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Developing Li-ion storage with high rate capability and long cycling life is indispensable for applications where fast charge/discharge is required. To achieve this goal, interfacial pesudocapacitance is introduced by doping TiO2 nanowire with N and S, which have been obtained after annealing process in the presence of thiourea. As a result, a high reversible capacity and ultra-long cycling stability is achieved. Moreover, a hybrid lithium-ion capacitor (LIC) is assembled and it is able to deliver an energy density of 45.2 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 175 W kg−1.

A series of luminescent lanthanide compounds with 2, 3, 5, 6-tetrafluoro-1, 4-benzenedicarboxylate (H2BDC-F4) acting as the organic ligand have been synthesized by solvothermal reaction. The terbium compound (C1: Tb-BDC-F4) and europium compound (C7: Eu-BDC-F4) exhibit intense green and red luminescence respectively upon excitation of the ligand at room temperature, which suggests that H2BDC-F4 ligand can sensitize Tb3+ and Eu3+ ions effectively. The emitting color of the mixed lanthanide compounds is tunable from green to red in the mixed lanthanide compounds TbxEu1-x-BDC-F4 (x = 0.3%, 0.5%, 0.7%, 1%, and 2%), which is caused by energy transfer from Tb3+ to Eu3+. The self-reference ratiometric optical thermometry was realized by fluorescence intensity ratio between Tb3+ green emission (∼544 nm) and Eu3+red emission (∼ 619 nm). The maximum relative sensitivity SR,max is 0.76%K−1@50 K. Furthermore, the emitting color of C5: Eu0.01Tb0.99-BDC-F4 could be tuned from green to orange by temperature in the range of 50 to 300 K. It allows the mixed Eu/Tb-BDC-F4 compounds to be potentially used as sensitive luminescent materials to directly imagine the temperature distribution.

Levodopa (L-DOPA) is still the most effective drug for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, the long-term therapy often triggers L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID). Metabotropic glutamate receptor type 5 (mGluR5) is abundant in the basal ganglia, and its inhibition is thought to modulate postsynaptic excitatory synaptic transmission and glutamate hyperactivity in PD and LID. In this report, we examined the effects of mGluR5-specific antagonist 2-methyl-6-(phenylethynyl)pyridine (MPEP) on LID and synaptic components in the PD model rat. We found the selective mGluR5 antagonist MPEP attenuated abnormal involuntary movements, prolonged the duration of rotational response, reversed the decrease of left forepaw adjusting steps, and reduced overexpression of striatal mGluR5 in the LID rats. Moreover, our results showed much thicker postsynaptic densities, narrower synapse cleft, as well as the increased ratio of perforated synapses induced by L-DOPA treatment, while coadministration of L-DOPA and MPEP reversed these postsynaptic effects. Finally, MPEP reduced overexpression of the two postsynaptic proteins (PSD-95 and SAP102) induced by L-DOPA treatment. Hence, these results provide evidence that aberrant neural plasticity at corticostriatal synapses in the striatum is closely correlated with the occurrence of LID, and targeted inhibition of mGluR5 by MPEP alleviates LID in the PD rat model.

Objectives We aimed to investigate effects of deep white matter hyperintensity (DWMH) and periventricular hyperintensity (PVH) on the efficacy of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Methods A total of 113 AIS patients with WMH were categorized into the PVH group and the DWMH group according to the lesion location, with the division of two subgroups based on whether or not they received IVT treatment: the thrombolysis group and the control group. Kaplan–Meier analysis was used for proportional hazards of recurrent stroke. Further, multivariate Cox regression analysis was employed. Results Of total patients, there were 62 PVH patients and 51 DWMH patients: 27 of PVH patients and 22 of DWMH patients received IVT, and the remaining patients only received routine treatment. DWMH patients had a higher risk of END (36.4% vs. 11.1%; p = 0.034) and HT (22.7% vs. 3.7%; p = 0.038) than PVH patients in the thrombolysis group. Moreover, DWMH patients undergoing IVT also had a higher risk of END (36.4% vs. 10.3%; x 2 = 5.050; p = 0.025) and HT (22.7% vs. 3.4%; x 2 = 4.664; p = 0.031) than DWMH patients without IVT. Again, PVH patients had a higher rate of recurrent stroke (20.0% vs. 3.4%; p = 0.034) than DWMH patients in the control group after 90‐day follow‐up. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed a significant difference in cumulative probability of no major endpoint events (p = 0.039). Further, multivariate Cox regression revealed that PVH is an independent risk factor for stroke recurrence in AIS patients after adjusting confounding factors. Conclusions The location of WMH is closely associated with the efficacy of IVT in AIS patients.

We aimed to investigate whether microRNA-let-7d (miRNA-let-7d) and miRNA-107 may serve as diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The relative expression level of miRNA-let-7d and miRNA-107 in patients with ADHD and in a healthy control group was detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction. The blood samples were collected at 6 weeks after repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) or atomoxetine (ATX) in ADHD patients, and the relative expression levels of the two miRNAs before and after treatments were compared. There were significant differences in the expression level of miRNA-let-7d between ADHD patients and healthy children, as well as before and after rTMS or ATX treatment in ADHD patients. However, the expression of miRNA-107 showed no significant difference between ADHD patients and healthy children or before and after rTMS (or ATX treatment). These results suggest that serum miRNA-let-7d may serve as a potential diagnostic and therapeutic biomarker for children with ADHD.

Objectives The serum concentration of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was compared among patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), patients with essential tremor (ET), and healthy participants, and its association with clinical features of PD and ET was assessed. Methods Demographic and clinical data were collected from 60 patients with PD at different clinical stages, 60 patients with ET, and 60 controls. All participants’ serum BDNF concentrations were measured. Their motor abilities and activity were assessed by the Unified PD Rating Scale and the Hoehn and Yahr (H-Y) staging scale. Results Serum BDNF was significantly lower in patients with PD than in patients with ET and controls. BDNF decreased only in the early disease stages (H-Y stages I and II), but increased markedly in the advanced stages (H-Y stages III–V). There was no significant difference between patients with ET and controls. The BDNF concentration was negatively correlated with age at PD onset and positively associated with disease duration, severity of PD symptoms, and treatment with L-DOPA. Conclusions A low serum BDNF concentration may serve as a biomarker in the early stages of PD, whereas a high concentration with PD progression may be due to treatment with L-DOPA in the advanced stages.

Ultralong room temperature phosphorescence is achieved from amorphous organic materials toward information encryption., Ultralong room temperature phosphorescence (URTP) emitted from pure amorphous organic molecules is very rare. Although a few crystalline organic molecules could realize URTP with long lifetimes (>100 ms), practical applications of these crystalline organic phosphors are still challenging because the formation and maintenance of high-quality crystals are very difficult and complicated. Herein, we present a rational design for minimizing the vibrational dissipation of pure amorphous organic molecules to achieve URTP. By using this strategy, a series of URTP films with long lifetimes and high phosphorescent quantum yields (up to 0.75 s and 11.23%, respectively) were obtained from amorphous organic phosphors without visible fluorescence and phosphorescence under ambient conditions. On the basis of the unique features of URTP films, a new green screen printing technology without using any ink was developed toward confidential information encryption and decryption. This work presents a breakthrough strategy in applying amorphous organic materials for URTP.

Yb3+ singly doped tellurite as-prepared glasses and glass ceramics were synthesized by high-temperature melt-quenching method. The excitation and emission spectra have shown that there is an efficient near-infrared (NIR) down-shifting due to the sensitization of a novel Yb3+–O2− charge-transfer (CT) band. The CT band in the present host is located at around 320 nm at room temperature, which is much lower than that in other oxide hosts reported before. The possible energy-transfer mechanism from the Yb3+–O2− CT band to the 2F5/2 multiplet of Yb3+ ions is discussed in detail. The concentration quenching is not observed even when the Yb3+-doped concentration is increased up to 40 mol%. The excitation of this strong broad CT band causes intense NIR emission of Yb3+:2F5/2→2F7/2 from 920 to 1120 nm, making the tellurite glasses suitable for efficient photovoltaic (PV) application as a spectral conversion material for the crystalline Si (c-Si) solar cells.

A series of Eu 3+ substituted double-perovskite Sr 2 CaW x Mo 1− x O 6 phosphors were prepared by solid state reactions. The phase, photoluminescence and energy transfer of the phosphors were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL) and luminescence decay respectively. It is found that the emission of the Eu 3+ substituted double perovskites depends on both the site symmetry of the activators and the excitation wavelengths. Based on the decay analysis of Sr 2 CaW x Mo 1− x O 6 matrix and Eu 3+ doped samples, the energy transfer efficiencies between the host and activators Eu 3+ were investigated. The results of the emission tunable phosphors indicate their potential applications in LEDs.

Background Maladjustment of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) results in cerebral vasculature and blood–brain barrier dysfunction, which is associated with small vessel disease (SVD). This study was to aim at evaluating correlations between matrix metalloproteinase-2 and 9 single nucleotide polymorphisms and the risk of SVD. Methods A total of 178 patients with SVD were enrolled into this study via Nanjing Stroke Registry Program (NSRP) from January 2010 to November 2011. SVD patients were further subtyped as isolated lacunar infarction (ILI, absent or with mild leukoaraiosis) and ischemic leukoaraiosis (ILA, with moderate or severe leukoaraiosis) according to the Fazekas scale. 100 age- and gender-matched individuals from outpatient medical examination were recruited as the control group. The genotypes of MMP-2-1306 T/C and MMP-9-1562 C/T were determined by the TaqMan method. Results Of 178 SVD patients, 86 and 92 patients were classified as ILI and ILA, respectively. Comparison analysis between SVD patients and controls revealed a significant correlation between SVD and hypertension, as well as a prevalence of hypertension in ILA. Further genotype analysis showed that the frequency of MMP-2-1306 CC genotype was higher in ILA patients than in controls ( P =0.009, χ 2 test; P =0.027, the multiple test with Bonferroni correction). Finally, logistic regression analysis with adjustment of age, sex and vascular risk factors showed that the MMP-2-1306 T/C polymorphism was an independent predictor for ILA (OR: 2.605; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.067–6.364; P =0.036). Conclusion Our findings suggest that the MMP-2-1306 T/C polymorphism is a direct risk factor for ILA.

The growth arrest special 5 (GAS5) is known to be involved in various cancers. However, its expression regulation remains unclear. Polymorphisms in the promoter region of GAS5 may affect its expression and be associated with cancer susceptibility. In this research, we first evaluated the association of a 5-base pair indel polymorphism (rs145204276) in the promoter region of GAS5 with hepatocelluar carcinoma (HCC) susceptibility in Chinese populations. Logistic regression analysis showed that the deletion allele of rs145204276 significantly increased the risk of HCC in two independent case control sets (1034 HCC and 1054 controls). Further genotype-phenotype association analysis revealed that the deletion allele was markedly correlated with higher expression of GAS5 in HCC tissues. The luciferase activity analysis in an in vitro reporter gene system suggested that the deletion allele improved an increased expression of GAS5 in three hepatoma cell lines. Intriguingly, overexpression of GAS5 displayed an anti-apoptosis effect in HCC cell lines, GAS5 knockdown could partially revert this anti-apoptosis effect, suggesting that GAS5 may act as a proto-oncogene in HCC, in contrast with its inhibitory role in other cancers. Further pyrosequencing revealed that the genotypes of rs145204276 were associated with methylation status of GAS5 promoter region. Taken together, our findings provided evidence that rs145204276 may contribute to hepatocarcinogenesis by affecting methylation status of the GAS5 promoter and subsequently its transcriptional activity thus serving as a potential therapy target for HCC.

Eight- or nine-coordinated trivalent praseodymium complexes derived from para-substituted benzoic acids have been synthesized by the reaction of hydrated Pr(OH)3 with 4-XC6H4CO2H, where X = OMe, H, Cl, NO2, OH, NH2 or F, in dimethylformamide [DMF, (CH3)2NCHO], and eight single crystal X-ray structures have been determined. For the substituted systems studied, dimeric units hydrogen-bonded into chains or networks are observed in complexes comprising electron-donating groups X, whereas electron-withdrawing groups X form polymeric complexes. However, the steric effect of the ligand and the coordination of solvated molecules also play roles in determining the coordination polyhedra. The coordination geometry of the carboxylate ligand in these complexes is restricted to three types: bidentate chelating (η2); bridging bidentate (μ-η1:η1 (O,O′)) and bridging chelating tridentate (μ-η2:η1). Two geometrical isomers, of [Pr(C6H5COO)3(DMF)(H2O)]2, designated as a and b, crystallize in the same monoclinic space group but differ in the arrangement of C6H5COO and DMF ligands in their coordination polyhedra. The packing of isomer a is more efficient than that of b, resulting in a smaller unit-cell volume of about 50 A3. Although functional group fingerprints from the p-substitution moieties are well-identified in the vibrational spectra of the complexes, reasons are provided to explain why the correlation between carboxyl group ligation and spectra cannot be readily made.

Tb (1) and Eu (2) complexes with 4-fluorobenzoic acid have been synthesized by hydrothermal method. The structures of them were established by X-ray crystallography, which revealed that complexes 1 and 2 are isostructural and crystallized into one infinite 1D chains by bidentate bridging carboxyl groups. There are four coordinated and one free H2O molecules around each Tb3+ or Eu3+ centers. But the complexes present excellent luminescence under ultraviolet excitation. The photoluminescent properties of the two complexes were investigated by the solid state excitation, the emission spectra and the luminescent decay. The complexes exhibited strong green and red luminescence in visible spectral region on the broad excitation of the ultraviolet ligand absorption, which indicates the antenna effect might have taken place effectively. The overall quantum yields of complexes 1 and 2 are 41% and 14%, respectively, and the sensitization efficiency of the ligand in complex 2 is estimated to be 82%.

Introduction This study aims to investigate the effects of childhood maltreatment on neurological soft signs (NSS) associated with certain brain area in depressive patients. Methods One hundred three depressive patients were enrolled into this study, and evaluated by Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), brain area-related neurological examination scale, 24-item Hamilton Rating scale (HAMD24), the scale for suicidal ideation (SSI) and Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS). Results Patients undergoing childhood maltreatment exhibited higher frontal area-related NSS scores than patients without childhood maltreatment experience. Patients experiencing childhood emotional or physical neglect displayed more frontal area-related NSS compared to their respective non-maltreatment group. Moreover, physical neglect maltreatment caused more temporal area-related NSS. Patients suffering from childhood sexual abuse had more frontal, temporal and occipital area-related NSS than patients lacking experience of childhood sexual abuse. Further correlation analysis revealed that the total score of maltreatment positively correlated with frontal and temporal area-related NSS score. There was a positive correlation between emotional abuse, emotional neglect or physical abuse and frontal area-related NSS. Physical neglect and sexual abuse were positively associated with the temporal area-related NSS score. HAMD24 score was positively correlated with all brain area-related NSS score; The SSI score correlated with three area (excluded occipital area)-related NSS score. The BHS score only positively correlated with frontal area score of NSS. Finally, no significant association was found between suicidal frequencies and brain area-related NSS score. Discussion Childhood maltreatment adversely affects the brain of depressive patients; the different maltreatment may impair different brain areas, especially frontal and temporal areas.

Very recently, a novel barium bismuth borate Ba6Bi9B79O138 (BBBO) was shown to be a new analogue of REBaB9O16 (RE = rare earth), which is a family of excellent phosphor hosts, because it has two types of cationic positions suitable for bi- and tri-valent activators (or sensitizers). In this study, we prepared Eu3+-to-Bi3+ substituted solid solutions Ba6(Bi1−xEux)9B79O138 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) and performed a systematic UV-photoluminescence investigation. As anticipated, efficient energy transfer occurs in the whole series of compounds and the majority of the energy absorbed by Bi3+ was transmitted to Eu3+, causing a great enhancement of Eu3+ emission. More interestingly, the Eu3+-to-Bi3+ substitution leads to a centrosymmetric-to-noncentrosymmetric transition of the local coordination symmetry of the trivalent cations due to the size difference between Eu3+ and Bi3+. This is observed in the synergetic changing of the wavelength of Bi3+ 1S0 → 3P1 absorption (excitation spectra) and the red-to-orange emission ratio (emission spectra) when changing x. BBBO is a new polyborate host with a freshly resolved structure whose interesting preliminary results suggest the further development of BBBO-based phosphors.

The red upconversion (UC) emission of Eu

Epilepsy is a chronic brain disease affecting millions of individuals. Kainate receptors, especially kainate-type of ionotropic glutamate receptor 2 (GluK2), play an important role in epileptogenesis. Recent data showed that GluK2 could undergo post-translational modifications in terms of S-nitrosylation (SNO), and affect the signaling pathway of cell death in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion. However, it is unclear whether S-nitrosylation of GluK2 (SNO-GluK2) contributes to cell death induced by epilepsy. Here, we report that kainic acid-induced SNO-GluK2 is mediated by GluK2 itself, regulated by neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and the level of cytoplasmic calcium in vivo and in vitro hippocampus neurons. The whole-cell patch clamp recordings showed the influence of SNO-GluK2 on ion channel characterization of GluK2-Kainate receptors. Moreover, immunohistochemistry staining results showed that inhibition of SNO-GluK2 by blocking nNOS or GluK2 or by reducing the level of cytoplasmic calcium-protected hippocampal neurons from kainic acid-induced injury. Finally, immunoprecipitation and western blotting data revealed the involvement of assembly of a GluK2-PSD95-nNOS signaling complex in epilepsy. Taken together, our results showed that the SNO-GluK2 plays an important role in neuronal injury of epileptic rats by forming GluK2-PSD95-nNOS signaling module in a cytoplasmic calcium-dependent way, suggesting a potential therapeutic target site for epilepsy.

Leukoaraiosis (LA) is common in elderly patients with ischemic stroke on magnetic resonance imaging. In this study, we investigate whether the degree of LA is associated with clinical outcomes and prognosis of patients with middle cerebral artery occlusion following intravenous thrombolytic. Ninety-seven patients were recruited and divided into three groups based on the degree of LA (no, mild and moderate to severe LA) by the Fazekas scale. Clinical outcomes, recurrent stroke, Fugl-Meyer rating scale (FMS) and complications of intravenous thrombolysis were assessed. The association between the degree of LA and functional outcomes was analyzed by multivariable logistic regression model. Patients enrolled were divided into three groups: 26 patients with no LA, 43 patients with mild LA and 28 patients with moderate to severe LA. Impressively, the patients with mild LA were better in early neurological recovery and 90-day FMS score than patients in the other two groups. Multivariate logistic analysis revealed that moderate to severe LA was an independent predictor of poor functional outcome (OR: 10.482; 95% CI: 1.442–76.181; P = .020). Moreover, the patients with moderate to severe LA have a higher rate of hemorrhagic transformation and recurrent stroke as compared with two other groups during 90-day follow-up. Different degrees of LA differentially affect clinical outcome and prognosis in patients with middle cerebral artery occlusion following intravenous thrombolytic. Moderate to severe LA is a risk factor of poor prognosis. Mild LA is associated with early neurological recovery and good motor functional outcome.

The monochromaticity improvement of green upconversion (UC) in Lu

Luminescence of defects and/or impurities is important for phosphors. One broad emission band centered at 785nm was observed in (Y

Rare-earth borates are good candidates for optical applications. To date, however, the high-pressure/high-temperature technique has produced a large number of novel borates with optical properties that have rarely been investigated due to the severe problem of substantial defects. We targeted the high-pressure polymorph of β-GdB

A high-temperature solid-state method was used to synthesize the Ho

Ten substituted benzoate complexes of Pr(3+) of the type [Pr(XC6H4COO)3(H2O)n(DMF)m]p·(DMF)q (X = OCH3, NO2, OH, F, Cl, NH2) have been synthesized, and for eight of these crystallographic data are available. The electronic absorption and emission spectra of the complexes have been recorded and interpreted at temperatures down to 10 K for transitions involving the (3)P0 and (1)D2 J-multiplet terms. Generally, the electron-withdrawing groups X in the benzoate moiety lead to higher (3)P0 energy than electron-donating groups. Empirical relations have been found between the energies of the (3)P0 and (1)D2(1) levels and the Hammett sigma constants for substituents and the unit cell volume per Pr(3+) ion. The latter relationship is indicative of a correlation between the electronic state energy and the ligand dipole polarizability. This has been confirmed by reference to literature data for the LaX3:Pr(3+) systems, so that the ligand dipole polarizability is a key factor in determining the nephelauxetic shifts of 4f(N) ions in crystals.

Yellow to violet upconversion of Nd3+ in neat Cs2NaNdCl6 elpasolite is demonstrated in this paper. Three intense bands have been observed at 367, 390 and 422 nm originating from 4D3/2 multiplet upon the excitation of 595.5 nm, which is in resonance with the energy of 4G5/2 level of Nd3+. The mechanism of the upconversion has been investigated through upconversion emission intensity dependence on the power of the pumping light and luminescence decay. It is found out that the upconversion is a two-photon process. The ground state absorption (GSA)/energy transfer upconversion (ETU) is responsible for the upconversion with comparison of the excitation spectrum and the one-photon absorption spectrum.

The near-infrared (NIR) quantum cutting (QC) CaMoO4:Yb3+ phosphors co-doped with Li+ ions were synthesized by the sol–gel methods. The dependence of the structure, morphology, photoluminescence (PL) and downconversion (DC) quantum efficiency on the Li+ doping concentration have been investigated in details. It was demonstrated that the CaMoO4:Yb3+ phosphors with appropriate concentration of the Li+ ions show improved crystallinity and remarkable increase of the NIR emission from the Yb3+ ions, if compared with the Li+-free samples. The enhancement of the NIR emission and DC quantum efficiency was suggested to be a consequence of the improved crystallinity and stronger absorption of the host due to the [MoO4] tetrahedra distortion induced by the Li+ ions. Cooperative energy transfer (CET) from the host to the Yb3+ ions is discussed as a possible mechanism for the NIR emission enhancement. Excellent luminescence properties of the Li+ doped CaMoO4:Yb3+ phosphor demonstrate its potential application as a better QC layer to increase the energy conversion efficiency of the Si-based solar cells.

A series of single-phased emission-tunable tri-color emitting phosphors were synthesized by high temperature solid state reaction without any reducing agent. In the host of SrB 6 O 10 , the introduced Eu 3+ ions were partly reduced to Eu 2+ in air, because of the electron compensation in the special structure of the host. To get tri-color emitting phosphor, Mn 2+ was co-doped in this system, then Eu 2+ , Eu 3+ and Mn 2+ luminescent centers co-exist and emit blue, red and green light respectively. The optical properties of the phosphors and energy transfer mechanism between Eu 2+ /Mn 2+ and Eu 2+ /Eu 3+ were investigated through photo-luminescent spectra and spectrum overlapping. The single-phased Eu, Mn co-doped phosphors could be co-excited by the light of 260, 318 and 361 nm, and the chromaticity coordinates of the phosphors were tuned from (0.18, 0.39) to (0.38, 0.29) by different composition of Eu and Mn dopants.

It is generally accepted that proper activation of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) promotes neuronal survival and supports neuroplasticity, and excessive NMDAR activation leads to pathological outcomes and neurodegeneration. As NMDARs are found at both synaptic and extrasynaptic sites, there is significant interest in determining how NMDARs at different subcellular locations differentially regulate physiological as well as pathological functions. Better understanding of this issue may support the development of therapeutic strategies to attenuate neuronal death or promote normal brain function. Although the current prevailing theory emphasizes the major role of extrasynaptic NMDARs in neurodegeneration, there is growing evidence indicating the involvement of synaptic receptors. It is also evident that physiological functions of the brain also involve extrasynaptic NMDARs. Our recent studies demonstrate that the degree of cell death following neuronal insults depends on the magnitude and duration of synaptic and extrasynaptic receptor co-activation. These new results underscore the importance of revisiting the function of extrasynaptic NMDARs in cell fate. Furthermore, the development of antagonists that preferentially inhibit synaptic or extrasynaptic receptors may better clarify the role of NMDARs in neurodegeneration.

A series of LiY(0.95-x)Eu(0.05)Sm(x)(MoO4)2 red light emitting phosphors were synthesized by sol-gel technique. The phase impurity and spectroscopic properties were characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Photo-Luminescence (PL) and Photo-Luminescence Excitation (PLE) spectra, respectively. It is found that the PLE spectra of the Eu3+, Sm3+ co-doped nanoparticles are enhanced and broadened as compared with the solely doped samples, which will make the co-doped phosphors match better with blue and/or UV GaN based LED chips. The red emission intensity of Eu3+ is largely enhanced by the energy transfer from Sm3+. The mechanism of the enhancement is clearly proven to be the increase in the quantum efficiency of 5D0 state of Eu3+ rather than the increase in the absorption of Eu3+. Meanwhile, the characteristic f-f transitions of Sm3+ are greatly reduced, resulting in little influence in the color purity of the co-doped phosphors. The present material is an amendatory promising red light emitting phosphor for white LEDs.

Lutetium oxide nanophosphors codoped with Yb 3+ and Tm 3+ ions were successfully synthesized by the reverse-like co-precipitation method, using ammonium hydrogen carbonate as precipitants. Effect of the Yb 3+ molar concentration on the structural and upconversion luminescent properties of the Lu 2 O 3 nanophosphors has been investigated. The XRD results show that all the prepared nanophosphors can be readily indexed to pure cubic phase of Lu 2 O 3 and exhibit good crystallinity. The experimental results show that the optimum Yb 3+ doped concentration is 4 mol% at fixed Tm 3+ concentration of 0.2 mol%. The strong blue, weak red and near infrared emissions from the prepared nanophosphors were observed under 980 nm laser excitation, which are attributed to the 1 G 4 → 3 H 6, 1 G 4 → 3 F 4 and 3 H 4 → 3 H 6 transitions of Tm 3+ ion, respectively. Under strong power density (50 W/cm 2 ) excitation, the upconversion blue intensity ratio (477 nm/490 nm) was dependent on the Yb 3+ concentration, which was resulted from the thermal effect induced by laser irradiation. The upconversion mechanism was also discussed in detail.

We carry out ab initio calculations, based on finite-field scheme, of the longitudinal polarizabilities (αL) and second hyperpolarizabilities (γL) of conjugated polyenes, and study the effects of electron correlation, with second-order Moller-Plesset perturbation theory and coupled cluster with singles and doubles method. Calculations with density functional theory are also made to compare with wave-function based methods. Our study shows that electron correlation reduces linear longitudinal polarizability and enhances longitudinal second hyperpolarizability for short polyenes, but the effects decrease as the chain increases; choosing appropriate basis sets is important when quantitative results are required.

In this work the temperature-dependent photoluminescence excitation and photoluminescence spectroscopies of Eu3+-doped LuVO4 phosphors have been performed in the 298–448 K range. It is found that the charge transfer band (CTB) of [VO4]3- unites undergoes a red-shift, mainly owing to thermal population of the vibronic sublevels of the ground electronic energy level, as the temperature increases. Due to this, the edge of CTB in PLE exhibits an abnormal negative thermal quenching behavior compared to those of the maximum CTB transition and the intra-configuration f-f transitions of Eu3+ ions. Accordingly, a novel thermometry strategy for realizing ratiometric optical thermometer is proposed by considering different excitation paths taking advantage of their diverse thermal behaviors. For Eu3+-doped LuVO4 compound, our experimental results demonstrate its great potential for high performance optical thermometry, promising with a remarkable relative sensitivity and excellent repeatability in the 298–448 K range.

The different concentration of Ho3+/Yb3+ codoped tellurite glasses were prepared by high-temperature melting-quenching method. On excitation of Ho3+ ions with blue photon at 449 nm as well as ultraviolet (UV) photon at 360 nm, the near infrared emission at 977 nm from Yb3+ and 981, 1020 nm from Ho3+, which could be absorbed by silicon and enhance the efficiency of the silicon-based solar cell, were observed. The energy-transfer process of Ho3+ and Yb3+ ions and involved mechanism have been investigated and discussed. The first-order energy transfer (ET) through cross relaxation and a back ET from Yb3+ to Ho3+ occurred in the near-infrared quantum cutting (NIR QC) system are proposed and verified. The NIR quantum efficiency achieved 166% when Yb3+ doping concentration is 20 mol%.

The different concentration of Tb3+/Yb3+ co-doped tellurite glasses were prepared by high-temperature melting–quenching method. The near-infrared (NIR) luminescence of co-doped samples upon the excitation of Tb3+ ions with a green visible photon at 484 nm was investigated, and two NIR photons could be emitted by Yb3+ (2F5/2 → 2F7/2) through cooperative energy transfer from Tb3+ to two Yb3+ ions. On the other hand, the Yb3+ co-doped concentration dependence on the visible and NIR emissions, decay lifetimes and quantum efficiencies from the downconversion have been studied. The NIR quantum efficiency achieved 172% before the concentration quenching threshold.

A series of CaMoO 4 : x Tb 3+ ( x =0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.07, 0.09, 0.15 and 0.20) phosphors in pure phase were prepared via high temperature solid-state reaction approach. The crystal structure of the phosphors was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and the optical properties were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The PL spectra illustrated that these phosphors could be efficiently excited by the charge transfer band of the host and the energy transfer efficiency from the host to the doped activator reached 60% when the doping concentration of the activator Tb 3+ was 20 mol.%. The concentration quenching occurred at x =10 mol.%, from which the critical distance of activator was calculated to be about 1.14 nm. The CIE coordinates were estimated to be close to the standard green value. The host sensitized samples had potential application as green phosphors.

A series of Y3Al5O12:Ce3+, Er3+ (YAG:Ce, Er) nano-particles were synthesized by polymer-assisted sol–gel method. X-ray diffraction measurements reveal that a pure crystalline phase of YAG is achieved at temperature as low as 800 °C. The energy transfer from Ce3+ to Er3+ is studied based on photoluminescence spectroscopy and fluorescence decay patterns. It results that the emission intensity of Er3+ at near infrared (NIR) 1532 nm under indirect excitation of Ce3+ (460 nm) is 10 times stronger than that of direct excitation of Er3+ (275 or 380 nm). The energy transfer efficiency is estimated as 95.5% for YAG:Ce0.03Er0.09 sample. The very efficient energy transfer path and mechanism are also discussed.

A series of Pr3+/Yb3+ co-doped transparent tellurate glass samples were prepared by high-temperature melting method. The optical properties and energy transfer process from Pr3+ to Yb3+ were investigated. On excitation of Pr3+ ions with a blue visible photon at 449 nm, a near infrared emission at 1001 nm were observed in the Pr3+/Yb3+ co-doped tellurate glass, which is attributed to 2 F 2 / 5 → 2 F 2 / 7 transition of Yb3+ ions. The feeding of Yb3+ ions is shown to be two step energy transfer from Pr3+ through 1 G 4 multiplet by excitation and emission spectra. The maximum total quantum efficiency reaches 136.7% when the co-doped Yb3+ mole concentration is 5%. The efficient down-conversion near infrared emission of Pr3+/Yb3+ co-doped tellurate glass has potential application in enhancing the conversion efficiency of crystalline silicon based solar cells.

Eu(2+) activated fluorophosphate Ba3GdNa(PO4)3F (BGNPF) with blue and red double-color emitting samples were prepared via a solid-state method in a reductive atmosphere. Their crystal structure and cationic sites were identified in light of X-ray diffraction pattern Rietveld refinement. Three different Ba(2+) sites, coordinated by six O atoms referred to as Ba1, two F and five O atoms as Ba2, and two F and six O atoms as Ba3, were partially substituted by Eu(2+). Photoluminescence emission (PL) and excitation (PLE) spectra of phosphor BGNPF:Eu(2+) along with the lifetimes were characterized at the liquid helium temperature (LHT), which further confirm the existence of three Eu(2+) emitting centers resulting in 436, 480, and 640 nm emission from the 5d → 4f transitions of Eu(2+) in three different Ba(2+) crystallographic sites. These emissions overlap with the absorption spectra of carotenoids and chlorophylls from plants, which could directly promote the photosynthesis. Temperature-dependent PL spectra were used to investigate the thermal stability of phosphor, which indicates that the PL intensity of BGNPF:0.9% Eu(2+) with optimal composition at 150 °C still keeps 60% of its PL intensity at room temperature, in which blue emission has higher thermal-stability than the red emission. Furthermore, the approaching white LED devices have also been manufactured with a 365 nm n-UV LED chip and present phosphor, which make operators more comfortable than that of the plant growth purple emitting LEDs system composed of blue and red light. Results indicate that this phosphor is an attractive dual-responsive candidate phosphor in the application n-UV light-excited white LEDs for plant growth.

Introduction Men are more susceptible to impulsive behavior than women. Epidemiological studies revealed that the impulsive aggressive behavior is affected by genetic factors, and the male-specific Y chromosome plays an important role in this behavior. In this study, we investigated the association between the impulsive aggressive behavior and Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats (Y-STRs) loci. Methods The collected biologic samples from 271 offenders with impulsive aggressive behavior and 492 healthy individuals without impulsive aggressive behavior were amplified by PowerPlexRY23 PCR System and the resultant products were separated by electrophoresis and further genotyped. Then, comparisons in allele and haplotype frequencies of the selected 22 Y-STRs were made in the two groups. Results Our results showed that there were significant differences in allele frequencies at DYS448 and DYS456 between offenders and controls (p

Y 3 Al 5 O 12 :Ce 3+ , Pr 3+ and Y 3 Al 5 O 12 :Ce 3+ , Tb 3+ nano-particles have been synthesized by polymer-assisted sol–gel method. Crystal structure, luminescent properties and energy transfer of the phosphors are analyzed. XRD study of polycrystalline powders shows that all the samples are of YAG phase without impurity. Photoluminescence (PL) emission and excitation spectra illustrate that in YAG:Ce, Pr phosphors, energy transfer occurs mutually between Ce 3+ and Pr 3+ , while in YAG:Ce, Tb systems, only one-way path energy transfer of Tb 3+ →Ce 3+ is observed.

The 1D chain red luminescent europium coordination polymer: {[Eu2L6(DMF)(H2O)]·2DMF·H2O}n (I) (L = 4-chloro-cinnamic acid anion, C9H6ClO2–, DMF = N, N-dimethylformamide) was synthesized by the reaction of Eu(OH)3 and 4-chloro-cinnamic acid ligand. The structure of the coordination polymer was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. It reveals that there exists two crystallographically nonequivalent europium atoms in each unit of this coordination polymer and Eu3+ ions are connected by two alternating bridging modes to form an endless polymer structure. The luminescent properties and energy transfer process in the complex are investigated at room temperature.

The industrial use of polyimide film is limited because of undesirable properties such as poor wettability. In the present paper, a new kind of equipment called water cathode atmospheric pressure glow discharge was used to improve the surface properties of polyimide films and made them useful to technical applications. The changes in hydrophilicity of modified polyimide film surfaces were investigated by contact angle, surface energy and water content measurements as a function of treatment time. The results obtained show good treatment homogeneity and that the variation trends of contact angles are different for polar and non-polar testing liquids, while surface energy and water content are significantly enhanced with the increase of treatment time until they achieve saturated values after 60 s plasma treatment. Also, the thickness of liquid layer plays an important role in plasma processing and directly affects the treatment effect. Changes in morphology of polyimide films were analyzed by atomic force microscope and the results indicate that surface hydrophilicity after plasma treatment are improved partly due to the increase in the roughness. In addition, polyimide films treated by plasma are subjected to an ageing process to determine the durability of plasma treatment. It is found that the hydrophilicity is still better than untreated ones though the hydrophobic character partly recovers after long-term storage in ambient air.

The N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor (NMDAR)-stimulated autophosphorylation of calmodulin-dependent kinase IIα at Thr286 may regulate many aspects of neuroplasticity. Here, we show that low NMDA concentration (20 μM) up-regulated Thr286 phosphorylation, and high concentration (100 μM) caused dephosphorylation. We next modulated the strength of NMDAR activation by manipulating NMDAR 2A subunit (NR2A) and NMDAR 2B subunit (NR2B), which represent the major NMDAR subtypes in forebrain regions. Pharmacological inhibition and molecular knockdown of NR2A or NR2B blocked 20 μM NMDA-induced phosphorylation. Conversely, over-expression of NR2A or NR2B enhanced phosphorylation by 20 μM NMDA. The 100 μM NMDA-induced dephosphorylation was suppressed by inhibition or knockdown of NR2A or NR2B, and enhanced by over-expression of NR2A or NR2B. Compared to NR2A, NR2B showed a higher impact on the NMDA-stimulated bi-directional regulation of Thr286 phosphorylation. We further found that activation of NR2A and NR2B by 100 μM NMDA-induced dephosphorylation through protein phosphatases (PP) that are inhibited by high concentration okadaic acid (1 μM), but not by PP2A and PP2B inhibitors. This novel function of NMDAR in dynamic regulation of calmodulin-dependent kinase IIα activity provides new evidence to support the current understanding that, depending on the degree of activation, NMDAR may lead to different and even opposing effects on intracellular signaling.

J. Neurochem. (2011) 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2011.07528.x Abstract Neocortical circuits are most sensitive to sensory experience during a critical period of early development. Previous studies implicate that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and GABAergic inhibition may control the timing of the critical period. By using an in vitro maturation model, we found that neurons at DIV (day in vitro) 7, around a period when functional synapses start to form and GABAergic inhibition emerges, displayed the most dynamic activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and CREB by exogenous BDNF. The BDNF-stimulated transcriptional up-regulation of CREB target genes was also the highest in DIV 7 neurons. The basal level of ERK1/2 and CREB activity, as well as the expression of CREB target genes, increased along with maturation, and neurons at DIV 13 and 22 displayed less dynamic responses to BDNF. Furthermore, we found that the developmentally regulated GABAergic inhibition correlated with the decline of BDNF-mediated signaling during maturation. BDNF stimulation along with suppression of GABAergic inhibition enhanced the activation of ERK1/2-CREB signaling and gene transcription in mature neurons. Conversely, BDNF stimulation along with enhancement of GABAergic inhibition reduced the overall induction of intracellular signaling in younger neurons. We propose that the less dynamic molecular changes may play a certain role in the loss of plasticity during maturation.

A series of double-perovskite Sr 2 CaW x Mo 1− x O 6 ( x =0−1) matrices were prepared by solid state reactions. The phase and the optical properties of the samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL) and luminescence decay. The results of XRD indicate that the structure of matrix is orthorhombic double-perovskite with space group P21/n. The hosts show intense blue emission at around 435 and 468 nm upon the excitation of near-ultraviolet 290 nm due to W–O charge transfer band (CTB), and weak emission at around 560 nm upon the excitation of 360 nm due to Mo–O CTB. The luminescence decay of the hosts was investigated as well.

YVO{sub 4}:Er{sup 3+} phosphors were prepared by solid state reaction method. The X-ray diffraction results testify the pure tetragonal YVO{sub 4} crystalline phase. The emission spectra of the samples show the obvious intrinsic luminescence of the hosts even though the concentration of the dopants has reached nominal 6 mol%, which is unusual since it is believed that the energy transferring from VO{sub 4}{sup 3-} to rare-earth ions occurs efficiently, thus the intrinsic luminescence of the host disappears when the concentration of the dopants is higher than {approx}1 mol%. The comparison of the photoluminescence excited at 320 nm (the absorption of vanadate host) and 380, 490, 525 or 532 nm (the absorption of erbium ions) in visible and infrared range has revealed that energy transfer process has occurred in the system. The study of decay times has revealed that the energy transfer efficiency of the doped YVO{sub 4}:Er samples is very low. The low efficiency might be one important reason for the unusual intrinsic emission of the host.

The general features of neuroplasticity are developmentally regulated. Although it has been hypothesized that the loss of plasticity in mature neurons may be due to synaptic saturation and functional reduction of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDAR), the molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. We examined the effects of NMDAR activation and KCl-mediated membrane depolarization on ERK1/2 signaling following in vitro maturation of cultured cortical neurons. Although NMDA stimulated a robust increase in intracellular calcium at both DIV (day in vitro) 3 and 14, the activation of ERK1/2 and cAMP responsive element-binding protein (CREB) was impaired at DIV 14. Specifically, the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 was stimulated by both NMDA and KCl at DIV 3. However, at DIV 14, NMDA- but not KCl-stimulated ERK1/2 and CREB phosphorylation was significantly diminished. Consistently, the NMDA-induced transcription of ERK/CREB-regulated genes Bdnf exon 4, Arc, and zif268 was significantly attenuated at DIV 14. Moreover, in comparison with 3 DIV neurons, the phosphorylated-ERK1/2 in 14 DIV neurons displayed a tremendous increase following maturation and was more susceptible to dephosphorylation. Blocking calcium channels by nifedipine or NMDAR by APV caused a more dramatic ERK dephosphorylation in 14 DIV neurons. We further demonstrate that the loss of plasticity-related signaling is unrelated to NMDA-induced cell death of the 14 DIV neurons. Taken together, these results suggest that the attenuation of certain aspects of neuroplasticity following maturation may be due to the reduction of NMDAR-mediated gene transcription and a saturation of ERK1/2 activity.