Cavity Optomechanics with Anderson-Localized Optical Modes.

Confining photons in cavities enhances the interaction between light and matter. In cavity optomechanics, this enables a wealth of phenomena ranging from optomechanically induced transparency to macroscopic objects cooled to their motional ground state. Previous work in cavity optomechanics employed devices where ubiquitous structural disorder played no role beyond perturbing resonance frequencies and quality factors. More generally, the interplay between disorder, which must be described by statistical physics, and optomechanical effects has thus far been unexplored. Here, we demonstrate how sidewall roughness in air-slot photonic-crystal waveguides can induce sufficiently strong backscattering of slot-guided light to create Anderson-localized modes with quality factors as high as half a million and mode volumes estimated to be below the diffraction limit. We observe how the interaction between these disorder-induced optical modes and in-plane mechanical modes of the slotted membrane is governed by a distribution of coupling rates, which can exceed g_{o}/2π∼200 kHz, leading to mechanical amplification up to self sustained oscillations via optomechanical backaction. Our Letter constitutes the first steps towards understanding optomechanics in the multiple-scattering regime and opens new perspectives for exploring complex systems with a multitude of mutually coupled degrees of freedom.

Eye-tracking to observe compliance with hand hygiene in the intensive care unit: a randomized feasibility study.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare-associated infections are associated with increased patient mortality. Hand hygiene is the most effective method to reduce these infections. Despite simplification of this easy intervention, compliance with hand disinfection remains low. Current assessment of hand hygiene is mainly based on observation by hygiene specialists. The aim of this study was to investigate additional benefits of eye-tracking during the analysis of hand hygiene compliance of healthcare professionals in the intensive care unit. METHODS: In a simulated, randomized crossover study conducted at the interdisciplinary intensive care unit at University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland, doctors and nurses underwent eye-tracking and completed two everyday tasks (injection of 10 µg norepinephrine via a central venous line, blood removal from the central line) in two scenarios where the locations of alcoholic dispensers differed ('in-sight' and 'out-of-sight'). The primary outcomes were dwell time, revisits, first fixation duration and average fixation duration on three areas of interest (central venous line, alcohol dispenser, protective glove box) for both scenarios. Compliance with hand hygiene guidelines was analysed. FINDINGS: Forty-nine participants (35 nurses, 14 doctors) were included in this study. Eye-tracking provided additional useful information compared with conventional observations. Dwell time, revisits, first fixation duration and average fixation duration did not differ between the two scenarios for all areas of interest. Overall compliance with recommended hand hygiene measures was low in both doctors (mean 20%) and nurses (mean 42.9%). CONCLUSION: Compared with conventional observations, eye-tracking offered additional helpful insights and provided an in-depth analysis of gaze patterns during the recording of hand hygiene compliance in the intensive care unit.

Engineering nanoscale hypersonic phonon transport.

Controlling vibrations in solids is crucial to tailor their elastic properties and interaction with light. Thermal vibrations represent a source of noise and dephasing for many physical processes at the quantum level. One strategy to avoid these vibrations is to structure a solid such that it possesses a phononic stop band, that is, a frequency range over which there are no available elastic waves. Here we demonstrate the complete absence of thermal vibrations in a nanostructured silicon membrane at room temperature over a broad spectral window, with a 5.3-GHz-wide bandgap centred at 8.4 GHz. By constructing a line-defect waveguide, we directly measure gigahertz guided modes without any external excitation using Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy. Our experimental results show that the shamrock crystal geometry can be used as an efficient platform for phonon manipulation with possible applications in optomechanics and signal processing transduction.

Simulations of micro-sphere/shell 2D silica photonic crystals for radiative cooling.

Passive daytime radiative cooling has recently become an attractive approach to address the global energy demand associated with modern refrigeration technologies. One technique to increase the radiative cooling performance is to engineer the surface of a polar dielectric material to enhance its emittance at wavelengths in the atmospheric infrared transparency window (8-13 µm) by outcoupling surface-phonon polaritons (SPhPs) into free-space. Here we present a theoretical investigation of new surface morphologies based upon self-assembled silica photonic crystals (PCs) using an in-house built rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) code. Simulations predict that silica micro-sphere PCs can reach up to 73 K below ambient temperature, when solar absorption and conductive/convective losses can be neglected. Micro-shell structures are studied to explore the direct outcoupling of the SPhP, resulting in near-unity emittance between 8 and 10 µm. Additionally, the effect of material composition is explored by simulating soda-lime glass micro-shells, which, in turn, exhibit a temperature reduction of 61 K below ambient temperature. The RCWA code was compared to FTIR measurements of silica micro-spheres, self-assembled on microscope slides.

Anderson Photon-Phonon Colocalization in Certain Random Superlattices.

Fundamental observations in physics ranging from gravitational wave detection to laser cooling of a nanomechanical oscillator into its quantum ground state rely on the interaction between the optical and the mechanical degrees of freedom. A key parameter to engineer this interaction is the spatial overlap between the two fields, optimized in carefully designed resonators on a case-by-case basis. Disorder is an alternative strategy to confine light and sound at the nanoscale. However, it lacks an a priori mechanism guaranteeing a high degree of colocalization due to the inherently complex nature of the underlying interference processes. Here, we propose a way to address this challenge by using GaAs/AlAs vertical distributed Bragg reflectors with embedded geometrical disorder. Because of a remarkable coincidence in the physical parameters governing light and motion propagation in these two materials, the equations for both longitudinal acoustic waves and normal-incidence light become practically equivalent for excitations of the same wavelength. This guarantees spatial overlap between the electromagnetic and displacement fields of specific photon-phonon pairs, leading to strong light-matter interaction. In particular, a statistical enhancement in the vacuum optomechanical coupling rate, g_{o}, is found, making this system a promising candidate to explore Anderson localization of high frequency (∼20 GHz) phonons enabled by cavity optomechanics. The colocalization effect shown here unlocks the access to unexplored localization phenomena and the engineering of light-matter interactions mediated by Anderson-localized states.

Good Outcomes in Kidney Transplantation With Deceased Donor With Acute Kidney Injury: Donor's Age and Not Acute Kidney Injury Predicts Graft Function.

BACKGROUND: With the increased demand for kidney transplants and the short supply of organs, it is necessary to have a better strategy to evaluate the available organs, especially from donors with acute kidney injury (AKI), because these organs are often rejected for transplantation. METHODS: We evaluated patients undergoing transplantation with kidneys from deceased donors with AKI. The cases were divided into AKI stages according to the Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) criteria. The outcomes examined were delayed graft function (DGF), creatinine (Cr), and creatinine clearance (CrCl) at 6 months after transplantation. RESULTS: We evaluated 101 patients and included 53 in the final model. There was no statistical difference in the demographic characteristics, comorbidities, and immunosuppression according to each AKIN stage, showing a population of homogeneous transplant recipients. Recipients in AKIN stages I, II, and III, respectively had DGF in 72.7%, 61.9%, and 71.4% of cases; Cr of 1.6 ± 0.5, 1.7 ± 0.7, and 1.6 ± 0.2 mg/dL at 6 months; and CrCl of 60.6 ± 22.4, 52.4 ± 27.4, and 52.03 ± 12.1 mL/min at 6 months. Each additional year in donor age increased the relative risk of DGF by 1.08 (1.0-1.13) (P = .01), and organs from older donors were associated with worse renal function at 6 months. CONCLUSION: Kidney transplantation of organs from deceased donors with AKI showed greater DGF but good outcomes. Donor age was the only characteristic that correlated with outcome.

Safety of kidney transplantation using anti-HBc-positive donors.

BACKGROUND: Prospective studies evaluating the risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmission in transplants of kidneys from hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc)-positive/hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs)-negative donors are still lacking. The objective of this study was to assess the safety of kidney transplantation with the use of anti-HBc-positive donors. METHODS: This prospective case series study included 50 kidney transplant recipients from anti-HBc-positive donors with or without anti-HBs positivity. Recipients were required to test positive for anti-HBs (titers >10 mUI/mL), regardless of anti-HBc status, and negative for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Recipient and donor data were retrieved from medical records, databases, and organ procurement organization sheets. Liver function tests were performed at progressively increasing post-transplantation intervals. Complete serologic tests for HBV were performed before transplantation, 3 and 6 months after transplantation, and annually thereafter. RESULTS: Six months after transplantation, all recipients were negative for HBsAg, HBeAg, anti-HBe, and anti-HBcIgM. No seroconversion was observed among the 20 patients who received kidneys from anti-HBc-positive/anti-HBs-negative donors. No patient showed elevated liver enzymes during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Kidney transplantation using organs from anti-HBcIgG-positive donors (even when they are concurrently anti-HBs negative) in anti-HBs-positive recipients is a safe procedure and may be considered as a way to expand the donor pool.

Random nanolasing in the Anderson localized regime.

The development of nanoscale optical devices for classical and quantum photonics is affected by unavoidable fabrication imperfections that often impose performance limitations. However, disorder may also enable new functionalities, for example in random lasers, where lasing relies on random multiple scattering. The applicability of random lasers has been limited due to multidirectional emission, lack of tunability, and strong mode competition with chaotic fluctuations due to a weak mode confinement. The regime of Anderson localization of light has been proposed for obtaining stable multimode random lasing, and initial work concerned macroscopic one-dimensional layered media. Here, we demonstrate on-chip random nanolasers where the cavity feedback is provided by the intrinsic disorder. The strong confinement achieved by Anderson localization reduces the spatial overlap between lasing modes, thus preventing mode competition and improving stability. This enables highly efficient, stable and broadband wavelength-controlled lasers with very small mode volumes. Furthermore, the complex interplay between gain, dispersion-controlled slow light, and disorder is demonstrated experimentally for a non-conservative random medium. The statistical analysis shows a way towards optimizing random-lasing performance by reducing the localization length, a universal parameter.

Parâmetros ósseos de frangos de corte alimentados com rações contendo fitase e baixos níveis de fósforo disponível e proteína bruta / Bone parameters for broilers fed diets with phytase and low phosphorus and crude protein levels

Foram utilizados 504 pintos de linhagem comercial (Ag Ross 308) para frangos de corte de um dia de idade, distribuídos em 12 tratamentos com seis repetições. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi de blocos ao acaso em esquema fatorial 2x2x3, com dois níveis de fósforo disponível (0,45 e 0,34%), dois níveis de fitase (0 e 1200 FTU/kg) e três níveis de proteína bruta (22,5; 20,5 e 18,5%). A porcentagem de cálcio e fósforo nas tíbias foi influenciada significativamente pelos níveis de proteína e de fósforo na dieta com o uso da fitase. Os teores de matéria mineral nas tíbias apresentaram efeito linear com o uso da enzima e efeito quadrático com a ausência dela, apresentando maior valor com o nível de 22,5% de proteína na dieta. Já com os maiores níveis de fósforo houve efeito linear entre os níveis de proteína bruta na dieta e os pesos da matéria mineral nas tíbias, ou seja, quanto maior o nível de proteína, menor o peso da matéria mineral.

504 (five hundred four) 1 day old male chicks from a commercial broiler line (Ag Ross 308) were used, distributed in 12 treatments, with 6 replicates per treatment. The experimental design was casually blocked and treatments were organized in a 2x2x3 factorial arrangement: two available phosphorus levels (0.45 and 0.34%), two phytase inclusion levels (0 and 1200 FTU/kg) and three crude protein levels (22.5; 20.5 and 18.5%). Tibia calcium percentage was influenced by protein and phosphorus levels in the diet, when using phytase. Tibia ash levels showed a linear effect when enzymes were added and showed a quadractic effect without it, and the higher value was observed with 22.5% crude protein in the diet. With higher phosphorus levels a linear effect was observed between crude protein in the diet and tibia ash weights, as a higher protein level had lower tíbia ash weight.

Observation of resonant behavior in the energy velocity of diffused light.

In this Letter we demonstrate Mie resonances mediated transport of light in randomly arranged, monodisperse dielectric spheres packed at high filling fractions. By means of both static and dynamic optical experiments we show resonant behavior in the key transport parameters and, in particular, we find that the energy transport velocity, which is lower than the group velocity, also displays a resonant behavior.

Elevated expression of axin2 and hnkd mRNA provides evidence that Wnt/beta -catenin signaling is activated in human colon tumors.

Genetic studies have identified mutations in key regulators of the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway in a variety of cancers, most frequently in colon cancers. However, whether the pathway is activated in clinical cancer samples is not easily determined, and therefore it is useful to find markers that could be surrogates to show activation of the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway. Gene expression profiles were analyzed in SW620, a colon cancer cell line in which beta-catenin levels are stabilized as a consequence of truncated adenomatous polyposis coli and were compared with profiles of the same cells transfected with antisense oligodeoxynucleotides. Treatment of cells with beta-catenin antisense oligodeoxynucleotides resulted in a decrease in the levels of axin2 and human naked cuticle (hnkd) mRNAs. Interestingly, the proteins encoded by both of these mRNAs are known inhibitors of the beta-catenin pathway. In 30 human cell lines derived from different origins, axin2 and hnkd were expressed only in human colon cancer cell lines that are known to have activating mutations in the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway. Further, levels of both axin2 and hnkd mRNA were also found to be elevated in about 65% of laser microdissected cells from human colon tumors compared with laser microdissected cells of normal morphology from the same patient samples. The increased expression of axin2 and hnkd correlated with truncations in adenomatous polyposis coli in the same patient samples. These results reveal that it is possible to detect activation of a carcinogenic pathway in human cancer samples with specific markers.

Receptor and betagamma binding sites in the alpha subunit of the retinal G protein transducin.

Transmembrane receptors for hormones, neurotransmitters, light, and odorants mediate their cellular effects by activating heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins). Crystal structures have revealed contact surfaces between G protein subunits, but not the surfaces or molecular mechanism through which Galphabetagamma responds to activation by transmembrane receptors. Such a surface was identified from the results of testing 100 mutant alpha subunits of the retinal G protein transducin for their ability to interact with rhodopsin. Sites at which alanine substitutions impaired this interaction mapped to two distinct Galpha surfaces: a betagamma-binding surface and a putative receptor-interacting surface. On the basis of these results a mechanism for receptor-catalyzed exchange of guanosine diphosphate for guanosine triphosphate is proposed.

Transducin-alpha C-terminal mutations prevent activation by rhodopsin: a new assay using recombinant proteins expressed in cultured cells.

We have measured the activation by recombinant rhodopsin of the alpha-subunit (alpha 1) of retinal transducin (Gt, also recombinant) using a new assay. Cultured cells are transiently transfected with DNAs encoding opsin and the three subunits of Gt (alpha t, beta 1 and gamma 1). In the microsomes of these cells, incubated with 11-cis-retinal, light causes the rapid activation of Gt, as measured by the ability of GTP gamma S to protect alpha t fragments from proteolytic degradation. The activation of Gt is also observed when all-trans-retinal is added to microsomes under constant illumination. Activation depends on both opsin and retinal. Opsin mutants with known defects in activating Gt show similar defects in this assay. alpha t mutations that mimic the corresponding mutations in the alpha-subunit of Gs also produce qualitatively similar effects in this assay. As a first step in a strategy aimed at exploring the relationships between structure and function in the interactions of receptors with G proteins, we tested mutant alpha t proteins with alanine substituted for each of the 10 amino acids at the C-terminus, a region known to be crucial for interactions with rhodopsin. Alanine substitution at four positions moderately (K341) or severely (L344, G348, L349) impairs the susceptibility of alpha 1 to activation by rhodopsin. All four mutants retain their ability to be activated by AIF-4. Two other substitutions (N343 and F350) resulted in very mild defects, while substitutions at the remaining four positions (E342, K345, D346 and C347) had no effect. In combination with previous observations, these results constrain models of the interaction of the C-terminus of alpha t with rhodopsin.

Adenovirus-mediated transfection of cultured cells.

We describe here a simple and efficient transfection method for transient expression of cloned genes in cell lines and primary cultured cells. The method involves the use of DEAE-dextran to target DNA to the cellular endocytotic pathway and the use of a human adenovirus to ensure efficient lysis of endosomal vesicles. The procedure allows effective delivery of DNA into the cytoplasm and, therefore, results in a higher fraction of cells expressing exogenous proteins. Using this method, we routinely obtain 60%-90% of COS cells or Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing beta-galactosidase, as determined by in situ staining with 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-beta-D-galactoside (X-gal). We have also obtained much improved levels of expression in cells that are difficult or impossible to use in transient expression assays, such as rat-1 fibroblasts or primary osteoblast cultures. We successfully used the method to express heteromeric proteins that require subunit assembly for proper function. The method also proved effective to express functions in which the exogenous protein needs to couple to the endogenous cellular machinery. Thus, this transient transfection method should prove valuable for many functional studies in a broad variety of cell lines and primary cultures.

Pituitary cell line GH3 expresses two somatostatin receptor subtypes that inhibit adenylyl cyclase: functional expression of rat somatostatin receptor subtypes 1 and 2 in human embryonic kidney 293 cells.

Using a polymerase chain reaction approach, we have studied the expression of somatostatin receptor (SSTR) subtypes in the GH3 rat pituitary cell line, a well established in vitro model for the cellular effects of somatostatin. We found that the previously identified SSTR1 and SSTR2 are the major subtypes expressed in this cell line. No other SSTR subtype was detected by our analysis. Northern blots confirmed that both subtypes, but not SSTR3, are expressed in GH3 cells. We studied the functional expression of both SSTR subtypes by transfection of their cDNAs into human embryonic kidney 293 cells. We found that somatostatin inhibited cAMP accumulation in human embryonic kidney 293 cells only when cells were transfected with either SSTR1 or SSTR2. This inhibition was blocked by treatment of the transfected cells with pertussis toxin, demonstrating that it is mediated by G proteins sensitive to this toxin. In addition, we provide pharmacological evidence that the endogenous SSTR2 subtype mediates inhibition of cAMP accumulation in intact GH3 cells. Our results contradict previous reports that concluded thsat neither SSTR1 nor SSTR2 is involved in inhibition of adenylyl cyclase. The reasons for this apparent contradiction are discussed. We conclude that both SSTR1 and SSTR2 are capable of coupling to pertussis toxin-sensitive G proteins to inhibit adenylyl cyclase.

Identification and molecular cloning of a neuropeptide Y homolog that produces prolonged inhibition in Aplysia neurons.

The neuroendocrine bag cell neurons of the marine mollusk Aplysia produce prolonged inhibition that lasts for more than 2 hr. We purified a peptide from the abdominal ganglion that mimics this inhibition. Mass spectrometry and microsequence analysis indicate that the peptide is 40 aa long and is amidated at its carboxyl terminus. It is highly homologous to vertebrate neuropeptide Y (NPY) and other members of the pancreatic polypeptide family. As determined from cloned cDNA, the gene coding for the precursor protein shares a common structural organization with genes encoding precursors of the vertebrate family. The peptides may therefore have arisen from a common ancestral gene. Bag cell neurons are immunoreactive for Aplysia NPY, and Northern blot analysis indicates that as with its vertebrate counterparts, the peptide is abundantly expressed in the CNS. This suggests that peptides related to NPY may have important functions in the nervous system of Aplysia as well as in other invertebrates.