Arrays of tens of thousands of sensitive far-infrared detectors coupled to a cryogenic 4–6 m class orbital telescope are needed to trace the assembly of galaxies over cosmic time. The sensitivity of ...a 4 Kelvin telescope observing in the far-infrared (30–300
μ
m) would be limited by zodiacal light and Galactic interstellar dust emission, and require broadband detector noise equivalent powers (NEPs) in the range of 3
×
10
-
19
W/
Hz
. We are fabricating and testing 96 element arrays of lumped-element kinetic inductance detectors (LEKIDs) designed to reach NEPs near this level in a low-background laboratory environment. The LEKIDs are fabricated with aluminum: the low normal-state resistivity of Al permits the use of very thin wire-grid absorber lines (150 nm) for efficient absorption of radiation, while the small volumes enable high sensitivities because quasiparticle densities are high. Such narrow absorption lines present a fabrication challenge, but we deposit TiN atop the Al to increase the robustness of the detectors and achieve a 95
%
yield. We present the design of these Al/TiN bilayer LEKIDs and preliminary sensitivity measurements at 350
μ
m optically loaded by cold blackbody radiation.
Large plastic Li-ion (PLI) cells (25–28
Ah) have been fabricated for electric vehicle (EV) applications. The 28
Ah cells show high specific energy (160
Wh/kg), high specific power (526
W/kg), ...excellent round-trip energy efficiency (92%), and a low self-discharge rate (6% in 30 days). A 25
Ah cell of an earlier design has a good cycle-life of up to 750 cycles at 100% depth-of-discharge (DOD) to 80% of its initial capacity. Cycle-life tests of a 28
Ah cell of a later design is in progress. Preliminary safety tests have also been carried out using 6
Ah cells of a similar electrode design. These give very encouraging results for the development of a safe, high-energy PLI battery for EV duty.
The formation of two-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs) at complex oxide interfaces is directly influenced by the oxide electronic properties. We investigated how local electron correlations control ...the 2DEG by inserting a single atomic layer of a rare-earth oxide (RO) (R is lanthanum (La), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), samarium (Sm), or yttrium (Y) into an epitaxial strontium titanate oxide (SrTiO₃) matrix using pulsed-laser deposition with atomic layer control. We find that structures with La, Pr, and Nd ions result in conducting 2DEGs at the inserted layer, whereas the structures with Sm or Y ions are insulating. Our local spectroscopic and theoretical results indicate that the interfacial conductivity is dependent on electronic correlations that decay spatially into the SrTiO₃ matrix. Such correlation effects can lead to new functionalities in designed heterostructures.
Bacterial blight of rice is an important disease in Asia and Africa. The pathogen, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), secretes one or more of six known transcription-activator-like effectors ...(TALes) that bind specific promoter sequences and induce, at minimum, one of the three host sucrose transporter genes SWEET11, SWEET13 and SWEET14, the expression of which is required for disease susceptibility. We used CRISPR-Cas9-mediated genome editing to introduce mutations in all three SWEET gene promoters. Editing was further informed by sequence analyses of TALe genes in 63 Xoo strains, which revealed multiple TALe variants for SWEET13 alleles. Mutations were also created in SWEET14, which is also targeted by two TALes from an African Xoo lineage. A total of five promoter mutations were simultaneously introduced into the rice line Kitaake and the elite mega varieties IR64 and Ciherang-Sub1. Paddy trials showed that genome-edited SWEET promoters endow rice lines with robust, broad-spectrum resistance.
Aims
The aim of this study was to assess anti‐biofilm and antimicrobial effects of auranofin, an anti‐rheumatic agent, on uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) biofilm formation.
Methods and Results
...The minimum inhibitory concentration and biofilm inhibition concentration of auranofin against UPEC ranged from 24 to 32 μg ml−1. Biofilm eradication concentration and XTT reduction concentration of auranofin were found to be at 112 μg ml−1. Confocal laser scanning microscopy results confirmed that biofilm was inhibited by auranofin. These results indicate that auranofin possesses potent anti‐biofilm and antimicrobial activities against UPEC. Effects of auranofin on type 1 fimbriae gene (fimH) and response regulator gene (rpoS) to stress were explored using quantitative real time‐polymerase chain reaction. In addition, combination of auranofin and tetracycline showed synergistic effect.
Conclusions
These data indicate that auranofin has inhibitory effect on biofilm formation and synergistic effect on UPEC infection when it is combined with tetracycline.
Significance and Impact of the Study
Our study strongly suggest that auranofin is a promising alternative anti‐biofilm and antimicrobial agent to prevent UPEC biofilm formation in UTIs. Auranofin already approved for human use have the advantage of being able to be put into clinical use relatively quickly.
Demonstration of a tunable conductivity of the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interfaces drew significant attention to the development of oxide electronic structures where electronic confinement can be reduced to the ...nanometer range. While the mechanisms for the conductivity modulation are quite different and include metal–insulator phase transition and surface charge writing, generally it is implied that this effect is a result of electrical modification of the LaAlO3 surface (either due to electrochemical dissociation of surface adsorbates or free charge deposition) leading to the change in the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) density at the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 (LAO/STO) interface. In this paper, using piezoresponse force microscopy we demonstrate a switchable electromechanical response of the LAO overlayer, which we attribute to the motion of oxygen vacancies through the LAO layer thickness. These electrically induced reversible changes in bulk stoichiometry of the LAO layer are a signature of a possible additional mechanism for nanoscale oxide 2DEG control on LAO/STO interfaces.
Introduction of new myeloma therapies offers new options for patients refractory to immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) and proteasome inhibitors (PIs). In this multicenter study, patients with relapsed ...multiple myeloma, who have received at least three prior lines of therapy, are refractory to both an IMiD (lenalidomide or pomalidomide) and a PI (bortezomib or carfilzomib), and have been exposed to an alkylating agent were identified. The time patients met the above criteria was defined as time zero (T
). Five hundred and forty-three patients diagnosed between 2006 and 2014 were enrolled in this study. Median age at T
was 62 years (range 31-87); 61% were males. The median duration between diagnosis and T
was 3.1 years. The median number of lines of therapy before T
was 4 (range 3-13). The median overall survival (OS) from T
for the entire cohort was 13 (95% confidence interval (CI) 11, 15) months. At least one regimen recorded after T
in 462 (85%) patients, with a median (95% CI) progression-free survival and OS from T
of 5 (4, 6), and 15.2 (13, 17) months, respectively. The study provides the expected outcome of relapsed multiple myeloma that is refractory to a PI and an IMiD, a benchmark for comparison of new therapies being evaluated.
To investigate the risk factors for acute GVHD (aGVHD), based on NIH consensus criteria (NCC), we evaluated 775 patients who underwent allogeneic transplantation. Of them, 346 patients developed ...aGVHD by NCC, in whom we also analyzed factors affecting aGVHD-specific survival. The cumulative incidence of aGVHD was 44.7%, consisting of classic aGVHD (n=320) and late-onset (n=26). Multivariate analyses revealed that younger age (P=0.015), unrelated donors (P=0.004) and acute leukemia compared with other hematologic malignancies (P=0.005) were significant risk factors for aGVHD, whereas PBSCs showed no association (P=0.720). Multivariate analyses, with only aGVHD patients, revealed that late-onset aGVHD had superior aGVHD-specific survival to classic aGVHD (P=0.044), and identified the association of visceral organ involvement (P=0.002), severity of aGVHD at onset (P=0.035) and advanced disease status (P<0.001) with inferior aGVHD-specific survival. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the risk and prognostic factors for aGVHD by NCC with some differences with the previous reports that were based on old criteria. The difference in the risk factors according to different criteria will give insights about the pathophysiology of GVHD. The better prognosis of late-onset aGVHD than of classic aGVHD raises the necessity for prospective trials with a large cohort focusing on the onset time.
We conducted a systemic evaluation to describe the effect of minimal residual disease (MRD) kinetics on long-term allogeneic transplantation outcome by analyzing 95 adult transplants with ...Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph-positive ALL) who received first-line two courses of imatinib-based chemotherapy (median follow-up 5 years). MRD monitoring was centrally evaluated by real-time quantitative PCR (4.5 log sensitivity). After the first course of imatinib-based chemotherapy, 33 patients (34.7%) achieved at least major molecular response. On the basis of MRD kinetics by the end of two courses of imatinib-based chemotherapy, we stratified entire patients into four subgroups: early-stable molecular responders (EMRs, n=33), late molecular responders (LMRs, n=35), intermediate molecular responders (IMRs, n=9) and poor molecular responders (PMRs, n=18). Multivariate analysis showed that the most powerful factor affecting long-term transplantation outcome was MRD kinetics. Compared with EMRs, IMRs or PMRs had significantly higher risk of treatment failure in terms of relapse and disease-free survival (DFS). LMRs had a tendency toward a lower DFS. Quantitative monitoring of MRD kinetics during the first-line imatinib-based chemotherapy course is useful in identifying subgroups of Ph-positive ALL transplants at a high risk of relapse.
The enhancement of the functional properties of materials at reduced dimensions is crucial for continuous advancements in nanoelectronic applications. Here, we report that the scale reduction leads ...to the emergence of an important functional property, ferroelectricity, challenging the long-standing notion that ferroelectricity is inevitably suppressed at the scale of a few nanometers. A combination of theoretical calculations, electrical measurements, and structural analyses provides evidence of room-temperature ferroelectricity in strain-free epitaxial nanometer-thick films of otherwise nonferroelectric strontium titanate (SrTiO3). We show that electrically induced alignment of naturally existing polar nanoregions is responsible for the appearance of a stable net ferroelectric polarization in these films. This finding can be useful for the development of low-dimensional material systems with enhanced functional properties relevant to emerging nanoelectronic devices.
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