Uranyl dication mediated photoswitching of a calix[4]pyrrole-based metal coordination cage.

A set of self-assembled tri- and tetrapodal metal coordination cage structures (cage-1 and cage-2, respectively) constructed from the uranyl dication (UO22+) and a dibenzoic acid functionalised cis-calix[4]pyrrole (1) are described. The inherent photochemical reactivity of the uranyl dication mediates the transformation of cage-1 to cage-2via the activation of molecular oxygen.

Stepwise Self-Assembly and Dynamic Exchange of Supramolecular Nanocages Based on Terpridine Building Blocks.

Coordination-driven self-assembly as a powerful bottom-up approach has been extensively used to construct multifarious supramolecular architectures with increasing complexity and functionality. Due to the unique cavity structures and precisely controllable dimensions, 3D supramolecules display unprecedented properties and functions in catalysis, sensing, gas storage, and smart materials. Herein, we have built two 3D nanocages with different sizes by changing the length of the organic ligand arms.

Downregulated GTCPH I/BH4 Pathway and Decreased Function of Circulating Endothelial Progenitor Cells and Their Relationship with Endothelial Dysfunction in Overweight Postmenopausal Women.

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have endogenous endothelium-reparative potential, but obesity impairs EPCs. Overweight premenopausal women have a normal number of circulating EPCs with functional activity, but whether EPCs in overweight postmenopausal women can repair obesity-related endothelial damage requires further investigation. For this purpose, we examined the function and number of circulating EPCs, evaluated vascular endothelial function, and explored the underlying mechanism.

In silico identification and computational characterization of endogenous small interfering RNAs from diverse grapevine tissues and stages.

Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are effectors of regulatory pathways underlying plant development, metabolism, and stress- and nutrient-signaling regulatory networks. The endogenous siRNAs are generally not conserved between plants; consequently, it is necessary and important to identify and characterize siRNAs from various plants. To address the nature and functions of siRNAs, and understand the biological roles of the huge siRNA population in grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.

Solid-State Rechargeable Zinc-Air Battery with Long Shelf Life Based on Nanoengineered Polymer Electrolyte.

Zinc-air batteries (ZABs) are vulnerable to the ambient environment (e.g., humidity and CO ), and have serious selfdischarge issues, resulting in a short shelf life.

Bifunctional Nitrogen and Cobalt Codoped Hollow Carbon for Electrochemical Syngas Production.

Electrochemical conversion of CO and HO into syngas is an attractive route to utilize green electricity. A competitive system economy demands development of cost-effective electrocatalyst with dual active sites for CO reduction reaction (CORR) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Here, a single atom electrocatalyst derived from a metal-organic framework is proposed, in which Co single atoms and N functional groups function as atomic CORR and HER active sites, respectively.

Photoswitching topology in polymer networks with metal-organic cages as crosslinks.

Polymer networks can have a range of desirable properties such as mechanical strength, wide compositional diversity between different materials, permanent porosity, convenient processability and broad solvent compatibility. Designing polymer networks from the bottom up with new structural motifs and chemical compositions can be used to impart dynamic features such as malleability or self-healing, or to allow the material to respond to environmental stimuli. However, many existing systems exhibit only one operational state that is defined by the material's composition and topology; or their responsiveness may be irreversible and limited to a single network property (such as stiffness).

MicroRNA-302c represses epithelial-mesenchymal transition and metastasis by targeting transcription factor AP-4 in colorectal cancer.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) contribute to tumorigenesis and progression via acting as tumor suppressors or oncogenes in human cancer. Aberrant expression of miR-302c has been reported in various types of cancer except colorectal cancer (CRC). Thus, our study was aimed to verify the expression of miR-302c and its functional role in CRC.

Fluorescent Metallacage-Core Supramolecular Polymer Gel Formed by Orthogonal Metal Coordination and Host-Guest Interactions.

Herein, we report the preparation of a multifunctional metallacage-core supramolecular gel by orthogonal metal coordination and host-guest interactions. A tetragonal prismatic cage with four appended 21-crown-7 (21C7) moieties in its pillar parts was first prepared via the metal-coordination-driven self-assembly of cis-Pt(PEt)(OTf), tetraphenylethene (TPE)-based sodium benzoate ligands and linear dipyridyl ligands. Further addition of a bisammonium linker to the cage delivered a supramolecular polymer network via the host-guest interactions between the 21C7 moieties and ammonium salts, which formed a supramolecular gel at relatively higher concentrations.

Terpyridine-based metallo-organic cages and supramolecular gelation by coordination-driven self-assembly and host-guest interaction.

Host-guest complexation based on terpyridine (tpy) three-dimensional (3D) metallo-cages has received less attention due to the complicated structure and solubility issues. Herein, a three-armed metallo-organic ligand (L) was synthesized via three 120°-bent bis-tpy groups as a rigid tetrakis-tpy core, which possesses one benzo-21-crown-7 (B21C7) for further host-guest interaction. The metallo-organic cages [M3L2] with molecular weights up to 13 000 Da and giant cavities were prepared in near-quantitative yield by self-assembly of L with metal ions, such as Zn2+ and Fe2+.

Temperature-Responsive Fluorescent Organoplatinum(II) Metallacycles.

The synthesis, characterization, and temperature-responsive properties of two fluorescent organoplatinum(II) metallacycles are reported. Metallacycles M1 and M2 were prepared via the coordination-driven self-assembly of a 120° triarylamine ligand L1 and a 120° diplatinum(II) acceptor Pt-1 or 180° diplatinum(II) acceptor Pt-2, respectively. M1 and M2 are hexagonal metallacycles, comprising of three or six freely rotating anthracene pendants on their periphery, respectively.

Heterometallic Ru-Pt metallacycle for two-photon photodynamic therapy.

As an effective and noninvasive treatment of various diseases, photodynamic therapy (PTD) relies on the combination of light, a photosensitizer, and oxygen to generate cytotoxic reactive oxygen species that can damage malignant tissue. Much attention has been paid to covalent modifications of the photosensitizers to improve their photophysical properties and to optimize the pathway of the photosensitizers interacting with cells within the target tissue. Herein we report the design and synthesis of a supramolecular heterometallic Ru-Pt metallacycle via coordination-driven self-assembly.

FeO nanoparticles decorated on a CuS platelet-based sphere: a popcorn chicken-like heterostructure as an ideal material against electromagnetic pollution.

Electromagnetic irradiation has caused environmental pollution and harmful effects on human health. The use of effective materials to attenuate electromagnetic energy is urgently required. In this study, FeO nanoparticles (NPs) decorated on a CuS platelet-based sphere (CuS/FeO) with popcorn chicken-like micromorphology were synthesized through a solvothermal deposition method.

Decorating MOF-Derived Nanoporous Co/C in Chain-Like Polypyrrole (PPy) Aerogel: A Lightweight Material with Excellent Electromagnetic Absorption.

To clear away the harmful effects of the increment of electromagnetic pollution, high performance absorbers with appropriate impedance matching and strong attenuation capacity are strongly desired. In this study, a chain-like PPy aerogel decorated with MOF-derived nanoporous Co/C (Co/C@PPy) has been successfully prepared by a self-assembled polymerization method. With a filler loading ratio of 10 wt %, the composite of Co/C@PPy could achieve a promising electromagnetic absorption performance both in intensity and bandwidth.

Diamondoid Supramolecular Coordination Frameworks from Discrete Adamantanoid Platinum(II) Cages.

Recently, porous framework materials with various network-type structures have been constructed via several different approaches, such as coordination interactions, reversible covalent bonds, and non-covalent interactions. Here, we have combined the concepts of supramolecular coordination complex (SCC) and metal-organic framework to offer a new strategy to construct a diamondoid supramolecular coordination framework (SCF) from an adamantanoid supramolecular coordination cage as the tetrahedral node and a difunctional Pt(II) ligand as the linear linker via stepwise orientation-induced supramolecular coordination. The adamantanoid supramolecular coordination cage has four uncoordinated pyridyl groups, which serve as the four vertexes of the tetrahedral geometry in the diamondoid framework.

Supramolecular Kandinsky circles with high antibacterial activity.

Nested concentric structures widely exist in nature and designed systems with circles, polygons, polyhedra, and spheres sharing the same center or axis. It still remains challenging to construct discrete nested architecture at (supra)molecular level. Herein, three generations (G2-G4) of giant nested supramolecules, or Kandinsky circles, have been designed and assembled with molecular weight 17,964, 27,713 and 38,352 Da, respectively.

Construction of Porphyrin-Containing Metallacycle with Improved Stability and Activity within Mesoporous Carbon.

The successful construction of porphyrin functionalized metallacycle in the confined cavity of mesoporous carbon FDU-16 (3⊂C) is presented in this study. Because of high dispersity of metallacycles within the mesoporous cavities, the stability and activity of porphyrin-containing metallacycles were obviously improved. For example, O generation efficiency of 3⊂C is ca.

Temperature-dependent self-assembly of a purely organic cage in water.

Using a novel dynamic covalent approach relying on reversible hydrazone formation, a purely organic 3-dimensional prismatic cage was developed in water at elevated temperatures. By lowering the temperature, the hydrazone bond becomes kinetically inert. This self-assembled cage acts as an effective receptor for donor-acceptor pairs, whose interactions are weak in the absence of the cage.

Development of a polarized pancreatic ductular cell epithelium for physiological studies.

Pancreatic ductular epithelial cells comprise the majority of duct cells in pancreas, control cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR)-dependent bicarbonate ([Formula: see text]) secretion, but are difficult to grow as a polarized monolayer. Using NIH-3T3-J2 fibroblast feeder cells and a Rho-associated kinase inhibitor, we produced well-differentiated and polarized porcine pancreatic ductular epithelial cells. Cells grown on semipermeable filters at the air-liquid interface developed typical epithelial cell morphology and stable transepithelial resistance and expressed epithelial cell markers (zona occludens-1 and β-catenin), duct cell markers (SOX-9 and CFTR), but no acinar (amylase) or islet cell (chromogranin) markers.

LESS: Link Estimation with Sparse Sampling in Intertidal WSNs.

Deploying wireless sensor networks (WSN) in the intertidal area is an effective approach for environmental monitoring. To sustain reliable data delivery in such a dynamic environment, a link quality estimation mechanism is crucial. However, our observations in two real WSN systems deployed in the intertidal areas reveal that link update in routing protocols often suffers from energy and bandwidth waste due to the frequent link quality measurement and updates.

Self-assembly of emissive supramolecular rosettes with increasing complexity using multitopic terpyridine ligands.

Coordination-driven self-assembly has emerged as a powerful bottom-up approach to construct various supramolecular architectures with increasing complexity and functionality. Tetraphenylethylene (TPE) has been incorporated into metallo-supramolecules to build luminescent materials based on aggregation-induced emission. We herein report three generations of ligands with full conjugation of TPE with 2,2':6',2″-terpyridine (TPY) to construct emissive materials.

Mitochondrial phylogeny, divergence history and high-altitude adaptation of grassland caterpillars (Lepidoptera: Lymantriinae: Gynaephora) inhabiting the Tibetan Plateau.

Grassland caterpillars (Lepidoptera: Lymantriinae: Gynaephora) are the most important pests in alpine meadows of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and have well adapted to high-altitude environments. To further understand the evolutionary history and their adaptation to the TP, we newly determined seven complete TP Gynaephora mitogenomes. Compared to single genes, whole mitogenomes provided the best phylogenetic signals and obtained robust results, supporting the monophyly of the TP Gynaephora species and a phylogeny of Arctiinae + (Aganainae + Lymantriinae).

Nominal carbonic anhydrase activity minimizes airway-surface liquid pH changes during breathing.

The airway-surface liquid pH (pH ) is slightly acidic relative to the plasma and becomes more acidic in airway diseases, leading to impaired host defense. CO in the large airways decreases during inspiration (0.04% CO ) and increases during expiration (5% CO ).

Clinical and Mortality Risk Factors in Bloodstream Infections with Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae.

Objective: To investigate the risk factors underlying the occurrence and mortality of bloodstream infections (BSIs) with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE).

Methods: Medical information was retrospectively analyzed from 148 cases of patients with Enterobacteriaceae BSIs at a medical center in China, between 2013 and 2015.

Results: The 30-day mortality rate in the CRE group was 65.

A small set of differentially expressed genes was associated with two color morphs in natural populations of the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum.

Color polymorphism is an ecologically important trait, which is related to local adaptation and ecological speciation. The pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum shows color polymorphism: the red and green color morphs where differences in ecological adaptation have been observed. Here, we measured genome-wide gene expression profiles of two color morphs in natural populations of A.