A series of highly efficient deep red to near-infrared (NIR) emissive organic crystals 1-3 based on the structurally simple 2'-hydroxychalcone derivatives were synthesized through a simple one-step condensation reaction. Crystal 1 displays the highest quantum yield (Φf) of 0.32 among the reported organic single crystals with an emission maximum (λem) over 710 nm. Comparison between the bright emissive crystals 1-3 and the nearly nonluminous compounds 4-7 clearly gives evidence that a subtle structure modification can arouse great property changes, which is instructive in designing new high-efficiency organic luminescent materials. Notably, crystals 1-3 exhibit amplified spontaneous emissions (ASE) with extremely low thresholds. Thus, organic deep red to NIR emissive crystals with very high Φf have been obtained and are found to display the first example of NIR fluorescent crystal ASE.

This work explores the use of a polymer of intrinsic microporosity (PIM-1) as the active layer within a laser sensor to detect nitroaromatic-based explosive vapors. We show successful detection of dinitrobenzene (DNB) by monitoring the real-time photoluminescence. We also show that PIM-1 has an inherent memory, so that it accumulates the analyte during exposure. In addition, the optical gain and refractive index of the polymer were studied by amplified spontaneous emission and variable-angle ellipsometry, respectively. A second-order distributed feedback PIM-1 laser sensor was fabricated and found to show an increase in laser threshold of 2.5 times and a reduction of the laser slope efficiency by 4.4 times after a 5-min exposure to the DNB vapor. For pumping at 2 times threshold, the lasing action was stopped within 30 s indicating that PIM-1 has a very fast responsivity and as such has a potential sensing ability for ultra-low-concentration explosives.

The hydrochloric acid–acetone-ultrasonication method provides a much faster and more accurate measurement of epoxide values than the corresponding standing method.

Neutral fluorescent markers containing nitrogen heterocycles as targeting groups were designed and prepared to screen out structural units for targeting mitochondria.

Background Colorectal cancer is an important death‐related disease in the worldwide. However, specific colon cancer tumor markers currently used for diagnosis and treatment are few. The purpose of this study is to screen the potential colon cancer markers by bioinformatics and verify the results with experiments. Methods Gene expression data were downloaded from two different databases: TCGA database and GEO datasets, which were then analyzed by two different methods (difference analysis and WGCNA method). Venn and PPI analysis obtained the potential core genes, which were then performed the GO enrichment and KEGG pathway analysis. Expressions levels of NKD1 in colon carcinoma tissues were further confirmed by immunohistochemical staining and western blot assays. Moreover, the function was measured by MTT, clone formation, and tumor transplantation experiments. Importantly, co‐immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence, and protein stability assays were further performed to explore the underlying mechanism of NKD1 promoting cell proliferation. Results Nine potential core genes highly expressed in colon cancer samples were screened out by bioinformatics analysis. NKD1, one of the hub genes, highly expressed in the colon carcinoma tissues could enhance the proliferation of colon cancer cells. Mechanism research demonstrated that NKD1 was essential for the combination between Wnt signalosome (DVL) and β‐catenin, and that NKD1 knockout remarkably decreased the β‐catenin expression. Immunofluorescence assays further implied that NKD1 knockout significantly inhibited β‐catenin nuclear accumulation. Importantly, the stability of β‐catenin proteins was maintained by NKD1 in the colon cancer cells. Conclusion We believe that NKD1 well expressed in the colorectal carcinoma tissues can enhance the proliferation of colon cancer cells. Furthermore, the functions that NKD1 may have in colon cancer cells should be different from that NKD1 has played in the zebrafish. Thus, NKD1 could be a specific colorectal cancer marker.