In situ reflectance monitoring in MOVPE of a multiwafer reactor

A new design is presented that combines an interferometer and rotation monitor for in situ monitoring of variations in the growth process in Aixtron planetary reactors. Particular attention was paid to the growth of GaAs and Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) structures with the aim of increasing the level of understanding of the growth process and enable improvements in control and batch to batch reproducibility. It is anticipated that the properties of the Bragg reflectors will be predicted during the growth of the VCSEL structure by monitoring variations in the growth and using a predictive model based on the virtual interface model. Results are presented on planetary rotation under different reactor conditions, while the use of time resolved software to monitor growth, is discussed.     

Communication mode, affect and recall.

Investigated whether there is an interaction effect of communication mode on the joint recall of affect-laden vs affect-free prose. It was expected that joint recall of a passage of affect-laden prose would be less when the interaction was in an audio-only mode than in a face-to-face condition and that joint recall of affect-free prose would be higher in an audio-only medium than in a face-to-face condition. 64 female undergraduates were randomly assigned to pairs. Each member of the pair individually memorized a vivid, affect-laden narration or a more factual, logical popular science article, and then, together with the partner, jointly recalled the passage. A 2nd passage of the opposite type was then memorized and recalled. The joint memorization sessions took place over face-to-face and audio-only communication modes. Findings indicate that the face-to-face mode showed significantly greater recall than the audio-only mode and that the narrative was recalled better than the popular science passage. The overall effect of mode, whereby face-to-face recall gave better results over both passages, suggests that, contrary to expectations, the face-to-face mode generally supports enhanced recall in a joint-recall task. (French abstract) (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

CD40 ligand/trimer DNA enhances both humoral and cellular immune responses and induces protective immunity to infectious and tumor challenge

CD40/CD40 ligand interactions have a central role in the induction of both humoral and cellular immunity. In this study, we examined whether a plasmid expressing CD40 ligand/trimer (CD40LT) could enhance immune responses in vivo. BALB/c mice were injected with plasmid expressing beta-galactosidase DNA with or without CD40LT DNA or IL-12 DNA, and immune responses were assessed. Mice vaccinated with beta-gal DNA plus CD40LT DNA or IL-12 DNA had a striking increase in Ag-specific production of IFN-gamma, cytolytic T cell activity, and IgG2a Ab. The mechanism by which CD40LT DNA enhanced these responses was further assessed by treating vaccinated mice with anti-IL-12 mAb or CTLA-4 Ig (CTLA4Ig). Production of IFN-gamma and CTL activity was abrogated by these treatments, suggesting that CD40LT DNA was mediating its effects on IFN-gamma and CTL activity through induction of IL-12 and enhancement of B7 expression, respectively. Physiologic relevance for the ability of CD40LT DNA to enhance immune responses by the aforementioned pathways was shown in two in vivo models. First, with regard to CTL activity, mice vaccinated with CD40LT DNA did not develop metastatic tumor following challenge with lethal dose of tumor. Moreover, in a mouse model requiring IL-12-dependent production of IFN-gamma, mice vaccinated with soluble Leishmania Ag and CD40LT DNA were able to control infection with Leishmania major. These data suggest that CD40LT DNA could be a useful vaccine adjuvant for diseases requiring cellular and/or humoral immunity.     

The influence of the central region containing residues 19-25 on the aggregation properties and secondary structure of Alzheimer's beta-amyloid peptide

Alzheimer's beta-amyloid peptide (Abeta) is a 39- to 43-amino-acid peptide that is the major component of neuritic plaques found in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The central region of Abeta plays a crucial role in many of its properties, including aggregation, neurotoxicity, proteolytic processing and interactions with other proteins, such as apolipoprotein E. Two mutations in this region, Ala21-->Gly and Glu22-->Gln, give rise to early onset forms of disease. We have studied several peptides based on the central region of Abeta in order to clarify the influence of specific amino acid residues on physicochemical behaviour. To avoid difficulties due to oxidation of Met35, the latter was replaced by the amino acid isostere, norleucine (Ahx), giving [Ahx35]Abeta-(25-35)-amide as a prototype structure. To this prototype, addition of pairs of amino acid residues from the sequence of Abeta, forming the corresponding 23-, 21- and 19-35 derivatives, resulted in peptides that aggregated to form fibrils of diameter 6-10 nm. The rate of aggregation was more rapid as peptide length increased. Circular dichroism spectra of aged solutions of peptides revealed that aggregation was accompanied by a transition from random structure to beta sheet for some, but not all, peptides. The mutation from Ala to Gly at position 21 increased the rate of aggregation and altered the tendency to adopt secondary structure in the direction away from alpha helix and towards beta sheet. In individuals with the Ala21-->Gly mutation, these results would suggest that truncated species with N-termini in the region containing residues 17-20 would be more amyloidogenic than the wild type homologues.     

Distribution of the alpha1 to alpha6 chains of type IV collagen in bovine follicles

During follicular development the proliferative and differentiated state of the epithelioid granulosa cells changes, and the movement of fluid across the follicular basal lamina enables the formation of an antrum. Type IV collagen is an important component of many basal laminae. Each molecule is composed of three alpha chains; however, six different type IV collagen chains have been identified. It is not known which of these chains are present in the follicular basal lamina and whether the type IV collagen composition of the basal lamina changes during follicular development. Therefore, we immunolocalized each of the six chains in bovine ovaries using antibodies directed to the nonconserved non-collagenous (NC) domains. Additionally, dissected follicles were digested with collagenase to release the NC domains, and the NC1 domains were then detected by standard Western immunoblot methods. The follicular basal lamina of almost all primordial and preantral follicles was positive for all type IV collagen alpha chains. Colocalization of type IV collagen and factor VIII-related antigen allowed for discrimination between the follicular and endothelial basal laminae. Type IV collagen alpha1, alpha2, alpha3, alpha4, and alpha5 chains were present within the follicular basal lamina of only a proportion of antral follicles (17 of 22, 20 of 21, 15 of 18, 14 of 28, and 12 of 23, respectively), and staining was less intense than in the preantral follicles. Staining for the alpha1 and alpha2 chains was diffusely distributed throughout the theca in regions not associated with recognized basal laminae. The specificity of this immunostaining for alpha1 and alpha2 chains of type IV collagen was confirmed by Western immunoblots. As well as being detected in the basal lamina of approximately half of the antral follicles examined, type IV collagen alpha4 also colocalized with 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-immunopositive cells in the theca interna. Type IV collagen alpha6 was detected in the basal lamina of only one of the 16 antral follicles examined. Thus, the follicular basal lamina changes in composition during follicular development, with immunostaining levels being reduced for all type IV collagen chains and immunoreactivity for type IV collagen alpha6 being lost as follicle size increases. Additionally, immunoreactivity for alpha1 and alpha2 appears in the extracellular matrix of the theca as it develops.     

Use of calcium peroxide to provide oxygen for contaminant biodegradation in a saturated soil.

Laboratory studies were conducted in solid-phase reactors on a silty loam contaminated with bis-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (BEHP) to determine the conditions under which calcium peroxide (CaO(2)) would promote the aerobic bioremediation of water-saturated soil. Closed 500 ml solid-phase reactors were operated to determine whether CaO(2) stimulated the biodegradation of BEHP in saturated soil. Ex situ bioremediation conditions were then simulated by mixing water-saturated soil for 6 h before placing the soil in three vented, 2 l solid-phase reactors for 50 days. Biodegradation of BEHP was quantified using four different measurements of microbial activity: (1) oxygen concentrations in the reactor gas; (2) bacterial colony-forming units (CFU); (3) fungal CFU; and (4) 2-(p-iodophenyl)-3-(p-nitrophenyl)-5-phenyl tetrazolium chloride dehydrogenase activity (INT-DHA). CaO(2) released molecular O(2), which retarded dewatering but substantially enhanced BEHP biodegradation. After 20 days, BEHP in the amended reactor was reduced from 20.3 to roughly 5 g kg(-1) vs. 15 g kg(-1) in the reactor without CaO(2). Bacterial growth was favored over fungal growth at elevated moisture and BEHP levels.     

An Approach to Security Requirements Engineering for a High Assurance System*

Requirements specifications for high-assurance secure systems are rare in the open literature. This paper examines the development of a requirements document for a multilevel secure system that must meet stringent assurance and evaluation requirements. The system is designed to be secure, yet combines popular commercial components with specialised high-assurance ones. Functional and non-functional requirements pertinent to security are discussed. A multidimensional threat model is presented. The threat model accounts for the developmental and operational phases of system evolution and for each phase accounts for both physical and non-physical threats. We describe our team-based method for developing a requirements document and relate that process to techniques in requirements engineering. The system requirements document presented provides a calibration point for future security requirements engineering techniques intended to meet both functional and assurance goals. RID="*" ID="*"The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and should not be construed to reflect those of their employers or the Department of Defense. This work was supported in part by the MSHN project of the DARPA/ITO Quorum programme and by the MYSEA project of the DARPA/ATO CHATS programme. Correspondence and offprint requests to: T. Levin, Department of Computer Science, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA 93943-5118, USA. Tel.: +1 831 656 2339; Fax: +1 831 656 2814; Email: levin@nps.navy.mil     

Teaching constructive security

The constructive security philosophy is based on the assumption that that for certain critical operations, a system always must do the "right thing". What the "right thing" is depends on the intended security policy, but we need assurance that the system will not do something else. Thus, we must demonstrate the absence of unspecified functionality - manifestation of security's negative requirement. Because we must demonstrate the absence of something in a way that will promote user confidence, it is necessary to build systems to demonstrably meet the negative requirement.     

In situ and ex situ stress measurements of YF3 single layer optical coatings deposited by electron beam evaporator

Yttrium fluoride (YF₃) is a material with good potential as a single-layer anti-reflection (AR) coating deposited onto glass substrates. YF₃ is a possible candidate to replace more studied fluorides such as MgF₂ or ThF₄ the latter being radioactive. For thin-film photovoltaic solar cells, depositing such layers could be a cost-effective way of improving the transmission of light to the p–n junction. However, long-term stability of these AR coatings is an important issue to be considered. This paper is concerned with the residual stress of YF₃ single layers deposited onto glass substrates, being a potential failure mechanism. The measured stress values are correlated to the structure of the layers, using ex situ characterization techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), in an attempt to explain the observed changes. Three substrate temperatures were investigated during deposition, namely 25, 115, and 210 °C. Intrinsic stress of up to 197 MPa has been observed in amorphous YF₃ single layers deposited by electron beam evaporation, at ambient temperature. At a substrate temperature of 210 °C, the intrinsic stress decreased to 67 MPa in the YF₃ layer, developing an orthorhombic structure. Adsorptive stress is an important issue encountered in YF₃ layers, directly related to a low packing density. The in situ stress measurements were carried out using a novel optical approach with a laser-fiber system, briefly introduced here. The residual stress values measured with this novel optical system were compared to two ex situ stress measurement techniques. The optical performance of the YF₃ single layers was also assessed using a spectrometer ex situ and in situ by the interferometry capability of the novel in situ monitoring device.     

Stochastic Particle Barcoding for Single‐Cell Tracking and Multiparametric Analysis

This study presents stochastic particle barcoding (SPB), a method for tracking cell identity across bioanalytical platforms. In this approach, single cells or small collections of cells are co‐encapsulated within an enzymatically‐degradable hydrogel block along with a random collection of fluorescent beads, whose number, color, and position encode the identity of the cell, enabling samples to be transferred in bulk between single‐cell assay platforms without losing the identity of individual cells. The application of SPB is demonstrated for transferring cells from a subnanoliter protein secretion/phenotyping array platform into a microtiter plate, with re‐identification accuracies in the plate assay of 96±2%. Encapsulated cells are recovered by digesting the hydrogel, allowing subsequent genotyping and phenotyping of cell lysates. Finally, a model scaling is developed to illustrate how different parameters affect the accuracy of SPB and to motivate scaling of the method to thousands of unique blocks.