Multisensory gamma stimulation promotes glymphatic clearance of amyloid.

The glymphatic movement of fluid through the brain removes metabolic waste1-4. Noninvasive 40 Hz stimulation promotes 40 Hz neural activity in multiple brain regions and attenuates pathology in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease5-8. Here we show that multisensory gamma stimulation promotes the influx of cerebrospinal fluid and the efflux of interstitial fluid in the cortex of the 5XFAD mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Influx of cerebrospinal fluid was associated with increased aquaporin-4 polarization along astrocytic endfeet and dilated meningeal lymphatic vessels. Inhibiting glymphatic clearance abolished the removal of amyloid by multisensory 40 Hz stimulation. Using chemogenetic manipulation and a genetically encoded sensor for neuropeptide signalling, we found that vasoactive intestinal peptide interneurons facilitate glymphatic clearance by regulating arterial pulsatility. Our findings establish novel mechanisms that recruit the glymphatic system to remove brain amyloid.

Stability of hydrides in sub-Neptune exoplanets with thick hydrogen-rich atmospheres.

Many sub-Neptune exoplanets have been believed to be composed of a thick hydrogen-dominated atmosphere and a high-temperature heavier-element-dominant core. From an assumption that there is no chemical reaction between hydrogen and silicates/metals at the atmosphere-interior boundary, the cores of sub-Neptunes have been modeled with molten silicates and metals (magma) in previous studies. In large sub-Neptunes, pressure at the atmosphere-magma boundary can reach tens of gigapascals where hydrogen is a dense liquid. A recent experiment showed that hydrogen can induce the reduction of Fe[Formula: see text] in (Mg,Fe)O to Fe[Formula: see text] metal at the pressure-temperature conditions relevant to the atmosphere-interior boundary. However, it is unclear whether Mg, one of the abundant heavy elements in the planetary interiors, remains oxidized or can be reduced by H. Our experiments in the laser-heated diamond-anvil cell found that heating of MgO + Fe to 3,500 to 4,900 K (close to or above their melting temperatures) in an H medium leads to the formation of Mg[Formula: see text]FeH[Formula: see text] and H[Formula: see text]O at 8 to 13 GPa. At 26 to 29 GPa, the behavior of the system changes, and Mg-H in an H fluid and H[Formula: see text]O were detected with separate FeH[Formula: see text]. The observations indicate the dissociation of the Mg-O bond by H and subsequent production of hydride and water. Therefore, the atmosphere-magma interaction can lead to a fundamentally different mineralogy for sub-Neptune exoplanets compared with rocky planets. The change in the chemical reaction at the higher pressures can also affect the size demographics (i.e., "radius cliff") and the atmosphere chemistry of sub-Neptune exoplanets.

Dynamic Occupancy Grid Map with Semantic Information Using Deep Learning-Based BEVFusion Method with Camera and LiDAR Fusion.

In the field of robotics and autonomous driving, dynamic occupancy grid maps (DOGMs) are typically used to represent the position and velocity information of objects. Although three-dimensional light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor-based DOGMs have been actively researched, they have limitations, as they cannot classify types of objects. Therefore, in this study, a deep learning-based camera-LiDAR sensor fusion technique is employed as input to DOGMs. Consequently, not only the position and velocity information of objects but also their class information can be updated, expanding the application areas of DOGMs. Moreover, unclassified LiDAR point measurements contribute to the formation of a map of the surrounding environment, improving the reliability of perception by registering objects that were not classified by deep learning. To achieve this, we developed update rules on the basis of the Dempster-Shafer evidence theory, incorporating class information and the uncertainty of objects occupying grid cells. Furthermore, we analyzed the accuracy of the velocity estimation using two update models. One assigns the occupancy probability only to the edges of the oriented bounding box, whereas the other assigns the occupancy probability to the entire area of the box. The performance of the developed perception technique is evaluated using the public nuScenes dataset. The developed DOGM with object class information will help autonomous vehicles to navigate in complex urban driving environments by providing them with rich information, such as the class and velocity of nearby obstacles.

Contrast Enhancement Method Using Region-Based Dynamic Clipping Technique for LWIR-Based Thermal Camera of Night Vision Systems.

In the autonomous driving industry, there is a growing trend to employ long-wave infrared (LWIR)-based uncooled thermal-imaging cameras, capable of robustly collecting data even in extreme environments. Consequently, both industry and academia are actively researching contrast-enhancement techniques to improve the quality of LWIR-based thermal-imaging cameras. However, most research results only showcase experimental outcomes using mass-produced products that already incorporate contrast-enhancement techniques. Put differently, there is a lack of experimental data on contrast enhancement post-non-uniformity (NUC) and temperature compensation (TC) processes, which generate the images seen in the final products. To bridge this gap, we propose a histogram equalization (HE)-based contrast enhancement method that incorporates a region-based clipping technique. Furthermore, we present experimental results on the images obtained after applying NUC and TC processes. We simultaneously conducted visual and qualitative performance evaluations on images acquired after NUC and TC processes. In the visual evaluation, it was confirmed that the proposed method improves image clarity and contrast ratio compared to conventional HE-based methods, even in challenging driving scenarios such as tunnels. In the qualitative evaluation, the proposed method demonstrated upper-middle-class rankings in both image quality and processing speed metrics. Therefore, our proposed method proves to be effective for the essential contrast enhancement process in LWIR-based uncooled thermal-imaging cameras intended for autonomous driving platforms.

PLPP/CIN-mediated NF2 S10 dephosphorylation distinctly regulates kainate-induced seizure susceptibility and neuronal death through PAK1-NF-κB-COX-2-PTGES2 signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Pyridoxal-5'-phosphate phosphatase/chronophin (PLPP/CIN) selectively dephosphorylates serine (S) 10 site on neurofibromin 2 (NF2, also known as merlin (moesin-ezrin-radixin-like protein) or schwannomin). p21-activated kinase 1 (PAK1) is a serine/threonine protein kinase, which is involved in synaptic activity and plasticity in neurons. NF2 and PAK1 reciprocally regulate each other in a positive feedback manner. Thus, the aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of PLPP/CIN-mediated NF2 S10 dephosphorylation on PAK1-related signaling pathways under physiological and neuroinflammatory conditions, which are largely unknown. METHODS: After kainate (KA) injection in wild-type, PLPP/CIN-/- and PLPP/CINTg mice, seizure susceptibility, PAK1 S204 autophosphorylation, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65 S276 phosphorylation, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) upregulation, prostaglandin E synthase 2 (PTGES2) induction and neuronal damage were measured. The effects of 1,1'-dithiodi-2-naphthtol (IPA-3, a selective inhibitor of PAK1) pretreatment on these responses to KA were also validated. RESULTS: PLPP/CIN overexpression increased PAK1 S204 autophosphorylation concomitant with the enhanced NF2 S10 dephosphorylation in hippocampal neurons under physiological condition. Following KA treatment, PLPP/CIN overexpression delayed the seizure on-set and accelerated PAK1 S204 phosphorylation, NF-κB p65 S276 phosphorylation, COX-2 upregulation and PTGES2 induction, which were ameliorated by PLPP/CIN deletion or IPA-3. Furthermore, IPA-3 pretreatment shortened the latency of seizure on-set without affecting seizure severity (intensity) and ameliorated CA3 neuronal death induced by KA. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that PLPP/CIN may regulate seizure susceptibility (the latency of seizure on-set) and CA3 neuronal death in response to KA through NF2-PAK1-NF-κB-COX-2-PTGES2 signaling pathway.

Fabry-Perot Cavity Control for Tunable Raman Scattering.

The Fabry-Perot (FP) resonator is an intuitive and versatile optical structure owing to its uniqueness in light-matter interactions, yielding resonance with a wide range of wavelengths as it couples with photonic materials encapsulated in a dielectric cavity. Leveraging the FP resonator for molecular detection, a simple geometry of the metal-dielectric-metal structure is demonstrated to allow tuning of the enhancement factors (EFs) of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The optimum near-field EF from randomly dispersed gold nano-gaps and dynamic modulation of the far-field SERS EF by varying the optical resonance of the FP etalon are systematically investigated by performing computational and experimental analyses. The proposed strategy of combining plasmonic nanostructures with FP etalons clearly reveals wavelength matching of FP resonance to excitation and scattering wavelengths plays a key role in determining the magnitude of the SERS EF. Finally, the optimum near-field generating optical structure with controlled dielectric cavity is suggested for a tunable SERS platform, and its dynamic SERS switching performance is confirmed by demonstrating information encryption through liquid immersion.

Using machine learning to improve multi-qubit state discrimination of trapped ions from uncertain EMCCD measurements.

This paper proposes a residual network (ResNet)-based convolutional neural network (CNN) model to improve multi-qubit state measurements using an electron-multiplying charge-coupled device (EMCCD). The CNN model is developed to simultaneously use the intensity of pixel values and the shape of ion images in determining the quantum states of ions. In contrast, conventional methods use only the intensity values. In our experiments, the proposed model achieved a 99.53±0.14% mean individual measurement fidelity (MIMF) of 4 trapped ions, reducing the error by 46% when compared to the MIMF of maximum likelihood estimation method of 99.13±0.08%. In addition, it is experimentally shown that the model is also robust against the ion image drift, which was tested by intentionally shifting the ion images.

Micromotion compensation of trapped ions by qubit transition and direct scanning of dc voltages.

Excess micromotion is detrimental to accurate qubit control of trapped ions, thus measuring and minimizing it is crucial. In this paper, we present a simple approach for measuring and suppressing excess micromotion of trapped ions by leveraging the existing laser-driven qubit transition scheme combined with direct scanning of dc voltages. The compensation voltage is deduced by analyzing the Bessel expansion of a scanned qubit transition rate. The method provides a fair level of sensitivity for practical quantum computing applications, while demanding minimal deviation of trap condition. By accomplishing compensation of excess micromotion in the qubit momentum-excitation direction, the scheme offers an additional avenue for excess micromotion compensation, complementing existing compensation schemes.

Drug-coated balloon-based versus drug-eluting stent-only revascularization in patients with diabetes and multivessel coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND: Data on drug-coated balloon (DCB) treatment in the context of diabetes mellitus (DM) and multivessel coronary artery disease (CAD) are limited. We aimed to investigate the clinical impact of DCB-based revascularization on percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with DM and multivessel CAD. METHODS: A total of 254 patients with multivessel disease (104 patients with DM) successfully treated with DCB alone or combined with drug-eluting stent (DES) were retrospectively enrolled (DCB-based group) and compared with 254 propensity-matched patients treated with second-generation DES from the PTRG-DES registry (n = 13,160 patients) (DES-only group). Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) comprised cardiac death, myocardial infarction, stroke, stent or target lesion thrombosis, target vessel revascularization, and major bleeding at 2 years. RESULTS: The DCB-based group was associated with a reduced risk of MACE in patients with DM (hazard ratio [HR] 0.19, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.05-0.68, p = 0.003], but not in those without DM (HR 0.52, 95% CI 0.20-1.38, p = 0.167) at the 2-year follow-up. In patients with DM, the risk of cardiac death was lower in the DCB-based group than the DES-only group, but not in those without DM. In both patients with or without DM, the burdens of DES and small DES (less than 2.5 mm) used were lower in the DCB-based group than in the DES-only group. CONCLUSIONS: In multivessel CAD, the clinical benefit of a DCB-based revascularization strategy appears to be more evident in patients with DM than in those without DM after 2 years of follow-up. (Impact of Drug-Coated Balloon Treatment in De Novo Coronary Lesion; NCT04619277).

Multi-Cat Monitoring System Based on Concept Drift Adaptive Machine Learning Architecture.

In multi-cat households, monitoring individual cats' various behaviors is essential for diagnosing their health and ensuring their well-being. This study focuses on the defecation and urination activities of cats, and introduces an adaptive cat identification architecture based on deep learning (DL) and machine learning (ML) methods. The architecture comprises an object detector and a classification module, with the primary focus on the design of the classification component. The DL object detection algorithm, YOLOv4, is used for the cat object detector, with the convolutional neural network, EfficientNetV2, serving as the backbone for our feature extractor in identity classification with several ML classifiers. Additionally, to address changes in cat composition and individual cat appearances in multi-cat households, we propose an adaptive concept drift approach involving retraining the classification module. To support our research, we compile a comprehensive cat body dataset comprising 8934 images of 36 cats. After a rigorous evaluation of different combinations of DL models and classifiers, we find that the support vector machine (SVM) classifier yields the best performance, achieving an impressive identification accuracy of 94.53%. This outstanding result underscores the effectiveness of the system in accurately identifying cats.

Deregulation of Astroglial TASK-1 K+ Channel Decreases the Responsiveness to Perampanel-Induced AMPA Receptor Inhibition in Chronic Epilepsy Rats.

Tandem of P domains in a weak inwardly rectifying K+ channel (TWIK)-related acid sensitive K+-1 channel (TASK-1) is activated under extracellular alkaline conditions (pH 7.2-8.2), which are upregulated in astrocytes (particularly in the CA1 region) of the hippocampi of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and chronic epilepsy rats. Perampanel (PER) is a non-competitive α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid receptor (AMPAR) antagonist used for the treatment of focal seizures and primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Since AMPAR activation leads to extracellular alkaline shifts, it is likely that the responsiveness to PER in the epileptic hippocampus may be relevant to astroglial TASK-1 regulation, which has been unreported. In the present study, we found that PER ameliorated astroglial TASK-1 upregulation in responders (whose seizure activities were responsive to PER), but not non-responders (whose seizure activities were not responsive to PER), in chronic epilepsy rats. ML365 (a selective TASK-1 inhibitor) diminished astroglial TASK-1 expression and seizure duration in non-responders to PER. ML365 co-treatment with PER decreased spontaneous seizure activities in non-responders to PER. These findings suggest that deregulation of astroglial TASK-1 upregulation may participate in the responsiveness to PER, and that this may be a potential target to improve the efficacies of PER.

CDDO-Me Abrogates Aberrant Mitochondrial Elongation in Clasmatodendritic Degeneration by Regulating NF-κB-PDI-Mediated S-Nitrosylation of DRP1.

Clasmatodendrosis is a kind of astroglial degeneration pattern which facilitates excessive autophagy. Although abnormal mitochondrial elongation is relevant to this astroglial degeneration, the underlying mechanisms of aberrant mitochondrial dynamics are still incompletely understood. Protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) is an oxidoreductase in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Since PDI expression is downregulated in clasmatodendritic astrocytes, PDI may be involved in aberrant mitochondrial elongation in clasmatodendritic astrocytes. In the present study, 26% of CA1 astrocytes showed clasmatodendritic degeneration in chronic epilepsy rats. 2-cyano-3,12-dioxo-oleana-1,9(11)-dien-28-oic acid methyl ester (CDDO-Me; bardoxolone methyl or RTA 402) and SN50 (a nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) inhibitor) ameliorated the fraction of clasmatodendritic astrocytes to 6.8 and 8.1% in CA1 astrocytes, accompanied by the decreases in lysosomal-associated membrane protein 1 (LAMP1) expression and microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B light-chain 3 (LC3)-II/LC3-I ratio, indicating the reduced autophagy flux. Furthermore, CDDO-Me and SN50 reduced NF-κB S529 fluorescent intensity to 0.6- and 0.57-fold of vehicle-treated animal level, respectively. CDDO-Me and SN50 facilitated mitochondrial fission in CA1 astrocytes, independent of dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1) S616 phosphorylation. In chronic epilepsy rats, total PDI protein, S-nitrosylated PDI (SNO-PDI), and SNO-DRP1 levels were 0.35-, 0.34- and 0.45-fold of control level, respectively, in the CA1 region and increased CDDO-Me and SN50. Furthermore, PDI knockdown resulted in mitochondrial elongation in intact CA1 astrocytes under physiological condition, while it did not evoke clasmatodendrosis. Therefore, our findings suggest that NF-κB-mediated PDI inhibition may play an important role in clasmatodendrosis via aberrant mitochondrial elongation.

Exosomal miR-205-5p Improves Endometrial Receptivity by Upregulating E-Cadherin Expression through ZEB1 Inhibition.

Endometrial receptivity is a complex process that prepares the uterine endometrium for embryo implantation; insufficient endometrial receptivity is one of the causes of implantation failure. Here, we analyzed the microRNA expression profiles of exosomes derived from both receptive (RL95-2) and non-receptive (AN3-CA) endometrial epithelial cell (EEC) lines to identify exosomal miRNAs closely linked to endometrial receptivity. Among the 466 differentially expressed miRNAs, miR-205-5p was the most highly expressed in exosomes secreted from receptive RL95-2 cells. miR-205-5p, enriched at the adhesive junction, was closely related to endometrial receptivity. ZEB1, a transcriptional repressor of E-cadherin associated with endometrial receptivity, was identified as a direct target of miR-205-5p. miR-205-5p expression was significantly lower in the endometrial tissues of infertile women than in that of non-infertile women. In vivo, miR-205-5p expression was upregulated in the post-ovulatory phase, and its inhibitor reduced embryo implantation. Furthermore, administration of genetically modified exosomes overexpressing miR-205-5p mimics upregulated E-cadherin expression by targeting ZEB1 and improved spheroid attachment of non-receptive AN3-CA cells. These results suggest that the miR-205-5p/ZEB1/E-cadherin axis plays an important role in regulating endometrial receptivity. Thus, the use of exosomes harboring miR-205-5p mimics can be considered a potential therapeutic approach for improving embryo implantation.

False memory confidence depends on the prefrontal reinstatement of true memory.

For confidence of memory, a neural basis such as traces of stored memories should be required. However, because false memories have never been stored, the neural basis for false memory confidence remains unclear. Here we monitored the brain activity in participants while they viewed learned or novel objects, subsequently decided whether each presented object was learned and assessed their confidence levels. We found that when novel objects are presented, false memory confidence significantly depends on the shared representations with learned objects in the prefrontal cortex. However, such a tendency was not found in posterior regions including the visual cortex, which may be involved in the processing of perceptual gist. Furthermore, the confidence-dependent shared representations were not observed when participants correctly answered novel objects as non-learned objects. These results demonstrate that false memory confidence is critically based on the reinstatement of high-level semantic gist of stored memories in the prefrontal cortex.

Development of a Photonic Switch via Electro-Capillarity-Induced Water Penetration Across a 10-nm Gap.

With narrow and dense nanoarchitectures increasingly adopted to improve optical functionality, achieving the complete wetting of photonic devices is required when aiming at underwater molecule detection over the water-repellent optical materials. Despite continuous advances in photonic applications, real-time monitoring of nanoscale wetting transitions across nanostructures with 10-nm gaps, the distance at which photonic performance is maximized, remains a chronic hurdle when attempting to quantify the water influx and molecules therein. For this reason, the present study develops a photonic switch that transforms the wetting transition into perceivable color changes using a liquid-permeable Fabry-Perot resonator. Electro-capillary-induced Cassie-to-Wenzel transitions produce an optical memory effect in the photonic switch, as confirmed by surface-energy analysis, simulations, and an experimental demonstration. The results show that controlling the wetting behavior using the proposed photonic switch is a promising strategy for the integration of aqueous media with photonic hotspots in plasmonic nanostructures such as biochemical sensors.

Delaware Contraceptive Access Now and Contraceptive Initiation Among Medicaid Enrollees, 2015‒2020.

Delaware Contraceptive Access Now was a statewide contraceptive access program implemented in Delaware between 2015 and 2020. We evaluated the association of the program with contraceptive initiation in Delaware's Medicaid program using a difference-in-differences design that compared changes in Delaware to changes in Maryland. Results suggest that program implementation was associated with increased initiation of long-acting reversible methods, particularly among adolescent patients aged 15 to 18 years. We found less-consistent evidence for changes to any contraceptive method. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(S5):S537-S540. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.306938).

Cut-out risk factor analysis after intramedullary nailing for the treatment of extracapsular fractures of the proximal femur: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUNDS: The basic method of surgical treatment for extracapsular hip fractures (ECFs), including intertrochanteric fracture and basicervical fracture (BCF), is osteosynthesis. Intramedullary nails are among the most commonly used fixation devices for these fractures. Our study aimed to report the clinical outcomes of ECF treatment with two different nail devices and to analyze the risk factors associated with screw cut-out. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 273 patients (300 cases) from a single institution who underwent surgical treatment for ECF between January 2013 and October 2018. Overall, 138 patients were eligible for the study and were divided into two groups according to the osteosynthesis device used. We evaluated the clinical outcomes of fracture surgery and performed univariate and multivariate regression analyses to identify risk factors associated with screw cut-out in each group. RESULTS: We used proximal femoral nails (group 1) to treat 83 patients and cephalomedullary nails (group 2) to treat 55 patients. Nine cut-outs (group 1, 6 cases; group 2, 3 cases) occurred during follow-up. The patients' high body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.019), BCFs (p = 0.007), non-extramedullary reduction in the anteroposterior and lateral planes (p = 0.032 and p = 0.043, respectively), and anti-rotation screw pull-outs (p = 0.041) showed a positive correlation to screw cut-out in the univariate analysis of group 1. In group 2, only BCFs was positively correlated (p = 0.020). In the multivariate analysis of group 1, the patients' BMIs (p = 0.024) and BCFs (p = 0.024) showed a positive correlation with cut-out. Meanwhile, the multivariate analysis of group 2 did not identify any factors associated with cut-out. CONCLUSIONS: The cut-out risk was significantly higher in the BCF cases, regardless of the nail design used. Considerable attention should be paid to treating such unstable fractures. We expect that new-generation nails using a helical blade, or interlocking derotation and interlocking screws may improve surgical outcomes.

Identification of Early Heat and Water Stress in Strawberry Plants Using Chlorophyll-Fluorescence Indices Extracted via Hyperspectral Images.

Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch) plants are vulnerable to climatic change. The strawberry plants suffer from heat and water stress eventually, and the effects are reflected in the development and yields. In this investigation, potential chlorophyll-fluorescence-based indices were selected to detect the early heat and water stress in strawberry plants. The hyperspectral images were used to capture the fluorescence reflectance in the range of 500 nm-900 nm. From the hyperspectral cube, the region of interest (leaves) was identified, followed by the extraction of eight chlorophyll-fluorescence indices from the region of interest (leaves). These eight chlorophyll-fluorescence indices were analyzed deeply to identify the best indicators for our objective. The indices were used to develop machine-learning models to assess the performance of the indicators by accuracy assessment. The overall procedure is proposed as a new workflow for determining strawberry plants' early heat and water stress. The proposed workflow suggests that by including all eight indices, the random-forest classifier performs well, with an accuracy of 94%. With this combination of the potential indices, namely the red-edge vegetation stress index (RVSI), chlorophyll B (Chl-b), pigment-specific simple ratio for chlorophyll B (PSSRb), and the red-edge chlorophyll index (CIREDEDGE), the gradient-boosting classifier performs well, with an accuracy of 91%. The proposed workflow works well with a limited number of training samples which is an added advantage.

CDDO-Me Attenuates Clasmatodendrosis in CA1 Astrocyte by Inhibiting HSP25-AKT Mediated DRP1-S637 Phosphorylation in Chronic Epilepsy Rats.

Clasmatodendrosis is one of the irreversible astroglial degeneration, which is involved in seizure duration and its progression in the epileptic hippocampus. Although sustained heat shock protein 25 (HSP25) induction leads to this autophagic astroglial death, dysregulation of mitochondrial dynamics (aberrant mitochondrial elongation) is also involved in the pathogenesis in clasmatodendrosis. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of accumulation of elongated mitochondria in clasmatodendritic astrocytes are elusive. In the present study, we found that clasmatodendritic astrocytes showed up-regulations of HSP25 expression, AKT serine (S) 473 and dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1) S637 phosphorylations in the hippocampus of chronic epilepsy rats. 2-Cyano-3,12-dioxo-oleana-1,9(11)-dien-28-oic acid methyl ester (CDDO-Me; bardoxolone methyl or RTA 402) abrogated abnormal mitochondrial elongation by reducing HSP25 upregulation, AKT S473- and DRP1 S637 phosphorylations. Furthermore, HSP25 siRNA and 3-chloroacetyl-indole (3CAI, an AKT inhibitor) abolished AKT-DRP1-mediated mitochondrial elongation and attenuated clasmatodendrosis in CA1 astrocytes. These findings indicate that HSP25-AKT-mediated DRP1 S637 hyper-phosphorylation may lead to aberrant mitochondrial elongation, which may result in autophagic astroglial degeneration. Therefore, our findings suggest that the dysregulation of HSP25-AKT-DRP1-mediated mitochondrial dynamics may play an important role in clasmatodendrosis, which would have implications for the development of novel therapies against various neurological diseases related to astroglial degeneration.

Granulation of Bismuth Oxide by Alginate for Efficient Removal of Iodide in Water.

The granulation of bismuth oxide (BO) by alginate (Alg) and the iodide adsorption efficacy of Alg-BO for different initial iodide concentrations and contact time values were examined. The optimal conditions for Alg-BO granulation were identified by controlling the weight ratio between Alg and BO. According to the batch iodide adsorption experiment, the Alg:BO weight ratio of 1:20 was appropriate, as it yielded a uniform spherical shape. According to iodide adsorption isotherm experiments and isotherm model fitting, the maximum sorption capacity (qm) was calculated to be 111.8 mg/g based on the Langmuir isotherm, and this value did not plateau even at an initial iodide concentration of 1000 mg/L. Furthermore, iodide adsorption by Alg-BO occurred as monolayer adsorption by the chemical interaction and precipitation between bismuth and iodide, followed by physical multilayer adsorption at a very high concentration of iodide in solution. The iodide adsorption over time was fitted using the intraparticle diffusion model. The results indicated that iodide adsorption was proceeded by boundary layer diffusion during 480 min and reached the plateau from 1440 min to 5760 min by intraparticle diffusion. According to the images obtained using cross-section scanning electron microscopy assisted by energy-dispersive spectroscopy, the adsorbed iodide interacted with the BO in Alg-BO through Bi-O-I complexation. This research shows that Alg-BO is a promising iodide adsorbent owing to its high adsorption capacity, stability, convenience, and ability to prevent secondary pollution.