DNA multi-bit non-volatile memory and bit-shifting operations using addressable electrode arrays and electric field-induced hybridization.

DNA has been employed to either store digital information or to perform parallel molecular computing. Relatively unexplored is the ability to combine DNA-based memory and logical operations in a single platform. Here, we show a DNA tri-level cell non-volatile memory system capable of parallel random-access writing of memory and bit shifting operations. A microchip with an array of individually addressable electrodes was employed to enable random access of the memory cells using electric fields. Three segments on a DNA template molecule were used to encode three data bits. Rapid writing of data bits was enabled by electric field-induced hybridization of fluorescently labeled complementary probes and the data bits were read by fluorescence imaging. We demonstrated the rapid parallel writing and reading of 8 (23) combinations of 3-bit memory data and bit shifting operations by electric field-induced strand displacement. Our system may find potential applications in DNA-based memory and computations

Roles of TGFβ and FGF signals during growth and differentiation of mouse lens epithelial cell in vitro.

Transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling pathways play important roles in the proliferation and differentiation of lens epithelial cells (LECs) during development. Low dosage bFGF promotes cell proliferation while high dosage induces differentiation. TGFβ signaling regulates LEC proliferation and differentiation as well, but also promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transitions that lead to cataracts. Thus far, it has been difficult to recapitulate the features of germinative LECs in vitro. Here, we have established a LEC culture protocol that uses SB431542 (SB) compound to inhibit TGFβ/Smad activation, and found that SB treatment promoted mouse LEC proliferation, maintained LECs' morphology and distinct markers including N-cadherin, c-Maf, Prox1, and αA-, αB-, and β-crystallins. In contrast, low-dosage bFGF was unable to sustain those markers and, combined with SB, altered LECs' morphology and β-crystallin expression. We further found that Matrigel substrate coatings greatly increased cell proliferation and uniquely affected β-crystallin expression. Cultured LECs retained the ability to differentiate into γ-crystallin-positive lentoids by high-dosage bFGF treatment. Thus, a suppression of TGFβ/Smad signaling in vitro is critical to maintaining characteristic features of mouse LECs, especially expression of the key transcription factors c-Maf and Prox1

Sampling Deviation Real-time Calibration Method for Wideband Simulator

Hardware-in-the-loop simulation is an efficient method for research on radar system.Target’s echo which offered by the simulator should be synchronized with radar on frequency, time, and range bin. However, because simulator needs to take into account of the requirements of various types of radar, it is difficult to make the clock of simulator synchronized with the clock of radar. To solve the problem, synchronous sampling deviation model is established. Influence of sampling deviation on imaging is analyzed. An engineering method is put forward to eliminate the sampling deviation. This method not only provides a reference for simulation system, but also provides a reference for the design of radar system

Sox10+ adult stem cells contribute to biomaterial encapsulation and microvascularization.

Implanted biomaterials and biomedical devices generally induce foreign body reaction and end up with encapsulation by a dense avascular fibrous layer enriched in extracellular matrix. Fibroblasts/myofibroblasts are thought to be the major cell type involved in encapsulation, but it is unclear whether and how stem cells contribute to this process. Here we show, for the first time, that Sox10+ adult stem cells contribute to both encapsulation and microvessel formation. Sox10+ adult stem cells were found sparsely in the stroma of subcutaneous loose connective tissues. Upon subcutaneous biomaterial implantation, Sox10+ stem cells were activated and recruited to the biomaterial scaffold, and differentiated into fibroblasts and then myofibroblasts. This differentiation process from Sox10+ stem cells to myofibroblasts could be recapitulated in vitro. On the other hand, Sox10+ stem cells could differentiate into perivascular cells to stabilize newly formed microvessels. Sox10+ stem cells and endothelial cells in three-dimensional co-culture self-assembled into microvessels, and platelet-derived growth factor had chemotactic effect on Sox10+ stem cells. Transplanted Sox10+ stem cells differentiated into smooth muscle cells to stabilize functional microvessels. These findings demonstrate the critical role of adult stem cells in tissue remodeling and unravel the complexity of stem cell fate determination

Influence of ultrasound-assisted alkali treatment on the structural properties and functionalities of rice protein

peer-reviewedThe poor solubility of rice protein (RP) limits its applications in food industry. In this study, the effects of ultrasound-assisted alkali (UAA) treatment on the solubility, structure and functional properties of RP were investigated. Using UAA treatment, the solubility of RP increased with increasing alkali concentration, reaching a maximum value of 19.79 mg/mL at an alkali concentration of 0.08 M. The solubility was improved by 230-fold compared to un-treated samples. In addition, a reduction in particle size and degradation of the protein subunit were observed. UAA seemed to unfold the protein internal structural conformation and expose buried functional groups, which are linked to good emulsifying properties and foaming properties. A decrease in zeta potential was also observed after UAA treatment, which could be the reason for the decreased stability of the emulsion. UAA treatment modified the protein structure and significantly improved solubility

Variational Multiscale Element Free Galerkin Method Coupled with Low-Pass Filter for Burgers’ Equation with Small Diffusion

Variational multiscale element free Galerkin (VMEFG) method is applied to Burgers’ equation. It can be found that, for the very small diffusivity coefficients, VMEFG method still suffers from instability in the presence of boundary or interior layers. In order to overcome this problem, the high order low-pass filter is used to smooth the solution. Three test examples with very small diffusion are presented and the solutions obtained are compared with exact solutions and some other numerical methods. The numerical results are found in which the VMEFG coupled with low-pass filter works very well for Burgers’ equation with very small diffusivity coefficients

The Chaotic Attractor Analysis of DJIA Based on Manifold Embedding and Laplacian Eigenmaps

By using the techniques of Manifold Embedding and Laplacian Eigenmaps, a novel strategy has been proposed in this paper to detect the chaos of Dow Jones Industrial Average. Firstly, the chaotic attractor of financial time series is assumed to lie on a low-dimensional manifold that is embedded into a high-dimensional Euclidean space. Then, an improved phase space reconstruction method and a nonlinear dimensionality reduction method are introduced to help reveal the structure of the chaotic attractor. Next, the empirical study on the financial time series of Dow Jones Industrial Average shows that there exists an attractor which lies on a manifold constructed by the time sequence of Moving average convergence divergence; finally, Determinism Test, Poincaré section, and translation analysis are used as test approaches to prove both whether it is a chaos and how it works

Radiometric dating of late Quaternary loess in the northern piedmont of South Tianshan Mountains: Implications for reliable dating

Reliable chronologies are prerequisites when interpreting proxy records in terrestrial archives of Quaternary climate and environmental change. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating and accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dating (AMS C-14) are commonly used to date late Quaternary loess deposits in the Chinese Loess Plateau, but the range and reliability of the two methods in Central Asia are still debated. In this study, we investigate both fine-grained quartz OSL and AMS C-14 dating of a late Quaternary loess section located at the northern piedmont of the South Tianshan Mountains in Central Asia and discuss the reliability of the two radiometric dating methods. The results show that the OSL and AMS C-14 ages are generally consistent with the stratigraphic sequence when the ages are younger than 25cal ka BP, which means that both can be used to establish a reliable chronology in the Ili Basin. But beyond this age, the OSL dating method seems to be a more reliable approach. The results also supported previous dates based on medium-grained quartz OSL dating of the Ili loess in the southern piedmont of the North Tianshan Mountains. Radiocarbon ages older than 25cal ka BP should be treated with caution, and attention must be paid to the influence of pedoturbation on OSL signals in the Central Asian loess. Multiple dating approaches for mutual authentication and exploring new dating materials are suggested in further loess chronological research. These findings will be helpful in establishing a reliable timescale and in reconstructing high-resolution environmental change in Central Asia

Abrupt climatic events recorded by the Ili loess during the last glaciation in Central Asia: Evidence from grain-size and minerals

The loess record of Central Asia provides an important archive of regional climate and environmental changes. In contrast to the widely investigated loess deposits in the Chinese Loess Plateau, Central Asian loess-paleosol sequences remain poorly understood. Here, we present an aeolian loess section in the southern Ili Basin. Based on granularity and mineralogical analyses, we reconstruct climatic changes during the last glaciation. The results indicated that most of the abrupt climatic events (such as Dansgaard-Oeschger events and Heinrich events) were imprinted in this loess section, although their amplitudes and ages showed some differences. Compared with the millennial oscillations recoded in loess and stalagmites in East Asia, the arid Central Asia responded more sensitively to the warming events than to the cooling events. The shifting trajectory of westerlies across Central Asia played an important role in dust deposition during the stadials. The North Atlantic climatic signals may have been transmitted from Central Asia to the East Asian monsoon regions via the westerlies