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Alkaline‐earth metal Ca and N codoped TiO2 sheets with exposed {001} facets were obtained through a one‐step hydrothermal process. The codoped TiO2 appears as microsheets with length of 1–2 μm and thickness of 100–200 nm. The X‐ray diffractometer and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy results confirm that Ca and N codoped TiO2 has higher crystallinity than N‐doped TiO2, as well Ca, N atoms were successfully codoped into TiO2 as interstitial Ca and interstitial N or an O–Ti–N structure, respectively. Compared with N monodoped, further alkaline‐earth Ca codoped has little influence on the energy bands of TiO2 except slightly elevating the conduction band edge at a value of 0.02 eV. The hydroxyl radicals (•OH) producing and photocatalytic experiment shows that Ca and N codoped can effectively decrease the generation of recombination centers, and enhance separation efficiency of photo‐induced electrons and holes as well as the photocatalytic activity of TiO2. The codoped photocatalyst has the highest photocatalytic activity when Ca doped ratio reach 0.48%. Excess Ca doped will weaken the crystallization of anatase TiO2, form charge center, produce new recombination centers and finally reduce the photocatalytic activity of TiO2.

Semaphorin-3A is a chemorepellent guidance protein that is crucial in regulating the tumor microenvironment. MMP-14, a membrane-anchored matrix metalloproteinase, is closely associated with extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling and cell migration in the progression of cancer metastasis. In the present study, the correlation between the expression levels of semaphorin-3A and MMP-14, and their subsequent prognostic significance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), was investigated. The expression of semaphorin-3A and MMP-14 protein levels was analyzed in 94 cases of NSCLC tissues and in 80 cases of normal lung tissues, using immunohistochemistry (IHC). Correlation and survival analysis were used to further investigate their association and prognostic value. The results revealed that the NSCLC tissues exhibited a lower expression of semaphorin-3A and a higher expression of MMP-14 than in the control lung tissues. The downregulation of semaphorin-3A and upregulation of MMP-14 may promote pleural invasion, lymph node metastasis, vascular invasion and proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression. The expression of semaphorin-3A was correlated with the maximum diameter of tumor. There was a negative correlation between the protein expression levels of semaphorin-3A and MMP-14 in NSCLC tissues. Furthermore, we identified that the patients with lower expression of semaphorin-3A and a higher expression of MMP-14 had worse disease prognosis. The data suggest that lower expression of semaphorin-3A and a higher expression of MMP-14 may promote occurrence and development in NSCLC and that the combined detection of semaphorin-3A and MMP-14 protein may be a helpful tool in predicting the prognosis of NSCLC.

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Intermittent avalanches in a multitude of materials are characterized by acoustic emission, AE, where local events lead to strain relaxations and generate shock waves (so-called “jerks”), which are measured at the sample surface. The bane of this approach is that several avalanche mechanisms may contribute to the same AE spectrum so that a detailed analysis of each individual contribution becomes virtually impossible. It is, hence, essential to develop tools to separate signals from different dynamical processes, such as ferroic domain switching, collapse of porous inclusions, dislocation movements, entanglements, and so on. Particularly, difficult cases are dynamical microstructures in fcc alloys where the AE signal strength is weak. Nevertheless, using profile analysis of AE signals, we can distinguish between two mechanisms, namely, dislocation movements and dynamic entanglements in fcc 316L stainless steel. In this approach, we are able to measure the statistical AE durations of both subsets separately. The fingerprint for superposed avalanches with different durations is seen by the scaling between the energy E and the maximum amplitude A of each avalanche E ∼ Ax with x = 2. While the same exponent x applies for both mechanisms, the scaling relation shows two branches with different absolute energy values. The two mechanisms are then confirmed by separating the energy distributions P(E) ∼ E−ε for the two mechanisms with ε = 1.55 for dislocation movements and ε = 1.36 for entanglements.

A simple method that relies only on an electrochemical workstation has been investigated to fabricate a highly sensitive glutamate microbiosensor for potential neuroscience applications. In this study, in order to develop the highly sensitive glutamate electrode, a 100 µm platinum wire was modified by the electrochemical deposition of gold nanoparticles, Prussian blue nanocubes, and reduced graphene oxide sheets, which increased the electroactive surface area; and the chitosan layer, which provided a suitable environment to bond the glutamate oxidase. The optimization of the fabrication procedure and analytical conditions is described. The modified electrode was characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy, impedance spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. The results exhibited its excellent sensitivity for glutamate detection (LOD = 41.33 nM), adequate linearity (50 nM–40 µM), ascendant reproducibility (RSD = 4.44%), and prolonged stability (more than 30 repetitive potential sweeps, two-week lifespan). Because of the important role of glutamate in neurotransmission and brain function, this small-dimension, high-sensitivity glutamate electrode is a promising tool in neuroscience research.