The insulating nature of elemental sulfur has been regarded as a major challenge limiting the electrochemical performance of Li–S batteries. Consequently, previous efforts have focused on developing conductive porous materials to enhance sulfur contact. In this study, we review this conventional assumption and demonstrate that the insulating property of sulfur is not the primary factor affecting Li–S battery performance. Instead, we introduce a novel sulfur host design using polar mesoporous carbon (p-MC), which possesses ultra-low electrical conductivity (6.45 × 10− 7 S cm− 1) and functional groups. Our results demonstrate that all sulfur particles within the nearly insulating p-MC matrix actively participate in electrochemical reduction during the initial discharge. A comparative study with a nonpolar mesoporous carbon host, which features a similar porous structure but higher conductivity (1.07 × 10− 1 S cm− 1), showed that the p-MC host achieved superior cycling stability. This performance is attributed to the strong interaction between the polar functional groups of p-MC and lithium polysulfides, enabling effective and stable confinement of the active materials during cycling. Our findings highlight a paradigm shift in the design of sulfur host materials and the critical role of polar functionalities. This study offers a promising strategy for the development of durable and high-performance Li–S batteries.

Five spider species from the genus Pholcus Walckenaer, 1805, namely Pholcus geogeum sp. nov., Pholcus hongseong sp. nov., Pholcus gochang sp. nov., Pholcus jeocheon sp. nov., and Pholcus yongin sp. nov., are newly described from Korea. These five new species, which belong to the phungiformes group within the genus, can be distinguished from their congeners by the shape and structure of the genital organs of both males and females. They are found on rock walls and at cave entrances in mountainous and hilly mixed forests. This study provides diagnoses, detailed descriptions, and taxonomic photographs of the newly described species.

Though Farnesiferol C (FC) derived from Ferula asafoetida is known to have antiangiogenic and apoptotic effect in gastric, breast, nonsmall lung cancers, the underlying antitumor mechanism of FC is not fully understood so far. Hence, in the current study, apoptotic mechanism of FC was explored in colon cancers in association with carbon catabolite repression 4-negative on TATA-less 2 (CNOT2)/c-Myc signaling. Herein FC significantly increased cytotoxicity and reduced the number of colonies in HCT116 cells more effectively than in SW480 cells, though FC enhanced sub-G1 cell population in HCT116 and SW480 cells compared to untreated control. Consistently, FC activated the cleavages of Poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) and Bax and attenuated the expression of pro-PARP and Cyclin D1 in HCT116 cells better than SW480 cells. Also, FC significantly reduced the expression of CNOT2 and c-Myc. Also, FC reduced of c-Myc stability in HCT116 cells by cycloheximide assay. Notably, CNOT2 depletion reduced the expression of c-Myc, while c-Myc depletion also attenuated the expression of CNOT2 in HCT116 cells, implying the crosstalk between CNOT2 and c-Myc. Furthermore, overexpression of c-Myc or CNOT2 promoted the expression of pro-PARP in HCT116 cells. Overall, these findings suggest that FC induces apoptosis via inhibition of CNOT2 and c-Myc in colon cancers for a potent anticancer candidate for further agriculture cultivation in Korea.