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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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Discrete Open-Shell Tris(bipyridinium radical cationic) Inclusion Complexes in the Solid State

In the solid state the properties of organic radicals depend heavily on radical-radical interactions that are influenced by the superstructure of the crystalline phase. Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of a substituted tetracationic cyclophane, cyclobis(paraquat-p-1,4- dimethoxyphenylene), and outline how its bisradical dicationic redox state associates with the methyl viologen radical cation (MV •+ ) to give a trisradical tricationic inclusion complex. The (super)structures of the reduced cyclophane and this 1:1 complex in the solid-state deviate from the analogous (super)structures observed for the reduced state of cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene) and that of its trisradical tricationic complex. Titration experiments with a range of guests reveal that the methoxy substituents on the para-xylenyl do not influence significantly of the binding affinity of the cyclophane for small neutral guests, whereas the affinity decreases by an order of magnitude for larger radical cationic guests such as MV •+ . X-Ray diffraction reveals that the solid- state structures of the tricationic trisradical complexes to be a discrete entity with weak intermolecular orbital overlap between the neighboring complexes. Transient nutation EPR experiment and DFT calculations confirm that the complex has a doublet spin configuration in the ground state as a result of the strong orbital overlap within the complex, while the quartet-state spin configuration is higher in energy and so is inaccessible at ambient temperature. The superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) measurement reveals that trisradical tricationic complexes interact antiferromagnetically (J/k = - 2.33 K) and form a 1D Heisenberg antiferromagnetic chain along the a-axis in the crystal. Furthermore, these results offer new insights into the design and synthesis of organic magnetic materials based on host-guest inclusion complexes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Neurons die with heightened but functional macro- and chaperone mediated autophagy upon increased amyloid-ß induced toxicity with region-specific protection in prolonged intermittent fasting

Highlights: • Macroautophagy (MA) is strongly engaged upon APP overexpression and remains high over time. • APP colocalization with macroautophagy components remains increased until late, promoting continuous recruitment to the autophagy machinery. • Robust chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) engagement is observed in late APP overexpression. • Macroautophagic flux during APP overexpression is preserved, even at late time points, suggesting functional autophagy in the face of apoptosis onset. • Macroautophagy impairment increases markers of amyloidogenesis and further exacerbates the onset of apoptotic cell death. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative condition with significant socio-economic impact that is exacerbated by the rapid increase in population aging, particularly impacting already burdened health care systems of poorly resourced countries. Accumulation of the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide, generated through amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing, manifesting in senile plaques, is a well-established neuropathological feature. Aβ plays a key role in driving synaptic dysfunction, neuronal cell loss, glial cell activation and oxidative stress associated with the pathogenesis of AD. Thus, the enhanced clearance of Aβ peptide though modulation of the mechanisms that regulate intracellular Aβ metabolism and clearance during AD progression have received major attention. Autophagy, a lysosome-based major proteolytic pathway, plays a crucial role in intracellular protein quality control and has been shown to contribute to the clearance of Aβ peptide. However, to what extent autophagy activity remains upregulated and functional in the process of increasing Aβ neurotoxicity is largely unclear. Here, we investigated the extent of neuronal toxicity in vitro by characterising autophagic flux, the expression profile of key amyloidogenic proteins, and proteins associated with prominent subtypes of the autophagy pathway to dissect the interplay between the engagement of proteolytic pathways and cell death onset in the context of APP overexpression. Moreover, we assessed the neuroprotective effects of a caloric restriction regime in vivo on the modulation of autophagy in specific brain regions. Our results reveal that autophagy is upregulated in the presence of high levels of APP and Aβ and remains heightened and functional despite concomitant apoptosis induction, suggestive of a mismatch between autophagy cargo generation and clearance capacity. These findings were confirmed when implementing a prolonged intermittent fasting (IF) intervention in a model of paraquat-induced neuronal toxicity, where markers of autophagic activity were increased, while apoptosis onset and lipid peroxidation were robustly decreased in brain regions associated with neurodegeneration. This work highlights that especially caloric restriction mimetics and controlled prolonged IF may indeed be a highly promising therapeutic strategy at all stages of AD-associated pathology progression, for a cell-inherent and cell specific augmentation of Aβ clearance through the powerful engagement of autophagy and thereby robustly contributing to neuronal protection.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Electrochemical Switching of a Fluorescent Molecular Rotor Embedded within a Bistable Rotaxane

We report how the nanoconfined environment, introduced by the mechanical bonds within an electrochemically switchable bistable [2]rotaxane, controls the rotation of a fluorescent molecular rotor, namely, an 8-phenyl-substituted boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY). The electrochemical switching of the bistable [2]rotaxane induces changes in the ground-state coconformation and in the corresponding excited-state properties of the BODIPY rotor. In the starting redox state, when no external potential is applied, the cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene) (CBPQT4+) ring component encircles the tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) unit on the dumbbell component, leaving the BODIPY rotor unhindered and exhibiting low fluorescence. Upon oxidation of the TTF unit to a TTF2+ dication, the CBPQT4+ ring is forced toward the molecular rotor, leading to an increased energy barrier for the excited state to rotate the rotor into the state with a high nonradiative rate constant, resulting in an overall 3.4-fold fluorescence enhancement. On the other hand, when the solvent polarity is high enough to stabilize the excited charge-transfer state between the BODIPY rotor and the CBPQT4+ ring, movement of the ring toward the BODIPY rotor produces an unexpectedly strong fluorescence signal decrease as the result of photoinduced electron transfer from the BODIPY rotor to the CBPQT4+ ring. The nanoconfinement effect introduced by mechanical bonding can effectively lead to modulation of the physicochemical properties as observed in this bistable [2]rotaxane. On account of the straightforward synthetic strategy and the facile modulation of switchable electrochromic behavior, our approach could pave the way for the development of new stimuli-responsive materials based on mechanically interlocked molecules for future electro-optical applications, such as sensors, molecular memories, and molecular logic gates.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

A Donor–Acceptor [2]Catenane for Visible Light Photocatalysis

Colored charge-transfer complexes can be formed by the association between electron-rich donor and electron-deficient acceptor molecules, bringing about the narrowing of HOMO–LUMO energy gaps so that they become capable of harnessing visible light. In an effort to facilitate the use of these widespread, but nonetheless weak, interactions for visible light photocatalysis, it is important to render the interactions strong and robust. Furthermore, we employ a well-known donor–acceptor [2]catenane—formed by the mechanical interlocking of cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene) and 1,5-dinaphtho[38]crown-10—in which the charge-transfer interactions between two 4,4'-bipyridinium and two 1,5-dioxynaphthalene units are enhanced by mechanical bonding, leading to increased absorption of visible light, even at low concentrations in solution. As a result, since this [2]catenane can generate persistent bipyridinium radical cations under continuous visible-light irradiation without the need for additional photosensitizers, it can display good catalytic activity in both photo-reductions and -oxidations, as demonstrated by hydrogen production—in the presence of platinum nanoparticles—and aerobic oxidation of organic sulfides, such as l-methionine, respectively. This research, which highlights the usefulness of nanoconfinement present in mechanically interlocked molecules for the reinforcement of weak interactions, can not only expand the potential of charge-transfer interactions in solar energy conversion and synthetic photocatalysis but also open up new possibilities for the development of active artificial molecular shuttles, switches, and machines.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Transcriptomic data sets examining several stress responses in Zymomonas mobilis strains

We used RNA-seq to compare gene expression from Zymomonas mobilis ZM4 grown under various conditions: aerobic ± paraquat, anaerobic ± hydrogen peroxide, or an iron chelator. We analyzed two mutant strains lacking predicted transcription factors (ZMO_0442 and ZMO_1411) grown under aerobic or anaerobic conditions. We report the RNA-seq data from these experiments.

Bacterial Stress Response↗

Zymomonas mobilis oxidative stress transcriptomics

Zymomonas mobilis is an important bioenergy organism that has potential to produce biofuels, including ethanol, in high volumes. Here we examined the response of Zymomonas mobilis to various oxidative stresses using genome-scale transcriptomics data. We first examined the transcrpit abundance in WT aerobic growth compared to aerobic grown in paraquat, which forms superoxide. Under anaerobic growth conditions we compared WT Zymomonas mobilis with strains grown in media lacking iron as well as strains lacking iron that were treated with the iron chelator DIP before collection. Finally we examined transcript abundance in cells lacking ZMO_0422 (Rrf2 family transcription factor homolog) and ZMO_1411 (Fur homolog) grown under anaerobic conditions. Overall design: Transcriptomic analysis of WT, a deletion of ZMO_0422, and a deletion of ZMO_1411 in Zymomonas mobilis ZM4 under aerobic and anaerobic growth conditions along with various oxidative stresses: Paraquate addition, No Iron, and hydrogen peroxide addition.

aerobic↗