A Metal-Free Molecular Ferroelectric [4-Me-cyclohexylamine]ClO4 Introduced by Boat and Chair Conformations of Cyclohexylamine.

Organic ferroelectrics have received a great deal of interest due to their exclusive properties. However, organic ferroelectrics have not been fully explored, which hinders their practical application. Here, we presented a novel metal-free organic molecular ferroelectric [4-MCHA][ClO4 ] (1) (4-MCHA=trans-4-methylcyclohexylamine), which exhibits an above-room-temperature of 328 K. Strikingly, the single crystal structure analysis of 1 shows that the driving force of phase transition is related to the interesting chair-boat conformation change of 4-MCHA cation, in addition to the order-disorder transition of ClO4 - anion. Using piezoelectric response force microscopy (PFM), the presence of domains and the implemented polarization switching were clearly observed, which explicitly determined the presence of room-temperature ferroelectricity of 1. As far as we know, the ferroelectric phase transition mechanism attributed to the conformational change in a trans isomeric cation is very rare. This research enriched the path of designing ferroelectric materials and smart materials.

3D Perovskite (1,5-3.2.2-H2dabcn)CsBr3 with Reverse Symmetry Breaking.

Even though hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites (HOIPs) have been studied by many scholars in recent years, there are not many reports on three-dimensional (3D) alkali metal cesium halide perovskites. Here, we report an unprecedented 3D HOIP molecule (1,5-3.2.2-H2dabcn)CsBr3 (1), in which the 3D anionic framework is constructed by corner-sharing CsBr6 octahedra and organic cations [1,5-3.2.2-H2dabcn]2+ are located in the cavities formed by the octahedra. Organic cations interact with an inorganic metal frame via two N-H···Br hydrogen bonds. Compound 1 undergoes a reversible order-disorder phase transition and exhibits switchable dielectric and second-harmonic generation (SHG) properties. Interestingly, product 1 crystallizes in a non-centrosymmetric space group Pmn21 at the low-temperature phase (LTP) and transforms into a centrosymmetric space group P2/m at the high-temperature phase (HTP). The space group Pmn21 in the LTP has a higher symmetry than P2/m in the HTP. This inverted symmetry breaking is very unusual.

Upregulation of microRNA-762 suppresses the expression of GIPC3 in systemic lupus erythematosus and neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus.

BACKGROUND: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), especially neuropsychiatric SLE (NPSLE), is a complex systemic autoimmune disease, characterized by variable course and multiple organ dysfunction. Our study aimed to identify crucial microRNA (miRNAs) in SLE and NPSLE. METHODS: Totally 12 cases of serum specimens were collected from General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University (SLE = 4, NPSLE = 4, control = 4). After miRNA sequencing, differential expression analysis, miRNA target prediction, and miRNA-messenger RNA (mRNA) regulatory network construction were performed to identify the hub miRNAs. The expression of target gene was determined by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot. RESULTS: There were 79 and 59 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs) in NPSLE versus Control, and SLE versus Control, respectively. Among 35 overlapped DEmiRNAs, 5 upregulated miRNAs' (hsa-miR-762, hsa-miR-4270, hsa-miR-3663-3p, hsa-miR-4778-5p, and hsa-miR-4516) target genes were supported by at least six databases. The miRNA-mRNA network indicated that core miRNA hsa-miR-762 regulated 1270 target genes. MiR-762 was significantly upregulated in SLE and NPSLE, and over expression of miR-762 significantly suppressed GIPC PDZ domain containing family member 3 (GIPC3) expression in SLE and NPSLE. CONCLUSIONS: Upregulation of hub miRNA miR-762 can suppress the expression of GIPC3 in both SLE and NPSLE samples, which is probably involved in the development of SLE and NPSLE. Meanwhile, along with the development from SLE to NPSLE, miR-762 exhibits higher expression.

Small-molecule MX-C2/3 suppresses non-small cell lung cancer progression via p53 activation.

p53 inactivation is a common feature in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) resulting in NSCLC malignant transformation. Targeting serine 392 phosphorylation to restore p53 anticancer activity has proven to be an effective therapeutic strategy against NSCLC. A synthetic p53 activator, NA-17, has been developed that shows promise in preclinical models of NSCLC. However, NA-17 exhibits limited therapeutic efficacy in oncogene-driven tumors as well as relatively high toxicity to normal cells. It is possible that high efficiency and low toxicity p53 activators can be obtained by optimizing the leading molecule. Here, we performed high-throughput screening of compounds optimized based on NA-17 to identify new p53 activators. Two promising candidates named MX-C2 and MX-C3 were identified, both exhibited considerable therapeutic efficacy in oncogene-driven tumor models. Similar to NA-17, MX-C2/3 induced p53 activation via phosphorylating serine-392 without DNA damage. Both compounds showed broad antitumor activity in NSCLC cells and limited toxicity in normal cell lines. Moreover, MX-C2/3 suppressed tumor progression by arresting the cell cycle at G2/M phase, exhibiting a different mechanism of cell cycle arrest than NA-17. In addition, MX-C2/3 promoted the enrichment of p-p53 (s392) in mitochondria, leading to the conformational activation of Bak for cell apoptosis, which is consistent with NA-17. Finally, we demonstrated that MX-C2 significantly inhibited tumor growth without obvious systemic toxicity in oncogene-driven HCC-827 xenograft models. Collectively, we report two p53 activators with high-efficiency and low-toxicity that target p53 serine 392 phosphorylation for anticancer translational investigation.

Regulating the Electronic Configuration of Spinel Zinc Manganate Derived from Metal-Organic Frameworks: Controlled Synthesis and Application in Anode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

In recent years, transition metal oxides have been considered as the most promising anode materials due to their high theoretical capacity, low price, and abundant natural reserves. Among them, zinc manganate is used as an electrode material for anodes, whose application is mostly hindered due to its poor ionic/electronic conductivity. In this work, a series of ZnMn2O4 (ZMO) are synthesized by a hydrothermal technique coordinated with a metal-organic framework-based high-temperature calcination process for their application as an anode in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Meanwhile, this study systematically explores the influence of carbon doping and the types of organic ligands and oxygen vacancies on the electrochemical properties of the synthesized ZMO. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and experimental investigations reveal that the introduction of carbon and oxygen vacancies can enhance electronic conductivity, more active sites and faster Li+ adsorption, resulting in better electrochemical performances. As expected, all ZMOs with carbon doping (PMA-ZMO, MI-ZMO, and BDC-ZMO) derived from 1,2,4,5-benzenetetracarboxylic acid, 2-methylimidazole, and 1,4-dicarboxybenzene achieve outstanding electrochemical performance. Meanwhile, the introduction of oxygen vacancies can enhance the electronic conductivity and can significantly reduce the activation energy of Li+ transport, thereby accelerating the Li+ diffusion kinetics in the lithiation/delithiation process. Furthermore, an optimal ZMO anode material synthesized by 2-methylimidazole delivers a high reversible capacity of 1174.7 mA h g-1 after 300 cycles at 0.1 A g-1 and 600 mA h g-1 at 0.5 A g-1 after 300 cycles. After high-rate charge and discharge cycles, the specific capacity rapidly recovers to a value greater than the initial value, which proves the unusual activation and thereby an excellent rate property of the electrode. Hence, we conclude that ZMO provides potential application prospects as an anode electrode material for LIBs.

Preparation and Properties of a Composite Phase Change Energy Storage Gypsum Board Based on Capric Acid-Paraffin/Expanded Graphite.

Energy has become the key material basis of social development. In this work, liquid capric acid-paraffin was evenly adsorbed in the pore structure of expanded graphite (EG) by a physical adsorption method, and the new composite phase change material of capric acid-paraffin/expanded graphite (CA-P/EG) was prepared. The Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) curves of CA-P/EG composites did not change after 1000 cycles, and there was no new characteristic absorption peak, indicating that CA-P/EG composites have good chemical stability. The results showed that the optimum content of CA-P/EG in a phase change energy storage gypsum board was 20%, and the wet bending strength and compressive strength were 2.42 and 6.45 MPa, respectively. The water absorption was 16.37%, and the apparent density was 1.410 g/cm3. In addition, the melting and freezing temperatures were 26.40 and 23.10 °C, and the latent heats of melting and freezing were 27.20 and 25.69 J/g, respectively. It was found that the gypsum board has excellent thermal stability after 400 times of melting-freezing cycling and that the heat storage capacity increases with the increase of the CA-P/EG content and the thickness of the gypsum board.

Preparation and properties of capric acid-stearic acid-based ternary phase change materials.

Two kinds of CA-SA-based ternary phase change materials (PCMs), namely, capric acid-stearic acid-palmitic acid (CA-SA-PA) and capric acid-stearic acid-octadecanol (CA-SA-OD), were prepared by the melting-blending method. By the step cooling curve method, the optimum mass ratio of the two PCMs were determined to be CA : SA : PA = 77.4 : 8.6 : 14.0 and CA : SA : OD = 81.9 : 9.1 : 9.0, and the crystallization temperatures were 19.20 °C and 23.90 °C, respectively. The phase transition temperatures as measured by DSC were 18.60 °C and 24.82 °C, and the latent heat of phase transition were 129.15 J g-1 and 161.74 J g-1, respectively. The results are in good agreement with those measured by the step cooling curve method. The chemical and crystalline properties of the two PCMs were analyzed by FT-IR and XRD. It was found that CA-SA is combined with PA or OD by physical action, and the components have good compatibility and form a good eutectic structure. In addition, the results of heat storage and heat release experiments and the 500 times of accelerated melting-solidification cycling test showed that the two kinds of PCMs have good heat resistance and thermal reliability. Therefore, the prepared CA-SA-PA and CA-SA-OD have good performance and great application potential in building energy saving and solar energy utilization.

Study of Phase-Transition Characteristics of New Composite Phase Change Materials of Capric Acid-Palmitic Acid/Expanded Graphite.

A new composite phase change material of capric acid-palmitic acid/expanded graphite (CA-PA/EG) with the optimum mass ratio of EG equated to 8:1 was prepared by the physical adsorption method. It was observed that the eutectic point of CA-PA binary system was reached at 22.1 °C, and CA-PA was uniformly distributed into the pores of EG by physical interaction. The melting and freezing temperatures of CA-PA/EG obtained by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) were 23.05 and 20.82 °C, respectively, while the corresponding latent heats were 139.7 and 131.8 J/g, respectively. It had good thermal and chemical stability, and there was almost no leakage of liquid binary phase change materials after 1000 melting-freezing cycles. According to the experimental results of the thermogravimetry (TG) analyzer as well as heat storage and release, CA-PA/EG has excellent thermal reliability and heat resistance and the high thermal conductivity of EG promotes the thermal energy storage and release rate of CA-PA. Thus, CA-PA/EG is suitable as a phase change energy storage material for building energy conservation.

Comparison of different extraction methods for polysaccharides from Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge.

In this study, different extraction methods of polysaccharides from Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge (CPP) were compared by studying the extraction yield, structural characteristics and antioxidant activities. Firstly, polysaccharides were obtained using hot water extraction (CPPh), ultrasound assisted extraction (CPPu), enzyme assisted extraction (CPPe) and enzyme-ultrasound assisted extraction (CPPc), respectively. Meanwhile, the optimum extraction conditions of enzyme-ultrasonic assisted extraction were determined by response surface method (RSM). The extraction yields, structural characteristics and antioxidant activities were investigated and compared by visual photos, gas chromatography, ultraviolet-visible and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The results clearly showed that enzyme-ultrasonic assisted extraction possessed the highest extraction yield (10.39 ±â€¯0.04%). The molecular weight of CPPh was the highest while the other polysaccharides had no significant difference. Besides, the monosaccharide composition of CPPc, CPPh, CPPu and CPPe were similar but the molar percentages of monosaccharide were different. Finally, the results of antioxidant activities showed that CPPc exhibited the highest scavenging effect of superoxide radical and lipids inhibiting ability. In summary, enzyme-ultrasonic assisted extraction was a high-efficient and low-energy consumption method for CPP extraction.

[Study on Polygonum multi florum Thunb and extracts by DRIFTS and atr-ftir].

The diffuse-reflectance FTIR spectroscopy (DRIFTS) and attenuated total reflection FTIR (ATR-FTIR) were used to study polygonum multi florum Thumb and its extracts. The result shows that when acetone is used as extraction agent, the contents of extracts in polygonum multi florum Thunb's phloem are highest, those in polygonum multi florum Thunb's xylem are the lowest. Compared with DRIFTS and ATR-FTIR, it can be found that there are some differences between polygonum multi florum Thunb and its extracts. There are two gentle absorption peaks at 3 576 and 3 147 cm(-1) respectively for polygonum multi florum Thunb, while there is a strong absorption peak at 3 351 cm(-1) for its extracts, showing that there may be more OH... active ingredients in polygonum multi florum Thunb's extracts. Meanwhile, polygonum multiflorum Thunb has strong absorption peaks at 931, 859, 766 and 709 cm(-1) respectively, while its extracts have no resembling absorption peaks. It also shows that the extracts are active ingredients.