In recent years, polymer surfaces have become increasingly popular for biomolecule attachment because of their relatively low cost and desirable bulk physicochemical characteristics. However, the ...chemical inertness of some polymer surfaces poses an obstacle to more expansive implementation of polymer materials in bioanalytical applications. We describe use of argon plasma to generate reactive hydroxyl moieties at the surface of polystyrene microtiter plates. The plates are then selectively functionalized with silanes and cross-linkers suitable for the covalent immobilization of biomolecules. This plasma-based method for microtiter plate functionalization was evaluated after each step by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, water contact angle analysis, atomic force microscopy, and bioimmobilization efficacy. We further demonstrate that the plasma treatment followed by silane derivatization supports direct, covalent immobilization of biomolecules on microtiter plates and thus overcomes challenging issues typically associated with simple physisorption. Importantly, biomolecules covalently immobilized onto microtiter plates using this plasma-based method retained functionality and demonstrated attachment efficiency comparable to commercial preactivated microtiter plates.
Temporal measurement of electron density, metastable-atom density, and reduced electric field are used to infer the dynamic behavior of the excitation rates describing electron-atom collision-induced ...excitation in the positive column of a 1 Torr argon plasma by invoking plausible assumptions regarding the shape of the electron energy distribution function performed in Adams et al (2012 Phys. Plasmas 19 023510). These inferred rates are used to predict the 420.1 nm to 419.8 nm argon emission ratio, which agree with experimental results when the assumptions are applicable. Thus the observed emission ratio is demonstrated to be dependent on the metastable-atom density, electron density, and reduced electric field. The established confidence in the validity of this emission-line-ratio model allows us to predict metastable argon-atom density during the post-transient phase of the pulse as suggested by De Joseph et al (2005 Phys. Rev. E 72 036410). Similar inferences of electron density and reduced electric field based on readily available diagnostic signatures may also be afforded by this model.
The new LHC experiments at CERN will have very large numbers of channels to operate. In order to be able to configure and monitor such large systems, a high degree of parallelism is necessary. The ...control system is built as a hierarchy of sub-systems distributed over several computers. A toolkit-SMI++, combining two approaches: finite state machines and rule-based programming, allows for the description of the various sub-systems as decentralized deciding entities, reacting in real-time to changes in the system, thus providing for the automation of standard procedures and for the automatic recovery from error conditions in a hierarchical fashion. In this paper we will describe the principles and features of SMI++ as well as its integration with an industrial SCADA tool for use by the LHC experiments and we will try to show that such tools, can provide a very convenient mechanism for the automation of large scale, high complexity, applications.
In the SMI++ framework, the real world is viewed as a collection of objects behaving as finite state machines. These objects can represent real entities, such as hardware devices or software tasks, ...or they can represent abstract subsystems. A special language SML (State Manager Language) is provided for the object description. The SML description is then interpreted by a Logic Engine (coded in C++) to drive the Control System. This allows rule based automation and error recovery. SMI++ objects can run distributed over a variety of platforms, all communication being handled transparently by an underlying communication system – DIM (Distributed Information Management). This framework has been first used by the DELPHI experiment at CERN since 1990 and subsequently by BaBar experiment at SLAC since 1999 for the design and implementation of their experiment control. SMI++ has been adopted at CERN by all LHC experiments in their detector control systems as recommended by the Joint Controls Project. Since then it has undergone many upgrades to provide for varying needs. The main features of the framework and in particular of SML language as well as recent and near future upgrades will be discussed. SMI++ has, so far, been used only by large particle physics experiments. It is, however, equally suitable for any other control applications.
In the SMI++ framework, the real world is viewed as a collection of objects behaving as finite-state machines. These objects can represent real entities, such as hardware devices or software tasks, ...or they can represent abstract subsystems. A special language (SML) is provided for the object description. The SML description is then interpreted by a logic engine (coded in C++) to drive the control system. This allows rule-based automation and error recovery. SMI++ objects can run distributed over a variety of platforms, all communication being handled transparently by an underlying communication system, DIM. This framework was first used by the DELPHI experiment at CERN for the experiment control. The BaBar experiment at SLAC has adopted this framework for the design and implementation of their Run Control system. For this purpose, the framework was significantly upgraded. The BaBar Run Control and the underlying SMI++ framework has been in production since the beginning of 1999. SMI++ has recently been adopted at CERN by all LHC experiments for their detector control systems, as recommended by the Joint Controls Project. The main features of the framework and, in particular, of the SML language, as well as recent and near future upgrades, will be discussed. SMI++ has, so far, been used only by large particle physics experiments. It is, however, equally suitable for any other control applications.
Temporal measurements of the electron density, metastable-atom density, and reduced electric field demonstrate that four orders of magnitude variation in the dynamic range of the electron-atom ...collision-induced excitation rates takes place during the 2.0 kV height, 40 µs duration repeating pulse applied to a 100 Pa (1 Torr), argon positive column in a hollow-cathode discharge. Correlation between metastable-atom density and emission-line ratio is demonstrated to be sufficiently reliable to infer one quantity based on the measurement of the other quantity during the Initiation, Transient, and Post-Transient spectroscopic stages of the pulse. Observed emission-line ratio and the predicted emission-line ratio are in quantitative agreement with each other in the Transient and Post-Transient stages of the discharge and are in qualitative agreement with each other in the Initiation stage of the discharge. Reasonable assumptions regarding the interpretation of the electron energy probability function (EEPF), as it starts off being Druyvesteyn and becomes more Maxwellian later with the increasing electron density, is key to interpreting the correlation and explaining the temporal behavior of the emission-line ratio in all stages of the discharge.
LHCb's Experiment Control System will handle the configuration, monitoring, and operation of all experimental equipment involved in the various activities of the experiment. A control framework ...(based on an industrial SCADA system) allowing the integration of the various devices into a coherent hierarchical system is being developed in common for the four Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that the same architecture and tools can be used to control and monitor all the different types of devices, from front-end electronics boards to temperature sensors to algorithms in an event filter farm, thus providing LHCb with a homogeneous control system and a coherent interface to all parts of the experiment.
The attention to a detailed analysis by Sadeghi 1 of our paper 2, using Weatherford and Barnat 3 for reference information is appreciated and motivates us to clarify points in our paper referred to ...in the Comment 1. In this Reply, we respond to the two remarks by Sadeghi 1 claiming to render as unjustified our original conclusion based on validity of the 420.1/419.8 nm emission intensity ratio method for the estimate of argon metastable density, and clear up other possible misinterpretations of the data presented in our paper 2.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a highly heterogeneous disorder, characterized by differences in autoantibody profile, serum cytokines, and clinical manifestations. SLE-associated ...autoantibodies and high serum interferon alpha (IFN-α) are important heritable phenotypes in SLE which are correlated with each other, and play a role in disease pathogenesis. These two heritable risk factors are shared between ancestral backgrounds. The aim of the study was to detect genetic factors associated with autoantibody profiles and serum IFN-α in SLE.
We undertook a case-case genome-wide association study of SLE patients stratified by ancestry and extremes of phenotype in serology and serum IFN-α. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in seven loci were selected for follow-up in a large independent cohort of 538 SLE patients and 522 controls using a multi-step screening approach based on novel metrics and expert database review. The seven loci were: leucine-rich repeat containing 20 (LRRC20); protein phosphatase 1 H (PPM1H); lysophosphatidic acid receptor 1 (LPAR1); ankyrin repeat and sterile alpha motif domain 1A (ANKS1A); protein tyrosine phosphatase, receptor type M (PTPRM); ephrin A5 (EFNA5); and V-set and immunoglobulin domain containing 2 (VSIG2).
SNPs in the LRRC20, PPM1H, LPAR1, ANKS1A, and VSIG2 loci each demonstrated strong association with a particular serologic profile (all odds ratios > 2.2 and P < 3.5 × 10-4). Each of these serologic profiles was associated with increased serum IFN-α. SNPs in both PTPRM and LRRC20 were associated with increased serum IFN-α independent of serologic profile (P = 2.2 × 10-6 and P = 2.6 × 10-3 respectively). None of the SNPs were strongly associated with SLE in case-control analysis, suggesting that the major impact of these variants will be upon subphenotypes in SLE.
This study demonstrates the power of using serologic and cytokine subphenotypes to elucidate genetic factors involved in complex autoimmune disease. The distinct associations observed emphasize the heterogeneity of molecular pathogenesis in SLE, and the need for stratification by subphenotypes in genetic studies. We hypothesize that these genetic variants play a role in disease manifestations and severity in SLE.
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