Search

Zebrafish Fish-egg lectin (zFEL) has been identified and proved to be a maternal factor with antibacterial and opsonic ability in fishes. In this study, we found that zFEL was capable of enhancing the phagocytosis of the bacteria by macrophages of mouse (RAW264.7 and mouse peritoneal macrophages), suggesting a cross-species function of zFEL in higher animals. Further studies showed that zFEL can active the antigen presentation ability by up-regulating the expression of CD80, CD86 and MHC II. Meanwhile, zFEL also promoted the polarization of macrophages to M1-type, which was confirmed by the increase of cytokines TNF-α and IL-6. The expression of p38 gene was up-regulated in macrophages preincubated with zFEL. Taken together, zFEL appears opsonic function in mammal macrophages and has potential application in immunomodulation. • Cross-species opsonic activity is found by zebrafish fish-egg lectin (zFEL) on mouse macrophages. • zFEL can up-regulate the expression of CD80, CD86 and MHC II on macrophages. • zFEL promotes the polarization of macrophages to M1-type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A modified sol–gel method was used to synthesize single-crystalline lead-free (K,Na)NbO3 (KNN) nanorods. The effects of calcination temperature and heating rate on the crystal structure and morphology were examined. At low heating rate, it was found that with increasing calcination temperature, the crystallization of KNN gradually completed and the size of the one-dimensional rods increased significantly. On the other hand, increasing heating rate changed the morphology of KNN from one-dimensional rods to cubes. The as-synthesized KNN nanorods calcined at 750°C with heating rate of 1°C/min were determined to be orthorhombic single crystals of 100–400nm wide and 1–2μm long. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: New well-defined monodisperse oligocarbazoles-functionalized anthracenes An-OCZn (n =1, 2, 3) have been synthesized through Suzuki cross-coupling reaction of the brominated oligocarbazoles and 9,10-bis(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolan-2-yl)anthracene. They show good solubility in organic solvents, including dichloromethane, chloroform, toluene, ethyl acetate, and tetrahydrofuran. It should be noted that, in the case of An-OCZn, the formation of the excimer based on anthracene unit is suppressed completely due to the introduction of oligocarbazoles in 9,10-position of anthracene so that an intense blue-emitting has been afforded. In addition, the obtained An-OCZn exhibit good electrochemical and thermal stabilities. Thus, the oligocarbazoles-functionalized anthracenes can be a class of promising candidates for novel blue-emitting materials employed in OLEDs or related devices. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Three new donor-π-acceptor (D-π-A) metal-free organic dyes, in which dendritic triphenylamine acts as donor, and furan, thiophene and benzene as π-linkers, were synthesized, characterized and used for the application of dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC). Among the fabricated DSSCs, the device based on the furan as π-linker exhibited a short circuit current density of 14.56 mA cm−2, an open circuit photo voltage of 0.71 V and a fill factor of 0.59, implying a power conversion efficiency (η) of 6.10%. The devices sensitized by dyes with thiophene and benzene as π-linker possessed relative lower η, 5.92% and 4.97%, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Three new triphenylamine-based dyes with Y-shaped conformation bearing triphenylamino-vinyl, 10-octyl-10H-phenothiazine-vinyl and 9-octyl-9H-carbazole-vinyl as arms (TT, TP, and TC) have been synthesized. From electrochemical investigations it is found that they can be employed in DSSCs due to the balanced HOMO and LUMO energy levels. Notably, the photo-to-electrical conversion efficiency of the DSSCs sensitized with branched TT, TP, and TC reach 5.12%, 4.84%, and 3.63%, which are higher than that sensitized with T (2.79%), and the DSSC sensitized with TT shows higher IPCE response and better photovoltaic performances (J sc=12.37mA/cm2, V oc=0.72V and ff=0.58) than others. These results reveal that the introduction of branched Y-shaped extended π-conjugated donors to D-π-A dyes cannot only enlarge the spectral response range, but also suppress the molecular aggregation on TiO2 films to a certain extent, which would enhance the performance of DSSCs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We have synthesized a series of new dipolar organic dyes Bn (n=0, 1, 2) employing triarylamine as the electron-donor, 2-cyanoacrylic acid as the electron-acceptor, and fluorenevinylene as the conjugated bridge, which were used as sensitizers in dye-sensitized solar cells. It is found that the solar-energy-to-electricity conversion efficiencies of the prepared DSSCs are in the range of 2.79–5.56%, which reach 35–70% of a standard device based on N719 fabricated and measured under the same conditions. The DSSC sensitized with B1 with balanced length of conjugated bridge shows the highest photo-to-electrical energy conversion efficiency and the open-circuit photovoltage (V oc) of 0.86 V. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) based piezoelectric composites embedded with ZnO nanowhiskers (ZnOw) were investigated to clarify the optimal sintering condition for densification, microstructure, and electrical properties. The samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscopy. The results show that the increase of the sintering temperature and time is quite effective in improving the densification and piezoelectric properties of the PZT/ZnOw composites. However, the relative density and piezoelectric properties deteriorate as the composites are sintered over the optimal sintering condition. Particularly, the PZT/ZnOw composites sintered at 1150°C for 2h show excellent electrical properties of piezoelectric constant d 33 ∼471pC/N, relative dielectric constant ɛ ∼3838, planar electromechanical coupling factor k p ∼0.543, remnant polarization P r ∼23.2μC/cm2 and coercive field E c ∼9.2kV/cm. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The electronic structures and optical properties of heavily boron (B)-doped zinc blende silicon carbide (β-SiC) have been investigated using the plane-wave pseudo-potential method with the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) based on density functional theory. The doped models Si n BC n−1 (n=4, 32) have been constructed by β-SiC unit cell. The calculated results show that the band gap of β-SiC transforms from indirect band gap to direct band gap with band gap shrink after carbon atom is replaced by boron atom. The dielectric constant of heavily B-doped β-SiC in low frequency is found to be remarkably larger, so it may act as a new dielectric material. Furthermore, after B doping, absorption peaks appear in the ultra-violet band (5–20eV) and infrared band (0–2eV). The ultra-violet absorption is similar to the undoped β-SiC. The infrared absorption would intensify with the increase of doping concentration, and absorption edge emerges redshift. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Nowadays, there are few studies in vivo to explore the effects of Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) single gene such as immediate early protein 2 (IE2) on the nervous system, let alone the mechanism that IE2 causes cognitive impairment. In this study, the Rosa26-LSL-IE2/Cre mouse was used to show the effects of IE2 on the cognitive ability and the GluNRs/CaMKIIα/CREB signaling pathway in the hippocampus. We divided the mice into experimental and control groups based on the results of PCR firstly. After that, the cognitive abilities of the two groups were compared through new object recognition (NOR) and Morris water maze (MWM) tests. The results of the behavioral tests showed that the cognitive ability of the experimental mice was lower than that of the control group. It is known that changes in the expression levels of N-methyl D -aspartate receptor 1, 2A, and 2B (GluN1, GluN2A, GluN2B) affect synaptic plasticity and cause cognitive changes. Finally, we analyzed the expression levels of GluN1, GluN2A, GluN2B, and related signaling pathway molecules by qPCR and western blot. We found that the expression levels of the GluNRs/CaMKIIα/CREB signaling pathway were decreased in the experimental group. These results indicated that IE2 could affect the expression levels of GluNRs/CaMKIIα/CREB signaling pathway, which was closely related to the cognitive impairment of the experimental group. In summary, we used this novel mouse model to show that IE2 could cause cognitive impairment in the hippocampus, which might be related to the GluNRs/CaMKIIα/CREB signaling pathway. It is helpful to further understand the mechanism of the cognitive impairment induced by HCMV IE2. • Human cytomegalovirus IE2 could be stably expressed and inherited in the hippocampus of the Rosa26-LSL-IE2/Cre mice. • HCMV IE2 destroyed the structure of hippocampus in the Rosa26-LSL-IE2/Cre mouse. • HCMV IE2 caused cognitive impairment in the hippocampus. • The cognitive impairment caused by IE2 might through the GluNRs/CaMKIIα/CREB signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural products are frequently contaminated by mycotoxins; thus, the accurate detection of mycotoxins is important to food safety. Zearalenone (ZEN), a mycotoxin produced by certain Fusarium and Gibberella species, is a group III carcinogen. We developed a universal surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) aptasensor for the detection of ZEN. The SERS biosensor consists of two functional nanomaterials: sulfhydryl (SH)-ZEN aptamer complementary DNA-modified Fe 3 O 4 @Au was used as a capture probe and SH-ZEN aptamer-modified Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles served as reporter probes. In the absence of ZEN, the highest Raman signal was obtained owing to the SERS effects of Fe 3 O 4 @Au and Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles. Conversely, the addition of ZEN triggered the release of Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles from Fe 3 O 4 @Au, leading to a decrease in SERS intensity after magnetic separation. Hybridization of the ZEN aptamer and its complementary strand generated a strong SERS signal from the reporter probe. Moreover, preferential binding of the ZEN aptamer to ZEN was observed. The signal intensity in SERS decreased linearly when the capture probes released the reporter. For ZEN detection, a linear range from 0.005 to 500 ng mL−1, with an R2 of 0.9981, was obtained. The detection limit was 0.001 ng mL−1. The SERS aptasensor showed excellent performance for analytical applications with real-world samples (beer and wine). This study presents a new model for the detection of mycotoxins based on simple changes in aptamers. [Display omitted] • Detection of mycotoxins is important to overcome food contamination. • SERS aptasensor was developed to detect zearalenone, a group III carcinogen. • SH-cDNA-modified Fe 3 O 4 @Au as capture probe; SH-Apt-modified Au@Ag as reporter probe. • Wide linear range of 0.005–500 ng mL−1 for detecting zearalenone. • Novel model for the detection of mycotoxins to guarantee food safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The P2Y 14 receptor (P2Y 14 R) plays a key role in the modulation of inflammatory process, but very few classes of antagonists have been reported. A series of 3-amide benzoic acid derivatives were identified as novel and potent P2Y 14 R antagonists. The most potent antagonist, 16c , showed comparable activity (IC 50 = 1.77 nM) to PPTN, the most potent P2Y 14 R antagonist reported. Compound 16c demonstrated dramatically improved aqueous solubility and excellent metabolic stability in rat and human microsomes. Investigation of the anti-inflammatory effect of 16c was performed in MSU treated THP-1 cells by flow cytometry, Western Blot and immunofluorescence labeling technology, which exhibited that 16c might be a promising candidate for further research. Image 1 • A series of 3-amide benzoic acids was identified as novel P2Y 14 R antagonists. • Compound 16c showed potent anti-inflammatory effect. • Compound 16c demonstrated dramatically improved aqueous solubility and excellent metabolic stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]