We report on the effects of treating TiO 2 nanocrystalline films with different concentrations of TiCl 4 (5−500 mM) on the film morphology, chargecarrier dynamics, and performance of dye-sensitized solar cells. Transport and recombination in the TiCl 4 -treated films were studied by frequency-resolved modulated photocurrent/photovoltage spectroscopies. These studies showed that, at a low TiCl 4 concentration (5 mM), the electron diffusion coefficient in the annealed film increased. At intermediate TiCl 4 concentrations (15−50 mM), the surface area of the films increased, resulting in an increase of light harvesting and overall power conversion efficiency. At a high TiCl 4 concentration (500 mM), light scattering in the film in the long wavelength region of the visible spectrum was enhanced, but the averaged pore size of the film became narrower, resulting in slower transport and loss of cell performance.

Novel multifunctional magnetic gold nanocomposites (MGNCs) were synthesized for synchronous cancer therapy and diagnosis via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The MGNCs consist of magnetic kernels (aggregates of ultra‐sensitive MnFe2O4 magnetic nanocrystals wrapped in polymer) as effective MR contrast agents and silica–gold nanocomposites as hyperthermal therapeutic agents. A therapeutic antibody, Erbitux (ERB), was conjugated for specific tumor cell targeting both to localize the near‐IR laser beam and to image their events through MRI. ERB‐conjugated MGNCs selectively recognize the target cancer cell lines. Fluorescence images and MRI analysis show that the MGNCs are effectively taken up by the cells. ERB‐conjugated MGNCs have an excellent synchronous therapeutic efficacy as a result of the therapeutic antibody and near‐IR laser‐induced surface plasmon resonance. Consequently, MGNCs clearly demonstrate selective imaging and treatment of human epithelial cancer simultaneously.

Background: Several reports have raised the possibility that newly addressed lipid measures might be superior to the traditional ones for cardiovascular risk prediction. However, data on the associations between these lipid measures with metabolic syndrome (MetS) is limited. Methods and Results:A cross-sectional study of participants in routine health examinations was performed. The associations between lipid measure variables (total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), TC/HDL-C, LDL-C/HDL-C, TG/HDL-C ratio and non-HDL-C) and MetS, insulin resistance (IR) by homeostatic model assessment (HOMA) and adiponectin were analyzed in 6,546 participants (3,820 men; mean age 46.0±9.2 years in men, 44.6±9.5 years in women). In multivariable adjusted regression analysis, the 3 lipid ratios of TC/HDL-C, LDL-C/HDL-C and TG/HDL-C showed significant association with the number of MetS components, HOMA and log adiponectin level in both men and women without MetS (P<0.001, respectively), though these relations were weaker in participants with MetS. The mean levels of the lipid ratios also associated with increasing numbers of the MetS components, quartiles of HOMA and adiponectin.Conclusions: Lipid ratios of TC/HDL-C, LDL-C/HDL-C and TG/HDL-C, as well as TG and HDL, were consistently associated with MetS and IR in participants without MetS. Lipid ratios might be used as integrated and simple lipid measures. (Circ J 2010; 74: 931 - 937)

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Gold (Au), silver (Ag), and Ag core Au shell nanoparticles (NPs) were explored as optical sensing agents for the sensitive detection of dopamine (DA) neurotransmitters in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) measurements. In these colloidal systems, dopamine (DA) molecules played as a cross-linker between M NPs (Au or Ag NPs), allowing them to reside in the confined junctions (i.e., hot spots) between aggregated NPs. The progressive addition of DA molecules (from 1 × 10 −6 to 1 × 10 −3 M) consequently decreased a primary absorption peak attributed to the characteristic M NPs and generated a secondary absorption peak at longer wavelengths attributed to heavily aggregated M NPs formed by molecular bridging effects of DA molecules at high concentrations. The aggregation degree of M NPs was also dependent on the surface states of Au and Ag NPs, i.e., DA molecules with positive amine groups induced more aggregations of Au NPs in comparison to Ag NPs with less negative charges. As the final outcome, Au NPs demonstrated higher sensitivity in SERS detection of DA at low concentrations (1 × 10 −7 to 1 × 10 −5 M), whereas Ag NPs exhibited the stronger Raman signals of DA molecules at high concentrations (1 × 10 −4 to 1 × 10 −3 M). Besides, Ag core Au shell NPs with the lowest surface coverage of Au shell exhibited more sensitive and stronger SERS activity for DA molecules than that of singular Au NPs, probably due to the combined contribution by Ag core with strong SERS intensity and Au shell with high SERS sensitivity.