Recent advances in electrochemistry of pyridinium-based electrophores: A structronic approach

The context of molecular structronics (from “molecular structure” and “electronics”) is that of molecular-level electrochemical storage of energy of sustainable origin (wind, solar). Due to its discontinuous availability, storage of this energy is a key issue. The targeted type of storage relies on implementing “electron reservoirs” within the structronic molecules by electrochemically forming dedicated chemical bonds according to non-catalytic processes. Reservoir bonds are therefore integral parts of the molecular backbone of structronic assemblies. When filled, electron reservoirs manifest themselves in the form of elongated covalent bonds that are to be cleaved for electron releasing (discharging) on demand. The scope of this short review is limited to pyridinium electrophores as particularly suited building blocks for the development of structronics.     

The Inhibitory Effects of Plant Derivate Polyphenols on the Main Protease of SARS Coronavirus 2 and Their Structure–Activity Relationship

The main protease (M^pro) is a major protease having an important role in viral replication of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the novel coronavirus that caused the pandemic of 2020. Here, active M^pro was obtained as a 34.5 kDa protein by overexpression in E. coli BL21 (DE3). The optimal pH and temperature of M^pro were 7.5 and 37 °C, respectively. M^pro displayed a K_m value of 16 μM with Dabcyl-KTSAVLQ↓SGFRKME-Edans. Black garlic extract and 49 polyphenols were studied for their inhibitory effects on purified M^pro. The IC₅₀ values were 137 μg/mL for black garlic extract and 9–197 μM for 15 polyphenols. The mixtures of tannic acid with puerarin, daidzein, and/or myricetin enhanced the inhibitory effects on M^pro. The structure–activity relationship of these polyphenols revealed that the hydroxyl group in C3′, C4′, C5′ in the B-ring, C3 in the C-ring, C7 in A-ring, the double bond between C2 and C3 in the C-ring, and glycosylation at C8 in the A-ring contributed to inhibitory effects of flavonoids on M^pro.     

Tricyclic Pyrazole-Based Compounds as Useful Scaffolds for Cannabinoid CB1/CB2 Receptor Interaction

Cannabinoids comprise different classes of compounds, which aroused interest in recent years because of their several pharmacological properties. Such properties include analgesic activity, bodyweight reduction, the antiemetic effect, the reduction of intraocular pressure and many others, which appear correlated to the affinity of cannabinoids towards CB₁ and/or CB₂ receptors. Within the search aiming to identify novel chemical scaffolds for cannabinoid receptor interaction, the CB₁ antagonist/inverse agonist pyrazole-based derivative rimonabant has been modified, giving rise to several tricyclic pyrazole-based compounds, most of which endowed of high affinity and selectivity for CB₁ or CB₂ receptors. The aim of this review is to present the synthesis and summarize the SAR study of such tricyclic pyrazole-based compounds, evidencing, for some derivatives, their potential in the treatment of neuropathic pain, obesity or in the management of glaucoma.     

Studies of Coumarin Derivatives for Constitutive Androstane Receptor (CAR) Activation

Constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) activation has found to ameliorate diabetes in animal models. However, no CAR agonists are available clinically. Therefore, a safe and effective CAR activator would be an alternative option. In this study, sixty courmarin derivatives either synthesized or purified from Artemisia capillaris were screened for CAR activation activity. Chemical modifications were on position 5,6,7,8 with mono-, di-, tri-, or tetra-substitutions. Among all the compounds subjected for in vitro CAR activation screening, 6,7-diprenoxycoumarin was the most effective and was selected for further preclinical studies. Chemical modification on the 6 position and unsaturated chains were generally beneficial. Electron-withdrawn groups as well as long unsaturated chains were hazardous to the activity. Mechanism of action studies showed that CAR activation of 6,7-diprenoxycoumarin might be through the inhibition of EGFR signaling and upregulating PP2Ac methylation. To sum up, modification mimicking natural occurring coumarins shed light on CAR studies and the established screening system provides a rapid method for the discovery and development of CAR activators. In addition, one CAR activator, scoparone, did showed anti-diabetes effect in db/db mice without elevation of insulin levels.     

固态电解质中锂离子传输机理研究进展

固态电解质在室温下表现出非凡的离子导电性,使其有潜力应用于全固态锂离子电池。开发新的高性能固态电解质需要对锂离子传输机理及其规律进行深入研究。本文论述了近期研究中锂离子传输机理方面的研究进展,包括离子传输理论基础的概述;总结Li₁₀GeP₂S₁₂、Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂和Li_1+xAl_xTi_2-x(PO₄)₃固态电解质材料中晶体结构、离子传输和研究进展;阐述锂离子传输中结构特征、传输机理（单离子跳跃传输和多离子协同传输）以及构效关系;总结（反）Meyer-Neldel规则的关键问题和相关电解质材料。最后,展望了给出电解质材料的设计策略和未来机理研究的重点,为无机固态电解质材料的探索提供新的思路和方向。     

Total Synthesis and Bioactivity Mapping of Geodiamolide H

The first total synthesis of the actin-stabilizing marine natural product geodiamolide H was achieved. Solid-phase based peptide assembly paired with scalable stereoselective syntheses of polyketide building blocks and an optimized esterification set the stage for investigating the key ring-closing metathesis. Geodiamolide H and synthetic analogues were characterized for their toxicity and for antiproliferative effects in cellulo, by characterising actin polymerization induction in vitro, and by docking on the F-actin target and property computation in silico, for a better understanding of structure-activity relationships (SAR). A non-natural analogue of geodiamolide H was discovered to be most potent in the series, suggesting significant potential for tool compound design.     

The Roles of Composition and Mesostructure of Cobalt-Based Spinel Catalysts in Oxygen Evolution Reactions

By using the crystalline precursor decomposition approach and direct co-precipitation the composition and mesostructure of cobalt-based spinels can be controlled. A systematic substitution of cobalt with redox-active iron and redox-inactive magnesium and aluminum in a cobalt spinel with anisotropic particle morphology with a preferred 111 surface termination is presented, resulting in a substitution series including Co₃O₄, MgCo₂O₄, Co₂FeO₄, Co₂AlO₄ and CoFe₂O₄. The role of redox pairs in the spinels is investigated in chemical water oxidation by using ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN test), electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and H₂O₂ decomposition. Studying the effect of dominant surface termination, isotropic Co₃O₄ and CoFe₂O₄ catalysts with more or less spherical particles are compared to their anisotropic analogues. For CAN-test and OER, Co³⁺ plays the major role for high activity. In H₂O₂ decomposition, Co²⁺ reveals itself to be of major importance. Redox active cations in the structure enhance the catalytic activity in all reactions. A benefit of a predominant 111 surface termination depends on the cobalt oxidation state in the as-prepared catalysts and the investigated reaction.     

基于吡嗪空穴传输层的合成及在p-i-n型钙钛矿太阳能电池中的应用

钙钛矿太阳能电池由于具有高的光电转换效率,简单的溶液加工工艺,较低的成本等优势因而拥有广阔的应用前景。有机小分子空穴传输层材料在钙钛矿太阳能电池中扮演着极其重要的角色。在本工作中,我们设计和合成了基于吡嗪为分子中心核,三苯胺为分枝的X型空穴传输层材料PT-TPA。与Si-OMeTPA对比,吡嗪的引入不仅不会影响其结晶性,并且能够改善其电荷转移特性和分子中心共平面性,从而显著提升了PT-TPA的空穴迁移率。在非掺杂的情况之下,基于PT-TPA空穴传输层的p-i-n型钙钛矿太阳能电池展现出17.52%的光电转换效率,与相同条件下基于Si-OMeTPA空穴传输层的器件相比,效率提高了近15%。     

Estimation of martensite feature size in a low-carbon alloy steel by microtexture analysis of boundaries

A methodology for classifying the hierarchy of martensite boundaries from the EBSD microtexture data of low-carbon steel is presented. Quaternion algebra has been used to calculate the ideal misorientation between product α variants for Kurdjumov–Sachs (KS) and its nearby orientation relationships, and arrive at the misorientation angle-axis set corresponding to packet (12 types), block (3 types) and sub-block boundaries. Analysis of proximity of experimental misorientation between data points from the theoretical misorientation set is found to be useful for identifying the different types of martensite boundaries. The optimal OR in the alloy system and the critical deviation threshold for identification of martensite boundaries could both be ascertained by invoking the ‘Enhancement Factor’ concept. The prior-γ grain boundaries, packet, block and sub-block boundaries could be identified reasonably well, and their average intercept lengths in a typical tempered martensite microstructure of 9Cr–1Mo–0.1C steel was estimated as 31 μm, 14 μm, 9 μm and 4 μm respectively.     

A measure of mutual complete dependence in discrete variables through subcopula

Siburg and Stoimenov [12] gave a measure of mutual complete dependence of continuous variables which is different from Spearman's ρ and Kendall's τ. In this paper, a similar measure of mutual complete dependence is applied to discrete variables. Also two measures for functional relationships, which are not bijection, are investigated. For illustration of our main results, several examples are given.