Application of β-Keto Acylpyrazoles as 2C Synthons in Asymmetric Cyclizations of -Hydroxychalcones: Stereoselective Construction of -3,4-Dihydrocoumarins.

An asymmetric tandem esterification/Michael addition reaction of β-keto acylpyrazoles with -hydroxychalcones has been established under the catalysis of a bifunctional squaramide-tertiary amine. A wide variety of biorelevant 3,4-dihydrocoumarin derivatives were generally obtained in high yields (up to 93%) with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities (>19:1 dr, up to 93% ee) under mild reaction conditions. This reaction represents the successful application of β-keto acylpyrazoles as 2C building blocks in catalytic asymmetric cyclizations.

Intramolecular Hydrogen Bonds Weaken Interaction Between Solvents and Small Organic Molecules Towards Superior Lithium-Organic Batteries.

The strong interaction between organic electrode materials (OEMs) and electrolyte components induces a high solubility tendency of OEMs, thus hindering the practical application of lithium-organic batteries. Herein, we propose an efficient strategy for intramolecular hydrogen bonds (HBs) to redistribute the charge of OEMs to weaken the interaction with electrolyte components, thereby suppressing their dissolution. For the designed 2,2',2''-(2,4,6-trihydroxybenzene-1,3,5-triyl) tris (1H-naphtho[2,3-d]imidazole-4,9-dione) (TPNQ) molecule, the intramolecular HBs (O-H⋅⋅⋅N and N-H⋅⋅⋅O) reduce the charge density of active sites and alter the charge distribution on the molecular skeleton.

pH-Responsive Persistent Luminescent Nanosystem with Sensitized NIR Imaging and Ratiometric Imaging Modes for Tumor Surgery Navigation.

Owing to autofluorescence-free feature, persistent luminescent (PersL) nanoparticles (PLNPs) become potential materials for tumor surgical navigation. However, it is still challenging to enhance PersL intensity, contrast ratio, and imaging stability so as to meet clinical demand and avoid missed detection of microlesions. Herein, integrating a tumor microenvironment (TME)-responsive strategy, sensitization enhancement, and internal-standard ratiometric method, a dual-mode PersL imaging strategy is proposed: After loading pH-responsive fluorescent molecule Rh-ADM on PLNPs ZnGaO:Cr,Mn (ZGCM-Rh8), the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) pathways between Cr and Rh-ADM, as well as Mn and Rh-ADM, could sensitize the NIR PersL emitted by Cr and quench the green PersL from Mn at acidic TME, respectively.

Surface-Assisted Passivation Growth of 2D Ultrathin β-BiO Crystals for High-Performance Polarization-Sensitive Photodetectors.

2D nonlayered materials (NLMs) have garnered considerable attention due to unique surface structure and bright application prospect. However, owing to the strong interatomic forces caused by intrinsic isotropic chemical bonds in all directions, the direct synthesis of ultrathin and large area 2D NLMs remains a tremendous challenge. Here, the surface-assisted passivation growth strategy is designed to synthesize ultrathin and large size β-BiO crystals with the thickness down to 0.

In Situ Welding Ionic Conductive Breakpoints for Highly Reversible All-Solid-State Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-based solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries (SSLSBs) have garnered considerable interest owing to their impressive energy density and high safety. However, the dissolved lithium polysulfide (LiPS) together with sluggish reaction kinetics disrupts the electrolyte network, bringing about ionic conductive breakpoints and severely limiting battery performance. To cure this, we propose an in situ welding strategy by introducing phosphorus pentasulfide (PS) as the welding filler into PEO-based solid cathodes.

Space-Confined Vertical Growth of Large-Size Organic Semiconductor Single Crystals.

Organic semiconductor single crystals (OSSCs) have garnered considerable attention because of their high charge mobility and atomic-scale smooth surface. However, their large-size high-quality preparation remains challenging due to the inevitable defects and limited growth speed brought by traditional epitaxial growth. Here, we demonstrate a space-confined strategy, named out-of-plane microspacing in-air sublimation (OPMAS), for growing vertically millimeter-sized OSSCs in several minutes by revolutionizing the heterogeneous epitaxial growth mode severely depending on substrates into a spontaneous homogeneous growth mode free from substrates.

Organotropic Engineering of Luminescent Gold Nanoclusters for In Vivo Imaging of Lung Orthotopic Tumors.

Gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) are emerging as promising functional probes for bioapplications. However, because of rapid renal clearance, it is a challenge to tailor their biofate and improve their disease-targeting ability in vivo. Herein, we report an efficient strategy to tailor their organotropic actions by rationally designing AuNC assemblies.

Leveraging independent component analysis to unravel transcriptional regulatory networks: A critical review and future directions.

Transcriptional regulatory networks (TRNs) play a crucial role in exploring microbial life activities and complex regulatory mechanisms. The comprehensive reconstruction of TRNs requires the integration of large-scale experimental data, which poses significant challenges due to the complexity of regulatory relationships. The application of machine learning tools, such as clustering analysis, has been employed to investigate TRNs, but these methods have limitations in capturing both global and local co-expression effects.

Triazole Sulfonamide Derivates: Inhibitors of the Complex to Control Cucumber Downy Mildew.

Cucumber downy mildew (CDM), caused by , is a destructive disease that affects greenhouse cucumbers and causes significant losses for growers. Amisulbrom, a triazole sulfonamide fungicide targeting the Qi site in the complex, has shown potential in effectively combating CDM. However, its detailed binding mode with the target is unclear.

Copper-Catalyzed Three-Component Tandem Cyclization for One-Pot Synthesis of Indole-Benzofuran Bis-Heterocycles.

A one-pot, three-component synthesis of indole-benzofuran bis-heterocycles from terminal alkynes, salicylaldehydes, and indoles has been developed via copper-catalyzed tandem annulation. This catalytic system utilizes readily available starting materials, enabling predictable synthesis of indole-benzofuran bis-heterocycles with broad substrate versatility, excellent regiocontrol, and gram-scale amenability. The reaction proceeds via a sequential pathway involving A3 coupling, 1,4-conjugate addition, and 5-- cyclization.

Chiral Differentiation of Chiral Lactides and Chiral Diketones on Native and Phenylcarbamoylated Cyclodextrin Chiral Stationary Phases.

Inclusion complexation, hydrogen bonds, π-π interaction, dipole-dipole interaction, and steric hindrance effect all contribute to the enantioseparation ability of cyclodextrin (CD) or CD derivatives. In this work, one native cationic CD chiral stationary phases (SHCDCSP) and four derivatized CD-CSPs, namely, per(4-trifluoromethyl) phenylcarbamoylated-β-CD CSP (SFPhCDCSP), per(4-chloro) phenylcarbamoylated-β-CD CSP (SCPhCDCSP), per(4-bromo) phenylcarbamoylated-β-CD CSP (SBPhCDCSP), and per(4-methyl) phenylcarbamoylated-β-CD CSP (SMPhCDCSP), were prepared via thioether linkage and applied for the enantioseparation of chiral lactides and chiral diketones in both reverse phase (RP) and normal phase (NP) modes. Most of the studied chiral lactides were found to be well resolved (R > 1.

Investigating the determinants of Singaporean citizens' attitudes toward marine litter pollution control: A policy acceptance model.

The problem of marine litter has caused significant threat to marine environment and human health, and has attracted wide attention. It is estimated that the weight of plastic waste in the oceans will exceed that of fish by 2050. Since a large part of marine debris originate from land-based domestic waste, developing relevant policies to manage the disposal of domestic garbage can effectively prevent and control marine litter pollution.

Nmix: a hybrid deep learning model for precise prediction of 2'-O-methylation sites based on multi-feature fusion and ensemble learning.

RNA 2'-O-methylation (Nm) is a crucial post-transcriptional modification with significant biological implications. However, experimental identification of Nm sites is challenging and resource-intensive. While multiple computational tools have been developed to identify Nm sites, their predictive performance, particularly in terms of precision and generalization capability, remains deficient.

Quinoline Substituted Anthracene Isomers: A Case Study for Simultaneously Optimizing High Mobility and Strong Luminescence in Herringbone-Packed Organic Semiconductors.

The development of high mobility emissive organic semiconductors is significant for advancing optoelectronic devices with simplified architecture and enhanced performance. The herringbone-packed structure is regarded as the ideal arrangement for simultaneously achieving high mobility and strong emission in organic semiconductors. However, it remains a great challenge that the relationship between molecular structure and optoelectronic property is still elusive.

Self-Diffusion Effect Assisted TiO/LiPO Electron Selective Passivating Contact in Silicon Solar Cells Approaching 23% Efficiency.

Carrier selective contacts with passivation effects are considered to have a significant influence on the performance of crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells. It is essential for electron selective contact materials to meet the requirements of ultra-low contact resistance and excellent passivation effects. This work introduces a stack layer of Lithium Phosphate (LiPO) /Titanium Dioxide (TiO) as a new electron selective passivating contact.

Alkylated RALA-Derived Peptides for Efficient Gene Delivery.

RALA is an amphipathic cationic peptide demonstrated to be a low-toxicity and high-efficiency delivery platform for the systemic delivery of nucleic acid therapeutics. This work reports three RALA-derived peptides modified with N-terminal palmitic acid, engineered through amino acid substitutions and truncated sequences. All three peptides have good nucleic acid encapsulation, release and uptake, biocompatibility, and endolysosome escape.

Regulation of Oxide Pathway Mechanism for Sustainable Acidic Water Oxidation.

The advancement of acid-stable oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts is crucial for efficient hydrogen production through proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis. Unfortunately, the activity of electrocatalysts is constrained by a linear scaling relationship in the adsorbed evolution mechanism, while the lattice-oxygen-mediated mechanism undermines stability. Here, we propose a heterogeneous dual-site oxide pathway mechanism (OPM) that avoids these limitations through direct dioxygen radical coupling.

Sapiential battery systems: beyond traditional electrochemical energy.

As indispensable energy-storage technology in modern society, batteries play a crucial role in diverse fields of 3C products, electric vehicles, and electrochemical energy storage. However, with the growing demand for future electrochemical energy devices, lithium-ion batteries as an existing advanced battery system face a series of significant challenges, such as time-consuming manual material screening, safety concerns, performance degradation, non-access in the off-grid state, poor environmental adaptability, and pollution from waste batteries. Accordingly, incorporating the characteristics of sapiential life into batteries to construct sapiential systems is one of the most engaging tactics to tackle the above issues.

Ultrasound-Assisted Remote Benzylic C(sp)-H Alkylation of -Fluoroamides with Enol Silanes.

We have developed an ultrasound-assisted remote benzylic C(sp)-H alkylation of -fluorobenzamides with enol silanes; a series of β-aryl substituted propiophenones was generated in good to high yields. This reaction represents a C(sp)-C(sp) coupling and features simplicity, high efficiency, and wide substrate scope in a multiple-step sequential process, which involves N-F homolysis, 1,5-hydrogen atom transfer, benzylic radical addition, oxidation by copper(II) salt, and removal of the trimethylsilyl group. Also, DFT theoretical calculations and Marcus theory were employed to consolidate the proposed reaction mechanism.

Molecular Chain Rearrangement of Natural Cellulose-Based Artificial Interphase for Ultra-Stable Zn Metal Anodes.

The unstable electrolyte-anode interface, plagued by parasitic side reactions and uncontrollable dendrite growth, severely hampers the practical implementation of aqueous zinc-ion batteries. To address these challenges, we developed a regenerated cellulose-based artificial interphase with synergistically optimized structure and surface chemistry on the Zn anode (RC@Zn), using a facile molecular chain rearrangement strategy. This RC interphase features a drastically increased amorphous region and more exposed active hydroxyl groups, facilitating rapid Zn diffusion and homogeneous Zn interface distribution, thereby enabling dendrite-free Zn deposition.

Multi Targeted Therapy for Alzheimer's Disease by Guanidinium-Modified Calixarene and Cyclodextrin Co-Assembly Loaded with Insulin.

Amyloid-β (Aβ) is considered a primary therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, just eliminating Aβ in patients with AD has exhibited restricted clinical efficacy, possibly failing to address the metabolic abnormalities caused by AD, such as insulin resistance. To address this concern, our research has employed two types of macrocyclic amphiphiles, guanidinium-modified calixarene and cyclodextrin coassembly (GCD), as delivery systems for insulin.