Improved Electrochemical Performance of Polyindole/Carbon Nanotubes Composite as Electrode Material for Supercapacitors

Zhi-Jiang Cai,Qin Zhang,Xian-You Song 대한금속·재료학회 2016 ELECTRONIC MATERIALS LETTERS Vol.12 No.6

Polyindole/carbon nanotubes (PIN/CNTs) composite was prepared byan in-situ chemical oxidative polymerization of indole monomer withCNTs using ammonium persulfate as oxidant. The obtained compositematerial was characterized by SEM, TEM, FT-IR, Raman spectroscopy,XPS, XRD and BET surface areas measurements. It was found that theCNTs were incorporated into the PIN matrix and nanoporous structurewas formed. Spectroscopy results showed that interfacial interactionbonds might be formed between the polyindole chains and CNTs duringthe in-situ polymerization. PIN/CNTs composite was evaluated byelectrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry andcharge/discharge tests to determine electrode performances in relation tosupercapacitors properties in both aqueous and non-aqueous system. Amaximum specific capacitance and specific volumetric capacitance of555.6 F/g and 222.2 F/cm3 can be achieved at 0.5 A/g in non-aqueoussystem. It also displayed good rate performance and cycling stability. The specific capacitance retention is over 60% at 10 A/g and 91.3%after 5000 cycles at 2 A/g, respectively. These characteristics point to itspromising applications in the electrode material for supercapacitors.

RALY RNA Binding Protein-like Reduced Expression is Associated with Poor Prognosis in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

Cui, Zhi-Wen,Xia, Ye,Ye, Yi-Wang,Jiang, Zhi-Mao,Wang, Ya-Dong,Wu, Jian-Ting,Sun, Liang,Zhao, Jun,Fa, Ping-Ping,Sun, Xiao-Juan,Gui, Yao-Ting,Cai, Zhi-Ming Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.7

The molecular mechanisms involved in the progression of clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCCs) are still unclear. The aim of this study was to analyse the relationships between expression of RALYL and clinical characteristics. In 41 paired samples of ccRCCs and adjacent normal tissues, we used real-time qPCR to evaluate the expression of RALYL mRNA. RALYL protein levels were determined in 146 samples of ccRCC and 37 adjacent normal tissues by immunohistochemistry. Statistical analysis was used to explore the relationships between expression of RALYL and the clinical characteristics (gender, age, tumor size, T stage, N stage, M stage, survival times and survival outcome) in ccRCC. In addition, these patients were follow-up period 64 months (range: 4~116months) to investigate the influence on prognosis. We found significantly differences between ccRCC tissues and normal tissues (p<0.001, paired-sample t test) in mRNA levels of RALYL. Immunohistochemistry analyses in 146 ccRCC samples and 37 adjacent normal tissues showed significantly lower RALYL protein levels in ccRCC samples (${\chi}^2$-test, p<0.001), inversely correlating with tumour size (p=0.024), T stage (0.005), N stage (p<0.001) as well as M stage (p=0.019), but not age (p=0.357) and gender (p=0.348). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated that people with lower level of RALYL expression had a poorer survival rate than those with a higher level of RALYL expression, significantly different by the log-rank test (p=0.011). Cox regression analysis indicated that RALYL expression (p=0.039), N stage (p=0.008) and distant metastasis (p<0.001) were independent prognosis factors for the overall survival of ccRCC patients. We demonstrated that the expression of RALYL was significantly low in ccRCC and correlated with a poor prognosis in a large number of clinical samples. Our findings showed that RALYL may be a potential therapeutic target as well as a poor prognostic factor.

fabrication of PHBV/Keratin Composite Nanofibrous Mats for Biomedical Applications

Jiang Yuan,Zhi Cai Xing,Suk Woo Park,Jia Geng,Inn Kyu Kang,Jian Shen,Wan Meng,Kyoung Jin Shim,In Suk Han,Jung Chul Kim 한국고분자학회 2009 Macromolecular Research Vol.17 No.11

DFT and TD-DFT study on structure and properties of organic dye sensitizer TA-St-CA

Cai-Rong Zhang,Zi-Jiang Liu,Yu-Hong Chen,Hong-Shan Chen,You-Zhi Wu,WangJun Feng,Dao-Bin Wang 한국물리학회 2010 Current Applied Physics Vol.10 No.1

The geometry, electronic structure, polarizability and hyperpolarizability of organic dye sensitizer TA-St-CA, which contains a π-conjugated oligo-phenylenevinylene unit with an electron donor.acceptor moiety, was studied using density functional theory (DFT), and the electronic absorption spectrum was investigated via time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) with several hybrid functionals. The calculated geometry indicates that the strong conjugated effects are formed in the dye. The TD-DFT results show that the hybrid functional PBE1PBE and MPW1PW91 are more suitable than B3LYP for calculating electronic absorption spectra. The features of electronic absorption spectra were assigned on account of the qualitative agreement between the experiment and the calculations. The absorption bands in visible and near-UV region are related to photoinduced electron transfer processes, and the diphenylaniline group is major chromophore that contributed to the sensitization, and the interfacial electron transfer are electron injection processes from the excited dyes to the semiconductor conduction band. Compared with the similar dye D5, the good performance of TA-St-CA in dye-sensitized solar cells may be resulted from the higher energy level of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital and the larger oscillator strengths for the most excited states with intramolecular electron transfer character.

Fabrication of PHBV/Keratin Composite Nanofibrous Mats for Biomedical Applications

Yuan, Jiang,Xing, Zhi-Cai,Park, Suk-Woo,Geng, Jia,Kang, Inn-Kyu,Yuan, Jiang,Shen, Jian,Meng, Wan,Shim, Kyoung-Jin,Han, In-Suk,Kim, Jung-Chul The Polymer Society of Korea 2009 Macromolecular Research Vol.17 No.11

Keratin is an important protein used in wound healing and tissue recovery. In this study, keratin was modified chemically with iodoacetic acid (IAA) to enhance its solubility in organic solvent. Poly(hydroxybutylate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) and modified keratin were dissolved in hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) and electrospun to produce nanofibrous mats. The resulting mats were surface-characterized by ATR-FTIR, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA). The pure m-keratin mat was cross-linked with glutaraldehyde vapor to make it insoluble in water. The biodegradation test in vitro showed that the mats could be biodegraded by PHB depolymerase and trypsin aqueous solution. The results of the cell adhesion experiment showed that the NIH 3T3 cells adhered more to the PHBV/m-keratin nanofibrous mats than the PHBV film. The BrdU assay showed that the keratin and PHBV/m-keratin nanofibrous mats could accelerate the proliferation of fibroblast cells compared to the PHBV nanofibrous mats.

Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer of Oocytes Aspirated from Postovulatory Ovarian Follicles of Superovulated Rabbits

Shang, Jiang-Hua,Xu, Ru-Xiang,Jiang, Xiao-Dan,Zou, Yu-Xi,Qin, Ling-Sha,Cai, Ying-Qian,Yang, Zhi-Jun,Zheng, Xing,Cui, Sheng Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2007 Animal Bioscience Vol.20 No.9

The aim of this study was to evaluate if oocytes, aspirated from postovulatory ovarian follicles of superovulated rabbits 14 h post-hCG administration, could be efficiently used as ooplasm recipients for somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Within a common SCNT protocol, a comparison between oocytes recovered by direct aspiration (aspirated) from available ovarian follicles and oocytes flushed out from oviducts (flushed) was carried out. The results showed that maturation and enucleation rates of aspirated oocytes were 70.7% and 69.2%, significantly lower than 95.3% (p<0.01) and 83.6% (p<0.05), respectively, from flushed oocytes. However, following enucleation of matured oocytes as ooplasm recipients for SCNT, no difference was recorded in fusion and cleavage rates, as well as blastocyst development from cleaved embryos or hatching of blastocysts between aspirated and flushed groups. Additionally, some matured aspirated and flushed oocytes were also used for immediate parthenogenetic activation and the resulting embryo development was not significantly different. Results from this study show the following: i) the majority of oocytes aspirated from postovulatory ovarian follicles of superovulated rabbits 14 h post-hCG administration are matured and can be used directly as ooplasm recipients for SCNT; ii) the reconstructed embryos derived from these oocytes have similar in vitro developmental ability to those flushed from the oviducts.

<i>In Vitro</i>Assessment of Antibacterial Activity and Cytocompatibility of Quercetin-Containing PLGA Nanofibrous Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering

Xing, Zhi-Cai,Meng, Wan,Yuan, Jiang,Moon, Sungmo,Jeong, Yongsoo,Kang, Inn-Kyu Hindawi Limited 2012 Journal of nanomaterials Vol.2012 No.-

<P>Flavonoids, such as quercetin, have been reported to exhibit a wide range of biological activities related to their antioxidant capacity. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effect of quercetin on cell adhesion, and the viability and proliferation of KB epithelial cells. Quercetin- (1, 5 wt%)-containing poly (l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanofibrous scaffolds (PLGA/Q 1, PLGA/Q 5) were prepared by electrospinning technique and their antibacterial properties were examined. Two types of bacteria strains,<I>Staphylococcus aureus</I>(SA) and<I>Klebsiella pneumoniae</I>(KP), were used to evaluate the antibacterial properties of the scaffolds. The results showed that the quercetin-containing PLGA nanofibrous scaffolds exhibited significant antibacterial effects against the two bacterial strains. KB epithelial cells were also used to evaluate the cytocompatibility of the scaffolds. From the results, it was found that the PLGA nanofibrous scaffolds with 1 wt% of quercetin had good cell compatibility. It is considered that the PLGA nanofibrous scaffolds with 1 wt% quercetin have potential to be used in tissue engineering.</P>

Investigation into the antibacterial activity of monodisperse BSA-conjugated zinc oxide nanoparticles

Dudu Wu,Zhi Chen,Kangrong Cai,Dongling Zhuo,Jiaxi Chen,Bin Jiang 한국물리학회 2014 Current Applied Physics Vol.14 No.11

The antibacterial behavior of bovine serum albumin conjugated zinc oxide nanoparticles against Escherichia coli was investigated. The zinc oxide nanoparticles were synthesized by using bovine serum albumin as the structure directing agent. And the morphology and crystal phase of the zinc oxide nanoparticles were determined by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffractograms and Fourier transform infrared spectrograph techniques. The synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles showed high antibacterial activity when compared with plain zinc oxide. And the antibacterial activity was assessed by measuring the growth inhibition and testing the zone of inhibition. Furthermore, the plausible mechanism of antibacterial behavior was attributed to the generation of reactive oxygen species by zinc oxide nanoparticles.

Metastasis associated genomic aberrations in stage II rectal cancer

Hong Zhao,Zhi-Zhou Shi,Rui Jiang,Dong-Bing Zhao,Hai-Tao Zhou,Jian-Wei Liang,Xin-Yu Bi,Jian-Jun Zhao,Zhi-Yu Li,Jian-Guo Zhou,Zhen Huang,Ye-Fan Zhang,Jian Wang,Xin Xu,Yan Cai,Ming-Rong Wang,Yu Zhang 한국유전학회 2016 Genes & Genomics Vol.38 No.11

Genomic aberrations of rectal carcinoma, especially DNA copy number changes associated with metastasis were largely unclear. We aim to identify the metastasis associated biomarkers in stage II rectal cancer. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded primary tumor tissues of stage II rectal carcinoma were analyzed by array-based comparative genomic hybridization, and genomic aberrations were identified by Genomic Workbench and SAM software. Copy number changes and mRNA expressions were validated by Real-time PCR in an independent rectal cancer samples. The results showed that the most frequent gains in stage II rectal cancer were at 1q21.2-q23.1, 3p21.31, 11q12.2-q23.3, 12q24.11-q24.31, 12q13.11-q14.1 and losses in 18q11.2-q23, 17q21.33-q22, 13q31.1-q31.3, 21q21.1-q21.3, 8p23.3-p23.1 and 4q22.1-q23. Twenty-two amplifications and five homozygous deletions were also identified. We further found that S100A1 (1q21.3-q23.1), MCM7 (7q22.1) and JUND (19p13.11) were amplified and overexpressed in stage II rectal cancer. Interestingly, the genomic aberrations affected 14 signaling pathways including VEGF signaling pathway and fatty acid metabolism. Most importantly, loss of 13q31.1-q34 and gain of 1q44 were associated with distant metastasis. Our results indicated that these metastasis associated genomic changes may be useful to reveal the pathogenesis of rectal cancer metastasis and identify candidate biomarkers.

Single-nucleus RNA sequencing reveals cell type-specific transcriptome alterations of Down syndrome hippocampus using the Dp16 mouse model

Zhou Zuolin,Zhi Chunchun,Chen Die,Cai Zhaowei,Jiang Xiaoling 한국유전학회 2023 Genes & Genomics Vol.45 No.10

Background Down syndrome (DS), the most frequently occurring human chromosomal disorder, is caused by trisomy 21. The exact molecular effects of trisomy on certain cell populations in the brain remain poorly understood. Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of trisomy on the transcriptomes of various types of neurons and nonneuronal cells in the hippocampus. Methods A total of 8993 nuclei from the WT and 6445 nuclei from the Dp16 hippocampus were analyzed by single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq). Cell clustering was achieved by the Seurat program. Results Hippocampal cells were grouped into multiple neuronal and nonneuronal populations. Only a limited number of trisomic genes were upregulated (q < 0.001) over 1.25-fold in a specific type of hippocampal cell. Specifically, deregulation of genes associated with synaptic signaling and organization was observed in multiple cell populations, including excitatory neurons, oligodendrocytes, and microglia. This observation suggests the potential importance of synapse deficits in DS. Interestingly, GO annotation of the upregulated genes suggested potential activation of the immune system by hippocampal excitatory neurons. Fewer trisomic genes were altered in nonneuronal cells than in neurons. Notably, microglial transcriptome analysis revealed significantly (q < 0.001) increased expression of C1qb and C1qc, which suggested potential involvement of complement-mediated synapse loss mediated by microglia in DS. Conclusion The trisomy-related hippocampal deficits should be driven by a small amount, not all, of the trisomic genes in a specific type of cell. Our work may help to narrow down both the molecular and cellular targets for future gene therapies in DS.