Monolithically integrated photonic crystal surface emitters on silicon with a vortex beam by using bound states in the continuum.

Optical resonant cavities with high quality factor (Q-factor) are widely used in science and technology for their capabilities of strong confinement of light and enhanced light-matter interaction. The 2D photonic crystal structure with bound states in the continuum (BICs) is a novel concept for resonators with ultra-compact device size, which can be used to generate surface emitting vortex beams based on symmetry-protected BICs at the Γ point. Here, to the best of our knowledge, we demonstrate the first photonic crystal surface emitter with a vortex beam by using BICs monolithically grown on CMOS-compatible silicon substrate. The fabricated quantum-dot BICs-based surface emitter operates at 1.3 µm under room temperature (RT) with a low continuous wave (CW) optically pumped condition. We also reveal the BIC's amplified spontaneous emission with the property of a polarization vortex beam, which is promising to provide a novel degree of freedom in classical and quantum realms.

Improving the soft X-ray reflectivity of Cr/Ti multilayers by co-deposition of B4C.

The `water window', covering 2.4-4.4 nm, is an important wavelength range particularly essential to biology research. Cr/Ti multilayers are one of the promising reflecting elements in this region because the near-normal-incidence reflectivity is theoretically as high as 64% at 2.73 nm. However, due to multilayer imperfections, the reported reflectivity is lower than 3% for near-normal incidence. Here, B and C were intentionally incorporated into ultra-thin Cr/Ti soft X-ray multilayers by co-deposition of B4C at the interfaces. The effect on the multilayer structure and composition has been investigated using X-ray reflectometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and cross-section electron microscopy. It is shown that B and C are mainly bonded to Ti sites, forming a nonstoichiometric TiBxCy composition, which hinders the interface diffusion, supresses the crystallization of the Cr/Ti multilayer and dramatically improves the interface quality of Cr/TiBxCy multilayers. As a result, the near-normal-incidence reflectivity of soft X-rays increases from 4.48% to 15.75% at a wavelength of 2.73 nm.

Cr/C Reflective Multilayer for Wavelength of 44.8 Å.

The working wavelength of Ni-like, Ta soft X-ray laser is 44.8 Å, just near the "water window." High reflection multilayers are required for this kind of laser in China. In this work, we design and fabricate carbon-based multilayer reflective samples. The Cr/C multilayer was selected from proposed candidates such as Co/C, Ni/C, and CoCr/C material combinations. The period thickness is only 22.6 Å. Cr/C multilayers were deposited by the magnetron sputtering method. Multilayers with bi-layer numbers of 150, 200, 250 and 300 were deposited onto super polished silicon wafers. All multilayers have been characterized by grazing incidence X-ray reflectance (GIXRR). Then, near-normal incidence reflectance measurements were performed at beamline 3W1B, Beijing synchrotron radiation (BSRF). The highest reflectance of 13.2% is achieved with the bi-layer number of 300. Transmission electron microscopy measurements also clearly show the sharp Cr-C interfaces in the multilayer.

Preparation and mechanism analysis of an environment-friendly maize seed coating agent.

BACKGROUND: Traditional seed coating agents often contain toxic ingredients, which contaminate the environment and threaten human health. This paper expounds a method of preparing a novel environment-friendly seed coating agent for maize and researches its mechanism of action. The natural polysaccharide polymer, which is the main active ingredient of this environment-friendly seed coating agent, has the characteristics of innocuity and harmlessness, and it can replace the toxic ingredients used in traditional seed coating agents. RESULTS: This environment-friendly seed coating agent for maize was mainly made up of the natural polysaccharide polymer and other additives. The field trials results showed that the control efficacy of Helminthosporium maydis came to 93.72%, the anti-feeding rate of cutworms came to 81.29%, and the maize yield was increased by 17.75%. Besides, the LD50 value (half the lethal dose in rats) of this seed coating agent was 10 times higher than that of the traditional seed coating agents. This seed coating agent could improve the activity of plant protective enzymes (peroxidase, catalase and superoxidase dismutase) and increase the chlorophyll content. CONCLUSION: This seed coating agent has four characteristics of disease prevention, desinsectization, increasing yield and safety. Results of mechanism analyses showed that this seed coating agent could enhance disease control effectiveness by improving plant protective enzymes activity and increase maize yield by improving chlorophyll content. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Investigating the molecular genetic basis of heterosis for internode expansion in maize by microRNA transcriptomic deep sequencing.

Heterosis has been used widely in the breeding of maize and other crops and plays an important role in increasing yield, improving quality, and enhancing stress resistance, but its molecular mechanism is far from clear. To determine whether microRNA (miRNA)-dependent gene regulation is responsible for heterosis of elongating internodes below the ear and ear height in maize, a deep-sequencing strategy was applied to the elite hybrid Xundan20, which is currently cultivated widely in China, and its two parents. RNA was extracted from the eighth internode because it shows clear internode length heterosis. A total of 99 conserved maize miRNAs were detected in both the hybrid and parental lines. Most of these miRNAs were expressed nonadditively in the hybrid compared with its parental lines. These results indicated that miRNAs might participate in heterosis during internode expansion in maize and exert an influence on ear and plant height via the repression of their target genes. In total, eight novel miRNAs belonging to four miRNA families were predicted in the expanding internode. Global repression of miRNAs in the hybrid, which might result in enhanced gene expression, might be one reason why the hybrid shows longer internodes and taller seedlings compared with its parental lines.

Discrimination of Maize Haploid Seeds from Hybrid Seeds Using Vis Spectroscopy and Support Vector Machine Method.

Doubled haploid (DH) lines are routinely applied in the hybrid maize breeding programs of many institutes and companies for their advantages of complete homozygosity and short breeding cycle length. A key issue in this approach is an efficient screening system to identify haploid kernels from the hybrid kernels crossed with the inducer. At present, haploid kernel selection is carried out manually using the"red-crown" kernel trait (the haploid kernel has a non-pigmented embryo and pigmented endosperm) controlled by the R1-nj gene. Manual selection is time-consuming and unreliable. Furthermore, the color of the kernel embryo is concealed by the pericarp. Here, we establish a novel approach for identifying maize haploid kernels based on visible (Vis) spectroscopy and support vector machine (SVM) pattern recognition technology. The diffuse transmittance spectra of individual kernels (141 haploid kernels and 141 hybrid kernels from 9 genotypes) were collected using a portable UV-Vis spectrometer and integrating sphere. The raw spectral data were preprocessed using smoothing and vector normalization methods. The desired feature wavelengths were selected based on the results of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. The wavelengths with p values above 0. 05 were eliminated because the distributions of absorbance data in these wavelengths show no significant difference between haploid and hybrid kernels. Principal component analysis was then performed to reduce the number of variables. The SVM model was evaluated by 9-fold cross-validation. In each round, samples of one genotype were used as the testing set, while those of other genotypes were used as the training set. The mean rate of correct discrimination was 92.06%. This result demonstrates the feasibility of using Vis spectroscopy to identify haploid maize kernels. The method would help develop a rapid and accurate automated screening-system for haploid kernels.

Integration method for directly analyzing interface statistics of periodic multilayers from X-ray scattering.

An integration method is demonstrated for directly determining the average interface statistics of periodic multilayers from the X-ray scattering diagram. By measuring the X-ray scattering diagram in the out-of-plane geometry and integrating the scattered intensity along the vertical momentum transfer qz in an interval, which is decided by the thickness ratio Γ (ratio of sublayer's thickness to periodic thickness), the cross-correlations between different interfaces are canceled and only the autocorrelations are reserved. Then the multilayer can be treated as a `single interface' and the average power spectral density can be obtained without assuming any vertical correlation model. This method has been employed to study the interface morphology of sputter-deposited W/Si multilayers grown at an Ar pressure of 1-7 mTorr. The results show an increase in vertical correlation length and a decrease in lateral correlation length with increased Ar pressure. The static roughness exponent α = 0 and dynamic growth exponent z = 2 indicate the Edwards-Wilkinson growth model at an Ar pressure of 1-5 mTorr. At an Ar pressure of 7 mTorr, α = 0.35 and z = 1.65 indicate the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang growth model.

Spatial accumulation of lignin monomers and cellulose underlying stalk strength in maize.

Lodging largely affects yield, quality and mechanical harvesting of maize. Stalk strength is one of the major factors that affect maize lodging. Although plant cell wall components including lignin and cellulose were known to be associated with stalk strength and lodging resistance, spatial accumulation of specific lignin monomers and cellulose in different tissues and their association with stalk strength in maize was not clearly understood. In this study, we found that both G and S lignin monomers accumulate highest in root, stem rind and leaf vein. Consistently, most lignin biosynthetic genes were expressed higher in root and stem than in other tissues. However, cellulose appears to be lowest in root. There are only mild changes of G lignin and cellulose in different internodes. Instead, we noticed a dramatic decrease of S-lignin accumulation and lignin biosynthetic gene expression in 2nd to 4th internodes wherein stem breakage usually occurs, thereby revealing a few candidate lignin biosynthetic genes associated with stalk strength. Moreover, stalk strength is positively correlated with G, S lignin, and cellulose, but negatively correlated with S/G ratio based on data of maize lines with high or low stalk strength. Loss-of-function of a caffeic acid o-methyltransferase (COMT), which is involved in S lignin biosynthesis, in the maize bm3 mutant, leads to lower stalk strength. Our data collectively suggest that stalk strength is determined by tissue-specific accumulation of lignin monomers and cellulose, and manipulation of the cell wall components by genetic engineering is vital to improve maize stalk strength and lodging resistance.

The impact of high background particle concentration on the spatiotemporal distribution of Serratia marcescens bioaerosol.

Airborne transmission is a well-established mode of dissemination for infectious diseases, particularly in closed environments. However, previous research has often overlooked the potential impact of background particle concentration on bioaerosol characteristics. We compared the spatial and temporal distributions of bioaerosols under two levels of background particle concentration: heavily polluted (150-250 µg/m3) and excellent (0-35 µg/m3) in a typical ward. Serratia marcescens bioaerosol was adopted as a bioaerosol tracer, and the bioaerosol concentrations were quantified using six-stage Andersen cascade impactors. The results showed a significant reduction (over at least 62.9%) in bioaerosol concentration under heavily polluted levels compared to excellent levels at all sampling points. The temporal analysis also revealed that the decay rate of bioaerosols was higher (at least 0.654 min-1) under heavily polluted levels compared to excellent levels. These findings suggest that background particles can facilitate bioaerosol removal, contradicting the assumption made in previous research that background particle has no effect on bioaerosol characteristics. Furthermore, we observed differences in the size distribution of bioaerosols between the two levels of background particle concentration. The average bioaerosols size under heavily polluted levels was found to be higher than that under excellent levels, and the average particle size under heavily polluted levels gradually increased with time. In conclusion, these results highlight the importance of considering background particle concentration in future research on bioaerosol characteristics.

Room-temperature continuous-wave topological Dirac-vortex microcavity lasers on silicon.

Robust laser sources are a fundamental building block for contemporary information technologies. Originating from condensed-matter physics, the concept of topology has recently entered the realm of optics, offering fundamentally new design principles for lasers with enhanced robustness. In analogy to the well-known Majorana fermions in topological superconductors, Dirac-vortex states have recently been investigated in passive photonic systems and are now considered as a promising candidate for robust lasers. Here, we experimentally realize the topological Dirac-vortex microcavity lasers in InAs/InGaAs quantum-dot materials monolithically grown on a silicon substrate. We observe room-temperature continuous-wave linearly polarized vertical laser emission at a telecom wavelength. We confirm that the wavelength of the Dirac-vortex laser is topologically robust against variations in the cavity size, and its free spectral range defies the universal inverse scaling law with the cavity size. These lasers will play an important role in CMOS-compatible photonic and optoelectronic systems on a chip.

Optical and structural performance of the Al(1%wtSi)/Zr reflection multilayers in the 17-19nm region.

Two kinds of Al/Zr (Al(1%wtSi)/Zr and Al(Pure)/Zr) multilayers for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) optics were deposited on fluorine doped tin oxide coated glass by using direct-current magnetron sputtering technology. The comparison of the two systems shows that the Al(1%wtSi)/Zr multilayers have the lowest interfacial roughness and highest reflectivity. Based on the X-ray diffraction, the performance of the two systems is determined by the crystallization of Al layer. To fully understand the Al(1%wtSi)/Zr multilayer, we built up a two-layer model to fit situation of the AFM images, and simulate the grazing incident x-ray reflection-measurements of multilayers with various periods (N = 10, 40, 60, 80). Below 40 periods, the roughness components are lowered. After 40 periods, both surface and interfacial roughness increase with the period number, and decrease the reflectance. According to transmission electron microscope images, the model can represent the variable structure of the system.

Activation of cGMP-PKG signaling pathway contributes to neuronal hyperexcitability and hyperalgesia after in vivo prolonged compression or in vitro acute dissociation of dorsal root ganglion in rats.

Injury or inflammation affecting sensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) causes hyperexcitability of DRG neurons that can lead to spinal central sensitization and neuropathic pain. Recent studies have indicated that, following chronic compression of DRG (CCD) or acute dissociation of DRG (ADD) treatment, both hyperexcitability of neurons in intact DRG and behaviorally expressed hyperalgesia are maintained by activity in cGMP-PKG signaling pathway. Here, we provide evidence supporting the idea that CCD or ADD treatment activates cGMP-PKA signaling pathway in the DRG neurons. The results showed that CCD or ADD results in increase of levels of cGMP concentration and expression of PKG-I mRNA, as well as PKG-I protein in DRG. CCD or ADD treated-DRG neurons become hyperexcitable and exhibit increased responsiveness to the activators of cGMP-PKG pathway, 8-Br-cGMP and Sp-cGMP. Hyperexcitability of the injured neurons is inhibited by cGMP-PKG pathway inhibitors, ODQ and Rp-8-pCPT-cGMPS. In vivo delivery of Rp-8-pCPT-cGMPS into the compressed ganglion within the intervertebral foramen suppresses CCD-induced thermal hyperalgesia. These findings indicate that the in vivo CCD or in vitro ADD treatment can activate the cGMP-PKG signaling pathway, and that continuing activation of cGMP-PKG pathway is required to maintain DRG neuronal hyperexcitability and/or hyperalgesia after these two dissimilar forms of injury-related stress.

The chimeric gene atp6c confers cytoplasmic male sterility in maize by impairing the assembly of the mitochondrial ATP synthase complex.

Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) is a powerful tool for the exploitation of hybrid heterosis and the study of signaling and interactions between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. C-type CMS (CMS-C) in maize has long been used in hybrid seed production, but the underlying sterility factor and its mechanism of action remain unclear. In this study, we demonstrate that the mitochondrial gene atp6c confers male sterility in CMS-C maize. The ATP6C protein shows stronger interactions with ATP8 and ATP9 than ATP6 during the assembly of F1Fo-ATP synthase (F-type ATP synthase, ATPase), thereby reducing the quantity and activity of assembled F1Fo-ATP synthase. By contrast, the quantity and activity of the F1' component are increased in CMS-C lines. Reduced F1Fo-ATP synthase activity causes accumulation of excess protons in the inner membrane space of the mitochondria, triggering a burst of reactive oxygen species (ROS), premature programmed cell death of the tapetal cells, and pollen abortion. Collectively, our study identifies a chimeric mitochondrial gene (ATP6C) that causes CMS in maize and documents the contribution of ATP6C to F1Fo-ATP synthase assembly, thereby providing novel insights into the molecular mechanisms of male sterility in plants.

Thermal stability of Mg/Co multilayer with B4C, Mo or Zr diffusion barrier layers.

The efficiency of B(4)C, Mo and Zr barrier layers to improve thermal stability of Mg/Co multilayer up to 400 °C is investigated. Multilayers were deposited by direct current magnetron sputtering and characterized using X-ray and extreme ultraviolet reflection. The results suggest that B(4)C barrier layer is not effective due to drastic diffusion at Mg-B(4)C interface. Although introducing Mo barriers improves the thermal stability from 200 to 300 °C, it increases the interface roughness and thus degrades the optical performances. On the contrary, Zr barriers can significantly increase the thermal stability of Mg/Co up to 400 °C without optical performance degradation. Thus, Mg/Zr/Co/Zr is suitable for EUV applications requiring both optimal optical performances and heat resistance.

SiC/W/Ir multilayer-coated grating for enhanced efficiency in 50-100 nm wavelength range in Seya-Namioka mount.

A broadband [SiC/W/Ir](2) multilayer coating was deposited onto a diffraction grating to enhance the grating efficiency in the 50-100 nm wavelength range in a Seya-Namioka mount. The holographic ion-beam etched grating had a laminar profile with 1200 lines/mm. The coating was designed by using the subquarterwave multilayer theory. The measurement results show that the efficiency in the -1st diffraction order is greater than 9.3% throughout the wavelength range of 50-100 nm, which is obviously higher than that of single-layer gratings with SiC, Ir, or Au coatings.

Improving the sorting efficiency of maize haploid kernels using an NMR-based method with oil content double thresholds.

BACKGROUND: Maize haploid breeding technology can be used to rapidly develop homozygous lines, significantly shorten the breeding cycle and improve breeding efficiency. Rapid and accurate sorting haploid kernels is a prerequisite for the large-scale application of this technology. At present, the automatic haploid sorting based on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) using a single threshold method has been realized. However, embryo-aborted (EmA) kernels are usually produced during in vivo haploid induction, and both haploids and EmA kernels have lower oil content and are separated together using a single threshold method based on NMR. This leads to a higher haploid false discrimination rate (FDR) and requires secondary manual sorting to select the haploid kernels from the mixtures, which increases the sorting cost and decreases the haploid sorting efficiency. In order to improve the correct discrimination rate (CDR) in sorting haploids, a method to distinguish EmA kernels is required. RESULTS: Single kernel weight and oil content were measured for the diploid, haploid, and EmA kernels derived from three maize hybrids and nine inbred lines by in vivo induction. The results showed that the distribution of oil content showed defined boundaries between the three types of kernels, while the single kernel weight didn't. According to the distribution of oil content in the three types of kernels, a double-threshold method was proposed to distinguish the embryo-aborted kernels, haploid and diploid kernels based on NMR and their oil content. The double thresholds were set based on the minimum oil content of diploid kernels and the maximum content of EmA kernels as the upper and lower boundary values, respectively. The CDR of EmA kernels in different maize materials was > 97.8%, and the average FDR was reduced by 27.9 percent. CONCLUSIONS: The oil content is an appropriate indicator to discriminate diploid, haploid and EmA kernels. An oil content double-threshold method based on NMR was first developed in this study to identify the three types of kernels. This methodology could reduce the FDR of haploids and improve the sorting efficiency of automated sorting system. Thus, this technique represents a potentially efficient method for haploid sorting and provides a reference for the process of automated sorting of haploid kernels with high efficiency using NMR.

EphB receptor signaling in mouse spinal cord contributes to physical dependence on morphine.

Cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying opioid tolerance and dependence remain elusive. We investigated roles of EphB receptor tyrosine kinases--which play important roles in synaptic connection and plasticity during development and in the matured nervous system--in development and maintenance of physical dependence on morphine in the mouse spinal cord (SC). Spinal administration of an EphB receptor blocking reagent EphB2-Fc prevents and/or suppresses behavioral responses to morphine withdrawal and associated induction of c-Fos and depletion of calcitonin gene-related peptide. Western blotting and immunohistochemical fluorescence staining demonstrates that EphB1 receptor protein is significantly up-regulated in the spinal dorsal horn following escalating morphine treatment. Chronic morphine exposure and withdrawal significantly increased phosphorylation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunit NR2B as well as the activated forms of extracellular signal-regulated kinase and the cAMP response element binding protein in SC. The increased levels of phosphorylation of these molecules, however, are significantly inhibited by the EphB receptor blocker. These findings indicate that EphB receptor signaling, probably by interacting with NR2B in SC, contributes to the development of opioid physical dependence and withdrawal effects. This novel role for EphB receptor signaling suggests that these molecules may be useful therapeutic targets for preventing, minimizing, or reversing the development of opiate dependence.

Comparison of Mg-based multilayers for solar He II radiation at 30.4 nm wavelength.

Mg-based multilayers, including SiC/Mg, Co/Mg, B(4)C/Mg, and Si/Mg, are investigated for solar imaging and a He II calibration lamp at a 30.4 nm wavelength. These multilayers were fabricated by a magnetron sputtering method and characterized by x-ray reflection. The reflectivities of these multilayers were measured by synchrotron radiation. Near-normal-incidence reflectivities of Co/Mg and SiC/Mg multilayer mirrors are as high as 40.3% and 44.6%, respectively, while those of B(4)C/Mg and Si/Mg mirrors are too low for application. The measured results suggest that SiC/Mg, Co/Mg multilayers are promising for a 30.4 nm wavelength.

Publisher Correction: Mapping of QTL for Grain Yield Components Based on a DH Population in Maize.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.