A redox-switchable Au8-cluster sensor.

The proof of concept of a simple sensing platform based on the fluorescence of a gold cluster consisting of eight atoms, which is easily manipulated by reduction and oxidation of a specific molecule in the absence of chemical linkers, is demonstrated. Without using any coupling reagents to arrange the distance of the donor-acceptor pair, the fluorescence of the Au(8) -cluster is immediately switched off in the presence of 2-pyridinethiol (2-PyT) quencher. Through an upward-curving Stern-Volmer plot, the system shows complex fluorescence quenching with a combination of static and dynamic quenching processes.

Organic dyes with remarkably high absorptivity; all solid-state dye sensitized solar cell and role of fluorine substitution.

A series of new organic D-pi-A dyes, A1, A2-H and A2-F, possessing a remarkably high absorption extinction coefficient of epsilon > 5.0 x 10(4) M(-1) cm(-1) at peak wavelength were synthesized, among which, A2-F having a key fluorine substitution attains excellent all solid-state DSSC performance, with optimized parameters of eta = 4.86%, J(SC) = 7.

Simple organic molecules bearing a 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene linker for efficient dye-sensitized solar cells.

3,4-Ethylenedioxythiophene and bis[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]thiophene bridged donor-acceptor molecules for dye-sensitized solar cells have been synthesized, one of which achieved a solar-to-energy conversion efficiency of 7.3%, compared to 7.7% optimized for N719 dye.

Decreased expression of type II tumor suppressor gene RARRES3 in tissues of hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma.

Aim: To analyze the expression of retinoic acid receptor responder 3 (RARRES3) protein in paraffin-embedded tissues of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma (CC), and the correlation of RARRES3 production with tumor differentiation.

Methods: Expression of RARRES3 in tissues from 21 CC (10 well-, 7 moderately- and 4 poorly-differentiated) and 32 HCC was determined by immunohistochemistry.

Results: Among 21 CC tissues, RARRES3 was detected in 8 (80%) of 10 well-differentiated tumors.