Effects of film thickness and alkaline concentration on dissolution kinetics of poly(4-hydroxystyrene) in alkaline aqueous solution

The dissolution behavior of a simple combination of poly(4-hydroxystyrene) (PHS) films and tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) aqueous solution was analyzed to gain a fundamental understanding of the effects of film thickness and alkaline concentration on the dissolution kinetics of chemically amplified resists (CARs). Films of four different thicknesses, from thick (approximately 900 nm) to thin (approximately 50 nm), were developed in 22 different developers of different concentrations. The dissolution behavior of each combination was observed using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). Differences in dissolution kinetics due to film thickness were observed even between relatively thick films such as 900- and 500-nm thick films in dilute developers. These differences were considered to be caused by the diffusion of the solution into the films. Thin films also showed characteristic behavior with dilution. This behavior was due to the interaction between the substrate and the films, unlike in the case of thick films.

Secure Physical Layer Network Coding versus Secure Network Coding

When a network has relay nodes, there is a risk that a part of the information is leaked to an untrusted relay. Secure network coding (secure NC) is known as a method to resolve this problem, which enables the secrecy of the message when the message is transmitted over a noiseless network and a part of the edges or a part of the intermediate (untrusted) nodes are eavesdropped. If the channels on the network are noisy, the error correction is applied to noisy channels before the application of secure NC on an upper layer. In contrast, secure physical layer network coding (secure PLNC) is a method to securely transmit a message by a combination of coding operation on nodes when the network is composed of set of noisy channels. Since secure NC is a protocol on an upper layer, secure PLNC can be considered as a cross-layer protocol. In this paper, we compare secure PLNC with a simple combination of secure NC and error correction over several typical network models studied in secure NC.

Controlling Microdroplet Inner Rotation by Parallel Carrier Flow of Sesame and Silicone Oils

We developed a method for passively controlling microdroplet rotation, including interior rotation, using a parallel flow comprising silicone and sesame oils. This device has a simple 2D structure with a straight channel and T-junctions fabricated from polydimethylsiloxane. A microdroplet that forms upstream moves into the sesame oil. Then, the largest flow velocity at the interface of the two oil layers applies a rotational force to the microdroplet. A microdroplet in the lower oil rotates clockwise while that in the upper oil rotates anti-clockwise. The rotational direction was controlled by a simple combination of sesame and silicone oils. Droplet interior flow was visualized by tracking microbeads inside the microdroplets. This study will contribute to the efficient creation of chiral molecules for pharmaceutical and materials development by controlling rotational direction and speed.

Chromosome morphology and cytomolecular characteristics of the perennial rye cultivar ‘Kriszta’

The perennial Secale cereanum cultivar ‘Kriszta’ is an artificial hybrid of S. cereale and S. strictum ssp. anatolicum. From the cross between the wheat line Mv9kr1 and ‘Kriszta’, which aimed the transfer of beneficial traits from rye to wheat, numerous translocation lines have been produced. For the identification of the translocated chromosomes, the unambiguous differentiation between chromosome arms of ‘Kriszta’ is essential. The identification of its short chromosome arms using conventional FISH probes is easy, but because of their similar hybridization patterns, its long arms cannot be distinguished. The present study aimed to create the detailed karyotype of ‘Kriszta’, especially that of long arms, by both chromosome measurements and FISH using highly repetitive, as well as subtelomeric tandem repeat, and synthetic microsatellite DNA sequences. Our results indicate that the chromosome complement of ‘Kriszta’ is not a simple combination of the chromosomes of the parental rye species but is composed of rearranged chromosomes. It is also showed that an adequate pair-wise combination of the DNA sequences pSc119.2, pSc200, pSc250, and (AAC)5 makes it possible to identify any of the long arms of S. cereanum cv. Kriszta chromosomes. The future usability of the identified wheat- ‘Kriszta’ translocated chromosomes is also discussed.

Structure-driven effects on genomic DNA damage propensity at G-quadruplex sites

Our genome contains about half a million sites capable of forming G-quadruplex (G4) structures. Such structural formations, often localised at important regulatory loci, have high capability of altering the predisposition of corresponding genomic spans to endogenous and exogenous DNA damage. In this work, we devised an approach to systematically enrich and zoom onto structure-driven effects on the propensity to undergo 9 types of DNA damage: ultraviolet radiation-induced pyrimidine-pyrimidone (6-4) photoproduct PP and cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer CPD couplings (two dyad-based subtypes in each), cisplatin-mediated G-G crosslinks, reactive oxygen species induced 8-oxoguanine damage, DNA fragmentation upon natural decay and fossilisation, breakages from artificial enzymatic cleavage and ultrasound sonication. Our results indicate that the structural effects on DNA damageability at G4 sites are not a simple combination of shielding (G4 strand) and de-shielding (opposite strand) against damaging factors, and the outcomes have different patterns and variation from one damage type to another, highly dependent on the G4 strength and relative strand localisation. The results are accompanied by electronic structure calculations, detailed structural parallels and considerations.

Deep convolutional tree-inspired network: a decision-tree-structured neural network for hierarchical fault diagnosis of bearings

The fault diagnosis of bearings is crucial in ensuring the reliability of rotating machinery. Deep neural networks have provided unprecedented opportunities to condition monitoring from a new perspective due to the powerful ability in learning fault-related knowledge. However, the inexplicability and low generalization ability of fault diagnosis models still bar them from the application. To address this issue, this paper explores a decision-tree-structured neural network, that is, the deep convolutional tree-inspired network (DCTN), for the hierarchical fault diagnosis of bearings. The proposed model effectively integrates the advantages of convolutional neural network (CNN) and decision tree methods by rebuilding the output decision layer of CNN according to the hierarchical structural characteristics of the decision tree, which is by no means a simple combination of the two models. The proposed DCTN model has unique advantages in 1) the hierarchical structure that can support more accuracy and comprehensive fault diagnosis, 2) the better interpretability of the model output with hierarchical decision making, and 3) more powerful generalization capabilities for the samples across fault severities. The multiclass fault diagnosis case and cross-severity fault diagnosis case are executed on a multicondition aeronautical bearing test rig. Experimental results can fully demonstrate the feasibility and superiority of the proposed method.

The Combination of Bacillus Subtilis wt55 with AiiO-AIO6 Improve the Resistance of Zebrafish to Aeromonas Veronii Infection by Simple Collocation Rather Than B. Subtilis Quorum-Quenching Recombinant Expression Strain

Disease problems will seriously restrict the sustainable development of aquaculture, and the environmental-friendly prevention strategies are urgently needed. Probiotics and quorum-quenching enzyme are innovative strategies to control bacterial diseases. Firstly, the bacteriostatic activity of B. subtilis wt55 strain and quenching enzyme AiiO-AIO6 on the growth of A. veronii were tested in vitro, and the results showed that this two had different effects on A. veronii: wt55 inhibit the growth of A. veronii, but AiiO-AIO6 did not. Then, the synergistic effects of simple combination of B. subtilis wt55 and AiiO-AIO6 was evaluated next. The results showed this combination could improve the survival rate and significantly reduce the number of invasive A. veronii in gut after challenge compared to the other groups, corresponding to the lower intestinal alkaline phosphatase activity. In vitro co-culture experiments showed this combination could inhibit the growth of A. veronii. Direct immersion of germ-free zebrafish proved AiiO-AIO6 did not directly regulate the innate immune response of the host, but wt55 did it, and the combination of wt55 and AiiO-AIO6 could significantly reduce the expression of NF-κB and proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β, increase the expression of lysozyme gene. The gut microbiota induced by either experimental diet was transferred to germ-free zebrafish, and the results showed that intestinal microbiota also plays a regulatory role. The gut microbiota from combination group could significantly inhibit the expression of IL-1β and NF-κB, and increased the expression of TGF-β and lysozyme. Given the effectiveness of this combination, a B. subtilis quorum-quenching recombinant expression strain in which AiiO-AIO6 was surface displayed on the spores and secreted by vegetative cells was built. The results showed that the survival rate after challenge was lower than that of the group treated with AiiO-AIO6 or wt55 alone, and the expression of proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β and NF-κB were significantly higher. Our study demonstrated the effectiveness of B. subtilis and AiiO-AIO6 simple combination and established an efficient B. subtilis expression system.

The H3.3K27M oncohistone antagonizes reprogramming in Drosophila

Development proceeds by the activation of genes by transcription factors and the inactivation of others by chromatin-mediated gene silencing. In certain cases development can be reversed or redirected by mis-expression of master regulator transcription factors. This must involve the activation of previously silenced genes, and such developmental aberrations are thought to underlie a variety of cancers. Here, we express the wing-specific Vestigial master regulator to reprogram the developing eye, and test the role of silencing in reprogramming using an H3.3K27M oncohistone mutation that dominantly inhibits histone H3K27 trimethylation. We find that production of the oncohistone blocks eye-to-wing reprogramming. CUT&Tag chromatin profiling of mutant tissues shows that H3K27me3 of domains is generally reduced upon oncohistone production, suggesting that a previous developmental program must be silenced for effective transformation. Strikingly, Vg and H3.3K27M synergize to stimulate overgrowth of eye tissue, a phenotype that resembles that of mutations in Polycomb silencing components. Transcriptome profiling of elongating RNA Polymerase II implicates the mis-regulation of signaling factors in overgrowth. Our results demonstrate that growth dysregulation can result from the simple combination of crippled silencing and transcription factor mis-expression, an effect that may explain the origins of oncohistone-bearing cancers.

The Combination of Bacillus Subtilis wt55 with AiiO-AIO6 Improve The Resistance of Zebrafish To A. Veronii Infection by Simple Collocation Rather Than B. Subtilis Quorum-Quenching Recombinant Expression Strain

Disease problems will seriously restrict the sustainable development of aquaculture, and the environmental-friendly prevention strategies are urgently needed. Probiotics and quorum-quenching enzyme are innovative strategies to control bacterial diseases. The bacteriostatic effect of B. subtilis wt55 strain and quenching enzyme AiiO-AIO6 in vitro showed wt55 inhibit the growth of A. veronii, but AiiO-AIO6 did not. Therefore simple combination of B. subtilis wt55 strain and AiiO-AIO6 was used to evaluate potential synergistic effect. The results showed this combination could significantly reduce the number of invasive A. veronii in gut after challenge, corresponding to the lower intestinal alkaline phosphatase activity. In vitro co-culture experiments showed this combination could inhibit the growth of A. veronii. Direct immersion of germ-free zebrafish proved AiiO-AIO6 did not directly regulate the innate immune response of the host, but wt55 did it, and the combination of wt55 and AiiO-AIO6 could significantly reduce the expression of NF-κB and proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β, increase the expression of lysozyme gene. The gut microbiota induced by either experimental diet was transferred to germ-free zebrafish, and the results showed that intestinal microbiota also plays a regulatory role. The gut microbiota from combination group could significantly inhibit the expression of IL-1β and NF-κB, and increased the expression of TGF-β and lysozyme. Given the effectiveness of this combination, a B. subtilis quorum-quenching recombinant expression strain in which AiiO-AIO6 was surface displayed on the spores and secreted by vegetative cells was built. The results showed that the survival rate after challenge was lower than that of the group treated with AiiO-AIO6 or wt55 alone, and the expression of proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β and NF-κB were significantly higher. Our study demonstrated the effectiveness of B. subtilis and AiiO-AIO6 simple combination and established an efficient B. subtilis expression system.