, 507 (2007)....

  15. Regulated degradation of the APC coactivator Cdc20

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robbins Jonathan A

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Cdc20 is a highly conserved activator of the anaphase-promoting complex (APC, promoting cell-cycle-regulated ubiquitination and proteolysis of a number of critical cell-cycle-regulatory targets including securin and mitotic cyclins. APC-Cdc20 activity is tightly regulated, and this regulation is likely important for accurate cell cycle control. One significant component of Cdc20 regulation is thought to be Cdc20 proteolysis. However, published literature suggests different mechanisms and requirements for Cdc20 proteolysis. The degree to which Cdc20 proteolysis is cell-cycle regulated, the dependence of Cdc20 proteolysis on Cdc20 destruction boxes (recognition sequences for APC-mediated ubiqutination, either by Cdc20 or by the related Cdh1 APC activator, and the need for APC itself for Cdc20 proteolysis all have been disputed to varying extents. In animals, Cdc20 proteolysis is thought to be mediated by Cdh1, contributing an intrinsic order of APC activation by Cdc20 and then by Cdh1. One report suggests a Cdh1 requirement for Cdc20 proteolysis in budding yeast; this idea has not been tested further. Results We characterized Cdc20 proteolysis using Cdc20 expressed from its endogenous locus; previous studies generally employed strongly overexpressed Cdc20, which can cause significant artifacts. We analyzed Cdc20 proteolysis with or without mutations in previously identified destruction box sequences, using varying methods of cell cycle synchronization, and in the presence or absence of Cdh1. Cdc20 instability is only partially dependent on destruction boxes. A much stronger dependence on Cdh1 for Cdc20 proteolysis was observed, but Cdh1-independent proteolysis was also clearly observed. Cdc20 proteolysis independent of both destruction boxes and Cdh1 was especially detectable around the G1/S transition; Cdh1-dependent proteolysis was most notable in late mitosis and G1. Conclusions Cdc20 proteolysis is under complex control

  16. Light trapping for emission from a photovoltaic cell under normally incident monochromatic illumination

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Takeda, Yasuhiko, E-mail: takeda@mosk.tytlabs.co.jp; Iizuka, Hideo; Mizuno, Shintaro; Hasegawa, Kazuo; Ichikawa, Tadashi; Ito, Hiroshi; Kajino, Tsutomu [Toyota Central Research and Development Laboratories, Inc., 41-1, Yokomichi, Nagakute, Aichi 480-1192 (Japan); Ichiki, Akihisa; Motohiro, Tomoyoshi [Green Mobility Collaborative Research Center, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601 (Japan)

    2014-09-28

    We have theoretically demonstrated a new light-trapping mechanism to reduce emission from a photovoltaic (PV) cell used for a monochromatic light source, which improves limiting conversion efficiency determined by the detailed balance. A multilayered bandpass filter formed on the surface of a PV cell has been found to prevent the light generated inside by radiative recombination from escaping the cell, resulting in a remarkable decrease of the effective solid angle for the emission. We have clarified a guide to design a suitable configuration of the bandpass filter and achieved significant reduction of the emission. The resultant gain in monochromatic conversion efficiency in the radiative limit due to the optimally designed 18-layerd bandpass filters is as high as 6% under normally incident 1064 nm illumination of 10 mW/cm²~ 1 kW/cm², compared with the efficiency for the perfect anti-reflection treatment to the surface of a conventional solar cell.

  17. Polymer Light-Emitting Diodes Efficiency Dependence on Bipolar Charge Traps Concentration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luis Morgado

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available The efficiency of light-emitting diodes (LEDs based on poly[(9,9-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl-alt-1,4-benzo-{2,1′-3}-thiadiazole], F8BT, is optimized upon simultaneous doping with a hole and an electron trapping molecule, namely, N,N′-Bis(3-methylphenyl-N,N′-diphenylbenzidine and 2-(4-biphenylyl-5-(4-tert-butylphenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole, respectively. It is shown that, for devices with poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene doped with polystyrene sulfonic acid as hole-injection layer material and magnesium cathodes, the efficiency is nearly doubled (from ca. 2.5 to 3.7 cd/A upon doping with ca. 0.34% by weight of both compounds.

  18. Light-trapping in solar cells by photonic nanostructures. The need for benchmarking and fabrication assessments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lenzmann, F.O.; Salpakari, J.; Weeber, A.W.; Olson, C.L. [ECN Solar Energy, Petten (Netherlands)

    2013-07-15

    Light-trapping in solar cells by photonic nanostructures, e.g., nano-textured surfaces or metallic and nonmetallic nanoparticles is a research area of great promise. A large multitude of configurations is being explored and there is a rising need for (a set of) assessment elements that help to narrow in on the most viable ones. This paper discusses two examples: benchmark devices and the assessment of fabrication aspects for the nanostructures.

  19. Self-Organized Nanoscale Roughness Engineering for Broadband Light Trapping in Thin FilmSolar Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carlo Mennucci

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available We present a self-organized method based on defocused ion beam sputtering for nanostructuring glass substrates which feature antireflective and light trapping effects. By irradiating the substrate, capped with a thin gold (Au film, a self-organized Au nanowire stencil mask is firstly created. The morphology of the mask is then transferred to the glass surface by further irradiating the substrate, finally producing high aspect ratio, uniaxial ripple-like nanostructures whose morphological parameters can be tailored by varying the ion fluence. The effect of a Ti adhesion layer, interposed between glass and Au with the role of inhibiting nanowire dewetting, has also been investigated in order to achieve an improved morphological tunability of the templates. Morphological and optical characterization have been carried out, revealing remarkable light trapping performance for the largest ion fluences. The photon harvesting capability of the nanostructured glass has been tested for different preparation conditions by fabricating thin film amorphous Si solar cells. The comparison of devices grown on textured and flat substrates reveals a relative increase of the short circuit current up to 25%. However, a detrimental impact on the electrical performance is observed with the rougher morphologies endowed with steep v-shaped grooves. We finally demonstrate that post-growth ion beam restructuring of the glass template represents a viable approach toward improved electrical performance.

  20. Analysis of a single-atom dipole trap

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weber, Markus; Volz, Juergen; Saucke, Karen; Kurtsiefer, Christian; Weinfurter, Harald

    2006-01-01

    We describe a simple experimental technique which allows us to store a single 87 Rb atom in an optical dipole trap. Due to light-induced two-body collisions during the loading stage of the trap the maximum number of captured atoms is locked to one. This collisional blockade effect is confirmed by the observation of photon antibunching in the detected fluorescence light. The spectral properties of single photons emitted by the atom were studied with a narrow-band scanning cavity. We find that the atomic fluorescence spectrum is dominated by the spectral width of the exciting laser light field. In addition we observe a spectral broadening of the atomic fluorescence light due to the Doppler effect. This allows us to determine the mean kinetic energy of the trapped atom corresponding to a temperature of 105 μK. This simple single-atom trap is the key element for the generation of atom-photon entanglement required for future applications in quantum communication and a first loophole-free test of Bell's inequality

  1. CDC Climat - 2011 Sustainable Development Report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-08-01

    CDC Climat is the Caisse des Depots (CDC) subsidiary that is dedicated to combating climate change. Its activities aim to support the transition towards a low resource and low greenhouse gas emission (GHG) economy, through services that are cutting-edge, pro table, and in line with CDC's public policy goals. Through its corporate purpose, CDC Climat embodies the CDC's commitments in the sustainable development field. CDC Climat supports the implementation of public GHG emission reduction policies, primarily through emission trading schemes at the European and international level. Since it was founded in 2010, and throughout 2011, its strategic priorities have consisted in: - developing a long-term policy for investing in carbon credits generated by environmental initiatives, as part of the project mechanisms set up by the Kyoto Protocol, and used in the European Emission Trading Scheme; - supporting the development of its investments in carbon finance operators, like BlueNext, the European carbon exchange, for instance; - broadening the scope of its research into climate economics, which is supported by CDC and available to everyone, in order to serve the public and private players concerned. Its teams have supported French and European governments, international organisations and the United Nations, and various NGOs in their work and thinking on the future of tools for combating climate change. They have specifically contributed reports based on their research and operational feedback. When it was founded, CDC Climat was closely linked to public policies aimed at combating climate change via allowance and carbon trading mechanisms. The difficulties encountered by international negotiations, together with the effects of the economic and financial downturn in Europe, have resulted in a very pronounced fall in the price of carbon assets on these markets since the summer of 2011, with no prospect of recovery for several years. This environment is calling some of the

  2. Beyond the Lambertian limit: Novel low-symmetry gratings for ultimate light trapping enhancement in next-generation photovoltaics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Birkmire, Robert [Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE (United States); Hu, Juejun [Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE (United States); Richardson, Kathleen [Univ. of Central Florida, Orlando, FL (United States). College of Optics and Photonics, Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL)

    2016-05-20

    This project aims at addressing the efficiency limit and high fabrication cost of current light trapping methods by developing novel low-symmetry gratings (LSG) for next-generation thin c-Si photovoltaic (PV) cells. The LSG design achieves light trapping enhancement exceeding the 4n2 Lambertian limit and can be fabricated over large areas using low-cost, single-step nanoimprint techniques. We further explored the use of deposited high-refractive-index glass materials for low-temperature LSG processing, which enables direct imprint sculpting of even complex grating geometries in glass without requiring an additional pattern transfer step, which minimizes processing cost and surface damage to PV cells. In the project, we have demonstrated fabrication and integration of sub-wavelength LSG with thin c-Si wafers and bifacial solar cells with low defect density. Optical absorption measurements indicate that LSGs demonstrated superior absorption enhancement compared to their traditional symmetric counterparts as predicted by our simulations. Efficiency enhancement was observed in solar cells integrated with LSGs although fabrication yield of the LSG-integrated cells remains a challenge

  3. The Electronic McPhail Trap

    Science.gov (United States)

    Potamitis, Ilyas; Rigakis, Iraklis; Fysarakis, Konstantinos

    2014-01-01

    Certain insects affect cultivations in a detrimental way. A notable case is the olive fruit fly (Bactrocera oleae (Rossi)), that in Europe alone causes billions of euros in crop-loss/per year. Pests can be controlled with aerial and ground bait pesticide sprays, the efficiency of which depends on knowing the time and location of insect infestations as early as possible. The inspection of traps is currently carried out manually. Automatic monitoring traps can enhance efficient monitoring of flying pests by identifying and counting targeted pests as they enter the trap. This work deals with the hardware setup of an insect trap with an embedded optoelectronic sensor that automatically records insects as they fly in the trap. The sensor responsible for detecting the insect is an array of phototransistors receiving light from an infrared LED. The wing-beat recording is based on the interruption of the emitted light due to the partial occlusion from insect's wings as they fly in the trap. We show that the recordings are of high quality paving the way for automatic recognition and transmission of insect detections from the field to a smartphone. This work emphasizes the hardware implementation of the sensor and the detection/counting module giving all necessary implementation details needed to construct it. PMID:25429412

  4. Seasonal fluctuations of phlebotomines sand fly populations ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    An entomological survey of phlebotomine sand flies was conducted in the Moulay Yacoub province, central Morocco. An anthropic niche (Ouled Aid) and a wild niche (Zliligh) were selected. Sand flies were collected twice a month between April 2011 and March 2012, using sticky traps and CDC light traps. 3675 specimens ...

  5. Particle trapping in 3-D using a single fiber probe with an annular light distribution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, R; Hnatovsky, C

    2003-10-20

    A single optical fiber probe has been used to trap a solid 2 ìm diameter glass bead in 3-D in water. Optical confinement in 2-D was produced by the annular light distribution emerging from a selectively chemically etched, tapered, hollow tipped metalized fiber probe. Confinement of the bead in 3-D was achieved by balancing an electrostatic force of attraction towards the tip and the optical scattering force pushing the particle away from the tip.

  6. Broadband light trapping in thin film solar cells with self-organized plasmonic nano-colloids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mendes, Manuel J.; Mateus, Tiago; Lyubchyk, Andriy; Águas, Hugo; Ferreira, Isabel; Fortunato, Elvira; Martins, Rodrigo; Morawiec, Seweryn; Priolo, Francesco; Crupi, Isodiana

    2015-01-01

    The intense light scattered from metal nanoparticles sustaining surface plasmons makes them attractive for light trapping in photovoltaic applications. However, a strong resonant response from nanoparticle ensembles can only be obtained if the particles have monodisperse physical properties. Presently, the chemical synthesis of colloidal nanoparticles is the method that produces the highest monodispersion in geometry and material quality, with the added benefits of being low-temperature, low-cost, easily scalable and of allowing control of the surface coverage of the deposited particles. In this paper, novel plasmonic back-reflector structures were developed using spherical gold colloids with appropriate dimensions for pronounced far-field scattering. The plasmonic back reflectors are incorporated in the rear contact of thin film n-i-p nanocrystalline silicon solar cells to boost their photocurrent generation via optical path length enhancement inside the silicon layer. The quantum efficiency spectra of the devices revealed a remarkable broadband enhancement, resulting from both light scattering from the metal nanoparticles and improved light incoupling caused by the hemispherical corrugations at the cells’ front surface formed from the deposition of material over the spherically shaped colloids. (paper)

  7. A Rotating-Bears Optical Dipole Trap for Cold Aatoms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Friedman, N.; Ozeri, R.; Khaykovich, L.; Davidson, N.

    1999-01-01

    In the last few years, several optical dipole traps for cold atoms were demonstrated and used to study cold atomic collisions, long atomic coherence times and quantum collective effects. Blue-detuned dipole traps, where repulsive light forces confines atoms mostly in dark, offer long storage, and photon-scattering times, combined with strong confinement forces. Unfortunately, such blue-detuned dipole traps involve complicated light intensity distributions that require either multiple laser beams or complicated phase elements. Here, we propose and demonstrate a novel configuration for a single-beam blue-detuned dipole trap, which enables larger trapping volume, and fast temporal changes in the trap size and shape. Our trap consists of a tightly-focused laser beam which is rapidly rotated (with rotation frequency up to 400 khz) with two orthogonal acousto optical scanners. For very high rotation frequencies the atoms feel a time-averaged static dipole potential. Therefore, when the radius of rotation is larger than the beam size, a dark volume which is completely surrounded by light is obtained around the focal region. By changing the rotation radius and the trapping laser intensity and detuning, the trap dimensions and oscillation frequency could be changed over a large parameter range. In particular trap diameters were changed between 50 to 220 microns and trap length was changed between 3.5 to 16 mm. ∼10 6 atoms were loaded into the rotating-beam dipole trap from a magneto optical trap. The density of the trapped atoms was 4x10 10 atoms/cm 3 ,their temperature was -6 pK. and the trap (1/e) lifetime was 0.65 sec, limited by collisions with background atoms. When the rotation frequency was decreased below the oscillation frequency of the atoms in the trap, the trap became unstable, and a sharp reduction of the trap lifetime was observed, in agreement with our theoretical analysis. Finally, we demonstrated adiabatic compression of atoms in the trap by decreasing

  8. Efficient illumination of spatial light modulators for optical trapping and manipulation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bañas, Andrew Rafael; Kopylov, Oleksii; Raaby, Peter

    Energy efficiency is always desirable. This is particularly true with lasers that find many applications in research and industry. Combined with spatial light modulators (SLMs) lasers are used for optical trapping and manipulation, sorting, microscopy or biological stimulation1. Besides efficiency....... We have also shown dynamic SLM-generated patterns for materials processing and biological research. To efficiently illuminate an SLM, we used a compact pen-sized GPC-LS in place of an iris. For the same input power, hologram reconstructions are ~3x brighter or alternatively ~3x more focal spots can...... be addressed. This allows better response or increased parallel addressing for e.g. optical manipulation and sorting. Simple yet effective, a GPC-LS could save substantial power in applications that truncate lasers to a specific shape....

  9. 13 CFR 120.851 - CDC ethical requirements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false CDC ethical requirements. 120.851... Company Loan Program (504) Other Cdc Requirements § 120.851 CDC ethical requirements. CDCs and their Associates must act ethically and exhibit good character. They must meet all of the ethical requirements of...

  10. The Electronic McPhail Trap

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ilyas Potamitis

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Certain insects affect cultivations in a detrimental way. A notable case is the olive fruit fly (Bactrocera oleae (Rossi, that in Europe alone causes billions of euros in crop-loss/per year. Pests can be controlled with aerial and ground bait pesticide sprays, the efficiency of which depends on knowing the time and location of insect infestations as early as possible. The inspection of traps is currently carried out manually. Automatic monitoring traps can enhance efficient monitoring of flying pests by identifying and counting targeted pests as they enter the trap. This work deals with the hardware setup of an insect trap with an embedded optoelectronic sensor that automatically records insects as they fly in the trap. The sensor responsible for detecting the insect is an array of phototransistors receiving light from an infrared LED. The wing-beat recording is based on the interruption of the emitted light due to the partial occlusion from insect’s wings as they fly in the trap. We show that the recordings are of high quality paving the way for automatic recognition and transmission of insect detections from the field to a smartphone. This work emphasizes the hardware implementation of the sensor and the detection/counting module giving all necessary implementation details needed to construct it.

  11. Dielectric nanostructures for broadband light trapping in organic solar cells

    KAUST Repository

    Raman, Aaswath

    2011-09-15

    Organic bulk heterojunction solar cells are a promising candidate for low-cost next-generation photovoltaic systems. However, carrier extraction limitations necessitate thin active layers that sacrifice absorption for internal quantum efficiency or vice versa. Motivated by recent theoretical developments, we show that dielectric wavelength-scale grating structures can produce significant absorption resonances in a realistic organic cell architecture. We numerically demonstrate that 1D, 2D and multi-level ITO-air gratings lying on top of the organic solar cell stack produce a 8-15% increase in photocurrent for a model organic solar cell where PCDTBT:PC71BM is the organic semiconductor. Specific to this approach, the active layer itself remains untouched yet receives the benefit of light trapping by nanostructuring the top surface below which it lies. The techniques developed here are broadly applicable to organic semiconductors in general, and enable partial decoupling between active layer thickness and photocurrent generation. © 2011 Optical Society of America.

  12. Comparative Efficacy of Small Commercial Traps for the Capture of Adult Phlebotomus papatasi

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-03-01

    TiO2 . Though it is additionally equipped with a UV tube, it caught significantly less sand flies than the UV CDC trap and...yeast fermentation. Although the Biter Fighter, with its distinctive color contrast, uses a proprietary powder purported to generate CO2 in addition ...blinking LED’s, the liquid fermentation products provided as a food grade attractant might have compensate in increasing the catch of the

  13. CDC 7600 Module

    CERN Multimedia

    1970-01-01

    The CDC 7600 has been created by Seymour Cray. It was designed to be compatible with the 6600, which allows for a substantial increase in performance. Furthermore the rise of new technologies has enabled this performance by reducing the minor cycle clock period from 100 ns to 27.5 ns (4 time faster). A very large machine, the 7600 had over 120 miles of hand-wired interconnections. It was the most powerful computer of its time. However, this speed caused a ground-loop problem causing intermittent faults, and eventually requiring all modules to be fitted with sheathed rubber bands. The CDC 7600 was replaced in 1983 by CRAY-1A.

  14. SURVEY OF THE ENTOMOFAUNA THROUGH LUMINOUS TRAP

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. R. Andrade Neto

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available The demand for forest-based raw materials for energy, construction, paper pulp and the pressure to comply with legal requirements concerning environmental legislation, for example, the replacement of the permanent preservation area, legal reserve and recovery of degraded area, leads to encourage the production of healthy seedlings in a health status to do not compromise their future production. The present study aimed to survey the entomofauna population using the “Luiz de Queiroz” model of luminous trap, with white and red fluorescent lamps. The experiment was conducted at the nursery “Flora Sinop” in Sinop – MT. The survey was conducted weekly between the months of April to July 2010, totaling 4 months sand, 32 samples collected. The orders Hemiptera and Coleoptera showed the highest number of individuals captured, either in attraction with white or red light. It was captured 10.089 individuals, 9.339 collected under the influence of white light, representing 92,56%, and 750 with red light, only 7,44% of the total. The white light luminous trap possessed greater efficiency in the attraction of insects when compared with the red light trap.

  15. Electrical and optical 3D modelling of light-trapping single-photon avalanche diode

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Tianzhe; Zang, Kai; Morea, Matthew; Xue, Muyu; Lu, Ching-Ying; Jiang, Xiao; Zhang, Qiang; Kamins, Theodore I.; Harris, James S.

    2018-02-01

    Single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) have been widely used to push the frontier of scientific research (e.g., quantum science and single-molecule fluorescence) and practical applications (e.g., Lidar). However, there is a typical compromise between photon detection efficiency and jitter distribution. The light-trapping SPAD has been proposed to break this trade-off by coupling the vertically incoming photons into a laterally propagating mode while maintaining a small jitter and a thin Si device layer. In this work, we provide a 3D-based optical and electrical model based on practical fabrication conditions and discuss about design parameters, which include surface texturing, photon injection position, device area, and other features.

  16. Sampling mosquitoes with CDC light trap in rice field and plantation ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    If you would like more information about how to print, save, and work with PDFs, Highwire Press provides a helpful Frequently Asked Questions about PDFs. Alternatively, you can download the PDF file directly to your computer, from where it can be opened using a PDF reader. To download the PDF, click the Download link ...

  17. Tightly confined atoms in optical dipole traps

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schulz, M.

    2002-12-01

    This thesis reports on the design and setup of a new atom trap apparatus, which is developed to confine few rubidium atoms in ultrahigh vacuum and make them available for controlled manipulations. To maintain low background pressure, atoms of a vapour cell are transferred into a cold atomic beam by laser cooling techniques, and accumulated by a magneto-optic trap (MOT) in a separate part of the vacuum system. The laser cooled atoms are then transferred into dipole traps made of focused far-off-resonant laser fields in single- or crossed-beam geometry, which are superimposed with the center of the MOT. Gaussian as well as hollow Laguerre-Gaussian (LG$ ( 01)$) beam profiles are used with red-detuned or blue-detuned light, respectively. Microfabricated dielectric phase objects allow efficient and robust mode conversion of Gaussian into Laguerre-Gaussian laser beams. Trap geometries can easily be changed due to the highly flexible experimental setup. The dipole trap laser beams are focused to below 10 microns at a power of several hundred milliwatts. Typical trap parameters, at a detuning of several ten nanometers from the atomic resonance, are trag depths of few millikelvin, trap frequencies near 30-kHz, trap light scattering rates of few hundred photons per atom and second, and lifetimes of several seconds. The number of dipole-trapped atoms ranges from more than ten thousand to below ten. The dipole-trapped atoms are detected either by a photon counting system with very efficient straylight discrimination, or by recapture into the MOT, which is imaged onto a sensitive photodiode and a CCD-camera. Due to the strong AC-Stark shift imposed by the high intensity trapping light, energy-selective resonant excitation and detection of the atoms is possible. The measured energy distribution is consistent with a harmonic potential shape and allows the determination of temperatures and heating rates. In first measurements, the thermal energy is found to be about 10 % of the

  18. CDC Health Disparities and Inequalities Report--U.S. 2013

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Women's Health Health Literacy Health Equity CDC Health Disparities & Inequalities Report (CHDIR) Recommend on Facebook Tweet Share ... 2011 Report More Information CDC Releases Second Health Disparities & Inequalities Report - United States, 2013 CDC and its ...

  19. An explorative study of the practice of light trapping and the informal market for crickets in Cambodia

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Münke-Svendsen, C.; Ao, V.; Lach, T.

    2018-01-01

    was to describe the informal food sector for wild caught crickets in Cambodia. The information was collected in April-May 2012. Information on collection equipment and techniques, processing and trade were obtained from light trap owners, traders, market vendors and governmental representatives. Five cricket......Edible insects are an integrated part of the food sector in many South-East Asian countries. While the majority of studies focus on Thailand and its cricket farming sector, neighbouring countries like Cambodia and Laos also form a regional market for edible insects. The aim of this research...... species were identified to be the main trade object. Cricket trapping contributed to livelihoods of rural households operating in a self-governing market. As the crickets are caught from the wild, the sustainability of the market has to be questioned. The use of a framework to structure future studies...

  20. Optimization of particle trapping and patterning via photovoltaic tweezers: role of light modulation and particle size

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matarrubia, J; García-Cabañes, A; Plaza, J L; Agulló-López, F; Carrascosa, M

    2014-01-01

    The role of light modulation m and particle size on the morphology and spatial resolution of nano-particle patterns obtained by photovoltaic tweezers on Fe : LiNbO 3 has been investigated. The impact of m when using spherical as well as non-spherical (anisotropic) nano-particles deposited on the sample surface has been elucidated. Light modulation is a key parameter determining the particle profile contrast that is optimum for spherical particles and high-m values (m ∼ 1). The minimum particle periodicities reachable are also investigated obtaining periodic patterns up to 3.5 µm. This is a value at least one order of magnitude shorter than those obtained in previous reported experiments. Results are successfully explained and discussed in light of the previous reported models for photorefraction including nonlinear carrier transport and dielectrophoretic trapping. From the results, a number of rules for particle patterning optimization are derived. (paper)

  1. Differential impact of diverse anticancer chemotherapeutics on the Cdc25A-degradation checkpoint pathway

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Agner, Jeppe; Falck, Jacob; Lukas, Jiri; Bartek, Jiri

    2005-01-01

    When exposed to DNA-damaging insults such as ionizing radiation (IR) or ultraviolet light (UV), mammalian cells activate checkpoint pathways to halt cell cycle progression or induce cell death. Here we examined the ability of five commonly used anticancer drugs with different mechanisms of action to activate the Chk1/Chk2-Cdc25A-CDK2/cyclin E cell cycle checkpoint pathway, previously shown to be induced by IR or UV. Whereas exposure of human cells to topoisomerase inhibitors camptothecin, etoposide, or adriamycin resulted in rapid (within 1 h) activation of the pathway including degradation of the Cdc25A phosphatase and inhibition of cyclin E/CDK2 kinase activity, taxol failed to activate this checkpoint even after a prolonged treatment. Unexpectedly, although the alkylating agent cisplatin also induced degradation of Cdc25A (albeit delayed, after 8-12 h), cyclin E/CDK2 activity was elevated and DNA synthesis continued, a phenomena that correlated with increased E2F1 protein levels and consequently enhanced expression of cyclin E. These results reveal a differential impact of various classes of anticancer chemotherapeutics on the Cdc25A-degradation pathway, and indicate that the kinetics of checkpoint induction, and the relative balance of key components within the DNA damage response network may dictate whether the treated cells arrest their cell cycle progression

  2. Vector species composition and malaria infectivity rates in Mkuzi, Muheza District, north-eastern Tanzania

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kweka, E J; Mahande, A M; Nkya, W M M

    2008-01-01

    Entomological surveys were conducted in Mkuzi village in Muheza District, north-east Tanzania from April to September 2003. The objectives were to determine the species composition and infectivity rates of mosquitoes in Mkuzi village. Mosquito collection was done using CDC light trap and pyrethrum...... spray catch (PSC) techniques. The light trap: spray catch ratio was 2.2:1. A total of 2157 mosquitoes were collected (light trap = 1483; PSC = 674). Anopheles gambiae s.s. accounted for 56.7% (N = 1224) of all mosquitoes collected. Other species were An. funestus complex (19.2%) and Culex...... quinquefasciatus (24.1%).The mosquito density per room was 74.15 and 33.7 for light trap and PSC techniques, respectively. A total of 1637 Anopheles mosquitoes were tested for circumsporozoite protein by Enzyme linked Immunosobent Assay (ELISA). The overall infectivity rate for circumsporozoite protein for P...

  3. C/EBP{delta} targets cyclin D1 for proteasome-mediated degradation via induction of CDC27/APC3 expression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pawar, Snehalata A; Sarkar, Tapasree Roy; Balamurugan, Kuppusamy; Sharan, Shikha; Wang, Jun; Zhang, Youhong; Dowdy, Steven F; Huang, A-Mei; Sterneck, Esta

    2010-05-18

    The transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer binding protein delta (C/EBPdelta, CEBPD, NFIL-6beta) has tumor suppressor function; however, the molecular mechanism(s) by which C/EBPdelta exerts its effect are largely unknown. Here, we report that C/EBPdelta induces expression of the Cdc27 (APC3) subunit of the anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C), which results in the polyubiquitination and degradation of the prooncogenic cell cycle regulator cyclin D1, and also down-regulates cyclin B1, Skp2, and Plk-1. In C/EBPdelta knockout mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEF) Cdc27 levels were reduced, whereas cyclin D1 levels were increased even in the presence of activated GSK-3beta. Silencing of C/EBPdelta, Cdc27, or the APC/C coactivator Cdh1 (FZR1) in MCF-10A breast epithelial cells increased cyclin D1 protein expression. Like C/EBPdelta, and in contrast to cyclin D1, Cdc27 was down-regulated in several breast cancer cell lines, suggesting that Cdc27 itself may be a tumor suppressor. Cyclin D1 is a known substrate of polyubiquitination complex SKP1/CUL1/F-box (SCF), and our studies show that Cdc27 directs cyclin D1 to alternative degradation by APC/C. These findings shed light on the role and regulation of APC/C, which is critical for most cellular processes.

  4. General method for simultaneous optimization of light trapping and carrier collection in an ultra-thin film organic photovoltaic cell

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tsai, Cheng-Chia, E-mail: ct2443@columbia.edu; Grote, Richard R.; Beck, Jonathan H.; Kymissis, Ioannis [Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027 (United States); Osgood, Richard M. [Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027 (United States); Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027 (United States); Englund, Dirk [Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (United States)

    2014-07-14

    We describe a general method for maximizing the short-circuit current in thin planar organic photovoltaic (OPV) heterojunction cells by simultaneous optimization of light absorption and carrier collection. Based on the experimentally obtained complex refractive indices of the OPV materials and the thickness-dependence of the internal quantum efficiency of the OPV active layer, we analyze the potential benefits of light trapping strategies for maximizing the overall power conversion efficiency of the cell. This approach provides a general strategy for optimizing the power conversion efficiency of a wide range of OPV structures. In particular, as an experimental trial system, the approach is applied here to a ultra-thin film solar cell with a SubPc/C{sub 60} photovoltaic structure. Using a patterned indium tin oxide (ITO) top contact, the numerically optimized designs achieve short-circuit currents of 0.790 and 0.980 mA/cm{sup 2} for 30 nm and 45 nm SubPc/C{sub 60} heterojunction layer thicknesses, respectively. These values correspond to a power conversion efficiency enhancement of 78% for the 30 nm thick cell, but only of 32% for a 45 nm thick cell, for which the overall photocurrent is actually higher. Applied to other material systems, the general optimization method can elucidate if light trapping strategies can improve a given cell architecture.

  5. A Comparison of Trap Types for Assessing Diversity of Scarabaeoidea on South Carolina Golf Courses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chong, Juang-Horng; Hinson, Kevin R

    2015-10-01

    A 2-yr survey was conducted on golf courses in South Carolina to 1) document the species richness and seasonal activity of Scarabaeoidea; 2) assess any species compositional differences among three trap types (ultraviolet light, unbaited flight-intercept, and unbaited pitfall); and 3) identify any dominant taxa in each trap type. A total of 74,326 scarabaeoid beetles were captured, of which 77.4% were Aphodiinae (not identified to species). The remaining specimens belong to 104 species in 47 genera and 6 families. The most abundant species were Cyclocephala lurida Bland, Dyscinetus morator (F.), Euetheola humilis (Burmeister), Hybosorus illigeri Reiche, and Maladera castanea (Arrow). In all trap types, >90% of all specimens and taxa were collected between April and August. Ultraviolet light traps collected ∼94% of total specimens consisting of 83 taxa (of which 51 were unique to this trap type), whereas flight-intercept traps captured ∼2% of all specimens representing 53 taxa (18 of which were unique), and pitfall traps captured ∼4% of all specimens representing 15 taxa (no unique species; all species also captured by ultraviolet light traps). Indicator species analysis identified 2-3 and 10-13 taxa that were most frequently collected by flight-intercept and ultraviolet light traps, respectively. Flight-intercept traps complemented ultraviolet light traps by capturing more species of dung and carrion beetles and diurnal phytophagous scarab beetles. Results suggested that a similar survey for domestic or exotic scarabaeoid beetles in turfgrass systems should be conducted between April and August using ultraviolet light and flight-intercept traps at 13-58 sites. © The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  6. Cdc42 promotes host defenses against fatal infection

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lee, Keunwook; Boyd, Kelli L; Parekh, Diptiben V

    2013-01-01

    attempted to specifically delete it in these cells by crossing the Cdc42(fl/fl) mouse with a FSP-1 cre mouse, which is thought to mediate recombination exclusively in fibroblasts. Surprisingly, the FSP-1cre;Cdc42(fl/fl) mice died at 3 weeks of age due to overwhelming suppurative upper airway infections...... showed that in addition to fibroblasts, the FSP-1 cre deleted Cdc42 very efficiently in all leukocytes. Thus, by using this non-specific cre mouse we inadvertently demonstrated the importance of Cdc42 in host protection from lethal infections and suggest a critical role for this small GTPase in innate...

  7. Ubiquitination of Cdc20 by the APC occurs through an intramolecular mechanism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foe, Ian T.; Foster, Scott A.; Cheung, Stephanie K.; DeLuca, Steven Z.; Morgan, David O.; Toczyski, David P.

    2012-01-01

    SUMMARY Background Cells control progression through late mitosis by regulating Cdc20 and Cdh1, the two mitotic activators of the Anaphase Promoting Complex (APC). The control of Cdc20 protein levels during the cell cycle is not well understood. Results Here, we demonstrate that Cdc20 is degraded in budding yeast by multiple APC-dependent mechanisms. We find that the majority of Cdc20 turnover does not involve a second activator molecule, but instead depends on in cis Cdc20 autoubiquitination while it is bound to its activator-binding site on the APC core. Unlike in trans ubiquitination of Cdc20 substrates, the APC ubiquitinates Cdc20 independent of APC activation by Cdc20’s C-box. Cdc20 turnover by this intramolecular mechanism is cell cycle-regulated, contributing to the decline in Cdc20 levels that occurs after anaphase. Interestingly, high substrate levels in vitro significantly reduce Cdc20 autoubiquitination. Conclusion We show here that Cdc20 fluctuates through the cell cycle via a distinct form of APC-mediated ubiquitination. This in cis autoubiquitination may preferentially occur in early anaphase, following depletion of Cdc20 substrates. This suggests that distinct mechanisms are able to target Cdc20 for ubiquitination at different points during the cell cycle. PMID:22079111

  8. CDC WONDER: Births

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The Births (Natality) online databases in CDC WONDER report birth rates, fertility rates and counts of live births occurring within the United States to U.S....

  9. Cdc7 kinase - a new target for drug development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swords, Ronan; Mahalingam, Devalingam; O'Dwyer, Michael; Santocanale, Corrado; Kelly, Kevin; Carew, Jennifer; Giles, Francis

    2010-01-01

    The cell division cycle 7 (Cdc7) is a serine threonine kinase that is of critical importance in the regulation of normal cell cycle progression. Cdc7 kinase is highly conserved during evolution and much has been learned about its biological roles in humans through the study of lower eukaryotes, particularly yeasts. Two important regulator proteins, Dbf4 and Drf1, bind to and modulate the kinase activity of human Cdc7 which phosphorylates several sites on Mcm2 (minichromosome maintenance protein 2), one of the six subunits of the replicative DNA helicase needed for duplication of the genome. Through regulation of both DNA synthesis and DNA damage response, both key functions in the survival of tumour cells, Cdc7 becomes an attractive target for pharmacological inhibition. There are much data available on the pre-clinical anti-cancer effects of Cdc7 depletion and although there are no available Cdc7 inhibitors in clinical trials as yet, several lead compounds are being optimised for this purpose. In this review, we will address the current status of Cdc7 as an important target for new drug development.

  10. IR sensitivity enhancement of CMOS Image Sensor with diffractive light trapping pixels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yokogawa, Sozo; Oshiyama, Itaru; Ikeda, Harumi; Ebiko, Yoshiki; Hirano, Tomoyuki; Saito, Suguru; Oinoue, Takashi; Hagimoto, Yoshiya; Iwamoto, Hayato

    2017-06-19

    We report on the IR sensitivity enhancement of back-illuminated CMOS Image Sensor (BI-CIS) with 2-dimensional diffractive inverted pyramid array structure (IPA) on crystalline silicon (c-Si) and deep trench isolation (DTI). FDTD simulations of semi-infinite thick c-Si having 2D IPAs on its surface whose pitches over 400 nm shows more than 30% improvement of light absorption at λ = 850 nm and the maximum enhancement of 43% with the 540 nm pitch at the wavelength is confirmed. A prototype BI-CIS sample with pixel size of 1.2 μm square containing 400 nm pitch IPAs shows 80% sensitivity enhancement at λ = 850 nm compared to the reference sample with flat surface. This is due to diffraction with the IPA and total reflection at the pixel boundary. The NIR images taken by the demo camera equip with a C-mount lens show 75% sensitivity enhancement in the λ = 700-1200 nm wavelength range with negligible spatial resolution degradation. Light trapping CIS pixel technology promises to improve NIR sensitivity and appears to be applicable to many different image sensor applications including security camera, personal authentication, and range finding Time-of-Flight camera with IR illuminations.

  11. Cooling and trapping neutral atoms with radiative forces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bagnato, V.S.; Castro, J.C.; Li, M.S.; Zilio, S.C.

    1988-01-01

    Techniques to slow and trap neutral atoms at high densities with radiative forces are discussed in this review articles. Among several methods of laser cooling, it is emphasized Zeeman Tuning of the electronic levels and frequency-sweeping techniques. Trapping of neutral atoms and recent results obtained in light and magnetic traps are discussed. Techniques to further cool atoms inside traps are presented and the future of laser cooling of neutral atoms by means of radiation pressure is discussed. (A.C.A.S.) [pt

  12. Decreased uv mutagenesis in cdc8, a DNA replication mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prakash, L.; Hinkle, D.; Prakash, S.

    1978-01-01

    A DNA replication mutant of yeast, cdc8, was found to decrease uv-induced reversion of lys2-1, arg4-17, tryl and ural. This effect was observed with all three alleles of cdc8 tested. Survival curves obtained following uv irradiation in cdc8 rad double mutants show that cdc8 is epistatic to rad6, as well as to rad1; cdc8 rad51 double mutants seem to be more sensitive than the single mutants. Since uv-induced reversion in cdc8 rad1 and cdc8 rad51 double mutants is like that of the cdc8 single mutants, we conclude that CDC8 plays a direct role in error-prone repair. To test whether CDC8 codes for a DNA polymerase, we have purified both DNA polymerase I and DNA polymerase II from cdc8 and CDC+ cells. The purified DNA polymerases from cdc8 were no more heat labile than those from CDC+, suggesting that CDC8 is not a structural gene for either enzyme

  13. Plasmon assisted optical trapping: fundamentals and biomedical applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Serafetinides, Alexandros A.; Makropoulou, Mersini; Tsigaridas, Georgios N.; Gousetis, Anastasios

    2015-01-01

    The field of optical trapping has dramatically grown due to implementation in various arenas including physics, biology, medicine and nanotechnology. Certainly, optical tweezers are an invaluable tool to manipulate a variation of particles, such as small dielectric spheres, cells, bacteria, chromosomes and even genes, by highly focused laser beams through microscope. As the main disadvantage of the conventional optical trapping systems is the diffraction limit of the incident light, plasmon assisted nanotrapping is reported as a suitable technique for trapping sub-wavelength metallic or dielectric particles. In this work, firstly, we report briefly on the basic theory of plasmon excitation, focusing on the interaction of nanoscale metallic structures with laser light. Secondly, experimental and numerical simulation results are also presented, demonstrating enhancement of the trapping efficiency of glass or SiO2 substrates, coated with Au and Ag nanostructures, with or without nanoparticles. The optical forces were calculated by measuring the particle's escape velocity calibration method. Finally, representative applications of plasmon assisted optical trapping are reviewed, from cancer therapeutics to fundamental biology and cell nanosurgery.

  14. Fabrication and optical characterization of light trapping silicon nanopore and nanoscrew devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jin, Hyunjong; Logan Liu, G

    2012-01-01

    We have fabricated nanotextured Si substrates that exhibit controllable optical reflection intensities and colors. Si nanopore has a photon trapping nanostructure but has abrupt changes in the index of refraction displaying a darkened specular reflection. Nanoscrew Si shows graded refractive-index photon trapping structures that enable diffuse reflection to be as low as 2.2% over the visible wavelengths. By tuning the 3D nanoscale silicon structure, the optical reflection peak wavelength and intensity are changed in the wavelength range of 300–800 nm, making the surface have different reflectivity and apparent colors. The relation between the surface optical properties with the spatial features of the photon trapping nanostructures is examined. Integration of photon trapping structures with planar Si structure on the same substrate is also demonstrated. The tunable photon trapping silicon structures have potential applications in enhancing the performance of semiconductor photoelectric devices. (paper)

  15. CDC staging based on absolute CD4 count and CD4 percentage in an HIV-1-infected Indian population: treatment implications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vajpayee, M; Kaushik, S; Sreenivas, V; Wig, N; Seth, P

    2005-01-01

    CD4+ T-cell levels are an important criterion for categorizing HIV-related clinical conditions according to the CDC classification system and are therefore important in the management of HIV by initiating antiretroviral therapy and prophylaxis for opportunistic infections due to HIV among HIV-infected individuals. However, it has been observed that the CD4 counts are affected by the geographical location, race, ethnic origin, age, gender and changes in total and differential leucocyte counts. In the light of this knowledge, we classified 600 HIV seropositive antiretroviral treatment (ART)-naïve Indian individuals belonging to different CDC groups A, B and C on the basis of CDC criteria of both CD4% and CD4 counts and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated. Importantly, CDC staging on the basis of CD4% indicated significant clinical implications, requiring an early implementation of effective antiretroviral treatment regimen in HIV-infected individuals deprived of treatment when classified on the basis of CD4 counts. PMID:16045738

  16. Cdc20 mediates D-box-dependent degradation of Sp100

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Ran; Li, Ke-min; Zhou, Cai-hong; Xue, Jing-lun; Ji, Chao-neng; Chen, Jin-zhong

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: ► Cdc20 is a co-activator of APC/C complex. ► Cdc20 recruits Sp100 and mediates its degradation. ► The D-box of Sp100 is required for Cdc20-mediated degradation. ► Sp100 expresses consistently at both the mRNA and protein levels in cell cycle. -- Abstract: Cdc20 is a co-activator of the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C complex), which recruits substrates at particular phases of the cell cycle and mediates their degradation. Sp100 is a PML-NB scaffold protein, which localizes to nuclear particles during interphase and disperses from them during mitosis, participates in viral resistance, transcriptional regulation, and apoptosis. However, its metabolism during the cell cycle has not yet been fully characterized. We found a putative D-box in Sp100 using the Eukaryotic Linear Motif (ELM) predictor database. The putative D-box of Sp100 was verified by mutational analysis. Overexpression of Cdc20 resulted in decreased levels of both endogenous Sp100 protein and overexpressed Sp100 mRNA in HEK 293 cells. Only an overexpressed D-box deletion mutant of Sp100 accumulated in HEK293 cells that also overexpressed Cdc20. Cdc20 knockdown by cdc20 specific siRNA resulted in increased Sp100 protein levels in cells. Furthermore, we discovered that the Cdc20 mediated degradation of Sp100 is diminished by the proteasome inhibitor MG132, which suggests that the ubiquitination pathway is involved in this process. However, unlike the other Cdc20 substrates, which display oscillating protein levels, the level of Sp100 protein remains constant throughout the cell cycle. Additionally, both overexpression and knockdown of endogenous Sp100 had no effect on the cell cycle. Our results suggested that sp100 is a novel substrate of Cdc20 and it is degraded by the ubiquitination pathway. The intact D-box of Sp100 was necessary for this process. These findings expand our knowledge of both Sp100 and Cdc20 as well as their role in ubiquitination.

  17. Nanometer-scale optical traps using atomic state localization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yavuz, D. D.; Proite, N. A.; Green, J. T.

    2009-01-01

    We suggest a scheme where a laser beam forms an optical trap with a spatial size that is much smaller than the wavelength of light. The key idea is to combine a far-off-resonant dipole trap with a scheme that localizes an atomic excitation.

  18. Rho GTPase protein Cdc42 is critical for postnatal cartilage development

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nagahama, Ryo [Department of Biochemistry, School of Dentistry, Showa University, Tokyo (Japan); Department of Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, Showa University, Tokyo (Japan); Yamada, Atsushi, E-mail: yamadaa@dent.showa-u.ac.jp [Department of Biochemistry, School of Dentistry, Showa University, Tokyo (Japan); Tanaka, Junichi [Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, School of Dentistry, Showa University, Tokyo (Japan); Aizawa, Ryo [Department of Periodontology, School of Dentistry, Showa University, Tokyo (Japan); Suzuki, Dai [Department of Biochemistry, School of Dentistry, Showa University, Tokyo (Japan); Kassai, Hidetoshi [Laboratory of Animal Resources, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan); Yamamoto, Matsuo [Department of Periodontology, School of Dentistry, Showa University, Tokyo (Japan); Mishima, Kenji [Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, School of Dentistry, Showa University, Tokyo (Japan); Aiba, Atsu [Laboratory of Animal Resources, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan); Maki, Koutaro [Department of Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, Showa University, Tokyo (Japan); Kamijo, Ryutaro [Department of Biochemistry, School of Dentistry, Showa University, Tokyo (Japan)

    2016-02-19

    Cdc42, a small Rho GTPase family member, has been shown to regulate multiple cellular functions in vitro, including actin cytoskeletal reorganization, cell migration, proliferation, and gene expression. However, its tissue-specific roles in vivo remain largely unknown, especially in postnatal cartilage development, as cartilage-specific Cdc42 inactivated mice die within a few days after birth. In this study, we investigated the physiological functions of Cdc42 during cartilage development after birth using tamoxifen-induced cartilage-specific inactivated Cdc42 conditional knockout (Cdc42 {sup fl/fl}; Col2-CreERT) mice, which were generated by crossing Cdc42 flox mice (Cdc42 {sup fl/fl}) with tamoxifen-induced type II collagen (Col2) Cre transgenic mice using a Cre/loxP system. The gross morphology of the Cdc42 cKO mice was shorter limbs and body, as well as reduced body weight as compared with the controls. In addition, severe defects were found in growth plate chondrocytes of the long bones, characterized by a shorter proliferating zone (PZ), wider hypertrophic zone (HZ), and loss of columnar organization of proliferating chondrocytes, resulting in delayed endochondral bone formation associated with abnormal bone growth. Our findings demonstrate the importance of Cdc42 for cartilage development during both embryonic and postnatal stages. - Highlights: • Tamoxifen-induced cartilage specific inactivated Cdc42 mutant mice were generated. • Cdc42 mutant mice were shorter limbs and body. • Severe defects were found in growth plate chondrocytes.

  19. Standardizing operational vector sampling techniques for measuring malaria transmission intensity: evaluation of six mosquito collection methods in western Kenya.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Jacklyn; Bayoh, Nabie; Olang, George; Killeen, Gerry F; Hamel, Mary J; Vulule, John M; Gimnig, John E

    2013-04-30

    Operational vector sampling methods lack standardization, making quantitative comparisons of malaria transmission across different settings difficult. Human landing catch (HLC) is considered the research gold standard for measuring human-mosquito contact, but is unsuitable for large-scale sampling. This study assessed mosquito catch rates of CDC light trap (CDC-LT), Ifakara tent trap (ITT), window exit trap (WET), pot resting trap (PRT), and box resting trap (BRT) relative to HLC in western Kenya to 1) identify appropriate methods for operational sampling in this region, and 2) contribute to a larger, overarching project comparing standardized evaluations of vector trapping methods across multiple countries. Mosquitoes were collected from June to July 2009 in four districts: Rarieda, Kisumu West, Nyando, and Rachuonyo. In each district, all trapping methods were rotated 10 times through three houses in a 3 × 3 Latin Square design. Anophelines were identified by morphology and females classified as fed or non-fed. Anopheles gambiae s.l. were further identified as Anopheles gambiae s.s. or Anopheles arabiensis by PCR. Relative catch rates were estimated by negative binomial regression. When data were pooled across all four districts, catch rates (relative to HLC indoor) for An. gambiae s.l (95.6% An. arabiensis, 4.4% An. gambiae s.s) were high for HLC outdoor (RR = 1.01), CDC-LT (RR = 1.18), and ITT (RR = 1.39); moderate for WET (RR = 0.52) and PRT outdoor (RR = 0.32); and low for all remaining types of resting traps (PRT indoor, BRT indoor, and BRT outdoor; RR < 0.08 for all). For Anopheles funestus, relative catch rates were high for ITT (RR = 1.21); moderate for HLC outdoor (RR = 0.47), CDC-LT (RR = 0.69), and WET (RR = 0.49); and low for all resting traps (RR < 0.02 for all). At finer geographic scales, however, efficacy of each trap type varied from district to district. ITT, CDC-LT, and WET appear to be effective methods for large-scale vector sampling in

  20. Isolation of a cdc28 mutation that abrogates the dependence of S ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    We have isolated a mutation in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisisae CDC28 gene that allows cdc13 cells, carrying damaged DNA, to continue with the cell division cycle. While cdc13 mutant cells are arrested as large-budded cells at the nonpermissive temperature 37°C, the cdc13 cdc28 double mutant culture ...

  1. Rho GTPase protein Cdc42 is critical for postnatal cartilage development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagahama, Ryo; Yamada, Atsushi; Tanaka, Junichi; Aizawa, Ryo; Suzuki, Dai; Kassai, Hidetoshi; Yamamoto, Matsuo; Mishima, Kenji; Aiba, Atsu; Maki, Koutaro; Kamijo, Ryutaro

    2016-01-01

    Cdc42, a small Rho GTPase family member, has been shown to regulate multiple cellular functions in vitro, including actin cytoskeletal reorganization, cell migration, proliferation, and gene expression. However, its tissue-specific roles in vivo remain largely unknown, especially in postnatal cartilage development, as cartilage-specific Cdc42 inactivated mice die within a few days after birth. In this study, we investigated the physiological functions of Cdc42 during cartilage development after birth using tamoxifen-induced cartilage-specific inactivated Cdc42 conditional knockout (Cdc42 "f"l"/"f"l; Col2-CreERT) mice, which were generated by crossing Cdc42 flox mice (Cdc42 "f"l"/"f"l) with tamoxifen-induced type II collagen (Col2) Cre transgenic mice using a Cre/loxP system. The gross morphology of the Cdc42 cKO mice was shorter limbs and body, as well as reduced body weight as compared with the controls. In addition, severe defects were found in growth plate chondrocytes of the long bones, characterized by a shorter proliferating zone (PZ), wider hypertrophic zone (HZ), and loss of columnar organization of proliferating chondrocytes, resulting in delayed endochondral bone formation associated with abnormal bone growth. Our findings demonstrate the importance of Cdc42 for cartilage development during both embryonic and postnatal stages. - Highlights: • Tamoxifen-induced cartilage specific inactivated Cdc42 mutant mice were generated. • Cdc42 mutant mice were shorter limbs and body. • Severe defects were found in growth plate chondrocytes.

  2. Cdc20 mediates D-box-dependent degradation of Sp100

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Ran; Li, Ke-min; Zhou, Cai-hong; Xue, Jing-lun [State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Institute of Genetics, School of Life Science, Fudan University, Shanghai (China); Ji, Chao-neng, E-mail: Chnji@fudan.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Institute of Genetics, School of Life Science, Fudan University, Shanghai (China); Chen, Jin-zhong, E-mail: kingbellchen@fudan.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Institute of Genetics, School of Life Science, Fudan University, Shanghai (China)

    2011-12-02

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Cdc20 is a co-activator of APC/C complex. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Cdc20 recruits Sp100 and mediates its degradation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The D-box of Sp100 is required for Cdc20-mediated degradation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Sp100 expresses consistently at both the mRNA and protein levels in cell cycle. -- Abstract: Cdc20 is a co-activator of the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C complex), which recruits substrates at particular phases of the cell cycle and mediates their degradation. Sp100 is a PML-NB scaffold protein, which localizes to nuclear particles during interphase and disperses from them during mitosis, participates in viral resistance, transcriptional regulation, and apoptosis. However, its metabolism during the cell cycle has not yet been fully characterized. We found a putative D-box in Sp100 using the Eukaryotic Linear Motif (ELM) predictor database. The putative D-box of Sp100 was verified by mutational analysis. Overexpression of Cdc20 resulted in decreased levels of both endogenous Sp100 protein and overexpressed Sp100 mRNA in HEK 293 cells. Only an overexpressed D-box deletion mutant of Sp100 accumulated in HEK293 cells that also overexpressed Cdc20. Cdc20 knockdown by cdc20 specific siRNA resulted in increased Sp100 protein levels in cells. Furthermore, we discovered that the Cdc20 mediated degradation of Sp100 is diminished by the proteasome inhibitor MG132, which suggests that the ubiquitination pathway is involved in this process. However, unlike the other Cdc20 substrates, which display oscillating protein levels, the level of Sp100 protein remains constant throughout the cell cycle. Additionally, both overexpression and knockdown of endogenous Sp100 had no effect on the cell cycle. Our results suggested that sp100 is a novel substrate of Cdc20 and it is degraded by the ubiquitination pathway. The intact D-box of Sp100 was necessary for this process. These findings expand

  3. Ripple Trap

    Science.gov (United States)

    2006-01-01

    3 April 2006 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows the margin of a lava flow on a cratered plain in the Athabasca Vallis region of Mars. Remarkably, the cratered plain in this scene is essentially free of bright, windblown ripples. Conversely, the lava flow apparently acted as a trap for windblown materials, illustrated by the presence of the light-toned, wave-like texture over much of the flow. That the lava flow surface trapped windblown sand and granules better than the cratered plain indicates that the flow surface has a rougher texture at a scale too small to resolve in this image. Location near: 10.7oN, 204.5oW Image width: 3 km (1.9 mi) Illumination from: lower left Season: Northern Winter

  4. Using high haze (> 90%) light-trapping film to enhance the efficiency of a-Si:H solar cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chu, Wei-Ping; Lin, Jian-Shian; Lin, Tien-Chai; Tsai, Yu-Sheng; Kuo, Chen-Wei; Chung, Ming-Hua; Hsieh, Tsung-Eong; Liu, Lung-Chang; Juang, Fuh-Shyang; Chen, Nien-Po

    2012-07-01

    The high haze light-trapping (LT) film offers enhanced scattering of light and is applied to a-Si:H solar cells. UV glue was spin coated on glass, and then the LT pattern was imprinted. Finally, a UV lamp was used to cure the UV glue on the glass. The LT film effectively increased the Haze ratio of glass and decreased the reflectance of a-Si:H solar cells. Therefore, the photon path length was increased to obtain maximum absorption by the absorber layer. High Haze LT film is able to enhance short circuit current density and efficiency of the device, as partial composite film generates broader scattering light, thereby causing shorter wave length light to be absorbed by the P layer so that the short circuit current density decreases. In case of lab-made a-Si:H thin film solar cells with v-shaped LT films, superior optoelectronic performances have been found (Voc = 0.74 V, Jsc = 15.62 mA/cm2, F.F. = 70%, and η = 8.09%). We observed ~ 35% enhancement of the short-circuit current density and ~ 31% enhancement of the conversion efficiency.

  5. All-oxide Raman-active traps for light and matter: probing redox homeostasis model reactions in aqueous environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alessandri, Ivano; Depero, L E

    2014-04-09

    Core-shell colloidal crystals can act as very efficient traps for light and analytes. Here it is shown that Raman-active probes can be achieved using SiO2-TiO2 core-shell beads. These systems are successfully tested in monitoring of glutathione redox cycle at physiological concentration in aqueous environment, without need of any interfering enhancers. These materials represent a promising alternative to conventional, metal-based SERS probes for investigating chemical and biochemical reactions under real working conditions. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  6. Using chemical wet-etching methods of textured AZO films on a-Si:H solar cells for efficient light trapping

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lin, Guo-Sheng; Li, Chien-Yu; Huang, Kuo-Chan; Houng, Mau-Phon, E-mail: mphoung@eembox.ncku.edu.tw

    2015-06-15

    In this paper, Al-doped ZnO (AZO) films are deposited on glasses substrate by RF magnetron sputtering. The optical, electrical and morphological properties of AZO films textured by wet-etching with different etchants, H{sub 3}PO{sub 4}, HCl, and HNO{sub 3} are studied. It is found that the textured structure could enhance the light scattering and light trapping ability of amorphous silicon solar cells. The textured AZO film etched with HNO{sub 3} exhibits optimized optical properties (T% ≧ 80% over entire wavelength, haze ratio > 40% at 550 nm wavelength) and excellent electrical properties (ρ = 5.86 × 10{sup −4} Ωcm). Scanning electron microscopy and Atomic force microscopy are used to observe surface morphology and average roughness of each textured AZO films. Finally, the textured AZO films etched by H{sub 3}PO{sub 4}, HCl and HNO{sub 3} were applied to front electrode layer for p–i–n amorphous silicon solar cells. The highest conversion efficiency of amorphous silicon solar cell fabricated on HNO{sub 3}-etched AZO film was 7.08% with open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current density and fill factor of 895 mV, 14.92 mA/cm{sup 2} and 0.56, respectively. It shows a significantly enhancement in the short-circuit current density and conversion efficiency by 16.2% and 20.2%, respectively, compared with the solar cell fabricated on as-grown AZO film. - Highlights: • The textured surface enhances light scattering and light trapping ability. • The HNO{sub 3}-etched AZO film exhibits excellent optical and electrical properties. • The efficiency of a-Si:H solar cell fabricated on HNO{sub 3}-etched AZO film was 7.08%. • The short-circuit current density enhances to 16.2%. • The conversion efficiency enhances to 20.2%.

  7. Using chemical wet-etching methods of textured AZO films on a-Si:H solar cells for efficient light trapping

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin, Guo-Sheng; Li, Chien-Yu; Huang, Kuo-Chan; Houng, Mau-Phon

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, Al-doped ZnO (AZO) films are deposited on glasses substrate by RF magnetron sputtering. The optical, electrical and morphological properties of AZO films textured by wet-etching with different etchants, H 3 PO 4 , HCl, and HNO 3 are studied. It is found that the textured structure could enhance the light scattering and light trapping ability of amorphous silicon solar cells. The textured AZO film etched with HNO 3 exhibits optimized optical properties (T% ≧ 80% over entire wavelength, haze ratio > 40% at 550 nm wavelength) and excellent electrical properties (ρ = 5.86 × 10 −4 Ωcm). Scanning electron microscopy and Atomic force microscopy are used to observe surface morphology and average roughness of each textured AZO films. Finally, the textured AZO films etched by H 3 PO 4 , HCl and HNO 3 were applied to front electrode layer for p–i–n amorphous silicon solar cells. The highest conversion efficiency of amorphous silicon solar cell fabricated on HNO 3 -etched AZO film was 7.08% with open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current density and fill factor of 895 mV, 14.92 mA/cm 2 and 0.56, respectively. It shows a significantly enhancement in the short-circuit current density and conversion efficiency by 16.2% and 20.2%, respectively, compared with the solar cell fabricated on as-grown AZO film. - Highlights: • The textured surface enhances light scattering and light trapping ability. • The HNO 3 -etched AZO film exhibits excellent optical and electrical properties. • The efficiency of a-Si:H solar cell fabricated on HNO 3 -etched AZO film was 7.08%. • The short-circuit current density enhances to 16.2%. • The conversion efficiency enhances to 20.2%

  8. CDC Kerala 1: Organization of clinical child development services (1987-2013).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nair, M K C; George, Babu; Nair, G S Harikumaran; Bhaskaran, Deepa; Leena, M L; Russell, Paul Swamidhas Sudhakar

    2014-12-01

    The main objective of establishing the Child Development Centre (CDC), Kerala for piloting comprehensive child adolescent development program in India, has been to understand the conceptualization, design and scaling up of a pro-active positive child development initiative, easily replicable all over India. The process of establishing the Child Development Centre (CDC) Kerala for research, clinical services, training and community extension services over the last 25 y, has been as follows; Step 1: Conceptualization--The life cycle approach to child development; Step 2: Research basis--CDC model early stimulation is effective; Step 3: Development and validation of seven simple developmental screening tools; Step 4: CDC Diagnostic services--Ultrasonology and genetic, and metabolic laboratory; Step 5: Developing seven intervention packages; Step 6: Training--Post graduate diploma in clinical child development; Step 7: CDC Clinic Services--seven major ones; Step 8: CDC Community Services--Child development referral units; Step 9: Community service delivery models--Childhood disability and for adolescent care counselling projects; Step 10: National capacity building--Four child development related courses. CDC Kerala follow-up and clinic services are offered till 18 y of age and premarital counselling till 24 y of age as shown in "CDC Kerala Clinic Services Flow Chart" and 74,291 children have availed CDC clinic services in the last 10 y. CDC Kerala is the first model for comprehensive child adolescent development services using a lifecycle approach in the Government sector and hence declared as the collaborative centre for Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), in Kerala.

  9. Factors affecting the transverse force measurements of an optical trap: I

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, Tiffany A.; Wright, Amanda; Gleeson, Helen F.; Dickenson, Mark; Mullin, Tom; Murray, Andrew

    2002-03-01

    The transverse force of an optical trap is usually measured by equating the trapping force to the viscous drag force applied to the trapped particle according to Stokes' Law. Under normal conditions, the viscous drag force on a trapped particle is proportional to the fluid velocity of the medium. In this paper we show that an increase of particle concentration within the medium affects force measurements. In order to trap the particle, 1064 nm light from a Nd:YVO4 laser was brought to a focus in a sample slide, of thickness around 380 microns, by using an inverted Zeiss microscope objective, with NA equals 1.3. The slide was filled with distilled water containing 6 micron diameter polystyrene spheres. Measurements were taken at a fluid velocity of 0.75 microns/sec, achieved by moving the sample stage with a piezo-electric transducer whilst a particle was held stationary in the trap. The laser power required to hold a sphere at different trap depths for various concentrations was measured. Significant weakening of the trap was found for concentrations >0.03% solids by weight, becoming weaker for higher trap depths. These results are explained in terms of aberrations, particle-particle interactions and distortion of the beam due to particle-light interactions.

  10. CDC Child Growth Charts

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — CDC child growth charts consist of a series of percentile curves that illustrate the distribution of selected body measurements in U.S. children. Pediatric growth...

  11. Fission yeast cdc24(+) encodes a novel replication factor required for chromosome integrity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gould, K L; Burns, C G; Feoktistova, A; Hu, C P; Pasion, S G; Forsburg, S L

    1998-07-01

    A mutation within the Schizosaccharomyces pombe cdc24(+) gene was identified previously in a screen for cell division cycle mutants and the cdc24(+) gene was determined to be essential for S phase in this yeast. We have isolated the cdc24(+) gene by complementation of a new temperature-sensitive allele of the gene, cdc24-G1. The DNA sequence predicts the presence of an open reading frame punctuated by six introns which encodes a pioneer protein of 58 kD. A cdc24 null mutant was generated by homologous recombination. Haploid cells lacking cdc24(+) are inviable, indicating that cdc24(+) is an essential gene. The transcript of cdc24(+) is present at constant levels throughout the cell cycle. Cells lacking cdc24(+) function show a checkpoint-dependent arrest with a 2N DNA content, indicating a block late in S phase. Arrest is accompanied by a rapid loss of viability and chromosome breakage. An S. pombe homolog of the replicative DNA helicase DNA2 of S. cerevisiae suppresses cdc24. These results suggest that Cdc24p plays a role in the progression of normal DNA replication and is required to maintain genomic integrity.

  12. CDC Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs - 2007

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs. Funding. CDC's Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco...

  13. CDC Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs - 2014

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs. Funding. CDC's Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco...

  14. Carbon dioxide baited trap catches do not correlate with human landing collections of Anopheles aquasalis in Suriname

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hiwat-van Laar, H.; Andriessen, R.; Rijk, de M.; Koenraadt, C.J.M.; Takken, W.

    2011-01-01

    Three types of carbon dioxide-baited traps, i.e., the Centers for Disease Control Miniature Light Trap without light, the BioGents (BG) Sentinel Mosquito Trap (BG-Sentinel) and the Mosquito Magnet® Liberty Plus were compared with human landing collections in their efficiency in collecting Anopheles

  15. Cdc45-induced loading of human RPA onto single-stranded DNA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Szambowska, Anna; Tessmer, Ingrid; Prus, Piotr; Schlott, Bernhard; Pospiech, Helmut; Grosse, Frank

    2017-04-07

    Cell division cycle protein 45 (Cdc45) is an essential component of the eukaryotic replicative DNA helicase. We found that human Cdc45 forms a complex with the single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) binding protein RPA. Moreover, it actively loads RPA onto nascent ssDNA. Pull-down assays and surface plasmon resonance studies revealed that Cdc45-bound RPA complexed with ssDNA in the 8-10 nucleotide binding mode, but dissociated when RPA covered a 30-mer. Real-time analysis of RPA-ssDNA binding demonstrated that Cdc45 catalytically loaded RPA onto ssDNA. This placement reaction required physical contacts of Cdc45 with the RPA70A subdomain. Our results imply that Cdc45 controlled stabilization of the 8-nt RPA binding mode, the subsequent RPA transition into 30-mer mode and facilitated an ordered binding to ssDNA. We propose that a Cdc45-mediated loading guarantees a seamless deposition of RPA on newly emerging ssDNA at the nascent replication fork. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  16. The effect of DNA replication on mutation of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae CDC8 gene.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaborowska, D; Zuk, J

    1990-04-01

    Incubation in YPD medium under permissive conditions when DNA replication is going on, strongly stimulates the induction of cdc+ colonies of UV-irradiated cells of yeast strains HB23 (cdc8-1/cdc8-3), HB26 (cdc8-3/cdc8-3) and HB7 (cdc8-1/cdc8-1). Inhibition of DNA replication by hydroxyurea, araCMP, cycloheximide or caffeine or else by incubation in phosphate buffer pH 7.0, abolishes this stimulation. Thus the replication of DNA is strongly correlated with the high induction of cdc+ colonies by UV irradiation. It is postulated that these UV-induced cdc+ colonies arise as the result infidelity in DNA replication.

  17. Nano imprint lithography of textures for light trapping in thin film silicon solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Soppe, W.J.; Dorenkamper, M.S.; Notta, J.B.; Pex, P.P.A.C. [ECN-Solliance, High Tech Campus 5, 5656 AE Eindhoven (Netherlands); Schipper, W.; Wilde, R. [Nanoptics GmbH, Innungsstrasse 5, 21244 Buchholz (Germany)

    2012-09-15

    Nano Imprint Lithography (NIL) is a versatile and commercially viable technology for fabrication of structures for light trapping in solar cells. We demonstrate the applicability of NIL in thin film silicon solar cells in substrate configuration, where NIL is used to fabricate a textured rear contact of the solar cells. We applied random structures, based on the natural texture of SnO:F grown by APCVD, and designed 2D periodic structures and show that for single junction {mu}c-Si cells these textured rear contacts lead to an increase of Jsc of more than 40 % in comparison to cells with flat rear contacts. Cells on optimized periodic textures showed higher fill factors which can be attributed to reduced microcrack formation, leading to less shunting in comparison to cells on random textures.

  18. Developing optical traps for ultra-sensitive analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao, X.; Vieira, D.J.; Guckert, R.; Crane, S.

    1998-01-01

    The authors describe the coupling of a magneto-optical trap to a mass separator for the ultra-sensitive detection of selected radioactive species. As a proof of principle test, they have demonstrated the trapping of ∼ 6 million 82 Rb (t 1/2 = 75 s) atoms using an ion implantation and heated foil release method for introducing the sample into a trapping cell with minimal gas loading. Gamma-ray counting techniques were used to determine the efficiencies of each step in the process. By far the weakest step in the process is the efficiency of the optical trap itself (0.3%). Further improvements in the quality of the nonstick dryfilm coating on the inside of the trapping cell and the possible use of larger diameter laser beams are indicated. In the presence of a large background of scattered light, this initial work achieved a detection sensitivity of ∼ 4,000 trapped atoms. Improved detection schemes using a pulsed trap and gated photon detection method are outlined. Application of this technology to the areas of environmental monitoring and nuclear proliferation are foreseen

  19. Species composition and seasonal abundance of sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae in coffee agroecosystems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeanneth Perez

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available The composition and seasonal occurrence of sandflies were investigated in coffee agroecosystems in the Soconusco region of Chiapas, Mexico. Insect sampling was performed on three plantations located at different altitudes: Finca Guadalupe Zajú [1,000 m above sea level (a.s.l.], Finca Argovia (613 m a.s.l. and Teotihuacán del Valle (429 m a.s.l.. Sandflies were sampled monthly from August 2007-July 2008 using three sampling methods: Shannon traps, CDC miniature light traps and Disney traps. Sampling was conducted for 3 h during three consecutive nights, beginning at sunset. A total of 4,387 sandflies were collected during the course of the study: 2,718 individuals in Finca Guadalupe Zajú, 605 in Finca Argovia and 1,064 in Teotihuacán del Valle. The Shannon traps captured 94.3% of the total sandflies, while the CDC light traps and Disney traps captured 4.9% and 0.8%, respectively. More females than males were collected at all sites. While the number of sandflies captured was positively correlated with temperature and relative humidity, a negative correlation was observed between sandfly numbers and rainfall. Five species of sandflies were captured: Lutzomyia cruciata , Lutzomyia texana , Lutzomyia ovallesi , Lutzomyia cratifer / undulata and Brumptomyia sp. Lu. cruciata , constituting 98.8% of the total, was the most abundant species. None of the captured sandflies was infected with Leishmania spp.

  20. Species composition and seasonal abundance of sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) in coffee agroecosystems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pérez, Jeanneth; Virgen, Armando; Rojas, Julio Cesar; Rebollar-Téllez, Eduardo Alfonso; Alfredo, Castillo; Infante, Francisco; Mikery, Oscar; Marina, Carlos Felix; Ibáñez-Bernal, Sergio

    2013-01-01

    The composition and seasonal occurrence of sandflies were investigated in coffee agroecosystems in the Soconusco region of Chiapas, Mexico. Insect sampling was performed on three plantations located at different altitudes: Finca Guadalupe Zajú [1,000 m above sea level (a.s.l.)], Finca Argovia (613 m a.s.l.) and Teotihuacán del Valle (429 m a.s.l.). Sandflies were sampled monthly from August 2007-July 2008 using three sampling methods: Shannon traps, CDC miniature light traps and Disney traps. Sampling was conducted for 3 h during three consecutive nights, beginning at sunset. A total of 4,387 sandflies were collected during the course of the study: 2,718 individuals in Finca Guadalupe Zajú, 605 in Finca Argovia and 1,064 in Teotihuacán del Valle. The Shannon traps captured 94.3% of the total sandflies, while the CDC light traps and Disney traps captured 4.9% and 0.8%, respectively. More females than males were collected at all sites. While the number of sandflies captured was positively correlated with temperature and relative humidity, a negative correlation was observed between sandfly numbers and rainfall. Five species of sandflies were captured: Lutzomyia cruciata , Lutzomyia texana , Lutzomyia ovallesi , Lutzomyia cratifer / undulata and Brumptomyia sp. Lu. cruciata , constituting 98.8% of the total, was the most abundant species. None of the captured sandflies was infected with Leishmania spp. PMID:24271002

  1. Seasonality of Lutzomyia fairtigi (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae), a species endemic to Eastern Colombia

    OpenAIRE

    Molina, Jorge Alberto; Ortiz, Mario Iván; Guhl, Felipe

    2008-01-01

    The bionomics of sand flies (Diptera: Phlebotominae) was studied monthly for two consecutive years in alluvial gallery forests in the department of Casanare, Northeastern Colombia. A total of 2,365 specimens and 10 species were captured using CDC light traps and Shannon traps, and from diurnal resting places, and human landing collections. Lutzomyia fairtigi Martins (55%), Lutzomyia micropyga (Mangabeira) (20.9%), and Lutzomyia antunesi (Coutinho) (13.5%) were the predominant species in the r...

  2. Cdc42-mediated tubulogenesis controls cell specification

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kesavan, Gokul; Sand, Fredrik Wolfhagen; Greiner, Thomas Uwe

    2009-01-01

    Understanding how cells polarize and coordinate tubulogenesis during organ formation is a central question in biology. Tubulogenesis often coincides with cell-lineage specification during organ development. Hence, an elementary question is whether these two processes are independently controlled......, or whether proper cell specification depends on formation of tubes. To address these fundamental questions, we have studied the functional role of Cdc42 in pancreatic tubulogenesis. We present evidence that Cdc42 is essential for tube formation, specifically for initiating microlumen formation and later...... for maintaining apical cell polarity. Finally, we show that Cdc42 controls cell specification non-cell-autonomously by providing the correct microenvironment for proper control of cell-fate choices of multipotent progenitors. For a video summary of this article, see the PaperFlick file with the Supplemental Data...

  3. Polo kinase Cdc5 is a central regulator of meiosis I

    Science.gov (United States)

    Attner, Michelle A.; Miller, Matthew P.; Ee, Ly-sha; Elkin, Sheryl K.; Amon, Angelika

    2013-01-01

    During meiosis, two consecutive rounds of chromosome segregation yield four haploid gametes from one diploid cell. The Polo kinase Cdc5 is required for meiotic progression, but how Cdc5 coordinates multiple cell-cycle events during meiosis I is not understood. Here we show that CDC5-dependent phosphorylation of Rec8, a subunit of the cohesin complex that links sister chromatids, is required for efficient cohesin removal from chromosome arms, which is a prerequisite for meiosis I chromosome segregation. CDC5 also establishes conditions for centromeric cohesin removal during meiosis II by promoting the degradation of Spo13, a protein that protects centromeric cohesin during meiosis I. Despite CDC5’s central role in meiosis I, the protein kinase is dispensable during meiosis II and does not even phosphorylate its meiosis I targets during the second meiotic division. We conclude that Cdc5 has evolved into a master regulator of the unique meiosis I chromosome segregation pattern. PMID:23918381

  4. Hispanic Health: CDC Vitalsigns

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Injury Prevention & Control Gateway to Health Communication & Social Marketing Practice On Other Web Sites MedlinePlus – Hispanic American ... MB] en Español [PDF – 1.61 MB] CDC Digital Press Kit Read the MMWR Science Clips Language: ...

  5. Human CDT1 associates with CDC7 and recruits CDC45 to chromatin during S phase

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ballabeni, Andrea; Zamponi, Raffaela; Caprara, Greta

    2009-01-01

    The initiation of DNA replication is a tightly controlled process that involves the formation of distinct complexes at origins of DNA replication at specific periods of the cell cycle. Pre-Replicative Complexes are formed during telophase and early G1. They rearrange at the start of S phase to form...... pre-Initiation Complexes, which are a prerequisite for DNA replication. The CDT1 protein is required for the formation of the pre-Replicative Complexes. Here we show that human CDT1 associates with the CDC7 kinase and recruits CDC45 to chromatin. Moreover, we show that the amount of CDT1 bound...

  6. A circularly polarized optical dipole trap and other developments in laser trapping of atoms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corwin, Kristan Lee

    Several innovations in laser trapping and cooling of alkali atoms are described. These topics share a common motivation to develop techniques for efficiently manipulating cold atoms. Such advances facilitate sensitive precision measurements such as parity non- conservation and 8-decay asymmetry in large trapped samples, even when only small quantities of the desired species are available. First, a cold, bright beam of Rb atoms is extracted from a magneto-optical trap (MOT) using a very simple technique. This beam has a flux of 5 × 109 atoms/s and a velocity of 14 m/s, and up to 70% of the atoms in the MOT were transferred to the atomic beam. Next, a highly efficient MOT for radioactive atoms is described, in which more than 50% of 221Fr atoms contained in a vapor cell are loaded into a MOT. Measurements were also made of the 221Fr 7 2P1/2 and 7 2P3/2 energies and hyperfine constants. To perform these experiments, two schemes for stabilizing the frequency of the light from a diode laser were developed and are described in detail. Finally, a new type of trap is described and a powerful cooling technique is demonstrated. The circularly polarized optical dipole trap provides large samples of highly spin-polarized atoms, suitable for many applications. Physical processes that govern the transfer of large numbers of atoms into the trap are described, and spin-polarization is measured to be 98(1)%. In addition, the trap breaks the degeneracy of the atomic spin states much like a magnetic trap does. This allows for RF and microwave cooling via both forced evaporation and a Sisyphus mechanism. Preliminary application of these techniques to the atoms in the circularly polarized dipole trap has successfully decreased the temperature by a factor of 4 while simultaneously increasing phase space density.

  7. CDC Vital Signs–Opioid Prescribing

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    2017-07-06

    This podcast is based on the July 2017 CDC Vital Signs report. Higher opioid prescribing puts patients at risk for addiction and overdose. Learn what can be done about this serious problem.  Created: 7/6/2017 by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).   Date Released: 7/6/2017.

  8. Biomimetic trapping cocktail to screen reactive metabolites: use of an amino acid and DNA motif mixture as light/heavy isotope pairs differing in mass shift.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hosaka, Shuto; Honda, Takuto; Lee, Seon Hwa; Oe, Tomoyuki

    2018-06-01

    Candidate drugs that can be metabolically transformed into reactive electrophilic products, such as epoxides, quinones, and nitroso compounds, are of special concern because subsequent covalent binding to bio-macromolecules can cause adverse drug reactions, such as allergic reactions, hepatotoxicity, and genotoxicity. Several strategies have been reported for screening reactive metabolites, such as a covalent binding assay with radioisotope-labeled drugs and a trapping method followed by LC-MS/MS analyses. Of these, a trapping method using glutathione is the most common, especially at the early stage of drug development. However, the cysteine of glutathione is not the only nucleophilic site in vivo; lysine, histidine, arginine, and DNA bases are also nucleophilic. Indeed, the glutathione trapping method tends to overlook several types of reactive metabolites, such as aldehydes, acylglucuronides, and nitroso compounds. Here, we introduce an alternate way for screening reactive metabolites as follows: A mixture of the light and heavy isotopes of simplified amino acid motifs and a DNA motif is used as a biomimetic trapping cocktail. This mixture consists of [ 2 H 0 ]/[ 2 H 3 ]-1-methylguanidine (arginine motif, Δ 3 Da), [ 2 H 0 ]/[ 2 H 4 ]-2-mercaptoethanol (cysteine motif, Δ 4 Da), [ 2 H 0 ]/[ 2 H 5 ]-4-methylimidazole (histidine motif, Δ 5 Da), [ 2 H 0 ]/[ 2 H 9 ]-n-butylamine (lysine motif, Δ 9 Da), and [ 13 C 0 , 15 N 0 ]/[ 13 C 1 , 15 N 2 ]-2'-deoxyguanosine (DNA motif, Δ 3 Da). Mass tag triggered data-dependent acquisition is used to find the characteristic doublet peaks, followed by specific identification of the light isotope peak using MS/MS. Forty-two model drugs were examined using an in vitro microsome experiment to validate the strategy. Graphical abstract Biomimetic trapping cocktail to screen reactive metabolites.

  9. Trap effect of an ultrathin DCJTB layer in organic light-emitting diodes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang Yuanmin [Institute of Optoelectronic Technology, Key Laboratory for Information Storage, Displays and Materials, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044 (China); Teng Feng [Institute of Optoelectronic Technology, Key Laboratory for Information Storage, Displays and Materials, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044 (China)]. E-mail: advanced9898@126.com; Xu Zheng [Institute of Optoelectronic Technology, Key Laboratory for Information Storage, Displays and Materials, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044 (China); Hou Yanbing [Institute of Optoelectronic Technology, Key Laboratory for Information Storage, Displays and Materials, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044 (China); Yang Shengyi [Institute of Optoelectronic Technology, Key Laboratory for Information Storage, Displays and Materials, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044 (China); Xu Xurong [Institute of Optoelectronic Technology, Key Laboratory for Information Storage, Displays and Materials, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044 (China)

    2005-08-15

    An improved performance of organic light-emitting diodes has been obtained by using 4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-t-butyl-6-(1,1,7,7-tetramethyljulolidyl-9-enyl) -4Hpyran (DCJTB) as an ultrathin emitting layer. When 0.1 nm DCJTB was inserted between the hole-transporting layer and electron-transporting layer, for an unoptimized device indium-tin oxide (ITO)/naphtylphenyliphenyl diamine (NPB)/DCJTB (0.1 nm)/8-hydroxyquinoline aluminum (Alq{sub 3})/Al, the maximum brightness was 1531 cd m{sup -2} at 15 V. Compared with doped devices ITO/NPB/Alq{sub 3}:DCJTB (1%)/Alq{sub 3}/LiF/Al, a higher efficiency has been achieved. Compared with the conventional device ITO/NPB/Alq{sub 3}/Al, the inserted device has a slightly higher current efficiency and lower turn-on voltage. We suggest the ultrathin DCJTB layer acts as trap for carriers, and the accumulated holes at the hole-transport layer/electron-transport layer interface have enhanced the electric field in the electron-transport layer and improved the electron injection at the cathode.

  10. New apparatus of single particle trap system for aerosol visualization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Higashi, Hidenori; Fujioka, Tomomi; Endo, Tetsuo; Kitayama, Chiho; Seto, Takafumi; Otani, Yoshio

    2014-08-01

    Control of transport and deposition of charged aerosol particles is important in various manufacturing processes. Aerosol visualization is an effective method to directly observe light scattering signal from laser-irradiated single aerosol particle trapped in a visualization cell. New single particle trap system triggered by light scattering pulse signal was developed in this study. The performance of the device was evaluated experimentally. Experimental setup consisted of an aerosol generator, a differential mobility analyzer (DMA), an optical particle counter (OPC) and the single particle trap system. Polystylene latex standard (PSL) particles (0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 μm) were generated and classified according to the charge by the DMA. Singly charged 0.5 and 1.0 μm particles and doubly charged 2.0 μm particles were used as test particles. The single particle trap system was composed of a light scattering signal detector and a visualization cell. When the particle passed through the detector, trigger signal with a given delay time sent to the solenoid valves upstream and downstream of the visualization cell for trapping the particle in the visualization cell. The motion of particle in the visualization cell was monitored by CCD camera and the gravitational settling velocity and the electrostatic migration velocity were measured from the video image. The aerodynamic diameter obtained from the settling velocity was in good agreement with Stokes diameter calculated from the electrostatic migration velocity for individual particles. It was also found that the aerodynamic diameter obtained from the settling velocity was a one-to-one function of the scattered light intensity of individual particles. The applicability of this system will be discussed.

  11. Cdc42-dependent actin dynamics controls maturation and secretory activity of dendritic cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schulz, Anna M; Stutte, Susanne; Hogl, Sebastian

    2015-01-01

    Cell division cycle 42 (Cdc42) is a member of the Rho guanosine triphosphatase family and has pivotal functions in actin organization, cell migration, and proliferation. To further study the molecular mechanisms of dendritic cell (DC) regulation by Cdc42, we used Cdc42-deficient DCs. Cdc42 defici...

  12. Fission Yeast Apc15 Stabilizes MCC-Cdc20-APC/C Complexes, Ensuring Efficient Cdc20 Ubiquitination and Checkpoint Arrest.

    Science.gov (United States)

    May, Karen M; Paldi, Flora; Hardwick, Kevin G

    2017-04-24

    During mitosis, cells must segregate the replicated copies of their genome to their daughter cells with extremely high fidelity. Segregation errors lead to an abnormal chromosome number (aneuploidy), which typically results in disease or cell death [1]. Chromosome segregation and anaphase onset are initiated through the action of the multi-subunit E3 ubiquitin ligase known as the anaphase-promoting complex or cyclosome (APC/C [2]). The APC/C is inhibited by the spindle checkpoint in the presence of kinetochore attachment defects [3, 4]. Here we demonstrate that two non-essential APC/C subunits (Apc14 and Apc15) regulate association of spindle checkpoint proteins, in the form of the mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC), with the APC/C. apc14Δ mutants display increased MCC association with the APC/C and are unable to silence the checkpoint efficiently. Conversely, apc15Δ mutants display reduced association between the MCC and APC/C, are defective in poly-ubiquitination of Cdc20, and are checkpoint defective. In vitro reconstitution studies have shown that human MCC-APC/C can contain two molecules of Cdc20 [5-7]. Using a yeast strain expressing two Cdc20 genes with different epitope tags, we show by co-immunoprecipitation that this is true in vivo. MCC binding to the second molecule of Cdc20 is mediated via the C-terminal KEN box in Mad3. Somewhat surprisingly, complexes containing both molecules of Cdc20 accumulate in apc15Δ cells, and the implications of this observation are discussed. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  13. Particle trapping and hopping in an optofluidic fishnet

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Y. Z.; Xiong, S.; Zhang, Y.; Chin, L. K.; Wu, J. H.; Chen, T. N.; Liu, A. Q.

    2017-08-01

    Particle jumping between optical potentials has attracted much attention owing to its extensive involvement in many physical and biological experiments. In some circumstances, particle jumping indicates escaping from the optical trap, which is an issue people are trying to avoid. Nevertheless, particle jumping can facilitate the individual trap in each laser spot in the optical lattice and enable sorting and delivery of nanoparticles. Particle hopping has not been seen in fluid because Fluidic drag force dramatically reduce the dwell time of particle or break the potential well. Here, we observe particle hopping in the microchannel by three reasons, e.g., particle collision or aggregation, light disturbing by pretrapped particle and fake trapping position. We show that commonly ignored particle influence to the light could create a new isolated trapping position, where particle hops to the adjacent potential well. The hopping happens in an optofluidic fishnet which is comprised of discrete hotspots enabling 2D patterning of particles in the flow stream for the first time. We also achieve a 2D patterning of cryptosporidium in the microchannel. Our observed particle hopping in the flow stream completes the family of particle kinetics in potential wells and inspires new interests in the particle disturbed optical trapping. The 2D patterning of particles benefits the parallel study of biological samples in the flow stream and have potential on cell sorting and drug delivery.

  14. Photo-reactive charge trapping memory based on lanthanide complex

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhuang, Jiaqing; Lo, Wai-Sum; Zhou, Li; Sun, Qi-Jun; Chan, Chi-Fai; Zhou, Ye; Han, Su-Ting; Yan, Yan; Wong, Wing-Tak; Wong, Ka-Leung; Roy, V. A. L.

    2015-10-01

    Traditional utilization of photo-induced excitons is popularly but restricted in the fields of photovoltaic devices as well as photodetectors, and efforts on broadening its function have always been attempted. However, rare reports are available on organic field effect transistor (OFET) memory employing photo-induced charges. Here, we demonstrate an OFET memory containing a novel organic lanthanide complex Eu(tta)3ppta (Eu(tta)3 = Europium(III) thenoyltrifluoroacetonate, ppta = 2-phenyl-4,6-bis(pyrazol-1-yl)-1,3,5-triazine), in which the photo-induced charges can be successfully trapped and detrapped. The luminescent complex emits intense red emission upon ultraviolet (UV) light excitation and serves as a trapping element of holes injected from the pentacene semiconductor layer. Memory window can be significantly enlarged by light-assisted programming and erasing procedures, during which the photo-induced excitons in the semiconductor layer are separated by voltage bias. The enhancement of memory window is attributed to the increasing number of photo-induced excitons by the UV light. The charges are stored in this luminescent complex for at least 104 s after withdrawing voltage bias. The present study on photo-assisted novel memory may motivate the research on a new type of light tunable charge trapping photo-reactive memory devices.

  15. CDC73 intragenic deletion in familial primary hyperparathyroidism associated with parathyroid carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korpi-Hyövälti, Eeva; Cranston, Treena; Ryhänen, Eeva; Arola, Johanna; Aittomäki, Kristiina; Sane, Timo; Thakker, Rajesh V; Schalin-Jäntti, Camilla

    2014-09-01

    CDC73 mutations frequently underlie the hyperparathyroidism-jaw tumor syndrome, familial isolated hyperparathyroidism (FIHP), and parathyroid carcinoma. It has also been suggested that CDC73 deletion analysis should be performed in those patients without CDC73 mutations. To investigate for CDC73 deletion in a family with FIHP previously reported not to have CDC73 mutations. Eleven members (six affected with primary hyperparathyroidism and five unaffected) were ascertained from the family, and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification was performed to detect CDC73 deletion using leukocyte DNA. A previously unreported deletion of CDC73 involving exons 1-10 was detected in five affected members and two unaffected members who were 26 and 39 years of age. Two affected members had parathyroid carcinomas at the ages of 18 and 32 years, and they had Ki-67 proliferation indices of 5 and 14.5% and did not express parafibromin, encoded by CDC73. Primary hyperparathyroidism in the other affected members was due to adenomas and atypical adenomas, and none had jaw tumors. Two affected members had thoracic aortic aneurysms, which in one member occurred with parathyroid carcinoma and renal cysts. A previously unreported intragenic deletion of exons 1 to 10 of CDC73 was detected in a three-generation family with FIHP, due to adenomas, atypical adenomas, and parathyroid carcinomas. In addition, two affected males had thoracic aortic aneurysms, which may represent another associated clinical feature of this disorder.

  16. CDC PRAMStat Data for 2010

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). PRAMS, the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, is a surveillance system collecting state-specific,...

  17. CDC PRAMStat Data for 2005

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). PRAMS, the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, is a surveillance system collecting state-specific,...

  18. CDC PRAMStat Data for 2003

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). PRAMS, the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, is a surveillance system collecting state-specific,...

  19. CDC PRAMStat Data for 2000

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). PRAMS, the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, is a surveillance system collecting state-specific,...

  20. CDC PRAMStat Data for 2008

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). PRAMS, the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, is a surveillance system collecting state-specific,...

  1. CDC PRAMStat Data for 2009

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). PRAMS, the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, is a surveillance system collecting state-specific,...

  2. CDC PRAMStat Data for 2004

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). PRAMS, the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, is a surveillance system collecting state-specific,...

  3. CDC PRAMStat Data for 2006

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). PRAMS, the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, is a surveillance system collecting state-specific,...

  4. CDC PRAMStat Data for 2002

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). PRAMS, the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, is a surveillance system collecting state-specific,...

  5. CDC PRAMStat Data for 2001

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). PRAMS, the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, is a surveillance system collecting state-specific,...

  6. CDC PRAMStat Data for 2007

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). PRAMS, the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, is a surveillance system collecting state-specific,...

  7. Molecular Mechanism of Substrate Processing by the Cdc48 ATPase Complex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bodnar, Nicholas O; Rapoport, Tom A

    2017-05-04

    The Cdc48 ATPase and its cofactors Ufd1/Npl4 (UN) extract polyubiquitinated proteins from membranes or macromolecular complexes, but how they perform these functions is unclear. Cdc48 consists of an N-terminal domain that binds UN and two stacked hexameric ATPase rings (D1 and D2) surrounding a central pore. Here, we use purified components to elucidate how the Cdc48 complex processes substrates. After interaction of the polyubiquitin chain with UN, ATP hydrolysis by the D2 ring moves the polypeptide completely through the double ring, generating a pulling force on the substrate and causing its unfolding. ATP hydrolysis by the D1 ring is important for subsequent substrate release from the Cdc48 complex. This release requires cooperation of Cdc48 with a deubiquitinase, which trims polyubiquitin to an oligoubiquitin chain that is then also translocated through the pore. Together, these results lead to a new paradigm for the function of Cdc48 and its mammalian ortholog p97/VCP. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Cell cycle sibling rivalry: Cdc2 vs. Cdk2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaldis, Philipp; Aleem, Eiman

    2005-11-01

    It has been long believed that the cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (Cdk2) binds to cyclin E or cyclin A and exclusively promotes the G1/S phase transition and that Cdc2/cyclin B complexes play a major role in mitosis. We now provide evidence that Cdc2 binds to cyclin E (in addition to cyclin A and B) and is able to promote the G1/S transition. This new concept indicates that both Cdk2 and/or Cdc2 can drive cells through G1/S phase in parallel. In this review we discuss the classic cell cycle model and how results from knockout mice provide new evidence that refute this model. We focus on the roles of Cdc2 and p27 in regulating the mammalian cell cycle and propose a new model for cell cycle regulation that accommodates these novel findings.

  9. System integration of CDC attenuation in the new Opel Astra; Systemintegration der CDC-Daempfung beim neuen Opel Astra

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Balandat, W.; Kutsche, T. [ZF Sachs AG, Schweinfurt (Germany)

    2004-08-01

    The optional carriage system IDS Plus of the new Opel Astra was developed in close cooperation between opel, ZF Sachs and other suppliers. This networking approach resulted in a high degree of system integration with the electronic attenuation control system CDC as key element. (orig.) [German] Das optionale Fahrwerksystem IDS Plus im neuen Opel Astra entstand in enger Kooperation zwischen Opel, ZF Sachs und weiteren Zulieferern. Die Arbeit im Netzwerk fuehrte zu einer hohen Systemintegration, in deren Kern die elektronische Daempferregelung CDC steht. (orig.)

  10. The human homolog of S. cerevisiae CDC27, CDC27 Hs, is encoded by a highly conserved intronless gene present in multiple copies in the human genome

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Devor, E.J.; Dill-Devor, R.M. [Univ. of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City (United States)

    1994-09-01

    We have obtained a number of unique sequences via PCR amplification of human genomic DNA using degenerate primers under low stringency (42{degrees}C). One of these, an 853 bp product, has been identified as a partial genomic sequence of the human homolog of the S. cerevisiae CDC27 gene, CDC27Hs (GenBank No. U00001). This gene, reported by Turgendreich et al. is also designated EST00556 from Adams et al. We have undertaken a more detailed examination of our sequence, MCP34N, and have found that: 1. the genomic sequence is nearly identical to CDC27Hs over its entire 853 bp length; 2. an MCP34N-specific PCR assay of several non-human primate species reveals amplification products in chimpanzee and gorilla genomes having greater than 90% sequence identity with CDC27Hs; and 3. an MCP34N-specific PCR assay of the BIOS hybrid cell line panel gives a discordancy pattern suggesting multiple loci. Based upon these data, we present the following initial characterization: 1. the complete MCP34N sequence identity with CDC27Hs indicates that the latter is encoded by an intronless gene; 2. CDC27Hs is highly conserved among higher primates; and 3. CDC27Hs is present in multiple copies in the human genome. These characteristics, taken together with those initially reported for CDC27Hs, suggest that this is an old gene that carries out an important but, as yet, unknown function in the human brain.

  11. CDC Vital Signs–HIV Testing

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    2017-11-28

    This podcast is based on the December 2017 CDC Vital Signs report. In the U.S., about 15 percent of people who have HIV don't know they have it. Learn about the importance of testing, early diagnosis, and treatment.  Created: 11/28/2017 by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).   Date Released: 11/28/2017.

  12. CDC's 29th Annual Joseph W. Mountin Lecture

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    In this podcast, William H. Foege, MD, MPH delivers the 29th Annual Joseph W. Mountin Lecture. Dr. Foege was a key leader in the smallpox effort and worked as an epidemiologist in the successful eradication campaign in the 1970s. Dr. Foege became chief of the Smallpox Eradication Program at CDC, and was appointed director of CDC in 1977.

  13. Light trapping and circularly polarization at a Dirac point in 2D plasma photonic crystals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Qian; Hu, Lei; Mao, Qiuping; Jiang, Haiming; Hu, Zhijia; Xie, Kang; Wei, Zhang

    2018-03-01

    Light trapping at the Dirac point in 2D plasma photonic crystal has been obtained. The new localized mode, Dirac mode, is attributable to neither photonic bandgap nor total internal reflection. It exhibits a unique algebraic profile and possesses a high-Q factor resonator of about 105. The Dirac point could be modulated by tuning the filling factor, plasma frequency and plasma cyclotron frequency, respectively. When a magnetic field parallel to the wave vector is applied, Dirac modes for right circularly polarized and left circularly polarized waves could be obtained at different frequencies, and the Q factor could be tuned. This property will add more controllability and flexibility to the design and modulation of novel photonic devices. It is also valuable for the possibilities of Dirac modes in photonic crystal containing other kinds of metamaterials.

  14. Single and dual fiber nano-tip optical tweezers: trapping and analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Decombe, Jean-Baptiste; Huant, Serge; Fick, Jochen

    2013-12-16

    An original optical tweezers using one or two chemically etched fiber nano-tips is developed. We demonstrate optical trapping of 1 micrometer polystyrene spheres at optical powers down to 2 mW. Harmonic trap potentials were found in the case of dual fiber tweezers by analyzing the trapped particle position fluctuations. The trap stiffness was deduced using three different models. Consistent values of up to 1 fN/nm were found. The stiffness linearly decreases with decreasing light intensity and increasing fiber tip-to-tip distance.

  15. Semiconductor heterostructures and optimization of light-trapping structures for efficient thin-film solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McPheeters, Claiborne O; Yu, Edward T; Hu, Dongzhi; Schaadt, Daniel M

    2012-01-01

    Sub-wavelength photonic structures and nanoscale materials have the potential to greatly improve the efficiencies of solar cells by enabling maximum absorption of sunlight. Semiconductor heterostructures provide versatile opportunities for improving absorption of infrared radiation in photovoltaic devices, which accounts for half of the power in the solar spectrum. These ideas can be combined in quantum-well solar cells and related structures in which sub-wavelength metal and dielectric scattering elements are integrated for light trapping. Measurements and simulations of GaAs solar cells with less than one micron of active material demonstrate the benefits of incorporating In(Ga)As quantum-wells and quantum-dots to improve their performance. Simulations that incorporate a realistic model of absorption in quantum-wells show that the use of broadband photonic structures with such devices can substantially improve the benefit of incorporating heterostructures, enabling meaningful improvements in their performance

  16. Browse Title Index

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Items 451 - 500 of 592 ... Vol 15, No 1 (2013), Safe injections and waste management at a Sub-Saharan regional hospital: a quantitative descriptive study, Abstract PDF. Elisabeth Darj, Josefine Nilsson, Andrea Barnabas Pembe, Miriam Urasa. Vol 7, No 3 (2005), Sampling mosquitoes with CDC light trap in rice field and ...

  17. CDC WONDER: Mortality - Infant Deaths

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The Mortality - Infant Deaths (from Linked Birth / Infant Death Records) online databases on CDC WONDER provide counts and rates for deaths of children under 1 year...

  18. Fisetin induces G2/M phase cell cycle arrest by inactivating cdc25C-cdc2 via ATM-Chk1/2 activation in human endometrial cancer cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhan-Ying Wang

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Endometrial cancer is one of the most prevalent gynaecological malignancies where, currently available therapeutic options remain limited. Recently phytochemicals are exploited for their efficiency in cancer therapy. The present study investigates the anti-proliferative effect of fisetin, a flavonoid on human endometrial cancer cells (KLE and Hec1 A. Fisetin (20-100 µM effectively reduced the viability of Hec1 A and KLE cells and potentially altered the cell population at G2/M stage. Expression levels of the cell cycle proteins (cyclin B1, p-Cdc2, p-Cdc25C, p-Chk1, Chk2, p-ATM, cyclin B1, H2AX, p21 and p27 were analyzed. Fisetin suppressed cyclin B1 expression and caused inactiva-tion of Cdc25C and Cdc2 by increasing their phosphorylation levels and further activated ATM, Chk1 and Chk2. Increased levels of p21 and p27 were observed as well. These results suggest that fisetin induced G2/M cell cycle arrest via inactivating Cdc25c and Cdc2 through activation of ATM, Chk1 and Chk2.

  19. Simultaneous optical and electrical modeling of plasmonic light trapping in thin-film amorphous silicon photovoltaic devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gandhi, Keyur K.; Nejim, Ahmed; Beliatis, Michail J.; Mills, Christopher A.; Henley, Simon J.; Silva, S. Ravi P.

    2015-01-01

    Rapid prototyping of photovoltaic (PV) cells requires a method for the simultaneous simulation of the optical and electrical characteristics of the device. The development of nanomaterial-enabled PV cells only increases the complexity of such simulations. Here, we use a commercial technology computer aided design (TCAD) software, Silvaco Atlas, to design and model plasmonic gold nanoparticles integrated in optoelectronic device models of thin-film amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) PV cells. Upon illumination with incident light, we simulate the optical and electrical properties of the cell simultaneously and use the simulation to produce current-voltage (J-V) and external quantum efficiency plots. Light trapping due to light scattering and localized surface plasmon resonance interactions by the nanoparticles has resulted in the enhancement of both the optical and electrical properties due to the reduction in the recombination rates in the photoactive layer. We show that the device performance of the modeled plasmonic a-Si:H PV cells depends significantly on the position and size of the gold nanoparticles, which leads to improvements either in optical properties only, or in both optical and electrical properties. The model provides a route to optimize the device architecture by simultaneously optimizing the optical and electrical characteristics, which leads to a detailed understanding of plasmonic PV cells from a design perspective and offers an advanced tool for rapid device prototyping.

  20. Phosphatidylserine and GTPase activation control Cdc42 nanoclustering to counter dissipative diffusion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sartorel, Elodie; Ünlü, Caner; Jose, Mini; Massoni-Laporte, Aurélie; Meca, Julien; Sibarita, Jean-Baptiste; McCusker, Derek

    2018-04-18

    The anisotropic organization of plasma membrane constituents is indicative of mechanisms that drive the membrane away from equilibrium. However, defining these mechanisms is challenging due to the short spatio-temporal scales at which diffusion operates. Here, we use high-density single protein tracking combined with photoactivation localization microscopy (sptPALM) to monitor Cdc42 in budding yeast, a system in which Cdc42 exhibits anisotropic organization. Cdc42 exhibited reduced mobility at the cell pole, where it was organized in nanoclusters. The Cdc42 nanoclusters were larger at the cell pole than those observed elsewhere in the cell. These features were exacerbated in cells expressing Cdc42-GTP, and were dependent on the scaffold Bem1, which contributed to the range of mobility and nanocluster size exhibited by Cdc42. The lipid environment, in particular phosphatidylserine levels, also played a role in regulating Cdc42 nanoclustering. These studies reveal how the mobility of a Rho GTPase is controlled to counter the depletive effects of diffusion, thus stabilizing Cdc42 on the plasma membrane and sustaining cell polarity. Movie S1 Movie S1 sptPALM imaging of live yeast expressing Pil1-mEOS expressed at the genomic locus. Pil1-mEOS was simultaneously photo-converted with a 405 nm laser and imaged with a 561 nm laser using HiLo illumination. Images were acquired at 20 ms intervals, of which 300 frames are shown at 7 frames per second.

  1. Camera Traps Can Be Heard and Seen by Animals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meek, Paul D.; Ballard, Guy-Anthony; Fleming, Peter J. S.; Schaefer, Michael; Williams, Warwick; Falzon, Greg

    2014-01-01

    Camera traps are electrical instruments that emit sounds and light. In recent decades they have become a tool of choice in wildlife research and monitoring. The variability between camera trap models and the methods used are considerable, and little is known about how animals respond to camera trap emissions. It has been reported that some animals show a response to camera traps, and in research this is often undesirable so it is important to understand why the animals are disturbed. We conducted laboratory based investigations to test the audio and infrared optical outputs of 12 camera trap models. Camera traps were measured for audio outputs in an anechoic chamber; we also measured ultrasonic (n = 5) and infrared illumination outputs (n = 7) of a subset of the camera trap models. We then compared the perceptive hearing range (n = 21) and assessed the vision ranges (n = 3) of mammals species (where data existed) to determine if animals can see and hear camera traps. We report that camera traps produce sounds that are well within the perceptive range of most mammals’ hearing and produce illumination that can be seen by many species. PMID:25354356

  2. Camera traps can be heard and seen by animals.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paul D Meek

    Full Text Available Camera traps are electrical instruments that emit sounds and light. In recent decades they have become a tool of choice in wildlife research and monitoring. The variability between camera trap models and the methods used are considerable, and little is known about how animals respond to camera trap emissions. It has been reported that some animals show a response to camera traps, and in research this is often undesirable so it is important to understand why the animals are disturbed. We conducted laboratory based investigations to test the audio and infrared optical outputs of 12 camera trap models. Camera traps were measured for audio outputs in an anechoic chamber; we also measured ultrasonic (n = 5 and infrared illumination outputs (n = 7 of a subset of the camera trap models. We then compared the perceptive hearing range (n = 21 and assessed the vision ranges (n = 3 of mammals species (where data existed to determine if animals can see and hear camera traps. We report that camera traps produce sounds that are well within the perceptive range of most mammals' hearing and produce illumination that can be seen by many species.

  3. Electron traps and scintillation mechanism in YAlO3:Ce and LuAlO3:Ce scintillators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wojtowicz, A.J.; Glodo, J.; Drozdowski, W.; Przegietka, K.R.

    1998-01-01

    In this paper we present the results of thermoluminescence, isothermal decay and scintillation light yield measurements on two isostructural scintillator materials, YAlO 3 :Ce and LuAlO 3 :Ce. In addition to the variety of deep traps identified by thermoluminescence and isothermal decays, scintillation light yield experiments demonstrate the presence in both materials of a number of relatively shallow traps. While the deep traps may reduce the scintillation light yield, they do not influence the kinetics of the process. The shallow traps, on the other hand, by interfering with the process of radiative recombination of charge carriers via Ce 3+ ions, can strongly affect not only the yield of the scintillation process but its kinetics as well. The presence of shallow traps provides a consistent explanation for a number of poorly understood relationships between the two scintillator materials, including a higher room temperature scintillation light yield and longer scintillation decay time in YAlO 3 :Ce, and a longer scintillation rise time in LuAlO 3 :Ce. Theoretical analysis indicates that elimination of these traps would make the two materials nearly identical in scintillator performance. Although the specific identity of all traps remains elusive, the performance of both scintillator materials is now, in practical terms, fully understood. (Copyright (c) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.)

  4. A crucial role for CDC42 in senescence-associated inflammation and atherosclerosis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Takashi K Ito

    Full Text Available Risk factors for atherosclerosis accelerate the senescence of vascular endothelial cells and promote atherogenesis by inducing vascular inflammation. A hallmark of endothelial senescence is the persistent up-regulation of pro-inflammatory genes. We identified CDC42 signaling as a mediator of chronic inflammation associated with endothelial senescence. Inhibition of CDC42 or NF-κB signaling attenuated the sustained up-regulation of pro-inflammatory genes in senescent human endothelial cells. Endothelium-specific activation of the p53/p21 pathway, a key mediator of senescence, also resulted in up-regulation of pro-inflammatory molecules in mice, which was reversed by Cdc42 deletion in endothelial cells. Likewise, endothelial-specific deletion of Cdc42 significantly attenuated chronic inflammation and plaque formation in atherosclerotic mice. While inhibition of NF-κB suppressed the pro-inflammatory responses in acute inflammation, the influence of Cdc42 deletion was less marked. Knockdown of cdc-42 significantly down-regulated pro-inflammatory gene expression and restored the shortened lifespan to normal in mutant worms with enhanced inflammation. These findings indicate that the CDC42 pathway is critically involved in senescence-associated inflammation and could be a therapeutic target for chronic inflammation in patients with age-related diseases without compromising host defenses.

  5. Loss of Cdc42 leads to defects in synaptic plasticity and remote memory recall.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Il Hwan; Wang, Hong; Soderling, Scott H; Yasuda, Ryohei

    2014-07-08

    Cdc42 is a signaling protein important for reorganization of actin cytoskeleton and morphogenesis of cells. However, the functional role of Cdc42 in synaptic plasticity and in behaviors such as learning and memory are not well understood. Here we report that postnatal forebrain deletion of Cdc42 leads to deficits in synaptic plasticity and in remote memory recall using conditional knockout of Cdc42. We found that deletion of Cdc42 impaired LTP in the Schaffer collateral synapses and postsynaptic structural plasticity of dendritic spines in CA1 pyramidal neurons in the hippocampus. Additionally, loss of Cdc42 did not affect memory acquisition, but instead significantly impaired remote memory recall. Together these results indicate that the postnatal functions of Cdc42 may be crucial for the synaptic plasticity in hippocampal neurons, which contribute to the capacity for remote memory recall.

  6. CDC Vital Signs: Preventing Melanoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... not use the device. Include warning statements in marketing materials about the risk of using the device. ... MB] en Español [PDF – 1.16 MB] CDC Digital Press Kit Read the MMWR Science Clips Language: ...

  7. Numerical evidences of universal trap-like aging dynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cammarota, Chiara; Marinari, Enzo

    2018-04-01

    Trap models have been initially proposed as toy models for dynamical relaxation in extremely simplified rough potential energy landscapes. Their importance has recently grown considerably thanks to the discovery that the trap-like aging mechanism directly controls the out-of-equilibrium relaxation processes of more sophisticated spin models, that are considered as the solvable counterpart of real disordered systems. Further establishing the connection between these spin models, out-of-equilibrium behavior and the trap like aging mechanism could shed new light on the properties, which are still largely mysterious, for the activated out-of-equilibrium dynamics of disordered systems. In this work we discuss numerical evidence based on the computations of the permanence times of an emergent trap-like aging behavior in a variety of very simple disordered models—developed from the trap model paradigm. Our numerical results are backed by analytic derivations and heuristic discussions. Such exploration reveals some of the tricks needed to reveal the trap behavior in spite of the occurrence of secondary processes, of the existence of dynamical correlations and of strong finite system’s size effects.

  8. Enhanced and selective optical trapping in a slot-graphite photonic crystal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krishnan, Aravind; Huang, Ningfeng; Wu, Shao-Hua; Martínez, Luis Javier; Povinelli, Michelle L

    2016-10-03

    Applicability of optical trapping tools for nanomanipulation is limited by the available laser power and trap efficiency. We utilized the strong confinement of light in a slot-graphite photonic crystal to develop high-efficiency parallel trapping over a large area. The stiffness is 35 times higher than our previously demonstrated on-chip, near field traps. We demonstrate the ability to trap both dielectric and metallic particles of sub-micron size. We find that the growth kinetics of nanoparticle arrays on the slot-graphite template depends on particle size. This difference is exploited to selectively trap one type of particle out of a binary colloidal mixture, creating an efficient optical sieve. This technique has rich potential for analysis, diagnostics, and enrichment and sorting of microscopic entities.

  9. miR-330 regulates the proliferation of colorectal cancer cells by targeting Cdc42

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Yuefeng [The Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212001 (China); Zhu, Xiaolan; Xu, Wenlin [The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212001 (China); Wang, Dongqing [The Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212001 (China); Yan, Jinchuan, E-mail: jiangdalyf2009@126.com [The Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212001 (China)

    2013-02-15

    Highlights: ► miR-330 was inversely correlated with Cdc42 in colorectal cancer cells. ► Elevated miR-330 suppressed cell proliferation in vivo and in vitro. ► Elevated miR-330 mimicked the effect of Cdc42 knockdown. ► Restoration of Cdc42 could partially attenuate the effects of miR-330. -- Abstract: MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNA molecules that play important roles in the multistep process of colorectal carcinoma (CRC) development. However, the miRNA–mRNA regulatory network is far from being fully understood. The objective of this study was to investigate the expression and the biological roles of miR-330 in colorectal cancer cells. Cdc42, one of the best characterized members of the Rho GTPase family, was found to be up-regulated in several types of human tumors including CRC and has been implicated in cancer initiation and progression. In the present study, we identified miR-330, as a potential regulator of Cdc42, was found to be inversely correlated with Cdc42 expression in colorectal cancer cell lines. Ectopic expression of miR-330 down-regulated Cdc42 expression at both protein and mRNA level, mimicked the effect of Cdc42 knockdown in inhibiting proliferation, inducing G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of the colorectal cancer cells, whereas restoration of Cdc42 could partially attenuate the effects of miR-330. In addition, elevated expression of miR-330 could suppress the immediate downstream effectors of Cdc42 and inhibit the growth of colorectal cancer cells in vivo. To sum up, our results establish a role of miR-330 in negatively regulating Cdc42 expression and colorectal cancer cell proliferation. They suggest that manipulating the expression level of Cdc42 by miR-330 has the potential to influence colorectal cancer progression.

  10. miR-330 regulates the proliferation of colorectal cancer cells by targeting Cdc42

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Yuefeng; Zhu, Xiaolan; Xu, Wenlin; Wang, Dongqing; Yan, Jinchuan

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► miR-330 was inversely correlated with Cdc42 in colorectal cancer cells. ► Elevated miR-330 suppressed cell proliferation in vivo and in vitro. ► Elevated miR-330 mimicked the effect of Cdc42 knockdown. ► Restoration of Cdc42 could partially attenuate the effects of miR-330. -- Abstract: MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNA molecules that play important roles in the multistep process of colorectal carcinoma (CRC) development. However, the miRNA–mRNA regulatory network is far from being fully understood. The objective of this study was to investigate the expression and the biological roles of miR-330 in colorectal cancer cells. Cdc42, one of the best characterized members of the Rho GTPase family, was found to be up-regulated in several types of human tumors including CRC and has been implicated in cancer initiation and progression. In the present study, we identified miR-330, as a potential regulator of Cdc42, was found to be inversely correlated with Cdc42 expression in colorectal cancer cell lines. Ectopic expression of miR-330 down-regulated Cdc42 expression at both protein and mRNA level, mimicked the effect of Cdc42 knockdown in inhibiting proliferation, inducing G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of the colorectal cancer cells, whereas restoration of Cdc42 could partially attenuate the effects of miR-330. In addition, elevated expression of miR-330 could suppress the immediate downstream effectors of Cdc42 and inhibit the growth of colorectal cancer cells in vivo. To sum up, our results establish a role of miR-330 in negatively regulating Cdc42 expression and colorectal cancer cell proliferation. They suggest that manipulating the expression level of Cdc42 by miR-330 has the potential to influence colorectal cancer progression

  11. Two Cdc2 Kinase Genes with Distinct Functions in Vegetative and Infectious Hyphae in Fusarium graminearum.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huiquan Liu

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Eukaryotic cell cycle involves a number of protein kinases important for the onset and progression through mitosis, most of which are well characterized in the budding and fission yeasts and conserved in other fungi. However, unlike the model yeast and filamentous fungi that have a single Cdc2 essential for cell cycle progression, the wheat scab fungus Fusarium graminearum contains two CDC2 orthologs. The cdc2A and cdc2B mutants had no obvious defects in growth rate and conidiation but deletion of both of them is lethal, indicating that these two CDC2 orthologs have redundant functions during vegetative growth and asexual reproduction. However, whereas the cdc2B mutant was normal, the cdc2A mutant was significantly reduced in virulence and rarely produced ascospores. Although deletion of CDC2A had no obvious effect on the formation of penetration branches or hyphopodia, the cdc2A mutant was limited in the differentiation and growth of infectious growth in wheat tissues. Therefore, CDC2A plays stage-specific roles in cell cycle regulation during infectious growth and sexual reproduction. Both CDC2A and CDC2B are constitutively expressed but only CDC2A was up-regulated during plant infection and ascosporogenesis. Localization of Cdc2A- GFP to the nucleus but not Cdc2B-GFP was observed in vegetative hyphae, ascospores, and infectious hyphae. Complementation assays with chimeric fusion constructs showed that both the N- and C-terminal regions of Cdc2A are important for its functions in pathogenesis and ascosporogenesis but only the N-terminal region is important for its subcellular localization. Among the Sordariomycetes, only three Fusarium species closely related to F. graminearum have two CDC2 genes. Furthermore, F. graminearum uniquely has two Aurora kinase genes and one additional putative cyclin gene, and its orthologs of CAK1 and other four essential mitotic kinases in the budding yeast are dispensable for viability. Overall, our data

  12. Two Cdc2 Kinase Genes with Distinct Functions in Vegetative and Infectious Hyphae in Fusarium graminearum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Huiquan; Zhang, Shijie; Ma, Jiwen; Dai, Yafeng; Li, Chaohui; Lyu, Xueliang; Wang, Chenfang; Xu, Jin-Rong

    2015-06-01

    Eukaryotic cell cycle involves a number of protein kinases important for the onset and progression through mitosis, most of which are well characterized in the budding and fission yeasts and conserved in other fungi. However, unlike the model yeast and filamentous fungi that have a single Cdc2 essential for cell cycle progression, the wheat scab fungus Fusarium graminearum contains two CDC2 orthologs. The cdc2A and cdc2B mutants had no obvious defects in growth rate and conidiation but deletion of both of them is lethal, indicating that these two CDC2 orthologs have redundant functions during vegetative growth and asexual reproduction. However, whereas the cdc2B mutant was normal, the cdc2A mutant was significantly reduced in virulence and rarely produced ascospores. Although deletion of CDC2A had no obvious effect on the formation of penetration branches or hyphopodia, the cdc2A mutant was limited in the differentiation and growth of infectious growth in wheat tissues. Therefore, CDC2A plays stage-specific roles in cell cycle regulation during infectious growth and sexual reproduction. Both CDC2A and CDC2B are constitutively expressed but only CDC2A was up-regulated during plant infection and ascosporogenesis. Localization of Cdc2A- GFP to the nucleus but not Cdc2B-GFP was observed in vegetative hyphae, ascospores, and infectious hyphae. Complementation assays with chimeric fusion constructs showed that both the N- and C-terminal regions of Cdc2A are important for its functions in pathogenesis and ascosporogenesis but only the N-terminal region is important for its subcellular localization. Among the Sordariomycetes, only three Fusarium species closely related to F. graminearum have two CDC2 genes. Furthermore, F. graminearum uniquely has two Aurora kinase genes and one additional putative cyclin gene, and its orthologs of CAK1 and other four essential mitotic kinases in the budding yeast are dispensable for viability. Overall, our data indicate that cell cycle

  13. CDC Vital Signs: Hispanic Health

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Injury Prevention & Control Gateway to Health Communication & Social Marketing Practice On Other Web Sites MedlinePlus – Hispanic American ... MB] en Español [PDF – 1.61 MB] CDC Digital Press Kit Read the MMWR Science Clips Language: ...

  14. Cdc42 regulates epithelial cell polarity and cytoskeletal function during kidney tubule development

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Elias, Bertha C; Das, Amrita; Parekh, Diptiben V

    2015-01-01

    The Rho GTPase Cdc42 regulates key signaling pathways required for multiple cell functions, including maintenance of shape, polarity, proliferation, migration, differentiation and morphogenesis. Although previous studies have shown that Cdc42 is required for proper epithelial development and main......The Rho GTPase Cdc42 regulates key signaling pathways required for multiple cell functions, including maintenance of shape, polarity, proliferation, migration, differentiation and morphogenesis. Although previous studies have shown that Cdc42 is required for proper epithelial development...

  15. CDC Lab Values

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    More than fifteen hundred scientists fill the lab benches at CDC, logging more than four million hours each year. CDC’s laboratories play a critical role in the agency’s ability to find, stop, and prevent disease outbreaks. This podcast provides a brief overview of what goes on inside CDC’s labs, and why this work makes a difference in American’s health.

  16. CDC Vital Signs-HIV Testing

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    This podcast is based on the December 2017 CDC Vital Signs report. In the U.S., about 15 percent of people who have HIV don't know they have it. Learn about the importance of testing, early diagnosis, and treatment.

  17. CDC Vital Signs-Legionnaires' Disease

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    This podcast is based on the June 2017 CDC Vital Signs report. Legionnaires' disease is a serious, often deadly lung infection. People most commonly get it by breathing in water droplets containing Legionella germs. Learn how to prevent infections from Legionella.

  18. Trapped electrons in irradiated single crystals of polyhydroxy compounds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Box, H.C.; Budzinski, E.E.; Freund, H.G.; Potter, W.R.

    1979-01-01

    The intermolecular trapping of electrons has been observed in single crystals of dulcitol and L(+) arabinose x-irradiated at 4.2 0 K. Attribution of a major component of the ESR absorption to trapped electrons is based upon the character of the hyperfine pattern, which arises from multiple anisotropic hyperfine interactions with exchangeable protons, and on the g value of the absorption, which is always less than the free spin value. The removal of the trapped electron absorption upon irradiation with visible light has also been demonstrated. In these experiments all of the electrons are trapped in identical sites. This circumstance provides some important advantages in the study of the factors affecting the stabilization of charge in an environment of polarizable molecules

  19. High mosquito burden and malaria transmission in a district of the city of Douala, Cameroon

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonio-Nkondjio Christophe

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Rapid demographic growth in Douala city, Cameroon, has resulted in profound ecological and environmental changes. Although demographic changes can affect anopheline mosquito breeding sites, there is a lack of understanding about the epidemiological impact that such changes might have on vector ecology and malaria transmission. Methods A 12-month entomological study was conducted in a highly populated district of Douala called Ndogpassi. Adult mosquitoes were collected using two methods: 1 human landing catches (HLC; and 2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC light traps; these methods were used twice monthly from January to December 2011. Mosquito genus and species were identified with morphological and molecular diagnostic tools. The sampling efficiency of the CDC light trap and HLC were compared. Anopheles gambiae infection with Plasmodium falciparum was detected using ELISA. Susceptibility to DDT, permethrin, and deltamethrin insecticides were also determined. Results A total of 6923 mosquitoes were collected by HLC (5198 and CDC light traps (1725. There was no equivalence in the sampling efficiency between light traps and human landing catches (P > 0.01. With 51% of the total, Culex was the most common, followed by Anopheles (26.14%, Mansonia (22.7% and Aedes (0.1%. An. gambiae ss (M form comprised ~98% of the total anophelines collected. An. gambiae had a biting rate of 0.25 to 49.25 bites per human per night, and was the only species found to be infected with P. falciparum. A P. falciparum infection rate of 0.5% was calculated (based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays using the circumsporozoite surface protein. The entomological inoculation rate was estimated at 31 infective bites per annum. Insecticide susceptibility tests on An. gambiae females revealed a mortality rate of 33%, 76% and 98% for DDT, permethrin and deltamethrin, respectively. The West African kdr allele (L1014F was detected in 38 of

  20. Cell cycle-dependent mobility of Cdc45 determined in vivo by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ronan Broderick

    Full Text Available Eukaryotic DNA replication is a dynamic process requiring the co-operation of specific replication proteins. We measured the mobility of eGFP-Cdc45 by Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS in vivo in asynchronous cells and in cells synchronized at the G1/S transition and during S phase. Our data show that eGFP-Cdc45 mobility is faster in G1/S transition compared to S phase suggesting that Cdc45 is part of larger protein complex formed in S phase. Furthermore, the size of complexes containing Cdc45 was estimated in asynchronous, G1/S and S phase-synchronized cells using gel filtration chromatography; these findings complemented the in vivo FCS data. Analysis of the mobility of eGFP-Cdc45 and the size of complexes containing Cdc45 and eGFP-Cdc45 after UVC-mediated DNA damage revealed no significant changes in diffusion rates and complex sizes using FCS and gel filtration chromatography analyses. This suggests that after UV-damage, Cdc45 is still present in a large multi-protein complex and that its mobility within living cells is consistently similar following UVC-mediated DNA damage.

  1. CDC Vital Signs–Preventing Stroke Deaths

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    2017-09-06

    This podcast is based on the September 2017 CDC Vital Signs report. Each year, more than 140,000 people die and many survivors face disability. Eighty percent of strokes are preventable. Learn the signs of stroke and how to prevent them.  Created: 9/6/2017 by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).   Date Released: 9/6/2017.

  2. CDC STATE System Tobacco Legislation - Preemption

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — 1995-2018. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System. Legislation—Preemption. The STATE...

  3. Stalking SARS: CDC at Work

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    2014-05-22

    In this podcast for kids, the Kidtastics talk about the SARS outbreak and how CDC worked to solve the mystery.  Created: 5/22/2014 by National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD).   Date Released: 5/22/2014.

  4. Caffeine stabilizes Cdc25 independently of Rad3 in S chizosaccharomyces pombe contributing to checkpoint override

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alao, John P; Sjölander, Johanna J; Baar, Juliane; Özbaki-Yagan, Nejla; Kakoschky, Bianca; Sunnerhagen, Per

    2014-01-01

    Cdc25 is required for Cdc2 dephosphorylation and is thus essential for cell cycle progression. Checkpoint activation requires dual inhibition of Cdc25 and Cdc2 in a Rad3-dependent manner. Caffeine is believed to override activation of the replication and DNA damage checkpoints by inhibiting Rad3-related proteins in both S chizosaccharomyces pombe and mammalian cells. In this study, we have investigated the impact of caffeine on Cdc25 stability, cell cycle progression and checkpoint override. Caffeine induced Cdc25 accumulation in S . pombe independently of Rad3. Caffeine delayed cell cycle progression under normal conditions but advanced mitosis in cells treated with replication inhibitors and DNA-damaging agents. In the absence of Cdc25, caffeine inhibited cell cycle progression even in the presence of hydroxyurea or phleomycin. Caffeine induces Cdc25 accumulation in S . pombe by suppressing its degradation independently of Rad3. The induction of Cdc25 accumulation was not associated with accelerated progression through mitosis, but rather with delayed progression through cytokinesis. Caffeine-induced Cdc25 accumulation appears to underlie its ability to override cell cycle checkpoints. The impact of Cdc25 accumulation on cell cycle progression is attenuated by Srk1 and Mad2. Together our findings suggest that caffeine overrides checkpoint enforcement by inducing the inappropriate nuclear localization of Cdc25. PMID:24666325

  5. Cdc42 controls progenitor cell differentiation and beta-catenin turnover in skin

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wu, Xunwei; Quondamatteo, Fabio; Lefever, Tine

    2006-01-01

    for differentiation of skin progenitor cells into HF lineage and that it regulates the turnover of beta-catenin. In the absence of Cdc42, degradation of beta-catenin was increased corresponding to a decreased phosphorylation of GSK3beta at Ser 9 and an increased phosphorylation of axin, which is known to be required...... for binding of beta-catenin to the degradation machinery. Cdc42-mediated regulation of beta-catenin turnover was completely dependent on PKCzeta, which associated with Cdc42, Par6, and Par3. These data suggest that Cdc42 regulation of beta-catenin turnover is important for terminal differentiation of HF...

  6. CDC STATE System Tobacco Legislation - Licensure

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — 1995-2018. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System. Legislation—Licensure. The STATE System...

  7. CDC STATE System Tobacco Legislation - Tax

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — 1995-2017. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System. Legislation-Tax. The STATE System...

  8. CDC STATE System Tobacco Legislation - Tax

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — 1995-2018. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System. Legislation-Tax. The STATE System...

  9. Functional Dysregulation of CDC42 Causes Diverse Developmental Phenotypes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martinelli, Simone; Krumbach, Oliver H F; Pantaleoni, Francesca; Coppola, Simona; Amin, Ehsan; Pannone, Luca; Nouri, Kazem; Farina, Luciapia; Dvorsky, Radovan; Lepri, Francesca; Buchholzer, Marcel; Konopatzki, Raphael; Walsh, Laurence; Payne, Katelyn; Pierpont, Mary Ella; Vergano, Samantha Schrier; Langley, Katherine G; Larsen, Douglas; Farwell, Kelly D; Tang, Sha; Mroske, Cameron; Gallotta, Ivan; Di Schiavi, Elia; Della Monica, Matteo; Lugli, Licia; Rossi, Cesare; Seri, Marco; Cocchi, Guido; Henderson, Lindsay; Baskin, Berivan; Alders, Mariëlle; Mendoza-Londono, Roberto; Dupuis, Lucie; Nickerson, Deborah A; Chong, Jessica X; Meeks, Naomi; Brown, Kathleen; Causey, Tahnee; Cho, Megan T; Demuth, Stephanie; Digilio, Maria Cristina; Gelb, Bruce D; Bamshad, Michael J; Zenker, Martin; Ahmadian, Mohammad Reza; Hennekam, Raoul C; Tartaglia, Marco; Mirzaa, Ghayda M

    2018-01-17

    Exome sequencing has markedly enhanced the discovery of genes implicated in Mendelian disorders, particularly for individuals in whom a known clinical entity could not be assigned. This has led to the recognition that phenotypic heterogeneity resulting from allelic mutations occurs more commonly than previously appreciated. Here, we report that missense variants in CDC42, a gene encoding a small GTPase functioning as an intracellular signaling node, underlie a clinically heterogeneous group of phenotypes characterized by variable growth dysregulation, facial dysmorphism, and neurodevelopmental, immunological, and hematological anomalies, including a phenotype resembling Noonan syndrome, a developmental disorder caused by dysregulated RAS signaling. In silico, in vitro, and in vivo analyses demonstrate that mutations variably perturb CDC42 function by altering the switch between the active and inactive states of the GTPase and/or affecting CDC42 interaction with effectors, and differentially disturb cellular and developmental processes. These findings reveal the remarkably variable impact that dominantly acting CDC42 mutations have on cell function and development, creating challenges in syndrome definition, and exemplify the importance of functional profiling for syndrome recognition and delineation. Copyright © 2017 American Society of Human Genetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Trapping cold ground state argon atoms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edmunds, P D; Barker, P F

    2014-10-31

    We trap cold, ground state argon atoms in a deep optical dipole trap produced by a buildup cavity. The atoms, which are a general source for the sympathetic cooling of molecules, are loaded in the trap by quenching them from a cloud of laser-cooled metastable argon atoms. Although the ground state atoms cannot be directly probed, we detect them by observing the collisional loss of cotrapped metastable argon atoms and determine an elastic cross section. Using a type of parametric loss spectroscopy we also determine the polarizability of the metastable 4s[3/2](2) state to be (7.3±1.1)×10(-39)  C m(2)/V. Finally, Penning and associative losses of metastable atoms in the absence of light assisted collisions, are determined to be (3.3±0.8)×10(-10)  cm(3) s(-1).

  11. CDC Vital Signs-Heroin Epidemic

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    This podcast is based on the July 2015 CDC Vital Signs report. Heroin use and heroin-related overdose deaths are increasing. Most people are using it with other drugs, especially prescription opioid painkillers. Learn what can be done to prevent and treat the problem.

  12. Functions of mammalian Cdc7 kinase in initiation/monitoring of DNA replication and development

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Jung Min; Yamada, Masayuki; Masai, Hisao

    2003-11-27

    Cdc7 kinase plays an essential role in firing of replication origins by phosphorylating components of the replication complexes. Cdc7 kinase has also been implicated in S phase checkpoint signaling downstream of the ATR and Chk1 kinases. Inactivation of Cdc7 in yeast results in arrest of cell growth with 1C DNA content after completion of the ongoing DNA replication. In contrast, conditional inactivation of Cdc7 in undifferentiated mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells leads to growth arrest with rapid cessation of DNA synthesis, suggesting requirement of Cdc7 functions for continuation of ongoing DNA synthesis. Furthermore, loss of Cdc7 function induces recombinational repair (nuclear Rad51 foci) and G2/M checkpoint responses (inhibition of Cdc2 kinase). Eventually, p53 becomes highly activated and the cells undergo massive p53-dependent apoptosis. Thus, defective origin activation in mammalian cells can generate DNA replication checkpoint signals. Efficient removal of those cells in which replication has been perturbed, through cell death, may be beneficial to maintain the highest level of genetic integrity in totipotent stem cells. Partial, rather than total, loss of Cdc7 kinase expression results in retarded growth at both cellular and whole body levels, with especially profound impairment of germ cell development.

  13. Functions of mammalian Cdc7 kinase in initiation/monitoring of DNA replication and development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Jung Min; Yamada, Masayuki; Masai, Hisao

    2003-01-01

    Cdc7 kinase plays an essential role in firing of replication origins by phosphorylating components of the replication complexes. Cdc7 kinase has also been implicated in S phase checkpoint signaling downstream of the ATR and Chk1 kinases. Inactivation of Cdc7 in yeast results in arrest of cell growth with 1C DNA content after completion of the ongoing DNA replication. In contrast, conditional inactivation of Cdc7 in undifferentiated mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells leads to growth arrest with rapid cessation of DNA synthesis, suggesting requirement of Cdc7 functions for continuation of ongoing DNA synthesis. Furthermore, loss of Cdc7 function induces recombinational repair (nuclear Rad51 foci) and G2/M checkpoint responses (inhibition of Cdc2 kinase). Eventually, p53 becomes highly activated and the cells undergo massive p53-dependent apoptosis. Thus, defective origin activation in mammalian cells can generate DNA replication checkpoint signals. Efficient removal of those cells in which replication has been perturbed, through cell death, may be beneficial to maintain the highest level of genetic integrity in totipotent stem cells. Partial, rather than total, loss of Cdc7 kinase expression results in retarded growth at both cellular and whole body levels, with especially profound impairment of germ cell development

  14. Perseguir al SRAG: CDC en acción (Stalking SARS: CDC at Work)

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    2013-04-29

    En este podcast los niños de Kidtastics hablan sobre el brote del SRAS y cómo trabajaron los CDC para resolver el misterio.  Created: 4/29/2013 by National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD).   Date Released: 8/10/2016.

  15. UPEML, Computer Independent Emulator of CDC Update Utility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2002-01-01

    1 - Description of program or function: UPEML is a machine-portable CDC UPDATE emulation program. It is capable of emulating a significant subset of the standard CDC UPDATE functions, including program library creation and subsequent modification. 2 - Method of solution: UPEML was originally written to facilitate the use of CDC-based scientific packages on alternate computers. In addition to supporting computers such as the VAX/VMS, IBM, and CRAY/COS, Version 3.0 now supports UNIX workstations and the CRAY/UNICOS operating system. Several program bugs have been corrected in Version 3.0. Version 3.0 has several new features including 1) improved error checking, 2) the ability to use *ADDFILE and READ from nested files, 3) creation of compile file on creation, 4) allows identifiers to begin with numbers, and 5) ability to control warning messages and program termination on error conditions. 3 - Restrictions on the complexity of the problem: None noted

  16. Insights into Cdc13 Dependent Telomere Length Regulation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    M Mason; E Skordalakes

    2011-12-31

    Cdc13 is a single stranded telomere binding protein that specifically localizes to the telomere ends of budding yeasts and is essential for cell viability. It caps the ends of chromosomes thus preventing chromosome end-to-end fusions and exonucleolytic degradation, events that could lead to genomic instability and senescence, the hallmark of aging. Cdc13 is also involved in telomere length regulation by recruiting or preventing access of telomerase to the telomeric overhang. Recruitment of telomerase to the telomeres for G-strand extension is required for continuous cell division, while preventing its access to the telomeres through capping the chromosome ends prevents mitotic events that could lead to cell immortality, the hall mark of carcinogenesis. Cdc13 and its putative homologues human CTC1 and POT1 are therefore key to many biological processes directly associated with life extension and cancer prevention and can be viewed as an ideal target for cancer and age related therapies.

  17. Hepatocyte-specific deletion of Cdc42 results in delayed liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy in mice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yuan, Haixin; Zhang, Hong; Wu, Xunwei

    2009-01-01

    Cdc42, a member of the Rho guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) family, plays important roles in the regulation of the cytoskeleton, cell proliferation, cell polarity, and cellular transport, but little is known about its specific function in mammalian liver. We investigated the function of Cdc42...... in regulating liver regeneration. Using a mouse model with liver-specific knockout of Cdc42 (Cdc42LK), we studied liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy. Histological analysis, immunostaining, and western blot analysis were performed to characterize Cdc42LK livers and to explore the role of Cdc42 in liver...... regeneration. In control mouse livers, Cdc42 became activated between 3 and 24 hours after partial hepatectomy. Loss of Cdc42 led to a significant delay of liver recovery after partial hepatectomy, which was associated with reduced and delayed DNA synthesis indicated by 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine staining...

  18. CDC WONDER: Daily Fine Particulate Matter

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The Daily Fine Particulate Matter data available on CDC WONDER are geographically aggregated daily measures of fine particulate matter in the outdoor air, spanning...

  19. Colored Sticky Traps to Selectively Survey Thrips in Cowpea Ecosystem.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, L D; Zhao, H Y; Fu, B L; Han, Y; Liu, K; Wu, J H

    2016-02-01

    The bean flower thrips, Megalurothrips usitatus (Bagrall) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), is an important pest of legume crops in South China. Yellow, blue, or white sticky traps are currently recommended for monitoring and controlling thrips, but it is not known whether one is more efficient than the other or if selectivity could be optimized by trap color. We investigated the response of thrips and beneficial insects to different-colored sticky traps on cowpea, Vigna unguiculata. More thrips were caught on blue, light blue, white, and purple traps than on yellow, green, pink, gray, red, or black traps. There was a weak correlation on the number of thrips caught on yellow traps and survey from flowers (r = 0.139), whereas a strong correlation was found for blue traps and thrips' survey on flowers (r = 0.929). On commercially available sticky traps (Jiaduo®), two and five times more thrips were caught on blue traps than on white and yellow traps, respectively. Otherwise, capture of beneficial insects was 1.7 times higher on yellow than on blue traps. The major natural enemies were the predatory ladybird beetles (63%) and pirate bugs Orius spp. (29%), followed by a number of less representative predators and parasitoids (8%). We conclude the blue sticky trap was the best to monitor thrips on cowpea in South China.

  20. DNA replication initiator Cdc6 also regulates ribosomal DNA transcription initiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Shijiao; Xu, Xiaowei; Wang, Guopeng; Lu, Guoliang; Xie, Wenbing; Tao, Wei; Zhang, Hongyin; Jiang, Qing; Zhang, Chuanmao

    2016-04-01

    RNA-polymerase-I-dependent ribosomal DNA (rDNA) transcription is fundamental to rRNA processing, ribosome assembly and protein synthesis. However, how this process is initiated during the cell cycle is not fully understood. By performing a proteomic analysis of transcription factors that bind RNA polymerase I during rDNA transcription initiation, we identified that the DNA replication initiator Cdc6 interacts with RNA polymerase I and its co-factors, and promotes rDNA transcription in G1 phase in an ATPase-activity-dependent manner. We further showed that Cdc6 is targeted to the nucleolus during late mitosis and G1 phase in a manner that is dependent on B23 (also known as nucleophosmin, NPM1), and preferentially binds to the rDNA promoter through its ATP-binding domain. Overexpression of Cdc6 increases rDNA transcription, whereas knockdown of Cdc6 results in a decreased association of both RNA polymerase I and the RNA polymerase I transcription factor RRN3 with rDNA, and a reduction of rDNA transcription. Furthermore, depletion of Cdc6 impairs the interaction between RRN3 and RNA polymerase I. Taken together, our data demonstrate that Cdc6 also serves as a regulator of rDNA transcription initiation, and indicate a mechanism by which initiation of rDNA transcription and DNA replication can be coordinated in cells. © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  1. Binding of Cdc42 to phospholipase D1 is important in neurite outgrowth of neural stem cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoon, Mee-Sup; Cho, Chan Ho; Lee, Ki Sung; Han, Joong-Soo

    2006-01-01

    We previously demonstrated that phospholipase D (PLD) expression and PLD activity are upregulated during neuronal differentiation. In the present study, employing neural stem cells from the brain cortex of E14 rat embryos, we investigated the role of Rho family GTPases in PLD activation and in neurite outgrowth of neural stem cells during differentiation. As neuronal differentiation progressed, the expression levels of Cdc42 and RhoA increased. Furthermore, Cdc42 and PLD1 were mainly localized in neurite, whereas RhoA was localized in cytosol. Co-immunoprecipitation revealed that Cdc42 was bound to PLD1 during differentiation, whereas RhoA was associated with PLD1 during both proliferation and differentiation. These results indicate that the association between Cdc42 and PLD1 is related to neuronal differentiation. To examine the effect of Cdc42 on PLD activation and neurite outgrowth, we transfected dominant negative Cdc42 (Cdc42N17) and constitutively active Cdc42 (Cdc42V12) into neural stem cells, respectively. Overexpression of Cdc42N17 decreased both PLD activity and neurite outgrowth, whereas co-transfection with Cdc42N17 and PLD1 restored them. On the other hand, Cdc42V12 increased both PLD activity and neurite outgrowth, suggesting that active state of Cdc42 is important in upregulation of PLD activity which is responsible for the increase of neurite outgrowth

  2. A quasi-electrostatic trap for neutral atoms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Engler, H.

    2000-01-01

    This thesis reports on the realization of a ''quasi-electrostatic trap'' (QUEST) for neutral atoms. Cesium ( 133 Cs) and Lithium ( 7 Li) atoms are stored, which represents for the first time a mixture of different species in an optical dipole trap. The trap is formed by the focused Gaussian beam of a 30 W cw CO 2 -laser. For a beam waist of 108 μm the resulting trap depth is κ B x 118 μK for Cesium and κ B x 48 μK for Lithium. We transfer up to 2 x 10 6 Cesium and 10 5 Lithium atoms from a magneto-optical trap into the QUEST. When simultaneously transferred, the atom number currently is reduced by roughly a factor of 10. Since photon scattering from the trapping light can be neglected, the QUEST represents an almost perfect conservative trapping potential. Atoms in the QUEST populate the electronic ground state sublevels. Arbitrary sublevels can be addressed via optical pumping. Due to the very low background gas pressure of 2 x 10 -11 mbar storage times of several minutes are realized. Evaporative cooling of Cesium is observed. In addition, laser cooling is applied to the trapped Cesium sample, which reduces the temperature from 25 μK to a value below 7 μK. If prepared in the upper hyper-fine ground state sublevel, spin changing collisions are observed not only within one single species, but also between the two different species. The corresponding relaxation rates are quantitatively analyzed. (orig.)

  3. Transfer of orbital angular momentum to an optically trapped low-index particle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garces-Chavez, V.; Sibbett, W.; Dholakia, K.; Volke-Sepulveda, K.; Chavez-Cerda, S.

    2002-01-01

    We demonstrate the transfer of orbital angular momentum from a light beam to a trapped low-index particle. The particle is trapped in a dark annular region of a high-order Bessel beam and rotates around the beam axis due to scattering from the helical wave fronts of the light beam. A general theoretical geometrical optics model is developed that, applied to our specific situation, corroborates tweezing and transfer of orbital angular momentum to the low-index particle. Good quantitative agreement between theory and experiment for particle rotation rates is observed

  4. Light robotics: a new field of research

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Engay, Einstom; Chouliara, Manto; Bañas, Andrew

    2018-01-01

    After years of working on light-driven trapping and manipulation, we can see that a confluence of developments is now ripe for the emergence of a new area that can contribute to nanobiophotonics - Light Robotics - which combines advances in microfabrication and optical micromanipulation together...... with intelligent control ideas from robotics, wavefront engineering and information optics. In the Summer 2017 we are publishing a 482 pages edited Elsevier book volume covering the fundamental aspects needed for Light Robotics including optical trapping systems, microfabrication and microassembly as well...... as underlying theoretical principles and experimental illustrations for optimizing optical forces and torques for Light Robotics...

  5. A comparison of two common flight interception traps to survey tropical arthropods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Greg Lamarre

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Tropical forests are predicted to harbor most of the insect diversity on earth, but few studies have been conducted to characterize insect communities in tropical forests. One major limitation is the lack of consensus on methods for insect collection. Deciding which insect trap to use is an important consideration for ecologists and entomologists, yet to date few study has presented a quantitative comparison of the results generated by standardized methods in tropical insect communities. Here, we investigate the relative performance of two flight interception traps, the windowpane trap, and the more widely used malaise trap, across a broad gradient of lowland forest types in French Guiana. The windowpane trap consistently collected significantly more Coleoptera and Blattaria than the malaise trap, which proved most effective for Diptera, Hymenoptera, and Hemiptera. Orthoptera and Lepidoptera were not well represented using either trap, suggesting the need for additional methods such as bait traps and light traps. Our results of contrasting trap performance among insect orders underscore the need for complementary trapping strategies using multiple methods for community surveys in tropical forests.

  6. Podocyte-specific loss of cdc42 leads to congenital nephropathy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Scott, Rizaldy P; Hawley, Steve P; Ruston, Julie

    2012-01-01

    in the absence of Cdc42, indicating a disruption of the slit diaphragm. Kidneys from Rac1- and RhoA-mutant mice, however, had normal glomerular morphology and intact foot processes. A nephrin clustering assay suggested that Cdc42 deficiency, but not Rac1 or RhoA deficiency, impairs the polymerization of actin...

  7. CDC WONDER: AIDS Public Use Data

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The AIDS Public Information Data Set (APIDS) for years 1981-2002 on CDC WONDER online database contains counts of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) cases...

  8. Spin squeezing and light entanglement in Coherent Population Trapping

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dantan, Aurelien Romain; Cviklinski, Jean; Giacobino, Elisabeth

    2006-01-01

    We show that strong squeezing and entanglement can be generated at the output of a cavity containing atoms interacting with two fields in a coherent population trapping situation, on account of a nonlinear Faraday effect experienced by the fields close to a dark-state resonance in a cavity....... Moreover, the cavity provides a feedback mechanism allowing to reduce the quantum fluctuations of the ground state spin, resulting in strong steady state spin squeezing....

  9. CDC Vital Signs–Cancer and Obesity

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    2017-10-04

    This podcast is based on the October 2017 CDC Vital Signs report. Obesity is a leading cancer risk factor. Unfortunately, two out of three U.S. adults weigh more than recommended. Find out what can be done to help people get to and keep a healthy weight.  Created: 10/4/2017 by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).   Date Released: 10/4/2017.

  10. Amblyomma tapirellum  (Acari: Ixodidae collected from tropical forest canopy [v2; ref status: indexed, http://f1000r.es/2uy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jose R Loaiza

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Free-ranging ticks are widely known to be restricted to the ground level of vegetation. Here, we document the capture of the tick species Amblyomma tapirellum in light traps placed in the forest canopy of Barro Colorado Island, central Panama. A total of forty eight adults and three nymphs were removed from carbon dioxide–octenol baited CDC light traps suspended 20 meters above the ground during surveys for forest canopy mosquitoes. To our knowledge, this represents the first report of questing ticks from the canopy of tropical forests. Our finding suggests a novel ecological relationship between A. tapirellum and arboreal mammals, perhaps monkeys that come to the ground to drink or to feed on fallen fruits.

  11. Rodent Control: Seal Up! Trap Up! Clean Up!

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Skip directly to site content Start of Search Controls Search Form Controls Cancel Submit Search The CDC CDC A-Z ... V W X Y Z # Start of Search Controls Search Form Controls Cancel Submit Search The CDC ...

  12. Communications and Web services: What do CDC users desire in partner relationship management and does CDC's PHIN Directory meet the need?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cervone, Maria A; Savel, Thomas G

    2006-01-01

    The National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sought to establish a database to proactively manage their partner relationships with external organizations. A user needs analysis was conducted, and CDC's Public Health Information Network Directory (PHINDIR) was evaluated as a possible solution. PHINDIR could sufficiently maintain contact information but did not address customer relationships; however, its flexible architecture allows add-on applications via web services. Thus, NCBDDD's needs could be met via PHINDIR.

  13. Cdc7 is required throughout the yeast S phase to activate replication origins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Donaldson, A D; Fangman, W L; Brewer, B J

    1998-02-15

    The long-standing conclusion that the Cdc7 kinase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is required only to trigger S phase has been challenged by recent data that suggests it acts directly on individual replication origins. We tested the possibility that early- and late-activated origins have different requirements for Cdc7 activity. Cells carrying a cdc7(ts) allele were first arrested in G1 at the cdc7 block by incubation at 37 degrees C, and then were allowed to enter S phase by brief incubation at 23 degrees C. During the S phase, after return to 37 degrees C, early-firing replication origins were activated, but late origins failed to fire. Similarly, a plasmid with a late-activated origin was defective in replication. As a consequence of the origin activation defect, duplication of chromosomal sequences that are normally replicated from late origins was greatly delayed. Early-replicating regions of the genome duplicated at approximately their normal time. The requirements of early and late origins for Cdc7 appear to be temporally rather than quantitatively different, as reducing overall levels of Cdc7 by growth at semi-permissive temperature reduced activation at early and late origins approximately equally. Our results show that Cdc7 activates early and late origins separately, with late origins requiring the activity later in S phase to permit replication initiation.

  14. Quantitative optical trapping and optical manipulation of micro-sized objects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rania Sayed

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available An optical tweezers technique is used for ultraprecise micromanipulation to measure positions of micrometer scale objects with a precision down to the nanometer scale. It consists of a high performance research microscope with motorized scanning stage and sensitive position detection system. Up to 10 traps can be used quasi-simultaneously. Non photodamage optical trapping of Escherichia coli (E. coli bacteria cells of 2 µm in length, as an example of motile bacteria, has been shown in this paper. Also, efficient optical trapping and rotation of polystyrene latex particles of 3 µm in diameter have been studied, as an optical handle for the pick and place of other tiny objects. A fast galvoscanner is used to produce multiple optical traps for manipulation of micro-sized objects and optical forces of these trapped objects quantified and measured according to explanation of ray optics regime. The diameter of trapped particle is bigger than the wavelength of the trapping laser light. The force constant (k has been determined in real time from the positional time series recorded from the trapped object that is monitored by a CCD camera through a personal computer.

  15. Interphase APC/C-Cdc20 inhibition by cyclin A2-Cdk2 ensures efficient mitotic entry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hein, Jamin B; Nilsson, Jakob

    2016-01-01

    Proper cell-cycle progression requires tight temporal control of the Anaphase Promoting Complex/Cyclosome (APC/C), a large ubiquitin ligase that is activated by one of two co-activators, Cdh1 or Cdc20. APC/C and Cdc20 are already present during interphase but APC/C-Cdc20 regulation during...... this window of the cell cycle, if any, is unknown. Here we show that cyclin A2-Cdk2 binds and phosphorylates Cdc20 in interphase and this inhibits APC/C-Cdc20 activity. Preventing Cdc20 phosphorylation results in pre-mature activation of the APC/C-Cdc20 and several substrates, including cyclin B1 and A2......, are destabilized which lengthens G2 and slows mitotic entry. Expressing non-degradable cyclin A2 but not cyclin B1 restores mitotic entry in these cells. We have thus uncovered a novel positive feedback loop centred on cyclin A2-Cdk2 inhibition of interphase APC/C-Cdc20 to allow further cyclin A2 accumulation...

  16. Cdc25A localisation and shuttling: characterisation of sequences mediating nuclear export and import

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaellstroem, Helena; Lindqvist, Arne; Pospisil, Vitek; Lundgren, Andreas; Karlsson Rosenthal, Christina

    2005-01-01

    The Cdc25 phosphatases play crucial roles in cell cycle progression by removing inhibitory phosphates from tyrosine and threonine residues of cyclin-dependent kinases. Cdc25A is an important regulator of the G1/S transition but functions also in the mitotic phase of the human cell cycle. In this paper, we investigate the sub-cellular localisation of exogenously expressed Cdc25A. We show that YFP-Cdc25A is localised both in the nucleus and the cytoplasm of HeLa cells and untransformed fibroblasts. Cell fusion assays and fluorescence loss in photobleaching (FLIP) assays reveal that the localisation is dynamic and the protein shuttles between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. We demonstrate that nuclear export of Cdc25A is partly mediated by an N-terminal nuclear export sequence (NES), in a manner not sensitive to the Exportin 1-inhibitor leptomycin B. A nuclear localisation signal (NLS) is also characterised, mutation of which leads to cytoplasmic localisation of Cdc25A. Our results imply that the Cdc25A phosphatase may interact with substrates and regulators both in the nucleus and the cytoplasm

  17. CDC Vital Signs–Safe Sleep for Babies

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    2018-01-09

    This podcast is based on the January 2018 CDC Vital Signs report. Every year, there are about 3,500 sleep-related deaths among U.S. babies. Learn how to create a safe sleep environment for babies.  Created: 1/9/2018 by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).   Date Released: 1/9/2018.

  18. Development and field evaluation of the sentinel mosquito arbovirus capture kit (SMACK).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Brian J; Kerlin, Tim; Hall-Mendelin, Sonja; van den Hurk, Andrew F; Cortis, Giles; Doggett, Stephen L; Toi, Cheryl; Fall, Ken; McMahon, Jamie L; Townsend, Michael; Ritchie, Scott A

    2015-10-06

    Although sentinel animals are used successfully throughout the world to monitor arbovirus activity, ethical considerations and cross-reactions in serological assays highlight the importance of developing viable alternatives. Here we outline the development of a passive sentinel mosquito arbovirus capture kit (SMACK) that allows for the detection of arboviruses on honey-baited nucleic acid preservation cards (Flinders Technology Associates; FTA®) and has a similar trap efficacy as standard light traps in our trials. The trap efficacy of the SMACK was assessed against Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) miniature light traps (standard and ultraviolet) and the Encephalitis Vector Survey (EVS) trap in a series of Latin square field trials conducted in North Queensland, Australia. The ability of the SMACK to serve as a sentinel arbovirus surveillance tool was assessed in comparison to Passive Box Traps (PBT) during the 2014 wet season in the Cairns, Australia region and individually in the remote Northern Peninsula Area (NPA) of Australia during the 2015 wet season. The SMACK caught comparable numbers of mosquitoes to both CDC light traps (mean capture ratio 0.86: 1) and consistently outperformed the EVS trap (mean capture ratio 2.28: 1) when CO2 was supplied by either a gas cylinder (500 ml/min) or dry ice (1 kg). During the 2014 arbovirus survey, the SMACK captured significantly (t 6 = 2.1, P = 0.04) more mosquitoes than the PBT, and 2 and 1 FTA® cards were positive for Ross River virus and Barmah Forest virus, respectively, while no arboviruses were detected from PBTs. Arbovirus activity was detected at all three surveillance sites during the NPA survey in 2015 and ca. 27 % of FTA® cards tested positive for either Murray Valley encephalitis virus (2 detections), West Nile virus (Kunjin subtype; 13 detections), or both viruses on two occasions. These results demonstrate that the SMACK is a versatile, simple, and effective passive arbovirus

  19. Moderate variations in CDC25B protein levels modulate the response to DNA damaging agents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aressy, B.; Bugler, B.; Valette, A.; Ducommun, B.; Biard, D.

    2008-01-01

    CDC25B, one of the three members of the CDC25 dual-specificity phosphatase family, plays a critical role in the control of the cell cycle and in the checkpoint response to DNA damage. CDC25B is responsible for the initial dephosphorylation and activation of the cyclin-dependent kinases, thus initiating the train of events leading to entry into mitosis. The critical role played by CDC25B is illustrated by the fact that it is specifically required for checkpoint recovery and that unscheduled accumulation of CDC25B is responsible for illegitimate entry into mitosis. Here, we report that in p53 colon carcinoma cells, a moderate increase in the CDC25B level is sufficient to impair the DNA damage checkpoint, to increase spontaneous mutagenesis, and to sensitize cells to ionising radiation and genotoxic agents. Using a tumour cell spheroid assay as an alternative to animal studies, we demonstrate that the level of CDC25B expression modulates growth inhibition and apoptotic death. Since CDC25B overexpression has been observed in a significant number of human cancers, including colon carcinoma, and is often associated with high grade tumours and poor prognosis, our work suggests that the expression level of CDC25B might be a potential key parameter of the cellular response to cancer therapy. (authors)

  20. Gene targeting implicates Cdc42 GTPase in GPVI and non-GPVI mediated platelet filopodia formation, secretion and aggregation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huzoor Akbar

    Full Text Available Cdc42 and Rac1, members of the Rho family of small GTPases, play critical roles in actin cytoskeleton regulation. We have shown previously that Rac1 is involved in regulation of platelet secretion and aggregation. However, the role of Cdc42 in platelet activation remains controversial. This study was undertaken to better understand the role of Cdc42 in platelet activation.We utilized the Mx-cre;Cdc42(lox/lox inducible mice with transient Cdc42 deletion to investigate the involvement of Cdc42 in platelet function. The Cdc42-deficient mice exhibited a significantly reduced platelet count than the matching Cdc42(+/+ mice. Platelets isolated from Cdc42(-/-, as compared to Cdc42(+/+, mice exhibited (a diminished phosphorylation of PAK1/2, an effector molecule of Cdc42, (b inhibition of filopodia formation on immobilized CRP or fibrinogen, (c inhibition of CRP- or thrombin-induced secretion of ATP and release of P-selectin, (d inhibition of CRP, collagen or thrombin induced platelet aggregation, and (e minimal phosphorylation of Akt upon stimulation with CRP or thrombin. The bleeding times were significantly prolonged in Cdc42(-/- mice compared with Cdc42(+/+ mice.Our data demonstrate that Cdc42 is required for platelet filopodia formation, secretion and aggregation and therefore plays a critical role in platelet mediated hemostasis and thrombosis.

  1. Motion analysis of optically trapped particles and cells using 2D Fourier analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristensen, Martin Verner; Ahrendt, Peter; Lindballe, Thue Bjerring

    2012-01-01

    Motion analysis of optically trapped objects is demonstrated using a simple 2D Fourier transform technique. The displacements of trapped objects are determined directly from the phase shift between the Fourier transform of subsequent images. Using end-and side-view imaging, the stiffness...... of the trap is determined in three dimensions. The Fourier transform method is simple to implement and applicable in cases where the trapped object changes shape or where the lighting conditions change. This is illustrated by tracking a fluorescent particle and a myoblast cell, with subsequent determination...

  2. CDC Vital Signs–African American Health

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    2017-05-02

    This podcast is based on the May 2017 CDC Vital Signs report. The life expectancy of African Americans has improved, but it’s still an average of four years less than whites. Learn what can be done so all Americans can have the opportunity to pursue a healthy lifestyle.  Created: 5/2/2017 by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).   Date Released: 5/2/2017.

  3. Mosquito Traps: An Innovative, Environmentally Friendly Technique to Control Mosquitoes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brigitte Poulin

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available We tested the use of mosquito traps as an alternative to spraying insecticide in Camargue (France following the significant impacts observed on the non-target fauna through Bti persistence and trophic perturbations. In a village of 600 inhabitants, 16 Techno Bam traps emitting CO2 and using octenol lures were set from April to November 2016. Trap performance was estimated at 70% overall based on mosquitoes landing on human bait in areas with and without traps. The reduction of Ochlerotatus caspius and Oc. detritus, the two species targeted by Bti spraying, was, respectively, 74% and 98%. Traps were less efficient against Anopheles hyrcanus (46%, which was more attracted by lactic acid than octenol lures based on previous tests. Nearly 300,000 mosquitoes from nine species were captured, with large variations among traps, emphasizing that trap performance is also influenced by surrounding factors. Environmental impact, based on the proportion of non-target insects captured, was mostly limited to small chironomids attracted by street lights. The breeding success of a house martin colony was not significantly affected by trap use, in contrast to Bti spraying. Our experiment confirms that the deployment of mosquito traps can offer a cost-effective alternative to Bti spraying for protecting local populations from mosquito nuisance in sensitive natural areas.

  4. Cooperation of Rho family proteins Rac1 and Cdc42 in cartilage development and calcified tissue formation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ikehata, Mikiko; Yamada, Atsushi; Fujita, Koji; Yoshida, Yuko; Kato, Tadashi; Sakashita, Akiko; Ogata, Hiroaki; Iijima, Takehiko; Kuroda, Masahiko; Chikazu, Daichi; Kamijo, Ryutaro

    2018-04-20

    Rac1 and Cdc42, Rho family low molecular weight G proteins, are intracellular signaling factors that transmit various information from outside to inside cells. Primarily, they are known to control various biological activities mediated by actin cytoskeleton reorganization, such as cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. In order to investigate the functions of Rac1 and Cdc42 in bone formation, we prepared cartilage-specific double conditional knockout mice, Rac1 fl/fl ; Cdc42 fl/fl ; Col2-Cre (Rac1: Cdc42 dcKO mice), which died just after birth, similar to Cdc42 fl/fl ; Col2-Cre mice (Cdc42 cKO mice). Our findings showed that the long tubule bone in Rac1: Cdc42 dcKO mice was shorter than that in Rac1 fl/fl ; Col2-Cre mice (Rac1 cKO mice) and Cdc42 cKO mice. Abnormal skeleton formation was also observed and disordered columnar formation in the growth plate of the Rac1: Cdc42 dcKO mice was more severe as compared to the Rac1 cKO and Cdc42 cKO mice. Together, these results suggest that Rac1 and Cdc42 have cooperating roles in regulation of bone development. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. CDC Vital Signs-Preventing Melanoma

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    This podcast is based on the June 2015 CDC Vital Signs report. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the U.S. In 2011, there were more than 65,000 cases of melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer. Learn how everyone can help prevent skin cancer.

  6. Continuous loading of cold atoms into a Ioffe-Pritchard magnetic trap

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schmidt, Piet O; Hensler, Sven; Werner, Joerg; Binhammer, Thomas; Goerlitz, Axel; Pfau, Tilman

    2003-01-01

    We present a robust continuous optical loading scheme for a Ioffe-Pritchard (IP) type magnetic trap (MT). Chromium atoms are cooled and trapped in a modified magneto-optical trap (MOT) consisting of a conventional 2D-MOT in the radial direction and an axial molasses. The MOT and IP trap share the same magnetic field configuration. Continuous loading of atoms into the IP trap is provided by radiative leakage from the MOT to a metastable level which is magnetically trapped and decoupled from the MOT light. We are able to accumulate 30 times more atoms in the MT than in the MOT. The absolute number of 2 x 10 8 atoms is limited by inelastic collisions. A model based on rate equations shows good agreement with the data. Our scheme can also be applied to other atoms with similar level structure like alkaline earth metals

  7. Cdc42 is crucial for the establishment of epithelial polarity during early mammalian development

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wu, Xunwei; Li, Shaohua; Chrostek-Grashoff, Anna

    2007-01-01

    To study the role of Cdc42 in the establishment of epithelial polarity during mammalian development, we generated murine Cdc42-null embryonic stem cells and analyzed peri-implantation development using embryoid bodies (EBs). Mutant EBs developed endoderm and underlying basement membrane, but exhi......To study the role of Cdc42 in the establishment of epithelial polarity during mammalian development, we generated murine Cdc42-null embryonic stem cells and analyzed peri-implantation development using embryoid bodies (EBs). Mutant EBs developed endoderm and underlying basement membrane...

  8. Hidden in the light: Magnetically induced afterglow from trapped chameleon fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gies, Holger; Mota, David F.; Shaw, Douglas J.

    2008-01-01

    We propose an afterglow phenomenon as a unique trace of chameleon fields in optical experiments. The vacuum interaction of a laser pulse with a magnetic field can lead to a production and subsequent trapping of chameleons in the vacuum chamber, owing to their mass dependence on the ambient matter density. Magnetically induced reconversion of the trapped chameleons into photons creates an afterglow over macroscopic timescales that can conveniently be searched for by current optical experiments. We show that the chameleon parameter range accessible to available laboratory technology is comparable to scales familiar from astrophysical stellar energy-loss arguments. We analyze quantitatively the afterglow properties for various experimental scenarios and discuss the role of potential background and systematic effects. We conclude that afterglow searches represent an ideal tool to aim at the production and detection of cosmologically relevant scalar fields in the laboratory

  9. Identification of CDC25 as a Common Therapeutic Target for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeff C. Liu

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Summary: CDK4/6 inhibitors are effective against cancer cells expressing the tumor suppressor RB1, but not RB1-deficient cells, posing the challenge of how to target RB1 loss. In triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC, RB1 and PTEN are frequently inactivated together with TP53. We performed kinome/phosphatase inhibitor screens on primary mouse Rb/p53-, Pten/p53-, and human RB1/PTEN/TP53-deficient TNBC cell lines and identified CDC25 phosphatase as a common target. Pharmacological or genetic inhibition of CDC25 suppressed growth of RB1-deficient TNBC cells that are resistant to combined CDK4/6 plus CDK2 inhibition. Minimal cooperation was observed in vitro between CDC25 antagonists and CDK1, CDK2, or CDK4/6 inhibitors, but strong synergy with WEE1 inhibition was apparent. In accordance with increased PI3K signaling following long-term CDC25 inhibition, CDC25 and PI3K inhibitors effectively synergized to suppress TNBC growth both in vitro and in xenotransplantation models. These results provide a rationale for the development of CDC25-based therapies for diverse RB1/PTEN/TP53-deficient and -proficient TNBCs. : Liu et al. report that inhibition of the protein phosphatase CDC25 kills diverse triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC cells. Moreover, CDC25 antagonists cooperate with other drugs, such as PI3K inhibitors, to efficiently suppress growth of human TNBC engrafted into mice. Keywords: triple negative breast cancer, basal-like breast cancer, therapy, RB1, PTEN, TP53, CDC25, WEE1, CHK1, checkpoint control

  10. Laser trapping and spatial light modulators

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Glückstad, Jesper

    2012-01-01

    INVITED: Robotics at the macro-scale typically uses light for carrying information in machine vision for monitoring and feedback in intelligent robotic guidance systems. With light’s miniscule momentum, shrinking robots down to the micro-scale regime creates opportunities for exploiting optical f...

  11. CDC 6600 Cordwood Module

    CERN Multimedia

    1964-01-01

    The CDC 6600 cordwood module containing 64 silicon transistors. The module was mounted between two plates that were cooled conductive by a refrigeration unit via the front panel. The construction of this module uses the cord method, so called because the resistors seem to be stacked like cord between the two circuit boards in order to obtain a high density. The 6600 model contained nearly 6,000 such modules.

  12. Observation of Spin Flips with a Single Trapped Proton

    CERN Document Server

    Ulmer, S.; Blaum, K.; Kracke, H.; Mooser, A.; Quint, W.; Walz, J.

    2011-01-01

    Spin transitions of an isolated trapped proton are observed for the first time. The spin quantum jumps are detected via the continuous Stern-Gerlach effect which is used in an experiment with a single proton stored in a cryogenic Penning trap. This opens the way for a direct high-precision measurement of the magnetic moment of the proton and a new test of the matter-antimatter symmetry in the baryon sector. This method can also be applied to other light atomic nuclei.

  13. CDC Lab Values

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    2015-02-02

    More than fifteen hundred scientists fill the lab benches at CDC, logging more than four million hours each year. CDC’s laboratories play a critical role in the agency’s ability to find, stop, and prevent disease outbreaks. This podcast provides a brief overview of what goes on inside CDC’s labs, and why this work makes a difference in American’s health.  Created: 2/2/2015 by Office of the Associate Director for Communication (OADC).   Date Released: 2/2/2015.

  14. LED lighting increases the ecological impact of light pollution irrespective of color temperature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pawson, S M; Bader, M K-F

    Recognition of the extent and magnitude of night-time light pollution impacts on natural ecosystems is increasing, with pervasive effects observed in both nocturnal and diurnal species. Municipal and industrial lighting is on the cusp of a step change where energy-efficient lighting technology is driving a shift from “yellow” high-pressure sodium vapor lamps (HPS) to new “white” light-emitting diodes (LEDs). We hypothesized that white LEDs would be more attractive and thus have greater ecological impacts than HPS due to the peak UV-green-blue visual sensitivity of nocturnal invertebrates. Our results support this hypothesis; on average LED light traps captured 48% more insects than were captured with light traps fitted with HPS lamps, and this effect was dependent on air temperature (significant light × air temperature interaction). We found no evidence that manipulating the color temperature of white LEDs would minimize the ecological impacts of the adoption of white LED lights. As such, large-scale adoption of energy-efficient white LED lighting for municipal and industrial use may exacerbate ecological impacts and potentially amplify phytosanitary pest infestations. Our findings highlight the urgent need for collaborative research between ecologists and electrical engineers to ensure that future developments in LED technology minimize their potential ecological effects.

  15. Driver or passenger effects of augmented c-Myc and Cdc20 in gliomagenesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ji, Ping; Zhou, Xinhui; Liu, Qun; Fuller, Gregory N; Phillips, Lynette M; Zhang, Wei

    2016-04-26

    Cdc20 and c-Myc are commonly overexpressed in a broad spectrum of cancers, including glioblastoma (GBM). Despite this clear association, whether c-Myc and Cdc20 overexpression is a driver or passenger event in gliomagenesis remains unclear. Both c-Myc and Cdc20 induced the proliferation of primary glial progenitor cells. c-Myc also promoted the formation of soft agar anchorage-independent colonies. In the RCAS/Ntv-a glia-specific transgenic mouse model, c-Myc increased the GBM incidence from 19.1% to 47.4% by 12 weeks of age when combined with kRas and Akt3 in Ntv-a INK4a-ARF (also known as CDKN2A)-null mice. In contrast, Cdc20 decreased the GBM incidence from 19.1% to 9.1%. Moreover, cell differentiation was modulated by c-Myc in kRas/Akt3-induced GBM on the basis of Nestin/GFAP expression (glial progenitor cell differentiation), while Cdc20 had no effect on primary glial progenitor cell differentiation. We used glial progenitor cells from Ntv-a newborn mice to evaluate the role of c-Myc and Cdc20 in the proliferation and transformation of GBM in vitro and in vivo. We further determined whether c-Myc and Cdc20 have a driver or passenger role in GBM development using kRas/Akt3 signals in a RCAS/Ntv-a mouse model. These results suggest that the driver or passenger of oncogene signaling is dependent on cellular status. c-Myc is a driver when combined with kRas/Akt3 oncogenic signals in gliomagenesis, whereas Cdc20 overexpression is a passenger. Inhibition of cell differentiation of c-Myc may be a target for anti-glioma therapy.

  16. Essential roles of Cdc42 and MAPK in cadmium-induced apoptosis in Litopenaeus vannamei

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Peng, Ting; Wang, Wei-Na, E-mail: weina63@aliyun.com; Gu, Mei-Mei; Xie, Chen-Ying; Xiao, Yu-Chao; Liu, Yuan; Wang, Lei

    2015-06-15

    Highlights: • Cd{sup 2+} induces Cdc42 and MAPKs pathway related gene of Litopenaeus vannamei up-regulation. • Reduction of THC, increase of ROS production and apoptotic cell rate were observed when the shrimps exposure to Cd{sup 2+}. • DsRNA-suppression of LvCdc42 and MAPKs during Cd{sup 2+} stress reduces the ROS production and apoptosis. • We conclude that LvCdc42 and MAPKs play key roles in Cd{sup 2+} stress responses of shrimps. - Abstract: Cadmium, one of the most toxic heavy metals in aquatic environments, has severe effects on marine invertebrates and fishes. The MAPK signaling pathway plays a vital role in stress responses of animals. The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway plays a vital role in animals’ stress responses, including mediation of apoptosis induced by the Rho GTPase Cdc42. However, there is limited knowledge about its function in shrimps, although disorders exacerbated by environmental stresses (including heavy metal pollution) have caused serious mortality in commercially cultured shrimps. Thus, we probed roles of Cdc42 in Litopenaeus vannamei shrimps (LvCdc42) during cadmium exposure by inhibiting its expression using dsRNA-mediated RNA interference. The treatment successfully reduced expression levels of MAPKs (including p38, JNK, and ERK). Cadmium exposure induced significant increases in expression levels of LvCdc42 and MAPKs, accompanied by reductions in total hemocyte counts (THC) and increases in apoptotic hemocyte ratios and ROS production. However, all of these responses were much weaker in LvCdc42-suppressed shrimps, in which mortality rates were higher than in controls. Our results suggest that the MAPK pathway plays a vital role in shrimps’ responses to Cd{sup 2+}. They also indicate that LvCdc42 in shrimps participates in its regulation, and thus plays key roles in ROS production, regulation of apoptosis and associated stress responses.

  17. Essential roles of Cdc42 and MAPK in cadmium-induced apoptosis in Litopenaeus vannamei

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peng, Ting; Wang, Wei-Na; Gu, Mei-Mei; Xie, Chen-Ying; Xiao, Yu-Chao; Liu, Yuan; Wang, Lei

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Cd 2+ induces Cdc42 and MAPKs pathway related gene of Litopenaeus vannamei up-regulation. • Reduction of THC, increase of ROS production and apoptotic cell rate were observed when the shrimps exposure to Cd 2+ . • DsRNA-suppression of LvCdc42 and MAPKs during Cd 2+ stress reduces the ROS production and apoptosis. • We conclude that LvCdc42 and MAPKs play key roles in Cd 2+ stress responses of shrimps. - Abstract: Cadmium, one of the most toxic heavy metals in aquatic environments, has severe effects on marine invertebrates and fishes. The MAPK signaling pathway plays a vital role in stress responses of animals. The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway plays a vital role in animals’ stress responses, including mediation of apoptosis induced by the Rho GTPase Cdc42. However, there is limited knowledge about its function in shrimps, although disorders exacerbated by environmental stresses (including heavy metal pollution) have caused serious mortality in commercially cultured shrimps. Thus, we probed roles of Cdc42 in Litopenaeus vannamei shrimps (LvCdc42) during cadmium exposure by inhibiting its expression using dsRNA-mediated RNA interference. The treatment successfully reduced expression levels of MAPKs (including p38, JNK, and ERK). Cadmium exposure induced significant increases in expression levels of LvCdc42 and MAPKs, accompanied by reductions in total hemocyte counts (THC) and increases in apoptotic hemocyte ratios and ROS production. However, all of these responses were much weaker in LvCdc42-suppressed shrimps, in which mortality rates were higher than in controls. Our results suggest that the MAPK pathway plays a vital role in shrimps’ responses to Cd 2+ . They also indicate that LvCdc42 in shrimps participates in its regulation, and thus plays key roles in ROS production, regulation of apoptosis and associated stress responses

  18. CDC Vital Signs-Preventing Stroke Deaths

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    This podcast is based on the September 2017 CDC Vital Signs report. Each year, more than 140,000 people die and many survivors face disability. Eighty percent of strokes are preventable. Learn the signs of stroke and how to prevent them.

  19. Regulation of the vertebrate cell cycle by the cdc2 protein kinase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Draetta, G.; Brizuela, L.; Moran, B.; Beach, D.

    1988-01-01

    A homolog of the cdc2/CDC28 protein kinase of yeast is found in all vertebrate species that have been investigated. Human cdc2 exists as a complex with a 13-kD protein that is homologous to the suc1 gene product of fission yeast. In both human and fission yeast cells, the protein kinase also exists in a complex with a 62-kD polypeptide that has not been identified genetically but acts as a substrate in vitro. The authors have studied the properties of the protein kinase in rat and human cells, as well as in Xenopus eggs. They find that in baby rat kidney (BRK) cells, which are quiescent in cell culture, the cdc2 protein is not synthesized. However, synthesis is rapidly induced in response to proliferative activation by infection with adenovirus. In human HeLa cells, the protein kinase is present continuously. It behaves as a cell-cycle oscillator that is inactive in G 1 but displays maximal enzymatic activity during mitotic metaphase. These observations indicate that in a wide variety of vertebrate cells, the cdc2 protein kinase is involved in regulating mitosis. The authors' approach taken toward study of the cdc2 protein kinase highlights the possibilities that now exist for combining the advantages of ascomycete genetics with the cell-free systems of Xenopus and the biochemical advantages of tissue culture cells to investigate fundamental problems of the cell cycle

  20. Towards antihydrogen trapping and spectroscopy at ALPHA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Butler, E.; Andresen, G. B.; Ashkezari, M. D.; Baquero-Ruiz, M.; Bertsche, W.; Bowe, P. D.; Bray, C. C.; Cesar, C. L.; Chapman, S.; Charlton, M.; Fajans, J.; Friesen, T.; Fujiwara, M. C.; Gill, D. R.; Hangst, J. S.; Hardy, W. N.; Hayano, R. S.; Hayden, M. E.; Humphries, A. J.; Hydomako, R.

    2011-01-01

    Spectroscopy of antihydrogen has the potential to yield high-precision tests of the CPT theorem and shed light on the matter-antimatter imbalance in the Universe. The ALPHA antihydrogen trap at CERN’s Antiproton Decelerator aims to prepare a sample of antihydrogen atoms confined in an octupole-based Ioffe trap and to measure the frequency of several atomic transitions. We describe our techniques to directly measure the antiproton temperature and a new technique to cool them to below 10 K. We also show how our unique position-sensitive annihilation detector provides us with a highly sensitive method of identifying antiproton annihilations and effectively rejecting the cosmic-ray background.

  1. Towards Antihydrogen Trapping and Spectroscopy at ALPHA

    CERN Document Server

    Butler, Eoin; Ashkezari, Mohammad.D.; Baquero-Ruiz, Marcelo; Bertsche, William; Bowe, Paul D.; Bray, Crystal C.; Cesar, Claudio L.; Chapman, Steven; Charlton, Michael; Fajans, Joel; Friesen, Tim; Fujiwara, Makoto C.; Gill, David R.; Hangst, Jeffrey S.; Hardy, Walter N.; Hayano, Ruyugo S.; Hayden, Michael E.; Humphries, Andrew J.; Hydomako, Richard; Jonsell, Svante; Kurchaninov, Leonid; Lambo, Ricardo; Madsen, Niels; Menary, Scott; Nolan, Paul; Olchanski, Konstantin; Olin, Art; Povilus, Alexander; Pusa, Petteri; Robicheaux, Francis; Sarid, Eli; Silveira, Daniel M.; So, Chukman; Storey, James W.; Thompson, Robert I.; van der Werf, Dirk P.; Wilding, Dean; Wurtele, Jonathan S.; Yamazaki, Yasunori

    2011-01-01

    Spectroscopy of antihydrogen has the potential to yield high-precision tests of the CPT theorem and shed light on the matter-antimatter imbalance in the Universe. The ALPHA antihydrogen trap at CERN's Antiproton Decelerator aims to prepare a sample of antihydrogen atoms confined in an octupole-based Ioffe trap and to measure the frequency of several atomic transitions. We describe our techniques to directly measure the antiproton temperature and a new technique to cool them to below 10 K. We also show how our unique position-sensitive annihilation detector provides us with a highly sensitive method of identifying antiproton annihilations and effectively rejecting the cosmic-ray background.

  2. CDC STATE System Tobacco Legislation - Preemption Summary

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — 1995-2018. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System. Legislation—Preemption. The STATE...

  3. Hole traps in n-GaN detected by minority carrier transient spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tokuda, Yutaka; Yamada, Yujiro; Shibata, Tatsunari; Yamaguchi, Shintaro [Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Aichi Institute of Technology, Yakusa, 470-0392 Toyota (Japan); Ueda, Hiroyuki; Uesugi, Tsutomu; Kachi, Tetsu [Toyota Central R and D Laboratories, Inc., Nagakute, 480-1192 Aichi (Japan)

    2011-07-15

    Minority carrier transient spectroscopy (MCTS) has been applied for the detection of hole traps in n-GaN using Schottky diodes. MCTS using 355 nm light emitting diodes is performed under isothermal conditions in the temperature range 280 to 330 K for n-GaN grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on sapphire. Isothermal MCTS spectra reveal the E{sub v} + 0.86 eV hole trap with the trap concentration of 1.1x10{sup 16} cm{sup -3}. The E{sub v} + 0.86 eV hole trap has the higher concentration as compared to electron traps observed by deep level transient spectroscopy. Thus, the isothermal MCTS around room temperature provides a convenient way to evaluate the dominant trap in n-GaN. It is suggested that the E{sub v} + 0.86 eV hole trap is associated with the V{sub Ga}-related defect or carbon-related defect. (copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  4. Cdc6 is a rate-limiting factor for proliferative capacity during HL60 cell differentiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barkley, Laura R.; Hong, Hye Kyung; Kingsbury, Sarah R.; James, Michelle; Stoeber, Kai; Williams, Gareth H.

    2007-01-01

    The DNA replication (or origin) licensing pathway represents a critical step in cell proliferation control downstream of growth signalling pathways. Repression of origin licensing through down-regulation of the MCM licensing factors (Mcm2-7) is emerging as a ubiquitous route for lowering proliferative capacity as metazoan cells exit the cell division cycle into quiescent, terminally differentiated and senescent 'out-of-cycle' states. Using the HL60 monocyte/macrophage differentiation model system and a cell-free DNA replication assay, we have undertaken direct biochemical investigations of the coupling of origin licensing to the differentiation process. Our data show that down-regulation of the MCM loading factor Cdc6 acts as a molecular switch that triggers loss of proliferative capacity during early engagement of the somatic differentiation programme. Consequently, addition of recombinant Cdc6 protein to in vitro replication reactions restores DNA replication competence in nuclei prepared from differentiating cells. Differentiating HL60 cells over-expressing either wild-type Cdc6 or a CDK phosphorylation-resistant Cdc6 mutant protein (Cdc6A4) exhibit an extended period of cell proliferation compared to mock-infected cells. Notably, differentiating HL60 cells over-expressing the Cdc6A4 mutant fail to down-regulate Cdc6 protein levels, suggesting that CDK phosphorylation of Cdc6 is linked to its down-regulation during differentiation and the concomitant decrease in cell proliferation. In this experimental model, Cdc6 therefore plays a key role in the sequential molecular events leading to repression of origin licensing and loss of proliferative capacity during execution of the differentiation programme

  5. Cold highly charged ions in a cryogenic Paul trap

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Versolato, O. O., E-mail: oscar.versolato@mpi-hd.mpg.de; Schwarz, M.; Windberger, A.; Ullrich, J. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik (Germany); Schmidt, P. O. [Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (Germany); Drewsen, M. [University of Aarhus, Department of Physics and Astronomy (Denmark); Crespo Lopez-Urrutia, J. R. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik (Germany)

    2013-03-15

    Narrow optical transitions in highly charged ions (HCIs) are of particular interest for metrology and fundamental physics, exploiting the high sensitivity of HCIs to new physics. The highest sensitivity for a changing fine structure constant ever predicted for a stable atomic system is found in Ir{sup 17 + }. However, laser spectroscopy of HCIs is hindered by the large ({approx} 10{sup 6} K) temperatures at which they are produced and trapped. An unprecedented improvement in such laser spectroscopy can be obtained when HCIs are cooled down to the mK range in a linear Paul trap. We have developed a cryogenic linear Paul trap in which HCIs will be sympathetically cooled by {sup 9}Be{sup + } ions. Optimized optical access for laser light is provided while maintaining excellent UHV conditions. The Paul trap will be connected to an electron beam ion trap (EBIT) which is able to produce a wide range of HCIs. This EBIT will also provide the first experimental input needed for the determination of the transition energies in Ir{sup 17 + }, enabling further laser-spectroscopic investigations of this promising HCI.

  6. Interaction of the Small GTPase Cdc42 with Arginine Kinase Restricts White Spot Syndrome Virus in Shrimp.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Ji-Dong; Jiang, Hai-Shan; Wei, Tian-Di; Zhang, Ke-Yi; Wang, Xian-Wei; Zhao, Xiao-Fan; Wang, Jin-Xing

    2017-03-01

    Many types of small GTPases are widely expressed in eukaryotes and have different functions. As a crucial member of the Rho GTPase family, Cdc42 serves a number of functions, such as regulating cell growth, migration, and cell movement. Several RNA viruses employ Cdc42-hijacking tactics in their target cell entry processes. However, the function of Cdc42 in shrimp antiviral immunity is not clear. In this study, we identified a Cdc42 protein in the kuruma shrimp ( Marsupenaeus japonicus ) and named it Mj Cdc42. Mj Cdc42 was upregulated in shrimp challenged by white spot syndrome virus (WSSV). The knockdown of Mj Cdc42 and injection of Cdc42 inhibitors increased the proliferation of WSSV. Further experiments determined that Mj Cdc42 interacted with an arginine kinase ( Mj AK). By analyzing the binding activity and enzyme activity of Mj AK and its mutant, Δ Mj AK, we found that Mj AK could enhance the replication of WSSV in shrimp. Mj AK interacted with the envelope protein VP26 of WSSV. An inhibitor of AK activity, quercetin, could impair the function of Mj AK in WSSV replication. Further study demonstrated that the binding of Mj Cdc42 and Mj AK depends on Cys 271 of Mj AK and suppresses the WSSV replication-promoting effect of Mj AK. By interacting with the active site of Mj AK and suppressing its enzyme activity, Mj Cdc42 inhibits WSSV replication in shrimp. Our results demonstrate a new function of Cdc42 in the cellular defense against viral infection in addition to the regulation of actin and phagocytosis, which has been reported in previous studies. IMPORTANCE The interaction of Cdc42 with arginine kinase plays a crucial role in the host defense against WSSV infection. This study identifies a new mechanism of Cdc42 in innate immunity and enriches the knowledge of the antiviral innate immunity of invertebrates. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

  7. CDC STATE System E-Cigarette Legislation - Licensure

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — 1995-2018. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System. E-Cigarette Legislation—Licensure. The...

  8. CDC STATE System E-Cigarette Legislation - Preemption

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — 1995-2018. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System. E-Cigarette Legislation—Preemption. The...

  9. CDC STATE System Tobacco Legislation - Youth Access

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — 1995-2018. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System. Legislation—Youth Access. The STATE...

  10. CDC Vital Signs: Drinking and Driving

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Adapted from The ABCs of BAC, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2005, and How to Control Your Drinking, WR Miller and RF Munoz, University of New Mexico, 1982. Self-reported annual drinking and driving episodes SOURCE: CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, ...

  11. Solar Cells from Earth-Abundant Semiconductors with Plasmon-Enhanced Light Absorption

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Atwater, Harry

    2012-04-30

    Progress is reported in these areas: Plasmonic Light Trapping in Thin Film a-Si Solar Cells; Plasmonic Light Trapping in Thin InGaN Quantum Well Solar Cells; and Earth Abundant Cu{sub 2}O and Zn{sub 3}P{sub 2} Solar Cells.

  12. Inter-epidemic abundance and distribution of potential mosquito vectors for Rift Valley fever virus in Ngorongoro district, Tanzania.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mweya, Clement N; Kimera, Sharadhuli I; Mellau, Lesakit S B; Mboera, Leonard E G

    2015-01-01

    Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a mosquito-borne viral zoonosis that primarily affects ruminants but also has the capacity to infect humans. To determine the abundance and distribution of mosquito vectors in relation to their potential role in the virus transmission and maintenance in disease epidemic areas of Ngorongoro district in northern Tanzania. A cross-sectional entomological investigation was carried out before the suspected RVF outbreak in October 2012. Mosquitoes were sampled both outdoors and indoors using the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) light traps and Mosquito Magnets baited with attractants. Outdoor traps were placed in proximity with breeding sites and under canopy in banana plantations close to the sleeping places of animals. A total of 1,823 mosquitoes were collected, of which 87% (N=1,588) were Culex pipiens complex, 12% (N=226) Aedes aegypti, and 0.5% (N=9) Anopheles species. About two-thirds (67%; N=1,095) of C. pipiens complex and nearly 100% (N=225) of A. aegypti were trapped outdoors using Mosquito Magnets. All Anopheles species were trapped indoors using CDC light traps. There were variations in abundance of C. pipiens complex and A. aegypti among different ecological and vegetation habitats. Over three quarters (78%) of C. pipiens complex and most (85%) of the A. aegypti were trapped in banana and maize farms. Both C. pipiens complex and A. aegypti were more abundant in proximity with cattle and in semi-arid thorn bushes and lower Afro-montane. The highest number of mosquitoes was recorded in villages that were most affected during the RVF epidemic of 2007. Of the tested 150 pools of C. pipiens complex and 45 pools of A. aegypti, none was infected with RVF virus. These results provide insights into unique habitat characterisation relating to mosquito abundances and distribution in RVF epidemic-prone areas of Ngorongoro district in northern Tanzania.

  13. Deviation of the typical AAA substrate-threading pore prevents fatal protein degradation in yeast Cdc48.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esaki, Masatoshi; Islam, Md Tanvir; Tani, Naoki; Ogura, Teru

    2017-07-14

    Yeast Cdc48 is a well-conserved, essential chaperone of ATPases associated with diverse cellular activity (AAA) proteins, which recognizes substrate proteins and modulates their conformations to carry out many cellular processes. However, the fundamental mechanisms underlying the diverse pivotal roles of Cdc48 remain unknown. Almost all AAA proteins form a ring-shaped structure with a conserved aromatic amino acid residue that is essential for proper function. The threading mechanism hypothesis suggests that this residue guides the intrusion of substrate proteins into a narrow pore of the AAA ring, thereby becoming unfolded. By contrast, the aromatic residue in one of the two AAA rings of Cdc48 has been eliminated through evolution. Here, we show that artificial retrieval of this aromatic residue in Cdc48 is lethal, and essential features to support the threading mechanism are required to exhibit the lethal phenotype. In particular, genetic and biochemical analyses of the Cdc48 lethal mutant strongly suggested that when in complex with the 20S proteasome, essential proteins are abnormally forced to thread through the Cdc48 pore to become degraded, which was not detected in wild-type Cdc48. Thus, the widely applicable threading model is less effective for wild-type Cdc48; rather, Cdc48 might function predominantly through an as-yet-undetermined mechanism.

  14. CDC WONDER: Online Tuberculosis Information System (OTIS)

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The Online Tuberculosis Information System (OTIS) on CDC WONDER contains information on verified tuberculosis (TB) cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control...

  15. CDC STATE System E-Cigarette Legislation - Tax

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — 1995-2018. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System. E-Cigarette Legislation—Tax. The STATE...

  16. CDC Wonder Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) online database on CDC WONDER provides counts and percentages of adverse event case reports after vaccination,...

  17. Implementation experiences of NASTRAN on CDC CYBER 74 SCOPE 3.4 operating system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Go, J. C.; Hill, R. G.

    1973-01-01

    The implementation of the NASTRAN system on the CDC CYBER 74 SCOPE 3.4 Operating System is described. The flexibility of the NASTRAN system made it possible to accomplish the change with no major problems. Various sizes of benchmark and test problems, ranging from two hours to less than one minute CP time were run on the CDC CYBER SCOPE 3.3, Univac EXEC-8, and CDC CYBER SCOPE 3.4. The NASTRAN installation deck is provided.

  18. Alternative modes for optical trapping and manipulation using counter-propagating shaped beams

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Palima, D; Tauro, S; Glückstad, J; Lindballe, T B; Kristensen, M V; Stapelfeldt, H; Keiding, S R

    2011-01-01

    Counter-propagating beams have enabled the first stable three-dimensional optical trapping of microparticles and this procedure has been enhanced and developed over the years to achieve independent and interactive manipulation of multiple particles. In this work, we analyse counter-propagating shaped-beam traps that depart from the conventional geometry based on symmetric, coaxial counter-propagating beams. We show that projecting shaped beams with separation distances previously considered axially unstable can, in fact, enhance the axial and transverse trapping stiffnesses. We also show that deviating from using perfectly counter-propagating beams to use oblique beams can improve the axial stability of the traps and improve the axial trapping stiffness. These alternative geometries can be particularly useful for handling larger particles. These results hint at a rich potential for light shaping for optical trapping and manipulation using patterned counter-propagating beams, which still remains to be fully tapped

  19. CDC STATE System Tobacco Legislation - Smokefree Campus

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — 1995-2016. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System. Legislation – Smokefree Campuses. The...

  20. CDC STATE System Tobacco Legislation - Preemption Summary

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — 1995-2017. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System. Legislation—Preemption. The STATE...

  1. CDC STATE System E-Cigarette Legislation - Preemption

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — 1995-2017. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System. E-Cigarette Legislation—Preemption....

  2. CDC STATE System E-Cigarette Legislation - Licensure

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — 1995-2017. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System. E-Cigarette Legislation—Licensure....

  3. WOW: light print, light propel, light point

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glückstad, Jesper; Bañas, Andrew; Aabo, Thomas; Palima, Darwin

    2012-10-01

    We are presenting so-called Wave-guided Optical Waveguides (WOWs) fabricated by two-photon polymerization and capable of being optically manipulated into any arbitrary orientation. By integrating optical waveguides into the structures we have created freestanding waveguides which can be positioned anywhere in a sample at any orientation using real-time 3D optical micromanipulation with six degrees of freedom. One of the key aspects of our demonstrated WOWs is the change in direction of in-coupled light and the marked increase in numerical aperture of the out-coupled light. Hence, each light propelled WOW can tap from a relatively broad incident beam and generate a much more tightly confined light at its tip. The presentation contains both numerical simulations related to the propagation of light through a WOW and preliminary experimental demonstrations on our BioPhotonics Workstation. In a broader context, this research shows that optically trapped micro-fabricated structures can potentially help bridge the diffraction barrier. This structure-mediated paradigm may be carried forward to open new possibilities for exploiting beams from far-field optics down to the sub-wavelength domain.

  4. Conserved CDC20 cell cycle functions are carried out by two of the five isoforms in Arabidopsis thaliana.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zoltán Kevei

    Full Text Available The CDC20 and Cdh1/CCS52 proteins are substrate determinants and activators of the Anaphase Promoting Complex/Cyclosome (APC/C E3 ubiquitin ligase and as such they control the mitotic cell cycle by targeting the degradation of various cell cycle regulators. In yeasts and animals the main CDC20 function is the destruction of securin and mitotic cyclins. Plants have multiple CDC20 gene copies whose functions have not been explored yet. In Arabidopsis thaliana there are five CDC20 isoforms and here we aimed at defining their contribution to cell cycle regulation, substrate selectivity and plant development.Studying the gene structure and phylogeny of plant CDC20s, the expression of the five AtCDC20 gene copies and their interactions with the APC/C subunit APC10, the CCS52 proteins, components of the mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC and mitotic cyclin substrates, conserved CDC20 functions could be assigned for AtCDC20.1 and AtCDC20.2. The other three intron-less genes were silent and specific for Arabidopsis. We show that AtCDC20.1 and AtCDC20.2 are components of the MCC and interact with mitotic cyclins with unexpected specificity. AtCDC20.1 and AtCDC20.2 are expressed in meristems, organ primordia and AtCDC20.1 also in pollen grains and developing seeds. Knocking down both genes simultaneously by RNAi resulted in severe delay in plant development and male sterility. In these lines, the meristem size was reduced while the cell size and ploidy levels were unaffected indicating that the lower cell number and likely slowdown of the cell cycle are the cause of reduced plant growth.The intron-containing CDC20 gene copies provide conserved and redundant functions for cell cycle progression in plants and are required for meristem maintenance, plant growth and male gametophyte formation. The Arabidopsis-specific intron-less genes are possibly "retrogenes" and have hitherto undefined functions or are pseudogenes.

  5. Penning traps with unitary architecture for storage of highly charged ions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Joseph N; Brewer, Samuel M; Guise, Nicholas D

    2012-02-01

    Penning traps are made extremely compact by embedding rare-earth permanent magnets in the electrode structure. Axially-oriented NdFeB magnets are used in unitary architectures that couple the electric and magnetic components into an integrated structure. We have constructed a two-magnet Penning trap with radial access to enable the use of laser or atomic beams, as well as the collection of light. An experimental apparatus equipped with ion optics is installed at the NIST electron beam ion trap (EBIT) facility, constrained to fit within 1 meter at the end of a horizontal beamline for transporting highly charged ions. Highly charged ions of neon and argon, extracted with initial energies up to 4000 eV per unit charge, are captured and stored to study the confinement properties of a one-magnet trap and a two-magnet trap. Design considerations and some test results are discussed.

  6. Penning traps with unitary architecture for storage of highly charged ions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tan, Joseph N.; Guise, Nicholas D.; Brewer, Samuel M.

    2012-01-01

    Penning traps are made extremely compact by embedding rare-earth permanent magnets in the electrode structure. Axially-oriented NdFeB magnets are used in unitary architectures that couple the electric and magnetic components into an integrated structure. We have constructed a two-magnet Penning trap with radial access to enable the use of laser or atomic beams, as well as the collection of light. An experimental apparatus equipped with ion optics is installed at the NIST electron beam ion trap (EBIT) facility, constrained to fit within 1 meter at the end of a horizontal beamline for transporting highly charged ions. Highly charged ions of neon and argon, extracted with initial energies up to 4000 eV per unit charge, are captured and stored to study the confinement properties of a one-magnet trap and a two-magnet trap. Design considerations and some test results are discussed.

  7. CDC WONDER: Mortality - Underlying Cause of Death

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The CDC WONDER Mortality - Underlying Cause of Death online database is a county-level national mortality and population database spanning the years since 1979. Data...

  8. CDC STATE System Tobacco Legislation - Youth Access

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — 1995-2016. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System. Legislation—Youth Access. The STATE...

  9. The small GTPase Cdc42 modulates the number of exocytosis-competent dense-core vesicles in PC12 cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sato, Mai [Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro, Tokyo 153-8902 (Japan); Kitaguchi, Tetsuya [Cell Signaling Group, Waseda Bioscience Research Institute in Singapore (WABOIS), Waseda University, 11 Biopolis Way, 05-01/02 Helios, Singapore 138667 (Singapore); Numano, Rika [The Electronics-Inspired Interdisciplinary Research Institute (EIIRIS), Toyohashi University of Technology, 1-1 Hibarigaoka, Tennpaku-cho, Toyohashi, Aichi 441-8580 (Japan); Ikematsu, Kazuya [Forensic Pathology and Science, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki 852-8523 (Japan); Kakeyama, Masaki [Laboratory of Environmental Health Sciences, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan); Murata, Masayuki; Sato, Ken [Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro, Tokyo 153-8902 (Japan); Tsuboi, Takashi, E-mail: takatsuboi@bio.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp [Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro, Tokyo 153-8902 (Japan)

    2012-04-06

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Regulation of exocytosis by Rho GTPase Cdc42. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Cdc42 increases the number of fusion events from newly recruited vesicles. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Cdc42 increases the number of exocytosis-competent dense-core vesicles. -- Abstract: Although the small GTPase Rho family Cdc42 has been shown to facilitate exocytosis through increasing the amount of hormones released, the precise mechanisms regulating the quantity of hormones released on exocytosis are not well understood. Here we show by live cell imaging analysis under TIRF microscope and immunocytochemical analysis under confocal microscope that Cdc42 modulated the number of fusion events and the number of dense-core vesicles produced in the cells. Overexpression of a wild-type or constitutively-active form of Cdc42 strongly facilitated high-KCl-induced exocytosis from the newly recruited plasma membrane vesicles in PC12 cells. By contrast, a dominant-negative form of Cdc42 inhibited exocytosis from both the newly recruited and previously docked plasma membrane vesicles. The number of intracellular dense-core vesicles was increased by the overexpression of both a wild-type and constitutively-active form of Cdc42. Consistently, activation of Cdc42 by overexpression of Tuba, a Golgi-associated guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Cdc42 increased the number of intracellular dense-core vesicles, whereas inhibition of Cdc42 by overexpression of the Cdc42/Rac interactive binding domain of neuronal Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein decreased the number of them. These findings suggest that Cdc42 facilitates exocytosis by modulating both the number of exocytosis-competent dense-core vesicles and the production of dense-core vesicles in PC12 cells.

  10. The small GTPase Cdc42 modulates the number of exocytosis-competent dense-core vesicles in PC12 cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sato, Mai; Kitaguchi, Tetsuya; Numano, Rika; Ikematsu, Kazuya; Kakeyama, Masaki; Murata, Masayuki; Sato, Ken; Tsuboi, Takashi

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Regulation of exocytosis by Rho GTPase Cdc42. ► Cdc42 increases the number of fusion events from newly recruited vesicles. ► Cdc42 increases the number of exocytosis-competent dense-core vesicles. -- Abstract: Although the small GTPase Rho family Cdc42 has been shown to facilitate exocytosis through increasing the amount of hormones released, the precise mechanisms regulating the quantity of hormones released on exocytosis are not well understood. Here we show by live cell imaging analysis under TIRF microscope and immunocytochemical analysis under confocal microscope that Cdc42 modulated the number of fusion events and the number of dense-core vesicles produced in the cells. Overexpression of a wild-type or constitutively-active form of Cdc42 strongly facilitated high-KCl-induced exocytosis from the newly recruited plasma membrane vesicles in PC12 cells. By contrast, a dominant-negative form of Cdc42 inhibited exocytosis from both the newly recruited and previously docked plasma membrane vesicles. The number of intracellular dense-core vesicles was increased by the overexpression of both a wild-type and constitutively-active form of Cdc42. Consistently, activation of Cdc42 by overexpression of Tuba, a Golgi-associated guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Cdc42 increased the number of intracellular dense-core vesicles, whereas inhibition of Cdc42 by overexpression of the Cdc42/Rac interactive binding domain of neuronal Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome protein decreased the number of them. These findings suggest that Cdc42 facilitates exocytosis by modulating both the number of exocytosis-competent dense-core vesicles and the production of dense-core vesicles in PC12 cells.

  11. CDC73-Related Disorders: Clinical Manifestations and Case Detection in Primary Hyperparathyroidism

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Tuin, Karin; Tops, Carli M. J.; Adank, Muriel A.; Cobben, Jan-Maarten; Hamdy, Neveen A. T.; Jongmans, Marjolijn C.; Menko, Fred H.; van Nesselrooij, Bernadette P. M.; Netea-Maier, Romana T.; Oosterwijk, Jan C.; Valk, Gerlof D.; Wolffenbuttel, Bruce H. R.; Hes, Frederik J.; Morreau, Hans

    2017-01-01

    Context: Heterozygous pathogenic germline variants in CDC73 predispose to the development of primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) and, less frequently, ossifying fibroma of the jaw and renal and uterine tumors. Clinical information on CDC73-related disorders has so far been limited to small case

  12. Cdc42 controls primary mesenchyme cell morphogenesis in the sea urchin embryo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sepúlveda-Ramírez, Silvia P; Toledo-Jacobo, Leslie; Henson, John H; Shuster, Charles B

    2018-05-15

    In the sea urchin embryo, gastrulation is characterized by the ingression and directed cell migration of primary mesenchyme cells (PMCs), as well as the primary invagination and convergent extension of the endomesoderm. Like all cell shape changes, individual and collective cell motility is orchestrated by Rho family GTPases and their modulation of the actomyosin cytoskeleton. And while endomesoderm specification has been intensively studied in echinoids, much less is known about the proximate regulators driving cell motility. Toward these ends, we employed anti-sense morpholinos, mutant alleles and pharmacological inhibitors to assess the role of Cdc42 during sea urchin gastrulation. While inhibition of Cdc42 expression or activity had only mild effects on PMC ingression, PMC migration, alignment and skeletogenesis were disrupted in the absence of Cdc42, as well as elongation of the archenteron. PMC migration and patterning of the larval skeleton relies on the extension of filopodia, and Cdc42 was required for filopodia in vivo as well as in cultured PMCs. Lastly, filopodial extension required both Arp2/3 and formin actin-nucleating factors, supporting models of filopodial nucleation observed in other systems. Together, these results suggest that Cdc42 plays essential roles during PMC cell motility and organogenesis. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Drug design with Cdc7 kinase: a potential novel cancer therapy target

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Masaaki Sawa

    2008-11-01

    Full Text Available Masaaki Sawa1, Hisao Masai21Carna Biosciences, Inc., Kobe, Japan; 2Genome Dynamics Project, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, JapanAbstract: Identification of novel molecular targets is critical in development of new and efficient cancer therapies. Kinases are one of the most common drug targets with a potential for cancer therapy. Cell cycle progression is regulated by a number of kinases, some of which are being developed to treat cancer. Cdc7 is a serine-threonine kinase originally discovered in budding yeast, which has been shown to be necessary to initiate the S phase. Inhibition of Cdc7 in cancer cells retards the progression of the S phase, accumulates DNA damage, and induces p53-independent cell death, but the same treatment in normal cells does not significantly affect viability. Low-molecular-weight compounds that inhibit Cdc7 kinase with an IC50 of less than 10 nM have been identified, and shown to be effective in the inhibition of tumor growth in animal models. Thus Cdc7 kinase can be recognized as a novel molecular target for cancer therapy.Keywords: Cdc7 kinase, cell cycle, replication fork, genome stability, DNA damages, ATP-binding pocket, kinase inhibitor

  14. Rainbow trapping in one-dimensional chirped photonic crystals composed of alternating dielectric slabs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shen, Yun; Fu, Jiwu; Yu, Guoping

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → A simple one-dimensional chirped photonic crystal is proposed to realize rainbow trapping. → The results show different wavelengths can be trapped at different spatial positions. → The structure can be used for optical buffer, memories and filter, sorter, etc. -- Abstract: One-dimensional chirped photonic crystals composed of alternating dielectric slabs are proposed to realize rainbow trapping. We theoretically and numerically demonstrate that not only significantly reduced group velocity can be achieved in the proposed chirped structures, but different wavelengths can be localized in different spatial positions, indicating trapped rainbow. Our results imply a feasible way to slow or even trap light in simple systems, which can be used for optical buffer, memory, data processor and filter, sorter, etc.

  15. CDC Vital Signs-Cancer and Obesity

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    This podcast is based on the October 2017 CDC Vital Signs report. Obesity is a leading cancer risk factor. Unfortunately, two out of three U.S. adults weigh more than recommended. Find out what can be done to help people get to and keep a healthy weight.

  16. CDC WONDER: Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) morbidity

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Morbidity online databases on CDC WONDER contain case reports reported from the 50 United States and D.C., Puerto Rico, Virgin...

  17. CDC WONDER: Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Morbidity

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Morbidity online databases on CDC WONDER contain case reports reported from the 50 United States and D.C., Puerto Rico, Virgin...

  18. CDC Study Finds Fecal Contamination in Pools

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Communication (404) 639-3286 CDC study finds fecal contamination in pools A study of public pools done ... The E. coli is a marker for fecal contamination. Finding a high percentage of E. coli-positive ...

  19. CDC WONDER: Mortality - Multiple Cause of Death

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The Mortality - Multiple Cause of Death data on CDC WONDER are county-level national mortality and population data spanning the years 1999-2006. These data are...

  20. Analysis of the effect of polarization traps and shallow impurities on the interlevel light absorption of quantum dots

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V.I. Boichuk

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available A spherical quantum dot (QD heterosystem CdS/SiO2 has been studied. Each QD has a hydrogen-like impurity in its center. Besides that, it has been accounted that a polarization trap for electron exists at the interfaces due to the difference between the QD and matrix dielectric permittivity. It has been defined that for small QD radii there are surface electron states. For different radii, partial contributions of the surface states into the electron energy caused by the electron-ion and electron-polarization charges interaction have been defined. The linear light absorption coefficient of noninteracting QDs has been calculated taking into account the QD dispersion by the size. It is shown that the surface states can be observed into different ranges of an electromagnetic spectrum.

  1. Extending the dose range: Probing deep traps in quartz with 3.06 eV photons

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jain, Mayank

    2009-01-01

    stimulation. Although, the fast OSL component is measured with similar efficiency by blue and violet lights, the slower OSL components (especially S3) are measured relatively more efficiently with the latter. New insight into the origins of quartz luminescence is presented through a comparison of violet......This article demonstrates that violet (405 nm) stimulated luminescence (VSL) signal from quartz contains contribution from deep traps that are otherwise not accessible with blue light (470 nm). Additionally, it also contains the typical fast and slow components observed with the blue light...... and blue lights stimulation, and thermal stimulations. Finally, it is shown that the deep traps probed through violet light stimulation have potential for increasing the dose measurement/dating range using quartz. The post-blue VSL signal allows easy, precise measurement of dose up to at least 1 kGy in our...

  2. Carbon dioxide baited trap catches do not correlate with human landing collections of Anopheles aquasalis in Suriname

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hélène Hiwat

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Three types of carbon dioxide-baited traps, i.e., the Centers for Disease Control Miniature Light Trap without light, the BioGents (BG Sentinel Mosquito Trap (BG-Sentinel and the Mosquito Magnet® Liberty Plus were compared with human landing collections in their efficiency in collecting Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus aquasalis mosquitoes. Of 13,549 total mosquitoes collected, 1,019 (7.52% were An. aquasalis. Large numbers of Culex spp were also collected, in particular with the (BG-Sentinel. The majority of An. aquasalis (83.8% were collected by the human landing collection (HLC. None of the trap catches correlated with HLC in the number of An. aquasalis captured over time. The high efficiency of the HLC method indicates that this malaria vector was anthropophilic at this site, especially as carbon dioxide was insufficiently attractive as stand-alone bait. Traps using carbon dioxide in combination with human odorants may provide better results.

  3. CDC WONDER: Mortality - Multiple Cause of Death

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The Mortality - Multiple Cause of Death data on CDC WONDER are county-level national mortality and population data spanning the years 1999-2009. Data are based on...

  4. CDC Vital Signs: Making Health Care Safer

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... of Page What Can Be Done The Federal government is Implementing activities across all government agencies to ... Making Health Care Safer [PSA – 0:60 seconds] Digital Press Kit: CDC Modeling Predicts Growth of Drug- ...

  5. Synapse Formation in Monosynaptic Sensory–Motor Connections Is Regulated by Presynaptic Rho GTPase Cdc42

    Science.gov (United States)

    Imai, Fumiyasu; Ladle, David R.; Leslie, Jennifer R.; Duan, Xin; Rizvi, Tilat A.; Ciraolo, Georgianne M.; Zheng, Yi

    2016-01-01

    Spinal reflex circuit development requires the precise regulation of axon trajectories, synaptic specificity, and synapse formation. Of these three crucial steps, the molecular mechanisms underlying synapse formation between group Ia proprioceptive sensory neurons and motor neurons is the least understood. Here, we show that the Rho GTPase Cdc42 controls synapse formation in monosynaptic sensory–motor connections in presynaptic, but not postsynaptic, neurons. In mice lacking Cdc42 in presynaptic sensory neurons, proprioceptive sensory axons appropriately reach the ventral spinal cord, but significantly fewer synapses are formed with motor neurons compared with wild-type mice. Concordantly, electrophysiological analyses show diminished EPSP amplitudes in monosynaptic sensory–motor circuits in these mutants. Temporally targeted deletion of Cdc42 in sensory neurons after sensory–motor circuit establishment reveals that Cdc42 does not affect synaptic transmission. Furthermore, addition of the synaptic organizers, neuroligins, induces presynaptic differentiation of wild-type, but not Cdc42-deficient, proprioceptive sensory neurons in vitro. Together, our findings demonstrate that Cdc42 in presynaptic neurons is required for synapse formation in monosynaptic sensory–motor circuits. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Group Ia proprioceptive sensory neurons form direct synapses with motor neurons, but the molecular mechanisms underlying synapse formation in these monosynaptic sensory–motor connections are unknown. We show that deleting Cdc42 in sensory neurons does not affect proprioceptive sensory axon targeting because axons reach the ventral spinal cord appropriately, but these neurons form significantly fewer presynaptic terminals on motor neurons. Electrophysiological analysis further shows that EPSPs are decreased in these mice. Finally, we demonstrate that Cdc42 is involved in neuroligin-dependent presynaptic differentiation of proprioceptive sensory neurons in vitro

  6. Characterization of photoactivated singlet oxygen damage in single-molecule optical trap experiments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Landry, Markita P; McCall, Patrick M; Qi, Zhi; Chemla, Yann R

    2009-10-21

    Optical traps or "tweezers" use high-power, near-infrared laser beams to manipulate and apply forces to biological systems, ranging from individual molecules to cells. Although previous studies have established that optical tweezers induce photodamage in live cells, the effects of trap irradiation have yet to be examined in vitro, at the single-molecule level. In this study, we investigate trap-induced damage in a simple system consisting of DNA molecules tethered between optically trapped polystyrene microspheres. We show that exposure to the trapping light affects the lifetime of the tethers, the efficiency with which they can be formed, and their structure. Moreover, we establish that these irreversible effects are caused by oxidative damage from singlet oxygen. This reactive state of molecular oxygen is generated locally by the optical traps in the presence of a sensitizer, which we identify as the trapped polystyrene microspheres. Trap-induced oxidative damage can be reduced greatly by working under anaerobic conditions, using additives that quench singlet oxygen, or trapping microspheres lacking the sensitizers necessary for singlet state photoexcitation. Our findings are relevant to a broad range of trap-based single-molecule experiments-the most common biological application of optical tweezers-and may guide the development of more robust experimental protocols.

  7. Cooperatively enhanced dipole forces from artificial atoms in trapped nanodiamonds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juan, Mathieu L.; Bradac, Carlo; Besga, Benjamin; Johnsson, Mattias; Brennen, Gavin; Molina-Terriza, Gabriel; Volz, Thomas

    2017-03-01

    Optical trapping is a powerful tool to manipulate small particles, from micrometre-size beads in liquid environments to single atoms in vacuum. The trapping mechanism relies on the interaction between a dipole and the electric field of laser light. In atom trapping, the dominant contribution to the associated force typically comes from the allowed optical transition closest to the laser wavelength, whereas for mesoscopic particles it is given by the polarizability of the bulk material. Here, we show that for nanoscale diamond crystals containing a large number of artificial atoms, nitrogen-vacancy colour centres, the contributions from both the nanodiamond and the colour centres to the optical trapping strength can be simultaneously observed in a noisy liquid environment. For wavelengths around the zero-phonon line transition of the colour centres, we observe a 10% increase of overall trapping strength. The magnitude of this effect suggests that due to the large density of centres, cooperative effects between the artificial atoms contribute to the observed modification of the trapping strength. Our approach may enable the study of cooperativity in nanoscale solid-state systems and the use of atomic physics techniques in the field of nano-manipulation.

  8. The Phlebotominae sand fly (Diptera: Psychodidae fauna of two Atlantic Rain Forest Reserves in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Souza Nataly A

    2001-01-01

    Full Text Available During two consecutive years, studies on the sand fly fauna in Poço das Antas and Fazenda Bom Retiro, two Atlantic Rain Forest Reserves from the State of Rio de Janeiro, were performed using Shannon traps, CDC light traps and human bait collections. Eleven species were identified; Lutzomyia longipalpis, L. migonei, L. edwardsi, L. intermedia, L. whitmani, L. fischeri, L. shannoni, L. ayrozai, L. hirsuta, L. monticola and L. misionensis (first occurrence in the State of Rio de Janeiro. L. intermedia and L. whitmani were the predominant anthropophilic species around houses, while L. hirsuta predominated in the forest.

  9. CDC Vital Signs-African American Health

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    This podcast is based on the May 2017 CDC Vital Signs report. The life expectancy of African Americans has improved, but it's still an average of four years less than whites. Learn what can be done so all Americans can have the opportunity to pursue a healthy lifestyle.

  10. CDC Vital Signs-Hospital Actions Affect Breastfeeding

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    This podcast is based on the October 2015 CDC Vital Signs report. Hospitals can implement the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding to be designated as "Baby-Friendly" and support more moms in a decision to breastfeed.

  11. Broadband light trapping strategies for quantum-dot photovoltaic cells (>10%) and their issues with the measurement of photovoltaic characteristics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cho, Changsoon; Song, Jung Hoon; Kim, Changjo; Jeong, Sohee; Lee, Jung-Yong

    2017-12-12

    Bandgap tunability and broadband absorption make quantum-dot (QD) photovoltaic cells (PVs) a promising candidate for future solar energy conversion systems. Approaches to improving the electrical properties of the active layer increase efficiency in part. The present study focuses on optical room for enhancement in QD PVs over wide spectrum in the near-infrared (NIR) region. We find that ray-optical light trapping schemes rather than the nanophotonics approach may be the best solution for enhancing broadband QD PVs by suppressing the escape probability of internal photons without spectral dependency. Based on the theoretical study of diverse schemes for various bandgaps, we apply a V-groove structure and a V-groove textured compound parabolic trapper (VCPT) to PbS-based QD PVs along with the measurement issues for PVs with a light scattering layer. The efficiency of the best device is improved from 10.3% to 11.0% (certified to 10.8%) by a V-groove structure despite the possibility of underestimation caused by light scattering in small-area devices (aperture area: 0.0625 cm 2 ). By minimizing such underestimation, even greater enhancements of 13.6% and 15.6% in short circuit current are demonstrated for finger-type devices (0.167 cm 2 without aperture) and large-area devices (2.10 cm 2 with an aperture of 0.350 cm 2 ), respectively, using VCPT.

  12. [Prokaryotic expression and histological localization of the Taenia solium CDC37 gene].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Jiang; Li, Bo; Dai, Jia-Lin; Zhang, Ai-Hua

    2013-02-01

    To express Taenia solium gene encoding cell division cycle 37 protein (TsCDC37) and investigate its antigenicity and localization in adults of Taenia solium. The complete coding sequence of TsCDC37 was amplified by PCR based on the recombinant plasmid clone from the cDNA library of adult Taenia solium. The PCR product was cloned into a prokaryotic expression vector pET-28a (+). The recombinant expression plasmid was identified by PCR, double endonuclease digestion and sequencing. The recombinant plasmid was transformed into E. coli BL21/DE3 and followed by expression of the protein induced by IPTG. The mice were immunized subcutaneously with purified recombinant TsCDC37 formulated in Freund's adjuvant. The antigenicity of the recombinant protein was examined by Western blotting. The localization of TsCDC37 in adult worms was demonstrated by immunofluorescent technique. The recombinant expression vector was constructed successfully. The recombinant protein was about M(r) 52 000, it was then purified and specifically recognized by immuno sera of SD rats and sera from patients infected with Taenia solium, Taenia saginata or Taenia asiatica. The immunofluorescence assay revealed that TsCDC37 located at the tegument of T. solium adult and the eggs. TsCDC37 gene has been expressed with immunoreactivity. The recombinant protein is mainly expressed in tegument and egg, and is a common antigen of the three human taenia cestodes.

  13. CDC Vital Signs-Heroin Epidemic

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    2015-07-07

    This podcast is based on the July 2015 CDC Vital Signs report. Heroin use and heroin-related overdose deaths are increasing. Most people are using it with other drugs, especially prescription opioid painkillers. Learn what can be done to prevent and treat the problem.  Created: 7/7/2015 by National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC).   Date Released: 7/7/2015.

  14. Optimising camera traps for monitoring small mammals.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alistair S Glen

    Full Text Available Practical techniques are required to monitor invasive animals, which are often cryptic and occur at low density. Camera traps have potential for this purpose, but may have problems detecting and identifying small species. A further challenge is how to standardise the size of each camera's field of view so capture rates are comparable between different places and times. We investigated the optimal specifications for a low-cost camera trap for small mammals. The factors tested were 1 trigger speed, 2 passive infrared vs. microwave sensor, 3 white vs. infrared flash, and 4 still photographs vs. video. We also tested a new approach to standardise each camera's field of view. We compared the success rates of four camera trap designs in detecting and taking recognisable photographs of captive stoats (Mustelaerminea, feral cats (Felis catus and hedgehogs (Erinaceuseuropaeus. Trigger speeds of 0.2-2.1 s captured photographs of all three target species unless the animal was running at high speed. The camera with a microwave sensor was prone to false triggers, and often failed to trigger when an animal moved in front of it. A white flash produced photographs that were more readily identified to species than those obtained under infrared light. However, a white flash may be more likely to frighten target animals, potentially affecting detection probabilities. Video footage achieved similar success rates to still cameras but required more processing time and computer memory. Placing two camera traps side by side achieved a higher success rate than using a single camera. Camera traps show considerable promise for monitoring invasive mammal control operations. Further research should address how best to standardise the size of each camera's field of view, maximise the probability that an animal encountering a camera trap will be detected, and eliminate visible or audible cues emitted by camera traps.

  15. Frequent alterations of SLIT2–ROBO1–CDC42 signalling pathway ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    breast cancer; alterations of SLIT2–ROBO1 signalling; active CDC42; ... proportion of four subtypes were tested for molecular alterations of SLIT2, ... reduced expression of phospho Serine-71 CDC42 predicted poor survival of BC patients.

  16. Using malaise traps to sample ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae).

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ulyshen, Michael D., James L. Hanula, and Scott Horn

    2005-01-01

    Pitfall traps provide an easy and inexpensive way to sample ground-dwelling arthropods (Spence and Niemela 1994; Spence et al. 1997; Abildsnes and Tommeras 2000) and have been used exclusively in many studies of the abundance and diversity of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Despite the popularity of this trapping technique, pitfall traps have many disadvantages. For example, they often fail to collect both small (Spence and Niemela 1994) and trap-shy species (Benest 1989), eventually deplete the local carabid population (Digweed et al. 1995), require a species to be ground-dwelling in order to be captured (Liebherr and Mahar 1979), and produce different results depending on trap diameter and material, type of preservative used, and trap placement (Greenslade 1964; Luff 1975; Work et al. 2002). Further complications arise from seasonal patterns of movement among the beetles themselves (Maelfait and Desender 1990), as well as numerous climatic factors, differences in plant cover, and variable surface conditions (Adis 1979). Because of these limitations, pitfall trap data give an incomplete picture of the carabid community and should be interpreted carefully. Additional methods, such as use of Berlese funnels and litter washing (Spence and Niemela 1994), collection from lights (Usis and MacLean 1998), and deployment of flight intercept devices (Liebherr and Mahar 1979; Paarmann and Stork 1987), should be incorporated in surveys to better ascertain the species composition and relative numbers of ground beetles. Flight intercept devices, like pitfall traps, have the advantage of being easy to use and replicate, but their value to carabid surveys is largely unknown. Here we demonstrate the effectiveness of Malaise traps for sampling ground beetles in a bottomland hardwood forest.

  17. Using malaise traps to sample ground beetles (Coleoptera. Carabidae)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ulyshen, Michael D. [USDA Forest Service, Savannah River, New Ellenton, SC (United States); Hanula, James L. [USDA Forest Service, Savannah River, New Ellenton, SC (United States); Horn, Scott [USDA Forest Service, Savannah River, New Ellenton, SC (United States)

    2012-04-02

    Pitfall traps provide an easy and inexpensive way to sample ground-dwelling arthropods (Spence and Niemela 1994; Spence et al. 1997; Abildsnes and Tommeras 2000) and have been used exclusively in many studies of the abundance and diversity of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Despite the popularity of this trapping technique, pitfall traps have many disadvantages. For example, they often fail to collect both small (Spence and Niemela 1994) and trap-shy species (Benest 1989), eventually deplete the local carabid population (Digweed et al. 1995), require a species to be ground-dwelling in order to be captured (Liebherr and Mahar 1979), and produce different results depending on trap diameter and material, type of preservative used, and trap placement (Greenslade 1964; Luff 1975; Work et al. 2002). Further complications arise from seasonal patterns of movement among the beetles themselves (Maelfait and Desender 1990), as well as numerous climatic factors, differences in plant cover, and variable surface conditions (Adis 1979). Because of these limitations, pitfall trap data give an incomplete picture of the carabid community and should be interpreted carefully. Additional methods, such as use of Berlese funnels and litter washing (Spence and Niemela 1994), collection from lights (Usis and MacLean 1998), and deployment of flight intercept devices (Liebherr and Mahar 1979; Paarmann and Stork 1987), should be incorporated in surveys to better ascertain the species composition and relative numbers of ground beetles. Flight intercept devices, like pitfall traps, have the advantage of being easy to use and replicate, but their value to carabid surveys is largely unknown. Here we demonstrate the effectiveness of Malaise traps for sampling ground beetles in a bottomland hardwood forest.

  18. Optical macro-tweezers: trapping of highly motile micro-organisms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thalhammer, G; Steiger, R; Bernet, S; Ritsch-Marte, M

    2011-01-01

    Optical micromanipulation stands for contact-free handling of microscopic particles by light. Optical forces can manipulate non-absorbing objects in a large range of sizes, e.g., from biological cells down to cold atoms. Recently much progress has been made going from the micro- down to the nanoscale. Less attention has been paid to going the other way, trapping increasingly large particles. Optical tweezers typically employ a single laser beam tightly focused by a microscope objective of high numerical aperture to stably trap a particle in three dimensions (3D). As the particle size increases, stable 3D trapping in a single-beam trap requires scaling up the optical power, which eventually induces adverse biological effects. Moreover, the restricted field of view of standard optical tweezers, dictated by the use of high NA objectives, is particularly unfavorable for catching actively moving specimens. Both problems can be overcome by traps with counter-propagating beams. Our 'macro-tweezers' are especially designed to trap highly motile organisms, as they enable three-dimensional all-optical trapping and guiding in a volume of 2 × 1 × 2 mm 3 . Here we report for the first time the optical trapping of large actively swimming organisms, such as for instance Euglena protists and dinoflagellates of up to 70 µm length. Adverse bio-effects are kept low since trapping occurs outside high intensity regions, e.g., focal spots. We expect our approach to open various possibilities in the contact-free handling of 50–100 µm sized objects that could hitherto not be envisaged, for instance all-optical holding of individual micro-organisms for taxonomic identification, selective collecting or tagging

  19. CDC-reported assisted reproductive technology live-birth rates may mislead the public.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kushnir, Vitaly A; Choi, Jennifer; Darmon, Sarah K; Albertini, David F; Barad, David H; Gleicher, Norbert

    2017-08-01

    The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publicly reports assisted reproductive technology live-birth rates (LBR) for each US fertility clinic under legal mandate. The 2014 CDC report excluded 35,406 of 184,527 (19.2%) autologous assisted reproductive technology cycles that involved embryo or oocyte banking from LBR calculations. This study calculated 2014 total clinic LBR for all patients utilizing autologous oocytes two ways: including all initiated assisted reproductive technology cycles or excluding banking cycles, as done by the CDC. The main limitation of this analysis is the CDC report did not differentiate between cycles involving long-term banking of embryos or oocytes for fertility preservation from cycles involving short-term embryo banking. Twenty-seven of 458 (6%) clinics reported over 40% of autologous cycles involved banking, collectively performing 12% of all US assisted reproductive technology cycles. LBR in these outlier clinics calculated by the CDC method, was higher than the other 94% of clinics (33.1% versus 31.1%). However, recalculated LBR including banking cycles in the outlier clinics was lower than the other 94% of clinics (15.5% versus 26.6%). LBR calculated by the two methods increasingly diverged based on proportion of banking cycles performed by each clinic reaching 4.5-fold, thereby, potentially misleading the public. Copyright © 2017 Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Accurate absolute measurement of trapped Cs atoms in a MOT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Talavera O, M.; Lopez R, M.; Carlos L, E. de; Jimenez S, S.

    2007-01-01

    A Cs-133 Magneto-Optical Trap (MOT) has been developed at the Time and Frequency Division of the Centro Nacional de Metrologia, CENAM, in Mexico. This MOT is part of a primary frequency standard based on ultra-cold Cs atoms, called CsF-1 clock, under development at CENAM. In this Cs MOT, we use the standard configuration (σ + - σ - ) 4-horizontal 2-vertical laser beams 1.9 cm in diameter, with 5 mW each. We use a 852 nm, 5 mW, DBR laser as a master laser which is stabilized by saturation spectroscopy. Emission linewidth of the master laser is l MHz. In order to amplify the light of the master laser, a 50 mW, 852 nm AlGaAs laser is used as slave laser. This slave laser is stabilized by light injection technique. A 12 MHz red shift of the light is performed by two double passes through two Acusto-Optic Modulators (AOMs). The optical part of the CENAMs MOT is very robust against mechanical vibration, acoustic noise and temperature changes in our laboratory, because none of our diode lasers use an extended cavity to reduce the linewidth. In this paper, we report results of our MOT characterization as a function of several operation parameters such as the intensity of laser beams, the laser beam diameter, the red shift of light, and the gradient of the magnetic field. We also report accurate absolute measurement of the number of Cs atoms trapped in our Cs MOT. We found up to 6 x 10 7 Cs atoms trapped in our MOT measured with an uncertainty no greater than 6.4%. (Author)

  1. CDC Vital Signs–Legionnaires’ Disease

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    2017-06-06

    This podcast is based on the June 2017 CDC Vital Signs report. Legionnaires’ disease is a serious, often deadly lung infection. People most commonly get it by breathing in water droplets containing Legionella germs. Learn how to prevent infections from Legionella.  Created: 6/6/2017 by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).   Date Released: 6/6/2017.

  2. CDC Vital Signs-Communication Can Save Lives

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    This podcast is based on the August 2015 CDC Vital Signs report. Antibiotic-resistant germs cause at least 23,000 deaths each year. Learn how public health authorities and health care facilities can work together to save lives.

  3. Informe Signos Vitales de los CDC Obesidad infantil - (Childhood Obesity)

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    2013-08-06

    Este podcast se basa en el informe Signos Vitales de los CDC de agosto del 2013. La tasa de obesidad entre los niños en edad prescolar de bajos ingresos ha disminuido, pero todavía uno de cada seis niños hispanos es obeso. Este programa habla brevemente sobre lo que se puede hacer.  Created: 8/6/2013 by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).   Date Released: 8/6/2013.

  4. Effects of light pollution on the emergent fauna of shallow marine ecosystems: Amphipods as a case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Navarro-Barranco, Carlos; Hughes, Lauren Elizabeth

    2015-05-15

    Light pollution from coastal urban development is a widespread and increasing threat to biodiversity. Many amphipod species migrate between the benthos and the pelagic environment and light seems is a main ecological factor which regulates migration. We explore the effect of artificial lighting on amphipod assemblages using two kind of lights, LED and halogen, and control traps in shallow waters of the Great Barrier Reef. Both types of artificial light traps showed a significantly higher abundance of individuals for all species in comparison to control traps. LED lights showed a stronger effect over the amphipod assemblages, with these traps collecting a higher number of individuals and differing species composition, with some species showing a specific attraction to LED light. As emergent amphipods are a key ecological group in the shallow water environment, the impact of artificial light can affect the broader functioning of the ecosystem. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. CDC 24/7: Saving Lives, Protecting People

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    2012-06-04

    24/7, CDC provides health information, responds to public health emergencies and natural disasters, and monitors disease.  Created: 6/4/2012 by Office of the Associate Director of Communciation (OADC).   Date Released: 6/4/2012.

  6. The Multipole Plasma Trap-PIC Modeling Results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hicks, Nathaniel; Bowman, Amanda; Godden, Katarina

    2017-10-01

    A radio-frequency (RF) multipole structure is studied via particle-in-cell computer modeling, to assess the response of quasi-neutral plasma to the imposed RF fields. Several regimes, such as pair plasma, antimatter plasma, and conventional (ion-electron) plasma are considered. In the case of equal charge-to-mass ratio of plasma species, the effects of the multipole field are symmetric between positive and negative particles. In the case of a charge-to-mass disparity, the multipole RF parameters (frequency, voltage, structure size) may be chosen such that the light species (e.g. electrons) is strongly confined, while the heavy species (e.g. positive ions) does not respond to the RF field. In this case, the trapped negative space charge creates a potential well that then traps the positive species. 2D and 3D particle-in-cell simulations of this concept are presented, to assess plasma response and trapping dependences on multipole order, consequences of the formation of an RF plasma sheath, and the effects of an axial magnetic field. The scalings of trapped plasma parameters are explored in each of the mentioned regimes, to guide the design of prospective experiments investigating each. Supported by U.S. NSF/DOE Partnership in Basic Plasma Science and Engineering Grant PHY-1619615.

  7. Frequent alterations of SLIT2–ROBO1–CDC42 signalling pathway ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2016-09-07

    Sep 7, 2016 ... Keywords. breast cancer; alterations of SLIT2–ROBO1 signalling; active CDC42; pSer71-CDC42 . Journal of ... have already been studied in head and neck squamous cell ...... lung, oral, cervical, breast, kidney (Dallol et al.

  8. CDC Vital Signs–Opioid Overdoses Treated in Emergency Departments

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    2018-03-06

    This podcast is based on the March 2018 CDC Vital Signs report. Opioid overdoses continue to increase in the United States. Learn what can be done to help prevent opioid overdose and death.  Created: 3/6/2018 by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).   Date Released: 3/6/2018.

  9. Spectroscopy and nonclassical fluorescence properties of single trapped Ba+ ions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bolle, J.

    1998-06-01

    This thesis reports on the setup and application of an experimental apparatus for spectroscopic and quantum optical investigations of a single Barium ion in a Paul trap. The realization of the apparatus, which consists of the ion trap in ultra high vacuum, two laser systems, and a photon counting detection system, is described in detail, with particular consideration of the noise sources like stray light and laser frequency instabilities. The two lasers at 493 nm and 650 nm needed to continuously excite resonance fluorescence from the Barium ion have been realized using diode lasers only. The preparation of a single localized Barium ion is described, in particular its optical cooling with the laser light and the minimization of induced vibration in the trapping potential. The purely quantum mechanical property of antibunching is observed by measuring the intensity correlation function of resonance fluorescence from the trapped and cooled ion. Interference properties of the single ion resonance fluorescence are investigated with a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. From the measured high-contrast interference signal it is proven that each individual fluorescence photon interferes with itself. The fluorescence excitation spectrum, on varying one laser frequency, is also measured and exhibits dark resonances. These measurements are compared to calculations based on optical Bloch equations for the 8 atomic levels involved. Future experiments, in particular the detection of reduced quantum fluctuations (squeezing) in one quadrature component of the resonance fluorescence, are discussed. (author)

  10. Cell cycle- and cell growth-regulated proteolysis of mammalian CDC6 is dependent on APC-CDH1

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, B O; Wagener, C; Marinoni, F

    2000-01-01

    is targeted for ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis by the anaphase promoting complex (APC)/cyclosome in G(1). A combination of point mutations in the destruction box and KEN-box motifs in CDC6 stabilizes the protein in G(1) and in quiescent cells. Furthermore, APC, in association with CDH1, ubiquitinates CDC6...... in vitro, and both APC and CDH1 are required and limiting for CDC6 proteolysis in vivo. Although a stable mutant of CDC6 is biologically active, overexpression of this mutant or wild-type CDC6 is not sufficient to induce multiple rounds of DNA replication in the same cell cycle. The APC-CDH1-dependent...

  11. CDC Vital Signs-Heart Age

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    This podcast is based on the September 2015 CDC Vital Signs report. Your heart age is the age of your heart and blood vessels as a result of your risk factors for heart attack and stroke. If you smoke or have high blood pressure, your heart age will be much higher than your actual age. Learn what you can do to lower your heart age and keep it low.

  12. CDC Vital Signs-Hispanic Health

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    This podcast is based on the May 2015 CDC Vital Signs report. About one in six people living in the U.S. are Hispanic. The two leading causes of death in this group are heart disease and cancer, accounting for two out of five deaths. Unfortunately, many Hispanics face considerable barriers to getting high quality health care, including language and low income. Learn what can be done to reduce the barriers.

  13. Structure and function of the AAA+ ATPase p97/Cdc48p.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xia, Di; Tang, Wai Kwan; Ye, Yihong

    2016-05-25

    p97 (also known as valosin-containing protein (VCP) in mammals or Cdc48p in Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is an evolutionarily conserved ATPase present in all eukaryotes and archaebacteria. In conjunction with a collection of cofactors and adaptors, p97/Cdc48p performs an array of biological functions mostly through modulating the stability of 'client' proteins. Using energy from ATP hydrolysis, p97/Cdc48p segregates these molecules from immobile cellular structures such as protein assemblies, membrane organelles, and chromatin. Consequently, the released polypeptides can be efficiently degraded by the ubiquitin proteasome system or recycled. This review summarizes our current understanding of the structure and function of this essential cellular chaperoning system. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  14. Entomologic Inoculation Rates of Anopheles arabiensis in Southwestern Ethiopia

    OpenAIRE

    Ulesido, Fekadu Massebo; Balkew, Meshesha; Gebre-Michael, Teshome; Lindtjørn, Bernt

    2013-01-01

    We collected anophelines every second week for one year from randomly selected houses in southwestern Ethiopia by using Centers for Disease Control (CDC) light traps, pyrethrum spray catches, and artificial pit shelter constructions to detect circumsporozoite proteins and estimate entomologic inoculation rates (EIRs). Of 3,678 Anopheles arabiensis tested for circumsporozoite proteins, 11 were positive for Plasmodium falciparum and three for P. vivax. The estimated annual P. falciparum EIR of ...

  15. Articles Published and Downloaded by Public Health Scientists: Analysis of Data From the CDC Public Health Library, 2011-2013.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iskander, John; Bang, Gail; Stupp, Emma; Connick, Kathy; Gomez, Onnalee; Gidudu, Jane

    2016-01-01

    To describe scientific information usage and publication patterns of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Public Health Library and Information Center patrons. Administratively collected patron usage data and aggregate data on CDC-authored publications from the CDC Library for 3 consecutive years were analyzed. The CDC Public Health Library and Information Center, which serves CDC employees nationally and internationally. Internal patrons and external users of the CDC Library. Three-year trends in full-text article publication and downloads including most common journals used for each purpose, systematic literature searches requested and completed, and subscriptions to a weekly public health current literature awareness service. From 2011 to 2013, CDC scientists published a total of 7718 articles in the peer-reviewed literature. During the same period, article downloads from the CDC Library increased 25% to more than 1.1 million, completed requests for reviews of the scientific literature increased by 34%, and electronic subscriptions to literature compilation services increased by 23%. CDC's scientific output and information use via the CDC Library are both increasing. Researchers and field staff are making greater use of literature review services and other customized information content delivery. Virtual public health library access is an increasingly important resource for the scientific practice of public health.

  16. Light emission mechanism of mixed host organic light-emitting diodes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Wook; Lee, Jun Yeob

    2015-03-01

    Light emission mechanism of organic light-emitting diodes with a mixed host emitting layer was studied using an exciplex type mixed host and an exciplex free mixed host. Monitoring of the current density and luminance of the two type mixed host devices revealed that the light emission process of the exciplex type mixed host was dominated by energy transfer, while the light emission of the exciplex free mixed host was controlled by charge trapping. Mixed host composition was also critical to the light emission mechanism, and the contribution of the energy transfer process was maximized at 50:50 mixed host composition. Therefore, it was possible to manage the light emission process of the mixed host devices by managing the mixed host composition.

  17. CDC STATE System E-Cigarette Legislation - Youth Access

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — 1995-2018. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System. E-Cigarette Legislation—Youth Access....

  18. Photoionization and cold collision studies using trapped atoms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gould, P.L.

    1996-01-01

    The authors have used laser cooling and trapping techniques to investigate photoionization and cold collisions. With laser-trapped Rb, they have measured the photoionization cross section from the first excited (5P) level by observing the photoionization-induced loss rate of neutral atoms from the trap. This technique has the advantage that it directly measures the photoionization rate per atom. Knowing the ionizing laser intensity and the excited-state fraction, the measured loss rate gives the absolute cross section. Using this technique, the Rb 5P photoionization cross section at ∼400 nm has been determined with an uncertainty of 9%. The authors are currently attempting to extend this method to the 5D level. Using time-ordered pulses of diode-laser light (similar to the STIRAP technique), they have performed very efficient two-photon excitation of trapped Rb atoms to 5D. Finally, they will present results from a recent collaboration which combines measurements form conventional molecular spectroscopy (single photon and double resonance) with photoassociation collisions of ultracold Na atoms to yield a precise (≤1 ppm) value for the dissociation energy of the X Σ g+ ground state of the Na 2 molecule

  19. Controlling light with resonant plasmonic nanostructures

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Waele, R. de

    2009-01-01

    Plasmons are collective oscillations of free electrons in a metal. At optical frequencies plasmons enable nanoscale confinement of light in metal nanostructures. This ability has given rise to many applications in e.g. photothermal cancer treatment, light trapping in photovoltaic cells, and sensing.

  20. Improved atom number with a dual color magneto—optical trap

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cao Qiang; Luo Xin-Yu; Gao Kui-Yi; Wang Xiao-Rui; Wang Ru-Quan; Chen Dong-Min

    2012-01-01

    We demonstrate a novel dual color magneto—optical trap (MOT), which uses two sets of overlapping laser beams to cool and trap 87 Rb atoms. The volume of cold cloud in the dual color MOT is strongly dependent on the frequency difference of the laser beams and can be significantly larger than that in the normal MOT with single frequency MOT beams. Our experiment shows that the dual color MOT has the same loading rate as the normal MOT, but much longer loading time, leading to threefold increase in the number of trapped atoms. This indicates that the larger number is caused by reduced light induced loss. The dual color MOT is very useful in experiments where both high vacuum level and large atom number are required, such as single chamber quantum memory and Bose—Einstein condensation (BEC) experiments. Compared to the popular dark spontaneous-force optical trap (dark SPOT) technique, our approach is technically simpler and more suitable to low power laser systems. (rapid communication)

  1. CDC releases ventilator-associated events criteria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robbins RA

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available No abstract available. Article truncated at 150 words. A new term has been coined by the CDC, ventilator-associated events (VAEs (1. In 2011, the CDC convened a working group composed of members of several stakeholder organizations to address the limitations of the definition of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP definition (2. The organizations represented in the Working Group include: the Critical Care Societies Collaborative (the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, the American College of Chest Physicians, the American Thoracic Society, and the Society for Critical Care Medicine; the American Association for Respiratory Care; the Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology; the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists; the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee’s Surveillance Working Group; the Infectious Diseases Society of America; and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. VAEs are defined by an increase oxygen (>0.2 in FiO2 or positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP (≥3 cm H2O, after a previous stable baseline of at least 2 …

  2. On-chip particle trapping and manipulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leake, Kaelyn Danielle

    The ability to control and manipulate the world around us is human nature. Humans and our ancestors have used tools for millions of years. Only in recent years have we been able to control objects at such small levels. In order to understand the world around us it is frequently necessary to interact with the biological world. Optical trapping and manipulation offer a non-invasive way to move, sort and interact with particles and cells to see how they react to the world around them. Optical tweezers are ideal in their abilities but they require large, non-portable, and expensive setups limiting how and where we can use them. A cheap portable platform is required in order to have optical manipulation reach its full potential. On-chip technology offers a great solution to this challenge. We focused on the Liquid-Core Anti-Resonant Reflecting Optical Waveguide (liquid-core ARROW) for our work. The ARROW is an ideal platform, which has anti-resonant layers which allow light to be guided in liquids, allowing for particles to easily be manipulated. It is manufactured using standard silicon manufacturing techniques making it easy to produce. The planner design makes it easy to integrate with other technologies. Initially I worked to improve the ARROW chip by reducing the intersection losses and by reducing the fluorescence and background on the ARROW chip. The ARROW chip has already been used to trap and push particles along its channel but here I introduce several new methods of particle trapping and manipulation on the ARROW chip. Traditional two beam traps use two counter propagating beams. A trapping scheme that uses two orthogonal beams which counter to first instinct allow for trapping at their intersection is introduced. This scheme is thoroughly predicted and analyzed using realistic conditions. Simulations of this method were done using a program which looks at both the fluidics and optical sources to model complex situations. These simulations were also used to

  3. Insect Biometrics: Optoacoustic Signal Processing and Its Applications to Remote Monitoring of McPhail Type Traps.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Potamitis, Ilyas; Rigakis, Iraklis; Fysarakis, Konstantinos

    2015-01-01

    Monitoring traps are important components of integrated pest management applied against important fruit fly pests, including Bactrocera oleae (Gmelin) and Ceratitis capitata (Widemann), Diptera of the Tephritidae family, which effect a crop-loss/per year calculated in billions of euros worldwide. Pests can be controlled with ground pesticide sprays, the efficiency of which depends on knowing the time, location and extent of infestations as early as possible. Trap inspection is currently carried out manually, using the McPhail trap, and the mass spraying is decided based on a decision protocol. We introduce the term 'insect biometrics' in the context of entomology as a measure of a characteristic of the insect (in our case, the spectrum of its wingbeat) that allows us to identify its species and make devices to help face old enemies with modern means. We modify a McPhail type trap into becoming electronic by installing an array of photoreceptors coupled to an infrared emitter, guarding the entrance of the trap. The beating wings of insects flying in the trap intercept the light and the light fluctuation is turned to a recording. Custom-made electronics are developed that are placed as an external add-on kit, without altering the internal space of the trap. Counts from the trap are transmitted using a mobile communication network. This trap introduces a new automated remote-monitoring method different to audio and vision-based systems. We evaluate our trap in large number of insects in the laboratory by enclosing the electronic trap in insectary cages. Our experiments assess the potential of delivering reliable data that can be used to initialize reliably the spraying process at large scales but to also monitor the impact of the spraying process as it eliminates the time-lag between acquiring and delivering insect counts to a central agency.

  4. TYPE OF LIGHT IN SAND FLY CAPTURES (DIPTERA:PSYCHODIDAE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    VERÔNICA DE LOURDES SIERPE JERALDO

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available The number of cases of visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil has been gradually increasing, and one of the strategies to reduce the transmission of this disease is based on the control of the adult forms of its vectors. It is therefore of great epidemiological importance to develop more refined methods for monitoring and controlling its vectors, which are the phlebotomine sand flies, or biting midges. The present study compares the attraction exercised by UV light in comparison with conventional incandescent, or white, light in catching phlebotomine sand flies. Traps baited with UV light caught higher numbers of these flies than traps baited with white light, indicating the potential use of UV light, especially in locations of low demographic density of the flies.

  5. CDC Vital Signs-Safer Food Saves Lives

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    This podcast is based on the November 2015 CDC Vital Signs report. Contaminated food sent to several states can cause multistate outbreaks of foodborne illness and make a lot of people seriously ill. Learn what can be done to prevent and stop outbreaks.

  6. CDC Vital Signs: Teen Drinking and Driving

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... short. Obey speed limits. Never use a cell phone or text while driving. Parents can Understand that most teens who drink ... number of teen passengers Never use a cell phone or text while driving Obey speed limits Get your copy of CDC's ...

  7. Using traps of terrestrial insects in culture of rheophilic fish fingerling

    OpenAIRE

    HERCIG, Daniel

    2008-01-01

    Food is one of the most important items in fish culture economy. Juvenile fish prove the fastest growth rates and that is the reason why their appropriate nourishment is so important. Surface drift of terrestrial insects provides an excellent food for rheophilic fish species . Reophilic fishes are able to utilise also plants and particularly algae too. Terrestrial insects can be attracted to water surface by various ways. Is it a light trap during the night. The installation of colour traps i...

  8. CDC STATE System Tobacco Legislation - Smokefree Indoor Air

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — 1995-2018. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System. Legislation – Smokefree Indoor Air. The...

  9. Cdc7-Dbf4 Regulates NDT80 Transcription as Well as Reductional Segregation during Budding Yeast Meiosis

    OpenAIRE

    Lo, Hsiao-Chi; Wan, Lihong; Rosebrock, Adam; Futcher, Bruce; Hollingsworth, Nancy M.

    2008-01-01

    In budding yeast, as in other eukaryotes, the Cdc7 protein kinase is important for initiation of DNA synthesis in vegetative cells. In addition, Cdc7 has crucial meiotic functions: it facilitates premeiotic DNA replication, and it is essential for the initiation of recombination. This work uses a chemical genetic approach to demonstrate that Cdc7 kinase has additional roles in meiosis. First, Cdc7 allows expression of NDT80, a meiosis-specific transcriptional activator required for the induct...

  10. Cdc42 is crucial for the maturation of primordial cell junctions in keratinocytes independent of Rac1

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Du, Dan; Pedersen, Esben; Wang, Zhipeng

    2008-01-01

    Cell-cell contacts are crucial for the integrity of all tissues. Contrasting reports have been published about the role of Cdc42 in epithelial cell-cell contacts in vitro. In keratinocytes, it was suggested that Rac1 and not Cdc42 is crucial for the formation of mature epithelial junctions, based...... on dominant negative inhibition experiments. Deletion of the Cdc42 gene in keratinocytes in vivo slowly impaired the maintenance of cell-cell contacts by an increased degradation of beta-catenin. Whether Cdc42 is required for the formation of mature junctions was not tested. We show now that Cdc42-deficient...... immortalized and primary keratinocytes form only punctate primordial cell contacts in vitro, which cannot mature into belt-like junctions. This defect was independent of enhanced degradation of beta-catenin, but correlated to an impaired activation and localization of aPKCzeta in the Cdc42-null keratinocytes...

  11. A novel functional polymorphism in the Cdc6 promoter is associated with the risk for hepatocellular carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiong Xingdong; Fang Jianhong; Qiu Fuen; Zhao Jing; Cheng Jiasen; Yuan Yunfei; Li Shengping; Zhuang Shimei

    2008-01-01

    Cdc6 is essential for DNA replication and its deregulation is involved in carcinogenesis. To date, the biological significance of the polymorphism in Cdc6 promoter is still unknown. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the influence of the Cdc6 -515A>G polymorphism (rs4134994) on the individual's susceptibility to cancer and on the function of Cdc6. The Cdc6 -515A>G polymorphism was genotyped in 387 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 389 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. The association between the genotypes and the risk for HCC was then estimated by unconditional logistic regression analysis with adjustment for age, sex and HBV status. Compared with the AA homozygotes, the homozygous GG genotype (adjusted OR = 0.36, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.18-0.72, P = 0.004) or the combined AG/GG genotypes (adjusted OR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.36-0.86, P = 0.008) were statistically significantly associated with the reduced risk for HCC. Moreover, the analysis using luciferase reporter system showed that the G-allelic Cdc6 promoter displayed a decreased transcriptional activity compared with the A-allelic one. These results indicate that the individuals with G allele may have reduced Cdc6 expression and are therefore in reduced risk for HCC. Further investigation using electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) revealed that the G allele had a stronger binding strength to nuclear protein(s) which might function as negative regulator(s) for Cdc6 transcription. Our findings suggest that the -515A>G polymorphism may affect the Cdc6 promoter binding affinity with nuclear protein(s) and in turn the Cdc6 expression, which consequently modulates the individual's susceptibility to HCC

  12. Distinct pools of cdc25C are phosphorylated on specific TP sites and differentially localized in human mitotic cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Celine Franckhauser

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The dual specificity phosphatase cdc25C was the first human cdc25 family member found to be essential in the activation of cdk1/cyclin B1 that takes place at the entry into mitosis. Human cdc25C is phosphorylated on Proline-dependent SP and TP sites when it becomes active at mitosis and the prevalent model is that this phosphorylation/activation of cdc25C would be part of an amplification loop with cdk1/cyclin B1. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using highly specific antibodies directed against cdc25C phospho-epitopes, pT67 and pT130, we show here that these two phospho-forms of cdc25C represent distinct pools with differential localization during human mitosis. Phosphorylation on T67 occurs from prophase and the cdc25C-pT67 phospho-isoform closely localizes with condensed chromosomes throughout mitosis. The phospho-T130 form of cdc25C arises in late G2 and associates predominantly with centrosomes from prophase to anaphase B where it colocalizes with Plk1. As shown by immunoprecipitation of each isoform, these two phospho-forms are not simultaneously phosphorylated on the other mitotic TP sites or associated with one another. Phospho-T67 cdc25C co-precipitates with MPM2-reactive proteins while pT130-cdc25C is associated with Plk1. Interaction and colocalization of phosphoT130-cdc25C with Plk1 demonstrate in living cells, that the sequence around pT130 acts as a true Polo Box Domain (PBD binding site as previously identified from in vitro peptide screening studies. Overexpression of non-phosphorylatable alanine mutant forms for each isoform, but not wild type cdc25C, strongly impairs mitotic progression showing the functional requirement for each site-specific phosphorylation of cdc25C at mitosis. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These results show for the first time that in human mitosis, distinct phospho-isoforms of cdc25C exist with different localizations and interacting partners, thus implying that the long-standing model of a cdc25C

  13. Parkin Regulates Mitosis and Genomic Stability through Cdc20/Cdh1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Seung Baek; Kim, Jung Jin; Nam, Hyun-Ja; Gao, Bowen; Yin, Ping; Qin, Bo; Yi, Sang-Yeop; Ham, Hyoungjun; Evans, Debra; Kim, Sun-Hyun; Zhang, Jun; Deng, Min; Liu, Tongzheng; Zhang, Haoxing; Billadeau, Daniel D; Wang, Liewei; Giaime, Emilie; Shen, Jie; Pang, Yuan-Ping; Jen, Jin; van Deursen, Jan M; Lou, Zhenkun

    2015-10-01

    Mutations in the E3 ubiquitin ligase Parkin have been linked to familial Parkinson's disease. Parkin has also been implicated in mitosis through mechanisms that are unclear. Here we show that Parkin interacts with anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) coactivators Cdc20 and Cdh1 to mediate the degradation of several key mitotic regulators independent of APC/C. We demonstrate that ordered progression through mitosis is orchestrated by two distinct E3 ligases through the shared use of Cdc20 and Cdh1. Furthermore, Parkin is phosphorylated and activated by polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) during mitosis. Parkin deficiency results in overexpression of its substrates, mitotic defects, genomic instability, and tumorigenesis. These results suggest that the Parkin-Cdc20/Cdh1 complex is an important regulator of mitosis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Science in Emergency Response at CDC: Structure and Functions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iskander, John; Rose, Dale A; Ghiya, Neelam D

    2017-09-01

    Recent high-profile activations of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Emergency Operations Center (EOC) include responses to the West African Ebola and Zika virus epidemics. Within the EOC, emergency responses are organized according to the Incident Management System, which provides a standardized structure and chain of command, regardless of whether the EOC activation occurs in response to an outbreak, natural disaster, or other type of public health emergency. By embedding key scientific roles, such as the associate director for science, and functions within a Scientific Response Section, the current CDC emergency response structure ensures that both urgent and important science issues receive needed attention. Key functions during emergency responses include internal coordination of scientific work, data management, information dissemination, and scientific publication. We describe a case example involving the ongoing Zika virus response that demonstrates how the scientific response structure can be used to rapidly produce high-quality science needed to answer urgent public health questions and guide policy. Within the context of emergency response, longer-term priorities at CDC include both streamlining administrative requirements and funding mechanisms for scientific research.

  15. Stability of aerosol droplets in Bessel beam optical traps under constant and pulsed external forces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    David, Grégory; Esat, Kıvanç; Hartweg, Sebastian; Cremer, Johannes; Chasovskikh, Egor; Signorell, Ruth

    2015-01-01

    We report on the dynamics of aerosol droplets in optical traps under the influence of additional constant and pulsed external forces. Experimental results are compared with simulations of the three-dimensional droplet dynamics for two types of optical traps, the counter-propagating Bessel beam (CPBB) trap and the quadruple Bessel beam (QBB) trap. Under the influence of a constant gas flow (constant external force), the QBB trap is found to be more stable compared with the CPBB trap. By contrast, under pulsed laser excitation with laser pulse durations of nanoseconds (pulsed external force), the type of trap is of minor importance for the droplet stability. It typically needs pulsed laser forces that are several orders of magnitude higher than the optical forces to induce escape of the droplet from the trap. If the droplet strongly absorbs the pulsed laser light, these escape forces can be strongly reduced. The lower stability of absorbing droplets is a result of secondary thermal processes that cause droplet escape

  16. Stability of aerosol droplets in Bessel beam optical traps under constant and pulsed external forces

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    David, Grégory; Esat, Kıvanç; Hartweg, Sebastian; Cremer, Johannes; Chasovskikh, Egor; Signorell, Ruth, E-mail: rsignorell@ethz.ch [Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, ETH Zürich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 2, CH-8093 Zürich (Switzerland)

    2015-04-21

    We report on the dynamics of aerosol droplets in optical traps under the influence of additional constant and pulsed external forces. Experimental results are compared with simulations of the three-dimensional droplet dynamics for two types of optical traps, the counter-propagating Bessel beam (CPBB) trap and the quadruple Bessel beam (QBB) trap. Under the influence of a constant gas flow (constant external force), the QBB trap is found to be more stable compared with the CPBB trap. By contrast, under pulsed laser excitation with laser pulse durations of nanoseconds (pulsed external force), the type of trap is of minor importance for the droplet stability. It typically needs pulsed laser forces that are several orders of magnitude higher than the optical forces to induce escape of the droplet from the trap. If the droplet strongly absorbs the pulsed laser light, these escape forces can be strongly reduced. The lower stability of absorbing droplets is a result of secondary thermal processes that cause droplet escape.

  17. Stability of aerosol droplets in Bessel beam optical traps under constant and pulsed external forces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    David, Grégory; Esat, Kıvanç; Hartweg, Sebastian; Cremer, Johannes; Chasovskikh, Egor; Signorell, Ruth

    2015-04-21

    We report on the dynamics of aerosol droplets in optical traps under the influence of additional constant and pulsed external forces. Experimental results are compared with simulations of the three-dimensional droplet dynamics for two types of optical traps, the counter-propagating Bessel beam (CPBB) trap and the quadruple Bessel beam (QBB) trap. Under the influence of a constant gas flow (constant external force), the QBB trap is found to be more stable compared with the CPBB trap. By contrast, under pulsed laser excitation with laser pulse durations of nanoseconds (pulsed external force), the type of trap is of minor importance for the droplet stability. It typically needs pulsed laser forces that are several orders of magnitude higher than the optical forces to induce escape of the droplet from the trap. If the droplet strongly absorbs the pulsed laser light, these escape forces can be strongly reduced. The lower stability of absorbing droplets is a result of secondary thermal processes that cause droplet escape.

  18. Stability of aerosol droplets in Bessel beam optical traps under constant and pulsed external forces

    Science.gov (United States)

    David, Grégory; Esat, Kıvanç; Hartweg, Sebastian; Cremer, Johannes; Chasovskikh, Egor; Signorell, Ruth

    2015-04-01

    We report on the dynamics of aerosol droplets in optical traps under the influence of additional constant and pulsed external forces. Experimental results are compared with simulations of the three-dimensional droplet dynamics for two types of optical traps, the counter-propagating Bessel beam (CPBB) trap and the quadruple Bessel beam (QBB) trap. Under the influence of a constant gas flow (constant external force), the QBB trap is found to be more stable compared with the CPBB trap. By contrast, under pulsed laser excitation with laser pulse durations of nanoseconds (pulsed external force), the type of trap is of minor importance for the droplet stability. It typically needs pulsed laser forces that are several orders of magnitude higher than the optical forces to induce escape of the droplet from the trap. If the droplet strongly absorbs the pulsed laser light, these escape forces can be strongly reduced. The lower stability of absorbing droplets is a result of secondary thermal processes that cause droplet escape.

  19. Light activated bionanodevices

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Sparrow, RW

    2006-02-27

    Full Text Available production and Kinesin motor protein movement. It has been designed in a modular concept with three sections: energy trapping (light harvesting) and transfer; energy conversion to produce ATP; and mechanical translation. The potential applications of such a...

  20. Light-trapping for room temperature Bose-Einstein condensation in InGaAs quantum wells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vasudev, Pranai; Jiang, Jian-Hua; John, Sajeev

    2016-06-27

    , the strong light confinement results in light-matter coupling strength of ℏΩ = 13.7 meV. Assuming an exciton density per QW of (15aB)-2, well below the saturation density, in a 2-D box-trap with a side length of 10 to 500 µm, we predict thermal equilibrium Bose-Einstein condensation well above room temperature.

  1. Sequencing Analysis of Mutant Allele $cdc$28-$srm$ of Protein Kinase CDC28 and Molecular Dynamics Study of Glycine-Rich Loop in Wild-Type and Mutant Allele G16S of CDK2 as Model

    CERN Document Server

    Koltovaya, N A; Kholmurodov, Kh T; Kretov, D A

    2005-01-01

    The central role that cyclin-dependent kinases play in the timing of cell division and the high incidence of genetic alteration of CDKs or deregulation of CDK inhibitors in a number of cancers make CDC28 of the yeast \\textit{Saccharomyces cerevisiae }very attractive model for studies of mechanisms of CDK regulation. Earlier it was found that certain gene mutations including \\textit{cdc28-srm} affect cell cycle progression, maintenance of different genetic structures and increase cell sensitivity to ionizing radiation. A~\\textit{cdc28-srm} mutation is not temperature-sensitive mutation and differs from the known \\textit{cdc28-ts }mutations because it has the evident phenotypic manifestations at 30 $^{\\circ}$C. Sequencing analysis of \\textit{cdc28-srm} revealed a single nucleotide substitution G20S. This is a third glycine in a conserved sequence GxGxxG in the G-rich loop positioned opposite the activation T-loop. Despite its demonstrated importance, the role of the G-loop has remained unclear. The crystal stru...

  2. CDC WONDER: Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) online database on CDC WONDER provides counts and percentages of adverse event case reports after vaccination, by...

  3. CDC STATE System Tobacco Legislation - Smokefree Indoor Air

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — 1995-2017. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System. Legislation – Smokefree Indoor Air....

  4. CDC WONDER: Compressed Mortality - Underlying Cause of Death

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The CDC WONDER Mortality - Underlying Cause of Death online database is a county-level national mortality and population database spanning the years since 1979...

  5. High densities and optical collisions in a two-colour magneto-optical trap for metastable helium

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Koelemeij, J.C.J.; Tychkov, A.; Jeltes, T.; Hogervorst, W.; Vassen, W.

    2004-01-01

    We have studied a cloud of cold metastable helium (He*) atoms interacting with near-resonant light at 1083 nm and 389 nm. The 1083 nm light allows for efficient loading of a large magneto-optical trap (MOT) and the 389 nm light is subsequently used to increase the density and reduce the temperature

  6. Light-trapping optimization in wet-etched silicon photonic crystal solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Eyderman, Sergey, E-mail: sergey.eyderman@utoronto.ca [Department of Physics, University of Toronto, 60 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A7 (Canada); John, Sajeev [Department of Physics, University of Toronto, 60 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A7 (Canada); Department of Physics, King Abdul-Aziz University, Jeddah (Saudi Arabia); Hafez, M.; Al-Ameer, S. S.; Al-Harby, T. S.; Al-Hadeethi, Y. [Department of Physics, King Abdul-Aziz University, Jeddah (Saudi Arabia); Bouwes, D. M. [iX-factory GmbH, Konrad Adenauer–Allee 11, 44263 Dortmund (Germany)

    2015-07-14

    We demonstrate, by numerical solution of Maxwell's equations, near-perfect solar light-trapping and absorption over the 300–1100 nm wavelength band in silicon photonic crystal (PhC) architectures, amenable to fabrication by wet-etching and requiring less than 10 μm (equivalent bulk thickness) of crystalline silicon. These PhC's consist of square lattices of inverted pyramids with sides comprised of various (111) silicon facets and pyramid center-to-center spacing in the range of 1.3–2.5 μm. For a wet-etched slab with overall height H = 10 μm and lattice constant a = 2.5 μm, we find a maximum achievable photo-current density (MAPD) of 42.5 mA/cm{sup 2}, falling not far from 43.5 mA/cm{sup 2}, corresponding to 100% solar absorption in the range of 300–1100 nm. We also demonstrate a MAPD of 37.8 mA/cm{sup 2} for a thinner silicon PhC slab of overall height H = 5 μm and lattice constant a = 1.9 μm. When H is further reduced to 3 μm, the optimal lattice constant for inverted pyramids reduces to a = 1.3 μm and provides the MAPD of 35.5 mA/cm{sup 2}. These wet-etched structures require more than double the volume of silicon, in comparison to the overall mathematically optimum PhC structure (consisting of slanted conical pores), to achieve the same degree of solar absorption. It is suggested these 3–10 μm thick structures are valuable alternatives to currently utilized 300 μm-thick textured solar cells and are suitable for large-scale fabrication by wet-etching.

  7. Archaeal orthologs of Cdc45 and GINS form a stable complex that stimulates the helicase activity of MCM.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Yuli; Gristwood, Tamzin; Hodgson, Ben; Trinidad, Jonathan C; Albers, Sonja-Verena; Bell, Stephen D

    2016-11-22

    The regulated recruitment of Cdc45 and GINS is key to activating the eukaryotic MCM(2-7) replicative helicase. We demonstrate that the homohexameric archaeal MCM helicase associates with orthologs of GINS and Cdc45 in vivo and in vitro. Association of these factors with MCM robustly stimulates the MCM helicase activity. In contrast to the situation in eukaryotes, archaeal Cdc45 and GINS form an extremely stable complex before binding MCM. Further, the archaeal GINS•Cdc45 complex contains two copies of Cdc45. Our analyses give insight into the function and evolution of the conserved core of the archaeal/eukaryotic replisome.

  8. CDC Vital Signs-Preventing Melanoma

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    2015-06-02

    This podcast is based on the June 2015 CDC Vital Signs report. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the U.S. In 2011, there were more than 65,000 cases of melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer. Learn how everyone can help prevent skin cancer.  Created: 6/2/2015 by National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP).   Date Released: 6/2/2015.

  9. Cdc42 regulates cofilin during the establishment of neuronal polarity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Garvalov, Boyan K; Flynn, Kevin C; Neukirchen, Dorothee

    2007-01-01

    suppressed ability to form axons both in vivo and in culture. This was accompanied by disrupted cytoskeletal organization, enlargement of the growth cones, and inhibition of filopodial dynamics. Axon formation in the knock-out neurons was rescued by manipulation of the actin cytoskeleton, indicating...... that the effects of Cdc42 ablation are exerted through modulation of actin dynamics. In addition, the knock-outs showed a specific increase in the phosphorylation (inactivation) of the Cdc42 effector cofilin. Furthermore, the active, nonphosphorylated form of cofilin was enriched in the axonal growth cones of wild...

  10. CDC STATE System E-Cigarette Legislation - Youth Access

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — 1995-2017. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System. E-Cigarette Legislation—Youth Access....

  11. Effects of oxide traps, interface traps, and ''border traps'' on metal-oxide-semiconductor devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fleetwood, D.M.; Winokur, P.S.; Reber, R.A. Jr.; Meisenheimer, T.L.; Schwank, J.R.; Shaneyfelt, M.R.; Riewe, L.C.

    1993-01-01

    We have identified several features of the 1/f noise and radiation response of metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices that are difficult to explain with standard defect models. To address this issue, and in response to ambiguities in the literature, we have developed a revised nomenclature for defects in MOS devices that clearly distinguishes the language used to describe the physical location of defects from that used to describe their electrical response. In this nomenclature, ''oxide traps'' are simply defects in the SiO 2 layer of the MOS structure, and ''interface traps'' are defects at the Si/SiO 2 interface. Nothing is presumed about how either type of defect communicates with the underlying Si. Electrically, ''fixed states'' are defined as trap levels that do not communicate with the Si on the time scale of the measurements, but ''switching states'' can exchange charge with the Si. Fixed states presumably are oxide traps in most types of measurements, but switching states can either be interface traps or near-interfacial oxide traps that can communicate with the Si, i.e., ''border traps'' [D. M. Fleetwood, IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci. NS-39, 269 (1992)]. The effective density of border traps depends on the time scale and bias conditions of the measurements. We show the revised nomenclature can provide focus to discussions of the buildup and annealing of radiation-induced charge in non-radiation-hardened MOS transistors, and to changes in the 1/f noise of MOS devices through irradiation and elevated-temperature annealing

  12. Optical waveguide loop for planar trapping of blood cells and microspheres

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahluwalia, Balpreet S.; Hellesø, Olav G.

    2013-09-01

    The evanescent field from a waveguide can be used to trap and propel a particle. An optical waveguide loop with an intentional gap at the center is used for planar transport and stable trapping of particles. The waveguide acts as a conveyor belt to trap and deliver spheres towards the gap. At the gap, the counter-diverging light fields hold the sphere at a fixed position. Numerical simulation based on the finite element method was performed in three dimensions using a computer cluster. The field distribution and optical forces for rib and strip waveguide designs are compared and discussed. The optical force on a single particle was computed for various positions of the particle in the gap. Simulation predicted stable trapping of particles in the gap. Depending on the gap separation (2-50 μm) a single or multiple spheres and red blood cells were trapped at the gap. Waveguides were made of tantalum pentaoxide material. The waveguides are only 180 nm thick and thus could be integrated with other functions on the chip.

  13. Trapping Dust to Form Planets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kohler, Susanna

    2017-10-01

    Kraus (University of Exeter) in a recent publication. Kraus and collaborators show that the protoplanetary disk of V1247 Orionis contains a ring-shaped, asymmetric inner disk component, as well as a sharply confined crescent structure. These structures are consistent with the morphologies expected from theoretical models of vortex formation in disks.Kraus and collaborators propose the following picture: an early planet is orbiting at 100 AU within the disk, generating a one-armed spiral arm as material feeds the protoplanet. As the protoplanet orbits, it clears a gap between the ring and the crescent, and it simultaneously triggers two vortices, visible as the crescent and the bright asymmetry in the ring. These vortices are then able to trap millimeter-sized particles.Gas column density of the authors radiation-hydrodynamic simulation of V1247 Orioniss disk. [Kraus et al. 2017]The authors run detailed hydrodynamics simulations of this scenario and compare them (as well as alternative theories) to the ALMA observations of V1247 Orionis. The simulations support their model, producing sample scattered-light images thatmatchwell the one-armed spiral observed in previous scattered-light images of the disk.How can we confirm V1247 Orionis providesan example of dust-trapping vortices? One piece of supporting evidence would be the discovery of the protoplanet that Kraus and collaborators theorize triggered the potential vortices in this disk. Future deeper ALMA imaging may make this possible, helping to confirm our picture of how dust builds into planets.CitationStefan Kraus et al 2017 ApJL 848 L11. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/aa8edc

  14. CDC WONDER: Daily Air Temperatures and Heat Index

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The Daily Air Temperature and Heat Index data available on CDC WONDER are county-level daily average air temperatures and heat index measures spanning the years...

  15. CDC WONDER: Detailed Mortality - Underlying Cause of Death

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The Detailed Mortality - Underlying Cause of Death data on CDC WONDER are county-level national mortality and population data spanning the years 1999-2009. Data are...

  16. Functional mapping of the fission yeast DNA polymerase δ B-subunit Cdc1 by site-directed and random pentapeptide insertion mutagenesis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gray Fiona C

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background DNA polymerase δ plays an essential role in chromosomal DNA replication in eukaryotic cells, being responsible for synthesising the bulk of the lagging strand. In fission yeast, Pol δ is a heterotetrameric enzyme comprising four evolutionarily well-conserved proteins: the catalytic subunit Pol3 and three smaller subunits Cdc1, Cdc27 and Cdm1. Pol3 binds directly to the B-subunit, Cdc1, which in turn binds the C-subunit, Cdc27. Human Pol δ comprises the same four subunits, and the crystal structure was recently reported of a complex of human p50 and the N-terminal domain of p66, the human orthologues of Cdc1 and Cdc27, respectively. Results To gain insights into the structure and function of Cdc1, random and directed mutagenesis techniques were used to create a collection of thirty alleles encoding mutant Cdc1 proteins. Each allele was tested for function in fission yeast and for binding of the altered protein to Pol3 and Cdc27 using the two-hybrid system. Additionally, the locations of the amino acid changes in each protein were mapped onto the three-dimensional structure of human p50. The results obtained from these studies identify amino acid residues and regions within the Cdc1 protein that are essential for interaction with Pol3 and Cdc27 and for in vivo function. Mutations specifically defective in Pol3-Cdc1 interactions allow the identification of a possible Pol3 binding surface on Cdc1. Conclusion In the absence of a three-dimensional structure of the entire Pol δ complex, the results of this study highlight regions in Cdc1 that are vital for protein function in vivo and provide valuable clues to possible protein-protein interaction surfaces on the Cdc1 protein that will be important targets for further study.

  17. The Rho GTPase Cdc42 regulates hair cell planar polarity and cellular patterning in the developing cochlea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Kirjavainen

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Hair cells of the organ of Corti (OC of the cochlea exhibit distinct planar polarity, both at the tissue and cellular level. Planar polarity at tissue level is manifested as uniform orientation of the hair cell stereociliary bundles. Hair cell intrinsic polarity is defined as structural hair bundle asymmetry; positioning of the kinocilium/basal body complex at the vertex of the V-shaped bundle. Consistent with strong apical polarity, the hair cell apex displays prominent actin and microtubule cytoskeletons. The Rho GTPase Cdc42 regulates cytoskeletal dynamics and polarization of various cell types, and, thus, serves as a candidate regulator of hair cell polarity. We have here induced Cdc42 inactivation in the late-embryonic OC. We show the role of Cdc42 in the establishment of planar polarity of hair cells and in cellular patterning. Abnormal planar polarity was displayed as disturbances in hair bundle orientation and morphology and in kinocilium/basal body positioning. These defects were accompanied by a disorganized cell-surface microtubule network. Atypical protein kinase C (aPKC, a putative Cdc42 effector, colocalized with Cdc42 at the hair cell apex, and aPKC expression was altered upon Cdc42 depletion. Our data suggest that Cdc42 together with aPKC is part of the machinery establishing hair cell planar polarity and that Cdc42 acts on polarity through the cell-surface microtubule network. The data also suggest that defects in apical polarization are influenced by disturbed cellular patterning in the OC. In addition, our data demonstrates that Cdc42 is required for stereociliogenesis in the immature cochlea.

  18. Investigation of Culicoides spp. preference for light colour and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Catches from white and green light were not found to differ significantly and the interaction between light colour and source was not found to be significant. Possible trap development and action thresholds are discussed. Keywords: Culicoides midge vector, African Horse Sickness, light colour, light emitting diodes ...

  19. Comparisons of boll weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) pheromone traps with and without kill strips.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suh, C P C; Armstrong, J S; Spurgeon, D W; Duke, S

    2009-02-01

    Boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), eradication programs typically equip pheromone traps with an insecticide-impregnated kill strip. These strips are intended to kill captured insects, thereby simplifying trap servicing and reducing the loss of weevils from predation and escape. However, the effectiveness of kill strips has not been extensively evaluated. We examined the influences of kill strips on weevil captures, trap servicing, and the incidences of weevil predation and trap obstruction (e.g., by spider webs). Evaluations were conducted weekly during three different production periods (pre- to early-, late-, and postseason) of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., to represent different environmental conditions and weevil population levels. Within each period, mean weekly captures of weevils in traps with and without kill strips were statistically similar. On average, traps with kill strips took 9 s longer to service than traps without kill strips, but statistical differences were only detected during the late-season period. Overall, the mean weekly proportion of traps with evidence of weevil predation or trap obstruction was significantly lower for traps with kill strips (0.25) than for traps without kill strips (0.37). However, this reduction in the frequency of weevil predation or trap obstruction was too small to produce a corresponding increase in the numbers of weevils captured. In light of these findings, the use of kill strips is likely unnecessary in eradication programs, but may be a consideration in situations when the numbers of deployed traps are reduced and chronic problems with weevil predation or trap obstruction exist.

  20. Sculpting light for contemporary biophotonics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Glückstad, Jesper

    DTUs IPR portfolio on so-­‐called Generalized Phase Contrast (GPC) covers a family of powerful “light-­‐engine” approaches for generating speckle-­‐free contiguous optical distributions using advanced spatial phase modulation. GPC has been used in applications such as optical trapping and manipul......DTUs IPR portfolio on so-­‐called Generalized Phase Contrast (GPC) covers a family of powerful “light-­‐engine” approaches for generating speckle-­‐free contiguous optical distributions using advanced spatial phase modulation. GPC has been used in applications such as optical trapping...... and manipulation, active microscopy, structured illumination, optical security, parallel laser marking trials and recently in contemporary biophotonics applications such as for real-­‐time parallel two-­‐photon optogenetics and neurophotonics. Our most recent GPC light sculpting developments geared towards...... these applications will be presented. This includes both a static and a dynamic GPC Light Shaper implementation based on our latest theoretical derivations to demonstrate the benefits for typical applications where lasers have to be actively shaped into particular light patterns. We then show the potential of GPC...

  1. CDC Vital Signs: Tobacco Use and Secondhand Smoke

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... on youth access to tobacco products and tobacco marketing to youth, and closely follow them. Check the ... Director for Communications (OADC) Email Recommend Tweet YouTube Instagram Listen Watch RSS ABOUT About CDC Jobs Funding ...

  2. Atom Trap Trace Analysis for radiokrypton and radioargon dating

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, William; Jiang, Wei; Sun, Yun; Bailey, Kevin; Davis, Andrew; Hu, Shuiming; Lu, Zheng-Tian; Mueller, Peter; O'Connor, Thomas; Purtschert, Roland; Sturchio, Neil

    2011-05-01

    Atom Trap Trace Analysis (ATTA), a MOT-based atom counting method, is used to analyze three noble gas radioisotopes (81Kr, 85Kr, 39Ar) covering a wide range of geological ages and applications in the earth sciences. Their isotopic abundances are extremely low, in the range of 10-16 - 10-11. Yet, ATTA can trap and unmistakably detect these rare isotopes one atom at a time. The system is currently limited by the excitation efficiency of the RF discharge that produces the metastable atoms (Kr* & Ar*) needed for laser trapping. To further improve the MOT loading rate, we plan to replace the RF discharge with a photon excitation scheme that employs a VUV light source at 124 nm. The VUV source can be a lamp or a free electron laser. This work is supported by DOE, Office of Nuclear Physics and by NSF, Division of Earth Sciences.

  3. Cdc42 is a key regulator of B cell differentiation and is required for antiviral humoral immunity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Burbage, Marianne; Keppler, Selina J; Gasparrini, Francesca

    2015-01-01

    The small Rho GTPase Cdc42, known to interact with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) protein, is an important regulator of actin remodeling. Here, we show that genetic ablation of Cdc42 exclusively in the B cell lineage is sufficient to render mice unable to mount antibody responses. Indeed Cdc42-de...

  4. Cdc20 is critical for meiosis I and fertility of female mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fang Jin

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Chromosome missegregation in germ cells is an important cause of unexplained infertility, miscarriages, and congenital birth defects in humans. However, the molecular defects that lead to production of aneuploid gametes are largely unknown. Cdc20, the activating subunit of the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C, initiates sister-chromatid separation by ordering the destruction of two key anaphase inhibitors, cyclin B1 and securin, at the transition from metaphase to anaphase. The physiological significance and full repertoire of functions of mammalian Cdc20 are unclear at present, mainly because of the essential nature of this protein in cell cycle progression. To bypass this problem we generated hypomorphic mice that express low amounts of Cdc20. These mice are healthy and have a normal lifespan, but females produce either no or very few offspring, despite normal folliculogenesis and fertilization rates. When mated with wild-type males, hypomorphic females yield nearly normal numbers of fertilized eggs, but as these embryos develop, they become malformed and rarely reach the blastocyst stage. In exploring the underlying mechanism, we uncover that the vast majority of these embryos have abnormal chromosome numbers, primarily due to chromosome lagging and chromosome misalignment during meiosis I in the oocyte. Furthermore, cyclin B1, cyclin A2, and securin are inefficiently degraded in metaphase I; and anaphase I onset is markedly delayed. These results demonstrate that the physiologically effective threshold level of Cdc20 is high for female meiosis I and identify Cdc20 hypomorphism as a mechanism for chromosome missegregation and formation of aneuploid gametes.

  5. Memory coherence of a sympathetically cooled trapped-ion qubit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Home, J. P.; McDonnell, M. J.; Szwer, D. J.; Keitch, B. C.; Lucas, D. M.; Stacey, D. N.; Steane, A. M.

    2009-01-01

    We demonstrate sympathetic cooling of a 43 Ca + trapped-ion 'memory' qubit by a 40 Ca + 'coolant' ion sufficiently near the ground state of motion for fault-tolerant quantum logic, while maintaining coherence of the qubit. This is an essential ingredient in trapped-ion quantum computers. The isotope shifts are sufficient to suppress decoherence and phase shifts of the memory qubit due to the cooling light which illuminates both ions. We measure the qubit coherence during ten cycles of sideband cooling, finding a coherence loss of 3.3% per cooling cycle. The natural limit of the method is O(10 -4 ) infidelity per cooling cycle.

  6. Shrew trap efficiency

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gambalemoke, Mbalitini; Mukinzi, Itoka; Amundala, Drazo

    2008-01-01

    We investigated the efficiency of four trap types (pitfall, Sherman LFA, Victor snap and Museum Special snap traps) to capture shrews. This experiment was conducted in five inter-riverine forest blocks in the region of Kisangani. The total trapping effort was 6,300, 9,240, 5,280 and 5,460 trap......, our results indicate that pitfall traps are the most efficient for capturing shrews: not only do they have a higher efficiency (yield), but the taxonomic diversity of shrews is also higher when pitfall traps are used....

  7. The effects of deep level traps on the electrical properties of semi-insulating CdZnTe

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zha, Gangqiang; Yang, Jian; Xu, Lingyan; Feng, Tao; Wang, Ning; Jie, Wanqi [State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi' an (China)

    2014-01-28

    Deep level traps have considerable effects on the electrical properties and radiation detection performance of high resistivity CdZnTe. A deep-trap model for high resistivity CdZnTe was proposed in this paper. The high resistivity mechanism and the electrical properties were analyzed based on this model. High resistivity CdZnTe with high trap ionization energy E{sub t} can withstand high bias voltages. The leakage current is dependent on both the deep traps and the shallow impurities. The performance of a CdZnTe radiation detector will deteriorate at low temperatures, and the way in which sub-bandgap light excitation could improve the low temperature performance can be explained using the deep trap model.

  8. Microwave quantum logic gates for trapped ions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ospelkaus, C; Warring, U; Colombe, Y; Brown, K R; Amini, J M; Leibfried, D; Wineland, D J

    2011-08-10

    Control over physical systems at the quantum level is important in fields as diverse as metrology, information processing, simulation and chemistry. For trapped atomic ions, the quantized motional and internal degrees of freedom can be coherently manipulated with laser light. Similar control is difficult to achieve with radio-frequency or microwave radiation: the essential coupling between internal degrees of freedom and motion requires significant field changes over the extent of the atoms' motion, but such changes are negligible at these frequencies for freely propagating fields. An exception is in the near field of microwave currents in structures smaller than the free-space wavelength, where stronger gradients can be generated. Here we first manipulate coherently (on timescales of 20 nanoseconds) the internal quantum states of ions held in a microfabricated trap. The controlling magnetic fields are generated by microwave currents in electrodes that are integrated into the trap structure. We also generate entanglement between the internal degrees of freedom of two atoms with a gate operation suitable for general quantum computation; the entangled state has a fidelity of 0.76(3), where the uncertainty denotes standard error of the mean. Our approach, which involves integrating the quantum control mechanism into the trapping device in a scalable manner, could be applied to quantum information processing, simulation and spectroscopy.

  9. The small G-proteins Rac1 and Cdc42 are essential for myoblast fusion in the mouse

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vasyutina, Elena; Martarelli, Benedetta; Brakebusch, Cord

    2009-01-01

    Rac1 and Cdc42 are small G-proteins that regulate actin dynamics and affect plasma membrane protrusion and vesicle traffic. We used conditional mutagenesis in mice to demonstrate that Rac1 and Cdc42 are essential for myoblast fusion in vivo and in vitro. The deficit in fusion of Rac1 or Cdc42 mut...... genetic analysis demonstrates thus that the function of Rac in myoblast fusion is evolutionarily conserved from insects to mammals and that Cdc42, a molecule hitherto not implicated in myoblast fusion, is essential for the fusion of murine myoblasts....

  10. CDC Vital Signs-Protect Patients from Antibiotic Resistance

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    This podcast is based on the March 2016 CDC Vital Signs report. Patients can get serious healthcare-associated infections, or HAIs, while receiving medical treatment in a healthcare facility. Learn how to prevent healthcare-associated infections.

  11. CDC Vital Signs-Too Loud for Too Long!

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    This podcast is based on the February 2017 CDC Vital Signs report. Being around too much loud noise-like a leaf blower or rock concert-can cause permanent hearing loss. Learn how to prevent hearing loss.

  12. Optical meta-atom for localization of light with quantized energy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lannebère, Sylvain; Silveirinha, Mário G

    2015-10-30

    The capacity to confine light into a small region of space is of paramount importance in many areas of modern science. Here we suggest a mechanism to store a quantized 'bit' of light--with a very precise amount of energy--in an open core-shell plasmonic structure ('meta-atom') with a nonlinear optical response. Notwithstanding the trapped light state is embedded in the radiation continuum, its lifetime is not limited by the radiation loss. Interestingly, it is shown that the interplay between the nonlinear response and volume plasmons enables breaking fundamental reciprocity restrictions, and coupling very efficiently an external light source to the meta-atom. The collision of an incident optical pulse with the meta-atom may be used to release the trapped light 'bit'.

  13. Systematic Investigation of Expression of G2/M Transition Genes Reveals CDC25 Alteration in Nonfunctioning Pituitary Adenomas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Butz, Henriett; Németh, Kinga; Czenke, Dóra; Likó, István; Czirják, Sándor; Zivkovic, Vladimir; Baghy, Kornélia; Korbonits, Márta; Kovalszky, Ilona; Igaz, Péter; Rácz, Károly; Patócs, Attila

    2017-07-01

    Dysregulation of G1/S checkpoint of cell cycle has been reported in pituitary adenomas. In addition, our previous finding showing that deregulation of Wee1 kinase by microRNAs together with other studies demonstrating alteration of G2/M transition in nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs) suggest that G2/M transition may also be important in pituitary tumorigenesis. To systematically study the expression of members of the G2/M transition in NFPAs and to investigate potential microRNA (miRNA) involvement. Totally, 80 NFPA and 14 normal pituitary (NP) tissues were examined. Expression of 46 genes encoding members of the G2/M transition was profiled on 34 NFPA and 10 NP samples on TaqMan Low Density Array. Expression of CDC25A and two miRNAs targeting CDC25A were validated by individual quantitative real time PCR using TaqMan assays. Protein expression of CDC25A, CDC25C, CDK1 and phospho-CDK1 (Tyr-15) was investigated on tissue microarray and immunohistochemistry. Several genes' expression alteration were observed in NFPA compared to normal tissues by transcription profiling. On protein level CDC25A and both the total and the phospho-CDK1 were overexpressed in adenoma tissues. CDC25A correlated with nuclear localized CDK1 (nCDK1) and with tumor size and nCDK1 with Ki-67 index. Comparing primary vs. recurrent adenomas we found that Ki-67 proliferation index was higher and phospho-CDK1 (inactive form) was downregulated in recurrent tumors compared to primary adenomas. Investigating the potential causes behind CDC25A overexpression we could not find copy number variation at the coding region nor expression alteration of CDC25A regulating transcription factors however CDC25A targeting miRNAs were downregulated in NFPA and negatively correlated with CDC25A expression. Our results suggest that among alterations of G2/M transition of the cell cycle, overexpression of the CDK1 and CDC25A may have a role in the pathogenesis of the NFPA and that CDC25A is potentially

  14. The DNA repair capability of cdc9, the saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant defective in DNA ligase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johnston, L.H.

    1979-01-01

    The cell cycle mutant, cdc9, in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is defective in DNA ligase with the consequence to be deficient in the repair of DNA damaged by methyl methane sulphonate. On the other hand survival of cdc9 after irradiation by γ-rays is little different from that of the wild-type, even after a period of stress at the restrictive temperature. The mutant cdc9 is not allelic with any known rad or mms mutants. (orig./AJ) [de

  15. Rac1 and Cdc42 GTPases regulate shear stress-driven β-catenin signaling in osteoblasts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wan, Qiaoqiao; Cho, Eunhye; Yokota, Hiroki; Na, Sungsoo

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •Shear stress increased TCF/LEF activity and stimulated β-catenin nuclear localization. •Rac1, Cdc42, and RhoA displayed distinct dynamic activity patterns under flow. •Rac1 and Cdc42, but not RhoA, regulate shear stress-driven TCF/LEF activation. •Cytoskeleton did not significantly affect shear stress-induced TCF/LEF activation. -- Abstract: Beta-catenin-dependent TCF/LEF (T-cell factor/lymphocyte enhancing factor) is known to be mechanosensitive and an important regulator for promoting bone formation. However, the functional connection between TCF/LEF activity and Rho family GTPases is not well understood in osteoblasts. Herein we investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying oscillatory shear stress-induced TCF/LEF activity in MC3T3-E1 osteoblast cells using live cell imaging. We employed fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based and green fluorescent protein (GFP)-based biosensors, which allowed us to monitor signal transduction in living cells in real time. Oscillatory (1 Hz) shear stress (10 dynes/cm 2 ) increased TCF/LEF activity and stimulated translocation of β-catenin to the nucleus with the distinct activity patterns of Rac1 and Cdc42. The shear stress-induced TCF/LEF activity was blocked by the inhibition of Rac1 and Cdc42 with their dominant negative mutants or selective drugs, but not by a dominant negative mutant of RhoA. In contrast, constitutively active Rac1 and Cdc42 mutants caused a significant enhancement of TCF/LEF activity. Moreover, activation of Rac1 and Cdc42 increased the basal level of TCF/LEF activity, while their inhibition decreased the basal level. Interestingly, disruption of cytoskeletal structures or inhibition of myosin activity did not significantly affect shear stress-induced TCF/LEF activity. Although Rac1 is reported to be involved in β-catenin in cancer cells, the involvement of Cdc42 in β-catenin signaling in osteoblasts has not been identified. Our findings in this study demonstrate

  16. Rac1 and Cdc42 GTPases regulate shear stress-driven β-catenin signaling in osteoblasts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wan, Qiaoqiao; Cho, Eunhye [Department of Biomedical Engineering, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46202 (United States); Yokota, Hiroki [Department of Biomedical Engineering, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46202 (United States); Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202 (United States); Na, Sungsoo, E-mail: sungna@iupui.edu [Department of Biomedical Engineering, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46202 (United States)

    2013-04-19

    Highlights: •Shear stress increased TCF/LEF activity and stimulated β-catenin nuclear localization. •Rac1, Cdc42, and RhoA displayed distinct dynamic activity patterns under flow. •Rac1 and Cdc42, but not RhoA, regulate shear stress-driven TCF/LEF activation. •Cytoskeleton did not significantly affect shear stress-induced TCF/LEF activation. -- Abstract: Beta-catenin-dependent TCF/LEF (T-cell factor/lymphocyte enhancing factor) is known to be mechanosensitive and an important regulator for promoting bone formation. However, the functional connection between TCF/LEF activity and Rho family GTPases is not well understood in osteoblasts. Herein we investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying oscillatory shear stress-induced TCF/LEF activity in MC3T3-E1 osteoblast cells using live cell imaging. We employed fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based and green fluorescent protein (GFP)-based biosensors, which allowed us to monitor signal transduction in living cells in real time. Oscillatory (1 Hz) shear stress (10 dynes/cm{sup 2}) increased TCF/LEF activity and stimulated translocation of β-catenin to the nucleus with the distinct activity patterns of Rac1 and Cdc42. The shear stress-induced TCF/LEF activity was blocked by the inhibition of Rac1 and Cdc42 with their dominant negative mutants or selective drugs, but not by a dominant negative mutant of RhoA. In contrast, constitutively active Rac1 and Cdc42 mutants caused a significant enhancement of TCF/LEF activity. Moreover, activation of Rac1 and Cdc42 increased the basal level of TCF/LEF activity, while their inhibition decreased the basal level. Interestingly, disruption of cytoskeletal structures or inhibition of myosin activity did not significantly affect shear stress-induced TCF/LEF activity. Although Rac1 is reported to be involved in β-catenin in cancer cells, the involvement of Cdc42 in β-catenin signaling in osteoblasts has not been identified. Our findings in this study demonstrate

  17. The F-box protein Cdc4/Fbxw7 is a novel regulator of neural crest development in Xenopus laevis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hartley Rebecca S

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The neural crest is a unique population of cells that arise in the vertebrate ectoderm at the neural plate border after which they migrate extensively throughout the embryo, giving rise to a wide range of derivatives. A number of proteins involved in neural crest development have dynamic expression patterns, and it is becoming clear that ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation is partly responsible for this. Results Here we demonstrate a novel role for the F-box protein Cdc4/Fbxw7 in neural crest development. Two isoforms of Xenopus laevis Cdc4 were identified, and designated xCdc4α and xCdc4β. These are highly conserved with vertebrate Cdc4 orthologs, and the Xenopus proteins are functionally equivalent in terms of their ability to degrade Cyclin E, an established vertebrate Cdc4 target. Blocking xCdc4 function specifically inhibited neural crest development at an early stage, prior to expression of c-Myc, Snail2 and Snail. Conclusions We demonstrate that Cdc4, an ubiquitin E3 ligase subunit previously identified as targeting primarily cell cycle regulators for proteolysis, has additional roles in control of formation of the neural crest. Hence, we identify Cdc4 as a protein with separable but complementary functions in control of cell proliferation and differentiation.

  18. A new LED lamp for the collection of nocturnal Lepidoptera and a spectral comparison of light-trapping lamps

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gunnar Brehm

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Most nocturnal Lepidoptera can be attracted to artificial light sources, particularly to those that emit a high proportion of ultraviolet radiation. Here, I describe a newly developed LED lamp set for the use in the field that is lightweight, handy, robust, and energy efficient. The emitted electromagnetic spectrum corresponds to the peak sensitivity in most Lepidoptera eye receptors (ultraviolet, blue and green. Power LEDs with peaks at 368 nm (ultraviolet, 450 nm (blue, 530 nm (green, and 550 nm (cool white are used. I compared the irradiance (Ee of many commonly used light-trapping lamps at a distance of 50 cm. Between wavelengths of 300 and 1000 nm, irradiance from the new lamp was 1.43 W m-2. The new lamp proved to be the most energy efficient, and it emitted more radiation in the range between 300 and 400 nm than any other lamp tested. Cold cathodes are the second most energy-efficient lamps. Irradiation from fluorescent actinic tubes is higher than from fluorescent blacklight-blue tubes. High-wattage incandescent lamps and self-ballasted mercury vapour lamps have highest irradiance, but they mainly emit in the long wave spectrum. The use of gauze and sheets decreases the proportion of UV radiation and increases the share of blue light, probably due to optical brighteners. Compared with sunlight, UV irradiance is low at a distance of 50 cm from the lamp, but (safety glasses as well as keeping sufficient distance from the lamp are recommended. In field tests, the new LED lamp attracted large numbers of Lepidoptera in both the Italian Alps and in the Peruvian Andes.

  19. Magnetic traps with a sperical separatrix: Tornado traps

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peregood, B.P.; Lehnert, B.

    1979-11-01

    A review is given on the features of magnetic traps with a spherical separatrix, with special emphesis on Tornado spiral coil configurations. The confinement and heating of static plasmas in Tornado traps is treated, including the topology of the magnetic field structure, the magneto-mechanical properties of the magnetic coil system, as well as the particle orbits and plasma behaviour in these traps. In additio, the mode of rotating plasma operation by crossed electric and magnetic fields is being described. The results of experiments on static and rotating plasmas are summarized, and conclusions are drawn about future possibilities of Tornado traps for the creation and containment of hot plasmas. (author)

  20. Magnetic traps with a spherical separatrix: Tornado traps

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peregood, B.P.; Lehnert, B.

    1981-01-01

    A review is given on the features of magnetic traps with a spherical separatrix, with special emphasis on Tornado spiral coil configurations. The confinement and heating of static plasms in Tornado traps is treated, including the topology of the magnetic field structure, the magneto-mechanical properties of the magnetic coil system, as well as the particle orbits and plasma behaviour in these traps. In addition, the mode of rotating plasma operation by crossed electric and magnetic fields is described. The results of experiments on static and rotating plasmas are summarized, and conclusions are drawn about future possibilities of Tornado traps in the creation and containment of hot plasmas. (orig.)

  1. CDC Vital Signs: Daily Pill Can Prevent HIV

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... risk about PrEP through health department programs, social marketing campaigns, and other training and technical assistance efforts. ... MB] en Español [PDF – 2.7 MB] CDC Digital Press Kit MMWR Article 1 MMWR Article 2 ...

  2. Thermal and optical excitation of trapped electrons in high-density polyethylene (HDPE) studied through positron annihilation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nahid, F.; Zhang, J.D.; Yu, T.F.; Ling, C.C.; Fung, S.; Beling, C.D.

    2011-01-01

    Positronium (Ps) formation in high-density polyethylene (HDPE) has been studied below the glass transition temperature. The formation probability increases with positron irradiation time due to an increasing number of inter-track trapped electrons becoming available for positron capture. The temperature variation of the saturated Ps level is discussed in different models. The quenching of trapped electrons by light has been studied and the optical de-trapping cross-section for different photon energies has been estimated over the visible region.

  3. Analog quantum simulation of generalized Dicke models in trapped ions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aedo, Ibai; Lamata, Lucas

    2018-04-01

    We propose the analog quantum simulation of generalized Dicke models in trapped ions. By combining bicromatic laser interactions on multiple ions we can generate all regimes of light-matter coupling in these models, where here the light mode is mimicked by a motional mode. We present numerical simulations of the three-qubit Dicke model both in the weak field (WF) regime, where the Jaynes-Cummings behavior arises, and the ultrastrong coupling (USC) regime, where a rotating-wave approximation cannot be considered. We also simulate the two-qubit biased Dicke model in the WF and USC regimes and the two-qubit anisotropic Dicke model in the USC regime and the deep-strong coupling regime. The agreement between the mathematical models and the ion system convinces us that these quantum simulations can be implemented in the laboratory with current or near-future technology. This formalism establishes an avenue for the quantum simulation of many-spin Dicke models in trapped ions.

  4. 50 CFR 697.19 - Trap limits and trap tag requirements for vessels fishing with lobster traps.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... vessels fishing with lobster traps. 697.19 Section 697.19 Wildlife and Fisheries FISHERY CONSERVATION AND... requirements for vessels fishing with lobster traps. (a) Trap limits for vessels fishing or authorized to fish... management area designation certificate or valid limited access American lobster permit specifying one or...

  5. Mechanism of IRSp53 inhibition and combinatorial activation by Cdc42 and downstream effectors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kast, David J; Yang, Changsong; Disanza, Andrea; Boczkowska, Malgorzata; Madasu, Yadaiah; Scita, Giorgio; Svitkina, Tatyana; Dominguez, Roberto

    2014-04-01

    The Rho family GTPase effector IRSp53 has essential roles in filopodia formation and neuronal development, but its regulatory mechanism is poorly understood. IRSp53 contains a membrane-binding BAR domain followed by an unconventional CRIB motif that overlaps with a proline-rich region (CRIB-PR) and an SH3 domain that recruits actin cytoskeleton effectors. Using a fluorescence reporter assay, we show that human IRSp53 adopts a closed inactive conformation that opens synergistically with the binding of human Cdc42 to the CRIB-PR and effector proteins, such as the tumor-promoting factor Eps8, to the SH3 domain. The crystal structure of Cdc42 bound to the CRIB-PR reveals a new mode of effector binding to Rho family GTPases. Structure-inspired mutations disrupt autoinhibition and Cdc42 binding in vitro and decouple Cdc42- and IRSp53-dependent filopodia formation in cells. The data support a combinatorial mechanism of IRSp53 activation.

  6. CDC STATE System E-Cigarette Legislation - Smokefree Indoor Air

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — 1995-2018. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System. E-Cigarette Legislation—Smokefree...

  7. Multiple domains of fission yeast Cdc19p (MCM2) are required for its association with the core MCM complex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sherman, D A; Pasion, S G; Forsburg, S L

    1998-07-01

    The members of the MCM protein family are essential eukaryotic DNA replication factors that form a six-member protein complex. In this study, we use antibodies to four MCM proteins to investigate the structure of and requirements for the formation of fission yeast MCM complexes in vivo, with particular regard to Cdc19p (MCM2). Gel filtration analysis shows that the MCM protein complexes are unstable and can be broken down to subcomplexes. Using coimmunoprecipitation, we find that Mis5p (MCM6) and Cdc21p (MCM4) are tightly associated with one another in a core complex with which Cdc19p loosely associates. Assembly of Cdc19p with the core depends upon Cdc21p. Interestingly, there is no obvious change in Cdc19p-containing MCM complexes through the cell cycle. Using a panel of Cdc19p mutants, we find that multiple domains of Cdc19p are required for MCM binding. These studies indicate that MCM complexes in fission yeast have distinct substructures, which may be relevant for function.

  8. The internal Cdc20 binding site in BubR1 facilitates both spindle assembly checkpoint signalling and silencing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lischetti, Tiziana; Zhang, Gang; Sedgwick, Garry G

    2014-01-01

    Improperly attached kinetochores activate the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) and by an unknown mechanism catalyse the binding of two checkpoint proteins, Mad2 and BubR1, to Cdc20 forming the mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC). Here, to address the functional role of Cdc20 kinetochore localization...... in the SAC, we delineate the molecular details of its interaction with kinetochores. We find that BubR1 recruits the bulk of Cdc20 to kinetochores through its internal Cdc20 binding domain (IC20BD). We show that preventing Cdc20 kinetochore localization by removal of the IC20BD has a limited effect...... on the SAC because the IC20BD is also required for efficient SAC silencing. Indeed, the IC20BD can disrupt the MCC providing a mechanism for its role in SAC silencing. We thus uncover an unexpected dual function of the second Cdc20 binding site in BubR1 in promoting both efficient SAC signalling and SAC...

  9. Cdc7-Dbf4 regulates NDT80 transcription as well as reductional segregation during budding yeast meiosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lo, Hsiao-Chi; Wan, Lihong; Rosebrock, Adam; Futcher, Bruce; Hollingsworth, Nancy M

    2008-11-01

    In budding yeast, as in other eukaryotes, the Cdc7 protein kinase is important for initiation of DNA synthesis in vegetative cells. In addition, Cdc7 has crucial meiotic functions: it facilitates premeiotic DNA replication, and it is essential for the initiation of recombination. This work uses a chemical genetic approach to demonstrate that Cdc7 kinase has additional roles in meiosis. First, Cdc7 allows expression of NDT80, a meiosis-specific transcriptional activator required for the induction of genes involved in exit from pachytene, meiotic progression, and spore formation. Second, Cdc7 is necessary for recruitment of monopolin to sister kinetochores, and it is necessary for the reductional segregation occurring at meiosis I. The use of the same kinase to regulate several distinct meiosis-specific processes may be important for the coordination of these processes during meiosis.

  10. Cdc7-Dbf4 Regulates NDT80 Transcription as Well as Reductional Segregation during Budding Yeast Meiosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lo, Hsiao-Chi; Wan, Lihong; Rosebrock, Adam; Futcher, Bruce

    2008-01-01

    In budding yeast, as in other eukaryotes, the Cdc7 protein kinase is important for initiation of DNA synthesis in vegetative cells. In addition, Cdc7 has crucial meiotic functions: it facilitates premeiotic DNA replication, and it is essential for the initiation of recombination. This work uses a chemical genetic approach to demonstrate that Cdc7 kinase has additional roles in meiosis. First, Cdc7 allows expression of NDT80, a meiosis-specific transcriptional activator required for the induction of genes involved in exit from pachytene, meiotic progression, and spore formation. Second, Cdc7 is necessary for recruitment of monopolin to sister kinetochores, and it is necessary for the reductional segregation occurring at meiosis I. The use of the same kinase to regulate several distinct meiosis-specific processes may be important for the coordination of these processes during meiosis. PMID:18768747

  11. Experience in programming Assembly language of CDC CYBER 170/750 computer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caldeira, A.D.

    1987-10-01

    Aiming to optimize processing time of BCG computer code in the CDC CYBER 170/750 computer, the FORTRAN-V language of INTERP subroutine was converted to Assembly language. The BCG code was developed for solving neutron transport equation by iterative method, and the INTERP subroutine is innermost loop of the code carrying out 5 interpolation types. The central processor unit Assembly language of the CDC CYBER 170/750 computer and its application in implementing the interpolation subroutine of BCG code are described. (M.C.K.)

  12. Characterization of cyclin-dependent kinases and Cdc2/Cdc28 kinase subunits in Trichomonas vaginalis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amador, Erick; López-Pacheco, Karla; Morales, Nataly; Coria, Roberto; López-Villaseñor, Imelda

    2017-04-01

    Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) have important roles in regulating key checkpoints between stages of the cell cycle. Their activity is tightly regulated through a variety of mechanisms, including through binding with cyclin proteins and the Cdc2/Cdc28 kinase subunit (CKS), and their phosphorylation at specific amino acids. Studies of the components involved in cell cycle control in parasitic protozoa are limited. Trichomonas vaginalis is the causative agent of trichomoniasis in humans and is therefore important in public health; however, some of the basic biological processes used by this organism have not been defined. Here, we characterized proteins potentially involved in cell cycle regulation in T. vaginalis. Three genes encoding protein kinases were identified in the T. vaginalis genome, and the corresponding recombinant proteins (TvCRK1, TvCRK2, TvCRK5) were studied. These proteins displayed similar sequence features to CDKs. Two genes encoding CKSs were also identified, and the corresponding recombinant proteins were found to interact with TvCRK1 and TvCRK2 by a yeast two-hybrid system. One putative cyclin B protein from T. vaginalis was found to bind to and activate the kinase activities of TvCRK1 and TvCRK5, but not TvCRK2. This work is the first characterization of proteins involved in cell cycle control in T. vaginalis.

  13. Inter-epidemic abundance and distribution of potential mosquito vectors for Rift Valley fever virus in Ngorongoro district, Tanzania

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Clement N. Mweya

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Rift Valley fever (RVF is a mosquito-borne viral zoonosis that primarily affects ruminants but also has the capacity to infect humans. Objective: To determine the abundance and distribution of mosquito vectors in relation to their potential role in the virus transmission and maintenance in disease epidemic areas of Ngorongoro district in northern Tanzania. Methods: A cross-sectional entomological investigation was carried out before the suspected RVF outbreak in October 2012. Mosquitoes were sampled both outdoors and indoors using the Centre for Disease Control (CDC light traps and Mosquito Magnets baited with attractants. Outdoor traps were placed in proximity with breeding sites and under canopy in banana plantations close to the sleeping places of animals. Results: A total of 1,823 mosquitoes were collected, of which 87% (N=1,588 were Culex pipiens complex, 12% (N=226 Aedes aegypti, and 0.5% (N=9 Anopheles species. About two-thirds (67%; N=1,095 of C. pipiens complex and nearly 100% (N=225 of A. aegypti were trapped outdoors using Mosquito Magnets. All Anopheles species were trapped indoors using CDC light traps. There were variations in abundance of C. pipiens complex and A. aegypti among different ecological and vegetation habitats. Over three quarters (78% of C. pipiens complex and most (85% of the A. aegypti were trapped in banana and maize farms. Both C. pipiens complex and A. aegypti were more abundant in proximity with cattle and in semi-arid thorn bushes and lower Afro-montane. The highest number of mosquitoes was recorded in villages that were most affected during the RVF epidemic of 2007. Of the tested 150 pools of C. pipiens complex and 45 pools of A. aegypti, none was infected with RVF virus. Conclusions: These results provide insights into unique habitat characterisation relating to mosquito abundances and distribution in RVF epidemic-prone areas of Ngorongoro district in northern Tanzania.

  14. UV Light Induces Dedoping of Polyaniline

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuki Kaitsuka

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available UV (Ultra-Violet light-driven change in optical absorption of polyaniline (PANI is reported. Irradiation of UV light to PANI/camphor sulfonic acid prepared by electrochemical polymerization allows dedoping of the PANI. Especially, UV light irradiation in the presence of a radical trap agent effectively reduces (dedoping the PANI. The result in this study is quite simple; however, this may be a first report for light-induced dedoping (color change of a conductive polymer.

  15. Should all patients with hyperparathyroidism be screened for a CDC73 mutation?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Caroline Bachmeier

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Primary hyperparathyroidism (PH is a common endocrine abnormality and may occur as part of a genetic syndrome. Inactivating mutations of the tumour suppressor gene CDC73 have been identified as accounting for a large percentage of hyperparathyroidism-jaw tumour syndrome (HPT-JT cases and to a lesser degree account for familial isolated hyperparathyroidism (FIHP cases. Reports of CDC73 whole gene deletions are exceedingly rare. We report the case of a 39 year-old woman with PH secondary to a parathyroid adenoma associated with a large chromosomal deletion (2.5 Mb encompassing the entire CDC73 gene detected years after parathyroidectomy. This case highlights the necessity to screen young patients with hyperparathyroidism for an underlying genetic aetiology. It also demonstrates that molecular testing for this disorder should contain techniques that can detect large deletions.

  16. Dangerous Creatures - A Visit to the CDC Insectary

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    2012-11-07

    Tour CDC’s insectary with Sofi, a young host, and learn from CDC researchers about mosquitoes and insecticide resistance.  Created: 11/7/2012 by Center for Global Health (CGH).   Date Released: 12/20/2012.

  17. Immunohistochemical detection of cdc2 is useful in predicting survival in patients with mantle cell lymphoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hui, David; Reiman, Tony; Hanson, John; Linford, Rick; Wong, Winson; Belch, Andrew; Lai, Raymond

    2005-09-01

    Recent cDNA microarray studies have reported the prognostic value of several genes in mantle cell lymphoma patients. We aimed to validate the prognostic significance of three of these genes: alpha-tubulin, cdc2, and CENP-F. The protein expression of alpha-tubulin, cdc2, and CENP-F was assessed using immunohistochemistry. Their immunoreactivity in 48 formalin-fixed/paraffin-embedded mantle cell lymphoma tumors was determined by estimating the percentage of positive cells. These results were correlated with the expression of proliferation marker Ki67 and survival. Of these 48 mantle cell lymphoma patients, 41 were men and seven were women. The median age at time of diagnosis was 64.5 years, and the overall median survival was 40 months. In benign lymph nodes, the expression of cdc2 and alpha-tubulin was restricted to the germinal centers; mantle zones were negative. Expression of CENP-F was more uniformly distributed. In mantle cell lymphoma, Ki67 significantly correlated with all three markers (P50%) and cdc2 (>25%) significantly correlated with shorter survival (Por=2 correlated with worse clinical outcome, and high clinical stage (ie 4 vs cdc2 and Ki67 was independent of international prognostic index and clinical stage. We have validated the prognostic value of cdc2, and confirmed that of Ki67, in a cohort of mantle cell lymphoma patients. Immunohistochemical detection of cdc2 and Ki67 may be a useful and simple method in evaluating the prognosis of mantle cell lymphoma patients.

  18. SCFCyclin F-dependent degradation of CDC6 suppresses DNA re-replication

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Walter, David; Hoffmann, Saskia; Komseli, Eirini-Stavroula

    2016-01-01

    interact through defined sequence motifs that promote CDC6 ubiquitylation and degradation. Absence of Cyclin F or expression of a stable mutant of CDC6 promotes re-replication and genome instability in cells lacking the CDT1 inhibitor Geminin. Together, our work reveals a novel SCF(Cyclin F...

  19. Positronium bloch function, and trapping of positronium in vacancies, in ice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mogensen, O.E.; Eldrup, M.

    1977-08-01

    Positron annihilation techniques were used to study the behaviour of positronium (Ps) in pure light and heavy ice in the temperature interval -185 2 was extracted by very detailed computer analyses. A nearly-free-Ps theory, including phonon influence, could not explain the temperature dependence of /Asub(g vector)/ 2 . The Ps trapping in vacancies could not be explained in detail in terms of several models, including the simple 'trapping model'. A main difficulty was the fact that para-Ps and ortho-Ps are trapped at roughly the same amount at a certain vacancy concentration. Our results imply a high (several ppm) vacancy concentration at the melting point in ice in agreement with other independent estimates. This fact might introduce pronounced changes in currently accepted theories of the electrical properties of ice. (author)

  20. Rac1 and Cdc42 are regulators of HRasV12-transformation and angiogenic factors in human fibroblasts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Appledorn, Daniel M; Dao, Kim-Hien T; O'Reilly, Sandra; Maher, Veronica M; McCormick, J Justin

    2010-01-01

    The activities of Rac1 and Cdc42 are essential for HRas-induced transformation of rodent fibroblasts. What is more, expression of constitutively activated mutants of Rac1 and/or Cdc42 is sufficient for their malignant transformation. The role for these two Rho GTPases in HRas-mediated transformation of human fibroblasts has not been studied. Here we evaluated the contribution of Rac1 and Cdc42 to maintaining HRas-induced transformation of human fibroblasts, and determined the ability of constitutively activated mutants of Rac1 or Cdc42 to induce malignant transformation of a human fibroblast cell strain. Under the control of a tetracycline regulatable promoter, dominant negative mutants of Rac1 and Cdc42 were expressed in a human HRas-transformed, tumor derived fibroblast cell line. These cells were used to determine the roles of Rac1 and/or Cdc42 proteins in maintaining HRas-induced transformed phenotypes. Similarly, constitutively active mutants were expressed in a non-transformed human fibroblast cell strain to evaluate their potential to induce malignant transformation. Affymetrix GeneChip arrays were used for transcriptome analyses, and observed expression differences were subsequently validated using protein assays. Expression of dominant negative Rac1 and/or Cdc42 significantly altered transformed phenotypes of HRas malignantly transformed human fibroblasts. In contrast, expression of constitutively active mutants of Rac1 or Cdc42 was not sufficient to induce malignant transformation. Microarray analysis revealed that the expression of 29 genes was dependent on Rac1 and Cdc42, many of which are known to play a role in cancer. The dependence of two such genes, uPA and VEGF was further validated in both normoxic and hypoxic conditions. The results presented here indicate that expression of both Rac1 and Cdc42 is necessary for maintaining several transformed phenotypes in oncogenic HRas transformed human cells, including their ability to form tumors in athymic

  1. Rac1 and Cdc42 are regulators of HRasV12-transformation and angiogenic factors in human fibroblasts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dao Kim-Hien T

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The activities of Rac1 and Cdc42 are essential for HRas-induced transformation of rodent fibroblasts. What is more, expression of constitutively activated mutants of Rac1 and/or Cdc42 is sufficient for their malignant transformation. The role for these two Rho GTPases in HRas-mediated transformation of human fibroblasts has not been studied. Here we evaluated the contribution of Rac1 and Cdc42 to maintaining HRas-induced transformation of human fibroblasts, and determined the ability of constitutively activated mutants of Rac1 or Cdc42 to induce malignant transformation of a human fibroblast cell strain. Methods Under the control of a tetracycline regulatable promoter, dominant negative mutants of Rac1 and Cdc42 were expressed in a human HRas-transformed, tumor derived fibroblast cell line. These cells were used to determine the roles of Rac1 and/or Cdc42 proteins in maintaining HRas-induced transformed phenotypes. Similarly, constitutively active mutants were expressed in a non-transformed human fibroblast cell strain to evaluate their potential to induce malignant transformation. Affymetrix GeneChip arrays were used for transcriptome analyses, and observed expression differences were subsequently validated using protein assays. Results Expression of dominant negative Rac1 and/or Cdc42 significantly altered transformed phenotypes of HRas malignantly transformed human fibroblasts. In contrast, expression of constitutively active mutants of Rac1 or Cdc42 was not sufficient to induce malignant transformation. Microarray analysis revealed that the expression of 29 genes was dependent on Rac1 and Cdc42, many of which are known to play a role in cancer. The dependence of two such genes, uPA and VEGF was further validated in both normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Conclusion(s The results presented here indicate that expression of both Rac1 and Cdc42 is necessary for maintaining several transformed phenotypes in oncogenic HRas

  2. Single Atoms Preparation Using Light-Assisted Collisions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yin Hsien Fung

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The detailed control achieved over single optically trapped neutral atoms makes them candidates for applications in quantum metrology and quantum information processing. The last few decades have seen different methods developed to optimize the preparation efficiency of single atoms in optical traps. Here we review the near-deterministic preparation of single atoms based on light-assisted collisions and describe how this method can be implemented in different trap regimes. The simplicity and versatility of the method makes it feasible to be employed in future quantum technologies such as a quantum logic device.

  3. Light Robotics and its potential for integrating with magnetic carriers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Glückstad, Jesper

    . After years of working on light-driven trapping and manipulation, we can see that a confluence of developments is now ripe for the emergence of a new area that can contribute to nanobiophotonics – Light Robotics – which combines advances in microfabrication and optical micromanipulation together...... with intelligent control ideas from robotics, wavefront engineering and computational optics. In the Summer 2017 we published a ca. 500 pages edited Elsevier book volume covering the fundamental aspects needed for Light Robotics including optical trapping systems, microfabrication and microassembly as well...... as underlying theoretical principles and experimental illustrations for optimizing optical forces and torques for Light Robotics. The Elsevier volume is presenting various new functionalities that are enabled by these new designed light-driven micro-robots in addition to various nano-biophotonics applications...

  4. Cryogenic surface ion traps

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Niedermayr, M.

    2015-01-01

    Microfabricated surface traps are a promising architecture to realize a scalable quantum computer based on trapped ions. In principle, hundreds or thousands of surface traps can be located on a single substrate in order to provide large arrays of interacting ions. To this end, trap designs and fabrication methods are required that provide scalable, stable and reproducible ion traps. This work presents a novel surface-trap design developed for cryogenic applications. Intrinsic silicon is used as the substrate material of the traps. The well-developed microfabrication and structuring methods of silicon are utilized to create simple and reproducible traps. The traps were tested and characterized in a cryogenic setup. Ions could be trapped and their life time and motional heating were investigated. Long ion lifetimes of several hours were observed and the measured heating rates were reproducibly low at around 1 phonon per second at a trap frequency of 1 MHz. (author) [de

  5. Role of trapped and solvated electrons in Ps formation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stepanov, S.V.; Byakov, V.M.; Mikhin, K.V.; He, C.; Hirade, T.

    2005-01-01

    Role of trapped and solvated electrons in Ps formation is discussed. Combination of thermalized positron with such electrons is possible from the view point of the energy balance and may results in Ps formation. This process proceeds during all e = lifetime matter. Fitting of raw experimental e + -e - annihilation spectra has to be based on an adequate physical input, which often leads to necessity of nonexponential deconvolution of the spectra. We have interpreted the Ps formation data in polyethylene, ethylene-methylmethacrylate and polymethylmethacrylate in dark and in light vs. tome of the measurement and temperature. parameters characterized accumulation of trapped electrons and their recombination with counter ions and positrons are obtained. (author)

  6. CDC STATE System Tobacco Legislation - Smokefree Indoor Air Summary

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — 1995-2018. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System. Legislation – Smokefree Indoor Air. The...

  7. The PP2AB56 phosphatase promotes the association of Cdc20 with APC/C in mitosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Sun Joo; Rodriguez-Bravo, Veronica; Kim, Hyunjung; Datta, Sutirtha; Foley, Emily A

    2017-05-15

    PP2A comprising B56 regulatory subunit isoforms (PP2A B56 ) is a serine/threonine phosphatase essential for mitosis. At the kinetochore, PP2A B56 both stabilizes microtubule binding and promotes silencing of the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) through its association with the SAC protein BubR1. Cells depleted of the B56 regulatory subunits of PP2A are delayed in activation of Cdc20-containing APC/C (APC/C Cdc20 ), which is an essential step for mitotic exit. It has been hypothesized that this delay arises from increased production of the mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC), an APC/C Cdc20 inhibitor formed at unattached kinetochores through SAC signaling. In contrast to this prediction, we show that depletion of B56 subunits does not increase the amount or stability of the MCC. Rather, delays in APC/C Cdc20 activation in B56-depleted cells correlate with impaired Cdc20 binding to APC/C. Stimulation of APC/C Cdc20 assembly does not require binding between PP2A B56 and BubR1, and thus this contribution of PP2A B56 towards mitotic exit is distinct from its functions at kinetochores. PP2A B56 associates with APC/C constitutively in a BubR1-independent manner. A mitotic phosphorylation site on Cdc20, known to be a substrate of PP2A B56 , modulates APC/C Cdc20 assembly. These results elucidate the contributions of PP2A B56 towards completion of mitosis. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  8. NEK11: linking CHK1 and CDC25A in DNA damage checkpoint signaling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Claus Storgaard; Melixetian, Marina; Klein, Ditte Kjaersgaard

    2010-01-01

    The DNA damage induced G(2)/M checkpoint is an important guardian of the genome that prevents cell division when DNA lesions are present. The checkpoint prevents cells from entering mitosis by degrading CDC25A, a key CDK activator. CDC25A proteolysis is controlled by direct phosphorylation events...... is required for beta-TrCP mediated CDC25A polyubiquitylation and degradation. The activity of NEK11 is in turn controlled by CHK1 that activates NEK11 via phosphorylation on serine 273. Since inhibition of NEK11 activity forces checkpoint-arrested cells into mitosis and cell death, NEK11 is, like CHK1...

  9. Artificial covering on trap nests improves the colonization of trap-nesting wasps

    OpenAIRE

    Taki, Hisatomo; Kevan, Peter G.; Viana, Blandina Felipe; Silva, Fabiana O.; Buck, Matthias

    2008-01-01

    Acesso restrito: Texto completo. p. 225-229 To evaluate the role that a trap-nest cover might have on sampling methodologies, the abundance of each species of trap-nesting Hymenoptera and the parasitism rate in a Canadian forest were compared between artificially covered and uncovered traps. Of trap tubes exposed at eight forest sites in six trap-nest boxes, 531 trap tubes were occupied and 1216 individuals of 12 wasp species of four predatory families, Vespidae (Eumeninae), Crabronidae...

  10. PIXE and light element analysis (C,N) in glass inclusions trapped in meteorites with the nuclear microprobe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Varela, M.E.; Mosbah, M.; Metrich, N.; Duraud, J.P.; Kurat, G.

    1999-01-01

    Proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) and light element analysis have been performed with the nuclear microprobe at the Laboratoire Pierre Suee (Saclay-France) in glass inclusions of the carbonaceous chondrites: Allende, Kaba and Renazzo, and in the achondrite meteorite: Chassigny. Carbon contents in olivine of chondrules are below the nuclear reactions analysis (NRA) detection limit, however, glasses from glass inclusions hosted by these grains, contain an appreciable and highly variable quantities of carbon (200-1600 ppm). This could indicate variable amounts of C trapped during glass inclusion formation. On the other hand, nitrogen is present in highly variable amounts in glasses of both, chondrites and achondrites minerals. Its abundance, correlated with depth from the section surface which suggests loss of N during analyses and therefore the possible existence of a very mobile (volatile?) species. A chondritic Rb/Sr and K/Rb ratio obtained by PIXE analyses in the glass-bearing inclusions of the Chassigny meteorite points towards a primitive source for the glass precursor of Chassigny inclusions

  11. Discriminating between antihydrogen and mirror-trapped antiprotons in a minimum-B trap

    CERN Document Server

    Amole, C; Ashkezari, M D; Baquero-Ruiz, M; Bertsche, W; Butler, E; Cesar, C L; Chapman, S; Charlton, M; Deller, A; Eriksson, S; Fajans, J; Friesen, T; Fujiwara, M C; Gill, D R; Gutierrez, A; Hangst, J S; Hardy, W N; Hayden, M E; Humphries, A J; Hydomako, R; Kurchaninov, L; Jonsell, S; Madsen, N; Menary, S; Nolan, P; Olchanski, K; Olin, A; Povilus, A; Pusa, P; Robicheaux, F; Sarid, E; Silveira, D M; So, C; Storey, J W; Thompson, R I; van der Werf, D P; Wurtele, J S

    2012-01-01

    Recently, antihydrogen atoms were trapped at CERN in a magnetic minimum (minimum-B) trap formed by superconducting octupole and mirror magnet coils. The trapped antiatoms were detected by rapidly turning off these magnets, thereby eliminating the magnetic minimum and releasing any antiatoms contained in the trap. Once released, these antiatoms quickly hit the trap wall, whereupon the positrons and antiprotons in the antiatoms annihilated. The antiproton annihilations produce easily detected signals; we used these signals to prove that we trapped antihydrogen. However, our technique could be confounded by mirror-trapped antiprotons, which would produce seemingly-identical annihilation signals upon hitting the trap wall. In this paper, we discuss possible sources of mirror-trapped antiprotons and show that antihydrogen and antiprotons can be readily distinguished, often with the aid of applied electric fields, by analyzing the annihilation locations and times. We further discuss the general properties of antipr...

  12. Ecological characterisation and infection of Anophelines (Diptera: Culicidae) of the Atlantic Forest in the southeast of Brazil over a 10 year period: has the behaviour of the autochthonous malaria vector changed?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buery, Julyana Cerqueira; Rezende, Helder Ricas; Natal, Licia; Silva, Leonardo Santana da; Menezes, Regiane Maria Tironi de; Fux, Blima; Malafronte, Rosely Dos Santos; Falqueto, Aloisio; Cerutti Junior, Crispim

    2018-02-01

    BACKGROUND In southeastern Brazil, autochthonous cases of malaria can be found near Atlantic Forest fragments. Because the transmission cycle has not been completely clarified, the behaviour of the possible vectors in those regions must be observed. A study concerning the entomological aspects and natural infection of anophelines (Diptera: Culicidae) captured in the municipalities of the mountainous region of Espírito Santo state was performed in 2004 and 2005. Similarly, between 2014 and 2015, 12 monthly collections were performed at the same area of the study mentioned above. METHODS Center for Disease Control (CDC) light traps with CO2 were set in open areas, at the edge and inside of the forest (canopy and ground), whereas Shannon traps were set on the edge. FINDINGS A total of 1,414 anophelines were collected from 13 species. Anopheles (Kerteszia) cruzii Dyar and Knab remained the most frequently captured species in the CDC traps set in the forest canopy, as well as being the vector with the highest prevalence of Plasmodium vivax/simium infection, according to molecular polymerase chain reaction techniques. CONCLUSIONS P. vivax/simium was found only in abdomens of the mosquitoes of the subgenus Nyssorhynchus, weakening the hypothesis that this subgenus also plays a role in malaria transmission in this specific region.

  13. Stable Trapping of Multielectron Helium Bubbles in a Paul Trap

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joseph, E. M.; Vadakkumbatt, V.; Pal, A.; Ghosh, A.

    2017-06-01

    In a recent experiment, we have used a linear Paul trap to store and study multielectron bubbles (MEBs) in liquid helium. MEBs have a charge-to-mass ratio (between 10^{-4} and 10^{-2} C/kg) which is several orders of magnitude smaller than ions (between 10^6 and 10^8 C/kg) studied in traditional ion traps. In addition, MEBs experience significant drag force while moving through the liquid. As a result, the experimental parameters for stable trapping of MEBs, such as magnitude and frequency of the applied electric fields, are very different from those used in typical ion trap experiments. The purpose of this paper is to model the motion of MEBs inside a linear Paul trap in liquid helium, determine the range of working parameters of the trap, and compare the results with experiments.

  14. Plasmonic Light Scattering in Textured Silicon Solar Cells with Indium Nanoparticles from Normal to Non-Normal Light Incidence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wen-Jeng Ho

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available In this study, we sought to improve the light trapping of textured silicon solar cells using the plasmonic light scattering of indium nanoparticles (In NPs of various dimensions. The light trapping modes of textured-silicon surfaces with and without In NPs were investigated at an angle of incidence (AOI ranging from 0° to 75°. The optical reflectance, external quantum efficiency (EQE, and photovoltaic performance were first characterized under an AOI of 0°. We then compared the EQE and photovoltaic current density-voltage (J-V as a function of AOI in textured silicon solar cells with and without In NPs. We observed a reduction in optical reflectance and an increase in EQE when the cells textured with pyramidal structures were coated with In NPs. We also observed an impressive increase in the average weighted external quantum efficiency (∆EQEw and short-circuit current-density (∆Jsc in cells with In NPs when illuminated under a higher AOI. The ∆EQEw values of cells with In NPs were 0.37% higher than those without In NPs under an AOI of 0°, and 3.48% higher under an AOI of 75°. The ∆Jsc values of cells with In NPs were 0.50% higher than those without In NPs under an AOI of 0°, and 4.57% higher under an AOI of 75°. The application of In NPs clearly improved the light trapping effects. This can be attributed to the effects of plasmonic light-scattering over the entire wavelength range as well as an expanded angle of incident light.

  15. Computer Center CDC Libraries/NSRD (Subprograms).

    Science.gov (United States)

    1984-06-01

    SUBROUTINE MUST BE RE-INITIALIZED USING EITHER THE THIRD OR FOURTH FORM OF THE CALL. USAGE CALL EXTPRM (IAREA, LAREA, IPARM, ISEP ) CALL EXTPRM (IAREA, LAREA...INTEGER.) IPARM - OUT - NEXT PARAMETER, LEFT-JUSTIFIED, ZERO-FILLED ISEP - OUT - IF PRESENT, CODE INDICATING TYPE OF SEPARATOR FOUND FOLLOWING THE...SYSTEMS) CDC 6000/CYBER 170 (NOS/BE) REMARKS NONE USAGE CALL PARGET (IAREA, LAREA, IPARAM, NPARAM, ISEP , RSEP, LSEP) CALL PARGET (IAREA, LAREA, IPARAM

  16. ECIS - Adaptation to CDC CYBER system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nair, R.P.K.; Rego, R.A.; Lemos, B.J.K.C.

    1981-01-01

    The implantation of ECIS computer code, elaborated for BOURROUGHS 6700 computer of USP (Universidade de Sao Paulo), in the CDC CYBER 170/730 computer is presented. The ECIS code calculates cross section by coupled channel method. Some problems were calculated to verify the compactibility of results obtained from BOURROUGHS 6700 version with the version. The problems calculated by new version and the carried out modifications, are described (M.C.K.) [pt

  17. Cavity QED with single trapped Ca+-ions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mundt, A.B.

    2003-02-01

    This thesis reports on the design and setup of a vacuum apparatus allowing the investigation of cavity QED effects with single trapped 40 Ca + ions. The weak coupling of ion and cavity in the 'bad cavity limit' may serve to inter--convert stationary and flying qubits. The ion is confined in a miniaturized Paul trap and cooled via the Doppler effect to the Lamb--Dicke regime. The extent of the atomic wave function is less than 30 nm. The ion is enclosed by a high finesse optical cavity. The technically--involved apparatus allows movement of the trap relative to the cavity and the trapped ion can be placed at any position in the standing wave. By means of a transfer lock the cavity can be resonantly stabilized with the S 1/2 ↔ D 5/2 quadrupole transition at 729 nm (suitable as a qubit) without light at that wavelength being present in the cavity. The coupling of the cavity field to the S 1/2 ↔ D 5/2 quadrupole transition is investigated with various techniques in order to determine the spatial dependence as well as the temporal dynamics. The orthogonal coupling of carrier and first--order sideband transitions at field nodes and antinodes is explored. The coherent interaction of the ion and the cavity field is confirmed by exciting Rabi oscillations with short resonant pulses injected into the cavity. Finally, first experimental steps towards the observation of cavity enhanced spontaneous emission have been taken. (author)

  18. CDC STATE System Tobacco Legislation - Smokefree Indoor Air Summary

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — 1995-2017. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System. Legislation – Smokefree Indoor Air....

  19. CDC STATE System E-Cigarette Legislation - Smokefree Indoor Air

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — 1995-2016. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System. E-Cigarette Legislation—Smokefree...

  20. Cdc6-Induced Conformational Changes in ORC Bound to Origin DNA Revealed by Cryo-Electron Microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sun J.; Li H.; Kawakami, H.; Zech, J.; Speck, C.; Stillman, B.

    2012-03-07

    The eukaryotic origin recognition complex (ORC) interacts with and remodels origins of DNA replication prior to initiation in S phase. Here, we report a single-particle cryo-EM-derived structure of the supramolecular assembly comprising Saccharomyces cerevisiae ORC, the replication initiation factor Cdc6, and double-stranded ARS1 origin DNA in the presence of ATP{gamma}S. The six subunits of ORC are arranged as Orc1:Orc4:Orc5:Orc2:Orc3, with Orc6 binding to Orc2. Cdc6 binding changes the conformation of ORC, in particular reorienting the Orc1 N-terminal BAH domain. Segmentation of the 3D map of ORC-Cdc6 on DNA and docking with the crystal structure of the homologous archaeal Orc1/Cdc6 protein suggest an origin DNA binding model in which the DNA tracks along the interior surface of the crescent-like ORC. Thus, ORC bends and wraps the DNA. This model is consistent with the observation that binding of a single Cdc6 extends the ORC footprint on origin DNA from both ends.