Ti O nanoparticles with high performance of photothermal conversion are demonstrated for the first time. Benefiting from the nanosize and narrow-bandgap features, the Ti O nanoparticles possess strong light absorption and nearly 100% internal solar-thermal conversion efficiency. Furthermore, Ti O -nanoparticle-based thin film shows potential use in seawater desalination and purification.

environments, [7-12] where Zn deposition even during shelf time is continuously interfered by competitive hydrogen evolution through H 2 O decomposition (Zn + 2H 2 O → Zn(OH) 2 + H 2) and by consuming both the electrolyte and active Zn metal. This long-neglected problem will remarkably affect calendar life of batteries, which is equivalently important with the intensively studied cycling life of batteries. As revealed in our preliminary quantitative study shown in Figure 1a, immersing Zn in 2 m ZnSO 4 electrolyte will induce an ≈0.25 mmol h-1 cm-2 hydrogen flux. The continuous hydrogen evolution will cause local pH changes, which further induce the formation of loose and brittle Zn 4 SO 4 (OH) 6 •xH 2 O (3Zn(OH) 2 + ZnSO 4 •xH 2 O → Zn 4 SO 4 (OH) 6 •xH 2 O), as revealed in Figure 1b. [13-18] It is generally assumed that these by-products augment the tortuosity and irregularity at the electrode/electrolyte interface with physical contact surface being increased (Figure 1c-h), which will further accelerate hydrogen evolution reaction. The above issues necessitate an effective method to detect hydrogen evolution. Nevertheless, for a Zn-based battery, these assumption and hypotheses are only based on oversimplified observations of battery swelling, gas bubbles, or conducting polarization curve in the absence of Zn 2+ condition, not reflecting physical truth of battery. [19-21] Hydrogen production during electrochemical procedure and even shelf time has not been precisely quantified. Consequently, efforts to make Zn metal a valid anode material may be misdirected. Quantifying the hydrogen production on the electrode during Zn deposition is key to understanding the mechanisms leading to capacity loss and battery failure. On the other hand, these Zn protrusions caused by hydrogen evolution reaction will attract more Zn 2+ flux ("tip" effect) [22] under concentrated electric field during electrochemical cycling, thus accelerating the vertical growth of Zn dendrites instead of planar growth and hydrogen production further flourish (Figure 1g). Up to now, various strategies have been evolved to prohibit the Zn dendrite growth, such as electrolyte optimization, [8,23-25] Zn surface coating, [9,21,26-29] and alloying. [30] To some extent, these strategies stabilize Zn metal, but they do The hydrogen evolution in Zn metal battery is accurately quantified by in situ battery-gas chromatography-mass analysis. The hydrogen fluxes reach 3.76 mmol h −1 cm −2 in a Zn//Zn symmetric cell in each segment, and 7.70 mmol h −1 cm −2 in a Zn//MnO 2 full cell. Then, a highly electronically insulating (0.11 mS cm −1) but highly Zn 2+ ion conductive (80.2 mS cm −1) ZnF 2 solid ion conductor with high Zn 2+ transfer number (0.65) is constructed to isolate Zn metal from liquid electrolyte, which not only prohibits over 99.2% parasitic hydrogen evolution but also guides uniform Zn electrodeposition. Precisely quantitated, the Zn@ZnF 2 //Zn@ZnF 2 cell only produces 0.02 mmol h −1 cm −2 of hydrogen (0.53% of the Zn//Zn cell). Encouragingly, a hig...

Despite half a century of research, the biology of dinoflagellates remains enigmatic: they defy many functional and genetic traits attributed to typical eukaryotic cells. Genomic approaches to study dinoflagellates are often stymied due to their large, multi-gigabase genomes. Members of the genus Symbiodinium are photosynthetic endosymbionts of stony corals that provide the foundation of coral reef ecosystems. Their smaller genome sizes provide an opportunity to interrogate evolution and functionality of dinoflagellate genomes and endosymbiosis. We sequenced the genome of the ancestral Symbiodinium microadriaticum and compared it to the genomes of the more derived Symbiodinium minutum and Symbiodinium kawagutii and eukaryote model systems as well as transcriptomes from other dinoflagellates. Comparative analyses of genome and transcriptome protein sets show that all dinoflagellates, not only Symbiodinium, possess significantly more transmembrane transporters involved in the exchange of amino acids, lipids, and glycerol than other eukaryotes. Importantly, we find that only Symbiodinium harbor an extensive transporter repertoire associated with the provisioning of carbon and nitrogen. Analyses of these transporters show species-specific expansions, which provides a genomic basis to explain differential compatibilities to an array of hosts and environments, and highlights the putative importance of gene duplications as an evolutionary mechanism in dinoflagellates and Symbiodinium.

SUMMARY Regulatory T (Treg) cells suppress inflammatory immune responses and autoimmunity caused by self-reactive T cells. The key Treg cell transcription factor Foxp3 is downregulated during inflammation to allow for the acquisition of effector T cell-like functions. Here, we demonstrate that stress signals elicited by proinflammatory cytokines and lipopolysaccharide lead to the degradation of Foxp3 through the action of the E3 ubiquitin ligase Stub1. Stub1 interacted with Foxp3 to promote its K48-linked polyubiquitination in an Hsp70-dependent manner. Knockdown of endogenous Stub1 or Hsp70 prevented Foxp3 degradation. Furthermore, the overexpression of Stub1 in Treg cells abrogated their ability to suppress inflammatory immune responses in vitro and in vivo, and conferred a T helper 1 (Th1) cell-like phenotype. Our results demonstrate the critical role of the stress-activated Stub1-Hsp70 complex in promoting Treg cell inactivation, thus providing a potential therapeutic target for the intervention against autoimmune disease, infection and cancer.