Influence of the Interface Composition to the Superconductivity of Ti/PdAu Films

In this work, the interface composition of the superconducting Ti/PdAu bilayer is tuned by an annealing process in N2 from 100 to 500 °C to control the superconducting transition temperature (Tc). This Ti-PdAu composition layer is characterized with a high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS) to show the infiltration process. The surface topography, electrical, and cryogenic properties are also shown. The inter-infiltration of Ti and PdAu induced by the thermal treatments generates an intermixed layer at the interface of the bilayer film. Due to the enforced proximity effect by the annealing process, the Tc of Ti (55 nm)/PdAu (60 nm) bilayer thin films is tuned from an initial value of 243 to 111 mK which is a temperature that is suitable for the application as the function unit of a superconducting transition edge sensor.

Surgical management of ptosis in chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia

Purpose: To determine possible complications and efficacy of ptosis surgery in a series of chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia (CPEO) patients with healthy tear film. Method: It is a prospective interventional study on 24 eyes from 12 patients with the diagnosis of CPEO and ptosis. Pre-operatively, tear breakup test (TBUT) and Schirmer test were performed to assess lacrimal function unit. Levator resection was performed for 16 eyes with levator function (LF) more than 4 mm, while eight eyes from four patients with poorer LF underwent frontalis silicone sling surgery. Main outcome measures included change in marginal-to-reflex distance (MRD1) and incidence of post-operative exposure keratopathy. Results: The mean age of the patients was 45 ± 15 years. The mean of TBUT and Schirmer test were 12 ± 1.98 s and 15 ± 2.76 mm, respectively. The mean follow-up period was 34 months. Four eyes encountered mild to moderate exposure keratopathy. All cases were managed medically, with no need for surgical revision. The mean pre-operative MRD1, LF, and chin-up angle were −0.54 ± 1.03 mm, 4.21 ± 1.41 mm, and 21.6 ± 6.01 degrees, respectively. The mean post-operative MRD1, LF, and chin-up angle were 2.42 ± 0.60, 4.46 ± 1.53 mm, and 3.3 ± 1.01 degrees, respectively. At 1-year follow-up visit, improvement in MRD1 and chin-up posture was statistically significant ( p-value < 0.05). Conclusion: Normal TBUT and Schirmer test results, prophylactic lubricating therapy, and close follow-up can be as important as Bell’s phenomenon and palpebral fissure height in predicting post-operative complications.

The bottom line

This chapter summarizes the most important aspects of the entire book. Writing an abstract of a summary can result in a ‘bouillon cube’ of information that is nearly incomprehensible, so this sticks to the most far-reaching observations and conclusions. The structure–function unit referred to here as the respiratory faculty did not just suddenly appear, but rather bits and pieces of it are recognizable even in most basally branching metazoan lineages. The use of mitochondria in an aerobic atmosphere to produce large amounts of energy-carrying molecules precipitated a kind of arms race, whereby the individuals that could compete better for food sources or become predatory could become part of an evolutionary cascade. These new animals moved into another realm, but the old ones did not necessarily disappear: they just did what they always did, maybe a little better. In the most diverse lineages of invertebrates and craniotes we see similar changes appearing: gills with counter-current exchange, highly specialized oxygen-carrying proteins, a partly or completely closed circulatory system that includes the gas exchange organs, lungs. The more extreme the grounds for specialization, the more similar are these structures and functions. Often the functional result remains unchanged or becomes improved while the anatomical cause changes dramatically, but just as often structures change little but minor functions become major ones: a phenomenon called exaptation. This book has looked at most major animal groups and these principles turn up everywhere. It talks about multidimensional forces at work in a multidimensional world, and respiration is the keystone to it all.

The efficiency for recombineering is dependent on the source of the phage recombinase function unit

Phage recombinase function units (PRFUs) such as lambda-Red or Rac RecET have been proven to be powerful genetic tools in the recombineering of Escherichia coli. Studies have focused on developing such systems in other bacteria as it is believed that these PRFUs have limited efficiency in distant species. However, how the species evolution distance relates to the efficiency of recombineering remains unclear. Here, we present a thorough study of PRFUs to find features that might be related to the efficiency of PRFUs for recombineering. We first identified 59 unique sets of PRFUs in the genus Corynebacterium and classified them based on their sequence as well as secondary structure similarities. Then both PRFUs from this genus and other bacteria were chosen for experiment based on sequential and secondary structure similarity as well as species distance. These PRFUs were compared for their ability in mediating recombineering with oligo or double-stranded DNA substrates in Corynebacterium glutamicum. We demonstrate that the source of the PRFU is more critical than species distance for the efficiency of recombineering. Our work will provide new ideas for efficient recombineering using PRFUs.ImportanceRecombineering using phage recombinase function units (PRFUs) such as lambda-Red or Rac RecET has gained success in Escherichia coli, while efforts applying these systems in other bacteria were limited by the efficiency. It is believed that the species distance may be a major reason for the low efficiency. In this study, however, we showed that it is the source of PRFU rather than the species distance that matters for the recombineering in Corynebacterium glutamicum. Besides, we also showed that the lower transformation efficiency in other bacteria compared to that of E. coli could be a major reason for the low performance of heterogeneously expressed RecET. These findings will be helpful for the recombineering using PRFUs.

New logic facilitated identification of novel phage recombinase function units

Phage recombinase function unit (PRFU) contains one single strand annealing protein (SSAP) and one 5’-3’ exonuclease (EXO). Well-known PRFU such as lambda-Red or Rac RecET has been proved to be useful tool in the recombineering ofEscherichia colibut had limited efficiency in distant species. Therefore, PRFUs from closely related species were often searched and developed as specific genetic tools. However, there are still many bacteria with few PRFU identified. Here, we hypothesised that the occurrence of PRFU might be related to specific strains. Based on this assumption, we managed to identify 59 unique sets of PRFUs in over 23 species of the genusCorynebacterium, a taxonomic group that were reported to be lacking in such system. The identified PRFUs were then classified to show their similarities and relation to species based on both sequential and structural information. Representative PRFUs were verified to be highly effective in mediating recombineering using ssDNA or dsDNA substrates. Analysis of the functional PRFUs indicated that they share similar local genome contexts, which might suggest their common origin. Our findings reveal the relation of PRFUs, species and strains and provide novel candidate genetic manipulation tools in genusCorynebacterium.Author SummaryGenusCorynebacteriumis a taxonomic group with highly diversified species that are of medical, veterinary, or biotechnological relevance. However, being lack of genetic tools limits the study of these species. Our new verified phage recombinase function units (PRFUs) in this genus that are highly effective in mediating recombineering will provide new candidate genetic tools in this genus. Besides, reference genomes were often used for genome study and data mining. While for the mobile genetic elements, their transferable characteristic may affect their occurrence among genomes. Here we provide evidence for this idea by showing that the occurrence of PRFU is strain related but not species related. This may be helpful for the functional genomics study of mobile genetic elements among genomes.