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Defining pattern formation mechanisms during embryonic development is important for understanding the etiology of birth defects and to inform tissue engineering approaches. In this study, we used tricaine, a voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC) inhibitor, to show that VGSC activity is required for normal skeletal patterning in Lytechinus variegatus sea urchin larvae. We demonstrate that tricaine-mediated patterning defects are rescued by an anestheticinsensitive version of the VGSC LvScn5a. Expression of this channel is enriched in the ventrolateral ectoderm, where it spatially overlaps with posterolaterally expressed Wnt5. We show that VGSC activity is required to spatially restrict Wnt5 expression to this ectodermal region that is adjacent and instructive to clusters of primary mesenchymal cells that initiate secretion of the larval skeleton as triradiates. Tricaine-mediated Wnt5 spatial expansion correlates with the formation of ectopic PMC clusters and triradiates. These defects are rescued by Wnt5 knockdown, indicating that the spatial expansion of Wnt5 is responsible for the patterning defects induced by VGSC inhibition. These results demonstrate a previously unreported connection between bioelectrical status and the spatial control of patterning cue expression during embryonic pattern formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cold spray (CS) process is the latest solid-state deposition method that has gained significant awareness for the metallization of polymer matrix composites (PMCs) materials to modify their surface properties, including electrical or thermal conductivity and electromagnetic shielding. In comparison with other coating processes, CS allows for the production of metallic coatings without the necessity to reach the melting temperature of the sprayed particles and provides a way to deposit resistant materials with improved properties onto various components to minimize wear, erosion and corrosion. For the first time in the literature, this work has the innovative goal of applying the life cycle assessment methodology to the case study of the CS production process in order to ascertain whether CS could be framed in the realm of green technologies offering interesting opportunities to improve manufacturing sustainability. In particular, the environmental impact of CS associated with the metallization process of PMCs was considered in terms of energy consumption and CO2, NOx and SO2 emissions, which are used as indicators in the life cycle assessment. When compared to different coating processes, the results suggest that CS has a large potential to reduce the environmental effects connected with the products in terms of the amount of CO2 and hazardous emissions created throughout the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The incidence of maternal cardiac arrest is rising in recent years. Medical staff generally lack the experience of performing resuscitation on pregnant patients. Maternal cardiac arrest and perimortem caesarean section simulation training was newly introduced in the Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics provider courses in Hong Kong since April 2021. Objective: To evaluate the course participants' opinions on maternal cardiac arrest simulation training. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted for all participants in the Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics provider course in April 2021 to assess their opinions on the usefulness of this training. Results: There were four Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics provider courses in April 2021 with 36 participants in each course, and 137 questionnaires were received at the end of the course. The response rate was 137/144 (95.1%). After excluding the questionnaires with incomplete information, 134 questionnaires were included for final analysis. Almost all of the participants agreed that the maternal cardiac arrest simulation training could help them in their work (97.8%), could improve their knowledge and skill (98.5%) and could improve team training and co-ordination (97.0%). The majority of them (97.0%) felt more confident in managing maternal cardiac arrest after the training, and 97.8% of participants felt that the perimortem caesarean section model was useful for training. Around 80% of the participants would recommend this course to their colleagues. There were no significant differences in opinions on the usefulness of this training among participants with regard to their specialty, whether they were doctors or nurses, their years of experience and the specific hospital settings. Conclusions: Maternal cardiac arrest simulation training was highly valued by all levels of obstetric, emergency medicine and anaesthesia staff in both public and private hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers the main directions of the activities of Western private military companies (PMCs) in the post-Soviet space. The end of the USSR and the Warsaw Pact led to the creation of an extensive arms market. The collapse of the Soviet army and the prolonged economic crisis frustrated a large number of former military personnel and made them ready to offer their professional skills to almost any solvent customer. The decay of the bipolar system of international relations has created vast zones of instability, mostly localized in Africa, the Balkans, and in the Middle East. The military security function no longer prevails in the largest Western PMCs. These corporations have significantly diversified their activities, thoughtfully excluded the word “military” from their names, and today provide customers with a wide range of services from cargo transportation and consulting to construction and geological exploration. Unlike Iraq and Afghanistan, the post-Soviet space does not provide Western PMCs with any broad field for participation in peacekeeping and counter-terrorism operations. Their contribution to the combat training of the armed forces of Georgia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan was limited to only a few episodes. However, the gradual penetration of Chinese military companies into the Central Asian region has become a fundamentally new phenomenon.

Objectives The article explores combat related Private Military Companies (PMCs) that are authorised to engage in the forefront of the battlefield as dedicated force multipliers. Methods To supplement empirical data with qualitative observation, the methodology applies the case study and observation method. Considering assistance in conflict termination as a dependent variable, the methodology evaluates the case study of Executive Outcomes in Sierra Leone and, to impose a framework for observation, deconstructs that case with seven independent variables: competence, effectiveness, flexibility, field cooperation with conventional forces, cost efficiency, impact on military and the state-to-PMC balance. Results The methodology indicates what factors were prevalent in effective conflict management and what indicators entailed chal- lenges. The results advocate for the competence, flexibility, effectiveness and cooperation with armed forces to be deemed conclusive in positive PMC engagement, whereas the cost efficiency, impact on conventional military and the state-to-PMC balance require improvement. Conclusions Since governments have continued to be hesitant (justified either by financial, geopolitical or social incen- tives) towards overseas military operations where asymmetric warfare is taking place, PMCs stepped in to fill the se- curity void. Therefore, this paper argues that PMCs are here to stay; however, the literature hasn’t rigorously ex- plored the subject matter to determine whether indicators of success and failure exist to evaluate the PMC outcome. This paper also precipitates natural outgrowth in the scholarship by composing the benchmark that synthesises relevant data.

This article explores the degree to which Russian Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) are similar to Special Operations Forces (SOF) in terms of their characteristics, their capabilities, and their efforts. First, it recognizes that like the US example and experiences in other Western countries, Russian PMSCs often rest on a SOF pedigree too. This is due to the SOF cachet and the desired skill sets of personnel. Second, the article contends that Russian PMSCs are indeed more SOF-like in some of the tasks they perform. This is especially because of their proclivity, compared to PMSCs from other countries, to employ offensive violence. Nevertheless, and finally, Russian PMSCs do deviate from expectations in terms of their varying strategic impact regarding deniability and their documented usage of crewed weapons systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) is widely grown in the Chu-se district of Gia Lai province in Vietnam. The pepper, used as a spice, also serves as a traditional medicine in many countries. Black pepper contains many different substances; the most active of these is piperine, which exerts anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer effects. However, piperine is a poorly absorbed alkaloid, and high concentrations may be toxic. Therefore, its medicinal uses remain limited. Here, we extracted piperine from black peppers collected at Chu Se, created piperine and anti-CD133 monoclonal antibodies (mAb-CD133) containing nanoliposomal complexes (PMCs), and evaluated their inhibitory effects on cancer stem cells (CSCs) in vitro. The physical properties of PMCs showed an approximated diamater of 170 nm, a PDI of 0.23, zeta potential of -9.38 mV, and an encapsulated efficiency of 73.33 ± 9.09%. The PMCs significantly inhibited NTERA-2 cell growth (IC50 = 435.3 ± 4.3 µM), but were not toxic to healthy cells (IC50 >500 µM). The PMCs remarkably affected the CSC surface marker expressed level of which the CD44+/CD133+ population was only 2.12% compared with 21.72% for blank nanoliposomes. The NTERA-2 antiproliferative activities of PMCs might be associated with their G2 cell cycle phase arresting and caspase-3 inducible activities (up to 1.51 times) (P < 0.05). The nanoliposomal complex also significantly inhibited the proliferation of NTERA-2 cells in three dimensional tumorspheroids with an IC50 = 245.82 ± 11.44 µM and reduced the size by up to 41.50 ± 4.31% (P < 0.05). Thus, the PMCs proved their enhanced potential biomedical and pharmacological applications in targeted cancer therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widening of the complexity-productivity gap in application development witnessed in the last years is becoming an important issue for the developers. New design methods try to automate most designers tasks to bridge this gap. In addition, new Model of Computations (MoCs), as those dataflow-based, ease the expression of parallelism within applications, leading to higher designer productivity. Rapid prototyping design tools offer fast estimations of the soundness of design choices. A key step when prototyping an application is to have representative performance indicators to estimate the validity of those design choices. Such indicators can be obtained using hardware information, while new libraries, e.g.,Performance Application Programming Interface (PAPI), ease the access to such hardware information. In this work, PAPIFY toolbox is presented as a tool to perform automatic PAPI-based instrumentation of dynamic dataflow applications. It combines PAPIFY with a dataflow Y-chart based design framework, which is called PREESM, and its companion run-time reconfiguration manager, which is called Synchronous Parameterized and Interfaced Dataflow Embedded Runtime (SPiDER). PAPIFY toolbox accounts for an automatic code generator for static and dynamic applications, a dedicated library to manage the monitoring at run-time and two User Interfaces (UIs) to ease both the configuration and the analysis of the captured run-time information. Additionally, its main advantages are 1) its capability of adapting the monitoring according to the system status and 2) adaptation of the monitoring accordingly to application workload redistribution in run-time. A thorough overhead characterization using Sobel-morpho and Stereo-matching dataflow applications shows that PAPIFY run-time monitoring overhead is up to 10%.

Cytomictic behaviour of chromosomes among pollen mother cells was observed in mutagenic studies in cluster bean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (L.) Taub.). The study of pollen mother cells (PMC) revealed various chromosomal aberrations among which cytomixis was notified due to its obtrusive peculiarity and is therefore given description in this article. Cytoplasmic and chromatin transmigration were discernible among contiguous or slightly distant PMCs through recreation of passage via direct cell-to-cell fusion or channel formation. This cytomictic phenomenon was invariably more pronounced at meiosis I as compared to meiosis II. Plasmodesmatal connections play a paramount role in aiding this behaviour by establishing intercellular crosstalks. The cellular intermingling resulted in syncyte cells which were identified due to their doubled size. Syncyte or unreduced PMC formation leading to unreduced fertile gametes is speculated to act as a possible way out for infraspecific polyploidization of species. Pollen fertility was computed, alongwith this heterosized pollens of varying diameter were segregated. Large sized pollens were 2n pollens; where size difference is a consequence of cytomixis. Cytoplasmic connections among pollens were also observed sporadically. It is opined that syncyte formation and 2n pollen production have evolutionary significance.

Biofuel production becomes a sustainable developmental strategy, when wastelands are reprocessed as prospective mass culture sites (PMCS) for microalgae feedstock. Remote Sensing (RS) data and field visits were used to delineate eutrophic water bodies for PMCS. The floodplains of the Brahmaputra River Valley of Assam, India, were selected as PMCS and were defined using RS data. A green alga of the genus Parachlorella was isolated from an algal bloom present in the drainage system, of Tezpur University, Assam, India. The species was cultured in representative water samples from the PMCS and growth was monitored in open laboratory conditions against the control. The microalgal biomass was characterized and subjected to in situ transesterification. The fuel properties such as viscosity, density, calorific value and cetane number (CN) were determined to assess the fuel quality. The results showed the biodiesel fuel properties were within the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) purview. Additionally, the thermo-chemical conversion and subsequent characterization underscored the feasibility of bio-oil production from open laboratory culture of microalgae. This study highlights the practicability of combining RS data and experimental appraisal for cost effective, environment friendly and sustainable biofuel production, from microalgae cultured in wasteland PMCS. Image 1 • Remote Sensing for mapping wastelands for microalgal culture. • Microalgal bioenergy prospecting. • Bio and thermo-chemical conversion of microalgal biomass. • Biodiesel fuel properties within ASTM range. • Feasibility of mass culture and wasteland reclamation simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Self-healing of fatigue damage is reported in laminated composites fabricated from unidirectional glass/epoxy prepreg with embedded microcapsules. Microcapsules (ca. 2.5 μm) containing a mixture of ethyl phenylacetate (EPA) solvent and diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) epoxy are seamlessly incorporated into cross-ply [ (0 / 90 3) 4 / 0 ] T laminated composites. Specimens subjected to tension-tension fatigue testing followed by a 24 h rest period at ambient conditions recover 52% of the initial Young's modulus as a result of self-healing. Fluorescent labeling of microcapsules and matrix resin combined with confocal fluorescent imaging reveals that the healing agents wick into transverse fatigue cracks, ultimately rebonding the crack faces after self-healing. Furthermore, self-healing composite laminates exhibit a higher resistance to crack growth as a result of the presence of the embedded microcapsules. The fatigue behavior of laminated self-healing composites demonstrates the potential for extended fatigue life of fiber-reinforced polymer composites for structural applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water‐rich rocket exhaust plumes, in particular those emitted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Space Shuttle, have been suggested to make a significant contribution to long‐term trends in polar mesospheric cloud (PMC) ice water content. We investigate this claim using the combined Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SBUV) PMC data record from eight separate instruments, which includes 60 Shuttle launches during PMC seasons between 1985 and 2011. No statistically significant postlaunch signal in PMC total ice is observed based on superposed epoch analysis of the SBUV record. Only a few launches show individual peaks in total ice anomaly above the seasonal background that exceed an empirical threshold, and the maximum cumulative signature from these infrequent cases is typically less than 5% of the season total in ice mass. Other non‐Shuttle launches show circumstantial evidence of possible PMC effects, although supporting evidence for plume transport is not available. We conclude that space traffic effects have been a negligible component of long‐term PMC behavior. Key Points: Evaluation of SBUV PMC database for effects from Shuttle exhaust plumes is presentedNo evidence for contribution to long‐term trends in PMC behavior is foundPossible short‐term PMC effects from other launches require further support to confirm [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Surfaces of hexagonal boron nitride (BN) platelets (with an average platelet diameter of 1 μm) were oxidized in sulfuric acid solution under the presence of a sodium nitrate catalyst, followed by silanization in aqueous ethanol solution. Based on Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, catalytic oxidation of BN surfaces in this way resulted in a very successful degree of silanization thereafter compared with other non-catalytic surface-oxidation processes reported in the literature. After silanization, both the width and thickness of the catalytically oxidized BN platelets notably increased, suggesting the possibility of silanization of not only the edge but also the basal planes. When the epoxy matrix was reinforced with the surface-silanized BN platelets, prepared composites demonstrated notably improved thermal and mechanical properties compared with those of raw BN-epoxy composites. Such improvement of thermal and mechanical properties is ascribed to successful surface silanization of BN platelets, yielding enhanced interfacial bonding and dispersion in the epoxy matrix. Highlights • Catalytic oxidation of the surface of boron nitride (BN) platelets notably facilitates subsequent silanization. • Both the width and thickness of the BN platelet increases after silanization. • Both the edge and basal planes of BN are interpreted to be silanized. • Epoxy composites with silanized BN demonstrates notably improved thermo-mechanical properties. • Silanization enhances interfacial bonding to achieve adequate bond strength for crack deflection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We are proposing in this work a new model of ultraviolet (UV) damage for polymers and Polymer Matrix Composites (PMCs). Flat and sinusoidal polymer surfaces were numerically simulated for their UV damage as a function of UV intensity, surface topography, and exposure time. Experimentally determined UV degradation rates for a unidirectional glass/epoxy composite were used to predict numerically the local rates of material degradation on sinusoidal epoxy surfaces subjected to UV. This allowed us to show that UV damage on uneven polymer surfaces reduces their surface roughness making them planar and that the degradation rates are the largest at the tips of the local heights of the surfaces. This was subsequently verified experimentally by exposing neat epoxy specimens to UV in air at 80 °C for 1000 h and by precisely monitoring their surface topography as a function of time. It was found that the surface roughness of the epoxy was reduced by about 12.5% and that UV affected the local peaks on the surfaces of the specimens more than the valleys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanical behavior of polymer-metal structure (PMCS) made by Friction Assisted Joining is investigated. Al-Mg Alloy and polyetheretherketone (PEEK) were adopted. Laser texturing was performed on the aluminum substrate to enhance the strength of the joints. A campaign of experimental tests was conducted by varying the energy supplied during the joining process. During the heating and the cooling phases, the thermal history and temperature gradients were monitored by means of an IR camera. Single lap shear tests were conducted to determine the mechanical behavior of the joints. Morphological analysis and fracture surface analysis were performed by means of Optical Microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy to evaluate the material flow produced under different processing conditions as well as the mean features of the joints. The highest strength joints were achieved after a heating time of 25 s to which corresponded an supplied energy of 3.5 kJ, which led to a maximum and average temperature (reached by the upper aluminum surface during the joining process) of 390 °C and 350 °C, respectively. Under such conditions, the maximum shear force of 6.9 kN and an average shear strength of 47 MPa were achieved corresponding to a joint efficiency of 83%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Plant surface or phyllosphere is the habitat of hyperdiverse microbial communities and it is always exposed to the fluctuating environmental factors, which is thought to be one of the potential drivers of microbial community structuring. Impact of grapevine genotypes in variable environmental factors (i.e., at different geographic locations) on the phyllosphere has never been studied and is the main objective of this report. Using high throughput short amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA genes and internal transcribed spacer (ITS), we analyzed the impacts of genotypes of Vitis Vinifera (coming from three genetic pool), on the microbial (bacterial and fungal) assemblage in the phyllosphere. First, we performed the analysis of the phyllosphere microbiome while using fifteen genotypes that were chosen to maximize intra-specific diversity and grown in two Mediterranean vineyards. Then, the same analysis was performed on five commercially important varieties of Vitis vinifera that were sampled from three different French agro-climatic zones (or terroir: a combination of climate, soils, and human practices). Our study revealed that, at a particular geographic location, genotypes have an impact on microbial assemblage in the phyllosphere and carposphere of leaf and fruit (or berries), respectively, which is more prominent on the carposphere but the effect of terroir was much stronger than the genotype when the leaf phyllosphere of five grapevine varieties grown in different agro-climatic zones was compared. Impacts of the season and exterior plant organs (leaf and berries) on microbial taxa structuring in the phyllosphere was also assessed and presented in this report.

Compared with traditional clothing, wearable textiles with physiotherapy were a breakthrough innovation, among which fiber materials with good mechanical properties and excellent electrical conductivity were key. Herein, we prepared profiled conductive composite fibers (PCFs) with Tai Chi structure based on the polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and carboxylic multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) by wet spinning, achieving the synchronous improvement of mechanical and conductivity under a small quantity of conductive fillers doped. By changing the angle of spinning, the migration of MWCNTs could be induced and controlled, realizing the preparation of Tai Chi structure. The PAN and MWCNTs were enriched into the axial unilateral of fibers respectively, similar to the Tai Chi structure, when the spinning angle was 30°. The special Tai Chi structure could concentrate carriers to form a continuous and interpenetrating conductive path and retained the good flexibility and tensile strength of composite fibers. The PCFs prepared with 6 wt% MWCNTs loading possessed 51.6 S/cm and 291 MPa. The wearable electric heaters prepared by PCFs could get a comfortable temperature (30 °C ∼ 60 °C) under the safe voltage condition and had good repeatability and stability, which was expected to provide valuable reference for the development of thermotherapy textiles. [Display omitted] • Profiled conductive composite fibers (PCFs) with Tai Chi structure were prepared. • PCFs possessed excellent conductivity of 51.6 S/cm and good strength of 291 MPa. • Thermotherapy textiles prepared by PCFs displayed good repeatability and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-velocity impacts (LVI) on composite laminates pose significant safety issues since they are able to generate extended damage within the structure, mostly delaminations and matrix cracking, while being hardly detectable in visual inspections. The role of LVI tests at the coupon level is to evaluate quantities that can be useful both in the design process, such as the delamination threshold load, and in dealing with safety issues, that is correlating the internal damage with the indentation depth. This paper aims at providing a benchmark of LVIs on quasi-isotropic carbon/epoxy laminates; 2 laminates are tested, 16 and 24 plies and a total of 8 impact energies have been selected ranging from very low energy impacts up to around 30 J. Delamination threshold loads, shape and extension of delaminations as well as post-impact 3D measurements of the impacted surface have been carried out in order to characterize the behavior of the considered material system in LVIs. The analysis of test results relevant to the lowest energies pointed out that large contact force fluctuations, typically associated to delamination onset, occurred but ultrasonic scans did not reveal any significant internal damage. Due to these unexpected results, such tests were further investigated through a detailed FE model. The results of this investigation highlights the detrimental effects of the dissipative mechanisms of the impactor. A combined numerical–experimental approach is thus proposed to evaluate the effective impact energies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Performance monitoring counters (PMCs) are of great value to monitor the status of processors and their further analysis and modeling. In this paper, we explore a novel problem called PMC integration, i.e., how to combine a group of PMCs which are collected asynchronously together. It is well known that, due to hardware constraints, the number of PMCs that can be measured concurrently is strictly limited. It means we cannot directly acquire all the phenomenon features that are related with the system performance. Clearly, this source raw data shortage is extremely frustrating to PMCs based analysis and modeling tasks, such as PMCs based power estimation. To deal with this problem, we introduce a neighboring interval power values based PMC data integration approach. Based on the activity similarity of easily collected power dissipation values, the proposed approach can automatically combine distinct categories of PMC data together and hence realize the recovery of intact raw PMC data. In addition, the significance and effectiveness of the proposed approach are experimentally verified on a common task, the PMCs based power consumption modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis of chromosome pairing during meiosis is important for understanding the relationships between different genomes. To evaluate the diversity of chromosome pairing behavior in the wild species of Roegneria sinica var. media Keng with St and H genomes in Triticeae (Poaceae), differences and similarities in the meiotic chromosome pairing behaviors of the two genomes in two populations of R. sinica var. media, were analyzed using genomic in situ hybridization. Chromosome pairing at meiotic metaphase I in the two populations of R. sinica var. media mainly formed bivalents, although several univalents, trivalents and quadrivalents also occurred. Chromosome pairings occurred mainly between homologous chromosomes. However, some non-homologous pairings were observed under natural conditions. No significant differences in karyotype were found between the St and H genomes. Chromosome pairing behaviors differed between and within the two populations. Genetic variation occurred mainly within populations (94.04 %), and variation was more abundant in one population than the other. The genomes St and H differed, but there was some relationship between the two genomes. These findings suggest that homoeologous pairing of chromosomes or exchanges occurred between different genomes of the wild species in Triticeae during evolution. The findings also provide conclusive cytological evidence for genetic variation within the wild species, which forms the basis of their genetic diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conductive polymer composites (CPCs) of high filler loads hold great promise as rapid-response electrical heaters for battery thermal management at subzero temperatures. However, it is still a huge challenge to achieve high filler loads in CPCs due to the processing difficulties. Herein, we demonstrated the fabrication of highly conductive CPCs embedded with high filler loads based on polymer-infiltrated carbon nanotube (CNT) networks through the facile brush-coating and thermal treatment methods. The unique polymer-infiltrated CNT networks enabled the composites with outstanding electrical conductivity (2082.0 S/m) and excellent Joule heating performance (a high steady-state temperature of 70.4 °C at a low supplied voltage of 2.5 V). Moreover, the composites exhibited excellent Joule heating behavior at subzero temperatures, and it took only 31 s for the battery to reach 0 °C when the composites were applied to preheat the battery at −20 °C. It is believed that this work offers an efficient strategy for the versatile design of highly conductive CPCs as rapid-response electrical heaters and provides insights on the development of highly efficient technique for battery thermal management at subzero temperatures. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of complex multicellular organisms requires careful regulation at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. Post-transcriptional gene regulation is in part mediated by a class of non-coding RNAs of 21–25 nucleotides in length known as microRNAs (miRNAs). β-catenin, regulated by the canonical Wnt signaling pathway, has a highly evolutionarily conserved function in patterning early metazoan embryos, in forming the Anterior–Posterior axis, and in establishing the endomesoderm. Using reporter constructs and site-directed mutagenesis, we identified at least three miRNA binding sites within the 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR) of the sea urchin β-catenin . Further, blocking these three miRNA binding sites within the β-catenin 3′UTR to prevent regulation of endogenous β-catenin by miRNAs resulted in a minor increase in β-catenin protein accumulation that is sufficient to induce aberrant gut morphology and circumesophageal musculature. These phenotypes are likely the result of increased transcript levels of Wnt responsive endomesodermal regulatory genes. This study demonstrates the importance of miRNA regulation of β-catenin in early development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Polymer matrix composites, and especially short glass fibre reinforced polyamides, are widely used in the automotive industry. Their application on structural components requires a confident mechanical design taking into account the sensitivity of the mechanical response to both temperature T and relative humidity . In this paper, the constitutive model already developed by the authors (Launay et al., 2011) is applied to describe the non-linear time-dependent behaviour of a PA66-GF35 under various hygrothermal conditions. The extensive experimental database involves testing conditions under and above the glass transition temperature . An equivalence principle between temperature and relative humidity is applied and validated, since the non-linear mechanical response is shown to depend only on the temperature gap . [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: During sea urchin embryogenesis the spdri gene participates in two separate Gene Regulatory Networks (GRNs): the Primary Mesenchyme Cells'' (PMCs) and the Oral Ectoderm''s one. In both cases, activation of the gene follows initial specification events [Amore, G., Yavrouian, R., Peterson, K., Ransick, A., McClay, D., Davidson, E., 2003. Spdeadringer, a sea urchin embryo gene required separately in skeletogenic and oral ectoderm gene regulatory networks. Dev. Biol. 261, 55–81.]. We identified a portion of genomic DNA (“4.7IL” −3456;+389) which is sufficient to replicate sdpri''s expression pattern in experiments of transgenesis, using a GFP reporter. In our experiments, the activation kinetic of 4.7IL-GFP was similar to that of the endogenous gene and the reporter responded to known spdri''s transcriptional regulators (Ets1, Alx1, Gsc and Dri). Here we present a dissection of this regulatory region and a description of the modules involved in spdri''s transcriptional regulation. Both in the PMCs'' and Oral Ectoderm''s expression phases, activation of spdri is obtained through the integration of three kinds of inputs: positive and globally distributed ones; negative ones (that prevent ectopic expression); positive and tissue-specific ones. Our results allow to expand the map of the regulatory connections at the spdri node, both in the PMCs and in the Oral Ectoderm Gene Regulatory Networks (GRNs). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Depolymerisation of the MT cytoskeleton during late prophase makes it impossible to follow the cytoskeleton cycle in centrosomeless plant meiocytes. This paper describes rearrangements of the MT cytoskeleton during plant meiotic spindle formation in normally dividing pollen mother cells in various higher plant species and forms in which the cytoskeleton does not depolymerise at prophase. In such variants of the wild-type, cytoskeleton rearrangements can be observed at late prophase/early prometaphase. Radial MT bundles coalesce in the meridian plane, reorientate tangentially, curve and give rise to a developed ring-shaped perinuclear cytoskeleton system at the meridian. During nuclear envelope breakdown this ring disintegrates and splits into a set of free MT bundles. Three sub-stages of prometaphase are indicated: early prometaphase (disintegration of perinuclear ring and invasion of MTs into the former nuclear area), middle prometaphase or chaotic stage (formation of bipolar spindle fibres), and late prometaphase (formation of bipolar spindle). Analysis of a range of abnormal phenotypes (disintegrated, multiple, polyarchal, chaotic spindles) reveals two previously unknown processes during late prometaphase: axial orientation and consolidation of the spindle fibres. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The statistical strength of short fiber reinforced composites such as metal matrix composites (MMCs) and polymer matrix composites (PMCs) with different fiber volume fractions is investigated in this work using combined cell models (CCM) and Weibull statistical approach. Statistical combined cell models (SCCM) have been developed, which were originally developed for fiber fracture in composites. This allows to calculate separately the two types of unit cells, i.e. unit cells with unbroken fibers, and with broken ones. The global mechanical behavior of metal or PMCs reinforced with randomly oriented short fibers (e.g., an Al/15 vol.% Al2O3 aluminium matrix composite and PMC with 20 or 30 vol.% glass-fibers) is calculated based on the rule of mixture. In all cases, predictions of the behavior by the SCCM are compared with experiments and they show good agreement. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Spindle membrane in the second division of meiosis in Iris comprises endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and small spherical vesicles (40-80 nm diameter). The vesicles are in all respects similar to those of dictyosomes and it is proposed that they originate in the Golgi system. ER on the other hand is generated from the nuclear envelope (NE). Invaginations and evaginations of the inner and outer membranes of the NE are present at interphase and they enlarge during prophase II and break to form spindle ER elements at the beginning of prometaphase II. The area enclosed by this ER continues to increase until the entire spindle is filled with irregular profiles at mid-prometaphase II. During late-prometaphase II the quantity of ER decreases and, concurrent with an increase in the number of microtubules (MTs), the cisternae align alongside MT bundles and accumulate at the poles. It is suggested that ER increases in quantity by growth of NE membranes. Furthermore, the alignment of ER along the interpolar axis and its transport polewards prior to anaphase suggest the action of a force on each ER element. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some of results from morphological and cytological observations and esterase-isozyme studies of a rice-sorghum hybrid are presented in this paper. There is a great diversity of morphological characters and some special characteristics in the progenies of the hybrids of rice with sorghum. The meiosis of pollen mother cells in the early generations of the hybrid was found to be abnormal. One main band coinciding with one found in sorghum but lacking in rice appeared in the majority of the hybrid lines. This band is characteristic of a are the specificities of the distant hybridization of rice and sorghum, and is rarely observed in the intervariety hybrids or hybrids between subspecies of Oryza sativa, indica and japonica. On the basis of these facts we concluded that the hybrids obtained are true hybrids of rice and sorghum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal oxide thin films show promising resistive switching properties, making them materials of reference for the development of memristive devices. TiO2 is probably one of the most studied materials and is being synthesized using various techniques, each of them having specific optimizable characteristics. In this paper, we report on an innovative approach by combining the sol–gel and the pulsed microplasma cluster source (PMCS) methods, exploiting the low temperature and low cost of the former process and precise control over nanocristallinity of the latter. We show that this approach overcomes the reported limitations that each technique shows in fabricating memristive devices when independently used. A side-by-side comparison of the TiO2 thin films produced by the PMCS, sol–gel, and PMCS/sol–gel hybrid methods (HM) demonstrates an improvement of the memristive properties and a reduction of the electrical shorts in the TiO2 based devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]