The Zn metal anode is considered one of the most promising anode choices for aqueous Zn-based batteries. Nevertheless, dendrites and intricate side reactions have hindered its usage. Herein, an elastic and anti-corrosive interlayer is introduced to address the problem. The idiosyncratic dielectric behavior of amorphous and nanostructured silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 ) is utilized to manipulate the ion kinetics, by uniformly dispersing its particles in polyacrylonitrile (PAN) to fabricate an interlayer attached to Zn metal (PSN-Zn). PAN serves as an elastic constraint to inhibit drastic dendrite evolution and blocks H 2 O/O 2 corrosion, and Si 3 N 4 with a high dielectric constant can facilitate the ion kinetics and endow uniform Zn deposition. The electrochemical stability and deposition consistency of the Zn anodes are greatly improved, with an extended lifespan of over 800 h at 1 mA cm −2 . Even under draconian deep-discharging (DOD Zn = 60%) and high current density (10 mA cm −2 ), the PSN-Zn anode can still operate stably for over 250 h. The effect of the dielectric property is systematically discussed and verified by experiments and theoretical simulations. Moreover, full cells with vanadium-and manganesebased cathodes also deliver excellent performance, indicating the use of the multifunctional interlayer as an appealing approach for rechargeable aqueous zinc batteries.

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Fe2O3@WO3 composites with ultrahigh specific surface areas, synthesized via a simple microwave-assisted method, show high H2S gas-sensing performance.

SummaryHigh temperature significantly alters the amylose content of rice, resulting in mature grains with poor eating quality. However, only few genes and/or quantitative trait loci involved in this process have been isolated and the molecular mechanisms of this effect remain unclear. Here, we describe a floral organ identity gene, OsMADS7, involved in stabilizing rice amylose content at high temperature. OsMADS7 is greatly induced by high temperature at the early filling stage. Constitutive suppression of OsMADS7 stabilizes amylose content under high temperature stress but results in low spikelet fertility. However, rice plants with both stable amylose content at high temperature and normal spikelet fertility can be obtained by specifically suppressing OsMADS7 in endosperm. GBSSI is the major enzyme responsible for amylose biosynthesis. A low filling rate and high expression of GBSSI were detected in OsMADS7 RNAi plants at high temperature, which may be correlated with stabilized amylose content in these transgenic seeds under high temperature. Thus, specific suppression of OsMADS7 in endosperm could improve the stability of rice amylose content at high temperature, and such transgenic materials may be a valuable genetic resource for breeding rice with elite thermal resilience.

Bactericidal/permeability-increasing (BPI)-fold-containing family B member 1 (BPIFB1) , also known as long-palate lung and nasal epithelium clone 1 (LPLUNC1), belongs to the BPI-fold-containing family, is a newly discovered natural immune protection molecule, which, having the function of bactericidal and osmotic enhancement protein domain, can respond to the external physical and chemical stimuli.The gene of BPIFB1 is located at chromosome 20q11.21-20q11.22, and contains 16 exons and 15 introns, encoding 484 amino acids. The 5' terminal of the BPIFB1 protein has a signal peptide sequence composed of 19 amino acids. BPIFB1 is abnormally expressed in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), gastric cancer, and other cancer tissues, regulate chronic infections and inflammation, indicating that it may play an important role in the development of tumors. Meanwhile, BPIFB1 has well-recognized roles in sensing and responding to Gram-negative bacteria due to its structural similarity with BPI protein and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)binding protein, both of which are innate immune molecules with recognized roles in sensing and responding to Gram-negative bacteria, so it can regulate cystic fibrosis (CF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and other respiratory diseases. In this article, we will discuss the progress of BPIFB1 in a variety of diseases and fully understand its function.

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