Electrochemical Deposition and Etching of Quasi-Two-Dimensional Periodic Membrane Structure.

In this paper, two experimental procedures are reported, namely electro-deposition in the ultrathin liquid layer and chemical micro-etching. Firstly, a large area quasi-two-dimensional periodic membrane with adjustable density is deposited on a Si substrate driven by half-sinusoidal voltage, which is composed of raised ridges and a membrane between the ridges. The smaller the voltage frequency is, the larger the ridge distance is. The height of a raised ridge changes synchronously with the amplitude. The grain density distribution of membrane and raised ridge is uneven; the two structures change alternately, which is closely related to the change of growth voltage and copper ion concentration during deposition. The structural characteristics of membrane provide favorable conditions for micro-etching; stable etching speed and microscope real-time monitoring are the keys to achieve accurate etching. In the chemical micro-etching process, the membrane between ridges is removed, retaining the raised ridges, thus a large scale ordered micro-nano wires array with lateral growth was obtained. This method is simple and controllable, can be applied to a variety of substrates, and is the best choice for designing and preparing new functional materials. This experiment provides a basis for the extension of this method.

Genetic insights into superior grain number traits: a QTL analysis of wheat-Agropyron cristatum derivative pubing3228.

BACKGROUND: Agropyron cristatum (L.) is a valuable genetic resource for expanding the genetic diversity of common wheat. Pubing3228, a novel wheat-A. cristatum hybrid germplasm, exhibits several desirable agricultural traits, including high grain number per spike (GNS). Understanding the genetic architecture of GNS in Pubing3228 is crucial for enhancing wheat yield. This study aims to analyze the specific genetic regions and alleles associated with high GNS in Pubing3228. METHODS: The study employed a recombination inbred line (RIL) population derived from a cross between Pubing3228 and Jing4839 to investigate the genetic regions and alleles linked to high GNS. Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) analysis and candidate gene investigation were utilized to explore these traits. RESULTS: A total of 40 QTLs associated with GNS were identified across 16 chromosomes, accounting for 4.25-17.17% of the total phenotypic variation. Five QTLs (QGns.wa-1D, QGns.wa-5 A, QGns.wa-7Da.1, QGns.wa-7Da.2 and QGns.wa-7Da.3) accounter for over 10% of the phenotypic variation in at least two environments. Furthermore, 94.67% of the GNS QTL with positive effects originated from Pubing3228. Candidate gene analysis of stable QTLs identified 11 candidate genes for GNS, including a senescence-associated protein gene (TraesCS7D01G148000) linked to the most significant SNP (AX-108,748,734) on chromosome 7D, potentially involved in reallocating nutrients from senescing tissues to developing seeds. CONCLUSION: This study provides new insights into the genetic mechanisms underlying high GNS in Pubing3228, offering valuable resources for marker-assisted selection in wheat breeding to enhance yield.

Identification of molecular markers and candidate regions associated with grain number per spike in Pubing3228 using SLAF-BSA.

Grain number per spike, a pivotal agronomic trait dictating wheat yield, lacks a comprehensive understanding of its underlying mechanism in Pubing3228, despite the identification of certain pertinent genes. Thus, our investigation sought to ascertain molecular markers and candidate regions associated with grain number per spike through a high-density genetic mapping approach that amalgamates site-specific amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq) and bulked segregation analysis (BSA). To facilitate this, we conducted a comparative analysis of two wheat germplasms, Pubing3228 and Jing4839, known to exhibit marked discrepancies in spike shape. By leveraging this methodology, we successfully procured 2,810,474 SLAF tags, subsequently resulting in the identification of 187,489 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) between the parental strains. We subsequently employed the SNP-index association algorithm alongside the extended distribution (ED) association algorithm to detect regions associated with the trait. The former algorithm identified 24 trait-associated regions, whereas the latter yielded 70. Remarkably, the intersection of these two algorithms led to the identification of 25 trait-associated regions. Amongst these regions, we identified 399 annotated genes, including three genes harboring non-synonymous mutant SNP loci. Notably, the APETALA2 (AP2) transcription factor families, which exhibited a strong correlation with spike type, were also annotated. Given these findings, it is plausible to hypothesize that these genes play a critical role in determining spike shape. In summation, our study contributes significant insights into the genetic foundation of grain number per spike. The molecular markers and candidate regions we have identified can be readily employed for marker-assisted breeding endeavors, ultimately leading to the development of novel wheat cultivars possessing enhanced yield potential. Furthermore, conducting further functional analyses on the identified genes will undoubtedly facilitate a comprehensive elucidation of the underlying mechanisms governing spike development in wheat.

Advances in materials used for minimally invasive treatment of vertebral compression fractures.

Vertebral compression fractures are becoming increasingly common with aging of the population; minimally invasive materials play an essential role in treating these fractures. However, the unacceptable processing-performance relationships of materials and their poor osteoinductive performance have limited their clinical application. In this review, we describe the advances in materials used for minimally invasive treatment of vertebral compression fractures and enumerate the types of bone cement commonly used in current practice. We also discuss the limitations of the materials themselves, and summarize the approaches for improving the characteristics of bone cement. Finally, we review the types and clinical efficacy of new vertebral implants. This review may provide valuable insights into newer strategies and methods for future research; it may also improve understanding on the application of minimally invasive materials for the treatment of vertebral compression fractures.

Nonideality-Aware Training for Accurate and Robust Low-Power Memristive Neural Networks.

Recent years have seen a rapid rise of artificial neural networks being employed in a number of cognitive tasks. The ever-increasing computing requirements of these structures have contributed to a desire for novel technologies and paradigms, including memristor-based hardware accelerators. Solutions based on memristive crossbars and analog data processing promise to improve the overall energy efficiency. However, memristor nonidealities can lead to the degradation of neural network accuracy, while the attempts to mitigate these negative effects often introduce design trade-offs, such as those between power and reliability. In this work, authors design nonideality-aware training of memristor-based neural networks capable of dealing with the most common device nonidealities. The feasibility of using high-resistance devices that exhibit high I-V nonlinearity is demonstrated-by analyzing experimental data and employing nonideality-aware training, it is estimated that the energy efficiency of memristive vector-matrix multipliers is improved by almost three orders of magnitude (0.715 TOPs-1 W-1 to 381 TOPs-1 W-1 ) while maintaining similar accuracy. It is shown that associating the parameters of neural networks with individual memristors allows to bias these devices toward less conductive states through regularization of the corresponding optimization problem, while modifying the validation procedure leads to more reliable estimates of performance. The authors demonstrate the universality and robustness of this approach when dealing with a wide range of nonidealities.

Separation and enrichment of phenolics improved the antibiofilm and antibacterial activity of the fractions from Citrus medica L. var. sarcodactylis in vitro and in tofu.

Separation and enrichment of phenolic components from Citrus medica L. var. sarcodactylis were performed to improve the antibiofilm and antibacterial activity/efficiency of the fractions for the first time. Through separation of the crude extracts, the preparation of four fractions was done by chromatography on macroporous resin. It was found that the antibiofilm and antibacterial activity of the fractions were significantly enhanced. The obtained 30% ethanol eluted fraction (EEF) and 60% EEF both significantly inhibited biofilm formation. After the second separation by polyamide resin chromatography, the activity of the fractions was also improved. Complete inhibition (100%) on biofilm formation of S. aureus was achieved at 2.0 mg/mL. The MIC of the fractions on S. aureus was decreased to 2.0 mg/mL. There has been variation of 7.3-185.6 mg/g of phenolic content in the fractions, and a strong correlation between the anti-biofilm, the antibacterial activity and the phenolic content. Chemical composition analysis showed the EEF comprised 17 phenolic compounds. Moreover, the obtained EEF exhibited much higher antibacterial activity in tofu than crude extract. Therefore, chromatography separation significantly improved the antibacterial and antibiofilm activity/efficiency of the fractions both in vitro and in tofu.

LncRNA GAS5 regulates ischemic stroke as a competing endogenous RNA for miR-137 to regulate the Notch1 signaling pathway.

Ischemic stroke is related to a variety of physiological and pathological processes including autophagy and apoptosis. Growth arrest-specific 5 (GAS5), a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), is known to negatively regulate cell survival and plays a key role in the pathogenesis of numerous diseases. However, the function and molecular mechanism of lncRNA GAS5 in ischemic stroke have not been reported. Real-time PCR was used to detect GAS5 and microRNA-137 (miR-137) expression in the brain tissues of mice underwent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) surgery and oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD)-treated mouse primary brain neurons. Gain- or loss-of-function approaches were used to manipulate GAS5, miR-137, and Notch1. The mechanism of GAS5 in ischemic stroke was evaluated both in vivo and in vitro via bioinformatics analysis, MTT, flow cytometry, luciferase assay, RNA immunoprecipitation, and Western blot. GAS5 level was up-regulated and negatively correlated with miR-137 expression in MACO-injured brain and in OGR-stimulated primary brain neurons. GAS5 siRNA notably increased the cell viability, suppressed the activation of caspase-3 and cell apoptosis in neurons subjected to OGD. Furthermore, we also found that GAS5 functioned as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for miR-137 to regulate the de-repression of its endogenous target Notch1 and decrease neuron survival through inactivation of the Notch1 signaling pathway. Taken together, these findings indicate that GAS5 may promote the progression of ischemic stroke through acting as a ceRNA for miR-137 to mediate the Notch1 signaling pathway, which contributes to an extensive understanding of ischemic stroke and may provide novel therapeutic options for this disease.