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In this paper, the effects of the SiC phase incorporated in Ni substrate deposits on storage tank steel during electrodeposition at different current densities are explored. The microstructure, phase content, and corrosion resistance of the resulting Ni-SiC composites were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) matched with energy disperse spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and an electrochemical workstation, respectively. SEM micrographs and EDS results show that at 2.5 A/dm2, the composites presented a smooth and compact structure with high SiC content, while at 1.8 or 3.2 A/dm2, it became uneven and loose in structure with low SiC content. XRD patterns showed that the nickel grain size of composites firstly increased and then decreased with the growth of the current density. Notably, the Ni-SiC composite produced at 2.5 A/dm2 possessed a higher corrosion potential (−0.507 V) and lower corrosion current density (2.439 μA/cm2), illustrating that its excellent anti-corrosion ability was superior than that of other two composites. Hence, SiC co-deposited at 2.5 A/dm2 conducted as a protective barrier and inhibited the corrosion rate against a corrosion medium of Cl− and SO42− ions. In addition, the corrosion relationship illustrated that the SiC content of Ni-SiC composite firstly increased and then decreased with the growth of the current density, while the corrosion weight loss of Ni-SiC composites firstly decreased and then increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common types of cancer among women worldwide. Lycorine (Lycoris radiata), a small molecule derived from the traditional Chinese herb Amaryllidaceae plants, has appeared potential effect on inhibiting the growth of cancer cells and inducing apoptosis in various types of cancer with minor side effects. To discuss the therapeutic effects and molecular mechanisms of lycorine on BC established by lycorine‐treated S180 tumour‐bearing mice in vivo. Furthermore, both the mitotic and microtubule assembly dynamics genes were performed by qPCR assays, and the protein expression associated with mitotic arrest was investigated by western blot. Lycorine was demonstrated to reduce sarcoma growth of S180 tumour‐bearing mice and inhibit the proliferation of MCF‐7 cells in concentration‐dependent manner. Moreover, lycorine induced M phase cell cycle arrest via interfering with the mitotic apparatus regulated the expression of 20 genes and 15 proteins in cell cycle progression. Furthermore, this study confirmed that the potential effect of lycorine on BC might be mediated by cell cycle arrest in M phase for the first time. These results would be the consequence of exploitation of lycorine as a potential drug for BC therapy, however further preclinical and clinical studies are still needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protists occupy multiple trophic positions in soil food webs and significantly contribute to organic matter decomposition and biogeochemical cycling. Protists can ingest bacteria and fungi as main food sources while being subjected to predation of invertebrates, but our understanding of how bottom‐up and top‐down regulations structure protists in natural soil habitats is limited. Here, we disentangle the effects of trophic regulations to the diversity and structure of soil protists in natural settings across northern and eastern Australia. Bacterial and invertebrate diversity were identified as important drivers of the diversity of functional groups of protists. Moreover, the compositions of protistan taxonomic and functional groups were better predicted by bacteria and fungi, than by soil invertebrates. There were strong trophic interconnections between protists and bacteria in multiple organismic network analysis. Altogether, the study provided new evidence that, bottom‐up control of bacteria played an important role in shaping the soil protist community structure, which can be derived from feeding preferences of protists on microbial prey, and their intimate relationships in soil functioning or environmental adaptation. Our findings advance our knowledge about the impacts of different trophic groups on key soil organismic communities, with implications for ecosystem functions and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]