Parkinson's disease-risk protein TMEM175 is a proton-activated proton channel in lysosomes.

Lysosomes require an acidic lumen between pH 4.5 and 5.0 for effective digestion of macromolecules. This pH optimum is maintained by proton influx produced by the V-ATPase and efflux through an unidentified "H+ leak" pathway. Here we show that TMEM175, a genetic risk factor for Parkinson's disease (PD), mediates the lysosomal H+ leak by acting as a proton-activated, proton-selective channel on the lysosomal membrane (LyPAP). Acidification beyond the normal range potently activated LyPAP to terminate further acidification of lysosomes. An endogenous polyunsaturated fatty acid and synthetic agonists also activated TMEM175 to trigger lysosomal proton release. TMEM175 deficiency caused lysosomal over-acidification, impaired proteolytic activity, and facilitated α-synuclein aggregation in vivo. Mutational and pH normalization analyses indicated that the channel's H+ conductance is essential for normal lysosome function. Thus, modulation of LyPAP by cellular cues may dynamically tune the pH optima of endosomes and lysosomes to regulate lysosomal degradation and PD pathology.

High-dimensional generalized median adaptive lasso with application to omics data.

Recently, there has been a growing interest in variable selection for causal inference within the context of high-dimensional data. However, when the outcome exhibits a skewed distribution, ensuring the accuracy of variable selection and causal effect estimation might be challenging. Here, we introduce the generalized median adaptive lasso (GMAL) for covariate selection to achieve an accurate estimation of causal effect even when the outcome follows skewed distributions. A distinctive feature of our proposed method is that we utilize a linear median regression model for constructing penalty weights, thereby maintaining the accuracy of variable selection and causal effect estimation even when the outcome presents extremely skewed distributions. Simulation results showed that our proposed method performs comparably to existing methods in variable selection when the outcome follows a symmetric distribution. Besides, the proposed method exhibited obvious superiority over the existing methods when the outcome follows a skewed distribution. Meanwhile, our proposed method consistently outperformed the existing methods in causal estimation, as indicated by smaller root-mean-square error. We also utilized the GMAL method on a deoxyribonucleic acid methylation dataset from the Alzheimer's disease (AD) neuroimaging initiative database to investigate the association between cerebrospinal fluid tau protein levels and the severity of AD.

Breaking the Bottleneck of Activity and Stability of RuO2-Based Electrocatalysts for Acidic Oxygen Evolution.

Electrochemical acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is an important part for water electrolysis utilizing a proton exchange membrane (PEM) apparatus for industrial H2 production. RuO2 has garnered considerable attention as a potential acidic OER electrocatalyst. However, the overoxidation of Ru active sites under high potential conditions is usually harmful for activity and stability, thereby posing a challenge for large-scale commercialization, which needs effective strategies to circumvent the leaching of Ru and further activate Ru sites. Herein, a Mini-Review is presented to summarize the recent developments regarding the activation and stabilization of the Ru active sites and lattice oxygen through the modulation of the d-band center, coordination environment, bridged heteroatoms, and vacancy engineering, as well as structural protection strategies and reaction pathway optimization to promote the acidic OER activity and stability of RuO2-based electrocatalysts. This Mini-Review offers a profound understanding of the design of RuO2-based electrocatalysts with greatly enhanced acidic OER performances.

Significantly Enhanced Energy-Saving H2 Production Coupled with Urea Oxidation by Low- and Non-Pt Anchored on NiS-Based Conductive Nanofibers.

Rational designing electrocatalysts is of great significance for realizing high-efficiency H2 production in the water splitting process. Generally, reducing the usage of precious metals and developing low-potential nucleophiles oxidation reaction to replace anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are efficient strategies to promote H2 generation. Here, NiS-coated nickel-carbon nanofibers (NiS@Ni-CNFs) are prepared for low-content Pt deposition (Pt-NiS@Ni-CNFs) to attain the alkaline HER catalyst. Due to the reconfiguration of NiS phase and synergistic effect between Pt and nickel sulfides, the Pt-NiS@Ni-CNFs catalyst shows a high mass activity of 2.74-fold of benchmark Pt/C sample. In addition, the NiS@Ni-CNFs catalyst performs a superior urea oxidation reaction (UOR) activity with the potential of 1.366 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) at 10 mA cm-2 , which demonstrates the great potential in the replacement of OER. Thus, a urea-assisted water splitting electrolyzer of Pt-NiS@Ni-CNFs (cathode)||NiS@Ni-CNFs (anode) is constructed to exhibit small voltages of 1.44 and 1.65 V to reach 10 and 100 mA cm-2 , which is much lower than its overall water splitting process, and presents a 6.5-fold hydrogen production rate enhancement. This work offers great opportunity to design new catalysts toward urea-assisted water splitting with significantly promoted hydrogen productivity and reduced energy consumption.

Rationally Construction of Mn-Doped RuO2 Nanofibers for High-Activity and Stable Alkaline Ampere-Level Current Density Overall Water Splitting.

Nowadays, highly active and stable alkaline bifunctional electrocatalysts toward water electrolysis that can work at high current density (≥1000 mA cm-2) are urgently needed. Herein, Mn-doped RuO2 (MnxRu1-xO2) nanofibers (NFs) are constructed to achieve this object, presenting wonderful hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performances with the overpotentials of only 269 and 461 mV at 1 A cm-2 in 1 m KOH solution, and remarkably stability under industrial demand with 1 A cm-2, significantly better than the benchmark Pt/C and commercial RuO2 electrocatalysts, respectively. More importantly, the assembled Mn0.05Ru0.95O2 NFs||Mn0.05Ru0.95O2 NFs electrolyzer toward overall water splitting reaches the current density of 10 mA cm-2 with a cell voltage of 1.52 V and also delivers an outstanding stability over 150 h of continuous operation, far surpassing commercial Pt/C||commercial RuO2, RuO2 NFs||RuO2 NFs and most previously reported exceptional electrolyzers. Theoretical calculations indicate that Mn-doping into RuO2 can significantly optimize the electronic structure and weaken the strength of O─H bond to achieve the near-zero hydrogen adsorption free energy (ΔGH*) value for HER, and can also effectively weaken the adsorption strength of intermediate O* at the relevant sites, achieving the higher OER catalytic activity, since the overlapping center of p-d orbitals is closer to the Fermi level.

Magnesium Ions Promote the Induction of Immunosuppressive Bone Microenvironment and Bone Repair through HIF-1α-TGF-ß Axis in Dendritic Cells.

The effect of immunoinflammation on bone repair during the recovery process of bone defects needs to be further explored. It is reported that Mg2+ can promote bone repair with immunoregulatory effect, but the underlying mechanism on adaptive immunity is still unclear. Here, by using chitosan and hyaluronic acid-coated Mg2+ (CSHA-Mg) in bone-deficient mice, it is shown that Mg2+ can inhibit the activation of CD4+ T cells and increase regulatory T cell formation by inducing immunosuppressive dendritic cells (imDCs). Mechanistically, Mg2+ initiates the activation of the MAPK signaling pathway through TRPM7 channels on DCs. This process subsequently induces the downstream HIF-1α expression, a transcription factor that amplifies TGF-ß production and inhibits the effective T cell function. In vivo, knock-out of HIF-1α in DCs or using a HIF-1α inhibitor PX-478 reverses inhibition of bone inflammation and repair promotion upon Mg2+-treatment. Moreover, roxadustat, which stabilizes HIF-1α protein expression, can significantly promote immunosuppression and bone repair in synergism with CSHA-Mg. Thus, the findings identify a key mechanism for DCs and its HIF-1α-TGF-ß axis in the induction of immunosuppressive bone microenvironment, providing potential targets for bone regeneration.

Machine learning versus multivariate logistic regression for predicting severe COVID-19 in hospitalized children with Omicron variant infection.

With the emergence of the Omicron variant, the number of pediatric Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases requiring hospitalization and developing severe or critical illness has significantly increased. Machine learning and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to predict risk factors and develop prognostic models for severe COVID-19 in hospitalized children with the Omicron variant in this study. Of the 544 hospitalized children including 243 and 301 in the mild and severe groups, respectively. Fever (92.3%) was the most common symptom, followed by cough (79.4%), convulsions (36.8%), and vomiting (23.2%). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age (1-3 years old, odds ratio (OR): 3.193, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.778-5.733], comorbidity (OR: 1.993, 95% CI:1.154-3.443), cough (OR: 0.409, 95% CI:0.236-0.709), and baseline neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (OR: 1.108, 95% CI: 1.023-1.200), lactate dehydrogenase (OR: 1.993, 95% CI: 1.154-3.443), blood urea nitrogen (OR: 1.002, 95% CI: 1.000-1.003) and total bilirubin (OR: 1.178, 95% CI: 1.005-3.381) were independent risk factors for severe COVID-19. The area under the curve (AUC) of the prediction models constructed by multivariate logistic regression analysis and machine learning (RandomForest + TomekLinks) were 0.7770 and 0.8590, respectively. The top 10 most important variables of random forest variables were selected to build a prediction model, with an AUC of 0.8210. Compared with multivariate logistic regression, machine learning models could more accurately predict severe COVID-19 in children with Omicron variant infection.

Photoperiod-responsive changes in chromatin accessibility in phloem companion and epidermis cells of Arabidopsis leaves.

Photoperiod plays a key role in controlling the phase transition from vegetative to reproductive growth in flowering plants. Leaves are the major organs perceiving day-length signals, but how specific leaf cell types respond to photoperiod remains unknown. We integrated photoperiod-responsive chromatin accessibility and transcriptome data in leaf epidermis and vascular companion cells of Arabidopsis thaliana by combining isolation of nuclei tagged in specific cell/tissue types with assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing and RNA-sequencing. Despite a large overlap, vasculature and epidermis cells responded differently. Long-day predominantly induced accessible chromatin regions (ACRs); in the vasculature, more ACRs were induced and these were located at more distal gene regions, compared with the epidermis. Vascular ACRs induced by long days were highly enriched in binding sites for flowering-related transcription factors. Among the highly ranked genes (based on chromatin and expression signatures in the vasculature), we identified TREHALOSE-PHOSPHATASE/SYNTHASE 9 (TPS9) as a flowering activator, as shown by the late flowering phenotypes of T-DNA insertion mutants and transgenic lines with phloem-specific knockdown of TPS9. Our cell-type-specific analysis sheds light on how the long-day photoperiod stimulus impacts chromatin accessibility in a tissue-specific manner to regulate plant development.

Synthesis and Characterization of a Novel PET Tracer for Noninvasive Evaluation of FGL1 Status in Tumors.

Fibrinogen-like protein 1 (FGL1) is a potential novel immune checkpoint target for malignant tumor diagnosis and therapy. Accurate detection of FGL1 levels in tumors via noninvasive PET imaging might be beneficial for managing the disease. To achieve this, multiple FGL1-targeting peptides (FGLP) were designed, and a promising candidate, 68Ga-NOTA-FGLP2, was identified through a high-throughput screening approach using microPET imaging of 68Ga-labeled peptides. Subsequent in vitro cell experiments showed that uptake values of 68Ga-NOTA-FGLP2 in FGL1 positive Huh7 tumor cells were significantly higher than those in FGL1 negative U87 MG tumor cells. Further microPET imaging showed that the Huh7 xenografts were clearly visualized with a favorable contrast. ROI analysis showed that the uptake values of the tracer in Huh7 xenografts were 2.63 ± 0.07% ID/g at 30 min p.i.. After treatment with an excess of unlabeled FGLP2, the tumor uptake significantly decreased to 0.54 ± 0.05% ID/g at 30 min p.i.. Moreover, the uptake in U87 MG xenografts was 0.44 ± 0.06% ID/g at the same time point. The tracer was excreted mainly through the renal system. 18F-FDG PET imaging was also performed in mice bearing Huh7 and U87 MG xenografts, respectively. However, there was no significant difference in the uptake between the tumors with different FGL1 expressions. Preclinical data indicated that 68Ga-NOTA-FGLP2 might be a suitable radiotracer for in vivo noninvasive visualization of tumors with abundant expression of FGL1. Further investigation of 68Ga-NOTA-FGLP2 for tumor diagnosis and therapy is undergoing.

Small extracellular vesicles' enrichment from biological fluids using an acoustic trap.

Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs), a form of extracellular vesicles, are lipid bilayered structures released by all cells. Large-scale studies on sEVs from clinical samples are necessary, but a major obstacle is the lack of rapid, reproducible, efficient, and low-cost methods to enrich sEVs. Acoustic microfluidics have the advantage of being label-free and biocompatible, which have been reported to successfully enrich sEVs. In this paper, we present a highly efficient acoustic microfluidic trap that can offer low and large volume compatible ways of enriching sEVs from biological fluids by flexible structure design. It uses the idea of pre-loading larger seed particles in the acoustic trap to enable sub-micron particle capturing. The microfluidic chip is actuated using a piezoelectric plate transducer attached to a silicon-glass bonding plate with circular cavities. Each cavity works as a resonant unit, excited at the frequency of both the half wave resonance in the main plane and inverted quarter wave resonance in the depth direction, which has the ability to strongly trap seed particles at the center, thereby improving the subsequent nanoparticle capture efficiency. Mean trapping efficiencies of 35.62% and 64.27% were obtained using 60 nm and 100 nm nanobeads, respectively. By the use of this technology, we have successfully enriched sEVs from cell culture conditioned media and blood plasma at a flow rate of 10 µL min-1. The isolated sEV subpopulations are characterized by NTA and TEM, and their protein cargo is determined by WB. This acoustic trapping chip provides a rapid and robust method to enrich sEVs from biofluids with high reproducibility and sufficient quantities. Therefore, it can serve as a new tool for biological and clinical research such as cancer diagnosis and drug delivery.

Author Correction: Discovery of a selective catalytic p300/CBP inhibitor that targets lineage-specific tumours.

In the originally published version of this Letter, the authors Arthur F. Kluge, Michael A. Patane and Ce Wang were inadvertently omitted from the author list. Their affiliations are: I-to-D, Inc., PO Box 6177, Lincoln, Massachusetts 01773, USA (A.F.K.); Mitobridge, Inc. 1030 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA (M.A.P.); and China Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, No. 4218 Jinke Road, Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, Pudong District, Shanghai 201203, China (C.W.). These authors contributed to the interpretation of results and design of compounds. In addition, author 'Edward A. Kesicki' was misspelled as 'Ed Kesicki'. These errors have been corrected online.

Effects of eutrophication on the horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes in microalgal-bacterial symbiotic systems.

Overloading of nutrients such as nitrogen causes eutrophication of freshwater bodies. The spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) poses a threat to ecosystems. However, studies on the enrichment and spread of ARGs from increased nitrogen loading in algal-bacterial symbiotic systems are limited. In this study, the transfer of extracellular kanamycin resistance (KR) genes from large (RP4) small (pEASY-T1) plasmids into the intracellular and extracellular DNA (iDNA, eDNA) of the inter-algal environment of Chlorella pyrenoidosa was investigated, along with the community structure of free-living (FL) and particle-attached (PA) bacteria under different nitrogen source concentrations (0-2.5 g/L KNO3). The results showed that KR gene abundance in the eDNA adsorbed on solid particles (D-eDNA) increased initially and then decreased with increasing nitrogen concentration, while the opposite was true for the rest of the free eDNA (E-eDNA). Medium nitrogen concentrations promoted the transfer of extracellular KR genes into the iDNA attached to algal microorganisms (A-iDNA), eDNA attached to algae (B-eDNA), and the iDNA of free microorganisms (C-iDNA); high nitrogen contributed to the transfer of KR genes into C-iDNA. The highest percentage of KR genes was found in B-eDNA with RP4 plasmid treatment (66.2%) and in C-iDNA with pEASY-T1 plasmid treatment (86.88%). In addition, dissolved oxygen (DO) significantly affected the bacterial PA and FL community compositions. Nephelometric turbidity units (NTU) reflected the abundance of ARGs in algae. Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Bacteroidota, and Actinobacteriota were the main potential hosts of ARGs. These findings provide new insights into the distribution and dispersal of ARGs in the phytoplankton inter-algal environment.

Correlation between plasma lycopene levels in patients with laryngeal carcinoma and postoperative adverse complications of chemoradiotherapy and nutritional risks.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we analyzed the correlation between the preoperative plasma lycopene levels, postoperative adverse complications of chemoradiotherapy, and nutritional risk scores in patients with laryngeal carcinoma. METHODS: A total of 114 patients with laryngeal carcinoma and 114 healthy respondents were enrolled in this study. The patients with laryngeal carcinoma were divided into two groups: 62 patients with laryngeal carcinoma, with an NRS2002 score higher than 3 points and whose diet contained lycopene, were enrolled in the observation group, and 52 patients with laryngeal carcinoma during the corresponding time period, whose diet did not contain lycopene, were enrolled in the reference group. The immune indexes (CD4 + , CD8 + , IGA, IGM, IGG), nutritional indexes (albumin, prealbumin, transferrin), and postoperative adverse complications of chemo-radiotherapy in the two groups were recorded. RESULTS: The lycopene levels were lower in patients with advanced tumor stage (III and IV). The diagnosis threshold of the plasma lycopene level for laryngeal carcinoma was 0.503 µmol/L. The area under the curve for plasma lycopene levels in cancer diagnosis was 0.96, with a clinical specificity of 0.943 and a sensitivity of 0.859. There was a significant negative correlation between the plasma lycopene levels and Nutrition Risk Screening (NRS) 2002 score (R2 = - 0.523, P < 0.001), which was related to the increase in NRS-2002 scores and nutritional hazards in patients with laryngeal carcinoma. The observation group showed a significant increase in nutritional and immune indices, as compared to the reference group, as well as a lower incidence of severe and serious adverse reactions to chemo-radiotherapy. Lycopene supplementation, tumor stage, NRS-2002 scores, nutritional and immune indices were all significant predictors of postoperative severe and serious adverse complications of chemoradiotherapy. CONCLUSION: Progression of laryngeal carcinoma and severity of the side effects of the adverse complications of chemo-radiotherapy are related to the levels of lycopene.

Modification of gel properties of Meretrix meretrix (clam) with polysaccharides: physical characterization and interaction mechanism.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the contribution of 11 polysaccharides (2%, w/w), including pectin (PC), κ-carrageenan (KC), ι-carrageenan (IC), gellan gum (GG), guar gum (GM), sodium alginate (SA), konjac gum (KG), gum arabic (GA), fucoidan (FC), locust bean gum (LBG), and curdlan (CD), to the gel and microstructural properties of Meretrix meretrix clam gel (MMG). RESULTS: The hardness, springiness and chewiness of MMG with KC, IC, GG, SA and FC addition increased by ~10%-250%, while PC, GM, KG and LBG groups decreased by ~0.6% to 69%. KC, IC, SA, GG and FC decreased the cooking loss rate (CLR) by 69.4% to 88.7% and correspondingly enhanced the water holding capacity (WHC) by 10.2% to 21.4%, which was accompanied by an increased bound water and immobilized water area and high hydrogen proton density. The addition of KC transformed the MMG microstructure from a loose network with large pores to a compact, dense network, reducing lacunarity by 57.9%. The primary intermolecular forces in MMG with the incorporation of KC, IC, GG, SA and FC were hydrophobic interactions and disulfide bonds, which increased by 32.8%-105.3% and 45.6%-114.5% than MMG alone, respectively. CONCLUSION: Collectively, KC, IC, GG, SA and FC could improve the gel properties of MMG and the strongest synergistic combination was found in the MMG/KC system. This study suggests that the incorporation of polysaccharides is a strategy with potential for modifying the gel properties of shellfish surimi products. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effect of black wolfberry anthocyanin and maltitol on the gelation and microstructural properties of curdlan/gellan gum hybrid gels.

BACKGROUND: Laboratory scale experiments have shown that curdlan and gellan gum gelled together as curdlan/gellan gum (CG) hybrid gels showed better gel properties than the individual curdlan and gellan gum. In this study, CG and black wolfberry anthocyanin (BWA), CG and maltitol (ML) hybrid gels were constructed using CG hybrid gel as matrix. The effects of BWA or ML on the gel properties and microstructure of CG hybrid gels were investigated and a confectionery gel was developed. RESULTS: The presence of BWA increased the storage modulus (G') value of CG at 0.1 Hz, whereas ML had little effect on the G' value of CG. The addition of BWA (5 g L-1 ) and ML (0.3 mol L-1 ) increased the melting and gelling temperatures of CG hybrid gels to 42.4 °C and 34.1 °C and 44.2 °C and 33.2 °C, respectively. Meanwhile, the relaxation time T22 in CG-ML and CG-BWA hybrid gels was reduced to 91.96 and 410.27 ms, indicating the strong binding between BWA and CG, ML and CG. The hydrogen bond interaction between BWA or ML and CG was confirmed by the shift in the hydroxyl stretching vibration peak. Moreover, the microstructures of CG-ML and CG-BWA hybrid gels were denser than that of CG. In addition, confectionery gel containing CG-BWA-ML has good chewing properties. CONCLUSION: These results indicated that the incorporation of BWA or ML could improve the structure of CG hybrid gels and assign a sustainability potential for the development of confectionery gels based on CG complex. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effects of cognitive behavioral and psychological intervention on social adaptation, psychological resilience and level of hope in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma in radiotherapy.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of cognitive behavioral and psychological intervention(CBPI) on social adaptation, psychological resilience, and the level of hope in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC) in radiotherapy. Methods: This is application research. Eighty patients undergoing radiotherapy for NPC at Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University from November 20, 2020 to November 15, 2022 were randomized into control and study groups at a 1:1 ratio. While the control group was provided with standard specialized nursing care, the study group was offered CBPI in addition to the exact nursing care. Differences in quality of life, psychological resilience, level of hope, emotional state, and patient satisfaction between the groups were compared and analyzed before and after treatment. Results: After an intervention, significantly improved physical, mental, and social functions and material living conditions were observed in the study group compared with the control group (all p< 0.05). Although both groups scored higher on the selected psychological resilience scale following the intervention, the study group showed better results as compared to control group in adaptability, tenacity, control, and goal orientation (all p< 0.05). While both groups had elevated scores of temporality and future, interconnectedness, and positive readiness and expectancy at the end of the intervention, the improvements were more pronounced in the study group (all p< 0.05). Conclusion: CBPI supports radiotherapy for NPC by improving patients' quality of life, confidence in treatment, the hope of recovery, psychological resilience, anxiety, depression, and patient satisfaction. Therefore, this treatment strategy is worthy of wide application in clinical settings.

Effects of psychological support intervention on patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma undergoing radiotherapy.

Objective: To find out the effects of psychological support intervention on patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma undergoing radiotherapy. Methods: This was a retrospective study. Sixty six patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma who received radiotherapy in the Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University from March 2021 to March 2022 were included and randomly divided into the observation group and the control group, with 33 cases in each group. Patients in the control group were given conventional care measures, while those in the observation group were given psychological support intervention on top of conventional care measures. The nursing effects between the two groups were compared. Results: After the intervention, the psychological resilience score of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group, with a statistically significant difference (P<0.05). The psychological resilience scores after the intervention were significantly higher in the observation group than before the intervention, and those in the control group were higher than before the intervention, with a statistically significant difference(P<0.05). The overall health score of quality of life in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group after the intervention, with a statistically significant difference(P<0.05). Moreover, the skin reaction in the observation group after radiotherapy was significantly better than that of the control group (P<0.01). Conclusion: Psychological support intervention is an effective means to treat patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, which results in various benefits such as improving patients' mental resilience and quality of life and reducing the incidence of adverse reactions after radiotherapy.

Switching CO2 Electroreduction Pathways between Ethylene and Ethanol via Tuning Microenvironment of the Coating on Copper Nanofibers.

Engineering the microenvironment of electrode surface is one of the effective means to tune the reaction pathways in CO2RR. In this work, we prepared copper nanofibers with conductive polypyrrole coating by polymerization of pyrrole using polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) as template. As a result, the obtained copper nanofibers Cu/Cu2+1O/SHNC, exhibited a superhydrophobic surface, which demonstrated very high selectivity for ethanol with a Faraday efficiency (FE) of 66.5% at -1.1 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) in flow cell. However, the catalyst Cu/Cu2+1O/NC, which was prepared under the same conditions but without PVP, possessed a hydrophobic surface and exhibited high selectivity towards ethylene at the given potentials. The mechanism for switch of reaction pathways from ethylene to ethanol in CO2RR was studied. Incorporating pyrrolidone groups into the polymer coating results in the formation of a superhydrophobic surface. This surface weakens the hydrogen bonding interaction between interfacial water molecules and facilitates the transfer of CO2, thereby enhancing the local CO2/H2O ratio. The high coverage of *CO promotes the coupling of *CO and *CHO to form C2 intermediates, and reduces the reaction energy for the formation of *CHCHOH (ethanol path) at the interface. This ensures that the reaction pathway is directed towards ethanol.

A Piezoelectric-Driven Electrochromic/Electrofluorochromic Dual-Modal Display Device.

Electrochromic (EC) reflective displays offer great advantages in delivering information and providing visual data, but are limited in dark environments. Reflective/emissive dual-modal displays capable of electrochemically-induced color and fluorescence change simultaneously are highly desirable, especially possessing rapid response speed as well as long-term durability. Herein, an electroactive fluorescent ionic liquid based on triphenylamine and imidazole (EFIL-TPA) has been synthesized for reflective/emissive dual-modal display. The resultant device exhibits outstanding electrochromic/electrofluorochromic (EC/EFC) performance with low driving voltage (below 1.0 V), fast switching speed (0.57-1.8 s), and remarkable cycling durability (91% retention for 10 000 cycles). A piezoelectric nanogenerator (PENG) driven EC/EFC integrated system is fabricated to harvest energy from human motion and visually drive the color/fluorescence change for human motion indication in both bright and dark environments. This innovative EC/EFC dual-modal display device based on EFIL-TPA supports a huge space for the development of self-powered human motion visualized indication in all-light conditions.

Functional Separator Enabled by Covalent Organic Frameworks for High-Performance Li Metal Batteries.

Uncontrolled ion transport and susceptible SEI films are the key factors that induce lithium dendrite growth, which hinders the development of lithium metal batteries (LMBs). Herein, a TpPa-2SO3 H covalent organic framework (COF) nanosheet adhered cellulose nanofibers (CNF) on the polypropylene separator (COF@PP) is successfully designed as a battery separator to respond to the aforementioned issues. The COF@PP displays dual-functional characteristics with the aligned nanochannels and abundant functional groups of COFs, which can simultaneously modulate ion transport and SEI film components to build robust lithium metal anodes. The Li//COF@PP//Li symmetric cell exhibits stable cycling over 800 h with low ion diffusion activation energy and fast lithium ion transport kinetics, which effectively suppresses the dendrite growth and improves the stability of Li+ plating/stripping. Moreover, The LiFePO4//Li cells with COF@PP separator deliver a high discharge capacity of 109.6 mAh g-1 even at a high current density of 3 C. And it exhibits excellent cycle stability and high capacity retention due to the robust LiF-rich SEI film induced by COFs. This COFs-based dual-functional separator promotes the practical application of lithium metal batteries.