(E)-1-(4-Bromo­phen­yl)ethan-1-one semicarbazone

In the title compound, C9H10BrN3O, the hydrazone portion and aliphatic chain are essentially coplanar [maximum deviation 0.057 (15) Å] and the mean plane makes a dihedral angle of 70.9 (6)° with the benzene ring. The main feature of the crystal structure is the inter­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bond, which links mol­ecules into zigzag chains along the a axis. These chains are further stacked along the b axis. The crystal structure features non-classical inter­molecular C—H⋯O inter­actions. The crystal studied was a nonmerohedral twin, with a twin ratio of 0.505 (1):0.495 (1)

(E)-2-(4-Hy­droxy-3-meth­oxy­benzyl­idene)hydrazinecarboxamide

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C9H11N3O3, consists of two crystallographically independent mol­ecules. Both mol­ecules are almost planar, with r.m.s. deviations of 0.107 and 0.099 Å. In the crystal, the two independent mol­ecules form a dimer with an R 2 2(8) ring motif via N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The dimers are further linked into a three-dimensional network by O—H⋯O and N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds

(E)-1-(4-Fluoro­phen­yl)ethan-1-one semicarbazone

In the title compound, C9H10FN3O, the semicarbazone group is nearly planar, with the maximum deviation of 0.044 (1) Å for one of the N atoms. The mean plane of semicarbazone group forms a dihedral angle of 30.94 (4)° with the benzene ring. The mol­ecules are linked into a supra­molecular chain by N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds formed along the c axis. The crystal structure is further stabilized by weak inter­molucular C—H⋯π inter­actions; the closest C⋯Cg contact is 3.6505 (11) Å

Astrocytic K+ clearance during disease progression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder in which patients lose motor functions due to progressive loss of motor neurons in the cortex, brainstem, and spinal cord. Whilst the loss of neurons is central to the disease, it is becoming clear that glia, specifically astrocytes, contribute to the onset and progression of neurodegeneration. Astrocytes play an important role in maintaining ion homeostasis in the extracellular milieu and regulate multiple brain functions by altering their extracellular concentrations. In this study, we have investigated the ability of astrocytes to maintain K+ homeostasis in the brain via direct measurement of the astrocytic K+ clearance rate in the motor and somatosensory cortices of an ALS mouse model (SOD1G93A). Using electrophysiological recordings from acute brain slices, we show region-specific alterations in the K+ clearance rate, which was significantly reduced in the primary motor cortex but not the somatosensory cortex. This decrease was accompanied by significant changes in astrocytic morphology, impaired conductivity via Kir4.1 channels and low coupling ratio in astrocytic networks in the motor cortex, which affected their ability to form the K+ gradient needed to disperse K+ through the astrocytic syncytium. These findings indicate that the supportive function astrocytes typically provide to motoneurons is diminished during disease progression and provides a potential explanation for the increased vulnerability of motoneurons in ALS

(E)-1-(4-Chloro­phen­yl)ethanone semi­carbazone

In the title compound, C9H10ClN3O, the semicarbazone group is approximately planar, with an r.m.s. deviation from the mean plane of 0.054 (1) Å. The dihedral angle between the least-squares planes through the semicarbazone group and the benzene ring is 30.46 (5)°. In the solid state, mol­ecules are linked via inter­molecular N—H⋯O and N—H⋯N hydrogen bonds, generating R 2 2(9) ring motifs which, together with R 2 2(8) ring motifs formed by pairs of inter­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, lead to the formation of a seldom-observed mol­ecular trimer. Furthermore, N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds form R 2 1(7) ring motifs with C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, further consolidating the crystal structure. Mol­ecules are linked by these inter­molecular inter­actions, forming two-dimensional networks parallel to (100)

Ba0.85Ca0.15Zr0.1Ti0.90O3/CoFe2O4/Ba0.85Ca0.15Zr0.1Ti0.90O3Nanoscale Composite Films with 2-2 Connectivity for Magnetoelectric Actuation

Interfacial strain plays a vital role in determining the coupling strength between the magnetic and electrically ordered phases in magnetoelectric (ME) nanostructures. The interfacial strain and its gradient size in a polycrystalline trilayer ME composite with a specific microstructure were estimated by grazing incident X-ray diffraction (GI-XRD). The average interfacial strain was estimated to have a maximum value of ∼7%, and was found to be relaxed at a length scale of 25-35 nm away from the interface. The optimized gradient size estimated from the trilayer ME composite was utilized to fabricate multilayers with specific periodicities ("Δ") and tested for the inverse piezomagnetic effect to estimate the optimum periodicity required to have enhanced ME coupling. Multilayers with periodicity (∼40 nm) compared to multilayers with relaxed/partial interfacial strain exhibited ∼25 to 26% increment in piezoelectric coefficient (d33) in the presence of a magnetic field. The constraint imposed on polarization by interfacial strain reflects on the enhancement of stiffness and introduces a quicker linear response to the piezoelectric displacement. In contrast, the partially strained and/or strain-relaxed layers exhibited nonlinear responses in polarization switching. The linear piezoelectric displacement in these strain-engineered ME composites makes them a potential candidate for device applications like actuators and transducers. © 2022 American Chemical Society

Use of E-Waste in Metakaolin Blended Cement Concrete for Sustainable Construction

This paper investigates the use of non-metallic portion (NMP) reclaimed from e-waste (i.e., waste printed circuit board—PCB) as replacement of natural sand in the blended cement concrete by using Metakaolin (MK) as supplementary cementitious material for its effect on the mechanical, durability, microstructural, and mineralogical properties of concrete. It was found that the blended mixes containing NMP and MK outperformed the control mix. With the addition of 10% NMP and 10% MK, the maximum compressive strength was obtained, with the splitting tensile and flexural strength following the same trend. The performance of the mixes was lowered above 10% replacement levels, although it was still better than the control mixture. When compared to other mixes, 10% NMP and 10% MK concrete had the lowest sorptivity and water absorption values, as well as the highest resistance to chloride-ion penetration. FESEM was used to confirm the results, and then XRD was used to determine the elemental classification. This study lays the groundwork for a long-term strategy for utilising NMP and MK as extremely effective concrete additives

Analysis of synaptic vesicle endocytosis in synaptosomes by high-content screening

Small molecules modulating synaptic vesicle endocytosis (SVE) may ultimately be useful for diseases where pathological neurotransmission is implicated. Only a small number of specific SVE modulators have been identified to date. Slow progress is due to the laborious nature of traditional approaches to study SVE, in which nerve terminals are identified and studied in cultured neurons, typically yielding data from 10-20 synapses per experiment. We provide a protocol for a quantitative, high-throughput method for studying SVE in thousands of nerve terminals. Rat forebrain synaptosomes are attached to 96-well microplates and depolarized; SVE is then quantified by uptake of the dye FM4-64, which is imaged by high-content screening. Synaptosomes that have been frozen and stored can be used in place of fresh synaptosomes, reducing the experimental time and animal numbers required. With a supply of frozen synaptosomes, the assay can be performed within a day, including data analysis

Synapsin I-associated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase mediates synaptic vesicle delivery to the readily releasable pool

Maintaining synaptic transmission requires replenishment of docked synaptic vesicles within the readily releasable pool (RRP) from synaptic vesicle clusters in the synapsin-bound reserve pool. We show that synapsin forms a complex with phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) in intact nerve terminals and that synapsin-associated kinase activity increases on depolarization. Disruption of either PI 3-kinase activity or its interaction with synapsin inhibited replenishment of the RRP, but did not affect exocytosis from the RRP. Thus we conclude that a synapsin-associated PI 3-kinase activity plays a role in synaptic vesicle delivery to the RRP. This also suggests that PI 3-kinase contributes to the maintenance of synaptic transmission during periods of high activity, indicating a possible role in synaptic plasticity