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We report sputtering yields of Li+, H−, O−, and OHx− ion species from an Li–O–H surface for H, D, He, Ne, and Ar ion irradiation at 45° incidence in the energy range of 30–2000 eV. A Li film was deposited on a stainless steel target using Li evaporators in the LTX-β vessel, using the LTX-β Sample Exposure Probe (SEP), which includes an ultrahigh vacuum suitcase for transferring targets without significant contamination from air exposure. The SEP was used to transfer the Li-coated target from LTX-β to a separate Sample Exposure Station (SES) to perform ion exposure measurements. The SEP was also used for characterization of the Li-coated target utilizing X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy in a different chamber, showing that the lithium film surface was oxidized. Ion exposures were performed using an electron cyclotron resonance plasma source in the SES. Sputtered/ejected species were sampled by a quadrupole mass spectrometer with capabilities for detecting positive and negative ions, and an energy filter for determining the mean kinetic energy of the ejected ion species. All ion irradiations caused Li+ ions to be ejected, while causing impurity ions such as H+, H−, O− and OH− to be ejected. Measured ion energies of Li+ ions from a Li–O–H surface suggested that the typical sheath potential on the divertor surface can trap sputtered Li+ ions, which were previously reported as ~ 60% of total sputtered Li species from Li targets (Allain and Ruzic in Nucl Fusion 42:202, 2002). Hence, our results for the sputtering yields of ejected ion species and their associated ion energies from a Li–O–H surface indicates that lithium sputtering is suppressed and impurity removal is enhanced due to the sheath potential at the divertor surface for fusion reactor applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Popcorn (Zea mays everta Sturt.) can explode popcorn flake for snack food when heated. In this study, a popcorn inbred line, N04 with small grain weight, and a dent corn Dan232 with large grain weight were re-sequenced and compared with the B73 reference genome, respectively. The genome variation information between N04 and Dan232 was obtained, including 0.95 million SNPS, 0.44 million INS and 0.49 million DEL. Combining the genome of Mexican landrace Palomero and dent maize inbred lines Zheng58, Chang7-2 and Mo17, 10,837 genes with sequence variation were identified between popcorn and dent corn. There were 308 unique genes found in the popcorn genome, which were mainly involved in metabolic processes, phosphorus metabolism, protein modification and other biological processes. A total of 318 differential genes were obtained by analyzing proteome and genomic data of kernel development of N04 and Dan232. And only 4 differential expression genes were found among ESTs, genome and proteome data simultaneously, which encode auxin-binding protein, amylase, pyruvate phosphate kinase and glucose phosphate adenylyltransferase, respectively. These results uncover the genome characteristics of popcorn, which will provide important information for studying the molecular mechanism of popping characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pulmonary typical carcinoid occurring in hypoplasia of the right middle lobe is very rare. Case presentation: A routine examination's chest X-ray revealed an abnormal shadow in the right middle lung field of an 82-year-old Japanese woman. A chest computed tomography scan showed a solid 2.5 × 2.0-cm nodule in the very small right middle lobe. A trans-bronchial lung biopsy of the mass in the right middle lobe was performed; it revealed atypical cells with round nuclei growing in multiple foci, and immunostaining was positive for chromogranin A, synaptophysin and CD56, suggesting pulmonary carcinoid. The preoperative clinical diagnosis of primary lung cancer, cT1cN0M0 stage IA3 was considered. A right middle lobectomy and mediastinal lymph node dissection were performed by video-assisted thoracic surgery. Intraoperatively, the middle lobe of the right lung was very small, with 1- to 2-mm-dia. pulmonary arteries and veins that were considered hypoplastic. The final histopathological diagnosis was typical carcinoid, pT2aN0M0 stage IB based on the presence of pleural invasion. Conclusions: Including the present patient, only nine cases of lung cancer occurring within pulmonary hypoplasia have been reported, most of which were typical carcinoid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mutations in Photoperiod-1 (Ppd-1) gene are known to modify flowering time and yield in wheat. We cloned TaPpd-1 from wheat and found high similarity among the three homoeologs of TaPpd-1. To clarify the characteristics of TaPpd-1 homoeologs in different photoperiod conditions for inflorescence architecture and yield, we used CRISPR/Cas9 system to generate Tappd-1 mutant plants by simultaneous modification of the three homoeologs of wheat Ppd-1. Tappd-1 mutant plants showed no off-target mutations. Four T0-edited lines under short-day length and three lines under long-day length conditions with the mutation frequency of 25% and 21%, respectively. These putative transgenic plants of all the lines were self-fertilized and generated T1 and T2 progenies and were evaluated by phenotypic and expression analysis. Results demonstrated that simultaneously edited TaPpd-1- A1, B1, and D1 homoeologs gene copies in T2_SDL-8-4, T2_SDL-4-5, T2_SDL-3-9, and T2_LDL-10-9 showed similar spike inflorescence, flowering time, and significantly increase in 1000-grain weight, grain area, grain width, grain length, plant height, and spikelets per spike due to mutation in both alleles of Ppd-B1 and Ppd-D1 homoeologs but only spike length was decreased in T2_SDL-8-4, T2_SDL-4-5, and T2_LDL-13-3 mutant lines due to mutation in both alleles of Ppd-A1 homoeolog under both conditions. Our results indicate that all TaPpd1 gene homoeologs influence wheat spike development by affecting both late flowering and earlier flowering but single mutant TaPpd-A1 homoeolog affect lowest as compared to the combination with double mutants of TaPpd-B1 and TaPpd-D1, TaPpd-A1 and TaPpd-B1, and TaPpd-A1 and TaPpd-D1 homoeologs for yield enhancement. Our findings further raised the idea that the relative expression of the various genomic copies of TaPpd-1 homoeologs may have an impact on the spike inflorescence architecture and grain morphometric features in wheat cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spectrometer for fast charge exchange atoms is presented for diagnosing the plasma of the tokamak with reactor technologies (TRT). It is equipped with diamond detectors integrated into the neutral beam injection system. The preferred schematic of their mutual arrangement is shown, as well as the schematic of observation lines. The resources are shown of the multichannel spectrometer with diamond detectors in terms of studying the efficiency of additional heating of the TRT plasma. The results of calculations are presented of the signals of diamond detectors planned to be used in the spectrometer and its application efficiency is estimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of grains per panicle is one of the most important factors of rice yield and determinated by branch and spikelet number. Genetic and molecular mechanisms responsible for panicle branching and spikelet development remain unclear in rice. Here, we report a mutant lax2-4 mainly showing lax panicle, longer grains, a little abnormal spikelet, lower setting rate and abaxial curled leaf. Genetic analysis indicated that the defective panicle phenotype of lax2-4 was controlled by single recessive gene. Further mapping and re-sequencing revealed that the fourth exon of LAX2 was lost caused by an approximately 2-Mb INV in lax2-4, thus LAX2-4 could be a new allele of LAX2. Overexpression assays showed that lax panicle was rescued in correspondence with the gradually increased expression level of wild-type LAX2-4 transcript. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of the fourth exon verified that LAX2-4 participates the regulation of sterile lemma and lemma development in rice. LAX2-4 could interact with an E-class gene, OsMADS1, and the fourth exon was necessary for its function. Collectively, we proposed that LAX2-4 plays a dual role in lateral spikelet and lemma development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study within the Monte Carlo Glauber model the influence of collective quantum effects in the Pb nucleus on the azimuthal anisotropy coefficients in Pb + Pb collisions at the LHC energies. To account for the quantum effects, we modify the sampling of the nucleon positions by applying suitable filters that guarantee that the colliding nuclei have the mean squared quadrupole and octupole moments consistent with the ones extracted from the experimental quadrupole and octupole strength functions for the Pb nucleus with the help of the energy weighted sum rule. Our Monte Carlo Glauber model with the modified sampling of the nucleon positions leads to {2}/ {2} ≈ 0.8 at centrality 1%, which allows to resolve the -to- puzzle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A theoretical model is proposed for calculating the probability of negative ionization. The affinity of a negative ion is assumed to be constant near a surface, so the calculated probability of ionization does not depend strongly on initial distance of an atom to the surface. The probability of the negative ionization of hydrogen, deuterium, tritium, and muonium on metal surfaces with low work functions is calculated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a new possibility of using the coherently enhanced neutrino pair emission to probe light-mediator interactions between electron and neutrinos. With typical momentum transfer at the atomic O (1 eV) scale, this process is extremely sensitive for the mediator mass range O (10 - 3 ∼ 10 4 ) eV. The sensitivity on the product of couplings with electron ( g e or y e ) and neutrinos ( g ν or y ν ) can touch down to | y e y ν | < 10 - 9 ∼ 10 - 19 for a scalar mediator and | g e g ν | < 10 - 15 ∼ 10 - 26 for a vector one, with orders of improvement from the existing constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents an overview of the design status of the Radial Neutron Camera (RNC), that, together with the Vertical Neutron Camera, will provide, through reconstruction techniques applied to the measured line-integrated neutron fluxes, the time resolved measurement of the ITER neutron and α-source profile (i.e. neutron emissivity, neutrons emitted per unit time and volume). The RNC is composed of two subsystems, the In-Port RNC and Ex-Port RNC located, respectively, inside and outside the Plug of Equatorial Port #01. The In-Port subsystem is in a more advanced design stage since it has recently undergone the Final Design Review in the ITER procurement process. The paper describes the diagnostic layout, the interfaces, the measurement capabilities and the main challenges in its realization. Prototyping and testing of neutron detectors and electronics components were carried out and led to the choice of the component solutions that can match the environmental and operational constraints in terms radiation hardness, high temperature and electromagnetic compatibility. The performance of the RNC in terms of neutron emissivity measurement capability was assessed through 1D and 2D reconstruction analysis. It is proven that the neutron emissivity can be reconstructed in real-time within the measurement requirements: 10% accuracy, 10 ms time resolution and a/10 (a = plasma minor radius) space resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: This review compares the molecular mechanisms of stem cell control in the shoot apical meristems of mosses and angiosperms and reveals the conserved features and evolution of plant stem cells. The establishment and maintenance of pluripotent stem cells in the shoot apical meristem (SAM) are key developmental processes in land plants including the most basal, bryophytes. Bryophytes, such as Physcomitrium (Physcomitrella) patens and Marchantia polymorpha, are emerging as attractive model species to study the conserved features and evolutionary processes in the mechanisms controlling stem cells. Recent studies using these model bryophyte species have started to uncover the similarities and differences in stem cell regulation between bryophytes and angiosperms. In this review, we summarize findings on stem cell function and its regulation focusing on different aspects including hormonal, genetic, and epigenetic control. Stem cell regulation through auxin, cytokinin, CLAVATA3/EMBRYO SURROUNDING REGION-RELATED (CLE) signaling and chromatin modification by Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) and PRC1 is well conserved. Several transcription factors crucial for SAM regulation in angiosperms are not involved in the regulation of the SAM in mosses, but similarities also exist. These findings provide insights into the evolutionary trajectory of the SAM and the fundamental mechanisms involved in stem cell regulation that are conserved across land plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: Multi-environment QTL mapping identified 23 stable loci and 34 co-located QTL clusters for panicle architecture and grain yield-related traits, which provide a genetic basis for foxtail millet yield improvement. Panicle architecture and grain weight, both of which are influenced by genetic and environmental factors, have significant effects on grain yield potential. Here, we used a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population of 333 lines of foxtail millet, which were grown in 13 trials with varying environmental conditions, to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling nine agronomic traits related to panicle architecture and grain yield. We found that panicle weight, grain weight per panicle, panicle length, panicle diameter, and panicle exsertion length varied across different geographical locations. QTL mapping revealed 159 QTL for nine traits. Of the 159 QTL, 34 were identified in 2 to 12 environments, suggesting that the genetic control of panicle architecture in foxtail millet is sensitive to photoperiod and/or other environmental factors. Eighty-eight QTL controlling different traits formed 34 co-located QTL clusters, including the triple QTL cluster qPD9.2/qPL9.5/qPEL9.3, which was detected 23 times in 13 environments. Several candidate genes, including Seita.2G388700, Seita.3G136000, Seita.4G185300, Seita.5G241500, Seita.5G243100, Seita.9G281300, and Seita.9G342700, were identified in the genomic intervals of multi-environmental QTL or co-located QTL clusters. Using available phenotypic and genotype data, we conducted haplotype analysis for Seita.2G002300 and Seita.9G064000,which showed high correlations with panicle weight and panicle exsertion length, respectively. These results not only provided a basis for further fine mapping, functional studies and marker-assisted selection of traits related to panicle architecture in foxtail millet, but also provide information for comparative genomics analyses of cereal crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This topical review gathers the last updates concerning caesium-free negative ion sources presented during the 63 rd Course of the International school of Quantum Electronics of the Ettore Majorana Foundation and European collaborative works related to these lectures. Hence, beyond the frame of this course this topical review addresses both theoretical and experimental work performed during these last few years and complexities represented by the conception of a negative ion source ranging from the creation of negative ions to their neutralization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In rice, panicle apical abortion is a common phenomenon that usually results in a decreased number of branches and grains per panicle, and consequently a reduced grain yield. A better understanding of the molecular mechanism of panicle abortion is thus critical for maintaining and increasing rice production. Results: We reported a new rice mutant panicle apical abortion 3 (paa3), which exhibited severe abortion of spikelet development on the upper part of the branches as well as decreased grain size over the whole panicle. Using mapping-based clone, the PAA3 was characterized as the LOC_ Os04g56160 gene, encoding an H+-ATPase. The PAA3 was expressed highly in the stem and panicle, and its protein was localized in the plasma membrane. Our data further showed that PAA3 played an important role in maintaining normal panicle development by participating in the removal of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in rice. Conclusions: Our studies suggested that PAA3 might function to remove ROS, the accumulation of which leads to programmed cell death, and ultimately panicle apical abortion and decreased seed size in the paa3 panicle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil salinity is an environmental stress severely impacting on rice grain yield. However, limited information is available on how salinity affects expression levels of genes determining grain yield. In this study, we investigated agronomic traits associated with grain yield among three japonica rice cultivars grown either under moderate salinity with an electrical conductivity of 4 dS/m or under non-saline conditions in a paddy field in Dongying, Shandong, China. Moderate salinity affected rice yield predominantly by reducing grain number and grain filling. We compared expression levels of genes determining grain number in young panicles (0.5–1 cm in length) of plants grown under salinity or non-saline conditions. Transcription of Lax panicle 1, Lax panicle 2, Ideal plant architecture (IPA1), Dense and erect panicle 1, Tawawa 1, and OsMADS1 was significantly repressed, whereas that of Cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase, Grain number per panicle 1, and Narrow leaf 1 was not significantly influenced by salinity. OsmicroRNA156, the posttranscriptional regulator of IPA1, was induced by salinity in the panicle and seedlings and complemented the expression patterns of IPA1. This result implied that the OsmicroRNA156–IPA1 pathway was involved in rice salinity responses. The grain filling-associated genes Grain incomplete filling 1, Grain incomplete filling 2, and Nuclear factor Y were down-regulated by salinity in the spikelet at 5 or 10 days after fertilization, which contributed to the salinity-triggered reduction in grain weight. These findings suggest some targets that may be utilized to improve the grain yield under salinity stress conditions via breeding and gene-pyramiding approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A predictor model of radiative collapse of stellarator-heliotron plasmas has been developed by means of a machine learning technique and the feature of radiative collapse has been extracted with sparse modeling. The dataset used for training the model is constructed based on density ramp-up experiments in the Large Helical Device. As a result of feature extraction, the line averaged electron density, visible line emissions of CIV and OV, and the electron temperature at the edge have been selected as key parameters of radiative collapse. The likelihood of occurrence of radiative collapse has been quantified by using these parameters and this likelihood has been assessed in terms of predicting capability of the occurrence of radiative collapse. The collapse likelihood also implies the underlying physics of radiative collapse, therefore, the knowledge obtained by this data-driven study is expected to facilitate elucidation of the physics of the radiative collapse. In validation with discharges outside of the dataset, the predictor based on the likelihood has predicted over 85% of radiative collapse about 100 ms prior to this event on average while about 5% of stable discharges have been detected falsely as collapse discharges. The discharges in which the predictor made faults are discussed in order to investigate the cause of failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize ear-related traits are important components of grain yield that directly influence maize production. The genetic basis of ear-related traits is still not completely understood, which would be helpful in the improvement of grain yield. In this study, to dissect the genetic basis of ear diameter (ED), ear row number (ERN), and kernel number per row (KNR), a genome-wide association study of maize inbred lines was conducted using the phenotype of the three traits in two environments and the best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) value. We detected 116 significant loci, i.e., 37, 42, and 37 related to ED, ERN, and KNR, respectively. Among these significant loci, 19 were co-localized when using the traits in two environments and BLUP value. The increase of superior allele number for the 19 co-localized loci was positively correlated with maize grain yield. Further, from the candidate regions of 116 significant loci, 558 genes expressed in maize cob and silk and participated in 71 biological pathways, such as RNA transport, protein export, biosynthesis of amino acids, and starch and sucrose metabolism. Of these candidate genes, some putative functional genes from the co-localized regions were predicted including ts6, pin4, Zm00001d038022, and Zm00001d041584, of which ts6 located in a known major QTL for ERN (named krn1). These results promote the understanding of the genetic basis for these three traits, which contributes to maize grain yield improvement by breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Arabidopsis thaliana genome encodes ten DUF640 (short for domain of unknown function 640)/ALOG (short for Arabidopsis LSH1 and Oryza G1) proteins, also known as light-dependent short hypocotyl (LSH) proteins. While some of the LSH genes regulate organ boundary determination and shade avoidance response, the function of most of these genes remains largely unknown. Objective: In this study, we aimed to characterize the function of AtLSH1 and AtLSH2 in Arabidopsis. Methods: We overexpressed AtLSH1 and AtLSH2 (with or without the FLAG tag) in Arabidopsis Col-0 plants under the control of the 35S promoter. We also generated knockout or knockdown lines of these genes by miRNA-induced gene silencing (MIGS). We conducted intensive phenotypic analysis of these transgenic lines, and finally performed RNA-seq analysis of two AtLSH2 overexpression (OX) lines. Results: Although AtLSH1 and AtLSH2 amino acid sequences showed high similarly, AtLSH2-OX lines showed much higher levels of their transcripts than those of AtLSH1-OX lines. Additionally, overexpression of AtLSH1 and AtLSH2 greatly inhibited hypocotyl elongation in a light-independent manner, and reduced both vegetative and reproductive growth. However, knockout or knockdown of both these AtLSH genes did not affect plant phenotype. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) identified by RNA-seq revealed enrichment of the GO term 'response to stimulus', included phytohormone-responsive genes; however, genes responsible for the abnormal phenotypes of AtLSH2-OX lines could not be identified. Conclusion: Although our data revealed no close association between light and phytohormone signaling components, overexpression of AtLSH1 and AtLSH2 greatly reduced vegetative and reproductive growth of Arabidopsis plants. This property could be used to generate new plants by regulating expression of AtLSH1 and AtLSH2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this lecture an overview of applications of incoherent Thomson scattering (TS) as well as collective Thomson scattering (CTS) will be given. These are the most accurate methods for measuring the electron and ion properties, because the method is direct and non-intrusive. A CTS system based on the fundamental wavelength of a seeded Nd:YAG laser, being developed for the high density, low-temperature plasma of the linear plasma generator Magnum-PSI will be described also. The small Debye length of dense low temperature plasma enables application of CTS at relatively short laser wavelength. The combination of this CTS system and existing incoherent TS system enables determination of electron density and temperature as well as ion temperature and plasma velocity of the near surface plasma. In this lecture, the theoretical background and experimental challenges of the work will be given along with some examples that demonstrate the capabilities of such systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work is on quantum-mechanical four-body distorted wave theories for double electron capture in collisions between fast heavy multiply charged ions and heliumlike atomic systems. The five widely used distorted wave methods of the first- and second-order in the perturbation series expansions are compared with the available experimental data on α –He collisions. These are the four-body boundary-corrected first Born (CB1-4B), the boundary-corrected continuum intermediate state (BCIS-4B), the Born distorted wave (BDW-4B), the continuum distorted wave (CDW-4B) and the continuum distorted wave-eikonal initial state (CDW-EIS-4B) methods. We address the complete breakdown of the CDW-EIS-4B method at all impact energies within its expected validity domain (100–10000 keV). Further, the relative performance is evaluated of the second-order theories with and without the eikonalization of the two-electron Coulomb wavefunctions for double continuum intermediate states. Finally, at all the considered intermediate and high energies, the practical aspects of the studied five methods are investigated by protracted evaluations of the convergence rates of total cross sections as a function of the number of quadrature points per axis in numerical computations of multi-dimensional (3D-5D) integrals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This suggests that common regulatory mechanisms mediated by ALOG control apical meristem activities, such as cell proliferation and lateral organ formation in land plants despite their independent origins (Naramoto et al. [23]). In this issue, Naramoto et al. ([24]) perform phylogenetic analysis of ALOG family proteins and identify that the ALOG protein family emerged before the evolution of land plants and that their molecular functions have been conserved at least in some part during the evolution of land plants. These findings imply that the ALOG gene had acted as an ancient mechanism controlling apical meristem activities in common ancestors of land plants, which subsequently recruited different regulatory mechanisms between bryophytes and angiosperms. [Extracted from the article]

The Arabidopsis LSH1 and Oryza G1 (ALOG) protein is a family of plant-specific transcription factors that regulate reproductive growth in angiosperms. Despite their importance in plant development, little research has been conducted on ALOG proteins in basal land plants and the processes involved in their evolution remain largely unknown. Here, we studied the molecular evolution of ALOG family proteins. We found that ALOG proteins are absent in green algae but exist in all land plants analyzed as well as in some Charophycean algae, closest relatives of land plants. Multiple sequence alignments identified the high sequence conservation of ALOG domains in divergent plant lineages. Phylogenetic analyses also identified a distinct clade of ALOG protein member of lycophytes and bryophytes, including two of Marchantia polymorpha LATERAL ORGAN SUPPRESOR (MpLOS1 and MpLOS2) with a long branch length in MpLOS2. Consistent with this, the function of MpLOS1 was replaceable by Phycomitrella patens ALOG proteins, whereas MpLOS2 failed to replace the molecular function of MpLOS1. Moreover, the rice ALOG proteins, OsTAW1 and OsG1, were not able to replace the molecular function of MpLOS1 although we previously found that the function of OsG1 was replaceable by MpLOS1. Altogether, these findings suggest that ALOG proteins emerged before the evolution of land plants and that they exhibit functional conservation and diversification during the evolution of land plants. The finding that MpLOS1 is able to complement rice ALOG mutants but not vice versa also suggest the existence of conserved and the partly divergent functions of ALOG proteins in bryophytes and angiosperms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atomic deexcitation emitting a neutrino pair and a photon is expected to provide a novel method of neutrino physics if it is enhanced by quantum coherence in a macroscopic target. However, the same enhancement mechanism may also lead to a serious problem of enhanced QED background process. We show that the QED background can be suppressed enough in the photonic crystal waveguide by using the spatial phase that is imprinted in the process of initial coherence generation in the target at excitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a review of the experimental achievements related to the development of high-power gyrotron oscillators for long-pulse or CW operation and pulsed gyrotrons for many applications. In addition, this work gives a short overview on the present development status of frequency step-tunable and multi-frequency gyrotrons, coaxial-cavity multi-megawatt gyrotrons, gyrotrons for technological and spectroscopy applications, relativistic gyrotrons, large orbit gyrotrons (LOGs), quasi-optical gyrotrons, fast- and slow-wave cyclotron autoresonance masers (CARMs), gyroklystrons, gyro-TWT amplifiers, gyrotwystron amplifiers, gyro-BWOs, gyro-harmonic converters, gyro-peniotrons, magnicons, free electron masers (FEMs), and dielectric vacuum windows for such high-power mm-wave sources. Gyrotron oscillators (gyromonotrons) are mainly used as high-power millimeter wave sources for electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH), electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD), stability control, and diagnostics of magnetically confined plasmas for clean generation of energy by controlled thermonuclear fusion. The maximum pulse length of commercially available 140 GHz, megawatt-class gyrotrons employing synthetic diamond output windows is 30 min (CPI and European KIT-SPC-THALES collaboration). The world record parameters of the European tube are as follows: 0.92 MW output power at 30-min pulse duration, 97.5% Gaussian mode purity, and 44% efficiency, employing a single-stage depressed collector (SDC) for energy recovery. A maximum output power of 1.5 MW in 4.0-s pulses at 45% efficiency was generated with the QST-TOSHIBA (now CANON) 110-GHz gyrotron. The Japan 170-GHz ITER gyrotron achieved 1 MW, 800 s at 55% efficiency and holds the energy world record of 2.88 GJ (0.8 MW, 60 min) and the efficiency record of 57% for tubes with an output power of more than 0.5 MW. The Russian 170-GHz ITER gyrotron obtained 0.99 (1.2) MW with a pulse duration of 1000 (100) s and 53% efficiency. The prototype tube of the European 2-MW, 170-GHz coaxial-cavity gyrotron achieved in short pulses the record power of 2.2 MW at 48% efficiency and 96% Gaussian mode purity. Gyrotrons with pulsed magnet for various short-pulse applications deliver Pout = 210 kW with τ = 20 μs at frequencies up to 670 GHz (η ≅ 20%), Pout = 5.3 kW at 1 THz (η = 6.1%), and Pout = 0.5 kW at 1.3 THz (η = 0.6%). Gyrotron oscillators have also been successfully used in materials processing. Such technological applications require tubes with the following parameters: f > 24 GHz, Pout = 4–50 kW, CW, η > 30%. The CW powers produced by gyroklystrons and FEMs are 10 kW (94 GHz) and 36 W (15 GHz), respectively. The IR FEL at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in the USA obtained a record average power of 14.2 kW at a wavelength of 1.6 μm. The THz FEL (NOVEL) at the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics in Russia achieved a maximum average power of 0.5 kW at wavelengths 50–240 μm (6.00–1.25 THz). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: Dart1-24, one of the 37 autonomous DNA transposon Dart1s, was heritably activated by the demethylation of the 5′ region following 5-azaC treatment of rice seeds. Transposons are controlled by epigenetic regulations. To obtain newly activated autonomous elements of Dart1, a DNA transposon, in rice, seeds of a stable pale yellow leaf (pyl-stb) mutant caused by the insertion of nDart1-0, a nonautonomous element in OsClpP5, were treated with 5-azaC, a demethylating agent. In the 5-azaC-treated M1 plants, 60–70% of the plants displayed variegated pale yellow leaf (pyl-v) phenotype, depending on the concentration of 5-azaC used, suggesting that inactivated Dart1 might become highly activated by 5-azaC treatment and nDart1-0 was excised from OsClpP5 by the activated Dart1s. Although the M2 plants derived from most of these pyl-v plants showed stable pyl phenotypes, some variegated M1 plants generated pyl-v M2 progeny. These results indicated that most M1 pyl-v phenotypes at M1 were not heritable. Dart1-24, 1-27 and 1-28 were expressed in the M2 pyl-v plants, and mapping analysis confirmed that Dart1-24 was newly activated. Further, the transgenerational activation of Dart1-24 was demonstrated to be caused by the demethylation of nucleotides in its 5′ region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new scheme to determine the neutrino mass matrix is proposed using atomic de-excitation between two states of a few eV energy spacing. The determination of the smallest neutrino mass of the order of 1 meV and neutrino mass type, Majorana or Dirac, becomes possible, if one can coherently excite more than 1 gram of atoms using two lasers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generating mesenchymal stem-like cells (MSLCs) from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be a practical method for obtaining the sufficient cells for autologous tissue engineering. Single-cell culturing in specific medium and non-feeder cells is an alternative and promising strategy to overcome problems of embryo culture; however, little is known about how different culture media affect the proliferation and differentiation of MSLCs. We first derived MSLCs from iPSCs with non-integrating episomal plasmid vectors (hereafter 409B2 cells) using three different cell culture media, including single-cell culture medium in feeder-free condition: mTeSR1, DEF-CS500, or StemFit AK02N. The morphology of all MSLCs was completely altered to a fibroblastic morphology after four passages. Surface antigens CD29, CD44, CD73, CD90, but not CD34 and CD45, were expressed in all passages. RUNX2 was expressed in MSLCs cultured in all three feeder-free media, while SOX9 and PPARγ were expressed in MSLCs cultured in only DEF-CS500. MSLCs derived from DEF-CS500, which is a single-cell culture medium, grew at a slightly faster rate than those cultured in other media and expressed early-stage genes for tri-lineage differentiation. Taken together, these findings provide valuable information for generating MSLCs using single-cell culture methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutron diagnostic systems are needed to monitor some important ITER parameters, such as fusion power, power density or ion temperature. The aim of this paper is to describe various systems, such as neutron cameras, internal and external flux monitors, activation system and spectrometers. Also, the current status of in situ neutron calibration strategy is reported. ITER is currently under construction in Cadarache (France) and neutron diagnostic systems are progressing from design stage to manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutrons are an exceptional diagnostic signature in magnetic fusion experiments with high temperature plasma. A part of neutron detection methods relies on detecting nuclear reactions products, initiated by neutrons. Among different possibilities, the neutron-induced fission reactions can be used. These methods use the specific properties of the radioactive decay phenomena induced by neutrons of heavy elements like uranium or thorium. The neutron-induced fission reactions produce energetic fission fragments that can be detected in a special type of ionization chambers that has one of electrode covered with fissionable material. A fission reaction may be also adapted to neutron detection by activation method. A dedicated target-sample made from fissionable isotope (like 235U, 238U, 232Th), irradiated by neutrons, is the source of prompt and delayed neutrons. The decay curve of delayed neutrons can be registered almost immediately after irradiation by fusion neutrons, with a delay resulting exclusively from the time of transport of the samples to the measuring set-up. The yield of a fusion neutron source can be calculated from that measurement. Fission phenomena and fissionable materials are applicable in plasma neutron diagnostics. The lecture gives the introduction to the nuclear fission process and the particular attention is done to the phenomenon and physics of delayed neutrons which are generated during the fission reaction. Examples of delayed neutrons activation set-up and fission chambers dedicated for tokamaks are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: As one of the main yield components, grain number per panicle (GNP) played critical role in the rice yield improvement. The identification of natural advantageous variations under different situations will promote the sustainable genetic improvement in rice yield. Objectives: This study was designed to identify natural genotypes in a rice mini-core collection, to examine the genotypic effects across the indica and japonica genetic background in different environments, and excavating the superior genotypes that had drove the modern genetic improvement. Methods: The association mapping of GNP was carried out using a mini-core collection including 154 indica and 119 japonica accessions in seven different environments. Genotypic effects of each genotype for each QTL were calculated and genotype frequency distortion between the commercial rice cultivars and landraces was screened by χ2-test. Results: In total, 74 QTLs containing stable and sensitive QTLs in various environments were detected. Within them, 20 positive and 24 negative genotypes in indica, and 24 positive and 16 negative genotypes in japonica were identified. When checking the accumulation of positive genotypes identified in indica across cultivars in each of the two subspecies, it indicated that increased number of positive genotypes identified in indica results in the substantially increased GNP in both indica and japonica across all of the environments, while this trend was not obvious for the positive genotypes identified in japonica especially in short day environments. Moreover, the positive and negative genotype frequency distortion between the landraces and commercial rice cultivars indicated that both positive selection of positive genotypes and negative selection of negative genotypes had driven the genetic improvement on GNP. Conclusion: Our findings suggested that the accumulation of positive genotypes and purifying negative genotypes played equivalently important roles in the improvement of rice yield, but the efficient use for some QTLs or genotypes depends on the comprehensive evaluation of their effect under diverse genetic backgrounds and environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A general quantum-mechanical formalism is reviewed for double electron capture from heliumlike atomic systems by fast nuclei. The development is carried out with and without the distorted wave theory by fulfilling the correct boundary conditions. These refer to the required asymptotic behaviors of the total scattering wave functions and their appropriate connections to the perturbation interactions that produce the transitions from the initial to the final states of the system. In this general formulation any choice is allowed for the pairs of the distorting potentials and the related distorted wave functions as long as the correct boundary conditions are satisfied. This is the case with the four-body versions of several most frequently used methods (continuum distorted wave: CDW-4B, boundary-corrected continuum intermediate state: BCIS-4B, Born distorted wave: BDW-4B, continuum distorted wave initial/final state: CDW-EIS/EFS-4B, and the boundary-corrected first Born: CB1-4B). A comparative analysis of these methods makes in evidence both their similarities and differences. For example, the most illustrative is the juxtaposition of the post BDW-4B and CDW-EIS-4B methods. They share the same distorting potential in the exit channel. The only difference is in the coordinates from the Coulomb logarithmic phases in the initial distorted wave functions. This difference is completely negligible in the asymptotic scattering regions. Yet, for e.g. double electron capture from helium by alpha particles, the total cross sections from these two methods differ by 1-3 orders of magnitudes. The BDW-4B method is in agreement with experimental data at high impact energies. In sharp contrast, within its validity domain of impact energies, the CDW-EIS-4B method underestimates the measured data by orders of magnitude. This shows that what matters is not solely the correct asymptotes of distorted wave functions, but rather how they affect the contributions to the integrals over the entire regions in the T-matrix elements for total cross sections. Such insights help understand the assessment of the overall validity and relative performance of various methods, and can provide a versatile guidance for improving the existing approximations for double charge exchange in fast ion-atom collisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Density functional calculations have been applied to study the structure, stability and aromaticity of Li-decorated non-IPR fullerene cages, Cn with n = 44, 46, 48, and 50, and IPR fullerene cages, Cn with n = 60, 70, 76, and 84. Based on our results, the binding energies per Li atom for Li12Cn clusters depend on the type and size of the cages. As of Li-decorated IPR fullerenes, where pentagons are isolated, there is virtually no interaction between the Li atoms, so that the binding energies for the Li-decorated IPR Cn fullerenes are obtained to be larger than those for the Li-decorated non-IPR ones. The C-C bond lengths in the pentagons of Li12Cn clusters are enlarged relative to those of pristine Cn clusters. Based on NBO analysis, charge transfer (~ 0.5e) from Li to the fullerene cage makes the Li atoms positively charged. NICS data suggest that the degree of aromaticity in C60, C76, and C84 cages increases upon formation of the Li-decorated Cn clusters while more positive NICS values are obtained for C70 and the smaller fullerenes with Li decoration of the cages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Mesenchymal stem and progenitor cells (MSCs), which normally reside in the bone marrow, are critical to bone health and can be recruited to sites of traumatic bone injury, contributing to new bone formation. The ability to control the trafficking of MSCs provides therapeutic potential for improving traumatic bone healing and therapy for genetic bone diseases such as hypophosphatasia.Methods: In this study, we explored the sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) signaling axis as a means to control the mobilization of MSCs into blood and possibly to recruit MSCs for enhancing bone growth.Results: Loss of S1P receptor 3 (S1PR3) leads to an increase in circulating CD45−/CD29+/CD90+/Sca1+ putative mesenchymal progenitor cells, suggesting that blocking S1PR3 may stimulate MSCs to leave the bone marrow. Antagonism of S1PR3 with the small molecule VPC01091 stimulated acute migration of CD45−/CD29+/CD90+/Sca1+ MSCs into the blood as early as 1.5 h after treatment. VPC01091 administration also increased ectopic bone formation induced by BMP-2 and significantly increased new bone formation in critically sized rat cranial defects, suggesting that mobilized MSCs may home to injuries to contribute to healing. We also explored the possibility of combining S1P manipulation of endogenous host cell occupancy with exogenous MSC transplantation for potential use in combination therapies. Importantly, reducing niche occupancy of host MSCs with VPC01091 does not impede engraftment of exogenous MSCs.Conclusions: Our studies suggest that MSC mobilization through S1PR3 antagonism is a promising strategy for endogenous tissue engineering and improving MSC delivery to treat bone diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The POU (Pit-Oct-Unc) protein family is an evolutionary ancient group of transcription factors (TFs) that bind specific DNA sequences to direct gene expression programs. The fundamental importance of POU TFs to orchestrate embryonic development and to direct cellular fate decisions is well established, but the molecular basis for this activity is insufficiently understood. POU TFs possess a bipartite ‘two-in-one’ DNA binding domain consisting of two independently folding structural units connected by a poorly conserved and flexible linker. Therefore, they represent a paradigmatic example to study the molecular basis for the functional versatility of TFs. Their modular architecture endows POU TFs with the capacity to accommodate alternative composite DNA sequences by adopting different quaternary structures. Moreover, associations with partner proteins crucially influence the selection of their DNA binding sites. The plentitude of DNA binding modes confers the ability to POU TFs to regulate distinct genes in the context of different cellular environments. Likewise, different binding modes of POU proteins to DNA could trigger alternative regulatory responses in the context of different genomic locations of the same cell. Prominent POU TFs such as Oct4, Brn2, Oct6 and Brn4 are not only essential regulators of development but have also been successfully employed to reprogram somatic cells to pluripotency and neural lineages. Here we review biochemical, structural, genomic and cellular reprogramming studies to examine how the ability of POU TFs to select regulatory DNA, alone or with partner factors, is tied to their capacity to epigenetically remodel chromatin and drive specific regulatory programs that give cells their identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: A novel QTL for grain number,GN4-1, was identified and fine-mapped to an ~ 190-kb region on the long arm of rice chromosome 4.Abstract: Rice grain yield is primarily determined by three components: number of panicles per plant, grain number per panicle and grain weight. Among these traits, grain number per panicle is the major contributor to grain yield formation and is a crucial trait for yield improvement. In this study, we identified a major quantitative trait locus (QTL) responsible for rice grain number on chromosome 4, designated GN4-1 (a QTL for Grain Number on chromosome 4), using advanced segregating populations derived from the crosses between an elite indica cultivar ‘Zhonghui 8006’ (ZH8006) and a japonica rice ‘Wuyunjing 8’ (WYJ8). GN4-1 was delimited to an ~ 190-kb region on chromosome 4. The genetic effect of GN4-1 was estimated using a pair of near-isogenic lines. The GN4-1 gene from WYJ8 promoted accumulation of cytokinins in the inflorescence and increased grain number per panicle by ~ 17%. More importantly, introduction of the WYJ8 GN4-1 gene into ZH8006 increased grain yield by ~ 14.3 and ~ 11.5% in the experimental plots in 2014 and 2015, respectively. In addition, GN4-1 promoted thickening of the culm and may enhance resistance to lodging. These results demonstrate that GN4-1 is a potentially valuable gene for improvement of yield and lodging resistance in rice breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a well-known risk factor for atherosclerosis. Intima media thickness (IMT) of the carotid arteries has been widely used for assessing atherosclerotic changes representing cerebro-cardiovascular disease risk. Previous studies have associated the presence of inactive aldehyde dehydrogenase with progression of atherosclerosis and alcohol flushing. However, reports conflict on whether alcohol flushing could potentially modify the degree of atherosclerosis in type 2 diabetic patients.Methods: We retrospectively assessed the relationships among alcohol flushing, IMT, and clinical characteristics in 123 consecutive Japanese type 2 diabetic patients. Alcohol flushing was assessed by standardized questionnaires.Results: Patients with alcohol flushing had lower mean IMT [0.7 (0.65-0.80) vs. 0.8 (0.73-0.90) mm, p < 0.05], despite having higher triglycerides [132 (94-169) vs. 98 (70-139) mg/dL, p < 0.01] and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [52 (44-60) vs. 59 (49-67) mg/dL, p < 0.05] concentration. Patients with alcohol flushing had lower frequency of alcohol intake (45 vs. 76%, p < 0.0001). Mean IMT was positively associated with age and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration, and negatively with alcohol flushing according to stepwise multiple regression analysis. Alcohol flushing was also independently associated with mean IMT by multivariate analysis.Conclusions: These findings suggest that alcohol flushing is independently associated with lesser degree of carotid atherosclerosis in Japanese type 2 diabetic patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is the product of a stellarator community workshop, organized by the National Stellarator Coordinating Committee and referred to as Stellcon, that was held in Cambridge, Massachusetts in February 2016, hosted by MIT. The workshop was widely advertised, and was attended by 40 scientists from 12 different institutions including national labs, universities and private industry, as well as a representative from the Department of Energy. The final section of this document describes areas of community wide consensus that were developed as a result of the discussions held at that workshop. Areas where further study would be helpful to generate a consensus path forward for the US stellarator program are also discussed. The program outlined in this document is directly responsive to many of the strategic priorities of FES as articulated in ''Fusion Energy Sciences: A Ten-Year Perspective (2015-2025)'' [1]. The natural disruption immunity of the stellarator directly addresses ''Elimination of transient events that can be deleterious to toroidal fusion plasma con- finement devices'' an area of critical importance for the US fusion energy sciences enterprise over the next decade. Another critical area of research ''Strengthening our partnerships with international research facilities,'' is being significantly advanced on the W7-X stellarator in Germany and serves as a test-bed for development of successful international collaboration on ITER. This report also outlines how materials science as it relates to plasma and fusion sciences, another critical research area, can be carried out effectively in a stellarator. Additionally, significant advances along two of the Research Directions outlined in the report; ''Burning Plasma Science: Foundations--Next-generation research capabilities'', and ''Burning Plasma Science: Long pulse--Sustainment of Long-Pulse Plasma Equilibria'' are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimental studies on the formation of highly charged ions of medium-Z elements using femtosecond laser pulses with different contrast levels were carried out. Multiply charged Fe ions were generated by laser pulses with 35 fs duration and an intensity exceeding 10 W/cm. Using high-resolution X-ray spectroscopic methods, bulk electron temperature of the generated plasma has been identified. It is shown that the presence of a laser pre-pulse at a contrast level of 10-10 with respect to the main pulse drastically decreases the degree of Fe ionization. We conclude that an effective source of energetic, multiply charged moderate and high- Z ions based on femtosecond laser-plasma interactions can be created only using laser pulses of ultra-high contrast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We revisit the possibility of distinguishing between Dirac and Majorana neutrinos via neutrino-electron elastic scattering in the presence of all possible Lorentz-invariant interactions. Defining proper observables, certain regions of the parameter space can only be reached for Dirac neutrinos, but never for Majorana neutrinos, thus providing an al-ternative method to differentiate these two possibilities. We first derive analytically and numerically the most general conditions that would allow to distinguish Dirac from Ma-jorana neutrinos, both in the relativistic and non-relativistic cases. Then, we apply these conditions to data on ν - e and $$ {\overline{\nu}}_e-e $$ scatterings, from the CHARM-II and TEXONO experi-ments, and find that they are consistent with both types of neutrinos. Finally, we comment on future prospects of this kind of tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]