Revealing the missing puzzle piece of concentration in regulating Zn electrodeposition.

Despite achievements in suppressing dendrites and regulating Zn crystal growth, secondary aqueous Zn batteries are still rare in the market. Existing strategies mainly focus on electrode modification and electrolyte optimization, while the essential role of ion concentration in liquid-to-solid electrodeposition is neglected for a long time. Herein, the mechanism of concentration regulation in Zn electrodeposition is investigated in depth by combining electrochemical tests, post hoc characterization, and multiscale simulations. First, initial Zn electrodeposition is thermodynamically controlled epitaxial growth, whereas with the rapid depletion of ions, the concentration overpotential transcends the thermodynamic influence to kinetic control. Then, the evolution of the morphology from 2D sheets to 1D whiskers due to the concentration change is insightfully revealed by the morphological characterization and phase-field modeling. Furthermore, the depth of discharge (DOD) results in large concentration differences at the electrode-electrolyte interface, with a mild concentration distribution at lower DOD generating (002) crystal plane 2D sheets and a heavily varied concentration distribution at higher DOD yielding arbitrarily oriented 3D blocks. As a proof of concept, relaxation is introduced into two systems to homogenize the concentration distribution, revalidating the essential role of concentration in regulating electrodeposition, and two vital factors affecting the relaxation time, i.e., current density and electrode distance, are deeply investigated, demonstrating that the relaxation time is positively related to both and is more sensitive to the electrode distance. This work contributes to reacquainting aqueous batteries undergoing phase transitions and reveals a missing piece of the puzzle in regulating Zn electrodeposition.

The actin-binding protein drebrin disrupts NF2-LATS kinases complex assembly to facilitate liver tumorigenesis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The Hippo signaling has emerged as a crucial regulator of tissue homeostasis, regeneration, and tumorigenesis, representing a promising therapeutic target. Neurofibromin 2 (NF2), a component of Hippo signaling, is directly linked to human cancers but has been overlooked as a target for cancer therapy. APPROACH AND RESULTS: Through a high-content RNA interference genome-wide screen, the actin-binding protein Drebrin (DBN1) has been identified as a novel modulator of YAP localization. Further investigations have revealed that DBN1 directly interacts with NF2, disrupting the activation of large tumor suppressor kinases (LATS1/2) by competing with LATS kinases for NF2 binding. Consequently, DBN1 knockout considerably promotes YAP nuclear exclusion and repression of target gene expression, thereby preventing cell proliferation and liver tumorigenesis. We identified three lysine residues (K238, K248, and K252) essential for DBN1-NF2 interaction and developed a mutant DBN1 (DBN1-3Kmut) that is defective in NF2 binding and incompetent to trigger NF2-dependent YAP activation and tumorigenesis both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, BTP2, a DBN1 inhibitor, successfully restored NF2-LATS kinase binding and elicited potent antitumor activity. The combination of sorafenib and BTP2 exerted synergistic inhibitory effects against HCC. CONCLUSIONS: Our study identifies a novel DBN1-NF2-LATS axis, and pharmacological inhibition of DBN1 represents a promising alternative intervention targeting the Hippo pathway in cancer treatment.

Analysis of neutrophil extracellular trap-related genes in Crohn's disease based on bioinformatics.

Crohn's disease (CD) presents with diverse clinical phenotypes due to persistent inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Its global incidence is on the rise. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are networks released by neutrophils that capture microbicidal proteins and oxidases targeting pathogens. Research has shown that NETs are implicated in the pathogenesis of several immune-mediated diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and inflammatory bowel disease. The goal of this study was to identify a panel of NET-related genes to construct a diagnostic and therapeutic model for CD. Through analysis of the GEO database, we identified 1950 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with CD. Gene enrichment and immune cell infiltration analyses indicate that neutrophil infiltrates and chemokine-related pathways are predominantly involved in CD, with other immune cells such as CD4 and M1 macrophages also playing a role in disease progression. Utilizing weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks, we identified six hub genes (SPP1, SOCS3, TIMP1, IRF1, CXCL2 and CD274). To validate the accuracy of our model, we performed external validation with statistical differences(p < 0.05). Additionally, immunohistochemical experiments demonstrated higher protein expression of the hub genes in colonic tissues from CD patients compared to healthy subjects (p < 0.05). In summary, we identified six effective hub genes associated with NETs as potential diagnostic markers for CD. These markers not only offer targets for future research but also hold promise for the development of novel therapeutic interventions for CD.

Systematic distributions of interaction strengths across tree interaction networks yield positive diversity-productivity relationships.

Understanding the mechanisms underlying diversity-productivity relationships (DPRs) is crucial to mitigating the effects of forest biodiversity loss. Tree-tree interactions in diverse communities are fundamental in driving growth rates, potentially shaping the emergent DPRs, yet remain poorly explored. Here, using data from a large-scale forest biodiversity experiment in subtropical China, we demonstrated that changes in individual tree productivity were driven by species-specific pairwise interactions, with higher positive net pairwise interaction effects on trees in more diverse neighbourhoods. By perturbing the interactions strength from empirical data in simulations, we revealed that the positive differences between inter- and intra-specific interactions were the critical determinant for the emergence of positive DPRs. Surprisingly, the condition for positive DPRs corresponded to the condition for coexistence. Our results thus provide a novel insight into how pairwise tree interactions regulate DPRs, with implications for identifying the tree mixtures with maximized productivity to guide forest restoration and reforestation efforts.

A novel dual-target Septin9 methylation assay for improved detection of early-stage colorectal cancer and high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) ranks as the third most common malignancies in the world, and periodic examination of the patient is advantageous in reducing the mortality of CRC. The first blood-based Septin9 gene methylation assay which recognized by the US FDA for CRC examination was Epi proColon. However, this assay was not broadly applied in the current clinical guideline because of its relatively lower sensitivity in the detection of early-stage CRC. METHODS: This study aimed at developing a new multiplex Septin9 methylation assay (ColonUSK) which simultaneously evaluates two CpG-rich subregions in the promoter of the Septin9 gene and an internal control in a single reaction. ColonUSK proved increased sensitivity, with a detection limit as low as 12pg of the positive DNA compared with the Septin9 assay targeting one CpG-rich subregion. 1366 subjects were prospectively recruited from four comprehensive hospitals in China in an opportunistic screening study for assessing its value in CRC detection. Blind testing was developed to evaluate ColonUSK in comparison with clinical examination using clinical gold standard such as colonoscopy. RESULTS: The assay demonstrates clinical sensitivity for diagnosing colorectal cancer (CRC) and advanced adenoma at rates of 77.34% and 25.26%, respectively. Furthermore, ColonUSK exhibits a high degree of specificity for non-CRC cases (95.95%) clinically. Significantly, the detection rate of cases in high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia increased to 54.29%. The value for the assay in the Kappa test was 0.76, showing a high degree of consistency between ColonUSK and clinical gold standard. CONCLUSIONS: ColonUSK indicated moderate diagnostic value and could become a non-invasive detection way for CRC. The implementation of the ColonUSK assay has the capacity to markedly enhance CRC screening practices.

Developing Salt-Rejecting Evaporators for Solar Desalination: A Critical Review.

Solar desalination, a green, low-cost, and sustainable technology, offers a promising way to get clean water from seawater without relying on electricity and complex infrastructures. However, the main challenge faced in solar desalination is salt accumulation, either on the surface of or inside the solar evaporator, which can impair solar-to-vapor efficiency and even lead to the failure of the evaporator itself. While many ideas have been tried to address this ″salt accumulation″, scientists have not had a clear system for understanding what works best for the enhancement of salt-rejecting ability. Therein, for the first time, we classified the state-of-the-art salt-rejecting designs into isolation strategy (isolating the solar evaporator from brine), dilution strategy (diluting the concentrated brine), and crystallization strategy (regulating the crystallization site into a tiny area). Through the specific equations presented, we have identified key parameters for each strategy and highlighted the corresponding improvements in the solar desalination performance. This Review provides a semiquantitative perspective on salt-rejecting designs and critical parameters for enhancing the salt-rejecting ability of dilution-based, isolation-based, and crystallization-based solar evaporators. Ultimately, this knowledge can help us create reliable solar desalination solutions to provide clean water from even the saltiest sources.

SIRT6 Inhibits Anoikis of Colorectal Cancer Cells by Down-Regulating NDRG1.

Anoikis, a form of apoptosis resulting from the loss of cell-extracellular matrix interaction, is a significant barrier to cancer cell metastasis. However, the epigenetic regulation of this process remains to be explored. Here, we demonstrate that the histone deacetylase sirtuin 6 (SIRT6) plays a pivotal role in conferring anoikis resistance to colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. The protein level of SIRT6 is negatively correlated with anoikis in CRC cells. The overexpression of SIRT6 decreases while the knockdown of SIRT6 increases detachment-induced anoikis. Mechanistically, SIRT6 inhibits the transcription of N-myc downstream-regulated gene 1 (NDRG1), a negative regulator of the AKT signaling pathway. We observed the up-regulation of SIRT6 in advanced-stage CRC samples. Together, our findings unveil a novel epigenetic program regulating the anoikis of CRC cells.

Transforming the Electrochemical Behaviors of Cobalt Oxide from "Supercapacitator" to "Battery" by Atomic-Level Structure Engineering for Inspiring the Advance of Co-Based Batteries.

Cobalt-based electrodes receive emerging attention for their high theoretical capacity and rich valence variation ability, but state-of-the-art cobalt-based electrodes present performance far below the theoretical value. Herein, the in-depth reaction mechanisms in the alkaline electrolyte are challenged and proven to be prone to the surface-redox pseudocapacitor behavior due to the low adsorption energy to OH. Using the atomic-level structure engineering strategy after substitution metal searching, the adsorption energy is effectively enhanced, and the peak of CoOOH can be observed from in situ characterization for the first time, leading to the successful transition of charge storage behavior from "supercapacitor" to "battery". When used in a Zn-Co battery as a proof of concept, it shows comprehensive electrochemical performance with a flat discharge voltage plateau of ≈1.7 V, an optimal energy density of 506 Wh kg-1 , and a capacity retention ratio of 85.1% after 2000 cycles, shining among the reported batteries. As a practical demonstration, this battery also shows excellent self-discharge performance with the capacity retention of 90% after a 10 h delay. This work subtly tunes the intrinsic electrochemical properties of the cobalt-based material through atomic-level structure engineering, opening a new opportunity for the advance of energy storage systems.

Emergence, Evolution, and Pathogenicity of Influenza A(H7N4) Virus in Shorebirds in China.

A 2-year surveillance study of influenza A viruses in migratory birds was conducted to understand the subsequent risk during the migratory seasons in Dandong Yalu River Estuary Coastal Wetland National Nature Reserve, Liaoning Province, China, a major stopover site on the East Asian-Australasian flyway. Overall, we isolated 27 influenza A viruses with multiple subtypes, including H3N8 (n = 2), H4N6 (n = 2), H4N7 (n = 2), H7N4 (n = 9), H7N7 (n = 1), H10N7 (n = 7), and H13N6 (n = 4). Particularly, a novel reassortant influenza A(H7N4) virus was first identified in a woman and her backyard poultry flock in Jiangsu Province, China, posing a serious threat to public health. Here, we describe the genetic characterization and pathogenicity of the nine influenza A(H7N4) isolates. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that complex viral gene flow occurred among Asian countries. We also demonstrated a similar evolutionary trajectory of the surface genes of the A(H7N4) isolates and Jiangsu human-related A(H7N4) viruses. Our A(H7N4) isolates exhibited differing degrees of virulence in mice, suggesting a potential risk to other mammalian species, including humans. We revealed multiple mutations that might affect viral virulence in mice. Our report highlights the importance and need for the long-term surveillance of avian influenza virus in migratory birds combined with domestic poultry surveillance along migratory routes and flyways and, thereby, the development of measures to manage potential health threats. IMPORTANCE The H7 subtype avian influenza viruses, such as H7N2, H7N3, H7N4, H7N7, and H7N9, were documented as being capable of infecting humans, and the H7 subtype low pathogenicity avian influenza viruses are capable of mutating into highly pathogenic avian influenza; therefore, they pose a serious threat to public health. Here, we investigated the evolutionary history, molecular characteristics, and pathogenicity of shorebird-origin influenza A(H7N4) viruses, showing a similar evolutionary trajectory with Jiangsu human A(H7N4) viruses in HA and NA genes. Moreover, our isolates exhibited variable virulence (including moderate virulence) in mice, suggesting a potential risk to other mammalian species, including humans.

Pyrogenic Carbon Improves Cd Retention during Microbial Transformation of Ferrihydrite under Varying Redox Conditions.

Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides are ubiquitous in paddy soils and play a key role in Cd retention. Recent studies report that pyrogenic carbon (PC) may largely affect the microbial transformation processes of Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides, yet the impact of PC on the fate of Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxide-associated Cd during redox fluctuations remains unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of PC on Cd retention during microbial (Shewanella oneidensis MR-1) transformation of Cd(II)-bearing ferrihydrite under varying redox conditions. The results showed that in the absence of PC, microbial reduction of ferrihydrite resulted in Cd release under anoxic conditions and Fe(II) oxidation by oxygen resulted in Cd retention under subsequent oxic conditions. The presence of PC facilitated microbial ferrihydrite reductive dissolution under anoxic conditions, promoted Fe(II) oxidative precipitation under oxic conditions, and inhibited Cd release under both anoxic and oxic conditions. The presence of PC and frequent shifts in redox conditions (i.e., redox cycling) inhibited the transformation of ferrihydrite to highly crystalline goethite and magnetite that exhibited less Cd adsorption. As a result, PC enhanced Cd retention by 41-59% and 55-77% after the redox shift and redox cycling, respectively, while in the absence of PC, Cd retention decreased by 5% after the redox shift and increased by 11% after redox cycling. Sequential extraction analysis revealed that 63-78% of Cd was associated with Fe minerals, while 3-12% of Cd was bound to PC, indicating that PC promoted Cd retention mainly through inhibiting ferrihydrite transformation. Our results demonstrate the great impacts of PC on improving Cd retention under dynamic redox conditions, which is essential for applying PC in remediating Cd-contaminated paddy soils.

Long-Term Exposure of Graphene Oxide Suspension to Air Leading to Spontaneous Radical-Driven Degradation.

Understanding the environmental transformation and fate of graphene oxide (GO) is critical to estimate its engineering applications and ecological risks. While there have been numerous investigations on the physicochemical stability of GO in prolonged air-exposed solution, the potential generation of reactive radicals and their impact on the structure of GO remain unexplored. In this study, using liquid-PeakForce-mode atomic force microscopy and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectroscopy, we report that prolonged exposure of GO to the solution leads to the generation of nanopores in the 2D network and may even cause the disintegration of its bulk structure into fragment molecules. These fragments can assemble themselves into films with the same height as the GO at the interface. Further mediated electrochemical analysis supports that the electron-donating active components of GO facilitate the conversion of O2 to •O2- radicals on the GO surface, which are subsequently converted to H2O2, ultimately leading to the formation of •OH. We experimentally confirmed that attacks from •OH radicals can break down the C-C bond network of GO, resulting in the degradation of GO into small fragment molecules. Our findings suggest that GO can exhibit chemical instability when released into aqueous solutions for prolonged periods of time, undergoing transformation into fragment molecules through self-generated •OH radicals. This finding not only sheds light on the distinctive fate of GO-based nanomaterials but also offers a guideline for their engineering applications as advanced materials.

Probing Molecular-Level Dynamic Interactions of Dissolved Organic Matter with Iron Oxyhydroxide via a Coupled Microfluidic Reactor and an Online High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry System.

The interactions between dissolved organic matter (DOM) and iron (Fe) oxyhydroxide are crucial in regulating the biogeochemical cycling of nutrients and elements, including the preservation of carbon in soils. The mechanisms of DOM molecular assembly on mineral surfaces have been extensively studied at the mesoscale with equilibrium experiments, yet the molecular-level evolution of the DOM-mineral interface under dynamic interaction conditions is not fully understood. Here, we designed a microfluidic reactor coupled with an online solid phase extraction (SPE)-LC-QTOF MS system to continually monitor the changes in DOM composition during flowing contact with Fe oxyhydroxide at circumneutral pH, which simulates soil minerals interacting with constant DOM input. Time-series UV-visible absorption spectra and mass spectrometry data showed that after aromatic DOM moieties were first preferentially sequestered by the pristine Fe oxyhydroxide surface, the adsorption of nonaromatic DOM molecules with greater hydrophobicity, lower acidity, and lower molecular weights (<400) from new DOM solutions was favored. This is accompanied by a transition from mineral surface chemistry-dominated adsorption to organic-organic interaction-dominated adsorption. These findings provide direct molecular-level evidence to the zonal model of DOM assembly on mineral surfaces by taking the dynamics of interfacial interactions into consideration. This study also shows that coupled microfluidics and online high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) system is a promising experimental platform for probing microscale environmental carbon dynamics by integrating in situ reactions, sample pretreatment, and automatic analysis.

Osmundacetone Alleviates Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Rats.

Osmundacetone (DHBAc) is an antioxidant compound that has been shown to have neuroprotective and immunomodulatory activities. However, few studies have estimated its effect on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of DHBAc on the brain tissue of rats with cerebral I/R injury. Rats were respectively given nimodipine (NI), low dose (L-DHBAc) and high dose (H-DHBAc) Osmundacetone, and they were killed under anesthesia after 24 h of reperfusion. And neurological impairment scores, cerebral infarct size and cerebral pathological changes were respectively detected, and mRNA expression of recombinant kelch like ECH associated protein 1 (Keap1) and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), protein expression levels of caspase 3, cleaved caspase 3, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and quinone oxidoreductase1 (NQO1) in ischemic brain tissue were measured. Compared with the I/R group, neurological impairment scores of the DHBAc groups were significantly decreased, and their infarct sizes were significantly smaller. DHBAc could improve the pathological status of brain tissue with cerebral I/R injury, including reducing number of inflammatory cells and area of vacuoles and restoring number of normal neurons. Expression levels of Keap1 mRNA and proteins of cleaved caspase3 were significantly decreased in the DHBAc groups than those of the I/R group, while expression levels of Nrf2 mRNA, HO-1 and NQO1 proteins were remarkably increased. The effect of H-DHBAc was similar to those of NI. These results suggest that DHBAc could mitigate damage to brain tissue in rats with cerebral I/R injury.

The quality evaluation system of a famous traditional Chinese medicine Huaganjian decoction was established.

Huaganjian decoction (HGJD) has been widely used clinically to treat liver injuries and gastritis. However, the quality evaluation system for HGJD is not perfect. In this study, paeoniflorin, hesperidin, geniposide, naringin, and quercetin were employed as quality markers. The quantitative analysis of these five components in HGJD was conducted using a high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry method. This method underwent validation for linearity, precision, accuracy, repeatability, and recovery. In summary, a reliable quantitative method was successfully employed to establish a comprehensive quality evaluation of HGJD.

Intraoperative Observation of the Proper Digital Nerves in Wassel-Flatt Type â £ Radial Polydactyly.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to present the intraoperative findings of the relevant digital nerves of the duplicated thumbs in an excision and reconstruction procedure for the Wassel-Flatt type Ⅳ radial polydactyly. METHODS: The study was conducted on patients with Wassel-Flatt type IV radial polydactyly who underwent excision and reconstruction between 2018 and 2021 at our institution. The ulnar digital nerve of the radial thumb and the radial digital nerve of the ulnar thumb were identified and traced intraoperatively. The level of the bifurcation of the nerves and abnormal findings were documented. RESULTS: A total of 123 hands in 119 patients were included in this study. In 114 hands, the bifurcation of the nerves was located within 1 cm of the metacarpophalangeal flexion crease. The radial digital nerve to the ulnar thumb was abnormally compressed in deep fascial tissue in 7 of these 114 hands. In 5 hands, the level of bifurcation was more than 1 cm proximal to the crease. No radial digital nerve to the ulnar thumb was identified in the remaining 4 hands. CONCLUSIONS: Although rare, abnormal nerve compression of the digital nerve may exist in duplicated thumbs of Wassel-Flatt type IV radial polydactyly. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In an excision and reconstruction procedure, we suggest that the bifurcation of the nerves should be identified before the nerve to the radial thumb is excised to avoid injuring the nerve to the main ulnar thumb.

A Lightweight Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping Method with a High Precision in Dynamic Scenes.

Currently, in most traditional VSLAM (visual SLAM) systems, static assumptions result in a low accuracy in dynamic environments, or result in a new and higher level of accuracy but at the cost of sacrificing the real-time property. In highly dynamic scenes, balancing a high accuracy and a low computational cost has become a pivotal requirement for VSLAM systems. This paper proposes a new VSLAM system, balancing the competitive demands between positioning accuracy and computational complexity and thereby further improving the overall system properties. From the perspective of accuracy, the system applies an improved lightweight target detection network to quickly detect dynamic feature points while extracting feature points at the front end of the system, and only feature points of static targets are applied for frame matching. Meanwhile, the attention mechanism is integrated into the target detection network to continuously and accurately capture dynamic factors to cope with more complex dynamic environments. From the perspective of computational expense, the lightweight network Ghostnet module is applied as the backbone network of the target detection network YOLOv5s, significantly reducing the number of model parameters and improving the overall inference speed of the algorithm. Experimental results on the TUM dynamic dataset indicate that in contrast with the ORB-SLAM3 system, the pose estimation accuracy of the system improved by 84.04%. In contrast with dynamic SLAM systems such as DS-SLAM and DVO SLAM, the system has a significantly improved positioning accuracy. In contrast with other VSLAM algorithms based on deep learning, the system has superior real-time properties while maintaining a similar accuracy index.

Reacquainting the Sudden-Death and Reaction Routes of Li-O2 Batteries by Ex Situ Observation of Li2O2 Distribution Inside a Highly Ordered Air Electrode.

The unclear Li2O2 distribution inside an air electrode stems from the difficulty of conducting observation techniques inside a porous electrode. In this work, an integrated air electrode is prepared with highly ordered channels. The morphological composition and distribution of Li2O2 inside the real air electrode are clearly observed for the first time. The results show that the toroidal Li2O2 is constrained by the channel size and exhibits a larger diameter on the separator side at high currents. In contrast to the reported single-factor experiments, the coupling effects of charge transfer impedance and concentration polarization on sudden death are analyzed in-depth at low and high currents. The growth model suggests that toroidal Li2O2 exhibits a high dependence on the electrode surface structure. A new route is proposed in which the Li2O2/electrode interface of a toroid is controlled partially by the second single-electron reduction.

Insights into peptide profiling of sturgeon myofibrillar proteins with low temperature vacuum heating.

BACKGROUND: Protein oxidation during food processing causes changes in the balance of protein-molecular interactions and protein-water interactions, ultimately leading to protein denaturation, which results in the loss of a range of functional properties. Therefore, how to control the oxidative modification of proteins during processing has been the focus of research. RESULTS: In the present study, the intrinsic fluorescence value of the myofibrillar proteins (MP) decreased and the surface hydrophobicity value increased, indicating that the heat treatment caused a significant change in the conformation of the MP. With an increase in heating temperature, protein carbonyl content increased, total sulfhydryl content decreased, and protein secondary structure changed from α-helix to ß-sheet, indicating that protein oxidation and aggregation occurred. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that heat treatment can lead to the degradation of proteins, especially myosin heavy chain, although actin had a certain thermal stability. In total, 733 proteins were identified by proteomics, and the protein oxidation caused by low temperature vacuum heating (LTVH) was determined to be mild oxidation dominated by malondialdehyde and 4-hydroxynonenal by oxidation site division. CONCLUSION: The present study has revealed the effect of LTVH treatment on the protein oxidation modification behavior of sturgeon meat, and explored the effect mechanism of LTVH treatment on the processing quality of sturgeon meat from the perspective of protein oxidation. The results may provide a theoretical basis for the precise processing of aquatic products. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Self-Activated Formation of Hierarchical Co3 O4 Nanoflakes with High Valence-State Conversion Capability for Ultrahigh-Capacity Zn-Co Batteries.

Cobalt-based materials are attracting increasing interest in alkaline Zn batteries due to the high theoretical capacity. However, the practical utilization is restricted by the poor microstructure and insufficient valence-state conversion. Herein, a self-activated formation of hierarchical Co3 O4 nanoflakes with high valence-state conversion capability is designed. This electrode not only exhibits the optimized microstructure with large reaction surfaces, but also shows excellent valence-state conversion capability. Consequently, this battery delivers an ultrahigh capacity of 481.4 mAh g-1 and an energy density of 818.3 Wh kg-1 based on the active material, which shines among reported Co-based materials. Besides, the capacity can retain 41.9% with even 20× current density increases, and it can operate with a capacity decay of 20% after the 1000th cycle. This strategy greatly enhances the performance and durability of integrated air electrodes, raising the attention of boundary design for other electrochemical energy conversion and storage devices.

Enhanced Microbial Ferrihydrite Reduction by Pyrogenic Carbon: Impact of Graphitic Structures.

Electron-shuttling agents such as pyrogenic carbon (PC) can mediate long-distance electron transfer and play numerous key roles in aquatic and soil biogeochemical processes. The electron-shuttling capacity of PC relies on both the surface oxygen-containing functional groups and bulk graphitic structures. Although the impacts of oxygen-containing functional groups on the electron-shuttling performance of PC are well studied, there remains insufficient understanding on the function of graphitic structures. Here, we studied the functions of PC in mediating microbial (Shewanella oneidensis MR-1) reduction of ferrihydrite, a classic and geochemically important soil redox process. The results show that PC enhanced microbial ferrihydrite reduction by 20-115% and the reduction rates increased with PC pyrolysis temperature increasing from 500 to 900 °C. For PC prepared at low temperature (500-600 °C), the electron-shuttling capacity of PC is mainly attributed to its oxygen-containing functional groups, as indicated by a 50-60% decline in the ferrihydrite reduction rate when PC was reduced under a H2 atmosphere to remove surface oxygen-containing functional groups. In stark contrast, for PC prepared at higher temperature (700-900 °C), the formation of PC graphitic structures was enhanced, as suggested by the higher electrical conductivity; accordingly, the graphitic structure exhibits greater importance in shuttling electrons, as demonstrated by a minor decline (10-18%) in the ferrihydrite reduction rate after H2 treatment of PC. This study provides new insights into the nonlinear and combined role of graphitic structures and oxygen-containing functional groups of PC in mediating electron transfer, where the pyrolysis temperature of PC acts as a key factor in determining the electron-shuttling pathways.