Nature Communications最新文献

Boron/nitrogen (B/N)-doped multi-resonance thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) molecules have emerged as benchmark narrowband emitters for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). However, these emitters face persistent challenges in synthesis and optoelectronic performance, notably aggregation-induced spectral-broadening and inefficient reverse intersystem crossing (RISC). Here, we introduce a molecular design that incorporates a B-N-B covalent-bond into a multiple resonance (MR) framework, synergistically combining narrowband emission of para-positioned B/N with a helically distorted B-N-B configuration that enhances spin-orbit coupling and suppresses molecular aggregations. A lithium-free, stepwise nitrogen-directed borylation enables high-synthesis-yield ( > 80%) targeted emitters, affording deep-blue (452 nm) and greenish (495 nm) TADF emissions with full-width-at-half-maximum of merely 12-14 nm, near-unity photoluminescence quantum yields and accelerated RISC rates ( > 10⁵s^-1). Corresponding OLEDs simultaneously achieve high maximum external quantum efficiencies of 37.9-38.3%, narrow electroluminescence bandwidths of 15-17 nm and decent operational stabilities. This work establishes B-N-B integrated MR-TADF systems as a versatile platform toward high-performance organic optoelectronics.

Obesity arises from disrupted energy homeostasis, yet the neural mechanisms linking transcriptional regulation to energy expenditure remain unclear. Here, we identify plant homeodomain finger protein 6 (Phf6), a gene mutated in Börjeson-Forssman-Lehmann syndrome (BFLS), as a pivotal regulator of energy balance. Phf6 is enriched in a subset of estrogen receptor 1 (Esr1)-expressing neurons within the hypothalamic medial preoptic area (MPOA). Knockout of Phf6 in the MPOA leads to obesity in a sex-dependent manner by reducing physical activity and energy expenditure, independent of food intake. In female mice, ^MPOAPhf6 neurons respond to physical activity. Activation and inhibition of ^MPOAPhf6 neurons increases and decreases physical activity and energy expenditure, respectively. Phf6 sustains the intrinsic excitability of ^MPOAPhf6 neurons and their responsiveness to estrogen. Circuit mapping identified an ^MPOAPhf6-^VMHvlEsr1 pathway mediating Phf6's effect on metabolism. These findings reveal a neurobiological basis for BFLS-associated obesity and highlight potential therapeutic targets.

Reliance on a few staple crops makes global agriculture vulnerable to climate shocks, biodiversity loss and nutrition gaps. The Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS), a global initiative to build resilient food systems, addresses this imbalance by modernizing market orientation, breeding, and capacity for opportunity crops such as amaranth, Bambara groundnut, finger millet, okra, pigeon pea, sesame, and taro. We advocate for a business unusual approach characterized by market guided prioritization and long-term breeding strategy, led by grassroots science networks. VACS applies lessons from major crop programs to translate potential into scalable impact.

Mass extinctions in the early Palaeozoic have been attributed to global climate change and ocean anoxia with elevated phosphorus (P) proposed as a key driver. However, this hypothesis has lacked geochemical support due to the absence of proxies that can reconstruct changes in marine P availability. Focusing on the Late Ordovician Mass Extinction (LOME) and the Late Devonian Mass Extinction (LDME), we present carbonate-associated phosphate (CAP) data from seven globally distributed sections, providing a proxy record for seawater P variation across these events. Our data reveal short-lived, globally coherent P pulses that coincided with both events. These transient P surges align with biodiversity loss, widespread anoxia, and seawater temperature declines, suggesting a link between P flux, ocean anoxia, and global climate shifts, as supported by biogeochemical model results. These findings provide an empirical connection between brief marine P pulses and ecological crises during the LOME and LDME.

To advance toward commercial viability, sodium-ion batteries are required to operate under high cut-off voltages and low temperatures. This necessitates electrolyte designs that provide sufficient oxidative stability for high-voltage cycling while maintaining high ion mobility at low temperatures. Herein we design a non-flammable sulfonamide solvent molecule, N-ethyl-N-methyl-trifluoromethanesulfonamide, by introducing asymmetric alkyl substituents that create a geometric kink to hinder efficient crystal packing during cooling, leading to a low melting point (-86 °C). The resulting sulfonamide-based electrolyte exhibits weak ion-dipole interaction and favorable solvation structures enriched in contact ion pairs and aggregates, which promote the formation of highly stable and conductive interphases with both the positive and negative electrodes. Benefiting from these features, the sulfonamide-based electrolyte enables 1-Ah-level hard carbon||NaNi_1/3Fe_1/3Mn_1/3O₂ pouch cells to retain 69.8% and 42.3% of room-temperature capacity even at -60 °C and -70 °C, while achieving capacity retentions of 90.0% and 81.6% after 1500 and 1000 cycles at high upper cut-off voltages of 4.15 V and 4.2 V, respectively. The sulfonamide-based electrolyte also improves the high-temperature cycling stability and delays the onset and trigger of thermal runaway at the pouch-cell level. This work offers fundamental insights into solvent molecule and electrolyte design for advancing high-energy and wide-temperature sodium-ion batteries.

About two billion people are latently infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), which can reside in multiple organs, including the lymphatics. The risk of latent Mtb infection (LTBI) reactivation increases with immunosuppression, such as HIV coinfection, yet the immunological correlates that maintain LTBI remain largely elusive. Using a mouse model of contained lymphatic Mtb infection we dissect the drivers of containment versus reactivation. We show that immunosuppression-induced dissemination of lymphatic Mtb and ensuing progressive disease can be prevented by vaccination with BCG or recombinant BCG even in the absence of CD4⁺ T cells. Multi-parameter imaging, spatial transcriptomics and network analysis reveal that anti-CD4-mediated immunosuppression triggers distinct repositioning of non-CD4 immune cells at the edge of TB lesions in cervical lymph nodes. Although B cell numbers increase, they prove dispensable for Mtb containment during CD4⁺ T cell loss. Using immune cell-deficient mice, cell depletion and adoptive transfers, we reveal that CD8⁺ T cells mediate vaccination-induced prevention of Mtb dissemination in the absence of CD4⁺ T cells, informing LTBI management in immunocompromised individuals.

Two-dimensional materials are a fertile ground for exploring quantum geometric phenomena, with Berry curvature and its first moment, the Berry curvature dipole, playing a central role in their electronic response. These geometric properties influence electronic transport and result in the anomalous and nonlinear Hall effects, and are typically controlled using static electric fields or strain. However, the possibility of modulating quantum geometric quantities in real-time remains unexplored. Here, we demonstrate the dynamic modulation of Berry curvature and its moments, as well as the generation of a pseudo-electric field and their coupling. By placing heterostructures on a membrane, we introduce oscillatory strain together with an in-plane AC electric field and measure Hall signals that are modulated at linear combinations of the frequencies of strain and electric field. We also present direct experimental and theoretical evidence for coupling between pseudo-electric field and quantum geometry that results in an unusual dynamic strain-induced Hall response. This approach opens up a new pathway for controlling quantum geometry on demand, moving beyond conventional static perturbations. The coupling of the pseudo-electric field with Berry curvature provides a framework for external electric field-free anomalous Hall response and opens new avenues for probing the topological properties.