Density functional theory study of doped coronene and circumcoronene as anode materials in lithium-ion batteries.

Density functional theory calculations are carried out to investigate the adsorption properties of Li+ and Li on twenty-four adsorbents obtained by replacement of C atoms of coronene (C24H12) and circumcoronene (C54H18) by Si/N/BN/AlN units. The molecular electrostatic potential (MESP) analysis show that such replacements lead to an increase of the electron-rich environments in the molecules. Li+ is relatively strongly adsorbed on all adsorbents. The adsorption energy of Li+ (Eads-1) on all adsorbents is in the range of - 42.47 (B12H12N12) to - 66.26 kcal/mol (m-C22H12BN). Our results indicate a stronger interaction between Li+ and the nanoflakes as the deepest MESP minimum of the nanoflakes becomes more negative. A stronger interaction between Li+ and the nanoflakes pushes more electron density toward Li+. Li is weakly adsorbed on all adsorbents when compared to Li+. The adsorption energy of Li (Eads-2) on all adsorbents is in the range of - 3.07 (B27H18N27) to - 47.79 kcal/mol (C53H18Si). Assuming the nanoflakes to be an anode for the lithium-ion batteries, the cell voltage (Vcell) is predicted to be relatively high (> 1.54 V) for C24H12, C12H12Si12, B12H12N12, C27H18Si27, and B27H18N27. The Eads-1 data show only a small variation compared to Eads-2, and therefore, Eads-2 has a strong effect on the changes in Vcell.

TDP-43-M323K causes abnormal brain development and progressive cognitive and motor deficits associated with mislocalised and increased levels of TDP-43.

TDP-43 pathology is found in several neurodegenerative disorders, collectively referred to as "TDP-43 proteinopathies". Aggregates of TDP-43 are present in the brains and spinal cords of >97% of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and in brains of ∼50% of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) patients. While mutations in the TDP-43 gene (TARDBP) are usually associated with ALS, many clinical reports have linked these mutations to cognitive impairments and/or FTD, but also to other neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinsonism (PD) or progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). TDP-43 is a ubiquitously expressed, highly conserved RNA-binding protein that is involved in many cellular processes, mainly RNA metabolism. To investigate systemic pathological mechanisms in TDP-43 proteinopathies, aiming to capture the pleiotropic effects of TDP-43 mutations, we have further characterised a mouse model carrying a point mutation (M323K) within the endogenous Tardbp gene. Homozygous mutant mice developed cognitive and behavioural deficits as early as 3 months of age. This was coupled with significant brain structural abnormalities, mainly in the cortex, hippocampus, and white matter fibres, together with progressive cortical interneuron degeneration and neuroinflammation. At the motor level, progressive phenotypes appeared around 6 months of age. Thus, cognitive phenotypes appeared to be of a developmental origin with a mild associated progressive neurodegeneration, while the motor and neuromuscular phenotypes seemed neurodegenerative, underlined by a progressive loss of upper and lower motor neurons as well as distal denervation. This is accompanied by progressive elevated TDP-43 protein and mRNA levels in cortex and spinal cord of homozygous mutant mice from 3 months of age, together with increased cytoplasmic TDP-43 mislocalisation in cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus, and spinal cord at 12 months of age. In conclusion, we find that Tardbp M323K homozygous mutant mice model many aspects of human TDP-43 proteinopathies, evidencing a dual role for TDP-43 in brain morphogenesis as well as in the maintenance of the motor system, making them an ideal in vivo model system to study the complex biology of TDP-43.

Exploring intermixed magnetic nanoparticles: insights from atomistic spin dynamics simulations.

Binary nanoparticles, composed of both rare-earth elements with substantial magnetic properties and transition metals known for their high magnetic ordering temperatures, hold great promise as innovative materials for novel magnetic applications. In this study, we employ an atomistic spin dynamics framework to investigate how the magnetic properties change at finite temperatures in mixed NiGd nanoparticles. We specifically examine parameters such as saturation magnetization and spin-reorientation in relation to the nanoparticle's size, which ranges from 4 nm to 16 nm, and composition. Our findings reveal that Ni75Gd25 nanoparticles demonstrate exceptional magnetic properties at finite temperatures, marked by significantly increased saturation magnetizations and magnetic ordering temperatures. In contrast, nanoparticles containing 50% and 75% Gd contents exhibit notably reduced saturation magnetizations and magnetic ordering temperatures. Theoretical findings of our study shed light on the pivotal role that the Gd content plays in determining the magnetic behaviour at finite temperatures.

Engineering Improved CAR T Cell Products with A Multi-Cytokine Particle Platform for Hematologic and Solid Tumors.

Despite the remarkable clinical efficacy of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells in hematological malignancies, only a subset of patients achieves a durable complete response (dCR). DCR has been correlated with CAR T cell products enriched with T cells memory phenotypes. Therefore, reagents that consistently promote memory phenotypes during the manufacturing of CAR T cells have the potential to significantly improve clinical outcomes. A novel modular multi-cytokine particle (MCP) platform is developed that combines the signals necessary for activation, costimulation, and cytokine support into a single "all-in-one" stimulation reagent for CAR T cell manufacturing. This platform allows for the assembly and screening of compositionally diverse MCP libraries to identify formulations tailored to promote specific phenotypes with a high degree of flexibility. The approach is leveraged to identify unique MCP formulations that manufacture CAR T cell products from diffuse large B cell patients   with increased proportions of memory-like phenotypes MCP-manufactured CAR T cells demonstrate superior anti-tumor efficacy in mouse models of lymphoma and ovarian cancer through enhanced persistence. These findings serve as a proof-of-principle of the powerful utility of the MCP platform to identify "all-in-one" stimulation reagents that can improve the effectiveness of cell therapy products through optimal manufacturing.

Mutation in the FUS nuclear localisation signal domain causes neurodevelopmental and systemic metabolic alterations.

Variants in the ubiquitously expressed DNA/RNA-binding protein FUS cause aggressive juvenile forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Most FUS mutation studies have focused on motor neuron degeneration; little is known about wider systemic or developmental effects. We studied pleiotropic phenotypes in a physiological knock-in mouse model carrying the pathogenic FUSDelta14 mutation in homozygosity. RNA sequencing of multiple organs aimed to identify pathways altered by the mutant protein in the systemic transcriptome, including metabolic tissues, given the link between ALS-frontotemporal dementia and altered metabolism. Few genes were commonly altered across all tissues, and most genes and pathways affected were generally tissue specific. Phenotypic assessment of mice revealed systemic metabolic alterations related to the pathway changes identified. Magnetic resonance imaging brain scans and histological characterisation revealed that homozygous FUSDelta14 brains were smaller than heterozygous and wild-type brains and displayed significant morphological alterations, including a thinner cortex, reduced neuronal number and increased gliosis, which correlated with early cognitive impairment and fatal seizures. These findings show that the disease aetiology of FUS variants can include both neurodevelopmental and systemic alterations.

The mitochondrial pyruvate carrier complex potentiates the efficacy of proteasome inhibitors in multiple myeloma.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological malignancy that emerges from antibody-producing plasma B cells. Proteasome inhibitors, including the US Food and Drug Administration-approved bortezomib (BTZ) and carfilzomib (CFZ), are frequently used for the treatment of patients with MM. Nevertheless, a significant proportion of patients with MM are refractory or develop resistance to this class of inhibitors, which represents a significant challenge in the clinic. Thus, identifying factors that determine the potency of proteasome inhibitors in MM is of paramount importance to bolster their efficacy in the clinic. Using genome-wide CRISPR-based screening, we identified a subunit of the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC) complex, MPC1, as a common modulator of BTZ response in 2 distinct human MM cell lines in vitro. We noticed that CRISPR-mediated deletion or pharmacological inhibition of the MPC complex enhanced BTZ/CFZ-induced MM cell death with minimal impact on cell cycle progression. In fact, targeting the MPC complex compromised the bioenergetic capacity of MM cells, which is accompanied by reduced proteasomal activity, thereby exacerbating BTZ-induced cytotoxicity in vitro. Importantly, we observed that the RNA expression levels of several regulators of pyruvate metabolism were altered in advanced stages of MM for which they correlated with poor patient prognosis. Collectively, this study highlights the importance of the MPC complex for the survival of MM cells and their responses to proteasome inhibitors. These findings establish mitochondrial pyruvate metabolism as a potential target for the treatment of MM and an unappreciated strategy to increase the efficacy of proteasome inhibitors in the clinic.

Non-invasive Analysis of Fiber Type Composition in Lower Limb Skeletal Muscles Using Reduced Interference Rihaczek Distribution.

Fiber composition is an important factor influencing force generation and endurance of different skeletal muscles. The analysis of the heterogeneous composition of muscles has gained importance in the field of sports biomechanics and biomedicine. In this work, an attempt is made to analyze the fiber composition of Rectus femoris (type II dominant) and Soleus (type I dominant) muscles using surface electromyography. Isometric signals are acquired from the muscles of 15 participants using a well-defined protocol and are further processed using reduced interference Rihaczek distribution. Instantaneous median frequency (IMDF) is extracted from the non-fatigue (NF) and fatigue (F) segments of the signals and is analyzed. From the distributions, it is found that the spectral power increases in the lower frequencies of the signal recorded from the rectus femoris and in the higher frequencies of signals recorded from the soleus during fatigue. The soleus is showing higher IMDF values than the rectus femoris in both segments. A reduction of 14% and an increase of 10% is observed in the IMDF during fatigue for rectus femoris and soleus, respectively. Thus, the extracted feature is found to be sensitive and statistically significant (p<0.05) to differentiate fiber types as well as the NF and F states of the two muscles.Clinical Relevance- This study may be extended to non-invasively analyze the fiber type shifts in muscles due to athletic training and pathological conditions.

Mitochondrial metabolic determinants of multiple myeloma growth, survival, and therapy efficacy.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell dyscrasia characterized by the clonal proliferation of antibody producing plasma cells. Despite the use of next generation proteasome inhibitors (PI), immunomodulatory agents (IMiDs) and immunotherapy, the development of therapy refractory disease is common, with approximately 20% of MM patients succumbing to aggressive treatment-refractory disease within 2 years of diagnosis. A large emphasis is placed on understanding inter/intra-tumoral genetic, epigenetic and transcriptomic changes contributing to relapsed/refractory disease, however, the contribution of cellular metabolism and intrinsic/extrinsic metabolites to therapy sensitivity and resistance mechanisms is less well understood. Cancer cells depend on specific metabolites for bioenergetics, duplication of biomass and redox homeostasis for growth, proliferation, and survival. Cancer therapy, importantly, largely relies on targeting cellular growth, proliferation, and survival. Thus, understanding the metabolic changes intersecting with a drug's mechanism of action can inform us of methods to elicit deeper responses and prevent acquired resistance. Knowledge of the Warburg effect and elevated aerobic glycolysis in cancer cells, including MM, has allowed us to capitalize on this phenomenon for diagnostics and prognostics. The demonstration that mitochondria play critical roles in cancer development, progression, and therapy sensitivity despite the inherent preference of cancer cells to engage aerobic glycolysis has re-invigorated deeper inquiry into how mitochondrial metabolism regulates tumor biology and therapy efficacy. Mitochondria are the sole source for coupled respiration mediated ATP synthesis and a key source for the anabolic synthesis of amino acids and reducing equivalents. Beyond their core metabolic activities, mitochondria facilitate apoptotic cell death, impact the activation of the cytosolic integrated response to stress, and through nuclear and cytosolic retrograde crosstalk maintain cell fitness and survival. Here, we hope to shed light on key mitochondrial functions that shape MM development and therapy sensitivity.

Practices for running a research-oriented shared cryo-EM facility.

The Harvard Cryo-Electron Microscopy Center for Structural Biology, which was formed as a consortium between Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Massachusetts General Hospital, serves both academic and commercial users in the greater Harvard community. The facility strives to optimize research productivity while training users to become expert electron microscopists. These two tasks may be at odds and require careful balance to keep research projects moving forward while still allowing trainees to develop independence and expertise. This article presents the model developed at Harvard Medical School for running a research-oriented cryo-EM facility. Being a research-oriented facility begins with training in cryo-sample preparation on a trainee's own sample, ideally producing grids that can be screened and optimized on the Talos Arctica via multiple established pipelines. The first option, staff assisted screening, requires no user experience and a staff member provides instant feedback about the suitability of the sample for cryo-EM investigation and discusses potential strategies for sample optimization. Another option, rapid access, allows users short sessions to screen samples and introductory training for basic microscope operation. Once a sample reaches the stage where data collection is warranted, new users are trained on setting up data collection for themselves on either the Talos Arctica or Titan Krios microscope until independence is established. By providing incremental training and screening pipelines, the bottleneck of sample preparation can be overcome in parallel with developing skills as an electron microscopist. This approach allows for the development of expertise without hindering breakthroughs in key research areas.

Therapeutic implications of mitochondrial stress-induced proteasome inhibitor resistance in multiple myeloma.

The connections between metabolic state and therapy resistance in multiple myeloma (MM) are poorly understood. We previously reported that electron transport chain (ETC) suppression promotes sensitivity to the BCL-2 antagonist venetoclax. Here, we show that ETC suppression promotes resistance to proteasome inhibitors (PIs). Interrogation of ETC-suppressed MM reveals integrated stress response-dependent suppression of protein translation and ubiquitination, leading to PI resistance. ETC and protein translation gene expression signatures from the CoMMpass trial are down-regulated in patients with poor outcome and relapse, corroborating our in vitro findings. ETC-suppressed MM exhibits up-regulation of the cystine-glutamate antiporter SLC7A11, and analysis of patient single-cell RNA-seq shows that clusters with low ETC gene expression correlate with higher SLC7A11 expression. Furthermore, erastin or venetoclax treatment diminishes mitochondrial stress-induced PI resistance. In sum, our work demonstrates that mitochondrial stress promotes PI resistance and underscores the need for implementing combinatorial regimens in MM cognizant of mitochondrial metabolic state.

The Peptide Methionine Sulfoxide Reductase (MsrAB) of Haemophilus influenzae Repairs Oxidatively Damaged Outer Membrane and Periplasmic Proteins Involved in Nutrient Acquisition and Virulence.

Sulfoxide-damage repair mechanisms are emerging as essential for the virulence of bacterial pathogens, and in the human respiratory pathogen Haemophilus influenzae the periplasmic MsrAB peptide methionine sulfoxide reductase is necessary for resistance to reactive chlorine species such as hypochlorite. Additionally, this enzyme has a role in modulating the host immune response to infection. Here, we have analysed the enzymatic properties of MsrAB, which revealed that both domains of the protein are catalytically active, with the turnover number of the MsrA domain being 50% greater than that for the MsrB domain. MsrAB was active with small molecular sulfoxides as well as oxidised calmodulin, and maximal activity was observed at 30°C, a temperature close to that found in the natural niche of H. influenzae, the nasopharynx. Analyses of differential methionine oxidation identified 29 outer membrane and periplasmic proteins that are likely substrates for MsrAB. These included the LldD lactate dehydrogenase and the lipoprotein eP4 that is involved in NAD and hemin metabolism in H. influenzae. Subsequent experiments showed that H. influenzae MsrAB can repair oxidative damage to methionines in purified eP4 with up to 100% efficiency. Our work links MsrAB to the maintenance of different adhesins and essential metabolic processes in the H. influenzae, such as NAD metabolism and access to L-lactate, which is a key growth substrate for H. influenzae during infection.

Measuring Gene Expression via mRNA Abundance in Candida auris.

The recently emerged human pathogenic yeast Candida auris has become a major global threat. As compared to other Candida species, C. auris often displays a high level of resistance to commonly used antifungals and poses additional therapeutic challenges. There is a great need to understand the molecular basis of its success as a drug-resistant human pathogen. The study of condition-specific gene expression can provide good cues of regulatory circuitry governing high drug resistance. Here, we describe the protocol of quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) which can be conveniently employed as a highly reproducible method for measuring individual transcripts in C. auris cells.

Stretchable nanofibers of polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF)/thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) nanocomposite to support piezoelectric response via mechanical elasticity.

Interest in piezoelectric nanocomposites has been vastly growing in the energy harvesting field. They are applied in wearable electronics, mechanical actuators, and electromechanical membranes. In this research work, nanocomposite membranes of different blend ratios from PVDF and TPU have been synthesized. The PVDF is responsible for piezoelectric performance where it is one of the promising polymeric organic materials containing ß-sheets, to convert applied mechanical stress into electric voltage. In addition, the TPU is widely used in the plastic industry due to its superior elasticity. Our work investigates the piezoresponse analysis for different blending ratios of PVDF/TPU. It has been found that TPU blending ratios of 15-17.5% give higher output voltage at different stresses conditions along with higher piezosensitivity. Then, TPU addition with its superior mechanical elasticity can partially compensate PVDF to enhance the piezoelectric response of the PVDF/TPU nanocomposite mats. This work can help reducing the amount of added PVDF in piezoelectric membranes with enhanced piezo sensitivity and mechanical elasticity.

Caltech Conte Center, a multimodal data resource for exploring social cognition and decision-making.

This data release of 117 healthy community-dwelling adults provides multimodal high-quality neuroimaging and behavioral data for the investigation of brain-behavior relationships. We provide structural MRI, resting-state functional MRI, movie functional MRI, together with questionnaire-based and task-based psychological variables; many of the participants have multiple datasets from retesting over the course of several years. Our dataset is distinguished by utilizing open-source data formats and processing tools (BIDS, FreeSurfer, fMRIPrep, MRIQC), providing data that is thoroughly quality checked, preprocessed to various extents and available in multiple anatomical spaces. A customizable denoising pipeline is provided as open-source code that includes tools for the generation of functional connectivity matrices and initialization of individual difference analyses. Behavioral data include a comprehensive set of psychological assessments on gold-standard instruments encompassing cognitive function, mood and personality, together with exploratory factor analyses. The dataset provides an in-depth, multimodal resource for investigating associations between individual differences, brain structure and function, with a focus on the domains of social cognition and decision-making.

Erratum: Generation and analysis of innovative genomically humanized knockin SOD1, TARDBP (TDP-43), and FUS mouse models.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103463.].

Use of biomass-derived biochar in wastewater treatment and power production: A promising solution for a sustainable environment.

Over the past few years, we are witnessing the advent of a revolutionary bioengineering technology in biochar production and its application in waste treatment and an important component in power generation devices. Biochar is a solid product, highly rich in carbon, whose adsorption properties are ideal for wastewater decontamination. Due to its high specific surface area to volume ratio, it can be utilized for many environmental applications. It has diverse applications in various fields. This review focuses on its various applications in wastewater treatment to remove various pollutants such as heavy metals, dyes, organic compounds, and pesticides. This review also highlights several energy-based applications in batteries, supercapacitors, and microbial fuel cells. It described information about the different feedstock materials to produce LB-derived biochar, the various conditions for the production process, i.e., pyrolysis and the modification methods of biochar for improving properties required for wastewater treatment. The present review helps the readers understand the importance of biochar in wastewater treatment and its application in power generation in terms of batteries, supercapacitors, microbial fuel cells, applications in fuel production, pollutant and dye removal, particularly the latest development on using LB-derived biochar. This review also highlights the economic and environmental sustainability along with the commercialization of biochar plants. It also describes various pyrolytic reactors utilized for biochar production.

ALS-related FUS mutations alter axon growth in motoneurons and affect HuD/ELAVL4 and FMRP activity.

Mutations in the RNA-binding protein (RBP) FUS have been genetically associated with the motoneuron disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Using both human induced pluripotent stem cells and mouse models, we found that FUS-ALS causative mutations affect the activity of two relevant RBPs with important roles in neuronal RNA metabolism: HuD/ELAVL4 and FMRP. Mechanistically, mutant FUS leads to upregulation of HuD protein levels through competition with FMRP for HuD mRNA 3'UTR binding. In turn, increased HuD levels overly stabilize the transcript levels of its targets, NRN1 and GAP43. As a consequence, mutant FUS motoneurons show increased axon branching and growth upon injury, which could be rescued by dampening NRN1 levels. Since similar phenotypes have been previously described in SOD1 and TDP-43 mutant models, increased axonal growth and branching might represent broad early events in the pathogenesis of ALS.

Sizing, stabilising, and cloning repeat-expansions for gene targeting constructs.

Aberrant microsatellite repeat-expansions at specific loci within the human genome cause several distinct, heritable, and predominantly neurological, disorders. Creating models for these diseases poses a challenge, due to the instability of such repeats in bacterial vectors, especially with large repeat expansions. Designing constructs for more precise genome engineering projects, such as engineering knock-in mice, proves a greater challenge still, since these unstable repeats require numerous cloning steps in order to introduce homology arms or selection cassettes. Here, we report our efforts to clone a large hexanucleotide repeat in the C9orf72 gene, originating from within a BAC construct, derived from a C9orf72-ALS patient. We provide detailed methods for efficient repeat sizing and growth conditions in bacteria to facilitate repeat retention during growth and sub-culturing. We report that sub-cloning into a linear vector dramatically improves stability, but is dependent on the relative orientation of DNA replication through the repeat, consistent with previous studies. We envisage the findings presented here provide a relatively straightforward route to maintaining large-range microsatellite repeat-expansions, for efficient cloning into vectors.