Surface Lattice Modulation through Chemical Delithiation toward a Stable Nickel-Rich Layered Oxide Cathode.

Nickel-rich layered oxides (NLOs) are considered as one of the most promising cathode materials for next-generation high-energy lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), yet their practical applications are currently challenged by the unsatisfactory cyclability and reliability owing to their inherent interfacial and structural instability. Herein, we demonstrate an approach to reverse the unstable nature of NLOs through surface solid reaction, by which the reconstructed surface lattice turns stable and robust against both side reactions and chemophysical breakdown, resulting in improved cycling performance. Specifically, conformal La(OH)3 nanoshells are built with their thicknesses controlled at nanometer accuracy, which act as a Li+ capturer and induce controlled reaction with the NLO surface lattices, thereby transforming the particle crust into an epitaxial layer with localized Ni/Li disordering, where lithium deficiency and nickel stabilization are both achieved by transforming oxidative Ni3+ into stable Ni2+. An optimized balance between surface stabilization and charge transfer is demonstrated by a representative NLO material, namely, LiNi0.83Co0.07Mn0.1O2, whose surface engineering leads to a highly improved capacity retention and excellent rate capability with a strong capability to inhibit the crack of NLO particles. Our study highlights the importance of surface chemistry in determining chemical and structural behaviors and paves a research avenue in controlling the surface lattice for the stabilization of NLOs toward reliable high-energy LIBs.

Evidence of pyroptosis and ferroptosis extensively involved in autoimmune diseases at the single-cell transcriptome level.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 8-9% of the world's population is affected by autoimmune diseases, and yet the mechanism of autoimmunity trigger is largely understudied. Two unique cell death modalities, ferroptosis and pyroptosis, provide a new perspective on the mechanisms leading to autoimmune diseases, and development of new treatment strategies. METHODS: Using scRNA-seq datasets, the aberrant trend of ferroptosis and pyroptosis-related genes were analyzed in several representative autoimmune diseases (psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, vitiligo, multiple sclerosis, systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease, Crohn's disease, and experimental autoimmune orchitis). Cell line models were also assessed using bulk RNA-seq and qPCR. RESULTS: A substantial difference was observed between normal and autoimmune disease samples involving ferroptosis and pyroptosis. In the present study, ferroptosis and pyroptosis showed an imbalance in different keratinocyte lineages of psoriatic skinin addition to a unique pyroptosis-sensitive keratinocyte subset in atopic dermatitis (AD) skin. The results also revealed that pyroptosis and ferroptosis are involved in epidermal melanocyte destruction in vitiligo. Aberrant ferroptosis has been detected in multiple sclerosis, systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease, Crohn's disease, and autoimmune orchitis. Cell line models adopted in the study also identified pro-inflammatory factors that can drive changes in ferroptosis and pyroptosis. CONCLUSION: These results provide a unique perspective on the involvement of ferroptosis and pyroptosis in the pathological process of autoimmune diseases at the scRNA-seq level. IFN-γ is a critical inducer of pyroptosis sensitivity, and has been identified in two cell line models.

Inhalation bioaccessibility of inhaled triazole fungicides and health risk assessment during spraying.

BACKGROUND: Ambient air pollution caused by pesticide drift has received great attention. To accurately evaluate the health risk of inhaled pesticides, bioaccessibility should be considered. However, methods to reliably assess pesticide residues remain limited, hindering the precise estimation of exposure assessment. We aimed to optimize an in vitro method for the inhalation bioaccessibility (IBA) measurement of triazole fungicides and to incorporate this into inhalation exposure assessment during pesticide spraying. RESULTS: The IBA of triazole fungicides increased logarithmically with extraction duration, plateauing after 6 h. The frequency of agitation displayed a similar pattern, whereas the ratio of solid to liquid between 1/1500 and 1/250 was considerably negatively associated. The predicted values (35.9-53.5%) for IBA based on optimized methodological parameters determined using a response surface methodology showed an acceptable deviation from experimental values (30.7-50.8%), suggesting feasibility for in vitro IBA measurement. Incorporating IBA into calculations of inhalation exposure amount (IE) yielded a value of 8.5 × 10-7 -2.1 × 10-5  mg kg-1 day-1 , a 50-68% reduction compared to IE based on total amount. Additionally, the safety exposure threshold was determined for triazole fungicides using benchmark dose modelling of data from lung A549 cell proliferation toxicity assays, and in this context, margin of exposure (MOE) values were calculated to be within an acceptable level. CONCLUSION: This in vitro method supplements bioaccessibility evaluation based on pesticide inhalation exposure, along with the risk to human health. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Integrated Surface Modulation of Ultrahigh Ni Cathode Materials for Improved Battery Performance.

Ni-rich layered cathodes with ultrahigh nickel content (≥90%), for example LiNi0.9 Co0.1 O2 (NC0.9), are promising for next-generation high-energy Li-ion batteries (LIBs), but face stability issues related to structural degradation and side reactions during the electrochemical process. Here, surface modulation is demonstrated by integrating a Li+ -conductive nanocoating and gradient lattice doping to stabilize the active cathode efficiently for extended cycles. Briefly, a wet-chemistry process is developed to deposit uniform ZrO(OH)2 nanoshells around Ni0.905 Co0.095 (OH)2 (NC0.9-OH) hydroxide precursors, followed by high temperature lithiation to create reinforced products featuring Zr doping in the crust lattice decorated with Li2 ZrO3 nanoparticles on the surface. It is identified that the Zr4+ infiltration reconstructed the surface lattice into favorable characters such as Li+ deficiency and Ni3+ reduction, which are effective to combat side reactions and suppress phase degradation and crack formation. This surface control is able to achieve an optimized balance between surface stabilization and charge transfer, resulting in an extraordinary capacity retention of 96.6% after 100 cycles at 1 C and an excellent rate capability of 148.8 mA h g-1 at 10 C. This study highlights the critical importance of integrated surface modulation for high stability of cathode materials in next-generation LIBs.

Gut microbiota-involved metabolism and intestinal absorption mechanisms in decreasing bioaccessibility of triadimefon in strawberry and grape.

Gut microbiota-involved metabolism and intestinal absorption affecting bioaccessibility of triadimefon in strawberry and grape were investigated for the first time by coupling the in vitro digestion model with the Caco-2 cell model. Results showed that the gut microbiota decreased the bioaccessibility of triadimefon in strawberry by 31.00% but failed in grape, probably due to a negative modulation of the colon bacterial activity by dietary components in grapes. A strain of triadimefon-degrading bacteria, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, was isolated from the gut microbiota and its degradation products were profiled. This study also clarified a significant reduction in transepithelial transport (up to 32.81%) of triadimefon as a result of the barrier effect of gut microbiota. These findings provide new insights on the function of the gut microbiota in pesticide bioaccessibility and highlight the importance of including gut microbiota in pesticide residue risk assessments.

Advancing to 4.6 V Review and Prospect in Developing High-Energy-Density LiCoO2 Cathode for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Layered LiCoO2 (LCO) is one of the most important cathodes for portable electronic products at present and in the foreseeable future. It becomes a continuous push to increase the cutoff voltage of LCO so that a higher capacity can be achieved, for example, a capacity of 220 mAh g-1 at 4.6 V compared to 175 mAh g-1 at 4.45 V, which is unfortunately accompanied by severe capacity degradation due to the much-aggravated side reactions and irreversible phase transitions. Accordingly, strict control on the LCO becomes essential to combat the inherent instability related to the high voltage challenge for their future applications. This review begins with a discussion on the relationship between the crystal structures and electrochemical properties of LCO as well as the failure mechanisms at 4.6 V. Then, recent advances in control strategies for 4.6 V LCO are summarized with focus on both bulk structure and surface properties. One closes this review by presenting the outlook for future efforts on LCO-based lithium ion batteries (LIBs). It is hoped that this work can draw a clear map on the research status of 4.6 V LCO, and also shed light on the future directions of materials design for high energy LIBs.

How Much Does Experience Matter in NCAA Division I Volleyball? A Retrospective Study.

PURPOSE:  To evaluate the relationship between years of collegiate playing experience and success of NCAA Division I volleyball programs. METHODS:  Data were gathered from the 2010-2015 seasons for each volleyball program in the "power five" conferences. Players that were involved in at least 66% of the sets were selected for analysis. Each player's years of college experience were tabulated and a team average experience score was created. This score was correlated with the end of season Ratings Percentage Index (RPI). Years with a significant correlation between success and experience were further analyzed for differences in on-court statistics by years of experience. RESULTS:   The range for team average experience score was 2.52-2.66. Only the 2012 season showed a moderate correlation between the team average score and RPI (ρ = -0.421, p = .001), indicating that more experienced teams finished with a higher national ranking. Within this year, teams with more experience had a statistically significant (p < .05) higher season win percentage, higher conference win percentage, higher hitting percentage, more kills/set, and more assists/set than teams with low or only moderate experience. CONCLUSIONS:  These data suggest that more collegiate playing experience does not always result in a significantly more successful season, but trends indicate that a relationship does exist between experience and success. In the one year that showed significance, more experienced teams had more favorable statistics related to skills that terminate play (e.g., kills) rather than ball control skills (e.g., digs and passing).