Two-dimensional transitional metal halides have recently attracted significant attention due to their thickness-dependent and electrostatically tunable magnetic properties. However, this class of materials is highly reactive chemically, which leads to irreversible degradation and catastrophic dissolution within seconds in ambient conditions, severely limiting subsequent characterization, processing, and applications. Here, we impart long-term ambient stability to the prototypical transition metal halide CrI3 by assembling a noncovalent organic buffer layer, perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA), which templates subsequent atomic layer deposition (ALD) of alumina. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy demonstrates the necessity of the noncovalent organic buffer layer since the CrI3 undergoes deleterious surface reactions with the ALD precursors in the absence of PTCDA. This organic-inorganic encapsulation scheme preserves the long-range magnetic ordering in CrI3 down to the monolayer limit as confirmed by magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements. Furthermore, we demonstrate field-effect transistors, photodetectors, and optothermal measurements of CrI3 thermal conductivity in ambient conditions.GABA type A receptors (GABAARs) belong to the pentameric ligand-gated ion channel (pLGIC) family and play a crucial role in mediating inhibition in the adult mammalian brain. Recently, a major progress in determining the static structure of GABAARs was achieved, although precise molecular scenarios underlying conformational transitions remain unclear. The ligand binding sites (LBSs) are located at the extracellular domain (ECD), very distant from the receptor gate at the channel pore.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/MG132.html  GABAAR gating is complex, comprising three major categories of transitions openings/closings, preactivation, and desensitization. Interestingly, mutations at, e.g., the ligand binding site affect not only binding but often also more than one gating category, suggesting that structural determinants for distinct conformational transitions are shared. Gielen and co-workers (2015) proposed that the GABAAR desensitization gate is located at the second and third transmembrane segment. However, studies of our and others' groups indicated that other parts of the GABAAR macromolecule might be involved in this process. In the present study, we asked how selected point mutations (β2G254V, α1G258V, α1L300V, and β2L296V) at the M2 and M3 transmembrane segments affect gating transitions of the α1β2γ2 GABAAR. Using high resolution macroscopic and single-channel recordings and analysis, we report that these substitutions, besides affecting desensitization, also profoundly altered openings/closings, having some minor effect on preactivation and agonist binding. Thus, the M2 and M3 segments primarily control late gating transitions of the receptor (desensitization, opening/closing), providing a further support for the concept of diffuse gating mechanisms for conformational transitions of GABAAR.The lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery with a high theoretical energy density (2560 Wh kg-1) is one of the most promising candidates in next-generation energy storage systems. However, its practical application is impeded by the shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides, huge volume expansion, and overgrowth dendrite of lithium. Herein, we propose an artificial conformal agar polymer coating on a lithium anode (marked as A-Li). The functional layer facilitating the formation of a compact interphase on the lithium anode can effectively accommodate expansive volume and restrain the growth of dendritic lithium. The Li/Li symmetric cell with A-Li delivers stable plating/stripping cycling over 300 h at a high current density of 3.0 mA cm-2 and a high fixed areal capacity of 3.0 mAh cm-2. The cycle life of Li-Cu cells with A-Li is twice longer than that of pristine cells, and the Li-S batteries equipped with A-Li anodes also deliver an enhanced specific capacity and high Coulombic efficiencies. This work provides a pathway to protect metal Li anodes and contributes to the development of high-performance Li-S batteries.Energy crisis and global climate change have driven an increased effort toward biofuel synthesis from renewable feedstocks. Herein, purple nonsulfur photosynthetic bacterium (PNSB) of Rhodobacter capsulatus was explored as a platform for high-titer production of a terpene-based advanced biofuel-bisabolene. A multilevel engineering strategy such as promoter screening, improving the NADPH availability, strengthening the precursor supply, suppressing the side pathways, and introducing a heterologous mevalonate pathway, was used to improve the bisabolene titer in R. capsulatus. The above strategies enabled a 35-fold higher titer of bisabolene than that of the starting strain, reaching 1089.7 mg/L from glucose in a shake flask. The engineered strain produced 9.8 g/L bisabolene with a yield of >0.196 g/g-glucose under the two-phase fed-batch fermentation, which corresponds to >78% of theoretical maximum. Taken together, our work represents one of the pioneering studies to demonstrate PNSB as a promising platform for terpene-based advanced biofuel production.OZ439 is a potent synthetic ozonide evaluated for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria. The metabolite profile of OZ439 was characterized in vitro using human liver microsomes combined with LC/MS-MS, chemical derivatization, and metabolite synthesis. The primary biotransformations were monohydroxylation at the three distal carbon atoms of the spiroadamantane substructure, with minor contributions from N-oxidation of the morpholine nitrogen and deethylation cleavage of the morpholine ring. Secondary transformations resulted in the formation of dihydroxylation metabolites and metabolites containing both monohydroxylation and morpholine N-oxidation. With the exception of two minor metabolites, none of the other metabolites had appreciable antimalarial activity. Reaction phenotyping indicated that CYP3A4 is the enzyme responsible for the metabolism of OZ439, and it was found to inhibit CYP3A via both direct and mechanism-based inhibition. Elucidation of the metabolic pathways and kinetics will assist with efforts to predict potential metabolic drug-drug interactions and support physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling.