Anti-fibrosis attributes: UHPLC-MS/MS-based pharmacokinetics profiling of a novel autotaxin inhibitor with excellent in vivo efficacy in rat

3,4-Difluorobenzyl(1-ethyl-5-(4-((4-hydroxypiperidin-1-yl)-methyl)thiazol-2-yl)-1H-indol-3-yl)carbamate (NAI59), a small molecule with outstanding therapeutic effectiveness to anti-pulmonary fibrosis, was developed as an autotaxin inhibitor candidate compound. To evaluate the pharmacokinetics and plasma protein binding of NAI59, a UPLC–MS/MS method was developed to quantify NAI59 in plasma and phosphate-buffered saline. The calibration curve linearity ranged from 9.95 to 1990.00 ng/mL in plasma. The accuracy was −6.8 to 5.9%, and the intra- and inter-day precision was within 15%. The matrix effect and recovery, as well as dilution integrity, were within the criteria. The chromatographic and mass spectrometric conditions were also feasible to determine phosphate-buffered saline samples, and it has been proved that this method exhibits good precision and accuracy in the range of 9.95–497.50 ng/mL in phosphate-buffered saline. This study is the first to determine the pharmacokinetics, absolute bioavailability, and plasma protein binding of NAI59 in rats using this established method. Therefore, the pharmacokinetic profiles of NAI59 showed a dose-dependent relationship after oral administration, and the absolute bioavailability in rats was 6.3%. In addition, the results of protein binding showed that the combining capacity of NAI59 with plasma protein attained 90% and increased with the increase in drug concentration.     

Effects of Thieno[3,2-b]thiophene Number on Narrow-Bandgap Fused-Ring Electron Acceptors

Chinese Journal of Polymer Science - We synthesize and compare four near-infrared absorbing fused-ring electron acceptors named as nTTIC (n=2, 3, 4, and 5), based on different number of...     

Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Liquid Crystalline Epoxides with Lateral Substituent Showing Imposing Shape Memory Properties

In this work, a series of novel shape memory liquid crystalline (LC) epoxides with lateral substituent were prepared and characterized. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and shape memory testing were used to investigate on the thermo-mechanical properties and shape memory effects of prepared samples. The results showed that the modulus in the rubbery region (E_R ) decreased as the length of lateral alkyl group increases. And more than 95% of the deformation can be fixed as the sample was cooled down below the glass transition temperature (T_g), which was determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurement, and can be recovered completely as heating. Effects of the curing agent and substituent on the shape memory behavior were also studied. We found that LC epoxides cured by aromatic diamine have a higher recovery speed. The recovering speeds of the shape memory decreased as the length of lateral alkyl group inscreased. The local ordered structures and the lateral substituent played an important role in shape memory effects.     

Synthesis of Fluorescent Carbon Dots and Their Application in Ascorbic Acid Detection

Water-soluble fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) were synthesized by a hydrothermal method using citric acid as the carbon source and ethylenediamine as the nitrogen source. The repeated and scale-up synthetic experiments were carried out to explore the feasibility of macroscopic preparation of CDs. The CDs/Fe³⁺ composite was prepared by the interaction of the CDs solution and Fe³⁺ solution. The optical properties, pH dependence and stability behavior of CDs or the CDs/Fe³⁺ composite were studied by ultraviolet spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy. Following the principles of fluorescence quenching after the addition of Fe³⁺ and then the fluorescence recovery after the addition of asorbic acid, the fluorescence intensity of the carbon dots was measured at λex = 360 nm, λem = 460 nm. The content of ascorbic acid was calculated by quantitative analysis of the changing fluorescence intensity. The CDs/Fe³⁺ composite was applied to the determination of different active molecules, and it was found that the composite had specific recognition of ascorbic acid and showed an excellent linear relationship in 5.0–350.0 μmol·L⁻¹. Moreover, the detection limit was 3.11 μmol·L⁻¹. Satisfactory results were achieved when the method was applied to the ascorbic acid determination in jujube fruit. The fluorescent carbon dots composites prepared in this study may have broad application prospects in a rapid, sensitive and trace determination of ascorbic acid content during food processing.     

Construction of Shallow Surface States through Light Ni Doping for High‐Efficiency Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production of CdS Nanocrystals

Ni‐doped CdS nanowires were synthesized by a simple one‐step method. X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy confirmed that light Ni doping can form shallow surface states due to the presence of substitutional Ni ions, and heavy Ni doping can form deep surface states due to the presence of interstitial Ni ions. Surface photovoltage spectroscopy and transient photovoltage measurements revealed that the shallow surface states can prolong the lifetime of the photogenerated charge carriers, whereas the deep surface states lead to recombination of the photogenerated charge carriers. The relationship between different surface states and the photocatalytic performance of CdS nanocrystals are discussed. The enhanced density of shallow surface states due to light Ni doping significantly promotes photocatalytic H₂ production.     

Chiral Metal–Organic Frameworks Bearing Free Carboxylic Acids for Organocatalyst Encapsulation

Two chiral carboxylic acid functionalized micro‐ and mesoporous metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are constructed by the stepwise assembly of triple‐stranded heptametallic helicates with six carboxylic acid groups. The mesoporous MOF with permanent porosity functions as a host for encapsulation of an enantiopure organic amine catalyst by combining carboxylic acids and chiral amines in situ through acid–base interactions. The organocatalyst‐loaded framework is shown to be an efficient and recyclable heterogeneous catalyst for the asymmetric direct aldol reactions with significantly enhanced stereoselectivity in relative to the homogeneous organocatalyst.     

酸性金属氧化物对锰铈氧化物催化剂脱硝温度窗口的调控作用

利用溶胶-凝胶法,采用三种酸性金属氧化物（氧化铌、氧化钨和氧化钼）对锰铈复合氧化物催化剂进行了改性. 测试了催化剂的氮氧化物选择性催化还原（SCR）活性,以筛选对应不同温度窗口的合适酸性氧化物改性剂. 同时评价了催化剂的NO氧化和NH₃氧化活性. 利用X射线衍射、BET比表面积测试、H₂程序升温还原、NH₃/NO_x程序升温脱附和NH₃/NO_x吸附红外光谱等手段对催化剂进行了表征. MnO_x-CeO₂催化剂表现出良好的低温（100-150 ℃）活性. 酸性金属氧化物的添加削弱了催化剂的氧化还原特性,从而抑制了NH₃的活化和NO₂辅助的快速SCR反应. 与此同时,相对高温（250-350 ℃）区NH₃的氧化也受到了抑制,B酸和L酸上的NH₃吸附得以增强. 因此,催化剂的SCR脱硝温度窗口向高温移动,改性效果Nb₂O₅ < WO₃ < MoO₃.     

Natural Soft/Rigid Superlattices as Anodes for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries

Volume expansion and poor conductivity are two major obstacles that hinder the pursuit of the lithium-ion batteries with long cycling life and high power density. Herein, we highlight a misfit compound PbNbS₃ with a soft/rigid superlattice structure, confirmed by scanning tunneling microscopy and electrochemical characterization, as a promising anode material for high performance lithium-ion batteries with optimized capacity, stability, and conductivity. The soft PbS sublayers primarily react with lithium, endowing capacity and preventing decomposition of the superlattice structure, while the rigid NbS₂ sublayers support the skeleton and enhance the migration of electrons and lithium ions, as a result leading to a specific capacity of 710 mAh g⁻¹ at 100 mA g⁻¹, which is 1.6 times of NbS₂ and 3.9 times of PbS. Our finding reveals the competitive strategy of soft/rigid structure in lithium-ion batteries and broadens the horizons of single-phase anode material design.     

双飞秒激光频率梳光谱测量技术研究进展

双光梳光谱分析技术近年来凭借高分辨率、高灵敏度、宽光谱覆盖和快速测量的优势,在分子和原子光谱分析领域得到了快速发展。从双光梳光谱分析的原理出发,以使用泵浦光源数量为分类依据,对近年来国内外基于不同实现方案的多种双光梳光谱分析技术的原理进行了简要介绍,叙述了在不同数量泵浦光源条件下,不同实验小组提出的多种实验方案,介绍了他们进行的光谱实验结果。随着研究的不断深入,减少使用泵浦光源数量是双光梳光谱仪实现设备小型化的发展方向之一,增多光源则是从一维走向多维的重要发展思路,经典的双光源配置在测量精度和二维化方面起到了重要作用。     

Reciprocal supply chain with intention

The traditional hypothesis of “rationality” is far from perfect. Models of fairness solely based on consequence cannot explain why the same consequence of an action is perceived and reciprocated differently. A reciprocity model which accounts for both consequence and its underlying intention is presented in this paper to illustrate the effect of intention in a traditional dyadic channel where one supplier plays a Stackelberg-like game with one retailer. This research aims to investigate how reciprocity may affect the members’ decisions and the channel’s coordination. In this study, two scenarios are discussed: (1) the retailer has a preference for reciprocity while the supplier does not and (2) both the retailer and the supplier have a preference for reciprocity. Results for acrimonious supply chain (γμ>1$\gamma \mu >1$) and harmonious supply chain (γμ?1$\gamma \mu ?1$) are analyzed. Furthermore, we derive equilibria under the two scenarios and prove the existence and the uniqueness of the equilibria. The results show that intention plays an important role in decision making of the supply chain and will significantly change the equilibria. Moreover, an acrimonious supply chain can be coordinated with a simple wholesale-price contract under certain conditions, which can never happen in a traditional channel. A harmonious supply chain, however, cannot be coordinated in any way.