Exercise attenuates angiotensinⅡ-induced muscle atrophy by targeting PPARγ/miR-29b

Background:Exercise is beneficial for muscle atrophy.Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma(PPARγ) and microRNA-29 b(miR-29 b) have been reported to be responsible for angiotensinⅡ(AngⅡ)-induced muscle atrophy.However,it is unclear whether exercise can protect AngⅡ-induced muscle atrophy by targeting PPARγ/miR-29 b.Methods:Skeletal muscle atrophy in both the control group and the run group was established by AngⅡ infusion;after 1 week of exercise training,the mice were sacrificed,and muscle weight was determined.Myofiber size was measured by hematoxylin-eosin and wheat-germ agglutinin staining.Apoptosis was evaluated by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling staining.The expression level of muscle atrogenes,including F-box only protein 32(FBXO32,also called Atrogin-1) and muscle-specific RING-finger 1(MuRF-1),the phosphorylation level of protein kinase B(PKB,also called AKT)/forkhead box 03 A(FOX03 A)/mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR) pathway proteins,the expression level of PPARγ and apoptosis-related proteins,including B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2),Bcl-2-associated X(Bax),cysteine-aspartic acid protease 3(caspase-3),and cleaved-caspase-3,were determined by western blot.The expression level of miR-29 b was checked by reversetranscription quantitative polymerase chain reaction.A PPARγ inhibitor(T0070907) or adeno-associated virus serotype-8(AAV8)-mediated miR-29 b overexpression was used to demonstrate whether PPARγ activation or miR-29 b inhibition mediates the beneficial effects of exercise in AngⅡ-induced muscle atrophy.Results:Exercise can significantly attenuate AngⅡ-induced muscle atrophy,which is demonstrated by increased skeletal muscle weight,cross-sectional area of myofiber,and activation of AKT/mTOR signaling and by decreased atrogenes expressions and apoptosis.In AngⅡ-induced muscle atrophy mice models,PPARγ was elevated whereas miR-29 b was decreased by exercise.The protective effects of exercise in AngⅡ-induced muscle atrophy were inhibited by a PPARγ inhibitor(T0070907) or adeno-associated virus serotype-8(AAV8)-mediated miR-29 b overexpression.Conclusion:Exercise attenuates AngⅡ-induced muscle atrophy by activation of PPARγ and suppression of miR-29 b.

Jamming Monitoring Technology of the Space Situational Awareness Facilities:A Comprehensive Survey

Complicated electromagnetic environments of the space situational awareness facilities(i.e.,satellite navigation systems,radar)would significantly impact normal operations.Effective monitoring and the corresponding diagnosis of the jamming signals are essential to normal opera-tions and the innovations in anti-jamming equipment.This paper demonstrates a comprehensive survey on jamming monitoring algorithms and applications.The methods in dealing with jamming signals are summarized primarily.Subsequently,the jamming detection,identification,and direc-tion finding techniques are addressed separately.Based on the established studies,we also provide some potential trends of the demonstrated jamming monitoring issues.

Electromagnetic and Microwave Absorption Properties of Carbonyl-Iron/Fe91Si9 Composites in Gigahertz Range

Carbonyl-iron/Fe91Si9 composites for thin microwave absorbers were firstly prepared by a simple blending technique. The patterns of carbonyl-iron and Fe91Si9 were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The complex permittivity, permeability and microwave absorption properties of the composites were studied in the frequency range of 2 - 7GHz by a HP8720B vector network analyzer. Complex permittivity and permeability decrease gradually with increasing weight percentage of Fe91Si9 in the composites, the variation of permittivity was very large but the variation of permeability was very small. The composites exhibited excellent microwave absorption properties with increasing Fe91Si9 content. The reflection loss (RL) values less than –20 dB were obtained in the 3.7 - 6.7 GHz frequency range for the paraffin matrix composites with 80 wt% carbonyl-iron/Fe91Si9 powders (weight ratio of carbonyl-iron to Fe91Si9 was 1:1), with thickness of 4.0 - 2.4 mm, respectively. The optimal RL of –45 dB was observed at 5.2 GHz with a matching thickness (dm) of 3.0 mm. The excellent microwave absorption properties were attributed to a better electromagnetic impedance match and a higher electric resistivity.

The super-pangenome of Populus unveils genomic facets for its adaptation and diversification in widespread forest trees

Understanding the underlying mechanisms and links between genome evolution and adaptive innovations stands as a key goal in evolutionary studies.Poplars,among the world’s most widely distributed and cultivated trees,exhibit extensive phenotypic diversity and environmental adaptability.In this study,we present a genus-level super-pangenome comprising 19 Populus genomes,revealing the likely pivotal role of private genes in facilitating local environmental and climate adaptation.Through the integration of pangenomes with transcriptomes,methylomes,and chromatin accessibility mapping,we unveil that the evolutionary trajectories of pangenes and duplicated genes are closely linked to local genomic landscapes of regulatory and epigenetic architectures,notably CG methylation in gene-body regions.Further comparative genomic analyses have enabled the identification of 142202 structural variants across species that intersect with a significant number of genes and contribute substantially to both phenotypic and adaptive divergence.We have experimentally validated a∼180-bp presence/absence variant affecting the expression of the CUC2 gene,crucial for leaf serration formation.Finally,we developed a user-friendly web-based tool encompassing the multi-omics resources associated with the Populus super-pangenome(http://www.populus-superpangenome.com).Together,the present pioneering super-pangenome resource in forest trees not only aids in the advancement of breeding efforts of this globally important tree genus but also offers valuable insights into potential avenues for comprehending tree biology.

Natural variation in the SVP contributes to the pleiotropic adaption of Arabidopsis thaliana across contrasted habitats

Coordinated plant adaptation involves the interplay of multiple traits driven by habitat-specific selection pressures. Pleiotropic effects, wherein genetic variants of a single gene control multiple traits, can expedite such adaptations. Until present, only a limited number of genes have been reported to exhibit pleiotropy. Here, we create a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from two Arabidopsis thaliana (A. thaliana) ecotypes originating from divergent habitats. Using this RIL population, we identify an allelic variation in a MADS-box transcription factor, SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE (SVP), which exerts a pleiotropic effect on leaf size and drought-versus-humidity tolerance. Further investigation reveals that a natural null variant of the SVP protein disrupts its normal regulatory interactions with target genes, including GRF3, CYP707A1/3, and AtBG1, leading to increased leaf size, enhanced tolerance to humid conditions, and changes in flowering time of humid conditions in A. thaliana. Remarkably, polymorphic variations in this gene have been traced back to early A. thaliana populations, providing a genetic foundation and plasticity for subsequent colonization of diverse habitats by influencing multiple traits. These findings advance our understanding of how plants rapidly adapt to changing environments by virtue of the pleiotropic effects of individual genes on multiple trait alterations.

High-fidelity and clean nanotransfer lithography using structure-embedded and electrostatic-adhesive carriers

Metallic nanostructures are becoming increasingly important for both fundamental research and practical devices.Many emerging applications employing metallic nanostructures often involve unconventional substrates that are flexible or nonplanar,making direct lithographic fabrication very difficult.An alternative approach is to transfer prefabricated structures from a conventional substrate;however,it is still challenging to maintain high fidelity and a high yield in the transfer process.In this paper,we propose a high-fidelity,clean nanotransfer lithography method that addresses the above challenges by employing a polyvinyl acetate(PVA)film as the transferring carrier and promoting electrostatic adhesion through triboelectric charging.The PVA film embeds the transferred metallic nanostructures and maintains their spacing with a remarkably low variation of<1%.When separating the PVA film from the donor substrate,electrostatic charges are generated due to triboelectric charging and facilitate adhesion to the receiver substrate,resulting in a high large-area transfer yield of up to 99.93%.We successfully transferred the metallic structures of a variety of materials(Au,Cu,Pd,etc.)with different geometries with a<50-nm spacing,high aspect ratio(>2),and complex 3D structures.Moreover,the thin and flexible carrier film enables transfer on highly curved surfaces,such as a single-mode optical fiber with a curvature radius of 62.5μm.With this strategy,we demonstrate the transfer of metallic nanostructures for a compact spectrometer with Cu nanogratings transferred on a convex lens and for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy(SERS)characterization on graphene with reliable responsiveness.

Spatial modulation of nanopattern dimensions by combining interference lithography and grayscale-patterned secondary exposure

Functional nanostructures are exploited for a variety of cutting-edge fields including plasmonics,metasurfaces,and biosensors,just to name a few.Some applications require nanostructures with uniform feature sizes while others rely on spatially varying morphologies.However,fine manipulation of the feature size over a large area remains a substantial challenge because mainstream approaches to precise nanopatterning are based on low-throughput pixel-by-pixel processing,such as those utilizing focused beams of photons,electrons,or ions.In this work,we provide a solution toward wafer-scale,arbitrary modulation of feature size distribution by introducing a lithographic portfolio combining interference lithography(IL)and grayscale-patterned secondary exposure(SE).Employed after the high-throughput IL,a SE with patterned intensity distribution spatially modulates the dimensions of photoresist nanostructures.Based on this approach,we successfully fabricated 4-inch wafer-scale nanogratings with uniform linewidths of<5%variation,using grayscale-patterned SE to compensate for the linewidth difference caused by the Gaussian distribution of the laser beams in the IL.Besides,we also demonstrated a wafer-scale structural color painting by spatially modulating the filling ratio to achieve gradient grayscale color using SE.

The genome and gene editing system of sea barleygrass provide a novel platform for cereal domestication and stress tolerance studies

The tribe Triticeae provides important staple cereal crops and contains elite wild species with wide geneticdiversity and high tolerance to abiotic stresses. Sea barleygrass (Hordeum marinum Huds.), a wildTriticeae species, thrives in saline marshlands and is well known for its high tolerance to salinity and waterlogging. Here, a 3.82-Gb high-quality reference genome of sea barleygrass is assembled de novo, with 3.69Gb (96.8%) of its sequences anchored onto seven chromosomes. In total, 41 045 high-confidence (HC)genes are annotated by homology, de novo prediction, and transcriptome analysis. Phylogenetics, nonsynonymous/synonymous mutation ratios (Ka/Ks), and transcriptomic and functional analyses provide genetic evidence for the divergence in morphology and salt tolerance among sea barleygrass, barley, andwheat. The large variation in post-domestication genes (e.g. IPA1 and MOC1) may cause interspecies differences in plant morphology. The extremely high salt tolerance of sea barleygrass is mainly attributed tolow Na+ uptake and root-to-shoot translocation, which are mainly controlled by SOS1, HKT, and NHX transporters. Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing systems weredeveloped for sea barleygrass to promote its utilization for exploration and functional studies of hubgenes and for the genetic improvement of cereal crops.

Nanoimprint-induced strain engineering of two-dimensional materials

The high stretchability of two-dimensional(2D)materials has facilitated the possibility of using external strain to manipulate their properties.Hence,strain engineering has emerged as a promising technique for tailoring the performance of 2D materials by controlling the applied elastic strain field.Although various types of strain engineering methods have been proposed,deterministic and controllable generation of the strain in 2D materials remains a challenging task.Here,we report a nanoimprint-induced strain engineering(NISE)strategy for introducing controllable periodic strain profiles on 2D materials.A three-dimensional(3D)tunable strain is generated in a molybdenum disulfide(MoS_(2))sheet by pressing and conforming to the topography of an imprint mold.Different strain profiles generated in MoS_(2)are demonstrated and verified by Raman and photoluminescence(PL)spectroscopy.The strain modulation capability of NISE is investigated by changing the imprint pressure and the patterns of the imprint molds,which enables precise control of the strain magnitudes and distributions in MoS_(2).Furthermore,a finite element model is developed to simulate the NISE process and reveal the straining behavior of MoS_(2).This deterministic and effective strain engineering technique can be easily extended to other materials and is also compatible with common semiconductor fabrication processes;therefore,it provides prospects for advances in broad nanoelectronic and optoelectronic devices.