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We report on the microstructure, phase constitution and magnetocaloric properties in rapidly solidified La(Fe,Mn)11.6Si1.4 flakes prepared by strip casting technique. After a relatively short-time annealing at 1323 K for 12 h, LaFe11.6Si1.4 flakes constituting a nearly single NaZn13-structured La(Fe,Si)13, i.e. 1:13 phase, exhibit a large entropy change of 19.2 J/kg K and adiabatic temperature change of 6.5 K when the application of a magnetic field of 2 T at which temperature. These features are comparable to those observed in the bulk samples. More importantly, the thermal and magnetic hysteresis of the present flakes is significantly smaller than that in the bulk alloys. The Curie temperature can be accurately tuned through replacing Fe by Mn. Thus, La–Fe–Si-based strip-cast flakes are promising for magnetic refrigerants in mass production.

LaFe11.6Si14 microwires with an average diameter of 50 mu m have been fabricated by utilizing the melt-extraction method. The geometry of wires fits the requirement of magnetic refrigerants when applied in active magnetic regenerator (AMR) systems. Magnetocaloric properties of these wires are comparable to those for the bulk sample with the equivalent NaZn13-type phase (i.e. the 1:13 phase), making them the promising refrigerants toward application. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is expressed in the epithelial cells of a wide range of organs/tissues from which most cancers are derived. Although accumulating reports have indicated the association of cancer incidence with genetic variations in CFTR gene, the exact role of CFTR in cancer development and the possible underlying mechanism have not been elucidated. Here, we report that CFTR expression is significantly decreased in both prostate cancer cell lines and human prostate cancer tissue samples. Overexpression of CFTR in prostate cancer cell lines suppresses tumor progression (cell growth, adhesion and migration), whereas knockdown of CFTR leads to enhanced malignancies both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, we demonstrate that CFTR knockdown-enhanced cell proliferation, cell invasion and migration are significantly reversed by antibodies against either urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) or uPA receptor (uPAR), which are known to be involved in various malignant traits of cancer development. More interestingly, overexpression of CFTR suppresses uPA by upregulating the recently described tumor suppressor microRNA-193b (miR-193b), and overexpression of pre-miR-193b significantly reverses CFTR knockdown-enhanced malignant phenotype and abrogates elevated uPA activity in prostate cancer cell line. Finally, we show that CFTR gene transfer results in significant tumor repression in prostate cancer xenografts in vivo. Taken together, the present study has demonstrated a previously undefined tumor-suppressing role of CFTR and its involvement in regulation of miR-193b in prostate cancer development.

The present study investigated the spatial-temporal characteristics of chlorophyll a (chl-a) concentration in Sanya Bay by shipboard survey data at 12 stations from 2006 to 2008, and discussed the relationship between chl-a distribution and influential factors using MODIS sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface wind (SSW) and rainwater runoff data. Results showed that the chl-a concentration in Sanya Bay ranged from 0.30 to 13.58 mg·m−3, the average concentration and standard deviation (SD) were 1.49 mg·m−3 and 1.74 mg·m−3 respectively. The chla showed a decreased tendency from estuary to offshore, and a decreased trends with the depth increased in the estuary of Sanya River, whereas indicated increased trends in the area offshore. In the river mouth, the relative higher value appeared in autumn. But in the zone offshore, the relative lower value appeared in spring. Summer had a obvious stratification vertically. This changes were associated with environmental factors changes in this area, such as the seasonal monsoon and nutrients from rainfall runoff.