Synaptic plasticity in self-powered artificial striate cortex for binocular orientation selectivity.

Get in-depth understanding of each part of visual pathway yields insights to conquer the challenges that classic computer vision is facing. Here, we first report the bioinspired striate cortex with binocular and orientation selective receptive field based on the crossbar array of self-powered memristors which is solution-processed monolithic all-perovskite system with each cross-point containing one CsFAPbI3 solar cell directly stacking on the CsPbBr2I memristor. The plasticity of self-powered memristor can be modulated by optical stimuli following triplet-STDP rules. Furthermore, plasticity of 3 × 3 flexible crossbar array of self-powered memristors has been successfully modulated based on generalized BCM learning rule for optical-encoded pattern recognition. Finally, we implemented artificial striate cortex with binocularity and orientation selectivity based on two simulated 9 × 9 self-powered memristors networks. The emulation of striate cortex with binocular and orientation selectivity will facilitate the brisk edge and corner detection for machine vision in the future applications.

[Association of sodium ion transporter gene polymorphisms with essential hypertension among ethnic Koreans from Mudanjiang].

OBJECTIVE To assess the association of SLC12A3 and SCNN1B gene polymorphisms (rs11643718 and rs12447134) with essential hypertension among ethnic Koreans from Mudanjiang, China. METHODS For 204 patients with essential hypertension and 186 healthy controls, the genotypes of rs11643718 and rs12447134 loci were determined with an improved multiplex ligase detection reaction (iMLDR) method. RESULTS Allelic and genotypic frequencies of rs11643718 of SLC12A3 gene are associated with the onset of disease hypertension (P <0.05) as well as systolic blood pressure (P < 0.01, under a recessive model). No association was found between rs12447134 of SCNN1B gene with the onset of disease (P > 0.05) but diastolic blood pressure (P < 0.05, under a recessive model). CONCLUSION The polymorphisms of rs11643718 locus is associated with the susceptibility for essential hypertension among ethnic Koreans from Mudanjiang area and can be used as a predictor for the disease.

Negative association of R-Ras activation and breast cancer development.

R-Ras, a member of the Ras superfamily, is expressed in a wide variety of tissues and regulates cell adhesion, migration, differentiation and apoptosis. Research has raised the possibility that R-Ras may function as a positive regulator of cell proliferation and transformation in the breast. To understand the possible role of R-Ras in breast epithelial carcinogenesis, the expression and activation of R-Ras were detected in each of 69 pairs of breast cancer tissues and normal tumor-adjacent tissue samples by qRT-PCR, western blot analysis and GST pull down assay; 12 available cell lines were also subjected to western blot analysis and GST pull down assay. To further address the role of R-Ras in transformation-related phenotype formation of breast cancer cell line MCF-7 in vitro, R-Ras38V, a constitutively activated mutant of R-Ras, was transfected into MCF-7 cells, and the cell proliferation, migration and cell cycle distribution were analyzed. The results showed that although there was slight difference in the protein expression of R-Ras between the breast cancer tissues and normal tissues, the activation of R-Ras was reduced in 63.8% of the cancer tissues when compared to the normal tissue samples. In addition, the results also showed that R-Ras38V inhibited cell proliferation, migration and cell cycle progression in the presence of serum. Contradicting the positive association reported in previous studies, our results indicate that R-Ras activation may negatively regulate the transformation of breast epithelial cells, and the loss of activation of R-Ras may be involved in the carcinogenesis of breast cancer. To solve this controversy, further independent studies are needed to validate our study results.

[Genetic polymorphism of 9 STR loci in Korean population of Mudanjiang].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the genetic polymorphism of 9 short tandem repeats (STR) gene loci, namely CSFIPO, TPOX, TH01, D16S539, D7S820, D13S317, F13A01, FESFPS and vWA in Chinese Korean population in Mudajiang area. METHODS: Amplified fragment length polymorphism (Amp-FLP) method was used to get the allele frequency distribution. RESULTS: The genotype distributions of the 9 STR loci are conformed to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium by chi(2) test analysis. The total accord frequency, the accumulated total discrimination power and the the accumulative excluding probability of paternity were calculated. CONCLUSION: The result suggested that all 9 gene loci have high power of excluding probability of paternity and individual identification. They can be used in paternity testing and individual identification for forensic medicine. The gene frequencies of CSFIPO, TPOX and TP01 gene loci have significant differences between the Korean population in Mudanjiang area and those in Yanji area, but there is no difference in gene loci of D7S820, D17S317 and vWA.

[Genetic polymorphism of 6 short tandem repeat loci in Chinese Korean].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze genetic polymorphism of D16S539 D7S820 D13S317 CSF1PO TPOX and TH01 in Chinese Korean. METHODS: One hundred unrelated individuals were analyzed by PCR amplification fragment length polymorphism analysis. RESULTS: Six alleles and 18 genotypes of D16S539 locus, 7 alleles and 22 genotypes of D7S820 locus, 7 alleles and 23 genotypes of D13S317 locus, 6 alleles and 16 genotypes of CSF1PO locus, 6 alleles and 11 genotypes of TPOX locus, 5 alleles and 12 genotypes of TH01 locus. CONCLUSION: The genotype distribution of all the 6 short tandem repeat(STR) in Chinese Korean met Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, and have higher heterozygosities. The data obtained can be used in human identity and paternity testing, and in other genetic researches and population investigation.