Search

Hard carbon is one of the most promising anode materials for sodium-ion batteries. In this work, new types of biomass-derived hard carbons were obtained through pyrolysis of different kinds of agro-industrial biowaste (corncob, apple pomace, olive mill solid waste, defatted grape seed and dried grape skin). Furthermore, the influence of pretreating the biowaste samples by hydrothermal carbonization and acid hydrolysis was also studied. Except for the olive mill solid waste, discharge capacities typical of biowaste-derived hard carbons were obtained in every case (≈300 mAh·g−1 at C/15). Furthermore, it seems that hydrothermal carbonization could improve the discharge capacity of biowaste samples derived from different nature at high cycling rates, which are the closest conditions to real applications.

The heteroreceptor complexes present a novel biological principle for signal integration. These complexes and their allosteric receptor–receptor interactions are bidirectional and novel targets for treatment of CNS diseases including mental diseases. The existence of D2R-5-HT2AR heterocomplexes can help explain the anti-schizophrenic effects of atypical antipsychotic drugs not only based on blockade of 5-HT2AR and of D2R in higher doses but also based on blocking the allosteric enhancement of D2R protomer signaling by 5-HT2AR protomer activation. This research opens a new understanding of the integration of DA and 5-HT signals released from DA and 5-HT nerve terminal networks. The biological principle of forming 5-HT and other heteroreceptor complexes in the brain also help understand the mechanism of action for especially the 5-HT hallucinogens, including putative positive effects of e.g., psilocybin and the indicated prosocial and anti-stress actions of MDMA (ecstasy). The GalR1-GalR2 heterodimer and the putative GalR1-GalR2-5-HT1 heteroreceptor complexes are targets for Galanin N-terminal fragment Gal (1–15), a major modulator of emotional networks in models of mental disease. GPCR-receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) heteroreceptor complexes can operate through transactivation of FGFR1 via allosteric mechanisms and indirect interactions over GPCR intracellular pathways involving protein kinase Src which produces tyrosine phosphorylation of the RTK. The exciting discovery was made that several antidepressant drugs such as TCAs and SSRIs as well as the fast-acting antidepressant drug ketamine can directly bind to the TrkB receptor and provide a novel mechanism for their antidepressant actions. Understanding the role of astrocytes and their allosteric receptor–receptor interactions in modulating forebrain glutamate synapses with impact on dorsal raphe-forebrain serotonin neurons is also of high relevance for research on major depressive disorder.

The suitability of the charcoal obtained from woody biomass pyrolysis in a continuous screw reactor at 573, 773, 973, 1173 K temperature profile as fuel and reducing agent in metallurgical applications has been evaluated, in order to reduce the CO2 emissions in these processes. On the one hand, a comparative study between charcoal and commercial reducers has been carried out. On the other hand, different proportions of this charcoal have been added to an industrial coking coal blend and carbonized together in a semi-pilot movable wall oven, to study the influence in the plastic and mechanical properties of the produced biocoke. The charcoal obtained fulfills the requirements to be used as fuel and reducer in non-ferrous processes where no mechanical strength is required, like rotary kilns, in substitution of fossil reducers. Its higher heating value (>32 MJ kg−1) is in the range or over those of fossil coals, with the advantage of not containing polluting elements (S, N) and having less ash. The addition of up to 0.9 wt.% almost does not affect the quality of the biocoke; but the addition of ≥2 wt.% degrades the biocoke mechanical and plastic properties below the demanded requirements. Moreover, biocoke reactivity seems independent of the amount of charcoal added.

Dysregulation of hippocampal neurogenesis is linked to several neurodegenereative diseases, where boosting hippocampal neurogenesis in these patients emerges as a potential therapeutic approach. Accumulating evidence for a neuropeptide Y (NPY) and galanin (GAL) interaction was shown in various limbic system regions at molecular-, cellular-, and behavioral-specific levels. The purpose of the current work was to evaluate the role of the NPY and GAL interaction in the neurogenic actions on the dorsal hippocampus. We studied the Y1R agonist and GAL effects on: hippocampal cell proliferation through the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), the expression of neuroprotective and anti-apoptotic factors, and the survival of neurons and neurite outgrowth on hippocampal neuronal cells. The functional outcome was evaluated in the object-in-place task. We demonstrated that the Y1R agonist and GAL promote cell proliferation and the induction of neuroprotective factors. These effects were mediated by the interaction of NPYY1 (Y1R) and GAL2 (GALR2) receptors, which mediate the increased survival and neurites’ outgrowth observed on neuronal hippocampal cells. These cellular effects are linked to the improved spatial-memory effects after the Y1R agonist and GAL co-injection at 24 h in the object-in-place task. Our results suggest the development of heterobivalent agonist pharmacophores, targeting Y1R–GALR2 heterocomplexes, therefore acting on the neuronal precursor cells of the DG in the dorsal hippocampus for the novel therapy of neurodegenerative cognitive-affecting diseases.