Probing the non-equilibrium transient state in magnetite by a jitter-free two-color X-ray pump and X-ray probe experiment

We present a general experimental concept for jitter-free pump and probe experiments at free electron lasers. By generating pump and probe pulse from one and the same X-ray pulse using an optical split-and-delay unit, we obtain a temporal resolution that is limited only by the X-ray pulse lengths. In a two-color X-ray pump and X-ray probe experiment with sub 70 fs temporal resolution, we selectively probe the response of orbital and charge degree of freedom in the prototypical functional oxide magnetite after photoexcitation. We find electronic order to be quenched on a time scale of (30 ± 30) fs and hence most likely faster than what is to be expected for any lattice dynamics. Our experimental result hints to the formation of a short lived transient state with decoupled electronic and lattice degree of freedom in magnetite. The excitation and relaxation mechanism for X-ray pumping is discussed within a simple model leading to the conclusion that within the first 10 fs the original photoexcitation decays into low-energy electronic excitations comparable to what is achieved by optical pump pulse excitation. Our findings show on which time scales dynamical decoupling of degrees of freedom in functional oxides can be expected and how to probe this selectively with soft X-ray pulses. Results can be expected to provide crucial information for theories for ultrafast behavior of materials and help to develop concepts for novel switching devices.

Hamiltonian models for the propagation of irrotational surface gravity waves over a variable bottom

A single incompressible, inviscid, irrotational fluid medium bounded by a free surface and varying bottom is considered. The Hamiltonian of the system is expressed in terms of the so-called Dirichlet-Neumann operators. The equations for the surface waves are presented in Hamiltonian form. Specific scaling of the variables is selected which leads to approximations of Boussinesq and Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) types, taking into account the effect of the slowly varying bottom. The arising KdV equation with variable coefficients is studied numerically when the initial condition is in the form of the one-soliton solution for the initial depth.This article is part of the theme issue 'Nonlinear water waves'.

A combined characterization of clusters in naturally aged Al–Cu–(Li, Mg) alloys using small-angle neutron and X-ray scattering and atom probe tomography

A new methodology for the characterization of solute clusters leading to compositional fluctuations is presented and discussed. The methodology makes use of contrast variation arising from a combination of small-angle scattering using neutrons and X-rays, and adapts a model for solute correlation to extract the chemistry and length scale of clustered states after quench and after natural ageing. In three subsets of the Al–Cu system, Cu-rich clusters are reported for all cases. The presence of Mg strongly enhances Cu clustering in the naturally aged state and results in more than double the number of clusters in the complex Al–Cu–Li–Mg system. The results are compared with those obtained using atom probe tomography.

Note: Photopyroelectric measurement of thermal effusivity of transparent liquids by a method free of fitting procedures

In a recent paper published in this journal [R. Ivanov et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 86, 064902 (2015)], a methodology free of fitting procedures for determining the thermal effusivity of liquids using the electropyroelectric technique was reported. Here the same measurement principle is extended to the well-known photopyroelectric technique. The theoretical basis and experimental basis of the method are presented and its usefulness is demonstrated with measurements on test samples.

Electropyroelectric technique: A methodology free of fitting procedures for thermal effusivity determination in liquids

This paper describes an alternative methodology to determine the thermal effusivity of a liquid sample using the recently proposed electropyroelectric technique, without fitting the experimental data with a theoretical model and without having to know the pyroelectric sensor related parameters, as in most previous reported approaches. The method is not absolute, because a reference liquid with known thermal properties is needed. Experiments have been performed that demonstrate the high reliability and accuracy of the method with measurement uncertainties smaller than 3%.

Magnetization and microstructure dynamics in Fe/MnAs/GaAs(001): Fe magnetization reversal by a femtosecond laser pulse

Thin film magnetization reversal without applying external fields is an attractive perspective for applications in sensors and devices. One way to accomplish it is by fine-tuning the microstructure of a magnetic substrate via temperature control, as in the case of a thin Fe layer deposited on a MnAs/GaAs(001) template. This work reports a time-resolved resonant scattering study exploring the magnetic and structural properties of the Fe/MnAs system, using a 100 fs optical laser pulse to trigger local temperature variations and a 100 fs x-ray free-electron laser pulse to probe the induced magnetic and structural dynamics. The experiment provides direct evidence that a single optical laser pulse can reverse the Fe magnetization locally. It reveals that the time scale of the magnetization reversal is slower than that of the MnAs structural transformations triggered by the optical pulse, which take place after a few picoseconds already.

High-precision x-ray FEL pulse arrival time measurements at SACLA by a THz streak camera with Xe clusters

The accurate measurement of the arrival time of a hard X-ray free electron laser (FEL) pulse with respect to a laser is of utmost importance for pump-probe experiments proposed or carried out at FEL facilities around the world. This manuscript presents the latest device to meet this challenge, a THz streak camera using Xe gas clusters, capable of pulse arrival time measurements with an estimated accuracy of several femtoseconds. An experiment performed at SACLA demonstrates the performance of the device at photon energies between 5 and 10 keV with variable photon beam parameters.

Double-configuration grating monochromator for extreme-ultraviolet ultrafast pulses

We present the design and characterization of a double-configuration grating monochromator for the spectral selection of extreme-ultraviolet ultrafast pulses. Two grating geometries are joined in an instrument with two interchangeable diffracting stages, both used at grazing incidence: one with the gratings in the off-plane mount (OPM), the other in the classical diffraction mount (CDM). The use of two stages gives great flexibility: the OPM stage is used for sub-50 fs time response and low spectral resolution, while the CDM stage is for 100-200 fs time response and high spectral resolution. The monochromator spectral and temporal performances have been experimentally demonstrated on a high-order laser-harmonics beam line.

CITIUS: an infrared-extreme ultraviolet light source for fundamental and applied ultrafast science

We present the main features of CITIUS, a new light source for ultrafast science, generating tunable, intense, femtosecond pulses in the spectral range from infrared to extreme ultraviolet (XUV). The XUV pulses (about 10(5)-10(8) photons/pulse in the range 14-80 eV) are produced by laser-induced high-order harmonic generation in gas. This radiation is monochromatized by a time-preserving monochromator, also allowing one to work with high-resolution bandwidth selection. The tunable IR-UV pulses (10(12)-10(15) photons/pulse in the range 0.4-5.6 eV) are generated by an optical parametric amplifier, which is driven by a fraction of the same laser pulse that generates high order harmonics. The IR-UV and XUV pulses follow different optical paths and are eventually recombined on the sample for pump-probe experiments. We also present the results of two pump-probe experiments: with the first one, we fully characterized the temporal duration of harmonic pulses in the time-preserving configuration; with the second one, we demonstrated the possibility of using CITIUS for selective investigation of the ultra-fast dynamics of different elements in a magnetic compound.

A method for thermal diffusivity measurement in fluids

A technique is proposed for thermal diffusivity measurement in fluids. It is based on the Angstrom method, but with excitation of thermal waves by electromagnetic energy absorption and pyroelectric detection. The good agreement between measured thermal diffusivity of air and some test liquids with literature values shows the validity of the method. It is free of some limitations of conventional photopyroelectric technique with length scanning because it is free of moving parts inside the sample and because it avoids problems associated with the non-parallelism between thermal wave generator surface and sensor. It does not require any data normalization procedure or special sample preparation.

An alternative differential method of femtosecond pump-probe examination of materials

We describe an alternative method for femtosecond pump-probe beam examination of energy transport properties of materials. All already reported techniques have several drawbacks which limit precise measurements of reflection coefficient as function of time. A typical problem is present when rough samples are being studied. In this case the pump-beam polarization changes randomly which may produce a spurious signal, drastically reducing the signal to noise ratio. Some proposals to alleviate such problem have been reported, however, they have not been totally satisfactory. The method presented here consists on measuring the difference between the two delays' signals of the probe-beam. As will be explained, our proposal is free of typical drawbacks. We also propose a numerical method to recover the ΔR(t)/R curve from the measured data. Numerical simulations show that our proposal is a viable alternative.

T cell receptor-transgenic primary T cells as a tool for discovery of leukaemia-associated antigens

Identification of a broad array of leukaemia-associated antigens is a crucial step towards immunotherapy of haematological malignancies. However, it is frequently hampered by the decrease of proliferative potential and functional activity of T cell clones used for screening procedures. Transfer of the genes encoding the T cell receptor (TCR) alpha and beta chains of leukaemia-specific clones into primary T cells may help to circumvent this obstacle. In this study, transfer of two minor histocompatibility antigen (minor H antigen)-specific TCRs was performed and the feasibility of the use of TCR-transgenic T cells for identification of minor H antigens through cDNA library screening was investigated. We found that TCR-transgenic cells acquired the specificity of the original clones and matched their sensitivity. Moreover, the higher scale of cytokine-production by TCR-transgenic T cells permits the detection of either small amounts of antigen-positive cells or cells expressing low amounts of an antigen. When applied in equal numbers, TCR-transgenic T cells and the original T cell clones produced similar results in the screening of a cDNA library. However, the use of increased numbers of TCR-transgenic T cells allowed detection of minute amounts of antigen, barely discernible by the T cell clone. In conclusion, TCR-transfer generates a large amount of functional antigen-specific cells suitable for screening of cDNA expression libraries for identification of cognate antigens.

Ectopic expression of EFFECTOR OF TRANSCRIPTION perturbs gibberellin-mediated plant developmental processes

The plant hormone gibberellin (GA) is known to modulate various aspects of plant cell differentiation and development. The current model of GA-mediated regulation is based on a de-repressible system and includes specific protein modification and degradation. HRT, a zinc finger protein from barley has been shown to have GA-dependent transcriptional repressing activity on the seed-specific alpha-amylase promoter [Raventos, D., Skriver, K., Schlein, M., Karnahl, K., Rogers, S.W., Rogers, J.C. and Mundy, J. 1998. J. Biol. Chem. 273: 23313-23320]. Here we report the characterization of a dicot homologue from Brassica napus (BnET) and provide evidence for its role in GA response modulation suggesting that this could be a conserved feature of this gene family. When BnET is ectopically expressed in either Arabidopsis or tobacco the phenotypes include dwarfism due to shorter internodes and late flowering, reduced germination rate, increased anthocyanin content and reduced xylem lignification as a marker for terminal cell differentiation. Transient expression in protoplasts supports the notion that this most likely is due to a transcriptional repression of GA controlled genes. Finally, histological analysis showed that in contrast to other GA deficient mutants the shorter internodes were due to fewer but not smaller cells, suggesting a function of BnET in GA-mediated cell division control.

B-cell expansion in the presence of the novel 293-CD40L-sCD40L cell line allows the generation of large numbers of efficient xenoantigen-free APC

BACKGROUND

CD40-activated B lymphocytes have been used successfully as potent APC for the induction of T-cell responses. However, the 3T3-CD40L cell line, regularly used for engagement of CD40 on the B-cell surface, is a potential source of xenoantigens. This may affect the specificity of T cells stimulated with CD40-activated B cells, especially when generation of T-cell lines specific for endogenously processed Ag is desired.

METHODS

To develop a system that allows efficient expansion of B cells in the absence of sources of xenoantigens, we created a human 293-CD40L-sCD40L cell line that produces soluble CD40L and expresses CD40L on the cell surface. B cells from patients with hematologic malignancies were expanded on the 293-CD40L-sCD40L cells and used for stimulation of either naive or in vivo primed donor T cells in three HLA-identical patient-donor combinations.

RESULTS

The 293-CD40L-sCD40L cell line was able to stimulate B-cell growth with an efficiency superior to that of the commonly used 3T3-CD40L cell line. In all cases T-cell lines and, subsequently, T-cell clones were generated that showed reactivity against patient and not donor B cells, suggesting their specificity for minor histocompatibility antigens (mHAg).

DISCUSSION

B cells activated with GMP grade 293-CD40L-sCD40L can be used in a variety of applications. In particular, they may be suitable for ex vivo stimulation of T cells prior to donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI), which may enhance its graft versus leukemia (GvL) effect.

B-cell expansion in the presence of the novel 293-CD40L-sCD40L cell line allows the generation of large numbers of efficient xenoantigen-free APC

BACKGROUND

CD40-activated B lymphocytes have been used successfully as potent APC for the induction of T-cell responses. However, the 3T3-CD40L cell line, regularly used for engagement of CD40 on the B-cell surface, is a potential source of xenoantigens. This may affect the specificity of T cells stimulated with CD40-activated B cells, especially when generation of T-cell lines specific for endogenously processed Ag is desired.

METHODS

To develop a system that allows efficient expansion of B cells in the absence of sources of xenoantigens, we created a human 293-CD40L-sCD40L cell line that produces soluble CD40L and expresses CD40L on the cell surface. B cells from patients with hematologic malignancies were expanded on the 293-CD40L-sCD40L cells and used for stimulation of either naive or in vivo primed donor T cells in three HLA-identical patient-donor combinations.

RESULTS

The 293-CD40L-sCD40L cell line was able to stimulate B-cell growth with an efficiency superior to that of the commonly used 3T3-CD40L cell line. In all cases T-cell lines and, subsequently, T-cell clones were generated that showed reactivity against patient and not donor B cells, suggesting their specificity for minor histocompatibility antigens (mHAg).

DISCUSSION

B cells activated with GMP grade 293-CD40L-sCD40L can be used in a variety of applications. In particular, they may be suitable for ex vivo stimulation of T cells prior to donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI), which may enhance its graft versus leukemia (GvL) effect.

The incidence of major morbidity in critically ill patients managed with pulmonary artery catheters: a meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

The impact of pulmonary artery (PA) catheters on patient outcome has been questioned and their usage has become controversial. Meta-analysis on mortality has shown a trend for improved survival with PA catheter-guided therapy. We now perform a meta-analysis on morbidity from PA catheters in the published literature.

METHODS

We did a search of the medical database (Medline) from 1970 through 1996, using the headings "pulmonary artery catheterization," "Swan-Ganz catheterization" and "right heart catheterization," and restricting the results to "effectiveness" and "usefulness." We also consulted with other experts regarding published randomized controlled trials (RCTs). This yielded 16 RCTs addressing the question of effectiveness of PA catheter-guided treatment. Of these, 12 were found to include data on morbidity. Major morbidity, defined as organ failures as per the American College of Chest Physicians/Society of Critical Care Medicine Consensus Conference criteria, from these trials was entered into a formal meta-analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 1,610 patients from the 12 trials were analyzed. Morbidity events were observed in 62.77% of the PA catheter treatment group, and in 74.34% of the control group. A relative risk ratio of 0.78074 was obtained, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.6459-0.94374 and a corresponding p of .0168, a lower morbidity in the PA catheter treatment group. Those with PA catheter-guided treatment had a mean protective effect of 21.9% for risk of morbidity. Other important covariates such as acuity of illness, quality score of trials, year of publication, type of PA catheter-guided treatment used (PA catheter vs. no PA catheter, or PA catheter vs. PA catheter for supranormal hemodynamic values), and surgical or mixed patient population, all increased variability and were not statistically significant predictors for risk ratio of morbidity.

CONCLUSIONS

Meta-analysis of RCTs included in this study shows that there is a statistically significant reduction in morbidity using PA catheter-guided strategies.

Influence of a protein hydrolysate from green algae on the activity of some ATPase systems in frog skeletal muscle

The present study investigated the effect of a protein hydrolysate from green algae cultured in the Bulgarian region of Rupy, on the enzyme activity of frog skeletal muscle. The activity of pure Mg(2+)-ATPase, Mg2+,Ca(2+)-ATPase, NaHCO3-stimulated Mg(2+)-ATPase and the latter in the presence of the inhibitors NaSCN and NaN3 in mitochondrial (B-3) and membrane (B-12) fractions were determined before and after treatment with the protein hydrolysate from green algae (30 and 300 micrograms/ml). The differences between ATPase activity of mitochondrial and membrane fractions were described and it was established that in the B-3 fraction, the activity of the NaHCO3-stimulated Mg(2+)-ATPase and Ca(2+)-dependent Mg(2+)-ATPase were accelerated by increasing concentrations of the algae protein hydrolysate. Irrespective of the different (equal or inverse) dose-dependent effects, the protein hydrolysate stimulated Mg(2+)-ATPase and that inhibited by NaSCN an NaN3 bicarbonate-stimulated Mg(2+)-ATPase activity. In most of the probes, the protein hydrolysate produced some increase in enzyme activity of NaHCO3-stimulated Mg(2+)-ATPase and Ca(2+)-dependent Mg(2+)-ATPase in B-12 fractions. The observed properties of the algae protein hydrolysate suggest that it is capable of stimulating enzyme processes in addition to having some antitoxic effect in skeletal muscle.

Comparative studies of angiotensin II and its analog [Sar1Ala8]angiotensin II on the density of cellular monolayer of cell cultures from green monkey kidney

The effects of the octapeptide angiotensin II (AT II) and its analog [Sar1Ala8]AT II on the cell density in cell culture from green monkey kidney (GMK) were studied. AT II and [Sar1Ala8]AT II provoked a decrease of the number of living cells depending on the concentration (0.001, 0.01 and 0.1 nM) and time of incubation (24, 48 and 72 hours), both peptides having a very similar activity. These data indicate that AT II and [Sar1Ala8]AT II may act on the same class of angiotensin receptors in GMK cells.

Inhibitory effect of two steroids on the accumulation of [3H]metaraminol by rat tissues in vivo

The present experiments were designed to investigate the effect of methylprednisolone and dexamethasone on tritiated metaraminol uptake in the whole animal. Rats received i.p. injections of methylprednisolone (5, 10 and 20 mg kg-1) or dexamethasone (1, 2 and 4 mg kg-1) on each of 3 consecutive days. Under light ether anaesthesia 5 min before death the rats received radioactive metaraminol (3 microgram kg-1) via the femoral vein. Samples of various organs were removed and prepared for scintillation counting. The highest radioactivity was observed in the lungs and heart, followed by the kidney medulla, aorta, kidney cortex and submaxillary gland. Both steroids significantly inhibited uptake of metaraminol in the tissues examined. Dexamethasone seems to be more potent that methylprednisolone. It is concluded that these steroids may modify the uptake mechanism responsible for inactivation of the sympathomimetic neurotransmitter.