We report on the growth of high-quality stoichiometric layered Cr 2 Se 3 single crystals with metallic and noncollinear antiferromagnetic ground state using the chemical vapor transport (CVT) method. The crystals show weak ferromagnetism in the in-plane and out-of-plane directions below the Neél temperature (T N ), however, the field-cooled out-of-plane magnetization at 500 Oe and 10 K (∼0.24 μ B /f.u.) is approximately 15 times larger than that of the in-plane one, indicating strong c-axis easy uniaxial magnetic anisotropy, which is further supported by the in-plane and out-of-plane isothermal anisotropic magnetic hysteresis loops and the angular dependent magnetoresistance (MR). The latter also reveals a decrease of the coercive field of the crystal upon the tilting of the weak ferromagnetic easy axis away from the direction of the magnetic field. Further, the out-of-plane isothermal MR are negative below T N and show butterfly shapes for T < 10 K and couple with the magnetic hysteresis M(H ) loop. These results may help researchers better understand the interplay between the weak ferromagnetism and the magnetotransport properties of 2D itinerant noncollinear antiferromagnetic systems.

This article presents research results showing that the property of fused deposition modeling (FDM) products is obtained jointly by careful control of processing parameters, structure of products, and the composition of material. In this manuscript, poly(lactic acid) (PLA) was incorporated with graphene or carbon nanotube (CNT) through repeated melt blending. Filament of the PLA/graphitic nano‐filler was prepared and used in FDM. Rheological and thermal analysis were conducted to assess the suitability of the composite as FDM feedstock, and mechanical and electrical property were tested subsequently. Research results demonstrate that filament diameter‐regarded as processing‐related parameter‐was positively correlated with mechanical stiffness and strength of FDM products. Tensile elongation at break of FDM products exhibited significant increase at a raster angle of 45° compared with the filament before FDM, showing in certain cases, material property depends more on the structure than the composition. And when incorporated with graphene or CNT, the electrical conductivity of the PLA‐based composite increased drastically. The electrical conductivity of the best experiment sample reached ∼10−1 S m−1, demonstrating that composition is the key to functionalizing material. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 44703.

Neuroinflammation is considered to be the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy (HE), and imaging neuroinflammation is implicated in HE management. 11C-PK11195, a typical translocator protein (TSPO) radiotracer, is used for imaging neuroinflammation. However, it has inherent limitations, such as short half-life and limited availability. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the efficiency of new generation TSPO radiotracer, 18F-DPA-714, in detecting and monitoring neuroinflammation of chronic HE. This study was divided into two parts. The first part compared 18F-DPA-714 and 11C-PK11195 radiotracers in ten HE induced rats [bile duct ligation (BDL) and fed hyperammonemic diet (HD)] and 6 control rats. The animal subjects underwent dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) during 2-day intervals. The 11C-PK11195 PET study showed no differences in whole brain average percent injected dose per gram (%ID/g) values at all time points (all P>0.05), while the 18F-DPA-714 PET study showed higher whole brain average %ID/g values in HE rats compared to control group rats at 900 s to 3300 s after injecting radiotracer (all P<0.05). The second part of the study evaluated the effectiveness of ibuprofen (IBU) treatment to chronic HE. Forty rats were classified into six groups, including Sham+normal saline (NS), Sham+IBU, BDL+NS, BDL+HD+NS, BDL+IBU, and BDL+HD+IBU groups. 18F-DPA-714 PET was used to image neuroinflammation. Whole and regional brain average %ID/g values, neurological features, inflammatory factors and activated microglia showed better in the IBU groups than in the NS groups (all P<0.05) and no difference was seen in the Sham groups compared to IBU groups (all P>0.05). In conclusion, this study demonstrated that 18F-DPA-714 is an ideal TPSO radiotracer for imaging neuroinflammation and monitoring anti-neuroinflammation treatment efficacy of chronic HE.

The reactive oxygen species and Ca 2؉ overload play a critical role in ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. MCI-186 has potent effects in the brain as a free radical scavenger in ischemia-reperfusion. Acute glucose-oxygen deprivation and subsequent reoxygenation were used to model ischemia/reperfusion injury in cultured hippocampal cells. MCI-186 reduced malondialdehyde level and raised the SOD activity when applied upon reoxygenation in a dose-dependent manner compared with the untreated group. The peak neuroprotective effects occurred at 100 and 300 m mM. Intracellular free calcium concentration ([Ca 2؉ ] i ) was significantly reduced in the 100 m mM MCI-186-treated group compared to the untreated group (32.5؎4.0 versus 50.2؎3.6, pϽ0.01). Treatment with 100 m mM MCI-186 significantly inhibited the decrease of mitochondria membrane potential after simulated ischemia/ reperfusion (204؎11.6% compared with the untreated group, pϽ0.01). Cell apoptotic rate was significantly decreased following MCI-186 treatment from 33.7؎2.3% (untreated group) to 16.6؎1.4% (100 m mM MCI-186 treated group). There was no significantly protective difference between 100 and 300 m mM MCI-186. MCI-186 effectively protects neuron injury after simulated ischemia/reperfusion by inhibiting lipid peroxidation, reducing Ca 2؉ overload, elevating mitochondria membrane potential, and decreasing apoptosis.