Schottky barrier reduction on optoelectronic responses in heavy ion irradiated WSe2 memtransistors.

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide-based memtransistors provide simulation, sensing, and storage capabilities for applications in a remotely operated aerospace environment. Swift heavy ion (SHI) irradiation technology is a common method to simulate the influences of radiation ions on electronic devices in space environments. Here, SHI irradiation technology under different conditions was utilized to produce complex defects in WSe2-based memtransistors. Low-resistance state to low-resistance state (LRS-LRS) switching behaviors under light illumination were achieved and photocurrent responses with different spike trains were observed in SHI-irradiated memtransistors, which facilitated the design of devices with enriched analog functions. Reduction of the Schottky barrier height due to the introduced defects at the metal/WSe2 interface was confirmed to be the major factor responsible for the observed behaviors. 1T phase and concentric circle-type vacancies were also created in the SHI-irradiated 2H-WSe2 channel besides the amorphous structure; these complex defects could seriously affect the transport properties of the devices. We believe that this work serves as a foundation for aerospace radiation applications of all-in-one devices. It also opens a new application field of heavy ion irradiation technology for the development of multiterminal memtransistor-based optoelectronic artificial synapses for neuromorphic computing.

Peroxidase gene TaPrx109-B1 enhances wheat tolerance to water deficit via modulating stomatal density.

Increasing the tolerance of crops to water deficit is crucial for the improvement of crop production in water-restricted regions. Here, a wheat peroxidase gene (TaPrx109-B1) belonging to the class III peroxidase gene family was identified and its function in water deficit tolerance was revealed. We demonstrated that overexpression of TaPrx109-B1 reduced leaf H2O2 level and stomatal density, increased leaf relative water content, water use efficiency, and tolerance to water deficit. The expression of TaEPF1 and TaEPF2, two key negative regulators of stomatal development, were significantly upregulated in TaPrx109-B1 overexpression lines. Furthermore, exogenous H2O2 downregulated the expression of TaEPF1 and TaEPF2 and increased stomatal density, while exogenous application of diphenyleneiodonium chloride, a potent NADPH oxidase inhibitor that repressed the synthesis of H2O2, upregulated the expression of TaEPF1 and TaEPF2, decreased stomatal density, and enhanced wheat tolerance to water deficit. These findings suggest that TaPrx109-B1 influences leaf stomatal density by modulation of H2O2 level, and consequently affecting the expression of TaEPF1 and TaEPF2. The results of the field trial showed that overexpressing TaPrx109-B1 increased grain number per spike, which reduced the yield loss caused by water deficiency. Therefore, TaPrx109-B1 has great potential in breeding wheat varieties with improved water deficit tolerance.

The Effect of Annealing on the Soft Magnetic Properties and Microstructure of Fe82Si2B13P1C3 Amorphous Iron Cores.

This research paper investigated the impact of normal annealing (NA) and magnetic field annealing (FA) on the soft magnetic properties and microstructure of Fe82Si2B13P1C3 amorphous alloy iron cores. The annealing process involved various methods of magnetic field application: transverse magnetic field annealing (TFA), longitudinal magnetic field annealing (LFA), transverse magnetic field annealing followed by longitudinal magnetic field annealing (TLFA) and longitudinal magnetic field annealing followed by transverse magnetic field annealing (LTFA). The annealed samples were subjected to testing and analysis using techniques such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), magnetic performance testing equipment and magneto-optical Kerr microscopy. The obtained results were then compared with those of commercially produced Fe80Si9B11. Fe82Si2B13P1C3 demonstrated the lowest loss of P1.4T,2kHz = 8.1 W/kg when annealed in a transverse magnetic field at 370 °C, which was 17% lower than that of Fe80Si9B11. When influenced by the longitudinal magnetic field, the magnetization curve tended to become more rectangular, and the coercivity (B3500A/m) of Fe82Si2B13P1C3 reached 1.6 T, which was 0.05 T higher than that of Fe80Si9B11. During the 370 °C annealing process of the Fe82Si2B13P1C3 amorphous iron core, the internal stress in the strip gradually dissipated, and impurity domains such as fingerprint domains disappeared and aligned with the length direction of the strip. Consequently, wide strip domains with low resistance and easy magnetization were formed, thereby reducing the overall loss of the amorphous iron core.

Integrated microRNA-mRNA analysis reveals a possible molecular mechanism of enteritis susceptibility in Litopenaeus vannamei.

Enteritis is one of the main diseases affecting Pacific whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) in recent years, and it has resulted in huge losses to the aquaculture industry. Prior to this study, the molecular mechanism underlying enteritis in L. vannamei was unclear, and comprehensive multi-omics analysis had not been conducted. In this study, 1209 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified from the hepatopancreas of L. vannamei with and without enteritis. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis showed that genes were significantly enriched in immune, metabolic, and endocrine regulatory pathways. Forty-eight significantly different microRNAs (miRNAs) were identified in the miRNA-Seq analysis. Further functional annotation analysis showed that the regulatory pathway of target gene enrichment of differentially expressed miRNAs was consistent with DEGs. Through miRNA-mRNA integration analysis, 47 meaningful miRNA-mRNA pairs were obtained, of which melanogenesis and pancreatic secretion were considered key pathways. Subsequent miRNA-mRNA interaction network analysis revealed that mja-miR-6493-3p, Mja-miR-6494, novel-198, novel-272, novel-261, novel-200, novel-183, novel-184, novel-237, and novel-192 may be key miRNAs involved in the regulation of these two signaling pathways. Finally, the RAS signaling pathway was found to inhibit the translation level of proteins in the hepatopancreas. These results suggest that target gene integration analysis of mRNA-miRNA can reveal the molecular mechanism underlying enteritis in L. vannamei and also provide valuable new insights for resisting enteritis.

Effects of the Gas-Atomization Pressure and Annealing Temperature on the Microstructure and Performance of FeSiBCuNb Nanocrystalline Soft Magnetic Composites.

FeSiBCuNb powders prepared by the gas atomization method generally exhibit a wide particle size distribution and a high degree of sphericity. In addition, the correspondingly prepared nanocrystalline soft magnetic composites (NSMCs) perform good service stability. In this paper, effects of the gas-atomization pressure and annealing temperature on the microstructure and soft magnetic properties of FeSiBCuNb powders and NSMCs are investigated. The results show that the powders obtained by a higher gas-atomization pressure possess a larger amorphous ratio and a smaller average crystallite size, which contribute to the better soft magnetic performance of the NSMCs. After being annealed at 550 °C for 60 min, the NSMCs show a much better performance than those treated by the stress-relief annealing process under 300 °C, which indicates that the optimization of the soft magnetic properties resulting from the precipitation of the α-Fe(Si) nanocrystalline largely overwhelms the deterioration caused by the grain growth of the pre-existing crystals. In addition, the annealed NSMCs prepared by the powders with the gas-atomization pressure of 4 MPa show the best performance in this work, µe = 33.32 (f = 100 kHz), Hc = 73.08 A/m and Pcv = 33.242 mW/cm3 (f = 100 kHz, Bm = 20 mT, sine wave).

Abundant bacteria and fungi attached to airborne particulates in vegetable plastic greenhouses.

The proliferation of modern vegetable plastic greenhouses (VPGS) supplies more and more vegetables for food all over the world. The airborne bacteria and fungi induce more exposure opportunities for workers toiling in confined plastic greenhouses. Culture-independent approaches by qPCR and high-throughput sequencing technology were used to study the airborne particulates microbiota in typic VPGS in Shandong, a large base of vegetables in China. The result revealed the mean airborne bacteria concentrations reached 1.67 × 103 cells/m3 (PM2.5) and 2.38 × 103 cells/m3 (PM10), and the mean airborne fungal concentrations achieved 1.49 × 102 cells/m3 (PM2.5) and 3.19 × 102 cells/m3 (PM10) in VPGS. The predominant bacteria in VPGS included Ralstonia, Alcanivorax, Pseudomonas, Bacillus, and Acinetobacter. Botrytis, Alternaria, Fusarium, Sporobolomyces, and Cladosporium were frequently detected fungal genera in VPGS. A higher Chao1 of bacteria in PM10 was significantly different from PM2.5 in VPGS. The potential pathogens in VPGS include Raltonia picketti, Acinetobacter lwoffii, Bacillus anthracis, Botrytis cinerea, and Cladosporium sphaerospermum. The network analysis indicated that airborne microbiota was associated with soil microbiota which was affected by anthropologic activities. The predicted gene functions revealed that bacterial function mainly involved metabolism, neurodegenerative diseases, and fungal trophic mode dominated by Pathotroph-Saprotroph in VPGS. These findings unveiled airborne microbiomes in VPGS so that a strategy for improving air quality can be applied to safeguard health and vegetation.

Isokinetic muscle strength testing and technology of training in sports medicine / Teste isocinético de força muscular e tecnologia de treinamento na medicina esportiva / Pruebas isocinéticas de fuerza muscular y tecnología de entrenamiento en medicina deportiva

ABSTRACT Introduction Current research in sports medicine on muscles adjacent to joints in patients with joint instability focuses on functional instability. However, few studies on muscle strength in the muscles adjacent to the joints in typical patients. Objective This study tests the changes in isokinetic muscle strength in flexion-extension muscle groups in common subjects' knees and elbows. Methods Randomly selected ordinary citizens to perform isokinetic muscle strength testing with grip strength, explosive pedaling force, and elbow and knee joint movement speeds of 60°/s. Results The single work of the normal knee flexors and extensors decreases with test speed at different movement speeds. Conclusion The grip strength test and isokinetic pedaling test can be used as simple muscle strength tests for fitness monitoring. Evidence Level II; Therapeutic Studies - Investigating the result.

RESUMO Introdução Pesquisas atuais na medicina esportiva sobre os músculos adjacentes às articulações em pacientes com instabilidade articular concentram-se na instabilidade funcional. Entretanto há poucos estudos sobre a força muscular nos músculos ao redor das articulações em pacientes comuns. Objetivo Este estudo testa as alterações na força muscular isocinética nos grupos musculares de flexo-extensão em joelhos e cotovelos de indivíduos comuns. Métodos Selecionamos aleatoriamente cidadãos comuns para realizar testes isocinéticos de força muscular com força de aderência, força explosiva de pedalar e velocidades de movimento da articulação do cotovelo e joelho de 60°/s. Resultados O trabalho único dos flexores e extensores normais do joelho diminui com a velocidade de teste em diferentes velocidades de movimento. Conclusão O teste de força de aderência e teste isocinético de pedalar podem ser usados como testes de força muscular simples para o monitoramento do condicionamento físico. Nível de evidência II; Estudos Terapêuticos - Investigação de Resultados.

RESUMEN Introducción La investigación actual en medicina deportiva sobre los músculos adyacentes a las articulaciones en pacientes con inestabilidad articular se centra en la inestabilidad funcional. Sin embargo, hay pocos estudios sobre la fuerza muscular en los músculos que rodean las articulaciones en pacientes comunes. Objetivo Este estudio comprueba los cambios en la fuerza muscular isocinética en grupos musculares de flexión-extensión en rodillas y codos de sujetos comunes. Métodos Seleccionamos al azar a ciudadanos normales para realizar pruebas isocinéticas de fuerza muscular con fuerza de agarre, fuerza explosiva de pedaleo y velocidades de movimiento de la articulación del codo y la rodilla de 60°/s. Resultados El trabajo individual de los flexores y extensores normales de la rodilla disminuye con la velocidad de la prueba a diferentes velocidades de movimiento. Conclusión La prueba de fuerza de agarre y la prueba de pedaleo isocinético pueden utilizarse como pruebas sencillas de fuerza muscular para el control de la condición física. Nivel de evidencia II; Estudios terapéuticos - Investigación de resultados.

Network of the transcriptome and metabolomics reveals a novel regulation of drought resistance during germination in wheat.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The North China Plain, the highest winter-wheat-producing region of China, is seriously threatened by drought. Traditional irrigation wastes a significant amount of water during the sowing season. Therefore, it is necessary to study the drought resistance of wheat during germination to maintain agricultural ecological security. From several main cultivars in the North China Plain, we screened the drought-resistant cultivar JM47 and drought-sensitive cultivar AK58 during germination using the polyethylene glycol (PEG) drought simulation method. An integrated analysis of the transcriptome and metabolomics was performed to understand the regulatory networks related to drought resistance in wheat germination and verify key regulatory genes. METHODS: Transcriptional and metabolic changes were investigated using statistical analyses and gene-metabolite correlation networks. Transcript and metabolite profiles were obtained through high-throughput RNA-sequencing data analysis and ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry, respectively. KEY RESULTS: A total of 8083 and 2911 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 173 and 148 differential metabolites were identified in AK58 and JM47, respectively, under drought stress. According to the integrated analysis results, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signalling was prominently enriched in JM47. A decrease in α-linolenic acid content was consistent with the performance of DEGs involved in jasmonic acid biosynthesis in the two cultivars under drought stress. Abscisic acid (ABA) content decreased more in JM47 than in AK58, and linoleic acid content decreased in AK58 but increased in JM47. α-Tocotrienol was upregulated and strongly correlated with α-linolenic acid metabolism. CONCLUSIONS: The DEGs that participated in the mTOR and α-linolenic acid metabolism pathways were considered candidate DEGs related to drought resistance and the key metabolites α-tocotrienol, linoleic acid and l-leucine, which could trigger a comprehensive and systemic effect on drought resistance during germination by activating mTOR-ABA signalling and the interaction of various hormones.

Effect of Pre-Oxidation Treatment on Corrosion Resistance of FeCoSiBPC Amorphous Alloy.

In this paper, the corrosion resistance of FeCoSiBPC amorphous alloy after pre-oxidation and non-oxidation heat treatment is investigated. The corrosion behaviors of Fe80Co3Si3B10P1C3 amorphous alloys in 1 mol/L NaCl solution were investigated by the electrochemical workstation. The pre-oxidation heat treatment can improve the corrosion resistance of FeCoSiBPC amorphous alloy through an increase in the Ecorr value from -0.736 to -0.668 V, which makes it easy to reach a passive state. The corroded morphology and products of amorphous alloys were tested by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The SEM/TEM analysis showed that, after pre-oxidation treatment, the oxide layer was divided into two layers: the inner layer was amorphous, the outer layer appeared crystalline, and the main oxide was Fe2O3. During the oxidation process, Co and P elements diffused from the inner layer to the outer layer, forming phosphorus and cobalt oxides with high corrosion resistance on the surface of the ribbon, thereby improving the corrosion resistance of the ribbon.

MicroRNA transcriptome analysis of oriental river prawn Macrobrachium nipponense in responding to starvation stress.

Food deprivation or fasting is an important environmental factor, and a regular occurrence in both natural aquatic habitats and artificial ponds. However, the potential immunoregulatory mechanisms underlying starvation stress in crustaceans remain unclear. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a new class of non-coding RNAs that can regulate various biological processes, such as stress and immune responses. In the present work, miRNAs related to starvation stress responses and immune properties were identified and characterised in oriental river prawn Macrobrachium nipponense using high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics analyses. Twelve small RNA libraries from hepatopancreas tissue were sequenced across four fasting stages lasting 0, 7, 14 or 21 days. In total, 550 miRNAs were identified including 198 putative novel miRNAs and 352 conserved miRNAs belonging to 57 families. Moreover, compared with expression levels at 0 days, 27, 27 and 43 miRNAs were differentially expressed (DE-miRNAs) at 7, 14 and 21 days, respectively. Among these, four DE-miRNAs (ame-miR-190-5p, dme-miR-307a-3p, hme-miR-2788-3p and novel_68) were co-expressed at all three timepoints. Furthermore, 661 target genes regulated by these DE-miRNAs were identified, and associated functional annotations were derived by GO enrichment and KEGG pathway analyses, which showed that most DE-miRNAs were mainly participated in metabolic processes and immune responses. Furthermore, 26 host DE-miRNAs potentially participated in interactions with white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) were identified by predicting and analysing target genes from WSSV. The further WSSV challenge under starvation stress showed that dme-miR-307a-3p played a part in the antiviral responses against WSSV. Our results demonstrate that dme-miR-307a-3p may play vital regulatory roles in responding to starvation stress and WSSV infection. The findings contribute new insight into the molecular mechanisms associated with immune responses to environmental stress in crustaceans.

Highly Ductile and Ultra-Thick P-Doped FeSiB Amorphous Alloys with Excellent Soft Magnetic Properties.

Herein, we demonstrate the successful synthesis of novel Fe80Si9B(11−x)Px (x = 0, 1, 3, 5, 7) ultra-thick amorphous ribbons by planar flow casting. The influence of P alloying on glass forming ability (GFA), microstructure, thermal stability, soft magnetic properties, and ductility has been systematically investigated. The results reveal that introduction of P into Fe80Si9B11 alloy can remarkably enhance the GFA and increase critical thickness (tc) of the alloy from 45 to 89 um. Furthermore, the annealed FeSiBP amorphous alloys exhibited excellent soft magnetic properties, including high saturation magnetic flux density of 1.54 T, the low coercivity of 1.5 A/m, and low core losses of 0.15 W/kg. In addition, the representative Fe80Si9B8P3 ultra-thick amorphous alloy demonstrate excellent ductility even after annealing at 400 °C for 10 min, which indicates the superior performance of P-doped FeSiB alloys as compared to the commercial Fe78Si9B13 (Metglas 2605 S2) alloy. The combination of high GFA, excellent ductility, and low core losses of newly developed FeSiBP amorphous soft magnetic alloys makes them attractive candidates for magnetic applications in the high-frequency and high-speed electric devices.

Osmotic Stress Induced Cell Death in Wheat Is Alleviated by Tauroursodeoxycholic Acid and Involves Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-Related Gene Expression.

Although, tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) has been widely studied in mammalian cells because of its role in inhibiting apoptosis, its effects on plants remain almost unknown, especially in the case of crops such as wheat. In this study, we conducted a series of experiments to explore the effects and mechanisms of action of TUDCA on wheat growth and cell death induced by osmotic stress. Our results show that TUDCA: (1) ameliorates the impact of osmotic stress on wheat height, fresh weight, and water content; (2) alleviates the decrease in chlorophyll content as well as membrane damage caused by osmotic stress; (3) decreases the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes under osmotic stress; and (4) to some extent alleviates osmotic stress-induced cell death probably by regulating endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-related gene expression, for example expression of the basic leucine zipper genes bZIP60B and bZIP60D, the binding proteins BiP1 and BiP2, the protein disulfide isomerase PDIL8-1, and the glucose-regulated protein GRP94. We also propose a model that illustrates how TUDCA alleviates osmotic stress-related wheat cell death, which provides an important theoretical basis for improving plant stress adaptation and elucidates the mechanisms of ER stress-related plant osmotic stress resistance.

Large Rectification Effect of Single Graphene Nanopore Supported by PET Membrane.

Graphene is an ideal candidate for the development of solid state nanopores due to its thickness at the atomic scale and its high chemical and mechanical stabilities. A facile method was adopted to prepare single graphene nanopore supported by PET membrane (G/PET nanopore) within the three steps assisted by the swift heavy ion irradiation and asymmetric etching technology. The inversion of the ion rectification effect was confirmed in G/PET nanopore while comparing with bare PET nanopore in KCl electrolyte solution. By modifying the wall charge state of PET conical nanopore with hydrochloric acid from negative to positive, the ion rectification effect of G/PET nanopore was found to be greatly enhanced and the large rectification ratio up to 190 was obtained during this work. Moreover, the high ionic flux and high ion separation efficiency was also observed in the G/PET nanopore system. By comparing the "on" and "off" state conductance of G/PET nanopore while immersed in the solution with pH value lower than the isoelectric point of the etched PET (IEP, pH = 3.8), the voltage dependence of the off conductance was established and it was confirmed that the large rectification effect was strongly dependent on the particularly low off conductance at higher applied voltage.