Stem Photosynthesis—A Key Element of Grass Pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) Acclimatisation to Salinity

Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus) is a leguminous plant of outstanding tolerance to abiotic stress. The aim of the presented study was to describe the mechanism of grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) photosynthetic apparatus acclimatisation strategies to salinity stress. The seedlings were cultivated in a hydroponic system in media containing various concentrations of NaCl (0, 50, and 100 mM), imitating none, moderate, and severe salinity, respectively, for three weeks. In order to characterise the function and structure of the photosynthetic apparatus, Chl a fluorescence, gas exchange measurements, proteome analysis, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis were done inter alia. Significant differences in the response of the leaf and stem photosynthetic apparatus to severe salt stress were observed. Leaves became the place of harmful ion (Na⁺) accumulation, and the efficiency of their carboxylation decreased sharply. In turn, in stems, the reconstruction of the photosynthetic apparatus (antenna and photosystem complexes) activated alternative electron transport pathways, leading to effective ATP synthesis, which is required for the efficient translocation of Na⁺ to leaves. These changes enabled efficient stem carboxylation and made them the main source of assimilates. The observed changes indicate the high plasticity of grass pea photosynthetic apparatus, providing an effective mechanism of tolerance to salinity stress.     

Study of hydrogen diffusion in boron/germanium codoped optical fiber

Presents a novel technique for studying the dynamics of hydrogen diffusion in optical fiber. It shows that the hydrogen contributes directly to the effective refractive index of the fiber by its dielectric susceptibility. It provides a simple theory that relates the refractive index change to the total hydrogen concentration in the fiber core. It also deduces that there is a small contribution of less than 5% to the refractive index through the photoelastic effect. A low-finesse fiber Bragg grating Fabry-Perot interferometer allows the determination of the evolution of the hydrogen concentration in situ. The experimental results obtained for isothermal and isobaric diffusion between 45/spl deg/C and 90/spl deg/C yielded values for the parameters of Arrhenius-type expressions for the diffusivity, permeability, and solubility of hydrogen in germanium/boron codoped single-mode fiber. In addition, least squares curve-fits for outdiffusion yielded the gas-phase mass-transfer coefficient as a function of temperature.     

Coupled electrothermal modeling of microheaters using SPICE

In this paper,,we report a novel simulation approach that computes both the transient and steady state electrothermal behavior in integrated circuit (IC) compatible thermally isolated microheaters. The resulting distribution of heat, current density and temperature, as well as the electrical terminal behavior have been obtained for realistic device structures. The results are based on a two-dimensional solution of the coupled system of partial differential equations that govern both electrical and heat transport in the device. Unlike standard numerical approaches for coupled systems, our technique is based on the behavioural models, available in most commercial circuit simulators (e.g., HSPICE), that allow synthesis of complex, nonlinear, and coupled circuit elements. The simulation results are in excellent agreement with measurement data of steady state and transient terminal characteristics, obtained under conditions of vacuum. We note that this modeling approach allows concurrent simulation (and subsequent optimization) of the performance of both the control electronics as well as the thermal element(s), within the same IC design environment     

Monolithically integrated SQW laser and HBT laser driver viaselective OMVPE regrowth

An AlGaAs/GaAs nan heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) laser driver circuit and a pseudomorphic InGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs graded index single-quantum-well (SQW) laser have been laterally integrated to maintain surface planarity using selective organometallic vapor-phase epitaxy (OMVPE) regrowth of the HBT. The self-aligned HBTs exhibit a DC current gain of 30 and an f_t (f_max ) of 45(60) GHz. The 980-nm lasers exhibit room-temperature threshold current densities as low as 420(320) A/cm² for CW (pulsed) operation. The cavities are 40(7) μm×500 μm and have less than 1(2) Ω of series resistance. SPICE simulations of the integrated driver indicate that operating speeds of over 10 Gb/s are possible     

A New Triazole-Thiol Compound Organofunctionalized on the Silica Gel Surface: Chemical Properties and Copper Sorption in Ethanol / Water Media

Silicon - This study describes the preparation and characterization of 3-chloropropyl silica gel with 4-amino-5-(4pyridyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiol (SGA) for copper adsorption in different media....     

SUL-151 Decreases Airway Neutrophilia as a Prophylactic and Therapeutic Treatment in Mice after Cigarette Smoke Exposure

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) caused by cigarette smoke (CS) is featured by oxidative stress and chronic inflammation. Due to the poor efficacy of standard glucocorticoid therapy, new treatments are required. Here, we investigated whether the novel compound SUL-151 with mitoprotective properties can be used as a prophylactic and therapeutic treatment in a murine CS-induced inflammation model. SUL-151 (4 mg/kg), budesonide (500 μg/kg), or vehicle were administered via oropharyngeal instillation in this prophylactic and therapeutic treatment setting. The number of immune cells was determined in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Oxidative stress response, mitochondrial adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production, and mitophagy-related proteins were measured in lung homogenates. SUL-151 significantly decreased more than 70% and 50% of CS-induced neutrophils in BALF after prophylactic and therapeutic administration, while budesonide showed no significant reduction in neutrophils. Moreover, SUL-151 prevented the CS-induced decrease in ATP and mitochondrial mtDNA and an increase in putative protein kinase 1 expression in the lung homogenates. The concentration of SUL-151 was significantly correlated with malondialdehyde level and radical scavenging activity in the lungs. SUL-151 inhibited the increased pulmonary inflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction in this CS-induced inflammation model, which implied that SUL-151 might be a promising candidate for COPD treatment.     

Small Noncoding RNAs in Knee Osteoarthritis: The Role of MicroRNAs and tRNA-Derived Fragments

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative knee joint disease that results from the breakdown of joint cartilage and underlying bone, affecting about 3.3% of the world’s population. As OA is a multifactorial disease, the underlying pathological process is closely associated with genetic changes in articular cartilage and bone. Many studies have focused on the role of small noncoding RNAs in OA and identified numbers of microRNAs that play important roles in regulating bone and cartilage homeostasis. The connection between other types of small noncoding RNAs, especially tRNA-derived fragments and knee osteoarthritis is still elusive. The observation that there is limited information about small RNAs different than miRNAs in knee OA was very surprising to us, especially given the fact that tRNA fragments are known to participate in a plethora of human diseases and a portion of them are even more abundant than miRNAs. Inspired by these findings, in this review we have summarized the possible involvement of microRNAs and tRNA-derived fragments in the pathology of knee osteoarthritis.     

Differential absorption lidar system for routine monitoring of tropospheric ozone

A differential absorption lidar system for routine profiling of tropospheric ozone for daytime and nighttime operation is described. The system uses stimulated Raman scattering in hydrogen and deuterium of 266-nm radiation from a quadrupled Nd:YAG laser. Ozone profiles from altitudes of 600 m to approximately 5 km have been obtained with analog detection. Implementing corrections for differential Rayleigh scattering, differential absorption from oxygen, sulphur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide, and differential aerosol extinction and backscatter can reduce the total system inaccuracy to 5-15% for a clear day and 20-30% for a hazy day, except at the top of the mixed layer. Photon counting must be installed to increase the measurement range from 5 to 15 km. An example of an application of routine measurements of tropospheric ozone profiles is given.