Invariant NKT (iNKT) cells are considered to be important in some autoimmune diseases including Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). So far, the published data are contradictory in regard to the role of iNKT cells in T1DM. We aimed to study iNKT cell frequency and the function of different iNKT cell subgroups in T1DM. We compared the results of four subject groups: healthy (H), long-term T2DM (ltT2DM; more than 1 year), newly diagnosed T1DM (ndT1DM; less than 3 months), and ltT1DM (more than 1 year) individuals. We measured the iNKT cell frequencies by costaining for the invariant TCR alpha-chain with 6B11-FITC and Valpha24-PE. After sorting the Valpha24+6B11+ cells, the generated iNKT clones were characterized. We tested CD4, CD8, and CD161 expression and IL-4 and IFN-gamma production on TCR stimulation. The CD4+ population among the iNKT cells was decreased significantly in ltT1DM versus ndT1DM, ltT2DM, or H individuals. The T1DM iNKT cell cytokine profile markedly shifted to the Th1 direction. There was no difference in the frequency of iNKT cells in PBMC among the different patient groups. The decrease in the CD4+ population among the iNKT cells and their Th1 shift indicates dysfunction of these potentially important regulatory cells in T1DM.
A capillary laser with output in the extreme ultraviolet at wavelength 46.9 nm is used to ablate solid targets of parylene-N (CH), PMMA, aluminum and gold. We summarize results obtained using different focusing optics: a Fresnel zone plate, an off-axis spherical multi-layer mirror and on-axis multi-layer and gold mirrors. The Fresnel zone plate has a small aperture and focuses a small fraction of the laser energy to a small diameter (< 1 µm) with peak intensities 6 x 10 9 Wcm-2. The off-axis spherical multi-layer mirror allows for a measurement of the transmission of the laser through thin targets, but the off-axis geometry produced an aberrated focus. The on-axis multi-layer mirror allows focusing to intensities of approximately 5 x 10 10 Wcm-2 with a cylindrically symmetric focus.
Compact extreme ultraviolet (EUV) laser sources can be used for laboratory-scale ablation experiments at intensities of 1 × 10 11 W cm −2 and higher. The depths of ablation achieved using focused laser output at 46.9 nm to irradiate solid targets of aluminium, gold, and copper have been modeled. Two simple models are considered; an adaptation of an ultra-short pulse model, and an ablation velocity model. We show that the attenuation length of the material plays an important role in the physics of the ablation. A more detailed one-dimensional model including absorption by inverse bremsstrahlung absorption and photo-ionization, corrected to include electron degeneracy effects, is used to evaluate the opacity of the ablation plasma and subsequent ablation depths.
Ionization in experiments where solid targets are irradiated by high irradiance extreme ultra-violet (EUV) lasers is examined. Free electron degeneracy effects on ionization in the presence of a high EUV flux of radiation is shown to be important. Overlap of the physics of such plasmas with plasma material under compression in indirect inertial fusion is explored. The design of the focusing optics needed to achieve high irradiance (up to 10 14 Wcm À2 ) using an EUV capillary laser is presented.
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