Fas and DNA double stranded breaks in human ejaculated sperm

Objective: to determine the incidence of Fas positivity and DNA double stranded breaks (DSB) as indicators of early and late stage apoptosis in ejaculated sperm. Design: Fas positivity was assessed by flow cytometry and DSB by neutral Comet assay Setting: Andrology Laboratory, Royal Maternity Hospita, Belfast Northern Ireland, UK. Patients: 45 infertile men undergoing infertility investigations and 10 fertile men undergoing vasectomies Main Outcome measures: Perecentage Fas positive cells, percentage DNA fragmentation, olive tail moments Results: The apoptotic marker Fas was detected in ejaculated sperm, with a higher incidence of Fas positivity in teratozoospermic and asthenozoospermic than in normozoospermic semen. No Fas positivity was observed in fertile mens’ sperm. DSB were greater in infertile than in fertile mens’ sperm and also greater in sperm in semen than in sperm prepared for assisted conception. There was an inverse relationship between DSB and both sperm concentration and motility. There was no relationship between Fas positivity and DNA damage. Conclusion: Fas was expressed in sperm of infertile men. In contrast, DNA fragmentation was observed in all sperm of fertile and infertile men and correlated with inadequate concentration and motility, which suggests that sperm DSB are ubiquitous and are not solely associated with apoptosis.

Performance assessment of nanoscale double- and triple- gate FinFETs

This is the first paper to describe performance assessment of triple and double gate FinFETs for High Performance (HP), Low Operating Power (LOP) and Low Standby Power (LSTP) logic technologies is investigated. The impact of gate work-function, spacer width, lateral source/drain doping gradient, fin aspect ratio, fin thickness on device performance, has been analysed in detail and guidelines are presented to meet ITRS specification at 65 and 45 nm nodes. Optimal design of lateral source/drain doping profile can not only effectively control short channel effects, yielding low off-current, but also achieve low values of intrinsic gate delay.

Perspectives for quantum state engineering via high nonlinearity in a double-EIT regime

We analyse the possibilities for quantum state engineering offered by a model for Kerr-type nonlinearity enhanced by electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), which was recently proposed by Petrosyan and Kurizki [2002, Phys. Rev. A, 65, 33833]. We go beyond the semiclassical treatment and derive a quantum version of the model with both a full Hamiltonian approach and an analysis in terms of dressed states. The preparation of an entangled coherent state via a cross-phase modulation effect is demonstrated. We briefly show that the violation of locality for such an entangled coherent state is robust against low detection efficiency. Finally, we investigate the possibility of a bi-chromatic photon blockade realized via the interaction of a low density beam of atoms with a bi-modal electromagnetic cavity which is externally driven. We show the effectiveness of the blockade effect even when more than a single atom is inside the cavity. The possibility to control two different cavity modes allows some insights into the generation of an entangled state of cavity modes.

A method of false coincidence removal from measurements of quadruple coincidences between two photoelectrons and two photoions generated in molecular double photoionization

The removal of false coincidences from measurements of coincidences between two photoelectrons and one or two ions formed in molecular double photoionization is described. False coincidences arise by several mechanisms; experimental procedures and mathematical formulae required to remove all the different false coincidence contributions are described. Sample spectra taken of the double photoionization of carbon dioxide are presented to illustrate the method of false coincidence subtraction.

High-energy cutoff in the spectrum of strong-field nonsequential double ionization

Electron energy distributions of singly and doubly ionized helium in an intense 390 nm laser field have been measured at two intensities (0.8 PW/cm(2) and 1.1 PW/cm(2), where PW equivalent to 10(15) W/cm(2)). Numerical solutions of the full-dimensional time-dependent helium Schrodinger equation show excellent agreement with the experimental measurements. The high-energy portion of the two-electron energy distributions reveals an unexpected 5U(p) cutoff for the double ionization (DI) process and leads to a proposed model for DI below the quasiclassical threshold.

Microcontroller based double beam modulation system for atomic scattering experiments

Double beam modulation is widely used in atomic collision experiments in the case where the noise arising froth each of the beams exceeds the measured signal. A method for minimizing the statistical uncertainty in a measured signal in a given time period is discussed, and a flexible modulation and counting system based on a low cost PIC microcontroller is described. This device is capable of modifying the acquisition parameters in real time during the course of an experimental run. It is shown that typical savings in data acquisition time of approximately 30% can be achieved using this optimized modulation scheme.

Incidence of Fas positivity and deoxyribonucleic acid double-stranded breaks in human ejaculated sperm.

Objective

To determine the incidence of Fas positivity and DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) as indicators of early- and late-stage apoptosis in ejaculated sperm.

Design

Fas positivity was assessed by flow cytometry and DSB by the neutral Comet assay.

Setting

Andrology Laboratory, Royal Maternity Hospital, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.

Patient(s) and intervention(s)

Forty-five infertile men undergoing infertility investigations and 10 fertile men undergoing vasectomies.

Main outcome measure(s)

Percentage Fas-positive cells, percentage DNA fragmentation, olive tail moment.

Result(s)

The apoptotic marker Fas was detected in ejaculated sperm, with a higher incidence of Fas positivity in teratozoospermic and asthenozoospermic than in normozospermic semen. No Fas positivity was observed in fertile mens' sperm. Deoxyribonucleic acid fragmentation (DSB) was greater in infertile than in fertile men's sperm and also greater in sperm in semen than in sperm prepared for assisted conception. There was an inverse relationship between DSB and both sperm concentration and motility. There was no relationship between Fas positivity and DNA damage.

Conclusion(s)

Fas was expressed in sperm of infertile men. In contrast, DNA fragmentation was observed in all sperm of fertile and infertile men and correlated with inadequate concentration and motility, which suggests that sperm DSB are ubiquitous and are not solely associated with apoptosis.