Synthesis and Properties of a Novel Thermally Conductive Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive with UV-Responsive Peelability.

Thermally conductive pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) has received a great amount of attention in recent years, but the traditional PSA hardly loses adhesion properties after UV irradiation or heating. Therefore, endowing thermally conductive adhesive with UV-responsive peelability becomes a design strategy. Herein, vinyl-functionalized graphene (AA-GMA-G) is prepared by modifying graphene with acrylic acid and subsequently reacting with glycidyl methacrylate. Then, the UV-curable acrylate copolymer is synthesized by grafting glycidyl methacrylate. Finally, the novel thermally conductivity PSA with UV-responsive peelability is obtained by blending the copolymer with AA-GMA-G and photoinitiator. The results show that the PSA at 2 wt% AA-GMA-G loading exhibits an excellent thermal conductivity (0.74 W m-1 K-1 ) and a relatively strong peel strength, increasing by 15% compared with pristine graphene/PSA. Interestingly, the peel strength of AA-GMA-G/PSA can achieve a dramatic drop after UV treatment, and the decrease rate is 96.7%. Therefore, the novel thermally conductive PSA with UV-responsive peelability has potential applications in certain electronic devices.

Dataset Evaluation Method and Application for Performance Testing of SSVEP-BCI Decoding Algorithm.

Steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP)-based brain-computer interface (BCI) systems have been extensively researched over the past two decades, and multiple sets of standard datasets have been published and widely used. However, there are differences in sample distribution and collection equipment across different datasets, and there is a lack of a unified evaluation method. Most new SSVEP decoding algorithms are tested based on self-collected data or offline performance verification using one or two previous datasets, which can lead to performance differences when used in actual application scenarios. To address these issues, this paper proposed a SSVEP dataset evaluation method and analyzed six datasets with frequency and phase modulation paradigms to form an SSVEP algorithm evaluation dataset system. Finally, based on the above datasets, performance tests were carried out on the four existing SSVEP decoding algorithms. The findings reveal that the performance of the same algorithm varies significantly when tested on diverse datasets. Substantial performance variations were observed among subjects, ranging from the best-performing to the worst-performing. The above results demonstrate that the SSVEP dataset evaluation method can integrate six datasets to form a SSVEP algorithm performance testing dataset system. This system can test and verify the SSVEP decoding algorithm from different perspectives such as different subjects, different environments, and different equipment, which is helpful for the research of new SSVEP decoding algorithms and has significant reference value for other BCI application fields.

Genotypic variation in the tolerance to moderate cadmium toxicity among 20 maize genotypes with contrasting root systems.

BACKGROUND: Cadmium (Cd) contamination in farmland is a serious environmental and safety issue affecting plant growth, crop productivity, and human health. This study aimed to investigate genotypic variation in root morphology and Cd accumulations under moderate Cd stress among diverse maize genotypes. Twenty maize genotypes with contrasting root systems were assessed for Cd tolerance 39 days after transplanting (V6, six-leaf stage) under 20 µmol L-1 CdCl2 using a semi-hydroponic phenotyping platform in a glasshouse. RESULTS: Cadmium stress significantly inhibited plant growth across all genotypes. Genotypic variation in response to Cd toxicity was apparent: shoot dry weight varied from 0.13 (genotype NS2020) to 0.35 g plant-1 (Dongke301) with deductions up to 63% compared with non-Cd treatment (CK). Root dry weight of 20 genotypes ranged from 0.06 (NS2020) to 0.18 g plant-1 (Dongke301) with a deduction up to 56%. Root length ranged from 2.21 (NS590b) to 9.22 m (Dongke301) with a maximal decline of 76%. Cadmium-treated genotypes generally had thicker roots and average diameter increased by 34% compared with CK. Genotypes had up to 3.25 and 3.50 times differences in shoot and root Cd concentrations, respectively. Principal component and cluster analyses assigned the 20 genotypes into Cd-tolerant (five genotypes) and Cd-sensitive (15 genotypes) groups. CONCLUSIONS: Maize genotypes varied significantly in response to moderate Cd stress. Cadmium-tolerant genotypes optimized root morphology and Cd accumulation and distribution. This study could assist in the selection and breeding of new cultivars with improved adaptation to Cd-contaminated soil for food and feed or land remediation purposes. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Efficacy and Safety of Evinacumab for the Treatment of Hypercholesterolemia: A Meta-Analysis.

ABSTRACT: Angiopoietin-like protein 3 is essential in lipid metabolism regulation. However, the efficacy and safety of evinacumab (angiopoietin-like protein 3 inhibition drug) for hypercholesterolemia treatment is unknown. In this study, a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of evinacumab. RCTs published between January 1, 2000, and November 1, 2020, were obtained from PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library. All RCTs evaluating the efficacy and safety of evinacumab were included without language restrictions. Our primary end points included the percent change of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) from baseline and the incidence of at least one treatment emergent adverse events including nasopharyngitis, influenza-like illness, headache, dizziness, injection-site reaction, increased aspartate aminotransferase, increased alanine aminotransferase, and any other discomfort during treatments. Percentage changes of triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) from baseline indicated secondary end points. A random-effects model was used to assess pooled data if there was moderate to high heterogeneity between studies. Four studies with 5 RCTs (568 participants) were identified. Evinacumab significantly reduced LDL-C [mean difference (MD) -33.123%, 95% confidence interval (CI), -48.639% to -17.606%, P < 0.0001], triglycerides (MD -50.959%, 95% CI, -56.555% to -45.362%, P < 0.0001), and HDL-C (MD -12.773%, 95% CI, -16.359% to -9.186%, P < 0.0001) compared with placebo. The incidence of at least 1 treatment emergent adverse events was not significantly different between evinacumab and placebo groups (relative risk 1.080, 95% CI, 0.901-1.296, P = 0.405). Evinacumab decreased triglycerides, LDL-C, and HDL-C without significant adverse effects, indicating that it can be a therapeutic strategy for hypercholesterolemia.

Exposure to Nitro-PAHs interfere with germination and early growth of Hordeum vulgare via oxidative stress.

Nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (Nitro-PAHs) as important organic pollutants are ubiquitous in the atmospheric environment, agricultural soils and aquatic environments to pose a severe polluting risk. However, little is known about the mechanism of Nitro-PAHs genotoxicity in plants. We analyzed seeds germination, seedlings growth, and toxicity mechanism following 1-Nitropyrene treatment in Hordeum vulgare. Our results reveal that 1-NP treatment could be an inhibited agent on seeds germination and growth of roots and shoots. Additionally, the reduction of mitotic index and the increasing frequency of micronucleus suggest that 1-NP may pose a potential risk of genotoxicity in the plant. We further clarify that O2- and H2O2 radicals contribute to 1-NP stimulation induced oxidative damage. Our study provides insights into the role of Nitro-PAHs exposure on growth processing toxicity and genotoxicity in plant and provided a useful reference for the surveillance and risk management of Nitro-PAHs in environments.

Type I Interferon Activates PD-1 Expression through Activation of the STAT1-IRF2 Pathway in Myeloid Cells.

PD-1 (Programmed cell death protein 1) regulates the metabolic reprogramming of myeloid-derived suppressor cells and myeloid cell differentiation, as well as the type I interferon (IFN-I) signaling pathway in myeloid cells in the tumor microenvironment. PD-1, therefore, is a key inhibitory receptor in myeloid cells. However, the regulation of PD-1 expression in myeloid cells is unknown. We report that the expression level of PDCD1, the gene that encodes the PD-1 protein, is positively correlated with the levels of IFNB1 and IFNAR1 in myeloid cells in human colorectal cancer. Treatment of mouse myeloid cell lines with recombinant IFNß protein elevated PD-1 expression in myeloid cells in vitro. Knocking out IFNAR1, the gene that encodes the IFN-I-specific receptor, diminished the inductive effect of IFNß on PD-1 expression in myeloid cells in vitro. Treatment of tumor-bearing mice with a lipid nanoparticle-encapsulated IFNß-encoding plasmid (IFNBCOL01) increased IFNß expression, resulting in elevated PD-1 expression in tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells. At the molecular level, we determined that IFNß activates STAT1 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 1) and IRFs (interferon regulatory factors) in myeloid cells. Analysis of the cd279 promoter identified IRF2-binding consensus sequence elements. ChIP (chromatin immunoprecipitation) analysis determined that the pSTAT1 directly binds to the irf2 promoter and that IRF2 directly binds to the cd279 promoter in myeloid cells in vitro and in vivo. In colon cancer patients, the expression levels of STAT1, IRF2 and PDCD1 are positively correlated in tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells. Our findings determine that IFNß activates PD-1 expression at least in part by an autocrine mechanism via the stimulation of the pSTAT1-IRF2 axis in myeloid cells.

Delivery of Interferon ß-Encoding Plasmid via Lipid Nanoparticle Restores Interferon ß Expression to Enhance Antitumor Immunity in Colon Cancer.

Type I interferon (IFN-I) plays a critical role in host cancer immunosurveillance, but its expression is often impaired in the tumor microenvironment. We aimed at testing the hypothesis that cationic lipid nanoparticle delivery of interferon ß (IFNß)-encoding plasmid to tumors is effective in restoring IFNß expression to suppress tumor immune evasion. We determined that IFN-I function in tumor suppression depends on the host immune cells. IFN-I activates the expression of Cxcl9 and Cxcl10 to enhance T cell tumor infiltration. RNA-Seq detected a low level of IFNα13 and IFNß in colon tumor tissue. scRNA-Seq revealed that IFNß is expressed in immune cell subsets in non-neoplastic human tissues and to a lesser degree in human colon tumor tissues. Forced expression of IFNα13 and IFNß in colon tumor cells up-regulates major histocompatibility complex I (MHC I) expression and suppresses colon tumor growth in vivo. In human cancer patients, IFNß expression is positively correlated with human leukocyte antigen (HLA) expression, and IFN-I signaling activation correlates with the patient response to PD-1 blockade immunotherapy. To translate this finding to colon cancer immunotherapy, we formulated a 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium propane (DOTAP)-cholesterol-encapsulated IFNß-encoding plasmid (IFNBCOL01). IFNBCOL01 transfects colon tumor cells to express IFNß to increase the level of MHC I expression. IFNBCOL01 therapy transfects tumor cells and tumor-infiltrating immune cells to produce IFNß to activate MHC I and granzyme B expression and inhibits colon tumor growth in mice. Our data determine that lipid nanoparticle delivery of IFNß-encoding plasmid DNA enhances tumor immunogenicity and T cell effector function to suppress colon tumor growth in vivo.

Purification and characterization of ZmRIP1, a novel reductant-inhibited protein tyrosine phosphatase from maize.

Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPases) have long been thought to be activated by reductants and deactivated by oxidants, owing to the presence of a crucial sulfhydryl group in their catalytic centers. In this article, we report the purification and characterization of Reductant-Inhibited PTPase1 (ZmRIP1) from maize (Zea mays) coleoptiles, and show that this PTPase has a unique mode of redox regulation and signaling. Surprisingly, ZmRIP1 was found to be deactivated by a reductant. A cysteine (Cys) residue (Cys-181) near the active center was found to regulate this unique mode of redox regulation, as mutation of Cys-181 to arginine-181 allowed ZmRIP1 to be activated by a reductant. In response to oxidant treatment, ZmRIP1 was translocated from the chloroplast to the nucleus. Expression of ZmRIP1 in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants and maize protoplasts altered the expression of genes encoding enzymes involved in antioxidant catabolism, such as At1g02950, which encodes a glutathione transferase. Thus, the novel PTPase identified in this study is predicted to function in redox signaling in maize.

The effect of two additional Eu3+ lumophors in two novel trinuclear europium complexes on their photoluminescent properties.

Two novel trinuclear europium complexes based on trisphen(1,3,5-tris{4-((1,10-phenanthroline-[5,6-d]imidazol-2yl)phenoxy)methyl}-2,4,6-trimethyl-benzene) as a second ligand were designed, synthesized, and characterized by FT-IR, (1)H NMR, UV-visible, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, elemental analysis (EA) and ESI-MS. The geometries of these two trinuclear europium complexes were predicted using the Sparkle/PM3 model and suggested a chemical environment of very low symmetry around the lanthanide ions (C(1)), which is in agreement with the luminescent spectra. CV analysis demonstrated that the trinuclear complexes possessed excellent electro-injection abilities. The effects of two additional Eu(3+) lumophors in these trinuclear europium complexes on their photoluminescent properties were investigated in detail. The results indicated that these trinuclear europium complexes exhibited highly luminescent quantum efficiencies and experimental intensity parameters in the solid state. Especially, due to the contribution of the two additional Eu(3+) lumophors in the trinuclear europium complexes, the quantum efficiency of the trinuclear complex Eu(3)(TTA)(9)trisphen was higher (ca. 34%) than the mononuclear europium complex Eu(TTA)(3)imidazophen.

The effects of different solvents and excitation wavelength on the photophysical properties of two novel Ir(III) complexes based on phenylcinnoline ligand.

Two novel cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes, Ir(pcl)2(pic) and Ir(pcl)2(fpic) (pcl: 3-phenylcinnoline, pic: picolinic acid, fpic: 5-fluoro-2-picolinic acid) were synthesized and characterized by FTIR, (1)H NMR spectroscopy, UV-vis, PL, and MALDI-TOF. These two Ir-complexes geometry were predicted using the Sparkle/PM6 model and suggested to a chemical environment of very low symmetry around the Ir ions (C 1). The PL spectrum of Ir(pcl)2(pic) and Ir(pcl)2(fpic) indicated that these complex belonged to red light emission, and maximum emission wavelength located at 647 and 641 nm, respectively. Most importantly, the effects of different solvents on their photoluminescent properties were detailed investigated. The results indicated that the polarity of solvent played an important role for their emission spectra. With introducing fluoro group to the pyridyl ring, the maximum emission wavelength of Ir(pcl)2(fpic) was blue shifted about 6 nm, and the quantum yield was slightly higher than that of Ir(pcl)2(pic). In addition, the thermal properties of these two Ir-complexes were measured by TGA, and results indicated that they had relative good thermal properties.

A Binocular Vision SSVEP Brain-Computer Interface Paradigm for Dual-Frequency Modulation.

OBJECTIVE: This study presents a novel brain-computer interface paradigm of dual-frequency modulated steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP), aiming to suppress the unpredictable intermodulation components in current applications. This paradigm is especially suitable for training-free scenarios. APPROACH: This study built a dual-frequency binocular vision SSVEP brain-computer interface system using circularly polarized light technology. Two experiments, including a 6-target offline experiment and a 40-target online experiment, were taken with this system. Meanwhile, an improved algorithm filter bank dual-frequency canonical correlation analysis (FBDCCA) was presented for the dual-frequency SSVEP paradigm. MAIN RESULTS: Energy analysis was conducted for 9 subjects in the 6-target dual-frequency offline experiment, among which the signal-to-noise ratio of target frequency components have increased by 2 dB compared to the one of unpredictable intermodulation components. Subsequently, the online experiment with 40 targets was conducted with 12 subjects. With this new dual-frequency paradigm, the online training-free experiment's average information transmission rate (ITR) reached 104.56 ± 15.74 bits/min, which was almost twice as fast as the current best dual-frequency paradigm. And the average information transfer rate for offline training analysis of this new paradigm was 180.87 ± 17.88 bits/min. SIGNIFICANCE: These results demonstrate that this new dual-frequency SSVEP brain-computer interface paradigm can suppress the unpredictable intermodulation harmonics and generate higher quality responses while completing dual-frequency encoding. Moreover, its performance shows high ITR in applications both with and without training. It is thus believed that this paradigm is competent for achieving large target numbers in brain-computer interface systems and has more possible practices.

Construction and Application of Enteral Nutrition Nursing Management System under Medical Alliance Mode.

Background: We aimed to construct enteral nutrition nursing management system under medical alliance mode, and to explore the clinical application effect. Methods: Based on the training project of enteral nutrition nursing team of Chinese Association of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, the enteral nutrition nursing management system was constructed in June 2021. Using the convenient sampling method, 850 cases of enteral nutrition clinical practice were selected from medical alliance hospitals before and 6 months after the implementation of the system. The process indicators of enteral nutrition nursing quality were checked, and the reported outcome indicators were compared. Results: After the implementation, the implementation rate of enteral nutrition risk screening, the implementation rate of nutritional status assessment, and the correct rate of nursing measures of nurses in medical alliance hospitals were significantly improved (P<0.001). The frequency of aspiration, diarrhea and unplanned extubation was notably decreased (P<0.05). The mastery rate of enteral nutrition knowledge and the satisfaction rate of nursing work of patients were significantly higher than before (P<0.001). Conclusion: The established enteral nutrition nursing management system under the medical alliance model was effective and feasible, which was helpful to improve the level of enteral nutrition nursing management and the quality of enteral nutrition nursing in the medical alliance hospitals.

The role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the alleviation of cadmium stress in cereals: A multilevel meta-analysis.

The symbiotic relationships between crop species and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are crucial for plant health, productivity, and environmental sustainability. The roles of AMF in reducing crop stress caused by cadmium (Cd) toxicity and in the remediation of Cd-contaminated soil are not fully understood. Here we report on a meta-analysis that sought to identify the functions of AMF in cereals under Cd stress. A total of 54 articles published between January 1992 and September 2022 were used to create the dataset, which provided 7216 data sets on mycorrhizal cereals under Cd stress examined. AMF effects on colonization rate, biomass, physiological level, nutritional level, and plant Cd level were measured using the logarithmic response ratio (Ln R). The results showed that AMF overall greatly reduced 5.14 - 33.6 % Cd stress on cereals in greenhouse experiments under controlled conditions. AMF colonization significantly stimulated crop biomass by 65.7 %, boosted the formation of photosynthetic pigments (23.2 %), and greatly increased plant nitrogen (24.8 %) and phosphorus (58.4 %) uptake. The dilution effect of mycorrhizal plants made the Cd concentration decline by 25.2 % in AMF plants compared to non-mycorrhizal ones. AMF also alleviated Cd stress by improving osmotic regulators (soluble protein, sugar, and total proline, from 14.8 to 36.0 %) and lowering the membrane lipid peroxidation product (MDA, 12.9 %). Importantly, the results from the random forest and model selection analysis demonstrated that crop type, soil characteristics, chemical form, and Cd levels were the main factors determining the function of AMF in alleviating Cd stress. Additionally, there was a significant interaction between AMF colonization rate and Cd addition, but their interactive effect was less than the colonization rate alone. This meta-analysis demonstrated that AMF inoculation could be considered as a promising strategy for mitigation of Cd stress in cereals.

The Roles of KIFC1 in the Development of Osteosarcoma: Characterization of Potential Therapeutic Targets.

Background: As an important member of the mitotic kinesin family, kinesin family member C1 (KIFC1) is abnormally expressed in a variety of tumors. However, the roles of KIFC1 in the development of osteosarcoma (OS) have never been elucidated. Methods: The expression of KIFC1 in OS tissues which was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining was further confirmed by Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis 2 (GEPIA2) database. The relationship between KIFC1 and CDC20 was analyzed by clinical data, STRING database, and GEPIA2 database. Survival analysis was performed through GEPIA2 database. To elucidate the roles of KIFC1 in OS, MG-63 and U-2 OS cells were treated with short hairpin RNA (shRNA) to knock down KIFC1 expression, and the knockdown efficiency was validated with quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blotting (WB). Moreover, colony formation and Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assays were utilized to evaluate cell proliferation. Results: According to IHC staining and GEPIA2 analysis, the expression of KIFC1 in OS tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent normal tissues, which was inversely connected to the prognosis. These results were consistent with our clinical data. Besides, KIFC1 was positively correlated with CDC20. In addition, KIFC1 shRNA could effectively silence KIFC1 expression in MG-63 and U-2 OS cells. Furthermore, the knockdown of KIFC1 inhibited the cell proliferation ability with increased cell apoptosis in MG-63 and U-2 OS cells. Conclusion: KIFC1 was significantly upregulated in OS and promoted OS progression by cell proliferation. These findings offered new clues for OS diagnosis and prognosis, suggesting KIFC1 could be a potential therapeutic target for OS in further study.

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Alleviate Low Phosphorus Stress in Maize Genotypes with Contrasting Root Systems.

Soil available phosphorus (P) is one of the main factors limiting plant growth and yield. This study aimed to determine the role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in P-use efficiency in two maize genotypes with contrasting root systems in response to low P stress. Maize genotypes small-rooted Shengrui 999 and large-rooted Zhongke 11 were grown in rhizoboxes that were inoculated with or without AMF (Funneliformis mosseae) under low P (no added P) or optimal P (200 mg kg-1) for 53 days. Low P stress significantly inhibited shoot and root growth, photosynthesis, tissue P content, and root P concentration in both genotypes. Shengrui 999 was more tolerant to P stress with less reduction of these traits compared to Zhongke 11. Shengrui 999 had a higher AMF infection rate than Zhongke 11 at both P levels. Under P deficit, inoculation with AMF significantly promoted plant growth and P uptake in both genotypes with more profound effects seen in Zhongke 11, whilst Shengrui 999 was more dependent on AMF under optimal P. Low P stress inhibited the growth and physiological attributes of both genotypes. The small-rooted Shengrui 999 was more tolerant to low P than Zhongke 11. Inoculation with AMF alleviates low P stress in both genotypes with a more profound effect on Zhongke 11 at low P and on Shengrui 999 at high P conditions.

Modulation of the root-sourced ABA signal along its way to the shoot in Vitis riparia x Vitis labrusca under water deficit.

The intensity of the root-sourced abscisic acid (ABA) signal has long been thought to decrease along its long-distance transport pathway, and hence the shoot responses to the ABA signal would be expected to become less sensitive with the increase in plant height. It is reported here that there is a significant modification of the ABA signal intensity in its pathway to leaves in grapevine (Vitis riparia×Vitis labrusca), but in contrast to the expectation that the ABA signal intensity may decrease along its long-distance transport pathway, it was found that the root-sourced ABA signal is gradually intensified along a vine for as long as 3 m under both water-stressed and non-stressed conditions. Consistent with the alterations in ABA signal intensity, stomatal sensitivity to a root-sourced ABA signal was also gradually increased from the base to the apex. Leaf stomatal conductance near the apex was more severely inhibited than in the leaves at the base of the vine. It was observed that xylem pH was significantly increased from the base to the apex, and that artificially changing the xylem sap pH to be more alkaline by feeding with buffers increased the xylem ABA concentration. Our results suggest that the pH gradient along the stem may play a role in the modification and enhancement of ABA signal intensity such that the stomata at the top of canopy can be more sensitively regulated in response to soil drying.

Optimizing a left and right visual field biphasic stimulation paradigm for SSVEP-based BCIs with hairless region behind the ear.

Objective.Steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP) based brain-computer interface (BCI) has the characteristics of fast communication speed, high stability, and wide applicability, thus it has been widely studied. With the rapid development in paradigm, algorithm, and system design, SSVEP-BCI is gradually applied in clinical and real-life scenarios. In order to improve the ease of use of the SSVEP-BCI system, many studies have been focusing on developing it on the hairless area, but due to the lack of redesigning the stimulation paradigm to better adapt to the new area, the electroencephalography response in the hairless area is worse than occipital region.Approach. This study first proposed a phase difference estimation method based on stimulating the left and right visual field separately, then developed and optimized a left and right visual field biphasic stimulation paradigm for SSVEP-based BCIs with hairless region behind the ear.Main results.In the 12-target online experiment, after a short model estimation training, all 16 subjects used their best stimulus condition. The paradigm designed in this study can increase the proportion of applicable subjects for the behind-ear SSVEP-BCI system from 58.3% to 75% and increase the accuracy from 74.6 ± 20.0% (the existing best SSVEP stimulus with hairless region behind the ear) to 84.2±14.7%, and the information transfer rate from 14.2±6.4 bits min-1to 17.8±5.7 bits min-1.Significance.These results demonstrated that the proposed paradigm can effectively improve the BCI performance using the signal from the hairless region behind the ear, compared with the standard SSVEP stimulation paradigm.

Synthesis of carboxymethyl chitosan-functionalized graphene nanomaterial for anticorrosive reinforcement of waterborne epoxy coating.

In this study, a carboxymethyl chitosan functionalized graphene (CMCS-rGO) nanomaterial was successfully synthesized in aqueous solution by non-covalent functionalization method. Fourier transform infrared, Raman, ultraviolet visible spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis confirmed that carboxymethyl chitosan had been successfully anchored on the surface of graphene. In addition, the CMCS-rGO was used as an anticorrosive nanofiller to be added to waterborne epoxy (EP) coatings to protect steel substrates. The corrosion protection behavior of all coatings was tested by electrochemical workstation, and the results proved that the incorporation of well-dispersed CMCS-rGO nanomaterials could significantly improve the anti-corrosion performance of waterborne epoxy coatings. Furthermore, even after 180 days of immersion, the impedance modulus value of the 0.2 % CMCS-rGO/EP at |Z|f =0.01 Hz was still approximately 2 orders of magnitude higher than that of the EP.

Excretion and folding of plasmalemma function to accommodate alterations in guard cell volume during stomatal closure in Vicia faba L.

Stomatal movement results in large and repetitive changes in cell volume and consequently surface area. While endocytosis has been extensively studied and is thought to be a major mechanism for accommodating the volume changes as evidenced mainly by fluorescent labelling and confocal imaging, studies at the ultrastructural level in intact guard cells of stomata regulated by natural factors have never been reported. Here, it is reported that excretion and folding of the plasmalemma are critical for accommodating the volume alterations in intact guard cells in Vicia faba L. Using transmission electron microscopy in combination with laser confocal microscopy, it was observed that in fully opened stomata the plasmalemma was smooth and tightly adhered to the cell walls while a whole large vacuole appeared in the cell. In the closed stomata, besides vacuole fragmentation, endocytosis of the tonoplast rather than the plasmalemma commonly occurred. Importantly, in stomata where pore closure was induced by circadian rhythm or CO(2), numerous tiny vesicles were found outside the plasmalemma and, moreover, extensive folding of the plasmalemma could also be found in some regions of the cells. Additionally, an unknown structure was found at the interface between the plasmalemma and cell walls, especially in those areas of the cell where extensive folding occurred, suggesting that plasmalemma turnover is possibly associated with an interaction between the plasmalemma and cell walls. Collectively, the results strongly indicate that excretion and folding of the plasmalemma are critical for the accommodation of the cell volume alterations during stomatal movement.

Optimizing a dual-frequency and phase modulation method for SSVEP-based BCIs.

OBJECTIVE: The design of the stimulation paradigm plays an important role in steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP)-based brain-computer interface (BCI) studies. Among various stimulation designs, the dual-frequency paradigm in which two frequencies are used to encode one target is of importance and interest. However, because the number of possible frequency combinations is huge, the existing dual-frequency modulation paradigms failed to optimize the encoding towards the best combinations. Thus, this work aiming at designing a new dual-frequency and phase modulation paradigm with the best combinations stimuli. APPROACH: This study proposed a dual-frequency and phase modulation method, which can achieve a large number of targets by making different combinations of two frequencies and an initial phase. This study also designed a set of methods for quickly optimizing the stimulation codes for the dual-frequency and phase modulation method. MAIN RESULTS: An online 40-class BCI experiment with 12 subjects obtained an accuracy of 96.06[Formula: see text]4.00% and an averaged information transfer rate (ITR) of 196.09[Formula: see text]15.25 bits min-1, which were much higher than the existing dual-frequency modulation paradigms. Moreover, an offline simulation with a public dataset showed that the optimization method was also effective for optimizing the single-frequency and phase modulation paradigm. SIGNIFICANCE: These results demonstrate the high performance of the proposed dual-frequency and phase modulation method and the high efficiency of the optimization method for designing SSVEP stimulation paradigms. In addition, the coding efficiency of the optimized dual-frequency and phase modulation paradigm is higher than that of the single-frequency and phase modulation paradigm, and it is expected to further realize the BCI paradigm with a large amount of targets.