Flexible coplanar waveguide strain sensor based on printed silver nanocomposites

This paper presents a robust approach towards the design and fabrication of a stretchable coplanar waveguide monopole strain sensor that measures the tensile strain through a linear shift in the resonance frequency unlike the conventional patch antennas strain sensors. The increment in physical length upon application of stretching force on the sensor results into lowering of the resonance frequency, which is correlated with tensile strain. Being a 2d structure, the sensor can easily be deployed on a planar surface to determine the tensile strain. Sensor parameters are optimized through simulations in high frequency structure simulator software. Silver nanowires (AgNWs) based solution is screen printed using a shadow mask on an elastomeric polydimethylsiloxane substrate. The operating frequency of the sensor is 2.49 GHz at ambient condition and it goes down to 2.31 GHz at 6.1% stretching. The simulated sensitivity of the sensor is 0.072 MHz/µm and measured sensitivity of 0.076 MHz/µm has been tested for more than 200 cycles, clearly illustrating the robustness of the proposed approach. These promising results show that this sensor can successfully be implemented for printed wearable applications targeted for monitoring of strain related activities.Other Information Published in: SN Applied Sciences License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0See article on publisher's website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s42452-019-0665-3</p

Data_Sheet_1_The effects of chemical fungicides and salicylic acid on the apple microbiome and fungal disease incidence under changing environmental conditions.PDF

Epiphytic and endophytic micro-organisms associated with plants form complex communities on or in their host plant. These communities influence physiological traits, development, and host susceptibility to abiotic and biotic stresses, and these communities are theorized to have evolved alongside their hosts, forming a unit of selection known as the holobiont. The microbiome is highly variable and can be influenced by abiotic factors, including applied exogenous agents. In this study, we compared the impact of chemical fungicide and salicylic acid treatments on the fungal communities of “Honeycrisp” apples at harvest over two consecutive growing years. We demonstrated variations in fungal community structure and composition by tissue type, growing season, and treatment regimes and that fungicide treatments were associated with reduced network complexity. Finally, we show that the inclusion of salicylic acid with 50% less chemical fungicides in an integrated spray program allowed a reduction in fungicide use while maintaining effective control of disease at harvest and following storage.</p

Data_Sheet_1_The effects of chemical fungicides and salicylic acid on the apple microbiome and fungal disease incidence under changing environmental conditions.xlsx

Epiphytic and endophytic micro-organisms associated with plants form complex communities on or in their host plant. These communities influence physiological traits, development, and host susceptibility to abiotic and biotic stresses, and these communities are theorized to have evolved alongside their hosts, forming a unit of selection known as the holobiont. The microbiome is highly variable and can be influenced by abiotic factors, including applied exogenous agents. In this study, we compared the impact of chemical fungicide and salicylic acid treatments on the fungal communities of “Honeycrisp” apples at harvest over two consecutive growing years. We demonstrated variations in fungal community structure and composition by tissue type, growing season, and treatment regimes and that fungicide treatments were associated with reduced network complexity. Finally, we show that the inclusion of salicylic acid with 50% less chemical fungicides in an integrated spray program allowed a reduction in fungicide use while maintaining effective control of disease at harvest and following storage.</p

Fabrication of circuits by multi-nozzle electrohydrodynamic inkjet printing for soft wearable electronics

Abstract Wearable electronic devices are evolving from current rigid configurations to flexible and ultimately stretchable structures. These emerging systems require soft circuits for connecting the various working units of the overall system. This paper presents fabrication of soft circuits by electrohydrodynamic (EHD) inkjet-printing technique. Multi-nozzle EHD printing head is employed for rapid fabrication of electric circuits on a wide set of materials, including glass substrate (rigid), flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films, and stretchable thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) films. To avoid the effects of substrate materials on the jettability, the proposed multi-nozzle head is equipped with integrated individual counter electrodes (electrodes are placed above the printing substrate). High-resolution circuits (50 ± 5 µm) with high electrical conductivity (0.6 Ω □−1) on soft substrate materials validate our well-controlled multi-nozzle EHD printing approach. The produced circuits showed excellent flexibility (bending radius ≈ 5 mm radius), high stretchability (strain ≈ 100%), and long-term mechanical stability (500 cycles at 30% strain). The concept is further demonstrated with a soft strain sensor based on a multi-nozzle EHD-printed circuit, employed for monitoring the human motion (finger bending), indicating the potential applications of these circuits in soft wearable electronic devices.Other Information Published in: Journal of Materials Research License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0See article on publisher's website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1557/s43578-021-00188-4</p

An Immunity-Triggering Effector from the Barley Smut Fungus <i>Ustilago hordei</i> Resides in an Ustilaginaceae-Specific Cluster Bearing Signs of Transposable Element-Assisted Evolution

<div><p>The basidiomycete smut fungus <i>Ustilago hordei</i> was previously shown to comprise isolates that are avirulent on various barley host cultivars. Through genetic crosses we had revealed that a dominant avirulence locus <i>UhAvr1</i> which triggers immunity in barley cultivar Hannchen harboring resistance gene <i>Ruh1</i>, resided within an 80-kb region. DNA sequence analysis of this genetically delimited region uncovered the presence of 7 candidate secreted effector proteins. Sequence comparison of their coding sequences among virulent and avirulent parental and field isolates could not distinguish <i>UhAvr1</i> candidates. Systematic deletion and complementation analyses revealed that <i>UhAvr1</i> is <i>UHOR_10022</i> which codes for a small effector protein of 171 amino acids with a predicted 19 amino acid signal peptide. Virulence in the parental isolate is caused by the insertion of a fragment of 5.5 kb with similarity to a common <i>U. hordei</i> transposable element (TE), interrupting the promoter of <i>UhAvr1</i> and thereby changing expression and hence recognition of UhAVR1p. This rearrangement is likely caused by activities of TEs and variation is seen among isolates. Using GFP-chimeric constructs we show that <i>UhAvr1</i> is induced only in mated dikaryotic hyphae upon sensing and infecting barley coleoptile cells. When infecting Hannchen, UhAVR1p causes local callose deposition and the production of reactive oxygen species and necrosis indicative of the immune response. <i>UhAvr1</i> does not contribute significantly to overall virulence. <i>UhAvr1</i> is located in a cluster of ten effectors with several paralogs and over 50% of TEs. This cluster is syntenous with clusters in closely-related <i>U. maydis</i> and <i>Sporisorium reilianum</i>. In these corn-infecting species, these clusters harbor however more and further diversified homologous effector families but very few TEs. This increased variability may have resulted from past selection pressure by resistance genes since <i>U. maydis</i> is not known to trigger immunity in its corn host.</p></div

<i>Gr</i>EXPB2 and <i>Gr</i>UBCEP12 proteins suppress virus resistance mediated by the <i>N</i> gene.

<p><i>N. benthamiana</i> leaves were co-infiltrated with <i>Agrobacterium</i> carrying binary vectors expressing PVX-GFP, N and P50 together with pEAQ35S expressing (a) 1, <i>Gr</i>UBCEP12; 2, empty vector; (b) 1, <i>Gr</i>EXPB2; 2, empty vector; 3, P0; 4, P38. GFP expression was visualized under UV illumination at 4 DPI. (c-d) Anti GFP immune blotting was performed on total protein samples taken at 4 DPI from <i>N. benthamiana</i> leaf patches co-expressing the combinations of constructs described in a and b. The number on the blot corresponds to the number on the leaf above each blot. Ponceau S staining (lower panel) was used to show equal loading. </p

Analysis of Putative Apoplastic Effectors from the Nematode, <i>Globodera rostochiensis</i>, and Identification of an Expansin-Like Protein That Can Induce and Suppress Host Defenses

<div><p>The potato cyst nematode, <i>Globodera rostochiensis</i>, is an important pest of potato. Like other pathogens, plant parasitic nematodes are presumed to employ effector proteins, secreted into the apoplast as well as the host cytoplasm, to alter plant cellular functions and successfully infect their hosts. We have generated a library of ORFs encoding putative <i>G. rostochiensis</i> putative apoplastic effectors in vectors for expression <i>in planta</i>. These clones were assessed for morphological and developmental effects on plants as well as their ability to induce or suppress plant defenses. Several CLAVATA3/ESR-like proteins induced developmental phenotypes, whereas predicted cell wall-modifying proteins induced necrosis and chlorosis, consistent with roles in cell fate alteration and tissue invasion, respectively. When directed to the apoplast with a signal peptide, two effectors, an ubiquitin extension protein (<i>Gr</i>UBCEP12) and an expansin-like protein (<i>Gr</i>EXPB2), suppressed defense responses including NB-LRR signaling induced in the cytoplasm. <i>Gr</i>EXPB2 also elicited defense response in species- and sequence-specific manner. Our results are consistent with the scenario whereby potato cyst nematodes secrete effectors that modulate host cell fate and metabolism as well as modifying host cell walls. Furthermore, we show a novel role for an apoplastic expansin-like protein in suppressing intra-cellular defense responses.</p></div

Description of cloned apoplastic secreted effector proteins.

<p>Description of cloned apoplastic secreted effector proteins.</p

<i>Gr</i>EXPB2 and <i>Gr</i>UBCEP12 suppress Rx-mediated resistance to PVX.

<p><i>N. benthamiana</i> leaves were co-infiltrated with <i>Agrobacterium</i> carrying binary vectors expressing PVX-GFP and 35S-Rx together with pEAQ35S vectors expressing 1, <i>Gr</i>EXPB2; 2, empty vector; 3, <i>Gr</i>SPRYSEC-19ΔSP; 4, Rx replaced with empty vector; 5, <i>Gr</i>UBCEP12; 6, empty vector. (a) GFP expression was visualized and photographed under UV illumination at 4 DPI. (b) Anti-GFP immune blotting was performed on total protein samples taken at 4 DPI from <i>N. benthamiana</i> patches expressing the same construct combinations as described above. Ponceau S staining (lower panel) was used to show equal loading. </p

<i>Gr</i>UBCEP12 and <i>Gr</i>SKP1 alter plant morphology.

<p><i>N. benthamiana</i> plants were infected by agroinfiltration with (a) empty PVX vector (EV), (b) PVX-<i>Gr</i>SKP1, (c) PVX-<i>Gr</i>UBCEP12, or (d) PVX-<i>Gr</i>UBCEP12ΔSP. Photographs were taken at 16 DPI. Systemic expression in potato of (e) PVX and (f) PVX-<i>Gr</i>UBCEP12ΔSP in potato cultivar Katahdin. Photographs were taken at 30 DPI. </p