Mitochondrial plasticity: An emergent concept in neuronal plasticity and memory.

Mitochondria are classically viewed as 'on demand' energy suppliers to neurons in support of their activity. In order to adapt to a wide range of demands, mitochondria need to be highly dynamic and capable of adjusting their metabolic activity, shape, and localization. Although these plastic properties give them a central support role in basal neuronal physiology, recent lines of evidence point toward a role for mitochondria in the regulation of high-order cognitive functions such as memory formation.

PKCδ is an activator of neuronal mitochondrial metabolism that mediates the spacing effect on memory consolidation.

Relevance-based selectivity and high energy cost are two distinct features of long-term memory (LTM) formation that warrant its default inhibition. Spaced repetition of learning is a highly conserved cognitive mechanism that can lift this inhibition. Here, we questioned how the spacing effect integrates experience selection and energy efficiency at the cellular and molecular levels.

PKCδ is an activator of neuronal mitochondrial metabolism that mediates the spacing effect on memory consolidation.

Relevance-based selectivity and high energy cost are two distinct features of long-term memory (LTM) formation that warrant its default inhibition. Spaced repetition of learning is a highly conserved cognitive mechanism that can lift this inhibition. Here, we questioned how the spacing effect integrates experience selection and energy efficiency at the cellular and molecular levels.

Spaced training activates Miro/Milton-dependent mitochondrial dynamics in neuronal axons to sustain long-term memory.

Neurons have differential and fluctuating energy needs across distinct cellular compartments, shaped by brain electrochemical activity associated with cognition. In vitro studies show that mitochondria transport from soma to axons is key to maintaining neuronal energy homeostasis. Nevertheless, whether the spatial distribution of neuronal mitochondria is dynamically adjusted in vivo in an experience-dependent manner remains unknown.

No Evidence that Wnt Ligands Are Required for Planar Cell Polarity in Drosophila.

The frizzled (fz) and dishevelled (dsh) genes are highly conserved members of both the planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway and the Wnt signaling pathway. Given these dual functions, several studies have examined whether Wnt ligands provide a tissue-scale orientation cue for PCP establishment during development, and these studies have reached differing conclusions. Here, we re-examine this issue in the Drosophila melanogaster wing and notum using split-Gal4 co-expression analysis, multiplex somatic CRISPR, and double RNAi experiments.

Temperature Dependence of Domain Contributions as a Function of Aging in Soft and Hard Lead Zirconate Titanate Piezoelectric Ceramics.

The stress and temperature dependence of three different lead zirconate titanate ceramics have been measured at 48 h and 1 month after poling. The data were fit to a modified Rayleigh law in which a negative quadratic stress term accounts for a saturation of the domain wall contributions at higher stress. The relative changes to the fitting parameters can be explained by the materials possessing differences in the concentration of orientable defect dipoles, but with similar distributions of relaxation time constants.

Development of an electrochemically integrated SR-GIXRD flow cell to study FeCO formation kinetics.

An electrochemically integrated Synchrotron Radiation-Grazing Incidence X-Ray Diffraction (SR-GIXRD) flow cell for studying corrosion product formation on carbon steel in carbon dioxide (CO)-containing brines typical of oil and gas production has been developed. The system is capable of generating flow velocities of up to 2 m/s at temperatures in excess of 80 °C during SR-GIXRD measurements of the steel surface, enabling flow to be maintained over the course of the experiment while diffraction patterns are being collected. The design of the flow cell is presented, along with electrochemical and diffraction pattern transients collected from an initial experiment which examined the precipitation of FeCO onto X65 carbon steel in a CO-saturated 3.

Combinatorial microfluidic droplet engineering for biomimetic material synthesis.

Although droplet-based systems are used in a wide range of technologies, opportunities for systematically customizing their interface chemistries remain relatively unexplored. This article describes a new microfluidic strategy for rapidly tailoring emulsion droplet compositions and properties. The approach uses a simple platform for screening arrays of droplet-based microfluidic devices and couples this with combinatorial selection of the droplet compositions.

Unexpected Spin-Crossover and a Low-Pressure Phase Change in an Iron(II)/Dipyrazolylpyridine Complex Exhibiting a High-Spin Jahn- Teller Distortion.

The synthesis of 4-methyl-2,6-di(pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (L) and four salts of [FeL2]X2 (X– = BF(4)(–), 1; X– = ClO(4)(–), 2; X– = PF(6)(–), 3; X– = CF3SO(3)(–), 4) are reported. Powder samples of 1 and 2 both exhibit abrupt, hysteretic spin-state transitions on cooling, with T(1/2)↓ = 204 and T(1/2)↑ = 209 K (1), and T(1/2)↓ = 175 and T(1/2)↑ = 193 K (2). The 18 K thermal hysteresis loop for 2 is unusually wide for a complex of this type.

Unexpected Spin-Crossover and a Low-Pressure Phase Change in an Iron(II)/Dipyrazolylpyridine Complex Exhibiting a High-Spin Jahn-Teller Distortion.

The synthesis of 4-methyl-2,6-di(pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (L) and four salts of [FeL2]X2 (X(-) = BF4(-), 1; X(-) = ClO4(-), 2; X(-) = PF6(-), 3; X(-) = CF3SO3(-), 4) are reported. Powder samples of 1 and 2 both exhibit abrupt, hysteretic spin-state transitions on cooling, with T1/2↓ = 204 and T1/2↑ = 209 K (1), and T1/2↓ = 175 and T1/2↑ = 193 K (2). The 18 K thermal hysteresis loop for 2 is unusually wide for a complex of this type.

Decoupled spin crossover and structural phase transition in a molecular iron(II) complex.

Crystalline [Fe(bppSMe)2][BF4]2 (1; bppSMe = 4-(methylsulfanyl)-2,6-di(pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine) undergoes an abrupt spin-crossover (SCO) event at 265±5 K. The crystals also undergo a separate phase transition near 205 K, involving a contraction of the unit-cell a axis to one-third of its original value (high-temperature phase 1; Pbcn, Z = 12; low-temperature phase 2; Pbcn, Z = 4). The SCO-active phase 1 contains two unique molecular environments, one of which appears to undergo SCO more gradually than the other.

Variation of Piezoelectric properties and mechanisms across the relaxor-like/Ferroelectric continuum in BiFeO3- (K0.5Bi0.5)TiO3-PbTiO3 ceramics.

1- x - y)BiFeO3-x(K0.5Bi0.5)TiO3-yPbTiO3 (BFKBT- PT) piezoelectric ceramics were investigated across the compositional space and contrasted against the xBiFeO3- (1-x)(K0.

Complex thermal expansion properties in a molecular honeycomb lattice.

[FeL3][BF4]2·xH2O (L = 3-(pyrazinyl)-1H-pyrazole) shows negative thermal expansion between 150-240 K but positive thermal expansion at 240-300 K, linked to rearrangement of anions and water molecules within pores in the lattice.

Active glass-polymer superlattice structure for photonic integration.

We propose an all-laser processing approach allowing controlled growth of organic-inorganic superlattice structures of rare-earth ion doped tellurium-oxide-based glass and optically transparent polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS) polymer; the purpose of which is to illustrate the structural and thermal compatibility of chemically dissimilar materials at the nanometer scale. Superlattice films with interlayer thicknesses as low as 2 nm were grown using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) at low temperatures (100 °C). Planar waveguides were successfully patterned by femtosecond-laser micro-machining for light propagation and efficient Er(3+)-ion amplified spontaneous emission (ASE).

Phase diagram and structure-property relationships in the lead-free piezoelectric system: Na0.5K0.5NbO3-LiTaO3.

A phase-diagram for the Na(0.5)K(0.5)NbO(3)-LiTaO(3) solid solution series (NKN-LT) is presented for compositions ≤ 10 mol% LT, based on the combined results of temperaturevariable X-ray powder diffraction and dielectric measurements.

Dielectric and piezoelectric properties in the lead-free system Na0.5K0.5NbO3-BiScO3-LiTaO3.

Phase relations, dielectric and piezoelectric properties are reported for the ternary system 98%[(1 - x) (Na(0.5)K(0.5)NbO(3))-x(LiTaO(3))]-2%[BiScO(3)] for compositions x ≤ 10 mol% LiTaO(3).

Electron backscatter diffraction as a domain analysis technique in BiFeO(3)-PbTiO(3) single crystals.

xBiFeO(3)-(1-x)PbTiO(3) single crystals were grown via a flux method for a range of compositions. Presented here is a study of the domain configuration in the 0.5BiFeO(3)-0.

Ferroelectric BiFeO3-PbTiO3 thin films on Pt/Si substrates.

In this work we report on the preparation and properties of bismuth ferrite lead titanate films [(1- x)BiFeO(3-x)PbTiO3] with tetragonal compositions (x = 0.8 and 0.7) and compare them with compositions close to the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB; x = 0.