ETV2 regulating PHD2-HIF-1α axis controls metabolism reprogramming promotes vascularized bone regeneration.

The synchronized development of mineralized bone and blood vessels is a fundamental requirement for successful bone tissue regeneration. Adequate energy production forms the cornerstone supporting new bone formation. ETS variant 2 (ETV2) has been identified as a transcription factor that promotes energy metabolism reprogramming and facilitates the coordination between osteogenesis and angiogenesis. In vitro molecular experiments have demonstrated that ETV2 enhances osteogenic differentiation of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) by regulating the ETV2- prolyl hydroxylase 2 (PHD2)- hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α)- vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) axis. Notably, ETV2 achieves the rapid reprogramming of energy metabolism by simultaneously accelerating mitochondrial aerobic respiration and glycolysis, thus fulfilling the energy requirements essential to expedite osteogenic differentiation. Furthermore, decreased α-ketoglutarate release from ETV2-modified DPSCs contributes to microcirculation reconstruction. Additionally, we engineered hydroxyapatite/chitosan microspheres (HA/CS MS) with biomimetic nanostructures to facilitate multiple ETV2-DPSC functions and further enhanced the osteogenic differentiation. Animal experiments have validated the synergistic effect of ETV2-modified DPSCs and HA/CS MS in promoting the critical-size bone defect regeneration. In summary, this study offers a novel treatment approach for vascularized bone tissue regeneration that relies on energy metabolism activation and the maintenance of a stable local hypoxia signaling state.

Stabilization of heavy metals in solid waste and sludge pyrolysis by intercalation-exfoliation modified vermiculite.

Increasing amounts of solid waste and sludge have created many environmental management problems. Pyrolysis can effectively reduce the volume of solid waste and sludge, but there is still the problem of heavy metal contamination, which limits the application of pyrolysis in environmental management. The intercalated-exfoliated modified vermiculite (IEMV) by intercalators of sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide and octadecyltrimethylammonium bromide were used to control the release of Cd, Cr, Cu, Zn and Pb during pyrolysis process of sludge or solid waste. The retention of heavy metals in sludge was generally better than that in solid waste. The IEMV by octadecyltrimethylammonium bromide as the intercalator calcined 800 °C (STAB-800) was the best additive for heavy metal retention, and the retention of Cr, Cu and Zn was significantly better than that of Pb and Cd. Cr, Cu, Zn and Pb were at low risk, while Cd had considerable risk under certain circumstances. New models were proposed to comprehensively evaluate the results of the risk and forms of heavy metals, and the increasing temperature was beneficial in reducing the hazards of heavy metals by the addition of STAB-800. The reaction mechanism of heavy metals with vermiculite was revealed by simulation of reaction sites, Fukui Function and Frontier Molecular Orbital. Thermal activation-intercalated-exfoliated modified vermiculite (T-IEMV) is more reactive and had more active sites for heavy metals. Mg atoms and outermost O atoms are the main atoms for T-IEMV to react with heavy metals. The Cr, Cu and Zn have better adsorption capacity by T-IEMV than Pb and Cd. This study provides a new insight into managing solid waste and sludge and controlling heavy metal environmental pollution.

Effective stabilization of heavy metals in solid waste and sludge pyrolysis using intercalated-exfoliated modified vermiculite: Experiment and simulation study.

Pyrolysis is effective in reducing the volume of solid waste and sludge, and produces less pollutants than incineration and landfill, but the process still suffers from heavy metal pollution. Four types of intercalated-exfoliated modified vermiculite (UIV, DIV, TIV and 3IV) were prepared using urea, dimethylsulfoxide, tributyl phosphate and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane as intercalators for the control of Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn in municipal sewage sludge (MSL), paper mill sludge (PML), municipal domestic waste (MWA) and aged refuse (AFE). The larger the interlayer spacing of the vermiculite, the more favorable the retention of heavy metals. 3IV was the most effective additive, with an average retention of more than 75 % of all heavy metals at 450 ℃ for the four raw materials. Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn were all at low potential ecological risk (Pr), while Cd was moderate or considerable Pr, and the addition of 3IV reduced the Pr. Distribution of intercalators between vermiculite interlayers was haphazard, and interlayer spacing results were close to those of the experiment (except for tributyl phosphate). The reactive electrons mainly flowed from the Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital (HOMO) of vermiculite flakes to the Lower Unoccupied Molecular Orbital (LUMO) of heavy metal chlorides. In contrast, the reactive electrons mostly flowed from the HOMO of heavy metal oxides to the LUMO of vermiculite flakes. Heavy metal oxides were more readily adsorbed on vermiculite flakes than heavy metal chlorides, and the adsorption capacity of Cr and Zn was stronger than that of Cd, Pb and Cu.

Air-Stable Li2S Cathodes Enabled by an In Situ-Formed Li+ Conductor for Graphite-Li2S Pouch Cells.

Using Li2S cathodes instead of S cathodes presents an opportunity to pair them with Li-free anodes (e.g., graphite), thereby circumventing anode-related issues, such as poor reversibility and safety, encountered in Li-S batteries. However, the moisture-sensitive nature of Li2S causes the release of hazardous H2S and the formation of insulative by-products, increasing the manufacturing difficulty and adversely affecting cathode performance. Here, Li4SnS4, a Li+ conductor that is air-stable according to the hard-soft acid-base principle, is formed in situ and uniformly on Li2S particles because Li2S itself participates in Li4SnS4 formation. When exposed to air (20% relative humidity), the protective Li4SnS4 layer maintains its components and structure, thus contributing to the enhanced stability of the Li2S@Li4SnS4 composite. In addition, the Li4SnS4 layer can accelerate the sluggish conversion of Li2S because of its favorable interfacial charge transfer, and continuously confine lithium polysulfides owing to its integrity during electrochemical processes. A graphite-Li2S pouch cell containing a Li2S@Li4SnS4 cathode is constructed, which shows stable cyclability with 97% capacity retention after 100 cycles. Hence, combining a desirable air-stable Li2S cathode and a highly reversible Li-free configuration offers potential practical applications of graphite-Li2S full cells.

Influence of silica-aluminum materials on heavy metals release during paper sludge pyrolysis: Experimental and theoretical studies.

It is of great significance to reduce the secondary risk of heavy metals during the pyrolysis of paper sludge. This study used kaolin and alumina-silica-based xerogels to control heavy metals released during sludge pyrolysis. Pyrolyzing a mixture of sludge and 7% kaolin at 400 °C achieved high retention rates for Cu (95.85%), Zn (95.97%), Pb (97.15%), Cd (84.23%), and Cr (84.05%) when the pyrolysis tail gas was treated with 9 g of xerogel. The addition of kaolin facilitated the transformation of Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cr from the unstable fraction to the stable fraction in pyrolysis biochar, reducing their leachability. The xerogels also played a crucial role in adsorbing and stabilizing the heavy metals. The results of thermodynamic equilibrium calculations showed that Pb(g), PbS(g), PbCl2(g), PbCl(g), Zn(g), ZnCl2(g), and Cd(g) were the main gaseous products of Zn, Pb, and Cd during paper sludge pyrolysis. The Pb atoms in PbCl2 and PbS, and the Zn atoms in ZnCl2 bond with the oxygen atoms on the kaolin surface by covalent bonds, while the Cl atoms in PbCl and the Pb atoms of elemental lead form ionic bonds with H and O atoms on the kaolinite surface, respectively. These experimental and simulation results offer new ideas for controlling heavy metals during sludge pyrolysis.

[Network Meta-analysis of Qi-benefiting and blood-activating Chinese patent medicines against ischemic stroke].

This study aimed to compare the efficacy of Qi-benefiting and blood-activating Chinese patent medicines in the treatment of ischemic stroke with network Meta-analysis. CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, EMbase, and Cochrane Library were searched from database inception to October 2022 for randomized controlled trial(RCT) on 11 Qi-benefiting and blood-activating Chinese patent medicines in the treatment of ischemic stroke. The risk of bias plot was made by RevMan 5.3, and network Meta-analysis and efficacy ranking were performed by Stata 17. Ninety-two RCTs were included, involving 10 608 patients. According to the network Meta-analysis, in terms of the clinical total effective rate, surface under the cumulative ranking curve(SUCRA) as followed: Qilong Capsules+conventional western medicine>Zhishe Tongluo Capsules+conventional western medicine>Longshengzhi Capsules+conventional western medicine>Naoxintong Capsules+conventional western medicine>Tongsaimai Tablets+conventional western medicine>Naoan Capsules+conventional western medicine>Naoluotong Capsules+conventional western medicine>Xiaoshuan Changrong Capsules+conventional western medicine>Dengzhan Shengmai Capsules+conventional western medicine=Tongxinluo Capsules+conventional western medicine>Naomaitai Capsules+conventional western medicine. In terms of the improvement in National Institute of Health stroke scale(NIHSS) score, SUCRA as followed: Longshengzhi Capsules+conventional western medicine>Naomaitai Capsules+conventional western medicine>Naoxintong Capsules+conventional western medicine>Dengzhan Shengmai Capsules+conventional western medicine>Xiaoshuan Changrong Capsules+conventional western medicine>Naoluotong Capsules+conventional western medi-cine>Tongxinluo Capsules+conventional western medicine>Naoan Capsules+conventional western medicine>Qilong Capsules+conventional western medicine. In terms of safety, the overall adverse reactions/events of Qi-benefiting and blood-activating Chinese patent medicines + conventional western medicine were less than those of the control group. Since Qilong Capsules+conventional western medicine and Zhishe Tongluo Capsules+conventional western medicine were preferred to improve the clinical total effective rate. In the aspect of improving NIHSS score, Longshengzhi Capsules+conventional western medicine and Naomaitai Capsules+conventional western medicine were first options. Due to the lack of direct comparisons between drugs, the overall quality of RCT was not high, so more studies are needed to verify the strength of the evidence.

Optrode recording of an entorhinal-cortical circuit in freely moving mice.

The deep layers of medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) are considered a crucial station for spatial cognition and memory. The deep sublayer Va of MEC (MECVa) serves as the output stage of the entorhinal-hippocampal system and sends extensive projections to brain cortical areas. However, the functional heterogeneity of these efferent neurons in MECVa is poorly understood, due to the difficulty of performing single-neuron activity recording from the narrow band of cell population while the animals are behaving. In the current study, we combined multi-electrode electrophysiological recording and optical stimulation to record cortical-projecting MECVa neurons at single-neuron resolution in freely moving mice. First, injection of a viral Cre-LoxP system was used to express channelrhodopsin-2 specifically in MECVa neurons that project to the medial part of the secondary visual cortex (V2M-projecting MECVa neurons). Then, a lightweight, self-made optrode was implanted into MECVa to identify the V2M-projecting MECVa neurons and to enable single-neuron activity recordings in mice performing the open field test and 8-arm radial maze. Our results demonstrate that optrode approach is an accessible and reliable method for single-neuron recording of V2M-projecting MECVa neurons in freely moving mice, paving the way for future circuit studies designed to characterize the activity of MECVa neurons during specific tasks.

Li2Se as a Cathode Prelithiation Additive for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

In conventional lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), active lithium (Li) ions, which function as charge carriers and could only be supplied by the Li-containing cathodes, are also consumed during the formation of the solid electrolyte interphase. Such irreversible Li loss reduces the energy density of LIBs and is highly desired to be compensated by prelithiation additives. Herein, lithium selenide (Li2Se), which could be irreversibly converted into selenide (Se) at 2.5-3.8 V and thus supplies additional Li, is proposed as a cathode prelithiation additive for LIBs. Compared with previously reported prelithiation reagents (e.g., Li6CoO4, Li2O, and Li2S), the delithiation of Li2Se not only delivers a high specific capacity but also avoids gas release and incompatibility with carbonate electrolytes. The electrochemical characterizations show that with the addition of 6 wt % Li2Se to the LiFePO4 (LFP) cathodes, a 9% increase in the initial specific capacity in half Li||LFP cells and a 19.8% increase in the energy density (based on the total mass of the two electrodes' materials) could be achieved without sacrificing the other battery performance. This work demonstrates the possibility to use Li2Se as a high-efficiency prelithiation additive for LIBs and provides a solution to the high-energy LIBs.

Noble-Metal-Metalloid Alloy Architectures: Mesoporous Amorphous Iridium-Tellurium Alloy for Electrochemical N2 Reduction.

Amorphous noble metals with high surface areas have attracted significant interest as heterogeneous catalysts due to the numerous dangling bonds and abundant unsaturated surface atoms created by the amorphous phase. However, synthesizing amorphous noble metals with high surface areas remains a significant challenge due to strong isotropic metallic bonds. This paper describes the first example of a mesoporous amorphous noble metal alloy [iridium-tellurium (IrTe)] obtained using a micelle-directed synthesis method. The resulting mesoporous amorphous IrTe electrocatalyst exhibits excellent performance in the electrochemical N2 reduction reaction. The ammonia yield rate is 34.6 µg mg-1 h-1 with a Faradaic efficiency of 11.2% at -0.15 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode in 0.1 M HCl solution, outperforming comparable crystalline and Ir metal counterparts. The interconnected porous scaffold and amorphous nature of the alloy create a complementary effect that simultaneously enhances N2 absorption and suppresses the hydrogen evolution reaction. According to theoretical simulations, incorporating Te in the IrTe alloy effectively strengthens the adsorption of N2 and lowers the Gibbs free energy for the rate-limiting step of the electrocatalytic N2 reduction reaction. Mesoporous chemistry enables a new route to achieve high-performance amorphous metalloid alloys with properties that facilitate the selective electrocatalytic reduction of N2.

Zinc-Contained Alloy as a Robustly Adhered Interfacial Lattice Locking Layer for Planar and Stable Zinc Electrodeposition.

Stable zinc (Zn)/electrolyte interface is critical for developing rechargeable aqueous Zn-metal batteries with long-term stability, which requires the dense and stable Zn electrodeposition. Herein, an interfacial lattice locking (ILL) layer is constructed via the electro-codeposition of Zn and Cu onto the Zn electrodes. The ILL layer shows a low lattice misfit (δ = 0.036) with Zn(002) plane and selectively locks the lattice orientation of Zn deposits, enabling the epitaxial growth of Zn deposits layer by layer. Benefiting from the unique orientation-guiding and robustly adhered properties, the ILL layer enables the symmetric Zn||Zn cells to achieve an ultralong life span of >6000 h at 1 mA cm-2 and 1 mAh cm-2 , a low overpotential (65 mV) at 10 mAh cm-2 , and a stable Zn plating/stripping for >90 h at an ultrahigh Zn depth of discharge (≈85%). Even with a limited Zn supply and a high current density (8.58 mA cm-2 ), the ILL@Zn||Ni-doped MnO2 cells can still survive for >2300 cycles.

A New Zinc Salt Chemistry for Aqueous Zinc-Metal Batteries.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) are promising energy storage solutions with low cost and superior safety, but they suffer from chemical and electrochemical degradations closely related to the electrolyte. Here, a new zinc salt design and a drop-in solution for long cycle-life aqueous ZIBs are reported. The salt Zn(BBI)2 with a rationally designed anion group, N-(benzenesulfonyl)benzenesulfonamide (BBI- ), has a special amphiphilic molecular structure, which combines the benefits of hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups to properly tune the solubility and interfacial condition. This new zinc salt does not contain fluorine and is synthesized via a high-yield and low-cost method. It is shown that 1 m Zn(BBI)2 aqueous electrolyte with a widened cathodic stability window effectively stabilizes Zn metal/H2 O interface, mitigates chemical and electrochemical degradations, and enables both symmetric and full cells using a zinc-metal electrode.

Electrochemical Reactivation of Dead Li2 S for Li-S Batteries in Non-Solvating Electrolytes.

The use of non-solvating, or as-called sparingly-solvating, electrolytes (NSEs), is regarded as one of the most promising solutions to the obstacles to the practical applications of Li-S batteries. However, it remains a puzzle that long-life Li-S batteries have rarely, if not never, been reported with NSEs, despite their good compatibility with Li anode. Here, we find the capacity decay of Li-S batteries in NSEs is mainly due to the accumulation of the dead Li2 S at the cathode side, rather than the degradation of the anodes or electrolytes. Based on this understanding, we propose an electrochemical strategy to reactivate the accumulated Li2 S and revive the dead Li-S batteries in NSEs. With such a facile approach, Li-S batteries with significantly improved cycling stability and accelerated dynamics are achieved with diglyme-, acetonitrile- and 1,2-dimethoxyethane-based NSEs. Our finding may rebuild the confidence in exploiting non-solvating Li-S batteries with practical competitiveness.

Solvation and Interfacial Engineering Enable -40 °C Operation of Graphite/NCM Batteries at Energy Density over 270 Wh kg-1.

Li-ion batteries (LIBs) that can operate under low temperature (LT) conditions are essential for applications in orbital missions, subsea areas, and electric vehicles. Unfortunately, severe capacity loss is witnessed due to tremendous kinetic barriers that emerge at LT. Herein, to surmount such kinetic limitations, a low dielectric environment is tamed throughout the bulk electrolyte, which efficaciously brought the Li+ desolvation energy down to 30.76 kJ mol-1 . At the meantime, the adoption of sodium cations (Na+ ) is proposed as a hetero-cation additive, and a Li-Na hybrid and fluoride-rich interphase is further identified via preferential reduction of Na+ -(solvent/anion) clusters, which is found to efficiently facilitate Li+ migration through the LiF/NaF grain boundaries. Based on a N/P ratio of 1.1, the graphite/LiNi0.5 Co0.2 Mn0.3 O2 (NCM) full cell (cathode loading of ≈18.5 mg cm-2 ) delivers a capacity as high as 125.1 mAh g-1 under -20 °C with prolonged cycling to 100 cycles. Finally, a 270 Wh kg-1 graphite/NCM pouch cell is assembled, which affords a discharge capacity of 108.7 mAh g-1 under -40 °C during the initial cycles. With an eye to both fundamental and practical aspects, this work will propel additional advancements and allow LIBs to fill more roles under extreme operation temperatures than ever before.

Experiment and mechanism study on enrichment of heavy metals during MSW pyrolysis by modified kaolin.

Experiment and mechanism studies on the enrichment of Pb, Cd, Zn, As, and Cr by modified kaolin were investigated during MSW (municipal solid waste) pyrolysis at 450 ~ 650 °C. The results showed that γAlOK(micro- and nano-γAl2O3 by hydrothermal method modified kaolin) was relatively selective for the solid phase enrichment of Cr and As, while CaHPK (CaHPO4 impregnated modified kaolinite) was more advantageous for the adsorption of Pb and Zn, which might be related to the thermal stability of γAl2O3 and the thermal conversion of CaHPO4. Compared with the original kaolin, the adsorption and retention capacity of γAlOK for As was improved by 20 ~ 30%. Moreover, the retention rate of modified kaolin for Cd decreased from 66.75 to 30.30% at 450 ~ 650 ℃, and the effect of temperature on the volatilization of Cd was always greater than the active components on the surface of modified kaolin. In the fluidized bed experiment, the physical mixing of different modified kaolin achieves complementary advantages on the retention capacity of heavy metals. In addition, the ∆E between Ca2P2O7 and PbCl2 is smaller than that of γAl2O3 at 500 ~ 650 °C, i.e., their electron transfer induction is stronger, and therefore more favorable for electron transfer and stable chemical bond formation.

ETV2 promotes osteogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells through the ERK/MAPK and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways.

BACKGROUND: The repair of cranio-maxillofacial bone defects remains a formidable clinical challenge. The Ets variant 2 (ETV2) transcription factor, which belongs to the E26 transformation-specific (ETS) family, has been reported to play a key role in neovascularization. However, the role of ETV2 in the osteogenesis of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) remains unexplored. METHODS: Transgenic overexpression of ETV2 was achieved using a lentiviral vector, based on a Dox-inducible system. The effects of Dox-induced overexpression of ETV2 on the osteogenesis of hDPSCs were evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), western blot, immunofluorescence staining, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining, and Alizarin Red S (ARS) staining. Additionally, RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis was performed to analyze the underlying mechanisms of ETV2-induced osteogenesis. Additionally, the role of ETV2 overexpression in bone formation in vivo was validated by animal studies with a rat calvarial defect model and a nude mice model. RESULTS: Our results demonstrated that ETV2 overexpression significantly upregulated the mRNA and protein expression levels of osteogenic markers, markedly enhanced ALP activity, and promoted matrix mineralization of hDPSCs. Moreover, the results of RNA-Seq analysis and western blot showed that the ERK/MAPK and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways were activated upon transgenic overexpression of ETV2. The enhanced osteogenic differentiation of hDPSCs due to ETV2 overexpression was partially reversed by treatment with inhibitors of ERK/MAPK or PI3K-AKT signaling. Furthermore, the results of in vivo studies demonstrated that ETV2 overexpression improved bone healing in a rat calvarial defect model and increased ectopic bone formation in nude mice. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, our results indicated that ETV2 overexpression exerted positive effects on the osteogenesis of hDPSCs, at least partially via the ERK/MAPK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways.

REM sleep-active hypothalamic neurons may contribute to hippocampal social-memory consolidation.

The hippocampal CA2 region plays a key role in social memory. The encoding of such memory involves afferent activity from the hypothalamic supramammillary nucleus (SuM) to CA2. However, the neuronal circuits required for consolidation of freshly encoded social memory remain unknown. Here, we used circuit-specific optical and single-cell electrophysiological recordings in mice to explore the role of sleep in social memory consolidation and its underlying circuit mechanism. We found that SuM neurons projecting to CA2 were highly active during rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep but not during non-REM sleep or quiet wakefulness. REM-sleep-selective optogenetic silencing of these neurons impaired social memory. By contrast, the silencing of another group of REM sleep-active SuM neurons that projects to the dentate gyrus had no effect on social memory. Therefore, we provide causal evidence that the REM sleep-active hypothalamic neurons that project to CA2 are specifically required for the consolidation of social memory.

Efficient with low-cost removal and adsorption mechanisms of norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin on modified thermal kaolin: experimental and theoretical studies.

Quinolone antibiotics (QNs) can be potential hazard to environment and human. Combination of experimental and theoretical studies was used to analyze the adsorption properties of norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin on modified thermally activated kaolin (KL). Main factors (calcination temperature, dose, pH, cations and regeneration) affecting the adsorption were discussed. Adsorption processes fit the pseudo-second order kinetic and Langmuir model well. The adsorption removal of norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin can reach 88.53%, 89.43% and 91.46%, respectively. Cations inhibited adsorption, and AlS-KLB can maintain 80% efficiency in five cycles under optimal conditions. Simulations showed that the materials had good adsorption capacity for QNs, and the "①" of KL had the best capacity. Simulations explain the adsorption mechanism: F, H, O atoms of QNs are covalently bonded to O atoms from KL, Al2O3 and Al (OH)3, C atoms from amorphous carbon and H atoms from C-H and Al (OH)3. The Al atoms of Al2O3 and Al, Si atoms of KL are ionically bonded to F, H, O atoms of QNs. This study shed new light on the removal of QNs by providing low-cost and efficient modified KL and elucidating the adsorption mechanism in conjunction with DFT simulations.

Ca2+-based neural activity recording for rapidly screening behavioral correlates of the claustrum in freely behaving mice.

The claustrum has been hypothesized to participate in high-order brain functions, but experimental studies to demonstrate these functions are currently lacking. Neural activity recording of the claustrum in freely-behaving animals allows for correlating claustral activities with specific behaviors. However, previously utilized methods for studying the claustrum make it difficult to monitor neural activity patterns of freely-behaving animals in real time. Here we applied fiber photometry to monitor Ca2+ activity in the claustrum of freely-behaving mice. Using this method, we were able to achieve Ca2+ activity recording in both anesthetized and freely-behaving mice. We found that the dynamics of Ca2+ activity depended on anesthesia levels. As compared to the use of genetically encoded Ca2+ indicators that requires a few weeks of virus-dependent expression, we used a synthetic fluorescent Ca2+-sensitive dye, Oregon green 488 BAPTA-1, that allows for rapidly screening neural activity of interest within a few hours that relates to certain behaviors. In this way, we found the correlation between Ca2+ activity and specific behaviors, such as approaching an object. Our work offers an effective method for recording neural activity in the claustrum and thus for rapidly screening any behavioral relevance of the claustrum in freely-behaving mice.

Lanthanum nitrate as aqueous electrolyte additive for favourable zinc metal electrodeposition.

Aqueous zinc batteries are appealing devices for cost-effective and environmentally sustainable energy storage. However, the zinc metal deposition at the anode strongly influences the battery cycle life and performance. To circumvent this issue, here we propose the use of lanthanum nitrate (La(NO3)3) as supporting salt for aqueous zinc sulfate (ZnSO4) electrolyte solutions. Via physicochemical and electrochemical characterizations, we demonstrate that this peculiar electrolyte formulation weakens the electric double layer repulsive force, thus, favouring dense metallic zinc deposits and regulating the charge distribution at the zinc metal|electrolyte interface. When tested in Zn||VS2 full coin cell configuration (with cathode mass loading of 16 mg cm-2), the electrolyte solution containing the lanthanum ions enables almost 1000 cycles at 1 A g-1 (after 5 activation cycles at 0.05 A g-1) with a stable discharge capacity of about 90 mAh g-1 and an average cell discharge voltage of ∼0.54 V.

Steady optical beam propagating through turbulent environment.

A steady optical beam (SOB) propagating stably in a disorder medium is constructed by using a specially designed aspherical lens. Our theoretical and experimental results show that the generated SOB exhibits much better propagation features with small divergence and long Rayleigh length, as well as weak deformation through turbulent environment as compared with a conventional Gaussian beam. The beam parameter product of the SOB reaches 49.40% of the Gaussian beam by multiple measurements within a certain distance range. The SOB may find applications in optical communications and optical detection in turbulent transmission conditions.