Development of Safe and Sustainable Dual‐Ion Batteries Through Hybrid Aqueous/Nonaqueous Electrolytes

In this study, a new dual‐ion battery (DIB) concept based on an aqueous/non‐aqueous electrolyte is reported, combining high safety in the form of a nonflammable water‐in‐salt electrolyte, a high cathodic stability by forming a protective interphase on the negative electrode (non‐aqueous solvent), and improved sustainability by using a graphite‐based positive electrode material. Far beyond the anodic stability limit of water, the formation of a stage‐2 acceptor‐type graphite intercalation compound (GIC) of bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl) imide (TFSI) anions from an aqueous‐based electrolyte is achieved for the first time, as confirmed by ex‐situ X‐ray diffraction. The choice of negative electrode material shows a huge impact on the performance of the DIB cell chemistry, i.e., discharge capacities up to 40 mAh g^?1 are achieved even at a high specific current of 200 mA g^?1. In particular, lithium titanium phosphate (LiTi₂(PO₄)₃; LTP) and lithium titanium oxide (Li₄Ti₅O₁₂; LTO) are evaluated as negative electrodes, exhibiting specific advantages for this DIB setup. In this work, a new DIB storage concept combining an environmentally friendly, transition‐metal‐free, abundant graphite positive electrode material, and a nonflammable water‐based electrolyte is established, thus paving the path toward a sustainable and safe alternative energy storage technology.     

Environmental patterns are imposed on the population structure of Escherichia coli after fecal deposition

The intestinal microbe Escherichia coli is subject to fecal deposition in secondary habitats, where it persists transiently, allowing for the opportunity to colonize new hosts. Selection in the secondary habitat can be postulated, but its impact on the genomic diversity of E. coli is unknown. Environmental selective pressure on extrahost E. coli can be revealed by landscape genetic analysis, which examines the influences of dispersal processes, landscape features, and the environment on the spatiotemporal distribution of genes in natural populations. We conducted multilocus sequence analysis of 353 E. coli isolates from soil and fecal samples obtained in a recreational meadow to examine the ecological processes controlling their distributions. Soil isolates, as a group, were not genetically distinct from fecal isolates, with only 0.8% of genetic variation and no fixed mutations attributed to the isolate source. Analysis of the landscape genetic structure of E. coli populations showed a patchy spatial structure consistent with patterns of fecal deposition. Controlling for the spatial pattern made it possible to detect environmental gradients of pH, moisture, and organic matter corresponding to the genetic structure of E. coli in soil. Ecological distinctions among E. coli subpopulations (i.e., E. coli reference collection [ECOR] groups) contributed to variation in subpopulation distributions. Therefore, while fecal deposition is the major predictor of E. coli distributions on the field scale, selection imposed by the soil environment has a significant impact on E. coli population structure and potentially amplifies the occasional introduction of stress-tolerant strains to new host individuals by transmission through water or food.     

A battery in the stenotic esophagus of a child with a congenital tracheoesophageal fistula

A case of a three-year-old male child who was admitted to our hospital with the suspicion that he had swallowed a battery approximately one hour before admittance. The parents believed that it was a button-shaped lithium battery approximately 12 mm in diameter. A chest X-ray was taken immediately, and a battery was identified in the esophagus at the fifth thoracic vertebra. By reviewing the child's medical history, we found that the child had had surgery the day after birth due to congenital atresia of the esophagus and a tracheoesophageal fistula type III b. An esophagoscopy was performed one hour after admittance, and the battery was found to be partially past the scar from the first surgery. Because of that, the battery was pushed further toward the stomach, out of fear that retrieving the battery through the scarred section of the child's esophagus could damage the stenotic wall. Upon the next X-ray of the abdomen, the battery was observed in the stomach. The child was monitored, and X-rays were taken over the next several days. The battery was evacuated in stool eight days after it had been ingested.     

Selective regulation of somatostatin receptor subtype signaling: evidence for constitutive receptor activation

Anterior pituitary hormone secretion is under tonic suppression by hypothalamic somatostatin signaling through somatostatin receptor subtypes (SSTs). Because some hormonal axes are known to be abnormally regulated by ligand-independent constitutively active G protein-coupled receptors, we tested pituitary SSTs for selective constitutive signaling. We therefore differentially silenced endogenous SST2, SST3, and SST5 in somatostatin-sensitive ACTH-secreting mouse AtT-20 pituitary corticotroph cells using small inhibitory RNA (siRNA) and analyzed downstream SSTs-regulated pathways. Transfection with siRNA reduced specific receptor subtype mRNA expression up to 82%. Specificity of receptor silencing was validated against negative controls with different gene-selective siRNAs, concordance of mRNA and cAMP changes, reduced potency of receptor-selective agonists, and phenotype rescue by overexpression of the silenced receptor. Mouse SST3 > SST5 > SST2 knockdown increased basal cAMP accumulation (up to 200%) and ACTH secretion (up to 60%). SST2- and SST5-selective agonist potencies were reduced by SST3- and SST5-silencing, respectively. SST5 > SST2 = SST3 silencing also increased basal levels of ERK1/2 phosphorylation. SST3- and SST5-knockdown increased cAMP was only partially blocked by pertussis toxin. The results show that SST2, SST3, and SST5 exhibit constitutive activity in mouse pituitary corticotroph cells, restraining adenylate cyclase and MAPK activation and ACTH secretion. SST3 mainly inhibits cAMP accumulation and ACTH secretion, whereas SST5 predominantly suppresses MAPK pathway activation. Therefore, SST receptor subtypes control pituitary cell function not only through somatostatin binding to variably expressed cell membrane receptor subtypes, but also by differential ligand-independent receptor-selective constitutive action.     

Bio-inspired visual ego-rotation sensor for MAVs

Flies are capable of extraordinary flight maneuvers at very high speeds largely due to their highly elaborate visual system. In this work we present a fly-inspired FPGA based sensor system able to visually sense rotations around different body axes, for use on board micro aerial vehicles (MAVs). Rotation sensing is performed analogously to the fly’s VS cell network using zero-crossing detection. An additional key feature of our system is the ease of adding new functionalities akin to the different tasks attributed to the fly’s lobula plate tangential cell network, such as object avoidance or collision detection. Our implementation consists of a modified eneo SC-MVC01 SmartCam module and a custom built circuit board, weighing less than 200 g and consuming less than 4 W while featuring 57,600 individual two-dimensional elementary motion detectors, a 185° field of view and a frame rate of 350 frames per second. This makes our sensor system compact in terms of size, weight and power requirements for easy incorporation into MAV platforms, while autonomously performing all sensing and processing on-board and in real time.