Lining Up Against the Youngsters
The university sports meet kicked off at Yenching University Stadium.
Shen Qi, dressed in sportswear and running shoes, participated in the preliminary round of the men's 100-meter race for students.
Bang! The gun fires, the match begins.
The eight athletes set off.
Shen Qi, who was in lane 2, had an average start but a strong finish. He finished first in his group with a time of 10.99 seconds and advanced to the semifinals.
The men's 100-meter semi-finals for students were held in the evening, and many spectators came to the scene, mostly students, but also some faculty and staff from Yenching University.
The semi-finals consisted of two groups with a total of 16 contestants. The format was that the top two contestants from each group would directly advance to the finals, while the remaining contestants would be compared based on their scores, with the top four qualifying for the finals.
The top two finishers in the first semi-final group were 10.75 seconds and 10.81 seconds, respectively. The fifth-place finisher in this group ran 10.93 seconds, meaning that five college students in this group reached the standard for first-class sprinters.
All five contestants were admitted through special sports admissions programs; the youngest was a freshman, and the oldest was a senior.
To join the Track and Field team, being a first-class athlete is a basic requirement.
Track and Field team has several outstanding athletes, as well as one international sports expert.
The fastest male athlete on the Track and Field team this year is a master athlete from the Law School, a junior, who was placed in the second group of the semi-finals.
Shen Qi was also in the second group, and the sports star from the Law School was on the track next to Shen Qi's.
To the athletes' surprise, the renowned Professor Shen actually made it to the semi-finals.
"Hey, I heard you're the fastest man at Yanda University. What's your personal best (PB)?" Shen Qi said to the athlete next to him.
Athlete: "10.43 seconds."
Shen Qi asked, "That's amazing, you could make it into the national team, right?"
The athlete shook his head. "Professor Shen, times have changed. The national 100-meter record is now at the 9.90-second level. To get into the national team, you need to run at least under 10.25 seconds."
"On your marks!" the starter shouted.
The athletes fell silent and assumed their starting positions.
Bang!
The race began, Shen Qi started quickly, running the fastest. After 50 meters, he found himself in sixth place.
"These college students are really strong!" Shen Qi didn't know until he ran, and he was shocked. The second group must be the group of death.
In the final twenty meters, Shen Qi went all out, increasing his stride and overtaking two others to finish fourth in his group with a time of 10.79 seconds. After comparing his time with the first group, Shen Qi advanced to the 100-meter final.
This competition adopted an electronic monitoring mode, with an anemometer installed in the venue, and the list of finalists for the male 100-meter race for students displayed on a large screen.
Shen Qi's qualifying time ranked fifth among all competitors, and he achieved an impressive time of 10.79 seconds with a tailwind of 0.5 m/s.
The fact that a professor ranked fifth in the student group and ran a time under 10.80 seconds surprised many viewers.
Shen Qi looked at the big screen, quite excited. "10.79 seconds, a personal best!"
Shen Qi's mindset was to enjoy the competition, and he ran the fastest 100-meter dash of his life.
Only after running it can you truly understand why the 10-second barrier was once considered the limit for people of Asian descent; running under 10 seconds is truly incredibly difficult.
The other student athletes gathered around Shen Qi, all expressing their astonishment. "Professor Shen, your sprinting skills are truly professional-level!"
"Good luck, young men! In the final, this old man in his thirties won't hold back!" Shen Qi laughed heartily and then left the arena.
After a fantastic 100-meter dash today, Shen Qi approached the Track and Field team coach and said he wanted to get a Level 1 Athlete Certificate.
The coach said there was no problem; 10.79 seconds already exceeded the qualifying standard for first-class athletes. This time, the Yanda University sports meet also invited experts from the Chinese Athletics Association to assist, and the competition standards met the application requirements for first-class athletes.
The 100-meter final was scheduled for the following evening.
On the morning of the 100-meter final, Shen Qi participated in the preliminary round of the boys' long jump for students. He cleared the 7-meter mark on his first jump and advanced to the long jump final.
After the jump, Shen Qi returned to the center to handle related work.
Participating in sports competitions and competing against younger people made Shen Qi feel younger and full of passion.
Passion surged, and inspiration flowed endlessly.
"That's it, I've got it." Shen Qi had a new idea for the target compound that he had been thinking about for a long time but couldn't come up with.
"Using benzothiazinone as the parent nucleus and introducing a hydrophobic side chain with a dodecyl group, yes, that's it."
Shen Qi drew the conceived target molecule on paper and then began to work backward.
The properties of organic compounds are mainly determined by the functional groups in the molecule. These functional groups are attached to the molecular skeleton. If the skeleton cannot be established, the functional groups have no place to reside.
The synthesis of complex molecules involves a change in the molecular skeleton from small to large. The large skeleton of the target molecule is synthesized step by step from the small skeletons in the previous reactions.
Shen Qi began to dissect the target molecule, which required professional skills, deductive reasoning ability, and familiarity with various organic reactions.
The choice of the appropriate site for molecular dissociation plays a decisive role in the success or failure of the synthesis.
Shen Qi carefully disassembled an acylhydrazine compound. As for whether the acylhydrazine compound was synthesized under acidic or alkaline conditions, at what temperature, or with what catalyst, it was not necessary to consider at this time.
During the route design phase, there is no need to consider too many limitations on reaction conditions; otherwise, chemists would never be able to design a synthetic route.
As for why he designed the target molecule with a benzothiazinone core and hydrophobic side chains, firstly, Shen Qi found this molecular structure interesting, and secondly, he had previously studied relevant literature.
This target product could theoretically become an inhibitor of glycogen synthase kinase-3β.
Glycogen synthase kinase-3β is a multifunctional serine/threonine protein kinase found in mammals. It participates in regulating a variety of physiological processes in the body and affects a range of cellular functions, including metabolism, differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis, through phosphorylation.
Reports from Europe indicate that glycogen synthase kinase-3β inhibitors can be used to treat Alzheimer's disease, and one compound has already been used in a Phase IIB clinical trial in Europe.
Reports from the United States indicate that glycogen synthase kinase-3β inhibitors may be used to treat diabetes.
Japan reports that glycogen synthase kinase-3β inhibitors may be used to treat immune diseases.
Glycogen synthase kinase-3β is widely distributed in the human body. This kinase has a wide range of pathways and can be found in the central nervous system, metabolic system, Immune System, and many other areas. It is a target associated with a variety of diseases.
This is also why Shen Qi chose benzothiazide as the parent core and hydrophobic side chain as the target molecule.
"Let's work backwards one step..."
Shen Qi kept postponing it until the afternoon, then checked the time and realized he needed to go to the sports field to warm up.
Shen Qi had no mental burden during the 100-meter final that evening, enjoying the passion and the competition.