Quantum optical coherence tomography of a biological sample

Quantum optical coherence tomography (QOCT) makes use of an entangled-photon light source to carry out dispersion-immune axial optical sectioning. We present the first experimental QOCT images of a biological sample: an onion-skin tissue coated with gold nanoparticles. 3D images are presented in the form of 2D sections of different orientations.Comment: 16 Pages, 6 Figure

Effects of exogenous lipids on gelling properties of silver carp surimi gel subjected to microwave heating

Lipids are important components of surimi products because they enhance the whiteness and flavor of food. The effects of three common types of exogenous lipids on the gel properties of surimi subjected to two different heating methods were investigated in this work, using frozen silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) surimi as the raw material. The surimi gels were prepared by two-stage water bath heating or single-stage water bath heating followed by microwave heating. We found that the quality of surimi gels was in the order of lard > chicken fat/soybean oil, which may be associated with polyunsaturated fatty acid content. The surimi gel strength was reduced with an increase in the amount of lipid added. Microwave heating significantly increased the gel strength of surimi containing exogenous lipids when compared to conventional heating. Surimi gels prepared by microwave heating showed more denser protein network microstructures by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), suggesting aggregation of protein molecules. The findings of this study provide a theoretical basis for using microwave heating to generate surimi gels with exogenous lipids

Recent Advances in Flexible Multifunctional Sensors

Wearable electronics have received extensive attention in human–machine interactions, robotics, and health monitoring. The use of multifunctional sensors that are capable of measuring a variety of mechanical or environmental stimuli can provide new functionalities for wearable electronics. Advancements in material science and system integration technologies have contributed to the development of high-performance flexible multifunctional sensors. This review presents the main approaches, based on functional materials and device structures, to improve sensing parameters, including linearity, detection range, and sensitivity to various stimuli. The details of electrical, biocompatible, and mechanical properties of self-powered sensors and wearable wireless systems are systematically elaborated. Finally, the current challenges and future developmental directions are discussed to offer a guide to fabricate advanced multifunctional sensors

Dependence of Creep Strain and Fatigue Behavior on Surface Characteristics of Resistive Strain Gauges

Creep behavior and fatigue life are important performance indexes that affect the long-term stability of resistive strain gauges. The resistive strain gauges, fabricated with wet etching and resistance trimming, present micro-morphology such as textures and uneven edges on the surface and side-wall profile of sensitive grids. This paper observed the micro-morphology of the sensitive grids by microscope and analyzed its range of geometric dimensions. A sine function was used to establish equivalent geometric models for the surface textures and side-wall profile. Based on time hardening theory and the S–N curve, the dependence of micro-morphology of metal resistive strain gauges on creep behavior and fatigue life was studied. The results indicate that the roughness of micro-morphology has an influence on creep behavior and fatigue life. The surface textures and side-wall profile lead to the increase of creep strain and the decrease of fatigue life in varying degrees. When 60% of the ultimate stress of the strain gauges is loaded, the average creep strain in steady-state calculated by the maximum roughness of the side-wall profile reaches up to 6.95 times that of the perfect flat surface. Under the condition of loading 70% of the ultimate stress and the same roughness, the fatigue life led by side-wall profile could be reduced to 1/25 of the textured surface. The obtained achievements promote an understanding for optimizing the fabrication process of resistive strain gauges as well as developing high-precision and long-life force sensors

DataSheet_1_Genome-wide analysis of the WSD family in sunflower and functional identification of HaWSD9 involvement in wax ester biosynthesis and osmotic stress.docx

The wax esters are important cuticular wax composition that cover the outer surface of plant organs and play a critical role in protection and energy metabolism. Wax ester synthesis in plant is catalyzed by a bifunctional wax ester synthase/acyl-CoA: diacylglycerol acyltransferase (WSD). Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is an important oil crop in the world; however, little is known about WSD in sunflower. In this study, we identified and performed a functional analysis of twelve HaWSD genes from sunflower genome. Tissue-specific expression revealed that 12 HaWSD genes were differentially expressed in various organs and tissues of sunflower, except seeds. HaWSD genes were highly induced by salinity, drought, cold, and abscisic acid (ABA) in sunflower. To ascertain their function, HaWSD9, with highly expressed levels in stems and leaves, was cloned and expressed in a yeast mutant defective in triacylglycerol (TAG) biosynthesis. HaWSD9 complemented the phenotype by producing wax ester but not TAG in vivo, indicating that it functions as a wax ester synthase. Subcellular localization analysis indicated that HaWSD9 was located in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Heterologous introduction of HaWSD9 into Arabidopsis wsd1 mutant exhibited increased epicuticular wax crystals and cuticular wax contents on the stems. As compared with the wsd1 mutant, HaWSD9 overexpressing transgenic Arabidopsis showed less cuticle permeability, chlorophyll leaching and water loss rate. Further analysis showed that the HaWSD9 transgenics enhanced tolerance to ABA, mannitol, drought and salinity, and maintained higher leaf relative water content (RWC) than the wsd1 mutant under drought stress, suggesting that HaWSD9 play an important physiological role in stress response as well as wax synthase. These results contribute to understanding the function of HaWSD genes in wax ester synthesis and stress tolerance in sunflower.</p

Table_1_Genome-wide analysis of the WSD family in sunflower and functional identification of HaWSD9 involvement in wax ester biosynthesis and osmotic stress.doc

The wax esters are important cuticular wax composition that cover the outer surface of plant organs and play a critical role in protection and energy metabolism. Wax ester synthesis in plant is catalyzed by a bifunctional wax ester synthase/acyl-CoA: diacylglycerol acyltransferase (WSD). Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is an important oil crop in the world; however, little is known about WSD in sunflower. In this study, we identified and performed a functional analysis of twelve HaWSD genes from sunflower genome. Tissue-specific expression revealed that 12 HaWSD genes were differentially expressed in various organs and tissues of sunflower, except seeds. HaWSD genes were highly induced by salinity, drought, cold, and abscisic acid (ABA) in sunflower. To ascertain their function, HaWSD9, with highly expressed levels in stems and leaves, was cloned and expressed in a yeast mutant defective in triacylglycerol (TAG) biosynthesis. HaWSD9 complemented the phenotype by producing wax ester but not TAG in vivo, indicating that it functions as a wax ester synthase. Subcellular localization analysis indicated that HaWSD9 was located in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Heterologous introduction of HaWSD9 into Arabidopsis wsd1 mutant exhibited increased epicuticular wax crystals and cuticular wax contents on the stems. As compared with the wsd1 mutant, HaWSD9 overexpressing transgenic Arabidopsis showed less cuticle permeability, chlorophyll leaching and water loss rate. Further analysis showed that the HaWSD9 transgenics enhanced tolerance to ABA, mannitol, drought and salinity, and maintained higher leaf relative water content (RWC) than the wsd1 mutant under drought stress, suggesting that HaWSD9 play an important physiological role in stress response as well as wax synthase. These results contribute to understanding the function of HaWSD genes in wax ester synthesis and stress tolerance in sunflower.</p