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1. The clock in growing hyphae and their synchronization in Neurospora crassa

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-024-06429-6  

   Cheong, Jia_Hwei; Qiu, Xiao; Liu, Yang; Krach, Emily; Guo, Yinping; Bhusal, Shishir; Schüttler, Heinz-Bernd; Arnold, Jonathan; Mao, Leidong (June 2024, Communications Biology)

   Abstract Utilizing a microfluidic chip with serpentine channels, we inoculated the chip with an agar plug withNeurospora crassamycelium and successfully captured individual hyphae in channels. For the first time, we report the presence of an autonomous clock in hyphae. Fluorescence of a mCherry reporter gene driven by aclock-controlled gene-2 promoter(ccg-2p) was measured simultaneously along hyphae every half an hour for at least 6 days. We entrained single hyphae to light over a wide range of day lengths, including 6,12, 24, and 36 h days. Hyphae tracked in individual serpentine channels were highly synchronized (K = 0.60-0.78). Furthermore, hyphae also displayed temperature compensation properties, where the oscillation period was stable over a physiological range of temperatures from 24 °C to 30 °C (Q₁₀ = 1.00-1.10). A Clock Tube Model developed could mimic hyphal growth observed in the serpentine chip and provides a mechanism for the stable banding patterns seen in race tubes at the macroscopic scale and synchronization through molecules riding the growth wave in the device. 

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2. Membrane fluidity control by the Magnaporthe oryzae acyl-CoA binding protein sets the thermal range for host rice cell colonization

   https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1012738  

   Richter, Michael; Segal, Lauren M; Rocha, Raquel O; Rokaya, Nisha; de_Queiroz, Aline R; Riekhof, Wayne R; Roston, Rebecca L; Wilson, Richard A (November 2024, PLOS Pathogens)

   Thomma, Bart PHJ (Ed.)

   Following leaf cuticle penetration by specialized appressorial cells, the devastating blast fungusMagnaporthe oryzaegrows as invasive hyphae (IH) in living rice cells. IH are separated from host cytoplasm by plant-derived membranes forming an apoplastic compartment and a punctate biotrophic interfacial complex (BIC) that mediate the molecular host-pathogen interaction. What molecular and cellular processes determine the temperature range for this biotrophic growth stage is an unanswered question pertinent to a broader understanding of how phytopathogens may cope with environmental stresses arising under climate change. Here, we shed light on thermal adaptation inM.oryzaeby disrupting theACB1gene encoding the single acyl-CoA-binding protein, an intracellular transporter of long-chain acyl-CoA esters. Loss ofACB1affected fatty acid desaturation levels and abolished pathogenicity at optimal (26°C) and low (22°C) but not elevated (29°C) infection temperatures (the latter following post-penetration shifts from 26°C). Relative to wild type, the Δacb1mutant strain exhibited poor vegetative growth and impaired membrane trafficking at 22°C and 26°C, but not at 29°C.In planta, Δacb1biotrophic growth was inhibited at 26°C–which was accompanied by a multi-BIC phenotype—but not at 29°C, where BIC formation was normal. Underpinning the Δacb1phenotype was impaired membrane fluidity at 22°C and 26°C but not at elevated temperatures, indicating Acb1 suppresses membrane rigidity at optimal- and suboptimal- but not supraoptimal temperatures. Deducing a temperature-dependent role for Acb1 in maintaining membrane fluidity homeostasis reveals how the thermal range for rice blast disease is both mechanistically determined and wider than hitherto appreciated. 

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3. A 120-330V, sub-μA, 4-Channel Driver for Microrobotic Actuators with Wireless-Optical Power Delivery and over 99% Current Efficiency

   https://doi.org/10.1109/VLSICircuits18222.2020.9162908  

   Rentmeister, J. S.; Pister, K.; Stauth, J. T. (July 2020, IEEE Symposium on VLSI Circuits (VLSI))

   This work presents a 4-channel, mm-scale, electrostatic and piezoelectric actuator driver that uses < 1μA total quiescent bias current and can drive actuator loads up to 120-330V at frequencies over 1kHz. The driver achieves over 99% current efficiency and can operate untethered with an integrated photovoltaic array driven by a collimated or diffuse optical power source. The circuit is tested with an off-chip boost circuit, generating over 1.5kV with 85% power efficiency at 45mW load. The system uses a simple 4-bit CMOS logic level interface with 100 kHz clock to actuate high voltage channels; on-chip photovoltaics also power the digital controller, and I/O bus. 

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4. A 120-330V, sub-µA, optically powered microrobotic drive IC for DARPA SHRIMP

   Rentmeister, J.S; Pister, K.; Stauth, J. T. (April 2020, GOMACTech 2020)

   This work presents a 4-channel, mm-scale, electro-static and piezoelectric actuator driver that uses< 1 µA total quiescent bias current and can drive actuator loads up to 120-330 V at frequencies over 1kHz. The driver achieves over 99% current efficiency and can operate untethered with an integrated photovoltaic array powered by a collimated or diffuse optical power source. The circuit is demonstrated also as a driver for an off-chip boost circuit, generating over 1.5 kV with 85% power efficiency at 45mW load. The system uses a simple 4-bit CMOS logic level interface with 100 kHz clock to actuate high voltage channels; on-chip photovoltaics also power the digital controller, and I/O bus. 

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5. Binder Jetting 3D Printing of Biomass–Fungi Composite Materials: A Preliminary Experimental Study

   https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics10070441  

   Akib, Yeasir Mohammad; Bedsole, Caleb Oliver; Sanders, Jackson; Warren, Harlie; Pei, Zhijian; Shaw, Brian D (July 2025, Biomimetics)

   This paper reports on a preliminary experimental study on binder jetting 3D printing of biomass–fungi composite materials. Biomass–fungi composite materials have potential applications in the packaging, furniture, and construction industries. Biomass particles (prepared from agricultural residues) act as the substrate of the composite materials. The filamentous roots of fungi intertwine and bind biomass particles together. In this study, the biomass (hemp hurd) powders used had two distinct average particle sizes. The liquid binder used contained fungi (Trametes versicolor) cells. T-shaped samples were printed using a lab-designed binder jetting setup. Printed samples were kept inside an incubator oven for four days to allow fungi to grow. Afterward, loose biomass powder was removed from the T-shaped samples. The samples were then kept inside the incubator oven for eight more days to allow further fungal growth. The samples were subsequently placed in an oven at 120 °C for four hours to terminate all fungal activity in the samples. SEM micrographs were taken of the cross-sectional surfaces of the samples. The micrographs showed a significant presence of fungi hyphae inside the printed samples, providing evidence of the binding of biomass particles by the hyphae. 

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