Structural,morphological, Raman,optical, magnetic,and antibacterial characteristics of CeO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanostructures

In this study, CeO₂ nanostructures were synthesized by a soft chemical method. A hydrothermal treatment was observed to lead to an interesting morphological transformation of the nanoparticles into homogeneous microspheres composed of nanosheets with an average thickness of 40 nm. Structural analysis revealed the formation of a single-phase cubic fluorite structure of CeO₂ for both samples. A Raman spectroscopic study confirmed the XRD results and furthermore indicated the presence of a large number of oxygen vacancies in the nanosheets. These oxygen vacancies led to room-temperature ferromagnetism (RTFM) of the CeO₂ nanosheets with enhanced magnetic characteristics. Amazingly, the nanosheets exhibited substantially greater antibacterial activity than the nanoparticles. This greater antibacterial activity was attributed to greater exposure of high-surface-energy polar surfaces and to the presence of oxygen vacancies.     

Structure and control of the actin regulatory WAVE complex

Members of the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASP) family control cytoskeletal dynamics by promoting actin filament nucleation with the Arp2/3 complex. The WASP relative WAVE regulates lamellipodia formation within a 400-kilodalton, hetero-pentameric WAVE regulatory complex (WRC). The WRC is inactive towards the Arp2/3 complex, but can be stimulated by the Rac GTPase, kinases and phosphatidylinositols. Here we report the 2.3-?ngstrom crystal structure of the WRC and complementary mechanistic analyses. The structure shows that the activity-bearing VCA motif of WAVE is sequestered by a combination of intramolecular and intermolecular contacts within the WRC. Rac and kinases appear to destabilize a WRC element that is necessary for VCA sequestration, suggesting the way in which these signals stimulate WRC activity towards the Arp2/3 complex. The spatial proximity of the Rac binding site and the large basic surface of the WRC suggests how the GTPase and phospholipids could cooperatively recruit the complex to membranes.     

A single-step synthesis of nitrogen-doped graphene sheets decorated with cobalt hydroxide nanoflakes for the determination of dopamine

Nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide(NrGO)sheets decorated with Co(OH)_2nanoflakes were prepared by a single-step hydrothermal process.The morphological and structural characterizations of as synthesized Nr GO@Co(OH)_2nanoflakes were performed by field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM),EDX-mapping and X-ray diffraction(XRD).Nr GO@Co(OH)_2nanoflakes modified glassy carbon electrode(GCE)was used for electrochemical sensing of dopamine in neutral medium.The nanocomposite modified electrode showed enhanced electrochemical sensing ability for the detection of dopamine and the limit of detection(Lo D)was found to be 0.201μM with a sensitivity value of 0.0286±0.002 m A m M~(-1).Interference studies revealed that Nr GO@Co(OH)_2─GCE endow excellent selectivity for DA detection even in the presence of higher concentration of common co-existing physiological interfering analytes.Additionally,proposed sensor demonstrated excellent performance in urine samples with promising reproducibility and stability.     

Metazoan evolution of the armadillo repeat superfamily

The superfamily of armadillo repeat proteins is a fascinating archetype of modular-binding proteins involved in various fundamental cellular processes, including cell–cell adhesion, cytoskeletal organization, nuclear import, and molecular signaling. Despite their diverse functions, they all share tandem armadillo (ARM) repeats, which stack together to form a conserved three-dimensional structure. This superhelical armadillo structure enables them to interact with distinct partners by wrapping around them. Despite the important functional roles of this superfamily, a comprehensive analysis of the composition, classification, and phylogeny of this protein superfamily has not been reported. Furthermore, relatively little is known about a subset of ARM proteins, and some of the current annotations of armadillo repeats are incomplete or incorrect, often due to high similarity with HEAT repeats. We identified the entire armadillo repeat superfamily repertoire in the human genome, annotated each armadillo repeat, and performed an extensive evolutionary analysis of the armadillo repeat proteins in both metazoan and premetazoan species. Phylogenetic analyses of the superfamily classified them into several discrete branches with members showing significant sequence homology, and often also related functions. Interestingly, the phylogenetic structure of the superfamily revealed that about 30 % of the members predate metazoans and represent an ancient subset, which is gradually evolving to acquire complex and highly diverse functions.     

Influence of alkaline treatment and fiber loading on the physical and mechanical properties of kenaf/polypropylene composites for variety of applications

Due to current trend and increasing interest towards natural based fiber products, Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus) fibers have been used for the developments of many products. Therefore, Kenaf fiber-reinforced composites have been widely used in engineering and industrial applications. The present work deals with the fabricating and characterization of untreated and treated kenaf/polypropylene (PP)-reinforced composites. Composites of PP reinforced with treated and untreated kenaf fibers were fabricated using the injection molding technique. Different fiber loadings of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 wt% treated and untreated kenaf composites were also prepared. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) were performed on the treated, untreated kenaf fibers and kenaf/PP composites. Moreover, the alkaline-treated kenaf composites exhibit better physical, morphological, and mechanical properties because of the compatibility of kenaf with PP. However, variations in tensile and flexural properties depend on treatment and kenaf fiber contents. The percentage increase in the mechanical properties of the treated kenaf/PP composites relative to that of PP was also measured. In addition, 40 wt% kenaf fiber loading resulted in higher mechanical properties. By contrast, kenaf/PP composite with 50% fiber loading was not successfully prepared because of improper mixing and the burning of kenaf fibers in the PP matrix. To conclude, 40% kenaf/PP composites with superior physical and mechanical properties may be used in variety of applications such as automotive, sports, construction, animal bedding, and mass production industries.     

干旱区土地利用变化及其成因研究——以新疆吐鲁番地区为例

吐鲁番地区位于我国西北部,新疆维吾尔自治区东部,总面积为67.56×105hm2,是我国极端干旱区之一.利用1999—2008年间的统计数据,研究该地区的土地利用变化及其成因.综合分析显示:①整个研究区范围内,虽然农作物面积增多,但是耕地面积变化很小或保持不变.虽然鄯善县、托克逊县的耕地面积分别减少了1.06%和0.68%,但是吐鲁番市却增多了1.5%,弥补了减少部分.②建设用地中虽然居民点及工矿用地增多了6 374 hm2,但是交通运输用地减少了1 868 hm2,基本上补给居民点增长部分.③到2008年未利用地比1999年减少0.12%,,主要被新增农用地占用.     

Morphology and Optical Properties of Self-Assembled In0.5Ga0.5As Quantum Dots with Different Spacer Layer Thickness

<正>Introduction Self-assembled quantum dots (QDs) that are grown using epitaxial techniques have been extensively stud-ied due to their potential for various applications. Self-assembled InxGa1-xAs/GaAs QDs represent one     

以2-(2′-咪唑偶氮)苯酚-4-磺酸为显色剂进行金属离子的多组分分析

研究了咪唑偶氮苯酚－４－磺酸（ＩＡＰ－４Ｓ）与Ｃｕ（Ⅱ）、Ｚｎ（Ⅱ）、Ｆｅ（Ⅲ）显色反应的适宜条件。对于铜、铁、钴混合试液及锌、铁、钴混合试液中３组分应用多组分分析法测定，方法简便，回收率令人满意。     

Characterization of Inverse Spinel LiNiVO_4 Cathode Materials Prepared by the Sol-gel and Polymer Precursor Method

1 Results Due to the high cell voltage of LiNiVO4,the compound properties have been continuously studied as the potential cathode material for Li-ion batteries.LiNiVO4 cathode product has been known to exhibit high cell voltage of 4.8 V[1].LiCH3COO.2H2O (Sigma),Ni(CH3COO)2.4H2O (Aldrich) and NH4VO3(Ajax Finechem) were used as the starting reactants. In this work,LiNiVO4 was prepared by the sol gel method.This method was used to replace the conventional solid state reaction method in terms of the sample ...     

Recent advances in non-toxic quantum dots and their biomedical applications

Quantum dots (QDs) with unique quantum confinement effect and electro-optical properties are attractive for biomedical applications. Toxic effects of traditional semiconductor QDs made of heavy metal ions have serious safety concerns for their undesired environmental or healthy impact. Recent reports on core-shell structure modification of QDs by using biocompatible ligands or polymers is one way to be effectively minimizing toxicity effects of traditional QDs. Furthermore, designs of heave metal-free and metal-free QDs formulations are more promising alternatives, due to the non-toxic and eco-friendly nature of the starting materials. In article, we will review the recent designs of non-toxic or less toxic QDs, including carbon-based, biomolecules-based, silicon-based, and ternary I-III-VI QDs, and their biological applications (bio-imaging, drug delivery, gene therapy and immunoassay).