The first ab initio calculation of the rarest electromagnetic transition in atomic nuclei, the hexacontatetrapole E6 transition in ⁵³Fe, has been performed. Using the valence-space in-medium similarity renormalization group (VS-IMSRG) methods with realistic nuclear force and bare nucleon charges, the study has successfully explained both the excitation energies and electromagnetic decay rates of the unique T_1/2 = 2.54-minutes J^π = 19/2^- isomer at 3.0 MeV. This study provides unprecedented insights into nuclear structure under extreme conditions and validates ab initio approaches for describing the high-multipole electromagnetic transitions in atomic nuclei. The research demonstrates that the formation of 19/2^- isomer arises from the pure 0f_7/2 orbital configuration.

The therapeutic efficacy of cuproptosis, ferroptosis, and apoptosis is hindered by inadequate intracellular copper and iron levels, hypoxia, and elevated glutathione (GSH) expression in tumor cells. Thermoelectric technology is an emerging frontier in medical therapy that aims to achieve efficient thermal and electrical transport characteristics within a narrow thermal range for biological systems. Here, we systematically constructed biodegradable Cu₂MnS_3-x-PEG/glucose oxidase (MCPG) with sulfur vacancies (S_V) using photothermoelectric catalysis (PTEC), photothermal-enhanced enzyme catalysis, and starvation therapy. This triggers GSH consumption and disrupts intracellular redox homeostasis, leading to immunogenic cell death. Under 1064 nm laser irradiation, MCPG enriched with S_V, owing to doping, generates a local temperature gradient that activates PTEC and produces toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS). Hydroxyl radicals and oxygen are generated through peroxide and catalase-like processes. Increased oxygen levels alleviate tumor hypoxia, whereas hydrogen peroxide production from glycometabolism provides sufficient ROS for a cascade catalytic reaction, establishing a self-reinforcing positive mechanism. Density functional theory calculations demonstrated that vacancy defects effectively enhanced enzyme catalytic activity. Multimodal imaging-guided synergistic therapy not only damages tumor cells, but also elicits an antitumor immune response to inhibit tumor metastasis. This study offers novel insights into the cuproptosis/ferroptosis/apoptosis pathways of Cu-based PTEC nanozymes.

In August 2017, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) launched the Major Research Plan “Dynamic Modifications and Chemical Interventions of Biomacromolecules” (implementation period 2017–2025). Through interdisciplinary research that integrates chemistry, life sciences, medicine, mathematics, materials science, and information science, its aim is to develop specific labeling methods and detection techniques for dynamic chemical modifications of biomacromolecules, elucidate the recognition mechanisms and biological functions of dynamic modifications in the regulation of cellular traits, and discover potential drug targets and corresponding lead compounds related to dynamic biomacromolecular modifications. Since its establishment, this Major Research Plan has achieved significant progress and original results in many aspects such as the dynamic properties of biomacromolecular chemical modifications, regulatory mechanisms, and chemical interventions. Recently, members of the expert group, management group, and secretariat of the program collaborated to systematically review representative research achievements obtained since the program’s implementation, and jointly published a review article in CCS Chemistry. This review provides important references for promoting development in related frontier fields, as well as for the future trend of integration between chemistry, life sciences, and medicine.

The powerful light field manipulation capability of metasurfaces offers a novel development perspective for the quantum precision measurement. By applying the phase-gradient metasurface (PGM) to atomic magnetometers (AMs), we have proposed and experimentally demonstrated a new type of compact single-beam elliptically polarized atomic magnetometers (EPAMs). Employing the fabricated chiral beam splitter PGM with high cross-polarization transmittance, a new atomic spin chirality detection method was devised, enabling the ultra-high sensitivity for extremely weak magnetic field measurement and achieving a high sensitivity of 2.67 pT/Hz^1/2 under an external magnetic field of approximately 10000 nT. The new AMs combine the pumping and probing polarized light, achieving a compact design. The fabricated PGM has a size of only 3 mm × 3 mm × 0.7 mm, which is beneficial for the miniaturization and integration of AMs. This work effectively expands the application of metasurfaces in the field of quantum precision measurement, and also provides a new viewpoint for the design and development of high-sensitivity and miniaturized AMs.

Multi-energy X-ray imaging technology shows significant advantages in complex scenes， such as simultaneous imaging of bone and muscle defects in organisms. However, this technology has strict requirements on material selection and device design, which is a key bottleneck restricting its further development. Here, we establish the probability model of energy distribution of different energy X-rays in each layer of scintillator films, guiding the rational design of the type, thickness and stacking sequence of scintillators. Moreover, we propose a universal vitamin assisted in-situ growth method on perovskite scintillators, which provide technical support for the controllable preparation of polymer-ceramic composite scintillator films with high uniformity and radiation stability. More importantly, we have successfully realized multi-energy X-ray imaging by stacking four polymer-ceramic film, identifying materials with different densities. This research is expected to provide guidance for the rational selection of polymer host and multi-energy X-ray imaging applications.