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Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death in glaucoma and other optic neuropathies results in irreversible vision loss due to the mammalian central nervous systems limited regenerative capacity. RGC repopulation is a promising therapeutic approach to reverse vision loss from optic neuropathies if the newly introduced neurons can reestablish functional retinal and thalamic circuits. In theory, RGCs might be repopulated through the transplantation of stem cell-derived neurons or via the induction of endogenous transdifferentiation. The RGC Repopulation, Stem Cell Transplantation, and Optic Nerve Regeneration (RReSTORe) Consortium was established to address the challenges associated with the therapeutic repair of the visual pathway in optic neuropathy. In 2022, the RReSTORe Consortium initiated ongoing international collaborative discussions to advance the RGC repopulation field and has identified five critical areas of focus: (1) RGC development and differentiation, (2) Transplantation methods and models, (3) RGC survival, maturation, and host interactions, (4) Inner retinal wiring, and (5) Eye-to-brain connectivity. Here, we discuss the most pertinent questions and challenges that exist on the path to clinical translation and suggest experimental directions to propel this work going forward. Using these five subtopic discussion groups (SDGs) as a framework, we suggest multidisciplinary approaches to restore the diseased visual pathway by leveraging groundbreaking insights from developmental neuroscience, stem cell biology, molecular biology, optical imaging, animal models of optic neuropathy, immunology & immunotolerance, neuropathology & neuroprotection, materials science & biomedical engineering, and regenerative neuroscience. While significant hurdles remain, the RReSTORe Consortiums efforts provide a comprehensive roadmap for advancing the RGC repopulation field and hold potential for transformative progress in restoring vision in patients suffering from optic neuropathies.

Current treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and neural injuries face major challenges, primarily due to the diminished regenerative capacity of neurons in the mammalian CNS as they mature. Here, we investigated the role of Ezh2, a histone methyltransferase, in regulating mammalian axon regeneration. We found that Ezh2 declined in the mouse nervous system during maturation but was upregulated in adult dorsal root ganglion neurons following peripheral nerve injury to facilitate spontaneous axon regeneration. In addition, overexpression of Ezh2 in retinal ganglion cells in the CNS promoted optic nerve regeneration via both histone methylation-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Further investigation revealed that Ezh2 fostered axon regeneration by orchestrating the transcriptional silencing of genes governing synaptic function and those inhibiting axon regeneration, while concurrently activating various factors that support axon regeneration. Notably, we demonstrated that GABA transporter 2, encoded by Slc6a13, acted downstream of Ezh2 to control axon regeneration. Overall, our study underscores the potential of modulating chromatin accessibility as a promising strategy for promoting CNS axon regeneration., Introduction Axon degeneration and neuronal cell death are common consequences of neurodegenerative diseases and neural injuries. Unfortunately, current clinical therapeutics for neural injuries and neurodegenerative diseases still fall short of [...]

The power load of the smart grid fluctuates increasingly high and rapidly because of the introduction of intermittent energy, such as wind energy and solar energy. As a result, the increase of the randomly fluctuating load in the smart grid brings new challenges to the active power measurement of smart electricity meters. However, the installed power meter and the standard electricity meter are designed for a steady input signal. The traditional MA (moving average) and ⅡR (infinite impulse response) measurement algorithms are proposed for the steady situation and are thus not suitable to address the dynamic error testing and metering problems. Moreover, although some harmonic experiments have been performed that provide an overview of domestic and internal standards of electricity energy meter, there is a lack dynamic characteristics in them. Thus, it is of great theoretical significance and application value to study the dynamic measurement characteristics of the existing smart electricity meters and propose an effective dynamic measurement to improve the metering dynamic performance. To reduce the measurement error of a smart electricity meter under dynamic load power conditions, a SDPA algorithm for dynamic active energy measurement was proposed in this work. First, the dynamic response speed and dynamic error characteristics of active power of traditional MA and ⅡR low pass filter algorithm were deduced. Next, the limitations of the two algorithms for dynamic input signal were highlighted, and the influence factors were determined by theoretical analysis. Based on these results, a SDPA algorithm for dynamic measurement of smart electricity meter was proposed. The new algorithm was implemented by truncating periodically, executing piecewise point product operation and summing up the active power. In addition, the implementation method by decimation can save storage space and improve the operation speed. The theoretical and simulation results show that the SDPA algorithm can reach a lower error level in one period of response time.

Hymenochaetales, belonging to Agaricomycetes, Basidiomycota, comprises most polypores and corticioid fungi and, also, a few agarics. The latest taxonomic framework accepts 14 families in this order. When further exploring species diversity of Hymenochaetales, two corticioid specimens collected from China producing cystidia with large umbrella-shaped crystalline heads attracted our attention. This kind of cystidia was reported only in three unsequenced species, viz. Tubulicrinis corneri, T. hamatus and T. umbraculus, which were accepted in Tubulicrinaceae, Hymenochaetales. The current multilocus-based phylogeny supports that the two Chinese specimens formed an independent lineage from Tubulicrinaceae as well as the additional 13 families and all sampled genera in Hymenochaetales. Therefore, a monotypic family, Umbellaceae, is newly described with the new genus Umbellus as the type genus to represent this lineage. The two Chinese specimens are newly described as U. sinensis, which differs from T. corneri, T. hamatus, and T. umbraculus in a combination of a smooth to grandinioid hymenophoral surface, not flattened, broadly ellipsoid basidiospores with a tiny apiculus, and growth on angiosperm wood. Due to the presence of the unique cystidia, the three species of Tubulicrinis, even though they lack available molecular sequences, are transferred to Umbellus as U. corneri, U. hamatus, and U. umbraculus. Hereafter, all known species with large umbrella-shaped crystalline-headed cystidia are in a single genus. In summary, the current study provides a supplement to the latest taxonomic framework of Hymenochaetales and will help to further explore species diversity and the evolution of this fungal order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Wood-inhabiting fungi are noteworthy components of woody ecosystems that are responsible for the decomposition and turnover of wood nutrients. While the diversity and ecology of these fungi in the [...]

Reasonable design of electrode materials with excellent capacitance performance is essential for the construction of high-energy–density supercapacitors. In this work, we synthesized three SmMn2O5 nanocrystals with different morphologies through a simple one-step hydrothermal method, which are SmMn2O5-NSs, SmMn2O5-NRs, and SmMn2O5-NPs. Compared with SmMn2O5-NPs and SmMn2O5-NRs, SmMn2O5-NSs exhibit excellent electrochemical performance of capacitors. At a scanning speed of 1 mV s−1, the specific capacity of the SmMn2O5-NSs reaches 334.25 F g−1, which is much higher than the 52 F g−1 and 42.84 F g−1 of SmMn2O5-NRs and SmMn2O5-NPs, respectively. Meanwhile, SmMn2O5-NSs have a higher specific surface area and more octahedral Mn4+. The specific surface area increases the exchange rate of ions and protons between the material and the electrolyte, and more Mn4+ can provide more Mn–O bonds during the reaction. These results indicate that controlling the morphology of SmMn2O5 nanocrystals by changing hydrothermal reaction conditions is an effective way to construct high-performance supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The national standard method for the analysis of scandium in geological samples uses sodium peroxide to fuse samples. After the filtration and separation of the sample solution, Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES) is applied to determine scandium. This process is complex, moreover, large amounts of salts are brought in during the pretreatment and the accuracy of the result is not satisfactory, and the procedure is lengthy, making it unsuitable for current mineral exploration. A mixture of four-acid system, which includes nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, perchloric acid and hydrofluoric acid, to decompose geological samples has been used and is reported in this paper. The Sc was measured by ICP-AES. Hydrochloric acid of 5% is used as the solution medium. When the interference element content is lower than 2%, the interference factor correction (IEC) is applied to optimize the intensity of the spectral line and the solution is diluted appropriately to reduce the matrix effects. Through these steps, the accuracy and precision of the measurement results of scandium were improved. The detection limit of this new method is 0.0016 μg/mL, which is better than the detection limit (0.004 μg/mL) of the national standard method, and the recovery rate of this method is 97.0%-99.3% with measurement range of 0.00003%-10%. The relative standard deviation (RSD, n=6) is in the range of 0.4%-2.3%. National standard reference materials were analysed by this method, and the test results of scandium agree well with the recommended values. Unlike the alkali fusion method, the acid leaching method can avoid bringing in interfering substances. Hereby, the stability has been improved greatly by using ICP-AES to determine Sc. This method is less demanding on the regional and environmental conditions, is simple and fast and can be applied to a large number of geological samples in laboratories.