Towards personalized data-driven bundle design with QoS constraint

Singapore National Research Foundation under its International Research Centre @ Singapore Funding Initiativ

Plant 45S rDNA Clusters Are Fragile Sites and Their Instability Is Associated with Epigenetic Alterations

Our previous study demonstrated that 45S ribosomal DNA (45S rDNA) clusters were chromosome fragile sites expressed spontaneously in Lolium. In this study, fragile phenotypes of 45S rDNA were observed under aphidicolin (APH) incubation in several plant species. Further actinomycin D (ActD) treatment showed that transcriptional stress might interfere with chromatin packaging, resulting in 45S rDNA fragile expression. These data identified 45S rDNA sites as replication-dependent as well as transcription-dependent fragile sites in plants. In the presence of ActD, a dramatic switch to an open chromatin conformation and accumulated incomplete 5′ end of the external transcribed spacer (5′ETS) transcripts were observed, accompanied by decreased DNA methylation, decreased levels of histone H3, and increased histone acetylation and levels of H3K4me2, suggesting that these epigenetic alterations are associated with failure of 45S rDNA condensation. Furthermore, the finding that γ-H2AX was accumulated at 45S rDNA sites following ActD treatment suggested that the DNA damage signaling pathway was associated with the appearance of 45S rDNA fragile phenotypes. Our data provide a link between 45S rDNA transcription and chromatin-packaging defects and open the door for further identifying the molecular mechanism involved

Carrier fringe method of moiré interferometry for tiny strain measurements in micro-field

In this paper, we demonstrate a new optical method for tiny strain measurements based on the principle of carrier fringes of moir, interferometry. A cross-line grating with frequency of 1200 lp/mm is replicated on the specimen surface, and the strain can be deduced from the changes in carrier fringes before and after the deformation of an object. Four coherent laser beams are used to obtain the carrier fringe patterns of field U and V. Both theoretical analysis and numerical simulation indicate that the ideal accuracy of strain can be controlled within a range of +/- 1 mu I mu. Case study of a plane extension experiment shows that the measurement accuracy of strain can be controlled within the range of +/- 10 mu I mu. The average strain values of every row of field U and every column of field V can be obtained by using this method, and approximated strain of every pixel in the whole-field can be further acquired, and thus it is possible to measure tiny strains occurred in a micro-field. The technology in this paper can provide comprehensive information for analyzing related mechanical content in the field of MEMS

Facile Fabrication of Fe2O3/Nitrogen Deficient g-C3N4-x Composite Catalysts with Enhanced Photocatalytic Performances

The modification of graphitic carbon nitride can significantly improve the photocatalytic performance of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4). Fe2O3/nitrogen-deficient g-C3N4-x composite catalysts were prepared with dicyandiamide as the precursor and Fe3+ doped in this study. The composite catalysts were characterized by XRD, SEM, FT-IR, XPS and photocurrent measurements. Close interaction occurred between Fe2O3 and nitrogen deficient g-C3N4-x, more photogenerated electrons were created and effectively separated from the holes, resulting in a decrease of photocarrier recombination, and thus enhancing the photocurrent. Photocatalytic performance experiments showed that Fe2O3 / nitrogen deficient g-C3N4-x could utilize low-energy visible light more efficiently than pure g-C3N4, and the removal rate was 92% in 60 minutes

Natural compounds efficacy in Ophthalmic Diseases: A new twist impacting ferroptosis

Ferroptosis, a distinct form of cell death, is characterized by the iron-mediated oxidation of lipids and is finely controlled by multiple cellular metabolic pathways. These pathways encompass redox balance, iron regulation, mitochondrial function, as well as amino acid, lipid, and sugar metabolism. Additionally, various disease-related signaling pathways also play a role in the regulation of ferroptosis. In recent years, with the introduction of the concept of ferroptosis and the deepening of research on its mechanism, ferroptosis is closely related to various biological conditions of eye diseases, including eye organ development, aging, immunity, and cancer. This article reviews the development of the concept of ferroptosis, the mechanism of ferroptosis, and its latest research progress in ophthalmic diseases and reviews the research on ferroptosis in ocular diseases within the framework of metabolism, active oxygen biology, and iron biology. Key regulators and mechanisms of ferroptosis in ocular diseases introduce important concepts and major open questions in the field of ferroptosis and related natural compounds. It is hoped that in future research, further breakthroughs will be made in the regulation mechanism of ferroptosis and the use of ferroptosis to promote the treatment of eye diseases. At the same time, natural compounds may be the direction of new drug development for the potential treatment of ferroptosis in the future. Open up a new way for clinical ophthalmologists to research and prevent diseases

Cyclonic and Anticyclonic Asymmetry of Reef and Atoll Wakes in the Xisha Archipelago

A high-resolution (∼500 m) numerical model was used to study the reef and atoll wakes in the Xisha Archipelago (XA) during 2009. Statistical analyses of simulation data indicated strong cyclonic dominance in the mixing layer (above ∼35 m) and weak anticyclonic dominance in the subsurface layer (35∼160 m) for both eddies and filaments in the XA. The intrinsic dynamical properties of the flow, such as the vertical stratification and velocity magnitude, and the terrain of reefs and atolls had a significant effect on the asymmetry. Without considering the existence of reefs and atolls, the “background cyclonic dominance” generated under local planetary rotation (f≈4.1×10−5 s−1) and vertical stratification (with mean Brunt–Väisälä frequency N = 0.02 s−1 at 75 m) was stronger for filaments than eddies in the upper layer from 0∼200 m, and the larger vorticity amplitude in the cyclonic filaments could greatly enhance the cyclonic wake eddies. Furthermore, inertial–centrifugal instability induced selective destabilization of anticyclonic wake eddies in different water layers. As the Rossby number (Ro) and core vorticity (Burger number, Bu) decreased (increased) with the water depth, a more stable state was achieved for the anticyclonic wake eddies in the deeper layer. The stratification and slipping reefs and atolls also led to vertical decoupled shedding, which intensified the asymmetry

Water Boosts the Performances of Glass Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Owing to their disordered open network structure, oxide glasses are a promising class of anode materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries (LIBs). However, the relatively low capacities of glass anodes severely limit their practical application for large energy storage devices. Here we show an unconventional novel approach, which significantly enhances the electrochemical performances of glass anodes for LIBs. Specifically, we incorporated water into an electrochemically active glass system, i.e., TeO2-V2O5-P2O5 (TVP) glass powder via humidity treatment, and then mix the hydrated powder with additives to fabricate anode. The optimized humidity treatment led to the structural modification of the TVP glass powder, which boosted the capacity of the TVP anode by more than 200%, and maintained the reversible capacity for extra-long cycles. The boosted performances are associated both with the depolymerized structural network for Li+ diffusion and with the hydration-induced nanocrystals. These findings help develop superior glass electrodes in an economically effective way

Contour Propagation Using Feature-Based Deformable Registration for Lung Cancer

Accurate target delineation of CT image is a critical step in radiotherapy treatment planning. This paper describes a novel strategy for automatic contour propagation, based on deformable registration, for CT images of lung cancer. The proposed strategy starts with a manual-delineated contour in one slice of a 3D CT image. By means of feature-based deformable registration, the initial contour in other slices of the image can be propagated automatically, and then refined by active contour approach. Three algorithms are employed in the strategy: the Speeded-Up Robust Features (SURF), Thin-Plate Spline (TPS), and an adapted active contour (Snake), used to refine and modify the initial contours. Five pulmonary cancer cases with about 400 slices and 1000 contours have been used to verify the proposed strategy. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed strategy can improve the segmentation performance in the pulmonary CT images. Jaccard similarity (JS) mean is about 0.88 and the maximum of Hausdorff distance (HD) is about 90%. In addition, delineation time has been considerably reduced. The proposed feature-based deformable registration method in the automatic contour propagation improves the delineation efficiency significantly