Building Ultra-Stable and Low-Polarization Composite Zn Anode Interface via Hydrated Polyzwitterionic Electrolyte Construction

Aqueous zinc metal batteries are noted for their costeffectiveness,safety and environmental friendliness.However,the water-induced notorious issues such as continuous electrolyte decomposition and uneven Zn electrochemical deposition remarkably restrict the development of the long-life zinc metal batteries.In this study,zwitterionic sulfobetaine is introduced to copolymerize with acrylamide in zinc perchlorate(Zn(ClO;);)solution.The designed gel framework with hydrophilic and charged groups can firmly anchor water molecules and construct ion migration channels to accelerate ion transport.The in situ generated hybrid interface,which is composed of the organic functionalized outer layer and inorganic Clcontaining inner layer,can synergically lower the mass transfer overpotential,reduce water-related side reactions and lead to uniform Zn deposition.Such a novel electrolyte configuration enables Zn//Zn cells with an ultra-long cycling life of over 3000 h and a low polarization potential(~0.03 V)and Zn//Cu cells with high Coulombic efficiency of 99.18%for 1000 cycles.Full cells matched with MnO;cathodes delivered laudable cycling stability and impressive shelving ability.Besides,the flexible quasi-solid-state batteries which are equipped with the anti-vandalism ability(such as cutting,hammering and soaking)can successfully power the LED simultaneously.Such a safe,processable and durable hydrogel promises significant application potential for long-life flexible electronic devices.

THERMODYNAMICAL CALCULATION OF FORMATION ENTHALPIES FOR ALKALINE METAL ALLOYS

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Determination of components in traditional Chinese medicines associated with promoting or inhibiting urinary stone formation

Objective:To measure oxalate,calcium,and sodium contents of traditional Chinese medicines(TCMs)that are commonly used to prevent and dissolve urinary stones to exclude the possibility that long-term use of such medicines promotes stone formation.The second objective was to measure citrate,potassium,and magnesium contents in the same medicines to provide possible clues about the mechanisms of prevention and dissolution of urinary stones by TCMs.Methods:Ten of the most commonly-used TCMs for preventing and dissolving urinary stones were chosen and subjected to ion chromatography(IC)to measure water-soluble and total oxalate and citrate contents.Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry(ICPAES)was used to measure calcium,potassium,magnesium,and sodium contents in a water extract and in digestion liquid.Results:Average contents of water-soluble oxalate,calcium,and sodium in the water extract were 41.92,84.32,and 22.82 mg/100 g,respectively,far below the normal dietary intake of adults in China.The average contents of citrate and magnesium in water extracts were 268.99 and 66.65 mg/100 g,respectively,below the recommended intake for adults.These ion contents are therefore insufficient to inhibit the formation of urinary stones.The average content of potassium in the water extract was 867.71 mg/100 g,which was relatively abundant,so taking the prescription used in this experimental protocol can increase the body’s potassium content to some extent.Conclusions:Long-term use of TCMs would not increase the risk of urinary stone formation.The potassium content in TCMs is high,which is one possible reason for the prevention of urinary stones by TCMs.

Regulating the intrinsic electronic structure of carbon nanofibers with high-spin state Ni for sodium storage with high-power density

Carbon nanofibers(CNFs)with high specific surface area show great potential for sodium storage as a hard carbon material.Herein,CNFs anchored with Ni nanoparticles(CNFs/Ni)were prepared through chemical vapor deposition and impregnation reduction methods,in situ growing on the three-dimensional porous copper current collector(3DP-Cu).The coupling effect of high-spin state Ni nanopar-ticles leads to the increase of defect density and the expansion of lattice spacing of CNFs.Meanwhile,the 3DP-Cu ensures a high loading capacity of CNFs and short ion/electron transport channels.As an integral binder-free anode,the 3DP-Cu/CNFs/Ni exhibits excellent electrochemical performance,which demon-strates a high specific capacity with 298.5 mAh g^(-1)at 1000 mA g^(-1)after 1500 cycles,and a high power density with 200 mAh g^(-1)over 1000 cycles at 5000 mA g^(-1).Density functional theory calculation re-sults show that the high-spin state Ni regulates the electronic structure of CNFs,which significantly reduces the adsorption energy for Na^(+)(-2.7 Ev)and thus enables high-rate capability.The regulation of the electronic structure of carbon materials by high-spin state metal provides a new strategy for developing high-power carbonaceous anode materials for sodium-ion batteries.

Risk of interstitial lung disease with the use of programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) inhibitor compared with programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor in patients with breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:Programmed cell death 1(PD-1)and programmed cell death ligand 1(PD-L1)inhibitors have become integral elements within the current landscape of breast cancer treatment modalities;however,they are associ-ated with interstitial lung disease(ILD),which is rare but potentially fatal.Notably,only a few studies have compared the difference in ILD incidence between PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors.Therefore,this study aimed to assess the discrepancies regarding ILD risk between the two immune checkpoint inhibitors.We also reported three cases of ILD after PD-1 inhibitor treatment.Methods:We comprehensively searched PubMed,EMBASE,and the Cochrane Library to identify clinical trials that investigated PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor treatment for patients with breast cancer.Pooled overall estimates of incidence and risk ratio(RR)were calculated with a 95%confidence interval(CI),and a mirror group analysis was per-formed using eligible studies.Results:This meta-analysis included 29 studies with 4639 patients who received PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor treatment.A higher ILD incidence was observed among 2508 patients treated with PD-1 inhibitors than among 2131 patients treated with PD-L1 inhibitors(0.05 vs.0.02).The mirror group analysis further revealed a higher ILD event risk in patients treated with PD-1 inhibitors than in those treated with PD-L1 inhibitors(RR=2.34,95%CI,1.13-4.82,P=0.02).Conclusion:Our findings suggest a greater risk of ILD with PD-1 inhibitors than with PD-L1 inhibitors.These findings are instrumental for clinicians in treatment deliberations,and the adoption of more structured diagnostic approaches and management protocols is necessary to mitigate the risk of ILD.

Improvement of wheat drought tolerance through editing of TaATX4 by CRISPR/Cas9

Wheat(Triticum aestivum L.)is a staple cereal crop grown in arid and semi-arid areas worldwide and provides a major source of nutrition globally.However,its production is often affected by drought or water deficit,a problem which is expected to worsen because of climate change and a rapidly expanding global population;for example,the demand for agricultural water supplies is projected to increase by an estimated 17%by 2025 to compensate for global population growth(Lesk et al.,2016;Hickey et al.,2019.

Construction of zinc metal-Tin sulfide polarized interface for stable Zn metal batteries

Aqueous Zn metal batteries have become competitive electrochemical energy storage systems owing to their material abundance,low cost,high capacity,and nontoxicity.Nevertheless,the notorious Zn dendrites and poor anode reversibility caused by the insulating by-products and“dead Zn”are still formidable challenges for their practical application.Herein,an SnS-based layer coated on the Zn anode is reported to tackle these problems.The semiconducting SnS with a higher work function can drive the electrons from the Zn anode,which constructs a polarized interface between the SnS layer and Zn.The semiconducting importance of the coating layer is verified through theoretical simulations,which can migrate the polarization layer from the electrode surface to a wellprotected spot beneath the coating layer.This polarization interface is effective in homogenizing the Zn^(2+)flux and repelling the anions from electrochemical corrosion.Compared with the bare Zn,the SnS-coated Zn anode exhibits a notable 14.7-fold enhancement in plating/stripping lifetime(over 3000 h),high reversibility(with CE of 99.74%),and superior stability in full cells when paired with vanadium-and manganese-based cathodes.

Variation in cis-regulation of a NAC transcription factor contributes to drought tolerance in wheat

Drought is a major environmental factor limiting wheat production worldwide,and developing drought-tolerant cultivars is a central challenge for wheat breeders globally.Therefore,it is important to identify genetic components determining drought tolerance in wheat.In this study,we identified a wheat NAC gene(TaNAC071-A)that is tightly associated with drought tolerance by a genome-wide association study.Knockdown of TaNAC071-A in wheat attenuated plant drought tolerance,whereas its overexpression significantly enhanced drought tolerance through improved water-use efficiency and increased expression of stress-responsive genes.This heightened water-saving mechanism mitigated the yield loss caused by water deficit.Further candidate gene association analysis showed that a 108-bp insertion in the promoter of TaNAC071-A alters its expression level and contributes to variation in drought tolerance among wheat accessions.This insertion contains two MYB cis-regulatory elements(CREs)that can be directly bound by the MYB transcription activator,TaMYBL1,thereby leading to increased TaNAC071-A expression and plant drought tolerance.Importantly,introgression of this 108-bp insertion allele,TaNAC071-AIn-693,into drought-sensitive cultivars could improve their drought tolerance,demonstrating that it is a valuable genetic resource for wheat breeding.Taken together,our findings highlight a major breakthrough in determining the genetic basis underlying phenotypic variation in wheat drought tolerance and showcase the potential of exploiting CRE-containing indels for improving important agronomical traits.

Intrinsically high efficiency sodium metal anode

Efficient plating/stripping of Na metal is critical to stable operation of any rechargeable Na metal battery.However,it is often overlooked or misunderstood in electrochemical measurements using thick Na electrodes with large excess of Na reserves.Herein,we report two crucial aspects,which have generally been ignored in previous studies,in the development of more practical capacity-controlled Na metal electrodes that can be efficiently cycled at 100%depth.We find that common carbonate electrolytes induce severe side reaction and highly irreversible Na plating/stripping,whereas ether electrolytes without any additive support thick Na metal electrodes operating at a high average Coulombic efficiency of 99.6%for over 300 cycles.We further show that to realize such high efficiency in thin Na metal electrodes,it is necessary to ensure strong adhesion between the thin Na layer and the Cu current collector,which we solve by introducing an Au interlayer.The resulting transferable thin Na metal electrodes enable high-energy-density,high-efficiency and reasonably stable-cycling Na||Na3V2(PO4)3 batteries.

Molecular basis for the functions of dominantly active Y35N and inactive D60K Rheb mutants in mTORC1 signaling

Dear Editor,Mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1(mTORC1)serves as a central regulator of cell growth and proliferation by integrating signals from growth factors,nutrients,energy status,and cellular stress(Saxton and Sabatini,2017).A small GTPase,called Ras homolog enriched in brain(Rheb),is a positive regulator of mTORC1.Like other small GTPases,the function of Rheb is dictated by its guanine nucleotide binding states:it is active in the GTP-bound form and inactive in the GDP-bound form(Aspuria and Tamanoi,2004).