Protein interaction network of Arabidopsis thaliana female gametophyte development identifies novel proteins and relations

Although the female gametophyte in angiosperms consists of just seven cells, it has a complex biological network. In this study, female gametophyte microarray data from Arabidopsis thaliana were integrated into the Arabidopsis interactome database to generate a putative interaction map of the female gametophyte development including proteome map based on biological processes and molecular functions of proteins. Biological and functional groups as well as topological characteristics of the network were investigated by analyzing phytohormones, plant defense, cell death, transporters, regulatory factors, and hydrolases. This approach led to the prediction of critical members and bottlenecks of the network. Seventy-four and 24 upregulated genes as well as 171 and 3 downregulated genes were identified in subtracted networks based on biological processes and molecular function respectively, including novel genes such as the pathogenesis-related protein 4, ER type Ca2+ ATPase 3, dihydroflavonol reductase, and ATP disulfate isomerase. Biologically important relationships between genes, critical nodes, and new essential proteins such as AT1G26830, AT5G20850, CYP74A, AT1G42396, PR4 and MEA were found in the interactome’s network. The positions of novel genes, both upregulated and downregulated, and their relationships with biological pathways, in particular phytohormones, were highlighted in this study.Batool Hosseinpour, Vahid HajiHoseini, Rafieh Kashfi, Esmaeil Ebrahimie and Farhid Hemmatzade

Strained interface layer contributions to the structural and electronic properties of epitaxial V2O3 films

We report on the transport properties of epitaxial vanadium sesquioxide (V2O3) thin films with thicknesses in the range of 1 to 120 nm. Films with thickness down to nanometer values reveal clear resistivity curves with temperature illustrating that even at these thicknesses the films are above the percolation threshold and continuous over large distances. The results reveal that with reducing thickness the resistivity of the films increases sharply for thicknesses below 4 nm and the metal-insulator transition (MIT) is quenched. We attribute this increase to a strained interface layer of thickness ∼ 4 nm with in-plane lattice parameters corresponding to the Al2O3 substrate. The interface layer displays a suppressed MIT shifted to higher temperatures and has a room temperature resistivity 6 orders of magnitude higher than the thicker V2O3 films.This work was supported by the University of Iceland Research Fund for Doctoral Students, the University of Iceland Research Fund, the Icelandic Student Innovation Fund, and the Icelandic Research Fund (Grant Nos. 207111 and 174271)

Influence of the magnetic field on the extension of the ionization region in high power impulse magnetron sputtering discharges

Abstract The high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) discharge brings about increased ionization of the sputtered atoms due to an increased electron density and efficient electron energization during the active period of the pulse. The ionization is effective mainly within the electron trapping zone, an ionization region (IR), defined by the magnet configuration. Here, the average extension and the volume of the IR are determined based on measuring the optical emission from an excited level of the argon working gas atoms. For particular HiPIMS conditions, argon species ionization and excitation processes are assumed to be proportional. Hence, the light emission from certain excited atoms is assumed to reflect the IR extension. The light emission was recorded above a 100 mm diameter titanium target through a 763 nm bandpass filter using a gated camera. The recorded images directly indicate the effect of the magnet configuration on the average IR size. It is observed that the shape of the IR matches the shape of the magnetic field lines rather well. The IR is found to expand from 10 and 17 mm from the target surface when the parallel magnetic field strength 11 mm above the racetrack is lowered from 24 to 12 mT at a constant peak discharge current

Influence of the magnetic field on the extension of the ionization region in high power impulse magnetron sputtering discharges

The high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) discharge brings about increased ionization of the sputtered atoms due to an increased electron density and efficient electron energization during the active period of the pulse. The ionization is effective mainly within the electron trapping zone, an ionization region (IR), defined by the magnet configuration. Here, the average extension and the volume of the IR are determined based on measuring the optical emission from an excited level of the argon working gas atoms. For particular HiPIMS conditions, argon species ionization and excitation processes are assumed to be proportional. Hence, the light emission from certain excited atoms is assumed to reflect the IR extension. The light emission was recorded above a 100 mm diameter titanium target through a 763 nm bandpass filter using a gated camera. The recorded images directly indicate the effect of the magnet configuration on the average IR size. It is observed that the shape of the IR matches the shape of the magnetic field lines rather well. The IR is found to expand from 10 and 17 mm from the target surface when the parallel magnetic field strength 11 mm above the racetrack is lowered from 24 to 12 mT at a constant peak discharge current.Funding Agencies|Icelandic Research Fund [196141]; Swedish Research Council [VR 2018-04139]; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping University [2009-00971]</p