Rechargeable lithium batteries (RLBs) have revolutionized energy storage technology. However, short lifetime and safety issues have hampered their further commercialization, which is mainly ...attributable to the unstable solid‐electrolyte interphase (SEI) and uncontrolled lithium dendrite growth. In recent years, research on SEI has been pursued with determination worldwide. However, the structure and composition of the SEI have long been debated. Especially, the role of the main component, LiF, remains elusive. In this review, the structure and composition of SEIs are focused upon and the role of LiF in SEI is further analyzed. To this end, first, the development history of the SEI model is recounted. Second, the fundamental understanding of SEI is recalled. Third, the anode materials that can generate LiF in the SEI are categorized and discussed. Fourth, the characterization techniques of SEI layers are introduced. Fifth, the transport mechanism of Li+ ions within the SEI is discussed. Sixth, the physical properties of LiF are revisited. Seventh, the source of LiF is deeply analyzed. Finally, general conclusions and a perspective on the future research directions for SEI that may promote the large‐scale applications of lithium metal batteries is discussed.
This review aims to appreciate the role of LiF in solid electrolyte interphases (SEI) by recounting the relevant development history, fundamental understanding and some characterization techniques for SEI, anode materials that generate LiF and the transport mechanism of Li+ in the SEI, and physical properties and sources of LiF. Perspectives on possible future research directions of SEI are also exhibited.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Maternal lineages of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are recognized as important components of intra and interspecific biodiversity and help us to disclose the phylogeny and divergence times of many taxa. ...Species of the genus Capra are canonical mountain dwellers. Among these is the Siberian ibex (Capra sibirica), which is regarded as a relic species whose intraspecific classification has been controversial so far. We collected 58 samples in Xinjiang, China, and analyzed the mtDNA genes to shed light on the intraspecific relationships of the C. sibirica populations and estimate the divergence time. Intriguingly, we found that the mtDNA sequences of C. sibirica split into two main lineages in both phylogenetic and network analyses: the Southern lineage, sister to Capra falconeri, consisting of samples from Ulugqat, Kagilik (both in Xinjiang), India, and Tajikistan; and the Northern lineage further divided into four monophyletic clades A–D corresponding to their geographic origins. Samples from Urumqi, Sawan, and Arturk formed a distinct monophyletic clade C within the Northern lineage. The genetic distance between the C. sibirica clades ranges from 3.0 to 8.6%, with values of FST between 0.839 and 0.960, indicating notable genetic differentiation. The split of the genus Capra occurred approximately 6.75 Mya during the late Miocene. The Northern lineage diverged around 5.88 Mya, followed by the divergence of Clades A–D from 3.30 to 1.92 Mya during the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene. The radiation between the Southern lineage and C. falconeri occurred at 2.29 Mya during the early Pleistocene. Our results highlight the importance of extensive sampling when relating to genetic studies of alpine mammals and call for further genomic studies to draw definitive conclusions.
Intriguingly, we found that the mtDNA sequences of Capra sibirica split into two main lineages in both phylogenetic and network analyses: the southern lineage, sister to Capra falconeri, and the northern lineage further divided into four monophyletic clades A–D corresponding to their geographic origins. The split of the genus Capra occurred approximately 6.75 Mya during the late Miocene. The northern lineage diverged around 5.88 Mya, following the divergence of Clades A–D from 3.3 to 1.9 Mya during the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene. The radiation between the southern lineage and C. falconeri occurred at 2.29 Mya during the early Pleistocene.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Summary
Ferroptosis is a type of oxidative stress-dependent regulated necrosis characterized by excessive lipid peroxide accumulation. This novel cell death modality has been implicated in preventing ...cancer progression. Cancer cells tend to modulate their redox state to prevent excessive peroxidation, eventually facilitating tumor growth. System Xc
−
(a cystine/glutamate antiporter system) is a promising target in cancer cells for ferroptosis induction. The overexpression of system Xc
−
, especially its core subunit xCT, has been reported in several tumors, and these high expression levels were closely related to cancer cell proliferation, invasion, metastasis and the tumor microenvironment. xCT might serve as a novel biomarker, and its upregulation almost always indicates drug tolerance and poor survival. Therefore, system Xc
−
inhibition may enhance chemotherapy sensitivity and optimize patient prognosis. Here, we elaborate on the mediation of ferroptosis by suppressing system Xc
−
and the relevant underlying molecular mechanism in cancer cells. The spotlight on this approach to cancer treatment is creating a new horizon and pointing to future opportunities.
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CEKLJ, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Abstract
The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes are the most polymorphic genes in vertebrates, and their proteins play a critical role in adaptive immunity for defense against a variety of ...pathogens. MHC diversity was lost in many species after experiencing a decline in size. To understand the variation and evolution of MHC genes in the Siberian ibex,
Capra sibirica
, which has undergone a population decline, we analyzed the variation of the second exon of MHC class II
DRB
genes in samples collected from five geographic localities in Xinjiang, China, that belong to three diverged mitochondrial clades. Consequently, we identified a total of 26 putative functional alleles (PFAs) with 260 bp in length from 43 individuals, and found one (for 27 individuals) to three (for 5 individuals) PFAs per individual, indicating the presence of one or two
DRB
loci per haploid genome. The
Casi-DRB1*16
was the most frequently occurring PFA,
Casi-DRB1*22
was found in only seven individuals, 14 PFAs occurred once, 7 PFAs twice, implying high frequency of rare PFAs. Interestingly, more than half (15) of the PFAs were specific to clade I, only two and three PFAs were specific to clades II and III, respectively. So, we assume that the polygamy and sexual segregation nature of this species likely contributed to the allelic diversity of
DRB
genes. Genetic diversity indices showed that PFAs of clade II were lower in nucleotide, amino acid, and supertype diversity compared to those of the other two clades. The pattern of allele sharing and
F
ST
values between the three clades was to some extent in agreement with the pattern observed in mitochondrial DNA divergence. In addition, recombination analyses revealed no evidence for significant signatures of recombination events. Alleles shared by clades III and the other two clades diverged 6 million years ago, and systematic neighbor grids showed Trans-species polymorphism. Together with the PAML and MEME analyses, the results indicated that the
DRB
gene in
C. sibirica
evolved under balancing and positive selection. However, by comparison, it can be clearly seen that different populations were under different selective pressures. Our results are valuable in understanding the diversity and evolution of the
DRB
gene in a mountain living
C. sibirica
and in making decisions on future long-term protection strategies.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Due to its great economic value, walnut (Juglans regia L.) has received increasing attention during recent years. However, water stress and salinity limit walnut growth, production, and quality. We ...employed two walnut genotypes, precocious walnut, and late‐bearing walnut, to investigate their growth, photosynthetic capacity, non‐structural carbohydrate contents, Cl− allocation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, and osmotic regulation under water stress, salinity, and their combination. We found that late‐bearing walnut showed higher total biomass and net photosynthetic rate, higher activities of antioxidant enzymes, higher osmoregulation, and lower ROS accumulation than precocious walnut under stressful conditions. In addition, late‐bearing walnut restricted salt transport and allocated more Cl− into roots, whereas precocious walnut allocated more Cl− into leaves when exposed to salinity stress. These data collectively demonstrated that late‐bearing walnut possesses better stress tolerance under water stress, salinity, and especially under their combination. Such knowledge of genotype‐specific responses and tolerances to water stress and salinity is important for walnut plantation management under increasing drought and aggravated soil salinization occurring with climate change.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Catalysts play an important role in the energy conversion reaction process. With the continuous development of the energy sector, researchers are constantly exploring and developing new ...high-performance, inexpensive catalysts to meet the demand. Transition metal phosphides (TMPs) as ever-evolving catalytic materials have received more and more attention. Many studies have suggested that transition metal phosphides could be ideal catalysts due to their low cost, abundance, and high efficiency. In many areas, TMPs can be applied as stable and efficient catalytic materials. Therefore, many kinds of TMPs are designed and synthesized by different methods. This article has summarized the recent research progress of TMPs, including their preparation methods and morphologies. Moreover, the application and catalytic performance of TMPs in different catalytic fields are further elaborated, and views on the opportunities and challenges faced by phosphide catalysts are presented.
Catalysts play an important role in the energy conversion reaction process.
A photoelectrochemical system is a promising method for biomass valorization but is still in its infancy. Herein, a Mo-BVO-TiCoNO-CoFeO
xy
photoanode with a nanowire structure was prepared for the ...first time to efficiently convert bio-based benzyl alcohol (BA) to benzoic acid (97.7% yield) in water while coupling H
2
production of 136.8 μmol cm
−2
. The nanowire structure enables a significant increase in the exposed active sites on the photoelectrode surface to enhance the BA oxidation capacity, whereas its large aspect ratio increases visible light absorption, and the thermal effect (resulting from the size effect) increases H
2
production at the counter electrode. DFT calculations and further experiments revealed that Co species of the CoFeO
xy
layer functioned as stabilizers of photoelectrode properties, while Fe species acted as catalytic site providers in the BA oxidation. The analysis of steady-state photoluminescence with variable temperature showed the generation of hot carriers and conversion to photocurrent over the non-noble bimetallic material.
A low-cost and eco-friendly photoanode was constructed using a unique nanowire structure, which could efficiently couple H
2
evolution with bio-alcohol being oxidized quantitatively to acid in water.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Abstract
The deep cryogenic temperatures encountered in aerospace present significant challenges for the performance of elastic materials in spacecraft and related apparatus. Reported elastic carbon ...or ceramic aerogels overcome the low-temperature brittleness in conventional elastic polymers. However, complicated fabrication process and high costs greatly limited their applications. In this work, super-elasticity at a deep cryogenic temperature of covalently crosslinked polyimide (PI) aerogels is achieved based on scalable and low-cost directional dimethyl sulfoxide crystals assisted freeze gelation and freeze-drying strategy. The covalently crosslinked chemical structure, cellular architecture, negative Poisson’s ratio (−0.2), low volume shrinkage (3.1%), and ultralow density (6.1 mg/cm
3
) endow the PI aerogels with an elastic compressive strain up to 99% even in liquid helium (4 K), almost zero loss of resilience after dramatic thermal shocks (∆
T
= 569 K), and fatigue resistance over 5000 times compressive cycles. This work provides a new pathway for constructing polymer-based materials with super-elasticity at deep cryogenic temperature, demonstrating much promise for extensive applications in ongoing and near-future aerospace exploration.
Exosomes derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells can inhibit neuroinflammation through regulating microglial phenotypes and promoting nerve injury repair. However, the underlying molecular ...mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the mechanism by which exosomes derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells inhibit neuroinflammation. Our in vitro co-culture experiments showed that bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and their exosomes promoted the polarization of activated BV2 microglia to their anti-inflammatory phenotype, inhibited the expression of proinflammatory cytokines, and increased the expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines. Our in vivo experiments showed that tail vein injection of exosomes reduced cell apoptosis in cortical tissue of mouse models of traumatic brain injury, inhibited neuroinflammation, and promoted the transformation of microglia to the anti-inflammatory phenotype. We screened some microRNAs related to neuroinflammation using microRNA sequencing and found that microRNA-181b seemed to be actively involved in the process. Finally, we regulated the expression of miR181b in the brain tissue of mouse models of traumatic brain injury using lentiviral transfection. We found that miR181b overexpression effectively reduced apoptosis and neuroinflamatory response after traumatic brain injury and promoted the transformation of microglia to the anti-inflammatory phenotype. The interleukin 10/STAT3 pathway was activated during this process. These findings suggest that the inhibitory effects of exosomes derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells on neuroinflamation after traumatic brain injury may be realized by the action of miR181b on the interleukin 10/STAT3 pathway.
Summary
Serine and glycine are the primary sources of one-carbon units that are vital for cell proliferation. Their abnormal metabolism is known to be associated with cancer progression. As the key ...enzyme of serine metabolism, Serine Hydroxymethyltransferase 2 (SHMT2) has been a research hotspot in recent years. SHMT2 is a PLP-dependent tetrameric enzyme that catalyzes the reversible transition from serine to glycine, thus promoting the production of one-carbon units that are indispensable for cell growth and regulation of the redox and epigenetic states of cells. Under a hypoxic environment, SHMT2 can be upregulated and could promote the generation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) and glutathione for maintaining the redox balance. Accumulating evidence confirmed that SHMT2 facilitates cell proliferation and tumor growth and is tightly associated with poor prognosis. In this review, we present insights into the function and research development of SHMT2 and summarize the possible molecular mechanisms of SHMT2 in promoting tumor growth, in the hope that it could provide clues to more effective clinical treatment of cancer.
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CEKLJ, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
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