We report the enhancement in imaging performance of a spectral-domain optical coherence microscope (OCM) in turbid media by incorporating an optical parametric amplifier (OPA). The OPA provides a high level of optical gain to the sample arm, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio of the OCM by a factor of up to 15 dB. A unique nonlinear confocal gate is automatically formed in the OPA, whi...

The opa genes of the Gram negative bacterium Neisseria meningitidis encode Opacity-associated outer membrane proteins whose role is to promote adhesion to the human host tissue during colonisation and invasion. Each meningococcus contains 3-4 opa loci, each of which may be occupied by one of a large number of alleles. We analysed the Opa repertoire structure in a large, well-characterised colle...

The current study was conducted at University of Kufa, Faculty Science, Biology Department for molecular identification four Eruca sativa L. cultivars (1-Turish 2-Syrian 3-Turkish 4-Eygyptian) using eleven Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA. Results indicate primers OPA-04, OPA-10, OPA-02, OPW-04, OPC-09,v and OPD-13 success in giving all a unique fingerprint .Highest number main bands , polymorp...

BACKGROUND Limited information exists about the nature of and factors associated with oropharyngeal aspiration (OPA) and silent aspiration (SA) in children. A prospective study was undertaken to determine the factors associated with fluoroscopically identified OPA and SA. METHODS Three hundred children presenting with feeding difficulties underwent a videofluoroscopic swallow study (VFSS) for...

Neisseria meningitidis causes half a million cases of septicemia and meningitis globally each year. The opacity (Opa) integral outer membrane proteins from N. meningitidis are polymorphic and highly immunogenic. Particular combinations of Opa proteins are associated with the hyperinvasive meningococcal lineages that have caused the majority of serogroup B and C meningococcal disease in industri...

Neisserial Opa proteins function as a family of adhesins that bind heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) or carcinoembryonic antigen family (CEACAM) receptors on human host cells. In order to define the CEACAM binding domain on Opa proteins, we tested the binding properties of a series of gonococcal (strain MS11) recombinants producing mutant and chimeric Opa proteins with alterations in one or m...

A simple and robust ultrafast, high-peak-power 5-μm laser source for pumping a dielectric photonic structure for high-gradient electron acceleration has been designed and is being constructed. The 5-μm laser source consists of two components: (1) a type-II-BBO-based 2.05-μm optical parametric amplifier (OPA) as a pump source, and (2) a type-I-ZGP-based 5-μm OPA to produce mJ-class, <100 fs puls...

Over the last two decades, there has been an increasing awareness regarding the potential impact of indoor air pollution on human health. People working in an indoor environment often experience symptoms such as eye, nose, and throat irritation. Investigations into these complaints have ascribed the effects, in part, to compounds emitted from building materials, cleaning/consumer products, and ...

Purpose. This study examines the effects of fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) procedure on ocular pulse amplitude (OPA) and intraocular pressure (IOP). Materials and Methods. Sixty eyes of 30 nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy patients (15 males, 15 females) were included in this cross-sectional case series. IOP and OPA were measured with the Pascal dynamic contour tonometer before and af...

Gonococci possessing certain opacity-associated (Opa) outer membrane proteins adhere to and are phagocytosed by human neutrophils in the absence of serum. Recently, it has been shown that serum-sensitive strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae possessing the appropriate lipooligosaccharide phenotype become serum resistant when grown in the presence of CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid (CMP-NANA) because of ...