Energy band management of corn-like ZnO/Ag2S heterojunctions for efficient light harvesting and enhanced photocatalysis.

Corn-like ZnO/Ag2S heterojunctions are designed and prepared by the solvothermal method and the subsequent covering process. They construct a type II core-shell heterojunction structure. This structure adjusts the relative positions of electron energy levels and generates a strong and broad absorption band, while emitting weak visible light. It also facilitates the transfer of photoexcited carriers through the interface and the confinement of the same by the different components of the nanostructure. Separation of electrons and holes makes them possible to drift to the surface of ZnO and Ag2S and to participate in the redox reactions. In addition, the presence of many defects produces many active sites on the surface of the lattice. So, the ZnO/Ag2S heterojunctions exhibit excellent photocatalytic properties in the first and second cycles of the photocatalytic process. It degrades 97.7% Rhodamine B only in 18 min. This study plays a significant role in promoting visible light catalysis, the efficiency of wastewater treatment technology, and the water environment on the earth.

Synthesis, optical and photocatalysis property of corn-like ZnO/ZnS heterojunction with a certain lattice defects.

In order to greatly improve the photocatalytic properties, corn-like ZnO/ZnS heterojunctions with a particle size of about 60-71 nm have been synthesized by the solvothermal method and the subsequent sulfuration process. A declining trend is found for the specific surface area with increasing sulfuration time. The corn-like ZnO/ZnS heterojunctions exhibit good photocatalytic properties. With increasing sulfuration time, the degradation rate increases first and then decreases. The best degradation rate is observed for the heterojunction sulfurated for 90 min. The strong broad luminescence band is extremely beneficial to the absorption of visible light by multiphoton process. In addition, the energy transfer from ZnS to ZnO contributes to charge separation, forming a type-II heterojunction mechanism. After one cycle of photocatalytic process, except that corns become more broken, variation of particle size and shape is very small. The degradation speed of RhB after a second cycle of photocatalytic process is slower than the first one except when using the sample sulfurated for 360 min.

The microstructure and property of Al-Si alloy improved by the Sc-microalloying and Y2O3 nano-particles.

The effect of Sc-microalloying and Y2O3 nano-particles on the microstructure and mechanical properties of as-cast Al-5.5Si alloy is studied by means of optical microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, hardness test and tensile test. The influence of annealing treatment on the microstructure and properties of the Al-Si alloys is also investigated as well. The results show that the addition of Sc and Y2O3 nano-particles could significantly improve the mechanical property of the Al-Si alloy. The ultimate tensile strength and yield strength of Al-Si-Sc/Y2O3 alloy are improved by around 45 and 71%, respectively, when compared to that of the Al-Si alloy. The effect of the nanosized particles (precipitated and added) on strengthening and deformation of Al-Si alloy is analyzed and discussed in detail. The results of annealing treatment indicate that the change in mechanical property of the Al-Si-Sc alloy during annealing treatment is mainly associated with the precipitation of the secondary Si phase.

A role of both NF-κB pathways in expression and transcription regulation of BAFF-R gene in multiple myeloma cells.

B-lymphocyte stimulator (BAFF) is a recently recognized member of the tumor necrosis factor ligand family (TNF) and a potent cell-survival factor expressed in many hematopoietic cells. BAFF regulates B-cell survival, differentiation, and proliferation by binding to three TNF receptors: TACI, BCMA, and BAFF-R. The mechanism involved in BAFF-R gene expression and regulation remains elusive. In this study, we examined BAFF-R gene expression, function, and regulation in multiple myeloma (KM3) cells. It was found that BAFF-BAFF-R induced cell survival by activating NF-κB1 pathway and NF-κB2 pathway. It was also found that NF-κB was an important transcription factor involved in regulating BAFF-R expression through one NF-κB binding site in the BAFF-R promoter, suggesting that inhibiting NF-κB could decrease the expression of BAFF-R mRNA and protein, and promote activity of BAFF-R gene. Our findings indicate that both NF-κB pathways are involved in the regulation of BAFF-R gene and the NF-κB-binding site of BAFF-R may be a new therapeutic target in this disease.

Bis{tris-[3-(2-pyrid-yl)-1H-pyrazole]zinc(II)} dodeca-molybdosilicate hexa-hydrate.

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, [Zn(C(8)H(7)N(3))(3)](2)[SiMo(12)O(40)]·6H(2)O, consists of a complex [Zn(C(8)H(7)N(3))(3)](2+) cation, half of a Keggin-type [SiMo(12)O(40)](4-) heteropolyanion and three uncoordinated water mol-ecules. The Zn(2+) cation is surrounded in a distorted octa-hedral coordination by six N atoms from three chelating 3-(2-pyrid-yl)pyrazole ligands. In the heteropolyanion, two O atoms of the central SiO(4) group ( symmetry) are equally disordered about an inversion centre. N-H⋯O hydrogen bonding between the cations, anions and the uncoordinated water mol-ecules leads to a consolidation of the structure.

Bis{tris-[3-(2-pyrid-yl)-1H-pyrazole]iron(II)} tetra-deca-molybdo(V,VI)silicate.

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, [Fe(C(8)H(7)N(3))(3)](2)[SiMo(14)O(44)], consists of a complex [Fe(C(8)H(7)N(3))(3)](2+) cation and half of a derivative of an α-Keggin-type anion, [SiMo(14)O(44)](4-). In the mixed-valent Mo(V/VI) anion, the α-Keggin type core is capped on two oppositely disposed tetra-gonal faces by additional (MoO(2)) units. The [SiMo(14)O(44)](4-) anion shows disorder. Two O atoms of the central SiO(4) group ( symmetry) are equally disordered about an inversion centre. Moreover, two of the outer bridging O atoms and the O atoms of the capping (MoO(2)) unit are likewise disordered. The Fe(2+) cation is surrounded in a slightly distorted octa-hedral coordination by six N atoms from three 3-(2-pyrid-yl)-1H-pyrazole ligands. N-H⋯O hydrogen bonding between the cations and anions leads to a consolidation of the structure.

Synthesis of a novel electrode material containing phytic acid-polyaniline nanofibers for simultaneous determination of cadmium and lead ions.

The development of nanostructured conducting polymers based materials for electrochemical applications has attracted intense attention due to their environmental stability, unique reversible redox properties, abundant electron active sites, rapid electron transfer and tunable conductivity. Here, a phytic acid doped polyaniline nanofibers based nanocomposite was synthesized using a simple and green method, the properties of the resulting nanomaterial was characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). A glassy carbon electrode modified by the nanocomposite was evaluated as a new platform for the simultaneous detection of trace amounts of Cd2+ and Pb2+ using differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV). The synergistic contribution from PANI nanofibers and phytic acid enhances the accumulation efficiency and the charge transfer rate of metal ions during the DPASV analysis. Under the optimal conditions, good linear relationships were obtained for Cd2+ in a range of 0.05-60 µg L-1, with the detection limit (S/N = 3) of 0.02 µg L-1, and for Pb2+ in a range of 0.1-60 µg L-1, with the detection limit (S/N = 3) of 0.05 µg L-1. The new electrode was successfully applied to real water samples for simultaneous detection of Cd2+ and Pb2+ with good recovery rates. Therefore, the new electrode material may be a capable candidate for the detection of trace levels of heavy metal ions.

Electrochemical behavior and voltammetric determination of acetaminophen based on glassy carbon electrodes modified with poly(4-aminobenzoic acid)/electrochemically reduced graphene oxide composite films.

Poly(4-aminobenzoic acid)/electrochemically reduced graphene oxide composite film modified glassy carbon electrodes (4-ABA/ERGO/GCEs) were fabricated by a two-step electrochemical method. The electrochemical behavior of acetaminophen at the modified electrode was investigated by means of cyclic voltammetry. The results indicated that 4-ABA/ERGO composite films possessed excellent electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of acetaminophen. The electrochemical reaction of acetaminophen at 4-ABA/ERGO/GCE is proved to be a surface-controlled process involving the same number of protons and electrons. The voltammetric determination of acetaminophen performed with the 4-ABA/ERGO modified electrode presents a good linearity in the range of 0.1-65 µM with a low detection limit of 0.01 µM (S/N=3). In the case of using the 4-ABA/ERGO/GCE, acetaminophen and dopamine can be simultaneously determined without mutual interference. Furthermore, the 4-ABA/ERGO/GCE has good reproducibility and stability, and can be used to determine acetaminophen in tablets.

Role of CIP2A in the antitumor effect of bortezomib in colon cancer.

Cancerous inhibitor of protein phosphatase 2A (CIP2A) has been identified as an oncoprotein that is able to promote the proliferation of cancer cells. The role of CIP2A in the anticancer activity of bortezomib in colon cancer remains to be elucidated. In the present study, the antitumor effect of bortezomib was investigated and the role of CIP2A in determining the effect on colon cancer cells was identified. In the present study, bortezomib demonstrated an antitumor effect, as observed by WST­1 assay and flow cytometry. In addition, the mRNA and protein level of CIP2A was inhibited in a dose­dependent manner by bortezomib with quantitative PCR (qPCR) and western blotting. Furthermore, the inhibition of CIP2A with small interfering RNA by treatment with bortezomib inhibited proliferation, increased apoptosis and attenuated the invasion of the cells. Finally, the in vivo data demonstrated that bortezomib was able to decrease the growth of tumors, and that CIP2A was downregulated in the LoVo tumors treated with bortezomib. Therefore, CIP2A was shown to be important in the bortezomib­induced inhibitory effect on colon cancer.

Electrochemical sensing of glucose by carbon cloth-supported Co3O4/PbO2 core-shell nanorod arrays.

A novel electrochemical sensor for the detection of glucose was constructed based on the use of Co3O4/PbO2 core-shell nanorod arrays as electrocatalysts. In this paper the Co3O4/PbO2 core-shell nanorod arrays grow directly on a flexible carbon cloth substrate by the combination of hydrothermal synthesis and electrochemical deposition methods. The as-prepared hierarchical nanocomposites show the structural characteristics of nanowire core and nanoparticle shell. The carbon cloth-supported Co3O4/PbO2 nanorod array electrode exhibits higher sensitivity (460.3 µA mM(-1)cm(-2) in the range from 5 µM to 1.2mM) and lower detection limit (0.31 µM (S/N=3)) than the carbon cloth-supported Co3O4 nanowire array electrode. Both the three-dimensional network of carbon cloth substrate and the hierarchical nanostructure of binary Co3O4/PbO2 composites make such an electrode have high electrocatalytic activity towards the glucose oxidation. Due to the excellent sensitivity, repeatability and anti-interference ability, the carbon cloth-supported Co3O4/PbO2 nanorod arrays will be the promising materials for fabricating practical non-enzymatic glucose sensors.