Novel fluorescent silver nanoclusters (AgNCs) were synthesized using amido black 10B (AB) as a stabilizing agent and then employed for the detection of copper ions (Cu(2+)). The AB-stabilized AgNCs (AB-AgNCs) were well dispersed in aqueous solution with an average diameter of around 1.3 nm and exhibited illustrious blue fluorescence emission. Moreover, the fluorescence of AB-AgNCs could be quenched efficiently by Cu(2+), which might be a result of the coordination between Cu(2+) and the free recognition group of AB on surfaces of AB-AgNCs, inducing the aggregation of AB-AgNCs. Based on the linear decrease of fluorescence intensity, the Cu(2+) concentration was determined in the range of 0.01-1.1 μmol L(-1) and the limit of detection (LOD) was 4.0 nΜ. In addition, the detection of Cu(2+) could be performed with AB-AgNCs in the presence of other ions, including 13 kinds of conventional metal ions and 11 kinds of anions. Based on the above experiment, the developed AB-AgNC probe was successfully further applied to detect Cu(2+) in three electroplating effluents, which showed high accuracy.

Sevoflurane (Sev) is a volatile anesthetic that can inhibit tumor malignancy. Glioma is a main brain problem, but the mechanism of Sev in glioma progression is largely unclear. This study aims to explore a potential regulatory network of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA)/microRNA (miRNA)/mRNA associated with the function of Sev in glioma progression. LncRNA HMMR antisense RNA 1 (HMMR-AS1), miR-7 and cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) abundances were examined via quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blot. Cell viability, invasion, and colony formation ability were analyzed via cell counting kit-8, transwell analysis, and colony formation. The target association was analyzed via dual-luciferase reporter analysis and RNA pull-down. The in vivo function of Sev was investigated by xenograft model. HMMR-AS1 abundance was increased in glioma tissues and cells, and reduced via Sev. Sev constrained cell viability, invasion, and colony formation ability via decreasing HMMR-AS1 in glioma cells. miR-7 expression was decreased in glioma, and was targeted via HMMR-AS1. HMMR-AS1 silence restrained cell viability, invasion, and colony formation ability by up-regulating miR-7 in glioma cells. Sev increases miR-7 abundance via decreasing HMMR-AS1. CDK4 was targeted via miR-7, and highly expressed in glioma. miR-7 overexpression inhibited cell viability, invasion, and colony formation ability via reducing CDK4 in glioma cells. CDK4 expression was reduced by Sev via HMMR-AS1/miR-7 axis. Sev suppressed cell growth in glioma by regulating HMMR-AS1. Sev represses glioma cell progression by regulating HMMR-AS1/miR-7/CDK4 axis.

Interfacial spin transport efficiency was studied in a yttrium iron garnet (YIG)/Pt spin-pumping system with different nickelic interlayers. It was found that the magnitude of the spin-pumping signals is sensitive to the chemical composition and crystalline orientation of the nickelic interlayers. As shown by the results obtained, a 2 nm thick metallic Ni interlayer enhances the spin-pumping signal, making it several times larger than that found for a YIG/Pt control sample. The spin-pumping signal around room temperature was found to be enhanced (suppressed) by antiferromagnetic NiO interlayers with perfect [111] orientation (without perfect [111] orientation). Our results confirm that a nickelic interlayer is a possible choice for optimizing interfacial spin transport, which is important for the development of a highly effective spin-based device.

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Spin Seebeck effect (SSE) for an yttrium iron garnet (YIG)/nickel oxide (NiO)/platinum (Pt) trilayer device was studied in a wide temperature range. It is found that the SSE signal is nonmonotonic in the temperature domain and shows a maximum around the Néel temperature of the NiO layer, which is similar to the temperature dependence of the spin pumping signal in the same device. This result identified that the thermal-excited incoherent spin currents are also sensitive to the fluctuation of an antiferromagnetic system and can be used to probe the antiferromagnetic phase transition. Furthermore, the antiferromagnetic NiO layer is considered to be valuable for the optimization of spin transport efficiency at YIG/Pt interface, which enhances the SSE signal around room temperature.