bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sustainable laser-based technology for insect pest control
Authors: Gaetani R. , Lacotte V. , Dufour V. , Clavel A. , Duport G. , Gaget K. , Calevro F. , Da Silva P. , Heddi A. , Vincent D. , Masenelli B.
Published: May 2021

Aphids damage directly or indirectly cultures by feeding and spreading diseases, leading to huge economical losses. So far, only the use of pesticides can mitigate their impact, causing severe health and environmental issues. Hence, innovative eco-friendly and low-cost solutions must be promoted apart from chemical control. Here, we have investigated the use of laser radiation as a reliable solution. We have analyzed the lethal dose required to kill 90% of a population for two major pest aphid species (Acyrthosiphon pisum and Rhopalosiphum padi). We showed that irradiating insects at an early stage (one-day old nymph) is crucial to lower the lethal dose without affecting plant growth and health. The laser is mostly lethal, but it can also cause insect stunting and a reduction of survivors’ fecundity. Nevertheless, we did not notice any significant visible effect on the offspring of the surviving irradiated generation. The estimated energy cost and the harmless effect of laser radiation on host plants show that this physics-based strategy can be a promising alternative to chemical pesticides.
Continuous-flow synthesis of MIL-53(Cr) with a polar linker: probing the nanoscale piezoelectric effect
Authors: Xue Feifei , Cao Jian , Li Xiaoting , Feng Jingjing , Tao Minli , Xue Bin
Published: May 2021

MIL-53(Cr) MOF material was designed and prepared with polar linker including fluorine group. The MIL-53(Cr)-F nanoparticles can be fabricated by continuous flow method at large scale, and these materials display nanoscale piezo-responses.
A new zeolitic lithium aluminum imidazolate framework
Authors: Jiang Guangshen , Bon Volodymyr , Xu Fei , Garai Bikash , Zhang En , Senkovska Irena , Poetke Stephanie , Hippauf Felix , Hausdorf Steffen , Paasch Silvia , Brunner Eike , Wang Hongqiang , Kaskel Stefan
Published: May 2021

Lithium aluminum hydride reacts with 2-methylimidazole through dehydrogenation to form a new aliovalent mixed-metal zeolitic framework DUT-174 [LiAl(2-methylimidazolate)4]n.
Synthesis, characterization, and reactivity of group 13 hydride complexes based on amido-amine ligands
Authors: Dehmel Maximilian , Köhler Angelina , Görls Helmar , Kretschmer Robert
Published: May 2021

The preparation of group 13 hydride complexes supported byN,N′,N′-substituted 1,2-ethanediamines is reported.
Enhancing the anti-fouling and fouling removal properties of thin-film composite membranes through an intercalated functionalization method
Authors: Liu Caihong , Faria Andreia F. , Jackson Jennifer , He Qiang , Ma Jun
Published: May 2021

An intercalated modification that combines anti-fouling, self-cleaning, and anti-biofouling properties was developed on TFC membranes to combat organic fouling and biofouling.
Unravelling the critical mechanism by which pre-ozonation affects ultrafiltration membrane fouling via investigation of the relative size and interfacial forces
Authors: Miao Rui , Nie Xiaoyan , Ma Bingpeng , Yang Zihan , Wang Pei , Wang Lei , Li Xiao-yan
Published: May 2021

To date, the influence of pre-ozonation on membrane fouling behaviour remains vague, and contradictory phenomena have been reported.
A copper iodide-catalyzed coupling reaction of benzofuran-3(2H)-ones with amines: an approach to α-ketoamides
Authors: Chen Rongxiang , Jia Ruo-Ling , Li Wenbo , Zhao Wei , Wang Kai-Kai , Wang Zhan-Yong , Ma Xueji , Dai Wei , Sun Aili
Published: May 2021

A CuI-catalyzed coupling reaction of benzofuran-3(2H)-ones with amines has been well established for the direct synthesis of α-ketoamides.
TLC-smartphone in antibiotics determination and low-quality pharmaceuticals detection
Authors: Gad Asmaa G. , Fayez Yasmin Mohammed , Kelani Khadiga M. , Mahmoud Amr M.
Published: May 2021

Low-quality and counterfeit pharmaceutical detection has been performed based on the processing of an iodine stained TLC plate image captured by a smartphone CCD camera.
Tandem imine formation via auto-hydrogen transfer from alcohols to nitro compounds catalyzed by a nanomagnetically recyclable copper catalyst under solvent-free conditions
Authors: Sobhani Sara , Hosseini Moghadam Hadis , Derakhshan Seyed Ruhollah , Sansano José Miguel
Published: May 2021

A direct imination reaction was developed by tandem reaction of alcohols and nitro compounds in the presence of Cu-isatin Schiff base-γ-Fe2O3 as a nanomagnetically recyclable catalyst.
Phenylphosphonate surface functionalisation of MgMn2O4 with 3D open-channel nanostructures for composite slurry-coated cathodes of rechargeable magnesium batteries operated at room temperature
Authors: Kajihara Koichi , Takahashi Daisuke , Kobayashi Hiroaki , Mandai Toshihiko , Imai Hiroaki , Kanamura Kiyoshi
Published: May 2021

Phenylphosphonate functionalisation is an easy, highly effective strategy to fabricate slurry-coated nanostructured MgMn2O4 cathodes for rechargeable magnesium batteries at active material fractions up to 93 wt% for rechargeable magnesium batteries cycled at 25 °C.
Computational insights into Ir(iii)-catalyzed allylic C–H amination of terminal alkenes: mechanism, regioselectivity, and catalytic activity
Authors: Pan Deng , Luo Gen , Yu Yang , Yang Jimin , Luo Yi
Published: May 2021

DFT studies on Ir(iii)-catalyzed branch-selective allylic C–H amination of terminal olefins with methyl dioxazolone have been carried out to investigate the mechanism, including the origins of regioselectivity and catalytic activity difference.
Soft solution in situ synthesis of chitosan/iron oxide nanocomposites and their magnetic properties
Authors: Vaewbundit Sukanda , Siriphannon Punnama
Published: May 2021

Chitosan/iron oxide nanocomposites (CS/IO) were synthesized by using soft solution in situ synthesis.
Measuring colloid–surface interaction forces in parallel using fluorescence centrifuge force microscopy
Authors: LeFevre Thomas B. , Bikos Dimitri A. , Chang Connie B. , Wilking James N.
Published: May 2021

We present an inexpensive, wireless fluorescence centrifuge force microscope (F-CFM) capable of performing hundreds of colloid–surface interaction force measurements simultaneously over a wide force range, from 10−2to 105pN.
Manganese phosphoxide/Ni5P4 hybrids as an anode material for high energy density and rate potassium-ion storage
Authors: Yang Sen , Li Ting , Tan Yiwei
Published: May 2021

A simple approach is proposed to fabricate a hybrid active material by combining an amorphous manganese phosphoxide overlayer and Ni5P4 underlayer on carbon fabric cloth as a high-performance integrated binder-free anode for K-ion batteries.
Alkylthiol surface engineering: an effective strategy toward enhanced electrocatalytic N2-to-NH3 fixation by a CoP nanoarray
Authors: Du Zhaobai , Liang Jie , Li Shaoxiong , Xu Zhaoquan , Li Tingshuai , Liu Qian , Luo Yonglan , Zhang Fang , Liu Yang , Kong Qingquan , Shi Xifeng , Tang Bo , Asiri Abdullah M. , Li Baihai , Sun Xuping
Published: May 2021

Building a hydrophobic self-assembled monolayer of octadecanethiol on a CoP nanoarray on a titanium mesh (C18@CoP/TM) greatly enhances the N2 reduction activity with an NH3 yield of 1.44 × 10−10 mol s−1 cm−2 and a FE of 14.03% in 0.1 M Na2SO4.
An over 20% solar-to-hydrogen efficiency system comprising a self-reconstructed NiCoFe-based hydroxide nanosheet electrocatalyst and monolithic perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell
Authors: Pan Sanjiang , Li Renjie , Zhang Qixing , Cui Chunyu , Wang Manjing , Shi Biao , Wang Pengyang , Zhang Chaohua , Zhang Bo , Zhao Ying , Zhang Xiaodan
Published: May 2021

A monolithic perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell was used for highly efficient standalone solar water splitting.
MXene and black phosphorus based 2D nanomaterials in bioimaging and biosensing: progress and perspectives
Authors: Huang Meina , Gu Zhenyu , Zhang Jianguo , Zhang Dan , Zhang Han , Yang Zhigang , Qu Junle
Published: May 2021

MXene and black phosphorus based 2D nanomaterials in bioimaging and biosensing applications.
A gene-coated microneedle patch based on industrialized ultrasonic spraying technology with a polycation vector to improve antitumor efficacy
Authors: Li Xinfang , Xu Qinan , Wang Jing , Zhang Peng , Wang Youxiang , Ji Jian
Published: May 2021

Two-step ultrasonic spraying can make an interpenetrating structure composed of p53 DNA and PEI on coated microneedle patch (P@D@MNP); P@D@MNP shows good anti-tumor efficiency, and it has potential to be a drug/gene transdermal delivery platform.
Synthesis of monodispersed VO2@Au core–semishell submicroparticles and their switchable optical properties
Authors: Zhu Jianfeng , Huang Renwen , Ji Mingyi , Su Guangxu , Zhan Peng , Lu Zhenda
Published: May 2021

Monodispersed VO2@Au core–semishell submicroparticles have been synthesized and optically characterized. The single-particle spectra demonstrate that the plasmonic resonance is temperature-dependent and reversibly tunable in the range of over 200 nm.
Variation on a Zernike wavefront sensor theme: Optimal use of photons
Authors: Chambouleyron V. , Fauvarque O. , Sauvage J-F. , Dohlen K. , Levraud N. , Vigan A. , N’Diaye M. , Neichel B. , Fusco T.
Published: May 2021

Aims. The Zernike wavefront sensor (ZWFS) is a concept belonging to the wide class of Fourier-filtering wavefront sensors (FFWFSs). The ZWFS is known for its extremely high sensitivity and low dynamic range, which makes it a unique sensor for second stage adaptive optics systems or quasi-static aberration calibration sensors. This sensor is composed of a focal plane mask made of a phase shifting dot that is fully described by two parameters: its diameter and depth. We aim to improve the performance of this sensor by changing the diameter of its phase shifting dot.

Methods. We begin with a general theoretical framework, providing an analytical description of the FFWFS properties. We then predict the expected ZWFS sensitivity for different configurations of dot diameters and depths. The analytical predictions are then validated with end-to-end simulations. From this, we propose a variation of the classical ZWFS shape that exhibits extremely appealing properties.

Results. We show that the ZWFS sensitivity can be optimized by modifying the dot diameter and it can even reach the optimal theoretical limit, though with the trade-off of low spatial frequency sensitivity. As an example, we show that a ZWFS with a 2 λ/D dot diameter (where λ is the sensing wavelength and D the telescope diameter), hereafter called a Z2WFS, exhibits a sensitivity twice higher than the classical 1.06 λ/D ZWFS for all the phase spatial components except for tip-tilt modes. Furthermore, this gain in sensitivity does not impact the dynamic range of the sensor, and the Z2WFS exhibits a similar dynamical range as the classical 1.06 λ/D ZWFS. This study opens the path to the conception of a diameter-optimized ZWFS.
Assessment of phenotypic variability among EEA INTA Pergamino sunflower lines: Its relationship with the grain yield and oil content
Authors: Domínguez Matías , Herrera Stefanía , González Julio Horacio
Published: May 2021

The aims of the present study were to assess the phenotypic diversity among 221 sunflower accessions of INTA Pergamino Sunflower Breeding Program, to obtain discriminant functions that allow the classification of new accessions in similar groups and to evaluate the relationship between genetic distance pairwise accessions and hybrid performance for grain yield and oil content. We used 19 quantitative descriptors to evaluate phenotypic and morphological variability. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) were used to evaluate simultaneously all the variables and to describe phenotypic variation patterns of the germplasm. The distribution of germplasm in the dendrogram did not follow a clear pattern with regard to the predefined groups. This study revealed the variability observed among the lines that form the INTA Pergamino breeding program despite the highly selective forces applied to obtain inbred lines that produce superior hybrids for the Argentinean sunflower area. This work demonstrates the need for more in-depth study of genetic variability to be used as a predictor of heterosis in sunflower.
Diapause characterisation and seasonality of Aedes japonicus japonicus (Diptera, Culicidae) in the northeast of France
Authors: Krupa Eva , Henon Nicolas , Mathieu Bruno
Published: May 2021

The invasive mosquito Aedes japonicus japonicus (Theobald, 1901) settled in 2013 in the Alsace region, in the northeast of France. In this temperate area, some mosquito species use diapause to survive cold winter temperatures and thereby foster settlement and dispersal. This study reports diapause and its seasonality in a field population of Ae. japonicus in the northeast of France. For two years, eggs were collected from May to the beginning of November. They were most abundant in summer and became sparse in late October. Diapause eggs were determined by the presence of a fully developed embryo in unhatched eggs after repeated immersions. Our study showed effective diapause of Ae. japonicus in this part of France. At the start of the egg-laying period (week 20), we found up to 10% of eggs under diapause, and this rate reached 100% in October. The 50% cut-off of diapause incidence was determined by the end of summer, leading to an average calculated maternal critical photoperiod of 13 h 23 min. Interestingly, diapause was shown to occur in part of the eggs even at the earliest period of the two seasons, i.e. in May of each year. Even though we observed that the size of eggs was positively correlated with diapause incidence, morphology cannot be used as the unique predictive indicator of diapause status due to overlapping measurements between diapausing and non-diapausing eggs. This study provides new knowledge on diapause characterisation and invasive traits of Ae. japonicus.
Group ranking of two-stage production units in network data envelopment analysis
Authors: Shahbazifar Mohammad Sajjad , Kazemi Matin Reza , Khounsiavash Mohsen , Koushki Fereshteh
Published: May 2021

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is a useful mathematical tool for evaluating the performance of production units and ranking their relative efficiency. In many real-world applications, production units belong to several separate groups and also consist of several sub-units. In this paper, we introduce a new method of evaluating group efficiency of two-stage production systems. To this end, some new DEA models are introduced for evaluating and ranking groups of production systems based on the average and weakest group performance criteria. Some numerical examples, including an empirical application in the banking industry, are also provided for illustration.
Geolectric field measurement, modelling and validation during geomagnetic storms in the UK
Authors: Beggan Ciarán D. , Richardson Gemma S. , Baillie Orsi , Hübert Juliane , Thomson Alan W. P.
Published: May 2021

Significant geoelectric fields are produced by the interaction of rapidly varying magnetic fields with the conductive Earth, particularly during intense geomagnetic activity. Though usually harmless, large or sustained geoelectric fields can damage grounded infrastructure such as high-voltage transformers and pipelines via geomagnetically induced currents (GICs). A key aspect of understanding the effects of space weather on grounded infrastructure is through the spatial and temporal variation of the geoelectric field. Globally, there are few long-term monitoring sites of the geoelectric field, so in 2012 measurements of the horizontal surface field were started at Lerwick, Eskdalemuir and Hartland observatories in the UK. Between 2012 and 2020, the maximum value of the geoelectric field observed was around 1 V/km in Lerwick, 0.5 V/km in Eskdalemuir and 0.1 V/km in Hartland during the March 2015 storm. These long-term observations also allow comparisons with models of the geoelectric field to be made. We use the measurements to compute magnetotelluric impedance transfer functions at each observatory for periods from 20 to 30,000 s. These are then used to predict the geoelectric field at the observatory sites during selected storm times that match the recorded fields very well (correlation around 0.9). We also compute geoelectric field values from a thin-sheet model of Britain, accounting for the diverse geological and bathymetric island setting. We find the thin-sheet model captures the peak and phase of the band-passed geoelectric field reasonably well, with linear correlation of around 0.4 in general. From these two modelling approaches, we generate geoelectric field values for historic storms (March 1989 and October 2003) and find the estimates of past peak geoelectric fields of up to 1.75 V/km in Eskdalemuir. However, evidence from high voltage transformer GIC measurements during these storms suggests these estimates are likely to represent an underestimate of the true value.
High-quality GeV proton beam generation from multiple-laser interaction with double-layer target
Authors: Rahman Obaydur , Sheng Zheng-Mao
Published: May 2021

A scheme for significantly enhancing the beam quality of laser-driven proton acceleration is proposed and investigated with particle-in-cell simulation: two linearly polarized Gaussian laser pulses obliquely irradiate a double-layer target that acquires a periodic surface structure that reduces the reflection, improves the focusing, and enhances the energy coupling of the third, or main, laser pulse that follows. The oblique pulses also provide some initial kinetic energy to the initially static target electrons and thus protons, which is very crucial for efficient acceleration. As a result, a proton beam of 1.15 GeV peak energy, very low energy spread ∼4%, and small divergence angle ∼5° can be obtained with laser intensities of 1021 W cm−2, which is significantly lower than that of the other recently proposed schemes.
Performance of digital servos in an optical frequency transfer network
Authors: Hu Liang , Xue Ruimin , Wu Guiling , Chen Jianping
Published: May 2021

We demonstrate the use of three kinds of flexible digital servos for the stabilization of the optical fiber link, the interferometer temperature, and the polarization of the transmitted light at the remote site, respectively. The main fiber noise cancellation digital servo provides a large phase detection range (∼210π radians), automatic relock function, and low cycle-slip rate over a 62 km field-deployed fiber link achieved by utilizing a feedback optical actuator of an acousto-optic modulator fed by a voltage-controlled oscillator. The temperature control and polarization control digital servos enable that the temperature of the interferometer can be stabilized at a stability of 0.01 K and the data uptime is enhanced from 85.5% to 99.9% by implementing the polarization controller. The results demonstrate that the performance of the three digital servos is sufficient for high-precision optical frequency transfer applications and indicates comparable performance to existing analog optical frequency control systems. The full digital controlled optical frequency transfer method demonstrated here provides guidance for the development of a low-cost, low-complexity, and high-reliability optical frequency transfer system.
Influence of Prandtl number on mixed convective flow in a vertical pipe filled with porous medium: A linear stability analysis
Authors: Renu Km. , Kumar Ashok , Sharma Abhishek K.
Published: May 2021

The stably stratified flow in a linearly heated vertical pipe filled with a fluid-saturated porous medium is studied. We have emphasized the impact of permeability (via Darcy number, Da) as well as Prandtl number (Pr) on the stability of basic flow at the different azimuthal modes of disturbances (n = 0, 1). The stability of basic flow is examined for a wide range (0.01, 100) of Pr, which comprises different types of fluids (i.e., mercury, gas, liquid, and heavy oils). The extensive numerical results indicate that the least stable mode is either n = 0 (axisymmetric disturbance) or n = 1 (non-axisymmetric disturbance), which depends on the value of Pr as well as Da. At the least stable mode, the basic flow gets destabilized rapidly in the entire range of Pr for Da=10−1. There exists a very small range of Pr in the neighborhood of Pr = 0.3 in which the destabilizing characteristics of Pr changes into stabilizing characteristic for Da=10−2, 10−3, and 10−4 owing to the change of instability mechanism from thermal-shear to thermal-buoyant. The basic flow stabilizes on reducing the media permeability by varying Da from 10−1 to 10−4 for the considered values of Pr. The magnitudes of disturbance radial and circumferential velocities are found to be less than the disturbance axial velocity due to the forced flow in the axial direction. The multi-cellular structure of circumferential and axial velocities is converted into bi-cellular for a relatively large value of Pr.
Acoustic streaming flow generated by surface dielectric barrier discharge in quiescent air
Authors: Zhang Xin , Cui Yong-dong , Li Hua-Xing
Published: May 2021

Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is closely related to our daily lives and has been known for more than a century and a half since Ernst Werner von Siemens first discovered it. Based on general knowledge, DBD can be used for disinfection in medicine, de-pollution of gas streams in the environment, and flow control in aeronautics using its induced products, which includes ozone, electrons, and ionic winds, respectively. However, compared with the other characteristics of DBD, the acoustic effects are often ignored as there are nearly no relevant investigations. Here, we demonstrate that ultrasound can be generated using a single DBD plasma actuator as driven by sinusoidal high-voltage power with a voltage amplitude of 20 kVp-p at a frequency of 500 Hz using a pressure-field microphone and the high-accuracy phase-lock image freezing Schlieren technique. Most importantly, this is the first time that acoustic streaming flow created by DBD as associated with induced ultrasound is observed using particle image velocimetry. This could produce new research areas to expand the range of applications of DBD based on potential interest in acoustic streaming for microfluidic systems in biology, chemistry, and medicine.
Scaling law for supersonic core length in circular and elliptic free jets
Authors: Perumal Arun Kumar , Rathakrishnan Ethirajan
Published: May 2021

We present here the experiments demonstrating the scaling law for supersonic core length in circular and elliptic free jets. A proper scale for the supersonic core length of free jets is found as Lc*AR e−0.11γMj2, where Lc* is the core length normalized by nozzle throat diameter Dth, AR is the aspect ratio of the elliptic nozzle, γ is the specific heats ratio, and Mj is the ideally expanded jet Mach number. The scaling law developed for supersonic core length shows a close dependence with nozzle expansion ratio pe/pa and agrees well with the results reported in open literature, including the data reported for γ = 1.28–1.67. In spite of their uniqueness, the present results refer to circular and elliptic jets only. Thus, other similar studies on rectangular and square jets for a wide range of parameters are needed for a full comprehension of the universality of the scaling law for non-circular jets.
Naked eye evaluation and quantitative detection of the sugarcane leaf scald pathogen,
Authors: Umer Muhammad , Aziz Nahian Binte , Al Jabri Salma , Bhuiyan Shamsul A. , Shiddiky Muhammad J. A.
Published: May 2021

Sugarcane leaf scald caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas albilineans is a major disease of sugarcane worldwide. Whereas erratic symptoms make phenotypic detection challenging, molecular methods require expensive instruments and labour, and longer sample-to-answer times. We report a novel method for detection of X. albilineans DNA in sugarcane xylem sap. The method involves (i) boiling lysis-based DNA extraction from sugarcane sap; (ii) magnetic purification of target sequences directly from the lysate through use of magnetic bead-bound capture probes; and (iii) DNA sandwich hybridisation platform for HRP/TMB/H2O2 reaction-based naked eye visualisation and electrochemical detection of the target. The method is sensitive (limit of detection 100 fM) and reproducible (relative standard deviation <7%) with linear dynamic range 100 fM–1 nM (R2 = 0.99). The method was tested on a range of sugarcane cultivars of known resistance ratings (susceptible, intermediate resistant, and resistant) for leaf scald disease from an inoculated field trial. Detection levels agreed with the resistance rating of cultivars tested. In addition, qPCR results strongly correlated with our assay (r = 0.91–0.99, P < 0.01) and cultivar resistance rating. We believe that our assay could be useful for rapid screening as well as sensitive quantification of target pathogen DNA in infected sugarcane plants.
Evaluation of pathogenicity, systemic colonisation, and host range of
Authors: Li Fang , Li Yanzhong
Published: May 2021

Verticillium wilt of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is a widespread and destructive disease caused by the soil-borne fungal pathogen Verticillium alfalfae (formerly V. albo-atrum before 2011). Owing to an inadequate understanding of the pathogenicity, systemic colonisation, and host range of V. alfalfae, it has been challenging to develop an effective control measure against this disease. In the present study, seven inoculation methods, including seed inoculation, leaf spraying (LS), fungal plugs placed on leaves (FP), stem injection (SI), root dipping (RD), root injuring and dipping (RI), and watering conidia suspension into soil (WI) were used to analyse the pathogenicity and systemic colonisation of V. alfalfae on alfalfa. The typical verticillium wilt symptoms including V-shaped necrosis of leaves and leaf wilting were observed in alfalfa plants with all inoculation methods. The shortest incubation period (9 days) was observed with stem injection and the longest (40 days) with root dipping. Alfalfa plants inoculated by stem injection showed the highest disease incidence (91%), disease index (65%), and percentage of infected plants (80%), which resulted in the highest shoot biomass loss rate (34%). However, the plants inoculated by fungal plugs showed the lowest disease index (4%), percentage of infected plants (10%), and root biomass loss rate (2%). Further, the stem injection method was used to assess the host range of V. alfalfae on seven non-alfalfa plant species including erect milkvetch, sainfoin, common vetch, sunflower, potato, cotton, and bluish dogbane. The artificial inoculation of V. alfalfae by stem injection successfully infected these plants, with disease incidence ranged from 13 to 100% and disease index ranged from 10 to 69. This indicates that host range of V. alfalfae is not only alfalfa, but also other plant species.
Differing biophysical properties underpin the unique signaling potentials within the plant phytochrome photoreceptor families
Authors: Burgie E. Sethe , Gannam Zira T. K. , McLoughlin Katrice E. , Sherman Christopher D. , Holehouse Alex S. , Stankey Robert J. , Vierstra Richard D.
Published: May 2021

Many aspects of photoperception by plants and microorganisms are initiated by the phytochrome (Phy) family of photoreceptors that detect light through interconversion between red light- (Pr) and far-red light-absorbing (Pfr) states. Plants synthesize a small family of Phy isoforms (PhyA to PhyE) that collectively regulate photomorphogenesis and temperature perception through redundant and unique actions. While the selective roles of these isoforms have been partially attributed to their differing abundances, expression patterns, affinities for downstream partners, and turnover rates, we show here from analysis of recombinant
Arabidopsis
chromoproteins that the Phy isoforms also display distinct biophysical properties. Included are a hypsochromic shift in the Pr absorption for PhyC and varying rates of Pfr to Pr thermal reversion, part of which can be attributed to the core photosensory module in each. Most strikingly, PhyB combines strong temperature dependence of thermal reversion with an order-of-magnitude faster rate to likely serve as the main physiological thermosensor, whereby thermal reversion competes with photoconversion. In addition, comparisons of Pfr occupancies for PhyA and PhyB under a range of red- and white-light fluence rates imply that low-light environments are effectively sensed by PhyA, while high-light environments, such as full sun, are effectively sensed by PhyB. Parallel analyses of the Phy isoforms from potato and maize showed that the unique features within the
Arabidopsis
family are conserved, thus indicating that the distinct biophysical properties among plant Phy isoforms emerged early in Phy evolution, likely to enable full interrogation of their light and temperature environments.
DOT1L modulates the senescence-associated secretory phenotype through epigenetic regulation of IL1A
Authors: Leon Kelly E. , Buj Raquel , Lesko Elizabeth , Dahl Erika S. , Chen Chi-Wei , Tangudu Naveen Kumar , Imamura-Kawasawa Yuka , Kossenkov Andrew V. , Hobbs Ryan P. , Aird Katherine M.
Published: May 2021

Oncogene-induced senescence (OIS) is a stable cell cycle arrest that occurs in normal cells upon oncogene activation. Cells undergoing OIS express a wide variety of secreted factors that affect the senescent microenvironment termed the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), which is beneficial or detrimental in a context-dependent manner. OIS cells are also characterized by marked epigenetic changes. We globally assessed histone modifications of OIS cells and discovered an increase in the active histone marks H3K79me2/3. The H3K79 methyltransferase disruptor of telomeric silencing 1-like (DOT1L) was necessary and sufficient for increased H3K79me2/3 occupancy at the IL1A gene locus, but not other SASP genes, and was downstream of STING. Modulating DOT1L expression did not affect the cell cycle arrest. Together, our studies establish DOT1L as an epigenetic regulator of the SASP, whose expression is uncoupled from the senescence-associated cell cycle arrest, providing a potential strategy to inhibit the negative side effects of senescence while maintaining the beneficial inhibition of proliferation.
LRR1-mediated replisome disassembly promotes DNA replication by recycling replisome components
Authors: Fan Yilin , Köberlin Marielle S. , Ratnayeke Nalin , Liu Chad , Deshpande Madhura , Gerhardt Jeannine , Meyer Tobias
Published: May 2021

After two converging DNA replication forks meet, active replisomes are disassembled and unloaded from chromatin. A key process in replisome disassembly is the unloading of CMG helicases (CDC45–MCM–GINS), which is initiated in Caenorhabditis elegans and Xenopus laevis by the E3 ubiquitin ligase CRL2LRR1. Here, we show that human cells lacking LRR1 fail to unload CMG helicases and accumulate increasing amounts of chromatin-bound replisome components as cells progress through S phase. Markedly, we demonstrate that the failure to disassemble replisomes reduces the rate of DNA replication increasingly throughout S phase by sequestering rate-limiting replisome components on chromatin and blocking their recycling. Continued binding of CMG helicases to chromatin during G2 phase blocks mitosis by activating an ATR-mediated G2/M checkpoint. Finally, we provide evidence that LRR1 is an essential gene for human cell division, suggesting that CRL2LRR1 enzyme activity is required for the proliferation of cancer cells and is thus a potential target for cancer therapy.
Bromodomain protein BRD4 directs and sustains CD8 T cell differentiation during infection
Authors: Milner J. Justin , Toma Clara , Quon Sara , Omilusik Kyla , Scharping Nicole E. , Dey Anup , Reina-Campos Miguel , Nguyen Hongtuyet , Getzler Adam J. , Diao Huitian , Yu Bingfei , Delpoux Arnaud , Yoshida Tomomi M. , Li Deyao , Qi Jun , Vincek Adam , Hedrick Stephen M. , Egawa Takeshi , Zhou Ming-Ming , Crotty Shane , Ozato Keiko , Pipkin Matthew E. , Goldrath Ananda W.
Published: May 2021

In response to infection, pathogen-specific CD8 T cells differentiate into functionally diverse effector and memory T cell populations critical for resolving disease and providing durable immunity. Through small-molecule inhibition, RNAi studies, and induced genetic deletion, we reveal an essential role for the chromatin modifier and BET family member BRD4 in supporting the differentiation and maintenance of terminally fated effector CD8 T cells during infection. BRD4 bound diverse regulatory regions critical to effector T cell differentiation and controlled transcriptional activity of terminal effector–specific super-enhancers in vivo. Consequentially, induced deletion of Brd4 or small molecule–mediated BET inhibition impaired maintenance of a terminal effector T cell phenotype. BRD4 was also required for terminal differentiation of CD8 T cells in the tumor microenvironment in murine models, which we show has implications for immunotherapies. Taken together, these data reveal an unappreciated requirement for BRD4 in coordinating activity of cis regulatory elements to control CD8 T cell fate and lineage stability.
Linear and nonlinear spin dynamics in multi-domain magnetoelastic antiferromagnets
Authors: Gomonay O , Bossini D
Published: May 2021

Antiferromagnets (AFs) have recently surged as a prominent material platform for next-generation spintronic devices. Here we focus on the dynamics of the domain walls in AFs in the presence of magnetoelasticity. Based on a macroscopic phenomenological model, we demonstrate that magnetoelasticity defines both the equilibrium magnetic structure and dynamical magnetic properties of easy-plane AFs in linear and nonlinear regimes. We employ our model to treat non-homogeneous magnetic textures, namely an AF in a multi-domain state. Calculations of the eigen-modes of collective spin excitations and of the domain walls themselves are reported, even considering different kinds of domains. We also compare the output of our model with experimental results, substantiating the empirical observation, and showing that domain walls majorly affect the optically driven ultrafast nonlinear spin dynamics. Our model and its potential developments can become a general platform to handle a wide set of key concepts and physical regimes pivotal for further bolstering the research area of spintronics.
Quantum reflection of a Bose–Einstein condensate with a dark soliton from a step potential*
Authors: Wang Dong-Mei , Xing Jian-Chong , Du Rong , Xiong Bo , Yang Tao
Published: May 2021

We study dynamical behaviors of a Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) containing a dark soliton reflected from potential wells and potential barriers, respectively. The orientation angle of the dark soliton and the width of the potential change play key roles on the reflection probability R
s. Variation of the reflection probability with respect to the orientation angle θ of the dark soliton can be well described by a cosine function R
s ∼ cos [λ(θ – π/2)], where λ is a parameter determined by the width of the potential change. There are two characteristic lengths which determine the reflection properties. The dependence of the reflection probability on the width of the potential change shows distinct characters for potential wells and potential barriers. The length of the dark soliton determines the sensitiv width of potential wells, whereas for potential barriers, the decay length of the matter wave in the region of the barrier qualifies the sensitive width of the barrier. The time evolution of the density profiles of the system during the reflection process is studied to disclose the different behaviors of matter waves in the region of the potential variation.
Design of a novel correlative reflection electron microscope for in-situ real-time chemical analysis*
Authors: Li Tian-Long , Wei Zheng , Wan Wei-Shi
Published: May 2021

A novel instrument that integrates reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED), electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), and imaging is designed and simulated. Since it can correlate the structural, elemental, and spatial information of the same surface region via the simultaneously acquired patterns of RHEED, EELS, and energy-filtered electron microscopy, it is named correlative reflection electron microscopy (c-REM). Our simulation demonstrates that the spatial resolution of this c-REM is lower than 50 nm, which meets the requirements for in-situ monitoring the structural and chemical evolution of surface in advanced material.
Synthesis of flower-like WS2 by chemical vapor deposition*
Authors: Ding Jin-Zi , Ren Wei , Feng Ai-Ling , Wang Yao , Qiao Hao-Sen , Jia Yu-Xin , Ma Shuang-Xiong , Zhang Bo-Yu
Published: May 2021

Flower-like tungsten disulfide (WS2) with a diameter of 5–10 μm is prepared by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), Raman spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy are used to characterize its morphological and optical properties, and its growth mechanism is discussed. The key factors for the formation of flower-like WS2 are determined. Firstly, the cooling process causes the generation of nucleation dislocations, and then the “leaf” growth of flower-like WS2 is achieved by increasing the temperature.
Light-shift induced by two unbalanced spontaneous decay rates in EIT (CPT) spectroscopies under Ramsey pulse excitation*
Authors: Liu Xiaoyan , Zhao Xu , Sun Jianfang , Xu Zhen , Hu Zhengfeng
Published: May 2021

Light shift is important and inevitably affects the long-term stability of an atomic clock. In this work, considering two unbalanced branches of the spontaneous decay rate in a three-level system, we studied the frequency shifts of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and coherent population trapping (CPT) clocks operating under the pulse sequence regime by numerically solving the Liouville density matrix equations. The results show that the frequency shifts are larger when the two branches of spontaneous emission rate are not equal compared to the equal case. In addition, in EIT-Ramsey, the effect of the unbalanced branches of the spontaneous decay rate and relaxations of low-energy states on the frequency shift is greater than that of Rabi frequency. In CPT-Ramsey, the relaxations of low-energy states play a dominant role in frequency shift.
Vision and UWB-Based Anchor Self-Localisation System for UAV in GPS-Denied Environment
Authors: Yang Beiya , Yang Erfu , Yu Leijian
Published: May 2021

With the increasing applications of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in industries, it has drawn dramatic interests that utilising UAVs for internal inspection of oil tanks and vessels in recent years. Due to the fact that there is no global positioning system (GPS) and limited prior knowledge about operational environment, it is an unsolved problem on how to get the precise position information without relying on prior knowledge. To solve this problem, a Vision Aided Self-Localisation Two-way Time of Flight (VASTWTOF) algorithm is proposed. In the proposed algorithm, ultra-wideband (UWB) based sensor nodes are utilised for UAVs to achieve precise localisation in GPS-denied environment and the vision-based approach is adopted for anchor self-localisation. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can greatly improve the localisation performance and could be used for UAVs’ precise localisation in GPS-denied environment, especially for the internal inspection of oil tanks and vessels.
Application of Driving Style Recognition in the Shift Control of a Two-speed DCT for Pure Electric Vehicles
Authors: Zhang Jianjun , Chen Xinbo
Published: May 2021

The driving style recognition algorithm can be used to obtain the driver’s current driving style in real time. Thus, the algorithm is combined with the transmission control logic to make the shifting operation of the transmission adaptive to drivers of different driving styles. Firstly, by introducing the dynamic coefficient, the comprehensive shift schedule that match different driving styles is calculated. Next, the two transmission shift evaluation indexes, i.e., shift time and degree of jerk are determined, with the corresponding objective function established. Using this function as the constraint function of the NSGA-II multi-objective genetic optimization algorithm, the Pareto optimal solution set of the engagement speed control parameters of the two clutches under different motor output torques is obtained. The transmission shift control strategy proposed herewith is validated by the co-simulation of MATLAB/Simulink and MSC Carsim software. The co-simulation results show that the transmission can automatically adjust the shift parameters according to different types of driving styles, so that the shift schedule and shift quality of the two-speed dual-clutch transmission are in accordance with the needs of drivers with different driving styles.
Vision-based bicycle and motorcycle detection using a YOLO-based Network
Authors: Dequito C J M , Dichaves I J L , Juan R J G , Minaga M Y K T , Ilao J P , M O Cordel II , Del Gallego N P A
Published: May 2021

This paper describes a system that can distinguish between visually-similar objects, specifically bicycles and motorcycles, successfully from the vantage point of traffic surveillance cameras. The You Only Look Once (YOLO) is used as the main framework in this research due to its speed performance among various machine learning models and methods evaluated. We built a dataset consisting of motorcycle and bicycle images from different CCTV footage for this project. CCTV footage may vary on the angle of view from the object, image resolution, and ambient environment settings. Using this dataset, we trained YOLOv3-based models, and their performances were compared to the vanilla version of YOLOv3 and other pre-trained models. Four (4) models were trained and compared; the best-performing model is shown to be associated with a dataset with properly labeled data (i.e., marking every instance of the object of interest) and having the most number of instances in the training and testing set.Introduction.
Transfer Learning Adaptive Facial Attractiveness Assessment
Authors: Lebedeva I , Guo Y , Ying F
Published: May 2021

Recent advances in Computer Vision and Artificial Intelligence have brought the opportunity to automate facial attractiveness evaluation. A range of studies have been addressed to the task and have achieved reasonable prediction accuracy. However, most of these methods work well only on photos with restrictions on expression, posture, illumination, but not on real-world face photos. This work is aimed to improve the attractiveness assessment state-of-the-art in both cases. To this end, an approach that employs transfer learning methodology as well as shallow machine learning was proposed for highly accurate facial attractiveness prediction. Specifically, a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), Facenet, originally designed and pre-trained for the face recognition task is utilized. High-level facial features were extracted by using the network and then fed into Support Vector Regression in order to predict facial attractiveness. Extensive experiments conducted on widely used facial beauty datasets Gray and SCUT-FBP5500 demonstrated that the proposed method outperformed other attractiveness prediction approaches. The experimental results also confirmed the effectiveness of the method in both constrained and unconstrained environment.
Design of projection optical system for 3D defect detection on PCB
Authors: Chen Xu , Xu Feng , Ma Suodong
Published: May 2021

According to the practical experience of PCB defect detection in semiconductor industry, a projection optical system suitable for structured light detection device is designed by using a DMD chip. In order to realize the lateral projection of structured light stripe and improve the quality of system projection, the design of tilt back group of projection lens is adopted and the projection size is 57×32mm.The simulation results show that the illumination uniformity of the projection system on the measured surface is more than 85%, the fringe contrast is larger than 0.5, and the maximum height of the measuring device is 5mm, which provides a guarantee for practical application of structured light fringe for 3D defect detection on PCB.
Investigation of the influence of TiO2 distribution on HA/TiO2 composite wetting ability using the dispersant SDBS, high-temperature annealing, and ultrasonication
Authors: Hoang Van Quy , Vu Trung Hieu , Dang Hai Truyen , Kim Moon Il , Bark Chung Wung
Published: May 2021

The use of composites such as hydroxyapatite (HA)/TiO2 in bioapplications has attracted increasing attention in recent years. Herein, for the enhancement wetting ability and biocompatibility, the HA/TiO2 composite was subjected to different treatments to improve nanoparticle (NP) distribution and surface energy with an aim of mitigating nanotoxicity concerns. The treatments included ultrasonication, high-temperature annealing, and addition of a dispersant and surfactant, sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS). Contact angle measurement tests revealed the effect of SDBS addition on the distribution of TiO2 NPs on the HA surface: a decrease in the contact angle and, thus, an increase in the wetting ability of the HA/TiO2 composite were observed. The combination of annealing and SDBS addition treatments allowed for guest TiO2 particles to be uniformly distributed on the surface of the host HA particles, showing a rapid conversion from a hydrophobic to superhydrophilic property. In vitro investigation suggested that the cell viabilities of annealed HA/TiO2, SDBS-added HA/TiO2, and SDBS-added and annealed HA/TiO2 reached 89.7%, 94.7%, and 95.8%, respectively, while those of HA and untreated HA/TiO2 were 80.3% and 86.9%, respectively. The modified composites exhibited lower cytotoxicities than the unmodified systems (HA and HA/TiO2). Furthermore, the cell adhesion behavior of the composites was confirmed through actin-4′,6-Diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining, which showed negligible changes in the cytoskeleton architecture of the cells. This study confirmed that a modified HA/TiO2 composite has potential for bioapplications.
In vitro induction of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) shoot roots and their acclimatization in mycorrhiza-enriched media
Authors: Karyanti  , Khairiyah H , Sukarnih T , Hanifah N F , Rudiyana Y , Wahid A , Mira F R
Published: May 2021

Oil palm is a vegetable oil-producing plant (CPO) which provides the largest foreign exchange contribution compared to other crops and is widely used in food, medicine, cosmetic, and energy industries. Tissue culture technology is currently used to produce quality oil palm seeds. Oil palm shoots tend to grow and develop in clumps (groups) in vitro. Bipolar nature does not appear in all the shoots produced, so to produce plantlets it is necessary to do induction. This research aimed to obtain the right root induction media. A completely randomized design (CRD) with two factors was used with the first factor being the type of auxin (IAA, IBA, and NAA), and the second was the auxin concentration (0, 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 ppm). In the eighth week after planting, the variables of root length, number of leaves, and shoot height were not significantly different except for the root number. The best root induction media for plantlet formation was the MS base medium with the addition of NAA type auxin at a concentration of 0.75 ppm. The plantlets formed a symbiosis with mycorrhiza which was applied at a dose of 4 g per polybag in the fourth month after planting.