Rapid Kinetics Research Articles

Effects of summer pruning on the growth and photosynthetic characteristics of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.)

The objective of the study is to investigate the mechanism by which summer pruning enhances the growth of pepper plants, as indicated by growth and fruit appearance indicators, photosynthetic rate and gas exchange parameters, rapid light response and induction kinetics curves and the related chlorophyll fluorescence parameters. The results indicated that the leaf growth rate, the individual pepper fruit weight, and the fruit longitudinal and cross diameters of the pruned group were significantly higher than those of the control. The stomatal conductance (Gs), intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) and transpiration rate (Tr) of the pruned group were significantly higher than those of the control. The initial slope of the rapid light response curve, which represents light energy utilisation efficiency (α), the maximum electron transfer rate (Jmax) and saturated light intensity (PARsat) were all higher in the summer pruning group than in the control group. The F0 of the pruned group decreased by 16.83%, Fv/F0 increased by 23.69%, PIabs increased by 58.33%, and DIo/RC decreased by 22.09% compared to the control group. In summary, summer pruning significantly improves the leaf growth rate and fruit appearance quality of pepper, effectively promotes the photosynthesis of functional leaves, and reduces the degree of stress under adverse environmental conditions.

Metastable phase separation and crystalline orientation feature of electromagnetic levitation processed CoCrCuFeNi high entropy alloy

The metastable liquid phase separation and rapid solidification kinetics of CoCrCuFeNi high entropy alloy (HEA) has been investigated by electromagnetic levitation (EML) technique. The maximum liquid undercooling attained 452 K (0.27TL), and the critical undercooling to initiate phase separation was determined as 172 K. By modulating the degree of alloy undercooling, the overall macrosegragation pattern achieved a transition from homogeneous dendrites into dispersed structures and finally into core-shell structures. Both microstructure and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) characterizations revealed that liquid undercooling played a crucial role in the modulation of dendritic anisotropy correlated with crystalline orientations. Coarse high entropy face-centered cubic (HEF) dendrites were produced with 〈100〉 preferred orientation at small undercoolings. Once undercooling exceeded the threshold of 172 K, the previously uniform liquid alloy was separated into Cu-depleted and Cu-rich zones. Numerous equiaxed HEF grains of relatively random orientation together with some twin crystals were displayed in Cu-depleted zone, whereas in Cu-rich zone HEF phase solidified into many slender dendrites. Theoretical analyses indicated that equiaxed grains were produced in the regime of thermal diffusion-controlled dendritic growth with actual solidifying velocity up to 42.7 m s−1. Furthermore, physical properties examinations demonstrated that large liquid undercoolings enhanced the alloy microhardness and low temperature saturated magnetization but reduced its electrical resistivities.

Application of Chlorophyll Fluorescence Analysis Technique in Studying the Response of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) to Cadmium Stress.

To reveal the impact of cadmium stress on the physiological mechanism of lettuce, simultaneous determination and correlation analyses of chlorophyll content and photosynthetic function were conducted using lettuce seedlings as the research subject. The changes in relative chlorophyll content, rapid chlorophyll fluorescence induction kinetics curve, and related chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of lettuce seedling leaves under cadmium stress were detected and analyzed. Furthermore, a model for estimating relative chlorophyll content was established. The results showed that cadmium stress at 1 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg had a promoting effect on the relative chlorophyll content, while cadmium stress at 10 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg had an inhibitory effect on the relative chlorophyll content. Moreover, with the extension of time, the inhibitory effect became more pronounced. Cadmium stress affects both the donor and acceptor sides of photosystem II in lettuce seedling leaves, damaging the electron transfer chain and reducing energy transfer in the photosynthetic system. It also inhibits water photolysis and decreases electron transfer efficiency, leading to a decline in photosynthesis. However, lettuce seedling leaves can mitigate photosystem II damage caused by cadmium stress through increased thermal dissipation. The model established based on the energy captured by a reaction center for electron transfer can effectively estimate the relative chlorophyll content of leaves. This study demonstrates that chlorophyll fluorescence techniques have great potential in elucidating the physiological mechanism of cadmium stress in lettuce, as well as in achieving synchronized determination and correlation analyses of chlorophyll content and photosynthetic function.

Efficient and Selective Electrochemical Nitrate Reduction to N2 Using a Flow-Through Zero-Gap Electrochemical Reactor with a Reconstructed Cu(OH)2 Cathode: Insights into the Importance of Inter-Electrode Distance.

Electrochemically converting nitrate, a widely distributed nitrogen contaminant, into harmless N2 is a feasible and environmentally friendly route to close the anthropogenic nitrogen-based cycle. However, it is currently hindered by sluggish kinetics and low N2 selectivity, as well as scarce attention to reactor configuration. Here, we report a flow-through zero-gap electrochemical reactor that shows a high performance of nitrate reduction with 100% conversion and 80.36% selectivity of desired N2 in the chlorine-free system at 100 mg-N·L-1 NO3- while maintaining a rapid reduction kinetics of 0.07676 min-1. More importantly, the mass transport and current utilization efficiency are significantly improved by shortening the inter-electrode distance, especially in the zero-gap electrocatalytic system where the current efficiency reached 50.15% at 5 mA·cm-2. Detailed characterizations demonstrated that during the electroreduction process, partial Cu(OH)2 on the cathode surface was reconstructed into stable Cu/Cu2O as the active phase for efficient nitrate reduction. In situ characterizations revealed that the highly selective *NO to *N conversion and the N-N coupling step played crucial roles during the selective reduction of NO3- to N2 in the zero-gap electrochemical system. In addition, theoretical calculations demonstrated that improving the key intermediate *N coverage could effectively facilitate the N-N coupling step, thereby promoting N2 selectivity. Moreover, the environmental and economic benefits and long-term stability shown by the treatment of real nitrate-containing wastewater make our proposed electrocatalytic system more attractive for practical applications.

Facile production of highly porous graphitic nanosheets for enhanced hydrogen storage

Graphitic nanosheets as a two-dimensional material are renowned an ideal candidate for efficient adsorbents due to their rapid adsorption kinetics and superior capacity. This study presents a facile method to develop highly porous graphitic nanosheets (PGNs) from converted carbon blacks (CBs) for hydrogen (H2) storage. The CBs, containing interconnected amorphous and graphitic domains, allows the introduction of numerous H2-friendly adsorption sites during PGNs production. The resulting PGNs show large sheets of 3–5 μm and thicknesses of ∼ 2.5 nm, boasting a remarkable specific surface area of 2,644 m2/g with significant total H2 storage capacities of 11.5 wt% (3.8 kWh kg−1 @ 77 K) and 2.6 wt% (0.87 kWh kg−1, @ 298 K) at 60 bar. This research introduces a promising strategy to enhance PGNs's H2 storage capabilities, paving the way for diverse energy-related fields.

3D/2D MnO/MXene heterostructure with high efficiency for adsorbing uranium

An innovative MnO/Ti3C2 MXene heterostructure, consisting of three-dimensional (3D) MnO nanosheet array directly assembled on two-dimensional (2D) Ti3C2 MXene nanosheets, was synthesized via a simple hydrothermal-annealing strategy for uranium elimination. This unique 3D/2D heterostructure derived substantially high specific surface area (311.9 m2/g) and exposed considerable amount of surface oxygen groups, including surface lattice M–O and adsorbed –OH. Through a comprehensive exploration encompassing adsorbent dosage, pH, ionic strength, initial U(VI) concentration, and environmental conditions, the MnO/Ti3C2 MXene heterostructure demonstrated an extraordinary proficiency and specificity in the removal of U(VI). This composite exhibited an outstanding adsorption capacity of 862.1 mg/g, with a removal efficiency of 99.7 % and rapid kinetics (above 90 % within 20 s). The kinetic study indicated the adsorption process followed chemisorption dynamics and single-layer adsorption behavior. Comprehensive analyses validated the structural integrity and confirmed the successful uranium adsorption via strong interaction between UO22+ and surface unsaturated oxygen groups. Notably, the MnO/Ti3C2 MXene maintained excellent recyclability, highlighting its potential for large-scale applications. It emerges as a promising candidate for uranium removal, offering insights for optimizing composite materials in diverse environmental conditions and fostering advancements in water purification technologies.

Adsorption of Cr(VI) ions onto fluorine-free niobium carbide (MXene) and machine learning prediction with high precision

Due to the unique surface microstructure, abundant active sites, and rich functional groups, two-dimensional MXene is increasingly gaining attention in the field of environmental purification. Herein, novel fluorine-free niobium carbide (Nb2CTx) was successfully synthesized using hydrothermal technique and applied towards the Cr(VI) ions elimination from wastewater. The structure and surface properties of the Nb2CTx were analyzed by various characterization techniques. Based on the findings of batch adsorption, the maximum Cr(VI) ions was removed at solution pH 5 with adsorbent loading of 1 g/L and Cr(VI) initial concentration of 10 mg/L just after 20 min of stirring. Besides, the characteristic information of Nb2CTx and their adsorption data was used to build a machine learning CatBoost model with high precision (R2 = 1, RMSE = 0.145, MAE = 0.08). Cr(VI) removal by MXenes displayed rapid kinetics governed by pseudo-second-order reactions, with adsorption isotherm aligning well with Langmuir isotherms (R2 = 0.998), achieving an adsorption capacity of 93.6 mg/g. The removal mechanism investigation proposed that the electrostatic interactions, chemical reduction and hydrogen bonding were the key driving forces. The hydrothermal route proposed in this study enabled the fabrication of environmental friendly Nb2CTx, which can pave the way for their widespread applications in environmental purification.

Fluorescence Biosensing Based on Bifurcated DNA Scaffold-Aggregated Ag Nanocluster via Responsive Conformation Switch of Quasi-Molecular Beacon.

To address the limitations of typical hairpin-structural molecular beacons, exploring the ability of a quasi-molecular beacon (qMB) to create label-free fluorescence biosensors is intriguing and remains a challenge. Herein, we propose the first example of modular qMB with the feature of a stimulation-responsive conformation switch to develop an aggregated Ag nanocluster (aAgNC) in a bifurcated DNA scaffold for fluorescently sensing a specific initiator (I*). This qMB was well designed to program four functional modules: I*-recognizable element adopting metastable stem-loop bihairpin structure and two DNA splits (exposed C3GT4 and locked C4AC4T) of aAgNC template that is separated by a tunable hairpin spacer for the customized combination of selective recognition and signaling readout. When presenting I* in an assay route, the specific hybridization induces the directional disassembly of the bihairpin unit, on which the qMB is configurationally switched to liberate the locked split. Thus, the bifurcated parent template pair of C3GT4/C4AC4T is proximal, affording in situ nucleation and clustering of emissive aAgNC. By collecting the fluorescence signal, the quantitative detection of I* is achieved. Benefiting from the ingenious programming of qMB, the recognizing and signaling integration actuates the construction of a facile and convenient fluorescent biosensor featuring rapid reaction kinetics, a wide linear range, high sensitivity, and specificity. This would provide a new paradigm to exploit versatile qMB-based biosensing platforms via stimulation-responsive conformation switches for developing various DNA-scaffolded Ag clusters.

CO2 capture and regeneration characteristics of pentalithium ferrite (Li5FeO4)

In this study, Li5FeO4 was synthesized by solid-state reaction method and used for CO2 capture. The high temperature isothermal chemisorption performance using the double exponential model and the Eyring’s model was investigated. The results show that Li5FeO4 exhibited rapid kinetics at higher temperatures (> 650 ℃) and the optimal uptake (502 mg/gmaterial) was achieved at 700 ℃. With the further increase of temperature, desorption process will be activated resulting in a decline in capacity. The cyclic stability tests indicate Li5FeO4 exhibited significant cyclability deterioration, as the capture capacity decreased by 62% (from 48 wt% to 18 wt%) during 12 ad-desorption cycles. Finally, the plausible causes for such degradation were further discussed.

Mof-derived NiO@NiS hybrids for electrochemical urea assisted water splitting

Urea electrooxidation holds promise for both the treatment of urea wastewater and the generation of clean energy hydrogen fuel. Herein, a NiO@NiS composite was synthesized using a hydrothermal method inspired by natural urease, which demonstrated remarkable catalytic prowess in electrochemical urea oxidation reaction (UOR). Thorough electrochemical analyses uncovered the rapid kinetics and efficient charge transfer capability inherent in urea oxidation. Our work presents a straightforward method for fabricating a nickel-based composite catalyst structure, contributing to the sustainable advancement of urea oxidation.

Pharmacological Characterization and Radiolabeling of VUF15485, a High-Affinity Small-Molecule Agonist for the Atypical Chemokine Receptor ACKR3.

Atypical chemokine receptor 3 (ACKR3), formerly referred to as CXCR7, is considered to be an interesting drug target. In this study, we report on the synthesis, pharmacological characterization and radiolabeling of VUF15485, a new ACKR3 small-molecule agonist, that will serve as an important new tool to study this β-arrestin-biased chemokine receptor. VUF15485 binds with nanomolar affinity (pIC50 = 8.3) to human ACKR3, as measured in [125I]CXCL12 competition binding experiments. Moreover, in a bioluminescence resonance energy transfer-based β-arrestin2 recruitment assay VUF15485 acts as a potent ACKR3 agonist (pEC50 = 7.6) and shows a similar extent of receptor activation compared with CXCL12 when using a newly developed, fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based ACKR3 conformational sensor. Moreover, the ACKR3 agonist VUF15485, tested against a (atypical) chemokine receptor panel (agonist and antagonist mode), proves to be selective for ACKR3. VUF15485 labeled with tritium at one of its methoxy groups ([3H]VUF15485), binds ACKR3 saturably and with high affinity (K d = 8.2 nM). Additionally, [3H]VUF15485 shows rapid binding kinetics and consequently a short residence time (<2 minutes) for binding to ACKR3. The selectivity of [3H]VUF15485 for ACKR3, was confirmed by binding studies, whereupon CXCR3, CXCR4, and ACKR3 small-molecule ligands were competed for binding against the radiolabeled agonist. Interestingly, the chemokine ligands CXCL11 and CXCL12 are not able to displace the binding of [3H]VUF15485 to ACKR3. The radiolabeled VUF15485 was subsequently used to evaluate its binding pocket. Site-directed mutagenesis and docking studies using a recently solved cryo-EM structure propose that VUF15485 binds in the major and the minor binding pocket of ACKR3. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The atypical chemokine receptor atypical chemokine receptor 3 (ACKR3) is considered an interesting drug target in relation to cancer and multiple sclerosis. The study reports on new chemical biology tools for ACKR3, i.e., a new agonist that can also be radiolabeled and a new ACKR3 conformational sensor, that both can be used to directly study the interaction of ACKR3 ligands with the G protein-coupled receptor.

Construction of a carboxyl-functionalized clover-like covalent organic framework for selective adsorption of organic dyes

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with designable structure and well-defined aperture are highly desired as novel adsorbents for elimination of dye pollution. Herein, a new carboxyl-functionalized covalent organic framework (TzDABA COF) with clover-like topology was synthesized by the condensation of 1,3,5-tris(4-formyl-phenyl) triazine (Tz) and 3,5-diaminobenzoic acid (DABA) under solvothermal conditions. The obtained TzDABA COF exhibited rapid adsorption kinetics and excellent adsorption capacities toward multiple cationic organic dyes including methylene blue (MB, 315 mg g−1), crystal violet (CV, 533 mg g−1) and malachite green (MG, 1168 mg g−1) owing to the formation of strong electrostatic interaction and π-π interaction between COF framework and organic dye molecules. Remarkably, with particular ABC stacking mode and an abundant of carboxyl functional groups integrated in the clover-like architecture, the anionic TzDABA COF could effectively separate organic dyes in different modes, representing the first case of carboxyl-functionalized clover-like COF for dye separation based on charge effect and size effect. This study paves a new pathway toward construction of carboxyl-functionalized clover-like COFs and reveals their desiring prospect in field of dyes separation and purification.

Micrometer-thick and porous nanocomposite coating for electrochemical sensors with exceptional antifouling and electroconducting properties

Development of coating technologies for electrochemical sensors that consistently exhibit antifouling activities in diverse and complex biological environments over extended time is vital for effective medical devices and diagnostics. Here, we describe a micrometer-thick, porous nanocomposite coating with both antifouling and electroconducting properties that enhances the sensitivity of electrochemical sensors. Nozzle printing of oil-in-water emulsion is used to create a 1 micrometer thick coating composed of cross-linked albumin with interconnected pores and gold nanowires. The layer resists biofouling and maintains rapid electron transfer kinetics for over one month when exposed directly to complex biological fluids, including serum and nasopharyngeal secretions. Compared to a thinner (nanometer thick) antifouling coating made with drop casting or a spin coating of the same thickness, the thick porous nanocomposite sensor exhibits sensitivities that are enhanced by 3.75- to 17-fold when three different target biomolecules are tested. As a result, emulsion-coated, multiplexed electrochemical sensors can carry out simultaneous detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) nucleic acid, antigen, and host antibody in clinical specimens with high sensitivity and specificity. This thick porous emulsion coating technology holds promise in addressing hurdles currently restricting the application of electrochemical sensors for point-of-care diagnostics, implantable devices, and other healthcare monitoring systems.

Cleavable Amphiphilic Biocides with Ester-Bearing Moieties: Aggregation Properties and Antibacterial Activity.

The rise of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections and the dwindling supply of newly approved antibiotics have emerged as a grave threat to public health. Toward the ever-growing necessity of the development of novel antimicrobial agents, herein, we synthesized a series of cationic amphiphilic biocides featuring two cationic headgroups separated by different hydrophobic spacers, accompanied by the inclusion of two lipophilic tails through cleavable ester functionality. The detailed aggregation properties offered by these biocides were investigated by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and conductivity. The critical micellar concentration of the biocides and the size and shape of the micellar aggregates differed with variation of pendant and spacer hydrophobicity. Furthermore, the aggregation number and size of the micelles were found to vary with changing concentration and temperature. These easily synthesized biocides exhibited potent antibacterial properties against various multidrug-resistant bacteria. The optimized biocides with minimum hematotoxicity and potent antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Acinetobacter baumannii exhibited rapid killing kinetics against planktonic bacteria. Also, these membrane-active agents were able to eradicate preformed biofilms. The enzymatic and acidic degradation profile further offered proof of gradual degradation. Collectively, these cleavable amphiphilic biocides demonstrated excellent potency for combating the multidrug-resistant bacterial infection.

ADCT-602, a Novel PBD Dimer-containing Antibody-Drug Conjugate for Treating CD22-positive Hematologic Malignancies.

Relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (R/R B-ALL) and lymphomas have poor patient outcomes; novel therapies are needed. CD22 is an attractive target for antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), being highly expressed in R/R B-ALL with rapid internalization kinetics. ADCT-602 is a novel CD22-targeting ADC, consisting of humanized mAb hLL2-C220, site specifically conjugated to the pyrrolobenzodiazepine dimer-based payload tesirine. In preclinical studies, ADCT-602 demonstrated potent, specific cytotoxicity in CD22-positive lymphomas and leukemias. ADCT-602 was specifically bound, internalized, and trafficked to lysosomes in CD22-positive tumor cells; after cytotoxin release, DNA interstrand crosslink formation persisted for 48 hours. In the presence of CD22-positive tumor cells, ADCT-602 caused bystander killing of CD22-negative tumor cells. A single ADCT-602 dose led to potent, dose-dependent, in vivo antitumor activity in subcutaneous and disseminated human lymphoma/leukemia models. Pharmacokinetic analyses (rat and cynomolgus monkey) showed excellent stability and tolerability of ADCT-602. Cynomolgus monkey B cells were efficiently depleted from circulation after one dose. Gene signature association analysis revealed IRAK1 as a potential marker for ADCT-602 resistance. Combining ADCT-602 + pacritinib was beneficial in ADCT-602-resistant cells. Chidamide increased CD22 expression on B-cell tumor surfaces, increasing ADCT-602 activity. These data support clinical testing of ADCT-602 in R/R B-ALL (NCT03698552) and CD22-positive hematologic cancers.

Human sodium current voltage-dependence at physiological temperature measured by coupling a patch-clamp experiment to a mathematical model.

Voltage-gated Na+ channels are crucial to action potential propagation in excitable tissues. Because of the high amplitude and rapid activation of the Na+ current, voltage-clamp measurements are very challenging and are usually performed at room temperature. In this study, we measured Na+ current voltage-dependence in stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes at physiological temperature. While the apparent activation and inactivation curves, measured as the dependence of current amplitude on voltage, fall within the range reported in previous studies, we identified a systematic error in our measurements. This error is caused by the deviation of the membrane potential from the command potential of the amplifier. We demonstrate that it is possible to account for this artifact using computer simulation of the patch-clamp experiment. We obtained surprising results through patch-clamp model optimization: a half-activation of -11.5mV and a half-inactivation of -87mV. Although the half-activation deviates from previous research, we demonstrate that this estimate reproduces the conduction velocity dependence on extracellular potassium concentration. KEY POINTS: Voltage-gated Na+ currents play a crucial role in excitable tissues including neurons, cardiac and skeletal muscle. Measurement of Na+ current is challenging because of its high amplitude and rapid kinetics, especially at physiological temperature. We have used the patch-clamp technique to measure human Na+ current voltage-dependence in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. The patch-clamp data were processed by optimization of the model accounting for voltage-clamp experiment artifacts, revealing a large difference between apparent parameters of Na+ current and the results of the optimization. We conclude that actual Na+ current activation is extremely depolarized in comparison to previous studies. The new Na+ current model provides a better understanding of action potential propagation; we demonstrate that it explains propagation in hyperkalaemic conditions.

Clamparene: Synthesis, Structure, and Its Application in Spontaneous Formation of 3D Porous Crystals.

Macrocyclic arenes have emerged as pivotal scaffolds in supramolecular chemistry. Despite their significant contributions to molecular recognition and diverse applications, challenges persist in the development of macrocyclic arene-based crystalline materials, particularly in achieving porosity and addressing limitations in adsorption efficiency resulting from the small cavity sizes of existing macrocyclic arenes. In this study, we present the design and synthesis of a novel macrocyclic arene, clamparene (CLP), featuring a rigid backbone, easy synthesis, and a sizable cavity. CLP self-assembles into one-dimensional sub-nanotubes that further organize into a three-dimensional porous framework in the solid state. The crystalline solid of CLP exhibits potential as a porous crystalline adsorbent for various benzene-based contaminants with rapid adsorption kinetics, large uptake amounts, and good recyclability.

Synthesis and performance of guanidinium-based cationic organic polymer for the efficient removal of TcO4-/ReO4-

Cationic organic polymers have found relatively extensive utility for TcO4-/ReO4- removal, but the harsh preparation conditions constrain their practical application. The bifunctional guanidinium-based cationic organic polymer (GBCOP) was successfully and facilely synthesized in benign conditions within 1 h. Batch experiments showed that GBCOP exhibited rapid removal kinetics (1 min, >98.0%) and a substantial removal capacity of 536.8 mg/g for ReO4-. Even in 1000-fold co-existing NO3- anions, the removal efficiency of GBCOP for ReO4- was 74.0%, indicating its good selectivity. Moreover, GBCOP had high removal efficiencies for ReO4- across a wide pH (3.0–10.0) range and presented remarkable stability under the conditions of strong acid and base. GBCOP could be reused four times while removing 80.8% ReO4- from simulated Hanford wastewater. SEM and XPS results revealed that the mechanism of ReO4- removal involved Cl- ion exchange within the channels of GBCOP. Theoretical calculation results supported that existing the strong electrostatic interaction between guanidinium and ReO4-. This dual-function GBCOP material is cost-effective and holds significant potential for large-scale preparation, making it a promising solution for TcO4- removal from nuclear wastewater.

Integrated compact regulators of protein activity enable control of signaling pathways and genome-editing in vivo

Viral proteases and clinically safe inhibitors were employed to build integrated compact regulators of protein activity (iCROP) for post-translational regulation of functional proteins by tunable proteolytic activity. In the absence of inhibitor, the co-localized/fused protease cleaves a target peptide sequence introduced in an exposed loop of the protein of interest, irreversibly fragmenting the protein structure and destroying its functionality. We selected three proteases and demonstrated the versatility of the iCROP framework by validating it to regulate the functional activity of ten different proteins. iCROP switches can be delivered either as mRNA or DNA, and provide rapid actuation kinetics with large induction ratios, while remaining strongly suppressed in the off state without inhibitor. iCROPs for effectors of the NF-κB and NFAT signaling pathways were assembled and confirmed to enable precise activation/inhibition of downstream events in response to protease inhibitors. In lipopolysaccharide-treated mice, iCROP-sr-IκBα suppressed cytokine release (“cytokine storm”) by rescuing the activity of IκBα, which suppresses NF-κB signaling. We also constructed compact inducible CRISPR-(d)Cas9 variants and showed that iCROP-Cas9-mediated knockout of the PCSK9 gene in the liver lowered blood LDL-cholesterol levels in mice. iCROP-based protein switches will facilitate protein-level regulation in basic research and translational applications.

An efficient molten‐salt electro‐deoxidation strategy enabling fast‐kinetics and long‐life aluminum–selenium batteries

AbstractAluminum–selenium (Al–Se) batteries have been considered as one of the most promising energy storage systems owing to their high capacity, energy density, and cost effectiveness, but Se falls challenges in addressing the shuttle effect of soluble intermediate product and sluggish reaction kinetics in the solid–solid conversion process during cycling. Herein, we propose an unprecedented design concept for fabricating uniform Se/C hollow microspheres with controllable morphologies through low‐temperature electro‐deoxidation in neutral NaCl–AlCl3 molten salt system. Such Se/C hollow microspheres are demonstrated to hold a favorable hollow structure for hosting Se, which can not only suppress the dissolution of soluble intermediate products into the electrolyte, thereby maintaining the structural integrity and maximizing Se utilization of the active material, but also promote the electrical/ionic conductivity, thus facilitating the rapid reaction kinetics during cycling. Accordingly, the as‐prepared Se/C hollow microspheres exhibit a high reversible capacity of 720.1 mAh g−1 at 500 mA g−1. Even at the high current density of 1000 mA g−1, Se/C delivers a high discharge capacity of 564.0 mAh g−1, long‐term stability over 1100 cycles and high Coulombic efficiency of 98.6%. This present work provides valuable insights into short‐process recovery of advanced Se‐containing materials and value‐added utilization for energy storage.