Search

A high-performance all-solid-state PEO/NaTFSI/Na3SbS4 electrolyte for sodium batteries is realized owing to the electrostatic interaction between TFSI− in the salt and Na3SbS4, which immobilizes TFSI− anions and promotes the dissociation of NaTFSI.

Bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide-based ionic liquid (TFSI-IL) electrolyte could endow Li-O 2 batteries with low charging overpotential. However, the weak Li + transport ability (LTA) leads to non-uniform Li deposition. Herein, guided by Sand formula, the LTA of TFSI-IL electrolyte is greatly enhanced to realize robust Li deposition through introducing hydrofluoroether (HFE) and optimizing electrolyte component ratios to regulate solvation environment. The solvation environment changes from Li(TFSI) 2 - ion pair into ionic aggregate clusters in the optimal electrolyte thanks to the slicing function of HFE toward ionic aggregate network. As a result, the transport parameters of Sand formula are synchronously enhanced, resulting in highly robust Li deposition behavior with greatly improved Coulombic efficiency (~97.5%) and cycling rate (1 mA cm -2 ). Moreover, cycling stability of Li-O 2 batteries could be greatly improved (a tiny overpotential rise of 64 mV after 75 cycles). This work provides a new perspective to promote the practical application of TFSI-IL electrolyte.

Chromatin interactions play important roles in regulating gene expression. However, the availability of genome-wide chromatin interaction data is limited. We develop a computational method, chromatin interaction neural network (ChINN), to predict chromatin interactions between open chromatin regions using only DNA sequences. ChINN predicts CTCF- and RNA polymerase II-associated and Hi-C chromatin interactions. ChINN shows good across-sample performances and captures various sequence features for chromatin interaction prediction. We apply ChINN to 6 chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patient samples and a published cohort of 84 CLL open chromatin samples. Our results demonstrate extensive heterogeneity in chromatin interactions among CLL patient samples. Ministry of Education (MOE) National Research Foundation (NRF) Published version This research is supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) Singapore through an NRF Fellowship awarded to M.J.F (NRF-NRFF2012-054) and NTU start-up funds awarded to M.J.F. This research is supported by the RNA Biology Center at the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, NUS, as part of funding under the Singapore Ministry of Education Academic Research Fund Tier 3 awarded to Daniel Tenen as lead PI with M.J.F as co-investigator (MOE2014-T3-1-006). This research is supported by a National Research Foundation Competitive Research Programme grant awarded to V.T. as lead PI and M.J.F. as co-PI (NRF-CRP17-2017-02). This research is supported by the National Research Foundation Singapore and the Singapore Ministry of Education under its Research Centres of Excellence initiative. This research is supported by a Ministry of Education Tier II grant awarded to M.J.F (T2EP30120-0020).

Metal K-CO2 batteries suffer from large polarization and safety hazards, which mainly result from the difficult decomposition of K2 CO3 and dendrite growth. Moreover, the battery redox mechanism remains not fully understood. Here we report K-CO2 batteries with KSn alloy as the anode and carboxyl-containing multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs-COOH) as the cathode catalyst, proving the redox mechanism to be 4 KSn + 3 CO2 ⇄ 2 K2 CO3 + C + 4 Sn. Compared with K metal, the less active and dendrite-free KSn anode effectively enhances the safety and stability of CO2 batteries. More importantly, the strong electrostatic interaction between MWCNTs-COOH and K2 CO3 weakens the C=O bond in K2 CO3 and thus facilitates K2 CO3 decomposition. As a result, the K-CO2 batteries show excellent cycling stability (an overpotential increase of 0.89 V after 400 cycles) and good rate performance (up to 2000 mA g-1 ). This work paves a way to develop highly stable and safe CO2 -based batteries.

It is difficult to achieve higher energy density with the existing system of lithium (Li)-ion batteries. As a powerful candidate, Li metal batteries are in the renaissance. Unfortunately, the uncontrolled growth process of Li dendrites has limited their actual application. Hence, inhibiting the formation and spread of Li dendrites has become an enormous challenge. Herein, a novel composite separator is developed with functionalized boron nitride nanosheet modification layer as a Li-ion regulator to regulate Li-ion fluxes. The composite separator contains abundant polar groups and nanoscale channels and could achieve uniform electrochemical deposition via the lithiophilic effect and shunting action. Under the synergy influence of the lithiophilic effect and shunting action, Li dendrites are effectively suppressed. As proof, the Li||Li symmetrical cells with composite separators can circulate steadily for a long time under high current densities (10 mA cm-2, 800 h). Moreover, the LiFePO4||Li full cells display excellent long cycling performance (82% retention after 800 cycles).

In this study, we extend traditional (single-target) hybrid systems to multi-target hybrid systems with a focus on the multi-maneuvering-target tracking system. This system consists of a continuous state, a discrete and switchable state, and a discrete, time-constant, and unique state. By defining a new generalized labeled multi-Bernoulli density, we prove that it is closed under the Chapman-Kolmogorov prediction and Bayes update for multi-target hybrid systems. In other words, we provide the exact derivation of a solution to this system, i.e., the multi-model generalized labeled multi-Bernoulli filter, which has been developed without strict proof.

Metallic Na is a promising anode for rechargeable batteries, however, it is plagued by an unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and Na dendrites. Herein, a robust anion-derived SEI is constructed on Na anode in a high-concentration 1,2-dimethoxyethane (DME) based electrolyte with a cosolvent hydrofluoroether, which effectively restrains Na dendrite growth. The hydrofluoroether can tune the solvation configuration of the electrolyte from three-dimensional network aggregates to solvent-cation-anion clusters, enabling more anions to enter and reinforce the inner solvation sheath and their stepwise decomposition. The gradient inorganic-rich SEI leads to a reduced energy barrier of Na

SummaryHuman silencers have been shown to exist and regulate developmental gene expression. However, the functional importance of human silencers needs to be elucidated such as the working mechanism and whether they can form “super-silencers”. Here, through interrogating two putative silencer components of FGF18 gene, we found that two silencers can cooperate via compensated chromatin interactions to form a “super-silencer”. Furthermore, double knock-out of two silencers exhibited synergistic upregulation of FGF18 expression and changes of cell identity. To disturb the “super-silencers”, we applied combinational treatment of an EZH2 inhibitor GSK343, and a REST inhibitor, X5050 (“GR”). We found that GR led to severe loss of TADs and loops, while the use of just one inhibitor by itself only showed mild changes. Such changes of TADs and loops may due to reduced CTCF protein level observed upon GR treatment. Moreover, GSK343 and X5050 worked together synergistically to upregulate the apoptotic genes controlled by super-silencers, and thus gave rise to antitumor effects including apoptosis, cell cycle arrest and tumor growth inhibition. Overall, our data demonstrated the first example of a “super-silencer” and showed that combinational usage of GSK343 and X5050 could potentially lead to cancer ablation through disruption of “super-silencers”.

All-solid-state sodium batteries with poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-based electrolytes have shown great promise for large-scale energy storage applications. However, the reported PEO-based electrolytes still suffer from a low Na

Bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide-based ionic liquid (TFSI-IL) electrolyte could endow Li-O

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have shown great potential as high-performance electrode materials for metal-ion batteries in view of their relatively high capacity, flexibly designable structure, ordered porous structure, and limited solubility in electrolyte. To develop more attractive COF electrode materials, it is necessary to understand their structure-performance relationships. This Perspective focuses on discussing the relationships between structure (molecular structure, micro structure, and electrode structure) and performance (voltage, capacity, cycling stability, and rate performance) of COF electrode materials in metal-ion batteries. Among the reported COF electrode materials, those with all linkages being redox active based on C═O and C═N groups would be the most promising cathode materials because of their high capacity (∼500 mAh g-1), moderate working voltage (∼2 V vs Li+/Li), and good cycling stability. To accelerate practical application of COF electrode materials in metal-ion batteries, future work should pay more attention to function-oriented molecular structure design via theoretical simulations, as well as full-cell fabrication and evaluation. This Perspective will stimulate high-quality research that might lead to future commercialization.

Aqueous potassium ion batteries (APIBs) are safe, robust, and environmentally friendly energy storage equipments. In this work, a high performance K+/OH− hybrid ion aqueous battery, using Co–Ni(OH)2 as the cathode and poly(1,4-anthraquinone) (P14AQ) as the anode, is proposed and characterized. By tuning the polymerization degree of P14AQ, the P14AQ/Co–Ni(OH)2 battery delivers a high energy/power density of 93 W h kg−1 at 1040 W kg−1 with an improved cycle life. Moreover, this P14AQ/Co–Ni(OH)2 battery shows a wide temperature operation window ranging from −30 °C to 25 °C. This proposed system is expected to be a promising battery for large-scale energy storage.

Tracking multiple maneuvering targets hidden in the Doppler blind zone (DBZ) is a challenging problem. To overcome the complicated problem, we proposed a tracker based on the multiple model probability hypothesis density (MM-PHD) filter. However, the PHD filter is only the first-order moment approximation of the multi-target Bayesian filter, and it cannot output track labels in principle. In order to improve the tracking performance, another novel tracker is proposed in this paper. To track multiple maneuvering targets, the proposed tracker is built on the latest multiple model generalized labeled multi-Bernoulli (MM-GLMB) filter. Moreover, it incorporates the minimum detectable velocity (MDV) to suppress the DBZ masking. Finally, a measurement-driven adaptive track initiation is introduced to address the fixed track initiation problem of the standard MM-GLMB filter. It is demonstrated through numerical examples that the proposed tracker outperforms the existing work significantly, especially in terms of both accuracy and robustness of cardinality estimation.

Starting from simple anilines and ester arylpropiolates, an efficient one-pot synthesis of 2-arylindole-3-carboxylate derivatives has been developed through copper-mediated sequential hydroamination and cross-dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) reaction. The initial hydroamination of anilines to ester arylpropiolates in benzene can proceed in a stereoselective manner to give ester (Z)-3-(arylamino)acrylates in the presence of CuCl2/phenanthroline, KMnO4, and KHCO3 at 120 °C. Sequentially, these in situ functionalized adducts can undergo direct intramolecular oxidative alkenylation of aromatic C–H bond in mixed solvents (benzene/DMSO 1:1) at 130 °C affording multi-substituted­ indoles in good to high yields.

Despite advancements in treatment regimens, the mortality rate of patients with oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) is high. In addition, the signaling pathways and oncoproteins involved in OTSCC progression remain largely unknown. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to identify specific prognostic marker for patients at a high risk of developing OTSCC. The present study used four original microarray datasets to identify the key candidate genes involved in OTSCC pathogenesis. Expression profiles of 93 OTSCC tissues and 76 normal tissues from GSE9844, GSE13601, GSE31056 and GSE75538 datasets were investigated. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were determined, and gene ontology enrichment and gene interactions were analyzed. The four GSE datasets reported five upregulated and six downregulated DEGs. Five upregulated genes (matrix metalloproteinase 1, 3, 10 and 12 and laminin subunit gamma 2) were localized in the extracellular region of cells and were associated with extracellular matrix disassembly. Furthermore, analysis for The Cancer Genome Atlas database revealed that the aforementioned five upregulated genes were also highly expressed in OTSCC and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma tissues. These results demonstrated that the five upregulated genes may be considered as potential prognostic biomarkers of OTSCC and may serve at understanding OTSCC progression. Upregulated DEGs may therefore represent valuable therapeutic targets to prevent or control OTSCC pathogenesis.

The rechargeable Li-CO2 battery has been receiving significant attention owing to its merits of high energy density and the efficient utilization of CO2. However, the widely application is plagued by severe security risks, such as leakage, flammability and lithium dendrites growth due to the use of liquid organic electrolytes. Here, a composite solid state electrolyte consisting of polyethylene oxide (PEO) and 20 wt.% Li7La3Zr1.4Ta0.6O12 (LLZTO) was prepared and first introduced into Li-CO2 battery to solve the problems. The composite solid state electrolyte exhibited high ionic conductivity (1.03 × 10−1 S·cm−1 at 70 °C), wide electrochemical window (5 V vs. Li+/Li), good mechanical properties and excellent flexibility. Ultimately, the Li symmetric cell with PEO/LLZTO composite solid state electrolyte can operate 1,500 h at a current density of 0.1 mA·cm−2. The assembled all-solid-state Li-CO2 battery behaved a long cycle life of 70 cycles at a current density of 100 mA·g−1 with fixed capacity of 1,000 mAh·g−1. Our work provides new perspective to develop rechargeable all-solid-state Li-CO2 batteries.

Organic carbonyl electrode materials have shown great prospects for rechargeable batteries in view of their high capacity, flexible designability, and sustainable production. However, organic carbonyl electrode materials still suffer from unsatisfactory electrochemical performance, which is highly relevant to their redox processes. Herein, an in-depth understanding on redox processes and the correlated electrochemical performance of organic carbonyl electrode materials is provided. The redox processes discussed mainly involve molecular structure evolution (intermediates), crystal structure evolution (phase transition), and charge storage mechanisms. The properties of intermediates can affect voltage, cycling stability, reversible capacity, and rate performance of batteries. Moreover, the reversible capacity/cycling stability and rate performance would be also influenced by phase transition and charge storage mechanisms (diffusion- or surface-controlled), respectively. To accelerate the practical applications of organic carbonyl electrode materials, future work should focus on developing more in situ or operando characterization techniques and further understanding the intrinsic relationships between redox processes and performance. It is hoped that the work discussed herein will stimulate more attention to the detailed redox processes and their correlations with the performance of organic carbonyl electrode materials in rechargeable batteries.

Epigenomics and transcriptomics data from high-throughput sequencing techniques such as RNA-seq and ChIP-seq have been successfully applied in predicting gene transcript expression. However, the locations of chromatin loops in the genome identified by techniques such as Chromatin Interaction Analysis with Paired End Tag sequencing (ChIA-PET) have never been used for prediction tasks. Here, we developed machine learning models to investigate if ChIA-PET could contribute to transcript and exon usage prediction. In doing so, we used a large set of transcription factors as well as ChIA-PET data. We developed different Gradient Boosting Trees models according to the different tasks with the integrated datasets from three cell lines, including GM12878, HeLaS3 and K562. We validated the models via 10-fold cross validation, chromosome-split validation and cross-cell validation. Our results show that both transcript and splicing-derived exon usage can be effectively predicted with at least 0.7512 and 0.7459 of accuracy, respectively, on all cell lines from all kinds of validations. Examining the predictive features, we found that RNA Polymerase II ChIA-PET was one of the most important features in both transcript and exon usage prediction, suggesting that chromatin loop anchors are predictive of both transcript and exon usage.

Metal K-CO