Conclusions In summary, Zr/N co-doped TiO2 nanostructures

were successfully synthesized using nanotubular titanic acid (NTA) as precursors by a facile wet chemical route. The Zr/N-doped TiO2 nanostructures made by NTA precursors show significantly enhanced Fosbretabulin chemical structure visible light photocatalytic activities for propylene degradation Selleckchem LGX818 compared with that of the Zr/N co-doped commercial P25 powders. Impacts of Zr/N co-doping on the morphologies, optical properties, and photocatalytic activities of the NTA-based TiO2 were thoroughly investigated to find the origin of the enhanced visible light active photocatalytic performance. It is proposed that the visible light response is attributed to the intra-band by the nitrogen doping and calcination-induced single electron-trapped oxygen vacancies (SETOV). Crystallization and growth of Zr/N-doped TiO2 were also impacted by the addition of zirconium. The best visible light photocatalytic activity of Zr/N co-doped NTA was achieved by co-doping with optimal dopant amount and calcination temperature. This work also provided a new learn more strategy for the design of

visible light active TiO2 photocatalysts in more practical applications. Acknowledgements The authors thank the National Natural Science Foundation of China (no.21203054) and Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovation Research Team in University (no. PCS IRT1126). References 1. Hoffmann MR, Martin ST, Choi W, Bahnemann DW: Environmental applications of semiconductor photocatalysis. Chem Rev 1995, 95:69–96.CrossRef 2. Chen X, Mao SS: Titanium dioxide nanomaterials: synthesis, properties, modifications,

and applications. Chem Rev 2007, 107:2891–2959.CrossRef 3. McFarland EW, Metiu H: Catalysis by doped Methocarbamol oxides. Chem Rev 2013, 113:4391–4427.CrossRef 4. Fujishima A, Zhang X, Tryk DA: TiO 2 photocatalysis and related surface phenomena. Surf Sci Rep 2008, 63:515–582.CrossRef 5. Asahi R, Morikawa T, Ohwaki T, Aoki K, Taga Y: Visible-light photocatalysis in nitrogen-doped titanium oxides. Science 2001, 293:269–271.CrossRef 6. Batzill M, Morales EH, Diebold U: Influence of nitrogen doping on the defect formation and surface properties of TiO 2 rutile and anatase. Phys Rev Lett 2006, 96:026103.CrossRef 7. Zhu W, Qiu X, Iancu V, Chen X-Q, Pan H, Wang W, Dimitrijevic NM, Rajh T, Meyer HM III, Paranthaman MP: Band gap narrowing of titanium oxide semiconductors by noncompensated anion-cation codoping for enhanced visible-light photoactivity. Phys Rev Lett 2009, 103:226401.CrossRef 8. Yao X, Wang X, Su L, Yan H, Yao M: Band structure and photocatalytic properties of N/Zr co-doped anatase TiO 2 from first-principles study. J Mol Catal A Chem 2011, 351:11–16.CrossRef 9.

Shin H-J, Kim KK, Benayad A, Yoon S-M, Park HK, Jung I-S, Jin MH, Jeong H-K, Kim JM, Choi J-Y, Lee YH: Efficient reduction of graphite oxide by sodium borohydride and its effect on electrical conductance. Adv Funct Mater 2009, 19:1987–1992.CrossRef 33. Stankovich

S, Dikin DA, Piner RD, Kohlhaas KA, Kleinhammes A, Jia Y, Wu Y, Nguyen ST, Ruoff RS: Synthesis of graphene-based nanosheets via chemical reduction of exfoliated graphite oxide. Carbon 2007, 45:1558–1565.CrossRef find more 34. Fan X, Peng W, Li Y, Li X, Wang S, Zhang G, Zhang F: Deoxygenation of exfoliated graphite oxide under alkaline RG7112 in vivo conditions: a green route to graphene preparation. Adv Mater 2008, 20:4490–4493.CrossRef 35. Gao W, Alemany LB, Ci L, Ajayan PM: New insights into the structure and reduction of graphite oxide. Nat Chem 2009, 1:403–408.CrossRef 36. Fernández-Merino MJ,

Guardia L, Paredes JI, Villar-Rodil S, Solís-Fernández P, Maertínez-Alonso A, Tascón MD: Vitamin C is an ideal substitute for hydrazine in the reduction of graphene oxide suspensions. J Phys Chem C 2010, 114:6426–6432.CrossRef 37. Sun G, Long D, Liu X, Qiao W, Zhan L, Liang X, Ling L: Asymmetric capacitance response from the chemical characteristics of activated carbons in KOH electrolyte. J Electroanal SCH727965 cell line Chem 2011, 659:161–167.CrossRef 38. Frackowiak E, Metenier K, Bertagna V, Beguin F: Supercapacitor electrodes from multiwalled carbon nanotubes. Appl Phys Lett 2000, 77:2421–2423.CrossRef 39. Pan H, Poh CK, Feng YP, Lin J: Supercapacitor electrodes from tubes-in-tube carbon nanostructures. Chem Mater 2007, 19:6120–6125.CrossRef 40. Stoller MD, Park S, Zhu Y, An J, Ruoff RS: Graphene-based ultracapacitors. Nano Lett 2008, 8:3498–3502.CrossRef 41. Meher SK, Justin P, Rao GR: Pine-cone morphology and pseudocapacitive behavior of nanoporous nickel oxide. Electrochim Acta 2010, 55:8388–8396.CrossRef 42. Zhang J, Jiang J, Li H, Zhao XS: A high-performance asymmetric supercapacitor

fabricated with graphene-based electrodes. Energy & Environmental Science 2011, Sitaxentan 4:4009–4015.CrossRef 43. He Y, Chen W, Li X, Zhang Z, Fu J, Zhao C, Xie E: Freestanding three-dimensional graphene/MnO 2 composite networks as ultralight and flexible supercapacitor electrodes. ACS Nano 2013, 7:174–182.CrossRef Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Authors’ contributions WS and XW performed the experiments and drafted the manuscript together. JZ checked the figures and gave the final approval of the version to be published. FG performed partial experiments. SZ supervised the project. HC guided the experiment on the CO2 supercritical drying process of RGOA. WX guided the idea, revised, and finalized the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.”
“Background Nanopore sensor, which is derived from the Coulter counter [1], has been utilized for detection and analysis of various single charged molecules [2–9].

Array hybridization results are presented as Additional file 1 and are deposited in GEO database http://​www.​ncbi.​nlm.​nih.​gov/​projects/​geo/​ under GSE12238 accession number. Results and Discussion General trends in transcription After determining transcript levels for all probe sets, the 1,994 transcripts were grouped into 15 PR-171 cell line clusters based on their behavior during growth (Figure SB431542 supplier 2) (self organizing map algorithm; Array Assist 5.1.0 package, Stratagene). The clusters were grouped into five main categories. The first 3 categories contain genes whose transcription did not correspond to growth phase,

and were either expressed at low (cluster 0), medium (clusters 6, 7), or high (clusters 8, 9) levels in all phases of growth. Category 4 genes (clusters 1–4) exhibited increased transcription in ES or S phase, and category 5 genes (clusters 5, 10–14) had

transcription levels that peaked in ML phase and decreased into S phase. selleckchem Figure 2 Grouping of S. agalactiae transcripts into distinct 15 clusters based on expression profiles from ML to S growth phases. The dendrogram and clusters were generated using a self organizing map algorithm and represent changes in expression of 1,994 transcripts at four consecutive time points: ML, LL, ES, and S phases. Cluster 0 genes had low level of transcription. Clusters 1–4 genes positively correlated with stationary phase of growth transcription level and peaked in the ES (clusters 1 and 2) or S (clusters 3 and 4) phase of growth. Clusters 5 and 10–14 are negatively correlated with the S phase of growth; transcription of genes grouped in these clusters reached their peak in ML phase and decreased in S phase. Genes in clusters 6–9 are dipyridamole expressed relatively steadily during growth although at various levels of expression, ranging from very high (cluster 9) to mid-low (cluster 6). The black horizontal line on the cluster graphs represents average transcription level

of the complete dataset. The transcript level in each cluster is plotted using a logarithmic scale. Number of transcripts in clusters: Cluster 0, 440; Cluster 1, 115; Cluster 2, 106; Cluster 3, 42; Cluster 4, 47; Cluster 5, 175; Cluster 6, 140; Cluster 7, 100; Cluster 8, 66; Cluster 9, 26; Cluster 10, 183; Cluster 11, 173; Cluster 12, 185; Cluster 13, 89; Cluster 14, 107. Genes exhibiting growth phase-independent transcription Genes in clusters 6, 7, 8, and 9 did not show growth phase-dependent transcriptional regulation. The genes are clustered instead based on their transcript level and general profile. Clusters 6 and 7 contain genes that are expressed at the same level until ES phase to slightly lower expression in S phase. Clusters 8 and 9 contain genes, which the transcript level is steady or slightly increases over time.

The simple linear regression was used to determine whether statistically significant associations existed between the bacterial counts of the coolers water (non-carbonated and carbonated) and the time since the last filter was substituted. Statistical significance was assessed

using two-sided tests with p-values of ≤ 0.05. Analyses were performed using the statistical package Stata [15]. Results Of the 41 randomly selected commercial stores, 38 agreed to participate for a response rate of 94.7%. The time since the last maintenance of water coolers, comprehensive of filter substitution, in the participating stores ranged between 1 and 24 months. A description of the data regarding microbiological characteristics of drinking water dispensed by the sampled water from coolers BMN 673 ic50 and tap according to the Italian legislation is provided in Additional file 1. It should be noted that Enterococcus spp. and Escherichia coli were not detected in any of the

water samples. In 17% of the samples of tap water after incubation at 22°C and 37°C the number of aerobic bacteria was higher than the stated drinking water limits for TVC of < 100 CFU/mL and < 20 CFU/mL, respectively. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was found in only one sample of the tap water and in 28.9% and 23.7% of the non-carbonated and carbonated water samples, respectively. The microbiological results for the water coolers indicated that the total bacteria counts at 22°C and 37°C was higher than the required values in 71% and 81% for the non-carbonated water and in 86% and 88% for the carbonated one, respectively. The overall mean bacteria counts at 22°C and 37°C in the water samples were LCZ696 concentration respectively 102.9 CFU/mL and 86.3 CFU/mL for the tap, 569.7 CFU/mL and 331.8 CFU/mL for the non-carbonated, and 542.1 CFU/mL and 355.9 CFU/mL for the Sunitinib supplier carbonated. The results of the statistical analysis conducted to determine whether differences exist among the three different types of water with regard to microbial measures showed no significant difference between

the number of microorganisms recovered from the non-carbonated and carbonated water from coolers for the bacteria count at 22°C (χ2 = 2.55, p = 0.18) and at 37°C (χ2 = 0.82, p = 0.55), and for Pseudomonas aeruginosa (χ2 = 0.26, p = 0.8), respectively. The tap water was always of excellent bacteriological quality and it was see more superior than the water from coolers. Indeed, a statistically significant higher proportion of positive microbial counts has been recorded for both bacterial counts at 22°C and 37°C in the non-carbonated (χ2 = 25.55, p < 0.0001; χ2 = 34.73, p < 0.0001) and carbonated (χ2 = 40.07, p < 0.0001; χ2 = 42.95, p < 0.0001) waters compared with the tap water. The number of positive samples for Pseudomonas aeruginosa was significantly higher in the non-carbonated (Fisher’s exact test p = 0.003) and carbonated (Fisher’s exact test p = 0.015) water coolers samples compared with the samples of tap water.

meliloti cultures were 200 μg/ml for streptomycin, 100 μg/ml for neomycin, 10 μg/ml for tetracycline, and 30 μg/ml for gentamicin. The concentrations of antibiotic used for E. see more coli cultures were 50 μg/ml for ampicillin and 25 μg/ml for kanamycin. Stress responses Bacterial response to SDS and heat shock was evaluated by analysis of the growth curves of WT and ΔSpdA mutant in liquid LBMC. Strains were challenged with SDS (0.01% v/v) at OD600 0.1 and heat shock (50°C for 20 min) was applied to overnight cultures before dilution at OD600 0.1. Aliquots were collected at different time intervals, OD600 was measured and residual growth was determined [46]. Construction of plasmids and mutant strains Primers used for DNA

amplification are listed in Additional file 10. S. meliloti 1021 was used as template for DNA amplification. For deletion of the spdA gene, we used the cre-lox system [25]. PCR fragments encompassing the upstream/amino-terminal coding region and the downstream/carboxyl-terminal coding region of spdA were amplified using CreLox 2179 up Left-CreLox 2179 up Right and 2179 Down

NcoI-2179 Down Milciclib mouse HincII as primers (See Additional file 10), digested by SacI-SacII and NcoI-HincII, and cloned into the SacI-SacII and NcoI-HincII restriction sites of pCM351, respectively. The resulting plasmid was introduced into the S. meliloti 1021 strain by conjugation. Transconjugants sensitive to tetracycline and resistant to gentamicin were screened. A ΔspdA mutant was selected. The spdA-expressing RGFP966 construct pET::2179 was obtained after amplification of the spdA gene-coding region using S. meliloti 1021 genomic DNA as template and LNdeI2179 and RHindIII 2179 as primers. The PCR fragment was digested with NdeI and HindIII and cloned into the NdeI-HindIII digested pET-22b plasmid to yield pET::2179. The Clr-expressing

construct pGEX::clr was obtained after amplification of the clr gene-coding region using S. meliloti 1021 genomic DNA as template and ClrBamHI and ClrEcoRI as primers. The PCR fragment was digested with BamHI and EcoRI and cloned into the BamHI-EcoRI digested pGEX-2T to yield pGEX::clr. To construct pGD2179, that carries a spdA-lacZ translational fusion, a 177-bp PCR fragment encompassing the spdA promoter region was amplified using Dapagliflozin 2179left and 2179right primers, digested with HindIII and BamHI, and cloned in the in-frame orientation at the same sites of the lacZ translational fusion plasmid pGD926. The pAMG2178 plasmid was obtained after amplification of the smc02178 promoter-coding region using S. meliloti 1021 genomic DNA as template and BamHI 2178 and Hind BoxL as primers. For pAMG2178ΔClrbox, PCR fragments encompassing the upstream region Clr box and the downstream region Clr box of the smc02178 promoter were amplified using 2178 H-BoxLPstI and X 2178-BoxRPstI as primers. The two fragments obtained were digested by PstI and then ligated and amplified by PCR using BamHI 2178 and Hind BoxL as primers.

(A) A total of 2 × 103 conidia were point inoculated on agar plates (CM for GR5, RhoAG14V, RhoAE40I and ΔmpkA, repressive MM containing 1% glucose according to [26] for R135 and alcA-PkcA) containing the appropriate supplements and 0, 0.2 and 1 μg/ml AFPNN5353 for GR5, RhoAG14V, RhoAE40I, R135 and alcA-PkcA. The ΔmpkA mutant and its reference strain GR5 were exposed to 0, 0.5 and 1 μg/ml AFPNN5353. The plates were incubated at 37°C for 48 h. (B) 1 × 104 conidia/ml of the ΔmpkA mutant and GR5 were treated with 0.05 μg/ml AFPNN5353 or without protein (controls) in a total Fedratinib volume of 200 μl of appropriately supplemented CM in

96-well plates. In addition, mutants defective in PkcA and MpkA activity were EPZ015938 tested for their AFPNN5353 susceptibility. As pkcA is an essential gene in A. nidulans, a conditional alcA-PKC mutant strain was used, where the pkcA gene was put under the control of the alcA promoter, which is repressed by glucose but derepressed by glycerol [26]. Both the conditional alcA-PKC mutant (cultivated under repressive conditions) and a ΔmpkA mutant were hypersensitive to AFPNN5353 compared to their recipient strains R153 and GR5, respectively, indicating that the activity of PkcA and MpkA confers a certain resistance to AFPNN5353 (Figure 2A). The hypersensitive phenotype of the ΔmpkA mutant was also confirmed by liquid growth inhibitory assays. In unchallenged

liquid condition, the GR5 and the ΔmpkA mutant showed a comparable proliferation rate (Figure 2B).

In the presence of 0.05 μg/ml AFPNN5353, however, the mpkA deletion strain did not germinate Vorinostat whereas the GR5 strain still exhibited 11% growth. Note that growth inhibition in liquid conditions requires less antifungal protein to monitor its toxicity than on solid media probably due to less diffusion in the latter case (data not shown). From these data we conclude that AFPNN5353 interferes with the cell wall homeostasis of A. nidulans and that this interaction is mediated by PkcA/MpkA signalling, although independently from RhoA. AFPNN5353 disrupts calcium homeostasis in A. niger Supplements other than osmotic stabilizers can also antagonize the activity of antifungal proteins from plants and ascomycetes. Resminostat For example, the addition of cations such as Ca2+ ions to the growth medium reversed the antifungal activity of the P. chrysogenum PAF [17], the A. giganteus AFP [15, 21] and of plant defensins [29, 30] which are usually positively charged due to their high pI. A cation-sensitive antifungal mode of action can for example be associated with the perturbation of the intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis by antifungal peptides [17, 18] but might also result from the interference of cations with antifungal-target interaction(s). Therefore, we tested to which extend these effects also account for the antifungal activity of AFPNN5353. To this end, we selected A.

Worldwide, esophageal cancer is the sixth leading cause of cancer death, and its 5-year MLN2238 mouse survival rate GS-4997 order in the United States is 14.9%, being responsible for 4% of all cancer deaths annually. The age-standardized incidence rate in China was the highest in the world. Surgical treatment is the mainly way for localised esophageal carcinoma (stage I-III), but is very limited effective for stage III [5]. Patients undergoing surgery alone had a median survival ranging from 13 to 19 months and a 5-year survival rate of 15% to 24%. The introduction of adjuvant chemo- and radiotherapy has improved the prognosis of patients with ESCCs, particularly those with high

potential for lymph node metastasis [6, 7]. Radiotherapy in particular has played a key role in the control of tumor growth in esophageal cancer patients. This mode of therapy is considered to improve resection rates, increase survival time, and decrease lymph metastases. However, the 5-year survival rate with conventional doses of radiation alone is 0% to 10% [8]. One of the reasons for this low survival rate is the insensitivity of esophageal cancer to radiotherapy, which decreases the ability to cure or delay progression GSK2399872A mw of disease in these patients. Recently, chemo-radiotherapy, a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, is the most frequent

treatment for patients with esophageal cancer [9–12], and a complete histopathological response is achieved in 20%–40% of cases. This combination therapy has significantly improved median survival and reduced late relapses in patients with ESCCs. Therefore, suitable chemotherapy agents for esophageal cancer, especially for radio-resistant esophageal cancer are urgently needed. The purpose of our experiment is to detect the chemotherapeutic drug sensitivity in radio-resistant cancer cells and improve the therapy

efficiency. In the present study, we first established a radio-resistant cell model EC109/R from the human ESCC cell line EC109, by fractionated irradiation using X-rays. Then the efficiency of chemotherapeutic drug, cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, doxorubicin, paclitaxel, or etoposide, was screened in EC109 and EC109/R cells. Methods Cell line and cell culture EC109 cells, a well differentiated human ESCC cell line, were provided CHIR-99021 cell line by Cancer Institute and Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Cells were maintained in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium (DMEM, GIBCO, USA) containing 10% heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum (FBS, GIBCO), 100 U/ml penicillin, 100 U/ml streptomycin and 2 mM L-glutamine at 37°C in a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO2. Cells were passaged every 2–3 days to maintain exponential growth. Chemotherapeutic Agents Cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, doxorubicin, paclitaxel and etoposide were of analytical grade and were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich. They were dissolved in normal saline at various concentrations.

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G, Goto K, Kubota K, Kim YH, Kojika M, Murata Y, Yamazaki M, Nishiwaki Y, Eguchi K, Ochiai A: Immunohistochemical expression of BCRP and ERCC1 in biopsy specimen predicts survival in advanced non-small-cell Tyrosine-protein kinase BLK lung cancer treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Lung Cancer 2009, 64:98–104.PubMedCrossRef 17. Shang XB, Yu ZT, Tang P, Zhang XZ: Study on the relationships of DNA repair associated proteins and cisplatin resistance in lung cancer. Shandong Medical Journal 2009, 49:25–27. 18. Yang JQ, Wang HB, Liu HX: Expression of BRCA1 in non-small cell lung cancer and its significance in prognosis. China Tropical Medicine 2009, 9:1705–1707. 19. Shan L, Han ZG, Liu L, Aerxiding P, Wang XG, Ma L, Wang Q, Zhang Y: ERCC1 and BRCA1 expressions in advanced non-small cell lung cancer and their relationship with cisplatin resistance. Tumor 2009, 29:571–574. 20. Wang LR, Zhang GB, Chen J, Li J, Li MW, Xu N, Shen Tu JZ: Effect of RRM1 and BRCA1 Expressions on Efficiency of Gemcitabine and Platinum in Patients with Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Chin Pharm J 2010, 45:1577–1580. 21. Lu XM, Mao GX, Jie HM: Expression of BRCA1 in non small cell lung cancer and its relationship with platinum-based chemotherapy sensitivity. J Prac Med 2010, 26:3526–3528. 22. Mo HW, Li LP, Liu Q, Huang L: ERCC1, BRCA1, RRM1 expression and the relationship between platinum-based chemotherapy in advanced NSCLC patients. Chin J Clin Res 2011, 24:283–284. 23.

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“Dear Sir, As I read the study by Patil et al. [1], I noticed that they have not stated several important points; in the methods section, the authors did LDN-193189 not state the number of participants they contacted or the method used (telephone or direct interview?). Did they contact all of the study universe? There are 400 participants but as the authors have not estimated the exact number using appropriate epidemiologic formulas we cannot estimate the number required. In a cross-sectional study, sample size is an important part of study design, and without knowing the exact sample size interpretation of the results becomes almost impossible. Furthermore, the facilities

or the means participants utilized in order to come and take the diagnostic test (DEX study) was not noted, which precludes ruling out the possibility that disabled participants did not come in for diagnostic tests. The same concern is true of economic status; information regarding the socio-economic status of participants is missing and therefore there is a possibility that participants were 4��8C wealthier than non-participants. Although cross-sectional studies are not the best type of study for finding causal relationships, in my opinion the points mentioned above should also be considered and included. As populations get older we must focus on the elderly, keeping in mind that preventing disabilities is a good target. If sarcopenia can be used predict disabilities, by all means we have to find out its social impact. Therefore, research into sarcopenia should take into account epidemiologic methodology. Reference 1.

In the first step, a layer of ZnO seeds was deposited Screening Library datasheet onto weaved titanium wires by dipping the mesh in an alcohol solution containing 0.02 M zinc acetate dihydrate and 0.02 M lithium hydroxide, followed by annealing in a furnace at 400°C for 1 h. Then, the seeded substrate was placed into a glass bottle which contains an aqueous solution with 0.2 M of zinc nitrate and 1 M of urea. In the second step, the hydrothermal growth was conducted by heating the solution to 90°C

for 12 h. After the hydrothermal treatment, the resultant nanostructure was rinsed with deionized water thoroughly and then annealed at 450°C for 1 h to remove any residual organics and convert into ZnO nanosheets. Deposition of CdS nanoparticles with successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction method CdS nanoparticles were deposited onto the ZnO nanosheet surface by SILAR method. Solutions of 0.05 M cadmium nitrate (Cd(NO3)2) and 0.05 M sodium sulfide (Na2S) were prepared by dissolving Cd(NO3)2 in deionized water and Na2S in methanol/water with volume ratios of 1:1. In a typical SILAR cycle, weaved titanium wire substrate, pre-grown STA-9090 with ZnO nanosheet arrays, was dipped into the Cd(NO3)2 aqueous solution for 30 s, rinsed in water, then dipped into the Na2S solution for another 30 s,

and rinsed again in ethanol. This entire SILAR process was repeated to achieve the desired thickness of CdS nanoparticles. After the synthesis, the CdS/ZnO/Ti substrate was carefully washed in deionized water and dried at 100°C. Characterization The morphologies

of the ZnO/Ti and CdS/ZnO/Ti nanostructures were examined using a field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM; FEI Sirion, FEI Company, Hillsboro, OR, USA). The crystal structures Adenosine of ZnO/Ti and CdS/ZnO/Ti were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD; XD-3, PG Instruments Ltd., Beijing, China) with Cu Kα radiation (λ = 0.154 nm) at a scan rate of 2°/min. X-ray tube voltage and current were set at 40 kV and 30 mA, respectively. The optical transmission spectra were obtained using a dual-beam UV-visible spectrometer (TU-1900, PG Instruments Ltd., Beijing, China). Solar cell assembly and performance measurement The schematic structure of the nanostructured solar cell is shown in Figure 1. The solar cell was assembled using the CdS/ZnO/Ti nanostructure as the photoanode and a platinum-coated FTO glass as the counter electrode. The counter electrode was prepared by spin coating a solution of H2PtCl6 (0.01 M) in isopropyl alcohol on FTO glass and subsequently annealed it at 500°C for 30 min. A 60-μm-thick sealing material (SX-1170-60, Solaronix SA, Aubonne, Switzerland) with a 4 × 4 mm2 aperture was sandwiched between the titanium mesh substrate and the counter electrode to prevent electrical Selleck Epigenetics Compound Library shorts. A polysulfide electrolyte was injected into the space between the two electrodes. The polysulfide electrolyte was composed of 1 M sulfur, 1 M Na2S, and 0.