Identifying ADME-related gene signature for immune landscape and prognosis in KIRC by single-cell and spatial transcriptome analysis.

Kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) is the most prevalent subtype of kidney cancer. Although multiple therapeutic agents have been proven effective in KIRC, their clinical application has been hindered by a lack of reliable biomarkers. This study focused on the prognostic value and function of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion- (ADME-) related genes (ARGs) in KIRC to enhance personalized therapy.

A combination of fluorine-induced effect and co-sensitization for highly efficient and stable dye-sensitized solar cells.

Developing dyes with high open-circuit photovoltage (Voc) is a vital strategy to improve the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of co-sensitized solar cells (co-DSSCs). Herein, three organic fluorine-containing dyes [YY-ThP(3F), YY-ThP(2F), and YY-ThP(26F)] are designed and synthesized for investigating the fluorine-induced effect on photophysical and photovoltaic performances. Consequently, this effect can significantly broaden the UV-vis absorption spectra of dyes but fail to improve the light-harvesting capability of DSSCs.

Fluorination Improves the Electro-Optical Properties of Benzoxazole-Terminated Liquid Crystals in High Birefringence Liquid Crystal Mixtures: Experimental and Theoretical Investigations.

Aromatic heterocyclic liquid crystal (LC) materials have received much attention from LC chemists for their high birefringence and large dielectric anisotropy, yet few have reported their properties in LC mixtures. In this work, a series of fluorinated benzoxazole liquid crystal compounds were synthesized to evaluate their electro-optical properties in high birefringence LC mixtures, with the expectation of further establishing the theoretical basis and experimental evidence for their applications in LC photonics. Firstly, the effects of the lateral fluorine substituent positions on the molecular synthetic yield, mesomorphic and solubility properties were comparatively investigated.

Difluorovinyl Liquid Crystal Diluters Improve the Electro-Optical Properties of High-∆ Liquid Crystal Mixture for AR Displays.

A liquid crystal (LC) mixture in liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) is the core material for augmented reality (AR) displays. However, a LC mixture with high birefringence (Δ) and large dielectric anisotropy (Δ) possesses high viscosity (), which results in a slow response time of LCoS devices for AR displays. This work proposes to apply difluorovinyl-based LC diluters to fine balance the low viscosity, high ∆, and large ∆ of the LC mixture for a fast response time.

Tuning active sites for highly efficient bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts of rechargeable zinc-air battery.

High activity, excellent durability, and low-cost oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) bifunctional catalysts are highly required for rechargeable zinc (Zn)-air batteries. Herein, we designed an electrocatalyst by integrating the ORR active species of ferroferric oxide (FeO) and the OER active species of cobaltous oxide (CoO) into the carbon nanoflower. By well regulating and controlling the synthesis parameters, FeO and CoO nanoparticles were uniformly inserted into the porous carbon nanoflower.

Spontaneous Interface Healing by a Dynamic Liquid-Crystal Transition for High-Performance Perovskite Solar Cells.

Low-temperature solution processing of thin-film semiconductors is more cost-effective than traditional vacuum processing; however, it leads to more defects during fast bulk crystallization and residual tensile stress. Herein, a new strategy of dynamic liquid-crystal transition (DLCT) is developed to solve these problems in one step. The design principle is used to suggest that the DLCT molecule should firstly interact with the perovskite grains in the bulk and meanwhile go through a dynamic transition to spontaneously heal the interface.

An optimal molecule-matching co-sensitization system for the improvement of photovoltaic performances of DSSCs.

Three biphenyl co-sensitizers (4OBA, 8OBA and 12OBA) with different terminal oxyalkyl chains were synthesized and co-sensitized respectively with the main dye (NP-1) in co-sensitized solar cells (co-DSSCs). The effects of the terminal oxyalkyl chains on the photophysical, electrochemical and photovoltaic properties of the co-DSSCs were systematically investigated. The optimal molecular matching relationship between the co-sensitizers and the main dye was obtained through density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

Effect of Extending the Conjugation of Dye Molecules on the Efficiency and Stability of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

We designed and synthesized two organic dyes ( and ) for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) by extending the molecular conjugation strategy. The sensitizer was constructed by inserting ethene into our previously reported sensitizer . The sensitizer was obtained by further substituting the hydrogen of ethene with another donor (D) and π-bridge-acceptor (π-A) segment.

Effect of the Spatial Configuration of Donors on the Photovoltaic Performance of Double D-π-A Organic Dyes.

Three double D-π-A sensitizers (, , and ) containing different donors (triphenylamine, methoxy-modified triphenylamine, and cyclic thiourea-functionalized triphenylamine) are synthesized to investigate the role of different donors in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Detailed investigations of the sensitizers reveal that the spatial characteristics of donor units have a considerable impact on the light-harvesting, electrochemistry, and photovoltaic properties. Benefiting from the strong shielding ability of alkyl chains in the donor to its branch chains as observed in density functional theory (DFT), the open-circuit voltage ( = 712.

Highly Active Hollow RhCu Nanoboxes toward Ethylene Glycol Electrooxidation.

The efficient electrocatalysts toward the ethylene glycol oxidation reaction (EGOR) are highly desirable for direct ethylene glycol fuel cells because of the sluggish kinetics of anodic EGOR. Herein, porous RhCu nanoboxes are successfully prepared through facile galvanic replacement reaction and succedent sodium borohydride reduction strategy. Benefiting from hierarchical pore structure, RhCu nanoboxes display excellent electrocatalytic performance toward the EGOR in alkaline medium with a mass activity of 775.

Synthesis and characterization of a novel crosslinkable side-chain sulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) copolymer proton exchange membranes.

A series of novel crosslinkable side-chain sulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) copolymers (S-SPAES(/)) was prepared from 4,4'-biphenol, 4,4'-difluorodiphenyl sulfone, and a new difluoro aromatic monomer 1-(2,6-difluorophenyl)-2-(3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-1,2-ethanedione (DFDMED) co-polycondensation, demethylation, and further nucleophilic substitution of 1,4-butane sultone. Meanwhile, quinoxaline-based crosslinked copolymers (CS-SPAES(/)) were obtained cyclo-condensation between S-SPAES(/) and 3,3'-diaminobenzidine. Both the crosslinkable and crosslinked copolymer membranes exhibit good mechanical properties and high anisotropic membrane swelling.

In situ conversion of iron sulfide (FeS) to iron oxyhydroxide (γ-FeOOH) on N, S co-doped porous carbon nanosheets: An efficient electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction and zinc-air batteries.

For the development of metal-air batteries and fuel cells, highly efficient and inexpensive electrocatalysts are one of the main issues for scalable applications of these advanced energy devices. Herein, based on the in situ conversion of FeS to γ-FeOOH with a two-dimensional (2D) layered structure, a special nanohybrid, N, S co-doped porous carbon nanosheets loaded with γ-FeOOH, is fabricated by carbonization of Fe-coordinated polydopamine, which uniformly coats the surface of bacterial cellulose. The nanocomposites exhibit high activity towards the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), characterized by a more positive half-wave potential (10 mV) than the commercial Pt/C (20 wt%) electrocatalyst in alkaline medium.

0.2 V Electrolysis Voltage-Driven Alkaline Hydrogen Production with Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanobowl-Supported Ultrafine Rh Nanoparticles of 1.4 nm.

The development of highly effective and low-cost electrocatalysts for energy-saving hydrogen production via water splitting is still a great challenge. Herein, porous nitrogen-doped carbon nanobowls (N-CBs) have been designed and used for the controlled growth of ultrafine rhodium (Rh) nanoparticles. With the aid of interfacial bonding of Rh and N, ultrafine Rh nanoparticles with an average size of 1.

Rice OsDOF15 contributes to ethylene-inhibited primary root elongation under salt stress.

In early seedlings, the primary root adapts rapidly to environmental changes through the modulation of endogenous hormone levels. The phytohormone ethylene inhibits primary root elongation, but the underlying molecular mechanism of how ethylene-reduced root growth is modulated in environmental changes remains poorly understood. Here, we show that a novel rice (Oryza sativa) DOF transcription factor OsDOF15 positively regulates primary root elongation by regulating cell proliferation in the root meristem, via restricting ethylene biosynthesis.

Graphene-Encapsulated Co S Nanoparticles on N,S-Codoped Carbon Nanotubes: An Efficient Bifunctional Oxygen Electrocatalyst.

An inexpensive and efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is central to the rechargeable zinc-air battery. Herein, a nanohybrid, in which N,S-codoped carbon nanotubes were decorated with Co S nanoparticles encapsulated in porous graphene layers, was fabricated by a one-step heat-treatment process. The N,S dopant species were the major active sites for the ORR, and Co S nanoparticles were mainly responsible for the OER.

Interface self-assembly preparation of multi-element doped carbon nanobowls with high electrocatalysis activity for oxygen reduction reaction.

Developing an efficient, stable and low cost oxygen reduction reaction electrocatalyst is desirable for fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Here, we have successfully prepared multi-element doped carbon nanobowls by simply mixing the porous carbon nanobowls and sulfur doped graphitic carbon nitride quantum dots in FeCl solution and subsequent high temperature treatment processes. Compared with the commercial Pt/C electrocatalyst, the multi-element doped carbon nanobowls display a comparable half-wave potential of 0.

The activation of OsEIL1 on YUC8 transcription and auxin biosynthesis is required for ethylene-inhibited root elongation in rice early seedling development.

Rice is an important monocotyledonous crop worldwide; it differs from the dicotyledonous plant Arabidopsis in many aspects. In Arabidopsis, ethylene and auxin act synergistically to regulate root growth and development. However, their interaction in rice is still unclear.

High electrocapacitive performance of bowl-like monodispersed porous carbon nanoparticles prepared with an interfacial self-assembly process.

Bowl-like monodispersed porous carbon nanoparticles (BMPCNs) have been successfully prepared with a facile and scalable approach, and the as-prepared BMPCNs are examined thoroughly by various physical characterizations. Physical measurements display that BMPCNs have the high surface area (1255mg), hierarchical porosity, a certain amount of oxygen-containing groups and high graphitization degree. These unique structure features endow BMPCNs with a high capacitance (281Fg at 0.

Syngas production by high temperature steam/CO2 coelectrolysis using solid oxide electrolysis cells.

High temperature (HT) steam/CO2 coelectrolysis with solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) using the electricity and heat generated from clean energies is an important alternative for syngas production without fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Herein, reaction characteristics and the outlet syngas composition of HT steam/CO2 coelectrolysis under different operating conditions, including distinct inlet gas compositions and electrolysis current densities, are systematically studied at 800 °C using commercially available SOECs. The HT coelectrolysis process, which has comparable performance to HT steam electrolysis, is more active than the HT CO2 electrolysis process, indicating the important contribution of the reverse water-gas shift reaction in the formation of CO.

An all solid-state high-voltage ns trigger generator based on magnetic pulse compression and transmission line transformer.

Innovative design of an all solid-state high-voltage ns trigger generator, based on magnetic pulse compression and transmission line transformer, is presented. The repetitive trigger pulse generator was developed to trigger a 700 kV trigatron, which has been used to pulse a repetitive intense electron beam accelerator with Tesla transformer charged double pulse forming lines (PFLs). Experimental results show that the trigger pulse generator could produce 180 kV 65 ns duration pulses with a rise time of 20 ns.

Cyclic thiourea/urea functionalized triphenylamine-based dyes for high-performance dye-sensitized solar cells.

Six cyclic thiourea/urea functionalized triphenylamine-based dyes (AZ1-AZ6) containing 2-cyanoacrylic acid as an acceptor and various linkers (phenyl, biphenyl, and bithiophene) were synthesized. They exhibited high photovoltaic performance owing to an improved short-circuit photocurrent density (J(sc)) and open-circuit voltage (V(oc)). Among them, AZ6 bearing a cyclic thiourea group and bithiophene linker showed the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) up to 7.

Poly(sulfonated phenylene)-block-Polyimide Copolymers for Fuel Cell Applications.

Novel poly(2-(3-sulfo)benzoyl-1,4-phenylene)-block-polynaphthalimide (PSP-b-PI) copolymers were successfully synthesized by Ni(0)-catalyzed copolymerization of 2,5-dichloro-3'-sulfo-benzophenone and dichloro-terminated naphthalimide oligomer. The membranes exhibited a microphase-separated structure and good hydrolytic stability at 130 °C. They showed a fairly strong anisotropy of membrane swelling with much smaller in-plane swelling, but a rather weak anisotropy of proton conductivity.