Electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) to multicarbon hydrocarbon and oxygenate (C2+) products with high energy density and wide availability is of great importance, as it provides a ...promising way to achieve the renewable energy storage and close the carbon cycle. Herein we design a Cu‐CuI composite catalyst with abundant Cu0/Cu+ interfaces by physically mixing Cu nanoparticles and CuI powders. The composite catalyst achieves a remarkable C2+ partial current density of 591 mA cm−2 at −1.0 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode in a flow cell, substantially higher than Cu (329 mA cm−2) and CuI (96 mA cm−2) counterparts. Induced by alkaline electrolyte and applied potential, the Cu‐CuI composite catalyst undergoes significant reconstruction under CO2RR conditions. The high‐rate C2+ production over Cu‐CuI is ascribed to the presence of residual Cu+ and adsorbed iodine species which improve CO adsorption and facilitate C−C coupling.
A Cu‐CuI composite catalyst achieves a remarkable C2+ partial current density of 591 mA cm−2 at −1.0 V vs. RHE, substantially higher than Cu or CuI alone. It is ascribed to the presence of residual Cu+ and adsorbed iodine species which improve CO adsorption and facilitate C−C coupling during CO2 electroreduction.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Designing a transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) strategy requires considering multiple objectives, such as intensity in the target area, focality, stimulation depth, and avoidance zone. These ...objectives are often mutually exclusive. In this paper, we propose a general framework, called multi-objective optimization via evolutionary algorithm (MOVEA), which solves the non-convex optimization problem in designing tES strategies without a predefined direction. MOVEA enables simultaneous optimization of multiple targets through Pareto optimization, generating a Pareto front after a single run without manual weight adjustment and allowing easy expansion to more targets. This Pareto front consists of optimal solutions that meet various requirements while respecting trade-off relationships between conflicting objectives such as intensity and focality. MOVEA is versatile and suitable for both transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) and transcranial temporal interference stimulation (tTIS) based on high definition (HD) and two-pair systems. We comprehensively compared tACS and tTIS in terms of intensity, focality, and steerability for targets at different depths. Our findings reveal that tTIS enhances focality by reducing activated volume outside the target by 60%. HD-tTIS and HD-tDCS can achieve equivalent maximum intensities, surpassing those of two-pair tTIS, such as 0.51 V/m under HD-tACS/HD-tTIS and 0.42 V/m under two-pair tTIS for the motor area as a target. Analysis of variance in eight subjects highlights individual differences in both optimal stimulation policies and outcomes for tACS and tTIS, emphasizing the need for personalized stimulation protocols. These findings provide guidance for designing appropriate stimulation strategies for tACS and tTIS. MOVEA facilitates the optimization of tES based on specific objectives and constraints, advancing tTIS and tACS-based neuromodulation in understanding the causal relationship between brain regions and cognitive functions and treating diseases. The code for MOVEA is available at https://github.com/ncclabsustech/MOVEA.
•MOVEA effectively optimizes trade-offs among conflicting tES objectives.•MOVEA can optimize electric field maximization without a predefined orientation.•HD-tTIS achieves equivalent maximum intensity to HD-tACS with better focality.•MOVEA elucidates the impact of inter-subject variability on tACS and tTIS outcomes.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) are cytotoxic to cancer cells and possess excellent potential as an antitumor agent. A variety of nanoparticles have been shown to induce autophagy, a critical cellular ...degradation process, and the elevated autophagy in most of these situations promotes cell death. Whether Ag NPs can induce autophagy and how it might affect the anticancer activity of Ag NPs has not been reported. Here we show that Ag NPs induced autophagy in cancer cells by activating the PtdIns3K signaling pathway. The autophagy induced by Ag NPs was characterized by enhanced autophagosome formation, normal cargo degradation, and no disruption of lysosomal function. Consistent with these properties, the autophagy induced by Ag NPs promoted cell survival, as inhibition of autophagy by either chemical inhibitors or ATG5 siRNA enhanced Ag NPs-elicited cancer cell killing. We further demonstrated that wortmannin, a widely used inhibitor of autophagy, significantly enhanced the antitumor effect of Ag NPs in the B16 mouse melanoma cell model. Our results revealed a novel biological activity of Ag NPs in inducing cytoprotective autophagy, and inhibition of autophagy may be a useful strategy for improving the efficacy of Ag NPs in anticancer therapy.
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BFBNIB, GIS, IJS, KISLJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM, UPUK
Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is one of the most common drug-resistant forms of epilepsy in adults and usually originates in the hippocampal formations. However, both the network mechanisms that ...support the seizure spread and the exact directions of ictal propagation remain largely unknown. Here we report the dissection of ictal propagation in the hippocampal-entorhinal cortex (HP-EC) structures using optogenetic methods in multiple brain regions of a kainic acid-induced model of TLE in VGAT-ChR2 transgenic mice. We perform highly temporally precise cross-area analyses of epileptic neuronal networks and find a feed-forward propagation pathway of ictal discharges from the dentate gyrus/hilus (DGH) to the medial entorhinal cortex, instead of a re-entrant loop. We also demonstrate that activating DGH GABAergic interneurons can significantly inhibit the spread of ictal seizures and largely rescue behavioural deficits in kainate-exposed animals. These findings may shed light on future therapeutic treatments of TLE.
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•A novel self-adhesive hydrogel-mesh composite, i.e., G/SIS-TA is developed by combining SIS meshes, GelMA, and tannic acid.•G/SIS-TA can strongly adhere to wet porcine skin (shear ...strength: ∼60 kPa) with notable biodegradability.•G/SIS-TA shows a remarkable biocompatibility, antioxidant, antibacterial properties and immunoregulatory activity.•G/SIS-TA can reduce bacterial burden in mouse peritonitis infection model, and enhance wound healing in infected rat full-thickness wound model.
The application of meshes in surgery is severely limited by complications associated with the non-absorbable nature, the lack of bioactivities, and the need of sutures and/or staples to fix meshes on tissues. In this contribution, a self-adhesive hydrogel-mesh composite (HMC) with biodegradability and multiple bioactivities was developed to address these issues and meet the clinical requirements. In this HMC system, GelMA hydrogel network was first macrotopological entangled with the fibers of a natural small intestinal submucosa (SIS) meshes, and then strengthened by soaking in a multi-functional H-bond provider (i.e., tannic acid, TA) solution to form the G/SIS-TA composite. The pyrogallol groups of the TA molecules endow G/SIS-TA with excellent wet adhesiveness (shear strength: ∼60 kPa), antioxidant, and antibacterial ability. The G/SIS-TA was also found to exhibit excellent biodegradability, biocompatibility, and immunoregulatory activity. The G/SIS-TA significantly decrease the bacterial burden in a mouse peritonitis infection model and promote the healing of infected full-thickness rat skin wounds in vivo. This work not only reports a novel SIS-based HMC which was efficient in treating infected wounds, but also offers an innovative strategy of the development of self-adhesive bio-patch for various biomedical applications.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The moment-independent sensitivity analysis (SA) is one of the most popular SA techniques. It aims at measuring the contribution of input variable(s) to the probability density function (PDF) of ...model output. However, compared with the variance-based one, robust and efficient methods are less available for computing the moment-independent SA indices (also called delta indices). In this paper, the Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) methods for moment-independent SA are investigated. A double-loop MCS method, which has the advantages of high accuracy and easy programming, is firstly developed. Then, to reduce the computational cost, a single-loop MCS method is proposed. The later method has several advantages. First, only a set of samples is needed for computing all the indices, thus it can overcome the problem of “curse of dimensionality”. Second, it is suitable for problems with dependent inputs. Third, it is purely based on model output evaluation and density estimation, thus can be used for model with high order (>2) interactions. At last, several numerical examples are introduced to demonstrate the advantages of the proposed methods.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
The ability of animals to respond to life-threatening stimuli is essential for survival. Although vision provides one of the major sensory inputs for detecting threats across animal species, the ...circuitry underlying defensive responses to visual stimuli remains poorly defined. Here, we investigate the circuitry underlying innate defensive behaviours elicited by predator-like visual stimuli in mice. Our results demonstrate that neurons in the superior colliculus (SC) are essential for a variety of acute and persistent defensive responses to overhead looming stimuli. Optogenetic mapping revealed that SC projections to the lateral posterior nucleus (LP) of the thalamus, a non-canonical polymodal sensory relay, are sufficient to mimic visually evoked fear responses. In vivo electrophysiology experiments identified a di-synaptic circuit from SC through LP to the lateral amygdale (Amg), and lesions of the Amg blocked the full range of visually evoked defensive responses. Our results reveal a novel collicular-thalamic-Amg circuit important for innate defensive responses to visual threats.
To better understand the geodynamic evolution of northeastern China during the Late Mesozoic, we analyzed zircon U–Pb geochronological, Lu–Hf isotopic, and geochemical data for Early Cretaceous ...volcanic rocks from the southeastern margin of the Songliao Basin. Newly identified A-type rhyolite and trachyandesite yielded zircon
206
Pb/
238
U ages of ca. 123 Ma and 117 Ma, respectively. The rhyolites are high in SiO
2
(72.24–78.89 wt%) and total alkali (K
2
O + Na
2
O = 8.81–10.03 wt%), and low in MgO (0.10–0.26 wt%), CaO (0.32–0.36 wt%), Ni (0.08–2.69 ppm), and Cr (0.39–4.87 ppm) concentrations, with negative Nb, Ta, and Sr anomalies. They are enriched in light rare earth elements (LREEs) and large-ion lithophile elements (LILEs) and depleted in high-field-strength elements (HFSEs); the calculated Zr saturation temperatures are high (828–915 °C). The A-type rhyolites possess variable zircon ε
Hf
(t) values ranging from + 5.69 to + 10.49. Petrogenetic analysis leads us to propose that the A-type rhyolites were probably formed by partial melting of a Neoproterozoic–Early Paleozoic juvenile lower crust. The trachyandesites have Nb/Ta (14.9–17.25), Zr/Hf (35.04–42.75), Rb/Sr (0.25–0.40), and Lu/Yb (0.14–0.15) ratios that are similar to those of mantle-derived magma, indicating a mantle source. They have ε
Hf
(t) values of + 4.71 to + 7.29 and show enrichment in LILEs and LREEs, and weak depletion in HFSEs, suggesting that the parent magma originated from partial melting of a depleted lithospheric mantle, and was subsequently metasomatized by subduction-related fluids, followed by extensive fractional crystallization during the magma evolution. Combined with the temporal and spatial distribution of Late Mesozoic igneous rocks from the southeastern margin of the Songliao Basin, we propose that Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks formed in an extensional tectonic setting that was closely related to rollback of the Paleo-Pacific (Izanagi) oceanic slab.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
The prevailing view is that parvalbumin (PV) interneurons play modulatory roles in emotional response through local medium spiny projection neurons (MSNs). Here, we show that PV activity within the ...nucleus accumbens shell (sNAc) is required for producing anxiety-like avoidance when mice are under anxiogenic situations. Firing rates of sNAc
neurons were negatively correlated to exploration time in open arms (threatening environment). In addition, sNAc
neurons exhibited high excitability in a chronic stress mouse model, which generated excessive maladaptive avoidance behavior in an anxiogenic context. We also discovered a novel GABAergic pathway from the anterior dorsal bed nuclei of stria terminalis (adBNST) to sNAc
neurons. Optogenetic activation of these afferent terminals in sNAc produced an anxiolytic effect via GABA transmission. Next, we further demonstrated that chronic stressors attenuated the inhibitory synaptic transmission at adBNST
→ sNAc
synapses, which in turn explains the hyperexcitability of sNAc PV neurons on stressed models. Therefore, activation of these GABAergic afferents in sNAc rescued the excessive avoidance behavior related to an anxious state. Finally, we identified that the majority GABAergic input neurons, which innervate sNAc
cells, were expressing somatostatin (SOM), and also revealed that coordination between SOM- and PV- cells functioning in the BNST → NAc circuit has an inhibitory influence on anxiety-like responses. Our findings provide a potentially neurobiological basis for therapeutic interventions in pathological anxiety.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Voluntarily modulating neural activity plays a key role in brain-computer interface (BCI). In general, the self-regulated neural activation patterns are used in the current BCI systems involving the ...repetitive trainings with feedback for an attempt to achieve a high-quality control performance. With the limitation posed by the training procedure in most BCI studies, the present work aims to investigate whether directly modulating the neural activity by using an external method could facilitate the BCI control. We designed an experimental paradigm that combines anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with a motor imagery (MI)-based feedback EEG BCI system. Thirty-two young and healthy human subjects were randomly assigned to the real and sham stimulation groups to evaluate the effect of tDCS-induced EEG pattern changes on BCI classification accuracy. Results showed that the anodal tDCS obviously induces sensorimotor rhythm (SMR)-related event-related desynchronization (ERD) pattern changes in the upper-mu (10-14 Hz) and beta (14-26 Hz) rhythm components. Both the online and offline BCI classification results demonstrate that the enhancing ERD patterns could conditionally improve BCI performance. This pilot study suggests that the tDCS is a promising method to help the users to develop reliable BCI control strategy in a relatively short time.
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