In situ TEM study of deformation-induced crystalline-to-amorphous transition in silicon

The mechanism responsible for deformation-induced crystalline-to-amorphous transition (CAT) in silicon is still under considerable debate, owing to the absence of direct experimental evidence. Here we have devised a novel core/shell configuration to impose confinement on the sample to circumvent early cracking during uniaxial compression of submicron-sized Si pillars. This has enabled large plastic deformation and in situ monitoring of the CAT process inside a transmission electron microscope. We demonstrate that diamond cubic Si transforms into amorphous silicon through slip-mediated generation and storage of stacking faults (SFs), without involving any intermediate crystalline phases. By employing density functional theory simulations, we find that energetically unfavorable single-layer SFs create very strong antibonding interactions, which trigger the subsequent structural rearrangements. Our findings thus resolve the interrelationship between plastic deformation and amorphization in silicon, and shed light on the mechanism underlying deformation-induced CAT in general.National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant 51231005)National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant 51321003)National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant 11132006

Minocycline ameliorates cognitive impairment induced by whole-brain irradiation: an animal study

Background: It has been long recognized that cranial irradiation used for the treatment of primary and metastatic brain tumor often causes neurological side-effects such as intellectual impairment, memory loss and dementia, especially in children patients. Our previous study has demonstrated that whole-brain irradiation (WBI) can cause cognitive decline in rats. Minocycline is an antibiotic that has shown neuroprotective properties in a variety of experimental models of neurological diseases. However, whether minocycline can ameliorate cognitive impairment induced by ionizing radiation (IR) has not been tested. Thus this study aimed to demonstrate the potential implication of minocycline in the treatment of WBI-induced cognitive deficits by using a rat model. Methods: Sprague Dawley rats were cranial irradiated with electron beams delivered by a linear accelerator with a single dose of 20 Gy. Minocycline was administered via oral gavages directly into the stomach before and after irradiation. The open field test was used to assess the anxiety level of rats. The Morris water maze (MWM) was used to assess the spatial learning and memory of rats. The level of apoptosis in hippocampal neurons was measured using immunohistochemistry for caspase-3 and relative markers for mature neurons (NeuN) or for newborn neurons (Doublecortin (DCX)). Neurogenesis was determined by BrdU incorporation method. Results: Neither WBI nor minocycline affected the locomotor activity and anxiety level of rats. However, compared with the sham-irradiated controls, WBI caused a significant loss of learning and memory manifest as longer latency to reach the hidden platform in the MWM task. Minocycline intervention significantly improved the memory retention of irradiated rats. Although minocycline did not rescue neurogenesis deficit caused by WBI 2 months post-IR, it did significantly decreased WBI-induced apoptosis in the DCX positive neurons, thereby resulting in less newborn neuron depletion 12 h after irradiation. Conclusions: Minocycline significantly inhibits WBI-induced neuron apoptosis, leading to less newborn neurons loss shortly after irradiation. In the long run, minocycline improves the cognitive performance of rats post WBI. The results indicate a potential clinical implication of minocycline as an effective adjunct in radiotherapy for brain tumor patients

SocioGlass: Social interaction assistance with face recognition on google glass

We present SocioGlass - a system built on Google Glass paired with a mobile phone that provides a user with in-situ information about an acquaintance in face-to-face communication. The system can recognize faces from the live feed of visual input. Accordingly, it retrieves relevant information about a person with a matching face in the database. In order to provide interaction assistance, multiple aspects of personal information are categorized based on its relevance to the interaction scenario or context. Thus, the system can be adapted to the social context in interaction assistance. The system can be used to help acquaintances build relationships, or to assist people with memory problems

Effect of the FIT Taijipao on 20-30-Year-Old Adults’ Cardiorespiratory Function

The FIT taijipao is a personalized fitness run, based on tai chi thought, and taking physiological index heart rate as the assessment of exercise load standard. According to the current research, there is no clear study to confirm its health benefits. Therefore, this study intended to examine the effects of FIT taijipao on cardiorespiratory function for 20-30 years old adults. 60 volunteers were recruited from a university of Sichuan province, China. After the volunteers signed informed consent, they were randomly divided into the experimental group (30 students) and the control group (30 volunteers). The experimental group had the FIT taijipao twice a week guided by professionals, while the control group kept their original lifestyle. During the experiment, the baseline survey, heart rate and other health indexes of all the volunteers were assessed. In the final, there were 21 experimenters in the experimental group (6 males and 15 females) and 15 in another group (5 males and 10 females). The study processed the data in group by SPSS22.0 Paired T test and independent T test were conducted. After the 3-month experiment, it was found heart rate at rest (HRrest) had a significant downward trend. There was a highly significant difference in the experiment group’s HRrest before and after the experiment. Moreover, the quantitative load of the experimental group was 5 km / h or 8.3 km / h, the downward trend of HR was effectively lower than that before the experiment. It is suggested that the FIT taijipao has effects on reducing the oxygen consumption of heart contraction, the load of heart ejection and the work of heart in adults aged 20 to 30

JMJ704 positively regulates rice defense response against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae infection via reducing H3K4me2/3 associated with negative disease resistance regulators

A schematic representation showing the genomic regions of the three genes for ChIP-PCR assay. White box indicates untranslated region, black box indicates coding sequence, line through the box indicates intron region of the genes, lines and numbers above the gene indicate the regions and positions used for ChIP-PCR assay. (TIF 2795 kb

From optical to X-ray ghost imaging

Recent advances in ghost imaging techniques and X-ray sources such as synchrotrons and, more recently, X-ray free-electron lasers (XFEL) have made X-ray ghost imaging a growing topic of interest. One specific type of ghost imaging utilizes thermal radiation and the measurement of intensity fluctuation correlation to form a true image without the need of a lens. This technique allows for much higher resolution than traditional X-ray imaging for a mesoscopic or even a microscopic object. In addition to this benefit of not requiring a lens, a surprising experiment has shown that, when set up correctly, this type of ghost imaging can provide clear images through the measurement of intensity fluctuation correlation when traditional images through measurements of intensity are blurred due to optical turbulence and vibrations. This turbulence-free technique will help maintain the high resolution of X-ray ghost imaging. How is an image formed from fluctuations in light? And what makes it turbulence-free? Using the concept of two-photon interference, this article provides an introduction to these fundamentally interesting concepts and X-ray ghost imaging