A natural gene drive system confers reproductive isolation in rice.

Hybrid sterility restricts the utilization of superior heterosis of indica-japonica inter-subspecific hybrids. In this study, we report the identification of RHS12, a major locus controlling male gamete sterility in indica-japonica hybrid rice. We show that RHS12 consists of two genes (iORF3/DUYAO and iORF4/JIEYAO) that confer preferential transmission of the RHS12-i type male gamete into the progeny, thereby forming a natural gene drive. DUYAO encodes a mitochondrion-targeted protein that interacts with OsCOX11 to trigger cytotoxicity and cell death, whereas JIEYAO encodes a protein that reroutes DUYAO to the autophagosome for degradation via direct physical interaction, thereby detoxifying DUYAO. Evolutionary trajectory analysis reveals that this system likely formed de novo in the AA genome Oryza clade and contributed to reproductive isolation (RI) between different lineages of rice. Our combined results provide mechanistic insights into the genetic basis of RI as well as insights for strategic designs of hybrid rice breeding.

Target RNA activates the protease activity of Craspase to confer antiviral defense.

In the type III-E CRISPR-Cas system, a Cas effector (gRAMP) is associated with a TPR-CHAT to form Craspase (CRISPR-guided caspase). However, both the structural features of gRAMP and the immunity mechanism remain unknown for this system. Here, we report structures of gRAMP-crRNA and gRAMP:cRNA:target RNA as well as structures of Craspase and Craspase complexed with cognate target RNA (CTR) or non-cognate target RNA (NTR). Importantly, the 3' anti-tag region of NTR and CTR binds at two distinct channels in Craspase, and CTR with a non-complementary 3' anti-tag induces a marked conformational change of the TPR-CHAT, which allosterically activates its protease activity to cleave an ancillary protein Csx30. This cleavage then triggers an abortive infection as the antiviral strategy of the type III-E system. Together, our study provides crucial insights into both the catalytic mechanism of the gRAMP and the immunity mechanism of the type III-E system.

A Type I-F Anti-CRISPR Protein Inhibits the CRISPR-Cas Surveillance Complex by ADP-Ribosylation.

CRISPR-Cas systems are bacterial anti-viral systems, and phages use anti-CRISPR proteins (Acrs) to inactivate these systems. Here, we report a novel mechanism by which AcrIF11 inhibits the type I-F CRISPR system. Our structural and biochemical studies demonstrate that AcrIF11 functions as a novel mono-ADP-ribosyltransferase (mART) to modify N250 of the Cas8f subunit, a residue required for recognition of the protospacer-adjacent motif, within the crRNA-guided surveillance (Csy) complex from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The AcrIF11-mediated ADP-ribosylation of the Csy complex results in complete loss of its double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) binding activity. Biochemical studies show that AcrIF11 requires, besides Cas8f, the Cas7.6f subunit for binding to and modifying the Csy complex. Our study not only reveals an unprecedented mechanism of type I CRISPR-Cas inhibition and the evolutionary arms race between phages and bacteria but also suggests an approach for designing highly potent regulatory tools in the future applications of type I CRISPR-Cas systems.

Electrifying HCOOH synthesis from CO2 building blocks over Cu-Bi nanorod arrays.

Precise electrochemical synthesis of commodity chemicals and fuels from CO2 building blocks provides a promising route to close the anthropogenic carbon cycle, in which renewable but intermittent electricity could be stored within the greenhouse gas molecules. Here, we report state-of-the-art CO2-to-HCOOH valorization performance over a multiscale optimized Cu-Bi cathodic architecture, delivering a formate Faradaic efficiency exceeding 95% within an aqueous electrolyzer, a C-basis HCOOH purity above 99.8% within a solid-state electrolyzer operated at 100 mA cm-2 for 200 h and an energy efficiency of 39.2%, as well as a tunable aqueous HCOOH concentration ranging from 2.7 to 92.1 wt%. Via a combined two-dimensional reaction phase diagram and finite element analysis, we highlight the role of local geometries of Cu and Bi in branching the adsorption strength for key intermediates like *COOH and *OCHO for CO2 reduction, while the crystal orbital Hamiltonian population analysis rationalizes the vital contribution from moderate binding strength of η2(O,O)-OCHO on Cu-doped Bi surface in promoting HCOOH electrosynthesis. The findings of this study not only shed light on the tuning knobs for precise CO2 valorization, but also provide a different research paradigm for advancing the activity and selectivity optimization in a broad range of electrosynthetic systems.

Self-assembling dendrimer nanosystems for specific fluorine magnetic resonance imaging and effective theranostic treatment of tumors.

Fluorine magnetic resonance imaging (19F-MRI) is particularly promising for biomedical applications owing to the absence of fluorine in most biological systems. However, its use has been limited by the lack of safe and water-soluble imaging agents with high fluorine contents and suitable relaxation properties. We report innovative 19F-MRI agents based on supramolecular dendrimers self-assembled by an amphiphilic dendrimer composed of a hydrophobic alkyl chain and a hydrophilic dendron. Specifically, this amphiphilic dendrimer bears multiple negatively charged terminals with high fluorine content, which effectively prevented intra- and intermolecular aggregation of fluorinated entities via electrostatic repulsion. This permitted high fluorine nuclei mobility alongside good water solubility with favorable relaxation properties for use in 19F-MRI. Importantly, the self-assembling 19F-MRI agent was able to encapsulate the near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) agent DiR and the anticancer drug paclitaxel for multimodal 19F-MRI and NIRF imaging of and theranostics for pancreatic cancer, a deadly disease for which there remains no adequate early detection method or efficacious treatment. The 19F-MRI and multimodal 19F-MRI and NIRF imaging studies on human pancreatic cancer xenografts in mice confirmed the capability of both imaging modalities to specifically image the tumors and demonstrated the efficacy of the theranostic agent in cancer treatment, largely outperforming the clinical anticancer drug paclitaxel. Consequently, these dendrimer nanosystems constitute promising 19F-MRI agents for effective cancer management. This study offers a broad avenue to the construction of 19F-MRI agents and theranostics, exploiting self-assembling supramolecular dendrimer chemistry.

A CYP78As-small grain4-coat protein complex â ¡ pathway promotes grain size in rice.

CYP78A, a cytochrome P450 subfamily that includes rice (Oryza sativa L.) BIG GRAIN2 (BG2, CYP78A13) and Arabidopsis thaliana KLUH (KLU, CYP78A5), generate an unknown mobile growth signal (referred to as a CYP78A-derived signal) that increases grain (seed) size. However, the mechanism by which the CYP78A pathway increases grain size remains elusive. Here, we characterized a rice small grain mutant, small grain4 (smg4), with smaller grains than its wild type due to restricted cell expansion and cell proliferation in spikelet hulls. SMG4 encodes a multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) transporter. Loss of function of SMG4 causes smaller grains while overexpressing SMG4 results in larger grains. SMG4 is mainly localized to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) exit sites (ERESs) and partially localized to the ER and Golgi. Biochemically, SMG4 interacts with coat protein complex Ⅱ (COPⅡ) components (Sar1, Sec23, and Sec24) and CYP78As (BG2, GRAIN LENGTH 3.2 [GL3.2], and BG2-LIKE 1 [BG2L1]). Genetically, SMG4 acts, at least in part, in a common pathway with Sar1 and CYP78As to regulate grain size. In summary, our findings reveal a CYP78As-SMG4-COPⅡ regulatory pathway for grain size in rice, thus providing new insights into the molecular and genetic regulatory mechanism of grain size.

PAFAH2 suppresses synchronized ferroptosis to ameliorate acute kidney injury.

Synchronized ferroptosis contributes to nephron loss in acute kidney injury (AKI). However, the propagation signals and the underlying mechanisms of the synchronized ferroptosis for renal tubular injury remain unresolved. Here we report that platelet-activating factor (PAF) and PAF-like phospholipids (PAF-LPLs) mediated synchronized ferroptosis and contributed to AKI. The emergence of PAF and PAF-LPLs in ferroptosis caused the instability of biomembranes and signaled the cell death of neighboring cells. This cascade could be suppressed by PAF-acetylhydrolase (II) (PAFAH2) or by addition of antibodies against PAF. Genetic knockout or pharmacological inhibition of PAFAH2 increased PAF production, augmented synchronized ferroptosis and exacerbated ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced AKI. Notably, intravenous administration of wild-type PAFAH2 protein, but not its enzymatically inactive mutants, prevented synchronized tubular cell death, nephron loss and AKI. Our findings offer an insight into the mechanisms of synchronized ferroptosis and suggest a possibility for the preventive intervention of AKI.

Two conserved epigenetic regulators prevent healthy ageing.

It has long been assumed that lifespan and healthspan correlate strongly, yet the two can be clearly dissociated1-6. Although there has been a global increase in human life expectancy, increasing longevity is rarely accompanied by an extended healthspan4,7. Thus, understanding the origin of healthy behaviours in old people remains an important and challenging task. Here we report a conserved epigenetic mechanism underlying healthy ageing. Through genome-wide RNA-interference-based screening of genes that regulate behavioural deterioration in ageing Caenorhabditis elegans, we identify 59 genes as potential modulators of the rate of age-related behavioural deterioration. Among these modulators, we found that a neuronal epigenetic reader, BAZ-2, and a neuronal histone 3 lysine 9 methyltransferase, SET-6, accelerate behavioural deterioration in C. elegans by reducing mitochondrial function, repressing the expression of nuclear-encoded mitochondrial proteins. This mechanism is conserved in cultured mouse neurons and human cells. Examination of human databases8,9 shows that expression of the human orthologues of these C. elegans regulators, BAZ2B and EHMT1, in the frontal cortex increases with age and correlates positively with the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Furthermore, ablation of Baz2b, the mouse orthologue of BAZ-2, attenuates age-dependent body-weight gain and prevents cognitive decline in ageing mice. Thus our genome-wide RNA-interference screen in C. elegans has unravelled conserved epigenetic negative regulators of ageing, suggesting possible ways to achieve healthy ageing.

AgeAnnoMO: a knowledgebase of multi-omics annotation for animal aging.

Aging entails gradual functional decline influenced by interconnected factors. Multiple hallmarks proposed as common and conserved underlying denominators of aging on the molecular, cellular and systemic levels across multiple species. Thus, understanding the function of aging hallmarks and their relationships across species can facilitate the translation of anti-aging drug development from model organisms to humans. Here, we built AgeAnnoMO (https://relab.xidian.edu.cn/AgeAnnoMO/#/), a knowledgebase of multi-omics annotation for animal aging. AgeAnnoMO encompasses an extensive collection of 136 datasets from eight modalities, encompassing 8596 samples from 50 representative species, making it a comprehensive resource for aging and longevity research. AgeAnnoMO characterizes multiple aging regulators across species via multi-omics data, comprehensively annotating aging-related genes, proteins, metabolites, mitochondrial genes, microbiotas and age-specific TCR and BCR sequences tied to aging hallmarks for these species and tissues. AgeAnnoMO not only facilitates a deeper and more generalizable understanding of aging mechanisms, but also provides potential insights of the specificity across tissues and species in aging process, which is important to develop the effective anti-aging interventions for diverse populations. We anticipate that AgeAnnoMO will provide a valuable resource for comprehending and integrating the conserved driving hallmarks in aging biology and identifying the targetable biomarkers for aging research.

The structure of the archaeal nuclease RecJ2 implicates its catalytic mechanism and inability to interact with GINS.

Bacterial RecJ exhibits 5'→3' exonuclease activity that is specific to ssDNA; however, archaeal RecJs show 5' or 3' exonuclease activity. The hyperthermophilic archaea Methanocaldococcus jannaschii encodes the 5'-exonuclease MjRecJ1 and the 3'-exonuclease MjRecJ2. In addition to nuclease activity, archaeal RecJ interacts with GINS, a structural subcomplex of the replicative DNA helicase complex. However, MjRecJ1 and MjRecJ2 do not interact with MjGINS. Here, we report the structural basis for the inability of the MjRecJ2 homologous dimer to interact with MjGINS and its efficient 3' hydrolysis polarity for short dinucleotides. Based on the crystal structure of MjRecJ2, we propose that the interaction surface of the MjRecJ2 dimer overlaps the potential interaction surface for MjGINS and blocks the formation of the MjRecJ2-GINS complex. Exposing the interaction surface of the MjRecJ2 dimer restores its interaction with MjGINS. The cocrystal structures of MjRecJ2 with substrate dideoxynucleotides or product dCMP/CMP show that MjRecJ2 has a short substrate binding patch, which is perpendicular to the longer patch of bacterial RecJ. Our results provide new insights into the function and diversification of archaeal RecJ/Cdc45 proteins.

E3 ligase DECREASED GRAIN SIZE 1 promotes degradation of a G-protein subunit and positively regulates grain size in rice.

Grain size is one of the most important traits determining crop yield. However, the mechanism controlling grain size remains unclear. Here, we confirmed the E3 ligase activity of DECREASED GRAIN SIZE 1 (DGS1) in positive regulation of grain size in rice (Oryza sativa) suggested in a previous study. Rice G-protein subunit gamma 2 (RGG2), which negatively regulates grain size, was identified as an interacting protein of DGS1. Biochemical analysis suggested that DGS1 specifically interacts with canonical Gγ subunits (rice G-protein subunit gamma 1 [RGG1] and rice G-protein subunit gamma 2 [RGG2]) rather than non-canonical Gγ subunits (DENSE AND ERECT PANICLE 1 [DEP1], rice G-protein gamma subunit type C 2 [GCC2], GRAIN SIZE 3 [GS3]). We also identified the necessary domains for interaction between DGS1 and RGG2. As an E3 ligase, DGS1 ubiquitinated and degraded RGG2 via a proteasome pathway in several experiments. DGS1 also ubiquitinated RGG2 by its K140, K145 and S147 residues. Thus, this work identified a substrate of the E3 ligase DGS1 and elucidated the post transcriptional regulatory mechanism of the G-protein signalling pathway in the control of grain size.

Sympatric speciation of the spiny mouse from Evolution Canyon in Israel substantiated genomically and methylomically.

SignificanceWhether sympatric speciation (SS) is rare or common is still debated. Two populations of the spiny mouse, Acomys cahirinus, from Evolution Canyon I (EC I) in Israel have been depicted earlier as speciating sympatrically by molecular markers and transcriptome. Here, we investigated SS both genomically and methylomically, demonstrating that the opposite populations of spiny mice are sister taxa and split from the common ancestor around 20,000 years ago without an allopatric history. Mate choice, olfactory receptors, and speciation genes contributed to prezygotic/postzygotic reproductive isolation. The two populations showed different methylation patterns, facilitating adaptation to their local environment. They cope with abiotic and biotic stresses, due to high solar interslope radiation differences. We conclude that our new genomic and methylomic data substantiated SS.

Genomic insights into zokors' phylogeny and speciation in China.

The phylogeny and speciation of subterranean zokors in China are unclear, as previous studies on morphology and limited molecular markers have generated conflicting results. This study unraveled the complex evolutionary history of eight zokor species in China based on de novo assembly at chromosome level and whole-genome sequencing of 23 populations. We found extensive phylogenetic discordances between nuclear and mitochondrial phylogenies, and different coalescent phylogenies, which could be explained by introgression and incomplete lineage sorting (ILS). The recent Qinghai-Tibet Plateau uplift (∼3.60 million y ago; Mya) drove Eospalax to speciate into clade A and clade B (∼3.22 Mya), and discordant phylogenies in this node were mainly attributed to introgression rather than ILS. Clade A rapidly diverged into three lineages due to geographical isolation and glaciation, while glaciation and C4 plant expansion contributed to the speciation of clade B. ILS contributed to the discordances of two rapidly radiated nodes rather than introgression. The effective population sizes (Ne's) of all the species of Eospalax were affected by three glaciations. Ancient polymorphisms and divergence hitchhiking contribute to genomic islands of all the species pairs. Positively selected genes putatively related to specific inhabitation adaptations were identified, such as heart development, neurogenesis, DNA repair, and immune response. Climate, geological tectonism, and C4 vegetation shaped the adaptation and speciation of zokors in China.

Auxin regulates source-sink carbohydrate partitioning and reproductive organ development in rice.

Carbohydrate partitioning between the source and sink tissues plays an important role in regulating plant growth and development. However, the molecular mechanisms regulating this process remain poorly understood. In this study, we show that elevated auxin levels in the rice dao mutant cause increased accumulation of sucrose in the photosynthetic leaves but reduced sucrose content in the reproductive organs (particularly in the lodicules, anthers, and ovaries), leading to closed spikelets, indehiscent anthers, and parthenocarpic seeds. RNA sequencing analysis revealed that the expression of AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR 18 (OsARF18) and OsARF2 is significantly up- and down-regulated, respectively, in the lodicule of dao mutant. Overexpression of OsARF18 or knocking out of OsARF2 phenocopies the dao mutant. We demonstrate that OsARF2 regulates the expression of OsSUT1 through direct binding to the sugar-responsive elements (SuREs) in the OsSUT1 promoter and that OsARF18 represses the expression of OsARF2 and OsSUT1 via direct binding to the auxin-responsive element (AuxRE) or SuRE in their promoters, respectively. Furthermore, overexpression of OsSUT1 in the dao and Osarf2 mutant backgrounds could largely rescue the spikelets' opening and seed-setting defects. Collectively, our results reveal an auxin signaling cascade regulating source-sink carbohydrate partitioning and reproductive organ development in rice.

Optimising first-line subtyping-based therapy in triple-negative breast cancer (FUTURE-SUPER): a multi-cohort, randomised, phase 2 trial.

BACKGROUND: Triple-negative breast cancers display heterogeneity in molecular drivers and immune traits. We previously classified triple-negative breast cancers into four subtypes: luminal androgen receptor (LAR), immunomodulatory, basal-like immune-suppressed (BLIS), and mesenchymal-like (MES). Here, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of subtyping-based therapy in the first-line treatment of triple-negative breast cancer. METHODS: FUTURE-SUPER is an ongoing, open-label, randomised, controlled phase 2 trial being conducted at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center (FUSCC), Shanghai, China. Eligible participants were females aged 18-70 years, with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-1, and histologically confirmed, untreated metastatic or recurrent triple-negative breast cancer. After categorising participants into five cohorts according to molecular subtype and genomic biomarkers, participants were randomly assigned (1:1) with a block size of 4, stratified by subtype, to receive, in 28-day cycles, nab-paclitaxel (100 mg/m2, intravenously on days 1, 8, and 15) alone (control group) or with a subtyping-based regimen (subtyping-based group): pyrotinib (400 mg orally daily) for the LAR-HER2mut subtype, everolimus (10 mg orally daily) for the LAR-PI3K/AKTmut and MES-PI3K/AKTmut subtypes, camrelizumab (200 mg intravenously on days 1 and 15) and famitinib (20 mg orally daily) for the immunomodulatory subtype, and bevacizumab (10 mg/kg intravenously on days 1 and 15) for the BLIS/MES-PI3K/AKTWT subtype. The primary endpoint was investigator-assessed progression-free survival for the pooled subtyping-based group versus the control group in the intention-to-treat population (all randomly assigned participants). Safety was analysed in all patients with safety records who received at least one dose of study drug. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04395989). FINDINGS: Between July 28, 2020, and Oct 16, 2022, 139 female participants were enrolled and randomly assigned to the subtyping-based group (n=69) or control group (n=70). At the data cutoff (May 31, 2023), the median follow-up was 22·5 months (IQR 15·2-29·0). Median progression-free survival was significantly longer in the pooled subtyping-based group (11·3 months [95% CI 8·6-15·2]) than in the control group (5·8 months [4·0-6·7]; hazard ratio 0·44 [95% CI 0·30-0·65]; p<0·0001). The most common grade 3-4 treatment-related adverse events were neutropenia (21 [30%] of 69 in the pooled subtyping-based group vs 16 [23%] of 70 in the control group), anaemia (five [7%] vs none), and increased alanine aminotransferase (four [6%] vs one [1%]). Treatment-related serious adverse events were reported for seven (10%) of 69 patients in the subtyping-based group and none in the control group. No treatment-related deaths were reported in either group. INTERPRETATION: These findings highlight the potential clinical benefits of using molecular subtype-based treatment optimisation in patients with triple-negative breast cancer, suggesting a path for further clinical investigation. Phase 3 randomised clinical trials assessing the efficacy of subtyping-based regimens are now underway. FUNDING: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai, Shanghai Hospital Development Center, and Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals. TRANSLATION: For the Chinese translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Lactate-induced metabolic remodeling and myofiber type transitions via activation of the Ca2+-NFATC1 signaling pathway.

Lactate can serve as both an energy substrate and a signaling molecule, exerting diverse effects on skeletal muscle physiology. Due to the apparently positive effects, it would be interesting to consider it as a sports supplement. However, the mechanism behind these effects are yet to be comprehensively understood. In this study, we observed that lactate administration could improve the ability of antifatigue, and we further found that lactate upregulated the expression of myosin heavy chain (MYHC I) and MYHC IIa, while downregulating the expression of MYHC IIb. Besides, transcriptomics and metabolomics revealed significant changes in the metabolic profile of gastrocnemius muscle following lactate administration. Furthermore, lactate enhanced the activities of metabolic enzymes, including HK, LDHB, IDH, SDM, and MDH, and promoted the expression of lactate transport-related proteins MCT1 and CD147, thereby improving the transport and utilization of lactate in both vivo and vitro. More importantly, lactate administration increased cellular Ca2+ concentration and facilitated nuclear translocation of nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFATC1) in myotubes, whereas inhibition of NFATC1 significantly attenuated the effects of lactate treatment on NFATC1 nuclear translocation and MyHC expression. Our results elucidate the ability of lactate to induce metabolic remodeling in skeletal muscle and promote myofiber-type transitions by activating the Ca2+-NFATC1 signaling pathway. This study is useful in exploring the potential of lactate as a nutritional supplement for skeletal muscle adaptation and contributing to a mechanistic understanding of the central role of lactate in exercise physiology.

Atomic Design of Alkyne Semihydrogenation Catalysts via Active Learning.

Alkyne hydrogenation on palladium-based catalysts modified with silver is currently used in industry to eliminate trace amounts of alkynes in alkenes produced from steam cracking and alkane dehydrogenation processes. Intensive efforts have been devoted to designing an alternative catalyst for improvement, especially in terms of selectivity and catalyst cost, which is still far away from that as expected. Here, we describe an atomic design of a high-performance Ni-based intermetallic catalyst aided by active machine learning combined with density functional theory calculations. The engineered NiIn catalyst exhibits >97% selectivity to ethylene and propylene at the full conversion of acetylene and propyne at mild temperature, outperforming the reported Ni-based catalysts and even noble Pd-based ones. Detailed mechanistic studies using theoretical calculations and advanced characterizations elucidate that the atomic-level defined coordination environment of Ni sites and well-designed hybridization of Ni 3d with In 5p orbital determine the semihydrogenation pathway.

MRI versus Dual-Energy CT in Local-Regional Staging of Gastric Cancer.

Background Preoperative local-regional tumor staging of gastric cancer (GC) is critical for appropriate treatment planning. The comparative accuracy of multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) versus dual-energy CT (DECT) for staging of GC is not known. Purpose To compare the diagnostic accuracy of personalized mpMRI with that of DECT for local-regional T and N staging in patients with GC receiving curative surgical intervention. Materials and Methods Patients with GC who underwent gastric mpMRI and DECT before gastrectomy with lymphadenectomy were eligible for this single-center prospective noninferiority study between November 2021 and September 2022. mpMRI comprised T2-weighted imaging, multiorientational zoomed diffusion-weighted imaging, and extradimensional volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging. Dual-phase DECT images were reconstructed at 40 keV and standard 120 kVp-like images. Using gastrectomy specimens as the reference standard, the diagnostic accuracy of mpMRI and DECT for T and N staging was compared by six radiologists in a pairwise blinded manner. Interreader agreement was assessed using the weighted κ and Kendall W statistics. The McNemar test was used for head-to-head accuracy comparisons between DECT and mpMRI. Results This study included 202 participants (mean age, 62 years ± 11 [SD]; 145 male). The interreader agreement of the six readers for T and N staging of GC was excellent for both mpMRI (κ = 0.89 and 0.85, respectively) and DECT (κ = 0.86 and 0.84, respectively). Regardless of reader experience, higher accuracy was achieved with mpMRI than with DECT for both T (61%-77% vs 50%-64%; all P < .05) and N (54%-68% vs 51%-58%; P = .497-.005) staging, specifically T1 (83% vs 65%) and T4a (78% vs 68%) tumors and N1 (41% vs 24%) and N3 (64% vs 45%) nodules (all P < .05). Conclusion Personalized mpMRI was superior in T staging and noninferior or superior in N staging compared with DECT for patients with GC. Clinical trial registration no. NCT05508126 © RSNA, 2024 Supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Méndez and Martín-Garre in this issue.

3D Dense Encapsulated Architecture of 2D Bi Nanosheets Enabling Potassium-Ion Storage with Superior Volumetric and Areal Capacities.

2D alloy-based anodes show promise in potassium-ion batteries (PIBs). Nevertheless, their low tap density and huge volume expansion cause insufficient volumetric capacity and cycling stability. Herein, a 3D highly dense encapsulated architecture of 2D-Bi nanosheets (HD-Bi@G) with conducive elastic networks and 3D compact encapsulation structure of 2D nano-sheets are developed. As expected, HD-Bi@G anode exhibits a considerable volumetric capacity of 1032.2 mAh cm-3, stable long-life span with 75% retention after 2000 cycles, superior rate capability of 271.0 mAh g-1 at 104 C, and high areal capacity of 7.94 mAh cm-2 (loading: 24.2 mg cm-2) in PIBs. The superior volumetric and areal performance mechanisms are revealed through systematic kinetic investigations, ex situ characterization techniques, and theorical calculation. The 3D high-conductivity elastic network with dense encapsulated 2D-Bi architecture effectively relieves the volume expansion and pulverization of Bi nanosheets, maintains internal 2D structure with fast kinetics, and overcome sluggish ionic/electronic diffusion obstacle of ultra-thick, dense electrodes. The uniquely encapsulated 2D-nanosheet structure greatly reduces K+ diffusion energy barrier and accelerates K+ diffusion kinetics. These findings validate a feasible approach to fabricate 3D dense encapsulated architectures of 2D-alloy nanosheets with conductive elastic networks, enabling the design of ultra-thick, dense electrodes for high-volumetric-energy-density energy storage.

Organic Electrolyte Additive: Dual Functions Toward Fast Sulfur Conversion and Stable Li Deposition for Advanced Li-S Batteries.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery is of great potential for the next generation energy storage device due to the high specific capacity energy density. However, the sluggish kinetics of S redox and the dendrite Li growth are the main challenges to hinder its commercial application. Herein, an organic electrolyte additive, i.e., benzyl chloride (BzCl), is applied as the remedy to address the two issues. In detail, BzCl can split into Bz· radical to react with the polysulfides, forming a Bz-S-Bz intermediate, which changes the conversion path of S and improves the kinetics by accelerating the S splitting. Meanwhile, a tight and robust solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) rich in inorganic ingredients namely LiCl, LiF, and Li2 O, is formed on the surface of Li metal, accelerating the ion conductivity and blocking the decomposition of the solvent and lithium polysulfides. Therefore, the Li-S battery with BzCl as the additive remains high capacity of 693.2 mAh g-1 after 220 cycles at 0.5 C with a low decay rate of 0.11%. This work provides a novel strategy to boost the electrochemical performances in both cathode and anode and gives a guide on the electrolyte design toward high-performance Li-S batteries.