Rechargeable aqueous zinc batteries are promising energy‐storage systems for grid applications. Highly conductive polyaniline (PANI) is a potential cathode, but it tends to deactivate in electrolytes ...with low acidity (i.e. pH >1) owing to deprotonation of the polymer. In this study, we synthesized a sulfo‐self‐doped PANI electrode by a facile electrochemical copolymerization process. The −SO3− self‐dopant functions as an internal proton reservoir to ensure a highly acidic local environment and facilitate the redox process in the weakly acidic ZnSO4 electrolyte. In a full zinc cell, the self‐doped PANI cathode provided a high capacity of 180 mAh g−1, excellent rate performance of 70 % capacity retention with a 50‐fold current‐density increase, and a long cycle life of over 2000 cycles with coulombic efficiency close to 100 %. Our study opens a door for the use of conducting polymers as cathode materials for high‐performance rechargeable zinc batteries.
Staying active: A sulfo self‐dopant of polyaniline (PANI) functioned as an internal proton reservoir, so that the electrochemical activity of the polymer was preserved in weakly acidic ZnSO4 aqueous electrolyte (see picture). In a full zinc cell, the self‐doped polyaniline cathode showed a high capacity of 180 mAh g−1, excellent rate capability, and a long cycle life of over 2000 cycles with almost 100 % coulombic efficiency.
The construction of controlled biomacromolecular assemblies has become a thriving area of supramolecular chemistry. In this context, cucurbiturils (CBs), a class of macrocyclic receptors having ...robust skeletons, hydrophobic cavities, and carbonyl‐laced portals, have been drawn into the limelight because of their advantageous molecular recognition characteristics with a variety of biomacromolecules, including peptides, nucleic acids, and proteins. In this minireview, we focus on the impressive advances in CB‐based biomacromolecular assemblies, such as in biosensors and assays, the regulation of biochemical reactions, and the treatment of serious diseases. CB‐promoted subcellular bioimaging has also been demonstrated in different organelles. The case studies presented herein demonstrate the numerous applications, from fundamental research to translational applications, of diverse CB‐based supra/biomacromolecular architectures.
This minireview highlights the recent progress in and emerging applications of cucurbituril‐based biomacromolecular assemblies with peptides, nucleic acids, and proteins. This rapidly developing area involves precise control over intermolecular communication at multidimensional levels and holds great promise for the creation of innovative biomaterials and therapeutic methods.
Metal nanoparticles (MNPs) hold great technological promise because of the possibility of engineering their electronic and optical properties through material design. One of the effective methods to ...fabricate MNPs is ion implantation. In this review, recent results on the nonlinear optical properties of nanoparticles (including copper, silver, gold, and bismuth nanoparticles) doped in various bases have been discussed. Some specific optical nonlinear properties, such as nonlinear refraction, two-photon absorption, and optical limiting, for femtosecond, picosecond, and nanosecond laser pulses have also been covered. In addition to ion implantation, we have summarized several other methods for the preparation of composite materials, and Z-scan has been used to study the nonlinear optical properties of these materials.
Metal nanoparticles (MNPs) hold great technological promise because of the possibility of engineering their electronic and optical properties through material design.
A vaccine to protect against COVID-19 is urgently needed. We aimed to assess the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of a recombinant adenovirus type-5 (Ad5) vectored COVID-19 vaccine expressing ...the spike glycoprotein of a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) strain.
We did a dose-escalation, single-centre, open-label, non-randomised, phase 1 trial of an Ad5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine in Wuhan, China. Healthy adults aged between 18 and 60 years were sequentially enrolled and allocated to one of three dose groups (5 × 1010, 1 × 1011, and 1·5 × 1011 viral particles) to receive an intramuscular injection of vaccine. The primary outcome was adverse events in the 7 days post-vaccination. Safety was assessed over 28 days post-vaccination. Specific antibodies were measured with ELISA, and the neutralising antibody responses induced by vaccination were detected with SARS-CoV-2 virus neutralisation and pseudovirus neutralisation tests. T-cell responses were assessed by enzyme-linked immunospot and flow-cytometry assays. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04313127.
Between March 16 and March 27, 2020, we screened 195 individuals for eligibility. Of them, 108 participants (51% male, 49% female; mean age 36·3 years) were recruited and received the low dose (n=36), middle dose (n=36), or high dose (n=36) of the vaccine. All enrolled participants were included in the analysis. At least one adverse reaction within the first 7 days after the vaccination was reported in 30 (83%) participants in the low dose group, 30 (83%) participants in the middle dose group, and 27 (75%) participants in the high dose group. The most common injection site adverse reaction was pain, which was reported in 58 (54%) vaccine recipients, and the most commonly reported systematic adverse reactions were fever (50 46%), fatigue (47 44%), headache (42 39%), and muscle pain (18 17%. Most adverse reactions that were reported in all dose groups were mild or moderate in severity. No serious adverse event was noted within 28 days post-vaccination. ELISA antibodies and neutralising antibodies increased significantly at day 14, and peaked 28 days post-vaccination. Specific T-cell response peaked at day 14 post-vaccination.
The Ad5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine is tolerable and immunogenic at 28 days post-vaccination. Humoral responses against SARS-CoV-2 peaked at day 28 post-vaccination in healthy adults, and rapid specific T-cell responses were noted from day 14 post-vaccination. Our findings suggest that the Ad5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine warrants further investigation.
National Key R&D Program of China, National Science and Technology Major Project, and CanSino Biologics.
Deciphering adipose tissue heterogeneity Lynes, Matthew D.; Tseng, Yu‐Hua
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences,
January 2018, Volume:
1411, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Obesity is an excess accumulation of adipose tissue mass, and, together with its sequelae, in particular type II diabetes and metabolic syndrome, obesity presents a major health crisis. Although ...obesity is simply caused by increased adipose mass, the heterogeneity of adipose tissue in humans means that the response to increased energy balance is highly complex. Individual subjects with similar phenotypes may respond very differently to the same treatments; therefore, obesity may benefit from a personalized precision medicine approach. The variability in the development of obesity is indeed driven by differences in sex, genetics, and environment, but also by the various types of adipose tissue as well as the different cell types that compose it. By describing the distinct cell populations that reside in different fat depots, we can interpret the complex effect of these various players in the maintenance of whole‐body energy homeostasis. To further understand adipose tissue, adipogenic differentiation and the transcriptional program of lipid accumulation must be investigated. As the cell‐ and depot‐specific functions are described, they can be placed in the context of energy excess to understand how the heterogeneity of adipose tissue shapes individual metabolic status and condition.
Artificial intelligence, especially machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) algorithms, is becoming an important tool in the fields of materials and mechanical engineering, attributed to its ...power to predict materials properties, design
de novo
materials and discover new mechanisms beyond intuitions. As the structural complexity of novel materials soars, the material design problem to optimize mechanical behaviors can involve massive design spaces that are intractable for conventional methods. Addressing this challenge, ML models trained from large material datasets that relate structure, properties and function at multiple hierarchical levels have offered new avenues for fast exploration of the design spaces. The performance of a ML-based materials design approach relies on the collection or generation of a large dataset that is properly preprocessed using the domain knowledge of materials science underlying chemical and physical concepts, and a suitable selection of the applied ML model. Recent breakthroughs in ML techniques have created vast opportunities for not only overcoming long-standing mechanics problems but also for developing unprecedented materials design strategies. In this review, we first present a brief introduction of state-of-the-art ML models, algorithms and structures. Then, we discuss the importance of data collection, generation and preprocessing. The applications in mechanical property prediction, materials design and computational methods using ML-based approaches are summarized, followed by perspectives on opportunities and open challenges in this emerging and exciting field.
This review revisits the state of the art of research efforts on the design of mechanical materials using machine learning.
This is the first randomised controlled trial for assessment of the immunogenicity and safety of a candidate non-replicating adenovirus type-5 (Ad5)-vectored COVID-19 vaccine, aiming to determine an ...appropriate dose of the candidate vaccine for an efficacy study.
This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial of the Ad5-vectored COVID-19 vaccine was done in a single centre in Wuhan, China. Healthy adults aged 18 years or older, who were HIV-negative and previous severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection-free, were eligible to participate and were randomly assigned to receive the vaccine at a dose of 1 × 1011 viral particles per mL or 5 × 1010 viral particles per mL, or placebo. Investigators allocated participants at a ratio of 2:1:1 to receive a single injection intramuscularly in the arm. The randomisation list (block size 4) was generated by an independent statistician. Participants, investigators, and staff undertaking laboratory analyses were masked to group allocation. The primary endpoints for immunogenicity were the geometric mean titres (GMTs) of specific ELISA antibody responses to the receptor binding domain (RBD) and neutralising antibody responses at day 28. The primary endpoint for safety evaluation was the incidence of adverse reactions within 14 days. All recruited participants who received at least one dose were included in the primary and safety analyses. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04341389.
603 volunteers were recruited and screened for eligibility between April 11 and 16, 2020. 508 eligible participants (50% male; mean age 39·7 years, SD 12·5) consented to participate in the trial and were randomly assigned to receive the vaccine (1 × 1011 viral particles n=253; 5 × 1010 viral particles n=129) or placebo (n=126). In the 1 × 1011 and 5 × 1010 viral particles dose groups, the RBD-specific ELISA antibodies peaked at 656·5 (95% CI 575·2–749·2) and 571·0 (467·6–697·3), with seroconversion rates at 96% (95% CI 93–98) and 97% (92–99), respectively, at day 28. Both doses of the vaccine induced significant neutralising antibody responses to live SARS-CoV-2, with GMTs of 19·5 (95% CI 16·8–22·7) and 18·3 (14·4–23·3) in participants receiving 1 × 1011 and 5 × 1010 viral particles, respectively. Specific interferon γ enzyme-linked immunospot assay responses post vaccination were observed in 227 (90%, 95% CI 85–93) of 253 and 113 (88%, 81–92) of 129 participants in the 1 × 1011 and 5 × 1010 viral particles dose groups, respectively. Solicited adverse reactions were reported by 183 (72%) of 253 and 96 (74%) of 129 participants in the 1 × 1011 and 5 × 1010 viral particles dose groups, respectively. Severe adverse reactions were reported by 24 (9%) participants in the 1 × 1011 viral particles dose group and one (1%) participant in the 5 × 1010 viral particles dose group. No serious adverse reactions were documented.
The Ad5-vectored COVID-19 vaccine at 5 × 1010 viral particles is safe, and induced significant immune responses in the majority of recipients after a single immunisation.
National Key R&D Programme of China, National Science and Technology Major Project, and CanSino Biologics.
The worldwide incidence of obesity and its sequelae, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, have reached pandemic levels. Central to the development of these metabolic disorders is adipose tissue. White ...adipose tissue stores excess energy, whereas brown adipose tissue (BAT) and beige (also known as brite) adipose tissue dissipate energy to generate heat in a process known as thermogenesis. Strategies that activate and expand BAT and beige adipose tissue increase energy expenditure in animal models and offer therapeutic promise to treat obesity. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of BAT and beige adipose tissue and the activation of thermogenic function is the key to creating practical therapeutic interventions for obesity and metabolic disorders. In this Review, we discuss the regulation of the tissue microenvironment (the adipose niche) and inter-organ communication between BAT and other tissues. We also cover the activation of BAT and beige adipose tissue in response to physiological cues (such as cold exposure, exercise and diet). We highlight advances in harnessing the therapeutic potential of BAT and beige adipose tissue by genetic, pharmacological and cell-based approaches in obesity and metabolic disorders.
Although great achievements have been made in the synthesis of giant lanthanide clusters, novel structural models are still scarce. Herein, we report a giant lanthanide cluster Dy76, constructed from ...Dy3(μ3‐OH)4 and Dy5(μ4‐O)(μ3‐OH)8 building blocks. As the largest known Dy cluster, the structure of Dy76 can be seen as arising from the fusion of two Dy48 clusters; these clusters can be isolated under various synthetic conditions and were characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. This new, fused structural model of the pillar motif has not been found in Ln clusters. Furthermore, the successful conversion of Dy76 back into Dy48 in a retrosynthetic manner supports the proposed fusion formation mechanism of Dy76. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS) analysis suggests that the metal cluster skeleton of Dy76 shows good stability in various solvents. This work not only reveals a new structural type of Ln clusters but also provides insight into the novel fusion assembly process.
We go together: Two dysprosium clusters with 48 and 76 metal atoms, respectively, were generated under solvothermal conditions by using 3‐furancarboxylic acid. The bi‐nanopillar Dy76 was formed by the fusion of two Dy48 nanopillars.
Superhydrophobic coatings have tremendous potential for applications in different fields and have been achieved commonly by increasing nanoscale roughness and lowering surface tension. Limited by the ...availability of either ideal nano-structural templates or simple fabrication procedures, the search of superhydrophobic coatings that are easy to manufacture and are robust in real-life applications remains challenging for both academia and industry. Herein, we report an unconventional protocol based on a single-step, stoichiometrically controlled reaction of long-chain organosilanes with water, which creates micro- to nano-scale hierarchical siloxane aggregates dispersible in industrial solvents (as the coating mixture). Excellent superhydrophobicity (ultrahigh water contact angle >170° and ultralow sliding angle <1°) has been attained on solid materials of various compositions and dimensions, by simply dipping into or spraying with the coating mixture. It has been demonstrated that these complete waterproof coatings hold excellent properties in terms of cost, scalability, robustness, and particularly the capability of encapsulating other functional materials (e.g. luminescent dyes).
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