P-block atom modified Sn(200) surface as a promising electrocatalyst for two-electron CO reduction: a first-principles study.

Low activity and poor product selectivity of CO reduction have seriously hampered its further practical application. Introducing p-block atoms to the catalyst is regarded as a promising strategy due to the versatility of p orbitals and diversity of p-block elements. Here, we systematically studied the influence of p-block atom X (X = C, N, O, S, and Se) on CO catalytic properties on a Sn(200) surface by first-principles calculation.

Positive expression of ZNF689 indicates poor prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

The objective of the present study was to investigate the association between zinc finger protein (ZNF) 689 expression and the clinicopathological features and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A total of 102 paired HCC and paired non-cancerous tissues, and 16 normal liver tissues were collected. ZNF689 expression was examined in HCC tissues, paired-noncancerous tissues, and normal liver tissues using RT-qPCR and immunohistochemistry analysis, and the association between ZNF689 expression and HCC prognosis was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method.

Transfer from trap emission to band-edge one in water-soluble CdS nanocrystals.

A simple and rapid route to water-soluble CdS nanocrystals stabilized by citrate was reported, and the transfer of citrate-stabilized CdS NCs from trap emission to band-edge one was studied systematically for the first time. It was found that heating in air, alkaline activation and illumination, all efficiently manipulated surface states of CdS NCs and controlled the emission states, leading to transferring CdS NCs from a broad trap emission (FWHM ~125 nm) to their strong, narrow band-gap emission (FWHM ~25 nm), comparable to that of CdS NCs synthesized by organic routes. Lifetime decay kinetic studies demonstrated that the average lifetimes for CdS NCs before and after transferred were 131.

Synthesis of NAC capped near infrared-emitting CdTeS alloyed quantum dots and application for in vivo early tumor imaging.

The synthesis of water-soluble near-infrared (NIR)-emitting quantum dots (QDs) has recently received extensive attention for non-invasive detection of biological information in living subjects. Highly fluorescent CdTeS alloyed QDs for biological application are introduced in this paper. QDs were synthesized by a hydrothermal method and coated with N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) as both bioactive ligand and sulfur source for biocompatibility and biological stability.

[Quantitative determination of pazufloxacin using water-soluble quantum dots as fluorescent probes].

The quantum dots (QDs) synthesized in aqueous solution have more advantages than those synthesized in organic solution, for drugs always act on the biological systems. In addition, the CdTe QDs surface-bound TGA molecules can not only enhance the fluorescence intensity, but also improve the stability of quantum dots, which makes the integrate of quantum dots and the organism easier. The present paper studied on the interaction of CdTe quantum dots, which were synthesized in aqueous solution with pazufloxacin, the forth generation of quinoloines drugs by fluorescence spectrum and absorption spectrum.

[Application of wavelet transform to the infrared diffusion reflectance spectrum of rocks].

The infrared diffuse reflectance spectra of hydrocarbon source rocks with different particle sizes were measured. The result indicated that the absorbency of the raw spectrum decreased with the reduction of particle size, but the relationship turned to be reverse after we pretreated the original spectra by using wavelet transform to eliminate the background and calibrate the baseline drift, both of which were caused by scattering. The reversed relations showed that the spectral lines were influenced deeply by the scattering of the samples.

Water-soluble CdSe and CdSe/CdS nanocrystals: a greener synthetic route.

We report a new green synthetic route of CdSe and core-shell CdSe/CdS nanoparticles (NPs) in aqueous solutions. This route is performed under water-bath temperature, using Se powder as a selenium source to prepare CdSe NPs, and H(2)S generated by the reaction of Na(2)SH(2)SO(4) as a sulfur source to synthesize core-shell CdSe/CdS NPs at 25-35 degrees C. The synthesis time of every step is only 20 min.