The Morphological Transformation of the Thorax during the Eclosion of Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae).

The model organism Drosophila melanogaster, as a species of Holometabola, undergoes a series of transformations during metamorphosis. To deeply understand its development, it is crucial to study its anatomy during the key developmental stages. We describe the anatomical systems of the thorax, including the endoskeleton, musculature, nervous ganglion, and digestive system, from the late pupal stage to the adult stage, based on micro-CT and 3D visualizations. The development of the endoskeleton causes original and insertional changes in muscles. Several muscles change their shape during development in a non-uniform manner with respect to both absolute and relative size; some become longer and broader, while others shorten and become narrower. Muscular shape may vary during development. The number of muscular bundles also increases or decreases. Growing muscles are probably anchored by the tissues in the stroma. Some muscles and tendons are absent in the adult stage, possibly due to the hardened sclerites. Nearly all flight muscles are present by the third day of the pupal stage, which may be due to the presence of more myofibers with enough mitochondria to support flight power. There are sexual differences in the same developmental period. In contrast to the endodermal digestive system, the functions of most thoracic muscles change in the development from the larva to the adult in order to support more complex locomotion under the control of a more structured ventral nerve cord based on the serial homology proposed herein.

Effects of square spatial periodic forcing on oscillatory hexagon patterns in coupled reaction-diffusion systems.

One of the central issues in pattern formation is understanding the response of pattern-forming systems to an external stimulus. While significant progress has been made in systems with only one instability, much less is known about the response of complex patterns arising from the interaction of two or more instabilities. In this paper, we consider the effects of square spatial periodic forcing on oscillatory hexagon patterns in a two-layer coupled reaction diffusion system which undergoes both Turing and Hopf instabilities. Two different types of additive forcings, namely direct and indirect forcing, have been applied. It is shown that the coupled system exhibits different responses towards the spatial forcing under different forcing types. In the indirect case, the oscillatory hexagon pattern transitions into other oscillatory Turing patterns or resonant Turing patterns, depending on the forcing wavenumber and strength. In the direct forcing case, only non-resonant Turing patterns can be obtained. Our results may provide new insight into the modification and control of spatio-temporal patterns in multilayered systems, especially in biological and ecological systems.

The morphology and spectral characteristics of the compound eye of Agasicleshygrophila (Selman & Vogt, 1971) (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, Alticini).

The first exploratory study was conducted on the compound eye morphology and spectral characteristics of Agasicleshygrophila (Selman & Vogt, 1971) to clarify its eye structure and its spectral sensitivity. Scanning electron microscopy, paraffin sectioning, and transmission electron microscopy revealed that A.hygrophila has apposition compound eyes with both eucones and open rhabdom. The micro-computed tomography (CT) results after 3D reconstruction demonstrated the precise position of the compound eyes in the insect's head and suggested that the visual range was mainly concentrated in the front and on both sides of the head. The electroretinogram (ERG) experiment showed that red, yellow, green, blue, and ultraviolet light could stimulate the compound eyes of A.hygrophila to produce electrical signals. The behavioural experiment results showed that both males and females had the strongest phototaxis to yellow light and positive phototaxis to red, green, and blue light but negative phototaxis to UV light. This study of the compound eyes of A.hygrophila will be helpful for decoding its visual mechanism in future studies.

Subaxial Cervical Pedicular Screw Insertion via the Nonanatomic Axis: Identification of Entry Point and Trajectory Based on a Radiographic Study and Workshop.

STUDY DESIGN: A radiological study and workshop. OBJECTIVE: To propose a novel technique for subaxial cervical pedicle screw (CPS) insertion via the nonanatomic axis (nAA) and identify a new entry point (EP) and trajectory based on a radiological study. METHODS: The new EP was determined to be the center of the upper half of the lateral mass, and the nAA was defined as the line connecting the EP and center of the pedicle. CT images of 493 subaxial cervical pedicles from 51 adults were utilized. The pedicle axis length (PAL/nPAL), pedicle transverse angle (PTA/nPTA), sagittal and transverse pedicle screw depth ratio (S-DO, T-DO), and sagittal and transverse angles (S-angle, T-angle) were measured in the anatomical axis (AA) and nAA. nAA-CPS insertions were conducted on dry specimens, and the positions of the screws were graded. RESULTS: The nPTA (22.35° ± 1.57°), nPAL (23.75 ± 2.07 mm), T-DO (45.61% ± 3.10%), and S-DO (70.46% ± 4.44%) of the nAA-CPS were significantly different from the PTA (41.86° ± 2.77°), PAL (31.98 ± 2.40 mm), T-DO and S-DO of the AA-CPS (both 100% in ideal conditions), respectively (P < .05). The T-angle and S-angle were 92.78° ± 3.07° and 92.18° ± 3.78°, respectively. A constant EP and consistent trajectory of the nAA-CPS identified by 2 perpendicular angles were summarized and utilized as the manipulation protocols of the workshop, and a perfect position was achieved in 80.00% (24/30) of screws. CONCLUSION: The nAA-CPS is a novel alternative to the classic CPS technique. A constant entry point and 2 perpendicular angles in the sagittal and transverse planes for identifying the trajectory of the nAA-CPS should be taken into account in the establishment of a manipulation protocol.

Moisture-Accelerated Precursor Crystallisation in Ambient Air for High-Performance Perovskite Solar Cells toward Mass Production.

Phase-pure crystallised perovskite is considered an excellent precursor for fabricating high-stability perovskite films with minimal defects. However, currently available protocols for synthesising crystallised perovskites must be conducted in an inert atmosphere or in the presence of an organic solvent as the reaction medium, which hinders mass production. Here, we report the fast synthesis of α-phase-crystallised perovskite powder assisted by moisture in ambient air. Moisture can promote the reaction between PbI2 and organic salts and facilitate complete phase transition, as demonstrated in a joint experimental and theoretical study. Perovskite solar cells with a power conversion efficiency of 24.07 % were achieved using phase-pure crystallised perovskite powder as the precursor. This ambient-air-compatible method opens new vistas to reproducible high-quality precursors for large-scale photovoltaic applications.

Modified lumbar foraminoplasty using a power-aided reciprocating burr for percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic lumbar discectomy: A technical note and clinical report.

Background: One of the main difficulties in a transforaminal endoscopic lumbar discectomy (TELD), and simultaneously the most critical step, is performing an effective and safe foraminoplasty, which is especially difficult for beginners. To make it safer and faster for beginners to perform, we have used a specially designed power-aided reciprocating burr for TELD and reported the technical details. Methods: From Jan. 2019 to Nov. 2022, 432 patients with single-level, symptomatic L4/5 or L5/S1 disc herniation were treated with TELD using a novel power-aided reciprocating burr. The surgical procedure is described in detail. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed the following day and 3 months after the operation. The learning curves of surgeons with different seniority levels are displayed. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were used to measure low back pain, leg pain, and lumbar function. All patients were followed up for at least 1 year. Results: All patients underwent endoscopic surgery successfully. Among the 432 patients, radicular outer membrane damage was observed in 6 cases, and 1 case had hernia of the nerve tract. Except for this patient with aggravation of postoperative numbness, the postoperative neurological symptoms of all patients were significantly improved. The mean VAS scores for low back pain and leg pain and ODI scores were significantly decreased 6 w post-operatively and were maintained until 12 months post-operatively compared to preoperative scores (P < 0.05). All three doctors involved in the study had substantial experience in traditional open spinal surgery. The more operations all three surgeons completed, the more time spent on intervertebral foraminoplasty decreased (P < 0.05). Among them, doctors without experience in TELD surgery became proficient in this technique after accumulating experience in 13 cases. There was no significant difference in foraminoplasty time among these three surgeons during the same growing period (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Current clinical data demonstrated the safety and efficacy of modified TELD using a power-aided reciprocating burr for treating lumbar disc herniation (LDH) and showed that this technique significantly reduces the learning curve for beginners when performing foraminoplasty.

Polycation-Carbon Nanohybrids with Superior Rough Hollow Morphology for the NIR-II Responsive Multimodal Therapy.

Polymer-inorganic hybrid nanomaterials have attracted much attention for the multimodal cancer therapy, while it is still desirable to explore hybrids with superior morphologies for two or more therapeutic modalities. In this work, four types of carbon nanoparticles with distinct morphologies were prepared by an elaborate template-carbonization corrosion process and then functionalized with a similar amount of the superior polycationic gene vector, CD-PGEA [consisting of one ß-cyclodextrin core (CD) and two cationic ethanolamine-functionalized poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGEA) arms] to evaluate the morphology-influenced gene and photothermal (PT) therapy. Benefiting from the starting rough hollow nanosphere (RHNS) core, the resultant nanohybrids RHNS-PGEA exhibited the highest gene transfection (including luciferase, fluorescent protein plasmid, and antioncogene p53) and NIR PT conversion efficiency among the four types of nanohybrids. Moreover, the efficient PT effect endowed RHNS-PGEA with PA imaging enhancement and an effective imaging guide for the tumor therapy. In addition, anticancer drug 10-hydroxy camptothecin was successfully encapsulated in RHNS with polycation coating, which also displayed the second near-infrared (NIR-II)-responsive drug release. Taking advantages of the superior gene delivery/PT effect and NIR-II-enhanced drug delivery, RHNS-PGEA realized a remarkable therapeutic effect of trimodal gene/PT/chemotherapy of malignant breast cancer treatment in vitro and in vivo. The present work offers a promising approach for the rational design of polymer-inorganic nanohybrids with superior morphology for the multimodal cancer therapy.

Back Pain-Inducing Test, a Novel and Sensitive Screening Test for Painful Osteoporotic Vertebral Fractures: A Prospective Clinical Study.

To detect painful vertebral fractures (VFs) in back pain populations at risk of osteoporosis, we designed a physical examination test (the Back Pain-Inducing Test [BPIT]) that included three movements: lying supine, rolling over, and sitting up. If back pain is induced during any of these movements, the result is defined as positive, thereby establishing a presumptive diagnosis of painful VFs. Pain severity is quantified using a self-reported numerical rating scale (NRS). The presence or absence of painful VFs is verified by whole-spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the gold standard for final diagnosis. According to the standards for reporting diagnostic accuracy, a real-world, prospective, and observational study was performed on 510 back pain patients (enrolled from a single institute) at risk of osteoporosis. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the BPIT for identifying painful VFs were 99.1% (95% CI, 97.5% to 99.8%), 67.9% (95% CI, 60.4% to 74.5%), and 89.0%, respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 86.6% (95% CI, 82.9% to 89.6%) and 97.4% (95% CI, 92.6% to 99.3%), respectively. Cutoff NRS scores for lying supine, rolling over, and sitting up were 3, 0, and 2, respectively. The corresponding area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROCs) of each movement was 0.898 (95% CI, 0.868 to 0.922), 0.884 (95% CI, 0.854 to 0.911), and 0.910 (95% CI, 0.882 to 0.933), respectively. Although the high prevalence of VFs in the enrolled cohort partially limits the external validity of the predictive value in the general population, we conclude that the BPIT is potentially effective for detecting painful VFs in back pain populations at risk of osteoporosis. This test may be used as a stratification tool in decision-making on subsequent imaging procedures: a negative BPIT rules out painful VFs and indicates that an MRI should be spared, whereas a positive BPIT means that an MRI is necessary and is likely to identify painful VFs. © 2019 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

LRRFIP1 expression triggers platelet agglutination by enhancing αIIbß3 expression.

Platelets primarily participate in hemostasis and antimicrobial host defense. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of leucine-rich repeat flightless-interacting protein-1 (LRRFIP1) on platelet agglutination. The bacterial strain of LRRFIP1 was used to synthesize the recombinant protein and a mouse model of LRRFIP1 gene knockout was established. Platelets were isolated from the mice and divided into the different trial groups according to their treatment with collagen, thrombin receptor SFLLRN, anti-wild-type (w)LRRFIP1monoclonal antibodies and the model of LRRFIP1 gene knockout. The platelets were prepared and platelet agglutination was examined using platelet aggregation apparatus. The active αIIbß3 integrin was examined by flow cytometry. The results revealed that the combined wLRRFIP1 protein was successfully expressed. wLRRFIP1 treatment significantly triggered platelet agglutination of collagen, thrombin and monoclonal antibody treated platelets. wLRRFIP1 knockout significantly decreased αIIbß3 levels compared with the wild-type. Platelet agglutination was also significantly inhibited in the LRRFIP1-/-mouse model compared with the wild-type. LRRFIP1 knockout significantly decreased the αIIbß3 levels in platelets undergoing convulxin treatment. In conclusion, LRRFIP1 treatment triggered platelet agglutination and LRRFIP1 gene knockout inhibited platelet agglutination. In addition, LRRFIP1 gene knockout significantly decreased the levels of αIIbß3. This suggests that LRRFIP1 my be applied to patients in a clinical setting to trigger platelet agglutination in inflammatory diseases and atherothrombotic diseases.

Imbalanced development of anterior and posterior thorax is a causative factor triggering scoliosis.

OBJECTIVE: Scoliosis is a common disease characterized by spinal curvature with variable severities. There is no generally accepted theory about the physical origin of the spinal deformation of scoliosis. The aim of this study was to explore a new hypothesis suggesting that the curvatures in scoliosis may be associated with the imbalance growth between thoracic vertebral column and sternum. METHODS: We undertook a comparative computed tomography (CT) based morphology study of thoracic vertebrae and sternum of patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) and age-gender matched normal subjects. We further measured the ratios between the lengths of the sternum and thoracic vertebra of mice with deficiency of fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3), which exhibit scoliosis. Three-week-old C57BL/6J mice were used to generate bipedal and sternal growth plate injury model. Radiographs and histological images were obtained to observe the presence of sternal and spinal deformity. RESULTS: There was a significant correlation between the severities of scoliosis and the ratios of the sternum to thoracic vertebral lengths. We also found that FGFR3 deficient mice showed smaller ratio of the sternum to thoracic vertebra lengths than that of the wild-type mice, which were similar with that of the AIS patients. Surgery-induced injuries of sternal growth plates can accelerate and aggravate the scoliosis in bipedal mice and imbalanced development of anterior and posterior thoracic occurred before the appearance of scoliosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the imbalanced growth between the thoracic vertebral column and the sternum is an important causative factor for the pathogenesis of scoliosis including AIS. THE TRANSLATIONAL POTENTIAL OF THIS ARTICLE: Imbalanced growth between the thoracic vertebral column and the sternum is associated with scoliosis. Surgical or rehabilitation intervention for scoliosis should focus on all components involved in the pathogenesis of curvature to obtain better outcome.

Identification and function analysis of drought-specific small RNAs in Gossypium hirsutum L.

Cotton production is severely constrained by drought, especially if encountered during the seedling stage or the fiber initiation and elongation stage, but the regulatory mechanisms underlying the effects of drought remain unclear. Therefore, characterization and functional analysis of microRNA-mediated stress regulatory networks are critical to deciphering plant drought response. In this study, 357, 379 and 377 miRNAs with annotations were obtained using the drought-resistant cotton variety ZhongH177 under three treatments, CK, drought and re-watering, and divided into 73 miRNA families with varying copy numbers from 1 to 24. 136 differential expressed genes (DEGs) with significant expression changes were found, of which only 33 DEGs were upregulated, while 103 DEGs were downregulated under drought stress. However, most DEGs recovered their initial expression states when the plants were re-watered. In total, 2657 targets were identified and found to be mainly enriched in the pathways plant-pathogen interaction, plant hormone signal transduction and biosynthesis of amino acids. Drought tolerance was significantly enhanced in 2 transgenic Arabidopsis lines, showing that miRNAs were involved in cotton drought response. Analysis of the expression patterns of 2 miRNA precursors and methylation alterations of 2 targets suggested that these miRNAs or miRNA precursors may be involved in the regulation of target methylation states. Our study provides evidence of transcriptional responses to drought stress, which will be helpful for the research of drought-resistance mechanisms in the future.

"Rule of Spence" and Dickman's Classification of Transverse Atlantal Ligament Injury Revisited: Discrepancy of Prediction on Atlantoaxial Stability Based on Clinical Outcome of Nonoperative Treatment for Atlas Fractures.

Detailed clinical information of 13 adult patients with acute atlantal fractures underwent nonoperative treatment was retrospectively studied. "Rule of Spence" was found inaccurate in predicting either integrity of transverse atlantal ligament (TAL) or atlantoaxial stability, whereas Dickman's classification of TAL injury was more superior to "rule of Spence" on both prediction. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prediction accuracy of "Rule of Spence" and Dickman's classification of the transverse atlantal ligament (TAL) injury on clinical outcomes (mainly focused on atlantoaxial stability) of atlas fractures treated nonoperatively. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: TAL is regarded as primary stabilizer of the atlantoaxial complex. Atlas fractures are categorized as unstable and stable according to TAL injury or not. "Rule of Spence" and Dickman's classification have been widely used to evaluate the integrity of TAL indirectly or directly. However, there is controversy about how to interpret and apply these image measures appropriately in treatment decision making, and comparing the two measures in same cohort has been lack. METHODS: From January 2013 to December 2015, 13 adult patients with atlas fractures, treated nonoperatively at acute posttraumatic phase and followed up for at least 2 years, were enrolled in the study. Lateral mass offset (LMO) and TAL injury were measured by radiography. Atlantoaxial stability, pain in occipital region, limitation of cervical motion, neurological dysfunction, and quality of daily life were evaluated as clinical outcomes. RESULTS: LMO less than 6.9 mm was inaccurate either to exclud TAL injury (4/8, 50% failed) or to predict clinical outcomes (2/8, 25% failed), whereas LMO greater than 6.9 mm was accurate to determine TAL injury (5/5, 100% succeeded) but not to predict atlantoaxial stability (4/5, 80% failed). Two cases with Dickman's classification type I injury (100%) failed to restore C1-2 stability and six of seven type II (85.7%) succeeded. Three patients were indicated for fusion surgery due to instability, and one due to traumatic arthritis. Overall clinical outcomes were satisfactory as pain and quality of life were considered. CONCLUSION: Dickman's classification of TAL injury is of higher superiority to "Rule of Spence" in term of the accuracy of predicting atlantoaxial stability of nonoperatively treated atlas fractures. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.

A retrospective study. To evaluate the prediction accuracy of "Rule of Spence" and Dickman's classification of the transverse atlantal ligament (TAL) injury on clinical outcomes (mainly focused on atlantoaxial stability) of atlas fractures treated nonoperatively. TAL is regarded as primary stabilizer of the atlantoaxial complex. Atlas fractures are categorized as unstable and stable according to TAL injury or not. "Rule of Spence" and Dickman's classification have been widely used to evaluate the integrity of TAL indirectly or directly. However, there is controversy about how to interpret and apply these image measures appropriately in treatment decision making, and comparing the two measures in same cohort has been lack. From January 2013 to December 2015, 13 adult patients with atlas fractures, treated nonoperatively at acute posttraumatic phase and followed up for at least 2 years, were enrolled in the study. Lateral mass offset (LMO) and TAL injury were measured by radiography. Atlantoaxial stability, pain in occipital region, limitation of cervical motion, neurological dysfunction, and quality of daily life were evaluated as clinical outcomes. LMO less than 6.9 mm was inaccurate either to exclud TAL injury (4/8, 50% failed) or to predict clinical outcomes (2/8, 25% failed), whereas LMO greater than 6.9 mm was accurate to determine TAL injury (5/5, 100% succeeded) but not to predict atlantoaxial stability (4/5, 80% failed). Two cases with Dickman's classification type I injury (100%) failed to restore C1-2 stability and six of seven type II (85.7%) succeeded. Three patients were indicated for fusion surgery due to instability, and one due to traumatic arthritis. Overall clinical outcomes were satisfactory as pain and quality of life were considered. Dickman's classification of TAL injury is of higher superiority to "Rule of Spence" in term of the accuracy of predicting atlantoaxial stability of nonoperatively treated atlas fractures. Level of Evidence: 4.

Resequencing of cv CRI-12 family reveals haplotype block inheritance and recombination of agronomically important genes in artificial selection.

Although efforts have been taken to exploit diversity for yield and quality improvements, limited progress on using beneficial alleles in domesticated and undomesticated cotton varieties is limited. Given the complexity and limited amount of genomic information since the completion of four cotton genomes, characterizing significant variations and haplotype block inheritance under artificial selection has been challenging. Here we sequenced Gossypium hirsutum L. cv CRI-12 (the cotton variety with the largest acreage in China), its parental cultivars, and progeny cultivars, which were bred by the different institutes in China. In total, 3.3 million SNPs were identified and 118, 126 and 176 genes were remarkably correlated with Verticillium wilt, salinity and drought tolerance in CRI-12, respectively. Transcriptome-wide analyses of gene expression, and functional annotations, have provided support for the identification of genes tied to these tolerances. We totally discovered 58 116 haplotype blocks, among which 23 752 may be inherited and 1029 may be recombined under artificial selection. This survey of genetic diversity identified loci that may have been subject to artificial selection and documented the haplotype block inheritance and recombination, shedding light on the genetic mechanism of artificial selection and guiding breeding efforts for the genetic improvement of cotton.

High Response, Self-Powered Photodetector Based on the Monolayer MoS2/P-Si Heterojunction with Asymmetric Electrodes.

Here, a self-powered photodetector based on the monolayer MoS2/P-Si heterojunction with asymmetric electrodes was fabricated. The MoS2/p-Si heterojunction photodetector with asymmetric electrodes offers the advantages over the conventional heterojunction photodetector on optoelectronic applications in terms of strong built-in electric field and fast photogenerated carrier separation and transport. Significantly, the MoS2/P-Si heterojunction exhibited an obvious photovoltaic effect, which can be used as the self-powered photodetector operating without any bias voltage. At a voltage bias of 0 V, the photocurrent of the detector is 23 nA, and its photoresponse/recovery time is 84 ms/136 ms. When at bias, the detector shows a ratio of photocurrent to dark current up to 3120, high responsivity of 117 A W-1, and fast photoresponse/recovery time of 74 ms/115 ms. Our work illustrates the great potential of the MoS2/P-Si heterojunction device with asymmetric electrodes on photovoltaic applications.

High-mobility group box 1 facilitates migration of neural stem cells via receptor for advanced glycation end products signaling pathway.

High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) facilitates neural stem cells (NSCs) proliferation and differentiation into neuronal linage. However, the effect of HMGB1 on NSCs migration is still elusive. The present study is to investigate the corelation between HMGB1 and NSCs migration and the potential mechanism. The results indicated that 1 ng/ml HMGB1 promoted NSCs proliferation using CCK8 assays. Moreover, data showed that 1 ng/ml HMGB1 facilitated NSCs migration via filopodia formation using phase-contrast and transwell assays. Furthermore, 1 ng/ml HMGB1 upregulated the expression of RAGE, one of the HMGB1 receptor, using western blotting assays and immunofluorescence staining. In addition, 1 ng/ml HMGB1 increased the percentage of filopodia formation using phalloidin staining. Meanwhile, the enhanced migration effect could be abrogated by 50 nM FPS-ZM1, one of the RAGE antagonist, and RAGE-specific siRNA through immunofluorescence and phalloidin staining. Together, our data demonstrate that HMGB1/RAGE axis facilitates NSCs migration via promoting filopodia formation, which might serve as a candidate for central nervous system (CNS) injury treatment and/or a preconditioning method for NSCs implantation.

Calcium carbonate-methylene blue nanohybrids for photodynamic therapy and ultrasound imaging.

Photodynamic therapy plays an important role in cancer treatment. In this work, methylene blue (MB)-embedded calcium carbonate nanorods (CaCO3-MB NRs) have been synthesized for pH-responsive photodynamic therapy and ultrasound imaging. The morphology of CaCO3-MB NRs can be controlled by modulating the concentration of Na2CO3 aqueous solution. The generation of effective reactive oxygen species (ROS) were confirmed by 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran (DPBF) probe. Both photodynamic therapy performance and echogenic performance of CaCO3-MB NRs were investigated to confirm the feasibility of CaCO3-MB nanohybrids for ultrasound image-guided photodynamic therapy.

A complex pattern with hexagonal lattice and white-eye stripe in dielectric barrier discharge.

A novel type of white-eye pattern in a dielectric barrier discharge system has been investigated in this paper. It is a superposition of a hexagonal lattice and a white-eye stripe in appearance and evolves from a white-eye square grid state with the applied voltage increasing. Its spatio-temporal dynamics obtained by an intensified charge-coupled device shows that it consists of three transient rectangular sublattices. The spatiotemporally resolved evolutions of the molecular vibrational temperature and electron density of the pattern are measured by optical emission spectra. The evolution of surface charge distribution is given and its effect on the self-organized pattern formation is discussed.

Transplantation of hypoxic preconditioned neural stem cells benefits functional recovery via enhancing neurotrophic secretion after spinal cord injury in rats.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a debilitating, costly, and common pathological condition that affects the function of central nervous system (CNS). To date, there are few promising therapeutic strategies available for SCI. To look for a suitable therapeutic strategy, we have developed a sublethal hypoxic preconditioning procedure using Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis, LDH releasing, and cell viability assays in vitro. Meanwhile, we have examined the benefits of neural stem cells (NSCs) transplantation prior to hypoxic preconditioning on functional recovery and potential mechanism via MRI screening, H&E, and Nissl staining, immunofluorescence staining and Elisa assays. Our data showed that transplantation of hypoxic prconditioned NSCs could enhance neuronal survival, especially 5-TH+ and ChAT+ neurons, in the injured spinal cord to reinforce functional benefits. The hypoxia exposure upregulated HIF-1α, neurotrophic and growth factors including neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, functional recovery, including locomotor and hypersensitivities to mechanical and thermal stimulation assessed via behavioral and sensory tests, improved significantly in rats with engraftment of NSCs after hypoxia exposure from day 14 post-SCI, compared with the control and N-NSCs groups. In short, the approach employed in this study could result in functional recovery via upregulating neurotrophic and growth factors, which implies that hypoxic preconditioning strategy could serve as an effective and feasible strategy for cell-based therapy in the treatment of SCI in rats.

Formation of side discharges in dielectric barrier discharge.

Pattern formation and self-organization are fascinating phenomena found widely in nature and in laboratory environment such as dielectric barrier discharge (DBD). Significant efforts have been made to explain the dynamic pattern formation. In DBD, the formation of side discharges is generally supposed to be a key factor responsible for diversity and spatial-temporal symmetry breaking of pattern formation. However, it is still not clear how such discharges are induced. Here, we present the observations of side discharges in a filamentary dielectric barrier discharge from both numerical simulations and experiments. Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations with Monte Carlo collisions included have revealed formation dynamics of side discharges, suggesting that transverse plasma diffusion and ion induced secondary electron emission play critical roles. Moreover, a novel honeycomb superlattice pattern is observed in experiment, where the side discharges associated with honeycomb superlattice are verified by utilizing a high speed camera. Experimental observations and numerical simulation are in good agreement.

GhSOS1, a plasma membrane Na+/H+ antiporter gene from upland cotton, enhances salt tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana.

Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), an important source of natural fiber, can tolerate relatively high salinity and drought stresses. In the present study, a plasma membrane Na+/H+ antiporter gene, GhSOS1, was cloned from a salt-tolerant genotype of G. hirsutum, Zhong 9807. The expression level of GhSOS1 in cotton roots was significantly upregulated in the presence of high concentrations of NaCl (200 mM), while its transcript abundance was increased when exposed to low temperature and drought stresses. Localization analysis using onion epidermal cells showed that the GhSOS1 protein was localized to the plasma membrane. The overexpression of GhSOS1 in Arabidopsis enhanced tolerance to salt stress, as indicated by a lower MDA content and decreased Na+/K+ ratio in transgenic plants. Moreover, the transcript levels of stress-related genes were significantly higher in GhSOS1 overexpression lines than in wild-type plants under salt treatment. Hence, GhSOS1 may be a potential target gene for enhancing salt tolerance in transgenic plants.