A high-efficiency wideband coupler for nanosecond-level pulsed current injection.

Pulsed current injection (PCI), as a conducted vulnerability testing technique under nanosecond-level transient electromagnetic disturbance (TED), has gained great attention recently. Many kinds of TEDs, e.g., high-altitude electromagnetic pulse, very fast transient overvoltage, and electrical fast transients, have very fast rise time as well as pretty slow decay, whose frequency spectrum may cover a very wideband. Therefore, one of the challenges is that the existing inductive couplers cannot interact with the equipment under test (EUT) over the wideband efficiently, and consequently, they are inadequate to inject the proper disturbance at ports of EUT in PCI tests. To address this problem, a high-efficiency wideband PCI coupler is proposed in this paper. The coupling performance is analyzed theoretically based on the distributed-parameter model of an inductive coupler. By using the composited ferrites instead of the simplex Ni-Zn ferrites, the inductive coupling is enhanced. The capacitive coupling is also enhanced to improve the high-frequency performance by exploiting the distributed tubular winding. A PCI coupler with the dimension of 30 × 10 × 10 cm3 is built to be validated experimentally. The 3 dB bandwidth has been improved from 421 kHz-14 MHz to 77 kHz-39 MHz, which indicates that the coupler can be applied efficiently over the frequency range of interest for PCI tests.

A transient electromagnetic disturbance testing system based on low-frequency-compensated symmetric TEM horn antenna.

A transient electromagnetic disturbance (TED) testing system with an adjustable direction of polarization is developed in terms of a low-frequency-compensated symmetric transverse electromagnetic (TEM) horn antenna in this paper. TEM horn antennas are deficient in the low-frequency radiation, which would lead to a very narrow pulse width and cannot be directly applied in radiation tests of TED, especially the TED with abundant low-frequency components such as fast transient overvoltage and high-altitude electromagnetic pulse. To address this problem, a theoretical radiation model and a design principle of the back-loading method are proposed to compensate for the low-frequency performance. After the optimization of the structure according to the simulated results, a TED testing system with the aperture width of 0.9 m and the length of 1.8 m is built. The rise time of the electric field measured at the center of the aperture is 2.39 ns, the pulse width is 27.65 ns, and the peak field is over 50 kV/m, which can meet the requirements of relative standards. The dimension of the working volume is estimated as 0.4 × 0.5 × 0.5 m3 according to the field distribution.

A KAS-III Heterodimer in Lipstatin Biosynthesis Nondecarboxylatively Condenses C8 and C14 Fatty Acyl-CoA Substrates by a Variable Mechanism during the Establishment of a C22 Aliphatic Skeleton.

ß-Ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein synthase-III (KAS-III) and its homologues are thiolase-fold proteins that typically behave as homodimers functioning in diverse thioester-based reactions for C-C, C-O, or C-N bond formation. Here, we report an exception observed in the biosynthesis of lipstatin. During the establishment of the C22 aliphatic skeleton of this ß-lactone lipase inhibitor, LstA and LstB, which both are KAS-III homologues but phylogenetically distinct from each other, function together by forming an unusual heterodimer to catalyze a nondecarboxylating Claisen condensation of C8 and C14 fatty acyl-CoA substrates. The resulting C22 α-alkyl ß-ketoacid, which is unstable and tends to be spontaneously decarboxylated to a shunt C21 hydrocarbon product, is transformed by the stereoselective ß-ketoreductase LstD into a relatively stable C22 α-alkyl ß-hydroxyacid for further transformation. LstAB activity tolerates changes in the stereochemistry, saturation degree, and thioester form of both long-chain fatty acyl-CoA substrates. This flexibility, along with the characterization of catalytic residues, benefits our investigations into the individual roles of the two KAS-III homologues in the heterodimer-catalyzed reactions. The large subunit LstA contains a characteristic Cys-His-Asn triad and likely reacts with C8 acyl-CoA to form an acyl-Cys enzyme intermediate. In contrast, the small subunit LstB lacks this triad but possesses a catalytic Glu residue, which can act on the C8 acyl-Cys enzyme intermediate in a substrate-dependent manner, either as a base for Cα deprotonation or as a nucleophile for a Michael-type addition-initiated cascade reaction, to produce an enolate anion for head-to-head assembly with C14 acyl-CoA through a unidirectional nucleophilic substitution. Uncovering LstAB catalysis draws attention to thiolase-fold proteins that are noncanonical in both active form and catalytic reaction/mechanism. LstAB homologues are widespread in bacteria and remain to be functionally assigned, generating great interest in their corresponding products and associated biological functions.

Biosynthesis of Lincosamide Antibiotics: Reactions Associated with Degradation and Detoxification Pathways Play a Constructive Role.

Natural products typically are small molecules produced by living organisms. These products possess a wide variety of biological activities and thus have historically played a critical role in medicinal chemistry and chemical biology either as chemotherapeutic agents or as useful tools. Natural products are not synthesized for use by human beings; rather, living organisms produce them in response to various biochemical processes and environmental concerns, both internal and external. These processes/concerns are often dynamic and thus motivate the diversification, optimization, and selection of small molecules in line with changes in biological function. Consequently, the interactions between living organisms and their environments serve as an engine that drives coevolution of natural products and their biological functions and ultimately programs the constant theme of small-molecule development in nature based on biosynthesis generality and specificity. Following this theme, we herein review the biosynthesis of lincosamide antibiotics and dissect the process through which nature creates an unusual eight-carbon aminosugar (lincosamide) and then functionalizes this common high-carbon chain-containing sugar core with diverse l-proline derivatives and sulfur appendages to form individual members, including the clinically useful anti-infective agent lincomycin A and its naturally occurring analogues celesticetin and Bu-2545. The biosynthesis of lincosamide antibiotics is unique in that it results from an intersection of anabolic and catabolic chemistry. Many reactions that are usually involved in degradation and detoxification play a constructive role in biosynthetic processes. Formation of the trans-4-propyl-l-proline residue in lincomycin A biosynthesis requires an oxidation-associated degradation-like pathway composed of heme peroxidase-catalyzed ortho-hydroxylation and non-heme 2,3-dioxygenase-catalyzed extradiol cleavage for l-tyrosine processing prior to the building-up process. Mycothiol (MSH) and ergothioneine (EGT), two small-molecule thiols that are known for their redox-relevant roles in protection against various endogenous and exogenous stresses, function through two unusual S-glycosylations to mediate an eight-carbon aminosugar transfer, activation, and modification during the molecular assembly and tailoring processes in lincosamide antibiotic biosynthesis. Related intermediates include an MSH S-conjugate, mercapturic acid, and a thiomethyl product, which are reminiscent of intermediates found in thiol-mediated detoxification metabolism. In these biosynthetic pathways, "old" protein folds can result in "new" enzymatic activity, such as the DinB-2 fold protein for thiol exchange between EGT and MSH, the γ-glutamyltranspeptidase homologue for C-C bond cleavage, and the pyridoxal-5'-phosphate-dependent enzyme for diverse S-functionalization, generating interest in how nature develops remarkably diverse biochemical functions using a limited range of protein scaffolds. These findings highlight what we can learn from natural product biosynthesis, the recognition of its generality and specificity, and the natural theme of the development of bioactive small molecules, which enables the diversification process to advance and expand small-molecule functions.

Operon for biosynthesis of lipstatin, the Beta-lactone inhibitor of human pancreatic lipase.

Lipstatin, isolated from Streptomyces toxytricini as a potent and selective inhibitor of human pancreatic lipase, is a precursor for tetrahydrolipstatin (also known as orlistat, Xenical, and Alli), the only FDA-approved antiobesity medication for long-term use. Lipstatin features a 2-hexyl-3,5-dihydroxy-7,10-hexadecadienoic-ß-lactone structure with an N-formyl-l-leucine group attached as an ester to the 5-hydroxy group. It has been suggested that the α-branched 3,5-dihydroxy fatty acid ß-lactone moiety of lipstatin in S. toxytricini is derived from Claisen condensation between two fatty acid substrates, which are derived from incomplete oxidative degradation of linoleic acid based on feeding experiments. In this study, we identified a six-gene operon (lst) that was essential for the biosynthesis of lipstatin by large-deletion, complementation, and single-gene knockout experiments. lstA, lstB, and lstC, which encode two ß-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein synthase III homologues and an acyl coenzyme A (acyl-CoA) synthetase homologue, were indicated to be responsible for the generation of the α-branched 3,5-dihydroxy fatty acid backbone. Subsequently, the nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) gene lstE and the putative formyltransferase gene lstF were involved in decoration of the α-branched 3,5-dihydroxy fatty acid chain with an N-formylated leucine residue. Finally, the 3ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-homologous gene lstD might be responsible for the reduction of the ß-keto group of the biosynthetic intermediate, thereby facilitating the formation of the unique ß-lactone ring.

Multiplexing of combinatorial chemistry in antimycin biosynthesis: expansion of molecular diversity and utility.

Diversity-oriented biosynthesis of a library of antimycin-like compounds (380 altogether) was accomplished by using multiplex combinatorial biosynthesis. The core strategy depends on the use of combinatorial chemistry at different biosynthetic stages. This approach is applicable for the diversification of polyketides, nonribosomal peptides, and the hybrids that share a similar biosynthetic logic.

Near-field observation of anomalous optical propagation in photonic crystal coupled-cavity waveguides.

An air-bridged silicon-based photonic crystal coupled-cavity waveguide (PCCCW) connected with an input and output W1 PC waveguide (PCW) was designed and fabricated. We mapped its intensity distributions with a near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) at near-infrared wavelengths around 1550 nm. Surprisingly, the intensity distributions demonstrate that the second odd eigenmode dominates in such a PCCCW, even though it possesses a much slower group velocity of light than that of the first even one. Further considering the measured transmission spectrum, we find that the modal profile and impedance matching between the eigenmodes in the PCW and PCCCW plays an important role in the optical propagation efficiency. Mode conversion between the first even and the second odd eigenmode was also detected at the interfaces between the W1 PCW and PCCCW.

Anomalous reflection from hybrid metamaterial slab.

We report for the first time that an ultra-thin hybrid metamaterial slab can reflect an incident plane wave in -1st diffraction order, giving rise to anomalous reflection in a "negative" way. The functionality is derived from the hybridized surface resonant states of the slab. The retro-directive reflection is demonstrated numerically for a Gaussian beam at oblique incidence and verified experimentally at microwave frequencies.

Ray trace visualization of negative refraction of light in two-dimensional air-bridged silicon photonic crystal slabs at 1.55 microm.

We demonstrate design, fabrication, and ray trace observation of negative refraction of near-infrared light in a two-dimensional square lattice of air holes etched into an air-bridged silicon slab. Special surface morphologies are designed to reduce the impedance mismatch when light refracts from a homogeneous silicon slab into the photonic crystal slab. We clearly observed negative refraction of infrared light for TE-like modes in a broad wavelength range by using scanning near-field optical microscopy technology. The experimental results are in good agreement with finite-difference time-domain simulations. The results indicate the designed photonic crystal structure can serve as polarization beam splitter.

Gamma-Mu waveguides in two-dimensional triangular-lattice photonic crystal slabs.

We propose a line defect waveguide structure along the Gamma-Mu direction in two-dimensional triangular lattice silicon photonic crystal slabs. The modal dispersion relation and the transmission spectra of this waveguide are studied. The results show that by perturbing the width of the line defect and the diameter of the air holes adjacent to the waveguide core, one can control the width of the single mode transmission window and make it far broader than the original one. The proposed Gamma-Mu waveguide will help to build a more flexible network of interconnection channel of light in two-dimensional photonic crystal slabs.

Rapidly infrared-assisted cooperatively self-assembled highly ordered multiscale porous materials.

In this paper, cooperative self-assembly (CSA) of colloidal spheres with different sizes was studied. It was found that a complicated jamming effect makes it difficult to achieve an optimal self-assembling condition for construction of a well-ordered stacking of colloidal spheres in a relatively short growth time by CSA. Through the use of a characteristic infrared (IR) technique to significantly accelerate local evaporation on the growing interface without changing the bulk growing environment, a concise three-parameter (temperature, pressure, and IR intensity) CSA method to effectively overcome the jamming effect has been developed. Mono- and multiscale inverse opals in a large range of lattice scales can be prepared within a growth time (15-30 min) that is remarkably shorter than the growth times of several hours for previous methods. Scanning electron microscopy images and transmittance spectra demonstrated the superior crystalline and optical qualities of the resulting materials. More importantly, the new method enables optimal conditions for CSA without limitations on sizes and materials of multiple colloids. This strategy not only makes a meaningful advance in the applicability and universality of colloidal crystals and ordered porous materials but also can be an inspiration to the self-assembly systems widely used in many other fields, such as nanotechnology and molecular bioengineering.

Waveguide coupler in three-dimensional photonic crystal.

A waveguide coupler is designed and realized in a three-dimensional woodpile photonic crystal at microwave regime. This waveguide coupler shows good energy transfer property, which is confirmed through measurement of transmission spectrum, internal field distribution and surface field distribution using Agilent microwave network analyzer.

Second harmonic generation in one-dimensional nonlinear photonic crystals solved by the transfer matrix method.

The transfer matrix method has been widely used to calculate the scattering of electromagnetic waves. In this paper, we develop the conventional transfer matrix method to analyze the problem of second harmonic generation in a one-dimensional multilayer nonlinear optical structure. In the designed nonlinear photonic crystal structure, the linear and nonlinear optical parameters are both periodically modulated. We have taken into account the multiple reflection and interference effects of both the linear and nonlinear optical waves during the construction of the transfer matrix for each composite layer. Application of this method to multilayer nonlinear photonic crystal structures with different refractive indices indicates that the proposed method is an exact approach and can simulate the generation of the second harmonic field precisely. In an optimum structure, the second harmonic generation efficiency can be several orders of magnitude larger than in a conventional quasi-phase-matched nonlinear structure with the same sample length. The reason is that, due to the presence of photonic band gap edges, the density of states of the electromagnetic fields is large, the group velocity is small, and the local field is enhanced. All three factors contribute to significant enhancement of the nonlinear optical interactions.

Enhanced second-harmonic generation in an electro-optic controlled periodically poled ferroelectric crystal.

We present a novel design of enhanced second-harmonic generation in a periodically poled ferroelectric crystal. It profits from enhanced light intensity and slowed group velocity, which occur near photonic band edges through electro-optic modulation. The designed structure, with 108 periods and a length of 322 microm, can generate a second-harmonic beam whose conversion efficiency is 2 orders of magnitude larger than the one produced by an equivalent length of quasi-phase-matching bulk medium. This result might be beneficial to the development of optics integration and compact devices.

Non-near-field focus and imaging of an unpolarized electromagnetic wave through high-symmetry quasicrystals.

The focus behaviors of electromagnetic wave through two-dimensional (2D) high-symmetry photonic quasicrystals (PQCs) have been investigated by using exact multi-scattering numerical simulation. We have found that the high-symmetry PQC flat lenses possess universal feature for non-near-field focus of two kinds of polarized waves. That is to say, the non-near-field focus for two kinds of polarized waves can be realized by using these flat lenses, which are consisting of 12-fold, 10-fold and 8-fold 2D PQCs with the same structures and parameters. Such a superior feature originates from higher rotational symmetry and negative refraction in the PQCs. Thus, potential applications of such a phenomenon to optical devices can be anticipated.

Near-field studies of microwave three-dimensional photonic crystals with waveguides.

By utilizing a vector network analyzer, the field distributions on the surface of a three-dimensional woodpile photonic crystal with a straight waveguide or a bend waveguide buried under the surface were measured in the microwave regime. The information of field profile and propagation characteristics of the guided modes can be successfully extracted from the surface near-field measurement. This work indicates that the near-field detection can become a promising means for experimental characterization of three-dimensional photonic crystal devices in supplement to the usual transmission spectrum measurement.

Ultrafast tunable filter in two-dimensional organic photonic crystal.

A tunable filter made from a two-dimensional polystyrene photonic crystal is fabricated by focused ion-beam etching. The pump and probe scheme is adopted to measure tunability based on the picosecond optical Kerr effect. The response time of the tunable filter, approximately 10 ps, is within the measurement resolution. The maximum shift of optical channels is estimated to be 6 nm under excitation of 15.9 GW/cm2 pump intensity, which is in agreement with the theoretical prediction.

Mechanism and dynamics of breakage of fluorescent microtubules.

The breakage of fluorescence-labeled microtubules under irradiation of excitation light is found in our experiments. Its mechanism is studied. The results indicate that free radicals are the main reason for the photosensitive breakage. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of the microtubules are probed with a dual-optical tweezers system. It is found that the fluorescence-labeled microtubules are much easier to extend compared with those without fluorescence. Such microtubules can be extended by 30%, and the force for breaking them up is only several piconewtons. In addition, we find that the breakup of the protofilaments is not simultaneous but step-by-step, which further confirms that the interaction between protofilaments is fairly weak.

Method used to measure interaction of proteins with dual-beam optical tweezers.

In the force measurement of protein-protein interaction, proteins are usually attached to microbeads, so the coated beads serve as both handles and force transducers. Due to the short interaction distance between proteins, the beads are usually close enough to each other. When dual-beam optical tweezers and quadrant photodiode detector are used to investigate the interaction of proteins, it is found that the signal of detected beads is greatly affected by adjacent beads. Analysis reveals that the contribution of two beads to the quadrant detector signal is independent. A method for extracting the real interaction signal from a disturbed one is presented. Based on this method, interaction between microtubules and AtMAP65-1 is measured. The results show that this method is useful for measuring short-distance interaction with the precision of piconewton and nanometer scales.

High resolution three-port filter in two dimensional photonic crystal slabs.

An in-plane, three-port filter consisting of input/output waveguides and two point-defect cavities in a 2D PC slab is designed and fabricated, where a new feedback method is introduced, and its transmission properties are measured. The measured minimum output wavelength spacing between two channels is 1.5 nm, which is realized by slightly adjusting the size of the resonant cavities. The measured resonant wavelengths of two cavities agree well with the calculated ones and the quality factors of the cavities are almost the same. It is believed that this kind of filter may be useful in optical integrated circuits with high density.