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RSC Advances Jun 2024Modulating the electronic states of electrocatalysts is critical for achieving efficient hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, how to develop electrocatalysts with...
Modulating the electronic states of electrocatalysts is critical for achieving efficient hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, how to develop electrocatalysts with superior electronic states is an urgent challenge that must be addressed. Herein, we prepared the CoP/MoS heterojunction with a microsphere morphology consisting of thin nanosheets using a facile two-step method. The catalyst's ultrathin nanosheet structure not only provides an extensive surface area for exposing active sites, but it also enables ion transport and bubble release. Electron transfer occurs between CoP and MoS, optimizing the heterojunction's charge distribution and enhancing the intermediates' adsorption capabilities. As a result, the CoP/MoS heterojunction exhibits outstanding electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity with an overpotential of only 88 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm, which exceeds both the sulfide heterojunction CoS/MoS and the phosphide heterojunction CoP/CoMoP. The experimental results and DFT calculation results show that the former has stronger synergistic effects and higher HER activity. This work sheds light on the exploration of efficient heterojunction electrocatalysts with excellent electronic structures.
PubMed: 38887637
DOI: 10.1039/d4ra02712d -
Scientific Reports Jun 2024A method has been developed to increase computational efficiency in Monte Carlo simulations of electron transport and interactions in matter. The method serves as the...
A method has been developed to increase computational efficiency in Monte Carlo simulations of electron transport and interactions in matter. The method serves as the computational engine for the open-source code AMCSET (Aggie Monte Carlo Simulations of Electron and Ion Transport). The key is to combine n consecutive neighboring free flying distances into groups. Within each group, both flying distance and Mott scattering angles are obtained using Monte Carlo sampling under an equal energy approximation. This reduces the number of integrations of the tabulated differential Mott scattering cross-section in scattering angle selection, i.e., from 1000 to 1 if n = 1000. The method increases efficiency by more than 100 times. At the same time, the calculation still guarantees accuracy in calculating electron trajectory, excitation/ionization energy deposition, elastic scattering energy deposition, and displacement creation. For demonstration, 10 MeV electron bombardments of pure Fe with n up to 1000 are used as examples. The method, due to the availability of tabulated scattering cross-sections, is applicable for targets of the entire elemental table up to Z = 118, and for electron energies up to 900 MeV.
PubMed: 38886449
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64024-5 -
The American Journal of Case Reports Jun 2024BACKGROUND Bartter syndrome is a rare, inherited salt-wasting tubulopathy caused by mutations in 1 of 6 genes that express ion transport channels in the thick ascending...
BACKGROUND Bartter syndrome is a rare, inherited salt-wasting tubulopathy caused by mutations in 1 of 6 genes that express ion transport channels in the thick ascending limb of nephrons. Excessive prostaglandin E2 and associated hyperreninemic hyperaldosteronism occurs, causing polyhydramnios, polyuria, prematurity, failure to thrive, and characteristic physical features. Hypokalemia, hypochloremic metabolic alkalosis, and, depending on the affected gene, hypercalciuria and nephrocalcinosis are hallmarks of Bartter syndrome. CASE REPORT A 9-month-old male infant, born prematurely due to polyhydramnios, presented in the Emergency Department with dehydration due to incoercible vomiting and significant polyuria. A 6-year-old male infant with a previous history of prematurity due to polyhydramnios was referred to the Pediatric Endocrinology Department due to short stature and notable polydipsia and polyuria. Considering these marked symptoms, both cases triggered suspicion and started workup for arginine-vasopressin insufficiency/resistance. However, during the investigations, a broader clinical revision revealed that both had dysmorphic physical features (triangularly shaped face, prominent forehead, protruding ears, drooping mouth), poor growth, impaired weight gain, and typical biochemical findings (hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis, hypercalciuria, secondary hyperaldosteronism) of Bartter syndrome. Genetic testing confirmed the diagnosis of Bartter syndrome types 1 and type 2, respectively, and this diagnosis allowed proper treatment and significant clinical improvements, personalized follow-up, and genetic counseling for parents desiring further healthy pregnancies. CONCLUSIONS Here, we present clinical and follow-up findings of 2 patients with Bartter syndrome types 1 and 2 discovered upon a broader clinical revision of suspected arginine-vasopressin insufficiency/resistance. We also review pertinent data on diagnosis and management of this challenging syndrome.
Topics: Humans; Bartter Syndrome; Male; Infant; Child; Arginine Vasopressin
PubMed: 38885190
DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.942872 -
Nano-micro Letters Jun 2024Solar-powered interfacial evaporation is an energy-efficient solution for water scarcity. It requires solar absorbers to facilitate upward water transport and limit the...
Solar-powered interfacial evaporation is an energy-efficient solution for water scarcity. It requires solar absorbers to facilitate upward water transport and limit the heat to the surface for efficient evaporation. Furthermore, downward salt ion transport is also desired to prevent salt accumulation. However, achieving simultaneously fast water uptake, downward salt transport, and heat localization is challenging due to highly coupled water, mass, and thermal transport. Here, we develop a structurally graded aerogel inspired by tree transport systems to collectively optimize water, salt, and thermal transport. The arched aerogel features root-like, fan-shaped microchannels for rapid water uptake and downward salt diffusion, and horizontally aligned pores near the surface for heat localization through maximizing solar absorption and minimizing conductive heat loss. These structural characteristics gave rise to consistent evaporation rates of 2.09 kg m h under one-sun illumination in a 3.5 wt% NaCl solution for 7 days without degradation. Even in a high-salinity solution of 20 wt% NaCl, the evaporation rates maintained stable at 1.94 kg m h for 8 h without salt crystal formation. This work offers a novel microstructural design to address the complex interplay of water, salt, and thermal transport.
PubMed: 38884917
DOI: 10.1007/s40820-024-01448-8 -
Nano-micro Letters Jun 2024Doped two-dimensional (2D) materials hold significant promise for advancing many technologies, such as microelectronics, optoelectronics, and energy storage. Herein,...
Doped two-dimensional (2D) materials hold significant promise for advancing many technologies, such as microelectronics, optoelectronics, and energy storage. Herein, n-type 2D oxidized Si nanosheets, namely n-type siloxene (n-SX), are employed as Li-ion battery anodes. Via thermal evaporation of sodium hypophosphite at 275 °C, P atoms are effectively incorporated into siloxene (SX) without compromising its 2D layered morphology and unique Kautsky-type crystal structure. Further, selective nucleophilic substitution occurs, with only Si atoms being replaced by P atoms in the O≡Si-H tetrahedra. The resulting n-SX possesses two delocalized electrons arising from the presence of two electron donor types: (i) P atoms residing in Si sites and (ii) H vacancies. The doping concentrations are varied by controlling the amount of precursors or their mean free paths. Even at 2000 mA g, the n-SX electrode with the optimized doping concentration (6.7 × 10 atoms cm) delivers a capacity of 594 mAh g with a 73% capacity retention after 500 cycles. These improvements originate from the enhanced kinetics of charge transport processes, including electronic conduction, charge transfer, and solid-state diffusion. The approach proposed herein offers an unprecedented route for engineering SX anodes to boost Li-ion storage.
PubMed: 38884690
DOI: 10.1007/s40820-024-01428-y -
ACS Omega Jun 2024Engineered artificial minerals (EnAMs) are the core of a new concept of designing scavenger compounds for the recovery of critical elements from slags. It requires a...
Engineered artificial minerals (EnAMs) are the core of a new concept of designing scavenger compounds for the recovery of critical elements from slags. It requires a fundamental understanding of solidification from complex oxide melts. Ion diffusivity and viscosity play vital roles in this process. In the melt, phase separations and ion transport give rise to gradients/increments in composition and, with it, to ion diffusivity, temperature, and viscosity. Due to this complexity, solidification phenomena are yet not well understood. If the melt is understood as increments of simple composition on a microscopic level, then the properties of these are more easily accessible from models and experiments. Here, we obtain these data for three stoichiometric lithium aluminum oxides. LiAlO is a promising EnAM for the recovery of lithium from lithium-ion battery pyrometallurgical processing. It is obtained through the addition of aluminum to the recycling slag melt. The high temperature properties spanning from below to above the liquidus temperature of three stoichiometric Li-Al-Oxides: LiAlO, LiAlO, and LiAlO are determined using molecular dynamic simulations. The compounds are also synthesized via the sol-gel route. The Li ion exhibits the largest diffusivity. They are quite mobile already below the liquidus temperature, i.e., for LiAlO at = 1700 K, the diffusion coefficient of the lithium ion equals = 3.0 × 10 m s. The other ions Al and O do not move considerably at that temperature. The diffusivity of Li is largest in the lithium-rich compound LiAlO with = 32 × 10 m s at 2500 K. The lower the viscosity, the higher the lithium content. The LiAlO exhibits a viscosity of η = 2.2 mPa s at 1328 K which matches well with the experimentally determined 2.5 mPa s at this temperature. The viscosity of LiAlO at 1800 K is more than two times higher. These data sets can help to describe the melts on a microscopic level and understand how the melt properties will change due to gradients in the Li/Al concentration.
PubMed: 38882149
DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.4c00723 -
BMC Plant Biology Jun 2024Cadmium (Cd) is a nonessential element in plants and has adverse effects on the growth and development of plants. However, the molecular mechanisms of Cd phytotoxicity,...
Cadmium (Cd) is a nonessential element in plants and has adverse effects on the growth and development of plants. However, the molecular mechanisms of Cd phytotoxicity, tolerance and accumulation in hyperaccumulators Solanum nigrum L. has not been well understood. Here, physiology, transcriptome, and metabolome analyses were conducted to investigate the influence on the S. nigrum under 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 µM Cd concentrations for 7 days. Pot experiments demonstrated that compared with the control, Cd treatment significantly inhibited the biomass, promoted the Cd accumulation and translocation, and disturbed the balance of mineral nutrient metabolism in S. nigrum, particularly at 100 µM Cd level. Moreover, the photosynthetic pigments contents were severely decreased, while the content of total protein, proline, malondialdehyde (MDA), HO, and antioxidant enzyme activities generally increased first and then slightly declined with increasing Cd concentrations, in both leaves and roots. Furthermore, combined with the previous transcriptomic data, numerous crucial coding-genes related to mineral nutrients and Cd ion transport, and the antioxidant enzymes biosynthesis were identified, and their expression pattern was regulated under different Cd stress. Simultaneously, metabolomic analyses revealed that Cd treatment significantly changed the expression level of many metabolites related to amino acid, lipid, carbohydrate, and nucleotide metabolism. Metabolic pathway analysis also showed that S. nigrum roots activated some differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) involved in energy metabolism, which may enhance the energy supply for detoxification. Importantly, central common metabolism pathways of DEGs and DEMs, including the "TCA cycle", "glutathione metabolic pathway" and "glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism" were screened using conjoint transcriptomics and metabolomics analysis. Our results provide some novel evidences on the physiological and molecular mechanisms of Cd tolerance in hyperaccumulator S. nigrum plants.
Topics: Solanum nigrum; Cadmium; Transcriptome; Metabolome; Metabolomics; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Stress, Physiological; Plant Leaves; Plant Roots
PubMed: 38880885
DOI: 10.1186/s12870-024-05278-z -
Nature Communications Jun 2024One open question in the biology of growth factor receptors is how a quantitative input (i.e., ligand concentration) is decoded by the cell to produce specific...
One open question in the biology of growth factor receptors is how a quantitative input (i.e., ligand concentration) is decoded by the cell to produce specific response(s). Here, we show that an EGFR endocytic mechanism, non-clathrin endocytosis (NCE), which is activated only at high ligand concentrations and targets receptor to degradation, requires a tripartite organelle platform involving the plasma membrane (PM), endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria. At these contact sites, EGFR-dependent, ER-generated Ca oscillations are sensed by mitochondria, leading to increased metabolism and ATP production. Locally released ATP is required for cortical actin remodeling and EGFR-NCE vesicle fission. The same biochemical circuitry is also needed for an effector function of EGFR, i.e., collective motility. The multiorganelle signaling platform herein described mediates direct communication between EGFR signaling and mitochondrial metabolism, and is predicted to have a broad impact on cell physiology as it is activated by another growth factor receptor, HGFR/MET.
Topics: Mitochondria; ErbB Receptors; Endoplasmic Reticulum; Humans; Signal Transduction; Adenosine Triphosphate; Endocytosis; Animals; Cell Membrane; Calcium Signaling; Calcium
PubMed: 38879572
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49543-z -
Cellular & Molecular Biology Letters Jun 2024Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common degenerative joint disorder that causes disability in aged individuals, caused by functional and structural alterations of the...
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common degenerative joint disorder that causes disability in aged individuals, caused by functional and structural alterations of the knee joint. To investigate whether metabolic drivers might be harnessed to promote cartilage repair, a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) untargeted metabolomics approach was carried out to screen serum biomarkers in osteoarthritic rats. Based on the correlation analyses, α-ketoglutarate (α-KG) has been demonstrated to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in various diseases. These properties make α-KG a prime candidate for further investigation of OA. Experimental results indicate that α-KG significantly inhibited HO-induced cartilage cell matrix degradation and apoptosis, reduced levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA), increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH)/glutathione disulfide (GSSG) levels, and upregulated the expression of ETV4, SLC7A11 and GPX4. Further mechanistic studies observed that α-KG, like Ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1), effectively alleviated Erastin-induced apoptosis and ECM degradation. α-KG and Fer-1 upregulated ETV4, SLC7A11, and GPX4 at the mRNA and protein levels, decreased ferrous ion (Fe) accumulation, and preserved mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) in ATDC5 cells. In vivo, α-KG treatment inhibited ferroptosis in OA rats by activating the ETV4/SLC7A11/GPX4 pathway. Thus, these findings indicate that α-KG inhibits ferroptosis via the ETV4/SLC7A11/GPX4 signaling pathway, thereby alleviating OA. These observations suggest that α-KG exhibits potential therapeutic properties for the treatment and prevention of OA, thereby having potential clinical applications in the future.
Topics: Ferroptosis; Animals; Osteoarthritis; Ketoglutaric Acids; Signal Transduction; Rats; Phospholipid Hydroperoxide Glutathione Peroxidase; Amino Acid Transport System y+; Male; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ets; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Apoptosis; Reactive Oxygen Species
PubMed: 38877424
DOI: 10.1186/s11658-024-00605-6 -
Scientific Reports Jun 2024As the most promising advanced energy storage system, lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) are highly favored by the researchers because of their advantages of high energy...
As the most promising advanced energy storage system, lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) are highly favored by the researchers because of their advantages of high energy density (2500 W h kg), low cost and non-pollution. However, the low conductivity, volume expansion of sulfur, and shuttle effect are still the great hindrance to the practical application of LSBs. Herein, the above problems can be addressed through the following strategies: (1) Hollow carbon microspheres with high specific surface area were constructed as sulfur hosts to increase sulfur loading while also being able to enhance the physical adsorption of polysulfides; (2) the loading of MnO particles on the basis of hollow carbon microspheres facilitates the capture and adsorption of polysulfides; (3) the hollow carbon sphere structure as a conductive network can provide more pathways for rapid electrical/ionic transport and also accelerate electrolyte wetting. Moreover, the thinner shell of hollow carbon microsphere is conducive to ion diffusion and speed up the reaction rate. Thus, the NHCS/MnO/S composites exhibit a high discharge specific capacity of 1010.3 mAh g at first and still maintained a reversible capacity of 269.2 mAh g after 500 cycles. This work presents a facile sustainable and efficient synergistic strategy for the development of advanced LSBs.
PubMed: 38877113
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64067-8