Development of a forward model for Bayesian analysis of a single crystal dispersion interferometer.

The Single Crystal Dispersion Interferometer (SCDI) is a newly developed dispersion interferometer (DI) system installed on KSTAR and has obtained the first data successfully in January 2020. Unlike conventional heterodyne DI systems, which use two nonlinear crystals, only one nonlinear crystal is used to eliminate the difficulty in overlapping the first and second harmonic beams, aligning and focusing the beams to a small aperture of the second nonlinear crystal, and resolving a problem of significant efforts to maintain the beam alignment to the second nonlinear crystal after a long beam transmission. The second nonlinear crystal is replaced by a frequency doubler, a simple electronic component. To infer a line integrated electron density with its associated uncertainty consistent with the measured data, we develop a forward model of the KSTAR SCDI that can be used as a likelihood within a Bayesian-based data analysis routine. The forward model consists of two main parts, which are an optical system and an electronics system, and it takes into account noises by modeling the mechanical vibrations and the electronic noises as Gaussian distributions, while the photon noise is modeled with a Poisson distribution. The developed forward model can be used for designing and improving the SCDI system.

The new single crystal dispersion interferometer installed on KSTAR and its first measurement.

Dispersion interferometers have been used to measure line integrated electron densities from many fusion devices. To optically suppress noise due to mechanical vibrations, a conventional dispersion interferometer typically uses two nonlinear crystals located before and after the plasma along the laser beam path. Due to the long beam path, it can be difficult to overlap the fundamental and second harmonic laser beams for a heterodyne dispersion interferometer and to focus the beams on the second nonlinear crystal located after the plasma, especially when the aperture of the nonlinear crystal is small, i.e., of the order of mm. To overcome such difficulties, a new concept of a heterodyne dispersion interferometer, a single crystal dispersion interferometer (SCDI), is developed and installed on KSTAR with the laser wavelength of 1064 nm. The concept and the optical setup of the KSTAR SCDI are discussed, as well as its first measurement during a shattered pellet injection that produces abrupt and large changes in the electron density. To demonstrate feasibility, the KSTAR SCDI measurements are also compared with those from the existing two-color interferometer.

Fringe jump compensation techniques for the time-averaging zero-crossing phase measurement in the KSTAR millimeter-wave interferometer.

A fringe jump compensation algorithm has been developed for a phase measurement that measures the phase within a single fringe. The algorithm is extremely useful in the case of the time-averaging zero-crossing phase detector on noisy environments. When the noise level on the measurements is not sufficiently suppressed, the signals near the fringe jump show a negative slope instead of a sharp drop. The slope brings an ambiguity over the compensation process. An algorithm with an additional channel that measures the phase of a half fringe shift has been applied in the millimeter-wave interferometer on the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research device. These techniques removed the ambiguity in most cases. The algorithm can provide a most simple, robust, and cost-effective solution for the phase measurement system in various fields.

Fringe-jump corrected far infrared tangential interferometer/polarimeter for a real-time density feedback control system of NSTX plasmas.

The far infrared tangential interferometer/polarimeter (FIReTIP) of the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) has been set up to provide reliable electron density signals for a real-time density feedback control system. This work consists of two main parts: suppression of the fringe jumps that have been prohibiting the plasma density from use in the direct feedback to actuators and the conceptual design of a density feedback control system including the FIReTIP, control hardware, and software that takes advantage of the NSTX plasma control system (PCS). By investigating numerous shot data after July 2009 when the new electronics were installed, fringe jumps in the FIReTIP are well characterized, and consequently the suppressing algorithms are working properly as shown in comparisons with the Thomson scattering diagnostic. This approach is also applicable to signals taken at a 5 kHz sampling rate, which is a fundamental constraint imposed by the digitizers providing inputs to the PCS. The fringe jump correction algorithm, as well as safety and feedback modules, will be included as submodules either in the gas injection system category or a new category of density in the PCS.

Gene structure and expression of nanos (nos) and oskar (osk) orthologues of the vector mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus.

The products of the maternal-effect genes, nanos (nos) and oskar (osk), are important for the development of germ cells in insects. Furthermore, these genes have been proposed as candidates for donating functional DNA regulatory sequences for use in gene drive systems to control transmission of mosquito-borne pathogens. The nos and osk genes of the cosmopolitan vector mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus, encode proteins with domains common to orthologues found in other mosquitoes. Expression analyses support the conclusion that the role of these genes is conserved generally among members of the nematocera. Hybridization in situ analyses reveal differences in mRNA distribution in early embryos in comparison with the cyclorraphan, Drosophila melanogaster, highlighting a possible feature in the divergence of the clades each insect represents.

Up-regulation of IL-23p19 expression in rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts by IL-17 through PI3-kinase-, NF-kappaB- and p38 MAPK-dependent signalling pathways.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of interleukin (IL)-23p19 in human rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovial fibroblasts and its up-regulation by IL-17 stimulation, and to define the signal pathways involved in the regulation of IL-23p19 expression in RA synovial fibroblasts. METHODS: Synovial fluid (SF) and serum levels of IL-23p19 in RA were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The levels of IL-23p19 mRNA and protein were measured after the RA synovial fibroblasts were treated with recombinant human IL-17 and various inhibitors of intracellular signal pathway molecules using reverse transcription (RT) polymerase chain reaction (PCR), real-time PCR and western blotting. RESULTS: Levels of IL-23p19 in the sera and SF were much higher in RA patients than in osteoarthritis patients or healthy controls. The expression of IL-23p19 mRNA and protein was enhanced in RA synovial fibroblasts by IL-17 stimulation. Such effects of IL-17 were completely blocked by inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol (PI)-kinase/Akt, nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). In accordance with the expression of IL-23p19, the phosphorylation of IkappaB, Akt and p38 MAPK in synovial fibroblasts also increased after IL-17 stimulation. CONCLUSION: IL-23p19 is over-expressed in RA synovial fibroblasts and IL-17 appears to up-regulate the expression of IL-23p19 in RA synovial fibroblasts via PI3-kinase/Akt, NF-kappaB- and p38-MAPK-mediated pathways. These results suggest that a disruption of interaction between IL-17 and IL-23p19 may provide a new therapeutic approach in the treatment of RA.

Design of Stark-tuned far-infrared laser with circular hollow waveguide.

A novel design of a Stark-tuned far-infrared laser using a circular hollow dielectric waveguide is proposed, and its characteristics are studied. Supplementary electrodes are inserted inside the circular hollow dielectric tube to suppress charge accumulation while keeping field uniformity. In what is believed to be a new design, the mode property is found to be improved, and the angular dependency of the attenuation loss according to the beam polarization is estimated to be much smaller than that of the conventional rectangular hybrid waveguide design. In this new design, DeltaM=0 far-infrared (FIR) transition as well as DeltaM=+/-1 transition can be observed, and the power enhancement for the DeltaM=0 FIR transition is expected.

oskar gene expression in the vector mosquitoes, Anopheles gambiae and Aedes aegypti.

A disease control strategy based on the introduction into mosquito populations of a gene conferring a pathogen-refractory phenotype is currently under investigation. This population replacement approach requires a drive system that will quickly spread and fix antipathogen effector genes in target populations. Modified transposable elements containing the control sequences of developmentally regulated genes may provide the basis for a gene drive system that regulates gene mobilization in a sex- and stage-restrictive manner. Screening of a Drosophila melanogaster database for genes whose products localize exclusively in the future germ cells during early embryonic development resulted in the identification of several candidate genes. The regulatory sequences of these genes could be used to drive transposition. Mosquito orthologous genes of oskar were identified based on sequence homology and characterized further. The tissue- and sex-specific expression profiles and hybridizations in situ show that oskar orthologous transcripts in Anopheles gambiae and Aedes aegypti accumulate in developing oocytes of adult females and localize to the posterior poles of early embryos. These characteristics potentiate the use of the regulatory sequences of mosquito oskar genes for the control of modified transposable elements.

Contrasting evolution of the human leukocyte N-formylpeptide receptor subtypes FPR and FPRL1R.

N-formylpeptides are phagocyte chemoattractants that act by binding to two structurally related receptors, FPR (formylpeptide receptor) and FPRL1R (FPR-like-1 receptor), which are encoded by the human genes FPR1 and FPRL1. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the FPR coding region have been reported and two have been associated with the disease juvenile periodontitis; however, their frequency and linkage relationships are unknown. Here we systematically analyzed polymorphism in the open reading frames of FPR1 and FPRL1 by direct sequencing of cloned alleles from random blood donors from North America. For FPR1 we detected five non-synonymous SNPs and two synonymous SNPs in a sample of 26 chromosomes one each from 17 Caucasian and nine black random blood donors. Although all five non-synonymous SNPs were common in Caucasians, Blacks, and Asians, notable differences in allele frequency were found for each SNP in the different racial groups, suggesting differential selective pressures. We found that the FPR1 polymorphisms are linked in 15 common haplotypes. No polymorphisms were detected in FPRL1 after sampling 44 chromosomes from 36 random blood donors from the same three racial groups. Thus FPR1 and FPRL1, though they originated from a common gene, appear to have undergone markedly different evolutionary events.