Lithium Ion Repulsion-Enrichment Synergism Induced by Core-Shell Ionic Complexes to Enable High-Loading Lithium Metal Batteries.

A core-shell additive with anionic Keggin-type polyoxometalate (POM) cluster as core and N-containing cation of ionic liquid (IL) as shell is proposed to stabilize Li-metal batteries (LMBs). The suspended POM derived complex in ether-based electrolyte is absorbed around the protuberances of anode and triggers a lithiophobic repulsion mechanism for the homogenization of Li+ redistribution. The gradually released POM cores with negative charge then enrich Li+ and co-assemble with Li. The Li+ repulsion-enrichment synergism can compact Li deposition and reinforce solid electrolyte interphase. This sustained-release additive enables Li∥Li symmetric cells with a long lifetime over 500 h and 300 h at high current densities of 3 and 5 mA cm-2 respectively. The complex additive is also compatible with high-voltage Li∥LiNi0.8 Co0.15 Al0.05 O2 (NCA) cells. Even with a NCA loading as high as ca. 20 mg cm-2 , the additive contained Li∥NCA cell can still cycle for over 100 cycles at 2.6 mA cm-2 .

Li2CO3-affiliative mechanism for air-accessible interface engineering of garnet electrolyte via facile liquid metal painting.

Garnet based solid-state batteries have the advantages of wide electrochemical window and good chemical stability. However, at Li-garnet interface, the poor interfacial wettability due to Li2CO3 passivation usually causes large resistance and unstable contact. Here, a Li2CO3-affiliative mechanism is proposed for air-accessible interface engineering of garnet electrolyte via facile liquid metal (LM) painting. The natural LM oxide skin enables a superior wettability of LM interlayer towards ceramic electrolyte and Li anode. Therein the removal of Li2CO3 passivation network is not necessary, in view of its delamination and fragmentation by LM penetration. This dissipation effect allows the lithiated LM nanodomains to serve as alternative Li-ion flux carriers at Li-garnet interface. This mechanism leads to an interfacial resistance as small as 5 Ω cm2 even after exposing garnet in air for several days. The ultrastable Li plating and stripping across LM painted garnet can last for 9930 h with a small overpotential.

Behind the Candelabra: A Facile Flame Vapor Deposition Method for Interfacial Engineering of Garnet Electrolyte To Enable Ultralong Cycling Solid-State Li-FeF3 Conversion Batteries.

The frustrating interfacial issue between Li metal anode and solid electrolyte is the main obstacle that restricts the commercial promotion of solid-state batteries. The garnet-type ceramic electrolyte with high stability against metallic Li has drawn much attention, but it also suffers from huge interfacial resistance and Li dendrite penetration due to the unavoidable formation of the carbonate passivation layer and limited interface contact. Herein, we propose a facile and effective method of flame vapor deposition to spray candle soot (CS) coating on the garnet surface. It enables the reduction of the carbonate layer and the conversion to a highly lithiophilic interlayer especially when in contact with molten Li. The lithiophilicity is rooted in the enrichment of graphitic polycrystalline domains in CS, which can be chemically or electrochemically lithiated to form the ionic/electronic dual-conductive network containing LiC6 moieties. The CS interlayer binds the Li metal with the garnet electrolyte tightly with gradual transition of Li-ion conductivity, leading to a significant reduction of the area-specific resistance to 50 Ω cm2 at 60 °C with high cycling and current endurance. Garnet-based symmetric cells and solid-state full cells conducting this strategy exhibit impressive electrochemical reversibility and durability under the preservation of the compact interface and smooth Li plating/stripping. The modified Li/garnet/FeF3 batteries exhibit a discharge capacity as high as 500 mA h g-1 and long-term cyclability for at least 1500 cycles (with capacity preserved at 281.7 and 201 mA h g-1 at 100 and 200 µA cm-2, respectively). This candle combustion strategy can be extended to more ceramic electrolytes compatible with high-temperature pretreatment.

Optical refrigeration: the role of parasitic absorption at cryogenic temperatures.

Optical cooling of a YLF:Yb single crystal to 87 K, well below the minimum achievable temperature predicted from existing theory, has been observed. This discrepancy between theory and data has motivated us to revisit the current model of optical refrigeration, in particular the critical role of parasitic background absorption. Challenging experiments that measured the cooling efficiency as a function of temperature reveal that the background absorption coefficient decreases with temperature, resulting in a significant enhancement of the cooling efficiency at cryogenic temperatures. These discoveries emphasize the high sensitivity of optical cooling to impurity-mediated processes and show the necessity of formulating a cooling model that includes the temperature dependence of the background absorption. To properly characterize the cooling properties of any sample, it is necessary to measure its low-temperature performance.

Radiation-balanced Yb:YAG disk laser.

A radiation-balanced Yb:YAG disk laser is demonstrated in an intracavity pumping geometry. Detailed analysis of the data reveals the feasibility of using the multi-kilowatt level "athermal" disk lasers with minimal modal instabilities, which arise from thermal lensing.

First demonstration of an all-solid-state optical cryocooler.

Solid-state optical refrigeration uses anti-Stokes fluorescence to cool macroscopic objects to cryogenic temperatures without vibrations. Crystals such as Yb3+-doped YLiF4 (YLF:Yb) have previously been laser-cooled to 91 K. In this study, we show for the first time laser cooling of a payload connected to a cooling crystal. A YLF:Yb crystal was placed inside a Herriott cell and pumped with a 1020-nm laser (47 W) to cool a HgCdTe sensor that is part of a working Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer to 135 K. This first demonstration of an all-solid-state optical cryocooler was enabled by careful control of the various desired and undesired heat flows. Fluorescence heating of the payload was minimized by using a single-kink YLF thermal link between the YLF:Yb cooling crystal and the copper coldfinger that held the HgCdTe sensor. The adhesive-free bond between YLF and YLF:Yb showed excellent thermal reliability. This laser-cooled assembly was then supported by silica aerogel cylinders inside a vacuum clamshell to minimize undesired conductive and radiative heat loads from the warm surroundings. Our structure can serve as a baseline for future optical cryocooler devices.

A microfluidics-based mobility shift assay to identify new inhibitors of ß-secretase for Alzheimer's disease.

The ß-secretase (BACE1) initiates the generation of toxic amyloid-ß peptide (Aß) from amyloid-ß precursor protein (APP), which was widely considered to play a key role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, a novel microfluidics-based mobility shift assay (MMSA) was developed, validated, and applied for the screening of BACE1 inhibitors for AD. First, the BACE1 activity assay was established with a new fluorescent peptide substrate (FAM-EVNLDAEF) derived from the Swedish mutant APP, and high-quality ratiometric data were generated in both endpoint and kinetic modes by electrophoretic separation of peptide substrate from the BACE1 cleaved product (FAM-EVNL) before fluorescence quantification. To validate the assay, the inhibition and kinetic parameter values of two known inhibitors (AZD3839 and AZD3293) were evaluated, and the results were in good agreement with those reported by other methods. Finally, the assay was applied to screen for new inhibitors from a 900-compound library in a 384-well format, and one novel hit (IC50 = 26.5 ± 1.5 µM) was identified. Compared with the common fluorescence-based assays, the primary advantage of the direct MMSA was to discover novel BACE1 inhibitors with lower auto-fluorescence interference, and its superb capability for kinetic study. Graphical abstract Microfluidics-based mobility shift assay for BACE1.

White light photothermal lens spectrophotometer for the determination of absorption in scattering samples.

We developed a pump-probe photothermal lens spectrophotometer that uses a broadband arc-lamp and a set of interference filters to provide tunable, nearly monochromatic radiation between 370 and 730 nm as the pump light source. This light is focused onto an absorbing sample, generating a photothermal lens of millimeter dimensions. A highly collimated monochromatic probe light from a low-power He-Ne laser interrogates the generated lens, yielding a photothermal signal proportional to the absorption of light. We measure the absorption spectra of scattering dye solutions using the device. We show that the spectra are not affected by the presence of scattering, confirming that the method only measures the absorption of light that results in generation of heat. By comparing the photothermal spectra with the usual absorption spectra determined using commercial transmission spectrophotometers, we estimate the quantum yield of scattering of the sample. We discuss applications of the device for spectroscopic characterization of samples such as blood and gold nanoparticles that exhibit a complex behavior upon interaction with light.

Missense mutations in IHH impair Indian Hedgehog signaling in C3H10T1/2 cells: Implications for brachydactyly type A1, and new targets for Hedgehog signaling.

Heterozygous missense mutations in IHH result in Brachydactyly type A1 (BDA1; OMIM 112500), a condition characterized by the shortening of digits due to hypoplasia/aplasia of the middle phalanx. Indian Hedgehog signaling regulates the proliferation and differentiation of chondrocytes and is essential for endochondral bone formation. Analyses of activated IHH signaling in C3H10T1/2 cells showed that three BDA1-associated mutations (p.E95K, p.D100E and p.E131K) severely impaired the induction of targets such as Ptch1 and Gli1. However, this was not a complete loss of function, suggesting that these mutations may affect the interaction with the receptor PTCH1 or its partners, with an impact on the induction potency. From comparative microarray expression analyses and quantitative real-time PCR, we identified three additional targets, Sostdc1, Penk1 and Igfbp5, which were also severely affected. Penk1 and Igfbp5 were confirmed to be regulated by GLI1, while the induction of Sostdc1 by IHH is independent of GLI1. SOSTDC1 is a BMP antagonist, and altered BMP signaling is known to affect digit formation. The role of Penk1 and Igfbp5 in skeletogenesis is not known. However, we have shown that both Penk1 and Igfbp5 are expressed in the interzone region of the developing joint of mouse digits, providing another link for a role for IHH signaling in the formation of the distal digits.

A comparative proteomics analysis of rat mitochondria from the cerebral cortex and hippocampus in response to antipsychotic medications.

An increasing number of experiments have found anomalies in mitochondria in the brains of psychotics, which suggests that mitochondrial dysfunction or abnormal cerebral energy metabolism might play an important role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia (SCZ). We adopted a proteomic approach to identify the differential effects on the cerebral cortex and hippocampus mitochondrial protein expression of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats by comparing exposure to typical and atypical antipsychotic medications. Differential mitochondrial protein expressions were assessed using two-dimensional (2D) gel electrophoresis for three groups with Chlorpromazine (CPZ), Clozapine (CLZ), quetiapine (QTP) and a control group. A total of 14 proteins, of which 6 belong to the respiratory electron transport chain (ETC) of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), showed significant changes in quantity including NADH dehydrogenase (ubiquinone) 1 alpha subcomplex 10 (Ndufa10), NADH dehydrogenase (ubiquinone) flavoprotein 2 (Ndufv2), NADH dehydrogenase (ubiquinone) Fe-S protein 3 (Ndufs3), F1-ATPase beta subunit (Atp5b), ATPase, H+ transporting, lysosomal, beta 56/58 kDa, isoform 2 (Atp6v1b2) and ATPase, H+ transporting, V1 subunit A, isoform 1 (Atp6v1a1). The differential proteins subjected to 2D were assessed for levels of mRNA using quantitative real time PCR (Q-RT-PCR), and we also made partial use of Western blotting for assessing differential expression. The results of our study may help to explain variations in SD rats as well as in human response to antipsychotic drugs. In addition, they should improve our understanding of both the curative effects and side effects of antipsychotics and encourage new directions in SCZ research.

No association found between the promoter variants of ADRA1A and schizophrenia in the Chinese population.

Schizophrenia is a chronic psychiatry disorder with a strong genetic component. A recent association study of alpha(1A)-adrenoceptor gene (ADRA1A) involving an isolated Spanish population, focusing on the promoter region of the ADRA1A, genotyped eight single SNPs at the promoter region of ADRA1A and found that two SNPs, -563G/A and -9625G/A, were associated with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders. We were interested in the two positive sites reported and selected five variants among the promoter region of ADRA1A, namely -563G/A, -9625G/A, -2760C/A, -4155G/C and a new substitution we detected between -508bp and -530bp upstream of the translation initiation site. Our sample consisted of 480 schizophrenia and 480 control subjects. All recruits were Han Chinese in Shanghai origin. However, neither individual SNP nor any haplotype was associated with schizophrenia in our study. These results suggest that the variants among the promoter of ADRA1A gene are unlikely to play a major role in the susceptibility to schizophrenia in the Chinese population.

No significant association between the genetic polymorphisms in the GSK-3 beta gene and schizophrenia in the Chinese population.

The GSK-3 beta gene encodes a protein kinase which is abundant in the brain, and its product is involved in signal transduction cascades of neuronal cell development, energy metabolism and body pattern formation. Previous studies have suggested that GSK-3 beta might act as a potential candidate locus for schizophrenia susceptibility. We genotyped six SNPs within the gene and conducted a case-control study involving 329 schizophrenic patients and 288 healthy subjects in the Chinese population. We examined allele and genotype frequencies and haplotype distributions in the subtype of paranoid schizophrenic patients as well as schizophrenic subjects in general. Our results fail to replicate the association of the GSK-3 beta gene with susceptibility to schizophrenia in the Chinese population.

Lack of association between three serotonin genes and suicidal behavior in Chinese psychiatric patients.

BACKGROUND: Suicide is a significant health problem throughout the world. The serotoninergic system is believed to be involved in suicidal behavior and there is evidence of biological abnormalities of two serotonin receptors (HTR2A, HTR2C) and one serotonin transporter (5HTT) in suicide victims. Rs6313 (T102C) of HTR2A and rs6318 (Cys23Ser) of HTR2C have been investigated in suicide behavior in other studies. METHODS: Here, we investigated rs6313 and rs6318 and other 10 randomly chosen SNPs, of those three genes in a study of 329 psychiatric patients who had never attempted suicide and 297 patients who had attempted suicide. RESULTS: No associations were found for the 12 SNPS. CONCLUSIONS: Our results do not support the involvement of HTR2A, 5HTT or HTR2C in suicidal behavior in Han Chinese subjects.

IHH and FGF8 coregulate elongation of digit primordia.

In the developing limb bud, digit pattern arises from anterior-posterior (A-P) positional information which is provided by the concentration gradient of SHH. However, the mechanisms of translating early asymmetry into morphological form are still unclear. Here, we examined the ability of IHH and FGF8 signaling to regulate digital chondrogenesis, by implanting protein-loaded beads in the interdigital space singly and in combination. We found that IHH protein induced an elongated digit and that FGF8 protein blocked the terminal phalange formation. Molecular marker analysis showed that IHH expanded Sox9 expression in mesenchymal cells possibly through up-regulated FGF8 expression. Application of both IHH and FGF8 protein induced a large terminal phalange. These results suggest that both enhanced IHH and FGF8 signaling are required for the development of additional cartilage element in limbs. IHH and FGF8 maybe play different roles and act synergistically to promote chondrogenesis during digit primordia elongation.

An association study between PPP1R1B gene and schizophrenia in the Chinese population.

Schizophrenia has been linked with dysfunctions of glutamatergic, dopaminergic, and serotonergic neurotransmission. Dopamine- and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein of relative molecular mass 32 kDa (DARPP-32), encoded by PPP1R1B (protein phosphatase 1, regulatory/inhibitor subunit 1B) gene, is enriched in neostriatal medium spiny neurons. It plays a key regulator role in dopaminergic and glutamatergic signaling pathways. The combined evidence from reduced DARPP-32 expression in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in schizophrenic patients and from abnormalities in mice with a genetic deletion of DARPP-32 or with point mutations in phosphorylation sites of DARPP-32 suggested that it would be worthwhile to investigate the association between DARPP-32 and schizophrenia. In the present study, we genotyped five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the PPP1R1B gene and conducted a case-control study involving 520 schizophrenic patients and 386 healthy subjects drawn from the Chinese population. No allelic, genotypic or haplotypic association was found. However, our results do not preclude the possibility that the PPP1R1B is a susceptibility gene for schizophrenia in the Chinese population, since, as a central molecular switch, PPP1R1B may contribute to schizophrenia by interacting with other genes. Further functional analysis and genetic association studies are needed to determine the potential roles of PPP1R1B and other related genes in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.

Screening for SNPs and haplotypes in the CYP3A7 gene in Chinese populations.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequencies and haplotypes of the cytochrome P450 (CYP)3A7 gene in three Chinese ethnic groups, namely, Han, She and Dong. METHODS: SNP analyses of the CYP3A7 gene were carried out on three groups of healthy Chinese subjects consisting of 539 Han, 264 She and 273 Dong subjects, using direct sequencing. Linkage disequilibrium, haplotype inference and Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were also determined for these samples. RESULTS: Significant differences were observed in the distribution of SNP rs2257401 (CYP3A7*2), SNP 1227 T>C (Novel), SNP rs4646468 and SNP rs10211 between the Han, She and Dong groups. CONCLUSION: Some allele and haplotype frequencies show variation among groups, highlighting the need to analyze clinically relevant SNPs and haplotypes in a variety of different racial groups within the Chinese population as well as in other ethnic groups. These results suggest that genetic polymorphisms in the CYP3A7 gene in the Han, She and Dong populations may contribute to interindividual as well as intra-ethnic differences in response to the clearance of CYP3A7 substrates.

The PIP5K2A gene and schizophrenia in the Chinese population--a case-control study.

Results from a number of molecular and pharmacological studies suggest that the phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate 5-kinase IIalpha (PIP5K2A) gene may be involved in the development of schizophrenia. A recent family-based transmission disequilibrium test in the German and Israeli populations found that four single nucleotide polymorphisms, rs1417374, rs10828317, rs746203 and rs8341 in this gene or nearby intergenic regions are significantly associated with schizophrenia. The objective of our study was to investigate whether these four SNPs are also associated with schizophrenia in the Chinese population. Our study found that SNP rs8341 (p=0.0045, Odds Ratio=1.415, 95%CI=1.113-1.799 for the minor allele) and a haplotype (p=0.0039, Odds Ratio=1.440, 95%CI=1.123-1.845) are significantly associated with schizophrenia. Our results confirm that the PIP5K2A gene merits further study as a susceptible gene for schizophrenia.

Functional variants in the promoter region of Chitinase 3-like 1 (CHI3L1) and susceptibility to schizophrenia.

The chitinase 3-like 1 gene (CHI3L1) is abnormally expressed in the hippocampus of subjects with schizophrenia and may be involved in the cellular response to various environmental events that are reported to increase the risk of schizophrenia. Here, we provide evidence that the functional variants at the CHI3L1 locus influence the genetic risk of schizophrenia. First, using case-control and transmission/disequilibrium-test (TDT) methodologies, we detected a significant association between schizophrenia and haplotypes within the promoter region of CHI3L1 in two independent cohorts of Chinese individuals. Second, the at-risk CCC haplotype (P=.00058 and .0018 in case-control and TDT studies, respectively) revealed lower transcriptional activity (P=2.2 x 10(-7)) and was associated with lower expression (P=3.1 x 10(-5)) compared with neutral and protective haplotypes. Third, we found that an allele of SNP4 (rs4950928), the tagging SNP of CCC, impaired the MYC/MAX-regulated transcriptional activation of CHI3L1 by altering the transcriptional-factor consensus sequences, and this may be responsible for the decreased expression of the CCC haplotype. In contrast, the protective TTG haplotype was associated with a high level of CHI3L1 expression. Our findings identify CHI3L1 as a potential schizophrenia-susceptibility gene and suggest that the genes involved in the biological response to adverse environmental conditions are likely to play roles in the predisposition to schizophrenia.

The relationship between the therapeutic response to risperidone and the dopamine D2 receptor polymorphism in Chinese schizophrenia patients.

Antipsychotic drugs exert both therapeutic and adverse effects through dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) antagonism. Genetic variants of this receptor may be responsible for individual variations in neuroleptic response and may therefore be useful in predicting response. In this study we evaluated the role of six polymorphisms of the DRD2 gene in 125 risperidone-treated Chinese schizophrenia patients following the hypothesis that variation in the DRD2 gene could affect drug response. Response was categorized as a change of >40% on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). Our results show that genotyping A-241G may help to predict the efficacy of risperidone treatment on the basis that patients with the A allele showed greater improvement than those with the G allele on the overall BPRS (chi2=7.19, p=0.007, p=0.031 after correction by the program SNPSpD), while other polymorphisms, including -141C Ins/Del, TaqIB, rs1076562, T939C and TaqIA, did not show any association with the response to risperidone. These data suggest that the DRD2 A-241G polymorphism or, alternatively, another genetic variation that is in linkage disequilibrium, may influence response to risperidone in schizophrenia patients.