In most plants, major unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) are three C18 species, namely, oleic (18:1), linoleic (18:2), and α-linolenic (18:3) acids. These simple compounds play multiple crucial roles
and ...are also important economic traits of oil crops. The enzymatic steps of C18 UFA biosynthesis have been well established. However, the associated FA/lipid trafficking between the plastid and the endoplasmic reticulum remains largely unclear, as does the regulation of the expression and activities of the involved enzymes. In this review, we will revisit the biosynthesis of C18 UFAs with an emphasis on the trafficking, and present an overview of the key enzymes and their regulation. Of particular interest is the emerging regulatory network composed of transcriptional factors and upstream signaling pathways. The review thereby provides the promise of using physical, biochemical and/or genetic means to manipulate FA composition and increase oil yield in crop improvement.
Single‐cell biophysical properties play a crucial role in regulating cellular physiological states and functions, demonstrating significant potential in the fields of life sciences and clinical ...diagnostics. Therefore, over the last few decades, researchers have developed various detection tools to explore the relationship between the biophysical changes of biological cells and human diseases. With the rapid advancement of modern microfabrication technology, microfluidic devices have quickly emerged as a promising platform for single‐cell analysis offering advantages including high‐throughput, exceptional precision, and ease of manipulation. Consequently, this paper provides an overview of the recent advances in microfluidic analysis and detection systems for single‐cell biophysical properties and their applications in the field of cancer. The working principles and latest research progress of single‐cell biophysical property detection are first analyzed, highlighting the significance of electrical and mechanical properties. The development of data acquisition and processing methods for real‐time, high‐throughput, and practical applications are then discussed. Furthermore, the differences in biophysical properties between tumor and normal cells are outlined, illustrating the potential for utilizing single‐cell biophysical properties for tumor cell identification, classification, and drug response assessment. Lastly, we summarize the limitations of existing microfluidic analysis and detection systems in single‐cell biophysical properties, while also pointing out the prospects and future directions of their applications in cancer diagnosis and treatment.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
The temperature is often a critical factor affecting the diffusion of nanoparticles in complex physiological media, but its specific effects are still to be fully understood. Here, we constructed a ...temperature‐regulated model of semidilute polymer solution and experimentally investigated the temperature‐mediated diffusion of nanoparticles using the particle tracking method. By examining the ensemble‐averaged mean square displacements (MSDs), we found that the MSD grows gradually as the temperature increases while the transition time from sublinear to linear stage in MSD decreases. Meanwhile, the temperature‐dependent measured diffusivity of the nanoparticles shows an exponential growth. We revealed that these temperature‐mediated changes are determined by the composite effect of the macroscale property of polymer solution and the microscale dynamics of polymer chain as well as nanoparticles. Furthermore, the measured non‐Gaussian displacement probability distributions were found to exhibit non‐Gaussian fat tails, and the tailed distribution is enhanced as the temperature increases. The non‐Gaussianity was calculated and found to vary in the same trend with the tailed distribution, suggesting the occurrence of hopping events. This temperature‐mediated non‐Gaussian feature validates the recent theory of thermally induced activated hopping. Our results highlight the temperature‐mediated changes in diffusive transport of nanoparticles in polymer solutions and may provide the possible strategy to improve drug delivery in physiological media.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
With the aim of damage control, a new earthquake-resilient prefabricated column-flange beam-column joint (PCFBCJ) had been presented for the connection between column-flange and beam-column. On this ...basis, the low cycle reciprocating test and finite element (FE) numerical validation were carried on the four specimens of PCFBCJ and one repaired specimen in this paper, and the hysteretic curves, skeleton curves, strain curves of these specimens were obtained. The seismic performance and earthquake resilience of the joints were studied by changing the connection form and the other design parameters such as the flange cover thickness, middle bolts interval, bolt number and shape of bolt holes. The results showed that, under the condition of reasonable design parameters, the joints had good load bearing and seismic performance whether the connection form was single or double flange cover plates (FCPs). The joints can be repidly repaired after earthquake by replacing the key energy dissipation components. The repaired joints still have good seismic performance and energy dissipation capacity. The middle bolts interval has a significant effect on the yield load and ultimate load of the joints, especially on the ultimate load of the joint. When the FCP does not slide, the shape of the holes had little influence on the energy dissipation capacity and bearing capacity of the joints.
•A replaceable damper: earthquake-resilient PCFBCJ, was studied in depth.•Four specimens were designed and five low cyclic loading tests were conducted.•Several seismic behavior indicators and failure mode of PCFBCJs were obtained.•Influence of several factors on seismic behaviour of PCFBCJs were investigated.•Centralized energy dissipation, quick replacement to realize earthquake-resilient.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The generation of dynamic biochemical signals in a microfluidic control system is of importance for the study of the interaction between biological cells and their niches. However, most of ...microfluidic control systems are not able to provide dynamic biochemical signals with high precision and stability due to inherent mechanical vibrations caused by the actuators of the programmable pumps. In this paper, we propose a novel microfluidic feedback control system integrating an external feedback control system with a Y‐shaped microfluidic chip with a “Christmas tree” inlet. The Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) controller is implemented to reduce the influence of vibrations. In order to regulate the control parameters efficiently, a mathematical model is built to describe the actuator of the programmable pump, in which a fractional‐order model is utilized. Both simulation and experimental studies are carried out, confirming that the microfluidic feedback control system can precisely and stably generate desired dynamic biochemical signals.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
In the present study, we numerically demonstrate an approach for separation of micro and sub‐micro diamagnetic particles in dual ferrofluid streams based on negative magnetophoresis. The dual streams ...are constructed by an intermediate sheath flow, after which the negative magnetophoretic force induced by an array of permanent magnets dominates the separation of diamagnetic particles. A simple and efficient numerical model is developed to calculate the motions of particles under the action of magnetic field and flow field. Effects of the average flow velocity, the ratio of sheath fluid flow to sample fluid flow, the number of the magnet pair as well as the position of magnet pair are investigated. The optimal parametric condition for complete separation is obtained through the parametric analysis, and the separation principle is further elucidated by the force analysis. The separation of smaller micro and sub‐micro diamagnetic particles is finally demonstrated. This study provides an insight into the negative magnetophoretic phenomenon and guides the fabrication of feasible, low‐cost diagnostic devices for sub‐micro particle separation.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Increasing evidence has shown that circular RNAs (circRNAs) are involved in neurodegenerative disorders, but their roles in neurological toxoplasmosis are yet to know. This study examined miRNA and ...circRNA expressions in mouse brain following oral infection with T. gondii Pru strain.
Total RNA extracted from acutely infected (11 days post infection (DPI)), chronically infected (35 DPI) and uninfected mouse brain samples were subjected to genome-wide small RNA sequencing. In the acutely infected mice, 9 circRNAs and 20 miRNAs were upregulated, whereas 67 circRNAs and 28 miRNAs were downregulated. In the chronically infected mice, 2 circRNAs and 42 miRNAs were upregulated, whereas 1 circRNA and 29 miRNAs were downregulated. Gene ontology analysis predicted that the host genes that produced the dysregulated circRNAs in the acutely infected brain were primarily involved in response to stimulus and ion binding activities. Furthermore, predictive interaction networks of circRNA-miRNA and miRNA-mRNA were constructed based on genome-wide transcriptome sequencing and computational analyses, which might suggest the putative functions of miRNAs and circRNAs as a large class of post-transcriptional regulators.
These findings will shed light on circRNA-miRNA interactions during the pathogenesis of toxoplasmosis, and they will lay solid foundation for studying the potential regulation roles of miRNAs and circRNAs in T. gondii induced pathogenesis.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The mite Varroa destructor is currently the greatest threat to apiculture as it is causing a global decrease in honey bee colonies. However, it rarely causes serious damage to its native hosts, the ...eastern honey bees Apis cerana. To better understand the mechanism of resistance of A. cerana against the V. destructor mite, we profiled the metabolic changes that occur in the honey bee brain during V. destructor infestation. Brain samples were collected from infested and control honey bees and then measured using an untargeted liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)-based global metabolomics method, in which 7918 and 7462 ions in ESI+ and ESI- mode, respectively, were successfully identified. Multivariate statistical analyses were applied, and 64 dysregulated metabolites, including fatty acids, amino acids, carboxylic acid, and phospholipids, amongst others, were identified. Pathway analysis further revealed that linoleic acid metabolism; propanoate metabolism; and glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism were acutely perturbed. The data obtained in this study offer insight into the defense mechanisms of A. cerana against V. destructor mites and provide a better method for understanding the synergistic effects of parasitism on honey bee colonies.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
It is always difficult to assign the peaks of a vibrational spectrum in the far-infrared region. The two distinct peaks seen in many ice phases are still a mystery to date. The normal modes of ice XV ...were calculated using the CASTEP code based on first-principles density functional theory. On the basis of vibrational modes analysis, we divided the translational modes into three categories: four-bond vibrations, which have the highest energy levels; two-bond vibrations, which have medium levels of energy; and relative vibrations between two sublattices, which have the lowest energy. Whale et al. found that some intramolecular stretching modes include the isolated vibration of only one O-H bond, whereas the others do not vibrate in ice XV. We verified this phenomenon in this study and attributed it to local tetrahedral deformation. Analysis of normal modes, especially in the translation and stretching band of ice XV, clarified the physical insights of the vibrational spectrum and can be used with other ice phases.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
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