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Abstract The current research focuses on the development of Ag–ZnO heterostructures through a “bottom-up” approach involving the assembly and extraction of Aloe barbadensis Miller gel. These heterostructures composed of metals/semiconductor oxide display distinct and notable optical, electrical, magnetic, and chemical properties that are not found in single constituents and also exhibit photocatalytic applications. These synthesized heterostructures were characterized by XRD, FTIR, SEM, and UV–visible spectroscopy. The high peak intensity of the Ag/ZnO composite shows the high crystallinity. The presence of Ag–O, Zn–O, and O–H bonding is verified using FTIR analysis. SEM analysis indicated the formation of spherical shapes of Ag/ZnO heterostructures. The Zn, O, and Ag elements are further confirmed by EDX analysis. Ag–ZnO heterostructures exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity and stability against the degradation of tubantin red 8BL dye under visible light irradiation.

Abstract The optoelectronic properties of the ternary Cd0.25Zn0.75Se alloy are reported under the influence of a high pressure ranging from 0 to 25 GPa, within a modified Becke–Jhonson potential using density functional theory. This alloy has a cubic symmetry, is mechanically stable, and its bulk modulus rises with pressure. It is observed to be a direct bandgap material with a bandgap energy that increases from 2.37 to 3.11 eV with rise in pressure. Pressure changes the optical and electronic properties, causing the absorption coefficient to rise and absorb visible green-to-violet light. The static dielectric constant, along with the static index of refraction, both increase under the influence of pressure. Optical constants, including dielectric constant, optical conductivity, refractive index, extinction coefficient, and reflection, are also investigated and discussed. This DFT forecast explores important research directions for the usage of the CdZnSe semiconductor alloys in the manufacturing of space photovoltaic and optoelectronic devices operating at different pressures.

Abstract Dysregulation of non-coding microRNAs during the course of tumor development, invasion and/or progression to the distant organs, makes them a promising candidate marker for the diagnosis of cancer and associated malignancies. This exploratory study aims at evaluating the usefulness of plasma concentration of circulating mir-146a as a non-invasive biomarker for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Total RNA including miRNA was isolated from 110 plasma samples of patients (n = 66), healthy controls (n = 24) and follow up (n = 20) cases and reverse transcribed. Relative concentrations were assessed using real-time quantitative PCR and fold-change was calculated by 2−ΔΔCt method. Finally, relative concentrations were correlated to clinicopathological factors. Patients (n = 66) were analyzed to determine fold expression of miR-146a in plasma samples of ALL. Before chemotherapy, pediatric (n = 42) and adult (n = 24) showed overexpression of miR-146a compared with healthy controls (P