Search

There is a scarcity of transcriptome sequencing data available for the Leptopetalum biflorum, and numerous cyclotides remain undiscovered. It is urgent to establish a workflow based on de novotranscriptome assembly and make systematic prediction of cyclotides in Leptopetalum biflorum, to provide a reference for functional analysis of cyclotides.

To determine the effects of plant-based meat analogues on the metabolic health and the possible mechanisms, mice were fed with a real pork diet (AP), a real beef diet (AB), a plant-based pork analogue diet (PP) and plant-based beef analogue diet (PB) for 68 days. Compared with real meat, the plant-based meat analogues increased food and energy intake, body weight, white fat and liver weight and caused adipocyte hypertrophy, hepatic lipid droplet accumulation, and inflammatory responses in mice. Metabolomics revealed that plant-based meat analogues altered the composition of serum metabolites, which regulated lipid metabolism homeostasis. The PB diet upregulated gene expression related to lipid synthesis, lipolysis and adipocyte differentiation while the PP diet upregulated expression of lipolysis-related genes but downregulated expression of adipocyte differentiation-related genes in white adipose tissue. Meanwhile, both PP and PB diets upregulated lipid influx- and synthesis-related genes but downregulated lipid oxidation-related genes in liver. The specific metabolite biomarkers may affect fat accumulation mainly by direct lipid metabolism pathways or indirect amino acid metabolism, protein digestion and absorption, bile secretion, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction and ABC transporters pathways. These findings provide a new insight into understanding the differences in nutritional functions of meat and plant-based meat analogues.

Nanosheet FET (NSFET) is a promising structure for scaling transistors to the sub-5-nm node. However, the self-heating effect (SHE) impacts device performance at gigahertz frequencies, necessitating the small-signal modeling that accommodates SHE. Thus, an electrothermal coupled small-signal equivalent circuit model of NSFET and the corresponding parameters extraction method are introduced in this article. The introduced model is verified with TCAD simulated data, achieving excellent agreement between simulated and modeled S-parameters with a modeling error under 1.86%. A zero-temperature coefficient (ZTC)-based thermal network parameter extraction method is proposed, to accurately characterize SHE, enhancing stability of the extracted thermal resistance ( ${R} _{\text {th}}$ ) and capacitance ( ${C} _{\text {th}}$ ) at different ${V} _{\text {gs}}$ . The effectiveness of ${R} _{\text {th}}$ and ${C} _{\text {th}}$ is confirmed by small-signal model parameters extracted from TCAD data, achieving improved accuracy at low frequencies. The bias and temperature rise ( $\Delta $ T) dependencies of intrinsic model parameters and underlying physical mechanisms are discussed. Results reveal that SHE negatively impacts ${g} _{m}$ and ${g} _{\text {ds}}$ , but positively affects ${C} _{\text {ds}}$ . Moreover, $\tau _{m}$ is positively impacted at ${V} _{\text {gs}}$ below ZTC and negatively affected at ${V} _{\text {gs}}$ above ZTC. This introduced small-signal model provides valuable feedback for NSFET-based RF circuit design under SHE conditions.

As the technology node scales toward 1 nm, the emerging metal materials are being explored as the potential replacements for Cu interconnects. To better understand the electromigration (EM) of different metals used in actual interconnection layers, in this work, we investigate the EM reliability of buried power rail (BPR) with alternative metal materials, including W, Ru, Co, and Mo. The kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulation is used to describe the microcosmic migration paths of metal atoms and the void morphology under EM stress. The time-to-failure (TTF) of BPR and middle-of-line (MOL) consisting of different metals are comprehensively discussed by considering the conductive mechanism, thermal effects, stress gradients, and current flows. The optimal metallic selection guidance is further provided to improve the EM lifetime of BPR, which helps accelerate the development of advanced integration technology beyond 3 nm.

Thermal challenges are increasingly significant for advanced technology, and the operating environment with large temperature variation also acts as one of the crucial threats to the system’s performance and reliability. To improve the temperature immunity of digital circuits, in this work, the supply voltage (VDD) making the delay immune to temperature variation is identified, which differs from the zero-temperature-coefficient (ZTC) point used in analog applications and is defined as the zero-temperature-delay (ZTD) point. The dependencies and optimal selection of ZTD point in digital circuits are studied by simulation. The influence factors including standard cell types and circuit operations have been investigated accordingly. Moreover, the exploration of ZTD point with different delay metrics is discussed, which is the basis of the selection of ZTD point at standard cell level. The ZTD point changes due to the five PVT corners and the selection of the ZTD point under these PVT corners are studied. Taking three kinds of delay chains and benchmark circuits as an example, the ZTD point in the critical path of the circuit is further investigated. The simulation results confirm that utilizing the ZTD voltage during the design of digital circuits can provide a better temperature-resistant solution, which makes sense for temperature immunity digital applications.

Salmonellaand their biofilm formation are the primary bacterial causes of foodborne outbreaks and cross-contamination. The objective of the study was to investigate the potential of Salmonellaphages as an alternative technology for biofilm removal. In this work, 21 Salmonellaphages were isolated from a chicken farm and slaughter plant and the phage (CW1) with the broadest spectrum was characterized. Complete genome sequence analysis revealed that the genomes of phage CW1 is composed of 41763 bp with 58 open reading frames (ORFs) and a holin-endolysin system and it does not encode any virulence or lysogeny. A phage cocktail consisted of CW1 (with the broadest spectrum of 70.49 %) and CW11, M4 and M10 (with a high lytic activity of more than 67.11 %) was established. Treatment with the cocktail reduced the cells in the developing biofilm and mature biofilm by 0.79 lg(CFU/cm2) and 0.4 lg(CFU/cm2), respectively. More dead cells and scattered extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) were observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Raman analysis found that carbohydrates and proteins were the identification receptors for scattered EPS. This finding suggests that this phage cocktail has potential applications for the sterilization of Salmonellabiofilm during meat processing.

Thermal issue emerges as one of the critical reliability concerns in integrated circuit design, especially for advanced technology. To improve the temperature immunity and reduce the thermal-related timing guard bands in digital circuits, in this work, we offer a new insight into the zero-temperature-coefficient (ZTC) based design strategy featuring minimizing the temperature-induced delay variation. An effective current-based method to facilitate the ZTC point ( ${V}_{\text {ZTC}}$ ) determination for standard cells is developed, which is demonstrated on advanced gate-all-around (GAA) nanosheet (NS) FETs from 300 to 425 K using the calibrated TCAD simulation. The ${V}_{\text {ZTC}}$ dependencies on the signal input slew rate, output capacitance, and self-heating effects (SHEs) are further investigated from the perspective of the effective current by tracing the voltage trajectory. The mixed-mode TCAD simulation results show that the frequency variation of ring oscillator (RO) reduces nearly ten times when operating near ${V}_{\text {ZTC}}$ and great power-performance trade-offs can also be achieved. The ${V}_{\text {ZTC}}$ determination for standard cells combined with the compensation effect among different standard cells benefits selecting the optimal zero-temperature-delay (ZTD) point in the target path, thereby helping to implement a robust digital design against temperature variation.

Real meat and plant-based meat analogues have different in vitro protein digestibility properties. This study aims to further explore their in vivo digestion and absorption and their effects on the gastrointestinal digestive function of mice. Compared with the real pork and beef, plant-based meat analogues significantly reduced the number of gastric parietal cells, the levels of gastrin/CCKBR, acetylcholine/AchR, Ca2+, CAMK II, PKC, and PKA, the activity of H+, K+-ATPase, and pepsin, the duodenal villus height, and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth and downregulated the expression of most nitrogen nutrient sensors. Peptidomics revealed that plant-based meat analogues released fewer peptides during in vivo digestion and increased the host- and microbial-derived peptides. Moreover, the real beef showed better absorption properties. These results suggested that plant-based meat analogues weaken gastrointestinal digestive function of mice, and their digestion and absorption performance in vivo is not as good as the real meat.

A one-pot tandem route to fused indolizidines and quinolizidines with mild conditions is disclosed and applied to the total synthesis of some natural products and bioactive compounds.

ABSTRACTSalmonellaEnteritidis is a foodborne enteric pathogen that infects humans and animals, utilizing complex survival strategies. Bacterial small RNA (sRNA) plays an important role in these strategies. However, the virulence regulatory network of S. Enteritidis remains largely incomplete and knowledge of gut virulence mechanisms of sRNAs is limited. Here, we characterized the function of a previously identified Salmonellaadhesive-associated sRNA (SaaS) in the intestinal pathogenesis of S. Enteritidis. We found that SaaS promoted bacterial colonization in both cecum and colon of a BALB/c mouse model; it was preferentially expressed in colon. Moreover, our results showed that SaaS enhanced damage to mucosal barrier by affecting expressions of antimicrobial products, decreasing the number of goblet cells, suppressing mucin gene expression, and eventually reducing thickness of mucus layer; it further breached below physical barrier by strengthening invasion into epithelial cells in Caco-2 cell model as well as decreasing tight junction expressions. High throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that SaaS also altered gut homeostasis by depleting beneficial gut microbiota while increasing harmful ones. Furthermore, by employing ELISA and western blot analysis, we demonstrated that SaaS regulated intestinal inflammation through sequential activation P38-JNK-ERK MAPK signaling pathway, which enabled immune escape at primary infection stage but strengthened pathogenesis at later stage, respectively. These findings suggest that SaaS plays an essential role in the virulence of S. Enteritidis and reveals its biological role in intestinal pathogenesis.

Broilers are selected for fast growth and high breast meat yield to meet the increasing demand for poultry meat. This selection however, is accompanied by an increasing incidence of severe [...]

Herein, a novel AlGaN‐based multiple quantum well (MQW) deep UV light‐emitting diode (DUV‐LED) structure with two parts linearly graded barriers is presented. The simulation result shows that at a current of 50 mA, the light output power of the DUV‐LED with two parts linearly graded barrier MQWs has significant improvement as compared to stationary barriers. The electroluminescence spectrum and radiative recombination rate of novel DUV‐LEDs are also larger more than twice that of the conventional QW structure. The reason is that the injection efficiency of holes is increased which helps improve the hole and electron concentration in the active area. Meanwhile, the electric field is also decreased by using two parts linearly graded quantum barriers, and according to reduce the electric field the quantum‐confined Stark effect and the bend of the energy band get relieved. Sample B with two parts graded Al composition multiple quantum wells (MQWs) in the active region has greater photoelectric performance than sample A. Sample B enhances carrier confinement ability, decreases the electric field made the energy band smoother, and increases the carrier concentration in the MQWs. This is all attributed to the new barrier structure designed.

The selection of broilers for augmented growth rate and breast has brought about wooden-breast (WB) muscle abnormalities, which caused substantial economic losses. The objective of this study was to compare water holding capacity, water mobility and distribution, salt-soluble protein (SSP) content, and protein profiles of normal and WB chicken meat with different additions of NaCl. Thirty WB and 30 normal chicken breasts were selected from a deboning line of a major Chinese processing plant at 2 to 3 h post mortem. Two different meat batters were formulated to 150 mg/g meat protein and different NaCl contents (0%, 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4%). Results indicated that as NaCl contents increased, the cooking loss of meat batters decreased (P< 0.05). Increasing the NaCl content to 3% or more increased the solubility of myofibrillar protein and the extraction of SSPs, which resulted in the improving of cooking yield. Over a range of salt concentrations, normal and WB meat showed different protein profiles, with myosin heavy chain exhibiting a higher intensity at ≥3% salt level. Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR)revealed an increased T22and higher P22in raw WB meat compared to normal meat (P< 0.05). Regarding the meat batters, WB meat batters had reduced T21and lower immobilized water proportions at low NaCl contents (<2%). After heating, T2shifted towards higher relaxation times with increasing NaCl contents in meat gels. Meat gels prepared from WB had a lower proportion of water within the myofibrillar protein matrix and a greater proportion of exuded bulk water at NaCl contents <3% (P< 0.05), while at higher NaCl contents the difference was eliminated, thus improving water retention capacity. In conclusion, for raw meat, meat batters and gels, water distribution and mobility of WB exhibited significant differences compared to normal meat. The addition of NaCl affected water mobility and distributions in meat batters, with a level of 3% NaCl eliminating the differences between processed normal and WB meat products.

Vermicomposting is a feasible method for disposing of lignocellulosic waste while generating a useful product. The current study assessed the potential of vermicomposting green waste mixed with sugarcane bagasse in proportions of 25%, 50%, and 75% (v:v, based on dry weight). The suitability was evaluated based on the agrochemical properties, earthworm biomass, and phytotoxicity. The final vermicomposts exhibited near-neutral pH values (7.1–7.6), and lower EC values (0.43–0.72 mS/cm) and C:N ratios (14.1–19.9).The content of available nutrients and CEC for all the vermicomposts exceeded those of the control compost (without earthworms). For vermicomposts, the average values of NO3−-N, AP, AK, and CEC were 53, 517, 1362 mg/kg, and 158 cmol/kg, respectively. The total contents of heavy metals increased in all vermicompost treatments compared to control composts with the following average final percentages: Zn (2.0%), Cr (15.5%), Pb (23.4%), and Cu (44.3%), but these amounts were safe for application in agroforestry. The addition of sugarcane bagasse to green waste significantly increased the content of total humic substance, humic acid and urease activity, acid and alkaline phosphatase activity, and Eisenia fetidareproduction. The addition of 25% sugarcane bagasse to green waste decreased the toxicity to germinating seeds. These results revealed that vermicomposting is a feasible way to degrade green waste into a value-added chemical product.

As a kind of new carbon materials, graphene has excellent performances such as superior conductivity, high specific surface area (2675 m2 g[?]1), and high cycle life. But graphene sheets are easily restacked by van der Waals interactions during the processes of preparation, storage, and application of them, which can loss ultrahigh specific surface area. The restacking of graphene sheets could be prevented by constructing graphene hydrogel (GH) or graphene composite. In this work, GH was prepared by a one-step hydrothermal synthesis reaction and glucose is used as a reducing agent, while graphene oxide/polyaniline (GP) composites was prepared by coating polyaniline on GO through in situ chemical polymerization of aniline. Then an asymmetric supercapacitor (GH//GP) was further assembled, where GH and GP are the positive and negative electrodes, respectively. The electrochemical properties of GH, GP, and GH//GP are studied using voltammetry and galvanostatic charge/discharge. The consequences indicate that the energy density of GH//GP reaches 5.6 W h kg[?]1 at power density of 226.5 W kg[?]1 and 3.1 W h kg[?]1 at energy density of 8446.2 W kg[?]1.

A 3D kinetic Monte-Carlo simulator is developed to evaluate the degradation and time-dependent variability of the device subjected to arbitrary bias conditions, which is validated by experimental results. The multi-trap including interface states and bulk traps induced reliability degradation is investigated based on trap behaviors simulation in a unified framework. Utilizing the proposed method, threshold voltage shift (DV th) and the variability in the nanosheet nFETs with HfO2 gate dielectric under over the full bias space are simulated. The time evolution of the stress-induced interface/bulk trap number, as well as the respective contribution to the degradation, can be distinguished under different V g/V d bias combinations. Simulation results show that hot carrier injection induces more serious DV th and suffers more variation due to the dominant contribution of interface states. Moreover, the DV th induced by bias temperature instability is more prominent than that under off-state stress at 398 K.