All-Solid-State Lithium-Sulfur Batteries of High Cycling Stability and Rate Capability Enabled by a Self-Lithiated Sn-C Interlayer.

All-solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries (ASSLSBs) have attracted intense interest due to their high theoretical energy density and intrinsic safety. However, constructing durable lithium (Li) metal anodes with high cycling efficiency in ASSLSBs remains challenging due to poor interface stability. Here, a compositionally stable, self-lithiated tin (Sn)-carbon (C) composite interlayer (LSCI) between Li anode and solid-state electrolyte (SSE), capable of homogenizing Li-ion transport across the interlayer, mitigating decomposition of SSE, and enhancing electrochemical/structural stability of interface, is developed for ASSLSBs. The LSCI-mediated Li metal anode enables stable Li plating/stripping over 7000 h without Li dendrite penetration. The ASSLSBs equipped with LSCI thus exhibit excellent cycling stability of over 300 cycles (capacity retention of ≈80%) under low applied pressure (<8 MPa) and demonstrate improved rate capability even at 3C. The enhanced electrochemical performance and corresponding insights of the designed LSCI broaden the spectrum of advanced interlayers for interface manipulation, advancing the practical application of ASSLSBs.

Enhancing the Structural Stability and Electrochemical Performance of High-Nickel Cathode Materials through Ti Doping with an Exothermic Non-oxide Precursor.

The foreseeable global cobalt (Co) crisis has driven the demand for cathode materials with less Co dependence, where high-nickel layered oxides are a promising solution due to their high energy density and low cost. However, these materials suffer from poor cycling stability and rapid voltage decay due to lattice displacement and nanostrain accumulation. Here, we introduced an exothermic TiN dopant via a scalable coating method to stabilize LiNi0.917Co0.056Mn0.026O2 (NCM92) materials. The exothermic reaction of TiN conversion generates extra heat during the calcination process on the cathode surface, promotes the lithiation process, and tunes the morphology of the cathode material, resulting in compact and conformal smaller particle sizes to provide better particle integration and lithium diffusion coefficient. Moreover, the Ti dopant substitutes the Ni3+ site to generate stronger Ti-O bonding, leading to higher structural stability and extended cycle life. The Ti-doped NCM (NCM92_TiN) shows a remarkable cycling stability of maintaining 80% capacity retention for 400 cycles, while bare NCM92 can only reach 88 cycles. Furthermore, the NCM92_TiN cathodes demonstrate an enhanced rate capability and achieve a discharge capacity of over 168 mAh g-1 at 5C.

Interfacial solvation-structure regulation for stable Li metal anode by a desolvation coating technique.

Rechargeable lithium (Li) metal batteries face challenges in achieving stable cycling due to the instability of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). The Li-ion solvation structure and its desolvation process are crucial for the formation of a stable SEI on Li metal anodes and improving Li plating/stripping kinetics. This research introduces an interfacial desolvation coating technique to actively modulate the Li-ion solvation structure at the Li metal interface and regulate the participation of the electrolyte solvent in SEI formation. Through experimental investigations conducted using a carbonate electrolyte with limited compatibility to Li metal, the optimized desolvation coating layer, composed of 12-crown-4 ether-modified silica materials, selectively displaces strongly coordinating solvents while simultaneously enriching weakly coordinating fluorinated solvents at the Li metal/electrolyte interface. This selective desolvation and enrichment effect reduce solvent participation to SEI and thus facilitate the formation of a LiF-dominant SEI with greatly reduced organic species on the Li metal surface, as conclusively verified through various characterization techniques including XPS, quantitative NMR, operando NMR, cryo-TEM, EELS, and EDS. The interfacial desolvation coating technique enables excellent rate cycling stability (i.e., 1C) of the Li metal anode and prolonged cycling life of the Li||LiCoO2 pouch cell in the conventional carbonate electrolyte (E/C 2.6 g/Ah), with 80% capacity retention after 333 cycles.

Realizing high-capacity all-solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries using a low-density inorganic solid-state electrolyte.

Lithium-sulfur all-solid-state batteries using inorganic solid-state electrolytes are considered promising electrochemical energy storage technologies. However, developing positive electrodes with high sulfur content, adequate sulfur utilization, and high mass loading is challenging. Here, to address these concerns, we propose using a liquid-phase-synthesized Li3PS4-2LiBH4 glass-ceramic solid electrolyte with a low density (1.491 g cm-3), small primary particle size (~500 nm) and bulk ionic conductivity of 6.0 mS cm-1 at 25 °C for fabricating lithium-sulfur all-solid-state batteries. When tested in a Swagelok cell configuration with a Li-In negative electrode and a 60 wt% S positive electrode applying an average stack pressure of ~55 MPa, the all-solid-state battery delivered a high discharge capacity of about 1144.6 mAh g-1 at 167.5 mA g-1 and 60 °C. We further demonstrate that the use of the low-density solid electrolyte increases the electrolyte volume ratio in the cathode, reduces inactive bulky sulfur, and improves the content uniformity of the sulfur-based positive electrode, thus providing sufficient ion conduction pathways for battery performance improvement.

Spiroganodermaines A-G from Ganoderma species and their activities against insulin resistance and renal fibrosis.

Ganoderma mushrooms are a renowned Chinese medicine and functional food used worldwide. Seven undescribed spiro Ganoderma meroterpenoids spiroganodermaines A-G were isolated from Ganoderma species. Their structures were characterized by using spectroscopic, computational and X-ray diffraction methods. Biological studies showed that (+)-spiroganodermaine G significantly activates glucose uptake and IRS1 phosphorylation in insulin resistance C2C12 cells. Furthermore, (-)-spiroganodermaine G inhibits the expressions of fibronectin and α-SMA in TGF-ß1 induced NRK-52E cells. These findings demonstrate the potential of Ganoderma meroterpenoids as medicines and dietary supplements.

Analytical Model for Early Design Stage of Cable-Stayed Suspension Bridges Based on Hellinger-Reissner Variational Method.

The cable-stayed suspension bridge is one type of bridge that has been increasingly applied to bridge engineering, especially in cross-sea projects. However, the complex combined system of this type of bridge makes it quite difficult for researchers to make a quick decision of the parameter values during the design stage. The Hellinger-Reissner method is applied here to analyze the deformation and force of the structural members in the bridge. The advantage of this method is that the solving of deformation and force is independent of each other, which would enhance the accuracy of the final results. Different load conditions are also considered in the analysis. The results from the present method are compared with test results and finite element analysis, and show good agreements. It implies that the Hellinger-Reissner is a comparatively more efficient method to help designers choose the key parameters for cable-stayed suspension bridges.

Diterpenoids from Blumea balsamifera and Their Anti-Inflammatory Activities.

Six new diterpenoids, blusamiferoids A-F (1-6), including four pimarane-type diterpenoids, one rosane-type diterpenoid (3), and one rearranged abietane-type diterpenoid (6), were isolated from the dry aerial parts of Blumea balsamifera. Their structures were characterized by spectroscopic and computational methods. In particular, the structures of 1 and 4 were confirmed by X-ray crystallography. Compounds 5 and 6 were found to dose-dependently inhibit the production of TNF-α, IL-6, and nitrite oxide, and compound 5 also downregulated NF-κB phosphorylation in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells.

Meroterpenoids containing benzopyran or benzofuran motif from Ganoderma cochlear.

Five undescribed benzopyran containing meroterpenoids, ganodercins Q－U, two undescribed benzofuran containing meroterpenoids, ganodercins V and W, and two known meroterpenoids were isolated from Ganoderma cochlear. Their structures were elucidated by using HRESIMS, NMR spectroscopy and computational methods. The results of biochemical studies using a palmitic acid (PA) induced insulin resistance (IR) model show that (-)-ganodercin Q, (+)-ganodercins R and W activate phospho-AKT (p-AKT) at 20 µM and improve glucose uptake in a concentration dependent manner. The results of renoprotection studies show that (+)-ganodercin S, cochlearol F, (+)- and (-)-ganodercins V reduce the expression of collagen I.

Populusene A, an Anti-inflammatory Diterpenoid with a Bicyclo[8,4,1]pentadecane Scaffold from Populus euphratica Resins.

Populusene A (1), an unprecedented carbon skeleton featuring a bicyclo[8.4.1]pentadecane nucleus and a bridgehead double bond (anti-Bredt system), and populusin A (2), a cembrane-type diterpenoid possessing an uncommon dioxatricyclo[6.6.1.12,5]hexadecane scaffold, were isolated from the exudates of Populus euphratica. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic, computational, and crystallographic methods. A plausible biosynthetic route for 1 and 2 was proposed. Compounds 1 and 2 were found to significantly inhibit the production of TNF-α and IL-6 and the expression of iNOS, COX-2, and p-NF-κB at 125 nM in RAW264.7 cells.

Meroterpenoids From Ganoderma lucidum Mushrooms and Their Biological Roles in Insulin Resistance and Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Ganoderma fungi as popular raw materials of numerous functional foods have been extensively investigated. In this study, five pairs of meroterpenoid enantiomers beyond well-known triterpenoids and polysaccharides, dayaolingzhiols I-M (1-5), were characterized from Ganoderma lucidum. Their structures were identified using spectroscopic and computational methods. Structurally, compound 1 features a novel dioxabicyclo[2.2.2]octan-3-one motif in the side chain. Ethnoknowledge-derived biological evaluation found that (+)-5 could activate Akt and AMPK phosphorylation in insulin-stimulated C2C12 cells, and (+)-5 could activate glucose uptake dose dependently in C2C12 cells. Furthermore, we found that (+)-1 (+)-4, and (-)-4 could significantly inhibit cell migration of the MDA-MB-231 cell line, of which (+)-4 showed significant inhibitory effects against cell migration of the MDA-MB-231 cell line in a dose-dependent manner. These findings revealed the meroterpenoidal composition of G. lucidum and its roles in the prevention of chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus and triple-negative breast cancer.

Parvaxanthines D-F and Asponguanosines C and D, Racemic Natural Hybrids from the Insect Cyclopelta parva.

Five new compounds including three pairs of enantiomeric xanthine analogues, parvaxanthines D-F (1-3), two new guanosine derivatives, asponguanosines C and D (6 and 7), along with two known adenine derivatives were isolated from the insect Cyclopelta parva. Racemic 1-3 were further separated by chiral HPLC. Their absolute configurations were assigned by spectroscopic and computational methods. It is interesting that all of these isolates are natural product hybrids. Antiviral, immunosuppressive, antitumor and anti-inflammatory properties of all the isolates were evaluated.

Lignans from Lepidium meyenii and Their Anti-Inflammatory Activities.

Meyeniines A-C (1-3), three new lignans, two known neolignans (4-5), and three known lignans (6-8) were isolated from the rhizomes of Lepidium meyenii. Their structures were identified by comprehensive spectroscopic analyses and computational methods. Compound 1 represents a unique lignan featuring an aromatic ring migration. Compounds 2 and 4-6 were analyzed by chiral HPLC column as enantiomers. Biological evaluation revealed that compound 8 could inhibit IL-6 production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced RAW264.7 cells in a dose-dependent manner.

Commiphoranes K-O, New Terpenoids from Resina Commiphora and Their Anti-Inflammatory Activities.

Commiphorane K (1), a new dinorditerpenoid, commiphoranes L-N (2-4), three new germacrane-type sesquiterpenoids, and commiphorane O (5), one new guaiane-type sesquiterpenoid, were isolated from Resina Commiphora. Their structures were characterized by spectroscopic and computational methods. In particular, the structure of 4 was confirmed by X-ray crystallography. Compounds 2-5 were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activities. The result shows that compound 2 suppresses lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated production of TNF-α in RAW264.7 cells in a dose-dependent manner.

Antifungal and wound healing promotive compounds from the resins of Dracaena cochinchinensis.

Five new compounds (xuejieins A-E), including three new phenolic glycosides (1, 2, and 5) and two new flavonoids (10 and 11), together with six known compounds were isolated from the resins of Dracaena cochinchinensis (Chinese dragon's blood). The structures of the new compounds were confirmed by extensive spectroscopic methods and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) data analysis. Especially, the absolute configurations of the sugar moieties in compounds 1, 2, and 5 were clarified by GC analysis after acid hydrolysis. All isolated compounds have been tested for antifungal and wound healing promoting activities, The results showed that compound 9 shows significant antifungal activities against Botrytis cinerea, Magnaporthe grisea, Penicillium digitatum, and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. In addition, compound 4 could significantly stimulate human keratinocytes (HaCAT) proliferation, mobility, and human umbilical vein vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) tube formation at 40 µM.

Proteomic Analysis of Serum Differentially Expressed Proteins Between Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis and Asthma.

BACKGROUND: Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) constantly develops in asthmatics, which has not been fully investigated. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate serum differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) between ABPA and asthma using the new approach isobaric tags by relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ). METHODS: Each 16 serum samples from ABPA or asthmatic subjects were pooled and screened using iTRAQ. After bioinformatic analysis, five candidate DEPs were validated in the enlarged serum samples from additional 21 ABPA, 31 asthmatic and 20 healthy subjects using ELISA. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to estimate the diagnostic power of carnosine dipeptidase 1 (CNDP1). RESULTS: A total of 29 DEPs were screened out between ABPA and asthmatic groups. Over half of them were enriched in proteolysis and regulation of protein metabolic process. Further verification showed serum levels of immunoglobulin heavy constant gamma 1, α-1-acid glycoprotein 1, corticosteroid-binding globulin and vitronectin were neither differentially altered between ABPA and asthma nor consistent with the proteomic analysis. Only serum CNDP1 was significantly decreased in ABPA patients, compared with asthmatics and healthy controls (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05). The ROC analysis determined 10.73 ng/mL as the cutoff value of CNDP1, which could distinguish ABPA among asthmatics (AUC 0.770, 95%CI 0.632-0.875, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study firstly identified serological DEPs between ABPA and asthma using the new technique iTRAQ. Serum CNDP1 might assist the differential diagnosis of ABPA from asthma and serve as a new pathogenetic factor in fungal colonization and sensitization.

Stable metal anodes enabled by a labile organic molecule bonded to a reduced graphene oxide aerogel.

Metallic anodes (lithium, sodium, and zinc) are attractive for rechargeable battery technologies but are plagued by an unfavorable metal-electrolyte interface that leads to nonuniform metal deposition and an unstable solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI). Here we report the use of electrochemically labile molecules to regulate the electrochemical interface and guide even lithium deposition and a stable SEI. The molecule, benzenesulfonyl fluoride, was bonded to the surface of a reduced graphene oxide aerogel. During metal deposition, this labile molecule not only generates a metal-coordinating benzenesulfonate anion that guides homogeneous metal deposition but also contributes lithium fluoride to the SEI to improve Li surface passivation. Consequently, high-efficiency lithium deposition with a low nucleation overpotential was achieved at a high current density of 6.0 mA cm-2 A Li|LiCoO2 cell had a capacity retention of 85.3% after 400 cycles, and the cell also tolerated low-temperature (-10 °C) operation without additional capacity fading. This strategy was applied to sodium and zinc anodes as well.

Coexisting overexpression of STOML1 and STOML2 proteins may be associated with pathology of oral squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to investigate the expression and co-localization of stomatin-like protein-1 (STOML1) and stomatin-like protein-2 (STOML2) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) tissues in situ and evaluate their pathologic roles in OSCC. STUDY DESIGN: STOML1 and STOML2 in human OSCC tissues (n = 109) and normal oral/paracancerous tissues (n = 19) were detected by using multiple immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining. Positive staining scores and clinicopathologic features during the OSCC process were analyzed. RESULTS: STOML1 and STOML2 were significantly overexpressed in OSCC tissues compared with normal oral tissue/paracancerous tissues (P < .0001 and P < .0001, respectively). Furthermore, both STOML1 and STOML2 were positively associated with pathologic tumor (T) stages. Positive signals of both STOML1 and STOML2 were mainly localized to the cell membrane and the cytoplasm, whereas those of STOML1 were also expressed in the cell nucleus. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated that overexpression of STOML1 and STOML2 was significantly associated with T1 and T2 stages of OSCC. STOML1 and STOML2 were mainly co-localized at the cell membrane and the cytoplasm. These findings suggested that either STOML1 or STOML2 may play critical roles in OSCC development and may serve as potential diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

A new approach to both high safety and high performance of lithium-ion batteries.

We present a novel concept to achieve high performance and high safety simultaneously by passivating a Li-ion cell and then self-heating before use. By adding a small amount of triallyl phosphate in conventional electrolytes, we show that resistances of the passivated cells can increase by ~5×, thereby ensuring high safety and thermal stability. High power before battery operation is delivered by self-heating to an elevated temperature such as 60°C within tens of seconds. The present approach of building a resistive cell with highly stable materials and then delivering high power on demand through rapid thermal stimulation leads to a revolutionary route to high safety when batteries are not in use and high battery performance upon operation.

TAF1L promotes development of oral squamous cell carcinoma via decreasing autophagy-dependent apoptosis.

This study focused on investigating the relationships of TAF1L expression and clinical features or pathological stages of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), and its potential roles of TAF1L on OSCC development. Western blot and immunohistochemical staining were used to detect TAF1L expression in OSCC tissues and cells. Effects of TAF1L on OSCC cells in vitro were examined by cell proliferation assay, wound healing assay, transwell chamber assay, flow cytometry analysis and siRNA technique. Cellular key proteins related to cell autophagy and apoptosis were evaluated by Western blot and immunofluorescent staining. Moreover, functions of TAF1L on OSCC process were observed in nude mouse model. Testing results showed that expression of TAF1L protein was higher in OSCC tissues than that in normal oral epithelial or paracancerous tissues. Additionally, the level of TAF1L protein expression was upregulated in OSCC cell lines, compared to that in normal oral epithelial cells. Furthermore, cell proliferation, migration, autophagy and apoptosis were modulated post siRNA-TAF1L treatment in vitro. Especially, TAF1L knockdown-induced apoptotic activation on OSCC cells could be rescued by autophagic activator (Rapamycin). Moreover, that overexpression of TAF1L protein could promote the growth of OSCC cell xenografts was confirmed in nude mouse model. Taken together, it suggests that TAF1L may facilitate OSCC cells to escape cell apoptosis via autophagic activation for enhancing OSCC development.

Supremely elastic gel polymer electrolyte enables a reliable electrode structure for silicon-based anodes.

Silicon-based materials are promising anodes for next-generation lithium-ion batteries, owing to their high specific capacities. However, the huge volume expansion and shrinkage during cycling result in severe displacement of silicon particles and structural collapse of electrodes. Here we report the use of a supremely elastic gel polymer electrolyte to address this problem and realize long-term stable cycling of silicon monoxide anodes. The high elasticity of the gel polymer electrolyte is attributed to the use of a unique copolymer consisting of a soft ether domain and a hard cyclic ring domain. Consequently, the displacement of silicon monoxide particles and volume expansion of the electrode were effectively reduced, and the damage caused by electrode cracking is alleviated. A SiO|LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 cell shows 70.0% capacity retention in 350 cycles with a commercial-level reversible capacity of 3.0 mAh cm-2 and an average Coulombic efficiency of 99.9%.