Browse Articles

Biomimetic Synthesis of Multinuclear Metal‐Oxo Bridges Under Mild Aqueous Conditions for Catalytic Cancer Therapy

ABSTRACT In biological systems, enzymes achieve efficient catalysis by precisely assembling multinuclear metal‐oxo bridges, such as Fe─O─Fe motifs, under physiological conditions. However, constructing such structures in synthetic systems, particularly under mild aqueous conditions, remains challenging. Here, we report a self‐assembled helical polymer that creates a protein‐like microenvironment and enables the biomimetic construction of Fe─O─Fe structures in a synthetic polymer system under mild, neutral aqueous conditions. This strategy increases the stability constant of iron coordination by two orders of magnitude and endows the resulting complex with pH‐gated catalytic behavior: the complex remains catalytically inert under neutral conditions but exhibits more than 20‐fold enhanced peroxidase‐like activity in the weakly acidic tumor microenvironment. Moreover, oxo‐bridge formation significantly enhances near‐infrared absorption, enabling a robust photothermal effect. Without any exogenous drug payload, the complex selectively induces ferroptosis and immunogenic cell death in tumor cells, leading to complete tumor eradication in a mouse model. This work establishes a biomimetic strategy for constructing metal‐oxo‐bridged clusters and provides mechanistic insights into the structure‐function relationships of metalloprotein‐inspired materials.

Fabrication, characterization, and emulsifying ability evaluation of flexible zein-sodium caseinate complexes

Phase‐Inversion Engineering of Covalent Organic Framework Microspheres for Advanced Water Purification

ABSTRACT Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are porous, crystalline polymers with broad application prospects. However, their microcrystalline powder morphology severely limits their practical implementation. Herein, a general phase‐inversion spherical shaping strategy is reported, enabling the conversion of powdered COFs into robust microspheres with a radially hierarchical pore structure. This method is mild and scalable and has been validated across eight COFs with distinct topologies. The resulting microspheres retain approximately 90% of the intrinsic adsorption capacity of the pristine materials. As a representative demonstration, TAPB‐DMTP‐COF microspheres were employed in a fixed‐bed continuous‐flow water treatment system, where 1 g of the material effectively purified over 18 L of real water containing a mixture of bisphenols, with each concentration at 200 ppb, while maintaining high performance over 20 regeneration cycles. More notably, the TAPB‐DMTP‐COF microspheres themselves possess intrinsic catalytic activity for peroxymonosulfate activation, enabling sequential adsorption enrichment and catalytic degradation within the same fixed‐bed column without metal modification. This work establishes a versatile COF shaping platform that extends the application scope of COFs from adsorption to advanced oxidation, offering a viable pathway to overcome a critical bottleneck in their industrial implementation.

Institutional pressure, green innovation, and circular supply chain practices in aviation: an inverted U-shaped relationship

Interfacial Charge‐Transfer Kinetics Regulate Na ₂ S Deposition by Recycled V Single‐Atom Catalysts for Durable Na–S Batteries

ABSTRACT Na 2 S, as the terminal discharge product of room‐temperature sodium–sulfur (Na–S) batteries, is electronically and ionically insulating. When it deposits as a compact film on the cathode, the cathode will become passivated, hindering electron transport and inhibiting further sulfur conversion reactions. Existing catalyst strategies promote the formation of Na 2 S thermodynamically by enhancing polysulfide adsorption, but this does not address the kinetics passivation issue. Here, we adopt the exchange current density ( j 0 ) as a kinetic descriptor of the Na 2 S nucleation mode. Finite‐element simulations reveal that increasing j 0 drives the nucleation pathway from progressive to instantaneous nucleation. The deposit morphology then evolves from a compact passivating film to uniformly dispersed nanoparticles, and ion and electron transport channels are preserved. This pathway prevents Na 2 S aggregation and electrode passivation, maintaining electrochemical activity at deep discharge. Guided by this kinetic insight, nitrogen‐doped porous carbon‐supported V single‐atom catalysts (NPC‐V SACs) with high apparent j 0 were fabricated, and instantaneous Na 2 S nucleation was achieved on their surfaces. The resulting Na–S battery retains 976.3 mAh g −1 after 200 cycles at 0.2 A g −1 , with a decay rate of only 0.08% per cycle. This work establishes a kinetic design perspective for regulating Na 2 S nucleation in durable Na–S batteries.

Conjugated aptamer against PCSK9 lowers ANGPTL3 and elevates LPL via ChREBP gene upregulation

Multidimensional Exploration of Platinum Complexes for Cancer Therapy

ABSTRACT Platinum complexes play an important role in contemporary cancer therapy. The rational design of modern anticancer platinum complexes is largely based on the hallmarks of cancers, such as resistance to cell death, reprogramming of energy metabolism, angiogenesis, metastasis, and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Platinum complexes are evolving from DNA‐targeted pure chemotherapeutics to multitarget multifunctional anticancer drugs. Diverse platinum complexes with distinct cellular or molecular targets intervene in cancerous or immune cells through different mechanisms, displaying potent anticancer activities and clinical translation potential. Multimodal platinum complexes that integrate chemotherapy, immunotherapy, photodynamic therapy (PDT), sonodynamic therapy (SDT), or radiotherapy in one molecule provide new options for precise cancer treatment via synergy. This review summarizes a variety of platinum complexes designed according to different mechanisms aiming to improve therapeutic efficacy and minimize side effects of existing platinum drugs. The information is mainly extracted from representative literature published since 2020. These complexes represent the diversified development of platinum anticancer drugs in the present era.

Protection against diet-induced weight gain by a single-point mutation in Kir2.1 channels

Conformation‐Guided Disulfide Pairing Enables Efficient Folding of Disulfide‐Rich Peptides

ABSTRACT Disulfide bond formation is critical for the structural integrity and biological functions of peptides and proteins. For disulfide‐rich peptides (DRPs), particularly those containing ≥ 3 disulfide bonds, this process remains challenging due to misfolding and kinetic traps. Here, we report a conformation‐guided “1 + 2” disulfide pairing strategy that enables rational control of oxidative folding in DRPs. Conformational sampling and statistical analysis identify a folding‐promoting disulfide bond, whose early formation pre‐organizes the peptide into a native‐like conformation, thereby directing the efficient and selective closure of the remaining disulfide bonds. This principle is translated into a sequential, one‐pot oxidative folding workflow that affords native disulfide connectivity across structurally and pharmacologically representative DRPs, with 57%–93% HPLC conversion. By reducing reliance on largely empirical solvent optimization and complex stepwise protocols, this approach addresses a key bottleneck in the synthesis of disulfide‐rich peptide architectures.

The mediating role of loneliness in the relationship between resilience and well-being among university students in Northwestern Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study

Electrocatalytic C–C Coupled Oligomerization From Biomass Molecules Through Pd Single‐Atom Interfacial Regulation

ABSTRACT Fossil‐derived diesel raises sustainability and air‐quality concerns, motivating biomass‐based alternatives; however, current biodiesel routes suffer from food–fuel competition, poor fuel properties, and energy‐intensive upgrading. Electrocatalytic C─C coupling of biomass molecules followed by hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) offers a cleaner pathway, yet has been limited to dimer formation. Here, we successfully resolved this longstanding bottleneck through construction of Pd 1 Cu single‐atom alloy electrocatalyst, a trimer of 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural is obtained with 44.7% selectivity. The combined oligomer (dimer and trimer) selectivity reaches 95.0% with 93.2% Faradaic efficiency, production rate achieves a record high of ∼50 g g cat −1 h −1 . Subsequent HDO converts the oligomers into heteroatom‐free n‐dodecane and n‐octadecane diesel blendstocks. Operando spectroscopy reveals a surface‐confined ketyl‐radical pathway in which isolated Pd atoms regulate hydrogen‐atom supply and substrate adsorption, favoring C─C coupling over hydrogenation. This work establishes an electricity‐driven route for controlled carbon‐chain growth from biomass platforms.

Correction: Impact of skin tone and cupping on erythema and thermal imaging measurements

Unsaturated Copper Sites for Selective Electroreduction of CO to Alcohol

ABSTRACT Electrochemical reduction reaction of carbon monoxide (CORR) has been extensively studied due to its high selectivity for producing multi‐carbon (C 2+ ) products. However, the selective production of alcohol‐an highly valuable class of chemical feedstock‐remains unsatisfactory, hindered by poor selectivity and low energy efficiency. Here, we report that low coordination (unsaturated) Cu sites generated through the reduction of Cu 2 O catalysts with ammonia increases the binding energy of CO and enable the pre‐protonation of *CO to *CHO, as opposed to CO–CO coupling. This modification enables a shift from symmetric *CO‐*CO post‐protonation coupling to asymmetric *CO‐*CHO coupling, thereby promoting alcohol formation. The Faradaic efficiency for alcohol production reaches up to 64.5% (51.5% for ethanol and 13% for 1‐propanol) at 500 mA cm −2 , with a full‐cell alcohol energy efficiency of ∼27.1% and over 120 h of stable operation in a membrane electrode assembly. In situ spectroscopy and theory calculation reveal the preferential formation of key intermediates (*CHO, *COCHO, and *OC 2 H 5 ) along the alcohol production pathway on the unsaturated Cu sites. This strategy of tuning intermediate pre‐protonation offers a promising direction for catalyst design aimed at converting carbon emissions into value‐added products.

A One Health model evaluating the role of a wild carnivore in mitigating multi-host anthrax outbreaks

Adsorbate‐Induced Reversible Changes in Zeolite ZEO‐5 Attributed to Its Triple‐Four‐Silicate‐Rings

ABSTRACT Extra‐large pore zeolites exhibit structural features distinct from those of classical zeolites, with potential consequences in their use as adsorbents and catalysts. A low‐framework‐density zeolite, ZEO‐5, was synthesized via interchain expansion, forming unprecedented triple four‐ring (t4r) units, creating a fully connected framework with 20‐membered‐ring pores. Here, we report that ZEO‐5 exhibits unique water adsorption behavior. Initially hydrophobic, it undergoes a sharp increase in water uptake within a narrow range of relative pressure, transitioning into a hydrophilic status, with a pronounced desorption hysteresis. Characterization by synchrotron powder x‐ray diffraction, porosimetry, in situ infrared spectroscopy, and solid‐state nuclear magnetic resonance reveals structural degradation via Si─O─Si bond cleavage within the highly strained t4r unit. Remarkably, upon recalcination, the original structure of ZEO‐5, including its t4r units, is fully restored, establishing a reversible adsorption‐induced order–disorder structural transformation. Similar behavior occurs with other polar molecules, including ammonia and alcohols, underscoring the broader implications of this ZEO‐5 feature for adsorptive separations and for pore functionalization. At 423K, ZEO‐5 exhibits high ammonia working capacity between 11 and 1.1 bar adsorption and desorption pressures, respectively, surpassing the corresponding performance of commercial aluminosilicate zeolites. Structure models, consistent with experimental observations, and molecular simulation are used to explain this phenomenon.

Deformation properties and erosion resistance of loess treated via enzyme-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (EICP) and wool fiber reinforcement (WFR)

A General Design of Compact “Zero‐On” NIR‐II Photoacoustic Dyes for High‐Fidelity Imaging

ABSTRACT Near‐infrared‐II (1000–1700 nm) photoacoustic imaging enables deep‐tissue visualization with high spatial precision but lacks organic probes integrating general design, reduced molecular complexity, and high‐fidelity in vivo signal output. Herein, we present a general building‐block design for ultralow‐molecular‐weight “zero‐on” near‐infrared‐II photoacoustic dyes for in vivo high‐fidelity imaging. Constructed around a dimethyl‐dihydroacridine scaffold and synthesized in three steps, these dyes incorporate biomarker‐responsive blocks for targeted activation and absorption‐expanded blocks for near‐infrared‐II absorption tuning, while maintaining a molecular weight <500 Da. This general building‐block design enables tailored applications. Ultralow molecular weight improves solubility, tissue penetration and clearance. Notably, biomarker activation drives nonconjugated‐to‐conjugated structural transition, inducing >700 nm absorption redshift and boosting near‐infrared‐II photoacoustic signals at 1064 nm from levels statistically indistinguishable from water ( p > 0.05, defining “zero” probe background) to an 89.8‐fold enhancement in “on” state. “Zero” background minimizes false positives from misinterpreting probe background accumulation signals in diseased tissues as biomarker activation, even in high‐uptake organs like the liver. In a blinded study, our “zero‐on” probes identified early‑stage hepatotoxicity in mice with 100% accuracy, outperforming 85% accuracy of traditional non‐zero background “off–on” probes. This work enables a general design to achieve ultralow‐molecular‐weight near‐infrared‐II photoacoustic dyes for high‐fidelity signal output in vivo.

Resting-state neural correlates of aggressive behavior in professional soccer players

Efficient Utilization of Solar Energy Mediated by Singlet Fission Passage to Boost Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production

ABSTRACT Building efficient channels for capturing and utilizing light energy is the key to achieving sustainable utilization of solar energy, so as to enhance the photocatalytic activity. However, one of the biggest challenges at present is that when a material absorbs a photon, it only generates a pair of electron–holes, with excess energy heating loss. The singlet fission (SF) process could achieve the effect of exciton multiplication to break this limitation. Based on this, a heterojunction structure was constructed consisting of polythiophene‐derived carbon dots (CDs) and a carboxyl‐functionalized fullerene derivative, tetra[4‐(carboxyl) piperidin‐1‐yl]C 60 epoxide (TCPC). The intrinsic SF activity of the CDs was experimentally confirmed, demonstrating a remarkably high triplet quantum yield of 191%. Crucially, integration with TCPC facilitates the efficient dissociation of triplet excitons into long‐lived charge carriers with lifetimes exceeding 100 µs. Then the photogenerated carriers are efficiently utilized by the catalytic center and enables an apparent quantum yield of 27.4% at 420 nm and a hydrogen evolution rate of 116.97 mmol·g −1 ·h −1 . This creates a brand‐new channel for enhancing the efficiency of solar energy conversion. It not only broadens the application scope of SF‐active materials but also provides an exceptional strategy for achieving sustainable and high‐efficiency solar‐to‐hydrogen conversion.

Parameter identification of LPDS linear induction motors using a hybrid reinforcement learning and evolutionary strategy approach

Abstract Accurate parameter identification of long-primary double-sided linear induction motors (LPDS-LIMs) plays a crucial role in improving control performance, thrust estimation, and overall operational efficiency. In this study, a hybrid framework based on Reinforcement Learning (RL) and Evolution Strategies (ES) is proposed for the precise estimation of key motor parameters, including stator resistance, leakage inductance, and the end-effect coefficient. The proposed approach leverages the fast convergence capability of RL together with the global search ability of ES in order to enhance estimation accuracy and improve robustness against disturbances. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms the standalone RL and ES approaches. Specifically, the proposed hybrid method reduces the root mean square error (RMSE) to approximately $$3.8\times {10}^{-4}$$ , achieving about 4.5 times better accuracy than RL and nearly 3 times better performance than ES. Furthermore, the proposed algorithm converges within approximately 50 episodes, indicating a significant improvement in convergence speed compared with the benchmark methods. To further validate the effectiveness of the identified parameters, a high-fidelity electromagnetic model of the LPDS-LIM was developed using the Finite Element Method (FEM). Detailed electromagnetic analyses, including magnetic flux distribution, flux density, and thrust force characteristics, were conducted. The comparison between the parameters obtained through the proposed method and the FEM-based simulation results shows strong agreement, confirming the accuracy and physical consistency of the identified parameters. Additionally, robustness analysis under noise conditions up to a level of 0.05 demonstrates the stability and reliability of the proposed approach.