Controlling electron flow in anisotropic Dirac materials heterojunctions: a super-diverging lens.

Ballistic heterojunctions of Dirac materials offer the opportunity of exploring optics-like phenomena in electronic systems. In this paper, a new perfect lens through special positive refraction is predicted with omnidirectional Klein tunneling of massless Dirac fermions. The novel optics component called a super-diverging lens (SDL) is the counterpart of a Veselago lens (VL). The use of SDL and VL creates a device that simulates the ocular vision. This atypical refraction is due to electrons obeying different Snell's laws of pseudo-spin and group velocity in heterojunctions with elliptical Dirac cones. These findings pave the way for an electron elliptical Dirac optics and open up new possibilities for the guiding of electrons.

Perfect transmission of 3D massive Kane fermions in HgCdTe Veselago lenses.

The transmission properties of three-dimensional (3D) massive Kane fermions in HgCdTe (MCT) heterojunctions have been studied using the simplified Kane-Melé model. Based on our theoretical calculations, we propose the design of an electronic device, called a mass inverter, which consists of the junction of a narrow-gap semiconductor and semimetal. Such a device can be used in electron optics applications, since it operates as a Veselago lens and presents Klein tunneling (KT) of 3D massive Kane fermions under normal incidence. We found that KT and Veselago lensing can also be observed for general MCT heterojunctions with a specific value of doping level. We show that non-resonant perfect transmission of massive Kane fermions persists in a potential barrier for heterojunctions formed by a semimetal between two standard semiconductors. This effect is quite robust when the ideal conditions of a possible experimental test are deviated. Our findings may have important implications in the development of nano-electronic devices using 3D massive Kane fermions, where transmission features of massless particles are recovered.

A recombinant cystatin from Ascaris lumbricoides attenuates inflammation of DSS-induced colitis.

Helminthiasis may ameliorate inflammatory diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease and asthma. Information about immunomodulators from Ascaris lumbricoides is scarce, but could be important considering the co-evolutionary relationships between helminths and humans. We evaluated the immunomodulatory effects of a recombinant cystatin from A. lumbricoides on an acute model of dextran sodium sulphate (DSS)-induced colitis in mice. From an A. lumbricoides cDNA library, we obtained a recombinant cystatin (rAl-CPI). Protease activity inhibition was demonstrated on cathepsin B and papain. Immunomodulatory effects were evaluated at two intraperitoneal doses (0.5 and 0.25 µg/G) on mice with DSS-induced colitis. Body weight, colon length, Disease Activity Index (DAI), histological inflammation score, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, gene expression of cytokines and cytokines levels in colon tissue were analysed. Treatment with rAl-CPI significantly reduced DAI, MPO activity and inflammation score without toxic effects. Also, IL-10 and TGF-B gene overexpression was observed in rAl-CPI-treated group compared to DSS-exposed control and healthy mice. Furthermore, a reduction in IL-6 and TNF-A expression was found, and this was confirmed by the levels of these cytokines in colonic tissue. In conclusion, rAl-CPI reduces inflammation in a mouse model of DSS-induced colitis, probably by increasing the expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines and reducing pro-inflammatory ones.

An improved cryopreservation protocol for pineapple apices using encapsulation-vitrification.

Several modifications to the cryogenic protocols previously described for pineapple apices were performed using vitrification and encapsulation-vitrification. Pregrowth of apices in sucrose-proline before loading significantly reduced the exposure duration to PVS2 and PVS3 required for successful cryopreservation. Encapsulation and treatments with PVS3 at 0 degree C gave the highest survival before and after cooling. Optimal conditions involved the encapsulation of pineapple apices in calcium alginate (3 percent) followed by a 2-d preculture in liquid medium with 0.16 M sucrose + 0.3 M proline for 24 h and then transfer to 0.3 M sucrose + 0.3 M proline for an additional 24 h. After preculture, samples were loaded in 0.75 M sucrose + 1 M glycerol solution at room temperature (25 min) and dehydrated with PVS3 at 0 degree C for 60 min before immersion into liquid nitrogen. Following this procedure 54 percent and 83 percent of apices from MD-2 and Puerto Rico varieties respectively survived.