SREBP-1c impairs ULK1 sulfhydration-mediated autophagic flux to promote hepatic steatosis in high-fat-diet-fed mice.

A metabolic imbalance between lipid synthesis and degradation can lead to hepatic lipid accumulation, a characteristic of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Here, we report that high-fat-diet-induced sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP)-1c, a key transcription factor that regulates lipid biosynthesis, impairs autophagic lipid catabolism via altered H2S signaling. SREBP-1c reduced cystathionine gamma-lyase (CSE) via miR-216a, which in turn decreased hepatic H2S levels and sulfhydration-dependent activation of Unc-51-like autophagy-activating kinase 1 (ULK1). Furthermore, Cys951Ser mutation of ULK1 decreased autolysosome formation and promoted hepatic lipid accumulation in mice, suggesting that the loss of ULK1 sulfhydration was directly associated with the pathogenesis of NAFLD. Moreover, silencing of CSE in SREBP-1c knockout mice increased liver triglycerides, confirming the connection between CSE, autophagy, and SREBP-1c. Overall, our results uncover a 2-fold mechanism for SREBP-1c-driven hepatic lipid accumulation through reciprocal activation and inhibition of hepatic lipid biosynthesis and degradation, respectively.

MARCH5-dependent NLRP3 ubiquitination is required for mitochondrial NLRP3-NEK7 complex formation and NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

The NLRP3 inflammasome plays a key role in responding to pathogens, and endogenous damage and mitochondria are intensively involved in inflammasome activation. The NLRP3 inflammasome forms multiprotein complexes and its sequential assembly is important for its activation. Here, we show that NLRP3 is ubiquitinated by the mitochondria-associated E3 ligase, MARCH5. Myeloid cell-specific March5 conditional knockout (March5 cKO) mice failed to secrete IL-1ß and IL-18 and exhibited an attenuated mortality rate upon LPS or Pseudomonas aeruginosa challenge. Macrophages derived from March5 cKO mice also did not produce IL-1ß and IL-18 after microbial infection. Mechanistically, MARCH5 interacts with the NACHT domain of NLRP3 and promotes K27-linked polyubiquitination on K324 and K430 residues of NLRP3. Ubiquitination-defective NLRP3 mutants on K324 and K430 residues are not able to bind to NEK7, nor form NLRP3 oligomers leading to abortive ASC speck formation and diminished IL-1ß production. Thus, MARCH5-dependent NLRP3 ubiquitination on the mitochondria is required for NLRP3-NEK7 complex formation and NLRP3 oligomerization. We propose that the E3 ligase MARCH5 is a regulator of NLRP3 inflammasome activation on the mitochondria.

Highly Efficient Preparation of Length and Width-Controllable Donor-Acceptor Nanoribbons via Polymerization-Induced Crystallization-Driven Self-Assembly of Fully Conjugated Block Copolymers.

Despite the high potential of one-dimensional (1D) donor-acceptor (D-A) coaxial nanostructures in bulk-heterojunction solar cell applications, the preparation of such 1D nanostructures using π-conjugated polymers has remained elusive. Herein, we demonstrate the first example of D-A semiconducting nanoribbons based on fully conjugated block copolymers (BCPs) prepared in a highly efficient procedure with controllable width and length via living crystallization-driven self-assembly (CDSA). Initially, Suzuki-Miyaura catalyst-transfer polymerization was employed to successfully synthesize BCPs containing two types of acceptor shells as the first block, followed by a donor poly(3-propylthiophene) core as the second block. The limited solubility and high crystallinity of the core induced a polymerization-induced crystallization-driven self-assembly (PI-CDSA) of the BCPs into nanoribbons during polymerization, providing a tunable width (7.6-39.6 nm) depending on the length of the polymer backbone. Surprisingly, purifying as-synthesized BCPs via simple precipitation directly yielded short and uniform seed structures, greatly shortening the overall protocol by eliminating the time-consuming process of initial aging and breaking down to the seed required for the conventional CDSA. With this new highly efficient method, we achieved length control over a broad range from 169 to 2210 nm, with high precision (Lw/Ln < 1.20). Furthermore, combining self-seeding and seeded growth from two different D-A-type BCPs enabled continuous living epitaxial growth from each end of the nanoribbons, resulting in B-A-B triblock D-A semiconducting comicelles with controlled length.

USP11 modulates mitotic progression and senescence by regulating the p53-p21 axis through MDM2 deubiquitination.

USP11 is overexpressed in colorectal cancer (CRC) and breast cancer tissues compared to normal tissues, suggesting a role in promoting cell proliferation and inhibiting cell death. In this study, we observed that depleting USP11 inhibits cell proliferation and delays cell cycle progression. This depletion leads to increased p53 protein levels due to an extended half-life, resulting in elevated p21 mRNA levels in a p53-dependent manner. The rise in p53 protein upon USP11 depletion is linked to a reduced half-life of MDM2, a known E3 ligase for p53, via enhanced polyubiquitination of MDM2. These findings indicate that USP11 might act as a deubiquitinase for MDM2, regulating the MDM2-p53-p21 axis. Additionally, USP11 depletion promotes the induction of senescent cells in a manner dependent on its deubiquitinase activity. Our findings provide insights into the physiological significance of high USP11 expression in primary tumors and its reduction in senescent cells, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target.

High-Performance Indoor Perovskite Solar Cells by Self-Suppression of Intrinsic Defects via a Facile Solvent-Engineering Strategy.

Lead halide perovskite solar cells have been emerging as very promising candidates for applications in indoor photovoltaics. To maximize their indoor performance, it is of critical importance to suppress intrinsic defects of the perovskite active layer. Herein, a facile solvent-engineering strategy is developed for effective suppression of both surface and bulk defects in lead halide perovskite indoor solar cells, leading to a high efficiency of 35.99% under the indoor illumination of 1000 lux Cool-white light-emitting diodes. Replacing dimethylformamide (DMF) with N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) in the perovskite precursor solvent significantly passivates the intrinsic defects within the thus-prepared perovskite films, prolongs the charge carrier lifetimes and reduces non-radiative charge recombination of the devices. Compared to the DMF, the much higher interaction energy between NMP and formamidinium iodide/lead halide contributes to the markedly improved quality of the perovskite thin films with reduced interfacial halide deficiency and non-radiative charge recombination, which in turn enhances the device performance. This work paves the way for developing efficient indoor perovskite solar cells for the increasing demand for power supplies of Internet-of-Things devices.

Advancements in Interfacial Engineering for Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes.

Perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) have gained significant attention due to their promising optoelectronic properties and potential applications in the fields of lighting and display devices. Despite their potential, PeLEDs face challenges related to stability, high turn-on voltage, and low external quantum efficiency (EQE) which has restricted their broad acceptance. Most research efforts have predominantly focused on refining the properties of the perovskite films. However, it is becoming more apparent that interfacial layers and device architecture are crucial for achieving stability and high efficiency, making them indispensable components in PeLED development. This perspective highlights remarkable advancements in PeLED devices, with a primary focus on modifying adjacent layers interfacing with the perovskite film.

NLRP3 exacerbates EAE severity through ROS-dependent NET formation in the mouse brain.

BACKGROUND: Neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) has been implicated in the pathology of multiple sclerosis (MS) and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). However, the specific contributions of NLRP3, a NET-associated molecule, to EAE pathogenesis and its regulatory role in NET formation remain unknown. METHODS: To investigate the detrimental effect of NETs supported by NLRP3 in MS pathogenesis, we induced EAE in WT and NLRP3 KO mice and monitored the disease severity. At the peak of the disease, NET formation was assessed by flow cytometry, immunoblotting, and immunofluorescence staining. To further identify the propensity of infiltrated neutrophils, NET-related chemokine receptors, degranulation, ROS production, and PAD4 expression levels were evaluated by flow cytometry. In some experiments, mice were injected with DNase-1 to eliminate the formed NETs. RESULTS: Our data revealed that neutrophils significantly infiltrate the brain and spinal cord and form NETs during EAE pathogenesis. NLRP3 significantly elevates NET formation, primarily in the brain. NLRP3 also modulated the phenotypes of brain-infiltrated and circulating neutrophils, augmenting CXCR2 and CXCR4 expression, thereby potentially enhancing NET formation. NLRP3 facilitates NET formation in a ROS-dependent and PAD4-independent manner in brain-infiltrated neutrophils. Finally, NLRP3-supported NET formation exacerbates disease severity, triggering Th1 and Th17 cells recruitment. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, our findings suggest that NLRP3-supported NETs may be an etiological factor in EAE pathogenesis, primarily in the brain. This study provides evidence that targeting NLRP3 could be a potential therapeutic strategy for MS, specifically by attenuating NET formation.

Intelligent Resource Allocation Scheme Using Reinforcement Learning for Efficient Data Transmission in VANET.

Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) use multiple channels to communicate using wireless access in vehicular environment (WAVE) standards to provide a variety of vehicle-related applications. The current IEEE 802.11p WAVE communication channel structure is composed of one control channel (CCH) and several service channels (SCHs). SCHs are used for non-safety data transmission, while the CCH is used for broadcasting beacons, control, and safety. WAVE devices transmit data that alternate between CCHs and SCHs, and each channel is active for a duration called the CCH interval (CCHI) and SCH interval (SCHI), respectively. Currently, both intervals are fixed at 50 ms. However, fixed-length intervals cannot effectively respond to dynamically changing traffic loads. Additionally, when many vehicles are simultaneously using the limited channel resources for data transmission, the network performance significantly degrades due to numerous packet collisions. Herein, we propose an adaptive resource allocation technique for efficient data transmission. The technique dynamically adjusts the SCHI and CCHI to improve network performance. Moreover, to reduce data collisions and optimize the network's backoff distribution, the proposed scheme applies reinforcement learning (RL) to provide an intelligent channel access algorithm. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed scheme can ensure high throughputs and low transmission delays.

A Comprehensive Analysis of HOXB13 Expression in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background and objectives: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide and is caused by multiple factors. To explore novel targets for HCC treatment, we comprehensively analyzed the expression of HomeoboxB13 (HOXB13) and its role in HCC. Materials and Methods: The clinical significance of HCC was investigated using open gene expression databases, such as TIMER, UALCAN, KM, OSlihc, and LinkedOmics, and immunohistochemistry analysis. We also analyzed cell invasion and migration in HCC cell lines transfected with HOXB13-siRNA and their association with MMP9, E2F1, and MEIS1. Results: HOXB13 expression was higher in fibrolamellar carcinoma than in other histological subtypes. Its expression was associated with lymph node metastasis, histological stage, and tumor grade. It was positively correlated with immune cell infiltration of B cells (R = 0.246), macrophages (R = 0.182), myeloid dendritic cells (R = 0.247), neutrophils (R = 0.117), and CD4+ T cells (R = 0.258) and negatively correlated with immune cell infiltration of CD8+ T cells (R = -0.107). A positive correlation was observed between HOXB13, MMP9 (R = 0.176), E2F1 (R = 0.241), and MEIS1 (R = 0.189) expression (p < 0.001). The expression level of HOXB13 was significantly downregulated in both HepG2 and PLC/PFR/5 cell lines transfected with HOXB13-siRNA compared to that in cells transfected with NC siRNA (p < 0.05). Additionally, HOXB13 significantly affected cell viability and wound healing. Conclusions: HOXB13 overexpression may lead to poor prognosis in patients with HCC. Additional in vivo studies are required to improve our understanding of the biological role and the exact mechanism of action of HOXB13 in HCC.

Living Suzuki-Miyaura Catalyst-Transfer Polymerization for Precision Synthesis of Length-Controlled Armchair Graphene Nanoribbons and Their Block Copolymers.

The bottom-up synthesis of graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) offers a promising approach for designing atomically precise GNRs with tuneable photophysical properties, but controlling their length remains a challenge. Herein, we report an efficient synthetic protocol for producing length-controlled armchair GNRs (AGNRs) through living Suzuki-Miyaura catalyst-transfer polymerization (SCTP) using RuPhos-Pd catalyst and mild graphitization methods. Initially, SCTP of a dialkynylphenylene monomer was optimized by modifying boronates and halide moieties on the monomers, affording poly(2,5-dialkynyl-p-phenylene) (PDAPP) with controlled molecular weight (Mn up to 29.8k) and narrow dispersity (D = 1.14-1.39) in excellent yield (>85%). Subsequently, we successfully obtained N = 5 AGNRs by employing a mild alkyne benzannulation reaction on the PDAPP precursor and confirmed their length retention by size-exclusion chromatography. In addition, photophysical characterization revealed that a molar absorptivity was directly proportional to the length of the AGNR, while its highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy level remained constant within the given AGNR length. Furthermore, we prepared, for the very first time, N = 5 AGNR block copolymers with widely used donor or acceptor-conjugated polymers by taking advantage of the living SCTP. Finally, we achieved the lateral extension of AGNRs from N = 5 to 11 by oxidative cyclodehydrogenation in solution and confirmed their chemical structure and low band gap by various spectroscopic analyses.

Multi-functional regulation of cGAS by the nuclear localization signal2 (NLS2) motif: Nuclear localization, enzyme activity and protein degradation.

Cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS), which recognizes double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and activates the innate immune system, is mainly localized in the cytosol, but also shows nuclear localization. Here, we sought to determine the role of nuclear cGAS by mutating known nuclear localization signal (NLS) motifs in cGAS and assessing its functionality by monitoring phosphorylation of the downstream target, interferon regulatory factor-3 (IRF3). Interestingly, NLS2-mutated cGAS failed to promote phosphorylation of IRF3, reflecting the loss of its ability to produce cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP). We further found that insertion of an NLS from SV40 large T antigen could not restore this loss of activity, indicating that this loss was attributable to the mutation of NLS2 itself, but not dependent on the inability of cGAS to enter the nucleus. NLS2-mutant cGAS protein also showed decreased stability dependent on polyubiquitination, an effect that was independent of both its loss of catalytic function and its inability to enter into the nucleus. Collectively, these findings indicate that the NLS2 motif of cGAS is not only involved in regulating the subcellular localization of cGAS protein but also influences its stability and enzymatic activity through independent mechanisms, highlighting the novel roles of NLS2 in regulating the intracellular functions of cGAS.

Effective Suppressing Phase Segregation of Mixed-Halide Perovskite by Glassy Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Lead mixed-halide perovskites offer tunable bandgaps for optoelectronic applications, but illumination-induced phase segregation can quickly lead to changes in their crystal structure, bandgaps, and optoelectronic properties, especially for the Br-I mixed system because CsPbI3 tends to form a non-perovskite phase under ambient conditions. These behaviors can impact their performance in practical applications. By embedding such mixed-halide perovskites in a glassy metal-organic framework, a family of stable nanocomposites with tunable emission is created. Combining cathodoluminescence with elemental mapping under a transmission electron microscope, this research identifies a direct relationship between the halide composition and emission energy at the nanoscale. The composite effectively inhibits halide ion migration, and consequently, phase segregation even under high-energy illumination. The detailed mechanism, studied using a combination of spectroscopic characterizations and theoretical modeling, shows that the interfacial binding, instead of the nanoconfinement effect, is the main contributor to the inhibition of phase segregation. These findings pave the way to suppress the phase segregation in mixed-halide perovskites toward stable and high-performance optoelectronics.

Modeling for the estimating the adsorption property of fruit waste-based biosorbents for the removal of organic micropollutants.

The enormous production of fruit waste and the generation of countless organic micropollutants are serious environmental problems. To solve the problems, the biowastes, i.e., orange, mandarin, and banana peels, were used as biosorbents to remove the organic pollutants. In this application, the difficult challenge is knowing the degree of adsorption affinity of biomass for each type of micropollutant. However, since there are numerous micropollutants, it requires enormous material consumption and labor to physically estimate the adsorbability of biomass. To address this limitation, quantitative structure-adsorption relationship (QSAR) models for the adsorption assessment were established. In this process, the surface properties of each adsorbent were measured with instrumental analyzers, their adsorption affinity values for several organic micropollutants were determined through isotherm experiments, and QSAR models for each adsorbent were developed. The results showed that the tested adsorbents had significant adsorption affinity for cationic and neutral micropollutants, while the anionic one had low adsorption. As a result of the modeling, it was found that the adsorption could be predicted for a modeling set with an R2 of 0.90-0.915, and the models were validated via the prediction of a test set that was not included in the modeling set. Also, using the models, the adsorption mechanisms were identified. It is speculated that these developed models can be used to rapidly estimate adsorption affinity values for other micropollutants.

Association between health-related quality of life and heart rate variability in elderly individuals with cognitive impairment in Korea: cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive impairment, a characteristic and prior stage of dementia, is a serious public health concern in Korea a country with rapidly aging population. In a neurovisceral integration model, cognitive ability is connected to emotional and autonomic regulation via an interconnection in the brain, which may be associated with health-related quality of life (HRQoL). METHODS: This study investigated the association between the HRQoL and the autonomic nervous system (ANS) via EuroQoL-5 Dimension (EQ-5D) and heart rate variability (HRV) among 417 patients who visited the Neurology Department in Veterans Health Service Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea. RESULTS: The mean age of 275 patients in the cognitive impairment group (CIG) was higher than that of 142 patients in the normal cognition group (NCG) (74.85 years vs. 72.96 years, p < 0.001). In a generalized linear model with a beta coefficient (ß), an increase in HRQoL was associated with higher HRV levels was observed only in CIG (CIG: the standard deviation of all NN intervals (SDNN) (ln, ms): ß = 0.02, p = 0.007; Total power spectral density (TP) (ln, ms2): ß = 0.01, p = 0.007; High frequency (HF) (ln, ms2): ß = 0.01, p = 0.015; Low frequency (LF) (ln, ms2): ß = 0.01, p = 0.003) (NCG: SDNN (ln, ms): ß = 0.01, p = 0.214; TP (ln, ms2): ß = 0.01, p = 0.144; HF (ln, ms2): ß = 0.00, p = 0.249; LF (ln, ms2): ß = 0.01, p = 0.294). CONCLUSIONS: We found a significant association between HRQoL and HRV in Korean elders with cognitive impairment. However, this study is cross-sectional, so we cannot define direct causation. Further studies are needed to support our findings and to elucidate the biological mechanisms underlying these associations, especially in people cognitively impaired.

Infrared optical and thermal properties of microstructures in butterfly wings.

While surface microstructures of butterfly wings have been extensively studied for their structural coloration or optical properties within the visible spectrum, their properties in infrared wavelengths with potential ties to thermoregulation are relatively unknown. The midinfrared wavelengths of 7.5 to 14 µm are particularly important for radiative heat transfer in the ambient environment, because of the overlap with the atmospheric transmission window. For instance, a high midinfrared emissivity can facilitate surface cooling, whereas a low midinfrared emissivity can minimize heat loss to surroundings. Here we find that the midinfrared emissivity of butterfly wings from warmer climates such as Archaeoprepona demophoon (Oaxaca, Mexico) and Heliconius sara (Pichincha, Ecuador) is up to 2 times higher than that of butterfly wings from cooler climates such as Celastrina echo (Colorado) and Limenitis arthemis (Florida), using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and infrared thermography. Our optical computations using a unit cell approach reproduce the spectroscopy data and explain how periodic microstructures play a critical role in the midinfrared. The emissivity spectrum governs the temperature of butterfly wings, and we demonstrate that C. echo wings heat up to 8 °C more than A. demophoon wings under the same sunlight in the clear sky of Irvine, CA. Furthermore, our thermal computations show that butterfly wings in their respective habitats can maintain a moderate temperature range through a balance of solar absorption and infrared emission. These findings suggest that the surface microstructures of butterfly wings potentially contribute to thermoregulation and provide an insight into butterflies' survival.

Adaptive Scheme of Denoising Autoencoder for Estimating Indoor Localization Based on RSSI Analytics in BLE Environment.

In indoor environments, estimating localization using a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) is difficult because of the noise from signals reflected and refracted by walls and obstacles. In this study, we used a denoising autoencoder (DAE) to remove noise in the RSSI of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) signals to improve localization performance. In addition, it is known that the signal of an RSSI can be exponentially aggravated when the noise is increased proportionally to the square of the distance increment. Based on the problem, to effectively remove the noise by adapting this characteristic, we proposed adaptive noise generation schemes to train the DAE model to reflect the characteristics in which the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) considerably increases as the distance between the terminal and beacon increases. We compared the model's performance with that of Gaussian noise and other localization algorithms. The results showed an accuracy of 72.6%, a 10.2% improvement over the model with Gaussian noise. Furthermore, our model outperformed the Kalman filter in terms of denoising.

Convolutional Model with a Time Series Feature Based on RSSI Analysis with the Markov Transition Field for Enhancement of Location Recognition.

Although numerous schemes, including learning-based approaches, have attempted to determine a solution for location recognition in indoor environments using RSSI, they suffer from the severe instability of RSSI. Compared with the solutions obtained by recurrent-approached neural networks, various state-of-the-art solutions have been obtained using the convolutional neural network (CNN) approach based on feature extraction considering indoor conditions. Complying with such a stream, this study presents the image transformation scheme for the reasonable outcomes in CNN, obtained from practical RSSI with artificial Gaussian noise injection. Additionally, it presents an appropriate learning model with consideration of the characteristics of time series data. For the evaluation, a testbed is constructed, the practical raw RSSI is applied after the learning process, and the performance is evaluated with results of about 46.2% enhancement compared to the method employing only CNN.

Efficient Cluster Tree Topology Operation and Routing for IEEE 802.15.4-Based Smart Grid Networks.

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have been utilized as communication infrastructure for smart grid applications. The primary requirement of WSNs for smart grid applications is to transmit delay-critical data from smart grid assets ether at the maximum rate or by reducing collision rates. Additionally, WSNs should utilize the limited resources of the network to provide the required long-term QoS. The achievement of these objectives requires a remarkable design of WSN protocols to satisfy the requirements of smart grid applications. In this study, a multi-channel cluster tree protocol is proposed to prevent collisions and increase network performance. In the proposed scheme, the cluster head serves to broadcast a beacon frame containing information on the allocated channels and time slots. This enables the new node to determine its channel and timeslot. A performance analysis reveals that the proposed scheme can achieve a low end-to-end delay and low collision rates compared with the well-known IEEE 802.15.4 MAC protocols widely used in the literature to provide QoS to smart-grid applications.

Comprehensive Analysis of NKX3.2 in Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Bigdata.

Background and Objectives: The gene NKX3.2 plays a role in determining cell fate during development, and mutations of NKX3.2 have been studied in relation to human skeletal diseases. However, due to the lack of studies on the link between NKX3.2 and cancer, we aimed to provide insights into NKX3.2 as a new prognostic biomarker for liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC). Materials and Methods: The clinical significance of LIHC was investigated using open gene expression databases. We comprehensively analyzed NKX3.2 expression in LIHC using Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis 2, Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER), and Kaplan-Meier plotter databases. Then, we investigated the association between NKX3.2 expression and tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs). Results: NKX3.2 expression was higher in the primary tumor group compared to the normal group, and expression was higher in fibrolamellar carcinoma (FLC) compared to other subtypes. When the prognostic value of NKX3.2 was evaluated, highly expressed NKX3.2 significantly improved the overall survival and had an unfavorable prognosis. In addition, NKX3.2 expression was associated with immune cell infiltration. Patients with low gene expression and high macrophage expression had a poorer survival rate than those with low NKX3.2 and low macrophage expression (p = 0.0309). Conclusions: High NKX3.2 expression may induce poorer prognosis in LIHC. In addition, these findings can be used as basic data due to the lack of available related research. However, further in vivo studies are essential to gain a deeper understanding of the biological role of NKX3.2 in LIHC and its potential implications for cancer development and progression.

Synchronous Preparation of Length-Controllable 1D Nanoparticles via Crystallization-Driven In Situ Nanoparticlization of Conjugated Polymers.

Precise size control of semiconducting nanomaterials from polymers is crucial for optoelectronic applications, but the low solubility of conjugated polymers makes this challenging. Herein, we prepared length-controlled semiconducting one-dimensional (1D) nanoparticles by synchronous self-assembly during polymerization. First, we succeeded in unprecedented living polymerization of highly soluble conjugated poly(3,4-dihexylthiophene). Then, block copolymerization of poly(3,4-dihexylthiophene)-block-polythiophene spontaneously produced narrow-dispersed 1D nanoparticles with lengths from 15 to 282 nm according to the size of a crystalline polythiophene core. The key factors for high efficiency and length control are a highly solubilizing shell and slow polymerization of the core, thereby favoring nucleation elongation over isodesmic growth. Combining kinetics and high-resolution imaging analyses, we propose a unique mechanism called crystallization-driven in situ nanoparticlization of conjugated polymers (CD-INCP) where spontaneous nucleation creates seeds, followed by seeded growth in units of micelles. Also, we achieved "living" CD-INCP through a chain-extension experiment. We further simplified CD-INCP by adding both monomers together in one-shot copolymerization but still producing length-controlled nanoparticles.