Optical-neural Stimulation in Non-human Primates:Modulating Brain Function and Behavior

Optical-neural stimulation,which encompasses cutting-edge techniques such as optogenetics and infrared neurostimulation,employs distinct mechanisms to modulate brain function and behavior.These advanced neuromodulation techniques offer accurate manipulation of targeted areas,even selectively modulating specific neurons,in the brain.This makes it possible to investigate the cause-and-effect connections between neural activity and behavior,allowing for a better comprehension of the intricate brain dynamics towards complex environments.Non-human primates serve as an essential animal model for investigating these complex functions in brain research,bridging the gap between the basic research and clinical applications.One of the earliest optical studies utilizing optogenetic neuromodulation in monkeys was conducted in 2009.Since then,the optical-neural stimulations have been effectively applied in non-human primates.This review summarises recent research that employed optogenetics or infrared neurostimulation techniques to regulate brain function and behavior in non-human primates.The current state of optical-neural stimulations discussed here demonstrates their efficacy in advancing the understanding of brain systems.Nevertheless,there are still challenges that need to be addressed before they can fully achieve their potential.

Filtration performance and modeling of granular bed for dust removal from coal pyrolytic vapors

Dust removal from pyrolytic vapors at high temperatures is an obstacle to the industrialization of the coal pyrolysis process.In this work,a granular bed with expanded perlites as filtration media was designed and integrated into a 10 t·d^(–1)coal pyrolysis facility.The testing results showed that around 97.56%dust collection efficiency was achieved.As a result,dust content in tar was significantly lowered.The pressure drop of the granular bed maintained in the range of 356 Pa to 489 Pa.The dust size in the effluent after filtration exhibited a bimodal distribution,which was attributed to the heterogeneity of the dust components.The effects of filtration bed on pyrolytic product yields were also discussed.A modified filtration model based on the macroscopic phenomenological theory was proposed to describe the performance of the granular bed.The computation results were well agreed with the experimental data.

Uncertainty aversion and farmers' innovative seed adoption:Evidence from a field experiment in rural China

Based on the microdata of 705 wheat farmers in the Loess Plateau, this study empirically analyzes the impact of uncertainty on farmers' adoption of innovative seeds using a field experiment. The results indicate that farmers are generally ambiguity-averse and risk-averse. In addition, farmers with higher ambiguity aversion and risk aversion are less likely to adopt innovative wheat seeds, where their risk aversion plays a dominant role. Enhancing information access will alleviate the negative influence of ambiguity aversion on farmers' adoption of innovative seeds, and interlinked insurance and credit contracts will be beneficial to ease the adverse effect of risk aversion on the adoption of innovative wheat seeds. Meanwhile, heterogeneity analysis reveals that the inhibitory effects of ambiguity aversion and risk aversion on innovative seed adoption are more significant among farmers with lower education and household income.The government can establish both ex-ante and ex-post relevant guarantee mechanisms to help farmers preferably cope with various uncertainties in the production process, remitting farmers' ambiguity aversion and risk aversion to enhance new agricultural technology adoption rates.

Observing the steady-state visual evoked potentials with a compact quad-channel spin exchange relaxation-free magnetometer

We observed the steady-state visually evoked potential(SSVEP) from a healthy subject using a compact quad-channel potassium spin exchange relaxation-free(SERF) optically pumped magnetometer(OPM). To this end, 30 s of data were collected, and SSVEP-related magnetic responses with signal intensity ranging from 150 fT to 300 f T were observed for all four channels. The corresponding signal to noise ratio(SNR) was in the range of 3.5–5.5. We then used different channels to operate the sensor as a gradiometer. In the specific case of detecting SSVEP, we noticed that the short channel separation distance led to a strongly diminished gradiometer signal. Although not optimal for the case of SSVEP detection, this set-up can prove to be highly useful for other magnetoencephalography(MEG) paradigms that require good noise cancellation.Considering its compactness, low cost, and good performance, the K-SERF sensor has great potential for biomagnetic field measurements and brain-computer interfaces(BCI).

Recent advances on the reduction of CO2 to important C2+ oxygenated chemicals and fuels

The chemical utilization of CO_2 is a crucial step for the recycling of carbon resource. In recent years, the study on the conversion of CO_2 into a wide variety of C_(2+) important chemicals and fuels has received considerable attention as an emerging technology. Since CO_2 is thermodynamically stable and kinetically inert, the effective activation of CO_2 molecule for the selective transformation to target products still remains a challenge. The welldesigned CO_2 reduction route and efficient catalyst system has imposed the feasibility of CO_2 conversion into C_(2+) chemicals and fuels. In this paper, we have reviewed the recent advances on chemical conversion of CO_2 into C_(2+) chemicals and fuels with wide practical applications, including important alcohols, acetic acid, dimethyl ether, olefins and gasoline. In particular, the synthetic routes for C\\C coupling and carbon chain growth, multifunctional catalyst design and reaction mechanisms are exclusively emphasized.

Dynamic correlation of diffusion tensor imaging and neurological function scores in beagles with spinal cord injury

Exploring the relationship between different structure of the spinal cord and functional assessment after spinal cord injury is important. Quantitative diffusion tensor imaging can provide information about the microstructure of nerve tissue and can quantify the pathological damage of spinal cord white matter and gray matter. In this study, a custom-designed spinal cord contusion-impactor was used to damage the T_（10） spinal cord of beagles. Diffusion tensor imaging was used to observe changes in the whole spinal cord, white matter, and gray matter, and the Texas Spinal Cord Injury Score was used to assess changes in neurological function at 3 hours, 24 hours, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks after injury. With time, fractional anisotropy values after spinal cord injury showed a downward trend, and the apparent diffusion coefficient, mean diffusivity, and radial diffusivity first decreased and then increased. The apparent diffusion-coefficient value was highly associated with the Texas Spinal Cord Injury Score for the whole spinal cord（R = 0.919, P = 0.027）, white matter（R = 0.932, P = 0.021）, and gray matter（R = 0.882, P = 0.048）. Additionally, the other parameters had almost no correlation with the score（P 〉 0.05）. In conclusion, the highest and most significant correlation between diffusion parameters and neurological function was the apparent diffusion-coefficient value for white matter, indicating that it could be used to predict the recovery of neurological function accurately after spinal cord injury.

Study on mass transfer of ethyl acetate in polymer adsorbent by experimental and theoretical breakthrough curves

A new polymeric adsorbent with highly hypercrosslinked structure was developed for the removal of VOCs from polluted air. The purpose of this work is to obtain the intraparticle mass transfer coefficient of the adsorbent particles. Adsorption experiments for obtaining breakthrough curves were carried out with a fixed bed system. A dynamic mathematical model for the fixed bed adsorption system was developed.By model fitting, the overall mass transfer coefficient was determined when the deviation error was minimum. Then, the intraparticle mass transfer coefficient of the adsorbent was determined when the external mass transfer resistance was eliminated at higher velocities. Furthermore, a linear relationship of the intraparticle mass transfer coefficient and equilibrium coefficient at lower inlet gas concentrations range was correlated. Moreover, an equation for predicting external mass transfer coefficient at low Reynolds number range at room temperature was obtained.

An efficient and stable Cu/SiO_2 catalyst for the syntheses of ethylene glycol and methanol via chemoselective hydrogenation of ethylene carbonate

The efficient synthesis of methanol and ethylene glycol via the chemoselective hydrogenation of ethylene carbonate（EC） is important for the sustainable utilization of CO_2 to produce commodity chemicals and fuels. In this work, a series of β-cyclodextrin-modified Cu/SiO_2 catalysts were prepared by ammonia evaporation method for the selective hydrogenation of EC to co-produce methanol and ethylene glycol. The structure and physicochemical properties of the catalysts were characterized in detail by N_2 physisorption, XRD, N_2O titration, H_2-TPR, TEM, and XPS/XAES. Compared with the unmodified 25 Cu/SiO_2 catalyst, the involvement of β-cyclodextrin in 5β-25 Cu/SiO_2 could remarkably increase the catalytic activity—excellent activity of 1178 mgEC g_（cat）^（–1） h^（–1） with 98.8%ethylene glycol selectivity, and 71.6% methanol selectivity could be achieved at 453 K. The remarkably improved recyclability was primarily attributed to the remaining proportion of Cu~＋/（Cu^0＋Cu~＋）. Furthermore, the DFT calculation results demonstrated that metallic Cu^0 dissociated adsorbed H_2, while Cu~＋ activated the carbonyl group of EC and stabilized the intermediates. This study is a facile and efficient method to prepare highly dispersed Cu catalysts—this is also an effective and stable heterogeneous catalyst system for the sustainable synthesis of ethylene glycol and methanol via indirect chemical utilization of CO_2.

Combining chlorination and sulfuration strategies for high-performance all-small-molecule organic solar cells

Three small-molecule donors based on dithieno [2,3-d:2’,3 ’-d’]-benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b’] dithiophene(DTBDT)unit were designed and synthesized by side chain regulation with chlorinated or/and sulfurated substitutions(namely ZR1,ZR1-Cl,and ZR1-S-Cl respectively),along with a crystalline non-fullerene acceptor IDIC-4 Cl with a chlorinated 1,1-dicyanomethylene-3-indanone(IC) end group.Energy levels,molar extinction coefficients and crystallinities of three donor molecules can be effectively altered by combining chlorination and sulfuration strategies.Especially,the ZR1-S-Cl exhibited the best absorption ability,lowest higher occupied molecular orbital(HOMO) energy level and highest crystallinity among three donors,resulting in the corresponding all-small-molecule organic solar cells to produce a high power conversion efficiency(PCE) of 12.05% with IDIC-4 Cl as an acceptor.

Green and selective hydrogenation of aromatic diamines over the nanosheet Ru/g-C_(3)N_(4)-H_(2) catalyst prepared by ultrasonic assisted impregnation-deposition method

In this study,nanosheet g-C_(3)N_(4)-H_(2) was prepared by thermal exfoliation of bulk g-C_(3)N_(4) under hydrogen.A series of Ru/g-C_(3)N_(4)-H_(2) catalysts with Ru species supported on the nanosheet g-C_(3)N_(4)-H_(2) were synthesized via ultrasonic assisted impregnation-deposition method.Ultrafine Ru nanoparticles(<2 nm)were highly dispersed on nanosheet g-C_(3)N_(4)-H_(2).Strong interaction due to Ru-Nx coordination facilitated the uniform distribution of Ru species.Meanwhile,the involvement of surface basicity derived from abundant nitrogen sites was favourable for enhancing the selective hydrogenation performance of bi-benzene ring,i.e.,almost complete 4,40-diaminodiphenylmethane(MDA)conversion and>99%4,40-diaminodicyclohexylmethane selectivity,corresponding to a reaction activity of 35.7 mol_(MDA) mol_(Ru)^(-1) h^(-1).Moreover,the reaction activity of catalyst in the fifth run was 36.5 mol_(MDA) mol_(Ru)^(-1) h^(-1),which was comparable with that of the fresh one.The computational results showed that g-C_(3)N_(4) as support was favorable for adsorption and dissociation of H_(2) molecules.Moreover,the substrate scope can be successfully expanded to a variety of other aromatic diamines.Therefore,this work provides an efficient and green catalyst system for selective hydrogenation of aromatic diamines.

Identifying EGFR-Expressed Cells and Detecting EGFR Multi-Mutations at Single-Cell Level by Microfluidic Chip

EGFR mutations companion diagnostics have been proved to be crucial for the efficacy of tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeted cancer therapies. To uncover multiple mutations occurred in minority of EGFR-mutated cells,which may be covered by the noises from majority of unmutated cells, is currently becoming an urgent clinical requirement. Here we present the validation of a microfluidic-chip-based method for detecting EGFR multimutations at single-cell level. By trapping and immunofluorescently imaging single cells in specifically designed silicon microwells, the EGFR-expressed cellswere easily identified. By in situ lysing single cells, the cell lysates of EGFR-expressed cells were retrieved without cross-contamination. Benefited from excluding the noise from cells without EGFR expression, the simple and cost-effective Sanger's sequencing, but not the expensive deep sequencing of the whole cell population, was used to discover multi-mutations. We verified the new method with precisely discovering three most important EGFR drugrelated mutations from a sample in which EGFR-mutated cells only account for a small percentage of whole cell population. The microfluidic chip is capable of discovering not only the existence of specific EGFR multi-mutations,but also other valuable single-cell-level information: on which specific cells the mutations occurred, or whether different mutations coexist on the same cells. This microfluidic chip constitutes a promising method to promote simple and cost-effective Sanger's sequencing to be a routine test before performing targeted cancer therapy.

The adsorption properties of NaY zeolite for separation of ethylene glycol and 1,2-butanediol: Experiment and molecular modelling

The separation of ethylene glycol(EG)and 1,2-butanediol(1,2-BDO)azeotrope in the synthesis process of EG via coal and biomass is becoming of increasing commercial and environmental importance.Selective adsorption is deemed as the most promising methods because of energy saving and environment favorable.In this paper,NaY zeolite was used to separate 1,2-BDO from EG,and its adsorption properties was then investigated.The isotherms of EG and 1,2-BDO in vapor and liquid phases from 298 to 328 K indicated that they fitted Langmuir model quite well,and the NaY zeolite absorbent favored EG more than 1,2-BDO.The Grand Canonical Monte Carlo(GCMC)and molecular dynamics(MD)simulation techniques were conducted to investigate the competition adsorption and diffusion characteristics in different adsorption regions.It was observed that EG and 1,2-BDO molecules all have the most probable locations of the center of the 12-membered ring near the Na cations.The diffusivities of EG are lower than those of 1,2-BDO at the same adsorption concentration.At last,the breakthrough curves of the binary mixture regressed from the empirical Dose–Response model in fixed-bed column showed that the adsorption selectivity of EG could reach to as high as 2.43,verified that the NaY zeolite could effectively separate EG from 1,2-BDO.This work is also helpful for further separation of other dihydric alcohol mixtures from coal and biomass fermentation.

Genome-wide analysis of the B3 transcription factors reveals that RcABI3/VP1 subfamily plays important roles in seed development and oil storage in castor bean(Ricinus communis)

The B3 transcription factors(TFs)in plants play vital roles in numerous biological processes.Although B3 genes have been broadly identified in many plants,little is known about their potential functions in mediating seed development and material accumulation.Castor bean(Ricinus communis)is a non-edible oilseed crop considered an ideal model system for seed biology research.Here,we identified a total of 61 B3 genes in the castor bean genome,which can be classified into five subfamilies,including ABI3/VP1,HSI,ARF,RAV and REM.The expression profiles revealed that RcABI3/VP1 subfamily genes are significantly up-regulated in the middle and later stages of seed development,indicating that these genes may be associated with the accumulation of storage oils.Furthermore,through yeast one-hybrid and tobacco transient expression assays,we detected that ABI3/VP1 subfamily member RcLEC2 directly regulates the transcription of RcOleosin2,which encodes an oil-body structural protein.This finding suggests that RcLEC2,as a seed-specific TF,may be involved in the regulation of storage materials accumulation.This study provides novel insights into the potential roles and molecular basis of B3 family proteins in seed development and material accumulation.

Twist-angle two-dimensional superlattices and their application in(opto)electronics

Twist-angle two-dimensional systems,such as twisted bilayer graphene,twisted bilayer transition metal dichalcogenides,twisted bilayer phosphorene and their multilayer van der Waals heterostructures,exhibit novel and tunable properties due to the formation of Moirésuperlattice and modulated Moirébands.The review presents a brief venation on the development of"twistronics"and subsequent applications based on band engineering by twisting.Theoretical predictions followed by experimental realization of magic-angle bilayer graphene ignited the flame of investigation on the new freedom degree,twistangle,to adjust(opto)electrical behaviors.Then,the merging of Dirac cones and the presence of flat bands gave rise to enhanced light-matter interaction and gate-dependent electrical phases,respectively,leading to applications in photodetectors and superconductor electronic devices.At the same time,the increasing amount of theoretical simulation on extended twisted 2D materials like TMDs and BPs called for further experimental verification.Finally,recently discovered properties in twisted bilayer h-BN evidenced h-BN could be an ideal candidate for dielectric and ferroelectric devices.Hence,both the predictions and confirmed properties imply twist-angle two-dimensional superlattice is a group of promising candidates for next-generation(opto)electronics.

Polarization sensitive photodetector based on quasi-1D ZrSe_(3)

The in-plane anisotropy of transition metal trichalcogenides(MX_(3))has a significant impact on the molding of materi-als and MX_(3) is a perfect choice for polarized photodetectors.In this study,the crystal structure,optical and optoelectronic aniso-tropy of one kind of quasi-one-dimensional(1D)semiconductors,ZrSe_(3),are systematically investigated through experiments and theoretical studies.The ZrSe_(3)-based photodetector shows impressive wide spectral response from ultraviolet(UV)to near in-frared(NIR)and exhibits great optoelectrical properties with photoresponsivity of 11.9 mA·W^(-1) and detectivity of~106 at 532 nm.Moreover,the dichroic ratio of ZrSe_(3)-based polarized photodetector is around 1.1 at 808 nm.This study suggests that ZrSe_(3) has potential in optoelectronic applications and polarization detectors.

Anti-lymphangiogenesis for boosting drug accumulation in tumors

The inadequate tumor accumulation of anti-cancer agents is a major shortcoming of current therapeutic drugs and remains an even more significant concern in the clinical prospects for nanomedicines.Various strategies aiming at regulating the intratumoral permeability of therapeutic drugs have been explored in preclinical studies,with a primary focus on vascular regulation and stromal reduction.However,these methods may trigger or facilitate tumor metastasis as a tradeoff.Therefore,there is an urgent need for innovative strategies that boost intratumoral drug accumulation without compromising treatment outcomes.As another important factor affecting drug tumor accumulation besides vasculature and stroma,the impact of tumor-associated lymphatic vessels(LVs)has not been widely considered.In the current research,we verified that anlotinib,a tyrosine kinase inhibitor with anti-lymphangiogenesis activity,and SAR131675,a selective VEGFR-3 inhibitor,effectively decreased the density of tumor lymphatic vessels in mouse cancer models,further enhancing drug accumulation in tumor tissue.By combining anlotinib with therapeutic drugs,including doxorubicin(Dox),liposomal doxorubicin(Lip-Dox),and anti-PD-L1 antibody,we observed improved anti-tumor efficacy in comparison with monotherapy regimens.Meanwhile,this strategy significantly reduced tumor metastasis and elicited stronger anti-tumor immune responses.Our work describes a new,clinically transferrable approach to augmenting intratumoral drug accumulation,which shows great potential to address the current,unsatisfactory efficacies of therapeutic drugs without introducing metastatic risk.

Superhydrophobic magnetic Fe_(3)O_(4) polyurethane sponges for oil-water separation and oil-spill recovery

The effective and affordable separation of oil and water,a crucial process in the safe han dling of environmental disasters such as crude oil spills and recovery of valuable resources is a highly sought-after yet challenging task.Herein,superhydrophobic PU sponge was fab ricated for the fast and cost-effective adsorptive separation of oil and different organic sol vents from water.Octadecyltrichlorosilane(OTS)-functionalized Fe_(3)O_(4)@SiO_(2)core-shell mi crospheres were dip-coated on the surface of porous materials via a dip-coating process thereby endowing them with superhydrophobicity.Owing to the hydrophobic interaction between OTS molecules and oil and increased capillary force in the micropores,the result ing superhydrophobic sponge served as a selective oil-sorbent scaffold for absorbing oil from oil-water mixtures,including oil-water suspensions and emulsions.Remarkably,after the recovery of the adsorbed oil via mechanical extrusion,these superhydrophobic materials could be reused multiple times and maintain their oil-water separation efficacy even afte 10 oil-water separation cycles.

Engineering FeOOH/Ni(OH)_(2) heterostructures on Ni_(3)S_(2)surface to enhance seawater splitting

The construction of highly stable and efficient electrocatalysts is desirable for seawater splitting but remains challenging due to the high concentration of Cl-in seawater.Herein,FeOOH/Ni(OH)_(2)heterostructure supported on Ni_(3)S_(2)-covered nickel foam(Fe–Ni/Ni_(3)S_(2)/NF)was fabricated by hydrothermal and etching methods,as well as anodic oxidation process.The electronic structure of FeOOH and Ni(OH)_(2)could be modulated after depositing FeOOH nanoparticles on Ni(OH)_(2)nanosheet,which greatly boosted the catalytic activity.When the catalyst used as an electrode for oxygen evolution reaction(OER),it needed low overpotentials of 266 and 368 m V to achieve current densities of 100 and 800 m A·cm^(-2),respectively,in 1 mol·L^(-1)KOH+seawater electrolyte.It can operate continuously at 100 m A·cm^(-2)for 400 h without obvious decay.Particularly,in situ generated SO_(4)^(2-)from inner Ni_(3)S_(2)during electrolysis process would accumulate on the surface of active sites to form passivation layers to repel Cl^(-),which seemed to be responsible for superior stability.The study not only synthesizes an OER catalyst for highly selective and stable seawater splitting,but also gives a novel approach for industrial hydrogen production.

Comprehensive evaluation of an ionic liquid based deep purification process for NH_(3)-containing industrial gas

Ammonia(NH_(3))emission has caused serious environment issues and aroused worldwide concern.The emerging ionic liquid(IL)provides a greener way to efficiently capture NH_(3).This paper provides rigorous process simulation,optimization and assessment for a novel NH_(3)deep purification process using IL.The process was designed and investigated by simulation and optimization using ionic liquid[C_(4)im][NTF_(2)]as absorbent.Three objective functions,total purification cost(TPC),total process CO_(2)emission(TPCOE)and thermal efficiency(ηeff)were employed to optimize the absorption process.Process simulation and optimization results indicate that at same purification standard and recovery rate,the novel process can achieve lower cost and CO_(2)emission compared to benchmark process.After process optimization,the optimal functions can achieve 0.02726$/Nm~3(TPC),311.27 kg CO_(2)/hr(TP-COE),and 52.21%(ηeff)for enhanced process.Moreover,compared with conventional process,novel process could decrease over$3 million of purification cost and 10000 tons of CO_(2)emission during the life cycle.The results provide a novel strategy and guidance for deep purification of NH_(3)capture.

Dynamic RNA methylation modifications and their regulatory role in mammalian development and diseases

Among over 170 different types of chemical modifications on RNA nucleobases identified so far,RNA methylation is the major type of epitranscriptomic modifications existing on almost all types of RNAs,and has been demonstrated to participate in the entire process of RNA metabolism,including transcription,pre-mRNA alternative splicing and maturation,mRNA nucleus export,mRNA degradation and stabilization,mRNA translation.Attributing to the development of high-throughput detection technologies and the identification of both dynamic regulators and recognition proteins,mechanisms of RNA methylation modification in regulating the normal development of the organism as well as various disease occurrence and developmental abnormalities upon RNA methylation dysregulation have become increasingly clear.Here,we particularly focus on three types of RNA methylations:N^(6)-methylcytosine(m^(6)A),5-methylcytosine(m^(5)C),and N^(7)-methyladenosine(m^(7)G).We summarize the elements related to their dynamic installment and removal,specific binding proteins,and the development of high-throughput detection technologies.Then,for a comprehensive understanding of their biological significance,we also overview the latest knowledge on the underlying mechanisms and key roles of these three mRNA methylation modifications in gametogenesis,embryonic development,immune system development,as well as disease and tumor progression.