The interaction between KIF21A and KANK1 regulates dendritic morphology and synapse plasticity in neurons.

JOURNAL/nrgr/04.03/01300535-202501000-00029/figure1/v/2024-05-14T021156Z/r/image-tiff Morphological alterations in dendritic spines have been linked to changes in functional communication between neurons that affect learning and memory. Kinesin-4 KIF21A helps organize the microtubule-actin network at the cell cortex by interacting with KANK1; however, whether KIF21A modulates dendritic structure and function in neurons remains unknown. In this study, we found that KIF21A was distributed in a subset of dendritic spines, and that these KIF21A-positive spines were larger and more structurally plastic than KIF21A-negative spines. Furthermore, the interaction between KIF21A and KANK1 was found to be critical for dendritic spine morphogenesis and synaptic plasticity. Knockdown of either KIF21A or KANK1 inhibited dendritic spine morphogenesis and dendritic branching, and these deficits were fully rescued by coexpressing full-length KIF21A or KANK1, but not by proteins with mutations disrupting direct binding between KIF21A and KANK1 or binding between KANK1 and talin1. Knocking down KIF21A in the hippocampus of rats inhibited the amplitudes of long-term potentiation induced by high-frequency stimulation and negatively impacted the animals' cognitive abilities. Taken together, our findings demonstrate the function of KIF21A in modulating spine morphology and provide insight into its role in synaptic function.

Internal Explosion Performance of RDX@Nano-B Composite Explosives.

Boron powder is an additive for metalized explosives with great application potential. To improve the energy release ability of boron powder, the composites of RDX and nano-boron (RDX@Nano-B) were prepared by the spray-drying process, and the metalized explosives based on it were designed (named PBX-B1). The detonation heat and explosion pressure of boron-containing explosives PBX-B1 under vacuum and air conditions were measured and analyzed by an internal explosion test. On the other hand, the equilibrium pressure and energy release of the PBX-B1 explosive system after detonation were analyzed and compared with that of an explosive formulation of the same composition (named PBX-B2). Results showed that the detonation heat of PBX-B1 was 7456 J/g in a vacuum environment, which was 34.8% higher than that of RDX (5530 J/g). However, in the air environment, the detonation heat of PBX-B1 increased by 19.2% compared with that in the vacuum environment, and the explosive gas products mainly included N2, NOx, CO, H2O, CH4, HCN, and CO2. The peak pressure and equilibrium pressures of PBX-B1 were 11.2 and 0.42 MPa, which were increased by 155% and 75% compared with the vacuum environment, respectively. It is worth noting that, compared with that of PBX-B2, the released energy in the aerobic combustion stage and equilibrium pressure of PBX-B1 were increased by 49.8% and 10.5%. This study demonstrated the strategy of improving the energy release of boron-containing metalized explosives through the design of an explosive microstructure, which provides important clues for the design of higher-energy metalized explosives.

Partial adversarial domain adaptation by dual-domain alignment for fault diagnosis of rotating machines.

Domain adaptation (DA) techniques have succeeded in solving domain shift problem for fault diagnosis (FD), where the research assumption is that the target domain (TD) and source domain (SD) share identical label spaces. However, when the SD label spaces subsume the TD, heterogeneity occurs, which is a partial domain adaptation (PDA) problem. In this paper, we propose a dual-domain alignment approach for partial adversarial DA (DDA-PADA) for FD, including (1) traditional domain-adversarial neural network (DANN) modules (feature extractors, feature classifiers and a domain discriminator); (2) a SD alignment (SDA) module designed based on the feature alignment of SD extracted in two stages; and (3) a cross-domain alignment (CDA) module designed based on the feature alignment of SD and TD extracted in the second stage. Specifically, SDA and CDA are implemented by a unilateral feature alignment approach, which maintains the feature consistency of the SD and attempts to mitigate cross-domain variation by correcting the feature distribution of TD, achieving feature alignment from a dual-domain perspective. Thus, DDA-PADA can effectively align the SD and TD without affecting the feature distribution of SD. Experimental results obtained on two rotating mechanical datasets show that DDA-PADA exhibits satisfactory performance in handling PDA problems. The various analysis results validate the advantages of DDA-PADA.

Tracking the driving forces for the unfolding and folding of kidney bean protein isolates: Revealing mechanisms of dynamic changes in structure and function.

Tracking the dynamic changes in the structure of kidney bean protein isolate (KPI) during extreme pH-shifting can reveal the different mechanisms that drive the unfolding and refolding of the protein from a conformational perspective and elucidate the relationship between its structure and function. The secondary and tertiary structures of KPI were analyzed using multispectral techniques. The results showed that acidic-shifting affected the hydrophobic interactions of KPI molecules, whereas alkaline-shifting affected hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions of the molecules. Therefore, alkaline-shifting was more likely to affect KPI conformation. SEM revealed that pH-shifting transformed the sheet structure of KPI into spheres and rods; moreover, it improved the surface hydrophobicity, thermal stability, emulsification, foaming, and antioxidant properties of KPI. In summary, each pH-shifting stage disrupts a different intermolecular force, resulting in protein conformational diversity, while structural changes further affect function. Therefore, pH-shifting treatment broadens the applications scope of KPI in the food industry.

Dynamic monitoring of the protein-lipid co-oxidation of algae oil-enriched emulsions coated with soybean protein-rutin covalent conjugates.

The stabilities and levels of protein-lipid co-oxidation of algae oil-in water (O/W) emulsions coated with the soybean protein 7S/11S or their rutin covalent conjugates were studied during storage. After 96 h of storage, the emulsions stabilized with the covalent conjugates exhibited decreased droplets sizes and ζ-potentials and increased concentrations of adsorbed proteins. Therefore, the covalent binding of rutin in different mixing ratios (at 7S/11S:rutin molar ratios of 1:10 and 1:20) improved the physical stabilities of the emulsions compared with those of the emulsions stabilized by native 7S/11S. The 7S/11S-rutin covalent conjugates, which formed interfacial barriers and exhibited good free radical scavenging properties, inhibited protein oxidation (with lower contents of protein carbonyls, N'-formyl-L-kynurenine, and Schiff bases, and decreased intensities of intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence) and lipid oxidation (with lower contents of lipid hydroperoxide and malondialdehyde) as storage time increased. The electronic nose test distinguished the flavor characteristics of the emulsions coated with different protein-based stabilizers. These results reveal the viability of utilizing soybean protein-rutin conjugates in protein-stabilized algae oil-fortified emulsions with enhanced storability.

Comparative study of binding interactions between different dietary flavonoids and soybean ß-conglycinin and glycinin: Impact on structure and function of the proteins.

The mechanisms underlying the interaction between different dietary flavonoids and soybean ß-conglycinin (7S) and glycinin (11S) were comparatively investigated, and the alterations in conformation and function of the complexes were further evaluated. Among the 23 flavonoids studied, 3 flavonoids with glycosides with the top three ranked T Scores in molecular docking analysis-phlorizin, luteoloside, and vitexin-4'-O-glucoside-with the highest binding affinity to 7S and 11S and quenched their intrinsic fluorescence in a static manner. The binding interactions of these flavonoids to 7S and 11S were structure dependent. Hydrophobic forces played important roles in interactions between 7S and both luteoloside and vitexin-4'-O-glucoside, whereas the binding of phlorizin to 7S, and of the three flavonoids to 11S, was driven by hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces. The binding of these flavonoids interfered with the microenvironment around tyrosine and tryptophan, thereby altering the secondary structures of 7S and 11S. The binding of the three flavonoids enhanced solubility, emulsifying properties, thermal stability, and antioxidant capacity of 7S and 11S. The use of flavonoids could facilitate the design of soybean protein-based products with desirable functional properties.

Correlative Assembly of Subsynaptic Nanoscale Organizations During Development.

Nanoscale organization of presynaptic proteins determines the sites of transmitter release, and its alignment with assemblies of postsynaptic receptors through nanocolumns is suggested to optimize the efficiency of synaptic transmission. However, it remains unknown how these nano-organizations are formed during development. In this study, we used super-resolution stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) imaging technique to systematically analyze the evolvement of subsynaptic organization of three key synaptic proteins, namely, RIM1/2, GluA1, and PSD-95, during synapse maturation in cultured hippocampal neurons. We found that volumes of synaptic clusters and their subsynaptic heterogeneity increase as synapses get matured. Synapse sizes of presynaptic and postsynaptic compartments correlated well at all stages, while only more mature synapses demonstrated a significant correlation between presynaptic and postsynaptic nano-organizations. After a long incubation with an inhibitor of action potentials or AMPA receptors, both presynaptic and postsynaptic compartments showed increased synaptic cluster volume and subsynaptic heterogeneity; however, the trans-synaptic alignment was intact. Together, our results characterize the evolvement of subsynaptic protein architectures during development and demonstrate that the nanocolumn is organized more likely by an intrinsic mechanism and independent of synaptic activities.

Rapid synthesis of polyimidazole functionalized MXene via microwave-irradiation assisted multi-component reaction and its iodine adsorption performance.

The adsorption applications of MXene-based adsorbents have intensively investigated recently. However, the performance of MXene-based adsorbents has been largely limited owing to their lack of functional groups and adsorptive sites. Therefore, surface functionalization of MXene is an important route to achieve better performance for environmental adsorption. Herein, polyionic liquid functionalized MXene (named as MXene-PIL) was prepared through a multi-component reaction and adsorptive removal of iodine by MXene-PIL was also evaluated. The successful generation of PIL on MXene was confirmed by a series of characterization measurements. Furthermore, the effects of contact time, iodine concentration, environmental temperature and other factors on the adsorption performance of MXene-PIL were investigated. Adsorption kinetic analysis including pseudo-first-order dynamic model, pseudo-second-order dynamic model and Weber-Morris model, adsorption thermodynamic analysis such as Langmuir and Freundlich models and Van't Hoff equation were used for further analysis the adsorption behavior of iodine by MXene-PIL. We demonstrated that the adsorption capacity could be as high as about 170 mg/g, which is obviously larger than the unmodified MXene and most of other reported adsorbents. Taken together, a simple strategy has been developed for in-situ generation of PIL on MXene and the resultant composites show potential application for adsorptive removal of iodine.

Construction of ionic liquid functionalized MXene with extremely high adsorption capacity towards iodine via the combination of mussel-inspired chemistry and Michael addition reaction.

In this work, a highly efficient adsorbent based on ionic liquid functionalized MXene has been fabricated through the combination of mussel-inspired chemistry and Michael addition reaction. The surface of MXene was first coated with polydopamine (PDA) through self-polymerization of dopamine and the amino groups were introduced on the surface of MXene simultaneously. After that, the ene bond-containing ionic liquid was further immobilized on the surface of MXene-PDA to obtain MXene-PDA-IL. As a concept, the adsorptive removal of iodine using MXene-PDA-IL was conducted and the effects of various factors on the adsorption behavior were examined. The experimental data were analyzed by intermittent adsorption experiments, the adsorption kinetics, adsorption isotherm, adsorption thermodynamics, and cyclic adsorption experiments. We found that the adsorption procedure could reach equilibrium within 10 min after mixing adsorbent and iodine. The maximum adsorption capacity of MXene-PDA-IL towards iodine was as high as 695.4 mg g-1, which is greater than most of reported adsorbents. Considered the advantages of mussel-inspired chemistry for surface functionalization and the adsorption capacity of ionic liquids, the method could be used for construct a number of composites with potential for adsorption applications.

The reciprocal associations between caregiver burden, and mental health in primary caregivers of cancer patients: A longitudinal study: Family functioning, caregiver burden, and mental health Wenjun Yu et al.

OBJECTIVE: The vital role played by primary caregivers in caring for cancer patients is well-recognized, but the caregiver burden and impact on family functioning to caregivers' mental health is poorly understood. This study examined the prospective and reciprocal relationships between family functioning, caregiver burden, and mental health. We aimed to determine whether inferior family functioning and heavy caregiver burden act as risk factors for mental health, as consequences of mental health, or both. METHODS: Participants were 187 primary caregivers of cancer patients. They completed questionnaires with standardized measures assessing family functioning, caregiver burden, and mental health. A quantitative longitudinal design and a cross-lag model were used to test the reciprocal relationships between variables at three time points with 6-month intervals during the first year of early-stage cancer diagnosis and treatment. RESULTS: Family functioning did not predict participants' future mental health, but their mental health state predicted future caregiver burden and family functioning. Caregiver burden also predicted participants' future mental health. There was a dynamic reciprocal relationship between caregiver burden and mental health over time. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study emphasize the adverse effects of caregiver burden and may contribute to shedding light on the distinct mechanisms that underlie the relationships between caregiver burden, family functioning, and mental health. Our findings indicate the necessity of developing interventions to reduce the burden of caregiving and to facilitate family functioning. They will provide direction for family-centered nursing to meet primary caregivers' mental health needs in the care of cancer patients.

Highly efficient removal of iodine ions using MXene-PDA-Ag2Ox composites synthesized by mussel-inspired chemistry.

Herein a simple and novel approach has been developed for surface modification of delaminate MXene with nano-mixed silver oxide which combined with mussel-inspired chemistry. Surface modification with dopamine as a secondary reaction platform for loading nano-silver compounds for removal of iodine was achieved. The internal structure and morphology were characterized by SEM and TEM. The element content and distribution analysis of EDS and XPS proved that nano silver compounds were successfully supported and uniformly dispersed on the surface of MXene. Then the adsorption batch experiment was carried out, adsorption time, pH and other factors on the adsorption performance of the adsorbents were studied in details. By calculating the enthalpy change, Gibbs free energy and thermodynamic parameters, the adsorption reaction was found to be an exothermic process. The adsorption kinetics measured the maximum adsorption capacity of 80 mg/g and the removal efficiency is as high as 80% and the adsorption equilibrium time has also been improved. The adsorption kinetics were well fitted by pseudo first-order and second-order models. All the above results demonstrated that the composite from mussel-inspired chemistry has excellent adsorption properties towards iodine ions. This study not only deepens the research on the adsorption behavior of iodine adsorption, but also provides new research directions and experimental methods for pseudo-iodine adsorption.