Media 1: High-numerical-aperture high-reflectivity focusing reflectors using concentric circular high-contrast gratings

Originally published in Applied Optics on 01 February 2015 (ao-54-4-973

Tuning the Interfacial Activity of Mesoporous Silicas for Biphasic Interface Catalysis Reactions

Interface-active particle materials that are able to assemble at the oil/water interface so as to stabilize droplets, are gaining unprecedented interest due to the intriguing applications in catalysis and materials synthesis, etc. In contrast to these potential applications, this kind of materials are still limited and cannot meet some particular demands of practical utilizations such as rationally designed interfacial activity and high stability against concentrated salts. In this contribution, interface-active mesoporous silica nanospheres (MSS@C_<i>x</i>Z_<i>y</i>) are synthesized through simultaneous incorporation of extremely hydrophilic zwitterionic moiety and hydrophobic octyl moiety in the shell. The textural properties of these materials are characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), and nitrogen sorption. The successful decoration of these functionalities in the shell is confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT–IR), ¹³C nuclear cross-polar magnetic resonance (¹³C CP/MAS NMR), and ²⁹Si nuclear cross-polar magnetic resonance (²⁹Si CP/MAS NMR). The prepared mesoporous silicas exhibit tunable interfacial activity, so that oil-in-water (O/W) and water-in-oil (W/O) Pickering emulsions can be easily obtained by varying the molar fraction of these two functionalities. The MSS@C_<i>x</i>Z_<i>y</i>-stabilized Pickering emulsions exhibit high stability to coalescence even at 6.0 M NaCl and have relatively low surface coverage of droplets due to electrostatic repulsion, which is normally difficult to obtain for conventional particles. Interestingly, such interface-active mesoporous silicas can also carry polyoxometalate that is hosted in the nanopore to assemble at the oil/water interface and thus efficiently promotes biphasic epoxidation reactions without any external stirring, exemplifying an innovative application of theses developed mesoporous silicas

Additional file 7 of Analysis of controlling genes for tiller growth of Psathyrostachys juncea based on transcriptome sequencing technology

Additional file 7

Improving Catalytic Hydrogenation Performance of Pd Nanoparticles by Electronic Modulation Using Phosphine Ligands

Tuning the activity and selectivity of metal nanoparticles (NPs) is a long-term pursuit in the field of catalysis. Herein, we report successfully improving both the activity and chemoselectivity of Pd NPs (1.1 nm) with triphenylphosphine (PPh₃) cross-linked in the nanopore of FDU-12. The electron-donating effect of PPh₃ increases the surface electronic density of Pd NPs and weakens the Pd–H bond, as evidenced by the results of XPS, in situ FT-IR adsorption of CO, and H₂–D₂ exchange reactions. Consequently, Pd NPs modified with PPh₃ obtain >99% selectivity to 1-phenylethanol in acetophenone hydrogenation and 94% selectivity to styrene in phenylacetylene hydrogenation. Furthermore, the activity of Pd NPs is enhanced and suppressed by PPh₃, respectively, in the hydrogenation of electrophilic nitro compounds and nucleophilic carbonyl substrates. Our primary results shed some light on judiciously choosing organic ligands for modifying the catalytic performance of metal NPs toward specific chemical transformations

Additional file 6 of Analysis of controlling genes for tiller growth of Psathyrostachys juncea based on transcriptome sequencing technology

Additional file 6

Insight into the Mechanisms of Combined Toxicity of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Nickel Ions in Macrophages: Role of P2X₇ Receptor

Coexistence of nanomaterials and environmental pollutants requires in-depth understanding of combined toxicity and underlying mechanism. In this work, we found that coexposure to the mixture of noncytotoxic level of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) (10 μg/mL) and Ni²⁺ (20 μM) induced significant cytotoxicity in macrophages. However, almost equal amount of intracellular Ni²⁺ was detected after Ni²⁺/SWCNT coexposure or Ni²⁺ single exposure, indicating no enhanced cellular uptake of Ni²⁺ occurred. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed 50% more SWCNTs retained in Ni²⁺/SWCNT exposed cells than that with SWCNT exposure alone, regardless of the exposure sequence (coexposure, Ni²⁺ pre- or post-treatment), suggesting inhibited SWCNT exocytosis by Ni²⁺. The increased cellular dose of SWCNTs could quantitatively account for the elevated toxicity of Ni²⁺/SWCNT mixture to cells. It was then found that agonist (ATP) and antagonist (o-ATP) of P2X₇R could regulate intracellular SWCNT amount and the cytotoxicity accordingly. In addition, inhibition of P2X₇R by P2X₇-targeting siRNA diminished the inhibitory effect of Ni²⁺. It was therefore concluded that Ni²⁺ impeded SWCNT exocytosis by inhibiting P2X₇R, leading to higher intracellular retention of SWCNTs and elevated cytotoxicity. Our work identified exocytosis inhibition as an important mechanism for SWCNT/Ni²⁺ toxicity, and revealed the crucial role of P2X₇R in mediating such inhibitory effect

Design of uni-traveling-carrier photodiode With Nanoscale Optical Microstructures

In this article, we report a uni-traveling-carrier photodiode (UTC-PD) incorporating nanoscale optical microstructures. We design a waveguide-based UTC-PD containing an internal optical scattering structure to convert incident light from vertical incidence to lateral propagation and to constrain the light within the absorption layer of the UTC-PD as much as possible. In this way, the proposed UTC-PD can have an operating performance like that of a waveguide-type PD under vertical light incidence, and its responsivity will increase. The ideal responsivity of the designed UTC-PD with an absorption layer thickness of 200nm after optimization can reach 0.43A/W, which is 48% higher than that of the traditional structure

Effect of Magnet Powder (Fe₃O₄) on Aerobic Granular Sludge (AGS) Formation and Microbial Community Structure Characteristics

Magnet powder (Fe₃O₄) could affect the growth and biodegradation ability of microbes by producing a magnetic field and iron ion. In this study, the enhancement of aerobic granulation by adding Fe₃O₄ was performed to evaluate the effects of different Fe₃O₄ concentrations (0, 0.4, 0.8, 1.2, and 1.6 g/L) on sludge granulation. Fe₃O₄ had a positive effect on the formation and growth of aerobic granular sludge (AGS) during the start-up period. In addition, the Fe₃O₄ concentration at 0.4–1.2 g/L promoted COD removal compared to the sequencing batch reactor (SBR) without Fe₃O₄. The three-dimensional–excitation emission matrix (3D–EEM) indicated that 0.8 g/L Fe₃O₄ addition could accelerate the granulation by stimulating extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) secretion which was an advantage for enhancing granule size. Meanwhile, microbial richness and diversity of AGS was significantly affected with Fe₃O₄ addition by high-throughput sequencing. Furthermore, dominant groups contributing to granule formation, COD removal, and nitrifying–denitrifying were identified under different Fe₃O₄ concentrations

Image1_Exploring the oncogenic roles of LINC00857 in pan-cancer.pdf

Although aberrant LINC00857 expression may play a key role in oncogenesis, no research has analyzed the pan-cancer oncogenic roles of LINC00857, particularly in tumor immunology. Here, we integrated data from several databases to analyze the characteristics of LINC00857 in pan-cancer. We found that LINC00857 was overexpressed and correlated with a poor prognosis in a variety of cancers. Furthermore, high-expression of LINC00857 was negatively associated with immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoint gene expression. Notably, LINC00857 expression was negatively related to microsatellite instability and tumor mutation burden in colorectal cancer, implying poor reaction to immunotherapy when LINC00857 was highly expressed. Targeting LINC00857 could dramatically impair the proliferative ability of colorectal cancer cells. After RNA-sequencing in HCT116 cells, gene set enrichment analysis showed that LINC00857 may accelerate cancer progression by inhibiting the ferroptosis pathway and promoting glycolipid metabolism in colorectal cancer. Screening by weighted gene co-expression network analysis determined PIWIL4 as a target of LINC00857, which also performed an immunosuppressive role in colorectal cancer. Based on the structure of PIWIL4, a number of small molecule drugs were screened out by virtual screening and sensitivity analysis. In summary, LINC00857 expression was closely correlated with an immunosuppressive microenvironment and may be a novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for diverse cancers. The LINC00857/PIWIL4 axis may be predictive biomarkers for immunotherapy and valuable molecular targets for malignant tumors.</p