Structurally Defined αMHC‐II Nanobody–Drug Conjugates: A Therapeutic and Imaging System for B‐Cell Lymphoma

Antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) of defined structure hold great promise for cancer therapies, but further advances are constrained by the complex structures of full‐sized antibodies. Camelid‐derived single‐domain antibody fragments (VHHs or nanobodies) offer a possible solution to this challenge by providing expedited target screening and validation through switching between imaging and therapeutic activities. We used a nanobody (VHH7) specific for murine MHC‐II and rendered “sortase‐ready” for the introduction of oligoglycine‐modified cytotoxic payloads or NIR fluorophores. The VHH7 conjugates outcompeted commercial monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for internalization and exhibited high specificity and cytotoxicity against A20 murine B‐cell lymphoma. Non‐invasive NIR imaging with a VHH7–fluorophore conjugate showed rapid tumor targeting on both localized and metastatic lymphoma models. Subsequent treatment with the nanobody–drug conjugate efficiently controlled tumor growth and metastasis without obvious systemic toxicity.     

Direct Observation of Ordered High‐Spin–Low‐Spin Intermediate States of an Iron(III) Three‐Step Spin‐Crossover Complex

A neutral mononuclear Fe^III complex [Fe^III(H‐5‐Br‐thsa‐Me)(5‐Br‐thsa‐Me)]?H₂O ( 1 ; H₂‐5‐Br‐thsa‐Me=5‐bromosalicylaldehyde methylthiosemicarbazone) was prepared that exhibited a three‐step spin‐crossover (SCO) with symmetry breaking and a 14 K hysteresis loop owing to strong cooperativity. Two ordered intermediate states of 1 were observed, 4HS–2LS and 2HS–4LS, which exhibited reentrant phase‐transition behavior. This study provides a new platform for examining multistability in SCO complexes.     

Synthesis of Highly Uniform Molybdenum–Glycerate Spheres and Their Conversion into Hierarchical MoS2 Hollow Nanospheres for Lithium‐Ion Batteries

Highly uniform Mo–glycerate solid spheres are synthesized for the first time through a solvothermal process. The size of these Mo–glycerate spheres can be easily controlled in the range of 400–1000 nm by varying the water content in the mixed solvent. As a precursor, these Mo–glycerate solid spheres can be converted into hierarchical MoS₂ hollow nanospheres through a subsequent sulfidation reaction. Owing to the unique ultrathin subunits and hollow interior, the as‐prepared MoS₂ hollow nanospheres exhibit appealing performance as the anode material for lithium‐ion batteries. Impressively, these hierarchical structures deliver a high capacity of about 1100 mAh g^?1 at 0.5 A g^?1 with good rate retention and long cycle life.     

Nickel‐Catalyzed Decarbonylative Borylation of Amides: Evidence for Acyl C−N Bond Activation

A nickel/N‐heterocyclic carbene catalytic system has been established for decarbonylative borylation of amides with B₂nep₂ by C?N bond activation. This transformation shows good functional‐group compatibility and can serve as a powerful synthetic tool for late‐stage borylation of amide groups in complex compounds. More importantly, as a key intermediate, the structure of an acyl nickel complex was first confirmed by X‐ray analysis. Furthermore, the decarbonylative process was also observed. These findings confirm the key mechanistic features of the acyl C?N bond activation process.     

Unusual Formation of CoSe@carbon Nanoboxes,which have an Inhomogeneous Shell,for Efficient Lithium Storage

Hybrid hollow nanostructures with tailored shell architectures are attractive for electrochemical energy storage applications. Starting with metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), we demonstrate a facile formation of hybrid nanoboxes with complex shell architecture where a CoSe‐enriched inner shell is intimately confined within a carbon‐enriched outer shell (denoted as CoSe@carbon nanoboxes). The synthesis is realized through manipulation of the template‐engaged reaction between Co‐based zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF‐67) nanocubes and Se powder at elevated temperatures. By virtue of the structural and compositional features, these unique CoSe@carbon nanoboxes manifest excellent lithium‐storage performance in terms of high specific capacity, exceptional rate capability, excellent cycling stability, and high initial Coulombic efficiency.     

Size Fractionation of Two‐Dimensional Sub‐Nanometer Thin Manganese Dioxide Crystals towards Superior Urea Electrocatalytic Conversion

A universal technique has been proposed to sort two‐dimensional (2D) sub‐nanometer thin crystals (manganese dioxide MnO₂ and molybdenum disulfide MoS₂) according to their lateral dimensions. This technique is based on tuning the zeta potential of their aqueous dispersions which induces the selective sedimentation of large‐sized 2D crystals and leaves the small‐sized counterparts in suspension. The electrocatalytic properties of as‐obtained 2D ultrathin crystals are strongly dependent on their lateral size. As a proof‐of‐concept study, the small‐sized MnO₂ nanocrystals were tested as the electrocatalysts for the urea‐oxidation reaction (UOR), which showed outstanding performance in both half reaction and full electrolytic cell. A mechanism study reveals the enhanced performance is associated with the remarkable structural properties of MnO₂ including ultrathin (ca. 0.95 nm), laterally small‐sized (50–200 nm), and highly exposed active centers.     

A directed topic model applied to call center improvement

We propose subject matter expert refined topic (SMERT) allocation, a generative probabilistic model applicable to clustering freestyle text. SMERT models are three‐level hierarchical Bayesian models in which each item is modeled as a finite mixture over a set of topics. In addition to discrete data inputs, we introduce binomial inputs. These ‘high‐level’ data inputs permit the ‘boosting’ or affirming of terms in the topic definitions and the ‘zapping’ of other terms. We also present a collapsed Gibbs sampler for efficient estimation. The methods are illustrated using real world data from a call center. Also, we compare SMERT with three alternative approaches and two criteria. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.