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Surface-level ozone (O3) is a secondary air pollutant that has adverse effects on human health. In the troposphere, O3 is produced in complex cycles of photochemical reactions involving nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Determining if O3 levels will be decreased by lowering NOx emissions (“NOx-sensitive”), VOC emissions (“VOC-sensitive”), or both (“the transition zone”) can be done by using the formaldehyde (HCHO; a VOC species) to nitrogen dioxide (NO2; a component of NOx) concentration ratio (HCHO/NO2; “FNR”). Generally, lower FNR values indicate VOC sensitivity, while higher values indicate NOx sensitivity. Despite being a highly populated region with coastal O3 air quality issues, the Lake Michigan region in the United States, including the Chicago, Illinois, metropolitan area (CMA), remains relatively understudied, especially from the satellite perspective. In this work, we present the first study that utilizes TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) satellite data over the Lake Michigan region from 2019–2021 to assess changes in O3 precursor levels and the inferred O3 chemistry sensitivity between (1) O3 season days and CMA O3 exceedance days and (2) weekdays and weekends. Higher NO2 vertical column densities (VCDs), HCHO VCDs, and FNR values are seen throughout the study domain on exceedance days, indicating generally more NOx-sensitive O3 chemistry. The largest change occurs in the areal extent of the transition zone, which decreases by 40 % during exceedance days. Major urban cores in the domain (e.g., Chicago, Illinois; Gary, Indiana; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin) remain VOC-sensitive on exceedance days as the higher NO2 VCDs in these areas counterbalance the regionally higher HCHO VCDs. Utilizing 10 m wind analysis data, we show that the lake breeze circulation is stronger on exceedance days. The strengthening of the lake breeze causes stronger convergence of the wind field along the southwestern Lake Michigan coastline, which can concentrate NO2 emissions originating in this area. This finding provides a possible explanation for the higher TROPOMI NO2 VCDs over the urban core of Chicago on exceedance days. Investigation of 2 m air temperature analysis data reveals that temperatures are higher on exceedance days, which explains the stronger lake breeze circulation and provides a possible cause for the higher TROPOMI HCHO VCDs over the entire region (due to increased temperature-dependent biogenic VOC emissions). Comparing weekdays and weekends, higher FNR values throughout much of the region indicate increasingly NOx-sensitive O3 chemistry on weekends. These changes are driven by lower NO2 VCDs in urban areas, particularly in Chicago, and higher HCHO VCDs in the southern part of the domain on weekends. Overall, our analyses suggest that VOC emissions controls in major urban areas and NOx emissions controls throughout the entire domain are necessary to decrease O3 levels in the Lake Michigan region.

Surface-level ozone (O3) is a secondary air pollutant that has adverse effects on human health. In the troposphere, O3 is produced in complex cycles of photochemical reactions involving nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Determining if O3 levels will be decreased by lowering NOx emissions (“NOx-sensitive”), VOC emissions (“VOC-sensitive”), or both (“the transition zone”) can be done by using the formaldehyde (HCHO; a VOC species) to nitrogen dioxide (NO2; a component of NOx) concentration ratio (HCHO/NO2; “FNR”). Generally, lower FNR values indicate VOC sensitivity, while higher values indicate NOx sensitivity. Despite being a highly populated region with coastal O3 air quality issues, the Lake Michigan region in the United States, including the Chicago, Illinois, metropolitan area (CMA), remains relatively understudied, especially from the satellite perspective. In this work, we present the first study that utilizes TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) satellite data over the Lake Michigan region from 2019–2021 to assess changes in O3 precursor levels and the inferred O3 chemistry sensitivity between (1) O3 season days and CMA O3 exceedance days and (2) weekdays and weekends. Higher NO2 vertical column densities (VCDs), HCHO VCDs, and FNR values are seen throughout the study domain on exceedance days, indicating generally more NOx-sensitive O3 chemistry. The largest change occurs in the areal extent of the transition zone, which decreases by 40 % during exceedance days. Major urban cores in the domain (e.g., Chicago, Illinois; Gary, Indiana; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin) remain VOC-sensitive on exceedance days as the higher NO2 VCDs in these areas counterbalance the regionally higher HCHO VCDs. Utilizing 10 m wind analysis data, we show that the lake breeze circulation is stronger on exceedance days. The strengthening of the lake breeze causes stronger convergence of the wind field along the southwestern Lake Michigan coastline, which can concentrate NO2 emissions originating in this area. This finding provides a possible explanation for the higher TROPOMI NO2 VCDs over the urban core of Chicago on exceedance days. Investigation of 2 m air temperature analysis data reveals that temperatures are higher on exceedance days, which explains the stronger lake breeze circulation and provides a possible cause for the higher TROPOMI HCHO VCDs over the entire region (due to increased temperature-dependent biogenic VOC emissions). Comparing weekdays and weekends, higher FNR values throughout much of the region indicate increasingly NOx-sensitive O3 chemistry on weekends. These changes are driven by lower NO2 VCDs in urban areas, particularly in Chicago, and higher HCHO VCDs in the southern part of the domain on weekends. Overall, our analyses suggest that VOC emissions controls in major urban areas and NOx emissions controls throughout the entire domain are necessary to decrease O3 levels in the Lake Michigan region.

We evaluate two high-resolution Lake Michigan air quality simulations during the 2017 Lake Michigan Ozone Study campaign. These air quality simulations employ identical chemical configurations but use different input meteorology. The “EPA” configuration follows EPA recommended modeling practices, whereas the "YNT SSNG” employs different parameterization schemes and satellite-based inputs of sea surface temperatures, green vegetative fraction, and soil moisture and temperature. Overall, we find similar performance in model simulations of hourly and daily 8-hour maximum (MDA8) ozone, with the EPA and YNT_SSNG simulations showing biases of −13.31 and −13.54 ppbv, respectively during periods when the observed MDA8 was greater than 70 ppbv. However, for the two monitoring sites that observed high ozone events, the EPA simulation better matched observations at Sheboygan KA and the YNT_SSNG simulation better matched observations at Chiwaukee Prairie. We find differences between the two simulations are largest for column amounts of ozone precursors, particularly NO2. Across three high ozone events, the YNT_SSNG simulation has a lower column NO2 bias (0.17 × 1015 molecules/cm2) compared to the EPA simulation (0.35 × 1015 molecules/cm2). The YNT_SSNG simulation also has an advantage in better capturing the structure of the boundary layer and lake breeze during the June 2 high ozone event, although the timing of the lake breeze is about 3 hours too early. Our results are useful in informing an air quality modeling framework for the Lake Michigan area.

A record high evaporation rate of 98.7 kg m−2 h−1 with high energy conversion efficiency (81.1%) was achieved by applying electrical power to an artificial porous black body, enabling the successful creation of practical applications.

Multiple neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s disease-associated dementia (ADAD), are linked with dopaminergic (DA) neuron death and a resulting reduction in dopamine levels in the brain. DA neuron degeneration and the risk of developing PD is connected to genetic mutations affiliated with lysosomal function and protein degradation. Accessible human cellular models for PD-relevant genetic mutations are needed to investigate mechanisms of DA cell death and define points of therapeutic intervention. Human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived midbrain DA neurons offer a developmentally and physiologically relevantin vitromodel for investigating PD pathogenic mechanisms across genetic backgrounds. In this study, we generated DA neurons using iPSCs from two clinically diagnosed PD patients, one harboring an inheritedGBAN370Smutation and the other a mutation inLRRK2G2019Sand compared pathophysiology against DA neurons from genetically engineeredSNCAA53TiPSCs and its isogenic apparently healthy normal (AHN) iPSCs. Our results present a novel phenotype forGBAN370SandLRRK2G2019Sderived DA neurons, showing that they produced and released significantly more dopamine compared to the AHN andSNCAA53Tmutant DA neurons. All mutant DA neurons developed deficient glucocerebrosidase (GCase) activity, increased mitochondrial stress, aberrant neuronal activity patterns, and increased α-synuclein accumulation. Together these data suggest potentially divergent origins of PD pathogenesis inGBAN370SandLRRK2G2019SDA neurons. In addition, compound screening confirmed that GCase modulators can rescue enzyme activity and impact neural activity across all DA mutant neurons, to varying degrees. These data demonstrate uniquein vitrophenotypes associated with PD and suggest a diversity of underlying mechanisms across different genetic backgrounds. Together, the cell lines used in this study present a valuable tool for new therapeutic discovery.

Recursive splicing is a noncanonical splicing mechanism in which an intron is removed in segments via multiple splicing reactions. Relatively few recursive splice sites have been identified with high confidence in human introns, and more comprehensive analyses are needed to better characterize where recursive splicing happens and whether or not it has a regulatory function. In this study, we use an unbiased approach utilizing intron lariats to search for recursive splice sites in constitutive introns and alternative exons in the human transcriptome. We find evidence for recursive splicing in a broader range of intron sizes than previously reported and detail a new location for recursive splicing at the distal ends of cassette exons. Additionally, we identify evidence for the conservation of these recursive splice sites among higher vertebrates and the use of these sites to influence alternative exon exclusion. Together, our data demonstrate the prevalence of recursive splicing and its potential influence on gene expression through alternatively spliced isoforms.

Carbon-nitrogen bonds are prevalent in a wide range of natural products and biologically active molecules. The availability of efficient methods for the construction of these bonds and means of controlling their regio- and stereochemistry is therefore of great interest to the synthetic community. The nitroso hetero Diels-Alder reactions offers a way to simultaneously generate carbon-nitrogen and carbon-oxygen bonds with high regio- and stereoselectivity. However, there is little experimental evidence to support computational models for the prediction of regioselectivity in the reaction of 2-substituted dienes with nitrosocarbonyl compounds.A study of the reactivity of 2-substituted 1,3-butadienes with nitrosocarbonyl compounds in the 4+2 cycloaddition has been carried out showing that the regioselectivity involves a delicate balance of steric and electronic effects. 2-Aryl 1,3-butadienes favor the distal isomer with the magnitude of preference ranging from 4:1 to 15:1 depending on the electronic nature of the aryl substituent and the nitrosocarbonyl group. However, sterics can override the observed electronic preference and form the proximal isomer preferentially. The results obtained, together with previous theoretical calculations and experimental data, provide further data to aid in synthetic planning.Small molecule and polymeric adhesives offer a wide range of potential applications, especially in the biomedical field. In this and other application areas, the hydration layers that form at surfaces in saline solutions severely limit the ability of adhesives to form strong surface interactions that lead to adhesion. However, marine mussels regularly adhere to surfaces in wet saline conditions with a suite of specialized mussel foot proteins (mfps). These proteins rely on the intramolecular catechol-cation synergy of amino acid residues to evict the hydration layer and bond to the underlying surface. A recent theory speculates that the molecular mechanics of detachment also contribute to the synergy enhanced adhesion.This work focuses on the use of small molecule siderophore-based mfp-mimics to further probe the observed intramolecular catechol-cation synergy. Systematically varying the spacing between the catechol and cation groups in the adhesive molecules reveals that the synergy between catechol and lysine remains effective in promoting adhesion even when the moieties are separated by one or two glycine amino acids. The results also provide evidence that the detachment sequence of catechol and lysine in mussel-inspired adhesives do not contribute significantly to the observed synergy between these moieties. This research clarifies the understanding of mussel adhesion and provides information that will inform the design of synthetic mussel-inspired adhesives.Laboratory activities have the potential for a large impact on student learning and the development of skills vital to becoming a competent scientist. Traditional or expository teaching laboratories have received their fair share of criticism for not meeting this potential fully. There is a growing call for the departure from traditional laboratory activities and the adoption of more inquiry based instruction. In this work, a course is described where students are engaged in an inquiry-based quarter-long research project to synthesize a known pharmaceutical target. Students use literature search engines, such as Reaxys and SciFinder, and the primary chemical literature as resources to plan and perform the synthesis of their pharmaceutical target. This course provides students with a simulated research experience in which they develop critical thinking, problem solving, and data analysis skills, along with a greater appreciation of the processes of science.

A new nanoscale architecture of Fe3O4-carbon hybrid materials was developed by a vacuum incipient wetness procedure. The amount of Fe3O4 nanoparticles were controllably confined inside the cavity of the bowl-shaped hollow porous carbon nanocapsules (CNB). TEM images and TG curves proved that different loading of Fe3O4 small nanoparticles (NPs) with a diameter less than 50 nm were stored in CNB. Benefiting from the synergistic effect of the appropriate amount of uniformly dispersed Fe3O4 NPs and bowl-shaped carbon nano-capsules with high specific surface area, high conductivity and high amount of Nitrogen (N) and oxygen (O) elemental doping of Fe3O4@CNB, the new architecture provides good reversibility for the transport of electrolyte ions. When tested in supercapacitor devices, Fe3O4@CNB-2 (containing 40.3 wt% Fe3O4) exhibited the highest gravimetric (466 F g−1) and volumetric capacitance (624 F cm−3). The supercapacitors based on these materials also showed excellent cycling stability (92.4% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles). This class of Fe3O4-carbon hybrid materials has excellent electrochemical properties, and its synthesis strategy can be extended to construct other hybrid materials for various applications, such as biomedicine, catalysis, energy harvest, energy storage and so on.

Unique self-assembled iron(II) molybdenum (IV) oxide (Fe2Mo3O8) mesoporous hollow spheres have been facilely constructed via the bubble-template-assisted hydrothermal synthesis method combined with simple calcination. The compact assembly of small nanoparticles on the surface of the hollow spheres not only provides more active sites for the Fe2Mo3O8, but also benefits the stability of the hollow structure, and thus improved the lithium storage properties of Fe2Mo3O8. The Fe2Mo3O8 mesoporous hollow spheres exhibit high initial discharge and charge capacities of 1189 and 997 mA·h·g−1 respectively, as well as good long-term cycling stability (866 mA · h · g−1 over 70 cycles) when used as a lithium-ion battery anode. This feasible material synthesis strategy will inspire the variation of structural design in other ternary metal molybdates.

Climate change is expected to shift the home range of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) northward, thereby encroaching onto the southern range of present-day balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) forests. Such a shift from coniferous to deciduous forest stands will affect several edaphic properties and potentially modify soil organic carbon (SOC) storage and stability. For example, the more labile deciduous litter should decompose faster than coniferous litter, potentially resulting in lower SOC storage in forest floors. On the other hand, labile deciduous litter may result in a greater microbial turnover of SOC, leading to more stable SOC in mineral-associated organic matter (C-MAOM) in the subsoil. To test these hypotheses, we surveyed 30 mature forest stands in three regions along the sugar maple–balsam fir ecotone in southern Quebec, Canada. We dug three soil pits in each stand and measured SOC stocks in the organic forest floor as well as across five depth increments (0-5, 5-10, 10-20, 20-30 and 30-40 cm) in the mineral soil. We incubated mineral soil samples from each depth for 51 weeks and monitored CO2 emissions rates, from which we quantified the bioreactive SOC pool. We derived two indices of microbial turnover of SOC at different soil depths based on δ13C signatures. Finally, we used a wet sieving procedure to assess the proportion of C-MAOM at each soil depth. Results revealed that SOC stocks were 27% greater in balsam fir than in sugar maple forests. Most of this difference was attributable to the thicker forest floors under balsam fir, in accordance with slower litter decomposition rates. CO2 emission rates in the first 10 weeks of incubation were higher in soil samples collected under sugar maple; thereafter, CO2 emission rates were higher in soil samples collected under balsam fir. As a result, the bioreactive SOC pool over the course of 51 weeks did not differ significantly between stand types. We found significant region × stand type interactions on both indices of microbial turnover as well as on the proportion of C-MAOM in the mineral soil. More specifically, only in one region was microbial turnover higher under sugar maple than under balsam fir. Likewise, the effect of stand type on the proportion of C-MAOM was significant in only one region, and this effect was contrary to expectations (i.e. balsam fir > sugar maple). We ascribe this unexpected result to the presence of earthworms, which we only found in sugar maple stands in this region. Although we did not find generalizable effects of stand type on SOC turnover and stability, we did find significant generalizable patterns of decreasing SOC bioreactivity, increasing microbial turnover and increasing C-MAOM with increasing soil depth. Taken collectively, our results suggest that a northward shift of sugar maple will cause a net release of CO2 to the atmosphere and potentially create a positive feedback on global warming.

Moss-associated cyanobacteria nitrogen (N2-) fixation can support moss growth and constitutes a major source of new N in boreal forest ecosystems. Moss-colonizing cyanobacterial biomass and their N2-fixation are usually considered linearly correlated. However, recent evidence showed that cyanobacterial biomass and N2-fixation can be disconnected, hinting that they might be affected by the different environmental and ecological drivers. These drivers are often studied using manipulative experiments (e.g. fertilization, incubation) and remain to be validated with complementary work in observational studies. Cyanobacteria are considered the major actors of N fixation. However, the nature and diversity of active microbial communities associated with feather mosses are still unclear and the effects of the environment on these community are vague.Using random forest, spearman correlations and linear mixed-effects models, we studied the main drivers of cyanobacterial biomass and N2-fixation of two dominant feather moss species collected over three years on a 1000-km latitudinal transect in the eastern Canadian boreal forest. Using RNA-based amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA and nifH genes we explored the active bacterial communities along this transect and along the moss shoot.We report that temperature, precipitation, and phosphorus were the main drivers of moss cyanobacterial biomass and that temperature, molybdenum and vanadium were the main drivers of N2-fixation. Cyanobacteria accounted for 33% of global bacterial communities and 65% of diazotrophic communities, respectively. Several cyanobacterial and proteobacterial methanotrophic genera, including poorly known taxa found for the first time on boreal feather mosses, were actively contributing to N2-fixation. We showed that bacteria were heterogeneously distributed along the moss shoot, with phototrophs being dominant in the apical part and methanotrophs being dominant in the basal part. Finally data showed that climate (temperature, precipitation), environmental variables (moss species, month, tree density) and nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, molybdenum, vanadium, iron) strongly shape the global and diazotrophic bacterial communities and create ecological niches on the moss shoot.This work provides new insights into the feather moss microbiome and its ecological and biogeochemical functions. Our data provides evidence that the feather moss microbiome plays crucial roles in supporting moss growth, health, and decomposition, as well as in the boreal forest carbon and nitrogen cycles. Finally, this study highlights the strong effects of climate and nutrients in shaping feather moss microbiome and its activity (i.e., N2 fixation). This work will help better predict the impacts of global change on this symbiosis and on nitrogen input in boreal forest ecosystems.

Earthworms are newcomers to South-Eastern Canada, as they were unable to survive the last glaciation period that ended about 11,000 years ago. Since their introduction by Europeans over recent centuries, these exotic earthworm species have substantially affected pedological processes and soil functions. For example, a recent study in the province of Quebec found that earthworms invading native sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) forests could potentially increase soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions by increasing denitrification rates. However, the underlying microbial mechanisms driving the production of this greenhouse gas via denitrification remain unclear. This led us to conduct field and laboratory studies in order to explore whether earthworms preferentially promote bacterial and/or fungal denitrification pathways. We measured earthworm abundance and collected surface mineral soil samples from 38 sugar maple forests, half of which were earthworm-free. In each soil sample, we measured fungal, bacterial and total microbial biomass by substrate-induced respiration, we measured fungal, bacterial and total denitrification by acetylene inhibition, and we quantified the abundance bacterial (nirK, nirS and nosZ) and fungal (P450nor) denitrifying genes by qPCR. Earthworm abundance correlated positively with bacterial as well as fungal biomass, but did not affect the bacterial-to-fungal biomass ratio. Accordingly, bacterial-mediated and fungal-mediated denitrification rates both increased with the abundance of earthworms. However, earthworm abundance correlated positively with the specific bacterial denitrification rate (SBDR = (bacterial-mediated denitrification rate) ÷ (bacterial biomass)), but not with the specific fungal denitrification rate (SFDR = (fungal-mediated denitrification rate) ÷ (fungal biomass)). Moreover, qPCR analyses showed a positive correlation between earthworm abundance and the proportion of all bacterial denitrifying genes in the microbial population, but no such effect on fungal denitrifying genes. Taken collectively, our results suggest that earthworms may increase N2O emissions in sugar maple forest soils by preferentially promoting the bacterial-mediated denitrification pathway.

BackgroundMutations in the SF3B1 splicing factor are commonly seen in Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), yet the specific oncogenic pathways activated by missplicing have not been fully elucidated. Inflammatory immune pathways have been shown to play roles in pathogenesis of MDS, though the exact mechanisms of their activation in splicing mutant cases are not well understood.MethodsRNA-seq data from SF3B1 mutant samples was analyzed and functional roles of IRAK4 isoforms were determined. Efficacy of IRAK4 inhibition was evaluated in pre-clinical models of MDS/AMLResultsRNA-seq splicing analysis of innate immune mediators in SF3B1 mutant MDS samples revealed retention of full-length exon 6 of interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 4 (IRAK4), a critical downstream mediator that links the Myddosome to inflammatory NF-kB activation. Exon 6 retention leads to a longer isoform, encoding a protein (IRAK4-Long) that contains the entire death domain and kinase domain, leading to maximal activation of NF-kB. Cells with wild-type SF3B1 contain smaller IRAK4 isoforms that are targeted for proteosomal degradation. Expression of IRAK4-Long in SF3B1 mutant cells induces TRAF6 activation leading to K63-linked ubiquitination of CDK2, associated with a block in hematopoietic differentiation. Inhibition of IRAK4 with CA-4948, leads to reduction in NF-kB activation, inflammatory cytokine production, enhanced myeloid differentiation in vitro and reduced leukemic growth in xenograft models.ConclusionsSF3B1 mutation leads to expression of a therapeutically targetable, longer, oncogenic IRAK4 isoform in AML/MDS models.

The role of religious coping (RC) in psychosocial outcomes and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adults with cystic fibrosis has not been addressed. Multivariate regressions evaluated the effects of baseline RC on depressive and anxiety symptoms and HRQoL at 3-month follow-up in 123 adult cystic fibrosis patients. Higher positive RC attenuated the effects of perceived stress on greater depressive and anxiety symptoms. Negative RC predicted less vitality and social HRQoL, as well as more digestion symptoms. Positive RC may buffer the impact of stress on patients’ psychological distress, whereas negative RC may contribute to lower health-related quality of life.

Simultaneously achieving high gravimetric capacitance and volumetric capacitance remains as a major challenge in the development of supercapacitor electrode materials. A class of hollow carbon nano bowls (HCNBs) with a unique semi-concave geometry has been synthesized by a facile template method. The HCNBs can serve as a nanoreactor for the in-situ space-confined growth of ultra-small size, few layer two-dimensional (2D) molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanosheets. When used as the electrode materials for supercapacitors, the MoS2 nanosheets inside HCNBs named MoS2@HCNBs demonstrated outstanding gravimetric capacitance (560 F g−1 at 0.2 A g−1) and volumetric capacitance (874 F cm−3) at the same time. The cycling performance of MoS2@HCNBs (94.4% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles) is also much higher than HCNB@MoS2 in which the surfaces of HCNBs were covered by the 2D MoS2 nanosheets. Several factors have been leading to the boosted performances and the mechanisms have been analyzed. The HCNBs with high surface area, developed porosity and ultrathin carbon shells promote the rapid electrolyte penetration and provide a conductive pathway for excellent ion and electron transport. The ultra-small few layer MoS2 nanosheets inside the HCNBs help to induce extra electrochemical double-layer capacitance as well as higher pseudocapacitance. More importantly, the semi-concave HCNBs can protect the structural stability of MoS2 nanosheets and contribute an enhanced packing density to further improve the volumetric capacitance of the hybrid MoS2@HCNBs.

A facile and general method for the controllable synthesis of N-doped hollow mesoporous carbon nanocapsules (NHCNCs) with four different geometries has been developed. The spheres (NHCNC-1), low-concaves (NHCNC-2), semi-concaves (NHCNC-3) and wrinkles (NHCNC-4) shaped samples were prepared and systematically investigated to understand the structural effects of hollow particles on their supercapacitor performances. Compared with the other three different shaped samples (NHCNC-1, NHCNC-2, and NHCNC-4), the as-synthesized semi-concave structured NHCNC-3 demonstrated excellent performance with high gravimetric capacitance of 326 F g−1 (419 F cm−3) and ultra-stable cycling stability (96.6% after 5000 cycles). The outstanding performances achieved are attributed to the unique semi-concave structure, high specific surface area (1400 m2 g−1), hierarchical porosity, high packing density (1.41 g cm−3) and high nitrogen (N) content (up to 3.73%) of the new materials. These carbon nanocapsules with tailorable structures and properties enable them as outstanding carriers and platforms for various emerging applications, such as nanoscale chemical reactors, catalysis, batteries, solar energy harvest, gas storage and so on. In addition, these novel carbons have negligible cytotoxicity and high biocompatibility for human cells, promising a wide range of bio applications, such as biomaterials, drug delivery, biomedicine, biotherapy and bioelectronic devices. Economic Development Board (EDB) Ministry of Education (MOE) Nanyang Technological University National Research Foundation (NRF) Published version This work is supported by the Innovate UK (Grant 104013), the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (STCSM) (Grant 17230732700), MOE Tier 2 Grants (MOE2017-T2-2-002, MOE2018-T2-1-045), NRF (M4197007.640), EDB (M4062065.A91), Lean Launch Pad International Market Validation Grant and the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, NTU, Singapore. This work is also supported by the institutional strategic grant - Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) that City, University of London receives from Research England, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the Natural Science Foundation from Shenzhen University (2019136, 2018011), Guangdong Medical Science and Technology Research grant (A2019359) and the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong (2019A1515012163).

A reporter system for quantitative measurements of NMD-sensitive mRNA and protein levels in mammalian cells shows that NMD suppresses protein levels to a greater degree than RNA levels., Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is an essential, highly conserved quality control pathway that detects and degrades mRNAs containing premature termination codons. Although the essentiality of NMD is frequently ascribed to its prevention of truncated protein accumulation, the extent to which NMD actually suppresses proteins encoded by NMD-sensitive transcripts is less well-understood than NMD-mediated suppression of mRNA. Here, we describe a reporter system that permits accurate quantification of both mRNA and protein levels via stable integration of paired reporters encoding NMD-sensitive and NMD-insensitive transcripts into the AAVS1 safe harbor loci in human cells. We use this system to demonstrate that NMD suppresses proteins encoded by NMD-sensitive transcripts by up to eightfold more than the mRNA itself. Our data indicate that NMD limits the accumulation of proteins encoded by NMD substrates by mechanisms beyond mRNA degradation, such that even when NMD-sensitive mRNAs escape destruction, their encoded proteins are still effectively suppressed.

Solar powered steam generation is an emerging area in the field of energy harvest and sustainable technologies. The nano-structured photothermal materials are able to harvest energy from the full solar spectrum and convert it to heat with high efficiency. Moreover, the materials and structures for heat management as well as the mass transportation are also brought to the forefront. Several groups have reported their materials and structures as solutions for high performance devices, a few creatively coupled other physical fields with solar energy to achieve even better results. This paper provides a systematic review on the recent developments in photothermal nanomaterial discovery, material selection, structural design and mass/heat management, as well as their applications in seawater desalination and fresh water production from waste water with free solar energy. It also discusses current technical challenges and likely future developments. This article will help to stimulate novel ideas and new designs for the photothermal materials, towards efficient, low cost practical solar-driven clean water production.