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With the flourish of flexible and wearable electronics gadgets, the need for flexible power sources has become essential. The growth of this increasingly diverse range of devices boosted the necessity to develop materials for such flexible power sources such as secondary batteries, fuel cells, supercapacitors, sensors, dye-sensitized solar cells, etc. In that context, comprehensives studies on flexible conversion and energy storage devices have been released for other technologies such Li-ion standing out the importance of the research done lately in GPEs (gel polymer electrolytes) for energy conversion and storage. However, flexible zinc batteries have not received the attention they deserve within the flexible batteries field, which are destined to be one of the high rank players in the wearable devices future market. This review presents an extensive overview of the most notable or prominent gel polymeric materials, including biobased polymers, and zinc chemistries as well as its practical or functional implementation in flexible wearable devices. The ultimate aim is to highlight zinc-based batteries as power sources to fill a segment of the world flexible batteries future market.

Dysfunction of basal ganglia is associated with the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease including alteration of firing rate and excessive beta-band (13-30 Hz) synchronization activity. Neuronal heterogeneity enriches dynamics of external globus pallidus (GPe), especially showing significant differences in firing alterations under pathological state. The precise mechanism underlying these neural signatures remains elusive. To address this, we propose a subthalamopallidal network containing two classes of GPe neurons, calcium-binding protein parvalbumin (PV) and Lim homeobox (Lhx6) GPe. Our results show that Lhx6 GPe tends to rein in synchronous behavior and abnormal activity of PV GPe. Under the pathological condition, the alteration of synaptic coupling in a heterogenous pallidal network manifests itself as a direct increase of inhibitory input to PV GPe or an indirect elevation of Lhx6 GPe firing rate. These essentially enhance the inhibition of PV GPe, which results in beta-band synchronous bursting. The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is instrumental in stabilizing the spiking sequence of GPe neurons, inhibiting abnormal synchronous oscillations both in control and pathological conditions. In a dopamine-depleted state, the PV GPe-PV GPe pathway notably impacts the enhancement of beta rhythmic oscillations in STN-GPe circuit. Besides, the synaptic coupling in heterogenous pallidal and STN-GPe affect the propagation of abnormal rhythms in pallidal and subthalamopallidal networks, respectively. Our study highlights the pivotal role played by PV GPe in producing and amplifying pathological oscillatory behavior. Our results suggest that STN prevents abnormal oscillatory rhythm in GPe, providing a novel insight into the precise mechanism by which STN affects pallidal activity.

A previous study proved that vGPE− mainly maintains the properties of classical swine fever (CSF) virus, which is comparable to the GPE− vaccine seed and is a potentially valuable backbone for developing a CSF marker vaccine. Chimeric viruses were constructed based on an infectious cDNA clone derived from the live attenuated GPE− vaccine strain as novel CSF vaccine candidates that potentially meet the concept of differentiating infected from vaccinated animals (DIVA) by substituting the glycoprotein Erns of the GPE− vaccine strain with the corresponding region of non-CSF pestiviruses, either pronghorn antelope pestivirus (PAPeV) or Phocoena pestivirus (PhoPeV). High viral growth and genetic stability after serial passages of the chimeric viruses, namely vGPE−/PAPeV Erns and vGPE−/PhoPeV Erns, were confirmed in vitro. In vivo investigation revealed that two chimeric viruses had comparable immunogenicity and safety profiles to the vGPE− vaccine strain. Vaccination at a dose of 104.0 TCID50 with either vGPE−/PAPeV Erns or vGPE−/PhoPeV Erns conferred complete protection for pigs against the CSF virus challenge in the early stage of immunization. In conclusion, the characteristics of vGPE−/PAPeV Erns and vGPE−/PhoPeV Erns affirmed their properties, as the vGPE− vaccine strain, positioning them as ideal candidates for future development of a CSF marker vaccine.

Background: Highly potent vaccines are essential for the effective control of classical swine fever (CSF). Since CSF re-emerged in 2018 in Japan, the live CSF virus (CSFV) vaccine—a guinea pig exaltation of Newcastle disease virus-negative strain vaccine (GPE−, genotype 1.1)—has been applied to domestic pigs, contributing to a reduction in outbreaks. Meanwhile, the persistence and continued expansion of CSFV in wild boar populations have raised concerns regarding potential antigenic divergence. Methods: We systematically evaluated the neutralizing reactivity of sera from GPE−-vaccinated pigs against CSFV strains (genotype 2.1) recently circulating in Japan against identified a representative strain that showed markedly reduced neutralization. We directly assessed the protective efficacy of the GPE− vaccine against this strain in a controlled challenge experiment. At 4 weeks post-vaccination, both vaccinated and unvaccinated pigs were orally challenged with the representative Japanese strain and monitored for 3 weeks thereafter. Results: Among the Japanese CSFV strains, the JPN/SM/WB/2022 isolate exhibited markedly reduced neutralizing reactivity—over 32-fold lower than that against the vaccine strain—when tested with GPE− vaccine-induced antisera. In the experimental infection in pigs, unvaccinated pigs exhibited typical clinical signs of CSF and viremia, and two pigs reached the humane endpoint. In contrast, none of the vaccinated pigs showed any clinical signs of infection. Robust humoral and cellular immune responses were induced in vaccinated pigs, which may correlate with the observed complete protection. Conclusions: The GPE– live vaccine provides protective immunity against an antigenically distinct strain, prevents disease, and limits viral spread in domestic pigs.

Ribbon collision is a process that can rapidly disturb the symmetry of subduction zones. Previous studies have demonstrated how ribbon collision causes rotation at the surface and contortion in the slab, but have only focused on the surface kinematics. We use three‐dimensional mechanical models to investigate how ribbon collision perturbs the strain and stress field at the surface, the slab interior, and intraplate force balance. In our numerical simulations, we vary the angle between the trench and the ribbon to explore the slab response to ribbons colliding at different orientations. Our numerical simulations show that ribbon collision causes significant heterogeneity of stress, strain rate and vorticity near the surface and the slab itself. Slab deformation shows compartmentalization into low and high strain rate regions around a high vorticity zone, with strain rate variations of up to an order of magnitude occurring in the along‐strike and down‐dip directions. In the context of our idealized oceanic‐continental subduction system, the simulations show that intra‐plate stresses are affected to a similar degree by buoyancy contrasts (i.e., gravitational potential energy variations), slab‐pull and ribbon collisions. This partitioning allows for significant heterogeneity in the intra‐plate stress regime. This work highlights how the rapid changes in strain rate within the slab, caused by ribbon collision, can explain the seismicity gaps observed in collisional margins, which are often interpreted as slab‐tears.

In this study, a novel biodegradable gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) was developed using carbon quantum dots (CQDs)-infused xanthan gum (XG) as the polymer matrix, sodium perchlorate (NaClO 4 ) as the ionic dopant, and glycerol as the plasticizer. The GPE was paired with activated carbon (AC) and graphene (GC) electrodes to fabricate symmetric supercapacitor cells to enhance energy storage performance. Xanthan gum underwent hydrothermal treatment to form a distinctive puffer ball-like microstructure, which was further nucleated into CQDs. This study introduced an innovative approach by incorporating carbon quantum dots into a polymer electrolyte system, with a new focus on investigating the interactions between the polymer matrix and the salt, offering new insights into their integrated performance. These CQDs functioned as stabilizers and enhanced both the ionic conductivity and electrochemical behavior of the GPE. Structural and morphological analyses, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), confirmed a wave-like, porous surface and well-dispersed CQDs. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed strong intermolecular interactions among the GPE constituents, indicating excellent thermal and chemical stability. Electrochemical studies showed that the AC electrode achieved a specific capacitance of 92 F g⁻¹ via cyclic voltammetry (CV), while the GC electrode delivered 69 F g⁻¹. Galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) tests at 1 mA g⁻¹ showed that the GC electrode reached specific capacitance of 75 F g⁻¹, with energy density and power density of 10.40 Wh kg⁻¹ and 0.49 kW kg⁻¹ respectively. Similarly, AC electrode-based supercapacitor was tested which showed specific capacitance, energy density and power density as 45 F g⁻¹, 5.55 Wh kg⁻¹, and 0.66 kW kg⁻¹, respectively. Both systems demonstrated good reversibility and cycling stability, highlighting the potential of CQD-integrated biodegradable GPEs and carbon-based electrodes for environmentally friendly, flexible, and high-performance supercapacitor applications.

The external segment of the globus pallidus (GPe) is traditionally viewed as a relay nucleus within the indirect basal ganglia pathway. However, a subpopulation of GPe neurons projects directly to the striatum, raising questions about their compartmental and cell-type-specific targeting. To address this issue, we employed neural tracing and whole-cell patch-clamp recordings with optogenetics using adeno-associated viral vectors in rats. Anatomical observations and intersectional labeling techniques were applied to examine spatial relationships of projections among the striatum, GPe, and ventral thalamus. GPe axons exhibited a strong bias toward the matrix compartment of the striatum. This biased projection originated from both subthalamic nucleus-targeting and striatum-targeting GPe neurons. In contrast, striatal projections to the GPe arose from both matrix and striosome compartments. Optogenetic stimulation of GPe axons elicited inhibitory postsynaptic currents in medium spiny neurons (MSNs) and cholinergic interneurons (CINs) in the matrix compartment. Cesium-based recordings indicated distal synaptic contacts in MSNs. Anatomical data also revealed proximal appositions of GPe axons to CIN somata and dendrites. Excitatory inputs from motor cortical areas and ventral thalamic nuclei also preferentially targeted the matrix. Furthermore, optogenetic stimulation of ventral thalamic axons elicited excitatory postsynaptic currents in GPe neurons. Intersectional labeling revealed substantial overlap between striatal neurons and axons of GPe neurons, both of which were innervated by the same population of ventral thalamic neurons. These findings suggest that convergent cortical and thalamic excitation of both the striatum and GPe may induce feedforward inhibition within the striatal matrix, particularly onto CINs. This mechanism may contribute to the fine-tuning of striatal output in motor-related basal ganglia circuits.

As China strives to balance rapid urbanization with environmental conservation, increasing attention is being paid to the pursuit of green production efficiency (GPE) in the real estate industry. The undesirable super-SBM model was used to calculate the GPE of China's real estate industry from 2001 to 2020. Additionally, GPE spatial distribution characteristics in China's real estate industry were analyzed using the standard deviation ellipse (SDE), Moran’s index, Theil index, random kernel density estimation (RKDA), and spatial Markov chain (SMC) methods. The GPE exhibited a U-shaped trend, with 2008 as the inflection point, first decreasing and then increasing. It reached a maximum value of 0.747 in 2020. The Theil index increased from 0.043 to 0.121 nationwide, indicating the overall characteristics of low-level slow growth, and imbalance. Discrepancies in input–output scales, the southward shift of economic centers, and population movements contribute significantly to the disparities between the east and west, north and south, and regions divided by the Hu Huanyong Line (Hu Line). The GPE exhibited club convergence characteristics; however, polarization phenomena exist in local areas. Spatial spillover effects were also observed in GPE. Finally, we provide recommendations for promoting green development in the real estate industry, including green building technology, fiscal subsidy investment, and population migration management.

The GPE− strain is a live attenuated vaccine for classical swine fever (CSF) developed in Japan. In the context of increasing attention for the differentiating infected from vaccinated animals (DIVA) concept, the achievement of CSF eradication with the GPE− proposes it as a preferable backbone for a recombinant CSF marker vaccine. While its infectious cDNA clone, vGPE−, is well characterized, 10 amino acid substitutions were recognized in the genome, compared to the original GPE− vaccine seed. To clarify the GPE− seed availability, this study aimed to generate and characterize a clone possessing the identical amino acid sequence to the GPE− seed. The attempt resulted in the loss of the infectious GPE− seed clone production due to the impaired replication by an amino acid substitution in the viral polymerase NS5B. Accordingly, replication-competent GPE− seed variant clones were produced. Although they were mostly restricted to propagate in the tonsils of pigs, similarly to vGPE−, their type I interferon-inducing capacity was significantly lower than that of vGPE−. Taken together, vGPE− mainly retains ideal properties for the CSF vaccine, compared with the seed variants, and is probably useful in the development of a CSF marker vaccine.

Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) is one of the most famous polymer electrolytes; however, its low conductivity and capacity have prevented its commercial applications. This study utilizes carboxymethyl starch (CMS) and oxidized carboxymethyl cellulose (OCMC) natural polymers with a high potential to dissolve lithium ions (Li + ) in to help PEO ionic conductivity. The semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (semi-IPNs) consist of crosslinked poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PEGMA) with poly(ethylene glycol) diallyl (PEGDA) and free CMS/OCMC chains. Effect of increasing the amount of natural polymer on the electrochemical properties of semi-IPNs is investigated. Semi-IPN CMS50% and semi-IPN OCMC50% deliver excellent results such as high conductivity (in order 10 –2  Scm −1 ) at room temperature, electrochemical stability window higher than 4.5 V, high Li + transfer number, high discharge capacities (191 and 203 mAh g –1 with capacity retention of 85 and 88.5% after 100 cycles at 0.2 C, respectively), and stable cyclic behavior. Graphical Abstract