Membrane‐Free Zn/MnO2 Flow Battery for Large‐Scale Energy Storage

The traditional Zn/MnO₂ battery has attracted great interest due to its low cost, high safety, high output voltage, and environmental friendliness. However, it remains a big challenge to achieve long‐term stability, mainly owing to the poor reversibility of the cathode reaction. Different from previous studies where the cathode redox reaction of MnO₂/MnOOH is in solid state with limited reversibility, here a new aqueous rechargeable Zn/MnO₂ flow battery is constructed with dissolution–precipitation reactions in both cathodes (Mn²⁺/MnO₂) and anodes (Zn²⁺/Zn), which allow mixing of anolyte and catholyte into only one electrolyte and remove the requirement for an ion selective membrane for cost reduction. Impressively, this new battery exhibits a high discharge voltage of ≈1.78 V, good rate capability (10C discharge), and excellent cycling stability (1000 cycles without decay) at the areal capacity ranging from 0.5 to 2 mAh cm^‐2. More importantly, this battery can be readily enlarged to a bench scale flow cell of 1.2 Ah with good capacity retention of 89.7% at the 500th cycle, displaying great potential for large‐scale energy storage.     

High‐Temperature Shock Enabled Nanomanufacturing for Energy‐Related Applications

Functional nanomaterials are playing a crucial role in the emerging field of energy‐related devices. Recently, as a novel synthesis method, high‐temperature shock (HTS), which is rapid, low cost, eco‐friendly, universal, scalable, and controllable, has provided a promising option for the rational design and synthesis of various high‐quality nanomaterials. In this report, the HTS technique, including the equipment setup and operating principle, is systematically introduced, and recent progress in the synthesis of nanomaterials for energy storage and conversion applications using this HTS method is summarized. The growth mechanisms of nanoparticles and carbonaceous nanomaterials are thoroughly discussed, followed by the summary of the characteristic advantages of the HTS strategy. A series of nanomaterials prepared by the HTS method, including carbon‐based films, metal nanoparticles and compound nanoparticles, show high performance in the diverse applications of storage energy batteries, highly active catalysts, and smart energy devices. Finally, the future perspectives and directions of HTS in nanomanufacturing for broader applications are presented.     

Comparison of bacterial community structure and function under different petroleum hydrocarbon degradation conditions

Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering - Bioremediation methods have been successfully applied to the removal of organic pollutants for decades, but the responses of the microbial community to...     

脑缺血大鼠肺组织NGF/TrkA表达变化及其意义

目的:探讨大鼠脑缺血后肺组织神经生长因子(nerve growth factor,NGF)/酪氨酸蛋白激酶A(tropomyosin-related kinase A,TrkA)表达的变化。方法:成年雄性大鼠随机分为假手术组和脑缺血后6 h、24 h及48 h组,每组8只。建立大脑中动脉永久性局灶性缺血模型,术后于各时间点麻醉处死大鼠后,测定肺组织湿重/干重(W/D),光镜下观察HE染色肺组织病理学改变;Western blot法检测肺组织NGF、TrkA蛋白表达。结果:与假手术组相比,脑缺血后6 h肺组织W/D有增加,差异无统计学意义(P>0.05),而脑缺血后24 h及48 h肺组织W/D均有显著增高(P<0.05),其中以24 h组最明显(P<0.01);脑缺血后6 h肺组织出现轻度充血、水肿及炎性改变,24 h及48 h组肺泡结构破坏明显。病理学评分结果显示,脑缺血后24 h及48 h组大鼠肺组织病理评分较假手术组显著升高(P<0.05);Western blot法显示,脑缺血6 h肺组织中NGF表达增加(P<0.05),48 h时表达有下降趋势,但仍高于假手术组(P<0.05)。而肺组织中TrkA表达在脑缺血6h有下降(P>0.05),24 h下降明显(P<0.05),48 h时TrkA蛋白表达虽有上升,仍显著低于假手术组(P<0.05)。结论:大鼠肺组织NGF/TrkA的动态变化可能参与了脑缺血后肺损伤的病理生理过程。     

不同浓度罗哌卡因腰硬联合麻醉用于人工髋关节置换手术对患者麻醉效果和术后运动功能的影响

摘要 目的：探讨不同浓度罗哌卡因腰硬联合麻醉用于人工髋关节置换手术对患者麻醉效果和术后运动功能的影响。方法：2017年2月至2019年12月选择在本院进行人工髋关节置换手术的患者84例,根据随机数字表法把患者分为观察组与对照组各42例。两组都给予腰硬联合麻醉,对照组采用常规浓度0.5 %罗哌卡因麻醉观察组采用低浓度0.375 %罗哌卡因麻醉,记录患者麻醉效果和术后运动功能变化情况。结果：观察组的麻醉持续时间、运动恢复时间和感觉运动时间都显著短于对照组(P<0.05)。观察组麻醉后10 min、30 min、60 min的Bromage评分都低于对照组(P<0.05)。观察组术后7 d的低血压、恶心呕吐、头晕头痛、尿潴留等不良反应发生率为7.1 %,显著低于对照组的19.0 %(P<0.05)。两组所有患者在术后2 h、术后4 h、术后24 h的呼吸、心率均在正常范围内波动,组间与组内对比都无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论：低浓度罗哌卡因腰硬联合麻醉用于人工髋关节置换手术能改善患者的麻醉效果和运动功能,提高麻醉效果,并不影响患者的生命体征,且能减少术后不良反应的发生。     

Activation of the bitter taste sensor TRPM5 prevents high salt-induced cardiovascular dysfunction

Science China Life Sciences - High salt intake is a known risk factor of cardiovascular diseases. Our recent study demonstrated that long-term high salt intake impairs transient receptor potential...     

VdNop12, containing two tandem RNA recognition motif domains,is a crucial factor for pathogenicity and cold adaption in Verticillium dahliae

Previous studies have reported the ability of fungi to overwinter in soil or on crop debris under different environmental conditions, but how fungi adapt to chilling is still largely unknown. In this study, we have identified and characterized the RNA binding protein (RBP) (VdNop12) by screening an Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation-mediated insertional mutational library of Verticillium dahliae. We determined that this protein was essential to the pathogen for virulence on cotton plants. VdNop12 contains two tandem RNA recognition motif domains, and its orthologs are widely distributed in filamentous fungi. Mutants produced by disruption of VdNop12 showed defects in vegetative growth, conidiation and cell wall integrity. The mutant also showed an increase in sensitivity to low temperature, as compared to the wildtype and complementation strains. Yeast complementation assay showed that VdNop12 could functionally restore the growth phenotype of ΔScNop12 mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae at 15°C. We demonstrated that the VdNop12 is localized in the nucleus, and its loss resulted in the downregulated expression of several genes related to cAMP-PKA and MAPK pathways in V. dahliae. Our results demonstrated a crucial role of RBPs in the regulation of morphology, cold adaption, and pathogenic development in V. dahliae.     

Quorum sensing regulation confronts the development of a viable but non-culturable state in Vibrio cholerae

Vibrio cholerae can enter a viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state when it encounters unfavourable environments; VBNC cells serve as important reservoirs and still pose threats to public health. The genetic regulation of V. cholerae entering its VBNC state is not well understood. Here, we show a confrontation strategy adapted by V. cholerae O1 in which it utilizes a quorum sensing (QS) system to prevent transition into a VBNC state under low nutrition and temperature conditions. The upregulation of hapR resulted in a prolonged culturable state of V. cholerae in artificial sea water at 4°C, whereas the mutation of hapR led to fast entry into the VBNC state. We also observed that different V. cholerae O1 natural isolates with distinct QS functions present a variety of abilities to maintain culturability during the transition to a VBNC state. The strain groups with higher or constitutive expression of QS genes exhibit a greater tendency to maintain the culturable state during VBNC induction than those lacking QS functional groups. In summary, HapR-mediated QS regulation is associated with the transition to the VBNC state in V. cholerae. HapR expression causes V. cholerae to resist VBNC induction and become dominant over competitors in changing environments.     

Rice stripe virus coat protein induces the accumulation of jasmonic acid,activating plant defence against the virus while also attracting its vector to feed

The jasmonic acid (JA) pathway plays crucial roles in plant defence against pathogens and herbivores. Rice stripe virus (RSV) is the type member of the genus Tenuivirus. It is transmitted by the small brown planthopper (SBPH) and causes damaging epidemics in East Asia. The role(s) that JA may play in the tripartite interaction against RSV, its host, and vector are poorly understood. Here, we found that the JA pathway was induced by RSV infection and played a defence role against RSV. The coat protein (CP) was the major viral component responsible for inducing the JA pathway. Methyl jasmonate treatment attracted SBPHs to feed on rice plants while a JA-deficient mutant was less attractive than wild-type rice. SBPHs showed an obvious preference for feeding on transgenic rice lines expressing RSV CP. Our results demonstrate that CP is an inducer of the JA pathway that activates plant defence against RSV while also attracting SBPHs to feed and benefitting viral transmission. This is the first report of the function of JA in the tripartite interaction between RSV, its host, and its vector.     

The essential effector SCRE1 in Ustilaginoidea virens suppresses rice immunity via a small peptide region

The biotrophic fungal pathogen Ustilaginoidea virens causes rice false smut, a newly emerging plant disease that has become epidemic worldwide in recent years. The U. virens genome encodes many putative effector proteins that, based on the study of other pathosystems, could play an essential role in fungal virulence. However, few studies have been reported on virulence functions of individual U. virens effectors. Here, we report our identification and characterization of the secreted cysteine-rich protein SCRE1, which is an essential virulence effector in U. virens. When SCRE1 was heterologously expressed in Magnaporthe oryzae, the protein was secreted and translocated into plant cells during infection. SCRE1 suppresses the immunity-associated hypersensitive response in the nonhost plant Nicotiana benthamiana. Induced expression of SCRE1 in rice also inhibits pattern-triggered immunity and enhances disease susceptibility to rice bacterial and fungal pathogens. The immunosuppressive activity is localized to a small peptide region that contains an important ‘cysteine-proline-alanine-arginine-serine’ motif. Furthermore, the scre1 knockout mutant generated using the CRISPR/Cas9 system is attenuated in U. virens virulence to rice, which is greatly complemented by the full-length SCRE1 gene. Collectively, this study indicates that the effector SCRE1 is able to inhibit host immunity and is required for full virulence of U. virens.