Refine
Has Fulltext
- no (5)
Year of publication
- 2021 (5) (remove)
Document Type
- Article (5)
Language
- English (5)
Is part of the Bibliography
- yes (5) (remove)
Keywords
- "water-in-salt" (1)
- Actuation (1)
- Antiviral (1)
- Biomaterial (1)
- COVID-19 (1)
- Shape memory (1)
- batteries (1)
- electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (1)
- electrode materials (1)
- full-length transcriptome (1)
Institute
Numerous nanostructured materials have been reported as efficient sulfur hosts to suppress the problematic "shuttling" of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) in lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. However, direct comparison of these materials in their efficiency of suppressing LiPSs shuttling is challenging, owing to the structural and morphological differences between individual materials. This study introduces a simple route to synthesize a series of sulfur host materials with the same yolk-shell nanospindle morphology but tunable compositions (Fe3O4, FeS, or FeS2), which allows for a systematic investigation into the specific effect of chemical composition on the electrochemical performances of Li-S batteries. Among them, the S/FeS2-C electrode exhibits the best performance and delivers an initial capacity of 877.6 mAh g(-1) at 0.5 C with a retention ratio of 86.7 % after 350 cycles. This approach can also be extended to the optimization of materials for other functionalities and applications.
Toll-like receptor (TLR) can trigger an immune response against virus including SARS-CoV-2. TLR expression/distribution is varying in mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) depending on their culture environments. Here, to explore the effect of periodic thermomechanical cues on TLRs, thermally controlled shape-memory polymer sheets with programmable actuation capacity were created. The proportion of MSCs expressing SARS-CoV-2-associated TLRs was increased upon stimulation. The TLR4/7 colocalization was promoted and retained in the endoplasmic reticula. The TLR redistribution was driven by myosin-mediated F-actin assembly. These results highlight the potential of boosting the immunity for combating COVID-19 via thermomechanical preconditioning of MSCs.
"Water-in-salt" (WIS) electrolytes have emerged as an excellent superconcentrated ionic medium for high-power energy storage systems such as supercapacitors due to their extended working potential compared to the conventional dilute aqueous electrolyte. In this work, we have investigated the performance of WIS supercapacitors using hollow carbon nanoplates as electrodes and compared it to that based on the conventional "salt-in-water" electrolytes. Moreover, the potentiostatic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy has been employed to provide an insightful look into the charge transport properties, which also, for the first time, reveals the formation of a solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI and their temperature-dependent impedance for charge transfer and adsorption. Furthermore, the effect of temperature on the electrochemical performance of the WIS supercapacitors in the temperature range from 15 to 60 degrees C has been studied, which presents a gravimetric capacitance of 128 F g(-1) and a volumetric capacitance of 197.12 F cm(-3) at 55 degrees C compared to 87.5 F g(-1) and 134.75 F cm(-3) at 15 degrees C. The in-depth understanding about the formation of SEI layer and the electrochemical performance at different temperatures for WIS supercapacitors will assist the efforts toward designing better aqueous electrolytes for supercapacitors.
Full-length transcriptome
(2021)
Fish is considered as a supreme model for clarifying the evolution and regulatory mechanism of vertebrate immunity. However, the knowledge of distinct immune cell populations in fish is still limited, and further development of techniques advancing the identification of fish immune cell populations and their functions are required. Single cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) has provided a new approach for effective in-depth identification and characterization of cell subpopulations. Current approaches for scRNA-seq data analysis usually rely on comparison with a reference genome and hence are not suited for samples without any reference genome, which is currently very common in fish research. Here, we present an alternative, i.e. scRNA-seq data analysis with a full-length transcriptome as a reference, and evaluate this approach on samples from Epinephelus coioides-a teleost without any published genome. We show that it reconstructs well most of the present transcripts in the scRNA-seq data achieving a sensitivity equivalent to approaches relying on genome alignments of related species. Based on cell heterogeneity and known markers, we characterized four cell types: T cells, B cells, monocytes/macrophages (Mo/M phi) and NCC (non-specific cytotoxic cells). Further analysis indicated the presence of two subsets of Mo/M phi including M1 and M2 type, as well as four subsets in B cells, i.e. mature B cells, immature B cells, pre B cells and early-pre B cells. Our research will provide new clues for understanding biological characteristics, development and function of immune cell populations of teleost. Furthermore, our approach provides a reliable alternative for scRNA-seq data analysis in teleost for which no reference genome is currently available.
Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are highly sensitive to extrinsic physical and biochemical signals from their extracellular microenvironments. In this study, we analyzed the effect of cyclic temperature changes on hiPSCs behaviors, especially by means of scanning force microscopy (BIO-AFM). The alternation in cellular mechanics, as well as the secretion and pattern of deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) protein in hiPSCs were evaluated. The arrangement of the actin cytoskeleton changed with the variation of the temperature. The rearranged cytoskeleton architecture led to the subsequent changes in cell mechanics (Young's modulus of hiPSCs). With the exposure to the cyclic cold stimuli, an increase in the average surface roughness (Ra) and roughness mean square (RMS) was detected. This observation might be at least in part due to the upregulated secretion of Laminin alpha 5 during repeated temporary cooling. The expression of pluripotent markers, NANOG and SOX2, was not impaired in hiPSCs, when exposed to the cyclic cold stimuli for 24 h. Our findings provide an insight into the effect of temperature on the hiPSC behaviors, which may contribute to a better understanding of the application of locally controlled therapeutic hypothermia.