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Abstract Atomically thin indium selenide (InSe) exhibits a sombrero-like valence band, leading to distinctive excitonic behaviors. It is known that the indirect band gap of atomically thin InSe leads to a weak emission from the lowest-energy excitonic state (A peak). However, the A peak emission of monolayer (ML) InSe was observed to be either absent or very weak, rendering the nature of its excitonic states largely unknown. Intriguingly, we demonstrate that ML InSe exhibits pronounced PL emission because of the efficient brightening of the momentum-indirect dark excitons. The mechanism is attributed to acoustic phonon-assisted radiative recombination facilitated by strong exciton-acoustic phonon coupling and extended wavefunction in momentum space. Systematic analysis of layer-, power-, and temperature-dependent PL demonstrates that a carrier localization model can account for the asymmetric line shape of the lowest-energy excitonic emission for atomically thin InSe. Our work reveals that atomically thin InSe is a promising platform for manipulating the tightly bound dark excitons in two-dimensional semiconductor-based optoelectronic devices.

Abstract NbAs2, a topological semimetal, has stirred considerable interest for its potential usage in magnetic and fault‐tolerant quantum computation superconductor devices, owing to its superconductivity, enormous magnetoresistance, and anisotropic magneto‐transport attributes. Yet, its environmental stability, a crucial factor for practical applications, remains largely unexplored. Herein, a comprehensive examination of the stability and electronic properties of the (001) surface of NbAs2 utilizing density functional theory (DFT) and surface science experiments is conducted. The theoretical deductions reveal that As atoms, organized in a buckled honeycomb configuration, terminate the bare (001) surface, akin to the tensile blue arsenene monolayer along the armchair direction. This study further demonstrates that the oxidation barrier is particularly low (only 0.2 eV), highlighting that the (001) surface is highly prone to oxidation under standard conditions, forming a As2O5+Nb2O5/NbAs2 heterostructure. Additionally, it observes that oxidation adversely affects the electronic characteristics of the topological semimetal NbAs2. The conclusions underscore the need for NbAs2 to be managed under high vacuum conditions or to be encapsulated for any usage in the ambient atmosphere in order to retain its electronic properties for practical purposes.

On‐chip integration of two‐dimensional (2D) materials holds immense potential for novel optoelectronic devices across diverse photonic platforms. In particular, indium selenide (InSe) is a very promising 2D material due to its ultra‐high carrier mobility and outstanding photoresponsivity. Herein, a high‐speed photodetector based on a multilayer 90 nm thick InSe integrated on a silicon nitride (SiN) waveguide is reported. The device exhibits a remarkable low dark current density of ≈40 nA μm−2, a photoresponsivity of 0.38 A W−1, and an external quantum efficiency of ≈48.4%. Tested under ambient conditions at near‐infrared 976 nm wavelength, it exhibits an absorption coefficient of 0.11 dB μm−1. Additionally, the photodetector demonstrates a 3‐dB radiofrequency bandwidth of 85 MHz and an open‐eye diagram at data transmission of 1 Gbit s−1. Based on these exceptional optoelectronic advantages, integrated multilayer InSe enables the realization of active photonic devices for a range of applications, such as short‐reach optical interconnects, LiDAR imaging, and biosensing.

Abstract Novel anti‐ambipolar transistors (AATs) are gate tunable rectifiers with a marked potential for multi‐valued logic circuits. In this work, the optoelectronic applications of AATs in cryogenic conditions are studied, of which the AAT devices consist of vertically stacked p‐SnS and n‐ MoSe2 nanoflakes to form a type‐II staggered band alignment. An electrostatically tunable p‐SnS/n‐MoSe2 cryo‐phototransistor is presented with unique anti‐ambipolar characteristics and cryogenic‐enhanced optoelectronic performance. The cryo‐phototransistor exhibits a sharp and highly symmetric anti‐ambipolar transfer curve at 77 K with the peak‐to‐valley ratio of 103 operating under a low bias voltage of 1 V. The high cooling‐enhanced charge mobilities in the cryo‐phototransistor grant this AAT device remarkable photodetection capabilities. At 77 K, the p‐SnS/n‐MoSe2 cryo‐phototransistor, holding a broad photoresponse in the spectral range of 250−900 nm, demonstrates its high responsivity of 2 × 104 A W−1 and detectivity of 7.5 × 1013 Jones with the excitation at 532 nm. The high‐performance p‐SnS/n‐MoSe2 low‐dimensional phototransistor with low operating voltages at 77−150 K is eligible for optoelectronic applications in cryogenic environments. Furthermore, the cryo‐characteristics of this heterostructure can be further extended to design the mul‐tivalued logic circuits operated in cryogenic conditions.

Aflatoxins (AF) are fungal toxins which not only contaminate food, but also adversely impact human health if consumed and serve as biomarkers for deadly diseases like liver cancer. Therefore, there is a strong need to develop ultra-sensitive AF detection method in physiological environments. In the present study, ternary transition metal sulfides single crystals (Mn0.02Ta3S6 and Fe0.65Ta3S6) were grown, exfoliated to thin layered nanosheets (NSs) followed by polyethylene-glycol modification (PEG@NSs). High fluorescence quenching abilities towards the aptamers for AF biosensing were demonstrated using PEGylated NSs. It has been observed that PEGylated NSs improves the detection sensitivity ∼ 248 times better than non-PEGylated NSs. Subsequently, multiplexed detections of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and M1 (AFM1) in diverse mediums including PBS buffer (1 ×), milk and human serum were performed by employing PEG@Mn0.02Ta3S6 NSs with TAMRA dye-labelled AFB1 aptamer and FAM dye-labelled AFM1 aptamer, respectively. The fluorescence intensity of designed sensor exhibited ultrasensitive detections (∼ pM) and a wide linear range (≥ 5 orders). Hence, the present study can serve as a unique platform for facile, ultra-sensitive, selective, cost-effective and quick multiplexed detection of food toxins and disease biomarkers in complex-matrix.

Abstract The review presents retrospective, present views and future perspectives on the treatment of status epilepticus (SE). First, presynaptic, postsynaptic, and extrasynaptic mechanisms underlying sustaining ongoing seizure activity are highlighted. Next, mechanism‐based choices of antiseizure medications capable of promptly arresting SE are introduced. Finally, challenges associated with translating the advances in laboratory research in clinical practice are discussed.

The reorientational dynamics of A-site cations in two-dimensional organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites play an important role in determining their physical properties. Here the authors use solid state NMR and isotope labelling to reveal multiple modes of reorientational motions of methylammonium cations and the role of structural rigidity of the organic spacers on their dynamics.

Abstract Alkali atom doping is an efficient way to induce charge transfer and Fermi level tuning in layered materials through intercalation. However, there is a general lack of microscopic understanding of the effect of doping inhomogeneity in geometric and electronic aspects. Here, we report surface doping of a bulk VSe2 crystal by sodium. Na atoms form intercalated subsurface islands that modify the electronic phase of the top layer of VSe2. In addition to n‐doping, the charge density wave of the intercalated VSe2 surface layer changes from the (4 × 4) bulk phase to the (3×7) known in monolayer phase of VSe2. Surprisingly, an electronic state at the edges of Na‐intercalated area shift anomalously upward in energy as detected by scanning tunneling spectroscopy. This is explained by a local gating effect resulting from local dipoles at the edges. The study illustrates a clear example of intercalation effect that should be general in alkali‐intercalated bulk layered materials.

We investigate both the longitudinal thermal conductivity (κ_{xx}) and the planar thermal Hall conductivity (κ_{xy}) in the Kitaev spin liquid candidate of the cobalt-based honeycomb antiferromagnet Na_{2}Co_{2}TeO_{6} in a magnetic field (B) applied along the a- and a^{*}-axes. A finite κ_{xy} is resolved for both field directions in the antiferromagnetic (AFM) phase below the Néel temperature of 27 K. The temperature dependence of κ_{xy}/T shows the emergence of topological bosonic excitations. In addition, the field dependence of κ_{xy} shows sign reversals at the critical fields in the AFM phase, suggesting the changes in the Chern number distribution of the topological magnons. Remarkably, a finite κ_{xy} is observed in B∥a^{*} between the first-order transition field in the AFM phase and the saturation field, which is prohibited in a disordered state by the two-fold rotation symmetry around the a^{*} axis of the honeycomb lattice, showing the presence of a magnetically ordered state that breaks the two-fold rotation symmetry. Our results demonstrate the presence of topological magnons in this compound in the whole field range below the saturation field.

We reported the photoconduction properties of tungsten disulfide (WS2) nanoflakes obtained by the mechanical exfoliation method. The photocurrent measurements were carried out using a 532 nm laser source with different illumination powers. The results reveal a linear dependence of photocurrent on the excitation power, and the photoresponsivity shows an independent behavior at higher light intensities (400–4000 Wm−2). The WS2 photodetector exhibits superior performance with responsivity in the range of 36–73 AW−1 and a normalized gain in the range of 3.5–7.3 10−6 cm2V−1 at a lower bias voltage of 1 V. The admirable photoresponse at different light intensities suggests that WS2 nanostructures are of potential as a building block for novel optoelectronic device applications.

We report the single crystal growth, structural and magnetic properties of honeycomb spin-lattice compounds Na2M2TeO6 (M = Co, Ni) and spin dimer compound Na2Cu2TeO6. The single crystals of Na2M2TeO6 (M = Co, Ni, Cu) have been grown by the self-flux method, which is one of the good techniques to control the magnetic impurity, different crystalline phase, crystal morphology, crystal size and the crystal surface through the selection of a suitable self-flux. Crystal structure, magnetic and thermodynamics properties are examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), magnetic susceptibility and heat capacity measurements, respectively. The single crystal XRD studies of Na2M2TeO6 (M = Co, Ni, Cu) show the purity and the high quality of grown single crystals. The measurements of magnetic susceptibility of Na2M2TeO6 show the distinct anisotropic behaviour of the prepared single crystals. The anisotropic behaviour and the complicated magnetic phase transitions observed arise from the distinct honeycomb planes constituted by MO6 octahedra in Na2M2TeO6 (M = Co, Ni) leading to the antiferromagnetic (AFM) interaction in the honeycomb planes. In the case of Na2Cu2TeO6 broad maximum occurring at 160 K is believed to arise from short-range one-dimensional antiferromagnetic correlations. The values of (effective magnetic moment) μeff. observed for Na2Co2TeO6, Na2Ni2TeO6 and Na2Cu2TeO6 are 5.42 μB, 3.17 μB and 1.96 μB respectively.

Abstract Optical response of crystalline solids is to a large extent driven by excitations that promote electrons among individual bands. This allows one to apply optical and magneto‐optical methods to determine experimentally the energy band gap —a fundamental property crucial to our understanding of any solid—with a great precision. Here it is shown that such conventional methods, applied with great success to many materials in the past, do not work in topological Dirac semimetals with a dispersive nodal line. There, the optically deduced band gap depends on how the magnetic field is oriented with respect to the crystal axes. Such highly unusual behavior is explained in terms of band‐gap renormalization driven by Lorentz boosts which results from the Lorentz‐covariant form of the Dirac Hamiltonian relevant for the nodal line at low energies.

Abstract Lateral fluid percussion injury (LFPI) in rats is used to model post‐traumatic epilepsy (PTE), with spontaneous seizures occurring in up to ½ of the subjects. Using the kindling paradigm, we examined whether animals without detectable seizures had an altered seizure susceptibility. Male Sprague Dawley rats were subjected to LFPI. Seven‐nine months later, spontaneous seizures were monitored for two weeks. Afterward, the animals underwent kindling of basolateral amygdala. For kindling outcomes, the animals were categorized based on the 95% confidence intervals of mean number trials to kindling (ie 3 consecutive stage 4‐5 seizures). Spontaneous seizures were detected in 7 out of 24 rats. There was no correlation between the severity of LFPI and either baseline afterdischarge properties, or kindling rates. Six LFPI rats kindled at a rate comparable to those in sham‐LFPI (n = 10) and in naïve (n = 7) subjects. Ten LFPI rats kindled faster and 8—slower than controls. None of slow‐kindling rats had spontaneous seizures during the prekindling monitoring. During the same period, six fast‐kindling and three normal‐kindling rats had been seizure‐free. Thus, kindling reveals a diversity to seizure susceptibility after LFPI beyond an overt seizure symptomatology, ranging from the increased susceptibility to the increased resistance.

This research presents a high energy ball milling method for producing supersaturated solutions of the Ti100-xMgx (x = 10, 15, 20) composite powders containing a process control agent (PCA) under an argon atmosphere at an ambient temperature. The microstructure of the Ti–Mg solid solution during milling was analyzed by scanning electron microscope, and an X-Ray diffraction. A particle size analyzer was employed to investigate the average particle size at different milling times (12 h, 20 h, 32 h). After milling for 32 h of Ti100-xMgx (x = 10, 15, 20) composite powders, the solid solubility of the Mg in Ti reached about 0.5 wt.%, 1.14 wt.%, and 1.92 wt.%, respectively. It was found that the crystallite size of the milled powder decreased by increasing the milling time and reached the value of 4–11 nm after 32 h of milling. Moreover, the addition of the process control agent after 12 h and 20 h significantly reduced the agglomeration by cold welding. As a result, the average particle size of the dispersed composite powder Ti100-xMgx (x = 10, 15, 20) was refined to about 1 μm which indicated that the Ti controlled the final size as being a major alloying element. The maximum value of the density of green compacts was found to be 2.69 g/cm3 for Ti–10Mg.

BackgroundDigital communication has emerged as a major source of scientific and medical information for health care professionals. There is a need to set up an effective and reliable methodology to assess and monitor the quality of content that is published on the internet. ObjectiveThe aim of this project was to develop content quality guidelines for Neurodiem, an independent scientific information platform dedicated to neurology for health care professionals and neuroscientists. These content quality guidelines are intended to be used by (1) content providers as a framework to meet content quality standards and (2) reviewers as a tool for analyzing and scoring quality of content. MethodsSpecific scientific criteria were designed using a 5-point scale to measure the quality of curated and original content published on the website: for Summaries, (1) source reliability and topic relevance for neurologists, (2) structure, and (3) scientific and didactic value; for Congress highlights, (1) relevance of congress selection, (2) congress coverage based on the original program, and (3) scientific and didactic value of individual abstracts; for Expert points of view and talks, (1) credibility (authorship) and topic relevance for neurologists, (2) scientific and didactic value, and (3) reliability (references) and format. The criteria were utilized on a monthly basis and endorsed by an independent scientific committee of widely recognized medical experts in neurology. ResultsSummary content quality for the 3 domains (reliability and relevance, structure, and scientific and didactic value) increased in the second month after the implementation of the guidelines. The domain scientific and didactic value had a mean score of 8.20/10. Scores for the domains reliability and relevance (8-9/10) and structure (45-55/60) showed that the maintenance of these 2 quality items over time was more challenging. Talks (either in the format of interviews or slide deck–supported scientific presentations) and expert point of view demonstrated high quality after the implementation of the content quality guidelines that was maintained over time (15-25/25). ConclusionsOur findings support that content quality guidelines provide both (1) a reliable framework for generating independent high-quality content that addresses the educational needs of neurologists and (2) are an objective evaluation tool for improving and maintaining scientific quality level. The use of these criteria and this scoring system could serve as a standard and reference to build an editorial strategy and review process for any medical news or platforms.

Abstract Repurposing existing compounds for new indications may facilitate the discovery of skin prebiotics which have not been well defined. Four compounds that have been registered by the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) were included to study their abilities to induce the fermentation of Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis), a bacterial species abundant in the human skin. Liquid coco-caprylate/caprate (LCC), originally used as an emollient, effectively initiated the fermentation of S. epidermidis ATCC 12228, produced short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and provoked robust electricity. Application of LCC plus electrogenic S. epidermidis ATCC 12228 on mouse skin significantly reduced ultraviolet B (UV-B)-induced injuries which were evaluated by the formation of 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD), and skin lesions. A S. epidermidis S2 isolate with low expressions of genes encoding pyruvate dehydrogenase (pdh), and phosphate acetyltransferase (pta) was found to be poorly electrogenic. The protective action of electrogenic S. epidermidis against UV-B-induced skin injuries was considerably suppressed when mouse skin was applied with LCC in combination with a poorly electrogenic S. epidermidis S2 isolate. Exploring new indication of LCC for promoting S. epidermidis against UV-B provided an example of repurposing INCI-registered compounds as skin prebiotics.

Abstract A series of relatively small studies collectively suggest that zonisamide may be effective in the treatment of infantile spasms. Using a large single‐center cohort of children with infantile spasms, we set out to evaluate the efficacy and safety of zonisamide. We retrospectively identified all patients with infantile spasms who were treated with zonisamide at our center. For each patient, we recorded dates of birth, infantile spasms onset, response (if any), and most recent follow‐up. To quantify zonisamide exposure, we recorded daily dosage and patient weight at each sequential encounter so as to allow calculation of peak and weighted‐average weight‐based dosage. We identified 87 children who were treated with zonisamide, of whom 78 had previously been treated with hormonal therapy or vigabatrin. Peak and weighted‐average zonisamide dosage were 7.1 (interquartile range 3.6, 10.2) and 5.4 (interquartile range 3.0, 8.9) mg/kg/day, respectively. Whereas five (6%) patients exhibited resolution of epileptic spasms, only two (2%) patients exhibited video‐EEG confirmed resolution of both epileptic spasms and hypsarrhythmia (electroclinical response). Importantly, both electroclinical responders had not previously been treated with hormonal therapy or vigabatrin; in contrast, none of the 78 children with prior failure of hormonal therapy or vigabatrin subsequently responded to zonisamide. Zonisamide was well tolerated, and there were no deaths. This study suggests that zonisamide exhibits favorable tolerability but very limited efficacy among patients who do not respond to first‐line therapy.

Indium selenide (InSe) is an emerging van der Waals material, which exhibits the potential to serve in excellent electronic and optoelectronic devices. One of the advantages of layered materials is their application to flexible devices. How strain alters the electronic and optical properties is, thus, an important issue. In this work, we experimentally measured the strain dependence on the angle-resolved second harmonic generation (SHG) pattern of a few layers of InSe. We used the exfoliation method to fabricate InSe flakes and measured the SHG images of the flakes with different azimuthal angles. We found the SHG intensity of InSe decreased, while the compressive strain increased. Through first–principles electronic structure calculations, we investigated the strain dependence on SHG susceptibilities and the corresponding angle-resolved SHG pattern. The experimental data could be fitted well by the calculated results using only a fitting parameter. The demonstrated method based on first–principles in this work can be used to quantitatively model the strain-induced angle-resolved SHG patterns in 2D materials. Our obtained results are very useful for the exploration of the physical properties of flexible devices based on 2D materials.

Abstract Objective Molecular genetic etiologies in epilepsy have become better understood in recent years, creating important opportunities for precision medicine. Building on these advances, detailed studies of the complexities and outcomes of genetic testing for epilepsy can provide useful insights that inform and refine diagnostic approaches and illuminate the potential for precision medicine in epilepsy. Methods We used a multi‐gene next‐generation sequencing (NGS) panel with simultaneous sequence and exonic copy number variant detection to investigate up to 183 epilepsy‐related genes in 9769 individuals. Clinical variant interpretation was performed using a semi‐quantitative scoring system based on existing professional practice guidelines. Results Molecular genetic testing provided a diagnosis in 14.9%‐24.4% of individuals with epilepsy, depending on the NGS panel used. More than half of these diagnoses were in children younger than 5 years. Notably, the testing had possible precision medicine implications in 33% of individuals who received definitive diagnostic results. Only 30 genes provided 80% of molecular diagnoses. While most clinically significant findings were single‐nucleotide variants, ~15% were other types that are often challenging to detect with traditional methods. In addition to clinically significant variants, there were many others that initially had uncertain significance; reclassification of 1612 such variants with parental testing or other evidence contributed to 18.5% of diagnostic results overall and 6.1% of results with precision medicine implications. Significance Using an NGS gene panel with key high‐yield genes and robust analytic sensitivity as a first‐tier test early in the diagnostic process, especially for children younger than 5 years, can possibly enable precision medicine approaches in a significant number of individuals with epilepsy.

Abstract This investigation reports on anisotropy in the magnetic interaction, lattice-orbital coupling and degree of phonon softening in single crystal Ni3TeO6 (NTO) using temperature- and polarization-dependent X-ray absorption spectroscopic techniques. The magnetic field-cooled and zero-field-cooled measurements and temperature-dependent Ni L 3,2-edge X-ray magnetic circular dichroism spectra of NTO reveal a weak Ni-Ni ferromagnetic interaction close to ~60 K (T SO: temperature of the onset of spin ordering) with a net alignment of Ni spins (the uncompensated components of the Ni moments) along the crystallographic c-axis, which is absent from the ab-plane. Below the Néel temperature, T N~ 52 K, NTO is stable in the antiferromagnetic state with its spin axis parallel to the c-axis. The Ni L 3,2-edge X-ray linear dichroism results indicate that above T SO, the Ni 3d e g electrons preferentially occupy the out-of-plane 3d 3z 2 −r 2 orbitals and switch to the in-plane 3d x 2 −y 2 orbitals below T SO. The inherent distortion of the NiO6 octahedra and anisotropic nearest-neighbor Ni-O bond lengths between the c-axis and the ab-plane of NTO, followed by anomalous Debye-Waller factors and orbital-lattice in conjunction with spin-phonon couplings, stabilize the occupied out-of-plane (3d 3z 2 −r 2) and in-plane (3d x 2 −y 2) Ni e g orbitals above and below T SO, respectively.

The existence of multiple topological phases in a single material, although theoretically possible, has not been verified. Here, the authors observe weak topological insulator surface states and a one-dimensional Dirac-node crossing surface state in a single metallic material Hf2Te2P.

We present the case of a child with long-standing, super-refractory status epilepticus (SRSE) who manifested prompt and complete resolution of SRSE upon exposure to pure cannabidiol. SRSE emerged in the context of remote suspected encephalitis with previously well-controlled epilepsy. We discuss the extent to which response may be specifically attributed to cannabidiol, with consideration and discussion of multiple potential drug–drug interactions. Based on this case, we propose that adjunctive cannabidiol be considered in the treatment of SRSE. Keywords: EEG, Status epilepticus, Cannabidiol, Pediatric

Abstract Proximity-effect-induced superconductivity was studied in epitaxial topological insulator Bi2Se3 thin films grown on superconducting NbSe2 single crystals. A point contact spectroscopy (PCS) method was used at low temperatures down to 40 mK. An induced superconducting gap in Bi2Se3 was observed in the spectra, which decreased with increasing Bi2Se3 layer thickness, consistent with the proximity effect in the bulk states of Bi2Se3 induced by NbSe2. At very low temperatures, an extra point contact feature which may correspond to a second energy gap appeared in the spectrum. For a 16 quintuple layer Bi2Se3 on NbSe2 sample, the bulk state gap value near the top surface is ~159 μeV, while the second gap value is ~120 μeV at 40 mK. The second gap value decreased with increasing Bi2Se3 layer thickness, but the ratio between the second gap and the bulk state gap remained about the same for different Bi2Se3 thicknesses. It is plausible that this is due to superconductivity in Bi2Se3 topological surface states induced through the bulk states. The two induced gaps in the PCS measurement are consistent with the three-dimensional bulk state and the two-dimensional surface state superconducting gaps observed in the angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurement.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social interactions, difficulty with communication, and repetitive behavior patterns. In humans affected by ASD, there is a male pre-disposition towards the condition with a male to female ratio of 4:1. In part due to the complex etiology of ASD including genetic and environmental interplay, there are currently no available medical therapies to improve the social deficits of ASD. Studies in rodent models and humans have shown promising therapeutic effects of oxytocin in modulating social adaptation. One pharmacological approach to stimulating oxytocinergic activity is the melanocortin receptor 4 agonist Melanotan-II (MT-II). Notably the effects of oxytocin on environmental rodent autism models has not been investigated to date. We used a maternal immune activation (MIA) mouse model of autism to assess the therapeutic potential of MT-II on autism-like features in adult male mice. The male MIA mice exhibited autism-like features including impaired social behavioral metrics, diminished vocal communication, and increased repetitive behaviors. Continuous administration of MT-II to male MIA mice over a seven-day course resulted in rescue of social behavioral metrics. Normal background C57 male mice treated with MT-II showed no significant alteration in social behavioral metrics. Additionally, there was no change in anxiety-like or repetitive behaviors following MT-II treatment of normal C57 mice, though there was significant weight loss following subacute treatment. These data demonstrate MT-II as an effective agent for improving autism-like behavioral deficits in the adult male MIA mouse model of autism.

Dirac semimetals (DSMs) are three-dimensional analogue to graphene with symmetry enforced bulk Dirac nodes. Among various DSMs, ZrSiS has attracted great interests recently, due to its three dimensional Dirac nodal line protected by the nonsymmorphic symmetry. It belongs to a large family of isostructural compounds with rich quantum phenomenon. Here we present a comprehensive study of the first principle calculation, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements, and scanning tunneling microscope experiments on ZrGeTe, a member of the ZrSiS family with stronger spin–orbit coupling (SOC). Our band structure calculation shows Dirac line nodes along $\bar{AM}$ and $\bar{XR}$ , the signature of linearly dispersive diamond-shaped band around $\bar{{\Gamma}}$ , and the existence of floating gapless surface states at $\bar{X}$ with Rashba spin-split helical spin texture. Furthermore, characteristic q -vectors including two Umklapp scattering vectors revealed by our quasiparticle scattering interference imaging can be identified with joint density of states simulation based on our calculated band structure. Our results demonstrate the effects of large SOC on the electronic structure of ZrGeTe, which may benefit the potential application by utilizing its exotic quantum states in the future.

A superconducting material containing a topologically non-trivial electronic band structure presents the possibility of realizing Majorana states as well as exotic excitations with potential in quantum computing. Here, the authors evidence the required ingredients in the noncentrosymmetric superconductor BiPd.

Nodal-line shaped bands appearing near the Fermi level host unique properties in topological matter, which has yet to be confirmed in real materials. Here, the authors report the existence of topological nodal-line states in the non-centrosymmetric single-crystalline spin-orbit semimetal PbTaSe2.

Group IIIA−VIA layered semiconductors (MX, where M = Ga and In, X = S, Se, and Te) have attracted tremendous interest for their anisotropic optical, electronic, and mechanical properties. In this study, we demonstrated that metal and InSe junctions can lead to carrier behaviors in few-layered InSe FETs. These results indicate that the polarity of few-layered InSe FETs can be determined by using metals with different work functions. We adopted FET S/D metal contacts with asymmetric work functions to reduce the Schottky barriers of electrons and holes, and discovered that few-layered InSe FETs with carefully selected metal contacts can achieve ambipolar behaviors. These results indicate that group IIIA−VIA layered semiconductor FETs with asymmetry contact metals have great potential for applications in photovoltaic devices, optical sensors, and CMOS inverter circuits.

Duplications of 15q11.2-q13.1 (Dup15q syndrome) are highly penetrant for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A distinct electrophysiological (EEG) pattern characterized by excessive activity in the beta band has been noted in clinical reports. We asked whether EEG power in the beta band, as well as in other frequency bands, distinguished children with Dup15q syndrome from those with non-syndromic ASD and then examined the clinical correlates of this electrophysiological biomarker in Dup15q syndrome.In the first study, we recorded spontaneous EEG from children with Dup15q syndrome (n = 11), age-and-IQ-matched children with ASD (n = 10) and age-matched typically developing (TD) children (n = 9) and computed relative power in 6 frequency bands for 9 regions of interest (ROIs). Group comparisons were made using a repeated measures analysis of variance. In the second study, we recorded spontaneous EEG from a larger cohort of individuals with Dup15q syndrome (n = 27) across two sites and examined age, epilepsy, and duplication type as predictors of beta power using simple linear regressions.In the first study, spontaneous beta1 (12-20 Hz) and beta2 (20-30 Hz) power were significantly higher in Dup15q syndrome compared with both comparison groups, while delta (1-4 Hz) was significantly lower than both comparison groups. Effect sizes in all three frequency bands were large (|d| > 1). In the second study, we found that beta2 power was significantly related to epilepsy diagnosis in Dup15q syndrome.Here, we have identified an electrophysiological biomarker of Dup15q syndrome that may facilitate clinical stratification, treatment monitoring, and measurement of target engagement for future clinical trials. Future work will investigate the genetic and neural underpinnings of this electrophysiological signature as well as the functional consequences of excessive beta oscillations in Dup15q syndrome.

Jason T Lerner1, Noriko Salamon2, Raman Sankar1,31Departments of Pediatrics, 2Radiological Sciences, 3Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles and Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USAAbstract: Vigabatrin, the first therapeutic agent to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of infantile spasms, as well as for adjunctive use in the treatment of refractory complex partial epilepsy, represents an important advance for patients with difficult-to-manage epilepsy. This review summarizes the complex history, chemistry, and pharmacology, as well as the clinical data leading to the approval of vigabatrin for infantile spasms in the US. The long path to its approval reflects the visual system and white matter toxicity concerns with this agent. This review provides a brief description of these concerns, and the regulatory safety monitoring and mitigation systems that have been put in place to enhance benefit over risk.Keywords: vigabatrin, infantile spasms, monotherapy

In many experimental systems, proinflammatory stimuli exhibit proconvulsant properties. There are also accumulating data suggesting that inflammation may contribute to epileptogenesis in experimental models as well as in humans. Using two different models (Lithium-pilocarpine induced-status epilepticus (SE) and rapid kindling), we address this issue in the developing brain. Using P14 Wistar rat pups, we showed that inflammation induced by LPS results, after SE, into a more severe disease in adulthood. The main histological feature was an active gliosis that was observed only when inflammation and SE was combined. The use of a kindling model at P14, a model where seizure progress without any neurodegeneration, permits to show that systemic inflammation is responsible of an enhancement of epileptogenesis. The role of inflammation should be further explored in immature brain to identify therapeutic targets that may be relevant to clinical practice where the association of inflammation and epileptic events is common.

Depression is a frequent comorbidity of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE); however, its mechanisms remain poorly understood and effective therapies are lacking. Augmentation of hippocampal interleukin-1β (IL-1β) signaling may be a mechanistic factor of both TLE and clinical depression. We examined whether pharmacological blockade of hippocampal interleukin-1 receptor exerts antidepressant effects in an animal model of comorbidity between TLE and depression, which developed in Wistar rats following pilocarpine status epilepticus (SE). In post-SE animals, depression-like state was characterized by behavioral equivalents of anhedonia and despair; dysregulation of the hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenocortical axis; compromised raphe–hippocampal serotonergic transmission. Two-week long bilateral intrahippocampal infusion of human recombinant Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) improved all of the examined depressive impairments, without modifying spontaneous seizure frequency and without affecting normal parameters in naïve rats. These findings implicate hippocampal IL-1β in epilepsy-associated depression and provide a rationale for the introduction of IL-1β blockers in the treatment of depression in TLE.

Dirac nodal line semimetals represent a new state of quantum matters in which the electronic bands touch to form a closed loop with linear dispersion. Here, we report a combined study on ZrSiS by density functional theory calculation, scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) and magneto-transport measurements. Our STM measurements reveal the spectroscopic signatures of a diamond-shaped Dirac bulk band and a surface band on two types of cleaved surfaces as well as a spin-polarized surface band at $\bar{{\rm{\Gamma }}}$ at E ∼ 0.6 eV on S-surface, consistent with our band calculation. Furthermore, we find the surface termination does not affect the surface spectral weight from the Dirac bulk bands but greatly affect the surface bands due to the change in the surface orbital composition. From our magneto-transport measurements, the primary Shubnikov–de-Haas frequency is identified to stem from the hole-type quasi-two-dimensional Fermi surface between Γ and X. The extracted non-orbital magnetoresistance (MR) contribution D ( θ , H ) yields a nearly H-linear dependence, which is attributed to the intrinsic MR in ZrSiS. Our results demonstrate the unique Dirac line nodes phase and the dominating role of Zr- d orbital on the electronic structure in ZrSiS and the related compounds.

Depression is frequently reported in epilepsy patients; however, mechanisms of co-morbidity between epilepsy and depression are poorly understood. An important mechanism of depression is disinhibition within the hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenocortical (HPA) axis. We examined the functional state of the HPA axis in a rat model of co-morbidity between temporal lobe epilepsy and depression. Epilepsy was accompanied by the interictal elevation of plasma corticosterone, and by the positively combined dexamethasone/corticotropin releasing hormone test. The extent of the HPA hyperactivity was independent of recurrent seizures, but positively correlated with the severity of depressive behavior. We suggest that the observed hyperactivity of the HPA axis may underlie co-morbidity between epilepsy and depression.

We report a maximal figure of merit (ZT) value of 1.1 at 600 K was obtained for the sample of which x = 0.03, representing an enhancement greater than 20% compared with a pristine AgSbTe2 sample. This favorable thermoelectric performance originated from the optimal Sn2+ substitution for Sb3+ in AgSbTe2, which not only increased electrical conductivity but also led to a substantial reduction in thermal conductivity that was likely caused by an enhanced phonon-scattering mechanism through the combined effects of lattice defects and the presence of Ag2Te nanoprecipitates dispersed in the matrix.