Delta of Exopalaemon carinicauda: molecular characterization, expression in different tissues and developmental stages, and its SNPs association analysis with development.

BACKGROUND: The Notch signaling pathway plays a significant role in the gene regulatory network of development of vertebrate and invertebrate. However, as a ligand for the Notch signaling pathway, the mechanism of Delta in the development of Exopalaemon carinicauda is still unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Delta's molecular characteristics, tissue distribution and their association with development in E. carinicauda were studied by RACE (rapid amplification of cDNA end), qRT-PCR (quantitative Real-time PCR) and SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism), respectively. The delta in E. carinicauda had a full-length cDNA of 2807 bp and its Delta of 808 amino-acid residue had the highest identity with the Delta of Homarus americanus (identity = 76.63%). Delta had the highest expression in the ovary, and its expression varied with different stages of embryonic, larval, and ovarian development. After delta RNA interference (with a highest interference efficiency of 66% at 24 h), the expression of Notch signaling pathway genes and developmental related genes was significantly reduced, and the ovarian development was significantly delayed. Further study found that there were 4 SNPs (ds1-4) in delta cDNA, of which two (ds2 T1521G caused a mutation Asn422Lys and ds3 G1674A caused a mutation Tyr473Cys in the EGF-like domain) were associated with the development of E. carinicauda. The Gonadosomatic Index (GSI) of the ds2 TT genotypes was 37.28% and 134.60% higher than E. carinicauda of GT and GG genotype respectively (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our research indicated that delta was involved in the development of E. carinicauda and provided new insights for molecular breeding with SNP markers in E. carinicauda.

Highly Sensitive Ratiometric Fluorescent Flexible Sensor Based on the RhB@ZIF-8@PVDF Mixed-Matrix Membrane for Broad-Spectrum Antibiotic Detection.

Antibiotics play an essential role in the treatment of various diseases. However, the overuse of antibiotics has led to the pollution of water bodies and food safety, affecting human health. Herein, we report a dual-emission MOF-based flexible sensor for the detection of antibiotics in water, which was prepared by first encapsulating rhodamine B (RhB) by a zeolite imidazolium ester skeleton (ZIF-8) and then blending it with polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF). The luminescent properties, structural tunability, and flexible porosity of the MOF-based composites were combined with the processability and flexibility of polymers to prepare luminescent membranes. The sensor is capable of dual-emission ratiometric fluorescence sensing of nitrofurantoin (NFT) and oxytetracycline (OTC), exhibiting sensitive detection of fluorescence burst and fluorescence enhancement, respectively, with detection limits of 0.012 µM and 8.9 nM. With the advantages of visual detection, high sensitivity, short detection time, and simplicity, the highly sensitive ratiometric fluorescent flexible sensor has great potential for detecting antibiotics in an aqueous environment. It will further stimulate interest in luminescent MOF-based mixed matrix membranes and their sensing applications.

A novel Bacillus sp. with antagonistic activity against a plant pathogen, Fusarium graminearum, and its potential antagonistic mechanism.

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a wheat disease caused by the plant pathogen Fusarium graminearum, which leads to crop yield losses and agricultural economic losses, as well as poses a threat to the environment and human health. Effective biocontrol of F. graminearum is urgent. An antagonistic strain HZ-5 with 59.2% antagonistic activity against F. graminearum in vitro had been isolated from sea mud of Haizhou Bay using a dual-culture assay, which was highly homologous with Bacillus halosaccharovorans according to the 16S rRNA sequence. The antagonistic activity of HZ-5 had been further studied. HZ-5 had a broad range of antagonistic activity against another six plant pathogenic fungi and was effective in controlling FHB of wheat in pot experiment. The substances with antagonistic activity were temperature insensitive, and had been purified by HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) to prove to be secreted lipopeptides. The antagonistic substances induced the biosynthesis of chitin and glycerol, while ergosterol , cholesterol, and phosphatidylcholine reduced their inhibitory effects on F. graminearum. These data would be helpful to provide a better biocontrol strain against FHB, and to provide important basis to elucidate the antagonistic mechanism of biocontrol.

SnSe Nanosheet Array on Carbon Cloth as a High-Capacity Anode for Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Binder-free electrodes offer a great opportunity for developing high-performance sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) aiming at the application in energy storage devices. Tin selenide (SnSe) is considered to be a promising anode material for SIBs owing to its high theoretical capacity (780 mA h g-1). In this work, a SnSe nanosheet array (SnSe NS) on a carbon cloth is prepared using a vacuum thermal evaporation method. The as-prepared SnSe NS electrode does not have metal current collectors, binders, or any conductive additives. In comparison with the electrode of SnSe blocky particles (SnSe BP), the SnSe NS electrode delivers a higher initial charge capacity of 713 mA h g-1 at a current density of 0.1C and maintains a higher charge capacity of 410 mA h g-1 after 50 cycles. Furthermore, the electrochemical behaviors of the SnSe NS electrode are determined via pseudocapacitance and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements, indicating a faster kinetic process of the SnSe NS electrode compared to that of the SnSe BP. Operando X-ray diffraction measurements prove that the SnSe NS exhibits better phase reversibility than the SnSe BP. After the cycles, the SnSe NS electrode still maintains its particular structure. This work provides a feasible method to prepare SnSe nanostructures with high capacity and improved sodium ion diffusion ability.

Oxidative Stress and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Contributes to Arecoline and Its Secondary Metabolites-Induced Dyskinesia in Zebrafish Embryos.

Areca nut has been listed as one of the most addictive substances, along with tobacco, alcohol and caffeine. Areca nut contains seven psychoactive alkaloids; however, the effects of these alkaloids on embryonic development and motor behavior are rarely addressed in zebrafish embryo-larvae. Herein, we investigated the effects of exposure to three alkaloids (arecoline and secondary metabolites-arecaidine and arecoline N-oxide) on the developmental parameters, locomotive behavior, oxidative stress and transcriptome of zebrafish embryos. Zebrafish embryos exposed to different concentrations (0, 0.1, 1, 10, 100 and 1000 µM) of arecoline, arecaidine and arecoline N-oxide showed no changes in mortality and hatchability rates, but the malformation rate of zebrafish larvae was significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner and accompanied by changes in body length. Moreover, the swimming activity of zebrafish larvae decreased, which may be due to the increase in reactive oxygen species and the imbalance between oxidation and antioxidation. Meanwhile, transcriptome analysis showed that endoplasmic reticulum stress and the apoptosis p53 signaling pathway were significantly enriched after exposure to arecoline and arecoline N-oxide. However, arecaidine exposure focuses on protein synthesis and transport. These findings provide an important reference for risk assessment and early warning of areca nut alkaloid exposure.

Highly efficient removal of aqueous Hg(II) by FeS micro-flakes.

FeS (mackinawite) is known to be effective in the sorption of aqueous Hg(II). However, FeS nanoparticles are apt to aggregate and easy to be oxidized, which limits their wide applications. Here, we have synthesized FeS micro-flakes which can be uniformly dispersed in water without aggregation. Owing to the good stability and dispersibility, FeS micro-flakes exhibit high efficiency in the removal of Hg(II) from water. The sorption of Hg(II) on the FeS micro-flakes is more consistent with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir model, indicating that the sorption of Hg(II) is mainly monolayer sorption dominated by chemical sorption. The maximum sorption capacity is 2680 mg/g at pH 5.6 and 30 °C, significantly higher than those of FeS nanoparticles and other Hg(II) scavengers. The pH studies indicate that FeS (0.31 g/L) can effectively remove >97.6 % of 200 mg/L Hg(II) in the pH range of 2-12 at 30 °C. Powder X-ray diffraction, elemental and sorption analyses suggest that Hg(II) is removed via chemical precipitation and surface adsorption. This study demonstrates the potential and viability of FeS micro-flakes for efficient removal of aqueous Hg(II).

Effects of the Probiotic Psychrobacter sp. B6 on the Growth, Digestive Enzymes, Antioxidant Capacity, Immunity, and Resistance of Exopalaemon carinicauda to Aeromonas hydrophila.

Probiotics, known to improve the water quality and the host's intestinal microbial balance, has gained more and more attention in recent years. The effects of Psychrobacter sp. B6 on the growth and immunity of Exopalaemon carinicauda were investigated in this study. Psychrobacter sp. B6 was sprayed to the basal diet with four different levels (0 [basal diet], 5 × 105, 5 × 107, and 5 × 109 CFU/100 g diet) and were fed to E. carinicauda (average weight 1.15 ± 0.04 g) for 30 days. At the end of the feeding trial, shrimps were immersed in seawater contaminated with 106 CFU/mL pathogenic Aeromonas hydrophila for 2 h and then the cumulative mortality was calculated after 14 days observation. The results showed that the weight gain rate, survival rate, and specific growth rate of E. carinicauda were significantly increased with the increasing dietary level of Psychrobacter sp. B6. The activities of digestive enzymes (α-amylase and chymotrypsin) were significantly increased (P < 0.05) in the groups fed with Psychrobacter sp. B6, and the highest activities of digestive enzymes were detected in the 5 × 109 CFU/100 g diet group. The activities of antioxidant enzymes (catalase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase) in probiotics treated shrimp were significantly higher than those in the control shrimp, with the highest activity in 5 × 109 and 5 × 107 CFU/100 g diet group separately. At the same time, the activities of immune-related enzymes (alkaline phosphatase and lysozyme) were significantly affected by the dietary B6 content, and the highest activity of immune-related enzymes was found in shrimps fed with 5 × 107 CFU/100 g diet. The relative expression levels of CTL (C-type lectin), MBL (mannose-binding lectin), SPI (serine protease inhibitor), and ProPo (prophenoloxidase) in hepatopancreas of E. carinicauda with 5 × 109 CFU/100 g diet were significantly higher than those in the control. Moreover, cumulative mortality (22.22%) post-challenge with A. hydrophila was the lowest in 5 × 109 CFU/100 g diet. The results suggested that Psychrobacter sp. B6 could effectively promote the growth, immunity, antioxidant capacity, and disease resistance of E. carinicauda. This study provided a reference for the study on the artificial breeding of E. carinicauda.

NaOH-Intercalated Iron Chalcogenides (Na1-xOH)Fe1-yX (X = Se, S): Ion-Exchange Synthesis and Physical Properties.

The discovery of the (Li1-xFexOH)FeSe superconductor has aroused significant interest in metal hydroxide-intercalated iron chalcogenides. However, all efforts made to intercalate NaOH between FeSe and FeS layers have failed so far. Here we report two NaOH-intercalated iron chalcogenides (Na1-xOH)Fe1-yX (X = Se, S) that were synthesized by a low-temperature hydrothermal ion-exchange method. Their crystal structures were solved through single-crystal X-ray diffraction and refined against powder X-ray and neutron diffraction data. Different from the (Li1-xFexOH)FeX superconductors that crystallize in a tetragonal space group P4/nmm with Z = 2, (Na1-xOH)Fe1-yX belong to an orthorhombic space group Cmma with Z = 4. The structural solution also reveals that there are vacancies in both Na and Fe sites and there are not iron ions in the (Na1-xOH) layer. This is probably why both Fe(II) and Fe(III) species exist in the title compounds, as detected by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Based on magnetization and electrical resistivity measurements, the two compounds were found to be paramagnetic semiconductors. The absence of superconductivity should be closely related to the iron vacancies in the Fe1-yX layer. Theoretical calculations suggest that inducing superconductivity in (Na1-xOH)Fe1-ySe is promising due to the similarity of the electronic structures between stoichiometric (NaOH)FeSe and the (Li1-xFexOH)FeSe superconductor.

Expression and function analysis of crustacyanin gene family involved in resistance to heavy metal stress and body color formation in Exopalaemon carinicauda.

Crustacyanin has the function of binding astaxanthin which is the best antioxidant, and plays an important role in the body color variation of crustaceans. To investigate the causes of body color variation of the ridgetail white prawn, Exopalaemon carinicauda, the present study obtained four subtypes of crustacyanin gene: C1, C2, A1, and A2. Based on fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction, lipocalin-C1 is mainly expressed in the eyestalk, lipocalin-C2 is in the ventral nerve cord, and lipocalin-A1 and lipocalin-A2 are in subcutaneous adipose tissues. Under the inhibiting effect of Cd2+ stress, the expression of four subtypes first increases and then decreases within 24 h, and reaches the maximum at 6 or 12 h. RNA interference experiments showed a decrease in the expression of lipocalin genes in subcutaneous adipose tissue for each subtype, with the body color changing from transparent to red, and the dark red spots on the epidermis changing to bright red. Moreover, the blue protein in the subcutaneous adipose tissue largely disappeared, based on the light micrographs. In view of these findings, the crustacyanin gene appears to fulfill some function in the resistance to heavy metal stress and body color formation of E. carinicauda.

Cloning and functional study of lipocalin: retinol-binding protein-like gene family of the ridgetail white prawn, Exopalaemon carinicauda.

Lipocalin is a large family with complex functions including retinol-binding protein (RBP), crustacyanin (CRCN), apolipoprotein D, etc. In shrimps, it is well known that CRCN is related to body color. Recently, retinoic acid/retinol-binding protein was found in shrimp. However, little is known about the function of RBP and relationships among the gene members of lipocalin in shrimps. Based on the transcriptome sequences responding to starvation stress, three genes of the lipocalin-retinol-binding protein-like gene family (lipocalin-1, lipocalin-2, and lipocalin-3) were cloned by RACE from the ridgetail white prawn, Exopalaemon carinicauda. Homology analysis showed that these three genes had high similarity with the known insect apolipoprotein D gene and vertebrate retinol-binding protein gene, and they are of the same type in terms of evolution. Fluorescence quantitative PCR showed that the above three genes were mainly expressed in the ventral nerve cord of E. carinicauda. The expression characteristics of the three genes at different developmental stages showed that they were more highly expressed at the larval stage, which suggests that they might be related to embryonic and larval development. The RNA interference tests showed that after silencing lipocalin-1 and lipocalin-3, the body color of individual shrimps turned slightly red and the blue pigment in the epidermis largely disappeared, but no significant change took place in the appearance of individuals after silencing lipocalin-2. In addition, on the 6th and 16th days of interference, dead shrimps appeared in the lipocalin-1 and lipocalin-3 interference groups. The dead shrimps had hard crusts and remained in a molting posture. Totally, this study showed that the retinol-binding protein-like gene obtained in this study had certain biological functions in the growth and development and body color formation as CRCN; in addition, it also plays a role in nerve system and molting of E. carinicauda.

Genome-wide identification and characterization of heat shock protein family 70 provides insight into its divergent functions on immune response and development of Paralichthys olivaceus.

Flatfish undergo extreme morphological development and settle to a benthic in the adult stage, and are likely to be more susceptible to environmental stress. Heat shock proteins 70 (hsp70) are involved in embryonic development and stress response in metazoan animals. However, the evolutionary history and functions of hsp70 in flatfish are poorly understood. Here, we identified 15 hsp70 genes in the genome of Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus), a flatfish endemic to northwestern Pacific Ocean. Gene structure and motifs of the Japanese flounder hsp70 were conserved, and there were few structure variants compared to other fish species. We constructed a maximum likelihood tree to understand the evolutionary relationship of the hsp70 genes among surveyed fish. Selection pressure analysis suggested that four genes, hspa4l, hspa9, hspa13, and hyou1, showed signs of positive selection. We then extracted transcriptome data on the Japanese flounder with Edwardsiella tarda to induce stress, and found that hspa9, hspa12b, hspa4l, hspa13, and hyou1 were highly expressed, likely to protect cells from stress. Interestingly, expression patterns of hsp70 genes were divergent in different developmental stages of the Japanese flounder. We found that at least one hsp70 gene was always highly expressed at various stages of embryonic development of the Japanese flounder, thereby indicating that hsp70 genes were constitutively expressed in the Japanese flounder. Our findings provide basic and useful resources to better understand hsp70 genes in flatfish.

Spark Plasma Sintered Bulk Nanocomposites of Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 Nanoplates Incorporated Ni Nanoparticles with Enhanced Thermoelectric Performance.

Bi2Te3-based compounds are important near room temperature thermoelectric materials with commercial applications in thermoelectric modules. However, new routes leading to improved thermoelectric performance are highly desirable. Incorporation of superparamagnetic nanoparticles was recently proposed as a means to promote the thermoelectric properties of materials, but its feasibility has rarely been examined in mainstream thermoelectric materials. In this study, high quality single-crystalline Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 nanoplates and Ni nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by solvothermal and thermal decomposition methods, respectively. Bulk nanocomposites consisting of Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 nanoplates and superparamagnetic Ni nanoparticles were prepared by spark plasma sintering. It was found that incorporation of Ni nanoparticles simultaneously increased the carrier concentration and provided additional scattering centers, which resulted in enlarged electric conductivities and Seebeck coefficients. The greatly improved ZT was achieved due to the increase in power factor. Spark plasma sintered bulk nanocomposites of Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 nanoplates incorporated by 0.4 mol %Ni nanoparticles (in molar ratio) showed a figure-of-merit ZT of 0.66 at 425 K, equivalent to 43% increase when compared to pure Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 nanoplates. The results revealed that incorporation of magnetic nanoparticles could be an effective approach for promoting the thermoelectric performance of conventional semiconductors.

Effects of Iron Doping on the Physical Properties of Quaternary Ferromagnetic Sulfide: Ba2Fe0.6V1.4S6.

The mixed-metal sulfide compound with the formula Ba2Fe0.6V1.4S6 was successfully synthesized via solid-state reaction. Ba2Fe0.6V1.4S6 has a quasi-one-dimensional structure and crystallizes in the hexagonal space group P63/mmc. The structure is composed of face-sharing anion octahedron [MS6]8- (M = V or Fe) units to construct infinite chains along the c axis, in which the Fe atoms randomly occupy the V sites. The Ba2+ ions reside between adjacent chains. Magnetic susceptibility measurements reveal a transition between paramagnetism and ferromagnetism around 25 K. The small polaron hopping (SPH) conduction behavior has been observed in the higher temperature region (75-300 K), while in the lower temperature region (25-74 K), the resistivity features a variable range hopping mechanism (VRH). The analysis of density of states indicates that Fe-3dz2 and S-3p states mainly dominate the valence band maximum, while Fe-3dz2 states contribute significantly to the magnetic susceptibility.

Enhanced Superconductivity in Restacked TaS2 Nanosheets.

Since interface superconductivity was discovered at the interface between two insulating layers LaAlO3 and SrTiO3, such interface-induced superconducting systems have been a research hotspot in superconductivity. Here, we report homogeneous interfaces formed by stacking chemically exfoliated monolayer TaS2 nanosheets randomly. Enhanced superconductivity of Tc = 3 K is observed, compared with 0.8 K of parent 2H-TaS2. The measurement of heat capacity shows the increase of electronic specific-heat coefficient γ of restacked TaS2 nanosheets compared to parent 2H-TaS2 crystals. Density functional theory calculations indicate that increase and delocalization of electron states near the Fermi surface due to the homogeneous interfaces effects could account for the enhanced superconductivity.

Expression profiling of TRIM protein family in THP1-derived macrophages following TLR stimulation.

Activated macrophages play an important role in many inflammatory diseases including septic shock and atherosclerosis. However, the molecular mechanisms limiting macrophage activation are not completely understood. Members of the tripartite motif (TRIM) family have recently emerged as important players in innate immunity and antivirus. Here, we systematically analyzed mRNA expressions of representative TRIM molecules in human THP1-derived macrophages activated by different toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands. Twenty-nine TRIM members were highly induced (>3 fold) by one or more TLR ligands, among which 19 of them belong to TRIM C-IV subgroup. Besides TRIM21, TRIM22 and TRIM38 were shown to be upregulated by TLR3 and TLR4 ligands as previous reported, we identified a novel group of TRIM genes (TRIM14, 15, 31, 34, 43, 48, 49, 51 and 61) that were significantly up-regulated by TLR3 and TLR4 ligands. In contrast, the expression of TRIM59 was down-regulated by TLR3 and TLR4 ligands in both human and mouse macrophages. The alternations of the TRIM proteins were confirmed by Western blot. Finally, overexpression of TRIM59 significantly suppressed LPS-induced macrophage activation, whereas siRNA-mediated knockdown of TRIM59 enhanced LPS-induced macrophage activation. Taken together, the study provided an insight into the TLR ligands-induced expressions of TRIM family in macrophages.

Understanding Doping, Vacancy, Lattice Stability, and Superconductivity in K x Fe2-y Se2.

Metal-intercalated iron selenides are a class of superconductors that have received much attention but are less understood in comparison with their FeAs-based counterparts. Here, the controversial issues such as Fe vacancy, the real phase responsible for superconductivity, and lattice stability have been addressed based on first-principles calculations. New insights into the distinct features in terms of carrier doping have been revealed.

Taurine zinc solid dispersions enhance bile-incubated L02 cell viability and improve liver function by inhibiting ERK2 and JNK phosphorylation during cholestasis.

Dietary intakes of taurine and zinc are associated with decreased risk of liver disease. In this study, solid dispersions (SDs) of a taurine zinc complex on hepatic injury were examined in vitro using the immortalized human hepatocyte cell line L02 and in a rat model of bile duct ligation. Sham-operated and bile duct ligated Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with the vehicle alone or taurine zinc (40, 80, 160mg/kg) for 17days. Bile duct ligation significantly increased blood lipid levels, and promoted hepatocyte apoptosis, inflammation and compensatory biliary proliferation. In vitro, incubation with bile significantly reduced L02 cell viability; this effect was significantly attenuated by pretreatment with SP600125 (a JNK inhibitor) and enhanced when co-incubated with taurine zinc SDs. In vivo, administration of taurine zinc SDs decreased serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase activities in a dose-dependent manner and attenuated the increases in serum total bilirubin, total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels after bile duct ligation. Additionally, taurine zinc SDs downregulated the expression of interleukin-1ß and inhibited the phosphorylation of Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase2 (ERK2) in the liver after bile duct ligation. Moreover, taurine zinc SDs had more potent blood lipid regulatory and anti-apoptotic effects than the physical mixture of taurine and zinc acetate. Therefore, we speculate that taurine zinc SDs protect liver function at least in part via a mechanism linked to reduce phosphorylation of JNK and ERK2, which suppresses inflammation, apoptosis and cholangiocyte proliferation during cholestasis.

Suppression of superconductivity and structural phase transitions under pressure in tetragonal FeS.

Pressure is a powerful tool to study iron-based superconductors. Here, we report systematic high-pressure transport and structural characterizations of the newly discovered superconductor FeS. It is found that superconductor FeS (tetragonal) partly transforms to a hexagonal structure at 0.4 GPa, and then completely transforms to an orthorhombic phase at 7.4 GPa and finally to a monoclinic phase above 9.0 GPa. The superconducting transition temperature of tetragonal FeS was gradually depressed by pressure, different from the case in tetragonal FeSe. With pressure increasing, the S-Fe-S angles only slightly change but the anion height deviates farther from 1.38 Å. This change of anion height, together with the structural instability under pressure, should be closely related to the suppression of superconductivity. We also observed an anomalous metal-semiconductor transition at 6.0 GPa and an unusual increased resistance with further compression above 9.6 GPa. The former can be ascribed to the tetragonal-orthorhombic structural phase transition, and the latter to the electronic structure changes of the high-pressure monoclinic phase. Finally, a phase diagram of tetragonal FeS as functions of pressure and temperature was mapped out for the first time, which will shed new light on understanding of the structure and physics of the superconducting FeS.

Solvothermal synthesis, structure and physical properties of Cs[Cr(en)2MSe4] (M = Ge, Sn) with [MSe4](4-) tetrahedra as chelating ligand.

Two chromium chalcogenide Cs[Cr(en)2GeSe4] () and Cs[Cr(en)2SnSe4] () have been synthesized by a solvothermal method. Both compounds crystallize in the monoclinic space group P21/n. The structures of the two compounds are characterized by isolated [Cr(en)2MSe4](-) clusters separated by Cs(+) ions. The optical properties of the two compounds were measured which indicate a similar band gap of 1.58 eV. DFT calculations demonstrated that the valance band maximum (VBM) consist of Cr 3d orbitals and Se 4p orbitals while the conductive band minimum (CBM) are composed of Cr 3d orbitals for both compounds, which explains their similar optical band gap energies. Both compounds possess paramagnetic behaviors with the effective magnetic moment of 3.97µB for Cs[Cr(en)2GeSe4] and 3.91µB for Cs[Cr(en)2SnSe4], respectively. Field-dependent magnetization measurements demonstrated their potential as magnetocaloric materials, with the magnetic entropy change of 11.6 J (kg K)(-1) for Cs[Cr(en)2GeSe4], and 14.2 J (kg K)(-1) for Cs[Cr(en)2SnSe4].

Modulating the Morphology of Gold Graphitic Nanocapsules for Plasmon Resonance-Enhanced Multimodal Imaging.

With their unique optical properties and distinct Raman signatures, graphitic nanomaterials can serve as substrates for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) or provide signal amplification for bioanalysis and detection. However, a relatively weak Raman signal has limited further biomedical applications. This has been addressed by encapsulating gold nanorods (AuNRs) in a thin graphitic shell to form gold graphitic nanocapsules. This step improves plasmon resonance, which enhances Raman intensity, and has the potential for integrating two-photon luminescence (TPL) imaging capability. However, changing the morphology of gold graphitic nanocapsules such that high quality and stability are achieved remains a challenge. To address this task, we herein report a confinement chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method to prepare the construction of AuNR-encapsulated graphitic nanocapsules with these properties. Specifically, through morphological modulation, we (1) achieved higher plasmon resonance with near-IR incident light, thus achieving greater Raman intensity, and (2) successfully integrated two-photon luminescence dual-modal (Raman/TPL) bioimaging capabilities. Cancer-cell-specific aptamers were further modified on the AuNR@G graphitic surface through simple, but strong, π-π interactions to achieve imaging selectivity through differential cancer cell recognition.