Simultaneous production of biosurfactant and extracellular unspecific peroxygenases by Moesziomyces aphidis XM01 enables an efficient strategy for crude oil degradation.

Crude oil is a hazardous pollutant that poses significant and lasting harm to human health and ecosystems. In this study, Moesziomyces aphidis XM01, a biosurfactant mannosylerythritol lipids (MELs)-producing yeast, was utilized for crude oil degradation. Unlike most microorganisms relying on cytochrome P450, XM01 employed two extracellular unspecific peroxygenases, MaUPO.1 and MaUPO.2, with preference for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and n-alkanes respectively, thus facilitating efficient crude oil degradation. The MELs produced by XM01 exhibited a significant emulsification activity of 65.9% for crude oil and were consequently supplemented in an "exogenous MELs addition" strategy to boost crude oil degradation, resulting in an optimal degradation ratio of 72.3%. Furthermore, a new and simple "pre-MELs production" strategy was implemented, achieving a maximum degradation ratio of 95.9%. During this process, the synergistic up-regulation of MaUPO.1, MaUPO.1 and the key MELs synthesis genes contributed to the efficient degradation of crude oil. Additionally, the phylogenetic and geographic distribution analysis of MaUPO.1 and MaUPO.1 revealed their wide occurrence among fungi in Basidiomycota and Ascomycota, with high transcription levels across global ocean, highlighting their important role in biodegradation of crude oil. In conclusion, M. aphidis XM01 emerges as a novel yeast for efficient and eco-friendly crude oil degradation.

SLTRN: Sample-level transformer-based relation network for few-shot classification.

Few-shot classification recognizes novel categories with limited labeled samples. The classic Relation Network (RN) compares support-query sample pairs for few-shot classification but overlooks support set contextual information, limiting its comparison capabilities. This work reformulates learning the relationship between query samples and each support class as a seq2seq problem. We introduce a Sample-level Transformer-based Relation Network (SLTRN) that utilizes sample-level self-attention to enhance the comparison ability of the relationship module by mining potential relationships among support classes. SLTRN demonstrates comparable performance with state-of-the-art methods on benchmarks, particularly excelling in the 1-shot setting with 52.11% and 67.55% accuracy on miniImageNet and CUB, respectively. Extensive ablation experiments validate the effectiveness and optimal settings of SLTRN. The experimental code for this work is available at https://github.com/ZitZhengWang/SLTRN.

Hexabenzoheptacene: A Longitudinally Multihelicene Nanocarbon with Local Aromaticity and Enhanced Stability.

We report the synthesis of a longitudinally helical molecular nanocarbon, hexabenzoheptacene (HBH), along with its dimethylated derivative (HBH-Me), which are composed of six benzene rings periodically benzannulated to both zigzag edges of a heptacene core. This benzannulation pattern endows the resulting nanocarbons with a helical heptacene core and local aromaticity, imparting enhanced solubility and stability to the system. The chiral HBH-Me adopts a more highly twisted conformation with an end-to-end twist angle of 95°, enabling the separation of the enantiomers. Both HBH and HBH-Me can be facilely oxidized into their corresponding dications, which exhibit enhanced planarity and aromaticity upon loss of electrons. Notably, both longitudinally helical nanocarbons readily promote solid state packing into two-dimensional (2D) arrangement. Single-crystal microbelts of HBH-Me show hole mobility up to 0.62 cm2 V-1 s-1, illustrating the promising potential of these longitudinally helical molecules for organic electronic devices.

Fluorescent small molecule donors.

Small molecule donors (SMDs) play subtle roles in the signaling mechanism and disease treatments. While many excellent SMDs have been developed, dosage control, targeted delivery, spatiotemporal feedback, as well as the efficiency evaluation of small molecules are still key challenges. Accordingly, fluorescent small molecule donors (FSMDs) have emerged to meet these challenges. FSMDs enable controllable release and non-invasive real-time monitoring, providing significant advantages for drug development and clinical diagnosis. Integration of FSMDs with chemotherapeutic, photodynamic or photothermal properties can take full advantage of each mode to enhance therapeutic efficacy. Given the remarkable properties and the thriving development of FSMDs, we believe a review is needed to summarize the design, triggering strategies and tracking mechanisms of FSMDs. With this review, we compiled FSMDs for most small molecules (nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, reactive oxygen species and formaldehyde), and discuss recent progress concerning their molecular design, structural classification, mechanisms of generation, triggered release, structure-activity relationships, and the fluorescence response mechanism. Firstly, from the large number of fluorescent small molecular donors available, we have organized the common structures for producing different types of small molecules, providing a general strategy for the development of FSMDs. Secondly, we have classified FSMDs in terms of the respective donor types and fluorophore structures. Thirdly, we discuss the mechanisms and factors associated with the controlled release of small molecules and the regulation of the fluorescence responses, from which universal guidelines for optical properties and structure rearrangement were established, mainly involving light-controlled, enzyme-activated, reactive oxygen species-triggered, biothiol-triggered, single-electron reduction, click chemistry, and other triggering mechanisms. Fourthly, representative applications of FSMDs for trackable release, and evaluation monitoring, as well as for visible in vivo treatment are outlined, to illustrate the potential of FSMDs in drug screening and precision medicine. Finally, we discuss the opportunities and remaining challenges for the development of FSMDs for practical and clinical applications, which we anticipate will stimulate the attention of researchers in the diverse fields of chemistry, pharmacology, chemical biology and clinical chemistry. With this review, we hope to impart new understanding thereby enabling the rapid development of the next generation of FSMDs.

Metabolomic analysis of rumen-protected branched-chain amino acids in primiparous dairy cows.

Introduction: Peripartal cows are susceptible to a negative energy balance due to inadequate nutrient intake and high energy requirements for lactation. Improving the energy metabolism of perinatal dairy cows is crucial in increasing production in dairy cows. Methods: In this study, we investigated the impact of rumen-protected branched-chain amino acid (RPBCAA) on the production performance, energy and lipid metabolism, oxidative stress, and immune function of primiparous dairy cows using metabolomics through a single-factor experiment. Twenty healthy primiparous Holstein cows were selected based on body condition scores and expected calving date, and were randomly divided into RPBCAA (n = 10) and control (n = 10) groups. The control group received a basal diet from calving until 21 d in milk, and the RPBCAA group received the basal diet and 44.6 g/d RPLeu, 25.14 g/d RPIle, and 25.43 g/d RPVal. Results: In comparison to the control group, the supplementation of RPBCAA had no significant effect on milk yield and milk composition of the dairy cows. Supplementation with RPBCAA significantly increased the concentrations of insulin, insulin growth factor 1, glucagon, and growth hormones, which are indicators of energy metabolism in postpartum cows. The very low density lipoprotein, fatty acid synthase, acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase, and hormone-sensitive lipase contents of the RPBCAA group were significantly greater than that of the control group; these metrics are related to lipid metabolism. In addition, RPBCAA supplementation significantly increased serum glutathione peroxidase and immunoglobulin G concentrations and decreased malondialdehyde concentrations. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis revealed 414 serum and 430 milk metabolic features. Supplementation with RPBCAA primarily increased concentrations of amino acid and lipid metabolism pathways and upregulated the abundance of serotonin, glutamine, and phosphatidylcholines. Discussion: In summary, adding RPBCAA to the daily ration can influence endocrine function and improve energy metabolism, regulate amino acid and lipid metabolism, mitigate oxidative stress and maintain immune function on primiparous cows in early lactation.

Diurnal biological effects of correlated colour temperature and its exposure timing on alertness, cognition, and mood in an enclosed environment.

Artificial lighting, which profits from the non-visual effects of light, is a potentially promising solution to support residents' psychophysiological health and performance at specific times of the day in enclosed environments. However, few studies have investigated the non-visual effects of daytime correlated colour temperature (CCT) and its exposure timing on human alertness, cognition, and mood. However, the neural mechanisms underlying these effects are largely unknown. The current study evaluated the effects of daytime CCT and its exposure timing on markers of subjective experience, cognitive performance, and cerebral activity in a simulated enclosed environment. Forty-two participants participated a single-blind laboratory study with a 4 within (CCT: 4000 K vs. 6500 K vs. 8500 K vs. 12,000 K) × 2 between (exposure timing: morning vs. afternoon) mixed design. The results showed time of the day dependent benefits of the daytime CCT on subjective experience, vigilant attention, response inhibition, working memory, emotional perception, and risk decisions. The results of the electroencephalogram (EEG) revealed that lower-frequency EEG bands, including theta, alpha, and alpha-theta, were quite sensitive to daytime CCT intervention, which provides a valuable reference for trying to establish the underlying mechanisms that support the performance-enhancement effects of exposure to CCT in the daytime. However, the results revealed no consistent intervention pattern across these measurements. Therefore, future studies should consider personalised optimisation of daytime CCT for different cognitive demands.

Noncoding RNA Terc-53 and hyaluronan receptor Hmmr regulate ageing in mice.

One of the basic questions in the ageing field is whether there is fundamental difference between the ageing of lower invertebrates and mammals. A major difference between the lower invertebrates and mammals is the abundancy of noncoding RNAs, most of which are not conserved. We have previously identified a noncoding RNA Terc-53 that is derived from the RNA component of telomerase Terc. To study its physiological functions, we generated two transgenic mouse models overexpressing the RNA in wild-type and early-ageing Terc-/- backgrounds. Terc-53 mice showed age-related cognition decline and shortened life span, even though no developmental defects or physiological abnormality at early age was observed, indicating its involvement in normal ageing of mammals. Subsequent mechanistic study identified hyaluronan-mediated motility receptor (Hmmr) as the main effector of Terc-53. Terc-53 mediates the degradation of Hmmr, leading to an increase of inflammation in the affected tissues, accelerating organismal ageing. AAV-delivered supplementation of Hmmr in the hippocampus reversed the cognition decline in Terc-53 transgenic mice. Neither Terc-53 nor Hmmr has homologs in C. elegans. Neither do arthropods express hyaluronan (Stern 2017). These findings demonstrate the complexity of ageing in mammals, and open new paths for exploring noncoding RNA and Hmmr as means of treating age-related physical debilities and improving healthspan.

Synthesis and Properties of A Strained Triple Nanohoop.

A strained triple nanohoop with a shared central benzene unit is synthesized using a threefold intramolecular ring-closing approach. Among the five possible constitutional isomers, the isomer with the highest D3h symmetry is isolated, the structure of which contains three nanohoop blades and a central hexaphenylbenzene unit. The structure is elucidated using NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The optical and electrochemical properties are investigated, revealing a moderate fluorescence quantum yield of 40%. A water-soluble nanomaterial is prepared using a nanoparticle encapsulation method, and a fluorescence quantum yield of 10% is retained, which demonstrates the potential of the nanomaterial in biological systems.

A Biodegradable Nano-Drug Delivery Platform for Co-Delivery of Minocycline and Chitosan to Achieve Efficient and Safe Non-Surgical Periodontitis Therapy.

INTRODUCTION: Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) are widely used as ideal nanovehicles for the delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs. However, the balance between high anti-periodontitis activity and low biotoxicity has been challenging to maintain in most relevant studies owing to the slow degradation of silica in living organisms. METHOD: In this study, -responsive hydroxyapatite (HAP) was doped into the MSN skeleton, and the chemotherapeutic drug minocycline hydrochloride (MH) was loaded into the pores of MSN, forming a negatively charged drug delivery system. Cationic chitosan (COS) is a biodegradable material with high antibacterial performance and good biosafety. In this study, COS was immobilized on the surface of the drug-loaded particles through stable charge interaction to construct a composite drug delivery system (MH@MSNion@COS). RESULTS: In vitro and cellular experiments demonstrated effective degradation of the nanocarrier system and synchronized controlled release of the drug. Notably, compared with single MH administration, this system, in which MH and COS jointly regulated the expression levels of periodontitis- associated inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1ß, and iNOS), better inhibited the progress of periodontitis and induced tissue regeneration without showing significant toxic side effects in cells. CONCLUSION: This system provides a promising strategy for the design of intelligent, efficient, and safe anti-periodontitis drug delivery systems.

Dualistic insulator states in 1T-TaS2 crystals.

While the monolayer sheet is well-established as a Mott-insulator with a finite energy gap, the insulating nature of bulk 1T-TaS2 crystals remains ambiguous due to their varying dimensionalities and alterable interlayer coupling. In this study, we present a unique approach to unlock the intertwined two-dimensional Mott-insulator and three-dimensional band-insulator states in bulk 1T-TaS2 crystals by structuring a laddering stack along the out-of-plane direction. Through modulating the interlayer coupling, the insulating nature can be switched between band-insulator and Mott-insulator mechanisms. Our findings demonstrate the duality of insulating nature in 1T-TaS2 crystals. By manipulating the translational degree of freedom in layered crystals, our discovery presents a promising strategy for exploring fascinating physics, independent of their dimensionality, thereby offering a "three-dimensional" control for the era of slidetronics.

Interlayer Polymerization to Construct a Fully Conjugated Covalent Organic Framework as a Metal-Free Oxygen Reduction Reaction Catalyst for Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells.

Two-dimensional (2D) covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have a multilayer skeleton with a periodic π-conjugated molecular array, which can facilitate charge carrier transport within a COF layer. However, the lack of an effective charge carrier transmission pathway between 2D COF layers greatly limits their applications in electrocatalysis. Herein, by employing a side-chain polymerization strategy to form polythiophene along the nanochannels, a conjugated bridge is constructed between the COF layers. The as-synthesized fully conjugated COF (PTh-COF) exhibits high oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity with narrowed energy band gaps. Correspondingly, PTh-COF is tested as a metal-free cathode catalyst for anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) which showed a maximum power density of 176 mW cm-2 under a current density of 533 mA cm-2. The density functional theory (DFT) calculation reveals that interlayer conjugated polythiophene optimizes the electron cloud distribution, which therefore enhances the ORR performance. This work not only provides new insight into the construction of a fully conjugated covalent organic framework but also promotes the development of new metal-free ORR catalysts.

Peroxiredoxin 1 promotes proliferation and inhibits differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells via AKT1 / NF-κB signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVES: Osteoporosis is the most common metabolic bone disease worldwide. The decrease in bone mass is primarily accompanied by a decrease in the number and activity of osteoblasts. Peroxiredoxins (PRDXs) are proteins that detect extremely low peroxide levels and act as sensors that regulate oxidation signals, thereby regulating various cellular functions. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of PRDX1 and estrogen on the biological behavior of osteoblasts, including their proliferation and differentiation. METHODS: Ovariectomized (OVX) mice were used to establish a model of osteoporosis and perform morphological and immunohistochemical analyses. Prdx1 gene knockout and overexpression were performed in mouse MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblasts to assess proliferation and osteogenic differentiation using the cell counting kit-8, quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, western blotting (WB), Alizarin Red S staining, etc. RESULTS: The OVX mice exhibited osteoporosis and PRDX1 expression increased. In vitro experiments showed that during the osteogenic differentiation of osteoblasts, PRDX1 expression decreased, while the expression of COL1 and RUNX2 increased. After Prdx1 knockout, the proliferation of osteoblasts decreased; expression of Runx2, ALP, and COL1 increased; and mineralization increased. However, after Prdx1 overexpression, osteoblast proliferation was enhanced, whereas osteogenic differentiation and mineralization were inhibited. Estrogen inhibits the H2O2-induced decrease in osteoblastic differentiation and increase in PRDX1 expression. WB revealed that when LY294002 inhibited the AKT signaling pathway, the levels of p-AKT1, p-P65, and PRDX1 protein in MC3T3-E1 cells decreased. However, when pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) inhibited the NF-κB signaling pathway, the expression of p-AKT1 and PRDX1 did not change except for a significant reduction of p-P65 expression. Furthermore, PDTC reversed the decreased expression of RUNX2, ALP, and COL1 caused by PRDX1 overexpression. CONCLUSIONS: PRDX1 promotes the proliferation of osteoblasts and inhibits osteogenic differentiation. Estrogen regulated osteoblastic differentiation by affecting the expression of PRDX1 in osteoblasts, and the effect is related to the AKT1/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Clinical outcomes of self-glazed zirconia veneers produced by 3D gel deposition: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Self-glazed zirconia (SZ) restorations are made by a novel additive three-dimensional gel deposition approach, which are suitable for a straightforward completely digital workflow. SZ has recently been used as minimally invasive veneer, but its clinical outcomes have not been clarified yet. This study aimed to evaluate the preliminary clinical outcomes of SZ veneers compared with the widely used lithium disilicate glass-ceramic veneers made by either pressing (PG) or milling (MG) process. METHODS: Fifty-six patients treated with SZ, PG, and MG veneers by 2 specialists between June 2018 and October 2022 were identified. Patients were recalled for follow-up at least 1 year after restoration. Clinical outcomes were assessed by 2 independent evaluators according to the modified United States Public Health Service (USPHS) criteria. Overall patient satisfaction was assessed using visual analogue scale (VAS), and analyzed by one-way ANOVA. Chi-square test was applied to compare the difference in the success and survival rates among the 3 groups. RESULTS: A total of 51 patients restored with 45 SZ, 40 PG, and 41 MG veneers completed the study, with a patient dropout rate of 8.9%. Mean and standard deviation of follow-up period was 35.0 ± 14.7 months. All restorations performed well at baseline, except for 2 SZ veneers with mismatched color (rated Bravo). During follow-up, marginal discrepancy (rated Bravo) was found in 4 MG veneers and 1 PG veneer, and partially fractured (rated Charlie) was found in another 2 PG veneers. The survival rate of SZ, PG, and MG veneers was 100%, 95%, and 100%, with a success rate of 95.56%, 92.50%, and 90.24%, respectively, none of which were significantly different (p = 0.099 and 0.628, respectively). The mean VAS score of SZ, PG, and MG was 95.00 ± 1.57, 93.93 ± 2.40, and 94.89 ± 2.00 respectively, without significant difference (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: SZ veneers exhibited comparable preliminary clinical outcomes to PG and MG veneers, which could be considered as a feasible option for minimally invasive restorative treatment.

Coordinated dynamics of aquaculture ponds and water eutrophication owing to policy: A case of Jiangsu province, China.

Aquaculture ponds (APs) are rapidly expanding globally and are considered crucial for guaranteeing the supply of food, population growth, and economic development. However, the rapid expansion of aquaculture not only brought benefits but also a series of eco-environmental issues, such as water eutrophication. To achieve sustainable development, it is essential to gain a profound understanding of the spatiotemporal evolution of APs, the drivers behind their dynamics, and their relationship with the aquatic environment. Jiangsu Province (JS) in China, a historically significant aquaculture region, encompasses two prominent river basins: the Huai River Basin (HRB) and the Yangtze River Basin (YRB). In light of the construction of an ecological civilization, JS serves as a demonstration and pioneering area for basin protection and development. Therefore, this study focuses on JS, aiming to elucidate the spatiotemporal dynamics of APs, the corresponding relationship with basin management policies, and the impact on water eutrophication. The results revealed that: (1) in 2022, APs in JS were unevenly distributed, with a total area of 3278.78 km2, of which 79 % was located in the HRB. (2) During 2016-2022, APs exhibited an initial growth trend before 2019, followed by a decrease. (3) Due to policy interventions, AP changes within different basins showed opposite trends, and the corresponding water eutrophic state aligned with AP dynamics. The findings of this study can serve as a typical case to provide scientific evidence for the formulation and implementation of policies to improve the water environment in eutrophic basins.

S-Shaped Helical Singlet Diradicaloid and Its Transformation to Circumchrysene via a Two-Stage Cyclization.

Polycyclic hydrocarbons with diradical and polyradical characters usually display unique reactivities in ring-cyclization reactions. However, such reactions are rarely used to construct π-extended polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Here, we describe the synthesis of an S-shaped doubly helical singlet diradicaloid compound and its facile transformation into an unprecedented circumchrysene via a two-stage ring cyclization, which includes: (1) an eletrocylization from diradicaloid precursor and (2) a Scholl reaction. The reaction mechanism was investigated through in situ spectroscopic studies, assisted by theoretical calculations. This reaction sequence yields an optically resolved π-extended [5]helicene derivative with a fluorescence quantum yield up to 85% and a circularly polarized luminescence brightness up to 6.05 M-1 cm-1 in the far-red to near-infrared regions. This sequence also yielded a highly delocalized circumchrysene molecule, exhibiting large electron delocalization, moderate fluorescence quantum yield, and multistage redox properties.

A novel two-dimensional Janus TiSiGeN4 monolayer with N vacancies for efficient photocatalytic nitrogen reduction.

The photocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (pNRR) is a clean technology that converts H2O and N2 into NH3 under environmental conditions using inexhaustible sunlight. Herein, we designed a novel two-dimensional (2D) Janus TiSiGeN4 structure and evaluated the pNRR performance of the structure with the presence of nitrogen vacancies at different positions using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The intrinsic dipoles in the Janus TiSiGeN4 structure generate a built-in electric field, which promotes the migration of photogenerated electrons and holes towards the (001) and (00-1) surfaces, respectively, to achieve efficient charge separation. For the pNRR, the Si atoms exposed after the formation of top N vacancies can realize the efficient activation of N2 through the "acceptance-donation" mechanism, while the presence of middle N vacancies not only suppresses the hydrogen evolution reaction, a competition reaction, but also lowers the reaction barrier for the protonation of N atoms. The limiting potential of TiSiGeN4 with the coexistence of both top and middle N vacancies (TiSiGeN4-VN-mt) is as low as -0.44 V. In addition, the introduction of N vacancies generates defect levels, narrowing the band gap and improving the light response. This work provides theoretical guidance for the design of efficient pNRR photocatalysts under mild conditions.

Immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and immunotherapy of hepatocellular carcinoma: current status and prospectives.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major health concern worldwide, with limited therapeutic options and poor prognosis. In recent years, immunotherapies such as immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have made great progress in the systemic treatment of HCC. The combination treatments based on ICIs have been the major trend in this area. Recently, dual immune checkpoint blockade with durvalumab plus tremelimumab has also emerged as an effective treatment for advanced HCC. However, the majority of HCC patients obtain limited benefits. Understanding the immunological rationale and exploring novel ways to improve the efficacy of immunotherapy has drawn much attention. In this review, we summarize the latest progress in this area, the ongoing clinical trials of immune-based combination therapies, as well as novel immunotherapy strategies such as chimeric antigen receptor T cells, personalized neoantigen vaccines, oncolytic viruses, and bispecific antibodies.

A Heterozygous Phospholamban Variant (p.R14del) Leads to Left Ventricular Involvement and Heart Failure Phenotypes in Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy.

This study aimed to determine the prevalence and clinical features of Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC) caused by pathogenic mutations in the Phospholamban (PLN) gene. The study included 170 patients who had a confirmed diagnosis of ARVC and underwent PLN genetic screening using next-generation sequencing. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into the association between PLN mutations and ARVC, which can aid in the development of more effective diagnostic and treatment strategies for ARVC patients. Out of the patients evaluated, six had a rare pathogenic mutation in PLN with the same p.R14del variant. Family screening revealed that heterozygous carriers of p.R14del exhibited a definite ARVC phenotype. In clinical studies, individuals with the p.R14del mutation experienced a similar rate of malignant arrhythmia events as those with classic desmosome mutations. After adjusting for covariates, individuals with PLN mutations had a two point one seven times greater likelihood of experiencing transplant-related risks compared to those who did not possess PLN mutations (95% CI 1.08-6.82, p = 0.035). The accumulation of left ventricular fat and fibers is a pathological marker for ARVC patients with p.R14del mutations. In a cohort of 170 Chinese ARVC patients, three point five percent of probands had the PLN pathogenic variant (p.R14del) and all were female. Our data shows that PLN-related ARVC patients are at high risk for ventricular arrhythmias and heart failure, which requires clinical differentiation from classic ARVC. Furthermore, carrying the p.R14del mutation can be an independent prognostic risk factor in ARVC patients. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43657-023-00126-w.

Spiro-Bifluorene-Cored Dopant-Free Conjugated Polymeric Hole-Transporting Materials Containing Passivation Parts for Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells.

Two spiro-bifluorene-based dopant-free HTMs (X22 and X23) have been synthesized by facilely condensing spiro-bifluorene diamine with 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT)-5,7-dicarbonyl dichloride and 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-terephthaloyl dichloride, respectively. In the X22 molecule, lone pairs of electrons on the sulfur (S) and oxygen (O) functional groups interact with the perovskite materials. The hole mobility (µh) of X22 (3.9 × 10-4 cm2 V-1 S1-) is more than twice that of X23 (1.4 × 10-4 cm2 V-1 S1-). The conductivity (σ0) of X22 is 2.73 × 10-4 S cm-1, which is also higher than that of X23 (2.39 × 10-4 S cm-1). The EDOT moiety benefits the contact angle of CH3NH3PbI3 precursor solutions on HTMs as low as 24°. The X22-based device with an indium-doped tin oxide/hole transport material (HTM)/CH3NH3PbI3/phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PC61BM)/bathocuproine/Ag structure achieves a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 19.18%. The PCE of the device based on X23 containing fluorine is 18.70%, and the contact angle between HTM and the perovskite precursor solution is 32°. The X22- and X23-based devices at ambient temperature (≈25 °C) in N2 retain 86% and 79% of the initial PCE after 150 days. The effect of S, O, and F heteroatoms plays an important role in the side chain modification of HTMs, improving defect passivation in HTM/CH3NH3PbI3 interfaces by multiple functional groups.