High-strong-ductile magnesium alloys by interactions of nanoscale quasi-long period stacking order unit with twin.

Magnesium alloys with high strength in combination of good ductility are especially desirable for applications in transportation, aerospace and bio-implants owing to their high stiffness, abundant raw materials, and environmental friendliness. However, the majority of traditional strengthening approaches including grain refining and precipitate strengthening can usually prohibit dislocation movement at the expense of ductility invariably. Herein, we report an effective strategy for simultaneously enhancing yield strength (205 MPa, 2.41 times) and elongation (23%, 1.54 times) in a Mg-0.2Zn-0.6Y (at.%) alloy at room temperature, based on the formation of a nanosized quasi-long period stacking order unit (QLPSO)-twin structure by ultrahigh-pressure treatment followed by annealing. The formation reason and strong-ductile mechanism of the unique QLPSO-twin structure have been clarified by transmission electron microscopy observations and molecule dynamics simulations. The improved strength is mainly associated with the presence of nanosized QLPSO and the modified <86.3o QLPSO-twin boundary (TB) interface, effectively pinning dislocation movement. Comparatively, the enhanced ductility is related to the <3.7o QLPSO-TB interface and micro-kinks of nanoscale QLPSO, providing some paths for plastic deformation. This strategy on the QLPSO-twin structure might provide an alternative perspective for designing innovative hexagonal close-packed structural materials with superior mechanical properties

Identification of hub genes and therapeutic drugs in osteonecrosis of the femoral head through integrated bioinformatics analysis and literature mining

Abstract Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is a multifactorial disease leading to severely limited function. By far, the etiology and pathogenesis of ONFH are not fully understood, and surgery is the only effective way to treat ONFH. This study aims to identify hub genes and therapeutic drugs in ONFH. Two gene expression profiles were downloaded from the gene expression omnibus database, and the hub genes and candidate drugs for ONFH were identified through integrated bioinformatics analysis and cross-validated by literature mining. A total of 159 DEGs were identified. PTGS2, LRRK2, ANXA5, IGF1R, MCL1, TIMP2, LYN, CD68, CBL, and RUNX2 were validated as 10 hub genes, which has considerable implications for future genetic research and related research fields of ONFH. Our findings indicate that 85 drugs interact with ONFH, with most drugs exhibiting a positive impact on ONFH by promoting osteogenesis and angiogenesis or inhibiting microcirculation embolism, rather than being anti-inflammatory. Our study provides novel insights into the pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment of ONFH

Towards the Complete Goat Pan-Genome by Recovering Missing Genomic Segments From the Reference Genome

It is broadly expected that next generation sequencing will ultimately generate a complete genome as is the latest goat reference genome (ARS1), which is considered to be one of the most continuous assemblies in livestock. However, the rich diversity of worldwide goat breeds indicates that a genome from one individual would be insufficient to represent the whole genomic contents of goats. By comparing nine de novo assemblies from seven sibling species of domestic goat with ARS1 and using resequencing and transcriptome data from goats for verification, we identified a total of 38.3 Mb sequences that were absent in ARS1. The pan-sequences contain genic fractions with considerable expression. Using the pan-genome (ARS1 together with the pan-sequences) as a reference genome, variation calling efficacy can be appreciably improved. A total of 56,657 spurious SNPs per individual were repressed and 24,414 novel SNPs per individual on average were recovered as a result of better reads mapping quality. The transcriptomic mapping rate was also increased by ∼1.15%. Our study demonstrated that comparing de novo assemblies from closely related species is an efficient and reliable strategy for finding missing sequences from the reference genome and could be applicable to other species. Pan-genome can serve as an improved reference genome in animals for a better exploration of the underlying genomic variations and could increase the probability of finding genotype-phenotype associations assessed by a comprehensive variation database containing much more differences between individuals. We have constructed a goat pan-genome web interface for data visualization (http://animal.nwsuaf.edu.cn/panGoat)