a b s t r a c tIncreasing evidence indicates that beta-amyloid (Ab) oligomers rather than monomers or fibrils are the major toxic agents that specifically inhibit synaptic plasticity and long-term potentiation (LTP) in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Neutralization of Ab oligomeric toxicity was found to reverse memory deficits. Here, we report four single-chain variable fragment (scFv) antibodies isolated from the naive human scFv library by phage display that specifically recognized Ab oligomers but not monomers and fibrils. These conformation-dependent scFv antibodies inhibit both Ab fibrillation and cytotoxicity and bind to the same type of eptitope displayed on the Ab oligomers. Such scFv antibodies specifically targeting toxic Ab oligomers may have potential therapeutic and diagnostic applications for AD.

Abstract(Quasi-)one-dimensional systems exhibit various fascinating properties such as Luttinger liquid behavior, Peierls transition, novel topological phases, and the accommodation of unique quasiparticles (e.g., spinon, holon, and soliton, etc.). Here we study molybdenum blue bronze A0.3MoO3 (A = K, Rb), a canonical quasi-one-dimensional charge-density-wave material, using laser-based angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Our experiment suggests that the normal phase of A0.3MoO3 is a prototypical Luttinger liquid, from which the charge-density-wave emerges with decreasing temperature. Prominently, we observe strong renormalizations of band dispersions, which are recognized as the spectral function of Holstein polaron derived from band-selective electron-phonon coupling in the system. We argue that the strong electron-phonon coupling plays an important role in electronic properties and the charge-density-wave transition in blue bronzes. Our results not only reconcile the long-standing heavy debates on the electronic properties of blue bronzes but also provide a rare platform to study interesting excitations in Luttinger liquid materials.

Ultrathin films of intrinsic magnetic topological insulator MnBi2Te4 exhibit fascinating quantum properties such as the quantum anomalous Hall effect and the axion insulator state. In this work, we systematically investigate the evolution of the electronic structure of MnBi2Te4 thin films. With increasing film thickness, the electronic structure changes from an insulator type with a large energy gap to one with in-gap topological surface states, which is, however, still in drastic contrast to the bulk material. By surface doping of alkali-metal atoms, a Rashba split band gradually emerges and hybridizes with topological surface states, which not only reconciles the puzzling difference between the electronic structures of the bulk and thin-film MnBi2Te4 but also provides an interesting platform to establish Rashba ferromagnet that is attractive for (quantum) anomalous Hall effect. Our results provide important insights into the understanding and engineering of the intriguing quantum properties of MnBi2Te4 thin films.

Herein, a hot tearing measured system with external excitation coil and a differential thermal analysis system with applied magnetic field were used to study the effects of low-frequency alternating magnetic field on the solidification behavior and hot tearing susceptibility (HTS) of the AXJ530 alloy under different magnetic field parameters. The hot tearing volume of the castings was measured via paraffin infiltration method. The microstructure of the hot tearing zone of the casting was observed using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, and the phase composition was analyzed using X-ray diffraction and energy depressive spectroscopy. The experimental results show that the solidification interval of AXJ530 alloy was shortened and the dendrite coherency temperature of the alloy decreased with the increase in frequency of alternating magnetic field. Under appropriate magnetic field parameters, the electromagnetic force could enhance the convection in the melt to promote the flow of the residual liquid phase, refine the microstructure, and optimize the feeding channel in the late solidification stage, which reduced the HTS of the alloy. However, when the magnetic field frequency was increased to 15 Hz, the induced current generated excessive Joule heat to the melt. At this time, the thermal action of the magnetic field coarsened the microstructure of the alloy, resulting in an increase in HTS of the alloy.