Built defects of homogeneous junction to enhance the lithium storage capacity of niobium pentoxide materials

Niobium pentoxide(Nb_(2)O_(5))is deemed one of the promising anode materials for lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)for its outstanding intrinsic fast Li-(de)intercalation kinetics.The specific capacity,however,is still limited,because the(de)intercalation of excessive Li-ions brings the undesired stress to damage Nb_(2)O_(5) crystals.To increase the capacity of Nb_(2)O_(5) and alleviate the lattice distortion caused by stress,numerous homogeneous H-and M-phases junction interfaces were proposed to produce coercive stress within theNb_(2)O_(5)crystals.Such interfaces bring about rich oxygen vacancies with structural shrinkage tendency,which pre-generate coercive stress to resist the expansion stress caused by excessive Li-ions intercalation.Therefore,the synthesized Nb_(2)O_(5) achieves the highest lithium storage capacity of 315 mA h g−1 to date,and exhibits high-rate performance(118 mA h g^(-1) at 20 C)as well as excellent cycling stability(138 mA h g^(-1) at 10 C after 600 cycles).

Relationship between FGF12 expression in high-grade gliomas and clinical features

Objective:gliomas are the most common intracranial tumors.Fibroblast growth factor-12(FGF12),which belongs to the fibroblast growth factor(FGFs)family,plays an important role in cell mitosis,as well as in other life functions,such as embryo development,tissue repair,cell proliferation,and tumor growth and invasion.The purpose of this study was to explore the potential value of FGF12 in high-grade gliomas and to predict its drug sensitivity.To provide a possible therapeutic target for glioma.Methods:high-grade glioma gene expression data and clinical information were downloaded from the gene expression omnibus(GEO)database,using the R language“impute”and“survival”survival analysis package.The FGF12 genes closely related to survival were screened,a survival curve was drawn,and clinical correlation analysis was conducted.The differentially expressed genes(DEGs)were defined as |logFC|>1,adj.PVal<0.05 as the standard.We used the David for Gene Ontology(GO)and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)analysis,and constructed the protein-protein interactions(PPI)network.Then we used the Connectivity Map(CMAP)database for drug location,and the validation group was verified by the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas(CGGA)database in the same way.Results:we found that high FGF12 expression was associated with a higher survival rate.The same validation was performed in the validation group through the CGGA database,and the survival curve showed the same trend.The expression level of FGF12 is an independent factor that affects the life time and status of the samples,and it is a low risk factor.GO enrichment analysis showed that differential genes were enriched in matrix transmembrane transporter activity,ion channels and calcium ion active channels.KEGG showed that DEGs were enriched in the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K)-protein kinase B(Akt)signaling pathway,dopaminergic synapse and cyclic adenosine monophosphate(cAMP)signaling pathway.Four seed genes,GRIA2,COLLA2,GRIA4 and HES6,were obtained by PPI network analysis.The cAMP was used to analyze and obtained 7 small molecule drugs,such as merbromin,naloxone,AH-2384&ticarcillin,vincamine,amoxicillin,azacyclonol,which may be helpful in the prognosis of high-grade gliomas.Conclusion:FGF12 and its pathway may serve as a biomarker or therapeutic target for high-grade gliomas.

FERONIA and reactive oxygen species:regulators in the self‑incompatibility responseand in interspecific pollination

In plants,the stigma represents the initial site of pollenpistil communication and serves as a crucial location for rejection of incompatible pollen.In self-compatible(SC)plants,such as Arabidopsis thaliana from the Brassicaceae family,pollen coat protein B(PCP-B)peptides were reported to compete with stigmatic RAPID ALKALINIZATION FACTOR 33(RALF33)peptides for binding to the FERONIA/ANJEA(FER/ANJ)receptors in the stigma to promote pollen hydration via inhibition of reactive oxygen species(ROS)production(Liu et al.2021).

DMF stabilized Li3N slurry for manufacturing self-prelithiatable lithium-ion capacitors

Li3N is an excellent zero-residue positive electrode pre-lithiation additive to offset the initial lithium loss in lithium-ion capacitors. However, Li3N has an intrinsic problem of poor compatibility with commonly used aprotic polar solvents in electrode manufacture procedure due to its high reactivity with commonly used solvents like N-methy-2-pyrrolidone(NMP) and etc. It is the Valley of Death between research and large-scale commercialization of Li-ion capacitors using Li3N as prelithiation agent. In this work, Li3N containing electrode is prepared by a commercially adoptable route for the first time, using N,Ndimethylformamide(DMF) to homogenate the electrode slurry. The DMF molecular stabilizing mechanism is confirmed via experiment analysis and DFT simulation, indicating that the dehydrogenation energy for DMF is obviously larger than other commonly used solvents such as NMP and etc. The soft package lithium-ion capacitors(LIC250) with only 12 wt% Li3N addition in AC positive electrode exhibits excellent rate capability, cyclic stability and ultrahigh specific energy. Its specific energy is 2.3 times higher than the Li3N-free devices, with energy retention as high as 90% after 10,000 cycles.

Lack of ethylene does not affect reproductive success and synergid cell death in Arabidopsis

The signaling pathway of the gaseous hormone ethylene is involved in plant reproduction,growth,devel-opment,and stress responses.During reproduction,the two synergid cells of the angiosperm female gametophyte both undergo programmed cell death(PCD)/degeneration but in a different manner:PCD/degeneration of one synergid facilitates pollen tube rupture and thereby the release of sperm cells,while PCD/degeneration of the other synergid blocks supernumerary pollen tubes.Ethylene signaling was postu-lated to participate in some of the synergid cell functions,such as pollen tube attraction and the induction of PCD/degeneration.However,ethylene-mediated induction of synergid PCD/degeneration and the role of ethylene itself have not been firmly established.Here,we employed the CRISPR/Cas9 technology to knock out the five ethylene-biosynthesis 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase(ACO)genes and created Arabidopsis mutants free of ethylene production.The ethylene-free mutant plants showed normal triple responses when treated with ethylene rather than 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid,but had increased lateral root density and enlarged petal sizes,which are typical phenotypes of mutants defective in ethylene signaling.Using these ethylene-free plants,we further demonstrated that production of ethylene is not necessarily required to trigger PCD/degeneration of the two synergid cells,but certain com-ponents of ethylene signaling including transcription factors ETHYLENE-INSENSITIVE 3(EIN3)and EIN3-LIKE 1(EIL1)are necessary for the death of the persistent synergid cell.

The egg cell is preferentially fertilized in Arabidopsis double fertilization

In flowering plants(angiosperms),fertilization of the egg cell by one sperm cell produces an embryo,whereas fusion of a second sperm cell with the central cell generates the endosperm.In most angiosperms like Arabidopsis,a pollen grain contains two isomorphic sperm cells required for this double fertilization process.A long-standing unsolved question is whether the two fertilization events have any preference.A tool to address this question is the usage of the cyclin-dependent kinase a1(cdka;1)mutant pollen,which produces a single sperm-like cell(SLC).Here,we first adopt a complementation-based fluorescence-labeling method to successfully separate and collect cdka;1 mutant pollen containing a single SLC.Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis revealed that cdka;1 SLCs show a gene expression profile highly similar to that of sperm cells and not to the generative cell,precursor of the two sperm cells.Pollination assays using a limited number of cdka;1 mutant pollen revealed that in 98.2%of the ovules,single fertilization of the egg cell occurred.Pollination of pistils with excessive cdka;1 mutant pollen allowed the delivery of a second SLC via fertilization recovery,which fertilized the central cell,resulting in 20.7%double-fertilized ovules.This indicates that cdka;1 SLCs are able to fertilize both the egg and the central cell.Taken together,our findings have answered a long-standing question and support that preferential fertilization of the egg cell is evident in Arabidopsis.

Synchrotron Characterisation of Ultra-Fine Grain TiB_(2)/Al-Cu Composite Fabricated by Laser Powder Bed Fusion

Isotropy in microstructure and mechanical properties remains a challenge for laser powder bed fusion(LPBF)processed materials due to the epitaxial growth and rapid cooling in LPBF.In this study,a high-strength TiB_(2)/Al-Cu composite with random texture was successfully fabricated by laser powder bed fusion(LPBF)using pre-doped TiB_(2)/Al-Cu composite powder.A series of advanced characterisation techniques,including synchrotron X-ray tomography,correlative focussed ion beam-scanning electron microscopy(FIB-SEM),scanning transmission electron microscopy(STEM),and synchrotron in situ X-ray diffraction,were applied to investigate the defects and microstructure of the as-fabricated TiB_(2)/Al-Cu composite across multiple length scales.The study showed ultra-fine grains with an average grain size of about 0.86μm,and a random texture was formed in the as-fabricated condition due to rapid solidification and the TiB_(2)particles promoting heterogeneous nucleation.The yield strength and total elongation of the as-fabricated composite were 317 MPa and 10%,respectively.The contributions of fine grains,solid solutions,dislocations,particles,and Guinier-Preston(GP)zones were calculated.Failure was found to be initiated from the largest lack-of-fusion pore,as revealed by in situ synchrotron tomography during tensile loading.In situ synchrotron diffraction was used to characterise the lattice strain evolution during tensile loading,providing important data for the development of crystal-plasticity models.