Design of a Novel Wideband Leaf-Shaped Printed Dipole Array Antenna Using a Parasitic Loop for High-Power Jamming Applications

This paper proposes a novel wideband leaf-shaped printed dipole antenna sensor that uses a parasitic element to improve the impedance matching bandwidth characteristics for high-power jamming applications. The proposed antenna sensor consists of leaf-shaped dipole radiators, matching posts, rectangular slots, and a parasitic loop element. The leaf-shaped dipole radiators are designed with exponential curves to obtain a high directive pattern and are printed on a TLY-5 substrate for high-power durability. The matching posts, rectangular slots, and a parasitic loop element are used to enhance the impedance matching characteristics. The proposed antenna sensor has a measured fractional bandwidth of 66.7% at a center frequency of 4.5 GHz. To confirm the array antenna sensor characteristics, such as its active reflection coefficients (ARCs) and beam steering gains, the proposed single antenna sensor is extended to an 11 × 1 uniform linear array. The average values of the simulated and measured ARCs from 4.5 to 6 GHz are −13.4 dB and −14.7 dB. In addition, the measured bore-sight array gains of the co-polarization are 13.4 dBi and 13.7 dBi at 4 GHz and 5 GHz, while those of the cross-polarizations are −4.9 dBi and −3.4 dBi, respectively. When the beam is steered at a steering angle, θ0, of 15°, the maximum measured array gains of the co-polarization are 12.2 dBi and 10.3 dBi at 4 GHz and 5 GHz, respectively.

Adapting CRISPR/Cas9 System for Targeting Mitochondrial Genome

Gene editing of the mitochondrial genome using the CRISPR-Cas9 system is highly challenging mainly due to sub-efficient delivery of guide RNA and Cas9 enzyme complexes into the mitochondria. In this study, we were able to perform gene editing in the mitochondrial DNA by appending an NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase chain 4 (ND4) targeting guide RNA to an RNA transport-derived stem loop element (RP-loop) and expressing the Cas9 enzyme with a preceding mitochondrial localization sequence. We observe mitochondrial colocalization of RP-loop gRNA and a marked reduction of ND4 expression in the cells carrying a 11205G variant in their ND4 sequence coincidently decreasing the mtDNA levels. This proof-of-concept study suggests that a stem-loop element added sgRNA can be transported to the mitochondria and functionally interact with Cas9 to mediate sequence-specific mtDNA cleavage. Using this novel approach to target the mtDNA, our results provide further evidence that CRISPR-Cas9-mediated gene editing might potentially be used to treat mitochondrial-related diseases.

Optimization of Modified Yagi-Uda Nanoantenna Arrays Using Adaptive Fuzzy GAPSO

This paper presents an optimization of the radiation and absorption characteristics of modified Yagi-Uda (YU) nanoantenna arrays. Four geometries of antennas are considered: conventional YU fed by voltage source and transmission line, and YU with a loop element fed by voltage source and transmission line. The numerical electromagnetic simulations of these nanoantennas were made by the method of moments (MoM). The optimization method used is the adaptive fuzzy GAPSO, which consists of hybridization between genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO), with a fuzzy system employed to adapt the inertial weight ω and the acceleration coefficients C1 and C2 of PSO. The optimized results show that the modified YU nanoantennas present better characteristics of gain, directivity, and radiation efficiency than the conventional YU antenna.

Adapting CRISPR/Cas9 System for Targeting Mitochondrial Genome

ABSTRACTGene editing of the mitochondrial genome using CRISPR-Cas9 system is highly challenging mainly due to sub-efficient delivery of guide RNA and Cas9 enzyme complexes into mitochondria. In this study, we were able to perform gene editing in the mitochondrial DNA by appending NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase chain 4 (ND4) targeting guide RNA to a RNA transport derived stem loop element (RP-loop) and expressing the Cas9 enzyme with preceding mitochondrial localization sequence. Our results showed mitochondrial co-localization of RP-loop gRNA and a marked reduction of ND4 expression in the cells carrying a A11204G variant in their ND4 sequence coincidently decreasing the mtDNA levels. This proof-of-concept study suggests that stem loop element added sgRNA can be transported to the mitochondria and functionally interact with Cas9 to mediate sequence specific mtDNA cleavage. Using this novel approach to target the mtDNA, our results provide further evidence that CRISPR-Cas9 mediated gene editing might potentially be used to treat mtDNA related diseases.

Transcription in cyanobacteria: a distinctive machinery and putative mechanisms

Transcription in cyanobacteria involves several fascinating features. Cyanobacteria comprise one of the very few groups in which no proofreading factors (Gre homologues) have been identified. Gre factors increase the efficiency of RNA cleavage, therefore helping to maintain the fidelity of the RNA transcript and assist in the resolution of stalled RNAPs to prevent genome damage. The vast majority of bacterial species encode at least one of these highly conserved factors and so their absence in cyanobacteria is intriguing. Additionally, the largest subunit of bacterial RNAP has undergone a split in cyanobacteria to form two subunits and the SI3 insertion within the integral trigger loop element is roughly 3.5 times larger than in Escherichia coli. The Rho termination factor also appears to be absent, leaving cyanobacteria to rely solely on an intrinsic termination mechanism. Furthermore, cyanobacteria must be able to respond to environment signals such as light intensity and tightly synchronise gene expression and other cell activities to a circadian rhythm.