Effects of nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms of the KIAA1217, SNTA1 and LTBP1 genes on the growth traits of Ujumqin sheep.

Sheep body size can directly reflect the growth rates and fattening rates of sheep and is also an important index for measuring the growth performance of meat sheep. In this study, high-resolution resequencing data from four sheep breeds (Dorper sheep, Suffolk sheep, Ouessant sheep, and Shetland sheep) were analyzed. The nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms of three candidate genes (KIAA1217, SNTA1, and LTBP1) were also genotyped in 642 healthy Ujumqin sheep using MALDI-TOFMS and the genotyping results were associated with growth traits. The results showed that different genotypes of the KIAA1217 g.24429511T>C locus had significant effects on the chest circumferences of Ujumqin sheep. The SNTA1 g.62222626C>A locus had different effects on the chest depths, shoulder widths and rump widths of Ujumqin sheep. This study showed that these two sites can be used for marker-assisted selection, which will be beneficial for future precision molecular breeding.

Dynamics and functions of E-cadherin complexes in epithelial cell and tissue morphogenesis.

Cell-cell adhesion is at the center of structure and dynamics of epithelial tissue. E-cadherin-catenin complexes mediate Ca2+-dependent trans-homodimerization and constitute the kernel of adherens junctions. Beyond the basic function of cell-cell adhesion, recent progress sheds light the dynamics and interwind interactions of individual E-cadherin-catenin complex with E-cadherin superclusters, contractile actomyosin and mechanics of the cortex and adhesion. The nanoscale architecture of E-cadherin complexes together with cis-interactions and interactions with cortical actomyosin adjust to junctional tension and mechano-transduction by reinforcement or weakening of specific features of the interactions. Although post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation and glycosylation have been implicated, their role for specific aspects of in E-cadherin function has remained unclear. Here, we provide an overview of the E-cadherin complex in epithelial cell and tissue morphogenesis focusing on nanoscale architectures by super-resolution approaches and post-translational modifications from recent, in particular in vivo, studies. Furthermore, we review the computational modelling in E-cadherin complexes and highlight how computational modelling has contributed to a deeper understanding of the E-cadherin complexes.

Morphogenesis: Unstable rods and how genetics tames them.

Rods under mechanical stress are a classic example of dynamic instability. Axis elongation in Drosophila usually leads to a U-shaped axis, but folded or twisted axes are observed in certain mutants. Analysis of these mutants now reveals the source of the instability and the mechanism for maintaining left-right symmetry.

SCPNet-based correction of distorted multi-spots for three-dimensional surface measurement of metal cylindrical shaft parts.

Metal cylindrical shaft parts are critical components in industrial manufacturing that require high standards for roundness error and surface roughness. When using the self-developed multi-beam angle sensor (MBAS) to detect metal cylindrical shaft parts, the distorted multi-spots degrade the measurement accuracy due to the nonlinear distortion caused by the metal material's reflective properties and surface roughness. In this study, we propose a spot coordinate prediction network (SCPNet), which is a deep-learning neural network designed to predict spot coordinates, in combination with Hough circle detection for localization. The singular value decomposition (SVD) model is employed to eliminate the tilt error to achieve high-precision, three-dimensional (3D) surface reconstruction of metal cylindrical shaft parts. The experimental results demonstrate that SCPNet can effectively correct distorted multi-spots, with an average error of the spot center of 0.0612 pixels for ten points. The proposed method was employed to measure metal cylindrical shaft parts with radii of 10 mm, 20 mm, 35 mm, and 50 mm, with resulting standard deviation (STD) values of 0.0022 µm, 0.0026 µm, 0.0028 µm, and 0.0036 µm, respectively.

Polychaetoid/ZO-1 strengthens cell junctions under tension while localizing differently than core adherens junction proteins.

During embryonic development, dramatic cell shape changes and movements reshape the embryonic body plan. These require robust but dynamic linkage between the cell-cell adherens junctions and the force-generating actomyosin cytoskeleton. Our view of this linkage has evolved, and we now realize linkage is mediated by mechanosensitive multiprotein complexes assembled via multivalent connections. Here we combine genetic, cell biological, and modeling approaches to define the mechanism of action and functions of an important player, Drosophila polychaetoid, homologue of mammalian ZO-1. Our data reveal that Pyd reinforces cell junctions under elevated tension, and facilitates cell rearrangements. Pyd is important to maintain junctional contractility and in its absence cell rearrangements stall. We next use structured illumination microscopy to define the molecular architecture of cell-cell junctions during these events. The cadherin-catenin complex and Cno both localize to puncta along the junctional membrane, but are differentially enriched in different puncta. Pyd, in contrast, exhibits a distinct localization to strands that extend out from the region occupied by core junction proteins. We then discuss the implications for the protein network at the junction-cytoskeletal interface, suggesting different proteins localize and function in distinct ways, perhaps in distinct subcomplexes, but combine to produce robust connections.

Polychaetoid/ZO-1 strengthens cell junctions under tension while localizing differently than core adherens junction proteins.

During embryonic development dramatic cell shape changes and movements re-shape the embryonic body plan. These require robust but dynamic linkage between the cell-cell adherens junctions and the force-generating actomyosin cytoskeleton. Our view of this linkage has evolved, and we now realize linkage is mediated by a mechanosensitive multiprotein complex assembled via multivalent connections. Here we combine genetic, cell biological and modeling approaches to define the mechanism of action and functions of an important player, Drosophila Polychaetoid, homolog of mammalian ZO-1. Our data reveal that Pyd reinforces cell junctions under elevated tension, and facilitates cell rearrangements. Pyd is important to maintain junctional contractility and in its absence cell rearrangements stall. We next use structured illumination microscopy to define the molecular architecture of cell-cell junctions during these events. The cadherin-catenin complex and Cno both localize to puncta along the junctional membrane, but are differentially enriched in different puncta. Pyd, in contrast, exhibits a distinct localization to strands that extend out from the region occupied by core junction proteins. We then discuss the implications for the protein network at the junction-cytoskeletal interface, suggesting different proteins localize and function in distinct ways but combine to produce robust connections.

Metal-Stabilized Thiyl Radicals Design Inspired by Elemental Periodic Extension Notion for Ligand-Based Alkene Addition.

Inspired by alkene addition to the Ru and Re tris(thiolate) complexes via carbon-sulfur bond formation/cleavage reactions along with a periodic extension catalysis notion, a comparative study of the electronic structures, mechanisms, and reactivities for ethylene addition to the Os and Tc tris(thiolate) complexes was performed by DFT and high-level ab initio quantum calculations. The oxidized Os and Tc complexes were revealed to exhibit sufficient radical characters on the ligands to support their reaction with ethylene, whereas neutral Tc tris(thiolate) complex featuring little thiyl radical character renders no reactivity toward ethylene. Differential reactivities of these tris(thiolate) complexes was deemed to derive from the synergy of the thiyl radical character, the electronegativity, the row, and the charge. Extending from Ru and Re tris(thiolate) complexes to their Os and Tc counterparts can help us to get insightful rationales that would promote further research on alkene addition to metal-stabilized thiyl radicals.

Deep learning-based weak micro-defect detection on an optical lens surface with micro vision.

To solve limited efficiency and reliability issues caused by current manual quality control processes in optical lens (OL) production environments, we propose an automatic micro vision-based inspection system named MVIS used to capture the surface defect images and make the OL dataset and predictive inference. Because of low resolution and recognition, OL defects are weak, due to their ambiguous morphology and micro size, making a poor detection effect for the existing method. A deep-learning algorithm for a weak micro-defect detector named ISE-YOLO is proposed, making the best for deep layers, utilizing the ISE attention mechanism module in the neck, and introducing a novel class loss function to extract richer semantics from convolution layers and learning more information. Experimental results on the OL dataset show that ISE-YOLO demonstrates a better performance, with the mean average precision, recall, and F1 score increasing by 3.62%, 6.12% and 3.07% respectively, compared to the YOLOv5. In addition, compared with YOLOv7, which is the latest version of YOLO serials, the mean average precision of ISE-YOLO is improved by 2.58%, the weight size is decreased by more than 30% and the speed is increased by 16%.

Src42A is required for E-cadherin dynamics at cell junctions during Drosophila axis elongation.

Src kinases are important regulators of cell adhesion. Here, we have explored the function of Src42A in junction remodelling during Drosophila gastrulation. Src42A is required for tyrosine phosphorylation at bicellular (bAJ) and tricellular (tAJ) junctions in germband cells, and localizes to hotspots of mechanical tension. The role of Src42A was investigated using maternal RNAi and CRISPR-Cas9-induced germline mosaics. We find that, during cell intercalations, Src42A is required for the contraction of junctions at anterior-posterior cell interfaces. The planar polarity of E-cadherin is compromised and E-cadherin accumulates at tricellular junctions after Src42A knockdown. Furthermore, we show that Src42A acts in concert with Abl kinase, which has also been implicated in cell intercalations. Our data suggest that Src42A is involved in two related processes: in addition to establishing tension generated by the planar polarity of MyoII, it may also act as a signalling factor at tAJs to control E-cadherin residence time.

Hollow cylindrical linear stator vibrator using a traveling wave of longitudinal axisymmetric vibration mode.

Ultrasonic motors (USMs) are expected to be used in special environments: high magnetic field environments and space environments, which require lightweight and multiple degrees of freedom. However, when used as linear ultrasonic motors (LUSMs), a linear guide and a preload mechanism are required, complicating the structure. In the present paper, a hollow cylindrical linear stator without an extra linear guide has been considered. The stator consists of a metal pipe and two piezoelectric (PZT) tubes installed at both ends of the metal pipe. Their connected parts are tapered for the first longitudinal axisymmetric vibration mode of the cylinder, namely L(0,1) mode excitation, and the metal pipe is subjected to radial strain. The vibration of the stator is assumed to be one-dimensional and is modeled by an electromechanical equivalent circuit. The principle that the traveling wave is formed on the metal pipe by dual-PZT-tube phase difference excitation was clarified. Finite element analysis and some measurements were conducted to confirm that the theory was consistent. The analyses and measurements were in good agreement. Therefore, the operating principle was confirmed. The results of the transport experiment showed that the average speed of the 8.5-g slider was 7.9 mm/s.

Phononic-Crystal-Based Particle Sieving in Continuous Flow: Numerical Simulations.

Sieving specific particles from mixed samples is of great value in fields such as biochemistry and additive manufacturing. In this study, a particle sieving method for microfluidics was proposed based on a phononic crystal plate (PCP), the mechanism of which originates from the competition between the trapping effect of the resonant PCP-induced acoustic radiation force (ARF), disturbance effect of acoustic streaming (AS), and flushing effect of the continuous inlet flow on particles suspended in microfluidic channels. Specifically, particles with different sizes could be separated under inlet flow conditions owing to ARF and AS drag forces as functions of the particle diameter, incident acoustic pressure, and driving frequency. Furthermore, a comprehensive numerical analysis was performed to investigate the impacts of ARF, AS, and inlet flow conditions on the particle motion and sieving efficiency, and to explore proper operating parameters, including the acoustic pressure and inlet flow velocity. It was found that, for each inlet flow velocity, there was an optimal acoustic pressure allowing us to achieve the maximum sieving efficiency, but the sieving efficiency at a low flow velocity was not as good as that at a high flow velocity. Although a PCP with a high resonant frequency could weaken the AS, thereby suiting the sieving of small particles (<5 µm), a low channel height corresponding to a high frequency limits the throughput. Therefore, it is necessary to design a PCP with a suitable resonant frequency based on the size of the particles to be sieved. This investigation can provide guidance for the design of massive acoustic sorting mi-crofluidic devices based on phononic crystals or acoustic metamaterials under continuous flow.

Optochemical Control of Cell Contractility in Drosophila Embryos.

Cell shape changes based on actomyosin contractility provide a driving force in tissue morphogenesis. The temporally and spatially coordinated constrictions of many cells result in changes in tissue morphology. Given the networks of complex and mutual cellular interactions, the mechanisms underlying the emergence in tissue behavior are challenging to pinpoint. Important in the analysis of such interactions are novel methods for noninvasive interference with single-cell resolution and sub-minute timescale temporal control. Here we characterize an optochemical approach of Ca2+ uncaging to control cell contractility in Drosophila embryos. We describe in detail the method of sample preparation, microinjection, Ca2+ uncaging, and data analysis.

High abundance of CDC45 inhibits cell proliferation through elevation of HSPA6.

OBJECTIVES: CDC45 is the core component of CMG (CDC45-MCMs-GINS) complex that plays important role in the initial step of DNA replication in eukaryotic cells. The expression level of cdc45 is under the critical control for the accurate cell cycle progression. Loss-of-function of cdc45 has been demonstrated to inhibit cell proliferation and leads to cell death due to the inhibition of DNA replication and G1-phase arrest. An increasing of CDC45 inhibits cell proliferation as well. Nevertheless, a systematic analysis of the effect of high dose of CDC45 on cell physiology and behaviors is unclear. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects and mechanisms of high dose of CDC45 on cell behaviors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We overexpressed cdc45 in cultured cell lines, Ciona and Drosophila embryos, respectively. The cell cycle progression was examined by the BrdU incorporation experiment, flow cytometry and PH3 (phospho-Histone 3) staining. RNA-sequencing analysis and qRT-PCR were carried out to screen the affected genes in HeLa cells overexpressing cdc45. siRNA-mediated knockdown was performed to investigate gene functions in HeLa cells overexpressing cdc45. RESULTS: We found that high level of cdc45 from different species (human, mammal, ascidian, and Drosophila) inhibited cell cycle in vitro and in vivo. High dose of CDC45 blocks cells entering into S phase. However, we failed to detect DNA damage and cell apoptosis. We identified hspa6 was the most upregulated gene in HeLa cells overexpressing cdc45 via RNA-seq analysis and qRT-PCR validation. Overexpression of Hs-hspa6 inhibited proliferation rate and DNA replication in HeLa cells, mimicking the phenotype of cdc45 overexpression. RNAi against hspa6 partially rescued the cell proliferation defect caused by high dose of CDC45. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that high abundance of CDC45 stops cell cycle. Instead of inducing apoptosis, excessive CDC45 prevents cell entering S phase probably due to promoting hspa6 expression.

The Lateral Epidermis Actively Counteracts Pulling by the Amnioserosa During Dorsal Closure.

Dorsal closure is a prominent morphogenetic process during Drosophila embryogenesis, which involves two epithelial tissues, that is, the squamous amnioserosa and the columnar lateral epidermis. Non-muscle myosin II-driven constriction in the amnioserosa leads to a decrease in the apical surface area and pulls on the adjacent lateral epidermis, which subsequently moves dorsally. The pull by the amnioserosa becomes obvious in an elongation of the epidermal cells, especially of those in the first row. The contribution of the epidermal cell elongation has remained unclear to dorsal closure. Cell elongation may be a mere passive consequence or an active response to the pulling by the amnioserosa. Here, we found that the lateral epidermis actively responds. We analyzed tensions within tissues and cell junctions by laser ablation before and during dorsal closure, the elliptical and dorsal closure stages, respectively. Furthermore, we genetically and optochemically induced chronic and acute cell contraction, respectively. In this way, we found that tension in the epidermis increased during dorsal closure. A correspondingly increased tension was not observed at individual junctions, however. Junctional tension even decreased during dorsal closure in the epidermis. We strikingly observed a strong increase of the microtubule amount in the epidermis, while non-muscle myosin II increased in both tissues. Our data suggest that the epidermis actively antagonizes the pull from the amnioserosa during dorsal closure and the increased microtubules might help the epidermis bear part of the mechanical force.

A Real-Time Monitoring Method for Civil Aircraft Take-Off and Landing Based on Synthetic Aperture Microwave Radiation Technology.

It is important to monitor the take-off and landing of civil aircraft using passive detection methods. Due to the strict aircraft safety requirements and the electromagnetic environment around an airport, using too many active detection methods should be avoided. Using an aircraft's microwave radiation signal detection is very advantageous because it does not actively emit signals and has a strong cloud penetration, suitable for all-weather observation. This paper introduces a synthetic aperture microwave radiation system for monitoring the take-off and landing of civil aircraft, which is characterized by real-time two-dimensional imaging, and the image refresh rate can reach 10 ms, which meets the high refresh rate requirements for aircraft imaging. Applicable system parameters and antenna array distribution scheme and imaging algorithm are given. Then the paper focuses on the error analysis and correction method of the system. The correction method is simple and fast, which avoids the disadvantage that the error needs to be corrected regularly in the laboratory environment, and is suitable for airport application. Finally, the simulation and experimental results show that this technology can be used for real-time monitoring of civil aircraft during take-off and landing, and it is a practical means to assisting landing.

Optimization of gratings in a diffractive waveguide using relative-direction-cosine diagrams.

Designing diffractive waveguides for head-mounted displays requires wide-angle conical diffraction analysis of multiple gratings. In this work, diffractive waveguide design using the relative direction cosine space, which extends the direction cosine space to a relative space involving refractive indices and can describe grating diffraction through various media, is demonstrated. A diffractive waveguide was fabricated with grating periods of 382 and 270 nm, which generated a monochromatic virtual image image in green light (520 nm). The maximum field of view was measured as 39° with 0.5° deviation from the center of view.

Ion Channels in Epithelial Dynamics and Morphogenesis.

Mechanosensitive ion channels mediate the neuronal sensation of mechanical signals such as sound, touch, and pain. Recent studies point to a function of these channel proteins in cell types and tissues in addition to the nervous system, such as epithelia, where they have been little studied, and their role has remained elusive. Dynamic epithelia are intrinsically exposed to mechanical forces. A response to pull and push is assumed to constitute an essential part of morphogenetic movements of epithelial tissues, for example. Mechano-gated channels may participate in sensing and responding to such forces. In this review, focusing on Drosophila, we highlight recent results that will guide further investigations concerned with the mechanistic role of these ion channels in epithelial cells.

Evaluation method for acoustic underwater propulsion systems.

Acoustic underwater propulsion systems based on bulk acoustic waves and surface acoustic waves have been studied. In this study, an acoustic propulsion system that consists of a 2.065-MHz thickness-vibration-mode lead-zirconate-titanate ultrasonic transducer is evaluated. A prototype swimmer is designed and fabricated. The admittance difference of the transducer in water and air is investigated. The vibration amplitude of the transducer is measured to evaluate transducer performance. The acoustic radiation force is calculated to describe acoustic propulsion. The zero-speed propulsion (ZSP) force and no-load speed (NLS) are measured in water. Swimmer movement starts at a NLS of 6.1 mm/s and a ZSP force of 0.2 mN for an input voltage and input power of 12.4 V peak to peak and 0.4 W, respectively. Although the average efficiency of the acoustic propulsion system is 69% in water, the overall movement efficiency of the swimmer is less than 1% because of fluid resistance and wire traction. Based on admittance, acoustic propulsion calculations, ZSP force, NLS measurements, and efficiency analysis, an evaluation method is proposed for optimizing swimmers with an acoustic underwater propulsion system. Small size, high power density, and simple structure of an acoustic propulsion system with an ultrasonic transducer make such systems suitable for applications such as pipeline inspection and repair.

The Emergent Yo-yo Movement of Nuclei Driven by Cytoskeletal Remodeling in Pseudo-synchronous Mitotic Cycles.

Many aspects in tissue morphogenesis are attributed to a collective behavior of the participating cells. Yet, the mechanism for emergence of dynamic tissue behavior is not well understood. Here, we report that the "yo-yo"-like nuclear movement in the Drosophila syncytial embryo displays emergent features indicative of collective behavior. Following mitosis, the array of nuclei moves away from the wave front by several nuclear diameters only to return to its starting position about 5 min later. Based on experimental manipulations and numerical simulations, we find that the ensemble of elongating and isotropically oriented spindles, rather than individual spindles, is the main driving force for anisotropic nuclear movement. ELMO-dependent F-actin restricts the time for the forward movement and ELMO- and dia-dependent F-actin is essential for the return movement. Our study provides insights into how the interactions among the cytoskeleton as individual elements lead to collective movement of the nuclear array on a macroscopic scale.

Planar Cell Polarity and E-Cadherin in Tissue-Scale Shape Changes in Drosophila Embryos.

Planar cell polarity and anisotropic cell behavior play critical roles in large-scale epithelial morphogenesis, homeostasis, wound repair, and regeneration. Cell-Cell communication and mechano-transduction in the second to minute scale mediated by E-cadherin complexes play a central role in the coordination and self-organization of cellular activities, such as junction dynamics, cell shape changes, and cell rearrangement. Here we review the current understanding in the interplay of cell polarity and cell dynamics during body axis elongation and dorsal closure in Drosophila embryos with a focus on E-cadherin dynamics in linking cell and tissue polarization and tissue-scale shape changes.