Ultra-compact Spatial Terahertz Switch Based on Graphene Plasmonic-Coupled Waveguide

We are proposing graphene (G)-based multilayered plasmonic spatial switch, operating at 10 THz. It is composed of hBN/Ag/hBN/G/hBN/G/hBN/SiO₂/p⁺-Si multilayers. When a 10-THz transverse magnetic (TM)-polarized signal is normally incident upon the structure top surface, the nanoaperture devised in the Ag nanolayer, acting as a grating, excites surface plasmons at the top graphene micro-ribbons/hBN interface. These surface plasmons depending on the graphenes chemical potentials can be coupled to the lower-right or left graphene micro-ribbons and continue to propagate laterally towards the corresponding output port. Numerical simulations show that a change of ∆V_G ≈ ± 2.7 V in the voltage, applied to the gated micro-ribbons, can modulate their chemical potentials sufficiently to switch the right (left) output port from ON (OFF) to OFF(ON) and vice versa. Besides its low power consumption, the switch ultra-small dimensions make it a potential spatial router suitable for THz-integrated circuit applications.

     

Depositional environment and sequence stratigraphy of the Oligo-Miocene Asmari Formation in SW Iran

The Asmari Formation, a thick carbonate succession of the Oligo-Miocene in Zagros Mountains (southwest Iran), has been studied to determine its microfacies, paleoenvironments and sedimentary sequences. Detailed petrographic analysis of the deposits led to the recognition of 10 microfacies types. In addition, five major depositional environments were identified in the Asmari Formation. These include tidal flat, shelf lagoon, shoal, slope and basin environmental settings and are interpreted as a carbonate platform developed in an open shelf situation but without effective barriers separating the platform from the open ocean. The Asmari carbonate succession consists of four, thick shallowing-upward sequences (third-order cycles). No major hiatuses were recognized between these cycles. Therefore, the contacts are interpreted as SB2 sequence boundary types. The Pabdeh Formation, the deeper marine facies equivalent of the Asmari Limestone is interpreted to be deposited in an outer slope-basin environment. The microfacies of the Pabdeh Formation shows similarities to the Asmari Formation.     

Bioaccumulation of Trace Elements in Trophic Levels of Wetland Plants and Waterfowl Birds

Present study investigates relationships between total and bioaccessibility of trace elements (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, NI, Pb, V, and Zn) concentrations in sediment and their bioaccumulation in species in Shadegan wetland in southwest of Iran. Bioavailability factor (BAF) and translocation factor (TF) were calculated in plants and trophic transfer factor (TTF) was determined in bird species. For this purpose, sampling of sediments, aquatic plants including Phragmites australis, Typha australis, Scripus maritimus and two bird species encircling Porphyrio porphyrio and globally threatened Marmaronetta angustirostris were carried out during winter 2009. Result of chemical analysis show that bioaccessibility concentrations of Mn (8.31 mg/kg), V (1.33 mg/kg), and Pb (1.03 mg/kg) are higher than other metals. The uptake trend of trace elements in plant decreases as root > stem > leaf. Accumulation levels of trace elements in different tissues of P. porphyrio and M. angustirostris are almost identical and considerable. Accumulation and toxicity of Cd in birds is more than plants. In addition, BAF of V, Pb, and Cr indicates high accumulation by plants and great pollution rate in the area of study. In S. maritimus TF for Mn, Cu, Pb, and V are high whereas in T. australis, Cu and Pb posses the highest TF. Also Cr, Co, Mn, Ni, and Zn have higher TF from stem to leaf than root to stem in P. australis. Finally, TTFs were compared in various bird species.     

Excess of de novo deleterious mutations in genes associated with glutamatergic systems in nonsyndromic intellectual disability

Little is known about the genetics of nonsyndromic intellectual disability (NSID). We hypothesized that de novo mutations (DNMs) in synaptic genes explain an important fraction of sporadic NSID cases. In order to investigate this possibility, we sequenced 197 genes encoding glutamate receptors and a large subset of their known interacting proteins in 95 sporadic cases of NSID. We found 11 DNMs, including ten potentially deleterious mutations (three nonsense, two splicing, one frameshift, four missense) and one neutral mutation (silent) in eight different genes. Calculation of point-substitution DNM rates per functional and neutral site showed significant excess of functional DNMs compared to neutral ones. De novo truncating and/or splicing mutations in SYNGAP1, STXBP1, and SHANK3 were found in six patients and are likely to be pathogenic. De novo missense mutations were found in KIF1A, GRIN1, CACNG2, and EPB41L1. Functional studies showed that all these missense mutations affect protein function in cell culture systems, suggesting that they may be pathogenic. Sequencing these four genes in 50 additional sporadic cases of NSID identified a second DNM in GRIN1 (c.1679_1681dup/p.Ser560dup). This mutation also affects protein function, consistent with structural predictions. None of these mutations or any other DNMs were identified in these genes in 285 healthy controls. This study highlights the importance of the glutamate receptor complexes in NSID and further supports the role of DNMs in this disorder.     

Phylogenetic Analysis of Selected Menthol-Producing Species Belonging to the Lamiaceae Family

Menthol is an organic compound with diverse medicinal and commercial applications, and is made either synthetically or through extraction from mint oils. The aim of the present study was to investigate menthol levels in selected menthol-producing species belonging to the Lamiaceae family, and to determine phylogenetic relationships of menthol dehydrogenase gene sequence among these species. Three genus of Lamiaceae, namely Mentha, Salvia, and Micromeria, were selected for phytochemical and phylogenetic analyses. After identification of each species based on menthol dehydrogenase gene in NCBI, BLAST software was used for the sequence alignment. MEGA4 software was used to draw phylogenetic tree for various species. Phytochemical analysis revealed that the highest and lowest amounts of both essential oil and menthol belonged to Mentha spicata and Micromeria hyssopifolia, respectively. The species Mentha spicata and Mentha piperita, which were assigned to one cluster in the dendrogram, contained the highest amounts of essential oil and menthol while Micromeria species, which was in the distinct cluster and placed in the farther evolutionary distance, contained the lowest amount of essential oil and menthol. Phylogenetic and phytochemistry analyses showed that essential oil and menthol contents of menthol-producing species are associated with menthol dehydrogenase gene sequence.     

Efficient programming of human eye conjunctiva-derived induced pluripotent stem (ECiPS) cells into definitive endoderm-like cells

Due to pluripotency of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, and the lack of immunological incompatibility and ethical issues, iPS cells have been considered as an invaluable cell source for future cell replacement therapy. This study was aimed first at establishment of novel iPS cells, ECiPS, which directly reprogrammed from human Eye Conjunctiva-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (EC-MSCs); second, comparing the inductive effects of Wnt3a/Activin A biomolecules to IDE1 small molecule in derivation of definitive endoderm (DE) from the ECiPS cells. To that end, first, the EC-MSCs were transduced by SOKM-expressing lentiviruses and characterized for endogenous expression of embryonic markers Then the established ECiPS cells were induced to DE formation by Wnt3a/Activin A or IDE1. Quantification of GSC, Sox17 and Foxa2 expression, as DE-specific markers, in both mRNA and protein levels revealed that induction of ECiPS cells by either Wnt3a/Activin A or IDE1 could enhance the expression level of the genes; however the levels of increase were higher in Wnt3a/Activin A induced ECiPS-EBs than IDE1 induced cells. Furthermore, the flow cytometry analyses showed no synergistic effect between Activin A and Wnt3a to derive DE-like cells from ECiPS cells. The comparative findings suggest that although both Wnt3a/Activin A signaling and IDE1 molecule could be used for differentiation of iPS into DE cells, the DE-inducing effect of Wnt3a/Activin A was statistically higher than IDE1.     

High transmission of paternal plastid DNA in alfalfa plants demonstrated by restriction fragment polymorphic analysis

Summary A high frequency of paternal plastid transmission occurred in progeny from crosses among normal green alfalfa plants. Plastid transmission was analyzed by hybridization of radiolabeled alfalfa plastid DNA (cpDNA) probes to Southern blots of restriction digests of the progeny DNA. Each probe revealed a specific polymorphism differentiating the parental plastid genomes. Of 212 progeny, 34 were heteroplastidic, with their cpDNAs ranging from predominantly paternal to predominantly maternal. Regrowth of shoots from heteroplasmic plants following removal of top growth revealed the persistence of mixed plastids in a given plant. However, different shoots within a green heteroplasmic plant exhibited paternal, maternal, or mixed cpDNAs. Evidence of maternal nuclear genomic influence on the frequency of paternal plastid transmission was observed in some reciprocal crosses. A few tetraploid F₁ progeny were obtained from tetraploid (2n=4x=32) Medicago sativa ssp. sativa x diploid (2n=2x=16) M. sativa ssp. falcata crosses, and resulted from unreduced gametes. Here more than the maternal genome alone apparently functioned in controlling plastid transmission. Considering all crosses, only 5 of 212 progeny cpDNAs lacked evidence of a definitive paternal plastid fragment.Contribution No. 89-524-J from the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station, Kansas State University, Manhattan     

Effects of crocin in reducing DNA damage,inflammation, and oxidative stress in multiple sclerosis patients: A double‐blind,randomized, and placebo‐controlled trial

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the nerve cells, resulting in neurological disorders. Oxidative stress, free radicals, and neuritis have important roles in MS pathogenesis. Here, we aim to evaluate the effect of crocin on inflammatory markers, oxidative damage, and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage in the blood of patients with MS. A total of 40 patients were divided into two groups, drug and placebo‐treated groups, using random assignment. Participants of the intervention and control groups received two crocin capsules or placebo per day for 28 days, respectively. Findings revealed a significant decrease in the level of important pathogenic factors in MS, including lipid peroxidation, DNA damage, tumor necrosis factor‐alpha, and interleukin 17 as well as a significant increase in the total antioxidant capacity in the serum of patients treated with crocin compared with the placebo group. Our results suggest the beneficial and therapeutic effects of crocin in MS.     

In vitro propagation of two Iranian commercial pomegranates (Punica granatum L.) cvs. ‘Malas Saveh’ and ‘Yusef Khani’

An efficient in vitro propagation is described for Punica granatum L. using shoot tip and nodal explants. The influence of two basal medium, WPM and MS, and different plant growth regulators was investigated on micropropagation of the Iranian pomegranate cultivars, ‘Malas Saveh’ and ‘Yousef Khani’. For proliferation stage, media supplemented with different concentrations (2.3, 4.7, 9.2 and 18.4 μM) of kinetin along with 0.54 μM NAA was used. WPM proved to be more efficient medium compared to MS. The best concentrations of kinetin were 4.7 μM for ‘Malas Saveh’ and 9.2 μM for ‘Yousef Khani’, resulting in the highest number of shoots per explants, shoot length and leaf number. For both cultivars, half-strength WPM medium supplemented with 5.4 μM NAA was most effective for rooting of shoots. Rooted plantlets were successfully acclimatized and transferred into soil. The micropropagated plants were morphologically uniform and exhibited similar growth characteristics and vegetative morphology to the mother plants.