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PLC??1 in dopamine neurons critically regulates striatal dopamine release via VMAT2 and synapsin III
No full textDopamine neurons are essential for voluntary movement, reward learning, and motivation, and their dysfunction is closely linked to various psychological and neurodegenerative diseases. Hence, understanding the detailed signaling mechanisms that functionally modulate dopamine neurons is crucial for the development of better therapeutic strategies against dopamine-related disorders. Phospholipase C??1 (PLC??1) is a key enzyme in intracellular signaling that regulates diverse neuronal functions in the brain. It was proposed that PLC??1 is implicated in the development of dopaminergic neurons, while the physiological function of PLC??1 remains to be determined. In this study, we investigated the physiological role of PLC??1, one of the key effector enzymes in intracellular signaling, in regulating dopaminergic function in vivo. We found that cell type-specific deletion of PLC??1 does not adversely affect the development and cellular morphology of midbrain dopamine neurons but does facilitate dopamine release from dopaminergic axon terminals in the striatum. The enhancement of dopamine release was accompanied by increased colocalization of vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) at dopaminergic axon terminals. Notably, dopamine neuron-specific knockout of PLC??1 also led to heightened expression and colocalization of synapsin III, which controls the trafficking of synaptic vesicles. Furthermore, the knockdown of VMAT2 and synapsin III in dopamine neurons resulted in a significant attenuation of dopamine release, while this attenuation was less severe in PLC??1 cKO mice. Our findings suggest that PLC??1 in dopamine neurons could critically modulate dopamine release at axon terminals by directly or indirectly interacting with synaptic machinery, including VMAT2 and synapsin III
Fluorination-Induced Conversion of the Quasi- to the Normal Interchain Packing in Push???Pull Conjugated Polymer Aggregates
No full textWe investigated the chain-length and fluorination effects on photophysics within push???pull conjugated polymer (CP, Mw 40k/100k PBDB-T and Mw 100k PM6) aggregates using transient absorption spectroscopy. Our findings reveal that J-type excitons were more induced in relatively ordered domains than in disordered domains of PBDB-T. Interestingly, the ordered domains of Mw 100k PBDB-T aggregates induce interchain packing with localized chain cross-linked points, referred to as quasi-interchain packing, due to chain folding and increased intrachain rigidity. Two fluorination effects were observed in the PM6 aggregates. First, the intrachain rigidity decreased in the PM6 film compared to the PBDB-T films. Second, the formation of localized chain cross-linked points was suppressed in the ordered domains, resulting in the conversion of the quasi- to the normal interchain packing and the enhanced H-type excitonic couplings. Our findings provide new insights into the exciton dynamics study in CP aggregates and the bulk-heterojunction blends of polymer solar cells
Rheology-tailored stable aramid nanofiber suspensions for fabricating ultra-strong and electrically insulated additive-free nanopapers
No full textAlthough aramid nanofiber paper (ANF-P) is a promising alternative to conventional electrical insulation paper, its performance requires further optimization. This study aimed to establish an optimal nanopaper-fabrication process by using rheology-controlled suspensions to achieve remarkably strengthened pure ANF-Ps. The ANF-P was fabricated in two steps: 1) preparing ANF suspension (ANF-SH???O) by precipitating ANF/dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) (ANF-DDMSO), and 2) preparing ANF-P by vacuum-filtrating ANF-SH2O. Under an in-situ homogenization-assisted precipitation in step 1, the concentration of ANF-DDMSO predominantly affected both the suspension stability and nanopaper performance. Semi-dilute ANF-DDMSOs (0.1???0.7 wt%) produced stable suspensions and strong ANF-Ps (mechanical modulus and strength of 4.5???5.1 GPa and 221.4???243.4 MPa, respectively), while concentrated ANF-DDMSOs (1.0???2.0 wt%) yielded unstable suspensions and weak ANF-Ps (0.3???3.2 GPa and 12.6???139.0 MPa, respectively). The former ANF-SH2Os comprised branched or sheet-like precipitated particles that were favorable for structuring the paper, whereas the latter ones consisted of irregular particles. Particularly at a thickness of 17 ??m, ANF-Ps from 0.3 wt% ANF-DDMSO exhibited record-high mechanical performances (modulus, strength, and toughness of 7.4 GPa, 382.3 MPa, and 32.5 MJ???m???3, respectively) compared to previously reported pure ANF-Ps. In addition, ANF-Ps exhibited a remarkable dielectric breakdown strength of ???200.3 kV???mm???1. Rheologically, ANF-SH2Os from semi-dilute ANF-DDMSOs provided a higher scaling exponent of elastic modulus, indicating a higher degree of particle entanglement. Moreover, the strain-induced modulus overshoot phenomena revealed a highly structured suspension network. Therefore, linear- and nonlinear-suspension rheology provide a fundamental guideline for fortifying the foundation of industrial production of high-performance nanopapers
Reversible Na Plating/Stripping with High Areal Capacity Using an Electroconductive Liquid Electrolyte System
No full textAnode-free sodium-metal batteries (AFSMBs) are promising candidates for maximizing energy density and minimizing cost and safety hazards in the absence of metallic sodium during cell assembly. The practical implementation of AFSMBs is hindered by the low cycling stability of Na-metal plating and stripping, particularly under high areal capacities, due to unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer formation with electrolyte decomposition and inactive dead Na formation. Here, we proposed an electroconductive electrolyte system consisting of liquid electrolytes that accept electrons at a certain energy level and form electronically conductive and solid electrolytes that prevent internal short circuit through low electronic conductivity. The electron acceptability and high electronic conductivity of the liquid electrolyte can suppress the irreversible electron transfer with electrolyte decomposition and reutilize the inactive dead metal, respectively. The functions of the system were demonstrated using a sodium biphenyl liquid electrolyte-NASICON solid electrolyte in a seawater battery (SWB) system, which features an infinite sodium source. The anode-free SWB cells achieved a high Coulombic efficiency of >= 99.9% for over 60 cycles at a high areal capacity of similar to 24 mAh/cm(2). This study provides insight into the Na plating/stripping properties in anode-free systems and proposes a significant strategy for improving the reversibility of metal anodes for various battery systems with solid electrolytes
Autonomous calibration of EFDC for predicting chlorophyll-a using reinforcement learning and a real-time monitoring system
No full textCyanobacterial blooms cause critical damage to aquatic ecosystems and water resources. Therefore, numerical models have been utilized to simulate cyanobacteria by calibrating model parameters for accurate simulation. While conventional calibration, which uses fixed water quality parameters throughout the simulation period, is commonly utilized, it may lead to inaccurate modeling results. To address it, this study proposed a reinforcement learning and environmental fluid dynamics code (EFDC-RL) model that uses real-time pontoon monitoring data and hyperspectral images to autonomously control water quality parameters. The EFDC-RL model showed impressive performance, with an R2 value of 0.7406 and 0.4126 for the training and test datasets, respectively. In comparison, the Chlorophyll-a simulation of conventional calibration had an R2 of 0.2133 and 0.0220, respectively. This study shows that the EFDC-RL model is a suitable framework for autonomous calibration of water quality parameters and real-time spatiotemporal simulation of cyanobacteria distribution