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The lithium (Li) metal anode is an integral component in an emerging high-energy-density rechargeable battery. A composite Li anode with a three-dimensional (3D) host exhibits unique advantages in suppressing Li dendrites and maintaining dimensional stability. However, the fundamental understanding and regulation of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), which directly dictates the behavior of Li plating/stripping, are rarely researched in composite Li metal anodes. Herein, the interaction between a polar polymer host and solvent molecules was proposed as an emerging but effective strategy to enable a stable SEI and a uniform Li deposition in a working battery. Fluoroethylene carbonate molecules in electrolytes are enriched in the vicinity of a polar polyacrylonitrile (PAN) host due to a strong dipole–dipole interaction, resulting in a LiF-rich SEI on Li metal to improve the uniformity of Li deposition. A composite Li anode with a PAN host delivers 145 cycles compared with 90 cycles when a non-polar host is employed. Moreover, 60 cycles are demonstrated in a 1.0 Ah pouch cell without external pressure. This work provides a fresh guidance for designing practical composite Li anodes by unraveling the vital role of the synergy between a 3D host and solvent molecules for regulating a robust SEI.

Lanthipeptides are one of the largest groups of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) and are characterized by the presence of lanthionine (Lan) or methyllanthionine residues (MeLan). Only very few lanthipeptides contain a C-terminal 2-aminovinyl-cysteine (AviCys) motif, but all of them show potent antibacterial activities. Recent advances of genome sequencing led to the rapid accumulation of new biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) for lanthipeptides. In this study, through our genome mining strategy, we found the AviCys containing lanthipeptides are widespread in the bacterial kingdom. A lanthipeptide-type biosynthetic gene cluster was identified from public bacterial genome database. Two new lanthipeptides, daspyromycins A and B (1 and 2) containing AviCys motif, along with two degraded products, daspyromycins C and D (3 and 4), were obtained after heterologous expression of the gene cluster in Streptomyces albus J1074. Daspyromycins A and B showed potent antimicrobial activity against a spectrum of Gram-positive and -negative bacteria including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE).

In light of the increasing demand for environmental protection and energy conservation, the recovery of highly valuable metals, such as Li, Co, and Ni, from spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has attracted widespread attention. Most conventional recycling strategies, however, suffer from a lack of lithium recycling, although they display high efficiency in the recovery of Co and Ni. In this work, we report an efficient extraction process of lithium from the spent LIBs by using a functional imidazolium ionic liquid. The extraction efficiency can be reached to 92.5% after a three-stage extraction, while the extraction efficiency of Ni-Co-Mn is less than 4.0%. The new process shows a high selectivity of lithium ion. FTIR spectroscopy and ultraviolet are utilized to characterize the variations in the functional groups during extraction to reveal that the possible extraction mechanism is cation exchange. The results of this work provide an effective and sustainable strategy of lithium recycling from spent LIBs.

Magnesium (Mg) plays important roles in photosynthesis, sucrose partitioning, and biomass allocation in plants. However, the specific mechanisms of tea plant response to Mg deficiency remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of Mg deficiency on the quality constituents of tea leaves. Our results showed that the short-term (7 days) Mg deficiency partially elevated the concentrations of polyphenols, free amino acids, and caffeine but decreased the contents of chlorophyll and Mg. However, long-term (30 days) Mg-deficient tea displayed decreased contents of these constituents. Particularly, Mg deficiency increased the index of catechins' bitter taste and the ratio of total polyphenols to total free amino acids. Moreover, the transcription of key genes involved in the biosynthesis of flavonoid, caffeine, and theanine was differentially affected by Mg deficiency. Additionally, short-term Mg deficiency induced global transcriptome change in tea leaves, in which a total of 2522 differentially expressed genes were identified involved in secondary metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and chlorophyll metabolism. These results may help to elucidate why short-term Mg deficiency partially improves the quality constituents of tea, while long-term Mg-deficient tea may taste more bitter, more astringent, and less umami.

Rhizoma Drynariae has been widely used for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA), but its potential targets and molecular mechanisms remain to be further explored. Targets of Rhizoma Drynariae and OA were predicted by relevant databases, and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed to identify key targets. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis was performed to obtain related pathways and then select significant pathways associated with OA. The OA chondrocyte model was established by inflammatory factor-induced SW1353 chondrocytes, and molecular docking was conducted to verify the above theoretical prediction. The results showed that a total of 86 Rhizoma Drynariae-OA interaction targets were identified, among which IL-6 and AKT1 were the key targets in the PPI network. Luteolin was the most critical component of Rhizoma Drynariae. KEGG results indicated that the effects of Rhizoma Drynariae on OA are associated with the PI3K/AKT, TNF, IL-17, apoptosis, and HIF-1 signaling pathway. The PI3K/AKT pathway can activate the downstream NF-κB pathway and further regulate the transcription and expression of downstream IL-6, IL-17, HIF-1α, Bax, and TNF, suggesting that the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB pathway is the critical pathway in the treatment of OA with Rhizoma Drynariae. Active components of Rhizoma Drynariae and key proteins of the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway were subjected to molecular docking, whose results showed that luteolin and IKK-α played a critical role. In vitro experiments indicated that both aqueous extracts of Rhizoma Drynariae (AERD) and luteolin inhibited the expression of IL-6 and HIF-1α and suppressed the activation of PI3K/AKT/NF-κB, IL-17, and TNF pathways. The measurement of mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) indicated that AERD and luteolin can decrease the LPS-induced early apoptotic cells. Luteolin had a more prominent inhibitory effect than AERD in the abovementioned in vitro experiments. In conclusion, the therapeutic mechanism of Rhizoma Drynariae against OA may be closely related to the inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB pathway and downstream pathways, and luteolin plays a vital role in the treatment.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries constitute promising next-generation energy storage devices due to the ultrahigh theoretical energy density of 2600 Wh kg-1. However, the multiphase sulfur redox reactions with sophisticated homogeneous and heterogeneous electrochemical processes are sluggish in kinetics, thus requiring targeted and high-efficient electrocatalysts. Herein, a semi-immobilized molecular electrocatalyst is designed to tailor the characters of the sulfur redox reactions in working Li-S batteries. Specifically, porphyrin active sites are covalently grafted onto conductive and flexible polypyrrole linkers on graphene current collectors. The electrocatalyst with the semi-immobilized active sites exhibits homogeneous and heterogeneous functions simultaneously, performing enhanced redox kinetics and a regulated phase transition mode. The efficiency of the semi-immobilizing strategy is further verified in practical Li-S batteries that realize superior rate performances and long lifespan as well as a 343 Wh kg-1 high-energy-density Li-S pouch cell. This contribution not only proposes an efficient semi-immobilizing electrocatalyst design strategy to promote the Li-S battery performances but also inspires electrocatalyst development facing analogous multiphase electrochemical energy processes.

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries are considered as a highly promising energy storage system due to their ultrahigh theoretical energy density. However, the sluggish kinetics of the complex multi-electron sulfur redox reactions seriously hinders the actual battery performance especially under practical working conditions. Homogeneous redox mediation, through elaborately designing the additive molecules, is an effective approach to promote the sulfur redox kinetics. Herein a promoter of mixed organodiselenides (mixed-Se) is proposed to comprehensively improve the sulfur redox kinetics following the redox comediation principles. Concretely, diphenyl diselenide promotes the liquid–liquid conversion between polysulfides and the solid–liquid conversion regarding lithium sulfide oxidation to polysulfides, while dimethyl diselenide enhances the liquid–solid conversion regarding lithium sulfide deposition. Consequently, the mixed-Se promoter endows a high discharge capacity of 1002 mAh g−1 with high sulfur loading of 4.0 mg cm−2, a high capacity retention of 81.6% after 200 cycles at 0.5 C, and a high actual energy density of 384 Wh kg−1 at 0.025 C in 1.5 Ah-level Li–S pouch cells. This work affords an effective kinetic promoter to construct high-energy-density Li–S batteries and inspires molecular design of kinetic promoters toward targeted energy-related redox reactions.

A novel type of functional graphene oxide nanosheets (GNs) modified with β-cyclodextrins (β-CDs) have been developed by coating dopamine-functionalized cyclodextrin (DACD) molecules on GNs for removing Bisphenol A (BPA) molecules from water. The DACD molecules with both β-CD groups for achieving adsorption property and dopamine (DA) groups for achieving adhesion property are synthesized by grafting DA onto carboxymethyl-β-cyclodextrin (CmβCD). The proposed DACD molecules can be firmly coated on the surfaces of various inorganic and organic substrates. Due to the large specific surface area of GNs, DACD-coated GNs (DACD@GNs) are proposed for efficient adsorption separation of BPA molecules from water. Due to the host-gust complexation between the BPA molecules in water and β-CDs on DACD@GNs, the fabricated DACD@GNs exhibit excellent adsorption performances. The adsorption kinetics can be explained via the pseudo-second-order model effectively. The experimental adsorption capacity of DACD@GNs is 11.29 mg·g−1 for BPA. Furthermore, after the adsorption process, the DACD@GNs can be easily separated from aqueous solutions via vacuum filtration with porous membranes, and then regenerated by simply washing with ethanol. The proposed strategy in this study can be used for effectively functionalizing the surfaces of various substrates with functional β-CDs, which is highly promising in applications in the field of adsorption separations, especially water treatments.

A heterogeneous photocatalyst based on copper modified phosphorus doped g-C3N4 (Cu/P-CN) has been prepared and characterized. This recyclable catalyst exhibited high photocatalytic activity for the synthesis of N-arylpyridin-2-amine derivatives by the reaction of 2-aminopyridine and aryl boronic acid at room temperature under the irradiation of blue light. Importantly, the range of substrates for this coupling reaction has been expanded to include aryl boronic acids with strong electron-withdrawing groups as viable raw materials. In addition, this heterogeneous catalyst can be used at least 6 times while maintaining its catalytic activity.

Selenium (Se) can promote the growth and resistance of agricultural crops as fertilizers, while the role of nano-selenium (nano-Se) against Cd remains unclear in pepper plants (Capsicum annuum L.). Biofortification with nano-Se observably restored Cd stress by decreasing the level of Cd in plant tissues and boosting the accumulation in biomass. The Se compounds transformed by nano-Se were primarily in the form of SeMet and MeSeCys in pepper tissues. Differential metabolites and the genes of plant signal transduction and lignin biosynthesis were measured by employing transcriptomics and determining target metabolites. The number of lignin-related genes (PAL, CAD, 4CL, and COMT) and contents of metabolites (sinapyl alcohol, phenylalanine, p-coumaryl alcohol, caffeyl alcohol, and coniferaldehyde) were remarkably enhanced by treatment with Cd1Se0.2, thus, maintaining the integrity of cell walls in the roots. It also enhanced signal transduction by plant hormones and responsive resistance by inducing the biosynthesis of genes (BZR1, LOX3, and NCDE1) and metabolites (brassinolide, abscisic acid, and jasmonic acid) in the roots and leaves. In general, this study can enable a better understanding of the protective mechanism of nano-Se in improving the capacity of plants to resist environmental stress.

A series of compounds containing trifluoroacetyl groups were synthesized, and their insecticidal activity against Nilaparvata lugens and Aphis craccivora was evaluated. The compound structure was identified by NMR, HRMS, and single-crystal diffraction. The bioassay results indicated that compound 4-1 (R1 is chloropyridine, R2 is H), 4-2 (R1 is chlorothiazole, R2 is H) and 4-19 (R1 is benzyl, R2 is isopropyl) had the best activity against Nilaparvata lugens (93.5%, 94.1% and 95.5%) at 100 mg/L concentration. The effect of different substituents of R1 or R2 on the activity was studied through the structure–activity relationship. Molecular docking of compounds 4-1 and 4-2 was discussed.

High-energy-density lithium (Li) metal batteries suffer from a short lifespan owing to apparently ceaseless inactive Li accumulation, which is accompanied by the consumption of electrolyte and active Li reservoir, seriously deteriorating the cyclability of batteries. Herein, a triiodide/iodide (I3- /I- ) redox couple initiated by stannic iodide (SnI4 ) is demonstrated to reclaim inactive Li. The reduction of I3- converts inactive Li into soluble LiI, which then diffuses to the cathode side. The oxidation of LiI by the delithiated cathode transforms cathode into the lithiation state and regenerates I3- , reclaiming Li ion from inactive Li. The regenerated I3- engages the further redox reactions. Furthermore, the formation of Sn mitigates the corrosion of I3- on active Li reservoir sacrificially. In working Li | LiNi0.5 Co0.2 Mn0.3 O2 batteries, the accumulated inactive Li is significantly reclaimed by the reversible I3- /I- redox couple, improving the lifespan of batteries by twice. This work initiates a creative solution to reclaim inactive Li for prolonging the lifespan of practical Li metal batteries.

A potassium-doped carbon nitride (K-CN) was prepared by a simple thermal polymerization method. The prepared K-CN was characterized by Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques. The obtained K-CN exhibited excellent catalytic activity for synthesis of 4H-chromene derivatives via one-pot three-component reaction of salicylaldehyde, cyclohexane-1,3-diones and 4-hydroxycoumarin in water/ethyl lactate at room temperature. The reported method shows significant advantages, such as high yield, mild and clean reaction conditions, the use of recyclable catalyst and ethyl lactate/water as an environmentally friendly solvent, multi-component reaction at room temperature, no chromatographic separation and suitable for large-scale synthesis.

A Au55 nanocluster with the composition of [Au55 (p-MBT)24 (Ph3 P)6 ](SbF6 )3 (p-MBT=4-methylbenzenethiolate) is synthesized via direct reduction of gold-phosphine and gold-thiolate precursors. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction reveals that this Au55 nanocluster features a face-centered cubic (fcc) Au55 kernel, different from the well-known two-shell cuboctahedral arrangement in Au55 (Ph3 P)12 Cl6 . The Au55 cluster shows a wide optical absorption band with optical energy gap (Eg =1.28 eV). It is found that the exclusion of chloride is crucial for the formation of the title cluster, otherwise rod-like [Au25 (SR)5 (PPh3 )10 Cl2 ]2+ is obtained. The strategy to run synthetic reaction in the absence of halide leads to new members of phosphine/thiolate co-protected metal nanoclusters. The Au55 nanocluster exhibits high catalytic activity and selectivity for electrochemical reduction of CO2 to CO; the Faradaic efficiency (FE) reaches 94.1 % at -0.6 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE).

The challenges of improving electrical conductivities and enhanced rapid dynamics are active research areas in the modification of Prussian blue (PB) and Prussian blue analogues (PBAs), which are used as excellent cathodes of sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). Herein, the terephthalic acid etched stepwise hollow bulky PB cubes and the intimate contact mesoporous carbon (CMK-3) particles with the adhered minisize PB cubes can together build continuous conductive networks. The composite (donated as N-PB@CMK) has high electrical conductivity, low resistance, and ultrahigh specific surface, which can lead to high capacitive contribution ratios. The N-PB@CMK electrode can deliver a discharge capacity of 120 mAh g-1 and maintain retention of 85.0% after cycling for 200 cycles at a current density of 100 mA g-1. Even cycling at 1 A g-1, the reversible capacity can be measured to 102 mAh g-1 and exhibit stability over a long cycle. In situ Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns were further measured to illustrate the phase transition of crystal structure along with the extraction/insertion processes of Na+ ions. Especially, the assembled full cell with NaTi2(PO4)3@C anode can also show good stability and provide promising insights of applying the N-PB@CMK for energy storage systems in the future.

The lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery is regarded as a promising secondary battery. However, constant parasitic reactions between the Li anode and soluble polysulfide (PS) intermediates significantly deteriorate the working Li anode. The rational design to inhibit the parasitic reactions is plagued by the inability to understand and regulate the electrolyte structure of PSs. Herein, the electrolyte structure of PSs with anti-reductive solvent shells was unveiled by molecular dynamics simulations and nuclear magnetic resonance. The reduction resistance of the solvent shell is proven to be a key reason for the decreased reactivity of PSs towards Li. With isopropyl ether (DIPE) as a cosolvent, DIPE molecules tend to distribute in the outer solvent shell due to poor solvating power. Furthermore, DIPE is more stable than conventional ether solvents against Li metal. The reactivity of PSs is suppressed by encapsulating PSs into anti-reductive solvent shells. Consequently, the cycling performance of working Li-S batteries was significantly improved and a pouch cell of 300 Wh kg-1 was demonstrated. The fundamental understanding in this work provides an unprecedented ground to understand the electrolyte structure of PSs and the rational electrolyte design in Li-S batteries.

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) battery is regarded as one of the most promising next-generation energy storage systems due to the ultra-high theoretical energy density of 2600 Wh kg−1. To address the insulation nature of sulfur, nanocarbon composition is essential to afford acceptable cycling capacity but inevitably sacrifices the actual energy density under working conditions. Therefore, rational structural design of the carbon/sulfur composite cathode is of great significance to realize satisfactory electrochemical performances with limited carbon content. Herein, the cathode carbon distribution is rationally regulated to construct high-sulfur-content and high-performance Li–S batteries. Concretely, a double-layer carbon (DLC) cathode is prepared by fabricating a surface carbon layer on the carbon/sulfur composite. The surface carbon layer not only provides more electrochemically active surfaces, but also blocks the polysulfide shuttle. Consequently, the DLC configuration with an increased sulfur content by nearly 10 wt% renders an initial areal capacity of 3.40 mAh cm−2 and capacity retention of 83.8% during 50 cycles, which is about two times than that of the low-sulfur-content cathode. The strategy of carbon distribution regulation affords an effective pathway to construct advanced high-sulfur-content cathodes for practical high-energy-density Li–S batteries.

Objective: Aminomethylphenol molecules have wider applications in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, plant protection and promising functional materials. The development of an efficient and practical method to prepare this class of compound is highly desirable from both environmental and economical points of view. Materials and Methods: In order to establish an effective synthetic method for preparing aminomethylphenol derivatives, the Petasis borono-Mannich reaction of salicylaldehyde, phenylboronic acid and 1,2,3,4- tetrahydroisoquinoline was selected as a model reaction. A variety of reaction conditions are investigated, including solvent and temperature. The generality and limitation of the established method were also evaluated. Results and Discussion: It was found that model reaction can be carried out in cyclopentyl methyl ether at 80 °C under catalyst-free conditions. This protocol, with broad substrate applicability, the reaction of various arylboronic acid, secondary amine and salicylaldehyde proceeded smoothly under optimal reaction conditions to afford various aminomethylphenol derivatives in high yields. A practical, scalable, and high-yielding synthesis of aminomethylphenol derivatives was successfully accomplished. Conclusion: A catalyst-free practical method for the synthesis of minomethylphenol derivatives based on Petasis borono–Mannich (PBM) reaction of various arylboronic acid, secondary amine and salicylaldehyde in cyclopentyl methyl ether has been developed. The salient features of this protocol are avoidance of any additive/catalyst and toxic organic solvents, use of cyclopentyl methyl ether as the reaction medium, clean reaction profiles, easy operation, and high to excellent yield.

Background: Emodin, one of the most dominant components of the traditional Chinese medicine rhubarb, has been utilized to treat acute pancreatitis (AP). Acute lung injury (ALI) is one of the most common complications of acute pancreatitis, leading to a serious mortality rate. However, the specific mechanism of emodin in the treatment of AP-associated lung injury remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated the protective roles of emodin in AP-ALI and its underlying mechanisms in two clinically relevant experimental AP models.Methods: NaT-AP model in rats was constructed using 3.5% sodium taurocholate, and CER+LPS-AP model in mice was constructed using caerulein combined with Lipopolysaccharide. Animals were divided randomly into sham, AP, Ac‐YVAD‐CMK (caspase-1 specific inhibitor, AYC), and emodin groups. AP-associated lung injury was assessed through H&E staining, inflammatory cytokine levels, and myeloperoxidase activity. Alveolar macrophages (AMs) pyroptosis was evaluated by flow cytometry. In bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, the levels of lactate dehydrogenase and inflammatory cytokines were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Pyroptosis-related protein expressions were detected by Western Blot. Results: Emodin, similar to the positive control AYC, significantly alleviated pancreatic and lung damage in rats and mice. Additionally, emodin decreased the pyroptotic rates of AMs, inflammatory cytokines, and the lactate dehydrogenase level. More importantly, the protein expressions of NLRP3, ASC, Caspase1 p10, GSDMD, and GSDMD-NT in AMs were significantly downregulated after emodin intervention. Conclusion: Emodin has a therapeutic effect on AP-associated lung injury, which is at least partially due to the inhibition of NLRP3/Caspase1/GSDMD-mediated AMs pyroptosis signaling ways.

A divergent efficient assembly of disubstituted 1,2,4-triazoles was established by cyclization of readily accessible N′-nitro-2-hydrocarbylidene-hydrazinecarboximidamides with moderate to excellent yields under mild reaction conditions. This divergent synthetic strategy was achieved simply by varying the reaction conditions. Under acidic conditions, amino-1,2,4-triazoles were obtained by an intramolecular redox reaction involving the NO2 group. Control experiments and DFT studies revealed that this transformation proceeds via an intramolecular 1,3-hydride transfer pathway leading to HNO2 elimination. Under neutral conditions with water as the solvent, nitroimino-1,2,4-triazoles were obtained by oxidative intramolecular annulation under air.

Hang Zhou,1,2,* Jiawei Sun,1,* Jiaqi Wu,1 Hong Wei,1 Xianli Zhou1 1In-Patient Ultrasound Department, Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150081, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Ultrasound, Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310058, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xianli ZhouIn-Patient Ultrasound Department, Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150081, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/Fax +86-0451-86605362Email hrbzhouxl@163.comBackground: The specific microenvironment of solid tumors, which is characterized by hypoxia, overexpression of glutathione (GSH), and high accumulation of anti-inflammatory tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), limits the efficiency of sonodynamic therapy (SDT).Method and Results: Herein, a multifunctional nanoplatform was engineered to modulate the tumor microenvironment for highly efficient SDT. In this system, sonosensitizers and catalase were encapsulated in disulfide-bridged mesoporous organosilicon nanoparticles with high loading, which protected the activity of catalase and ensure the stability of sonosensitizers and enzyme. Subsequently, hyaluronic acid was grafted onto the nanoplatform to reeducate TAMs and induce the secretion of exogenous hydrogen peroxide. Due to the good protection of enzyme, the catalase within the nanoplatform efficiently produced the mount of O2 through decomposing the hydrogen peroxide in tumor tissues, which remarkably alleviated tumor hypoxia. Furthermore, degradation of the nanoparticles was observed in response to GSH, which effectively decreased the intracellular GSH level, further favoring SDT-triggered anticancer effect.Conclusion: Based on the multiple adjustments to tumor microenvironment, our nanoplatform displayed extraordinary sonodynamic therapeutic effect with low systemic toxicity.Keywords: sonodynamic therapy, hypoxia, tumor-associated macrophages, catalase, glutathione depletion

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), as a novel gaseous signalling molecule, has been extensively investigated in plants ranging from seed germination to senescence. Phytohormones, including stimulator (such as auxin: AUX; gibberellin: GA; cytokinin: CTK; and melatonin: MEL) and inhibitor (such as ethylene: ETH; abscisic acid: ABA; salicylic acid: SA; and jasmonic acid: JA) types, as universal regulators, play a key role in the plant growth, development, and response and adaptation to adverse environments. Now, phytohormones are considered to be the key targets for improving plant productivity and stress tolerance, which affect the production and quality of crop plants. These indicate the interaction of H2S with phytohormones in many physiological processes such as seed germination, seedling establishment, plant growth, development, and senescence, as well as response to environmental stress. However, the molecular mechanism of H2S–phytohormone interaction is not completely clear. In this review, the interaction of H2S with stimulator hormones (AUX, GA, and MEL) and inhibitor hormones (ETH, ABA, SA, and JA) in plants under physiological and stress conditions was discussed. The H2S–phytohormone interaction not only highlighted H2S-mediated phytohormone signaling in stomatal development and closure, fruit ripening, organ abscission, as well as heat, chilling, salt, cadmium, iron deficiency, and boron tolerance; but also focused on the phytohormone-mediated H2S signaling in seed germination, root development, stomatal closure, fruit ripening, organ abscission, as well as drought, chilling, and cadmium tolerance. The aim is to arouse the rapid development of the research on H2S, phytohormones, and their interaction in plant biology field, laying the foundation of acquiring transgenic crop plants with high yield, high quality, and multiple stress tolerance.

Seven coordination polymers having the general formula {[Ln2(2,6-pydc)(ox)2⋅(H2O)4]⋅3H2O}n (Ln = Sm 1, Eu 2, Gd 3, Tb 4, Dy 5, Ho 6, Er 7; 2,6-pydc2− = 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylate, ox2− = oxalate) were synthesized by the hydrothermal method. Their IR, UV-Vis-NIR absorption spectra, and Vis-NIR emission spectra were investigated, and the luminescent properties of the polymers were studied in detail. Crystal structures were determined by means of a single-crystal X-ray diffractometer, and all of them proved to have three-dimensional frameworks. Except for polymers 3 and 7, the polymers displayed the characteristic emissions of Ln(III) ions due to the effective sensitization of ligands. At the same time, the 4f orbitals of Ln(III) ions were shifted by the effects of ligand field, which influenced emission spectra and absorption spectra of some of the polymers.

To discover novel strobilurin fungicides, a series of methyl (E)-1-(2-((E)-2-methoxy-1-(methoxy-imino)-2-oxoethyl)benzyl)-2-(1-arylidene)hydrazine-1-carboxylates were designed based on the principle of biologically active splicing and the receptor target structure. The fungicidal activity results show that this class of compounds has excellent fungicidal activity, especially against S. sclerotiorum (Lib.) deBary, wheat white powder and puccinia polysora. The result of structure-activity relationship implied that the introduction of t-butyl in the side chain facilitates the hydrophobic interaction between the compound and the active site. The electrostatic effect of the substituents on the benzene ring is also a key factor affecting such activities. Among them, the compound I-1 not only showed a fungicidal effect comparable to that of kresoxim-methyl in vivo, but also had an excellent inhibitory effect on spore germination of P. oryzae Cav in vitro, which indicated that it could be used as a potential commercial fungicide for plant disease control.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an autoimmune disease mediated by immune disorder and termed as one of the most refractory diseases by the Word Health Organization. Its morbidity has increased steadily over the past half century worldwide. Environmental, genetic, infectious, and immune factors are integral to the pathogenesis of IBD. Commonly known as the king of herbs, ginseng has been consumed in many countries for the past 2000 years. Its active ingredient ginsenosides, as the most prominent saponins of ginseng, have a wide range of pharmacological effects. Recent studies have confirmed that the active components of Panax ginseng have anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects on IBD, including regulating the balance of immune cells, inhibiting the expression of cytokines, as well as activating Toll-like receptor 4, Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor (NLRP), mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling, and so on. Accumulated evidence indicates that ginsenosides may serve as a potential novel therapeutic drug or health product additive in IBD prevention and treatment in the future.

The side reaction and dendrite of a zinc anode in an aqueous electrolyte represent a huge obstacle for the development of rechargeable aqueous Zn batteries. An electrolyte with confined water is recognized to fundamentally stabilize the zinc anode. This work proposes acetamide/zinc perchlorate hexahydrate (AA/ZPH) ionic liquid (IL)-polyacrylamide (PAM) polymer electrolytes, here defined as IL-PAM. The novel Zn2+-conducting IL is able to accommodate trace water and can achieve both high conductivity (15.02 mS cm-1) and alleviation of side reactions (>90% reduction). Cross-linked PAM acts as the three-dimensional framework to suppress dendrites and obtain flexibility. As a result, the Zn anode with IL-PAM can cycle stably over 2000 h with a record highest cumulative capacity of 3000 mAh cm-2 and well-preserved morphology. Based on IL-PAM, the flexible LFP|Zn hybrid batteries can be successfully assembled and operate normally in series and parallel conditions. Moreover, the low volatility of IL and binding forces exerted by the PAM network endues IL-PAM with an anti-dehydration property. In a 50 °C unsealed environment, the weight loss of IL-PAM is about two-fifths of PAM hydrogel and an aqueous electrolyte, and the corresponding hybrid battery with IL-PAM can also prolong a 4 times longer lifespan.

The solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) plays a critical role in determining the performance of lithium metal batteries. Herein, the formation mechanisms of the SEI is investigated in electrolytes with two frequently adopted solvents: diethyl carbonate (DEC) and ethylene carbonate (EC). The dispersity of reaction products between Li and solvents are explored by 1H-NMR and first-principles calculations. Lithium ethylene carbonate (LEC), the reduction product of DEC, disperses in the electrolyte, while lithium ethylene dicarbonate (LEDC), the reduction product of EC, cannot disperse in the electrolyte. First-principles calculations further prove that the low polymerization degree of (LEC)n leads to its good dispersity, while poly-LEDC macromolecules can remain on the Li surface acting as the stable SEI. This work not only clearly points out the formation mechanism of SEI, but also demonstrates the functional role of EC, which can provide novel insights for electrolyte design of advanced batteries.

A chlorine e6 (Ce6) and curcumin (Cur) based self-delivery nanomedicine (CeCu) is prepared for chemotherapy sensitized photodynamic therapy (PDT). The chemotherapeutic agent of Cur could inhibit the TrxR activity to destroy the cellular ROS-defence system for enhanced PDT, which provides synergistic effects for tumor precision therapy in consideration of the unfavorable tumor microenvironments.

As a natural compound isolated from Paeoniae radix, Paeoniflorin (PF) has been shown the antitumor effects in various types of human cancers including glioma, which is one of the serious tumors in central nervous system. Translocator protein 18 KDa (TSPO) has been shown to be relevant to the glioma aetiology. However, the regulation of PF in TSPO and neurosteriods biosynthesis on glioma is still unclear. In the present study, the glioma cell (U87 and U251) were cultured and used to quantify the bindings of PF on TSPO. Results indicated that there was not significant different between IC50 of PF and TSPO ligand PK11195. Moreover, PF exerted the anti-proliferative effects in glioma cell with a dose dependent inhibition from 12.5 to 100 μM in vitro. Consistent with the effects of PK11195, lowered levels on progesterone, allopregnanolone, as well as TSPO mRNA were induced by PF (25 and 50 μM). Furthermore, a xenograft mouse model with U87 cell-derived was significant inhibited by PF treatment, as well as the PK11195 administration. These results demonstrate that PF exerts its antitumor effects associated with the TSPO and neurosteroids biosynthesis in glioma cells could be a promising therapeutic agent for glioma therapy.

The drug resistance caused due to the overuse of antibiotics has grown into an emerging threat. It is urgent to develop novel strategies to combat bacterial resistance. In this work, a quinine-based quaternized polymer with amphiphilicity (QMTA) was prepared by free-radical copolymerization of quinine and (2-methacryloyloxyethyl) trimethyl ammonium chloride (MTA). Biological activity assays revealed that the polymer sterilized the drug-resistant Gram-negative E. coli and non-resistant Gram-positive bacteria B. subtilis, exhibiting a MIC value of 2 μg mL−1 and a bactericidal rate of more than 95%. Most importantly, both E. coli and B. subtilis treated with the polymer didn't develop resistance even after their 16th passages. Also, the polymer has low toxicity at a dose of up to 128 μg mL−1. The mechanism studies through SEM and 3D-SIM images, fluorescence staining and membrane potential determination reveal that the positively charged QMTA initially concentrates on the surface of bacteria by electrostatic adsorption, changes the membrane potential, binds to the bacteria by its quinine chain, and destroys the membrane structure of the bacteria. This study provides a potential approach through the existing drug to develop new bactericidal reagent/polymer materials without resistance.

There is currently great interest in aqueous rechargeable Zn/MnO2 batteries due to their advantages of low cost, high specific energy density, and environmental friendliness. However, the poor conductivity and low utilization of the MnO2 cathode during the electrochemical reaction are the bottlenecks to achieving high power density and acceptable reversibility. Unlike most studies on the modification of MnO2 cathodes, this work proposes a new bromide–acetate co-mediated multicomponent metal-ion aqueous electrolyte to realize a highly reversible and high-specific capacity two-electron transfer reaction between Mn2+ and MnO2. In particular, extremely fast reaction kinetics is achieved due to the bromide modifier additive, which can incorporate into the solvation shells of the Zn2+ and Mn2+ aquo-complex and weaken their solvation effect. Therefore, not only are ultrahigh-rate performance (32C) and power density of 1770 W kg−1 (based on MnO2) realized, but also a long cycling stability of 2500 cycles (10C) is demonstrated. Raman spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, and DFT calculation further reveal the co-mediation mechanism of bromide and acetate in the fast and reversible transformation between Mn2+ and MnO2. This work accentuates the importance of the electrolyte in aqueous batteries and the great potential of high-performance Zn–MnO2 batteries with low-cost bromide and acetate-based electrolyte for large-scale energy storage.

Lithium-ion batteries with routine carbonate electrolytes cannot exhibit satisfactory fast-charging performance and lithium plating is widely observed at low temperatures. Herein we demonstrate that a localized high-concentration electrolyte consisting of 1.5 M lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide in dimethoxyethane with bis(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl) ether as the diluent, enables fast-charging of working batteries. A uniform and robust solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) can be achieved on graphite surface through the preferential decomposition of anions. The established SEI can significantly inhibit ether solvent co-intercalation into graphite and achieve highly reversible Li+ intercalation/de-intercalation. The graphite | Li cells exhibit fast-charging potential (340 mAh g-1 at 0.2 C and 220 mAh g-1 at 4 C), excellent cycling stability (ca. 85.5 % initial capacity retention for 200 cycles at 4 C), and impressive low-temperature performance.

Graphene oxide (GO) membranes have shown enormous promise in desalination and molecular/ionic sieving. However, the instability of GO membranes in aqueous solutions seriously hinders their practical applications. Herein, we report a novel and simple strategy to fabricate stable GO membranes in water-based environments through the insertion of various metal cations from metal foils (e.g., copper (Cu), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn) foils) and natural deposition. Based on the cation-π, coordination, and electrostatic interaction between metal cations and GO nanosheets, the aqueous stability and mechanical strength of the membranes are significantly improved. The permeation rates for acetone, toluene, and p-xylene molecules across the GO membrane cross-linked by copper ions with a deposition time of 24 h are 0.966, 0.074, and 0.100 mol m-2 h-1, respectively. Moreover, this membrane displays excellent separation performance, and the separation factor of K+/Mg2+ is up to 68.8 in mono-/multivalent metal cation sieving, which indicate the effective molecular/ionic sieving performance. Meanwhile, the ionic sieving of the GO membrane cross-linked by copper ions has excellent repeatability and long-term stability. The versatility of this natural deposition strategy to fabricate GO membranes cross-linked by metal cations is investigated by using Fe foil, Zn foil, and Ni foil as well as other porous substrates such as polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polyethersulfone (PES), and nylon membranes and filter paper. This fabrication strategy also enables low-cost preparation of large-area GO membranes. Therefore, GO membranes cross-linked by metal cations and prepared by this simple metal cation incorporation strategy have large potential application for molecular/ionic sieving in various solution systems.

Summary Lithium-sulfur (Li–S) battery affords an ultrahigh theoretical energy density of 2,600 Wh kg−1 as a promising next-generation energy storage technique, whose actual performance is heavily dependent on the sulfur redox kinetics. Lithium polysulfide intermediates play a decisive role on the complex sulfur redox reactions but are unfortunately insufficient to afford rapid kinetics, rendering reduced specific capacity especially at high rates. Herein, a redox comediation strategy is proposed and an organopolysulfide (di-t-butyl disulfide, DtbDS) is introduced as a model comediator to accelerate the sulfur redox kinetics. Concretely, DtbDS reacts with lithium polysulfides and provides a kinetically favorable pathway for polysulfide conversion. Consequently, high-rate (4 C), high-sulfur-loading (5 mg cm−2), or lean-electrolyte (5.0 μL mgS−1) Li–S batteries are realized. The redox comediation strategy demonstrates a novel approach to promote the sulfur redox kinetics for high-performance Li–S batteries and inspires more redox comediators represented by DtbDS.

Atherosclerosis is a chronic disease of arteries, which constitutes the pathological basis of a series of cardiovascular diseases. The inflammatory response of vascular endothelial cells mediated by oxidized low density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) is the early behavior and main signal of atherosclerosis. In this study, the damage model of vascular endothelial cells treated with ox-LDL was used to reproduce the damage process of vascular endothelial cells in the process of atherosclerosis. Cell viability was detected by CCK-8. The release levels of reactive oxygen species, nitric oxide, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were detected by commercial kits. EdU cell proliferation assay was used to detect cell proliferation, real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR and Western blot were used to detect the expression level of related genes. The results showed we successfully constructed a vascular endothelial injury model by incubating vascular endothelial cells with gradient concentrations of ox-LDL. The incubation of safflor yellow A (SYA) partially restored the loss of viability of vascular endothelial cells mediated by ox-LDL, and SYA could promote the proliferation of injured vascular endothelial cells. In addition, SYA may transmit related signals through the AMPK pathway to protect vascular endothelial cells from ox-LDL-mediated damage. All these results provide a further understanding of the occurrence and development of atherosclerosis, provide a theoretical basis for the use of SYA-related drugs in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, and provide a reference paradigm for studying the pharmacology, toxicology, and mechanism of action of key active substances in TCM.

Herein, the boron radical active sites of boron carbon oxynitride quantum dots (BCNO QDs) are electrically excited to produce boron radicals (B•) for catalyzing peroxydisulfate (S2O82-) as a coreactant to accelerate the generation of abundant sulfate radicals (SO4•-) for significant enhancement in the electrochemiluminescence (ECL) efficiency of BCNO QDs, which overcome the defect of traditional carbon-based QDs with low ECL efficiency. Impressively, under extremely low concentration of S2O82- solution, the BCNO QDs/S2O82- system could exhibit high ECL emission, realizing environmental friendliness and excellent biocompatibility for sensitive bioanalysis. As a proof-of-concept, BCNO QDs, a new generation of ECL emitters with high ECL efficiency, were successfully used in the ultrasensitive determination of microRNA-21, which pushes the exploration of new ECL emitters and broadens the application in the field of clinical diagnosis, ECL imaging, and molecular devices.

Lithium metal batteries are strongly considered as one of the most promising candidates for next-generation high-performance battery systems. However, the uncontrollable growth of lithium dendrites and the highly reactive lithium metal result in the severe safety risks and the short lifespan for high-energy-density rechargeable batteries. Here, we demonstrate a hydrophobic and ionically conductive ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer layer can not only endow lithium metal anodes with an air-stable and anti-water surface, but also efficiently suppress the lithium-dendrites growth during the electrochemical cycling process. Therefore, the introduction of the EVA copolymer as a bifunctional protection layer simultaneously improves the anti-water/air performance and electrochemical cycling stability of lithium metal anode.

The high specific capacity and energy density of lithium–sulfur batteries have attracted strong considerations on their fundamental mechanism and energy applications. However, polysulfide shuttle is still the key issue that impedes the development of Li–S batteries. Exploring nanocrystal hosts for polysulfide immobilization and conversion is a promising way. In this contribution, we have investigated well-dispersed Co9S8 nanocrystals grown on graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets with different degrees of dispersion as cathode host materials for Li–S batteries. The Co9S8-GO composite with 1 wt% GO (GCS1) has an average crystal size of 76 nm and shows the strongest adsorption capability toward lithium polysulfides. When used as the host material for the cathode of Li–S batteries, the GCS1-sulfur composite exhibits an initial specific capacity of ~1000 mAh g−1 at 0.5 C and shows an average decay rate of 0.11% for 500 cycles. This work on the dispersion control of Co9S8 nanocrystals may inspire more investigations on well-dispersed nanocrystal based hosts for Li–S batteries.

Increasing the crop quality through enhancement of plant health is a challenging task. In this study, nanoselenium (nano-Se) was sprayed on pepper leaves, and the pepper components were compared to those of selenite. It was found that nano-Se (20 mg/L) resulted in a greater performance of plant health. It increased the chlorophyll and soluble sugar levels, which could activate phenylpropane and branched-chain fatty acid pathways, as well as AT3-related enzymes and gene expressions. These led to an enhancement for the synthesis of capsaicinoids, flavonoids, and total phenols. The nano-Se treatment also significantly promoted the expression of phyto-hormones synthesis genes, and consequently increased jasmonic, abscisic, and salicylic acid levels. Proline pathway-related compounds were increased, which could decrease the malondialdehyde and hydroxyl radical levels in crops. This study shows that nano-Se activated capsaicinoid pathways by enhancing photosynthesis and raising soluble sugar levels. The capsaicinoid contents in peppers were then increased, which consequently promoted the accumulation of secondary metabolites and antioxidants.

Use of redox mediators (RMs) is an effective strategy to enhance reaction kinetics of multi-electron sulfur electrochemistry. However, the soluble small-molecule RMs usually aggravate the internal shuttle and thus further reduce the battery efficiency and cyclability. A semi-immobilization strategy is now proposed for RM design to effectively regulate the sulfur electrochemistry while circumvent the inherent shuttle issue in a working battery. Small imide molecules as the model RMs were co-polymerized with moderate-chained polyether, rendering a semi-immobilized RM (PIPE) that is spatially restrained yet kinetically active. A small amount of PIPE (5 % in cathode) extended the cyclability of sulfur cathode from 37 to 190 cycles with 80 % capacity retention at 0.5 C. The semi-immobilization strategy helps to understand RM-assisted sulfur electrochemistry in alkali metal batteries and enlightens the chemical design of active additives for advanced electrochemical energy storage devices.

This study aimed to clarify the regulation role of miR-708 and miR-335-3p in retinal ganglion cell (RGC) autophagy and apoptosis in glaucoma. Chronic glaucoma mice were established by laser photocoagulation. RGCs were isolated and transfected with a series of plasmids and the cultured in 60 mmHg pressure. miR-335-3p, miR-708, and ATG3 mRNA expressions were detected by qRT-PCR. Protein levels of ATG3, autophagy-related protein LC3, and p62 were detected by Western blot. The apoptosis of RGCs was detected by flow cytometry. The regulation role of miR-335-3p/miR-708 in ATG3 was confirmed by the dual-luciferase reporter gene. The expressions of several miRNAs were measured in retinal tissues from chronic glaucoma mice and RGCs under pressure conditions, and results showed that both miR-335-3p and miR-708 were down-regulated. Besides, the inhibition of miR-708 and miR-335-3p induced the apoptosis of RGCs through promoting autophagy. Also, miR-708 and miR-335-3p could bind to ATG3 and targeted regulated ATG3. Furthermore, the interference with miR-708/miR-335-3p induced RGC apoptosis by up-regulating ATG3 to promote autophagy. In general, the down-regulation of miR-708 and miR-335-3p contributed to the apoptosis of RGCs through promoting autophagy in glaucoma.

Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) show potential tendency in improving the plant health and food quality. However, the mechanism underlying SeNPs’ capability to enhance the biosynthesis of more nutrie...

A novel type of hybrid graphene oxide/laponite (GO/L) layered membrane is developed with stable two-dimensional (2D) nanochannels for efficient separations in aqueous environments. The electrostati...

Developing highly efficient and low-cost photocatalysts for overall water splitting has long been a pursuit for converting solar power into clean hydrogen energy. Herein, we demonstrate that a nonstoichiometric nickel-cobalt double hydroxide can achieve overall water splitting by itself upon solar light irradiation, avoiding the consumption of noble-metal co-catalysts. We employed an intensive laser to ablate a NiCo alloy target immersed in alkaline solution, and produced so-called L-NiCo nanosheets with a nonstoichiometric composition and O2- /Co3+ ions exposed on the surface. The nonstoichiometric composition broadens the band gap, while O2- and Co3+ ions boost hydrogen and oxygen evolution, respectively. As such, the photocatalyst achieves a H2 evolution rate of 1.7 μmol h-1 under AM 1.5G sunlight irradiation and an apparent quantum yield (AQE) of 1.38 % at 380 nm.

In situ evolution of electrocatalysts is of paramount importance in defining catalytic reactions. Catalysts for aprotic electrochemistry such as lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are the cornerstone to enhance intrinsically sluggish reaction kinetics but the true active phases are often controversial. Herein, we reveal the electrochemical phase evolution of metal-based pre-catalysts (Co4 N) in working Li-S batteries that renders highly active electrocatalysts (CoSx ). Electrochemical cycling induces the transformation from single-crystalline Co4 N to polycrystalline CoSx that are rich in active sites. This transformation propels all-phase polysulfide-involving reactions. Consequently, Co4 N enables stable operation of high-rate (10 C, 16.7 mA cm-2 ) and electrolyte-starved (4.7 μL mgS-1 ) Li-S batteries. The general concept of electrochemically induced sulfurization is verified by thermodynamic energetics for most of low-valence metal compounds.

Highly effective catalysts are of great importance for artificial nitrogen fixation. Inspired by the natural nitrogenase, we biomimetically designed an inorganic catalyst, Mo(IV)-doped FeS2, for el...