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Phyllachora species are biotrophic, obligate plant parasitic fungi featuring a high degree of host specificity, a high degree of species richness, and worldwide distribution. In this study, two Phyllachora species were collected from different hosts in Yunnan province, China. Based on morphological characteristics and multigene (LSU, ITS, SSU) phylogenetic analyses, they are introduced as two new taxa. Photographs, detailed descriptions, and notes are provided.

Phyllachora yuanjiangensis H.X. Wu & J.C. Li. sp. nov. Fig. 3 MycoBank: 845540 Etymology— Epithet derived from the type locality. Holotype — IFRD9466 Parasitic on leaves and stems of Arundinella setosa (Poaceae). Sexual morph: Stromata 360–750 × 105–195 μm (x = 570 × 147.5 μm, n = 10), fusiform or cymbiform, domed above the leaf surface, amphigenous, scattered, sometimes gregarious, like black nevus, black and carbonaceous. Section of stroma 190–340 μm high, multilocular, peridium, composed of brown to dark brown cells of textura angularis. Paraphyses 2–3 μm wide, numerous, persistent, filiform, unbranched, aseptate, many guttules, slightly longer than asci. Asci 71–112 × 11–22 μm (x = 84.6 × 13.2 μm, n = 20), thin-walled, 8-spored, persistent, cylindrical to clavate, apex obtuse, with pedicel. Ascospores 15–21 × 7–9 μm (x = 17.9 × 8.3 μm, n = 20), 1-seriate, tear-shaped, rounded at the apex, tapered at the base, hyaline, aseptate, verrucous, with guttules and a mucilaginous sheath. Asexual morph: Not observed. Material examined— CHINA. Yunnan Province: Yuanjiang County, on stems and leaves of Arundinella setosa, 101.47°E, 23.27°N, 1532.65 m, 27 November 2021, H. X. Wu & J. C. Li. IFRD9466, holotype. GenBank accession numbers: LSU: OP359417; ITS: OP359399; SSU: OP359400 Note: In the phylogenetic tree (Fig. 1), P. yuanjiangensis is closely related to P. arundinellae and P. xinpingensis. P. yuanjiangensis and P. arundinellae both occur on Arundinella sp. Morphologically, the asci and ascospores of P. yuanjiangensis are longer and wider than those of P. arundinellae (asci 71–112 × 11–22 μm vs 70–100 × 7–10 μm, ascospores 15–21 × 7–9 μm vs 10–18 × 5–8.5 μm). The ascospores of P. yuanjiangensis are tear-shaped, rounded at the apex, tapered at the base, while P. arundinellae is narrowly oval to ovoid. Differences in morphological characteristics and their hosts are also supported by the phylogenetic tree. Four Phyllachora species have been recorded on Arundinella spp., namely P. arundinellae, P. graminicola, P. graminis, and P. shiraiana. P. yuanjiangensis can be distinguished from these species by the shape of its ascospores. The closest hits using LSU and ITS sequences had the highest similarity to P. arundinellae isolate MHYAU:108 (GenBank LSU: MG269815, identities = 809/899 (90%); ITS: MG269761, identities = 440/534 (82%)) and P. graminis MM-166 (GenBank ITS: KX451869, identities = 317/556 (57%)). P. yuanjiangensis had the highest similarity to P. xinpingensis IFRD 9465 (GenBank LSU: OP359416, identities = 885/899 (98%); ITS: OP359399, identities = 496/519 (96%)) but these two species can be distinguished by the host plants and asci length. A synopsis of P. yuanjiangensis and other Phyllachora species recorded from Arundinella spp. is provided (Table 2).

Key to species of Phyllachora recorded in China (2009–2022) 1. Parasitic on eudicots...................................................................................................................................................... P. hainanensis 1. Parasitic on monocots.........................................................................................................................................................................2 2. Parasitic on bamboo plants.................................................................................................................................................................3 2. Parasitic on graminicolous plants.......................................................................................................................................................4 3. Parasitic on Phyllostachys sp........................................................................................................................................ P. heteroclada 3. Parasitic on Dendrocalamus sp.........................................................................................................................................................5 4. Stromata on the upper leaf surface................................................................................................................................ P. isachnicola 4. Stromata on both sides of the leaf......................................................................................................................................................6 5. Parasitic on Dendrocalamus membranaceus....................................................................................... P. dendrocalami-membranacei 5. Parasitic on Dendrocalamus hamiltonii............................................................................................ P. dendrocalami-hamiltoniicola 6. Stromata surrounded by a pale yellow halo................................................................................................................ P. jianfengensis 6. Stromata not surrounded by a pale yellow halo.................................................................................................................................7 7. Stromata shiny black..........................................................................................................................................................................8 7. Stromata black....................................................................................................................................................................................9 8. Ascospores with a central concave depression................................................................................................................ P. panicicola 8. Ascospores with no central concave depression..............................................................................................................................10 9. Parasitic on Cenchrus sp.................................................................................................................................................................11 9. Parasitic on other graminicolous plants............................................................................................................................................12 10. Parasitic on Sphaerocaryum sp................................................................................................................................... P. sphaerocaryi 10. Parasitic on Chloris sp........................................................................................................................................................ P. virgatae 11. Asci P. flaccidudis 11. Asci> 100 µm, ascospores> 12 µm............................................................................................................................... P. sandiensis 12. Ascospores oval to ellipse.................................................................................................................................................... P. jiaensis 12. Ascospores tear-shaped....................................................................................................................................................................13 13. Parasitic on Chrysopogon aciculatus........................................................................................................................... P. xinpingensis 13. Parasitic on Arundinella setosa................................................................................................................................ P. yuanjiangensis, Published as part of Li, Jin-Chen, Wu, Hai-Xia & Song, Jia-Yu, 2023, Two new Phyllachora species in Southwest China, pp. 275-285 in Phytotaxa 578 (3) on page 283, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.578.3.5, http://zenodo.org/record/7523156

Alzheimer's disease (AD), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by memory loss and dementia, could be a consequence of the abnormalities of cortical milieu, such as oxidative stress, inflammation, and/or accompanied with the aggregation of β-amyloid. The majority of AD patients are sporadic, late-onset AD, which predominantly occurs over 65 years of age. Our results revealed that the ferrous amyloid buthionine (FAB)-infused sporadic AD-like model showed deficits in spatial learning and memory and with apparent loss of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) expression in medial septal (MS) nucleus. In hippocampal CA1 region, the loss of pyramidal neurons was accompanied with cholinergic fiber loss and neuroinflammatory responses including glial reaction and enhanced expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Surviving hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons showed the reduction of dendritic spines as well. Astaxanthin (ATX), a potent antioxidant, reported to improve the outcome of oxidative-stress-related diseases. The ATX treatment in FAB-infused rats decreased neuroinflammation and restored the ChAT + fibers in hippocampal CA1 region and the ChAT expression in MS nucleus. It also partly recovered the spine loss on hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons and ameliorated the behavioral deficits in AD-like rats. From these data, we believed that the ATX can be a potential option for slowing the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

The main tendon of the extensor hallucis longus (EHL) muscle attaches to the dorsal aspect of the distal phalanx of the great toe. One or multiple accessory tendons of the EHL have been reported in several ethnic/regional groups, except Taiwan. This study aimed to investigate the incidence, length, and insertion of the accessory tendon of the EHL in Taiwanese people. Anatomical dissection was performed on 48 feet of 24 formalin-embalmed cadavers. The occurrence and morphological characteristics of the accessory tendon of the EHL were recorded and analyzed. The accessory tendon of the EHL was found in 97.92% (47/48) of the legs that were dissected. In one male cadaver, an independent muscle belly was identified in each leg, whereas all the other accessory tendons originated from the main tendon of the EHL. In this study, the insertion of the accessory tendon were classified into four patterns. The most common insertion sites were the first metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint capsule and proximal phalanx of the great toe. The length of the accessory tendons did not correlate with age or with sex when the two tendons with independent muscle belly were excluded. The accessory tendon of the EHL appears to be a regular feature in Taiwanese people. Most accessory tendons of the EHL (85.7%) attached on the first MTP joint capsule may play a role in the prevention of capsular impingement during great toe extension.

As feature resolution and process variations continue to shrink for new nodes of both DUV and EUV lithography, the density and number of devices on advanced semiconductor masks continue to increase rapidly. These advances cause significantly increased pressure on the accuracy and efficiency of OPC mask output. To meet manufacturing yield requirements, systematic errors from all sources are important to consider during mask synthesis. Specifically, accurately considering etch effects within OPC and ILT is becoming more critical. Mask synthesis flows have typically accounted for etch proximity effects using rule-based approaches, and the accuracy limitations of fast etch models has limited wide-spread adoption of model-based etch mask correction approaches. Several publications and industry presentations have discussed the use of neural networks or other machine learning techniques to provide improvements in both accuracy and efficiency in mask synthesis flows. In this paper, we present results of using machine learning in etch models to improve model accuracy without sacrificing TAT. Then we demonstrate an ILT based etch correction method using the machine learning etch model that converges quickly and outputs an ADI target contour to be used as the target for OPC or ILT mask correction.

We provide background on differences between traditional and machine learning modeling. We then discuss how these differences impact the different validation needs of traditional and machine learning OPC compact models. We then provide multiple diverse examples of how machine learning OPC compact validation modeling can be appropriately validated both for modeling-specific production requirements such as model signal/contour accuracy, predictiveness, coverage and stability; and also general OPC mask synthesis requirements such as OPC/ILT stability, convergence, etc. Finally we conclude with thoughts on how machine learning modeling methods and their required validation methods are likely to evolve for future technology nodes.

Hydrocephalus is a common neurological disorder in children characterized by abnormal dilation of cerebral ventricles as a result of the impairment of cerebrospinal fluid flow or absorption. Clinical presentation of hydrocephalus varies with chronicity and often shows cognitive dysfunction. Here we used a kaolin-induction method in rats and studied the effects of hydrocephalus on cerebral cortex and hippocampus, the two regions highly related to cognition. Hydrocephalus impaired rats' performance in Morris water maze task. Serial three-dimensional reconstruction from sections of the whole brain freshly froze in situ with skull shows that the volumes of both structures were reduced. Morphologically, pyramidal neurons of the somatosensory cortex and hippocampus appear to be distorted. Intracellular dye injection and subsequent three-dimensional reconstruction and analyses revealed that the dendritic arbors of layer III and V cortical pyramid neurons were reduced. The total dendritic length of CA1, but not CA3, pyramidal neurons was also reduced. Dendritic spine densities on both cortical and hippocampal pyramidal neurons were decreased, consistent with our concomitant findings that the expressions of both synaptophysin and postsynaptic density protein 95 were reduced. These cortical and hippocampal changes suggest reductions of excitatory connectivity, which could underlie the learning and memory deficits in hydrocephalus.

Compression causes the reduction of dendritic spines of underlying adult cortical pyramidal neurons but the mechanisms remain at large. Using a rat epidural cerebral compression model, dendritic spines on the more superficial-lying layer III pyramidal neurons were found quickly reduced in 12 h, while those on the deep-located layer V pyramidal neurons were reduced slightly later, starting 1 day following compression. No change in the synaptic vesicle markers synaptophysin and vesicular glutamate transporter 1 suggest no change in afferents. Postsynaptically, N-methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA) receptor trafficking to synaptic membrane was detected in 10 min and lasting to 1 day after compression. Translocation of calcineurin to synapses and enhancement of its enzymatic activity were detected within 10 min as well. These suggest that compression rapidly activated NMDA receptors to increase postsynaptic calcium, which then activated the phosphatase calcineurin. In line with this, dephosphorylation and activation of the actin severing protein cofilin, and the consequent depolymerization of actin were all identified in the compressed cortex within matching time frames. Antagonizing NMDA receptors with MK801 before compression prevented this cascade of events, including NR1 mobilization, calcineurin activation and actin depolymerization, in the affected cortex. Morphologically, MK801 pretreatment prevented the loss of dendritic spines on the compressed cortical pyramidal neurons as well. In short, we demonstrated, for the first time, mechanisms underlying the rapid compression-induced cortical neuronal dendritic spine plasticity. In addition, the mechanical force of compression appears to activate NMDA receptors to initiate a rapid postsynaptic molecular cascade to trim dendritic spines on the compressed cortical pyramidal neurons within half a day.

We show the remote synchronization between a mode-locked laser and a microwave source, separated by a hundreds meter- to kilometer-scale fiber link, with few-femtosecond rms timing drift maintained over several hours. In a laboratory test, the measured timing drift between a mode-locked laser and a 2.856-GHz microwave source, separated by a 610-m fiber link, is 2.7 fs rms (0.048 mrad phase drift) over 7 h. The corresponding relative instability in remote laser-microwave synchronization is 7.2 × 10 $^{-19}$ in 6300 s averaging time, in terms of overlapping Allan deviation. We further installed 1.15-km long fiber links in an accelerator building and measured the relative phase drift at the link outputs in a klystron gallery, which resulted in 6.6-fs and 31-fs rms timing drift maintained over 7 and 62 h, respectively. To achieve this performance, we combined a balanced optical cross-correlator (BOC)-based stabilized fiber link for remote timing transfer and an optical-microwave phase detector (OM-PD) for local optical-to-microwave synchronization. We identified the impact of power and polarization-state drift in the fiber link and amplitude-to-phase conversion in the OM-PD on the link stability. Based on this analysis, possible technical improvements enabling even higher timing precision and stability are identified.