SUMMARY The discovery of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) has dramatically altered our understanding of cancer. Here, we describe a comprehensive analysis of lncRNA alterations at transcriptional, genomic, and epigenetic levels in 5,037 human tumor specimens across 13 cancer types from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Our results suggest that the expression and dysregulation of lncRNAs are highly cancer-type specific compared to protein-coding genes. Using the integrative data generated by this analysis, we present a clinically guided small interfering RNA screening strategy and a co-expression analysis approach to identify cancer driver lncRNAs and predict their functions. This provides a resource for investigating lncRNAs in cancer and lays the groundwork for the development of new diagnostics and treatments.

In this paper, MnO2 nanomaterials of different crystallographic types and crystal morphologies have been selectively synthesized via a facile hydrothermal route and electrochemically investigated as the cathode active materials of primary and rechargeable batteries. Beta-MnO2 nano/microstructures, including one-dimensional (1-D) nanowires, nanorods, and nanoneedles, as well as 2-D hexagramlike and dendritelike hierarchical forms, were obtained by simple hydrothermal decomposition of an Mn(NO3)2 solution under controlled reaction conditions. Alpha- and gamma-MnO2 nanowires and nanorods were also prepared on the basis of previous literature. The as-synthesized samples were characterized by instrumental analyses such as XRD, SEM, TEM, and HRTEM. Furthermore, the obtained 1-D alpha- and gamma-MnO2 nanostructures were found to exhibit favorable discharge performance in both primary alkaline Zn-MnO2 cells and rechargeable Li-MnO2 cells, showing their potential applications in high-energy batteries.

Summary In a genome-wide survey on somatic copy number alterations (SCNAs) of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in 2,394 tumor specimens from 12 cancer types, we found that about 21.8% of lncRNA genes were located in regions with focal SCNAs. By integrating bioinformatics analyses of lncRNA SCNAs and expression with functional screening assays, we identified an oncogene, Focally Amplified lncRNA on Chromosome 1 (FAL1), whose copy number and expression are correlated with outcomes in ovarian cancer. FAL1 associates with the epigenetic repressor BMI1 and regulates its stability in order to modulate the transcription of a number of genes including CDKN1A. The oncogenic activity of FAL1 is partially attributable to its repression of p21. FAL1-specific siRNAs significantly inhibit tumor growth in vivo.

Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are considered intriguing power sources for a wide variety of applications because of their high energy density, lightweight design and environmental friendliness.[1] With respect to the anode of Li-ion batteries, silicon-based materials have attracted tremendous interest owing to their extremely high theoretical capacity of about 4200 mAh g -1 (with the formation of Li 4.2 Si alloy), [2] which is much higher than that of commercialized graphitic carbon (372 mAh g -1 for compound LiC 6 ) and other Li alloys. [3,4] However, Si suffers from serious irreversible capacity and poor cyclability, which result from the huge volume swings during lithium ion insertion/extraction process. This pulverization disadvantage is the obstacle for practical application of Si as the anode materials of rechargeable Li-ion batteries. The current strategies to overcome the so-called pulverization of Si are focusing on two issues: reducing the alloy particle size and using composite materials. [5][6][7][8] For example,Wilson and Dahn prepared carbon-containing nanodispersed Si with reversible specific capacity of 500 mAh g -1 in the former case, [5] and Holzapfel et al. prepared nanosized Si/graphite composites with a stable capacity of 1000 mAh g -1 in the latter. [7] Recently, Liu's group reported on the synthesis of carbon-coated 44 wt % Si nanocomposites, exhibiting a capacity of 1489 mAh g -1 after 20 cycles. [8] In view of the literature, the significant improvement on the electrochemical performance of Si is still necessary to achieve larger gravimetric capacity, higher coulombic efficiency and better cylability. It is noted that hollow nanomaterials of metals and transition-metal oxides are promising candidates as high-energy electrode materials. [9][10][11][12] In particular, Archer and co-workers reported that hollow SnO 2 nanospheres exhibited superior cycling properties and high initial discharge capacity of 1140 mAh g -1 .[12] On the other hand, although many methods for the preparation of Si nanocrystals have been described, [13,14] controlled synthesis of hollow Si nanospheres still remains a great challenge. Herein, we report on the preparation of nest-like Si nanospheres and their highly reversible lithium storage and excellent high-rate capability. This result suggests that the as-prepared nest-like Si nanospheres are promising candidates as the anode materials of rechargeable Li-ion batteries. The nest-like Si nanospheres were prepared by a solvothermal method, [14] with modified experimental setup (Fig. S1, Supporting Information and Experimental Sec.). It was found that the size and morphology of the products are greatly dependent on the experimental conditions. The direct reaction of NaSi and NH 4 Br under the solvothermal conditions, in which no cotton bags and LaNi 5 alloys were added in the reaction system, only led to Si nanosparticles ( Fig. S2a-c, Supporting Information). If the cotton bags are added into the system but without the addition of LaNi 5 alloys, the product is ...