The synthesis of large NbS2 single crystals benefits from Na–Nb–O droplet interfaces, which reduces nucleation density and increases growth rate.

Breast cancer is one of the most types of common malignant tumor in women. REC8 is a known tumor suppressor in several types of cancer; however, the role of REC8 in breast cancer remains unknown. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects and underlying mechanism of REC8 on the proliferation, migration and invasion of breast cancer cells. The expression of REC8 in normal and breast cancer cells was detected by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blotting. Stable REC8-overexpressing breast cancer cells were constructed to modify the expression of REC8. The expression of cell division cycle 20 (CDC20) in breast cancer cells was altered using the CDC20 inhibitor apcin. Cell viability, proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis were determined by Cell Counting Kit-8, colony formation, wound healing, Transwell and TUNEL assays, respectively. Western blotting was performed to measure the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2/9 and apoptosis-associated proteins [Bcl-2, caspase-3, cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase]. Compared with normal breast cells, the expression of REC8 was lower in breast cancer cells. Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins online database was used to predict the interaction between REC8 and CDC20. Overexpression of REC8 significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of breast cancer cells in vitro ; these changes were reversed by CDC20 overexpression. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that REC8 decreased proliferation, migration and invasion of breast cancer cells by inhibiting CDC20.

The photoelectronic properties of SnS2 flakes have been widely studied due to the abundance and environmentally friendly qualities of this material. However, the defects and residual molecules adsorbed on the SnS2 surface can have a negative influence on the photoelectronic current and photo-response time. In this paper we examine the effects of these two factors on the photoelectronic currents of SnS2 flakes. Defects on a single crystal SnS2 surface are fabricated using hydrogen and oxygen plasma and are characterized by atomic force microscopy, confocal micro-Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Doping by oxygen plasma can be demonstrated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Both the photoelectronic current and the switching speed (on and off times) are reduced after hydrogen plasma treatment. However, oxygen plasma has two effects on SnS2 thin film transistors. First, oxygen plasma can remove the residual molecules within a short irradiation time. In this case, the photoelectronic current of SnS2 treated with oxygen plasma is enhanced several times. Second, with a longer treatment time oxygen plasma induces many defects and doping on the SnS2 flake surface, as reflected in the reduced photoelectronic current and switching speed. Results of this work have significant practical applications for photoelectronic detection with SnS2 flakes.