The slow-intrinsic-pacemaker dopaminergic (DA) neurons originating in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) are implicated in various mood- and emotion-related disorders, such as anxiety, fear, stress and depression. Abnormal activity of projection-specific VTA DA neurons is the key factor in the development of these disorders. Here, we describe the crucial role of the NALCN and TRPC6, non-selective cation channels in mediating the subthreshold inward depolarizing current and driving the firing of action potentials of VTA DA neurons in physiological conditions. Furthermore, we demonstrate that down-regulation of TRPC6 protein expression in the VTA DA neurons likely contributes to the reduced activity of projection-specific VTA DA neurons in chronic mild unpredictable stress (CMUS) depressive mice. In consistent with these, selective knockdown of TRPC6 channels in the VTA DA neurons conferred mice with depression-like behavior. This current study suggests down-regulation of TRPC6 expression/function is involved in reduced VTA DA neuron firing and chronic stress-induced depression-like behavior of mice.

How to solve their automatic control of constant temperature and humidity gradually becomes a research hotspot as the continuous upgrading of air conditioning systems. This study aims to optimize the traditional proportional-integral-differential controller for improvement to solve the time-delay instability phenomenon in temperature and humidity control. The objective of this study is to optimize existing proportional-integral-differential controllers to improve the time-delay instability problem that is common in temperature and humidity control. Firstly, it treats the controlled object as a first-order and second-order system with time-delay characteristics. Next, the Smith predictor controller is generalized equivalent to ensure that the equivalent system does not contain time-delay. Finally, an analysis of the first-order and second-order closed-loop control system is conducted by combining Smith predictive controller and proportional-integral-differential controller. The system achieves the goal of automatic control of constant temperature and humidity by adjusting the control parameters. The experiment showcased that the temperature control time of the proposed control scheme under first-order and second-order time-delays was 16 s and 3 s, respectively. Meanwhile, the humidity control time was 14 s and 13 s, respectively. In practical applications, the proposed control scheme achieved good control effects in all four seasons. This indicates that the controller designed in this study possesses good control performance. It also can achieve the goal of constant temperature and humidity control. This can provide technical support for the automation control of air conditioning systems.

The lack of efficient and non-precious metal catalysts poses a challenge for electrochemical water splitting in hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions. Here, we report on the preparation of growing Ni(OH)2 nanosheets in situ on a Ni and graphene hybrid using supergravity electrodeposition and the hydrothermal method. The obtained catalyst displays outstanding performance with small overpotentials of 161.7 and 41 mV to acquire current densities of 100 and 10 mA cm−2 on hydrogen evolution reaction, overpotentials of 407 and 331 mV to afford 100 and 50 mA cm−2 on oxygen evolution reaction, and 10 mA·cm−2 at a cell voltage of 1.43 V for water splitting in 1 M KOH. The electrochemical activity of the catalyst is higher than most of the earth-abundant materials reported to date, which is mainly due to its special hierarchical structure, large surface area, and good electrical conductivity. This study provides new tactics for enhancing the catalytic performance of water electrolysis.

Ibandronate sodium, a third-generation diphosphate drug used worldwide to treat osteoporosis, has the advantages of convenient use, low toxicity, and significant therapeutic effects. However, the residual organic solvents in the synthesis process of sodium ibandronate not only have a negative impact on the efficacy of the drug, but also lead to a decrease in drug stability. Moreover, if the residual amounts of these solvents exceed safety standards, they may pose serious threats to human health. This study successfully established a convenient and efficient method based on headspace-gas chromatography (HS-GC) for the simultaneous determination of five residual solvents (methanol, acetone, benzene, toluene, 1-pentanol) in the raw materials of ibandronate sodium. The results indicated that satisfactory analytical performance can be achieved by using DB-624 capillary column (30 m×0.32 mm×1.8 μm) and a flame ionization detector in conjunction with headspace autosampling and a temperature program. The specific operating conditions included an initial temperature of 40 ℃, with a hold of 2 min, followed by a temperature ramp first to 200 ℃ at a rate of 5 ℃/min and then to 240 ℃ at a rate of 20 ℃/min, with a hold of 5 min. Nitrogen with a flow rate of 1 mL/min and split ratio of 14∶1 was used as the carrier gas. The headspace vial temperature was maintained at 80 ℃, and the sample equilibration time was 20 min. Under the established analytical conditions, good linear relationships were obtained between the mass concentrations of methanol (72-216 μg/mL), acetone (120-360 μg/mL), benzene (0.048-0.144 μg/mL), toluene (21.36-64.08 μg/mL), and 1-pentanol (120-360 μg/mL) and their corresponding peak areas, with correlation coefficients (r) greater than 0.990. The limits of detection for these solvents were 2.88, 0.011, 0.90, 0.24, and 0.024 ng/mL, respectively, with limits of quantification of 11.5, 0.043, 3.6, 0.96, and 0.096 ng/mL, respectively. Furthermore, the recoveries of these solvents ranged from 86.3% to 101.9%, with relative standard deviations (RSDs, n=3) of less than 2.49%. The proposed method is simple, accurate, reliable, and suitable for the rapid and simultaneous determination of five residual solvents in the raw materials of ibandronate sodium. This study has important practical significance in improving drug safety and ensuring public health.

With the continuous advancement of electrodialysis (ED) technology, there arises a demand for improved monovalent cation exchange membranes (CEMs). However, limitations in membrane materials and structures have resulted in the low selectivity of monovalent CEMs, posing challenges in the separation of Li+ and Mg2+. In this investigation, a designed CEM with a swelling-embedded structure was created by integrating a polyelectrolyte containing N-oxide Zwitterion into a sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) membrane, leveraging the notable solubility characteristic of SPEEK. The membranes were prepared by using N-oxide zwitterionic polyethylenimine (ZPEI) and 1,3,5-benzenetrlcarbonyl trichloride (TMC). The as-prepared membranes underwent systematic characterization and testing, evaluating their structural, physicochemical, electrochemical, and selective ED properties. During ED, the modified membranes demonstrated notable permeability selectivity for Li+ ions in binary (Li+/Mg2+) systems. Notably, at a constant current density of 2.5 mA cm-2, the modified membrane PEI-TMC/SPEEK exhibited significant permeability selectivity in the Li+/Mg2+ system, while ZPEI-TMC/SPEEK outperformed, displaying remarkable permeability selectivity in the Li+/Mg2+ system, surpassing commercial monovalent cation-selective membrane commercial monovalent cation-selective membrane (CIMS). Furthermore, in the Li+/Mg2+ binary system, Li+ flux reached 9.78 × 10-9 mol cm-2 s-1 for ZPEI-TMC/SPEEK, while its Mg2+ flux only reached 2.7 × 10-9 mol cm-2 s-1, showing potential for lithium-magnesium separation. In addition, ZPEI-TMC/SPEEK was tested for performance and stability at high current densities. This work offers a straightforward preparation process and an innovative structural approach, presenting methodological insights for the advancement of lithium and magnesium separation techniques.