Theoretical Investigation of Nonlinear Optical Properties of Organicand Transition Metal Hybrid Azobenzene Dendrimers

In this work, we report a theoretical exploration of the responses of organic azobenzene dendrimers. The polarizabilities, the first and second hyperpolarizabilities of the azobenzene monomers （GO）, and the first, second and third generation （G1, G2 and G3, respectively） are investigated by semi-empirical methods. The calculated results show that the nonlinear optical （NLO） properties of these organic dendrimers are mainly determined by the azobenzene chromospheres. Additionally, the values oft and y increase almost in proportion to the number of chromophores. On the other hand, two types of transition metal hybrid azobenzene dendrimers （core-hybrid and branch-end hybrid according to the sites combined with transition metals） are simulated and discussed in detail in the framework of time-dependent density functional theory （TDDFT）. The calculated results reveal that the NLO responses of these metal dendrimers distinctly varied as a result of altering the charge transfer transition scale and the excitation energies.

Re-evaluating the role of epithelial-mesenchymal-transition in cancer progression

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition（EMT） and mesenchymal-epithelial transition（MET） are essential for embryonic development and also important in cancer progression. In a conventional model, epithelial-like cancer cells transit to mesenchymal-like tumor cells with great motility via EMT transcription factors; these mesenchymallike cells migrate through the circulation system, relocate to a suitable site and then convert back to an epithelial-like phenotype to regenerate the tumor. However, recent findings challenge this conventional model and support the existence of a stable hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal（E/M） tumor population. Hybrid E/M tumor cells exhibit both epithelial and mesenchymal properties, possess great metastatic and tumorigenic capacity and are associated with poorer patient prognosis. The hybrid E/M model and associated regulatory networks represent a conceptual change regarding tumor metastasis and organ colonization. It may lead to the development of novel treatment strategies to ultimately stop cancer progression and improve disease-free survival.

Band engineering of double-wall Mo-based hybrid nanotubes

Hybrid transition-metal dichalcogenides （TMDs） with different chalcogens on each side （X-TM-Y） have attracted attention because of their unique properties. Nanotubes based on hybrid TMD materials have advantages in flexibility over conventional TMD nanotubes. Here we predict the wide band gap tunability of hybrid TMD double-wall nanotubes （DWNTs） from metal to semiconductor. Using density-function theory （DFT） with HSE06 hybrid functional, we find that the electronic property of X-Mo-Y DWNTs （X = O and S, inside a tube; Y = S and Se, outside a tube） depends both on electronegativity difference and diameter difference. If there is no difference in electron negativity between inner atoms （X） of outer tube and outer atoms （Y） of inner tube, the band gap of DWNTs is the same as that of the inner one. If there is a significant electronegativity difference, the electronic property of the DWNTs ranges from metallic to semiconducting, depending on the diameter differences. Our results provide alternative ways for the band gap engineering of TMD nanotubes.

The kinetics of force-dependent hybridization and strand-peeling of short DNA fragments

Deoxyribonucleic acid(DNA) carries the genetic information in all living organisms. It consists of two interwound single-stranded(ss) strands, forming a double-stranded(ds) DNA with a right-handed double-helical conformation. The two strands are held together by highly specific basepairing interactions and are further stabilized by stacking between adjacent basepairs. A transition from a dsDNA to two separated ssDNA is called melting and the reverse transition is called hybridization. Applying a tensile force to a dsDNA can result in a particular type of DNA melting, during which one ssDNA strand is peeled away from the other. In this work, we studied the kinetics of strand-peeling and hybridization of short DNA under tensile forces. Our results show that the force-dependent strand-peeling and hybridization can be described with a simple two-state model. Importantly, detailed analysis of the force-dependent transition rates revealed that the transition state consists of several basepairs dsDNA.