Physiological Attributes and Transcriptomics Analysis Reveal the Response Mechanism of Helictotrichon Virescens to Low-Temperature Stress

Background: Helictotrichon Virescens is a perennial herb mainly distributed in high altitude areas of 2000 ~ 4500 m. It is widely cultivated in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of China, strongly resistant to cold, and an essential part of wild herbage in this region. However, the molecular mechanism of Helictotrichon virescens response to low-temperature stress is unclear, and the key regulating genes to specific biological processes are poorly known. Results: It was used physiological and transcriptome analysis to study the cold stress response mechanism in Helictotrichon Virescens. Under low-temperature treatment at 0℃, the leaves reduced chlorophyll content and light energy absorption through light antenna complex (LHCs). As the content of chlorophyll, a and b decreased, as evident were the photoprotection effects. Besides, circadian pathway-plant is crucial for the response to cold stress in Helictotrichon Virescens. Among them, DEG encoding LHY and HY5 showed strongly up-regulated expression during cold stress in Helictotrichon Virescens. Conclusions: This study provides an opportunity to fully understand the response process of Helictotrichon Virescens to low-temperature stress. It answers the pertinent questions in perennial herbaceous cold stress research, how leaves integrate light and low-temperature signals to regulate circadian rhythms in crops, and how leaf tissue reduces light absorption and enhances light protection through optical antenna complex (LHCs).

Progress of shrink polymer micro- and nanomanufacturing

Traditional lithography plays a significant role in the fabrication of micro- and nanostructures. Nevertheless, the fabrication process still suffers from the limitations of manufacturing devices with a high aspect ratio or three-dimensional structure. Recent findings have revealed that shrink polymers attain a certain potential in micro- and nanostructure manufacturing. This technique, denoted as heat-induced shrink lithography, exhibits inherent merits, including an improved fabrication resolution by shrinking, controllable shrinkage behavior, and surface wrinkles, and an efficient fabrication process. These merits unfold new avenues, compensating for the shortcomings of traditional technologies. Manufacturing using shrink polymers is investigated in regard to its mechanism and applications. This review classifies typical applications of shrink polymers in micro- and nanostructures into the size-contraction feature and surface wrinkles. Additionally, corresponding shrinkage mechanisms and models for shrinkage, and wrinkle parameter control are examined. Regarding the size-contraction feature, this paper summarizes the progress on high-aspect-ratio devices, microchannels, self-folding structures, optical antenna arrays, and nanowires. Regarding surface wrinkles, this paper evaluates the development of wearable sensors, electrochemical sensors, energy-conversion technology, cell-alignment structures, and antibacterial surfaces. Finally, the limitations and prospects of shrink lithography are analyzed.

High-Efficiency, Wide Working Bandwidth Antenna Based on SOI Platform for Optical Phased Array

A novel structure of a subwavelength surface optical antenna for optical phased array is proposed in this paper. An asymmetric vertical grating structure is applied to achieve high emission efficiency (73% at 1550 nm). Optical antennas with large fabrication tolerances can also maintain a wide working bandwidth of 1 dB between 1350 and 1850 nm. The far-field scanning characteristics of 16-channel optical phased array are investigated in this study by employing the proposed antenna. The results show that the background suppression without considering side lobes caused by the antenna arrangement is −24.5 dB when the phase difference is 0 and when the scan range is as large as ±14.8° × 73.6°.

Nanotherapeutic approaches to overcome distinct drug resistance barriers in models of breast cancer

Targeted delivery of drugs to tumor cells, which circumvent resistance mechanisms and induce cell killing, is a lingering challenge that requires innovative solutions. Here, we provide two bioengineered strategies in which nanotechnology is blended with cancer medicine to preferentially target distinct mechanisms of drug resistance. In the first ‘case study’, we demonstrate the use of lipid–drug conjugates that target molecular signaling pathways, which result from taxane-induced drug tolerance via cell surface lipid raft accumulations. Through a small molecule drug screen, we identify a kinase inhibitor that optimally destroys drug tolerant cancer cells and conjugate it to a rationally-chosen lipid scaffold, which enhances anticancer efficacy in vitro and in vivo. In the second ‘case study’, we address resistance mechanisms that can occur through exocytosis of nanomedicines. Using adenocarcinoma HeLa and MCF-7 cells, we describe the use of gold nanorod and nanoporous vehicles integrated with an optical antenna for on-demand, photoactivation at ∼650 nm enabling release of payloads into cells including cytotoxic anthracyclines. Together, these provide two approaches, which exploit engineering strategies capable of circumventing distinct resistance barriers and induce killing by multimodal, including nanophotonic mechanisms.

Ceramic Material based Optical Antenna for Multiband Photonics Applications

In this article, design and development of a multiband ceramic material-based Optical antenna is discussed. Square shaped aperture is utilized to excited silicon based dielectric resonator. This type of excitation system provides the capability to create triple hybrid mode (HEM11δ, HEM12δ and HEM11δ+2) inside the cylindrical shaped ceramic material. Due to this feature, the proposed aerial is operating over diverse frequency bands i.e. 117.5-140 THz, 158-165.5 THz and 175.2-190.5 THz respectively. Stable radiation characteristics as well as good value of gain (about 4.0 dBi) makes the proposed Nano-radiator applicable for hyper spectral imaging system (125 THz) and VLC for wireless LAN (160/180THz).