Holey tungsten oxynitride nanowires with superior conductivity, good biocompatibility, and good stability achieve excellent performance as anodes for both asymmetric supercapacitors and microbial fuel cells. Moreover, an innovative system is devised based on these as-prepared tungsten oxynitride anodes, which can simultaneously realize both energy conversion from chemical to electric energy and its storage.

The poor intrinsic conductivity of MoS2 presents a huge barrier for the exploitation of its versatile properties, especially as an electrochemical capacitor (EC) electrode and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalyst. Toward this challenge, TiN nanorods coated by randomly oriented MoS2 nanosheets (TMSs) are engineered as state-of-the-art electrodes for ECs and HER. In light of the synergistic effects, TMS electrodes show favorable performance as both a binder-free EC electrode and HER catalyst. Importantly, the optimal TMS achieves an areal capacitance of 662.2 mF cm–2 at 1 mA cm–2 with superior rate capability and ultralong cycling stability. As the catalyst for HER in 0.5 M H2SO4, it shows an overpotential of 146 mV at 10 mA cm–2, a favorable Tafel slope, and good electrocatalytic stability. All of the results highlight the favorable integration of TiN and MoS2 and provide clear insight correlating the hybrid structure and the corresponding electrochemical performance.

The mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) is a critical sensor for bone homeostasis and bone formation; however, the role of mTORC1 in osteoclast development and the underlying mechanisms have not yet been fully established. Here, we found that mTORC1 activity declined during osteoclast precursors differentiation in vitro and in vivo. We further targeted deletion of Raptor (mTORC1 key component) or Tsc1 (mTORC1 negative regulator) to constitutively inhibit or activate mTORC1 in osteoclast precursors (monocytes/macrophages), using LyzM-cre mice. Osteoclastic formation was drastically increased in cultures of Raptor deficient bone marrow monocytes/macrophages (BMMs), and Raptor-deficient mice displayed osteopenia with enhanced osteoclastogenesis. Conversely, BMMs lacking Tsc1 exhibited a severe defect in osteoclast-like differentiation and absorptive function, both of which were restored following rapamycin treatment. Importantly, expression of nuclear factor κ-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) and nuclear factor of activated T cells, cytoplasmic 1 (NFATc1), transcription factors that are essential for osteoclast differentiation was negatively regulated by mTORC1 in osteoclast lineages. These results provide evidence that mTORC1 plays as a critical role as an osteoclastic differentiation-limiting signal and suggest a potential drawback in treating bone loss-related diseases with mTOR inhibitors clinically. © 2017 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

MnSe with high theoretical capacity and reversibility is considered as a promising material for the anode of sodium ion batteries. In this study, MnSe nanoparticles embedded in 1D carbon nanofibers (MnSe-NC) are successfully prepared via facile electrospinning and subsequent selenization. A carbon framework can effectively protect MnSe dispersed in it from agglomeration and can accommodate volume variation in the conversion reaction between MnSe and Na+ to guarantee cycling stability. The 1D fiber structure can increase the area of contact between electrode and electrolyte to shorten the diffusion path of Na+ and facilitate its transfer. According to the kinetic analysis, the storage process of sodium by MnSe-NC is a surface pseudocapacitive-controlled process with promising rate capability. Impressively, An MnSe-NC anode in sodium ion full cells is investigated by pairing with an Na3V2(PO4)2@rGO cathode, which exhibits a reversible capacity of 195 mA h g−1 at 0.1 A g−1.

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