Mesoporous Single-Crystal FeFe(CN)6 Microspheres for Superior Potassium-Ion Storage.

Metal hexacyanoferrates (HCFs), also known as Prussian blue analogues, are ideal cathodes for potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) due to their nontoxicity and cost-effectiveness. Nevertheless, obtaining metal HCF cathode materials with both long-term cycling stability and high rate performance remains a daunting challenge. In this study, we present mesoporous single-crystalline iron hexacyanoferrate (MSC-FeHCF) microspheres, featuring a single-crystalline structure that contains interconnected pores spanning the entire crystal lattice.

Cyanobacterial blooms prediction in China's large hypereutrophic lakes based on MODIS observations and Bayesian theory.

Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (HABs) pose a significant threat to aquatic ecosystems, water quality, and public health, particularly in large hypereutrophic lakes. Developing accurate short-term prediction models is essential for early warning and effective management of HABs. This study introduces a Bayesian-based model aimed at predicting HABs in three of China's large hypereutrophic lakes: Lake Taihu, Lake Chaohu, and Lake Hulunhu.

Heat-Resistant Carbon-Coated Potassium Magnesium Hexacyanoferrate Nanoplates for High-Performance Potassium-Ion Batteries.

Metal hexacyanoferrates (HCFs) are regarded as promising cathode materials for potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) on account of their low cost and high energy density. However, the difficult-to-remove [Fe(CN)] vacancies and crystal water lead to structural instability and capacity deterioration as well as the stereotype of poor thermostability of conventional HCFs. Herein, we report (100) face-oriented potassium magnesium hexacyanoferrate (KMgHCF) nanoplates with low [Fe(CN)] vacancies and high crystallinity, enabling thermostability up to 550 °C, high-temperature carbon coating and crystal water elimination.

Recent advances in rational design for high-performance potassium-ion batteries.

The growing global energy demand necessitates the development of renewable energy solutions to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. To efficiently utilize renewable yet intermittent energy sources such as solar and wind power, there is a critical need for large-scale energy storage systems (EES) with high electrochemical performance. While lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have been successfully used for EES, the surging demand and price, coupled with limited supply of crucial metals like lithium and cobalt, raised concerns about future sustainability.

Revealing the roles of glycosphingolipid metabolism pathway in the development of keloid: a conjoint analysis of single-cell and machine learning.

Keloid is a pathological scar formed by abnormal wound healing, characterized by the persistence of local inflammation and excessive collagen deposition, where the intensity of inflammation is positively correlated with the size of the scar formation. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying keloid formation are unclear, and keloid remains a therapeutic challenge in clinical practice. This study is the first to investigate the role of glycosphingolipid (GSL) metabolism pathway in the development of keloid.

Implanting CuS Quantum Dots into Carbon Nanorods for Efficient Magnesium-Ion Batteries.

Magnesium-ion batteries (MIBs) are emerging as potential next-generation energy storage systems due to high security and high theoretical energy density. Nevertheless, the development of MIBs is limited by the lack of cathode materials with high specific capacity and cyclic stability. Currently, transition metal sulfides are considered as a promising class of cathode materials for advanced MIBs.

Uniform P2-KCoO Microcubes as a High-Energy Cathode Material for Potassium-Ion Batteries.

Layered transition-metal (TM) oxides have drawn ever-growing interest as positive electrode materials in potassium-ion batteries (PIBs). Nevertheless, the practical implementation of these positive electrode materials is seriously hampered by their inferior cyclic property and rate performance. Reported here is a self-templating strategy to prepare homogeneous P2-KCoO (KCO) microcubes.

Robust carbon nanotube-interwoven KFeSOF microspheres as reliable potassium cathodes.

Orthorhombic iron-based fluorosulfate KFeSOF represents one of the most promising cathode materials due to its high theoretical capacity, high voltage plateau, unique three-dimensional conduction pathway for potassium ions, and low cost. Yet, the poor thermostability and intrinsic low electronic conductivity of KFeSOF challenge its synthesis and electrochemical performance in potassium-ion batteries (PIBs). Herein, we report, for the first time, judicious crafting of carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-interwoven KFeSOF microspheres in diethylene glycol (DEG) (denoted KFSF@CNTs/DEG) as the cathode to render high-performance PIBs, manifesting an outstanding reversible capacity of 110.

Synthesis of KVPOF/Carbon Porous Single Crystalline Nanoplates for High-Rate Potassium-Ion Batteries.

With high theoretical capacity and operating voltage, KVPOF is a potential high energy density cathode material for potassium-ion batteries. However, its performance is usually limited by F loss, poor electronic conductivity, and unsteady electrode/electrolyte interface. Herein, a simple one-step sintering process is developed, where vanadium-oxalate-phosphite/phosphate frameworks and fluorinated polymer are used to synthesize carbon-coated KVPOF nanoplates.

"RESET" Effect: Random Extending Sequences Enhance the Trans-Cleavage Activity of CRISPR/Cas12a.

The trans-cleavage activity of CRISPR/Cas12a has been widely used in biosensing applications. However, the lack of exploration on the fundamental properties of CRISPR/Cas12a not only discourages further in-depth studies of the CRISPR/Cas12a system but also limits the design space of CRISPR/Cas12a-based applications. Herein, a "RESET" effect (random extending sequences enhance trans-cleavage activity) is discovered for the activation of CRISPR/Cas12a trans-cleavage activity.

[Regeneration characteristics of three natural forests in the Three-River Headwater Region of Qinghai Province, China].

The aims of this study were to clarify the regeneration characteristics and dominant factors affecting the regeneration of three natural forests in the Three-River Headwater Region of Qinghai Province, and thus to provide a reference for the protection and management of natural forests. We evaluated the natural regeneration levels of forests, and the effects of stand factors and soil factors on natural regeneration. The results showed that three natural forests were poorly regenerated, with insufficient regeneration potential.

Development of the DNA-based biosensors for high performance in detection of molecular biomarkers: More rapid, sensitive, and universal.

The molecular biomarkers are molecules that are closely related to specific physiological states. Numerous molecular biomarkers have been identified as targets for disease diagnosis and biological research. To date, developing highly efficient probes for the precise detection of biomarkers has become an attractive research field which is very important for biological and biochemical studies.

Signal amplification and output of CRISPR/Cas-based biosensing systems: A review.

CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)/Cas (CRISPR-associated) proteins are powerful gene-editing tools because of their ability to accurately recognize and manipulate nucleic acids. Besides gene-editing function, they also show great promise in biosensing applications due to the superiority of easy design and precise targeting. To improve the performance of CRISPR/Cas-based biosensing systems, various nucleic acid-based signal amplification techniques are elaborately incorporated.

Scalable synthesis of NaMVF (M = Mn, Fe, and Co) as high-performance cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries.

We demonstrate an economical polytetrafluoroethylene-assisted fluorination method to synthesize three binary sodium-rich fluorides NaMVF (M = Mn, Fe, and Co). The optimal NaFeVF cathode delivers a high reversible capacity of 146.5 mA h g based on active Fe/Fe and V/V redox reactions in sodium-ion batteries.

A Low-Strain Phosphate Cathode for High-Rate and Ultralong Cycle-Life Potassium-Ion Batteries.

Most potassium-ion battery (PIB) cathode materials have deficient structural stability because of the huge radius of potassium ion, leading to inferior cycling performance. We report the controllable synthesis of a novel low-strain phosphate material K (VO)(HV O )(PO ) (HPO ) (denoted KVP) nanorulers as an efficient cathode for PIBs. The as-synthesized KVP nanoruler cathode exhibits an initial reversible capacity of 80.

DNA nanostructure-based nucleic acid probes: construction and biological applications.

In recent years, DNA has been widely noted as a kind of material that can be used to construct building blocks for biosensing, imaging, drug development, and disease therapy because of its advantages of good biocompatibility and programmable properties. However, traditional DNA-based sensing processes are mostly achieved by random diffusion of free DNA probes, which were restricted by limited dynamics and relatively low efficiency. Moreover, in the application of biosystems, single-stranded DNA probes face challenges such as being difficult to internalize into cells and being easily decomposed in the cellular microenvironment.

DNA nanolantern-based split aptamer probes for ATP imaging in living cells and lighting up mitochondria.

Accurate and specific analysis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) expression levels in living cells can provide valuable information for understanding cell metabolism, physiological activities and pathologic mechanisms. Herein, DNA nanolantern-based split aptamer nanoprobes are prepared and demonstrated to work well for in situ analysis of ATP expression in living cells. The nanoprobes, which carry multiple split aptamer units on the surface, are easily and inexpensively prepared by a "one-pot" assembly reaction of four short oligonucleotide strands.

Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase combined CRISPR-Cas12a amplification strategy for ultrasensitive detection of uracil-DNA glycosylase with zero background.

A simple and highly sensitive biosensing strategy was reported by cascading terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-catalyzed substrate extension and CRISPR-Cas12a -catalyzed short-stranded DNA probe cleavage. Such a strategy, which is named as TdT-combined CRISPR-Cas12a amplification, gives excellent signal amplification capability due to the synergy of two amplification steps, and thus shows great promise in the design of various biosensors. Based on this strategy, two representative biosensors were developed by simply adjusting the DNA substrate design.

Hydrophilic modification of polycarbonate surface with surface alkoxylation pretreatment for efficient separation of polycarbonate and polystyrene by froth flotation.

Waste polystyrene (PS) and polycarbonate (PC) are crucial components arising from mixtures of plastic products, whose recycling is significantly limited by separation efficiency. In this work, to assist the flotation separation of PC and PS, we proposed a novel modification technology of surface alkoxylation pretreatment (SAP) where PC surface reacted with glycerol and urea. The SAP could selectively transform the hydrophobic PC into hydrophilic plastic, while the PS remained its hydrophobic surface owing to the exclusion from SAP process.

CRISPR/Cas12a-based dual amplified biosensing system for sensitive and rapid detection of polynucleotide kinase/phosphatase.

We reported a CRISPR/Cas-based dual amplified sensing strategy for rapid, sensitive and selective detection of polynucleotide kinase/phosphatase (PNKP), a DNA damage repair-related biological enzyme. In this strategy, a PNKP-triggered nicking enzyme-mediated strand displacement amplification reaction was introduced to enrich the activator DNA strands for CRISPR/Cas. Such an isothermal DNA amplification step, together with subsequent activated CRISPR/Cas-catalyzed cleavage of fluorescent-labeled short-stranded DNA probes, enable synergetic signal amplification for sensitive PNKP detection.

A Yolk-Shell-Structured FePO Cathode for High-Rate and Long-Cycling Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Amorphous iron phosphate (FePO ) has attracted enormous attention as a promising cathode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) because of its high theoretical specific capacity and superior electrochemical reversibility. Nevertheless, the low rate performance and rapid capacity decline seriously hamper its implementation in SIBs. Herein, we demonstrate a sagacious multi-step templating approach to skillfully craft amorphous FePO yolk-shell nanospheres with mesoporous nanoyolks supported inside the robust porous outer nanoshells.

Co-effects of C/Ag dual ion implantation on enhancing antibacterial ability and biocompatibility of silicone rubber.

Although silicone implants are the most popular choice around the world for breast augmentation, reconstruction, and revision, due to the poor antibacterial properties and limited biocompatibility of silicone rubber (SR), one of the major complications, capsule contracture, is a lingering problem. To overcome the two main shortcomings, a dual ion implantation technique was applied to modify the surface of SR with the basic skeleton element of organic matter, carbon (C) and the broad-spectrum bactericide, silver (Ag). We present surface characterization, toxicological effects, and evaluation of the mechanical, antibacterial and biocompatible properties of C and Ag co-implanted SR (C/Ag-SRs).

Isothermal cross-boosting extension-nicking reaction mediated exponential signal amplification for ultrasensitive detection of polynucleotide kinase.

A novel nucleic acid-based isothermal signal amplification strategy, named cross-boosting extension-nicking reaction (CBENR) is developed and successfully used for rapid and ultrasensitive detection of polynucleotide kinase (PNK) activity. Only two simple oligonucleotides (recognition substrate (RS) and TaqMan probe) are applied to construct the PNK-sensing platform. In the presence of PNK, the 3'-phosphate end of RS will be converted to the 3'-hydroxyl one, and then extended to a long poly-adenine (poly-A) sequence under the catalysis of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT).

Flotation separation of polyethylene terephthalate from waste packaging plastics through ethylene glycol pretreatment assisted by sonication.

The recycling of packaging plastics is hindered by the various plastic mixtures and their similar surface properties. Plastic separation is a key step to improve recycling efficiency of waste plastics. We proposed a simple and efficient protocol to separate polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from polycarbonate (PC), acrylonitrile-butadienestyrene copolymer (ABS), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) by converting PET surface from hydrophobicity to hydrophilicity.