Dynamic crystallography reveals spontaneous anisotropy in cubic GeTe.

Cubic energy materials such as thermoelectrics or hybrid perovskite materials are often understood to be highly disordered1,2. In GeTe and related IV-VI compounds, this is thought to provide the low thermal conductivities needed for thermoelectric applications1. Since conventional crystallography cannot distinguish between static disorder and atomic motions, we develop the energy-resolved variable-shutter pair distribution function technique. This collects structural snapshots with varying exposure times, on timescales relevant for atomic motions. In disagreement with previous interpretations3-5, we find the time-averaged structure of GeTe to be crystalline at all temperatures, but with anisotropic anharmonic dynamics at higher temperatures that resemble static disorder at fast shutter speeds, with correlated ferroelectric fluctuations along the <100>c direction. We show that this anisotropy naturally emerges from a Ginzburg-Landau model that couples polarization fluctuations through long-range elastic interactions6. By accessing time-dependent atomic correlations in energy materials, we resolve the long-standing disagreement between local and average structure probes1,7-9 and show that spontaneous anisotropy is ubiquitous in cubic IV-VI materials.

Butyrate induces higher host transcriptional changes to inhibit porcine epidemic diarrhea virus strain CV777 infection in porcine intestine epithelial cells.

Newborn piglets' health is seriously threatened by the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), which also has a significant effect on the pig industry. The gut microbiota produces butyrate, an abundant metabolite that modulates intestinal function through many methods to improve immunological and intestinal barrier function. The objective of this investigation was to ascertain how elevated butyrate concentrations impacted the host transcriptional profile of PEDV CV777 strain infection. Our findings showed that higher concentrations of butyrate have a stronger inhibitory effect on PEDV CV777 strain infection. According to RNA-seq data, higher concentrations of butyrate induced more significant transcriptional changes in IPEC-J2 cells, and signaling pathways such as PI3K-AKT may play a role in the inhibition of PEDV CV777 strain by high concentrations of butyrate. Ultimately, we offer a theoretical and experimental framework for future research and development of novel approaches to harness butyrate's antiviral infection properties.

Factors influencing TSH suppression efficacy in postoperative papillary thyroid carcinoma patients: a retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: While surgery plays a crucial role in treating papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), the potential effects of subsequent TSH suppression therapy on prognosis should not be overlooked. This study aims to investigate the factors that influence postoperative TSH suppression therapy in patients with PTC. METHODS: This study was a retrospective cohort study conducted at our hospital. It included 268 patients who underwent surgery and were pathologically diagnosed with PTC between February 2019 and February 2021. The selected patients received postoperative TSH suppression therapy. Based on the TSH level measured 12 months after surgery, the patients were divided into two groups: TSH level conforming group (n = 80) and non-conforming group (n = 188). We then compared the general clinical data, clinicopathological characteristics, preoperative laboratory test indicators, postoperative levothyroxine sodium tablet dosage, follow-up frequency, and thyroid function-related indicators between the two groups of patients. The correlation between the observed indicators and the success of TSH suppression therapy was further analyzed, leading to the identification of influencing factors for TSH suppression therapy. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in general clinical data and clinicopathological characteristics between the two groups of patients (P > 0.05). The proportion of patients with preoperative TSH ≥ 2.0 mU/L was higher in the non-conforming group compared to the TSH level conforming group (P < 0.05), and the ROC curve analysis indicated that the area under the curve for the preoperative TSH index was 0.610 (P < 0.05). The proportion of patients in the TSH level conforming group who took oral levothyroxine sodium tablets at a dose of ≥ 1.4 µg/kg·d after surgery was higher (P < 0.05). The postoperative levels of FT3 and FT4 were higher in the TSH level conforming group (P < 0.05). The results of binary logistic regression analysis indicated that factors "Postoperative TSH level ≥ 2 mU/L", "Levothyroxine sodium tablet dose<1.4 µg/kg·d", and "Combined with Hashimoto thyroiditis" were significantly associated with an elevated risk of postoperative TSH levels failing to reach the target (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Optimal thyroid function in patients with PTC post-surgery is best achieved when adjusting the dose of levothyroxine sodium in a timely manner to reach the target TSH level during follow-up visits.

Downregulation of IL-11 regulates the TGFß/ERK1/2 signaling pathway to inhibit articular capsule fibrosis and alleviate post-traumatic articular capsule contracture.

BACKGROUND: Post-traumatic capsular contracture is a common complication of joint injury and surgery. Post-traumatic capsular contracture is associated with fibrosis characterized by excessive differentiation and proliferation of myofibroblasts and abnormal secretion and accumulation of extracellular matrix. Previous studies have suggested that IL11 plays a role in myocardial fibrosis. We thus hypothesized that IL11 may play a fibrotic role during capsular contracture, in order to discover new targets for preventing joint capsule contracture METHODS: We constructed a post-traumatic contracture model by excessively extending the knee joint and fixing the joint in the flexion position, and a post-traumatic joint capsule contracture model was constructed in the wild-type, IL11-/-, IL11R -/-, α-SMA-cre-IL11fl/fl, α-SMA-cre-IL11Rfl/fl mouse strain, with wild-type mice without any treatment of the knee joint as the control group. Fibrotic markers and the expression of IL11 and IL11R in knee joint tissue were detected in each group of mice. The NIH3T3 cell line was used for in vitro analyses. The expression of fibrosis markers, IL11, TGFß and ERK1/2 were detected by western blot, ELISA and RT-qPCR. RESULTS: Inhibition of IL11 inhibited ERK1/2 phosphorylation, reduced the secretion of collagen in the joint capsule, and inhibited the excessive differentiation and proliferation of myofibroblasts in the post-traumatic joint capsule contracture, thus alleviating the joint capsule contracture and obtaining better joint mobility. CONCLUSION: Downregulation of IL11 in traumatic joint capsule contracture inhibits ERK1/2 phosphorylation, thus significantly relieving joint capsule contracture. Our findings indicate the TGFß/IL11/ERK1/2 axis is an important pathway for the differentiation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts. Anti-IL11 treatment is an effective means to prevent traumatic joint capsule contracture.

3D Printing of Ultralow-Concentration 2D Nanomaterial Inks for Multifunctional Architectures.

The direct 3D printing of ultralight architectures with ultralow-concentration 2D nanomaterial inks is necessary yet challenging. Here, we describe an emulsion-based ink for direct printing using 2D nanomaterials, i.e., MXene and graphene oxide (GO). The electrostatic interactions between the ligands in the oil phase and the 2D nanomaterials in the aqueous phase help form sheet-like surfactants at the interface. The interactions between the anchored ligands among different droplets dictate the rheological characteristics of inks, enabling a gel-like behavior ideally suitable for 3D printing at ultralow concentrations of 2D nanomaterials. The 3D printed foams possess lightweight structures with densities of 2.8 mg cm-3 (GO-based) and 4.1 mg cm-3 (MXene-based), and the latter integrates outstanding electrical conductivity, electromagnetic shielding performance, and thermal insulation comparable to air. This work describes a general approach for direct-printing ultralight porous structures that take advantage of the inherent properties of 2D building blocks.

[Study on changes of Styrax varieties].

Styrax is a commonly used imported traditional Chinese medicinal material in China. It was introduced to China in the Han Dynasty and was first described as a traditional Chinese medicine in Miscellaneous Records of Famous Physicians(Ming Yi Bie Lu). In this paper, by combing ancient and modern Chinese and foreign herbal medicine books and modern literature, combined with the results of field investigations on the origin of Styrax, the changes of Styrax involving the name, quality evaluation, origin, place of origin, and harvesting and processing were systematically verified. The results show that since ancient times, the origin and place of origin of Styrax have been unclear. The medical scientists of all dynasties in China have evaluated the quality of Styrax from four aspects: texture, viscosity, odor concentration, and color. The varieties of Styrax changed twice. The first change may have occurred during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and the base changed from Styrax officinalis to Liquidambar orientalis. The second change was in modern times, and the base changed from L. orientalis to L. styraciflua. At the same time, the place of origin changed for the first time, from Turkey, Syria, and other countries in southern Asia Minor to Honduras, Guatemala, and other countries in Central America and southern North America. This paper studied the historical evolution of Styrax in terms of quality evaluation, origin, place of origin, character, and harvesting and processing. At the same time, it summarized the application of Styrax in the western countries, which can provide a historical basis for the further development and utilization of Styrax.

Constructing Dynamic Anode/Electrolyte Interfaces Coupled with Regulated Solvation Structures for Long-Term and Highly Reversible Zinc Metal Anodes.

Aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) show a great potential for next-generation energy storage due to their high safety and high energy density. However, the severe side reactions of zinc negative electrode largely hinder the further application of AZIBs. Herein, trace tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris) additive with rich lone-pair-electrons and zincophilic sites is firstly introduced to achieve long-term and highly reversible Zn plating/stripping. Specifically, Tris not only regulates the solvation structure of Zn2+, but is also adsorbed vertically on the Zn anode surface with a changed coordination intensity during the plating/stripping process of Zn to generate an in situ dynamic adsorption layer for the first time. The dynamic adsorption layer could successively attract the solvated Zn2+ and then promote the de-solvation of the solvated Zn2+ owing to the orientation polarization with regularly-changed applied electric field, the volume rejection effect, and strong intermolecular force towards H2O of the vertically-adsorbed Tris. Therefore, an improved Zn2+-transport kinetics as well as the inhibition of side reactions of Zn anode are successfully realized. Accordingly, the Zn||Zn symmetric cell provides an ultra-long cycle life of 2600 h. Furthermore, the Zn||MnO2 full cell with Tris could demonstrate a high capacity and structural stability for practical applications.

Scalable Production of Catecholamine-Densified MXene Coatings for Electromagnetic Shielding and Infrared Stealth.

Processing transition metal carbides/nitrides (MXenes) inks into large-area functional coatings expects promising potential for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding and infrared stealth. However, the coating performances, especially for scalable fabrication techniques, are greatly constrained by the flake size and stacking manner of MXene. Herein, the large-area production of highly densified and oriented MXene coatings is demonstrated by engineering interfacial interactions of small MXene flakes with catecholamine molecules. The catecholamine molecules can micro-crosslink MXene nanosheets, significantly improving the ink's rheological properties. It favors the shear-induced sheet arrangement and inhibition of structural defects in the blade coating process, making it possible to achieve high orientation and densification of MXene assembly by either large-area coating or patterned printing. Interestingly, the MXene/catecholamine coating exhibits high conductivity of up to 12 247 S cm-1 and ultrahigh specific EMI shielding effectiveness of 2.0 ×10 5  dB cm2 g-1 , obviously superior to most of the reported MXene materials. Furthermore, the regularly assembled structure also endows the MXene coatings with low infrared emissivities for infrared stealth applications. Therefore, MXene/catecholamine coatings with ultraefficient EMI shielding and low infrared emissivity prove the feasibility of applications in aerospace, military, and wearable devices.

Modulation of Vacancy Defects and Texture for High Performance n-Type Bi2 Te3 via High Energy Refinement.

The carrier concentration in n-type layered Bi2 Te3 -based thermoelectric (TE) material is significantly impacted by the donor-like effect, which would be further intensified by the nonbasal slip during grain refinement of crushing, milling, and deformation, inducing a big challenge to improve its TE performance and mechanical property simultaneously. In this work, high-energy refinement and hot-pressing are used to stabilize the carrier concentration due to the facilitated recovery of cation and anion vacancies. Based on this, combined with SbI3 doping and hot deformation, the optimized carrier concentration and high texture degree are simultaneously realized. As a result, a peak figure of merit (zT) of 1.14 at 323 K for Bi2 Te2.7 Se0.3  + 0.05 wt.% SbI3 sample with the high bending strength of 100 Mpa is obtained. Furthermore, a 31-couple thermoelectric cooling device consisted of n-type Bi2 Te2.7 Se0.3  + 0.05 wt.% SbI3 and commercial p-type Bi0.5 Sb1.5 Te3 legs is fabricated, which generates the large maximum temperature difference (ΔTmax ) of 85 K at a hot-side temperature of 343 K. Thus, the discovery of recovery effect in high energy refinement and hot-pressing has significant implications for improving TE performance and mechanical strength of n-type Bi2 Te3 , thereby promoting its applications in harsh conditions.

Energy Extraction from Q-balls and Other Fundamental Solitons.

Energy exchange mechanisms have important applications in particle physics, gravity, fluid mechanics, and practically every field in physics. In this Letter we show, both in the frequency and time domain, that energy enhancement is possible for waves scattering off fundamental solitons (time-periodic localized structures of bosonic fields), without the need for rotation nor translational motion. We use two-dimensional Q-balls as a test bed, providing the correct criteria for energy amplification, as well as the respective amplification factors, and we discuss possible instability mechanisms. Our results lend support to the qualitative picture drawn in Saffin et al. [preceding Letter, Q-ball superradiance, Phys. Rev. Lett. 131, 111601 (2023).PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.131.111601]; however, we show that this enhancement mechanism is not of superradiant type, but instead is a "blueshiftlike" energy exchange between scattering states induced by the background Q-ball, which should occur generically for any time-periodic fundamental soliton. This mechanism does not seem to lead to instabilities.

Measurement of Hyperfine Structure and the Zemach Radius in

We investigate the 2^{3}S_{1}-2^{3}P_{J} (J=0, 1, 2) transitions in ^{6}Li^{+} using the optical Ramsey technique and achieve the most precise values of the hyperfine splittings of the 2^{3}S_{1} and 2^{3}P_{J} states, with smallest uncertainty of about 10 kHz. The present results reduce the uncertainties of previous experiments by a factor of 5 for the 2^{3}S_{1} state and a factor of 50 for the 2^{3}P_{J} states, and are in better agreement with theoretical values. Combining our measured hyperfine intervals of the 2^{3}S_{1} state with the latest quantum electrodynamic (QED) calculations, the improved Zemach radius of the ^{6}Li nucleus is determined to be 2.44(2) fm, with the uncertainty entirely due to the uncalculated QED effects of order mα^{7}. The result is in sharp disagreement with the value 3.71(16) fm determined from simple models of the nuclear charge and magnetization distribution. We call for a more definitive nuclear physics value of the ^{6}Li Zemach radius.

Establishment of mouse expanded potential stem cells.

Mouse embryonic stem cells derived from the epiblast contribute to the somatic lineages and the germline but are excluded from the extra-embryonic tissues that are derived from the trophectoderm and the primitive endoderm upon reintroduction to the blastocyst. Here we report that cultures of expanded potential stem cells can be established from individual eight-cell blastomeres, and by direct conversion of mouse embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells. Remarkably, a single expanded potential stem cell can contribute both to the embryo proper and to the trophectoderm lineages in a chimaera assay. Bona fide trophoblast stem cell lines and extra-embryonic endoderm stem cells can be directly derived from expanded potential stem cells in vitro. Molecular analyses of the epigenome and single-cell transcriptome reveal enrichment for blastomere-specific signature and a dynamic DNA methylome in expanded potential stem cells. The generation of mouse expanded potential stem cells highlights the feasibility of establishing expanded potential stem cells for other mammalian species.

Delayed progressive sensorineural hearing loss due to a novel compound heterozygous PTPRQ mutation in a Chinese patient.

BACKGROUND: The Protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor Q (PTPRQ) gene encodes a member of the type III receptor-like protein tyrosine phosphatase family found in the stereocilium. Mutations in PTPRQ are mostly associated with deafness, autosomal recessive type 84 (DFNB 84), which usually results in progressive familial hearing loss. METHODS: A 25-year-old woman and her sister, both with postlingual-delayed progressive sensorineural hearing loss, were examined. They were from a nonconsanguineous marriage and had no family history of hearing loss. New compound heterozygous PTPRQ gene mutations, nonsense (c.90C > A, p.Y30X) and splice (c.5426 + 1G > A) mutations in two PTPRQ alleles, were identified in the two sisters and were presumably autosomal recessive. The c.90C > A (p.Y30X) mutation was mapped to exon 2 of PTPRQ (NM_001145026). RESULTS: The c.90C > A mutation leads to a premature stop codon and a truncated protein. The c.5426 + 1G > A mutation leads to a truncated protein lacking the extracellular domain. Hence, both mutations were predicted to be pathogenic, leading to a deficiency of the extracellular, transmembrane, and phosphatase domains because of nonsense-mediated mRNA degradation. CONCLUSIONS: This study increases the spectrum of PTPRQ gene mutations that might be involved in delayed progressive autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing loss.

[Specific DNA barcodes, germplasm resources, and genetic diversity of Eleutherococcus senticosus].

Eleutherococcus senticosus is one of the Dao-di herbs in northeast China. In this study, the chloroplast genomes of three E. senticosus samples from different genuine producing areas were sequenced and then used for the screening of specific DNA barcodes. The germplasm resources and genetic diversity of E. senticosus were analyzed basing on the specific DNA barcodes. The chloroplast genomes of E. senticosus from different genuine producing areas showed the total length of 156 779-156 781 bp and a typical tetrad structure. Each of the chloroplast genomes carried 132 genes, including 87 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNAs, and 8 rRNAs. The chloroplast genomes were relatively conserved. Sequence analysis of the three chloroplast genomes indicated that atpI, ndhA, ycf1, atpB-rbcL, ndhF-rpl32, petA-psbJ, psbM-psbD, and rps16-psbK can be used as specific DNA barcodes of E. senticosus. In this study, we selected atpI and atpB-rbcL which were 700-800 bp and easy to be amplified for the identification of 184 E. senticosus samples from 13 genuine producing areas. The results demonstrated that 9 and 10 genotypes were identified based on atpI and atpB-rbcL sequences, respectively. Furthermore, the two barcodes identified 23 genotypes which were named H1-H23. The haplotype with the highest proportion and widest distribution was H10, followed by H2. The haplotype diversity and nucleotide diversity were 0.94 and 1.82×10~(-3), respectively, suggesting the high genetic diversity of E. senticosus. The results of the median-joining network analysis showed that the 23 genotypes could be classified into 4 categories. H2 was the oldest haplotype, and it served as the center of the network characterized by starlike radiation, which suggested that population expansion of E. senticosus occurred in the genuine producing areas. This study lays a foundation for the research on the genetic quality and chloroplast genetic engineering of E. senticosus and further research on the genetic mechanism of its population, providing new ideas for studying the genetic evolution of E. senticosus.

Cesium Amide-Catalyzed Selective Deuteration of Benzylic C-H Bonds with D2 and Application for Tritiation of Pharmaceuticals.

Hydrogen isotope exchange (HIE) represents one of the most attractive labeling methods to synthesize deuterium- and tritium-labeled compounds. Catalytic HIE methods that enable site-selective C-H bond activation and exchange labeling with gaseous isotopes D2 and T2 are of vital importance, in particular for high-specific-activity tritiation of pharmaceuticals. As part of our interest in exploring s-block metals for catalytic transformations, we found CsN(SiMe3 )2 to be an efficient catalyst for selective HIE of benzylic C-H bonds with D2 gas. The reaction proceeds through a kinetic deprotonative equilibrium that establishes an exchange pathway between C-H bonds and D2 gas. By virtue of multiple C-H bonds activation and high activity (isotope enrichment up to 99 %), the simple cesium amide catalyst provided a very powerful and practically convenient labeling protocol for synthesis of highly deuterated compounds and high-specific-activity tritiation of pharmaceuticals.

In-Situ Constructing A Heterogeneous Layer on Lithium Metal Anodes for Dendrite-Free Lithium Deposition and High Li-ion Flux.

Constructing efficient artificial solid electrolyte interface (SEI) film is extremely vital for the practical application of lithium metal batteries. Herein, a dense artificial SEI film, in which lithiophilic Zn/Lix Zny are uniformly but nonconsecutively dispersed in the consecutive Li+ -conductors of Lix SiOy , Li2 O and LiOH, is constructed via the in situ reaction of layered zinc silicate nanosheets and Li. The consecutive Li+ -conductors can promote the desolvation process of solvated-Li+ and regulate the transfer of lithium ions. The nonconsecutive lithiophilic metals are polarized by the internal electric field to boost the transfer of lithium ions, and lower the nucleation barrier. Therefore, a low polarization of ≈50 mV for 750 h at 2.0 mA cm-2 in symmetric cells, and a high capacity retention of 99.2 % in full cells with a high lithium iron phosphate areal loading of ≈13 mg cm-2 are achieved. This work offers new sights to develop advanced alkali metal anodes for efficient energy storage.

Thermoelectric Performance of the 2D Bi2Si2Te6 Semiconductor.

Bi2Si2Te6, a 2D compound, is a direct band gap semiconductor with an optical band gap of ∼0.25 eV, and is a promising thermoelectric material. Single-phase Bi2Si2Te6 is prepared by a scalable ball-milling and annealing process, and the highly densified polycrystalline samples are prepared by spark plasma sintering. Bi2Si2Te6 shows a p-type semiconductor transport behavior and exhibits an intrinsically low lattice thermal conductivity of ∼0.48 W m-1 K-1 (cross-plane) at 573 K. The first-principles density functional theory calculations indicate that such low lattice thermal conductivity is derived from the interactions between acoustic phonons and low-lying optical phonons, local vibrations of Bi, the low Debye temperature, and strong anharmonicity result from the unique 2D crystal structure and metavalent bonding of Bi2Si2Te6. The Bi2Si2Te6 exhibits an optimal figure of merit ZT of ∼0.51 at 623 K, which can be further enhanced by the substitution of Bi with Pb. Pb doping leads to a large increase in power factor S2σ, from ∼3.9 µW cm-1 K-2 of Bi2Si2Te6 to ∼8.0 µW cm-1 K-2 of Bi1.98Pb0.02Si2Te6 at 773 K, owing to the increase in carrier concentration. Moreover, Pb doping induces a further reduction in the lattice thermal conductivity to ∼0.38 W m-1 K-1 (cross-plane) at 623 K in Bi1.98Pb0.02Si2Te6, due to strengthened point defect (PbBi') scattering. The simultaneous optimization of the power factor and lattice thermal conductivity achieves a peak ZT of ∼0.90 at 723 K and a high average ZT of ∼0.66 at 400-773 K in Bi1.98Pb0.02Si2Te6.

Triple-Wavelength Lasing with a Stabilized ß-LaBSiO5:Nd3+ Crystal.

Multi-wavelength lasers, especially the triple-wavelength laser around 1060 nm, could be produced by the 4F3/2 → 4I11/2 transition of Nd3+ and present numerous challenges and opportunities in the field of optoelectronics. The Nd3+-doped high-temperature phase of LaBSiO5 (ß-LBSO) is an ideal crystal to produce triple-wavelength lasers; however, the crystal growth is challenging because of the phase transition from ß-LBSO to low-temperature phase (α-LBSO) at 162 °C. This phase transition is successfully suppressed when the doping content of Nd3+ is larger than 6.3 at. %, and the Nd3+-doped ß-LBSO is stable at room temperature. The local disorder of BO4 tetrahedra due to Nd3+ doping is essential to the stabilization of ß-LBSO. For the first time, the ß-LBSO:8%Nd3+ crystal with a dimension of 1.8 × 1.8 × 1.8 cm3 is obtained through the top-seeded solution method. The crystal shows strong optical absorption in the range of 785-815 nm, matching well with the commercial laser diode pumping source. The optical emission of 4F3/2 → 4I11/2 splits into four peaks with the highest optical emission cross section of 2.14 × 10-20 cm2 at 1068 nm. The continuous-wave triple-wavelength generation of coherent light at 1047, 1071, and 1092 nm is achieved with the highest output power of 235 mW and efficiency of 12.1%.

Valence Disproportionation of GeS in the PbS Matrix Forms Pb5Ge5S12 Inclusions with Conduction Band Alignment Leading to High n-Type Thermoelectric Performance.

Converting waste heat into useful electricity using solid-state thermoelectrics has a potential for enormous global energy savings. Lead chalcogenides are among the most prominent thermoelectric materials, whose performance decreases with an increase in chalcogen amounts (e.g., PbTe > PbSe > PbS). Herein, we demonstrate the simultaneous optimization of the electrical and thermal transport properties of PbS-based compounds by alloying with GeS. The addition of GeS triggers a complex cascade of beneficial events as follows: Ge2+ substitution in Pb2+ and discordant off-center behavior; formation of Pb5Ge5S12 as stable second-phase inclusions through valence disproportionation of Ge2+ to Ge0 and Ge4+. PbS and Pb5Ge5S12 exhibit good conduction band energy alignment that preserves the high electron mobility; the formation of Pb5Ge5S12 increases the electron carrier concentration by introducing S vacancies. Sb doping as the electron donor produces a large power factor and low lattice thermal conductivity (κlat) of ∼0.61 W m-1 K-1. The highest performance was obtained for the 14% GeS-alloyed samples, which exhibited an increased room-temperature electron mobility of ∼121 cm2 V-1 s-1 for 3 × 1019 cm-3 carrier density and a ZT of 1.32 at 923 K. This is ∼55% greater than the corresponding Sb-doped PbS sample and is one of the highest reported for the n-type PbS system. Moreover, the average ZT (ZTavg) of ∼0.76 from 400 to 923 K is the highest for PbS-based systems.

Prion-like protein aggregates exploit the RHO GTPase to cofilin-1 signaling pathway to enter cells.

Protein aggregation is a hallmark of diverse neurodegenerative diseases. Multiple lines of evidence have revealed that protein aggregates can penetrate inside cells and spread like prions. How such aggregates enter cells remains elusive. Through a focused siRNA screen targeting genes involved in membrane trafficking, we discovered that mutant SOD1 aggregates, like viruses, exploit cofilin-1 to remodel cortical actin and enter cells. Upstream of cofilin-1, signalling from the RHO GTPase and the ROCK1 and LIMK1 kinases controls cofilin-1 activity to remodel actin and modulate aggregate entry. In the spinal cord of symptomatic SOD1G93A transgenic mice, cofilin-1 phosphorylation is increased and actin dynamics altered. Importantly, the RHO to cofilin-1 signalling pathway also modulates entry of tau and α-synuclein aggregates. Our results identify a common host cell signalling pathway that diverse protein aggregates exploit to remodel actin and enter cells.