2型糖尿病大鼠心肌组织MMP-2、MMP-9、TIMP-1的表达与胶原代谢的关系

目的 了解2型糖尿病（T2DM）大鼠模型心肌组织基质金属蛋白酶2（MMP-2）、基质金属蛋白酶9（MMP-9）及其组织抑制物1（TIMP-1）的mRNA表达变化、蛋白水平及组织定位，探讨MMPs／TIMPs在T2DM心肌病变发生发展中的作用。方法 Masson染色观察心肌胶原含量变化；RT-PCR方法观察心肌MMP-、MMP-9和TIMP-1mRNA表达；免疫组化方法测定MMP-2、MMP-9、TIMP-1的蛋白表达和组织定位。结果 T2DM大鼠心肌胶原纤维明显增多；MMP-2mRNA表达明显下调，蛋白水平下降；MMP-9、TIMP-1的mRNA表达均增加，MMP-9、TIMP-1的蛋白水平也升高，但MMP-9／TIMP-1的比值下降。结论 T2DM大鼠心肌组织胶原聚集，心肌纤维化。MMPs／TIMP-1比例失衡可能与T2DM心肌病变的发生有关。     

Cysteinyl leukotrienes and their receptors: Bridging inflammation and colorectal cancer

Long-standing inflammation has emerged as a hallmark of neoplastic transformation of epithelial cells and may be a limiting factor of successful conventional tumor therapies.A complex milieu composed of distinct stromal and immune cells,soluble factors and inflammatory mediators plays a crucial role in supporting and promoting various types of cancers.An augmented inflammatory response can predispose a patient to colorectal cancer(CRC).Common risk factors associated with CRC development include diet and lifestyle,altered intestinal microbiota and commensals,and chronic inflammatory bowel diseases.Cysteinyl leukotrienes are potent inflammatory metabolites synthesized from arachidonic acid and have a broad range of functions involved in the etiology of various pathologies.This review discusses the important role of cysteinyl leukotriene signaling in linking inflammation and CRC.     

Preparation and Characterization of Cu and Ni on Alumina Supports and Their Use in the Synthesis of Low-Temperature Metal-Phthalocyanine Using a Parallel-Plate Reactor

Ni- and Cu/alumina powders were prepared and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscope (SEM), and N₂ physisorption isotherms were also determined. The Ni/Al₂O₃ sample reveled agglomerated (1 μm) of nanoparticles of Ni (30–80 nm) however, NiO particles were also identified, probably for the low temperature during the H₂ reduction treatment (350 °C), the Cu/Al₂O₃ sample presented agglomerates (1–1.5 μm) of nanoparticles (70–150 nm), but only of pure copper. Both surface morphologies were different, but resulted in mesoporous material, with a higher specificity for the Ni sample. The surfaces were used in a new proposal for producing copper and nickel phthalocyanines using a parallel-plate reactor. Phthalonitrile was used and metallic particles were deposited on alumina in ethanol solution with CH₃ONa at low temperatures; ≤60 °C. The mass-transfer was evaluated in reaction testing with a recent three-resistance model. The kinetics were studied with a Langmuir-Hinshelwood model. The activation energy and Thiele modulus revealed a slow surface reaction. The nickel sample was the most active, influenced by the NiO morphology and phthalonitrile adsorption.     

MMP-2C735T、MMP-9C1562T基因多态性与缺血性卒中患者的卒中及其亚型大动脉粥样硬化性卒中有关，但与转归无关

目的 探讨基质金属蛋白酶（matrix metallop roteinase,MMP）-2C735T和MMP-9C1562T基因多态性与缺血性卒中患者的TOAST分型和转归的关系。方法232例缺血性卒中患者根据TOAST标准分被为大动脉粥样硬化性卒中（large arery atherosclerosis,LAA）(n...     

Application of Nanostructures in Electrochromic Materials and Devices: Recent Progress

The recent progress in application of nanostructures in electrochromic materials and devices is reviewed. ZnO nanowire array modified by viologen and WO₃, crystalline WO₃ nanoparticles and nanorods, mesoporous WO₃ and TiO₂, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) nanotubes, Prussian blue nanoinks and nanostructures in switchable mirrors are reviewed. The electrochromic properties were significantly enhanced by applying nanostructures, resulting in faster switching responses, higher stability and higher optical contrast. A perspective on the development trends in electrochromic materials and devices is also proposed.     

Equatorial convergence of India and early Cenozoic climate trends

India's northward flight and collision with Asia was a major driver of global tectonics in the Cenozoic and, we argue, of atmospheric CO(2) concentration (pCO(2)) and thus global climate. Subduction of Tethyan oceanic crust with a carpet of carbonate-rich pelagic sediments deposited during transit beneath the high-productivity equatorial belt resulted in a component flux of CO(2) delivery to the atmosphere capable to maintain high pCO(2) levels and warm climate conditions until the decarbonation factory shut down with the collision of Greater India with Asia at the Early Eocene climatic optimum at approximately 50 Ma. At about this time, the India continent and the highly weatherable Deccan Traps drifted into the equatorial humid belt where uptake of CO(2) by efficient silicate weathering further perturbed the delicate equilibrium between CO(2) input to and removal from the atmosphere toward progressively lower pCO(2) levels, thus marking the onset of a cooling trend over the Middle and Late Eocene that some suggest triggered the rapid expansion of Antarctic ice sheets at around the Eocene-Oligocene boundary.     

Initial Processes of Atomic Layer Deposition of Al2O3 on InGaAs: Interface Formation Mechanisms and Impact on Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor Device Performance

Interface-formation processes in atomic layer deposition (ALD) of Al₂O₃ on InGaAs surfaces were investigated using on-line Auger electron spectroscopy. Al₂O₃ ALD was carried out by repeating a cycle of Al(CH₃)₃ (trimethylaluminum, TMA) adsorption and oxidation by H₂O. The first two ALD cycles increased the Al KLL signal, whereas they did not increase the O KLL signal. Al₂O₃ bulk-film growth started from the third cycle. These observations indicated that the Al₂O₃/InGaAs interface was formed by reduction of the surface oxides with TMA. In order to investigate the effect of surface-oxide reduction on metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) properties, capacitors and field-effect transistors (FETs) were fabricated by changing the TMA dosage during the interface formation stage. The frequency dispersion of the capacitance-voltage characteristics was reduced by employing a high TMA dosage. The high TMA dosage, however, induced fixed negative charges at the MIS interface and degraded channel mobility.     

蛋白激酶Cβ介导急性股动脉损伤后基质金属蛋白酶9的活化

目的 观察急性内皮剥脱损伤对血管壁基质金属蛋白酶(matrix metalloproteinase,MMP)9的活化及其可能的信号调控机制.方法 以C57BL/6小鼠为研究对象,实施股动脉内皮剥脱损伤后,分别制备股动脉总蛋白和膜蛋白提取液,用明胶酶谱法检测MMP 9活性,蛋白质印迹(Western Blot)检测MMP 9抗原表达和膜蛋白中蛋白激酶C(protein kinase C,PKC)多种异构体的表达水平;并以PKCβ抑制剂Ruboxistaurin预处理小鼠72 h后,观察急性血管损伤对MMP 9表达的影响.结果 内皮剥脱损伤4～24 h,小鼠股动脉MMP 9活性增加,最大诱导表达量在损伤后8 h,为对照组的(99.33±9.50)倍(F=51.49,P＜0.01);MMP 9抗原表达与其活性呈现平行变化.内皮剥脱损伤15～120 min,股动脉膜蛋白提取液中PKCβⅡ被快速诱导表达,30 min时达最大值,为对照组的(7.50±0.60)倍(F=207.06,P＜0.01).PKCβ抑制剂Ruboxistaurin可减少血管损伤诱导的MMP 9活化(F=53.96,P＜0.01).结论 在小鼠股动脉内皮剥脱模型中,MMP 9活化至少部分由PKCβ信号所介导,阻断PKCβ信号通路可望成为抑制血管损伤后MMP 9过度活化的干预靶点.

Abstract：

Objective To investigate the activation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)9 by acute arterial injury and the involved signaling mechanism in murine femoral artery. Methods In the C57BL/6 mice femoral artery denudation injury were performed. Total protein and membrane protein extracts were prepared from targeted arteries. The MMP 9 activity was measured by zymography assay, the expressions of MMP 9 antigen and protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms were measured by Western blot. Seventy-two hours after mice fed with PKCβ inhibitor (ruboxistaurin), the denudation injury triggered MMP 9 activation was reassessed. Results Within 4-24 hours after denudation injury, MMP 9 activity in femoral arteries was significantly increased, with a peak induction of (99.3±9.5) times the sham control (F=51.49,P＜0.01) at 8 h. MMP 9 antigen increased in parallel with MMP 9 activity. Within 15-120 minutes after denudation injury, there was a significant induction of PKCβⅡ in membrane fraction of femoral arteries, with a maximum induction of (7.50±0.60) times the sham control (F=207.06,P＜0.01)at 30 min. Injury-induced MMP 9 activation was significantly inhibited by ruboxistaurin. Conclusions MMP 9 activation is, at least in part, mediated by PKCβ in acute arterial denudation injury, it highlights the new target for therapeutic intervention to suppress the over-activation of MMP 9, which plays a critical role in restenosis.     

Effects of Solvent Diols on the Synthesis of ZnFe2O4 Particles and Their Use as Heterogeneous Photo-Fenton Catalysts

A solvothermal method was used to prepare zinc ferrite spinel oxide (ZnFe₂O₄) using ethylene glycol and 1,4 butanediol as solvent diols, and the influence of diols on the physical properties of ZnFe₂O₄ particles was investigated. The produced particles were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and nitrogen adsorption isotherms, and the catalytic activity for the organic pollutant decomposition by heterogeneous photo-Fenton reaction was investigated. Both solvents produced particles with cubic spinel structure. Microporous and mesoporous structures were obtained when ethylene glycol and 1,4 butanediol were used as diols, respectively. A higher pore volume and surface area, as well as a higher catalytic activity for the pollutant degradation were found when 1,4 butanediol was used as solvent.     

Plasma homocysteine is elevated in COPD patients and is related to COPD severity

Background:

Although recent studies have found that total plasma homocysteine (tHCY) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are both risk factors for cardiac disease, there have been few studies of plasma homocysteine levels in COPD patients. We tested the hypothesis that total plasma homocysteine (tHCY) would be elevated in patients diagnosed with COPD compared with controls.

Methods:

We studied 29 COPD outpatients and 25 asymptomatic subjects (controls) over age 55 years with measurement of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁), forced vital capacity (FVC), St. Georges Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) score, tHCY and serum C-reactive protein (sCRP).

Results:

There was no difference between controls vs. COPD patients in mean age or gender but mean (SD) FEV₁ was 2.25 (0.77) vs 1.43 (0.60) L; FEV₁% predicted 76.1 (17.2) vs 49.1 (16.3) p < 0.001 in both cases. Median (IQR) tHCY was 8.22 (6.63, 9.55) in controls vs 10.96 (7.56, 13.60) micromol/l for COPD, p = 0.006 and sCRP 0.89 (0.47, 2.55) vs 2.05 (0.86, 6.19) mg/l, p = 0.023. tHCY(log) was also higher in (r, p) smokers (0.448, 0.001), patients with low FEV₁% (−0.397, 0.003), males (0.475, <0.001), but high SGRQ Total score (0.289, 0.034), and high sCRP (0.316, 0.038). tHCY(log) was independently related to (regression coefficient, p) sCRP(log) (0.087, 0.024), male gender (0.345, <0.001) and presence of COPD (0.194, 0.031). Median (IQR) tHCY GOLD Stage I and II 8.05 (7.28, 11.04), GOLD Stage III and IV: 11.83(9.30, 18.30); p = 0.023.

Conclusions:

Plasma homocysteine is significantly elevated in COPD patients relative to age and sex-matched controls and is related to serum CRP and COPD severity.     

Confounding effects of oxygen and temperature on the TEX86 signature of marine Thaumarchaeota

Marine ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) are among the most abundant of marine microorganisms, spanning nearly the entire water column of diverse oceanic provinces. Historical patterns of abundance are preserved in sediments in the form of their distinctive glycerol dibiphytanyl glycerol tetraether (GDGT) membrane lipids. The correlation between the composition of GDGTs in surface sediment and the overlying annual average sea surface temperature forms the basis for a paleotemperature proxy (TEX₈₆) that is used to reconstruct surface ocean temperature as far back as the Middle Jurassic. However, mounting evidence suggests that factors other than temperature could also play an important role in determining GDGT distributions. We here use a study set of four marine AOA isolates to demonstrate that these closely related strains generate different TEX₈₆–temperature relationships and that oxygen (O₂) concentration is at least as important as temperature in controlling TEX₈₆ values in culture. All of the four strains characterized showed a unique membrane compositional response to temperature, with TEX₈₆-inferred temperatures varying as much as 12 °C from the incubation temperatures. In addition, both linear and nonlinear TEX₈₆–temperature relationships were characteristic of individual strains. Increasing relative abundance of GDGT-2 and GDGT-3 with increasing O₂ limitation, at the expense of GDGT-1, led to significant elevations in TEX₈₆-derived temperature. Although the adaptive significance of GDGT compositional changes in response to both temperature and O₂ is unclear, this observation necessitates a reassessment of archaeal lipid-based paleotemperature proxies, particularly in records that span low-oxygen events or underlie oxygen minimum zones.Marine ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) (now assigned to the phylum Thaumarchaeota) are among the most ubiquitous and abundant organisms in the ocean, constituting up to 40% of microbial plankton in the meso- and bathypelagic zones (1–4). They are generally recognized as the main drivers of oceanic nitrification (5–7), are closely coupled with anammox organisms in oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) (8–10), and have been implicated as a source of the greater part of oceanic emissions of the ozone-depleting greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (11). Their wide habitat range suggests both high ecotypic diversity and adaptive capacity (12, 13).The adaptive basis for their dominant role in the nitrogen cycle has in part been attributed to highly efficient systems of ammonia oxidation and carbon fixation, and a primarily copper-based respiratory system that reduces reliance on iron availability in the often iron-depleted marine environment (13–16). In addition, compositional regulation of their distinctive glycerol dibiphytanyl glycerol tetraether (GDGT) lipid membrane (SI Appendix, Fig. S1) is implicated in adaptation and acclimation to energy-limited environments (17). Relative to the bacterial membrane bilayer, the membrane-spanning lipids of archaea are less permeable to ions and protons (18, 19). Lower permeability is suggested to reduce maintenance energy costs, an important adaptive feature of extreme oligophiles such as the AOA. Thus, growth temperature-dependent modulation of membrane composition is likely associated with maintenance of appropriate permeability, as well as other membrane functions (18).The influence of temperature on membrane composition has been the major focus of studies of the environmental distribution of archaeal membrane lipids in the present and for interpreting lipids preserved in the sedimentary record (20). In particular, the correlation between sea surface temperature (SST) and the cyclopentane ring distribution of GDGTs in a sample set of globally distributed core top sediments is the basis for a widely applied paleotemperature proxy, TEX₈₆ (TetraEther indeX of lipids with 86 carbon atoms). The TEX₈₆ proxy has been used to reconstruct surface ocean temperature as far back as the Middle Jurassic (21, 22). However, the extent to which temperature is the causative agent behind the correlation has not fully been examined. Moreover, it is not evident how a group of organisms that live at depths below the upper-photic zone and are the dominant prokaryote of the abyss can record SST via a physiological response.Interpretation of TEX₈₆ records that deviate from expectation are usually interpreted from the point of view that temperature is still the main underlying influence on TEX₈₆. That is, disagreement with other proxy records, unreasonably large swings in TEX₈₆ over short time periods, or warm biases in semienclosed basins (Mediterranean and Red Sea) have been attributed to changes in circulation, seasonal timing of production, selective export to sediments, or to autochthonous archaeal populations having slightly different temperature responses (20, 23–25). Large discrepancies between in situ and TEX₈₆-derived temperatures from suspended particulate matter (SPM) samples, particularly from low-oxygen (O₂) environments, have been observed in many regions (25–28), but O₂ has not explicitly been suggested as a cause of these discrepancies. Instead, it is thought that some local environments select for ecotypes having slightly different TEX₈₆–temperature relationships.TEX₈₆ reconstructions of the distant past, when oceanic conditions could be quite different from today, present the greatest challenge to interpretation. For example, inferred Cretaceous SSTs are higher than physically plausible for the ocean (29). Thus, considerable efforts have been made to develop and apply new TEX₈₆ equations suitable for high-temperature environments (TEX86H), low-temperature environments (TEX86L), local systems (TEX₈₆′), the marine water column, and mesocosms (24, 30–33).The availability of a number of pure cultures of marine AOA (12) now serves to test strain-specific response to temperature, as well as the influence of ecophysiological factors other than temperature, on lipid composition. Here we grew pure cultures of four marine AOA strains to evaluate the influence of growth conditions on core lipid composition. Despite relatively close phylogenetic relationships, these isolates are physiologically distinct ecotypes recovered from dimly lit deep waters, the nitrite maximum near the euphotic zone, and near-surface sediment (12). The influence of temperature and dissolved O₂ (DO) on GDGT composition and TEX₈₆ values was examined by independently varying these two important environmental variables. These experiments revealed significant strain-specific variation in temperature-associated GDGT distribution. More striking was the observation that in addition to temperature, the DO concentration had a profound impact on membrane composition, skewing TEX₈₆-derived temperatures by more than 20 °C at a single growth temperature. These findings necessitate reinterpretation and possible reformulation of this important paleoclimate proxy.     

Organometallic Routes into the Nanorealms of Binary Fe-Si Phases

The Fe-Si binary system provides several iron silicides that have varied and exceptional material properties with applications in the electronic industry. The well known Fe-Si binary silicides are Fe₃Si, Fe₅Si₃, FeSi, α-FeSi₂ and β-FeSi₂. While the iron-rich silicides Fe₃Si and Fe₅Si₃ are known to be room temperature ferromagnets, the stoichiometric FeSi is the only known transition metal Kondo insulator. Furthermore, Fe₅Si₃ has also been demonstrated to exhibit giant magnetoresistance (GMR). The silicon-rich β-FeSi₂ is a direct band gap material usable in light emitting diode (LED) applications. Typically, these silicides are synthesized by traditional solid-state reactions or by ion beam-induced mixing (IBM) of alternating metal and silicon layers. Alternatively, the utilization of organometallic compounds with reactive transition metal (Fe)-carbon bonds has opened various routes for the preparation of these silicides and the silicon-stabilized bcc- and fcc-Fe phases contained in the Fe-Si binary phase diagram. The unique interfacial interactions of carbon with the Fe and Si components have resulted in the preferential formation of nanoscale versions of these materials. This review will discuss such reactions.     

Promiscuous archaeal ATP synthase concurrently coupled to Na+ and H+ translocation

ATP synthases are the primary source of ATP in all living cells. To catalyze ATP synthesis, these membrane-associated complexes use a rotary mechanism powered by the transmembrane diffusion of ions down a concentration gradient. ATP synthases are assumed to be driven either by H(+) or Na(+), reflecting distinct structural motifs in their membrane domains, and distinct metabolisms of the host organisms. Here, we study the methanogenic archaeon Methanosarcina acetivorans using assays of ATP hydrolysis and ion transport in inverted membrane vesicles, and experimentally demonstrate that the rotary mechanism of its ATP synthase is coupled to the concurrent translocation of both H(+) and Na(+) across the membrane under physiological conditions. Using free-energy molecular simulations, we explain this unprecedented observation in terms of the ion selectivity of the binding sites in the membrane rotor, which appears to have been tuned via amino acid substitutions so that ATP synthesis in M. acetivorans can be driven by the H(+) and Na(+) gradients resulting from methanogenesis. We propose that this promiscuity is a molecular mechanism of adaptation to life at the thermodynamic limit.     

Large and unexpected enrichment in stratospheric 16O13C18O and its meridional variation

The stratospheric CO₂ oxygen isotope budget is thought to be governed primarily by the O(¹D)+CO₂ isotope exchange reaction. However, there is increasing evidence that other important physical processes may be occurring that standard isotopic tools have been unable to identify. Measuring the distribution of the exceedingly rare CO₂ isotopologue ¹⁶O¹³C¹⁸O, in concert with ¹⁸O and ¹⁷O abundances, provides sensitivities to these additional processes and, thus, is a valuable test of current models. We identify a large and unexpected meridional variation in stratospheric ¹⁶O¹³C¹⁸O, observed as proportions in the polar vortex that are higher than in any naturally derived CO₂ sample to date. We show, through photochemical experiments, that lower ¹⁶O¹³C¹⁸O proportions observed in the midlatitudes are determined primarily by the O(¹D)+CO₂ isotope exchange reaction, which promotes a stochastic isotopologue distribution. In contrast, higher ¹⁶O¹³C¹⁸O proportions in the polar vortex show correlations with long-lived stratospheric tracer and bulk isotope abundances opposite to those observed at midlatitudes and, thus, opposite to those easily explained by O(¹D)+CO₂. We believe the most plausible explanation for this meridional variation is either an unrecognized isotopic fractionation associated with the mesospheric photochemistry of CO₂ or temperature-dependent isotopic exchange on polar stratospheric clouds. Unraveling the ultimate source of stratospheric ¹⁶O¹³C¹⁸O enrichments may impose additional isotopic constraints on biosphere–atmosphere carbon exchange, biosphere productivity, and their respective responses to climate change.     

Structural and dynamic aspects related to oligomerization of apo SOD1 and its mutants

The structural and dynamical properties of the metal-free form of WT human superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) and its familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS)-related mutants, T54R and I113T, were characterized both in solution, through NMR, and in the crystal, through X-ray diffraction. We found that all 3 X-ray structures show significant structural disorder in 2 loop regions that are, at variance, well defined in the fully-metalated structures. Interestingly, the apo state crystallizes only at low temperatures, whereas all 3 proteins in the metalated form crystallize at any temperature, suggesting that crystallization selects one of the most stable conformations among the manifold adopted by the apo form in solution. Indeed, NMR experiments show that the protein in solution is highly disordered, sampling a large range of conformations. The large conformational variability of the apo state allows the free reduced cysteine Cys-6 to become highly solvent accessible in solution, whereas it is essentially buried in the metalated state and the crystal structures. Such solvent accessibility, together with that of Cys-111, accounts for the tendency to oligomerization of the metal-free state. The present results suggest that the investigation of the solution state coupled with that of the crystal state can provide major insights into SOD1 pathway toward oligomerization in relation to fALS.     

The Hardness and Strength Properties of WC-Co Composites

The industrially-important WC-Co composite materials provide a useful, albeit complicated materials system for understanding the combined influences on hardness and strength properties of the constituent WC particle strengths, the particle sizes, their contiguities, and of Co binder hardness and mean free paths, and in total, the volume fraction of constituents. A connection is made here between the composite material properties, especially including the material fracture toughness, and the several materials-type considerations of: (1) related hardness stress-strain behaviors; (2) dislocation (viscoplastic) thermal activation characterizations; (3) Hall-Petch type reciprocal square root of particle or grain size dependencies; and (4) indentation and conventional fracture mechanics results. Related behaviors of MgO and Al₂O₃ crystal and polycrystal materials are also described for the purpose of making comparisons.     

Uptake of Radionuclides 60Co, 137Cs,and 90Sr with α-Fe2O3 and Fe3O4 Particles from Aqueous Environment

In the paper, investigation results of the uptake efficiency of radionuclides ⁶⁰Co, ⁹⁰Sr, and ¹³⁷Cs dissolved in water onto iron oxides α-Fe₂O₃ and Fe₃O₄ are presented. It was found that sorption efficiency increased for higher pH values. Independent of the oxide nature, the uptake characteristics are the best toward ⁶⁰Co and the worst toward ¹³⁷Cs, forming the row as follows: ⁶⁰Co > ⁹⁰Sr > ¹³⁷Cs. The highest sorption ability at pH 9 was found for magnetite Fe₃O₄, which was 93%, 73%, and 26% toward ⁶⁰Co, ⁹⁰Sr, and ¹³⁷Cs, respectively, while the respective percentages for hematite α-Fe₂O₃ were 85%, 41%, and 18%. It was assumed that the main sorption mechanism was ion exchange. That may explain some decrease of the sorption efficiency in drinking water due to the interfering presence of magnesium and calcium cations. The obtained results indicated the feasibility of the tested sorbents and their merits, especially in terms of relatively high uptake coefficients, low costs, availability, and lack of toxicity.     

Structural and Luminescence Properties of Lu2O3:Eu3+ F127 Tri-Block Copolymer Modified Thin Films Prepared by Sol-Gel Method

Lu₂O₃:Eu³⁺ transparent, high density, and optical quality thin films were prepared using the sol-gel dip-coating technique, starting with lutetium and europium nitrates as precursors and followed by hydrolysis in an ethanol-ethylene glycol solution. Acetic acid and acetylacetonate were incorporated in order to adjust pH and as a sol stabilizer. In order to increment the thickness of the films and orient the structure, F127 Pluronic acid was incorporated during the sol formation. Structural, morphological, and optical properties of the films were investigated for different F127/Lu molar ratios (0–5) in order to obtain high optical quality films with enhanced thickness compared with the traditional method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) shows that the films present a highly oriented cubic structure <111> beyond 1073 K for a 3-layer film, on silica glass substrates. The thickness, density, porosity, and refractive index evolution of the films were investigated by means of m-lines microscopy along with the morphology by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and luminescent properties.