Nanocrystals Incorporated with Mordenite Zeolite Composites with Enhanced Upconversion Emission for Cu2+ Detection.

In this research, upconversion nanocrystals incorporated with MOR zeolite composites were synthesized using the desilicated MOR zeolite as a host for the in situ growth of NaREF4 (RE = Y, Gd) Yb/Er nanocrystals. The structure and morphology of the composites were studied with XRD, XPS, and TEM measurements, and the spectral studies indicated that the subsequent thermal treatment can effectively improve the upconversion emission intensity of Er3+. By using the NaYF4:Yb/Er@DSi1.0MOR-HT composite that holds the strongest upconversion emission, a probe of UCNC@DSiMOR/BPEI was constructed with the modification of branched poly ethylenimine for the detection of Cu2+. It was indicated that the integrated emission intensity of Er3+ shows a linear dependence with the logarithm value of the Cu2+ concentration ranging from 0.1 to 10 µM. This study offered a feasible method for the construction of UCNC@zeolite composites with enhanced upconversion emission, which may have a potential application as fluorescent probes for the detection of various metal ions by adjusting the doping luminescent center.

In situ growth of lanthanides-doped nanoparticles inside zeolites with enhanced upconversion emission for gallic acid detection.

The combination of upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) with porous zeolites could enable the development of multifunctional composites and extend their optical applications in sensing, detection and biomedical monitoring. Herein, a series of high luminescent UCNPs@Zeolites nano-micro composites were constructed via the in situ growth strategy, by taking the low phonon-energy fluoride nanoparticles of NaLnF4 (Ln = Y, Gd) as doping hosts for Er3+/Yb3+, desilicated FAUY and ZSM-5 as the target zeolites. Benefiting from the formation of tightly combined interfaces between the UCNPs and the target zeolites that effectively passive the surface defects of UCNPs, three orders of magnitude of improved upconversion emission in maximum was obtained under 980 nm excitation through afterward heat treatment at 400 ℃. Moreover, the pre-exchange of Yb3+ into target zeolites before the in situ growth of UCNPs is another feasible approach to drastically improve the upconversion emission intensity of the UCNPs@Zeolites nano-micro composites. By taking NaGdF4:Yb,Er@DSZSM-5/HT as an example probe, the detection of GA was demonstrated and the detection ability of which is super than that of the corresponding bare NaGdF4:Yb,Er UCNPs. This research provided a universal approach to construct the UCNPs@Zeolites nano-micro composites with varied upconversion emission colors simply by choosing activator ions, which therefore indicates wide potential applications.

Zeolite-Encaged Luminescent Silver Nanoclusters.

Silver nanoclusters (Ag NCs) are nanoscale aggregates that possess molecular-like discrete energy levels, resulting in electronic configuration-dependent tunable luminescence spanning the entire visible range. Benefiting from the efficient ion exchange capacity, nanometer dimensional cages, and high thermal and chemical stabilities, zeolites have been employed as desirable inorganic matrices to disperse and stabilize Ag NCs. This paper reviewed the recent research progresses on the luminescence properties, spectral manipulation, as well as the theoretical modelling of electronic structure and optical transition of Ag NCs confined inside various zeolites with different topology structures. Furthermore, potential applications of the zeolite-encaged luminescent Ag NCs in lighting, gas monitoring and sensing were presented. This review concludes with a brief comment on the possible future directions in the study of zeolite-encaged luminescent Ag NCs.

MSGCL: inferring miRNA-disease associations based on multi-view self-supervised graph structure contrastive learning.

Potential miRNA-disease associations (MDA) play an important role in the discovery of complex human disease etiology. Therefore, MDA prediction is an attractive research topic in the field of biomedical machine learning. Recently, several models have been proposed for this task, but their performance limited by over-reliance on relevant network information with noisy graph structure connections. However, the application of self-supervised graph structure learning to MDA tasks remains unexplored. Our study is the first to use multi-view self-supervised contrastive learning (MSGCL) for MDA prediction. Specifically, we generated a learner view without association labels of miRNAs and diseases as input, and utilized the known association network to generate an anchor view that provides guiding signals for the learner view. The graph structure was optimized by designing a contrastive loss to maximize the consistency between the anchor and learner views. Our model is similar to a pre-trained model that continuously optimizes upstream tasks for high-quality association graph topology, thereby enhancing the latent representation of association predictions. The experimental results show that our proposed method outperforms state-of-the-art methods by 2.79$\%$ and 3.20$\%$ in area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and area under the precision/recall curve (AUPR), respectively.

Tailoring the Luminescence Properties of Silver Clusters Confined in Faujasite Zeolite through Framework Modification.

Faujasite zeolites with a regular micropore and mesopore structure have been considered desirable scaffolds to stabilize luminescent silver nanoclusters (Ag CLs), while turning of the emission properties of the confined Ag CLs is still under investigation. In this study, the desilicated and dealuminated faujasite zeolites were first prepared to modify the zeolite framework and Si/Al ratio before Ag+ loading. With thermal treatment on the thereafter Ag+-exchanged zeolites, the Ag CLs formatted inside the D6r cages showed red-shifted emission in the desilicated zeolites and blue-shifted emission in the dealuminated zeolites, so that a tunable emission in the wavelength range of 482-528 nm could be obtained. Meanwhile, the full width at half maximum of the emission spectra is also closely related with framework modification, which monotonously increases with enhancing Si/Al ratio of host zeolite. The XRD, XPS, and spectral measurements indicated that the tunable luminescence properties of Ag CLs result from the controlling of local crystal field and coupling between host lattice and luminescent center. This paper proposes an effective strategy to manipulate the emission properties of Ag CLs confined inside zeolites and may benefit the applications of noble metal clusters activated phosphors in imaging and tunable emission.

Thermal-Driven Formation of Silver Clusters Inside Na/Li FAUY Zeolites for Formaldehyde Detection.

In this research, the LiY zeolite was firstly synthesized by using NaY as the parent zeolite; thereafter, the LiYAg and NaYAg zeolites created for formaldehyde gas detection were prepared with further Ag+-Li+/Na+ exchange and a mild thermal treatment at 300 °C to promote the formation of luminescent Ag CLs. The spectra experimental results indicated that Ag CLs showed stronger and blue-shifted emissions in LiYAg compared with in NaYAg, and the emission intensity of Ag CLs in both zeolites monotonously decreased when exposed to increasing formaldehyde gas content. Moreover, the linear dependence of the Ag CLs' emission intensity variation on formaldehyde content indicated a reliable method for fast and sensitive formaldehyde detection. According to the XPS, UV-vis absorption, and N2 adsorption-desorption isotherm studies, the formaldehyde-gas-induced luminescence quenching of Ag CLs is due to the formation of Ag2O and Ag NPs, in which the higher content of Ag+/Ag0 redox couples in LiYAg and larger surface area of NaYAg benefit the precise detection of formaldehyde gas in low- and high-content ranges, respectively. Furthermore, the blue-shifted peak position and widened FWHM of Ag CLs can also be used for the indication of formaldehyde gas and the detection limit of NaYAg and LiYAg, which both meet with the standards of the WHO and OSHA.

Urban-rural differences in the prevalence and correlates of mild cognitive impairment in community-dwelling older adults in Taiwan: The EMCIT study.

BACKGROUND: Taiwan is a rapidly aging society. The elderly with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) have increased risk of dementia, and this is a population-based report using standard neuropsychological tests and expert consensus diagnosis to assess the MCI prevalence and its associated factors in Taiwan. METHOD: The Epidemiology of Mild Cognitive Impairment study in Taiwan (EMCIT) is a community-based, prospective cohort study. Independently-living individuals aged ≧60 years in a rural area (n = 122) and in an urban area (n = 348) of New Taipei City, Taiwan, completed detailed neuropsychological tests at the cohort baseline. Diagnosis of MCI was ascertained through expert consensus based on 2011 NIA-AA criteria. RESULTS: Of 470 participants recruited between 2017 and 2019 (mean age 71.2 ± 5.4 years), the prevalence of MCI was higher in the rural area than in the urban area (25.1% vs. 10.8%, p < 0.001) after standardized for age, gender, and level of education. Having lower education and having depression symptoms were consistently associated with increased risk of MCI in both urban and rural areas (p < 0.05). Being male and diabetes were additionally associated with MCI prevalence in urban areas. CONCLUSION: In this community-based prospective cohort study in Taiwan, the prevalence of MCI in the rural community was much higher than that in the urban community. Different strategies may be needed to targeted different types of communities.

The Impact of HMGB1 Polymorphisms on Prostate Cancer Progression and Clinicopathological Characteristics.

Prostate cancer is one of the major cancers of the genitourinary tract. High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) was suggested as a promising therapeutic target for prostate cancer. In this study, we aim to elucidate the associations of HMGB1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with prostate cancer susceptibility and clinicopathological characteristics. The HMGB1 SNPs rs1412125, rs2249825, rs1045411, and rs1360485 in 579 prostate cancer patients and 579 cancer-free controls were analyzed with real-time polymerase chain reactions (real-time PCR). All of the data were evaluated with SAS statistical software. Our results showed that the HMGB1 rs1045411 T allele genotype was significantly associated with advanced pathologic T stage (odds ratio (OR) = 1.433, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.021‒2.012; p = 0.037) and pathologic N1 stage (OR = 2.091, 95% CI = 1.160‒3.767; p = 0.012), and the rs1360485 polymorphic CT + TT genotype was associated with pathologic Gleason grade group (4 + 5) (OR = 1.583, 95% CI = 1.017‒2.462; p = 0.041), pathologic T stage (3 + 4) (OR = 1.482, 95% CI = 1.061‒2.070; p = 0.021), and pathologic N1 stage (OR = 2.131, 95% CI = 1.178‒3.852; p = 0.011) compared with their wild-type carriers. In conclusion, our results revealed that the HMGB1 SNPs were associated with the clinical status of prostate cancer. The HMGB1 SNPs may have the potential to predict prostate cancer disease progression.

Fabrication of Ligusticum chuanxiong polylactic acid microspheres: A promising way to enhance the hepatoprotective effect on bioactive ingredients.

Ligusticum chuanxiong extract-polylactic acid sustained-release microspheres (LCE-PLA) are fabricated in this study for enhancing both duration and hepatoprotective efficacy of the main bioactive ingredients. LCE-PLA in vitro release, cytotoxicity and in vivo hepatoprotective effect were discussed to evaluate its efficiency and functionality. Results demonstrated that the optimal drug-loading rate and encapsulation efficiency of tetramethylpyrazine (TMP, the main active ingredient) were 8.19%, 83.72%, respectively. The LCE-PLA in vitro release of TMP showed prolong 5-fold and in vitro cytotoxicity declined 25.00% compared with naked LCE. After 6 weeks of in vivo intervention in high fat diet mice, both liver aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels were higher in LCE-PLA group than LCE group. The above results indicated that TMP had a higher bioavailability of hepatoprotection when encapsulation of LCE-PLA was applied. The current study has provided a promising novel way to enhance the efficacy of short half-life ingredients.

Mechanoluminescence or Room-Temperature Phosphorescence: Molecular Packing-Dependent Emission Response.

Mechanoluminescence (ML) and room-temperature photophosphorescence (RTP) were achieved in polymorphisms of a triphenylamine derivative with ortho-substitution. This molecular packing-dependent emission afforded crucial information to deeply understand the intrinsic mechanism of different emission forms and the possible packing-function relationship. With the incorporation of solid-state 13 C NMR spectra of single crystals, as well as the analysis of crystal structures, the preferred packing modes for ML and/or RTP were investigated in detail, which can guide the reasonable design of organic molecules with special light-emission properties.

Modulation of Acceptor Position in Organic Sensitizers: The Optimization of Intramolecular and Interfacial Charge Transfer Processes.

With respect to cyanoacryclic acid as the traditional acceptor and anchoring group in dye-sensitized solar cells, the introduction of stronger electron-deficient groups has greatly expanded the scope of molecular design and increased their efficiencies for organic dyes. In this contribution, benzothiadiazole (BTD) was selected as a representative acceptor to illustrate the influence of its position on the photophysical properties and corresponding photovoltaic performances. Through the insertion of BTD in different positions of the framework with the same composition units and orders, four sensitizers were designed and synthesized. The structure-property relationship demonstrated the preference of the suitable position of an electron acceptor for optimization of the spectra response and interfacial charge transfer. In our system, dye LI-96 with BTD in the middle of the conjugated bridge showed the broadest spectrum and achieved the best photovoltaic performance (8.25%), which may pave a new way to design or optimize the efficient sensitizers by rational design of the acceptor position.

Effects of thermal preparation and in vitro digestion on lignan profiles and antioxidant activity in defatted-sesame meal.

Defatted-sesame meal (DSM), a byproduct of sesame oil, has attracted considerable interest in the food industry because of its strong antioxidant activity. The aim of this study was to measure the content and distribution of lignans in DSM and evaluate their antioxidant activity after thermal processing and in vitro digestion. The results showed that the sesame lignans (SL) content and antioxidant activity were significantly influenced by the temperature and time during thermal preparation, and the maximum antioxidant potency composite index (ACI) was obtained after roasting the samples at 240 °C for 20 min. As sesame seed was processed with longer time and higher temperature, more pinoresinol diglucoside (PD) and sesamol were measured in DSM. According to the correlation matrix under thermal preparation, a significant contribution to the antioxidant potency of DSM was discovered. After in vitro digestion, the release amount of lignans increased by 19.6%, and the values of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and ACI gradually declined after digestion, with a 40% decrease in both the DPPH radical scavenging activity and the ACI from oral to intestinal phase. These results could be used to help improve the bioavailability of SL and obtaining high quality sesame byproducts.