Leucokinin and Associated Neuropeptides Regulate Multiple Aspects of Physiology and Behavior in Drosophila

Leucokinins (LKs) constitute a family of neuropeptides identified in numerous insects and many other invertebrates. LKs act on G-protein-coupled receptors that display only distant relations to other known receptors. In adult Drosophila, 26 neurons/neurosecretory cells of three main types express LK. The four brain interneurons are of two types, and these are implicated in several important functions in the fly’s behavior and physiology, including feeding, sleep–metabolism interactions, state-dependent memory formation, as well as modulation of gustatory sensitivity and nociception. The 22 neurosecretory cells (abdominal LK neurons, ABLKs) of the abdominal neuromeres co-express LK and a diuretic hormone (DH44), and together, these regulate water and ion homeostasis and associated stress as well as food intake. In Drosophila larvae, LK neurons modulate locomotion, escape responses and aspects of ecdysis behavior. A set of lateral neurosecretory cells, ALKs (anterior LK neurons), in the brain express LK in larvae, but inconsistently so in adults. These ALKs co-express three other neuropeptides and regulate water and ion homeostasis, feeding, and drinking, but the specific role of LK is not yet known. This review summarizes Drosophila data on embryonic lineages of LK neurons, functional roles of individual LK neuron types, interactions with other peptidergic systems, and orchestrating functions of LK.     

医用质子/重离子加速器辐射屏蔽设计概述

近年来我国医用质子/重离子加速器治癌产业开始飞速发展。粒子加速器运行时会产生次级辐射从而危及环境、公众及工作人员的辐射安全,可靠的辐射屏蔽设计是装置运行时辐射安全的必要保障。本文简要分析了医用质子/重离子加速器辐射屏蔽设计的一般考虑因素;介绍了几种常用的屏蔽计算方法并给出了计算实例。本文的研究内容对未来将要建造的医用质子/重离子加速器的辐射屏蔽设计具有一定的参考意义。     

Direct View on the Origin of High Li+ Transfer Impedance in All-Solid-State Battery

Large interfacial resistance plays a dominant role in the performance of all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries. However, the mechanism of interfacial resistance has been under debate. Here, the Li⁺ transport at the interfacial region is investigated to reveal the origin of the high Li⁺ transfer impedance in a LiCoO₂(LCO)/LiPON/Pt all-solid-state battery. Both an unexpected nanocrystalline layer and a structurally disordered transition layer are discovered to be inherent to the LCO/LiPON interface. Under electrochemical conditions, the nanocrystalline layer with insufficient electrochemical stability leads to the introduction of voids during electrochemical cycles, which is the origin of the high Li⁺ transfer impedance at solid electrolyte-electrode interfaces. In addition, at relatively low temperatures, the oxygen vacancies migration in the transition layer results in the formation of Co₃O₄ nanocrystalline layer with nanovoids, which contributes to the high Li⁺ transfer impedance. This work sheds light on the mechanism for the high interfacial resistance and promotes overcoming the interfacial issues in all-solid-state batteries.     

Lithiophilic MXene-Guided Lithium Metal Nucleation and Growth Behavior

The positive effects of a lithiophilic substrate on the electrochemical performance of lithium metal anodes are confirmed in several reports, while the understanding of lithiophilic substrate-guided lithium metal nucleation and growth behavior is still insufficient. In this study, the effect of a lithiophilic surface on lithium metal nucleation and growth behaviors is investigated using a large-area Ti₃C₂T_x MXene substrate with a large number of oxygen and fluorine dual heteroatoms. The use of the MXene substrate results in a high lithium-ion concentration as well as the formation of uniform solid–electrolyte-interface (SEI) layers on the lithiophilic surface. The solid–solid interface (MXene-SEI layer) significantly affects the surface tension of the deposited lithium metal nuclei as well as the nucleation overpotential, resulting in the formation of uniformly dispersed lithium nanoparticles ( ≈ 10–20 nm in diameter) over the entire MXene surface. The primary lithium nanoparticles preferentially coalesce and agglomerate into larger secondary particles while retaining their primary particle shapes. Subsequently, they form close-packed structures, resulting in a dense metal layer composed of particle-by-particle microstructures. This distinctive lithium metal deposition behavior leads to highly reversible cycling performance with high Columbic efficiencies >  99.0% and long cycle lives of over 1000 cycles.     

Nitrate Additives Coordinated with Crown Ether Stabilize Lithium Metal Anodes in Carbonate Electrolyte

Lithium metal anodes (LMAs) are promising for next-generation batteries but have poor compatibility with the widely used carbonate-based electrolytes, which is a major reason for their severe dendrite growth and low Coulombic efficiency (CE). A nitrate additive to the electrolyte is an effective solution, but its low solubility in carbonates is a problem that can be solved using a crown ether, as reported. A rubidium nitrate additive coordinated with 18-crown-6 crown ether stabilizes the LMA in a carbonate electrolyte. The coordination promotes the dissolution of NO₃⁻ ions and helps form a dense solid electrolyte interface that is Li₃N-rich which guides uniform Li deposition. In addition, the Rb (18-crown-6)⁺ complexes are adsorbed on the dendrite tips, shielding them from Li deposition on the dendrite tips. A high CE of 97.1% is achieved with a capacity of 1 mAh cm⁻² in a half cell, much higher than when using the additive-free electrolyte (92.2%). Such an additive is very compatible with a nickel-rich ternary cathode at a high voltage, and the assembled full battery with a cathode material loading up to 10 mg cm⁻² shows an average CE of 99.8% over 200 cycles, indicating a potential for practical use.     

Current advances concerning the most cited metal ions doped bioceramics and silicate-based bioactive glasses for bone tissue engineering

Studies related to biomaterials that stimulate the repair of living tissue have increased considerably, improving the quality of many people's lives that require surgery due to traumatic accidents, bone diseases, bone defects, and reconstructions. Among these biomaterials, bioceramics and bioactive glasses (BGs) have proved to be suitable for coating materials, cement, scaffolds, and nanoparticles, once they present good biocompatibility and degradability, able to generate osteoconduction on the surrounding tissue. However, the role of biomaterials in hard tissue engineering is not restricted to a structural replacement or for guiding tissue regeneration. Nowadays, it is expected that biomaterials develop a multifunctional role when implanted, orchestrating the process of tissue regeneration and providing to the body the capacity to heal itself. In this way, the incorporation of specific metal ions in bioceramics and BGs structure, including magnesium, silver, strontium, lithium, copper, iron, zinc, cobalt, and manganese are currently receiving enhanced interest as biomaterials for biomedical applications. When an ion is incorporated into the bioceramic structure, a new category of material is created, which has several unique properties that overcome the disadvantages of primitive material and favors its use in different biomedical applications. The doping can enhance handling properties, angiogenic and osteogenic performance, and antimicrobial activity. Therefore, this review aims to summarize the effect of selected metal ion dopants into bioceramics and silicate-based BGs in bone tissue engineering. Furthermore, new applications for doped bioceramics and BGs are highlighted, including cancer treatment and drug delivery.     

Er3+-Yb3+ ions doped fluoro-aluminosilicate glass-ceramics as a temperature-sensing material

The transparent Er³⁺-Yb³⁺-doped fluoro-aluminosilicate glass-ceramic (GC) was prepared by melt-quenching. The crystal phase, morphology, and up-conversion (UC) luminescence of as-produced GC were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and fluorescence spectrophotometry, respectively. The results show that BaYF₅ nanocrystals were uniformly distributed in the glass matrix of the as-produced GC. When the as-produced GC was subjected to heat treatment, the crystallinity was increased, but the crystal identity remains unchanged. Such heat-treatment doubled the intensity of the UC luminescence, and this enhancement was ascribed to the increased incorporation of both Er³⁺ and Yb³⁺ ions into the lower phonon energy environment of BaYF₅ nanocrystals. Furthermore, the heat-treated GC was stable against further crystallization, and consequently its UC luminescence was stable at the application temperature. The heat-treated GC was found to possess an outstanding temperature-sensing capability.     

基于设计事理学的儿童情感陪伴玩具研究

目的 从设计事理学视角，探讨儿童情感陪伴玩具的设计方法。方法 通过社会调研结合理论分析，提炼7～12岁城市留守儿童情感陪伴玩具中“事”的各外部因素与内部因素，建立合理的儿童情感陪伴玩具设计模型及评价体系。运用案例分析法，结合儿童情感陪伴玩具设计案例与实践，验证设计事理学在实际儿童情感陪伴玩具设计中的应用价值。结论 探索儿童情感陪伴玩具的设计路径，以Combot——具有情感陪伴与寓教于乐功能的儿童情感陪伴玩具为实践案例，证明了基于设计事理学的儿童情感陪伴玩具设计方法是有效可行的，可有效指导儿童玩具设计，满足父母与孩子的情感需求，促进儿童健康成长。     

Atomic-level insights into the modification mechanism of Fe (III) ion on smithsonite (1 0 1) surface from DFT calculation

Fe(III) ion can strongly inhibit the sulphidation amine flotation of smithsonite. However, its modification mechanism on smithsonite surface is still obscure. In this work, a systematic study of the modification of Fe(III) ion on smithsonite (1 0 1) surface was performed using DFT calculation. The optimal number of H₂O ligands for Fe(III) ion hydrates in aqueous conditions was probed, and [Fe(OH)₂(H₂O)₄]⁺ and [Fe(OH)₄]^? were identified as the major modification species, then their adsorption and bonding mechanisms were further revealed by analyzing the frontier orbitals, density of state, Mulliken population, and electron density. The calculated adsorption structures were consistent with the former experiment, and we found the O site that bonded to the C atom on smithsonite surface was the most favorable position for [Fe(OH)₂(H₂O)₄]⁺ and [Fe(OH)₄]^? adsorptions. Besides, their adsorption mechanisms on smithsonite surface were principally due to the combined effect of FeO bond and hydrogen bonding. Simultaneously, hydrogen bonding greatly enhanced the stability of the adsorption structures. Moreover, the dominant orbital contribution for the bonding of FeO was primarily due to the orbital hybridization between Fe 3d and O 2p orbitals. This work can help in deeper understanding of the depression of Fe(III) ion on the sulphidation amine flotation of smithsonite.     

Hierarchical porous transition metal oxide nanosheets templated from waste bagasse: General synthesis and Li/Na storage performance

As a promising anode candidate, hierarchical porous transition metal oxide nanosheets (TMO-NSs) have attracted significant interest due to their various advantages of abundant active sites, high specific capacity and shortened ion/electrons transport pathways. Although the TMO-NSs have been developed in the past decades, the previous synthesis strategies have some drawbacks such as high cost, complex synthesis techniques, and the requirement of special instruments. Herein, we develop a generalized and facile biomorphic method to synthesize various controllable hierarchical porous TMO-NSs by using waste bagasse as biotemplate. Furthermore, the porosity and pore size of as-prepared hierarchical porous TMO-NSs can be adjusted by changing the precursor solution concentration. Novel hierarchical porous TMO-NSs have been successfully prepared for many ternary or binary TMO, such as NiFe₂O₄, ZnFe₂O₄, ZnMn₂O₄, NiO and ZnO. Owing to their unique nanostructure, as-synthesized hierarchical porous TMO-NSs show an excellent electrochemical performance when used as anode for Li/Na-ion batteries. We believe that various hierarchical porous TMO-NSs available from the green, economical and convenient biomorphic strategy may lead to further developments in research and application on TMO-NSs materials.