Explore the vast range of titles available.

Background Porphyromonas gingivalis (hereafter “ Pg ”) is an oral pathogen that has been hypothesized to act as a keystone driver of inflammation and periodontal disease. Although Pg is most readily recovered from individuals with actively progressing periodontal disease, healthy individuals and those with stable non-progressing disease are also colonized by Pg . Insights into the factors shaping the striking strain-level variation in Pg , and its variable associations with disease, are needed to achieve a more mechanistic understanding of periodontal disease and its progression. One of the key forces often shaping strain-level diversity in microbial communities is infection of bacteria by their viral (phage) predators and symbionts. Surprisingly, although Pg has been the subject of study for over 40 years, essentially nothing is known of its phages, and the prevailing paradigm is that phages are not important in the ecology of Pg . Results Here we systematically addressed the question of whether Pg are infected by phages—and we found that they are. We found that prophages are common in Pg , they are genomically diverse, and they encode genes that have the potential to alter Pg physiology and interactions. We found that phages represent unrecognized targets of the prevalent CRISPR-Cas defense systems in Pg , and that Pg strains encode numerous additional mechanistically diverse candidate anti-phage defense systems. We also found that phages and candidate anti-phage defense system elements together are major contributors to strain-level diversity and the species pangenome of this oral pathogen. Finally, we demonstrate that prophages harbored by a model Pg strain are active in culture, producing extracellular viral particles in broth cultures. Conclusion This work definitively establishes that phages are a major unrecognized force shaping the ecology and intra-species strain-level diversity of the well-studied oral pathogen Pg . The foundational phage sequence datasets and model systems that we establish here add to the rich context of all that is already known about Pg , and point to numerous avenues of future inquiry that promise to shed new light on fundamental features of phage impacts on human health and disease broadly. B5C3jjutXjtawSKFEwKi2z Video Abstract

This work provides a detailed study on the growth of AlxIn1-xAsySb1-y lattice-matched to InAs by Molecular Beam Epitaxy. In order to find the conditions which lead to high crystal quality deep within the miscibility gap, AlxIn1-xAsySb1-y with x = 0.462 was grown at different growth temperatures as well as As2 and Sb2 beam equivalent pressures. The crystal quality of the grown layers was examined by high-resolution X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. It was found that the incorporation of Sb into Al0.462In0.538AsySb1-y is strongly temperature-dependent and reduced growth temperatures are necessary in order to achieve significant Sb mole fractions in the grown layers. At 480 ∘ C lattice matching to InAs could not be achieved. At 410 ∘ C lattice matching was possible and high quality films of Al0.462In0.538AsySb1-y were obtained.

We present a bi-functional surface emitting and surface detecting mid-infrared device applicable for gas-sensing. A distributed feedback ring quantum cascade laser is monolithically integrated with a detector structured from a bi-functional material for same frequency lasing and detection. The emitted single mode radiation is collimated, back reflected by a flat mirror and detected by the detector element of the sensor. The surface operation mode combined with the low divergence emission of the ring quantum cascade laser enables for long analyte interaction regions spatially separated from the sample surface. The device enables for sensing of gaseous analytes which requires a relatively long interaction region. Our design is suitable for 2D array integration with multiple emission and detection frequencies. Proof of principle measurements with isobutane (2-methylpropane) and propane as gaseous analytes were conducted. Detectable concentration values of 0–70% for propane and 0–90% for isobutane were reached at a laser operation wavelength of 6.5 μm utilizing a 10 cm gas cell in double pass configuration.

We introduce ring lasers with continuous π-phase shifts in the second order distributed feedback grating. This configuration facilitates insights into the nature of the modal outcoupling in an optical cavity. The grating exploits the asymmetry of whispering gallery modes and induces a rotation of the far field pattern. We find that this rotation can be connected to the location of the mode relative to the grating. Furthermore, the direction of rotation depends on the radial order of the whispering gallery mode. This enables a distinct identification and characterization of the mode by simple analysis of the emission beam.

We demonstrate the on-chip generation of twisted light beams from ring quantum cascade lasers. A monolithic gradient index metamaterial is fabricated directly into the substrate side of the semiconductor chip and induces a twist of the light’s wavefront. This significantly influences the obtained beam pattern, which changes from a central intensity minimum to a maximum depending on the discontinuity count of the metamaterial. Our design principle provides an interesting alternative to recent implementations of microlasers operating at an exceptional point.

Background. Porphyromonas gingivalis (hereafter \"Pg\") is an oral pathogen that can act as a keystone driver of inflammation and periodontal disease. Although Pg is most readily recovered from individuals with actively progressing periodontal disease, healthy individuals and those with stable non-progressing disease are also colonized by Pg. Insights into the factors shaping the striking strain-level variation in Pg, and its variable associations with disease, are needed to achieve a more mechanistic understanding of periodontal disease and its progression. A key force shaping strain level diversity in all microbial communities is infection of bacteria by their viral (phage) predators and symbionts. Surprisingly, although Pg has been the subject of study for over 40 years, essentially nothing is known of its phages, and the prevailing paradigm is that phages are not important in the ecology of Pg. Results. Here we systematically addressed the question of whether Pg are infected by phages - and we found that they are. We found that prophages are common in Pg, they are genomically diverse, and they encode genes that have the potential to alter Pg physiology and interactions. We found that phages represent unrecognized targets of the prevalent CRISPR-Cas defense systems in Pg, and that Pg strains encode numerous additional mechanistically diverse candidate anti-phage defense systems. We also found that phages and candidate anti-phage defense system elements together are major contributors to strain level diversity and the species pangenome of this oral pathogen. Finally, we demonstrate that prophages harbored by a model Pg strain are active in culture, producing extracellular viral particles in broth cultures. Discussion. This work definitively establishes that phages are a major unrecognized force shaping the ecology and intraspecies strain-level diversity of the well-studied oral pathogen Pg. The foundational phage sequence datasets and model systems that we establish here add to the rich context of all that is already known about Pg, and point to numerous avenues of future inquiry that promise to shed new light on fundamental features of phage impacts on human health and disease broadly.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.Footnotes* https://zenodo.org/record/7489347

The addition of boron to GaAs nanowires grown by self-catalyzed molecular beam epitaxy was found to have a strong effect on the nanowire morphology, with axial growth greatly reduced as the nominal boron concentration was increased. Transmission electron microscopy measurements show that the Ga catalyst droplet was unintentionally consumed during growth. Concurrent radial growth, a rough surface morphology and tapering of nanowires grown under boron flux suggest that this droplet consumption is due to reduced Ga adatom diffusion on the nanowire sidewalls in the presence of boron. Modelling of the nanowire growth puts the diffusion length of Ga adatoms under boron flux at around 700-1000nm. Analyses of the nanowire surfaces show regions of high boron concentration, indicating the surfactant nature of boron in GaAs.