Insecticidal Activity of the Whole Grass Extract of Typha angustifolia and its Active Component against Solenopsis invicta

In this study, the toxicity of whole grass Typha angustifolia L. extract was determined in vitro by a “water tube” method to investigate the bioactivity of T. angustifolia L. against micrergates of red imported fire ants. Results indicated that the ethanol extract exhibited toxicity against the micrergates of red imported fire ants. Mortality was 100% after the micrergates were treated with 2000 mg/mL of ethanol extract for 72 h. After 48 h of treatment, LC50 values of ethanol extract and petroleum ether fraction were 956.85 and 398.73 mg/mL, respectively. After 120 h, LC50 values of the same substances were 271.23 and 152.86 mg/mL, respectively. A bioactivity-guided fractionation and chemical investigation of petroleum ether fraction yielded an active component (compound 1). NMR spectra revealed that the structure of compound 1 corresponded to 3β-hydroxy-25-methylenecycloartan-24-ol. Compound 1 also exhibited strong toxicity against the micrergates of red imported fire ants, thereby eradicating all of the tested ants treated with 240 mg/mL for 120 h. LC50 values of compound 1 at 48 and 120 h were 316.50 and 28.52 mg/mL, respectively

Optimised phase disposition pulse-width modulation strategy for hybrid-clamped multilevel inverters using switching state sequences

This study describes an optimised modulation strategy based on switching state sequences for the hybrid-clamped multilevel converter. Two key control variables defined as 'phase shift angle' and 'switching state change' for a five-level hybrid-clamped inverter are proposed to improve all switches' operation, and by changing their values, different control methods can be obtained for modulation optimisation purposes. Two example methods can solve the voltage imbalance problem of the dc-link capacitors and furthermore avoid two switches' simultaneous switching transitions and improve the inverter's performance as compared with the traditional phase disposition pulse-width modulation strategy. A 6 kW prototype inverter is developed and a range of simulation and experiments are carried out for validation. It is found that simulation and experimental results are in a good agreement and the proposed modulation strategy is verified in terms of low-order harmonic reduction

Morphological diversity of single neurons in molecularly defined cell types.

Dendritic and axonal morphology reflects the input and output of neurons and is a defining feature of neuronal types1,2, yet our knowledge of its diversity remains limited. Here, to systematically examine complete single-neuron morphologies on a brain-wide scale, we established a pipeline encompassing sparse labelling, whole-brain imaging, reconstruction, registration and analysis. We fully reconstructed 1,741 neurons from cortex, claustrum, thalamus, striatum and other brain regions in mice. We identified 11 major projection neuron types with distinct morphological features and corresponding transcriptomic identities. Extensive projectional diversity was found within each of these major types, on the basis of which some types were clustered into more refined subtypes. This diversity follows a set of generalizable principles that govern long-range axonal projections at different levels, including molecular correspondence, divergent or convergent projection, axon termination pattern, regional specificity, topography, and individual cell variability. Although clear concordance with transcriptomic profiles is evident at the level of major projection type, fine-grained morphological diversity often does not readily correlate with transcriptomic subtypes derived from unsupervised clustering, highlighting the need for single-cell cross-modality studies. Overall, our study demonstrates the crucial need for quantitative description of complete single-cell anatomy in cell-type classification, as single-cell morphological diversity reveals a plethora of ways in which different cell types and their individual members may contribute to the configuration and function of their respective circuits

A multimodal cell census and atlas of the mammalian primary motor cortex

ABSTRACT We report the generation of a multimodal cell census and atlas of the mammalian primary motor cortex (MOp or M1) as the initial product of the BRAIN Initiative Cell Census Network (BICCN). This was achieved by coordinated large-scale analyses of single-cell transcriptomes, chromatin accessibility, DNA methylomes, spatially resolved single-cell transcriptomes, morphological and electrophysiological properties, and cellular resolution input-output mapping, integrated through cross-modal computational analysis. Together, our results advance the collective knowledge and understanding of brain cell type organization: First, our study reveals a unified molecular genetic landscape of cortical cell types that congruently integrates their transcriptome, open chromatin and DNA methylation maps. Second, cross-species analysis achieves a unified taxonomy of transcriptomic types and their hierarchical organization that are conserved from mouse to marmoset and human. Third, cross-modal analysis provides compelling evidence for the epigenomic, transcriptomic, and gene regulatory basis of neuronal phenotypes such as their physiological and anatomical properties, demonstrating the biological validity and genomic underpinning of neuron types and subtypes. Fourth, in situ single-cell transcriptomics provides a spatially-resolved cell type atlas of the motor cortex. Fifth, integrated transcriptomic, epigenomic and anatomical analyses reveal the correspondence between neural circuits and transcriptomic cell types. We further present an extensive genetic toolset for targeting and fate mapping glutamatergic projection neuron types toward linking their developmental trajectory to their circuit function. Together, our results establish a unified and mechanistic framework of neuronal cell type organization that integrates multi-layered molecular genetic and spatial information with multi-faceted phenotypic properties

Fabrication of Windowed Very-Small-Aperture Laser Diodes

A windowed very-small-aperture laser 9VSAL0 source for use in high-resolution near field optical data storage is fabricated. The windowed regions are introduced to avoid shorting the pn junction with metal coating and suppress the COD effect. It facilitates producing VSAL by simplified technology and improves the laser performance. A VSAL with 400nm small sperture is demonstrated by focused ion beam (FIB0 and the output power is 0.3mW at 31mA

Insecticidal Activity of the Whole Grass Extract of Typha angustifolia and its Active Component against Solenopsis invicta

In this study, the toxicity of whole grass Typha angustifolia L. extract was determined in vitro by a “water tube” method to investigate the bioactivity of T. angustifolia L. against micrergates of red imported fire ants. Results indicated that the ethanol extract exhibited toxicity against the micrergates of red imported fire ants. Mortality was 100% after the micrergates were treated with 2000 mg/mL of ethanol extract for 72 h. After 48 h of treatment, LC50 values of ethanol extract and petroleum ether fraction were 956.85 and 398.73 mg/mL, respectively. After 120 h, LC50 values of the same substances were 271.23 and 152.86 mg/mL, respectively. A bioactivity-guided fractionation and chemical investigation of petroleum ether fraction yielded an active component (compound 1). NMR spectra revealed that the structure of compound 1 corresponded to 3β-hydroxy-25-methylenecycloartan-24-ol. Compound 1 also exhibited strong toxicity against the micrergates of red imported fire ants, thereby eradicating all of the tested ants treated with 240 mg/mL for 120 h. LC50 values of compound 1 at 48 and 120 h were 316.50 and 28.52 mg/mL, respectively.</p

“Low-age, low-frequency” lung cancer screening strategies maybe adaptable to the situation in China

Abstract Background The object was to compare changes in patients undergoing lung surgery before and after COVID-19 outbreak, and to explore the impact of COVID-19 on lung surgery and its coping strategies. Method A retrospective review of patients undergoing thoracic surgery at a single institution was conducted. Group A included patients treated between January 23, 2019, and January 23, 2020, while Group B included patients treated between June 1, 2020, and June 1, 2021, at our center. We compared the reasons of seeking medical treatment, the general characteristics of patients, imaging features, pathological features, surgical methods and postoperative recovery. Result Compared to Group A, the number of patients with pulmonary nodules screened by routine check-up increased in Group B (57.6% vs 46.9%, p < 0.05). Female patient increased (55.2%vs 44.7%). Patient without smoking history or with family history of lung cancer increased (70.7% vs 60.7%) (10.1%vs 7.8%). Early stage lung cancer increased. Lobectomy decreased (53.4% vs 64.1%). Segmental resection increased (33.3% vs 12.7%). Patients without postoperative comorbidities increased (96.1%vs 85.7%). In the case of patients with Ground Glass Opacity(GGO), their age was comparatively lower (52 ± 9.9 vs. 55 ± 10.7), the female patients increased, patient without smoking history, tumor history, family history of tumor increased, small GGO increased. Lobectomy decreased (35.2% vs 49.7%). Segmental resection increased (49.6% vs 21.2%). Patients without postoperative comorbidities increased (96.5% vs 87.4%). Conclusion Since COVID-19 outbreak, more young, non-smoking, female lung cancers, more Ground Glass Opacity, none high risk patients have been detected through screening, suggesting that our current screening criteria for lung cancer may need to be revised. Higher requirements, including the selection of the timing of nodular surgery, surgical methods were put forward for thoracic surgeons’ skills

Galvanic corrosion behavior of 7B04 aluminum alloy-CFRP300 under simulated marine environment

In order to effectively provide guidance for the selection of aircraft dissimilar metals from the perspective of corrosion protection, the corrosion behavior of typical aircraft lap structures was studied by finite element simulation and corrosion test for the specific service environment of aircraft. The aluminum alloy, composite material and lap joints were subjected to cyclic immersion corrosion test in the laboratory. Then the galvanic corrosion law between aluminum alloy and composite was revealed by polarization curve measurement test, macroscopic and microscopic morphology observation, fatigue test and XRD measurement. Taking the electrochemical parameters measured by polarization curve as boundary conditions, the corrosion simulation model of lap joint was established. After 0 cycle and 10 cycles of cyclic immersion corrosion test, the results show that the self-corrosion potential and self-corrosion current density of aluminum alloy are -802 mV and 2.357×10-7 A/cm2, -872 mV and 1.477×10-6 A/cm2. The self-corrosion potential and self-corrosion current density of composite material are -240 mV and 6.217×10-7 A/cm2, -98 mV and 2.286×10-7 A/cm2, respectively. With the extension of the corrosion cycle, 7B04 aluminum alloy shows a trend of increasing self-corrosion rate and negative shift of self-corrosion potential, while composite material shows a trend of positive shift of self-corrosion potential and slowly increasing self-corrosion rate. The corrosion products of lap joints gradually increase and the corrosion degree becomes more and more serious. With the extension of corrosion cycle, fatigue life decreases and the depth of corrosion pits increases. The corrosion products include Al(OH)3, Al2O3, AlCl3. The simulation results of lap joints are in good agreement with cyclic immersion corrosion test results. The corrosion prone parts of the typical lap structure of the aircraft were given, and the law of galvanic corrosion was revealed, which points out the direction for the corrosion protection of the aircraft structure

Identification and Genomic Characterization of <i>Escherichia albertii</i> in Migratory Birds from Poyang Lake, China

Escherichia albertii is an emerging zoonotic foodborne enteropathogen leading to human gastroenteritis outbreaks. Although E. albertii has been isolated from birds which have been considered as the potential reservoirs of this bacterium, its prevalence in migratory birds has rarely been described. In this study, E. albertii in migratory birds from Poyang Lake was investigated and characterized using whole genome sequencing. Eighty-one fecal samples from nine species of migratory birds were collected and 24/81 (29.6%) tested PCR-positive for E. albertii-specific genes. A total of 47 isolates was recovered from 18 out of 24 PCR-positive samples. All isolates carried eae and cdtB genes. These isolates were classified into eight E. albertii O-genotypes (EAOgs) (including three novel EAOgs) and three E. albertii H-genotypes (EAHgs). Whole genome phylogeny separated migratory bird-derived isolates into different lineages, some isolates in this study were phylogenetically closely grouped with poultry-derived or patient-derived strains. Our findings showed that migratory birds may serve as an important reservoir for heterogeneous E. albertii, thereby acting as potential transmission vehicles of E. albertii to humans