REGγ Mitigates Radiation-Induced Enteritis by Preserving Mucin Secretion and Sustaining Microbiome Homeostasis.

Radiation-induced enteritis, a significant concern in abdominal radiation therapy, is associated closely with gut microbiota dysbiosis. The critical mucus layer plays a pivotal role in preventing the translocation of commensal and pathogenic microbes. Although the significant expression of REGγ in intestinal epithelial cells is well established, its role in modulating the mucus layer and gut microbiota remains enigmatic. The current study revealed notable changes in gut microorganisms and metabolites in irradiated mice lacking REGγ, as opposed to wild-type mice. Concomitant with gut microbiota dysbiosis, REGγ deficiency facilitated the infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages, thereby exacerbating intestinal inflammation after irradiation. Furthermore, fluorescence in situ hybridization assays unveiled an augmented proximity of bacteria to intestinal epithelial cells in REGγ knockout mice after irradiation. Mechanistically, deficiency of REGγ led to diminished goblet cell populations and reduced expression of key goblet cell markers, Muc2 and Tff3, observed in both murine models, minigut organoid systems and human intestinal goblet cells, indicating the intrinsic role of REGγ within goblet cells. Interestingly, although administration of broad-spectrum antibiotics did not impact the alteration of goblet cell numbers and MUC2 secretion, it effectively attenuated inflammation levels in the ileum of irradiated REGγ absent mice, aligning them with their wild-type counterparts. Collectively, these findings highlight the crucial contribution of REGγ in counteracting radiation-triggered microbial imbalances and cell-autonomous regulation of mucin secretion.

Reciprocal REGγ-Nrf2 Regulation Promotes Long Period ROS Scavenging in Oxidative Stress-Induced Cell Aging.

Increased accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and decline of adaptive response of antioxidants to oxidative stimuli has been implicated in the aging process. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) activation is a core event in attenuating oxidative stress-associated aging. The activity is modulated by a more complex regulatory network. In this study, we demonstrate the proteasome activator REGγ function as a new regulator of Nrf2 activity upon oxidative stress in cell aging model induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). REGγ deficiency promotes cell senescence in primary MEF cells after H2O2 treatment. Accordingly, ROS scavenging is accelerated in WT cells but blunted in REGγ lacking cells during 12-hour recovery from a 1-hour H2O2 treatment, indicating long-lasting antioxidant buffering capacity of REGγ. Mechanistically, through GSK-3ß inhibition, REGγ enhances the nuclear distribution and transcriptional activity of Nrf2, which is surveyed by induction of phase II enzymes including Ho1 and Nqo1. Meanwhile, Nrf2 mediates the transcriptional activation of REGγ upon H2O2 stimulation. More interestingly, short-term exposure to H2O2 leads to transiently upregulation and gradually descent of REGγ transcription, however sustained higher REGγ protein level even in the absence of H2O2 for 24 hours. Thus, our results establish a positive feedback loop between REGγ and Nrf2 and a new layer of adaptive response after oxidative stimulation that is the REGγ-GSK-3ß-Nrf2 pathway.

How resource sharing resists scarcity: the role of cognitive empathy and its neurobiological mechanisms.

Resource scarcity challenges individuals' willingness to share limited resources with other people. Still, lots of field studies and laboratory experiments have shown that sharing behaviors do not disappear under scarcity. Rather, some individuals are willing to share their scarce resources with others in a similar way as when the resource is abundant, which is crucial for the maintenance and development of human society. Here, we designed a novel paradigm in which subjects decided whether (and how much) to share an amount of "relieving resources" for counteracting unpleasant noises, which mimics real-life situations that people cost their own resources to help others escape from adversity. Overall, the robustness of resource sharing under scarcity was positively correlated with individual level of the cognitive component of empathy across two independent experiments. Resource insufficiency modulated the activations of several brain regions (including the TPJ, mPFC, and PCC) as well as the functional connection (from the rTPJ to the mPFC) within the mentalizing brain network, but the modulatory effect decreased as a function of cognitive empathy. We also applied the administration of oxytocin and found significant effects on sharing behavior among individuals with a higher level of cognitive empathy, but not their low-level counterparts. These findings highlight the importance of empathy to resource sharing under scarcity and explain the underlying neurobiological mechanisms.

Characteristics and DGT Based Bioavailability of Cadmium in the Soil-Crop Systems from the East Edge of the Dongting Lake, China.

Contamination of heavy metals (including the cadmium, Cd) in agricultural soils has become an increased issue, posing a threat to the crop safety and human health. In order to evaluate the contamination characteristics and bioavailability of Cd in the soil−crop systems from the East edge of the Dongting Lake, four kinds of agricultural products for typical crops (rice, peanut, sweet potato, and corn) and corresponding rhizosphere soils were collected and analyzed for the Cd concentrations. The technique of diffusive gradients in thin-films (DGT) was applied to evaluate the Cd bioavailability in the rhizosphere soils. Concentrations of Cd ranged from 0.04 to 2.95 mg/kg (average 0.24 mg/kg) with 73.9% sites above the background levels, especially for paddy soils. Cd concentrations in the agricultural products ranged from 0.01 to 2.19 mg/kg (average 0.18 mg/kg), with Cd enrichment observed in the peanut samples. No obvious correlations (R2 < 0.25) were observed between the Cd concentrations in the agricultural products and total Cd concentrations in the rhizosphere soils, this indicated that the total Cd concentrations in the soils cannot predict the concentrations in the agricultural products of crops. While the DGT measured Cd concentrations showed good correlations (R2 = 0.64−0.90) with the concentrations in the most agricultural products of crops, which may be used to evaluate the safety of the soil and further safety of the agricultural products of crops. Overall, DGT showed a good potential for prediction of heavy metal bioavailability in soil since the DGT technique can simulate the sustained supply of heavy metals from solid to liquid in the soils.

Novel Evidence for the Increasing Prevalence of Unique Names in China: A Reply to Ogihara.

In this study, we aimed to address three comments proposed by Ogihara on a recent study where we found that unique names in China have become increasingly popular from 1950 to 2009. Using a large representative sample of Chinese names (N = 2.1 million), we replicated the increase in uniqueness of Chinese names from 1920 to 2005, especially since the 1970s, with multiple uniqueness indices based on name-character frequency and name-length deviation. Over the years, Chinese characters that are rare in daily life or naming practice were more often used in given names, and the length of given names became more deviant from typical practice (i.e., more one-character and three-character given names and higher standard deviation of name length). Taken together, these findings not only reconfirmed the increasing prevalence of unique names but also demonstrated the validity of various indices in assessing name uniqueness in China.

Levels of interpersonal trust across different types of environment: The micro-macro interplay between relational distance and human ecology.

Social and behavioral scientists have long investigated the relationship between interpersonal trust and features of the environment. However, it remains unclear how the microenvironment of relational distance (i.e., social proximity between 2 persons) interacts with the macroenvironment of human ecology (i.e., social and natural environments) to predict people's levels of trusting other persons. In this research, we tackled this puzzle using diverse methodologies (e.g., meta-analysis, experiment, and multilevel analysis) and large, cultural-group samples. Four studies found that, across many countries (e.g., 77 countries in Study 3) and regions within a country (e.g., 28 Chinese provinces in Study 4), members of these social units trusted close others (e.g., family members) more than distant others (e.g., strangers). However, this general effect of relational distance was stronger in societies embedded within more restrictive cultural, sociopolitical, and natural ecologies (e.g., a more collectivistic cultural logic, less developed socioeconomic and political institutions, and a stronger threat of infectious diseases, such as HCV infection). More importantly, people's attitudinal trust of distant others was higher in countries or regions with less restrictive ecocultural features, but such differences often disappeared in the context of trusting close others. Compared with other sociopolitical and natural features, the societal culture of collectivism often was a unique explanatory variable for the micro-macro interplay of current interest. These converging pieces of evidence provide a clear view of how levels of interpersonal trust vary as a function of relational distance and ecocultural environments simultaneously. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Aged refuse enhances anaerobic fermentation of food waste to produce short-chain fatty acids.

In this work, a new technology of intensifying anaerobic fermentation of food waste to accumulate SCFA by using landfill degradation product aged refuse (AR) was reported. The experimental results showed that AR enhanced the accumulation of SCFA, and when the optimal dosage of AR was 300 mg/g, the maximum accumulation of SCFA was 32.5 g/L, which was around 1.9 times that of the blank group. Mechanism investigations had shown that AR accelerated the disintegration of food waste to release soluble carbohydrates and proteins. The model experiment of synthetic wastewater revealed that AR improved both hydrolysis and acidification efficiencies but inhibited the methanogenesis process, thereby accumulating SCFA. 454 high-throughput sequencing showed that AR increased the relative abundance of Clostridium and Sporanaerobacter, which benefited anaerobic hydrolysis of food waste.

Biochar amendment effects on the activities of soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus hydrolytic enzymes: a meta-analysis.

The aim of this meta-analysis was to synthesize the effects of biochar amendment on soil enzyme activities (SEAs) related to carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) cycling. Based on 401 paired comparisons from 43 published studies, the SEAs and main influential factors were analyzed in response to biochar characteristics, soil properties, and experiment conditions. Results showed that biochar additions to soils overall increased the N- and P-cycling SEAs by 14 and 11%, respectively. The enhancement of the N- and P-cycling SEAs was mainly attributable to the microbial stimulation by biochar properties (i.e., nutrient content and porosity) and soil nutrients (e.g., soil organic C and total N). The enhancement was the most significant under the conditions with biochars produced at low temperatures and using feedstock materials with high nutrient content, and biochar applications in acidic or neutral soils, coarse or fine soils, and farmland soils. Biochar additions to soils overall reduced the C-cycling SEAs by 6.3%. The C-cycling SEAs were greatly suppressed under the conditions with low and very high biochar loads, biochars produced at high temperatures and with feedstock materials of herb and lignocellulose, and biochar applications in alkaline, fine, and forest soils. The results were mainly related to the adsorption and inhibition effects of biochars and soil properties (e.g., liming effect, high biochar porosity and aromatic C content) on fungi and the enzymes. Biochar feedstock, C/N and load, and soil total N were the main influential factors on the SEAs. The results from this study demonstrate that biochar amendment is beneficial to improving soil N and P cycling and C sequestration.

The Dynamics of Belief Updating in Human Cooperation: Findings from inter-brain ERP hyperscanning.

Generally, successful cooperation can only be established when the interacting persons believe that they would not be betrayed; this belief can be updated by observing the other persons' actual choices. Thus, the process of belief updating plays an important role in conditional cooperation. Using the Prisoner's Dilemma Game (PDG) with event-related potential (ERP) hyperscanning, this study investigated the dynamics of belief updating in a dyad. During the task, participants were asked if they believed that their opponent would cooperate in the next trial, and their answers functioned as a self-reported index of reciprocal belief. The results suggested that this index shows strong associations with participants' behavioral choices (cooperate/betray). At the individual level, the amplitudes of the ERP components frontal P3a and parietal P3b elicited by the decision outcome were sensitive to belief updating. At the interpersonal level, the between-subject synchronization in P3b was higher than those in the other conditions when the paired participants confirmed each other's reciprocal beliefs. Since previous studies have linked the P3b with memory updating, we suggest that a cooperative relationship is built up when the memory systems (which support belief updating) of two interacting persons reach a high level of coordination. These findings may help explain how conditional cooperation develops between strangers.

Responses of soil microbial community structure changes and activities to biochar addition: A meta-analysis.

The objective of this study was to investigate responses of soil microbial community structure changes and activities to biochar addition under different biochar characteristics, soil properties, and experiment conditions. A meta-analysis was conducted based on 265 datasets from 49 published studies. Results showed that biochar addition significantly increased the ratios of soil fungi to bacteria (F/B) and the ratios of Gram-positive bacteria to Gram-negative bacteria (G+/G-), and microbial biomass and activities. The enhancement of F/B ratios was most significant with addition of biochars produced at low temperatures to soils with lower pH and nutrients in a long-term condition, which improved ecosystem stability of agricultural soils. The F/B ratios were mainly affected by biochar nutrients, soil nutrients, and soil pH values. Biochar nutrients and structural properties (i.e., surface area and porosity) also played the important role in enhancing G+/G-, total microbial biomass, and activities of bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes. The G+/G- ratios increased the most with addition of biochars produced with medium temperatures and residue accompanied with fertilizers in dry land (dried farmland) soils. High biochar load greatly improved the total phospholipid fatty acids, and activities of bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes in fine/coarse, paddy soils, and soils with low nutrients, in turn increased the soil nutrient cycling. In addition, the structural properties of biochars were the most influencing factor to increase total microbial biomass and actinomycete activity. Overall, the enhancement of microbial activities and community structure shifts under biochar addition should promote soil nutrients cycling and carbon sequestration, and improve crop yields.

Increasing Need for Uniqueness in Contemporary China: Empirical Evidence.

Past research has documented various cultural and psychological changes in contemporary China. In two studies, we examine how Chinese people's need for uniqueness (NFU) also has changed. In Study 1, we found a significant cross-generational increase in Chinese participants' self-reported NFU. In Study 2, we sampled the names of Chinese newborn babies over the last five decades and found that parents have been increasingly likely to use unique characters to name their children. These findings suggest that the NFU has been rising in China, a historically collectivistic-oriented society. Theoretical and practical implications of our findings were discussed.

War or Peace? How the Subjective Perception of Great Power Interdependence Shapes Preemptive Defensive Aggression.

Why do great powers with benign intentions end up fighting each other in wars they do not seek? We utilize an incentivized, two-person "Preemptive Strike Game" (PSG) to explore how the subjective perception of great power interdependence shapes defensive aggression against persons from rival great powers. In Study 1, college students from the United States (N = 115), China (N = 106), and Japan (N = 99) made PSG decisions facing each other. This natural experiment revealed that Chinese and Japanese participants (a) made more preemptive attacks against each other and Americans than against their compatriots, and that (b) greater preexisting perceptions of bilateral competition increased intergroup attack rates. In Study 2, adult Americans (N = 127) watched real CNN expert interviews portraying United States-China economic interdependence as more positive or negative. This randomized experiment revealed that the more positive portrayal reduced preemptive American strikes against Chinese (but not Japanese), while the more negative portrayal amplified American anger about China's rise, increasing preemptive attacks against Chinese. We also found, however, that preemptive strikes were primarily defensive and not offensive. Interventions to reduce defensive aggression and promote great power peace are discussed.

How dispositional social risk-seeking promotes trusting strangers: Evidence based on brain potentials and neural oscillations.

Trust is a risky social decision because betrayal may occur. It's not clear how individual differences in social risk-seeking propensity modulate brain processes of trusting strangers. We examined event-related potentials and time-frequency power to investigate this question while 40 participants played the one-shot trust game. Twenty high social risk-seekers (HSR) and 20 low social risk-seekers (LSR) made trusting or distrusting decisions regarding unknown trustees while their electroencephalogram activity was recorded. At the decision-making stage, HSR participants exhibited a larger N2 and increased ß power following distrusting decisions than trusting decisions, suggesting greater cognitive control exerted to distrust. By contrast, no such N2 and ß differences were found for LSR participants. At the outcome evaluation stage, LSR participants exhibited a more negative-going difference wave between loss feedback-related negativity (FRN) and gain FRN (dFRN) and increased θ power (following losses compared to gains) than did HSR participants, indicating enhanced risk sensitivity of LSR people. Our findings provide insights into the mechanism by which social risk-taking facilitates trusting strangers. The results also shed light on the temporal course of brain activity involved in trust decision-making and outcome evaluation, as well as how individual differences modulate brain dynamics of trusting strangers. (PsycINFO Database Record

Photoluminescence and electroluminescence of iridium(iii) complexes with 2',6'-bis(trifluoromethyl)-2,4'-bipyridine and 1,3,4-oxadiazole/1,3,4-thiadiazole derivative ligands.

Using 2',6'-bis(trifluoromethyl)-2,4'-bipyridine as a monoanionic cyclometalated ligand, 2-(5-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)phenol and 2-(5-(4-(trifluoromethyl) phenyl)-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)phenol as ancillary ligands, two new heteroleptic iridium(iii) complexes (Ir1 and Ir2) were prepared and investigated. The ancillary ligand variations affected their emissions greatly, and the complexes Ir1 and Ir2 emitted green (503 nm) and orange (579 nm) lights, respectively. Moreover, the electron mobility of the two complexes is as high as that of the electron transport material Alq3 (tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminium), which is useful for their performances in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The OLEDs with Ir1 as the emitter showed excellent performances with a maximum current efficiency of 74.8 cd A-1, a maximum external quantum efficiency of 27.0%, a maximum power efficiency of 33.4 lm W-1, and the efficiency roll-off is mild. These results suggest that complexes with 1,3,4-oxadiazole/1,3,4-thiadiazole derivatives have potential application as efficient emitters in OLEDs.

Syntheses, photoluminescence and electroluminescence of two novel platinum(ii) complexes.

Two new platinum(ii) cyclometalated complexes with 2-(4-trifluoromethyl)phenylpyridine (4-tfmppy) as the main ligand and tetraphenylimidodiphosphinate (tpip) (Pt-tpip) and tetra(4-fluorophenyl)imidodiphosphinate (ftpip) (Pt-ftpip) as ancillary ligands were developed. Both complexes were green phosphors with photoluminescence quantum efficiency yields of 71.5% and 79.2% in CH2Cl2 solution at room temperature, respectively. The organic light-emitting diodes with a double emissive layers structure of ITO/TAPC (1,1-bis(4-(di-p-tolylamino)phenyl)cyclohexane), 40 nm/Pt-tpip or Pt-ftpip: TcTa (4,4',4''-tri(9-carbazoyl)-triphenylamine) (5 wt%, 10 nm)/Pt-tpip or Pt-ftpip: 2,6DCzPPy (2,6-bis(3-(carbazol-9-yl)phenyl)pyridine) (5 wt%, 10 nm)/TmPyPB (1,3,5-tri(m-pyrid-3-yl-phenyl)benzene, 40 nm)/LiF (1 nm)/Al (100 nm) showed good performances. In particular, the device based on the Pt-ftpip complex with a 5 wt% doped concentration showed superior performance with a low drive voltage of 3.3 V, a maximum current efficiency of 48.3 cd A-1, a maximum external quantum efficiency of 14.0%, and a maximum power efficiency of 35.7 lm W-1, respectively. Even at a brightness of 1000 cd m-2, a current efficiency of 47.0 cd A-1 could still be obtained, suggesting that the ancillary ligands (tpip and ftpip) can be employed well in Pt(ii) complexes, which could find potential applications in OLEDs.

Novel Design of Iridium Phosphors with Pyridinylphosphinate Ligands for High-Efficiency Blue Organic Light-emitting Diodes.

Due to the high quantum efficiency and wide scope of emission colors, iridium (Ir) (III) complexes have been widely applied as guest materials for OLEDs (organic light-emitting diodes). Contrary to well-developed Ir(III)-based red and green phosphorescent complexes, the efficient blue emitters are rare reported. Like the development of the LED, the absence of efficient and stable blue materials hinders the widely practical application of the OLEDs. Inspired by this, we designed two novel ancillary ligands of phenyl(pyridin-2-yl)phosphinate (ppp) and dipyridinylphosphinate (dpp) for efficient blue phosphorescent iridium complexes (dfppy)2Ir(ppp) and (dfppy)2Ir(dpp) (dfppy = 2-(2,4-difluorophenyl)pyridine) with good electron transport property. The devices using the new iridium phosphors display excellent electroluminescence (EL) performances with a peak current efficiency of 58.78 cd/A, a maximum external quantum efficiency of 28.3%, a peak power efficiency of 52.74 lm/W and negligible efficiency roll-off ratios. The results demonstrated that iridium complexes with pyridinylphosphinate ligands are potential blue phosphorescent materials for OLEDs.

How do we trust strangers? The neural correlates of decision making and outcome evaluation of generalized trust.

This study investigates the brain correlates of decision making and outcome evaluation of generalized trust (i.e. trust in unfamiliar social agents)-a core component of social capital which facilitates civic cooperation and economic exchange. We measured 18 (9 male) Chinese participants' event-related potentials while they played the role of the trustor in a one-shot trust game with unspecified social agents (trustees) allegedly selected from a large representative sample. At the decision-making phase, greater N2 amplitudes were found for trustors' distrusting decisions compared to trusting decisions, which may reflect greater cognitive control exerted to distrust. Source localization identified the precentral gyrus as one possible neuronal generator of this N2 component. At the outcome evaluation phase, principal components analysis revealed that the so called feedback-related negativity was in fact driven by a reward positivity, which was greater in response to gain feedback compared to loss feedback. This reduced reward positivity following loss feedback may indicate that the absence of reward for trusting decisions was unexpected by the trustor. In addition, we found preliminary evidence suggesting that the decision-making processes may differ between high trustors and low trustors.

Circularly polarised phosphorescent photoluminescence and electroluminescence of iridium complexes.

Nearly all the neutral iridium complexes widely used as dopants in PhOLEDs are racemic mixtures; however, this study observed that these complexes can be separated into stable optically active Λ and ∆ isomers and that their chirality is an intrinsic property. The circularly polarised phosphorescent photoluminescence (CPPPL) signals of Λ/Δ isomers are perfect mirror images with opposite polarisation and equal intensity exhibiting a "handedness" for the polarisation. For the first time, we applied the Λ/Δ iridium isomers as emitters in OLEDs, and the circularly polarised phosphorescent electroluminescence (CPPEL) spectra reveal completely positive or negative broad peaks consistent with the CPPPL spectra. The results demonstrate that the Λ/Δ isomers have potential application for 3D OLEDs because they can exhibit high efficiency and luminance, and 3D display technology based on circularly polarised light is the most comfortable for the eyes.

Syntheses, photoluminescence, and electroluminescence of a series of iridium complexes with trifluoromethyl-substituted 2-phenylpyridine as the main ligands and tetraphenylimidodiphosphinate as the ancillary ligand.

Five bis-cyclometalated iridium complexes with tifluoromethyl-substituted 2-phenylpyridine (ppy) at different positions of its phenyl group as the main ligands and tetraphenylimidodiphosphinate (tpip) as the ancillary ligand, 2-6 (1 is a trifluoromethyl-free complex), were prepared, and their X-ray crystallography, photoluminescence, and electrochemistry were investigated. The number and positions of trifluoromethyl groups at the phenyl ring of ppy greatly affected the emission spectra of Ir(3+) complexes, and their corresponding emission peaks at 533, 502, 524, 480, and 542 nm were observed at room temperature, respectively. Constructed with complexes 2-6 as the emitters, respectively, the organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with the structure of indium-tin oxide/1,1-bis[4-(di-p-tolylamino)phenyl]cyclohexane (30 nm)/Ir (x wt %):bis[3,5-bis(9H-carbazol-9-yl)phenyl]diphenylsilane (15 nm)/1,3,5-tris(1-phenyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)phenyl (45 nm)/LiF (1 nm)/Al (100 nm) showed good performances. Particularly, device G4 based on 4-trifluoromethyl-substituted complex 4 with x = 8 wt % obtained a maximum luminance of over 39000 cd m(-2) and maximum luminance efficiency (η(L)) and power efficiency (η(p)) of 50.8 cd A(-1) and 29.0 lm W(-1), respectively. The results suggested that all of the complexes 2-6 would have potential applications in OLEDs.

Synthesis and photoluminescence properties of rhenium(I) complexes based on 2,2':6',2''-terpyridine derivatives with hole-transporting units.

Based on 2,2':6',2''-terpyridine ligands (L1), five terpyridine derivatives, namely 4'-carbazol-9-yl-2,2':6',2''-terpyridine (L2), 4'-diphenylamino-2,2':6',2''-terpyridine (L3), 4'-bis(4-tert-butylphenyl)amino-2,2':6',2''-terpyridine (L4), 4'-[naphthalen-1-yl-(phenyl)amino]-2,2':6',2''-terpyridine (L5), 4'-[naphthalen-2-yl(phenyl)amino]-2,2':6',2''-terpyridine (L6) and their corresponding Re(I) complexes ReL(n)(CO)3Cl (n = 1­6) have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The X-ray crystal structure of ReL3(CO)3Cl has also been obtained. The luminescence spectra of ReL2(CO)3Cl­ReL5(CO)3Cl, obtained in CH2Cl2 solution at room temperature, show strong dπ (Re) → π* (diimine) MLCT character (λ(max) 600 nm) and a small red shift relative to ReL1(CO)3Cl. This, confirmed by the study of the triplet energy levels of the L1­L6 ligands at low temperature (77 K rigid matrix), indicates that the introduction of electron-donating moieties on the terpyridine unit decreases the triplet levels of the ligands, leading to a reduction of the energy gap between d and π* orbitals. In the solid state, upon MLCT excitation, all the complexes show an even stronger emission and a blue spectral shift (λ(max) ∼ 550 nm) compared to those obtained in solution.