Toward a Reversible Mn4+/Mn2+ Redox Reaction and Dendrite‐Free Zn Anode in Near‐Neutral Aqueous Zn/MnO2 Batteries via Salt Anion Chemistry

Rechargeable aqueous Zn/MnO₂ batteries are very attractive large‐scale energy storage technologies, but still suffer from limited cycle life and low capacity. Here the novel adoption of a near‐neutral acetate‐based electrolyte (pH ≈ 6) is presented to promote the two‐electron Mn⁴⁺/Mn²⁺ redox reaction and simultaneously enable a stable Zn anode. The acetate anion triggers a highly reversible MnO₂/Mn²⁺ reaction, which ensures high capacity and avoids the issue of structural collapse of MnO₂. Meanwhile, the anode‐friendly electrolyte enables a dendrite‐free Zn anode with outstanding stability and high plating/stripping Coulombic efficiency (99.8%). Hence, a high capacity of 556 mA h g^?1, a lifetime of 4000 cycles without decay, and excellent rate capability up to 70 mA cm^?2 are demonstated in this new near‐neutral aqueous Zn/MnO₂ battery by simply manipulating the salt anion in the electrolyte. The acetate anion not only modifies the surface properties of MnO₂ cathode but also creates a highly compatible environment for the Zn anode. This work provides a new opportunity for developing high‐performance Zn/MnO₂ and other aqueous batteries based on the salt anion chemistry.     

Robust Swing‐Structured Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Efficient Blue Energy Harvesting

Ocean wave energy is a promising renewable energy source, but harvesting such irregular, “random,” and mostly ultra‐low frequency energies is rather challenging due to technological limitations. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) provide a potential efficient technology for scavenging ocean wave energy. Here, a robust swing‐structured triboelectric nanogenerator (SS‐TENG) with high energy conversion efficiency for ultra‐low frequency water wave energy harvesting is reported. The swing structure inside the cylindrical TENG greatly elongates its operation time, accompanied with multiplied output frequency. The design of the air gap and flexible dielectric brushes enable mininized frictional resistance and sustainable triboelectric charges, leading to enhanced robustness and durability. The TENG performance is controlled by external triggering conditions, with a long swing time of 88 s and a high energy conversion efficiency, as well as undiminished performance after continuous triggering for 4 00 000 cycles. Furthermore, the SS‐TENG is demonstrated to effectively harvest water wave energy. Portable electronic devices are successfully powered for self‐powered sensing and environment monitoring. Due to the excellent performance of the distinctive mechanism and structure, the SS‐TENG in this work provides a good candidate for harvesting blue energy on a large scale.     

莫西沙星联合用药方案对耐多药肺结核患者血清游离氨基酸和免疫功能的影响

目的:探讨莫西沙星联合用药方案对耐多药肺结核(MDR-TB)患者血清游离氨基酸和免疫功能的影响。方法:选取2015年9月到2018年1月期间我院收治的90例MDR-TB患者,根据乱数表法将患者分为研究组(n=45)、对照组(n=45),其中对照组给予左氧氟沙星联合常规化疗治疗,研究组则给予莫西沙星联合常规化疗治疗,比较两组临床疗效、痰菌转阴率、病灶吸收率、空洞闭合率、血清游离氨基酸和免疫功能,记录两组治疗期间不良反应情况。结果:研究组治疗18个月后的临床总有效率为71.11%(32/45),高于对照组的46.67%(21/45)(P0.05)。研究组治疗18个月后痰菌转阴率、病灶吸收率、空洞闭合率均较对照组高(P0.05)。两组患者治疗18个月后CD4+、免疫球蛋白A(Ig A)、免疫球蛋白G(Ig G)均升高,CD8+降低(P0.05),研究组治疗18个月后CD4+、Ig A、Ig G高于对照组,而CD8+低于对照组(P0.05)。两组治疗18个月后缬氨酸、谷氨酸均升高,且研究组高于对照组(P0.05)。两组患者总不良反应发生率比较无明显差异(P0.05)。结论:莫西沙星联合常规化疗治疗MDR-TB的疗效确切,可有效改善患者血清游离氨基酸水平,提高机体免疫功能,同时不增加不良反应发生率。     

房颤射频消融术后复发风险预测评分系统的建立及评价

目的:探讨心房颤动(房颤)患者射频消融术后复发的风险因素,并依此构建个性化的风险评分系统。方法:选取2017年1~8月行射频消融术的房颤患者154例作为研究对象,依据术后3个月的随访结果将患者分为复发组及未复发组,采用单因素分析和Logistic回归分析对各风险因素进行分析,构建其评分系统,采用Hosmer-Lemeshow拟合优度检验和ROC曲线下面积评价评分系统的准确度及区分度。结果:术后随访3个月的结果显示共37例(24.03%)房颤患者出现复发,房颤类型、病程、体质量指数(BMI)、左房前后径(LAD)、左房容积(LAV)及超敏C反应蛋白(hs-CRP)水平均是房颤复发的独立风险因素(P<0.05)。构建的风险评分系统得分为0~26分,Hosmer-Lemeshow拟合优度检验:x^2=7.520,P=0.482;ROC曲线下面积为0.864(95%CI:0.837~0.891),预测评分值为15分时,约登指数最大(0.605),此时的敏感度和特异度分别为77.3%和83.2%。结论:房颤患者射频消融术后的复发率较高,依据风险因素构建的风险评分系统具有较高的预测效率和区分能力,可作为房颤患者射频消融术后复发风险评估的参考工具。     

Nanopore sequencing of African swine fever virus

正Dear Editor,African swine fever (ASF) is one of the most pathogenic viral diseases in pigs caused by African swine fever virus(ASFV). The fatality rate is almost 100%, which brings huge economic losses to the hog industry in countries with epi-     

Shortened snRNA promoters for efficient CRISPR/Cas-based multiplex genome editing in monocot plants

正Dear Editor,CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)/Cas genome editing is a powerful tool for introducing specific mutations in organisms including plants. The system is composed of a nuclease such as Cas9 or Cas12a and an engineered single-guide RNA (sgRNA) incorporating a target sequence (Li et al., 2019). A Cas9/sgRNA complex re-     

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...     

Generation of a highly attenuated strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa for commercial production of alginate

Alginate is an important polysaccharide that is commonly used as a gelling agent in foods, cosmetics and healthcare products. Currently, all alginate used commercially is extracted from brown seaweed. However, with environmental changes such as increasing ocean temperature and the increasing number of biotechnological uses of alginates with specific properties, there is an emerging need for more reliable and customizable sources of alginate. An alternative to seaweed for alginate production is Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common Gram-negative bacterium that can form alginate-containing biofilms. However, P. aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that can cause life-threatening infections in immunocompromised patients. Therefore, we sought to engineer a non-pathogenic P. aeruginosa strain that is safe for commercial production of alginate. Using a homologous recombination strategy, we sequentially deleted five key pathogenicity genes from the P. aeruginosa chromosome, resulting in the marker-free strain PGN5. Intraperitoneal injection of mice with PGN5 resulted in 0% mortality, while injection with wild-type P. aeruginosa resulted in 95% mortality, providing evidence that the systemic virulence of PGN5 is highly attenuated. Importantly, PGN5 produces large amounts of alginate in response to overexpression of MucE, an activator of alginate biosynthesis. The alginate produced by PGN5 is structurally identical to alginate produced by wild-type P. aeruginosa, indicating that the alginate biosynthetic pathway remains functional in this modified strain. The genetic versatility of P. aeruginosa will allow us to further engineer PGN5 to produce alginates with specific chemical compositions and physical properties to meet different industrial and biomedical needs.     

Root-tip cutting and uniconazole treatment improve the colonization rate of Tuber indicum on Pinus armandii seedlings in the greenhouse

The Chinese black truffle Tuber indicum is commercially valuable. The main factors influencing the success or failure of a truffle crop include the mycorrhizal colonization rate and host plant quality. The effects of a plant growth regulator (uniconazole) and plant growth management technique (root-tip cutting) on T. indicum colonization rate and Pinus armandii seedling growth were assessed under greenhouse conditions. The results indicated that 10 mg l⁻¹ uniconazole or the combination of 5 mg l⁻¹ uniconazole and root-tip cutting constitutes an effective method for ectomycorrhizal synthesis based on an overall evaluation of colonization rate, plant biomass, plant height, root weight, stem circumference and antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD and POD) of P. armandii. The abundance of Proteobacteria in the rhizosphere of colonized seedlings might serve as an indicator of stable mycorrhizal colonization. This research inspires the potential application of uniconazole and root-tip cutting treatments for mycorrhizal synthesis and truffle cultivation.     

Alpine grassland plants grow earlier and faster but biomass remains unchanged over 35 years of climate change

Satellite data indicate significant advancement in alpine spring phenology over decades of climate warming, but corresponding field evidence is scarce. It is also unknown whether this advancement results from an earlier shift of phenological events, or enhancement of plant growth under unchanged phenological pattern. By analyzing a 35‐year dataset of seasonal biomass dynamics of a Tibetan alpine grassland, we show that climate change promoted both earlier phenology and faster growth, without changing annual biomass production. Biomass production increased in spring due to a warming‐induced earlier onset of plant growth, but decreased in autumn due mainly to increased water stress. Plants grew faster but the fast‐growing period shortened during the mid‐growing season. These findings provide the first in situ evidence of long‐term changes in growth patterns in alpine grassland plant communities, and suggest that earlier phenology and faster growth will jointly contribute to plant growth in a warming climate.