Investigation on the Structure and Dynamics of Lithium Ion Solvation Shell by Linear and Non-Linear Infrared Spectroscopy

Lithium ion battery (LIB) is a lightweight, rechargeable and powerful battery that is used widely from mobile phones to laptops to electric cars. It has many exceptional advantages such as high energy density, high output power, relatively low self-discharge, etc. However, it has some disadvantages such as safety issues, capacity loss, and expensive manufacture. LIB is composed of three main components: electrolytes, positive and negative electrodes. Researchers have been working on improving the performance of LIB for the past decade, but only a few have focused on investigating the electrolytes at the molecular level. In addition, the molecular mechanisms behind the macroscopic properties of LIB are yet to be explored. The vibrational stretch of the solvent molecule is selected as the infrared probe in order to investigate the structure and dynamics in LIE at the molecular level via linear and non-linear infrared spectroscopies. Ultrafast laser spectroscopy has emerged as a powerful tool of studying the structure and dynamics at the molecular level because it offers unique advantages of time and frequency resolutions. DFT calculation, classical and ab initio MD simulations are also employed to assist the interpretation of experimental data. Three projects of LIE are detailed in this dissertation. The first project focused on lowering the flammability of the electrolyte by replacing carbonate solvent with urea solvent, where it is found that the molecular interactions in urea-based electrolytes are similar to the carbonate-based electrolytes. The aim of second project was to reveal the molecular mechanism behind the dynamics of solvent molecules around Li ion in acetonitrile-based electrolytes, where it is shown that the angle between Li ion and acetonitrile plays the most important role in the molecular dynamics around Li ion. The last project investigated a less conventional LIE, which is the concentrated electrolyte composed of Li sulfonylimide salt and acetonitrile, where a highly correlated network is proposed to form in the mixtures. In addition, the molecular origin of the macroscopic properties in a family of concentrated electrolytes is studied through both experimental and theoretical methods

A New Soil Sampling Design in Coastal Saline Region Using EM38 and VQT Method

Spatial sampling design based on the variability and distribution of soil properties is an important issue with the progress in precision agriculture and soil ecology. Electromagnetic induction (type EM38) and variance quad-tree (VQT) method were both applied to optimize the sampling scheme of soil salinity in a coastal reclamation field in north Jiangsu Province, China. Apparent soil electrical conductivity (ECa) measured with EM38 was used as an ancillary variable and the spatial distribution of ECa was used as priori information. The process and result of VQT algorithm analysis was illustrated and the obtained sampling strategy was validated using observed soil salinity. Then the spatial precision and sampling efficiency were evaluated. The result indicated that the spatial distribution of soil salinity produced with the VQT scheme was quite similar to that produced with total sampling sites, while sampling quantity of the former was reduced to approximately 1/2 of the latter. The spatial precision of VQT scheme was considerably higher than that of traditional grid method with respect to the same sampling number, and fewer samples were required for VQT scheme to obtain the same precision level. A 17.3% increase in sampling efficiency was achieved by VQT over grid method at the precision level of 90%. The VQT method was proved to be more efficient and economical because it can sample intensively or sparsely according to variation status in local areas. The associated application of EM38 and VQT method provides efficient tools and theoretical basis for saving sampling cost and improving sampling efficiency in coastal saline region and enriching soil ecology

Effect of route of delivery on heterologous protection against HCV induced by an adenovirus vector carrying HCV structural genes

BACKGROUND: An effective vaccine and new therapeutic methods for hepatitis C virus (HCV) are needed, and a potent HCV vaccine must induce robust and sustained cellular-mediated immunity (CMI). Research has indicated that adenoviral and vaccinia vectors may have the ability to elicit strong B and T cell immune responses to target antigens. RESULTS: A recombinant replication-defective adenovirus serotype 5 (rAd5) vector, rAd5-CE1E2, and a recombinant Tian Tan vaccinia vector, rTTV-CE1E2, were constructed to express the HCV CE1E2 gene (1-746 amino acid HCV 1b subtype). Mice were prime-immunised with rAd5-CE1E2 delivered via intramuscular injection (i.m.), intranasal injection (i.n.), or intradermal injection (i.d.) and boosted using a different combination of injection routes. CMI was evaluated via IFN-γ ELISPOT and ICS 2 weeks after immunisation, or 16 weeks after boost for long-term responses. The humoral response was analysed by ELISA. With the exception of priming by i.n. injection, a robust CMI response against multiple HCV antigens (core, E1, E2) was elicited and remained at a high level for a long period (16 weeks post-vaccination) in mice. However, i.n. priming elicited the highest anti-core antibody levels. Priming with i.d. rAd5-CE1E2 and boosting with i.d. rTTV-CE1E2 carried out simultaneously enhanced CMI and the humoral immune response, compared to the homologous rAd5-CE1E2 immune groups. All regimens demonstrated equivalent cross-protective potency in a heterologous surrogate challenge assay based on a recombinant HCV (JFH1, 2a) vaccinia virus. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that a rAd5-CE1E2-based HCV vaccine would be capable of eliciting an effective immune response and cross-protection. These findings have important implications for the development of T cell-based HCV vaccine candidates

LncRNAs: the bridge linking RNA and colorectal cancer.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are transcribed by genomic regions (exceeding 200 nucleotides in length) that do not encode proteins. While the exquisite regulation of lncRNA transcription can provide signals of malignant transformation, lncRNAs control pleiotropic cancer phenotypes through interactions with other cellular molecules including DNA, protein, and RNA. Recent studies have demonstrated that dysregulation of lncRNAs is influential in proliferation, angiogenesis, metastasis, invasion, apoptosis, stemness, and genome instability in colorectal cancer (CRC), with consequent clinical implications. In this review, we explicate the roles of different lncRNAs in CRC, and the potential implications for their clinical application

Space-and-time-synchronized simultaneous vehicle tracking/formation using cascaded prescribed-time control

In this paper, we present a space-and-time-synchronized control method with application to the simultaneous tracking/formation. In the framework of polar coordinates, through correlating and decoupling the reference/actual kinematics between the self vehicle and target, time and space are separated, controlled independently. As such, the specified state can be achieved at the predetermined terminal time, meanwhile, the relative trajectory in space is independent of time. In addition, for the stabilization before the predesigned time, a cascaded prescribed-time control theorem is provided as the preliminary of vehicle tracking control. The obtained results can be directly extended to the simultaneous tracking/formation of multiple vehicles. Finally, numerical examples are provided to verify the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed scheme.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures. International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control 202

CircZNF652 accelerates the proliferation and migration of primary lung carcinoma cells by downregulating miR-766

Purpose: To explore the biological functions and molecular mechanism of circZNF652 involvement in primary lung carcinoma.Methods: CircZNF652 levels in primary lung carcinoma cases and controls were determined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Its prognostic value in primary lung carcinoma was examined by depicting it with Kaplan-Meier curves. The biological functions of circZNF652 in regulating proliferative and migratory capacities in A549 and SPC-A-1 cells were analyzed from the curves. Interaction between circZNF652 and its downstream gene, miR-766, wasassessed, and their co-regulation on primary lung carcinoma was determined by rescue experiments.Results: CircZNF652 was abnormally and significantly upregulated in primary lung carcinoma cases (p< 0.05), resulting in a poor prognosis. The knockdown effect of circZNF652 attenuated the proliferative and migratory capacities of A549 and SPC-A-1 cells, and downregulated epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-associated genes. CircZNF652 bound and negatively regulated miR-766, a keydownstream gene involved in circZNF652-induced aggravation of primary lung carcinoma.Conclusion: CircZNF652 serves as an oncogene, triggering the aggravation of primary lung carcinoma by negatively regulating miR-766. The results of this study may provide new insights into the treatment of lung carcinoma

BGI-RIS: An integrated information resource and comparative analysis workbench for rice genomics

Rice is a major food staple for the world's population and serves as a model species in cereal genome research. The Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI) has long been devoting itself to sequencing, information analysis and biological research of the rice and other crop genomes. In order to facilitate the application of the rice genomic information and to provide a foundation for functional and evolutionary studies of other important cereal crops, we implemented our Rice Information System (BGI-RIS), the most up-to-date integrated information resource as well as a workbench for comparative genomic analysis. In addition to comprehensive data from Oryza sativa L. ssp. indica sequenced by BGI, BGI-RIS also hosts carefully curated genome information from Oryza sativa L. ssp. japonica and EST sequences available from other cereal crops. In this resource, sequence contigs of indica (93-11) have been further assembled into Mbp-sized scaffolds and anchored onto the rice chromosomes referenced to physical/genetic markers, cDNAs and BAC-end sequences. We have annotated the rice genomes for gene content, repetitive elements, gene duplications (tandem and segmental) and single nucleotide polymorphisms between rice subspecies. Designed as a basic platform, BGI-RIS presents the sequenced genomes and related information in systematic and graphical ways for the convenience of in-depth comparative studie