Enhancing Efficiency of Large-Area Wide-Bandgap Perovskite Solar Modules with Spontaneously Formed Self-Assembled Monolayer Interfaces.

Wide-bandgap (WBG) perovskites play a crucial role in perovskite-based tandem cells. Despite recent advances using self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) to facilitate efficiency breakthroughs, achieving precise control over the deposition of such ultrathin layers remains a significant challenge for large-scale fabrication of WBG perovskite and, consequently, for the tandem modules. To address these challenges, we propose a facile method that integrates MeO-2PACz and Me-4PACz in optimal proportions (Mixed SAMs) into the perovskite precursor solution, enabling the simultaneous codeposition of WBG perovskite and SAMs. This technique promotes the spontaneous formation of charge-selective contacts while reducing defect densities by coordinating phosphonic acid groups with the unbonded Pb2+ ions at the bottom interface. The resulting WBG perovskite solar cells (PSCs) demonstrated a power conversion efficiency of 19.31% for small-area devices (0.0585 cm2) and 17.63% for large-area modules (19.34 cm2), highlighting the potential of this codeposition strategy for fabricating high-performance, large-area WBG PSCs with enhanced reproducibility. These findings offer valuable insights for advancing WBG PSCs and the scalable fabrication of modules.

Effects of the Fasting-Postprandial State on Arterial Spin Labeling MRI-Based Cerebral Perfusion Quantification in Alzheimer's Disease.

BACKGROUND: The fasting-postprandial state remains an underrecognized confounding factor for quantifying cerebral blood flow (CBF) in the cognitive assessment and differential diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of fasting-postprandial state on arterial spin labeling (ASL)-based CBF in AD patients. STUDY TYPE: Prospective. SUBJECTS: Ninety-two subjects (mean age = 62.5 ± 6.4 years; females 29.3%), including 30 with AD, 32 with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 30 healthy controls (HCs). Differential diagnostic models were developed with a 4:1 training to testing set ratio. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 3-T, T1-weighted imaging using gradient echo and pseudocontinuous ASL imaging using turbo spin echo. ASSESSMENT: Two ASL scans were acquired to quantify fasting state and postprandial state regional CBFs based on an automated anatomical labeling atlas. Two-way ANOVA was used to assess the effects of fasting/postprandial state and disease state (AD, MCI, and HC) on regional CBF. Pearson's correlation analysis was conducted between regional CBF and cognitive scores (Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE] and Montreal Cognitive Assessment [MoCA]). The diagnostic performances of the fasting state, postprandial state, and mixed state (random mixing of the fasting and postprandial state CBF) in differential diagnosis of AD were conducted using support vector machine and logistic regression models. STATISTICAL TESTS: Two-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and area under the curve (AUC) of diagnostic model were performed. P values <0.05 indicated statistical significance. RESULTS: Fasting-state CBF was correlated with cognitive scores in more brain regions (17 vs. 4 [MMSE] and 15 vs. 9 [MoCA]) and had higher absolute correlation coefficients than postprandial-state CBF. In the differential diagnosis of AD patients from MCI patients and HCs, fasting-state CBF outperformed mixed-state CBF, which itself outperformed postprandial-state CBF. DATA CONCLUSION: Compared with postprandial CBF, fasting-state CBF performed better in terms of cognitive score correlations and in differentiating AD patients from MCI patients and HCs. EVIDENCE LEVEL: 2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 3.

Development and validation of a nutrition-related genetic-clinical-radiological nomogram associated with behavioral and psychological symptoms in Alzheimer's disease.

BACKGROUND: Few evidence is available in the early prediction models of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study aimed to develop and validate a novel genetic-clinical-radiological nomogram for evaluating BPSD in patients with AD and explore its underlying nutritional mechanism. METHODS: This retrospective study included 165 patients with AD from the Chinese Imaging, Biomarkers, and Lifestyle (CIBL) cohort between June 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022. Data on demoimagedatas, neuropsychological assessments, single-nucleotide polymorphisms of AD risk genes, and regional brain volumes were collected. A multivariate logistic regression model identified BPSD-associated factors, for subsequently constructing a diagnostic nomogram. This nomogram was internally validated through 1000-bootstrap resampling and externally validated using a time-series split based on the CIBL cohort data between June 1, 2022, and February 1, 2023. Area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, calibration curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to assess the discrimination, calibration, and clinical applicability of the nomogram. RESULTS: Factors independently associated with BPSD were: CETP rs1800775 (odds ratio [OR] = 4.137, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.276-13.415, P = 0.018), decreased Mini Nutritional Assessment score (OR = 0.187, 95% CI: 0.086-0.405, P <0.001), increased caregiver burden inventory score (OR = 8.993, 95% CI: 3.830-21.119, P <0.001), and decreased brain stem volume (OR = 0.006, 95% CI: 0.001-0.191, P = 0.004). These variables were incorporated into the nomogram. The area under the ROC curve was 0.925 (95% CI: 0.884-0.967, P <0.001) in the internal validation and 0.791 (95% CI: 0.686-0.895, P <0.001) in the external validation. The calibration plots showed favorable consistency between the prediction of nomogram and actual observations, and the DCA showed that the model was clinically useful in both validations. CONCLUSION: A novel nomogram was established and validated based on lipid metabolism-related genes, nutritional status, and brain stem volumes, which may allow patients with AD to benefit from early triage and more intensive monitoring of BPSD. REGISTRATION: Chictr.org.cn, ChiCTR2100049131.

Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Regional Brain Perfusion Associated with Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease.

BACKGROUND: Current technology for exploring neuroimaging markers and neural circuits of neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is expensive and usually invasive, limiting its use in clinical practice. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the cerebral morphology and perfusion characteristics of NPS and identify the spatiotemporal perfusion circuits of NPS sub-symptoms. METHODS: This nested case-control study included 102 AD patients with NPS and 51 age- and sex-matched AD patients without NPS. Gray matter volume, cerebral blood flow (CBF), and arterial transit time (ATT) were measured and generated using time-encoded 7-delay pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL). Multiple conditional logistic regression analysis was used to identify neuroimaging markers of NPS. The associations between the CBF or ATT of affected brain areas and NPS sub-symptoms were evaluated after adjusting for confounding factors. The neural circuits of sub-symptoms were identified based on spatiotemporal perfusion sequencing. RESULTS: Lower Mini-Mental State Examination scores (p < 0.001), higher Caregiver Burden Inventory scores (p < 0.001), and higher CBF (p = 0.001) and ATT values (p < 0.003) of the right anteroventral thalamic nucleus (ATN) were risk factors for NPS in patients with AD. Six spatiotemporal perfusion circuits were found from 12 sub-symptoms, including the anterior cingulate gyri-temporal pole/subcortical thalamus-cerebellum circuit, insula-limbic-cortex circuit, subcortical thalamus-temporal pole-cortex circuit, subcortical thalamus-cerebellum circuit, frontal cortex-cerebellum-occipital cortex circuit, and subcortical thalamus-hippocampus-dorsal raphe nucleus circuit. CONCLUSIONS: Prolonged ATT and increased CBF of the right ATN may be neuroimaging markers for detecting NPS in patients with AD. Time-encoded pCASL could be a reliable technique to explore the neural perfusional circuits of NPS.

Oxytocin treatments or activation of the paraventricular nucleus-the shell of nucleus accumbens pathway reduce adverse effects of chronic social defeat stress on emotional and social behaviors in Mandarin voles.

Chronic social stress can cause psychological disease. Although oxytocin (OT) has been showed to modulate effects of chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) on emotional and social behaviors, however, how OT circuits mediate effects of CSDS on emotional and social abnormalities remains unclear. Here, we found that repeated intraperitoneal OT administration in the process of CSDS buffered adverse effects of CSDS on emotional and social behaviors in mandarin voles (Microtus mandarinus) of both sexes except no effect on depression-like behavior of males. Repeated OT treatments during CSDS prevented decrease of oxytocin receptors in nucleus accumbens (NAc) in females, but produced no effects on males. Furthermore, using designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADDs)-based chemogenetic tools, we determined that the activation of the paraventricular nucleus (PVN)-the shell of NAc (NAcs) projections before social defeat during CSDS process significantly prevented the increase of the anxiety-like behaviors and social avoidance induced by CSDS in both sexes, and reversed the depressive-like behaviors induced by CSDS only in females. Besides, optogenetic activation of PVN-NAcs projections after CSDS reduced anxiety-like behaviors and increased levels of sociality. Collectively, we suggest that PVN-NAcs projections modulate emotional and social behaviors during or after the process of CSDS sex-specifically, although AAV viruses did not specifically infect OT neurons. These findings offer potential targets for preventing or treating emotional and social disorders induced by chronic stress.

Potential Diagnostic Applications of Multi-Delay Arterial Spin Labeling in Early Alzheimer's Disease: The Chinese Imaging, Biomarkers, and Lifestyle Study.

Background: Cerebral blood flow (CBF) alterations are involved in the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and can be a potential biomarker. However, CBF measured by single-delay arterial spin labeling (ASL) for discrimination of mild cognitive impairment (MCI, an early stage of AD) was lack of accuracy. Multi-delay ASL can not only provide CBF quantification but also provide arterial transit time (ATT). Unfortunately, the technique was scarcely applied to the diagnosis of AD. Here, we detected the utility of ASL with 1-delay and 7-delay in ten regions of interest (ROIs) to identify MCI and AD. Materials and Methods: Pseudocontinuous ASL (pCASL) MRI was acquired on a 3T GE scanner in adults from the Chinese Imaging, Biomarkers, and Lifestyle (CIBL) Study of AD cohort, including 26 normal cognition (NC), 37 MCI, and 39 AD. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses with 1-delay and 7-delay ASL were performed for the identification of MCI and AD. The DeLong test was used to compare ROC curves. Results: For CBF of 1-delay or 7-delay the AUCs showed moderate-high performance for the AD/NC and AD/MCI comparisons (AUC = 0.83∼0.96) (p < 0.001). CBF of 1-delay performed poorly in MCI/NC comparison (AUC = 0.69) (p < 0.001), but CBF of 7-delay fared well with an AUC of 0.79 (p < 0.001). The combination of CBF and ATT of 7-delay showed higher performance for AD/NC, AD/MCI, and MCI/NC comparisons with AUCs of 0.96, 0.89, and 0.89, respectively (p < 0.001). Furthermore, combination of CBF, ATT, sex, age, APOE ε4, and education improved further the accuracy (p < 0.001). In subgroups analyses, there were no significant differences in CBF of 7-delay ASL for identification of AD or MCI between age subgroups (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The combination of CBF and ATT with 7-delay ASL showed higher performance for identification of MCI than CBF of 1-delay, when adding to sex, age, APOE ε4 carrier status, and education years, the diagnostic performance was further increased, presenting a potential imaging biomarker in early AD.

The characteristics of arterial spin labeling cerebral blood flow in patients with subjective cognitive decline: The Chinese imaging, biomarkers, and lifestyle study.

Objective: We aimed to characterize the potential risk factors and cerebral perfusion of patients with subjective cognitive decline (SCD). Methods: This prospective study enrolled consecutive patients from the Chinese Imaging, Biomarkers, and Lifestyle (CIBL) Cohort of Alzheimer's disease between February 2021 and March 2022. Patients who met the SCD diagnostic criteria were categorized into the SCD group, while those without cognitive complaints or any concerns were assigned to the healthy control (HC) group. The demographic and clinical characteristics and cerebral blood flow (CBF) from pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL) in standard cognitive regions were compared between these two groups. A multivariate analysis was performed to identify independent factors associated with SCD. Results: The frequency of family history of dementia in the SCD group was higher compared with the HC group (p = 0.016). The CBF of left hippocampus (p = 0.023), left parahippocampal gyrus (p = 0.004), left precuneus (p = 0.029), left middle temporal gyrus (p = 0.022), right parahippocampal gyrus (p = 0.018), and right precuneus (p = 0.024) in the SCD group were significantly increased than those in the HC group. The multivariate logistic regression analyses demonstrated that the family history of dementia [OR = 4.284 (1.096-16.747), p = 0.036] and the CBF of left parahippocampal gyrus [OR = 1.361 (1.006-1.840), p = 0.045] were independently associated with SCD. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the family history of dementia and the higher CBF within the left parahippocampal gyrus were independent risk factors associated with patients with SCD, which could help in the early identification of the SCD and in intervening during this optimal period.

Mediation of the APOE Associations With Cognition Through Cerebral Blood Flow: The CIBL Study.

Background: The ε4 allele of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene is a strong genetic risk factor for aging-related cognitive decline. However, the causal connection between ε4 alleles and cognition is not well understood. The objective of this study was to identify the roles of cerebral blood flow (CBF) in cognitive-related brain areas in mediating the associations of APOE with cognition. Methods: The multiple linear regression analyses were conducted on 369 subjects (mean age of 68.8 years; 62.9% of women; 29.3% of APOE ε4 allele carriers). Causal mediation analyses with 5,000 bootstrapped iterations were conducted to explore the mediation effects. Result: APOE ε4 allele was negatively associated with cognition (P < 0.05) and CBF in the amygdala, hippocampus, middle temporal gyrus, posterior cingulate, and precuneus (all P < 0.05). The effect of the APOE genotype on cognition was partly mediated by the above CBF (all P < 0.05). Conclusion: CBF partially mediates the potential links between APOE genotype and cognition. Overall, the APOE ε4 allele may lead to a dysregulation of the vascular structure and function with reduced cerebral perfusion, which in turn leads to cognitive impairment.

Association of migraine with patent foramen ovale closure: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The potential correlation between patent foramen ovale (PFO) and migraine has been previously reported, but whether PFO closure plays a role in reducing migraine burden has not reached an agreement. Method: We searched PubMed, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, VIP Science Technology Periodical Database and China Biology Medicine Database (CBM) through September 30, 2021 to identify associations between PFO closure and outcome of migraine burden. The control groups consisted of drug treatment or sham procedure. Result: Three randomized clinical trials (RCT) and 9 case-control studies were eligible for inclusion (1754 participants), of which 7 reported nonrecurrence of migraine, 4 reported reduced migraine-frequency and migraine-days, and 5 reported HIT-6 score and 4 reported MIDAS score. The mean (SD) age of participants was 40.68 (3.81) years and 1340 (76.39%) were women. PFO closure was significantly associated with a reduced risk of migraine-recurrence by 4.47 (95% CI, 2.94-6.80; I2 = 12%), frequency of migraine by 0.35 (95% CI, 0.17-0.53; I2 = 0%) and monthly migraine days by 0.28 (95% CI, 0.10-0.46), and decreased score of HIT-6 (SMD 1.23, 95 %CI 0.52-1.95, I2 = 93%). Conclusion: Transcatheter PFO closure is significantly associated with burden reduction of migraine headache.

Plasma p-tau181 Level Predicts Neurodegeneration and Progression to Alzheimer's Dementia: A Longitudinal Study.

Background: Plasma-based biomarkers would be potential biomarkers for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) because they are more available and cost-effective than cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or neuroimaging. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate whether phosphorylated tau181 (p-tau181) in plasma could be an accurate AD predictor. Methods: Participants from the ADNI database included 185 cognitively unimpaired subjects with negative Aß (CU-), 66 subjects with pre-clinical AD (CU with positive Aß), 164 subjects with mild cognitive impairment with negative Aß (MCI-), 254 subjects with prodromal AD (MCI with positive Aß), and 98 subjects with dementia. Multiple linear regression models, linear mixed-effects models, and local regression were used to explore cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of plasma p-tau181 with cognition, neuroimaging, or CSF biomarkers adjusted for age, sex, education, and APOE genotype. Besides, Kaplan-Meier and adjusted Cox-regression model were performed to predict the risk of progression to dementia. Receiver operating characteristic analyses were performed to evaluate the predictive value of p-tau181. Results: Plasma p-tau181 level was highest in AD dementia, followed by prodromal AD and pre-clinical AD. In pre-clinical AD, plasma p-tau181 was negatively associated with hippocampal volume (ß = -0.031, p-value = 0.017). In prodromal AD, plasma p-tau181 was associated with decreased global cognition, executive function, memory, language, and visuospatial functioning (ß range -0.119 to -0.273, p-value < 0.05) and correlated with hippocampal volume (ß = -0.028, p-value < 0.005) and white matter hyperintensity volume (WMH) volume (ß = 0.02, p-value = 0.01). In AD dementia, increased plasma p-tau181 was associated with worse memory. In the whole group, baseline plasma p-tau181 was significantly associated with longitudinal increases in multiple neuropsychological test z-scores and correlated with AD-related CSF biomarkers and hippocampal volume (p-value < 0.05). Meanwhile, CU or MCI with high plasma p-tau181 carried a higher risk of progression to dementia. The area under the curve (AUC) of the adjusted model (age, sex, education, APOE genotype, and plasma p-tau181) was 0.78; that of additionally included CSF biomarkers was 0.84. Conclusions: Plasma p-tau181 level is related to multiple AD-associated cognitive domains and AD-related CSF biomarkers at the clinical stages of AD. Moreover, plasma p-tau181 level is related to the change rates of cognitive decline and hippocampal atrophy. Thus, this study confirms the utility of plasma p-tau181 as a non-invasive biomarker for early detection and prediction of AD.

Altered Cerebral Blood Flow in Alzheimer's Disease With Depression.

Background: Depression is common in Alzheimer's disease (AD) with an unclear neural mechanism. This study aimed to investigate the underlying cerebral perfusion associated with depression in AD and evaluate its clinical significance. Method: Twenty-one AD patients and 21 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled in this study. The depressive symptom was defined according to the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD). Nine patients were diagnosed as AD with depression symptoms (HAMD >7). Three-dimensional pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling MR imaging was conducted to measure regional cerebral blood flow (CBF). Neuropsychological tests covered cognition and depressive scores. Between-group comparisons on clinical variables and regional CBFs, relationship between regional CBF and depressive score, and identification of AD patients with depression were performed using covariance analysis, linear regression, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, respectively. Results: Compared with HCs, AD patients without depression exhibited lower gray matter CBF (p = 0.016); compared with AD patients without depression, AD patients with depression had higher CBF in the right supplementary motor area (39.23 vs. 47.91 ml/100 g/min, p = 0.017) and right supramarginal gyrus (35.54 vs. 43.85 ml/100 g/min, p = 0.034). CBF in the right supplementary motor area was correlated with depressive score (ß = 0.46, p = 0.025). The combination of CBF in the right supplementary motor area and supramarginal gyrus and age could identify AD patients with depression from those without depression with a specificity of 100%, sensitivity of 66.67%, accuracy of 85.71%, and area under the curve of 0.87. Conclusions: Our findings suggested that hyperperfusion of the right supplementary motor area and right supramarginal gyrus were associated with depression syndrome in AD, which could provide a potential neuroimaging marker to evaluate the depression state in AD.

Relationship between homocysteine levels and post-stroke cognitive impairment in female and male population: from a prospective multicenter study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between homocysteine levels and post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) in Chinese female and male populations with minor acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 1070 participants with clinically confirmed acute minor ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack and baseline homocysteine information from a nationwide multicenter prospective registry study in China were included in this study. Of these, 919 patients had cognitive assessments at 3-month follow-ups and 584 participants had cognitive assessments at 12-month follow-ups. The incidence of PSCI was defined as a Montreal Cognitive Assessment score ≤22. The differences in homocysteine levels and the incidence of PSCI were compared between female and male populations. Relationships between homocysteine levels and the incidence of PSCI in female and male populations were analyzed using multiple logistic regression, respectively. RESULTS: Females had lower baseline homocysteine levels than males. Compared to males, females had lower education levels, lower rates of smoking and alcohol intake, and higher rates of diabetes and hypertension. No relationship was observed between elevated homocysteine level and 3-month PSCI incidence in either females or males. After adjusting the confounders, elevated baseline homocysteine significantly increased the 12-month PSCI risk (odds ratio 3.28, 95% confidence interval 1.47-7.34, P = 0.004) in females, but not in males (odds ratio 0.86, 95% confidence interval 0.49-1.49, P = 0.586). CONCLUSION: Elevated homocysteine levels increased the 12-month PSCI risk in females, but not in males with minor acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack.

Understanding of the Nearly Linear Tunable Open-Circuit Voltages in Ternary Organic Solar Cells Based on Two Non-fullerene Acceptors.

Although the power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of the state-of-the-art organic solar cells (OSCs) have exceeded 17%, the organic photovoltaic devices still suffer from considerable voltage losses compared with the inorganic or perovskite solar cells. Therefore, the optimization of open-circuit voltage (VOC) is of great significance for the improvement of the photovoltaic performance of OSCs. The origins of VOC have been well-established in the binary system; however, the understanding of VOC in non-fullerene acceptor (NFA)-based ternary OSCs is still lacking. Herein, we have developed a series of ternary organic photovoltaic devices, exhibiting nearly linear increased VOC as the increase of ITIC third content. We found that both the effective charge-transfer (CT) states and the nonradiative recombination losses of the bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) are altered in the ternary blends, and they collectively contribute to the tunable VOC. Our results provide a perspective for understanding the origin of VOC in NFA-based ternary OSCs.

Ultrafast Hole Transfer and Carrier Transport Controlled by Nanoscale-Phase Morphology in Nonfullerene Organic Solar Cells.

Nonfullerene acceptors (NFAs) have attracted great attention in high-efficiency organic solar cells (OSCs). While the effect of molecular properties including structures and energetics on charge transfer has been extensively investigated, the effect of macroscopic-phase properties is yet to be revealed. Here we have performed a correlation study of the nanoscale-phase morphology on the photoexcited hole transfer (HT) process and photovoltaic performance by combining ultrafast spectroscopy with high temporal resolution and photo-induced force microscopy (PiFM) with high spatial and chemical resolution. In PM6/IT-4F, we observe biphasic HT behavior with a minor ultrafast (<100 fs) interfacial process and a major diffusion-mediated HT process until ∼100 ps, which depends strongly on phase segregation. Because of the interplay between charge transfer and transport, a compromised domain size of 20-30 nm for NFAs shows the best performance. This study highlights the critical role of phase morphology in high-efficiency OSCs.

Treadmill Exercise Reverses Depression Model-Induced Alteration of Dendritic Spines in the Brain Areas of Mood Circuit.

Depression is one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders. Exercise has been shown to be effective in the amelioration of depression, but the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. Alterations in the density and morphology of dendritic spines are associated with psychiatric diseases. Chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) is an established animal model of depression. The aim of this study was to determine whether treadmill exercise reverses CUMS-induced both depression-like behaviors and alterations in spine density and morphology of the principal neurons in the brain areas of the mood circuits including the hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), nucleus accumbens (NAc) and basolateral amygdala (BLA). Male rats were randomly divided into four groups: control, CUMS, exercise, and CUMS+exercise. CUMS-induced depression-like behaviors were evaluated by the sucrose preference test (SPT). Golgi staining was used to visualize dendritic spines. Our results showed that CUMS-induced depression-like behaviors characterized by a decrease in sucrose consumption were accompanied by a decrease in spine density and a change in spine morphology in the pyramidal neurons of both the hippocampal CA3 area and the mPFC, and an increase in spine density and an alteration in spine shape in both the NAc medium spiny neurons (MSNs) and the BLA neurons; exercise reversed both CUMS-induced depression-like behaviors and alterations in dendritic spines. This study provides important information for understanding the mechanism through which exercise ameliorates CUMS-induced depression-like behaviors.

Twisted molecule-based hyper-crosslinked porous polymers for rapid and efficient removal of organic micropollutants from water.

Organic micropollutants have become serious threats to human health and the environment over the past years. Novel materials and technologies are urgently needed to remove environmental contaminants. Herein, spirobifluorene (SBF) and triptycene (TP) were crosslinked to produce four hierarchically porous organic polymers (NHCPs). The twisted spatial structures of the monomers endow the NHCPs with high surface areas and abundant pores, which make them suitable for removal of pollutants in aqueous solution through adsorption. According to the results from adsorption experiments, the NHCPs exhibited high removal efficiency and adsorption capacities for pollutants in solution. Particularly, NHCP-3 could remove 99.4% of bisphenol A (BPA) in a few seconds with a maximum adsorption capacity of 562 mg g-1. Furthermore, the NHCPs could be easily recovered by immersion in ethanol and recycled at least five times without a loss in efficiency.

High Gas Uptake and Selectivity in Hyper-Crosslinked Porous Polymers Knitted by Various Nitrogen-Containing Linkers.

By introducing various N-containing compounds as efficient linkers, a series of hyper-crosslinked porous polymers with high surface areas and gas-uptake values were synthesized by using the Friedel-Crafts alkylation reaction. Structural characterization indicated the presence of nitrogen atoms, and gas-sorption experiments revealed that the high gas uptake benefitted from the high surface areas and the incorporation of N-containing linkers as Lewis basic sites. Among these porous polymers, HCP-4 had the highest H2 uptake of 9.29 mmol g-1 at 77 K and 0.1 MPa and the highest C2H2 uptake of 6.69 mmol g-1 at 273 K and 0.1 MPa, whereas HCP-3 showed the best CO2 uptake of 4.42 mmol g-1 at 273 K and 0.1 MPa. To understand better the important role played by nitrogen in these polymers, the isosteric heat of adsorption and adsorption selectivity of CO2 over N2 were calculated. The results showed that the triazine-based polymer HCP-1 had the highest CO2 over N2 selectivity of 75.4 at 295 K and 0.1 MPa, which makes it the most potential candidate for CO2 capture.