GFP Chromophore Integrated Conjugated Microporous Polymers toward Bioinspired Photocatalytic CO Reduction to CO.

The development of highly active, durable, and low-cost metal-free catalysts for the photocatalytic CO reduction reaction (CORR) is an efficient and environmentally friendly solution to address significant problems like global warming and high energy demand. In the present study, we have demonstrated the design and synthesis of a donor-acceptor based conjugated microporous polymer (CMP), TPA-GFP, by integrating an electron donor, tris(4-ethynylphenyl)amine (TPA), with a green fluorescent protein chromophore analogue ()-4-(2-hydroxy-3,5-diiodobenzylidene)-1-(4-iodophenyl)-2-methyl-1-imidazol-5(4)-one (o-HBDI-I3) (GFP). In comparison to nondonor 1,3,5-triethynylbenzene (TEB) based TEB-GFP CMP, photocatalytic CO reduction using donor-acceptor based TPA-GFP CMP displays a 3-fold increment of CO production yield with a maximum CO yield of 1666 μmol g at 12 h.

Spindle architecture constrains karyotype evolution.

The eukaryotic cell division machinery must rapidly and reproducibly duplicate and partition the cell's chromosomes in a carefully coordinated process. However, chromosome numbers vary dramatically between genomes, even on short evolutionary timescales. We sought to understand how the mitotic machinery senses and responds to karyotypic changes by using a series of budding yeast strains in which the native chromosomes have been successively fused.

Supramolecular polyplexes from Janus peptide nucleic acids (bm-PNA-G5): self-assembled bm-PNA G-quadruplex and its tetraduplex with DNA.

Nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) can form diverse secondary structures ranging from hairpins to duplex, triplex, G4-tetraplex and C4-i-motifs. Many of the DNA analogues designed as antisense oligonucleotides (ASO) are also adept at embracing such folded structures, although to different extents with altered stabilities. One such analogue, peptide nucleic acid (PNA), which is uncharged and achiral, forms hybrids with complementary DNA/RNA with greater stability and specificity than DNA:DNA/RNA hybrids.

Regulation of microtubule dynamics and function in living cells cucurbit[7]uril host-guest assembly.

Living systems utilize sophisticated biochemical regulators and various signal transduction mechanisms to program bio-molecular assemblies and their associated functions. Creating synthetic assemblies that can replicate the functional and signal-responsive properties of these regulators, while also interfacing with biomolecules, holds significant interest within the realms of supramolecular chemistry and chemical biology. This pursuit not only aids in understanding the fundamental design principles of life but also introduces novel capabilities that contribute to the advancements in medical and therapeutic research.

Amino Acid-Conjugated Polymer-Silver Bromide Nanocomposites for Eradicating Polymicrobial Biofilms and Treating Burn Wound Infections.

The rise in antimicrobial resistance, the increasing occurrence of bacterial, and fungal infections, and the challenges posed by polymicrobial biofilms necessitate the exploration of innovative therapeutic strategies. Silver-based antimicrobials have garnered attention for their broad-spectrum activity and multimodal mechanisms of action. However, their effectiveness against single-species or polymicrobial biofilms remains limited.

Chirality of CsPbBr Nanocrystals with Varying Dimensions in the Presence of Chiral Molecules.

Chiral lead halide perovskite (LHP) nanocrystals (NCs) have been attracting considerable interest for circularly polarized luminescence (CPL)-based optoelectronic applications. This study combined experimental and computational analyses to investigate how the dimensionality of 3D (cubic) to 0D (quantum dots) influences the tunable chiral emission of CsPbBr LHP NCs. The circular dichroism (CD) spectra have a significant blue shift from 508 to 406 nm.

Expansion microscopy reveals characteristic ultrastructural features of pathogenic budding yeast species.

Candida albicans is the most prevalent fungal pathogen associated with candidemia. Similar to other fungi, the complex life cycle of C. albicans has been challenging to study with high-resolution microscopy due to its small size.

Reorganization of circadian activity and the pacemaker circuit under novel light regimes.

Many environmental features are cyclic, with predictable changes across the day, seasons and latitudes. Additionally, anthropogenic, artificial-light-induced changes in photoperiod or shiftwork-driven novel light/dark cycles also occur. Endogenous timekeepers or circadian clocks help organisms cope with such changes.

Topochemical Modulations from 1D Iron Fluoride Precursor to 3D Frameworks.

Topochemical reactions are powerful pathways to modify inorganic extended structures, but the present approaches are limited by the degrees of freedom to tune the structural connectivity and dimensionality. In this work, we unveil a new topochemical bottom-up approach to tailor three-dimensional (3D) iron fluoride frameworks from the same one-dimensional (1D) FeF.3HO (IF) precursor upon reacting with iodide-based reagents (AI; A = Na, K, and NH).

HP35 Protein in the Mesopore of MIL-101(Cr) MOF: A Model to Study Cotranslocational Unfolding.

The immobilization of enzymes in metal-organic framework (MOF) cages is important in biotechnology. In this context, the mechanism of translocation of proteins through the cavities of the MOF and the roles played by confinement and MOF chemistry in giving rise to stable protein intermediates that are otherwise transiently populated in the physiological environment are important questions to be addressed. These unexplored aspects are examined with villin headpiece (HP35) as a model protein confined within a mesopore of MIL-101(Cr) using molecular dynamics simulations.

Finite-size scaling in kinetics of phase separation in certain models of aligning active particles.

To study the kinetics of phase separation in active matter systems, we consider models that impose a Vicsek-type self-propulsion rule on otherwise passive particles interacting via the Lennard-Jones potential. Two types of kinetics are of interest: one conserves the total momentum of all the constituents and the other does not. We carry out molecular dynamics simulations to obtain results on structural, growth, and aging properties.

Stimuli-Responsive Release-Active Dressing: A Promising Solution for Eradicating Biofilm-Mediated Wound Infections.

Biofilm-mediated wound infections pose a significant challenge due to the limitations of conventional antibiotics, which often exhibit narrow-spectrum activity, fail to eliminate recurrent bacterial contamination, and are unable to penetrate the biofilm matrix. While the search for alternatives has explored the use of metal nanoparticles and synthetic biocides, these solutions often suffer from unintended toxicity to surrounding tissues and lack controlled administration and release. In this study, we engineered a pH-responsive release-active dressing film based on carboxymethyl cellulose, incorporating a synthetic antibacterial molecule (SAM-17).

Synthesis and soft crystal structure-induced broad emission of (NHCHNH)InBr·2HO.

We report a simple synthesis of a new lead-free zero-dimensional (0D) hybrid halide compound, (5P1)InBr·2HO [(5P1) = NHCHNH], which hosts isolated and distorted octahedra of [InBr(HO)], surrounded by bulky asymmetric organic cations [(5P1)] and HO molecules. The hybrid crystals exhibit broad self trapped excitonic (STE) emission due to strong anharmonic soft structure.

A shape-driven reentrant jamming transition in confluent monolayers of synthetic cell-mimics.

Many critical biological processes, like wound healing, require densely packed cell monolayers/tissues to transition from a jammed solid-like to a fluid-like state. Although numerical studies anticipate changes in the cell shape alone can lead to unjamming, experimental support for this prediction is not definitive because, in living systems, fluidization due to density changes cannot be ruled out. Additionally, a cell's ability to modulate its motility only compounds difficulties since even in assemblies of rigid active particles, changing the nature of self-propulsion has non-trivial effects on the dynamics.

High Ammonia Yield Rate from Dilute Nitrate Solutions Using a Cu(100)-Rich Foil: A Step Closer to Large-Scale Production.

The electrochemical reduction of nitrate (NO) ions to ammonia (NH) provides an alternative method to eliminate harmful NO pollutants in water as well as to produce highly valuable NH chemicals. The NH yield rate however is still limited to the μmol h cm range when dealing with dilute NO concentrations found in waste streams. Copper (Cu) has attracted much attention because of its unique ability to effectively convert NO to NH.

Long-Lived Interlayer Excitons in WS/Ruddlesden-Popper Perovskite van der Waals Heterostructures.

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) and perovskites hold substantial promise for various optoelectronic applications such as light emission, photodetection, and energy harvesting. However, each of these materials possesses certain limitations that can be overcome by synergistically combining them to form heterostructures, thereby unveiling intriguing optical properties. In this study, we present an uncomplicated technique for crafting a van der Waals (vdW) heterojunction comprising monolayer WS and a Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) perovskite, namely (TEA)PbI.

Nucleoid-associated proteins of mycobacteria come with a distinctive flavor.

In every bacterium, nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs) play crucial roles in chromosome organization, replication, repair, gene expression, and other DNA transactions. Their central role in controlling the chromatin dynamics and transcription has been well-appreciated in several well-studied organisms. Here, we review the diversity, distribution, structure, and function of NAPs from the genus Mycobacterium.

Nonuniversal aging during phase separation with long-range interaction.

Issues concerning the kinetics of phase transitions are not well established for the cases where the order parameter remains conserved with time, particularly when the interatomic interactions are long-range in nature. Here we present results on structure, growth, and aging from Monte Carlo simulations of the two-dimensional long-range Ising model. In our computer simulations, random initial configurations, for 50:50 compositions of up and down spins, mimicking high-temperature equilibrium states, have been quenched to temperatures inside the coexistence curve.

Kibble-Zurek scalings and coarsening laws in slowly quenched classical Ising chains.

We consider a one-dimensional classical ferromagnetic Ising model when it is quenched from a low temperature to zero temperature in finite time using Glauber or Kawasaki dynamics. Most of the previous work on finite-time quenches assume that the system is initially in equilibrium and focuses on the excess mean defect density at the end of the quench, which decays algebraically in quench time with Kibble-Zurek exponent. Here we are interested in understanding the conditions under which the Kibble-Zurek scalings do not hold and in elucidating the full dynamics of the mean defect density.

Metabolic reprogramming during Candida albicans planktonic-biofilm transition is modulated by the transcription factors Zcf15 and Zcf26.

Candida albicans is a commensal of the human microbiota that can form biofilms on implanted medical devices. These biofilms are tolerant to antifungals and to the host immune system. To identify novel genes modulating C.

A genetically-encoded fluorescence-based reporter to spatiotemporally investigate mannose-6-phosphate pathway.

Maintenance of a pool of active lysosomes with acidic pH and degradative hydrolases is crucial for cell health. Abnormalities in lysosomal function are closely linked to diseases, such as lysosomal storage disorders, neurodegeneration, intracellular infections, and cancer among others. Emerging body of research suggests the malfunction of lysosomal hydrolase trafficking pathway to be a common denominator of several disease pathologies.

Synthesis and catalytic application of a donor-free bismuthenium cation.

Herein, we report the synthesis and catalytic application of a new ,'-dineopentyl-1,2-phenylenediamine-based bismuthenium cation (3). 3 has been synthesized the treatment of chlorobismuthane LBiCl [L = 1,2-CH{N(CHBu)}] (2) with AgSbF, and was further used as a robust catalyst for the cyanosilylation of ketones under mild reaction conditions. Experimental studies and DFT calculations were performed to understand the mechanistic pathway.