Revealing alkali metal ions transport mechanism in the atomic channels of Au@a-MnO_(2)

Understanding alkali metal ions’(e.g.,Li^(+)/Na^(+)/K^(+))transport mechanism is challenging but critical to improving the performance of alkali metal batteries.Herein using a-MnO_(2)nanowires as cathodes,the transport kinetics of Li^(+)/Na^(+)/K^(+)in the 2×2 channels of a-MnO_(2)with a growth direction of[001]is revealed.We show that ion radius plays a decisive role in determining the ion transport and electrochemistry.Regardless of the ion radii,Li^(+)/Na^(+)/K^(+)can all go through the 2×2 channels of a-MnO_(2),generating large stress and causing channel merging or opening.However,smaller ions such as Li^(+)and Na^(+)cannot only transport along the[001]direction but also migrate along the<110>direction to the nanowire surface;for large ion such as K^(+),diffusion along the<110>direction is prohibited.The different ion transport behavior has grand consequences in the electrochemistry of metal oxygen batteries(MOBs).For Li-O_(2)battery,Li^(+)transports uniformly to the nanowire surface,forming a uniform layer of oxide;Na^(+)also transports to the nanowire surface but may be clogged locally due to its larger radius,therefore sporadic pearl-like oxides form on the nanowire surface;K^(+)cannot transport to the nanowire surface due to its large radius,instead,it breaks the nanowire locally,causing local deposition of potassium oxides.The study provides atomic scale understanding of the alkali metal ion transport mechanism which may be harnessed to improve the performance of MOBs.

Annual Variation of Water Quality in Aquaculture Ponds for Apostichopus japonicus

By measuring water temperature,salinity,pH,dissolved oxygen,nitrite and ammonia nitrogen,the annual variation regularity of water quality in the aquaculture ponds for sea cucumbers Apostichopus japonicus in Dalian were studied.Results showed that the physicochemical indicators kept changing in the year,and the various ranges of water temperature,salinity,pH,dissolved oxygen,nitrite,and ammonia nitrogen were 6.38-27.27℃,29.20‰-33.78‰,7.86-8.38,5.19-13.36 mg/L,0.0037-0.0090 mg/L and 0.0171-0.0908 mg/L,respectively.Analysis indicated that there was an extremely significant negative correlation between water temperature and dissolved oxygen(P<0.01),an extremely significant positive correlation between water temperature and ammonia nitrogen(P<0.01),a significant negative correlation between salinity and nitrite(P<0.05),a significant negative correlation between dissolved oxygen and nitrite(P<0.05),and an extremely significant negative correlation between dissolved oxygen and ammonia nitrogen(P<0.01)in the aquaculture ponds for sea cucumber in Dalian.Research showed that the water quality of aquaculture ponds kept fluctuating all the time during the tested period,there were complicated and close relationships among physicochemical indicators,and a slight variation of external factors would bring consecutive reactions to different indicators in the water quality of aquaculture ponds.A reference for the production and management of sea cucumbers could be provided from the results.

染色体1q22区域遗传变异影响胃癌易感性的生物学机制研究

目的:探索染色体1q22区域易感基因在胃癌发生中的作用和机制。方法:基于genotype-tissue expression(GTEx)数据库,鉴定候选易感基因;通过人群样本进行基因差异表达分析,并通过细胞和动物实验探究易感基因在胃癌发生中的作用;通过全转录组测序探究候选易感基因在胃癌发生中参与的下游通路和机制。结果:表达数量性状基因座(expression quantitative trait loci,eQTL)分析证实rs760077基因型与THBS3、GBA和GBAP1基因的表达水平均显著相关(P值分别为1.20×10^-21,1.80×10^-4和3.49×10^-17)。差异表达分析和功能学实验证实GBAP1在胃癌组织中呈现高表达状态,并且敲低GBAP1后能够显著抑制胃癌细胞增殖能力。全转录组测序表明GBAP1能够影响PHGDH、PSAT1和PSPH基因的表达水平并参与包括甘氨酸、丝氨酸、苏氨酸代谢和一碳代谢在内的多种代谢通路。结论:本研究证实1q22区域的遗传变异可以通过调控促癌基因GBAP1的表达,影响氨基酸合成代谢通路关键酶基因PHGDH、PSAT1和PSPH的表达,从而促进胃癌的发生。

Helium-hydrogen synergistic effects on swelling in in-situ multiple-ion beams irradiated steels

The development of reliable fusion energy is one of the most important challenges in this century.The accelerated degradation of structural materials in fusion reactors caused by neutron irradiation would cause severe problems.Due to the lack of suitable fusion neutron testing facilities,we have to rely on ion irradiation experiments to test candidate materials in fusion reactors.Moreover,fusion neutron irradiation effects are accompanied by the simultaneous transmutation production of helium and hydrogen.One important method to study the He-H synergistic effects in materials is multiple simultaneous ion beams(MSIB)irradiation that has been studied for decades.To date,there is no convincing conclusion on these He-H synergistic effects among these experiments.Recently,a multiple ion beam in-situ transmission electron microscopy(TEM)analysis facility was developed in Xiamen University(XIAMEN facility),which is the first triple beam system and the only in-running in-situ irradiation facility with TEM in China.In this work,we conducted the first high-temperature triple simultaneous ion beams irradiation experiment with TEM observation using the XIAMEN facility.The responses to in-situ triple-ion beams irradiation in austenitic steel 304L SS and ferritic/martensitic steel CLF-1 were studied and compared with the results in dual-and single-ion beam(s)irradiated steels.Synergistic effects were observed in MSIB irradiated steels.Helium was found to be critical for cavity formation,while hydrogen has strong synergistic effect on increasing swelling.

Variation of the Vaginal Microbiome During and After Pregnancy in Chinese Women

A comprehensive profiling of the vaginal microbial communities and their variability enables an accurate description of the microbiome in women.However,there is a lack of studies available on Chinese women.In the present study,the composition of the vaginal microbiota during pregnancy and the 6-week postpartum period of 454 Chinese women was characterized by sequencing the V3-V4 region of the 16S ribosomal RNA(rRNA)gene.The vaginal microbiome showed variations during pregnancy and the postpartum period based on the abortion history,hypertensive disorders,delivery mode,and maternal age.Co-variation of 22 bacterial taxa,including the Lactobacillus genus and two of its species,may account for the common characteristics of the vaginal microbiome under scenarios of different medical histories and pregnancy outcomes.In contrast,discriminant bacterial species were significantly different between women who had preterm birth(PTB)with and without premature rupture of membranes(PROM),and the community state type(CST)IV-A without any predominant Lactobacillus species in the microbiota was more prevalent during pregnancy in the PROM-PTB cases,suggesting that specific bacterial species could be considered to distinguish between different types of PTB.By providing data on Chinese women,this study will enrich the knowledge of the human microbiome and contribute to a better understanding of the association between the vaginal microbiome and reproductive health.

miR-24-3p promotes colon cancer progression by targeting ING1

Dear Editor,Activation or upregulation of oncogenes and/or loss of function or downregulation of tumour suppressors are central to the processes involved in the transformation from normal colonic mucosa to malignant tumours.Inhibitor of growth 1(ING1)has been functionally linked to cell cycle arrest,apoptosis and chromatin remodelling.