The addition of miR-16 to conventional serum markers improved sensitivity and specificity for HCC. Use of miR-16 for second-line testing in cases considered negative on the basis of conventional HCC markers should be explored in larger, prospective studies.

A novel swivel-cruciform 3,3′-bithiophene based hole-transporting material (HTM) with a low lying highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) level for application in perovskite solar cells were synthesized.

The action of power ultrasound in controlling the supersaturation, nucleation and crystal growth during the acid-base reaction crystallization of 7-amino-3-desacetoxy cephalosporanic acid (7-ACDA) has been investigated. The experimental results show that ultrasound can mix the reaction more efficiently and uniformly than conventional agitation methods. Insonation leads to the reduction of both the induction period and metastable zone width of the crystallization, so that the process of crystallization can be more efficiently controlled than without insonation. Agglomeration is also greatly reduced. Adjusting the ultrasonic parameters can modulate the crystal size and size distribution. The mechanism of the sonoprocess has been analyzed and comments are made on the potential applicability of sonication in large-scale crystallization practice.

In this paper, CuO nanoparticles were synthetized via a sol–gel method and their corresponding gas sensor was achieved simultaneously.

A one-step synthesis of 4,8-dibromobenzo[1,2-c;4,5-c']bis[1,2,5]thiadiazole with use of 1,2,4,5-tetraaminobenzene tetrahydrobromide and thionyl bromide in good yield is reported. This unit can then be used in the synthesis of low bandgap materials via palladium-catalyzed coupling reactions. The approach offers a quick and easy way to prepare low bandgap materials as compared to the current literature methods.

Three dimensional graphene foam incorporated into epoxy matrix greatly enhance its thermal conductivity (up to 1.52 W mK−1) at low graphene foam loading (5.0 wt%), over an eight-fold enhancement in comparison with that of neat epoxy.

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Sodium salts of water‐soluble polymers poly{[2,5‐bis(3‐sulfonatopropoxy)‐1,4‐phenylene]‐alt‐[2,5‐bis(hexyloxy)‐1,4‐phenylene]} (P1), poly{[2,5‐bis(3‐sulfonatopropoxy)‐1,4‐phenylene]‐alt‐[2,5‐bis(dodecyloxy)‐1,4‐phenylene]} (P2), poly{[2,5‐bis(3‐sulfonatopropoxy)‐1,4‐phenylene]‐alt‐[2,5‐bis(dibenzyloxy)‐1,4‐phenylene]} (P3), poly[2‐hexyloxy‐5‐(3‐sulfonatopropoxy)‐1,4‐phenylene] (P4), and poly[2‐dodecyloxy‐5‐(3‐sulfonatopropoxy)‐1,4‐phenylene] (P5)] were synthesized with Suzuki coupling reactions and fully characterized. The first group of polymers (P1–P3) with symmetric structures gave lower absorption maxima [maximum absorption wavelength (λmax) = 296–305 nm] and emission maxima [maximum emission wavelength (λem) = 361–398 nm] than asymmetric polymers P4 (λmax = 329 nm, λem = 399 nm) and P5 (λmax = 335 nm, λem = 401 nm). The aggregation properties of polymers P1–P5 in different solvent mixtures were investigated, and their influence on the optical properties was examined in detail. Dynamic light scattering studies of the aggregation behavior of polymer P1 in solvents indicated the presence of aggregated species of various sizes ranging from 80 to 800 nm. The presence of alkoxy groups and 3‐sulfonatopropoxy groups on adjacent phenylene rings along the polymer backbone of the first set hindered the optimization of nonpolar interactions. The alkyl chain crystallization on one side of the polymer chain and the polar interactions on the other side allowed the polymers (P4 and P5) to form a lamellar structure in the polymer lattice. Significant quenching of the polymer fluorescence upon the addition of positively charged viologen derivatives or cytochrome‐C was also observed. The quenching effect on the polymer fluorescence confirmed that the newly synthesized polymers could be used in the fabrication of biological and chemical sensors. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3763–3777, 2006