An ionic liquid dual-ion battery with pure 1-butyl-1-methylpiperidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide as the electrolyte was developed, which exhibited a high discharge plateau initiated at 4.4 V, a well-defined capacity of 82 mA h g, an ultrawide charge/discharge potential range of 1.0-5.0 V and a superior stability of ∼100% capacity retention for 600 cycles.

Nowadays, more and more nanotechnology products and nanomaterials are being applied in our lives. Silver nanoparticles (SNPs) are used in infection prevention and treatment due to their antimicrobial activity. However, as a kind of nanomaterial, the toxicology of SNPs has not been completely studied. The mechanism of cytotoxicity of SNPs in vitro to mouse's fibroblast cells (L929) was investigated in this study. As a contrast, silver microparticles (SMPs) were also studied. Propidium iodide (PI) single staining and Annexin-V/PI staining were carried out to unveil the influence of SNPs and SMPs on the cells. A transmission electron microscope (TEM) was used to observe SNPs’ distribution in the cells. The results of cell cycle analysis indicated that the cells treated with SNPs were arrested in the G2M phase. Meanwhile, SNPs lead to apoptosis of more cells compared to SMPs at the same dose as a result of apoptosis analysis. Analysis of the cells’ ultrastructure showed that SNPs could be phagocytized into the cells while SMPs could not. The mechanism of cytotoxicity of SNPs in vitro to L929 cells may be that SNPs are phagocytized into the cells and they interact with mitochondria or other organelles, even nuclei, which results in cells’ apoptosis or necrosis.

No abstract

A GGGGCC hexanucleotide repeat expansion in intron 1 of chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 ( C9ORF72 ) gene is the most common genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia. Repeat-associated non-ATG translation of dipeptide repeat proteins (DPRs) contributes to the neuropathological features of c9FTD/ALS. Among the five DPRs, arginine-rich poly-PR are reported to be the most toxic. Here, we generate a transgenic mouse line that expresses poly-PR (GFP-PR 28 ) specifically in neurons. GFP-PR 28 homozygous mice show decreased survival time, while the heterozygous mice show motor imbalance, decreased brain weight, loss of Purkinje cells and lower motor neurons, and inflammation in the cerebellum and spinal cord. Transcriptional analysis shows that in the cerebellum, GFP-PR 28 heterozygous mice show differential expression of genes related to synaptic transmission. Our findings show that GFP-PR 28 transgenic mice partly model neuropathological features of c9FTD/ALS, and show a role for poly-PR in neurodegeneration.

China’s economic development has resulted in significant resource consumption and environmental damage. However, technological progress is important for achieving coordinated economic development and environmental protection. Appropriate environmental regulation policies are also important. Although green total factor productivity, environmental regulations, and technological progress vary by location, few studies have been conducted from a spatial perspective. However, spatial spillover effects should be taken into consideration. This study used energy consumption, the sum of physical capital stock and ecological service value as total capital stock, the number of employed people as inputs, sulfur dioxide emissions as undesired outputs, and green GDP as total output to obtain green TFP through a slacks-based measure (SBM) global Malmquist-Luenberger Index. This study also estimated China’s biased technological progress under environmental constraints from 2004 to 2015 based on relevant data (e.g., green GDP, total capital stock, and employment figures). The relationship between green total factor productivity (GTFP), technological progress, and environmental regulation was then examined using a spatial Durbin model. Results were as follows: (1) Based on the complementary elements, although the labor costs gradually increase, the rapid accumulation of capital leads to technological progress that is biased toward capital. However, technological progress in the labor bias can significantly increase GTFP. (2) There is a u-shaped relationship between existing environmental regulations and GTFP. Technological progress can significantly promote GTFP in the surrounding areas through existing environmental regulations. (3) Under spatial weight, the secondary industry coefficient was negative while human capital stock and FDID had positive effects on GTFP. Technological progress is the source of economic growth. It is therefore necessary to promote biased technological development and improve labor-force skills while implementing effective environmental regulation policies.