Tracing the Origins of Calendar Aging in Si-Containing Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) with silicon/graphite composite (Si/C) anodes are still facing the challenge of unsatisfactory calendar life, and the specific impact of Si on this issue is largely unknown. Herein, the calendar aging behaviors are quantified across scales and explored in a top-down manner. Batteries with 10 wt % Si/C anodes suffer a 4-fold decrease in the overall lifetime and a 4-5-fold increase in irreversible anode loss.

The role of epigenetic regulation in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma progression and drug response: an integrative genomic and pharmacological prognostic prediction model.

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly lethal malignancy with poor prognosis. Epigenetic dysregulation plays a crucial role in PDAC progression, but its comprehensive landscape and clinical implications remain unclear.

Methods: We integrated single-cell RNA sequencing, bulk RNA sequencing, and clinical data from multiple public databases.

Unveiling the Interplay Between Silicon and Graphite in Composite Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Si provides an effective approach to achieving high-energy batteries owing to its high energy density and abundance. However, the poor stability of Si requires buffering with graphite particles when used as anodes. Currently, commercial lithium-ion batteries with Si/graphite composite anodes can provide a high energy density and are expected to replace traditional graphite-based batteries.

WTAP and METTL14 regulate the m6A modification of DKK3 in renal tubular epithelial cells of diabetic nephropathy.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is an important cause of death in diabetes patients, which is mainly due to its complex pathogenesis. Here, we explored the role of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation in DN development. Renal tubular epithelial cells from DN patients and experimental DN mice treated with streptozotocin (STZ) exhibited a considerable increase in METTL14 and WTAP expression as well as overall m6A methylation.

Near-infrared-responsive Prussian blue nanocages loaded with 5-fluorouracil for combined chemotherapy and photothermal therapy in tumor treatment.

Nanodrug delivery systems (NDDS) have been proposed to improve the targeting and bioavailability of chemotherapy drugs. The approach of drug loading physical adsorption is facile to operate; however, there exists a risk of premature leakage. Coupling the drug molecules with the carrier through chemical reactions can guarantee the stability of the drug delivery process, yet the preparation procedure is relatively intricate.

Revealing the nature of covalently tethered distonic radical anions in the generation of heteroatom-centered radicals: evidence for the polarity-matching PCET pathway.

Recognition of the intermediacy and regulation of reactivity patterns of radical intermediates in radical chemistry have profound impacts on harnessing and developing the full potential of open-shell species in synthetic settings. In this work, the possibility of formation of O/N-X intermediates from Brønsted base covalently tethered carbonyl hypohalites (BCTCs) for the generation of heteroatom-centered radicals has certainly been excluded by NMR experiments and density functional theory calculations. Instead, the spectroscopic analyses reveal that the BCTCs serve as precursors of tether-tunable distonic radical anions (TDRAs) which have been unequivocally substantiated to be involved in the direct cleavage of O/N-H bonds to generate the corresponding heteroatom-centered radicals.

In Situ Visualization of Ion Transport Processes in Aqueous Batteries.

Aqueous rechargeable batteries are regarded as one of the most reliable solutions for electrochemical energy storage, and ion (e.g., H or OH) transport is essential for their electrochemical performance.

Potential of sonobiopsy as a novel diagnosis tool for brain cancer.

Brain tumors have a poor prognosis. Early, accurate diagnosis and treatment are crucial. Although brain surgical biopsy can provide an accurate diagnosis, it is highly invasive and risky and is not suitable for follow-up examination.

Engineering psychrophilic polymerase for nanopore long-read sequencing.

Unveiling the potential application of psychrophilic polymerases as candidates for polymerase-nanopore long-read sequencing presents a departure from conventional choices such as thermophilic stearothermophilus (Bst) renowned for its limitation in temperature and mesophilic phage (phi29) polymerases for limitations in strong exonuclease activity and weak salt tolerance. Exploiting the PB-Bst fusion DNA polymerases from Psychrobacillus (PB) and stearothermophilus (Bst), our structural and biochemical analysis reveal a remarkable enhancement in salt tolerance and a concurrent reduction in exonuclease activity, achieved through targeted substitution of a pivotal functional domain. The sulfolobus 7-kDa protein (Sso7d) emerges as a standout fusion domain, imparting significant improvements in PB-Bst processivity.

Asymmetric-absorption-induced spectral redshift in a monolithic III-nitride on-chip system.

Integrating optoelectronic devices with various functions into a monolithic chip is a popular research frontier. The top-down integration scheme on silicon-based III-nitride wafers has unique advantages. A monolithic III-nitride on-chip system with lighting source, electrical absorption modulator, waveguide and photodetector with the same structure were designed and fabricated to discover the asymmetry of photon emission and absorption in quantum well diode.

Gender differences in the relationship between serum uric acid and the long-term prognosis in heart failure: a nationwide study.

Background: Serum uric acid (SUA) is an important pathogenetic and prognostic factor for heart failure (HF). Gender differences are apparent in HF. Furthermore, gender differences also exist in the association between SUA and prognosis in various cardiovascular diseases.

The Preparation and Properties of Ti(Nb)-Si-C Coating on the Pre-Oxidized Ferritic Stainless Steel for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Interconnect.

CrO scale growth and volatilization are the main cause of the performance degradation of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) with an Fe-based ferritic stainless steel (FSS) interconnect. In this work, an amorphous Ti(Nb)-Si-C coating is prepared on the pre-oxidized SUS430 with D.C.

Interfacial reaction of Sn-1.5Ag-2.0Zn low-silver lead-free solder with oriented copper.

High density packaging technology reduces the pad size and the number of grains contained in the pad. When the polycrystalline pad turns into a single crystal pad, the grain orientation has an important impact on the formation of the intermetallic compound (IMC) at the interface. The growth of IMC at the interface between the solder and the single-crystal copper substrate is investigated by selecting the prospective Sn-1.

An orexin-receptor-2-mediated heart-brain axis in cardiac pain.

Orexin is a neuropeptide released from hypothalamus regulating feeding, sleeping, arousal, and cardiovascular activity. Past research has demonstrated that orexin receptor 2 (OX2R) agonist infusion in the brain results in sympathoexcitatory responses. Here, we found that epicardial administration of OX2R agonism leads to opposite responses.

Health Risk Assessment of Antibiotic Pollutants in Large Yellow Croakers from Zhejiang Aquaculture Sites.

Intensive aquaculture combatting the decline of large yellow croaker populations can trigger bacterial outbreaks, resulting in extensive antibiotic use. In this study, we screened 5 aquaculture sites in the coastal areas of Zhejiang and identified 17 antibiotics in large yellow croakers using UPLC-MS/MS. The distribution and occurrence of antibiotic pollutants were different in the different tissues of large yellow croakers, being primarily dominated by quinolones.

Cation-Intercalated Clay-Based Two-Dimensional Membranes for Effective Desalination and Molecule Sieving.

Montmorillonite (MMT) is known as an ion-exchangeable material, and cations between MMT nanosheets are easily exchanged by other cations. In this work, Ca, Fe, and Al intercalated two-dimensional MMT membranes were developed by ion exchange of pristine MMT membranes (Na-MMT), and their ion and dye removal abilities were investigated. The -spacings of hydrated Fe intercalated MMT membrane (Fe-MMT) and Al intercalated MMT membrane (Al-MMT) were decreased compared with hydrated Na-MMT membrane due to the stronger electrostatic attraction between Fe/Al and negatively charged MMT nanosheets.

Constructing magnetic/dielectric dual loss and phonon/electron thermal carriers γ-AlO-based yolk-shell microspheres to collaboratively advance microwave absorption and heat conduction.

The severe electromagnetic (EM) interference and overheating issues in 5G/6G electric devices increasingly heighten the need for developing multifunctional materials with large heat conduction (HC) and high EM wave (EMW) absorption. Here, a series of γ-AlO-based yolk-shell microspheres (γ-AlOOH, γ-AlO, γ-AlO@C, γ-AlO@FeO@C, and γ-AlO@FeAlO@Fe@C YSMSs) as multifunctional fillers are investigated for the simultaneous improvement in the HC and EMW absorption of γ-AlO-based composites. Using γ-AlOOH YSMSs as precursors produced from a hydrothermal method, the γ-AlO-based YSMSs were synthesized an annealing route or soaking-annealing route; their phases, textures, and compositions were finely adjusted by changing the Al/Fe molar ratio () and annealing temperature ().

Unraveling the salt tolerance of Phi29 DNA polymerase using compartmentalized self-replication and microfluidics platform.

In Phi29-α-hemolysin (α-HL) nanopore sequencing systems, a strong electrochemical signal is dependent on a high concentration of salt. However, high salt concentrations adversely affect polymerase activity. Sequencing by synthesis (SBS) requires the use of phi29 polymerase without exonuclease activity to prevent the degradation of modified nucleotide tags; however, the lack of exonuclease activity also affects polymerase processivity.

Vertically stacked quantum well diodes for multifunctional applications.

Dual-functioning multiple quantum well (MQW) diodes can simultaneously transmit and receive information through visible light. Here, we report vertically stacked red, green, and blue (RGB) MQW diodes for light detection and display applications. Both blue and green MQW diodes are monolithically integrated with distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) filters to realize the separation of light.