Prospects and Limitations of Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Laser Gain Materials.

Nanolasers operate with a minimal amount of active material and low losses. In this regime, single layers of transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are being investigated as next generation gain materials due to their high quantum efficiency. We provide results from microscopic gain calculations of highly excited TMD monolayers and specify requirements to achieve lasing with four commonly used TMD semiconductors. Our approach includes band-structure renormalizations due to excited carriers that trigger a direct-to-indirect band gap transition. As a consequence, we predict a rollover for the gain that limits the excitation regime where laser operation is possible. A parametrization of the peak gain is provided that is used in combination with a rate-equation theory to discuss consequences for experimentally accessible laser characteristics.

Neutrophil swarming and extracellular trap formation play a significant role in Alum adjuvant activity.

There are over 6 billion vaccine doses administered each year, most containing aluminium-based adjuvants, yet we still do not have a complete understanding of their mechanisms of action. Recent evidence has identified host DNA and downstream sensing as playing a significant role in aluminium adjuvant (aluminium hydroxide) activity. However, the cellular source of this DNA, how it is sensed by the immune system and the consequences of this for vaccination remains unclear. Here we show that the very early injection site reaction is characterised by inflammatory chemokine production and neutrophil recruitment. Intravital imaging demonstrates that the Alum injection site is a focus of neutrophil swarms and extracellular DNA strands. These strands were confirmed as neutrophil extracellular traps due to their sensitivity to DNAse and absence in mice deficient in peptidylarginine deiminase 4. Further studies in PAD4-/- mice confirmed a significant role for neutrophil extracellular trap formation in the adjuvant activity of Alum. By revealing neutrophils recruited to the site of Alum injection as a source of the DNA that is detected by the immune system this study provides the missing link between Alum injection and the activation of DNA sensors that enhance adjuvant activity, elucidating a key mechanism of action for this important vaccine component.

Bacterial growth on chitosan-coated polypropylene textile.

Biofouling is a problem common in all systems where microorganisms and aqueous environment meet. Prevention of biofouling is therefore important in many industrial processes. The aim of this study was to develop a method to evaluate the ability of material coating to inhibit biofilm formation. Chitosan-coated polypropylene nonwoven textile was prepared using dielectric barrier discharge plasma activation. Resistance of the textile to biofouling was then tested. First, the textile was submerged into a growth medium inoculated with green fluorescein protein labelled Pseudomonas aeruginosa. After overnight incubation at 33°C, the textile was observed using confocal laser scanning microscopy for bacterial enumeration and biofilm structure characterisation. In the second stage, the textile was used as a filter medium for prefiltered river water, and the pressure development on the in-flow side was measured to quantify the overall level of biofouling. In both cases, nontreated textile samples were used as a control. The results indicate that the chitosan coating exhibits antibacterial properties. The developed method is applicable for the evaluation of the ability to inhibit biofilm formation.