Explore the vast range of titles available.

Ultra-low-temperature lithium metal batteries face significant challenges, including sluggish ion transport and uncontrolled lithium dendrite formation, particularly at high power. An ideal electrolyte requires high carrier ion concentration, low viscosity, rapid de-solvation, and stable interfaces, but balancing these attributes remains a formidable task. Here, we design and synthesize a multifunctional additive, perfluoroalkylsulfonyl quaternary ammonium nitrate (PQA-NO 3 ), which features both cationic (PQA + ) and anionic (NO 3 − ) components. PQA + reacts in situ with lithium metal to form an inorganic-rich solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) that enhances Li + transport through the SEI film. NO 3 − creates an anion-rich, solvent-poor solvation structure, improving oxidation stability at the positive electrode/electrolyte interface and reducing Li + -solvent interactions. This allows ether-based electrolytes to achieve high voltage tolerance, increased ionic conductivity, and lower de-solvation energy barriers. The Li (40 µm)||NMC811 (3 mAh cm −2 ) coin cells with the developed electrolyte exhibited stable cycling at -60 °C and a 450 Wh kg −1 pouch cell retained 48.1% capacity at -85 °C, achieving a specific energy (except tabs and packing foil, same hereafter) of 171.8 Wh kg −1 . Additionally, the pouch cell demonstrated a discharge rate of 3.0 C at -50 °C, reaching a specific power (except tabs and packing foil, same hereafter) of 938.5 W kg −1 , indicating the electrolyte’s suitability for high-rate lithium metal batteries in extreme low-temperature environments. Ultra-low-temperature lithium metal batteries struggle with slow ion transport and dendrite growth. Here, authors develop a multifunctional electrolyte additive (PQA-NO 3 ) that forms a protective SEI layer and modifies ion interactions, enabling stable operation at extreme cold condition of −85 °C.

The oocyte epigenome plays critical roles in mammalian gametogenesis and embryogenesis. Yet, how it is established remains elusive. Here, we report that histone-lysine N -methyltransferase SETD2, an H3K36me3 methyltransferase, is a crucial regulator of the mouse oocyte epigenome. Deficiency in Setd2 leads to extensive alterations of the oocyte epigenome, including the loss of H3K36me3, failure in establishing the correct DNA methylome, invasion of H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 into former H3K36me3 territories and aberrant acquisition of H3K4me3 at imprinting control regions instead of DNA methylation. Importantly, maternal depletion of SETD2 results in oocyte maturation defects and subsequent one-cell arrest after fertilization. The preimplantation arrest is mainly due to a maternal cytosolic defect, since it can be largely rescued by normal oocyte cytosol. However, chromatin defects, including aberrant imprinting, persist in these embryos, leading to embryonic lethality after implantation. Thus, these data identify SETD2 as a crucial player in establishing the maternal epigenome that in turn controls embryonic development. Maternal SETD2 deficiency leads to loss of H3K36me3, aberrant DNA methylation and ectopic H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 in mouse oocytes. Maternal depletion of SETD2 causes oocyte defects and subsequent zygotic arrest.

Ecosystem services (ESs) exhibit complex interactions with multiple driving factors, including human activities, climate change, land use, soil erosion, and slope. Henan Province faces ecological challenges such as water scarcity, soil erosion, and biodiversity degradation. Using Henan Province as a case study, this research integrates multi-source data and various models to quantify ESs, identify interrelationships among them, investigate the driving factors influencing these relationships, and determine thresholds for key driving factors from 2000 to 2020. The findings indicate that: (1) ESs in Henan Province showed both trade-offs and synergies. (2) Except for 2010, the key factors of ESs trade-off relationships were only slope, land use; the key factors for the synergies and trade-offs in 2000 and 2020, and the synergies in 2010, were all slope, precipitation (pre), land use, and rainfall erosion (R). Slope, pre, land use, and R maintained strong correlations with ESs synergies and trade-offs throughout the three periods. (3) Land use types showed different correlations with the trade-offs and synergies of ESs pairs, while unused land had no significant correlation. R exhibited two discontinuous sensitive intervals or a single threshold over the three years; slope and pre showed specific sensitive intervals only in 2010 and 2020. Within these thresholds or intervals, the direction of correlation between each factor and ESs pairs reversed.

As a major coal-producing province, understanding the spatiotemporal evolution of ecological quality and its driving factors in Shanxi is essential for promoting environmental protection and sustainable development. This study employs MODIS data to calculate the Remote Sensing Ecological Index (RSEI) for Shanxi Province and its designated mining areas from 2000 to 2023, aiming to investigate the spatial and temporal dynamics of ecological quality. The CatBoost model and Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) are applied to identify and analyze the underlying driving factors. The results show that ecological quality in both Shanxi Province and its planned mining regions exhibited an overall upward trend between 2000 and 2020, with varying levels of improvement observed across different mining zones. Trend analysis indicates a general enhancement in ecological conditions over the past two decades. RSEI displays significant spatial autocorrelation, characterized by high-value clustering in the southern regions and low-value clustering in the northern and western mining zones and areas with intensive human activity. Key influencing factors include elevation, net primary productivity (NPP), precipitation, and population density. The CatBoost model, supplemented with SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) values, quantifies the relative importance and predictive contribution of each factor to RSEI outcomes. The GWR model further reveals spatial heterogeneity in these relationships, uncovering localized effects, spatial gradient patterns, and clustering phenomena. Additionally, the Hurst index analysis indicates that most areas within Shanxi Province and its designated mining zones are likely to maintain an upward trend in ecological quality in the future. As a comprehensive large-scale and long-term assessment, this study provides valuable theoretical and empirical support for regional planning, ecological monitoring, and the management of mining areas, thereby contributing to sustainable development and ecological conservation efforts.

Deer antlers are a bony organ solely able to acquired distinct unique attributes during evolution and all these attributes are against thus far known natural rules. One of them is as the fastest animal growing tissue (2 cm/day), they are remarkably cancer-free, despite high cell division rate. Although tumor-like nodules on the long-lived castrate antlers in some deer species do occur, but they are truly benign in nature. In this review, we tried to find the answer to this seemingly contradictory phenomenon based on the currently available information and give insights into possible clinic application. The antler growth center is located in its tip; the most intensive dividing cells are resident in the inner layer of reserve mesenchyme (RM), and these cells are more adopted to osteosarcoma rather than to normal bone tissues in gene expression profiles but acquire their energy mainly through aerobic oxidative phosphorylation pathway. To counteract propensity of neoplastic transformation, antlers evolved highly efficient apoptosis exactly in the RM, unparalleled by any known tissues; and annual wholesale cast to jettison the corps. Besides, some strong cancer suppressive genes including p53 cofactor genes and p53 regulator genes are highly positively selected by deer, which would have certainly contributed to curb tumorigenesis. Thus far, antler extracts and RM cells/exosomes have been tried on different cancer models either in vitro or in vivo, and all achieved positive results. These positive experimental results together with the anecdotal folklore that regular consumption of velvet antler is living with cancer-free would encourage us to test antlers in clinic settings.

The intestine is an important immune organ of aquatic animals and it plays an essential role in maintaining body health and anti-oxidative stress. To investigate the toxic effects of deltamethrin in intestinal tissue of Chinese mitten crabs (Eriocheir sinensis), 120 healthy crabs were randomly divided into two experimental groups (blank control group and deltamethrin-treated group), with three replicates in each group. After being treated with deltamethrin for 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, and 96 h, intestinal tissues were collected aseptically to assess the effects of deltamethrin on oxidative stress, immunity, apoptosis-related genes, and the structure of microflora in intestinal tissues. Additionally, correlations between gut microbiota composition and intestinal tissue damage-associated genes were analyzed. The results demonstrated that prolonged exposure to deltamethrin induced oxidative stress damage in intestinal tissue. Compared with the blank control group, the expression of autophagy-related genes B-cell lymphoma/Leukemia-2 (bcl-2), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (jnk), Microtuble-associated protein light chain 3 (lc3c), Cysteine-dependent Aspartate-specific Protease 8 (caspase 8), BECN1(beclin1), oxidative stress damage-related genes MAS1 proto-oncogene (mas), Glutathione Peroxidase (gpx), kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (keap1), Sequestosome 1 (p62), Interleukin-6 (il-6), and immune-related genes Lipopolysaccharide-induced TNF-alpha Factor (litaf), Heat shock protein 90 (hsp90) and prophenoloxidase (propo) in the deltamethrin treatment group were significantly up-regulated at 96 h (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01). Additionally, 16S rRNA sequencing showed that the diversity of intestinal flora in the deltamethrin-treated group was significantly higher compared with the blank control group (p < 0.01). Analysis of the differences in the composition of intestinal flora at the genus level showed that the relative abundance of Candidatus Bacilloplasma in the deltamethrin treatment group was significantly lower than that in the blank control group (p < 0.01). In contrast, the relative abundances of Flavobacterium, Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, Acinetobacter, Chryseobacterium, Lacihabitans, Taibaiella, Hydrogenophaga, Acidovorax, and Undibacterium were significantly higher than those in the blank control group (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01). Pearson correlation analysis revealed that Malaciobacter, Shewanella, and Prevotella exhibited significant positive correlations with gene indicators (jnk, gpx, lc3c, litaf, hsp90), while Dysgonomonas, Vibrio, and Flavobacterium demonstrated significant negative correlations with multiple gene indicators (caspase 8, p62, il-16, keap1, jnk, etc). These results demonstrate that deltamethrin significantly impacts the gut microbiota, immune function, and antioxidant capacity of E. sinensis. The changes in gut microbiota have correlations with the biomarkers of intestinal tissue injury genes, indicating that gut microbiota plays a crucial role in deltamethrin-induced intestinal tissue damage. These insights contribute to a better understanding of the ecological risks associated with deltamethrin exposure in aquatic organisms.

Background Fowl adenoviruses (FAdVs) are associated with many diseases, resulting in huge economic losses to the poultry industry worldwide. Since 2015, outbreaks of FAdV infections with high mortality rates have been reported in China. A continued surveillance of FAdVs contributes to understand the epidemiology of the viruses. Results We isolated 155 FAdV strains from diseased chickens from poultry in China between 2015 and 2018. PCR analysis determined that 123 samples were FAdV species C, 27 were FAdV species E, and five contained two different FAdV strains. The phylogenetic analysis demonstrates that these sequences of hexon regions were clustered into three distinct serotypes: FAdV-4 (79.4%, 123/155), FAdV-8a (13.5%, 21/155) and FAdV-8b (3.9%, 6/155), of which FAdV-4 was the dominant serotype in China. Conclusions The characterization of newly prevalent FAdV strains provides valuable information for the development of an effective control strategy for FAdV infections in chickens.

Case history investigations have shown that pile foundations are more critically damaged in liquefiable soils than non-liquefiable soils. This study examines the differences in seismic response of pile foundations in liquefiable and non-liquefiable soils and their sensitivity to numerical model parameters. A two-dimensional finite element (FE) model is developed to simulate the experiment of a single pile foundation centrifuge in liquefiable soil subjected to earthquake motions and is validated against real-world test results. The differences in soil-pile seismic response of liquefiable and non-liquefiable soils are explored. Specifically, the first-order second-moment method (FOSM) is used for sensitivity analysis of the seismic response. The results show significant differences in seismic response for a soil-pile system between liquefiable and non-liquefiable soil. The seismic responses are found to be significantly larger in liquefiable soil than in non-liquefiable soil. Moreover, the pile bending moment was mainly affected by the kinematic effect in liquefiable soil, while the inertial effect was more significant in non-liquefiable soil. The controlling parameters of seismic response were PGA, soil density, and friction angle in liquefiable soil, while the pile bending moment was mainly controlled by PGA, the friction angle of soil, and shear modulus of loose sand in non-liquefiable soil.

This study aims to explore the relationship between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, particularly CagA-positive strains, and Clonorchiasis. A total of 309 civil servants who underwent health check-ups and 73 hospitalized patients with Clonorchiasis from May 2019 to April 2023 were included. A control group of 100 healthy individuals matched by age, gender, and residence was included. H. pylori and Clonorchiasis antibodies in civil servants were detected using ELISA. Western blotting was used to identify H. pylori strains in hospitalized patients. Among civil servants, H. pylori and Clonorchiasis antibody positivity rates were 43.7% and 23.9%, respectively. H. pylori antibody positivity was comparable between those with (45.9%) and without Clonorchiasis (43.0%) infection. H. pylori infection among Clonorchiasis patients (61.6%) was slightly higher than in healthy controls (44.0%). Multifactorial analysis identified consuming raw fish (61.145; 22.263–167.93; 0.000) and CagA +  H. pylori infection (3.7; 1.233–11.103; 0.020) as independent risk factors for Clonorchiasis. The rate of CagA +  H. pylori infection is significantly higher in patients with Clonorchiasis than in healthy individuals. CagA +  H. pylori infection and a history of consuming raw fish are independent risk factors for current Clonorchiasis.

Background Gastric cancer, primarily manifested as gastric adenocarcinoma (STAD), remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Ammonia-induced cell death (AID), a newly discovered form of cell death, has gained attention due to its unique mechanisms, including lysosomal alkalinization and mitochondrial dysfunction. However, the role of AID in STAD, particularly its impact on immune regulation and patient prognosis, remains unclear. Methods This study integrated bulk RNA-seq and single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) data. The Seurat package was used for single-cell gene expression analysis, clustering different cell types, and AID scoring. CellChat software analyzed the ligand-receptor interactions between immune cell subtypes. Differential expression analysis (DEGs) and GO/KEGG enrichment identified key genes associated with AID. We constructed a prognostic risk model based on these findings. Immune cell infiltration was analyzed using the “GSVA” and “xCell” packages. In vitro experiments were conducted on HGC-27 and MKN45 gastric cancer cell lines, where GLS1 was knocked down using siRNA to assess the effects on cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and lysosomal function. Additionally, drug sensitivity tests were used to evaluate the impact of GLS1 overexpression on resistance to various anticancer drugs. Results Single-cell clustering analysis revealed that T cells had significantly higher ammonia-induced cell death (AID) scores, leading to the classification of cells into high-AID and low-AID groups. Gene expression analysis and pathway enrichment showed significant enrichment in lysosomal and mitochondrial pathways, consistent with known AID mechanisms. A prognostic risk model based on five key genes (C1QA, MARCKSL1, GLS1, N4BP2L2, and CD68) effectively classified patients into high-risk and low-risk groups, with the high-risk group showing stronger immune cell infiltration, including CD4 + and CD8 + T cells, dendritic cells, and macrophages. Among the model genes, GLS1 was identified as the most significant prognostic factor, the strongest risk factor, and the most central gene in the interaction network. In vitro experiments showed that GLS1 inhibition led to increased ammonia levels, elevated lysosomal pH, and reduced lysosomal function, thereby enhancing AID expression. Furthermore, GLS1 overexpression significantly promoted cell proliferation, migration, and tumor growth. Finally, gastric cancer cells with GLS1 overexpression exhibited resistance to multiple anticancer drugs, highlighting the potential value of GLS1 as a therapeutic target. Conclusion The AID model is a promising biomarker for accurately determining survival and predicting the effectiveness of immunotherapy in STAD patients. GLS1 plays a crucial role in driving tumor proliferation and migration and may act as a potential tumor biomarker of STAD.