Thermodynamically and Dynamically Boosted Electrocatalytic Iodine Conversion with Hydroxyl Groups for High-Efficiency Zinc-Iodine Batteries.

Rechargeable zinc-iodine (Zn-I2) batteries have shown immense potential for grid-scale energy storage applications, but there remain challenges of improving efficiency and cycling stability due to the sluggish iodine reduction reaction (IRR) kinetics and serious shuttle problem of polyiodides. We herein demonstrate an efficient metal-free hydroxyl (-OH)-functionalized carbon catalyst that effectively boosts the performance of Zn-I2 batteries. It has been found that the obtained electrocatalytic performance is strongly correlated with the surface oxygen chemical environment in the carbon matrix. Both theoretical calculations and experimental measurements have uncovered that the -OH group, rather than carbonyl (-C═O) and carboxyl (-COOH), provides the active electrocatalytic site for IRR, improves the iodine redox kinetics and the electrochemical reversibility, and facilitates I2 nucleation. As confirmed by a series of in situ and ex situ spectroscopy techniques, due to the favorable reaction thermodynamics and the lowered energy barrier for I3- dissociation, the O-H···I channels can effectively trigger the direct transformation of I2/I- and avoid the formation of stable polyiodides. As a result, the as-assembled battery of I2/oxygen-functionalized carbon cloth (I2/OCC-2)//Zn exhibits a high capacity of 2.27 mA h cm-2 at 1 mA cm-2, outstanding rate capability with 89.0% capacity retention at 20 mA cm-2, and long-term stability of 10,000 cycles.

Design, Bioactivity, and Action Mechanism of Pyridinecarbaldehyde Phenylhydrazone Derivatives with Broad-Spectrum Antifungal Activity.

Replacing old pesticides with new pesticide varieties has been the main means to solve pesticide resistance. Therefore, it is necessary to research and develop new antifungal agents for plant protection. In this study, a series of pyridinecarbaldehyde phenylhydrazone derivatives were designed and evaluated for their inhibition activity on plant pathogenic fungi to search for novel fungicide candidates. Picolinaldehyde phenylhydrazone (1) and nicotinaldehyde phenylhydrazone (2) were identified as promising antifungal lead scaffolds. The 4-fluorophenylhydrazone derivatives (1a and 2a) of 1 and 2 showed highly effective and broad-spectrum inhibition activity in vitro on 11 phytopathogenic fungi with EC50 values of 0.870-3.26 µg/mL, superior to the positive control carbendazim in most cases. The presence of the 4-fluorine atom on the phenyl showed a remarkable activity enhancement effect. Compound 1a at 300 µg/mL provided almost complete protection against infection of Alternaria solani on tomatoes over the post-treatment 9 days and high safety to germination of plant seeds. Furthermore, 1a showed strong inhibition activity with an IC50 value of 0.506 µg/mL on succinate dehydrogenase in A. solani. Molecular docking showed that both 1a and 2a can well bind to the ubiquinone-binding region of SDH by the conventional hydrogen bond, carbon-hydrogen bond, π-π or π-amide interaction, π-alkyl interaction, X---F (X = N, C, or H) interaction, and van der Waal forces. Meanwhile, scanning and transmission electron analysis displayed that 1a destroyed the morphology of mycelium and the structure of the cell membrane of A. solani. Fluorescent staining analysis revealed that 1a changed the mitochondrial membrane potential and cell membrane permeability. Thus, pyridinecarbaldehyde phenylhydrazone compounds emerged as novel antifungal lead scaffolds, and 1a and 2a can be considered promising candidates for the development of new agricultural fungicides.

Broadband Spin and Orbital Momentum Modulator Using Self-Assembled Nanostructures.

The structural symmetry of solids plays an important role in defining their linear and nonlinear optical properties. The quest for versatile, cost-effective, large-scale, and defect-free approaches and materials platforms for tailoring structural and optical properties on demand is underway since decades. A self-assembled spherulite material comprised of synthesized molecules with large dipole moments aligned azimuthally, forming a vortex polarity with spontaneously broken symmetry, is experimentally demonstrated. This unique self-assembled structure enables new linear and nonlinear light-matter interactions, including generating optical vortex beams with complex spin states and on-demand topological charges at the fundamental, doubled, and tripled frequencies. This work will likely enable numerous applications in areas such as high-dimensional quantum information processing with large capacity and high security, spatiotemporal optical vortices, and a novel optical manipulation and trapping platform.

Expressional respones of hsp70 genes against abiotic and entomopathgenic stresses in four different noctuid larval species (Lepidoptera: Noctidae).

Heat shock proteins (Hsps) are stress response proteins. In a previous study, host larval Hsp70s were identified as the structural proteins of virions of Heliothis virescens ascovirus 3h (HvAV-3h), an insect virus that mainly infects noctuid larvae. To investigate the response of hsp70s of healthy Mythimna separata, Spodoptera exigua, Spodoptera frugiperda, and Spodoptera litura larvae to various abiotic or entomopathogenic stresses, quantitative PCR was used to detect larval hsp70s expression patterns. Results showed distinct expression patterns of hsp70s in response to different abiotic stresses. Notably, Mshsp70 expression pattern resembled Slhsp70 under most treatments. In healthy larvae, no tissue tropism was observed concerning the relative expression of Mshsp70, Sfhsp70, and Slhsp70. After infection with HvAV-3h, the expression of hsp70s in all dissected tissues of all tested larval species increased. Significant differences were found in the fat bodies of M. separata, S. exigua, and S. litura as well as in the hemolymph of S. exigua and S. litura. Subsequent silencing of Slhsp70, resulted in a significant decrease in DNA replication levels of HvAV-3h in S. litura larvae at 24 and 72 h post RNA interference, indicating that Slhsp70 is necessary for DNA replication in HvAV-3h. These data can provide references for the studying on the stress response of noctuid larvae to different environmental factors.

Potential functions and mechanisms of lysine crotonylation modification (Kcr) in tumorigenesis and lymphatic metastasis of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC).

OBJECTIVES: To examine the putative functions and mechanisms of lysine crotonylation (Kcr) during the development and progression of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). METHODS: Samples of thyroid cancer tissues were collected and subjected to liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Crotonylated differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) and differentially expressed Kcr sites (DEKSs) were analyzed by Motif, dynamic expression model analysis (Mfuzz), subcellular localization, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway annotation, Go Ontology (GO) annotation, and protein-protein interaction analysis (PPI). Validation was performed by immunohistochemistry (IHC). RESULTS: A total of 262 crotonylated DEPs and 702 DEKSs were quantitated. First, for the tumor/normal comparison, a dynamic expression model analysis (Mfuzz) of the DEKSs revealed that clusters 1, 3, and 4 increased with the progression of thyroid cancer; however, cluster 6 showed a dramatic increase during the transition from N0-tumor to N1-tumor. Furthermore, based on GO annotation, KEGG, and PPI, the crotonylated DEPs were primarily enriched in the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, Cell cycle, and Hippo signaling pathway. Of note, crosstalk between the proteome and Kcr proteome suggested a differential changing trend, which was enriched in Thyroid hormone synthesis, Pyruvate metabolism, TCA cycle, Cell cycle, and Apoptosis pathways. Similarly, for the LNM comparison group, the DEKSs and related DEPs were primarily enriched in Hydrogen peroxide catabolic process and Tight junction pathway. Finally, according to The Cancer Genome Atlas Program (TCGA) database, the differential expression of Kcr DEPs were associated with the prognosis of thyroid cancer, indicating the prognostic significance of these proteins. Moreover, based on the clinical validation of 47 additional samples, Kcr was highly expressed in thyroid tumor tissues compared with normal tissue (t = 9.792, P < 0.001). In addition, a positive correlation was observed between Kcr and N-cadherin (r = 0.5710, P = 0.0015). Moreover, N-cadherin expression was higher in the relatively high Kcr expression group (χ2 = 18.966, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Higher Kcr expression was correlated with thyroid tumorigenesis and lymphatic metastasis, which may regulate thyroid cancer progression by Pyruvate metabolism, TCA cycle, Cell cycle, and other pathways.

Spatial and Bidirectional Work Function Modulation of Monolayer Graphene with Patterned Polymer "Fluorozwitterists".

Understanding the electronic properties resulting from soft-hard material interfacial contact has elevated the utility of functional polymers in advanced materials and nanoscale structures, such as in work function engineering of two-dimensional (2D) materials to produce new types of high-performance devices. In this paper, we describe the electronic impact of functional polymers, containing both zwitterionic and fluorocarbon components in their side chains, on the work function of monolayer graphene through the preparation of negative-tone photoresists, which we term "fluorozwitterists." The zwitterionic and fluorinated groups each represent dipole-containing moieties capable of producing distinct surface energies as thin films. Kelvin probe force microscopy revealed these polymers to have a p-doping effect on graphene, which contrasts the work function decrease typically associated with polymer-to-graphene contact. Copolymerization of fluorinated zwitterionic monomers with methyl methacrylate and a benzophenone-substituted methacrylate produced copolymers that were amenable to photolithographic fabrication of fluorozwitterist structures. Consequently, spatial alteration of zwitterion coverage across graphene yielded stripes that resemble a lateral p-i-n diode configuration, with local increase or decrease of work function. Overall, this polymeric fluorozwitterist design is suitable for enabling simple, solution-based surface patterning and is anticipated to be useful for spatial work function modulation of 2D materials integrated into electronic devices.

Design, synthesis, bioactivity and action mechanism of N-substituted N'-phenylpicolinohydrazides against phytopathogenic fungi.

N'-phenylpicolinohydrazide has been proven to be a promising lead compound for research and development of novel fungicides for agriculture in our previous study. As our continuing research, in this study, a series of N-substituted derivatives of N'-phenylpicolinohydrazide were synthesized and explored for the inhibition activity on nine phytopathogenic fungi and action mechanism. The results found that eleven of the compounds had excellent antifungal activity with more than 80% inhibition rates at 50 µg/mL on part or most of the fungi, especially A. solani and P. piricola. Compounds 5i, 5j and 5k showed EC50 values of < 8.0 µg/mL against A. solani superior to positive control carbendazim (EC50 = 36.0 µg/mL) while 5p and 5q exhibited the highest activity with EC50 values of 2.72 and 2.80 µg/mL against P. piricola superior to positive control boscalid (EC50 > 50.0 µg/mL). Furthermore, 5k also showed significant protective effect against A. solani infection on tomatoes in a concentration-dependent manner. Action mechanism research showed that 5k was able to increase the intracellular ROS level, change both MMP and permeability of cell membrane and damage mycelial morphology. Molecular docking studies showed that 5k could bind into ubiquinone-binding region of succinate dehydrogenase by hydrogen bonds, π-cation, π-π stacked, π-alkyl, and alkyl interactions. Additionally, the antibacterial activity was also investigated. Thus, N-substituted derivatives of N'-phenylpicolinohydrazide were emerged as novel and highly promising antifungal molecular skeletons to develop new fungicides for crop protection.

Dynamic borate ester bond reinforced hydroxyethyl cellulose/corn starch crosslinked film for simple recycling and regeneration.

Endowing biodegradable plastics with easy recyclability can reduce competition with food resources and further enhance their environmental friendliness. In this work, 4-carboxyphenylboronic acid was grafted onto the side chains of hydroxyethyl cellulose and compounded with inexpensive cornstarch. Upon the introduction of tannic acid, stable and reversible borate ester bond rapidly formed, yielding composite biodegradable plastic films with outstanding mechanical properties and facile recyclability. The formation of a dynamic cross-linked network mitigates the aggregation of gelatinized starch molecules, enhancing the flexibility and durability of the crosslinked film. Testing revealed that while maintaining high tensile strength, the elongation at break of the crosslinked film increased by 952.86 %. The static water contact angle was improved from 32.74° to 78.82°, with a change of <5° within 1 min, demonstrating enhanced water resistance. Excellent antioxidant and thermal stability were also characterized, the crosslinked film can be easily dissolved by heating in water at pH = 6.5 and reshaped in water at pH = 7.2. After five times of regeneration, the tensile strength loss was as low as 5.68 %. This eco-friendly and efficient recycling process is promising during green chemistry.

Progress on deep learning in genomics.

With the rapid growth of data driven by high-throughput sequencing technologies, genomics has entered an era characterized by big data, which presents significant challenges for traditional bioinformatics methods in handling complex data patterns. At this critical juncture of technological progress, deep learning-an advanced artificial intelligence technology-offers powerful capabilities for data analysis and pattern recognition, revitalizing genomic research. In this review, we focus on four major deep learning models: Convolutional Neural Network(CNN), Recurrent Neural Network(RNN), Long Short-Term Memory(LSTM), and Generative Adversarial Network(GAN). We outline their core principles and provide a comprehensive review of their applications in DNA, RNA, and protein research over the past five years. Additionally, we also explore the use of deep learning in livestock genomics, highlighting its potential benefits and challenges in genetic trait analysis, disease prevention, and genetic enhancement. By delivering a thorough analysis, we aim to enhance precision and efficiency in genomic research through deep learning and offer a framework for developing and applying livestock genomic strategies, thereby advancing precision livestock farming and genetic breeding technologies.

Discovery and development of thiazolidine-2,4-dione derivatives as Bcl-2/Mcl-1 dual inhibitors.

Increasing the levels of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 proteins is an important way that cancer cells utilize to get out of apoptosis, underscoring their significance as promising targets for anticancer therapies. Lately, a primary compound 1 bearing thiazolidine-2,4-dione was discovered to exhibit comparable Mcl-1 inhibitory activity in comparison to WL-276. Herein, thirty-nine thiazolidine-2,4-dione analogs were yielded through incorporating different biphenyl moieties (R1), amino acid side chains (R2) and sulfonamides (R3) on 1. The findings indicated that certain compounds exhibited favorable inhibitory effects against Bcl-2/Mcl-1, while demonstrating limited or negligible binding affinity towards Bcl-xL. In particular, compounds 16 and 20 exhibited greater Bcl-2/Mcl-1 inhibition compared to AT-101, WL-276 and 1. Moreover, they demonstrated notable antiproliferative effects and significantly induced apoptosis in U937 cells. The western blot and co-immunoprecipitation assays confirmed that 20 could induce alterations in the expression of apoptosis-associated proteins to result in apoptosis through on-target Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 inhibition. In addition, 20 exhibited favorable stability profiles in both rat plasma and rat liver microsomes. In total, 20 could be used as a promising compound to discover Bcl-2/Mcl-1 dual inhibitors with favorable therapeutic properties.

Fluorinated polymer zwitterions on gold nanoparticles: patterned catalyst surfaces guide interfacial transport and electrochemical CO2 reduction.

We report the use of fluorinated polymer zwitterions to build hybrid systems for efficient CO2 electroreduction. The unique combination of hydrophilic phosphorylcholine and hydrophobic fluorinated moieties in these polymers creates a fractal structure with mixed branched cylinders on the surface of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). In the presence of these polymers, the CO faradaic efficiency improves by 50-80% in the range of -0.7 V to -0.9 V. The fractal structures have a domain size of ∼3 nm, showing enhanced mass transfer kinetics of CO2 approaching the catalyst surfaces without limiting ion diffusion. The phase-separated hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains offer separated channeling to water and CO2, as confirmed by attenuated total reflectance surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (ATR-SEIRAS) and molecule dynamic (MD) simulations. H2O molecules permeate extensively into the polymer layer that adsorbs on zwitterions, forming continuous chains, while CO2 molecules strongly associate with the fluorinated tails of fluorinated polyzwitterions, with oxygen facing the positively charged amine groups. Overall, this coupling of zwitterion and fluorocarbon in a polymer material creates new opportunities for defining microenvironments of metallic nanocatalysts in hybrid structures.

Assessing the Effectiveness of Automatic Speech Recognition Technology in Emergency Medicine Settings: A Comparative Study of Four AI-powered Engines.

Purpose Cutting-edge automatic speech recognition (ASR) technology holds significant promise in transcribing and recognizing medical information during patient encounters, thereby enabling automatic and real-time clinical documentation, which could significantly alleviate care clinicians' burdens. Nevertheless, the performance of current-generation ASR technology in analyzing conversations in noisy and dynamic medical settings, such as prehospital or Emergency Medical Services (EMS), lacks sufficient validation. This study explores the current technological limitations and future potential of deploying ASR technology for clinical documentation in fast-paced and noisy medical settings such as EMS. Methods In this study, we evaluated four ASR engines, including Google Speech-to-Text Clinical Conversation, OpenAI Speech-to-Text, Amazon Transcribe Medical, and Azure Speech-to-Text engine. The empirical data used for evaluation were 40 EMS simulation recordings. The transcribed texts were analyzed for accuracy against 23 Electronic Health Records (EHR) categories of EMS. The common types of errors in transcription were also analyzed. Results Among all four ASR engines, Google Speech-to-Text Clinical Conversation performed the best. Among all EHR categories, better performance was observed in categories "mental state" (F1 = 1.0), "allergies" (F1 = 0.917), "past medical history" (F1 = 0.804), "electrolytes" (F1 = 1.0), and "blood glucose level" (F1 = 0.813). However, all four ASR engines demonstrated low performance in transcribing certain critical categories, such as "treatment" (F1 = 0.650) and "medication" (F1 = 0.577). Conclusion Current ASR solutions fall short in fully automating the clinical documentation in EMS setting. Our findings highlight the need for further improvement and development of automated clinical documentation technology to improve recognition accuracy in time-critical and dynamic medical settings.

Amino acid mutations PB1-V719M and PA-N444D combined with PB2-627K contribute to the pathogenicity of H7N9 in mice.

H7N9 subtype avian influenza viruses (AIVs) cause 1567 human infections and have high mortality, posing a significant threat to public health. Previously, we reported that two avian-derived H7N9 isolates (A/chicken/Eastern China/JTC4/2013 and A/chicken/Eastern China/JTC11/2013) exhibit different pathogenicities in mice. To understand the genetic basis for the differences in virulence, we constructed a series of mutant viruses based on reverse genetics. We found that the PB2-E627K mutation alone was not sufficient to increase the virulence of H7N9 in mice, despite its ability to enhance polymerase activity in mammalian cells. However, combinations with PB1-V719M and/or PA-N444D mutations significantly enhanced H7N9 virulence. Additionally, these combined mutations augmented polymerase activity, thereby intensifying virus replication, inflammatory cytokine expression, and lung injury, ultimately increasing pathogenicity in mice. Overall, this study revealed that virulence in H7N9 is a polygenic trait and identified novel virulence-related residues (PB2-627K combined with PB1-719M and/or PA-444D) in viral ribonucleoprotein (vRNP) complexes. These findings provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying AIV pathogenesis in mammals, with implications for pandemic preparedness and intervention strategies.

Alteration of fractional anisotropy in preterm-born individuals: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUD: Neurological disorders are common in preterm (PT) born individuals. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) effectively detect microstructural white matter (WM) abnormalities in the brain. We conducted this systematic review to integrate the findings of TBSS studies to determine the most consistent WM alterations in PT born individuals. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Science Direct were searched. DTI studies using TBSS in PT born individuals were screened up to October 2022. The systematic review included studies reporting alterations in FA values for the entire brain in a stereotactic space, with three coordinates (x, y, z), according to the seed-based d mapping method. RESULTS: The search strategy identified seventeen studies that fulfilled our inclusion criteria, with a total of 911 PT-born individuals and 563 matched controls were analysed. Of the seventeen studies, eight were dedicated to 650 adults, five to 411 children and four to 413 infants. Ten studies recruited 812 individuals born very prematurely (GA <29 weeks), six studies recruited 386 moderately premature individuals (GA = 29-32 weeks) and one study recruited 276 individuals born late prematurely (GA >32 weeks). This meta-analysis of six studies including 388 individuals highlighted four brain regions in which fractional anisotropy (FA) was lower in PT group than in people born at term. The quantitative meta-analysis found that the most robust WM alterations were located in the corpus callosum (CC), the bilateral thalamus and the left superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) II. Significant changes in FA reflect WM abnormalities in PT born individuals from infant to young adulthood. CONCLUSIONS: Significant changes in FA reflect WM abnormalities in individuals born PT from infancy to young adulthood. The abnormal development of the CC, bilateral thalamus and left SLF may play a vital role in the neurodevelopment of PT individuals.

Neurological disorders are prevalent in preterm (PT) born individuals. The use of tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) in diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies has proven effective in detecting microstructural abnormalities of the white matter (WM) of the brain. In order to determine the most consistent alterations in WM among those born prematurely, we have screened DTI studies using TBSS in this PT born population up until October 2022. The meta-analysis identified four brain regions where fractional anisotropy (FA) was lower in the PT group than in those born at term. The quantitative meta-analysis identified the corpus callosum, the bilateral thalamus and the left superior longitudinal fasciculus II. As the most robust WM alterations. Various studies have demonstrated the links between PT birth, intelligence quotient, gestational age and subject age.

Radiomics analysis combining gray-scale ultrasound and mammography for differentiating breast adenosis from invasive ductal carcinoma.

Objectives: To explore the utility of gray-scale ultrasound (GSUS) and mammography (MG) for radiomic analysis in distinguishing between breast adenosis and invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). Methods: Data from 147 female patients with pathologically confirmed breast lesions (breast adenosis: 61 patients; IDC: 86 patients) between January 2018 and December 2022 were retrospectively collected. A training cohort of 113 patients (breast adenosis: 50 patients; IDC: 63 patients) diagnosed from January 2018 to December 2021 and a time-independent test cohort of 34 patients (breast adenosis: 11 patients; IDC: 23 patients) diagnosed from January 2022 to December 2022 were included. Radiomic features of lesions were extracted from MG and GSUS images. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was applied to select the most discriminant features, followed by logistic regression (LR) to construct clinical and radiomic models, as well as a combined model merging radiomic and clinical features. Model performance was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results: In the training cohort, the area under the curve (AUC) for radiomic models based on MG features, GSUS features, and their combination were 0.974, 0.936, and 0.991, respectively. In the test cohort, the AUCs were 0.885, 0.876, and 0.949, respectively. The combined model, incorporating clinical and all radiomic features, and the MG plus GSUS radiomics model were found to exhibit significantly higher AUCs than the clinical model in both the training cohort and test cohort (p<0.05). No significant differences were observed between the combined model and the MG plus GSUS radiomics model in the training cohort and test cohort (p>0.05). Conclusion: The effectiveness of radiomic features derived from GSUS and MG in distinguishing between breast adenosis and IDC is demonstrated. Superior discriminatory efficacy is shown by the combined model, integrating both modalities.

Design, bioactivity and mechanism of N'-phenyl pyridylcarbohydrazides with broad-spectrum antifungal activity.

Succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHIs) as one of the fastest-growing fungicide categories for plant protection. In this study, a series of N'-phenyl pyridylcarbohydrazides as analogues of commercial SDHIs were designed and evaluated for inhibition activity on phytopathogenic fungi to search for potential novel SDHIs. The determination of antifungal activity in vitro and in vivo led to the discovery of a series of compounds with high activity and broad-spectrum property. Especially, N'-(4-fluorophenyl)picolinohydrazide (1c) and N'-(3,4-fluorophenyl)picolinohydrazide (1ae) showed 0.041-1.851 µg/mL of EC50 values on twelve fungi, superior to positive controls carbendazim and boscalid. In vivo activity, 1c at 50 µg/mL showed 61% of control efficacy at the post-treatment 9th day for the infection of P. piricola on apples, slightly smaller than 70% of carbendazim. In terms of action mechanism, 1c showed strong inhibition activity with IC50 of 0.107 µg/mL on SDH in Alternaria brassicae, superior to positive SDHI boscalid (IC50 0.182 µg/mL). Molecular docking indicated that 1c can well bind with the ubiquinone-binding region of SDH mainly by hydrogen bond, carbon hydrogen bond, π-alkyl, amide-π stacking, F-N and F-H interactions. Furthermore, scanning and transmission electron micrographs showed that 1c was able to obviously change the structure of mycelia and cell membrane. Fluorescence staining analysis showed that 1c could increase both the intracellular reactive oxygen species level and mitochondrial membrane potential. Finally, seed germination test, seedling growth test and cytotoxicity assay showed that 1c had very low toxicity to plant growth and mammalian cells. Thus, N'-phenyl pyridylcarbohydrazides especially 1c and 1ae can be considered promising fungicide alternatives for plant protection.

Discovery of Sesquiterpene Lactones with Cytotoxicity from the Herb of Youngia japonica.

In the process of searching for anti-breast cancer agents, five sesquiterpene lactones (1-5), including two previously undescribed ones, yjaponica B-C (1-2), were isolated from the herb of Youngia japonica. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic data analyses and Marfey's method. Cytotoxic activities of all compounds against A549, U87, and 4T1 cell lines were tested using the CCK8 assay. The result showed that compound 3 possessed the highest cytotoxic activity against 4T1 cells with an IC50 value of 10.60 µM. Furthermore, compound 3 distinctly induced apoptosis, inhibited immigration, and blocked the cell cycle of 4T1 cells. In addition, compound 3 induced the production of reactive oxygen species. Further anticancer mechanism studies showed that compound 3 significantly upregulated expression of the cleaved caspase 3 and PARP, whereas it downregulated the expression of Bcl-2, cyclin D1, cyclin A2, CDK4, and CDK2. Taken together, our results demonstrate that compound 3 has a high potential of being used as a leading compound for the discovery of new anti-breast cancer agent.

Suppressing Jahn-Teller distortion and locking lattice water with doped Fe(III) in birnessite toward fast and stable zinc-ion batteries.

Birnessite has been regarded as a promising cathode material for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs), but severe Jahn-Teller distortion and abrupt lattice collapse at deep charged states lead to serious problems such as poor capacity retention and short cycle life, which severely impede its practical applications. We herein report the construction of an advanced layered Fe-doped Na0.55Mn2O4·xH2O (Fe-NMO·xH2O) cathode to promote zinc-ion storage performance and electrochemical stability. An outstanding capacity of 102 mA h g-1 at a high current density of 20 A g-1 and a long cycle life of 6000 cycles have been achieved, comparable to the state-of-the-art manganese oxide-based cathodes. Both experimental measurements and theoretical calculations reveal that Fe3+ substitution and lattice water cooperatively stabilize the interlayer structure, accelerate zinc-ion diffusion, and improve electronic conductivity. Notably, Fe doping is conducive to alleviating the Jahn-Teller effect and locking lattice water, which effectively prevents phase transformation and lattice collapse during the (de)intercalation process. This work sheds light on the synergistic interplay between dopants and structural water in zinc-ion storage and demonstrates instructive strategies to regulate layered structures for ZIBs.