Stepwise Structural Relaxation in Battery Active Materials.

Whenever the cycling of Li-ion batteries is stopped, the electrode materials undergo a relaxation process, but the structural changes that occur during relaxation are not well-understood. We have used operando synchrotron X-ray diffraction with a time resolution of 1.24 s to observe the structural changes that occur when the lithiation of graphite and LiFePO electrodes are interrupted.

Inferring Long-Term and Short-Term Determinants of Genetic Diversity in Honey Bees: Beekeeping Impact and Conservation Strategies.

Bees are vital pollinators in natural and agricultural landscapes around the globe, playing a key role in maintaining flowering plant biodiversity and ensuring food security. Among the honey bee species, the Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) is particularly significant, not only for its extensive crop pollination services but also for producing economically valuable products such as honey. Here, we analyzed whole-genome sequence data from four Apis species to explore how honey bee evolution has shaped current diversity patterns.

A comparative study of Cu-based nanoparticles and their spin-coated films: photocatalytic degradation mechanisms and efficiencies towards malachite green and neutral red azo dyes.

In this work, a comparison of the photocatalytic activity of free-standing Cu-based nanoparticle mixtures and spin-coated nanoparticle films under visible-light radiation is conducted. Herein, CuO, CuO-Cu, CuO-CuN-Cu, and CuN-Cu nanoparticle mixtures were successfully synthesized by a non-aqueous sol-gel route and then deposited on a glass substrate by spin-coating. The surface chemistry of the nanoparticles studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) allowed elucidating the nanoparticle synthesis mechanism.

Unraveling the Molecular Basis for G-Quadruplex-Binders to ALS/FTD-Associated G4C2 Repeats of the C9orf72 Gene.

The most recurrent familial cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is the presence of an abnormal number of intronic GGGGCC (GC) repetitions in the C9orf72 gene, which has been proposed to drive ALS/FTD pathogenesis. Recently, it has been shown that such GC repetitions can fold into G-quadruplex (G4) secondary structures. These G4s have been selectively stabilized by small-molecule binders, furnishing proof-of-principle that targeting these non-canonical nucleic acid sequences represents a novel and effective therapeutic strategy to tackle neurodegenerative disorders.