Rechargeable calcium batteries have attracted increasing attention as promising multivalent ion battery systems due to the high abundance of calcium. However, the development has been hampered by the ...lack of suitable cathodes to accommodate the large and divalent Ca
ions at a high redox potential with sufficiently fast ionic conduction. Herein, we report a new intercalation host which presents 500 cycles with a capacity retention of 90% and a remarkable power capability at ~3.2 V (vs. Ca/Ca
) in a calcium battery. The cathode material derived from Na
VPO
F
is demonstrated to reversibly accommodate a large amount of Ca
ions, forming a series of Ca
Na
VPO
F
(0 < x < 0.5) phases without any noticeable structural degradation. The robust framework enables one of the smallest volume changes (1.4%) and the lowest diffusion barriers for Ca
among the cathodes reported to date, offering the basis for the outstanding cycle life and power capability.
The formation of lithium sulfides as discharge products imparts high specific energy density to lithium sulfur batteries (LSBs), however, the involvement of soluble intermediates in the battery ...reaction makes it challenging to achieve it reversibly for extended cycles. The precise understanding of phase transitions from the soluble intermediates to solid discharge products would aid in fundamentally resolving practical issues involving the intermediates, and thus allow the realization of long-lived high-energy-density LSBs. Herein, we utilize liquid
in situ
transmission-electron-microscopy (TEM) to probe detailed liquid-solid reaction processes. It reveals that the surface nature of the host materials of the polysulfides critically influences the growth mechanism of lithium sulfides. It is elucidated that polar hosts induce instantaneous nucleation of lithium sulfides, followed by diffusion-controlled-to-reaction-limited growth kinetics and a crystalline-to-amorphous phase transition. Moreover, it is verified that polysulfides are better immobilized in polar hosts, whereas polysulfide diffusion through nonpolar hosts is evidently observed, leading to the eventual degradation of cells. Based on these findings, an optimal host structure for sulfur is proposed, where the dual walls of polar (inner)/nonpolar (outer) spheres confine the polysulfides. The new cathode exhibits remarkable electrochemical performance, retaining a capacity of 4.3 mA h cm
−2
over 400 cycles at a low electrolyte/sulfur ratio of 6.8 ml g
−1
, which rivals state-of-the-art LSBs. This work contributes the first liquid
in situ
TEM study of liquid-solid phase evolution for high energy electrode materials.
The nucleation and growth of lithium sulfides are directly observed by liquid
in situ
transmission electron microscopy.
The evolution of increased competitive ability (EICA) hypothesis and the novel weapons hypothesis (NWH) are two non-mutually exclusive mechanisms for exotic plant invasions, but few studies have ...simultaneously tested these hypotheses. Here we aimed to integrate them in the context of Chromolaena odorata invasion.
We conducted two common garden experiments in order to test the EICA hypothesis, and two laboratory experiments in order to test the NWH.
In common conditions, C. odorata plants from the nonnative range were better competitors but not larger than plants from the native range, either with or without the experimental manipulation of consumers. Chromolaena odorata plants from the nonnative range were more poorly defended against aboveground herbivores but better defended against soilborne enemies. Chromolaena odorata plants from the nonnative range produced more odoratin (Eupatorium) (a unique compound of C. odorata with both allelopathic and defensive activities) and elicited stronger allelopathic effects on species native to China, the nonnative range of the invader, than on natives of Mexico, the native range of the invader.
Our results suggest that invasive plants may evolve increased competitive ability after being introduced by increasing the production of novel allelochemicals, potentially in response to naïve competitors and new enemy regimes.
We report the in-situ synthesis of NiCo2O4 nanoparticles chemically bonded to multi-walled carbon nanotubes (NiCo2O4/CNT) based on a low-temperature, one-pot hydrothermal approach. The NiCo2O4/CNT ...‘composite’ electrodes present excellent bi-functionality for applications in both Li-ion batteries (LIBs) and supercapacitors. They present a high Li-storage capacity of ∼1020 mAh g−1 at 300 mA g−1 after 200 cycles while a high pseudocapacitance of 680 F g−1 is delivered when discharged at 1 A g−1. Electrodes are also prepared using the ‘physical mixture’ of the same constituents at the same concentrations. They present much poorer Li-ion storage of ∼370 mAh g−1 at 100 mA g−1 after 100 cycles while their pseudocapacitances are at least 130–300 F g−1 lower than those of the ‘composite’ at different current densities. Several morphological and functional characteristics are responsible for the excellent energy storage behavior of the ‘composite’ in comparison with the ‘physical mixture’ electrodes including (i) the strong attachment of uniformly dispersed NiCo2O4 nanoparticles on the functionalized CNTs with (ii) large surface areas and sites for efficient electrochemical reactions. The CNT substrates also function both (iii) as a conductive network for fast ion/electron transfer and (iv) as a cushion to accommodate the volume expansion during the charge/discharge cycles.
Severe deficiency of plasma ADAMTS13 activity may result in potentially fatal thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and relative deficiency of plasma ADAMTS13 activity may be associated with adverse ...outcomes of certain malignancies. Here, we report the role of ADAMTS13 or lack of von Willebrand factor (VWF) in reducing irradiation and melanoma‐induced thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) and mortality in zebrafish.
Zebrafish melanoma cell line (ZMEL) was injected subcutaneously into wild‐type (wt), adamts13−/− (a13−/−), von Willebrand factor (vwf−/−), and a13−/−vwf−/− zebrafish following total body irradiation; the tumor growth, its gene expression pattern, the resulting thrombocytopenia, and the mortality were determined.
Total body irradiation at 30 Gy alone resulted in a transient thrombocytopenia in both wt and a13−/− zebrafish. However, thrombocytopenia occurred earlier and more profound in a13−/− than in wt zebrafish, which was resolved 2 weeks following irradiation alone. An inoculation of ZMEL following the irradiation resulted in more severe and persistent thrombocytopenia, as well as earlier death in a13−/− than in wt zebrafish. The vwf−/− or a13−/−vwf−/− zebrafish were protected from developing severe thrombocytopenia following the same maneuvers. RNA‐sequencing revealed significant differentially expressed genes associated with oxidation–reduction, metabolism, lipid, fatty acid and cholesterol metabolic processes, steroid synthesis, and phospholipid efflux in the melanoma explanted from a13−/− zebrafish compared with that from the wt controls.
Our results indicated that plasma ADAMTS13 or lack of VWF may offer a significant protection against the development of irradiation‐ and/or melanoma‐induced TMA. Such a microenvironment may directly affect melanoma cell phenotypes via alternation in the oxidation–reduction and lipid metabolic pathways.
Proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs) are an attractive technology for renewable energy conversion and storage. By using green electricity generated from renewable sources like wind ...or solar, high-purity hydrogen gas can be produced in PEMWE systems, which can be used in fuel cells and other industrial sectors. To date, significant advances have been achieved in improving the efficiency of PEMWEs through the design of stack components; however, challenges remain for their large-scale and long-term application due to high cost and durability issues in acidic conditions. In this review, we examine the latest developments in engineering PEMWE systems and assess the gap that still needs to be filled for their practical applications. We provide a comprehensive summary of the reaction mechanisms, the correlation among structure-composition-performance, manufacturing methods, system design strategies, and operation protocols of advanced PEMWEs. We also highlight the discrepancies between the critical parameters required for practical PEMWEs and those reported in the literature. Finally, we propose the potential solution to bridge the gap and enable the appreciable applications of PEMWEs. This review may provide valuable insights for research communities and industry practitioners working in these fields and facilitate the development of more cost-effective and durable PEMWE systems for a sustainable energy future.
This review scrutinizes recent progress in PEMWE system including mechanisms, the correlation among structure-composition-performance, manufacturing, system design and operation protocols. The challenges and perspectives for applications are proposed.
Lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) have dominated the energy storage market for more than two decades; however, the quest for lower‐cost battery alternatives is rapidly expanding, especially for ...large‐scale applications. Sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs) have recently experienced an impressive resurgence owing to the earth's abundance of sodium resources and the similar electrochemistry of SIBs and the well‐established LIBs. Nonetheless, whereas cost‐effective and reliable graphite anodes have served as a cornerstone in current LIB technology, one of the major limitations of SIBs has been the inability to exploit graphite as an electrode because of its negligible sodium storage capability. Recently, however, clear progress has been made in preparing high‐performance graphitic carbon anodes for SIBs with new findings on the mechanisms of sodium storage. Herein, this paper aims to review the progress made in understanding the sodium storage mechanisms in graphitic carbon materials and comprehensively summarize the start‐of‐the‐art achievements by surveying the correlations among the type of graphitic material, microstructure, sodium storage mechanisms, and electrochemical performance in SIBs. In addition, perspectives related to practical applications, including the electrolyte, coulombic efficiency, and applicability in sodium‐ion full cells, are also presented.
Graphitic carbon materials are promising anodes for the burgeoning sodium‐ion battery (SIB) technology. An overview of the state‐of‐the‐art achievements in graphitic carbon anode materials for SIBs is summarized. New findings of sodium storage mechanisms are highlighted, associated with discussion of the correlation between microstructures and electrochemical performance. Perspectives for applicable SIBs are also presented.
Due to the development of the green economy, green manufacturing has been a hot topic. This paper proposes a new problem, i.e., the resource constrained unrelated parallel machine green manufacturing ...scheduling problem (RCUPMGSP) with the criteria of minimizing the makespan and the total carbon emission. To solve the problem, a collaborative multiobjective fruit fly optimization algorithm (CMFOA) is proposed. First, a job-speed pair-based solution representation is presented, and an effective decoding method is designed. Second, a heuristic for initialization of the population is proposed. Third, three collaborative search operators are designed to handle three subproblems in the smell-based search phase, i.e., job-to-machine assignment, job sequence, and processing speed selection. The technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution and the fast nondominated sorting methods are both employed for multiobjective evaluation in the vision-based search phase. Moreover, a critical-path-based carbon saving technique is designed according to the problem analysis to further improve the nondominated solutions explored in the fruit fly optimization algorithm-based evolution. In addition, the effect of parameter setting is investigated and the suitable parameter values are recommended. Finally, numerical tests and comparisons are carried out using the randomly generated instances, which show that the CMFOA is able to obtain more and better nondominated solutions than other algorithms. The comparisons also demonstrate the effectiveness of the collaborative scheme and the carbon saving technique as well as the CMFOA in solving the RCUPMGSP.
ADAMTS13, a plasma metalloprotease that cleaves von Willebrand factor, is crucial for normal hemostasis. Acquired autoantibody‐mediated deficiency of plasma ADAMTS13 results in a potentially fatal ...blood disorder, immune thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (iTTP). Plasma ADAMTS13 protease appears to exist in multiple conformations. Under physiological conditions, plasma ADAMTS13 exists predominantly in its “closed” conformation (or latent form), which may be activated by lowering pH, ligand binding, and binding of an antibody against the distal domains of ADAMTS13. In patients with iTTP, polyclonal antibodies target at various domains of ADAMTS13. However, nearly all inhibitory antibodies bind the spacer domain, whereas antibodies that bind the distal C‐terminal domains may activate ADAMTS13 through removing its allosteric inhibition. Additionally, the anti‐C‐terminal antibodies may alter the potency of inhibitory antibodies towards ADAMTS13 activity. This review summarizes some of the most recent knowledge about the ADAMTS13 conformation and its mechanism of inhibition by its autoantibodies.
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