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Circularly polarized phosphorescent (CPP) materials, especially chiral platinum(II) complexes, which combine the advantages of both circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) and phosphorescence, show broad potential applications in chiral optoelectronic devices. Developing CPP emitters with both excellent chiroptical properties and high yield is urgently needed. Here, a chiral cation strategy is employed to construct the CPP Pt(II) complexes R / S -ABA·[Pt(ppy)Cl 2 ] and R / S -MBA·[Pt(ppy)Cl 2 ] through a simple one-step reaction with almost 100% yield. The circular dichroism and CPL spectra confirm that the chirality was successfully transferred to the [Pt(ppy)Cl 2 ] - anion. The luminescence asymmetry factors ( g lum ) are +1.4/-1.8 × 10 -3 for R / S -ABA·[Pt(ppy)Cl 2 ] and +4.4/-2.8 × 10 -3 for R / S -MBA·[Pt(ppy)Cl 2 ]. The stronger chiroptical property of R / S -MBA·[Pt(ppy)Cl 2 ] is attributed to the enhanced chiral structural deformation and better matched electric and magnetic transition dipole moments. This chiral cation strategy is confirmed to efficiently construct CPP Pt(II) complexes, which will accelerate the development of CPP emitters towards commercialization.

Photonic heterostructures with codable properties have shown great values as versatile information carriers at the micro- and nanoscale. These heterostructures are typically prepared by a step-by-step growth or post-functionalization method to achieve varied emission colors with different building blocks. In order to realize high-throughput and multivariate information loading, we report here a strategy to integrate polarization signals into photonic heterojunctions. A U-shaped di-Pt(II) complex has been assembled into highly polarized yellow-phosphorescent crystalline microrods (Y-rod) by strong intermolecular Pt⋅⋅⋅Pt interaction. Upon end-initiated desorption of the incorporated CH 2 Cl 2 solvents, the Y-rod is transformed in a domino fashion into tri-block polarized photonic heterojunctions (PPHs) with alternate red-yellow-red emissions or red-phosphorescent microrods (R-rods). The red emissions of these structures are also highly polarized; however, their polarization directions are just orthogonal to those of the yellow phosphorescence of the Y-rod. With the aid of a patterned mask, the R-rod can be further programmed into multi-block PPHs with precisely controlled block sizes by side-allowed adsorption of CH 2 Cl 2 vapor. X-ray diffraction analysis and theoretical calculations suggest that the solvent-regulated modulation of the crystal packing and excited-state property is critical for the construction of these PPHs., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Organic optical heterostructures have emerged as promising candidates for applications in organic photonics. In this study, we demonstrate a facile strategy to integrate different emission and polarization properties into the sub-blocks of luminescent organic heterostructures, by a mask-assisted vapor treatment method on the microcrystals of a pyridine-functionalized tetraphenylethylene chromophore.

Background: To evaluate the feasibility and safety of the superficial circumflex iliac perforator flap (SCIP) for maxillary reconstruction with intraoral anastomosis, pedicle elongation, and super-microsurgery techniques to overcome its anatomical shortcomings due to the attractive merits of the flap., Methods: Patients who underwent reconstruction of maxillary defects with SCIPs from July 2020 to December 2022 were included. Intraoral anastomosis, pedicle elongation, and super-microsurgery were performed during surgery with or without a neck incision. The sizes, pedicle lengths, inner calibres of vessels, complications and flap survival statuses were recorded., Results: A total of 12 patients were included, with 3 males and 9 females, and the median age was 45 years, ranging from 14 to 74 years. There were 5 class IIa and 7 class IIb defects, 6 cases underwent maxillary defect reconstruction via SCIPs with intraoral anastomosis, and the other 6 cases with distally design and/or de-epidermis pedicle elongation. Super-microsurgery interventions were needed in 5 patients. The size ranged from 3 cm×4 cm to 6 cm×8 cm. The pedicle length ranged from 4 cm to 12 cm, with a median of 6 cm. The inner caliber of the arteries ranged from 0.7 mm to 2 mm, with a median of 1 mm, and the veins ranged from 1.5 mm to 4 mm, with a median of 2.5 mm. All the flaps survived, and no donor site complications occurred., Conclusion: Superficial circumflex iliac perforator flaps can be regarded as feasible and safe choices for maxillary defects with the support of intraoral anastomosis, pedicle elongation and super-microsurgery., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Photoinduced intramolecular charge separation in a pyrene- and triarylamine-based donor-acceptor dyad was studied by polarization-dependent femtosecond time-resolved transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy in polar solvents. Photoexcitation forms an excited state with charge transfer (CT) character due to the intrinsic electronic coupling between the triarylamine and pyrene groups, resulting in ultrafast charge separation (CS) in polar solvents. TA measurements reveal a correlation between the rate of CS and solvation dynamics, which implies that solvation is involved in the CS reaction. In addition, polarization-dependent TA spectroscopy was devoted to tracking the ultrafast anisotropy evolution of the cationic absorption band, which is attributed to intramolecular torsional motion and is proposed to be coupled to diffusive orientational solvent modes. The results therefore reveal that the evolution of the CT state in the condensed phase is driven by solvation-coupled excited-state structural relaxation. In other words, intramolecular torsional motion is directly confirmed to be involved in the reaction coordinate of the CS reaction in a strongly coupled donor-acceptor dyad.

Background: The objective of antiviral therapy for chronic viral hepatitis B infection (CHB) is to achieve a functional cure. An important viral marker in the serum of patients with CHB is the serum hepatitis B core-related antigen (HBcrAg). However, there is limited research on HBcrAg in juvenile patients with CHB. In this study, we aimed to investigate the correlation between serum HBcrAg and other hepatitis B virus (HBV) markers in children with CHB and its predictive significance for prognosis during antiviral therapy., Methods: A single-center retrospective study was conducted involving 79 children with CHB, aged between 0 and 16 years. All the children were treated with interferon [or combined nucleos(t)ide analogs] for 48 weeks. HBcrAg, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), and HBV DNA were measured before treatment, and at 12 and 48 weeks after treatment. The enrolled children were classified into the seroclearance group and the nonseroclearance group based on the therapeutic outcome., Results: HBsAg seroclearance was observed in 28 out of 79 patients and hepatitis B e antigen seroconversion without HBsAg seroclearance was observed in 14 out of 79 patients following the conclusion of the treatment, with baseline HBcrAg titer levels showing no statistical significance in both the seroclearance and nonseroclearance groups ( P  = 0.277). HBsAg and HBV DNA were positively correlated with HBcrAg in children with CHB ( R2  = 0.3289, 0.4388). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the decrease in HBcrAg at 12 weeks of treatment as a predictor of seroclearance at 48 weeks of treatment, exhibited a value of 0.77., Conclusion: A decrease in serum HBcrAg levels in children with hepatitis B serves as a prognostic indicator., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Two dual fluorescent/phosphorescent tris-heteroleptic mononuclear Ru(ΙΙ) complexes ( 2 and 3 ) were designed and applied in amyloid-β (Aβ) sensing. These complexes have a general formula of [Ru(phen)(dppz)( L )](PF 6 ) 2 , where L is (2-pyrazinyl)(2-pyridyl)(methyl)amine (H- L ) with different substituents (-OMe for 2 , -H for 3 ), phen is 1,10-phenanthroline, and dppz is dipyridophenazine, respectively. Compared with the previously reported ratiometric probe 1 with a di(pyrid-2-yl)(methyl)amine ligand, complex 2 can be employed for not only ratiometric emissive detection of Aβ aggregation but also ratiometric imaging detection of Aβ fibrils. In ratiometric emissive detection, as the incubation time of the Aβ sample (Aβ 40 and Aβ 42 ) was prolonged, a new phosphorescence emission band appeared with gradual enhancement of the emission intensity, while the fluorescence emission was basically unchanged, which could be treated as an intrinsic internal reference signal. In comparison, a larger ratiometric photoluminescence enhancement ( I 640 / I 440 ) was observed for Aβ 40 aggregation with respect to Aβ 42 . In ratiometric imaging detection, the imaging signals obtained from the phosphorescence emission are much brighter than the fluorescence emission in both Aβ 40 and Aβ 42 fibrils. As indicated by molecular docking results, stronger interactions were found between complex 2 with Aβ 40 fibrils, which included π/π, π/C-H, and π/H interactions between bidentate ligands dppz and phen with amino acid residues. Moreover, computational calculations were carried out to assist the interpretation of these experimental findings.

Covalent organic framework (COF) film with electrofluorochromic (EFC) and electrochromic (EC) properties has been synthesized by using triphenylamine-based monomers. The film exhibited a high maximum fluorescence contrast of 151 when subjected to a drive voltage of 0.75 V vs the Ag/AgCl electrode, causing the fluorescence to be quenched, which resulted in the EFC process's "fluorescence off" state. The switching times for the fluorescence on and off states were 0.51 and 7.79 s, respectively. Over the same voltage range, the COF film also displayed EC properties, achieving a contrast of 50.23% and a coloration efficiency of 297.4 cm 2 C -1 at 532 nm, with switching times of 18.6 s for coloration and 0.7 s for bleaching. Notably, the quenched fluorescence of the COF film could be restored by adding dopamine as a reductant. This phenomenon enabled the implementation of a NAND logic gate using the applied potential as a physical input and dopamine addition as a chemical input. This study demonstrates the successful development of COF films with bifunctional EFC and EC properties, showcasing their potential for use in constructing advanced optoelectronic devices.

We here report the multicolor electrochemiluminescence (ECL) of binary microcrystals prepared from a blue-emissive iridium complex 1 and an orange-emissive ruthenium complex 2. These materials display a plate-like morphology with high crystallinity, as demonstrated by microscopic and powder X-ray diffraction analyses. Under light excitation, these microcrystals exhibit gradient emission color changes as a result of the efficient energy transfer between two complexes. When modified on glass carbon electrodes, these microcrystals exhibit tunable ECLs with varied emission colors including sky-blue, white, orange, and red, depending on the doping ratio of complex 2 and the applied potential. Furthermore, organic amines with different molecular sizes are used as the co-reactant to examine their influences on the ECL efficiency of the porous microcrystals of 1. The analysis on the luminance and RGB values of ECL suggests the existence of energy transfer in the generation of multicolor ECLs in these binary crystals., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Functionalization of Si-bound methyl group provides an efficient access to diverse organosilanes. However, the asymmetric construction of silicon-stereogenic architectures by functionalization of Si-bound methyl group has not yet been described despite recent significant progress in producing chiral silicon. Herein, we disclosed the enantioselective silylmethyl functionalization involving the aryl to alkyl 1,5-palladium migration to access diverse naphthalenes possessing an enantioenriched stereogenic silicon center, which are inaccessible before. It is worthy to note that the realization of asymmetric induction at the step of metal migration itself remains challenging. Our study constitutes the first enantioselective aryl to alkyl 1,5-palladium migration reaction. The key to the success is the discovery and fine-tuning of the different substituents of α,α,α,α-tetraaryl-1,3-dioxolane-4,5-dimethanol (TADDOL)-based phosphoramidites, which ensure the enantioselectivity and desired reactivity., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Recombinant human type 5 adenovirus (H101) is an oncolytic virus used to treat nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Owing to the deletion of the E1B-55kD and E3 regions, H101 is believed to selectively inhibit nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Whether H101 inhibits other type of tumors via different mechanisms remains unclear. In this study we investigated the effects of H101 on melanomas. We established B16F10 melanoma xenograft mouse model, and treated the mice with H101 (1 × 10 8 TCID 50 ) via intratumoral injection for five consecutive days. We found that H101 treatment significantly inhibited B16F10 melanoma growth in the mice. H101 treatment significantly increased the infiltration of CD8 + T cells and reduced the proportion of M2-type macrophages. We demonstrated that H101 exhibited low cytotoxicity against B16F10 cells, but the endothelial cells were more sensitive to H101 treatment. H101 induced endothelial cell pyroptosis in a caspase-1/GSDMD-dependent manner. Furthermore, we showed that the combination of H101 with the immune checkpoint inhibitor PD-L1 antibody (10 mg/kg, i.p., every three days for three times) exerted synergic suppression on B16F10 tumor growth in the mice. This study demonstrates that, in addition to oncolysis, H101 inhibits melanoma growth by promoting anti-tumor immunity and inducing pyroptosis of vascular endothelial cells., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Pharmacological Society.)

Trap-assisted non-radiative recombination losses and moisture-induced degradation significantly impede the development of highly efficient and stable inverted (p-i-n) perovskite solar cells (PSCs), which require high-quality perovskite bulk. In this research, we mitigate these challenges by integrating thermally stable perovskite layers with Lewis base covalent organic frameworks (COFs). The ordered pore structure and surface binding groups of COFs facilitate cyclic, multi-site chelation with undercoordinated lead ions, enhancing the perovskite quality across both its bulk and grain boundaries. This process not only reduces defects but also promotes improved energy alignment through n-type doping at the surface. The inclusion of COF dopants in p-i-n devices achieves power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 25.64 % (certified 24.94 %) for a 0.0748-cm 2 device and 23.49 % for a 1-cm 2 device. Remarkably, these devices retain 81 % of their initial PCE after 978 hours of accelerated aging at 85°C, demonstrating remarkable durability. Additionally, COF-doped devices demonstrate excellent stability under illumination and in moist conditions, even without encapsulation., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Circularly polarized luminescence (CPL)-active molecular materials have drawn increasing attention due to their promising applications for next-generation display and optoelectronic technologies. Currently, it is challenging to obtain CPL materials with both large luminescence dissymmetry factor (g lum ) and high quantum yield (Φ). A pair of enantiomeric N N C-type Pt(II) complexes (L/D)-1 modified with chiral Leucine methyl ester are presented herein. Though the solutions of these complexes are CPL-inactive, the spin-coated thin films of (L/D)-1 exhibit giantly-amplified circularly polarized phosphorescences with |g lum | of 0.53 at 560 nm and Φ air of ~50 %, as well as appealing circular dichroism (CD) signals with the maximum absorption dissymmetry factor |g abs | of 0.37-0.43 at 480 nm. This superior CPL performance benefits from the hierarchical formation of crystalline fibrillar networks upon spin coating. Comparative studies of another pair of chiral Pt(II) complexes (L/D)-2 with a symmetric N C N coordination mode suggest that the asymmetric N N C coordination of (L/D)-1 are favorable for the efficient exciton delocalization to amplify the CPL performance. Optical applications of the thin films of (L/D)-1 in CPL-contrast imaging and inducing CP light generation from achiral emitters and common light-emitting diode lamps have been successfully realized., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Endowing the widely-used synthetic polymer nylon with high-performance organic room-temperature phosphorescence would produce advanced materials with a great potential for applications in daily life and industry. One key to achieving this goal is to find a suitable organic luminophore that can access the triplet excited state with the aid of the nylon matrix by controlling the matrix-luminophore interaction. Herein we report highly-efficient room-temperature phosphorescence nylons by doping cyano-substituted benzimidazole derivatives into the nylon 6 matrix. These homogeneously doped materials show ultralong phosphorescence lifetimes of up to 1.5 s and high phosphorescence quantum efficiency of up to 48.3% at the same time. The synergistic effect of the homogeneous dopant distribution via hydrogen bonding interaction, the rigid environment of the matrix polymer, and the potential energy transfer between doped luminophores and nylon is important for achieving the high-performance room-temperature phosphorescence, as supported by combined experimental and theoretical results with control compounds and various polymeric matrices. One-dimensional optical fibers are prepared from these doped room-temperature phosphorescence nylons that can transport both blue fluorescent and green afterglow photonic signals across the millimeter distance without significant optical attenuation. The potential applications of these phosphorescent materials in dual information encryption and rewritable recording are illustrated., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Recently, chiral metal-organic coordination materials have emerged as promising candidates for a wide range of applications in chiroptoelectronics, chiral catalysis, and information encryption, etc. Notably, the chiroptical effect of coordination chromophores makes them appealing for applications such as photodetectors, OLEDs, 3D displays, and bioimaging. The direct synthesis of chiral coordination materials using chiral organic ligands or complexes with metal-centered chirality is very often tedious and costly. In the case of ionic coordination materials, the combination of chiral anions with cationic, achiral coordination compounds through noncovalent interactions may endow molecular materials with desirable chiroptical properties. The use of such a simple chiral strategy has been proven effective in inducing promising circular dichroism and/or circularly polarized luminescence signals. This concept article mainly delves into the latest advances in exploring the efficacy of such a chiral anion strategy for transforming achiral coordination materials into chromophores with superb photo- or electro-chiroptical properties. In particular, ionic small-molecular metal complexes, metal clusters, coordination supramolecular assemblies, and metal-organic frameworks containing chiral anions are discussed. A perspective on the future opportunities on the preparation of chiroptical materials with the chiral anion strategy is also presented., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

A dye-sensitized photoanode is prepared by coassembling a Ru complex photosensitizer and a Ru water oxidation catalyst (WOC) on a TiO 2 substrate, in which the WOC molecules are immobilized in a layer-by-layer fashion through metal-pyridine coordination with the aid of a bifunctional anchoring and bridging molecule containing multiple pyridine groups. Under visible-light irradiation, an anodic photocurrent of around 200 μA/cm 2 has been achieved with O 2 and H 2 being generated at the photoanode and Pt counter electrode, respectively. The pyridine anchoring strategy provides a simple method to prepare photoelectrodes for applications in photoelectrochemical cells.

High-capacity storage technologies are needed to meet our ever-growing data demands 1,2 . However, data centres based on major storage technologies such as semiconductor flash devices and hard disk drives have high energy burdens, high operation costs and short lifespans 2,3 . Optical data storage (ODS) presents a promising solution for cost-effective long-term archival data storage. Nonetheless, ODS has been limited by its low capacity and the challenge of increasing its areal density 4,5 . Here, to address these issues, we increase the capacity of ODS to the petabit level by extending the planar recording architecture to three dimensions with hundreds of layers, meanwhile breaking the optical diffraction limit barrier of the recorded spots. We develop an optical recording medium based on a photoresist film doped with aggregation-induced emission dye, which can be optically stimulated by femtosecond laser beams. This film is highly transparent and uniform, and the aggregation-induced emission phenomenon provides the storage mechanism. It can also be inhibited by another deactivating beam, resulting in a recording spot with a super-resolution scale. This technology makes it possible to achieve exabit-level storage by stacking nanoscale disks into arrays, which is essential in big data centres with limited space., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

Objectives: The efficacy of treatments targeting recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma are unsatisfactory in practice for patients with a ECOG PS score ≥ 2. Thus, this study retrospectively evaluated the safety and efficacy of a programmed cell death 1 inhibitor (tislelizumab) combined with an epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor (nimotuzumab) in treating patients with a PS score ≥ 2 who suffer from recurrent or metastatic oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC)., Materials and Methods: Fifteen patients were treated with tislelizumab (200 mg IV Q3W) and nimotuzumab (200 mg IV Q3W). Programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in tumor biopsies was assessed with immunohistochemistry. Whole-exome sequencing was used to evaluate treatment efficacy based on PD-L1 expression and gene mutation., Results: At a median follow-up of 9.6 months, median overall survival was 10.1 months, and median progression-free survival was 4.0 months. Overall response rate was 40%, with 6/15 patients achieving partial response. Eight patients exhibited nine adverse events, eight out of nine being grade 2 and the remaining being grade 3. Whole-exome sequencing showed that DYNC1I2, THSD7A , and FAT1 mutations were associated with patient prognosis., Conclusion: Combination therapy involving tislelizumab plus nimotuzumab is a promising, low-toxicity treatment for recurrent or metastatic OSCC in patients with a PS score ≥ 2., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wu, An, Zhong, Hu, Wang and Zhang.)

The development of efficient photocathodes is of critical importance for the constructions of promising tandem photo-electrochemical cells. Most known dye-sensitized photocathodes are prepared with the conventional carboxylic or phosphonic acid anchors and require the presence of other terminal linking groups to connect catalysts; they suffer from high synthetic difficulty and low adsorption stability in aqueous media. Here, a compact bilayer photocathode has been prepared by using a pyrene-based photosensitizer with multiple terminal pyridine moieties as both the anchoring and linking groups to connect a Co hydrogen-evolution catalyst to the NiO substrate. The catalyst and dye molecule are assembled in a layer-by-layer manner on NiO through the metal-pyridine coordination. This photocathode exhibits good dye adsorption stability in aqueous media. A stable cathodic photocurrent of 70 μA cm -2 was achieved, with H 2 being generated at the photocathode under the visible-light irradiation. The Faraday efficiency of H 2 evolution was estimated to be 9.1 %. Transient absorption spectral studies suggest that the interfacial hole transfer occurs within a few picoseconds. The integration of the organic photosensitizer with pyridine anchoring and linking groups is expected to provide a simple method for the fabrication of stable and efficient photocathodes., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Objective: To investigate the role of serum hepatitis B virus RNA (HBV RNA) in predicting HBeAg serological conversion in children with chronic hepatitis B. Methods: 175 children aged 1~17 years with chronic hepatitis B who received interferon α (IFNα) for 48 weeks were selected. Patients were divided into HBeAg seroconversion and non-conversion based on whether HBeAg seroconversion occurred at 48 weeks of treatment.T-test and Mann-Whitney U test were used to compare between groups; chisquare test or Fisher exact probability method was used to compare the frequency between groups of classified variables; and Pearson correlation was used to analyze the correlation between indicators. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify influencing factors associated with HBeAg serological conversion. The predictive effect of HBV RNA, HBV DNA, and HBsAg on HBeAg serological conversion was compared and analyzed by the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). Results: The seroconversion rate of HBeAg at 48 weeks was 36.0% (63/175). The reduction in HBVRNA levels from baseline to the 12th, 24th, 36th, and 48th weeks of antiviral therapy was significantly greater in the HBeAg serological conversion group than that in the non-conversion group, and the difference was statistically significant between the two groups (P < 0.05). Univariate and multivariate regression analyses showed that age and a decline in HBV RNA levels at week 12 were independent predictors of HBeAg serological conversion. The area under the ROC curve (AUROC) of HBV RNA decline at week 12 was 0.677(95% CI ∶0.549-0.806, P = 0.012), which was significantly better than the same period of AUROC of HBV DNA (0.657, 95% CI ∶0.527-0.788, P = 0.025) and HBsAg (0.660, 95% CI ∶0.526-0.795, P = 0.023) decline. HBV RNA levels decreased (>1.385 log10 copies/ml) at week 12, with a positive predictive value of 53.2%, a negative predictive value of 72.2%, a sensitivity of 77.4%, and a specificity of 57.9% for HBeAg seroconversion. Conclusion: HBV RNA level lowering during the 12th week of antiviral therapy can serve as an early predictor marker for HBeAg serological conversion in children with chronic hepatitis B.

Three monoruthenium complexes 1 (PF 6 ) 2 - 3 (PF 6 ) 2 bearing an N(CH 3 )-bridged ligand have been synthesized and characterized. These complexes have a general formula of [Ru(bpy) 2 ( L )](PF 6 ) 2 , where L is a 2,5-di( N -methyl- N '-(pyrid-2-yl)amino)pyrazine (dapz) derivative with various substituents, and bpy is 2,2'-bipyridine. The photophysical and electrochemical properties of these compounds have been examined. The solid-state structure of complex 3 (PF 6 ) 2 is studied by single-crystal X-ray analysis. These complexes show two well-separated emission bands centered at 451 and 646 nm (Δ λ max = 195 nm) for 1 (PF 6 ) 2 , 465 and 627 nm (Δ λ max = 162 nm) for 2 (PF 6 ) 2 , and 455 and 608 nm (Δ λ max = 153 nm) for 3 (PF 6 ) 2 in dilute acetonitrile solution, respectively. The emission maxima of the higher-energy emission bands of these complexes are similar, while the lower-energy emission bands are dependent on the electronic nature of substituents. These complexes display two consecutive redox couples owing to the stepwise oxidation of the N(CH 3 )-bridged ligand and ruthenium component. Moreover, these experimental observations are analyzed by computational investigation., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Hymenoptera is an order accounting for a large proportion of species in Insecta, among which Chalcidoidea contains many parasitoid species of biocontrol significance. Currently, some species genomes in Chalcidoidea have been assembled, but the chromosome-level genomes of Aphelinidae are not yet available. Using Illumina, PacBio HiFi and Hi-C technologies, we assembled a genome assembly of Eretmocerus hayati (Aphelinidae, Hymenoptera), a worldwide biocontrol agent of whiteflies, at the chromosome level. The assembled genome size is 692.1 Mb with a contig N50 of 7.96 Mb. After Hi-C scaffolding, the contigs was assembled onto four chromosomes with a mapping rate of > 98%. The scaffold N50 length is 192.5 Mb, and Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologues (BUSCO) value is 95.9%. The genome contains 370.8 Mb repeat sequences and total of 24471 protein coding genes. P450 gene families were identified and analyzed. In conclusion, our chromosome-level genome assembly provides valuable support for future research on the evolution of parasitoid wasps and the interaction between hosts and parasitoid wasps., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

Recombination is common in plant viruses such as geminiviruses, but the ecological and pathogenic consequences have been explored only in a few cases. Here, we found that a new begomovirus, tomato yellow leaf curl Shuangbai virus (TYLCSbV), probably originated from the recombination of Ageratum yellow vein China virus (AYVCNV) and tobacco curl shoot virus (TbCSV). Agrobacterium-mediated inoculation showed that TYLCSbV and AYVCNV have similar levels of infectivity on tomato and tobacco plants. However, the two viruses exhibit contrasting specificities for vector transmission, that is, TYLCSbV was efficiently transmitted by the whitefly Bemisia tabaci Mediterranean (MED) rather than by the whitefly B. tabaci Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1), whereas AYVCNV was more efficiently transmitted by MEAM1. We also showed that the transmission efficiencies of TYLCSbV and AYVCNV are positively correlated with the accumulation of the viruses in whitefly whole bodies and organs/tissues. The key coat protein amino acids that determine their accumulation are between positions 147 and 256. Moreover, field surveys suggest that MED has displaced MEAM1 in some regions where TYLCSbV was collected. Viral competition assays indicated that TYLCSbV outcompeted AYVCNV when transmitted by MED, while the outcome was the opposite when transmitted by MEAM1. Our findings suggest that recombination has resulted in a shift of vector specificity that could provide TYLCSbV with a potential selective transmission advantage, and the population shift of whitefly cryptic species could have influenced virus evolution towards an extended trajectory of transmission., (© 2023 The Authors. Molecular Plant Pathology published by British Society for Plant Pathology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

TiO 2 photoelectrodes modified with organic dyes with pyridine anchoring groups are prepared, which are used as photoanodes of dye-sensitized photoelectrochemical cells for efficient water reduction with high photocurrent density and stability in aqueous solutions. Vigorous H 2 generation with a production rate of around 250 μmol h -1 is realized with a photoanode of an active area of 5 × 5 cm 2 .

The development of circularly polarized electroluminescence (CPEL) is currently hampered by the high difficulty and cost in the syntheses of suitable chiral materials and the notorious chirality diminishment issue in electrical devices. Herein, diastereomeric Ir III and Ru II complexes with chiral (±)-camphorsulfonate counteranions are readily synthesized and used as the active materials in circularly polarized light-emitting electrochemical cells to generate promising CPELs. The addition of the chiral ionic liquid (±)-1-butyl-3-methylimidazole camphorsulfonate into the active layer significantly improves the device performance and the electroluminescence dissymmetry factors (≈10 -3 ), in stark contrast to the very weak circularly polarized photoluminescence of the spin-coated films of these diastereomeric complexes. Control experiments with enantiopure Ir III complexes suggest that the chiral anions play a dominant role in the electrically-induced amplification of CPELs., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Background: Desmoid tumor (DT) is rare and challenging, often affects the head and neck (HN) region in children, and its appropriate treatments are under-discussed. This study aimed to retrospectively evaluate the long-term effectiveness and safety of 125 I seed brachytherapy for pediatric DT in HN., Procedure: Seven pediatric patients with a median age of three years who suffered from DT in HN treated with 125 I brachytherapy from January 2008 to June 2018 were included. Among these, five underwent sole brachytherapy and the others combined with surgery under prescription doses ranging from 10,000 to 12,000 cGy. The rate of local control (LC), complete response (CR), and partial response (PR) was calculated after evaluation by radiological and pathological means. Radiation-associated toxicities were also evaluated., Results: The LC rate was 7/7 during the follow-up time ranging from 43 to 135 months and with a mean of 57 months. No recurrent lesion was found in the patients receiving surgery combined with brachytherapy. In patients treated with sole brachytherapy, the radiological PR rate and CR rate were 4/5 and 1/5, respectively. In those reaching radiological PR, 3/4 were pathological CR. Slight acute radiation-associated toxicities were observed in all patients, and no late or severe acute toxicity was observed., Conclusion: 125 I brachytherapy is effective and safe in the management of pediatric DT in HN as the sole modality or combined with surgery in the long term., (© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

The Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR) is one of the typical representatives of deep-sea ultraslow-spreading ridges, and has increasingly become a hot spot of studying subsurface geological activities and deep-sea mining management. However, the understanding of microbial activities is still limited on active hydrothermal vent chimneys in SWIR. In this study, samples from an active black smoker and a diffuse vent located in the Longqi hydrothermal region were collected for deep metagenomic sequencing, which yielded approximately 290 GB clean data and 295 mid-to-high-quality metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs). Sulfur oxidation conducted by a variety of Gammaproteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, and Campylobacterota was presumed to be the major energy source for chemosynthesis in Longqi hydrothermal vents. Diverse iron-related microorganisms were recovered, including iron-oxidizing Zetaproteobacteria, iron-reducing Deferrisoma , and magnetotactic bacterium. Twenty-two bacterial MAGs from 12 uncultured phyla harbored iron oxidase Cyc2 homologs and enzymes for organic carbon degradation, indicated novel chemolithoheterotrophic iron-oxidizing bacteria that affected iron biogeochemistry in hydrothermal vents. Meanwhile, potential interactions between microbial communities and chimney minerals were emphasized as enriched metabolic potential of siderophore transportation, and extracellular electron transfer functioned by multi-heme proteins was discovered. Composition of chimney minerals probably affected microbial iron metabolic potential, as pyrrhotite might provide more available iron for microbial communities. Collectively, this study provides novel insights into microbial activities and potential mineral-microorganism interactions in hydrothermal vents. IMPORTANCE Microbial activities and interactions with minerals and venting fluid in active hydrothermal vents remain unclear in the ultraslow-spreading SWIR (Southwest Indian Ridge). Understanding about how minerals influence microbial metabolism is currently limited given the obstacles in cultivating microorganisms with sulfur or iron oxidoreduction functions. Here, comprehensive descriptions on microbial composition and metabolic profile on 2 hydrothermal vents in SWIR were obtained based on cultivation-free metagenome sequencing. In particular, autotrophic sulfur oxidation supported by minerals was presumed, emphasizing the role of chimney minerals in supporting chemosynthesis. Presence of novel heterotrophic iron-oxidizing bacteria was also indicated, suggesting overlooked biogeochemical pathways directed by microorganisms that connected sulfide mineral dissolution and organic carbon degradation in hydrothermal vents. Our findings offer novel insights into microbial function and biotic interactions on minerals in ultraslow-spreading ridges.

Singlet fission (SF) has drawn tremendous attention as a multiexciton generation process that could mitigate the thermal loss and boost the efficiency of solar energy conversion. Although a SF-based solar cell with an EQE above 100% has already been fabricated successfully, the practical efficiency of the corresponding devices is plagued by the limited scope of SF materials. Therefore, it is of great importance to design and develop new SF-capable compounds aiming at practical device application. In the current contribution, via a π-expanded strategy, we presented a new series of robust SF chromophores based on polycyclic DPP derivatives, Ex-DPPs. Compared to conventional DPP molecules, Ex-DPPs feature strong absorption with a fivefold extinction coefficient, good molecular rigidity to effectively restrain non-radiative deactivation, and an expanded π-skeleton which endow them with well-suited intermolecular packing geometries for achieving efficient SF process. These results not only provide a new type of high-efficiency SF chromophore but also address some basic guidelines for the design of potential SF materials targeting practical light harvesting applications., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Crystalline materials with appealing luminescent properties are attractive materials for various optoelectronic applications. The in situ bicomponent reaction of 1,2-ethylenedisulfonic acid with 1,4-di(pyrid-2-yl)benzene, 1,4-di(pyrid-3-yl)benzene, or 1,4-di(pyrid-4-yl)benzene affords luminescent crystals with hydrogen-bonded polymeric structures. Variations in the positions of the pyridine nitrogen atoms lead to alternating polymeric structures with either a ladder- or zigzag-type of molecular arrangement. By using a nanoprecipitation method, microcrystals of these polymeric structures are prepared, showing polarized luminescence with a moderate degree of polarization.

Background: Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21) is an evolutionarily conserved protein that plays multiple roles in metabolic regulation. Over the past two decades, numerous studies have deepened our understanding of its various functions and its pharmacological value. Nevertheless, most clinical trials have not achieved the desired results, which raises issues regarding its clinical value. In this bibliometric analysis, we evaluated the state of FGF-21 research over the last 20 years and identified important topics, achievements, and potential future directions. Methods: Publications related to FGF-21 were collected from the Web of Science Core Collection-Science Citation Index Expanded. HistCite, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace were used for bibliometric analysis and visualization, including the analysis of annual publications, leading countries, active institutions and authors, core journals, co-cited references, and keywords. Results: Altogether, 2,490 publications related to FGF-21 were obtained. A total of 12,872 authors from 2,628 institutions in 77 countries or regions reported studies on FGF-21. The United States of America was the most influential country in FGF-21 research. Alexei Kharitonenkov, Steven A. Kliewer, and David J. Mangelsdorf were the most influential scholars, and endocrinology journals had a core status in the field. The physiological roles, clinical translation, and FGF-21-based drug development were the main topics of research, and future studies may concentrate on the central effects of FGF-21, FGF-21-based drug development, and the effects of FGF-21 on non-metabolic diseases. Conclusion: The peripheral metabolic effects of FGF-21, FGF-21-based drug development, and translational research on metabolic diseases are the three major topics in FGF-21 research, whereas the central metabolic effects of FGF-21 and the effects of FGF-21 on metabolic diseases are the emerging trends and may become the following hot topics in FGF-21 research., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 She, Li, Liu, Tan, Zhong, Bao and Xie.)

Nano- and micromaterials with anisotropic photoluminescence and photon transport have widespread application prospects in quantum optics, optoelectronics, and displays. But the nature of the polarization information of the out-coupled light, with respect to that of the source luminescence, has never been explored in active optical-waveguiding organic crystals. Herein, three different modes (selective, anisotropic, and consistent) of polarized-photon out-coupling are proposed and successfully implemented in a set of 2D organic microcrystals with highly linearly-polarized luminescence. It is found that the polarization direction and degree of the luminescence out-coupled through different waveguiding channels can either be essentially retained or distinctly changed with respect to those of the original luminescence, depending on the molecular arrangement and the orientation of transition dipole moments of the crystal. This work demonstrates the promising potential of 2D emissive microcrystals in multi-channel polarized photon transport., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR) increasingly becomes the hot spot of deep-sea mining and extreme life research. Strategies for future environmental conservation are undoubtedly required which makes investigation of microbial iron metabolisms imperative. Through deep metagenome sequencing, five iron-oxidizing Zetaproteoabacteria metagenome-assembled genomes were recovered from Longqi hydrothermal vent in the SWIR. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that two of the MAGs might represent novel genus in Zetaproteobacteria while other MAGs were related to Mariprofundus. Functional profile suggested that they might be aerobic chemolithoautotrophic species with genes encoding cytochrome c oxidase, iron oxidase cyc2 homologs and carbon fixation CBB pathway. Versatile capabilities of synthesizing diverse amino acids and cofactors were indicated while possession of various metal ion transporters could be vital to heavy metal resistance. Our work has provided more understanding about phylogenetic and functional features of iron-oxidizing Zetaproteobacteria, which might be important to investigate iron biogeochemistry and mineral oxidation in SWIR., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Conventional square-planar platinum complexes typically form one-dimensional assemblies as a result of unidirectional metallophilic and/or π⋅⋅⋅π intermolecular interactions. Organoplatinum(II) complexes with a cruciform shape are presented herein to construct two-dimensional (2D) microcrystals with full-color and white phosphorescence. These 2D crystals show unique monocomponent π⋅⋅⋅π stacking, from either the cyclometalating or noncyclometalating ligand, and the bicomponent alternate π⋅⋅⋅π stacking from both ligands along different facet directions. Anisotropic tri-directional waveguiding is further implemented on a single hexagonal microcrystal. These results demonstrate the great capability of the organoplatinum(II) cruciform as a general platform to fabricate 2D phosphorescent micro-/nanocrystals for advanced photonic applications., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Two strains (GL-11-2 T and ZH2-Y79) were isolated from the seawater collected from the West Pacific Ocean and the East China Sea, respectively. Cells were Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic, non-motile and rod-shaped. Cells grew in the medium containing 0.5-7.5 % NaCl (w/v, optimum, 1.0-3.0 %), at pH 6.0-8.0 (optimum, pH 6.5-7.0) and at 4-40 °C (optimum, 30 °C). H 2 S production occurred in marine broth supplemented with sodium thiosulphate. The almost-complete 16S rRNA gene sequences of the two isolates were identical, and exhibited the highest similarity to Pseudoruegeria aquimaris JCM 13603 T (97.5 %), followed by Ruegeria conchae TW15 T (97.2%), Shimia aestuarii DSM 15283 T (97.1 %) and Ruegeria lacuscaerulensis ITI-1157 T (97.0 %). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the isolates were affiliated with the family Roseobacteraceae and represented an independent lineage. The sole isoprenoid quinone was ubiquinone 10. The principal fatty acids were summed feature 8 (C 18 : 1  ω 7 c and/or C 18 : 1  ω 6 c ) and cyclo-C 19 : 0  ω 8 c . The major polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine and diphosphatidylglycerol. The DNA G+C content was 62.3 mol%. The orthologous average nucleotide identity, in silico DNA-DNA hybridization and average amino acid identity values among the genomes of strain GL-11-2 T and the reference strains were 73.2-79.0, 20.3-22.5 and 66.0-80.8 %, respectively. Strains GL-11-2ᵀ and ZH2-Y79 possessed complete metabolic pathways for thiosulphate oxidation, dissimilatory nitrate reduction and denitrification. Phylogenetic distinctiveness, chemotaxonomic differences and phenotypic properties revealed that the isolates represent a novel genus and species of the family Roseobacteraceae , belonging to the class Alphaproteobacteria , for which the name Thiosulfatihalobacter marinus gen. nov., sp. nov. (type strain, GL-11-2 T =KCTC 82723 T =MCCC M20691 T ) is proposed.

Background and Purpose: To determine the neck management of tongue cancer, this study attempted to construct an artificial neural network (ANN)-assisted model based on computed tomography (CT) radiomics of primary tumors to predict neck lymph node (LN) status in patients with tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)., Materials and Methods: Three hundred thirteen patients with tongue SCC were retrospectively included and randomly divided into training (60%), validation (20%) and internally independent test (20%) sets. In total, 1673 feature values were extracted after the semiautomatic segmentation of primary tumors and set as input layers of a classical 3-layer ANN incorporated with or without clinical LN (cN) status after dimension reduction. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, accuracy (ACC), sensitivity (SEN), specificity (SPE), area under curve (AUC) and Net Reclassification Index (NRI), were used to evaluate and compare the models., Results: Four models with different settings were constructed. The ACC, SEN, SPE and AUC reached 84.1%, 93.1%, 76.5% and 0.943 (95% confidence interval: 0.891-0.996, p<.001), respectively, in the test set. The NRI of models compared with radiologists reached 40% (p<.001). The occult nodal metastasis rate was reduced from 30.9% to a minimum of 12.7% in the T1-2 group., Conclusion: ANN-based models that incorporated CT radiomics of primary tumors with traditional LN evaluation were constructed and validated to more precisely predict neck LN metastasis in patients with tongue SCC than with naked eyes, especially in early-stage cancer., Competing Interests: Declarations of interest We have no Conflict of Interest., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

The photoinduced intramolecular charge separation (CS) and charge recombination (CR) phenomena in a series of donor-bridge-acceptor (D-B-A) molecules are intensively investigated as a means of understanding electron transport through the π-B. Pyrene (Pyr) and triarylamine (TAA) moieties connected via phenylene Bs of various lengths are studied because their CS and CR behaviors can be readily monitored in real time by femtosecond transient absorption (fs-TA) spectroscopy. By combining the steady-state and fs-TA spectroscopic measurements in a variety of solvents together with chemical calculations, the parameters that govern the CS behaviors of these dyads were obtained, such as the solvent effects on free energy and the B-length-dependent electronic coupling ( V DA ) between D and A. We observed the sharp switch of the CS behavior with the increase of the solvent polarity and B-linker lengths. Furthermore, in the case of the shortest distance between D and A when the electron coupling is sufficiently large, we observed that the CS phenomenon occurs even in low-polar solvents. Upon increasing the length of B, CS occurs only in strong polar solvents. The distance-dependent decay constant of the CS rate is determined as ∼0.53 Å -1 , indicating that CS is governed by superexchange tunneling interactions. The CS rate constants are also approximately estimated using Marcus electron transfer theory, and the results imply that the V DA value is the key factor dominating the CS rate, while the facile rotation of the phenylene B is important for modulating the lifetime of the charge-separated state in these D-B-A dyads. These results shed light on the practical strategy for obtaining a high CS efficiency with a long-lived CS state in TAA-B-Pyr derivatives.

Background: To establish a prediction of HBsAg seroconversion in children with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), so as to help clinicians to choose therapeutic strategy., Methods: A total of 63 children with HBeAg-positive CHB aged 1 to 17 years, who admitted to the fifth medical center of Chinese PLA general hospital and treated with interferon α (IFNα) 48 weeks were enrolled, the clinical data were measured. Based on the results of HBsAg seroconversion (HBsAg < 0.05 IU/mL and anti-HBsAg > 10 IU/L) at week 48, the patients were divided into HBsAg seroconversion (S) group and non-HBsAg seroconversion (NS) group. Multivariate COX regression was used to identify the impact factors associated with HBsAg seroconversion. A novel prediction index was established and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was used to assess the prediction for HBsAg seroconversion., Results: The 63 patients were divided into S group (20.6%, 13/63) and NS group (79.4%, 50/63). Univariate and multivariate analysis identified age, baseline intrahepatic cccDNA and serum HBsAg levels were independent impact factors for HBsAg seroconversion. Intrahepatic cccDNA was positively correlated with serum HBsAg (r = 0.464, p = 0.000). AUROC of HBV cccDNA was 0.83 (95% CI 0.71 to 0.95) and AUROC of baseline HBsAg was 0.77 (95% CI 0.61 to 0.92). Intrahepatic cccDNA ≤ 0.08 log 10 copies/10 6 cell is regarded as cutoff value, the positive predictive value(PPV) and negative predictive value(NPV) for HBsAg seroconversion were 86.8% and 60.0%, respectively, with a sensitivity of 92.0% and specificity of 56.2%. HBsAg ≤ 3.68 log 10 IU/mL is used as cut off value, the PPV and NPV for HBsAg seroconversion were 91.2% and 56.3%, respectively; the sensitivity and specificity was 86.0% of 69.2%, respectively. There was no statistical difference between them for predicting HBsAg seroconversion (p = 0.146)., Conclusions: HBsAg seroconversion can be predicted by the baseline serum HBsAg or intrahepatic cccDNA in children with CHB. Using the index, clinicians can choose more reasonable therapeutic strategy and reduce the waste of medical resources., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Three tris-heteroleptic mononuclear Ru(II) complexes with dual fluorescence and phosphorescence-[Ru(dpma)(bpy)(phen)] 2+ ( 1 2+ ), [Ru(dpma)(bpy)(dppz)] 2+ ( 2 2+ ), and [Ru(dpma)(phen)(dppz)] 2+ ( 3 2+ )-have been designed and used as ratiometric light-response probes for DNA, where dpma is di(pyrid-2-yl)(methyl)-amine, bpy is 2,2'-bipyridine, phen is 1,10-phenanthroline, and dppz is dipyridophenazine, respectively. Single crystals of complex 2 (PF 6 ) 2 have been obtained and studied by X-ray analysis. The interactions of these complexes with different DNAs are investigated by means of spectroscopic methods, viscosity measurements, and molecular modeling. In the presence of calf thymus DNA, complexes 2 (PF 6 ) 2 and 3 (PF 6 ) 2 show the emergence of a new lower-energy phosphorescence emission band; meanwhile, the higher-energy fluorescence emission band is essentially unchanged, functioning as an intrinsic internal reference. These two complexes exhibit stronger preference for calf thymus DNA over single-strand DNA (d(A) 16 and d(C) 16 ). In contrast, no binding interaction between 1 (PF 6 ) 2 and calf thymus DNA is observed. The intrinsic binding constants ( K b ) of 2 (PF 6 ) 2 and 3 (PF 6 ) 2 with calf thymus DNA are determined to be (1.4 ± 0.4) × 10 5 and (9.5 ± 0.15) × 10 4 M -1 , respectively. In addition, these spectroscopic results are compared with those of the prototype complex [Ru(bpy) 2 (dppz)] 2+ ( 4 2+ ), and density functional theory and time-dependent density functional theory calculations are employed to elucidate these experimental findings.

The synthesis of new C-C bonded two-dimensional (2D) covalent organic frameworks (COFs) is highly desirable. Here, a simple but effective synthetic strategy has been developed using an irreversible Brønsted acid-catalyzed aldol cyclotrimerization reaction by virtue of truxene as a linkage. Nonolefin C-C bonded 2D truxene-based covalent organic frameworks (Tru-COFs) were constructed by polymerization of 1,3,5-triindanonebenzene (TDB). The structure formation was confirmed by wide-angle X-ray scattering, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and solid-state 13 C CP/MAS NMR. The results showed that the Tru-COFs were porous (645 m 2 /g) and chemically stable. Benzyl methylene in conjugated Tru-COFs more effectively produced photoinduced radicals than the model truxene compound. Due to the radical photoresponsiveness, Tru-COFs were efficient catalysts for photocatalytic oxidation of sulfides. We expect that this will provide a new synthetic methodology to obtain C-C bonded functional 2D COFs., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests., (Copyright © 2021 Qingsong Zhang et al.)

Inorganic cesium lead halide perovskites offer a pathway towards thermally stable photovoltaics. However, moisture-induced phase degradation restricts the application of hole transport layers (HTLs) with hygroscopic dopants. Dopant-free HTLs fail to realize efficient photovoltaics due to severe electrical loss. Herein, we developed an electrical loss management strategy by manipulating poly(3-hexylthiophene) with a small molecule, i.e., SMe-TATPyr. The developed P3HT/SMe-TATPyr HTL shows a three-time increase of carrier mobility owing to breaking the long-range ordering of "edge-on" P3HT and inducing the formation of "face-on" clusters, over 50 % decrease of the perovskite surface defect density, and a reduced voltage loss at the perovskite/HTL interface because of favorable energy level alignment. The CsPbI 2 Br perovskite solar cell demonstrates a record-high efficiency of 16.93 % for dopant-free HTL, and superior moisture and thermal stability by maintaining 96 % efficiency at low-humidity condition (10-25 % R. H.) for 1500 hours and over 95 % efficiency after annealing at 85 °C for 1000 hours., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Begomoviruses cause substantial losses to agricultural production, especially in tropical and subtropical regions, and are exclusively transmitted by members of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci species complex. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the transmission of begomoviruses by their whitefly vector are not clear. In this study, we found that B. tabaci vesicle-associated membrane protein 2 (BtVAMP2) interacts with the coat protein (CP) of tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), an emergent begomovirus that seriously impacts tomato production globally. After infection with TYLCV, the transcription of BtVAMP2 was increased. When the BtVAMP2 protein was blocked by feeding with a specific BtVAMP2 antibody, the quantity of TYLCV in B. tabaci whole body was significantly reduced. BtVAMP2 was found to be conserved among the B. tabaci species complex and also interacts with the CP of Sri Lankan cassava mosaic virus (SLCMV). When feeding with BtVAMP2 antibody, the acquisition quantity of SLCMV in whitefly whole body was also decreased significantly. Overall, our results demonstrate that BtVAMP2 interacts with the CP of begomoviruses and promotes their acquisition by whitefly., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

A simple and general method is presented herein for the in situ preparations of circularly polarized luminescence (CPL)-active microcrystals with a large luminescence dissymmetry factor g lum , high fluorescence quantum efficiency (Φ FL ), wide emission color tenability, and well-ordered morphology. The reactions of pyridine-containing achiral molecules 1-7 with chiral camphor sulfonic acid ((±)-CSA) gave crystalline microplates formed by hydrogen bonding interactions between the protonated pyridinium units and the sulfonic anions. The chiral information of CSA are effectively transferred to the microcrystals by hydrogen bonding to afford full-color CPL from deep-blue to red with g lum in the order of 10 -2 and Φ FL up to 80 %. Moreover, organic microcrystals with high-performance white CPL (Φ FL =46 %; |g lum |=0.025) are achieved via the light-harvesting energy transfer between blue and yellow emitters., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

A Kagome structure covalent organic framework (COF) film with three-state NIR electrochromic properties was designed and synthesized. The COF TPDA-PDA film is composed of hexagonal nanosheets with high crystallinity and has three reversible color states at different applied potentials. It has high absorption spectra changes in the NIR region, ascribed to the strong intervalence charge transfer (IVCT) interaction of the Class III mixed-valence systems of the conjugated triphenylamine species. The film showed sub-second response time (1.3 s for coloring and 0.7 s for bleaching at 1050 nm) and long retention time in the NIR region. COF TPDA-PDA film shows superior NIR electrochromic properties in term of response time and stability, attributed to the highly ordered porous structure and the π-π stacking structure of the COF TPDA-PDA architecture. The COF TPDA-PDA film was applied in mimicking a flip-flop logic gate with optical memory function., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

A cationic carbazole-bridged biscyclometalated diplatinum complex 4 has been synthesized and characterized. Single-crystal X-ray analysis demonstrates that complex 4 displays a dimeric structure with noncovalent π-π stacking and unique double Pt-Pt interactions. In aerated dilute CH 3 CN, complex 4 is characterized by a very weak monomeric yellow emission (λ emi = 547 nm; Φ = 0.51%), which is attributed to the triplet intraligand ( 3 LC) excited state mixing with some charge transfer characters. In contrast, under aerated conditions, the dispersion of 4 in a mixed solvent of CH 3 CN/Et 2 O (1/9, v/v) or CH 3 CN/H 2 O (1/9, v/v) displays intense yellow (λ emi = 550 nm; Φ = 35.5%; τ = 11.10 μs) and red emission (λ emi = 635 nm; Φ = 14.1%; τ = 7.00 μs), respectively. These aggregation-induced phosphorescent emission enhancements are considered being caused by the oxygen-shielding effect and the molecular rigidification-induced decrease of nonradiative decays in the aggregate state. The morphology and size of the aggregates under these two conditions are examined by scanning electron microscope and dynamic light scattering analysis. The absorption and emission properties of 4 are further rationalized by time-dependent density functional theory calculations on a model compound.

Three cyclometalated diruthenium complexes bridged by 3,3',5,5'-tetrakis(benzimidazol-2-yl)biphenyl (H-tbibp) and capped with different terminal ligands have been synthesized and examined. In addition, two monoruthenium complexes with H-tbibp have been prepared for the purpose of comparison studies. The degree of Ru-Ru electronic coupling of these diruthenium complexes has been investigated by electrochemical and intervalence charge-transfer (IVCT) analyses. These results suggest that when the same or similar terminal ligands are used, the strength of H-tbibp in mediating the Ru-Ru coupling is enhanced with respect to that of the previously reported bridging ligand 3,3',5,5'-tetrakis(N-methylbenzimidazol-2-yl)biphenyl, but it is slightly inferior to that of the classical bridging ligand 3,3',5,5'-tetrakis(pyrid-2-yl)biphenyl. This trend is also supported by CNS analyses based on the hole-superexchange mechanism. In addition, DFT calculations have been performed to probe the spin density distributions of the singly-oxidized diruthenium complexes with H-tbibp and TDDFT calculations are used to reproduce the IVCT transitions.

The complete mitochondrial genome was determined for the whitefly Aleyrodes shizuokensis (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), the first record from Chinese mainland. The mitochondrial genome is 16,687 bp in length and contains 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNAs, and two ribosomal RNAs. The overall base composition is 33.8% A, 47.0% T, 12.2% G, and 7.0% C. All PCGs start with ATN codon. COX1 ends with a T, and the other 12 PCGs use TAA or TAG as the stop codon. Gene arrangement of the 13 PCGs is identical to that of the giant whitefly Aleurodicus dugesii and greenhouse whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum . The resultant Bayesian inference and maximum-likelihood trees based on the sequence data of 13 PCGs support its close relationship with sugarcane whitefly Neomaskellia andropogonis ., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s)., (© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.)

Information encryption and decryption have attracted particular attention; however, the applications are frequently restricted by limited coding capacity due to the indistinguishable broad photoluminescence band of conventional stimuli-responsive fluorescent materials. Here, we present a concept of confidential information encryption with photoresponsive liquid crystal (LC) lasing materials, which were used to fabricate ordered microlaser arrays through a microtemplate-assisted inkjet printing method. LC microlasers exhibit narrow-bandwidth single-mode emissions, and the wavelength of LC microlasers was reversibly modulated based on the optical isomerization of the chiral dopant in LCs. On this basis, we demonstrate phototunable information authentication on LC microlaser arrays using the wavelength of LC microlasers as primary codes. These results provide enlightenment for the implementation of microlaser-based cryptographic primitives for information encryption and anticounterfeiting applications., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this article., (Copyright © 2020 Fa-Feng Xu et al.)

Molecular packing has an important effect on the photophysical properties of crystalline materials. We demonstrate in this work the modulation of molecular packing and emission properties of microcrystals by minor molecular structural variations. Four platinum β-diketonate complexes, with two fluoro substituents ( 1 ) or one fluoro atom substituted on different positions of the auxiliary phenylpyridine ligand ( 2 - 4 ) have been synthesized. These complexes were used to prepare one-dimensional microcrystals with well-defined shapes and uniform sizes. Although 1 - 4 display similar emission spectra in the solution state, the corresponding microcrystals display different emission colors from green to yellow and orange. In addition, different temperature-responsive (80-298 K) emission spectral changes have been observed from these microcrystals, including the intensity variation of the locally excited (LE) emission without obvious wavelength shifts, competition between the LE and metal-metal-to-ligand charge-transfer emissions, and the sole wavelength shift of the π-π excimer emissions. These differences in emission properties are rationalized by different molecular packings of these materials, as revealed by single-crystal X-ray analyses.