[en] Ag-doped Sb–Te films were deposited by magnetron co-sputtering and the structure, electrical, optical and thermal properties were analyzed. The results show that Ag-doping restrains crystal grain size, and changes a preferred orientation of the crystalline phase. The crystallization temperature is increased due to the Ag addition. Both amorphous resistance and crystalline resistance are enhanced and the resistance ratio reaches ∼10⁴. Compared with Ge₂Sb₂Te₅, Ag_26.82(Sb₃Te)_73.18 film exhibits a better amorphous thermal stability, a higher crystallization temperature (∼166 °C), a wider optical band gap (0.515 eV), a larger crystallization activation energy (3.17 eV) as well as a better 10 years data retention at 92 °C. (paper)

[en] A highly efficient fluorescence gold nanoclusters probe for copper (II) (Cu²⁺) ions among various ions has been prepared through wool keratin as chelating and reducing agent. The main features of fluorescent gold nanoclusters supported on wool keratin (AuNCs@WK) probe are the high fluorescence in aqueous solution, the simplicity of synthesis and the hypotoxicity for living cells. The fluorescence probe exhibits high stability of pHs and shows more sensitivity under acidic condition. Upon exposure to various metal irons, only AuNCs@WK system with Cu²⁺ ions shows a fluorescence turnoff response changing from red to blue under UV light, which lead to the dramatically decreased fluorescent intensity of AuNCs@WK at 690 nm. Moreover, the high sensitivity of AuNCs@WK around 1 µM meets the need of detection standards. The slope of Stern–Volmer plot at low concentration of Cu²⁺ ions is greater than it at high concentrations, which indicates the aggregated AuNCs are from small amounts to large numbers with the increasing concentration of Cu²⁺ ions. The design mechanism of AuNCs@WK probe is the coordination of reactive groups to produce the complex (wool keratin-Cu-wool keratin) at 1:2 between Cu²⁺ ions and fluorescence probe. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity in cells indicates that AuNCs@WK system is safe for the selective imaging of copper ions in living cells.

[en] The goal of this study is to develop a novel 5-HT_1A receptor imaging agent. 4-[(2-methoxyphenyl)piperazin-1-yl]-dithioformate (MPPDTF) was labeled with ^99mTc-tricarbonyl core via dithioformate moiety in high yield (>96% by HPLC). ^99mTc(CO)₃-MPPDTF is a neutral and lipophilic complex, which was confirmed by paper electrophoresis and octanol/water partition coefficient (P=27.0±1.4, n=3), respectively. In vivo biodistribution indicated that this complex had moderate brain uptake (0.53±0.10% ID/g at 5 min and 0.42±0.02% ID/g at 120 min) and good retention (about 80% of the activity was retained in the brain at 120 min post-injection). Regional brain distribution study showed that hippocampus, where the 5-HT_1A receptor density is high, had the highest uptake (0.60±0.02% ID/g at 5 min p.i.) and the cerebellum, where the 5-HT_1A receptor density is low, had the lowest uptake (0.10±0.02% ID/g at 5 min p.i.). After blocking with 8-OH-DPAT, the hippocampus uptake was decreased obviously while the cerebellum uptake was increased slightly. This result indicates that ^99mTc(CO)₃-MPPDTF complex has specific binding to 5-HT_1A receptor

[en] The liquid structures of Mg_6_5Cu_2_5Y_1_0 and its three homologous binary liquid alloys are investigated via ab initio molecular dynamics in the present work. The chemical and topological environments in all four liquid alloys are analyzed using pair distribution function, coordination number, and the Voronoi polyhedron. It shows that the Cu atoms play significant role in deciding the chemical and topological short-range orders of the Mg_6_5Cu_2_5Y_1_0 liquid alloy. The Voronoi polyhedra in the ternary liquid alloy illustrate less varieties and longer lifetime. Moreover, the diffusion coefficients are decreased significantly in the ternary liquid alloys according to the mean square displacements. All above offer a deeper insight into how the three species work in the Mg_6_5Cu_2_5Y_1_0 liquid alloy. - Highlights: • Cu plays crucial role in Mg_6_5Cu_2_5Y_1_0's chemical and topological SROs. • Additive elements decrease varieties and prolong lifetimes of Voronoi polyhedra. • Additive elements hinder the diffusion of Mg and Y efficiently.