A rabies virus-based toolkit for efficient retrograde labeling and monosynaptic tracing

Analyzing the structure and function of the brain's neural network is critical for identifying the working principles of the brain and the mechanisms of brain diseases.Recombinant rabies viral vectors allow for the retrograde labeling of projection neurons and cell type-specific trans-monosynaptic tracing,making these vectors powerful candidates for the dissection of synaptic inputs.Although several attenuated rabies viral vectors have been developed,their application in studies of functional networks is hindered by the long preparation cycle and low yield of these vectors.To overcome these limitations,we developed an improved production system for the rapid rescue and preparation of a high-titer CVS-N2c-ΔG virus.Our results showed that the new CVS-N2c-ΔG-based toolkit performed remarkably:(1)N2cG-coated CVS-N2c-ΔG allowed for efficient retrograde access to projection neurons that were unaddressed by rAAV9-Retro,and the efficiency was six times higher than that of rAAV9-Retro;(2)the trans-monosynaptic efficiency of oG-mediated CVS-N2c-ΔG was 2–3 times higher than that of oG-mediated SAD-B19-ΔG;(3)CVS-N2c-ΔG could delivery modified genes for neural activity monitoring,and the time window during which this was maintained was 3 weeks;and(4)CVS-N2c-ΔG could express sufficient recombinases for efficient transgene recombination.These findings demonstrate that new CVS-N2c-ΔG-based toolkit may serve as a versatile tool for structural and functional studies of neural circuits.

Influence of process parameters on properties of AA6082 in hot forming process

The influences of process parameters on mechanical properties of AA6082in the hot forming and cold-die quenching(HFQ)process were analysed experimentally.Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the precipitate distribution and to thus clarify strengthening mechanism.A new model was established to describe the strengthening of AA6082by HFQ process in this novel forming technique.The material constants in the model were determined using a genetic algorithm tool.This strengthening model for AA6082can precisely describe the relationship between the strengths of formed workpieces and process parameters.The predicted results agree well with the experimental ones.The Pearson correlation coefficient,average absolute relative error,and root-mean-square error between the calculated and experimental hardness values are0.99402,2.0054%,and2.045,respectively.The model is further developed into an FE code ABAQUS via VUMAT to predict the mechanical property variation of a hot-stamped cup in various ageing conditions.

Antidiabetic activity of Callicarpa nudiflora extract in type 2 diabetic rats via activation of the AMPK-ACC pathway

Objective:To evaluate the antidiabetic effect of Callicarpa nudiflora extract in streptozotoc-ininduced diabetic rats.Methods:The chemical constituents in Callicarpa nudiflora extract were identified by UPLCQ-TOF-MS.Callicarpa nudiflora extract(0.15 and 0.3 g/kg)was orally administered to streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats for 42 d.The effects of Callicarpa nudiflora extract on body weight,blood glucose,serum insulin,total cholesterol,triglyceride,LDL-C and HDL-C were investigated,and its effect on liver and pancreatic pathology was assessed by histopathological analysis.Moreover,the expression levels of adenosine 5’-monophosphate-activated protein kinase(AMPK),glucose transporter type 4(GLUT4),phospho-AMPK/AMPK,and p-acetylcoA carboxylase(P-ACC)/ACC in the skeletal muscles and liver were determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction,Western blotting,and immunohistochemistry.Results:A total of 34 compounds,including 8 iridoids,14 phenylpropanoids,and 12 flavonoids,were identified from Callicarpa nudiflora extract.Callicarpa nudiflora extract significantly reduced blood glucose and significantly restored all other biochemical parameters to near normal levels,including serum insulin,total cholesterol,triglyceride,LDL-C,and HDL-C.Callicarpa nudiflora extract improved insulin resistance and reversed the damage in the liver and pancreas caused by diabetes.Furthermore,Callicarpa nudiflora extract increased the expression levels of phospho-AMPK,GLUT4,P-ACC,and insulin receptor substrate-1 and decreased the expression level of PPAR r in diabetic rats.Conclusions:Callicarpa nudiflora extract improved oral glucose tolerance,lipid metabolism,insulin resistance,and reversed the diabetes-related damage in the liver and pancreas by activating the AMPK-ACC pathway.

Ductile fracture behavior of TA15 titanium alloy at elevated temperatures

To better understand the fracture behavior of TA15 titanium alloy during hot forming, three groups of experiments were conducted to investigate the influence of deformation temperature, strain rate, initial microstructure, and stress triaxiality on the fracture behavior of TA15 titanium alloy. The microstructure and fracture surface of the alloy were observed by scanning electronic microscopy to analyze the potential fracture mechanisms under the experimental deformation conditions. The experimental results indicate that the fracture strain increases with increasing deformation temperature, decreasing strain rate, and decreasing stress triaxiality. Fracture is mainly caused by the nucleation, growth, and coalescence of microvoids because of the breakdown of compatibility requirements at the α/β interface. In the equiaxed microstructure, the fracture strain decreases with decreasing volume fraction of the primary α-phase(αp) and increasing α/β-interface length. In the bimodal microstructure, the fracture strain is mainly affected by α-lamella width.

Influence of process parameters on the microstructural evolution of a rear axle tube during cross wedge rolling

In the shaping process of cross wedge rolling（CWR）, metal undergoes a complex microstructural evolution, which affects the quality and mechanical properties of the product. Through secondary development of the DEFORM-3D software, we developed a rigid plastic finite element model for a CWR-processed rear axle tube, coupled with thermomechanical and microstructural aspects of workpieces. Using the developed model, we investigated the microstructural evolution of the CWR process. Also, the influence of numerous parameters, including the initial temperature of workpieces, the roll speed, the forming angle, and the spreading angle, on the grain size and the grain-size uniformity of the rolled workpieces was analyzed. The numerical simulation was verified through rolling and metallographic experiments. Good agreement was obtained between the calculated and experimental results, which demonstrated the reliability of the model constructed in this work.

Lightweight,Strong and High Heat-Resistant Poly(lactide acid)Foams via Microcellular Injection Molding with Self-Assembly Nucleating Agent

Poly(lactide acid)(PLA)foams have shown considerable promise as eco-friendly alternatives to nondegradable plastic foams,such as polystyrene(PS)foams.Nevertheless,PLA foam typically suffers from low heat-resistance and poor cellular structure stemming from its inherent slow crystallization rate and low melt strength.In this study,a high-performance PLA foam with well-defined cell morphology,exceptional strength and enhanced heat-resistance was successfully fabricated via a core-back microcellular injection molding(MIM)process.Differential scanning calorimetry(DSC)results revealed that the added hydrazine-based nucleating agent(HNA)significantly increased the crystallization temperature and accelerated the crystallization process of PLA.Remarkably,the addition of a 1.5 wt%of HNA led to a significant reduction in PLA’s cell size,from 43.5µm to 2.87µm,and a remarkable increase in cell density,from 1.08×10^(7)cells/cm^(3)to 2.15×10^(10)cells/cm^(3).This enhancement resulted in a final crystallinity of approximately 55.7%for the PLA blend foam,a marked improvement compared to the pure PLA foam.Furthermore,at 1.5 wt%HNA concentration,the tensile strength and tensile toughness of PLA blend foams demonstrated remarkable improvements of 136%and 463%,respectively.Additionally,the Vicat softening temperature of PLA blend foam increased significantly to 134.8°C,whereas the pure PLA foam exhibited only about 59.7℃.These findings underscore the potential for the preparation of lightweight injection-molded PLA foam with enhanced toughness and heat-resistance,which offers a viable approach for the production of high-performance PLA foams suitable for large-scale applications.