Confined Fe2VO4⊂Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon Nanowires with Internal Void Space for High‐Rate and Ultrastable Potassium‐Ion Storage

Developing low‐cost, high‐capacity, high‐rate, and robust earth‐abundant electrode materials for energy storage is critical for the practical and scalable application of advanced battery technologies. Herein, the first example of synthesizing 1D peapod‐like bimetallic Fe₂VO₄ nanorods confined in N‐doped carbon porous nanowires with internal void space (Fe₂VO₄?NC nanopeapods) as a high‐capacity and stable anode material for potassium‐ion batteries (KIBs) is reported. The peapod‐like Fe₂VO₄?NC nanopeapod heterostructures with interior void space and external carbon shell efficiently prevent the aggregation of the active materials, facilitate fast transportation of electrons and ions, and accommodate volume variation during the cycling process, which substantially boosts the rate and cycling performance of Fe₂VO₄. The Fe₂VO₄?NC electrode exhibits high reversible specific depotassiation capacity of 380 mAh g^?1 at 100 mA g^?1 after 60 cycles and remarkable rate capability as well as long cycling stability with a high capacity of 196 mAh g^?1 at 4 A g^?1 after 2300 cycles. The first‐principles calculations reveal that Fe₂VO₄?NC nanopeapods have high ionic/electronic conductivity characteristics and low diffusion barriers for K⁺‐intercalation. This study opens up new way for investigating high‐capacity metal oxide as high‐rate and robust electrode materials for KIBs.     

Application of an efficient indole oxygenase system from Cupriavidus sp. SHE for indigo production

Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering - Indigo, one of the most widely used dyes, is mainly produced by chemical processes, which generate amounts of pollutants and need high energy consumption....     

分泌性中耳炎患者外周血Th1Th2细胞及T淋巴细胞亚群水平的表达及临床意义

目的:探讨分泌性中耳炎(SOM)患者外周血T辅助细胞1(Th1)、T辅助细胞2(Th2)细胞因子及T淋巴细胞亚群水平的表达及其临床意义。方法:选取我院于2015年1月至2018年1月期间收治的SOM患者135例记为SOM组,根据病程将患者分为急性组(病程14d,49例)、亚急性组(病程14-30d,53例)、慢性组(病程30d,33例)。另外选择同期于我院进行体检的100例健康者为对照组。分别对比SOM组和对照组受试者、不同病程SOM患者外周血Th1细胞因子[干扰素(INF-γ)、白细胞介素-2(IL-2)]、Th2细胞因子[白细胞介素-4(IL-4)、白细胞介素-10(IL-10)]以及T淋巴细胞亚群[CD3~+、CD4~+、CD8~+、CD4~+/CD8~+]水平。采用Pearson相关性分析INF-γ、IL-2、IL-4、IL-10与CD3~+、CD4~+、CD8~+、CD4~+/CD8~+的相关性。结果:SOM组患者外周血INF-γ、IL-2、IL-4、IL-10水平高于对照组(P0.05);急性组患者外周血INF-γ、IL-2、IL-4、IL-10水平低于亚急性组、慢性组,亚急性组患者外周血INF-γ、IL-2、IL-4、IL-10水平低于慢性组(P0.05)。SOM组患者外周血CD3~+、CD4~+、CD4~+/CD8~+水平低于对照组,CD8~+水平高于对照组(P0.05);急性组患者外周血CD3~+、CD4~+、CD4~+/CD8~+水平高于亚急性组、慢性组,CD8~+水平低于亚急性组、慢性组,亚急性组患者外周血CD3~+、CD4~+、CD4~+/CD8~+水平高于慢性组,CD8~+水平低于慢性组(P0.05)。Pearson相关性分析结果显示,SOM患者外周血INF-γ、IL-4与CD8~+呈正相关(P0.05),IL-4与CD3~+、CD4~+呈负相关(P0.05)。结论:SOM患者外周血Th1Th2细胞因子、T淋巴细胞亚群水平均表现异常,且其水平与疾病发生和发展存在一定联系,通过监测Th1Th2细胞因子、T淋巴细胞亚群有助于评估SOM患者病情。     

CPI-17-mediated contraction of vascular smooth muscle is essential for the development of hypertension in obese mice

Several factors have been implicated in obesity-related hypertension, but the genesis of the hypertension is largely unknown. In this study, we found a significantly upregulated expression of CPI-17(C-kinasepotentiated protein phosphatase 1 inhibitor of 17 kDa) and protein kinase C(PKC) isoforms in the vascular smooth muscles of high-fat diet(HFD)-fed obese mice. The obese wild-type mice showed a significant elevation of blood pressure and enhanced calcium-sensitized contraction of vascular smooth muscles. However, the obese CPI-17-deficient mice showed a normotensive blood pressure, and the calcium-sensitized contraction was consistently reduced. In addition, the mutant muscle displayed an abolished responsive force to a PKC activator and a 30%-50% reduction in both the initial peak force and sustained force in response to various G protein-coupled receptor(GPCR) agonists. Our observations showed that CPI-17-mediated calcium sensitization is mediated through a GPCR/PKC/CPI-17/MLCP/RLC signaling pathway. We therefore propose that the upregulation of CPI-17-mediated calcium-sensitized vasocontraction by obesity contributes to the development of obesity-related hypertension.     

A novel function of anaphase promoting complex subunit 10 in tumor progression in non-small cell lung cancer

The anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C), a cell cycle-regulated E3 ubiquitin ligase, is responsible for the transition from metaphase to anaphase and the exit from mitosis. The anaphase promoting complex subunit 10 (APC10), a subunit of the APC/C, executes a vital function in substrate recognition. However, no research has reported the connection between APC10 and cancer until now. In this study, we uncovered a novel, unprecedented role of APC10 in tumor progression, which is independent of APC/C. First, aberrant increase of APC10 expression was validated in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells and tissues, and the absence of APC10 repressed cell proliferation and migration. Of great interest, we found that APC10 inhibition induced cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase and reduced the expression of the APC/C substrate, Cyclin B1; this finding is different from the conventional concept of the accumulation of Cyclin B1 and cell cycle arrest in metaphase. Further, APC10 was found to interact with glutaminase C (GAC), and the inhibition of APC10 weakened glutamine metabolism and induced excessive autophagy. Taken together, these findings identify a novel function of APC10 in the regulation of NSCLC tumorigenesis and point to the possibility of APC10 as a new target for cancer therapy.     

Insights into the Effects of Electrolyte Composition on the Performance and Stability of FeF2 Conversion‐Type Cathodes

As an alternative to commercial Ni‐ and Co‐based intercalation‐type cathode materials, conversion‐type metal fluoride (MF_x) cathodes are attracting more interest due to their promises to increase cell‐level energy density when coupled with lithium (Li) or silicon (Si)‐based anodes. Among metal fluorides, iron fluorides (FeF₂ and FeF₃) are regarded as some of the most promising candidates due to their high capacity, moderately high potential and the very low cost of Fe. In this study, the impacts of electrolyte composition on the performance and stability of nanostructured FeF₂ cathodes are systematically investigated. Dramatic impacts of Li salt composition, Li salt concentration, solvent composition, and cycling potential range on the cathode's most critical performance parameters—stability, capacity, rate, and voltage hysteresis are discovered. In contrast to previous beliefs, it is observed that even if the Fe²⁺ cation dissolution could be avoided, the dissolution of F^? anions may still negatively affect cathode performance. Formation of the more favorable cathode solid electrolyte interface (CEI) is found to minimize both processes.     

Syntrophus aciditrophicus uses the same enzymes in a reversible manner to degrade and synthesize aromatic and alicyclic acids

Syntrophy is essential for the efficient conversion of organic carbon to methane in natural and constructed environments, but little is known about the enzymes involved in syntrophic carbon and electron flow. Syntrophus aciditrophicus strain SB syntrophically degrades benzoate and cyclohexane-1-carboxylate and catalyses the novel synthesis of benzoate and cyclohexane-1-carboxylate from crotonate. We used proteomic, biochemical and metabolomic approaches to determine what enzymes are used for fatty, aromatic and alicyclic acid degradation versus for benzoate and cyclohexane-1-carboxylate synthesis. Enzymes involved in the metabolism of cyclohex-1,5-diene carboxyl-CoA to acetyl-CoA were in high abundance in S. aciditrophicus cells grown in pure culture on crotonate and in coculture with Methanospirillum hungatei on crotonate, benzoate or cyclohexane-1-carboxylate. Incorporation of ¹³C-atoms from 1-[¹³C]-acetate into crotonate, benzoate and cyclohexane-1-carboxylate during growth on these different substrates showed that the pathways are reversible. A protein conduit for syntrophic reverse electron transfer from acyl-CoA intermediates to formate was detected. Ligases and membrane-bound pyrophosphatases make pyrophosphate needed for the synthesis of ATP by an acetyl-CoA synthetase. Syntrophus aciditrophicus, thus, uses a core set of enzymes that operates close to thermodynamic equilibrium to conserve energy in a novel and highly efficient manner.