Strategies to Modulate the Copper Oxidation State Toward Selective C2+ Production in the Electrochemical CO2 Reduction Reaction.

The electrochemical reduction of CO2 to form value-added chemicals receives considerable attention in recent years. Copper (Cu) is recognized as the only element capable of electro-reducing CO2 into hydrocarbons with two or more carbon atoms (C2+), but the low product selectivity of the Cu-based catalyst remains a major technological challenge to overcome. Therefore, identification of the structural features of Cu-based catalysts is of great importance for the highly selective production of C2+ products (ethylene, ethanol, n-propanol, etc.), and the oxidation state of Cu species in the catalysts is found critical to the catalyst performance. This review introduces recent efforts to fine-tune the oxidation state of Cu to increase carbon capture and produce specific C2+ compounds, with the intention of greatly expediting the advance in the catalyst designs. It also points to the remaining challenges and fruitful research directions for the development of Cu-based catalysts that can shape the practical CO2 reduction technology.

Pd3 Pb Nanosponges for Selective Conversion of Furfural to Furfuryl Alcohol under Mild Condition.

Alloy structures with high catalytic surface areas and tunable surface energies can lead to high catalytic selectivity and activities. Herein, the synthesis of sponge-like Pd3 Pb multiframes (Pd3 Pb MFs) is reported by using the thermodynamically driven phase segregation, which exhibit high selectivity (93%) for the conversion of furfural to furfuryl alcohol (FOL) under mild conditions. The excellent catalytic performance of the Pd3 Pb MF catalysts is attributed to the high surface area and optimized surface energy of the catalyst, which is associated with the introduction of Pb to Pd. Density functional theory calculations show that the binding energy of FOL to the surface energy-tuned Pd3 Pb MF is sufficiently lowered to prevent side reactions such as over-hydrogenation of FOL.

Analysis of complete chloroplast genome sequence of Korean landrace Cymbidium goeringii.

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Korean Cymbidium goeringii acc. smg222 was analyzed. Based on a comparison with Chinese C. goeringii, losses of nine ndh subunits (ndhA, ndhB, ndhC, ndhD, ndhE, ndhF, ndhH, ndhJ, and ndhK), three protein-coding genes (ycf 1-like, ycf 15, and ycf 68), six transfer RNAs, and one conserved open reading frame (orf 42). In addition, 219 InDels (insertion or deletion) and 171 simple sequence repeats were observed. Twenty-Five of which InDel markers have been evaluated, that useful for distinguishing Korean and Chinese Cymbidium associations based on the polymorphisms of chloroplast genomes between Korean Cymbidium goeringii acc. smg222 and Chinese C. goeringii and evaluation of genetic diversity. Finally, the phylogenetic relationships of the 39 Korean and 22 Chinese species was constructed based on the five InDel markers of them and obtained high support, indicating that our data may be useful in resolving relationships in this genus. The information about chloroplast DNA structure and gene variants of C. goeringii acc. smg222 chloroplast genome will provide sufficient phylogenetic information for resolving evolutionary relationships. The molecular markers developed in here will contribute to further research of Cymbidium species and conservation of endemic Cymbidium species.

Chemically Driven, Water-Soluble Composites of Carbon Nanotubes and Silver Nanoparticles as Stretchable Conductors.

In the past decade, hybrid materials for highly stretchable, conductive electrodes have received tremendous attention in the fields of emerging wearable electronic, optoelectronic, and sensing devices. Here, we present a previously unrecognized aqueous route to producing stretchable conductors composed of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) embedded in a polyurethane (PU) matrix, in contrast to ones dispersed in toxic organic solvents reported to date. The intact chemical interaction between one-dimensional SWNTs, for endowing the capability of establishing conductive pathways even in stretching conditions, and AgNPs, for enabling high conductivity of the composites, is achieved in an aqueous medium with an anionic polyelectrolyte, poly(acrylic acid), that undergoes pH-dependent conformational evolution. With this aqueous approach, we demonstrate that AgNP-SWNT-PU composites supported on PDMS substrates have the conductivities of 620 and 120 S cm-1 in unstrained and 90% elongated conditions, respectively, and display repeatable reversibility at a strain of 60%.

Identification of transcriptional regulatory elements required for the Mup2 expression in circadian clock mutant mice.

The suprachiasmatic nuclei in the mammalian brain function as the regulators of circadian rhythm and coordinate the peripheral oscillators. Losses of clock genes alter gene expression and behavior. Here, we investigated whether disruption of the circadian clock and glucocorticoid signals would influence the gene expression of major urinary protein (Mup) in mice. Both Mup2 mRNA and protein showed biphasic rhythms with similar phase relationships. However, the peak of the rhythm is shifted in mPeriod2 circadian clock mutant mice. We identified two E-boxes and one glucocorticoid response element (GRE) as regulatory elements for Mup2 transcription. While CLOCK binds to the E-boxes constantly, glucocorticoid receptor was capable of binding to the GRE in a timely manner. All together, our results indicate that Mup2 expression is regulated by both the circadian clock and glucocorticoid.

Cyclodipeptide-bridged porphyrin dimer supramolecular assemblies.

A cyclodipeptide-bridged porphyrin dimer has formed fibrous and toroidal multi-porphyrin array systems by hydrogen bonding-mediated self-assembly.

Differential effects of two period genes on the physiology and proteomic profiles of mouse anterior tibialis muscles.

The molecular components that generate and maintain circadian rhythms of physiology and behavior in mammals are present both in the brain (suprachiasmatic nucleus; SCN) and in peripheral tissues. Examination of mice with targeted disruptions of either mPer1 or mPer2 has shown that these two genes have key roles in the SCN circadian clock. Here we show that loss of the clock gene mPer2 affects forced locomotor performance in mice without altering muscle contractility. A proteomic analysis revealed that the anterior tibialis muscles of the mPer2 knockout mice had higher levels of glycolytic enzymes such as triose phosphate isomerase and enolase than those of either the wild type or mPer1 knockout mice. In addition, the level of expression of HSP90 in the mPer2 mutant mice was also significantly higher than in wildtype mice. These results suggest that the reduced locomotor endurance of the mPer2 knockout mice reflects a greater dependence on anaerobic metabolism under stress conditions, and that the two canonical clock genes, mPer1 and mPer2, play distinct roles in the physiology of skeletal muscle.