Origin of nonlinear transport across the magnetically induced superconductor-metal-insulator transition in two dimensions

We have studied the effect of perpendicular magnetic fields and temperatures on nonlinear electronic transport in amorphous Ta superconducting thin films. The films exhibit a magnetic field-induced metallic behavior intervening the superconductor-insulator transition in the zero temperature limit. We show that the phase-identifying nonlinear transport in the superconducting and metallic phases arises from an intrinsic origin, not from an electron heating effect. The nonlinear transport is found to accompany an extraordinarily long voltage response time.     

Method to find quantum noiseless subsystems

We develop a structure theory for decoherence-free subspaces and noiseless subsystems that applies to arbitrary (not necessarily unital) quantum operations. The theory can be alternatively phrased in terms of the superoperator perspective, or the algebraic noise commutant formalism. As an application, we propose a method for finding all such subspaces and subsystems for arbitrary quantum operations. We suggest that this work brings the fundamental passive technique for error correction in quantum computing an important step closer to practical realization.     

Ultrasound palpation sensor for tissue thickness and elasticity measurement--assessment of transverse carpal ligament

Palpation is a traditional diagnostic procedure for health care professionals to use their fingers to touch and feel the body soft tissues. It is a common clinical approach, though it is rather subjective and qualitative and the palpation results may vary among different people. Tissue ultrasound palpation sensor (TUPS) provides a feasible solution that makes the palpation of soft tissues not subjective feeling any more. It is comprised of an ultrasound transducer together with a load cell to form the finger-sized probe. The probe is used to push against the soft tissue surface to measure the thickness and elasticity of the soft tissues. TUPS has been successfully applied to the assessment of various human tissues. Recently, we have improved TUPS, which can now be linked to personal computer (PC) via universal serial bus (USB) and provide a better user-interface. The information of ultrasound signal and indentation force is displayed on PC in real time during measurement. In this paper, we introduce the recent application of TUPS for the assessment of the transverse carpal ligament. The tissues at the carpal tunnel regions of five normal male subjects were tested using TUPS. The results showed that the average thickness of the tissues covering the carpal tunnel ligament and the tunnel region was 7.98+/-1.05 mm and 9.59+/-1.12 mm, respectively. Under a compression force of 20 N applied by a cylindrical ultrasound indentor with a diameter of 9 mm, the stiffness of the soft tissue layer and the tunnel region was 6.72+/-2.10 N/mm and 15.63+/-8.42 N/mm, respectively. It is expected that TUPS can be a potential tool for non-invasive assessment of carpal tunnel syndrome.     

Epicocconone, A New Cell-Permeable Long Stokes' Shift Fluorescent Stain for Live Cell Imaging and Multiplexing

Epicocconone is a heterocyclic natural product from the fungus Epicoccum nigrum that fluoresces weakly in the green (520 nm). However, cells exposed to epicocconone rapidly absorb the dye and become bright orange fluorescent because the natural product reacts reversibly with proteins. The orange fluorescence is enhanced in lipophilic environments, allowing the visualization of membranous organelles and lipid rafts but does not stain oligonucleotides. As the unconjugated dye has no orange fluorescence, there is no need to wash out the excess fluorophore. Epicocconone is a neutral, non-toxic, small molecule that appears to diffuse readily into live of fixed cells without the need for permeabilization. These features enable the real-time imaging of live cells and the study of organelle movements. Cells stained with epicocconone are excitable by common lasers (UV, 405, 488, and 532 nm) and its long Stokes' shift allows multiplexing applications with more common short Stokes' fluorophores using a single light source.     

Organosilane surfactant-directed synthesis of mesoporous aluminophosphates constructed with crystalline microporous frameworks

A direct hydrothermal assembly process was developed to synthesize mesoporous aluminophosphates that are constructed with crystalline microporous frameworks, by the addition of organosilane surfactants into the conventional synthesis composition for crystalline microporous aluminophosphates.     

pH-Dependent rectification in self-assembled monolayers based on electrostatic interactions

Asymmetric electrostatic interactions dependent on pH between the redox molecules and the terminal group on the top of the self-assembled monolayer (SAM) afford control of the electron transfer property of the SAM having the imidazole terminal group.     

Role of p21CIP1 as a determinant of SC-560 response in human HCT116 colon carcinoma cells

SC-560, a structural analogue of celecoxib, induces growth inhibition in a wide range of human cancer cells in a cyclooxygenase (COX)-independent manner. Since SC-560 suppresses the growth of cancer cells mainly by inducing cell cycle arrest, we sought to examine the role of p21CIP1, a cell cycle regulator protein, in the cellular response against SC-560 by using p21(+/+) and p21(-/-) isogenic HCT116 colon carcinoma cells. In HCT116 (p21(+/+)) cells, SC-560 dose-dependently induced growth inhibition and cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase without significant apoptosis induction. SC-560-induced cell cycle arrest was accompanied by upregulation of p21CIP1. However, the extent of SC-560-induced accumulation at the G1 phase was approximately equal in the p21(+/+) and the p21(-/-) cells. Nonetheless, the growth inhibition by SC-560 was increased in p21(-/-) cells than p21(+/+)cells. SC-560-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation did not differ between p21(+/+) and p21(-/-) cells but the subsequent activation of apoptotic caspase cascade was more pronounced in p21(-/-) cells compared with p21(+/+) cells. These results suggest that p21CIP1 blocks the SC-560-induced apoptotic response of HCT116 cells. SC-560 combined with other therapy that can block p21 CIP1 expression or function may contribute to the effective treatment of colon cancer.     

Ionization spectroscopy of a DNA base: vacuum-ultraviolet mass-analyzed threshold ionization spectroscopy of jet-cooled thymine

The high-resolution ionization spectroscopy of DNA bases is reported for the first time. Vacuum-UV mass-analyzed threshold ionization (VUV-MATI) spectrum of jet-cooled thymine provides not only the most precise ionization potential but also its vibrational structure in the ground cationic state.     

Quantitation of Oxidative Stress Gene Expression in MCF-7 Human Cell Lines Treated with Water-Dispersible CuO Nanoparticles

The objective of this study was to assess the cytotoxicity of water-dispersible CuO nanoparticles by quantifying the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-related genes (glutathione S-transferase (GST) and catalase) using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Monodisperse CuO nanoparticles of 14 nm in size were used. Cytotoxicity of CuO nanoparticles was evaluated under in vitro condition at different concentrations (10, 50, and 100 μg/ml) and incubation times (12, 24, and 48 h) with human cancer cell lines (breast cancer epithelial cells). The genetic level cytotoxic screening produced consistent results showing that GST and catalase ROS gene expression was maximized in 24 h incubation at 100 μg/ml concentration of CuO nanoparticles. However, the cytotoxicity of water-dispersible CuO nanoparticle was not significant compared with control experiments, demonstrating its high potential in the application of nanomedicines for a diagnostic and therapeutic tool.