Improved in-vivo airway gene transfer via magnetic-guidance, with protocol development informed by synchrotron imaging.

Gene vectors to treat cystic fibrosis lung disease should be targeted to the conducting airways, as peripheral lung transduction does not offer therapeutic benefit. Viral transduction efficiency is directly related to the vector residence time. However, delivered fluids such as gene vectors naturally spread to the alveoli during inspiration, and therapeutic particles of any form are rapidly cleared via mucociliary transit.

Cuticular Lipid Topology on Insect Body Surfaces Studied by Synchrotron Radiation FTIR ATR Microspectroscopy.

The cuticular lipid covering the integument of insects is exposed to the environment and involved in a variety of functions offered by insect body surfaces, ranging from protection against the environment, such as the control of water transpiration, the reduction of abrasive damage, and the prevention of pathogen intrusion, to the communication between insects from intraspecific to interspecific interactions. In comparison with the importance of their physiological functions, there is remarkably little information on the structure and physical property of cuticular lipids on insect body surfaces. The lipid layer on the outer exoskeleton is very thin, estimated on the order of 0.

Investigation of ionic and anomalous magnetic behavior in CrSe using Li β-NMR.

We have studied a mosaic of 1T-CrSe single crystals using β-detected nuclear magnetic resonance of Li from 4 to 300 K. We identify two broad resonances that show no evidence of quadrupolar splitting, indicating two magnetically distinct environments for the implanted ion. We observe stretched exponential spin lattice relaxation and a corresponding rate (1/ ) that increases monotonically above 200 K, consistent with the onset of ionic diffusion.

Methods for dynamic synchrotron X-ray respiratory imaging in live animals.

Small-animal physiology studies are typically complicated, but the level of complexity is greatly increased when performing live-animal X-ray imaging studies at synchrotron and compact light sources. This group has extensive experience in these types of studies at the SPring-8 and Australian synchrotrons, as well as the Munich Compact Light Source. These experimental settings produce unique challenges.

A flow cell for measuring X-ray Compton scattering of liquid at temperatures up to 623 K and pressures up to 20 MPa.

A flow-type cell was developed for measuring Compton scattering spectra of heat-sensitive aqueous solution. Compton scattering spectra of water and ethanol were measured in the region from ambient conditions to 623 K and 20 MPa. Compton profiles derived from measurement with the flow-type cell were comparable with those in the literature.

Ultrafast energy- and momentum-resolved dynamics of magnetic correlations in the photo-doped Mott insulator Sr2IrO4.

Measuring how the magnetic correlations evolve in doped Mott insulators has greatly improved our understanding of the pseudogap, non-Fermi liquids and high-temperature superconductivity. Recently, photo-excitation has been used to induce similarly exotic states transiently. However, the lack of available probes of magnetic correlations in the time domain hinders our understanding of these photo-induced states and how they could be controlled.

Dislocation-accommodated grain boundary sliding as the major deformation mechanism of olivine in the Earth's upper mantle.

Understanding the deformation mechanisms of olivine is important for addressing the dynamic processes in Earth's upper mantle. It has been thought that dislocation creep is the dominant mechanism because of extrapolated laboratory data on the plasticity of olivine at pressures below 0.5 GPa.